Tutorial: Flashing a custom ROM on TF700T

[Milan Cejnek]

Hello Berndlb,

I'm facing serious problems after flashing your ROM. Tablet keeps restarting over and over. It starts to laucher, sometimes lets me work with tablet for a minute or two but than freezes a restarts. If I don't touch anything, it starts to logon screen and then freezes and restarts anyway.

My upgrade path was:
1. stock JB 4.2.2
2. downgrade to ICS 4.0.3 (9.4.5.30 FW)
3. root using RootDebugfs.bat
4. unlock using Asus unlock tool (it was hell, one day about 20 attempts failed, folowing day success on first attempt)
5. installing CWM 6.0.4.7 via fastboot
6. backup in CWM
7. wiping data from CWM (I probably should have done that from recovery)
8. flash of cm-11-20140407-NIGHTLY-tf700t + google aps

After flashing tablet also did neverending restarts I've described above. So I did

9. data wipe from recovery
10. flash of cm-11.0-20140403-CROMBikk4.4.2-tf700t_Signed

and still no success, again neverending restarts. Do you have any idea what is wrong? I'm pretty unhappy now :-(

Milan

 

[berndlb]

Why in Wotan's name did you downgrade to ICS??????
Doing that you are now on a totally incompatible bootloader with any current rom and ESPECIALLY any KitKat rom!
Any current rom thread I know of clearly states that the 10.6.1.14.10 bootloader is required for running the rom! How did you miss that?

It's a small miracle that your tablet boots at all...

You have to flash the latest Asus firmware from CWM (which IS your recovery btw) to get on the .10 bootloader, then reflash CWM in fastboot (because the firmware flash will replace it with the stock recovery)
then do a Factory Wipe in CWM
then flash the rom of your choice.

Alternatively you can look for the CROMi-X 5.4 thread in the TF700 dev section at XDA.
Look for the bootloader/TWRP package sbdags provided in the OP. It's a zip you can flash in CWM to get to the correct bootloader but it will also install TWRP 2.6.1 which is not compatible with KK roms. Flash it.
Reboot. Do not skip this step! Doesn't matter if it results in a bootloop. The bootloader flash precedes the booting of Android.
Then reflash CWM or TWRP 2.7 (which is compatible with KK roms) in fastboot.
Then do a Factory Wipe in recovery
Then flash the rom
Good luck.

Sent from my K00C using Tapatalk

 

[AndroiDudeJ]

Hello all.

I haven't seen any reference to the need for a Gapps package anywhere else in this thread/tutorial.
I rooted another android phone awhile back and was shocked when done that I didn't have access to the play store.
With a bit of research I discovered that I needed to install that.

Is that necessary with the CROMi-X ROM or is that actually part OF the ROM.

Thanks.
Wish me luck.
About to embark on the journey to make this tablet the beast that it was supposed to be.


B

 

[Milan Cejnek]

Hi,

I can tell you why I did that. Many guides I've found start with unlocking bootloader using asus unlock tool, which is labeled ICS only! :-/ I read your guide too late when my tablet was already messed up by me acting on confusing instructions from other guides. My fault.

So before I'll do something stupid again - you advice me to flash stock 4.2.2. from CWM, fastboot reflash CWM, Factory Wipe in CWM and finaly flash your ROM, right?

Anyway, thank you very much for your help! I'll try to fix my tablet today.

M.

 

[Milan Cejnek]

Hi,

Gapps package is already included.

Good luck

M.

Hello all.

I haven't seen any reference to the need for a Gapps package anywhere else in this thread/tutorial.
I rooted another android phone awhile back and was shocked when done that I didn't have access to the play store.
With a bit of research I discovered that I needed to install that.

Is that necessary with the CROMi-X ROM or is that actually part OF the ROM.

Thanks.
Wish me luck.
About to embark on the journey to make this tablet the beast that it was supposed to be.


B

 

[AndroiDudeJ]

Very cool.
Thank you.

Well, that was an amazingly simple process.
Start to finish about 35 minutes and new custom ROM installed.

However, what I'm finding is weird is that I watched the entire process, it said the ROM was successfully installed, yet almost everything is the same as it was before I installed the new ROM.
I have 3 different logins that are still there.
All of my apps and data are still there.
Yet, I was asked to grant superuser access for one of my apps.

In my past experience a new ROM wiped everything out and I had to start completely from scratch.

Did this ROM actually get installed?

Thanks
B

 

[AndroiDudeJ]

Okay.
I figured it out.
I don't think I did a wipe before installing the new Roman, so it treated it like and upgrade.

Did a wipe and WOW, what a difference!
This thing is so much smoother and more solid feeling!
Not a dramatic increase in speed per se, but no lag at all!


Color me very pleased and impressed.
I will be donating later today.

Nice work and many thanks for helping me make this thing not only usable, but fun!

B

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Milan Cejnek]

Hi berndlb,

I'm pretty desperate now. I wanted to flash latest Asus firmware from CWM, but CWM needs some modified FW, other than I can download from ASUS like "US_epaduser_VER104425UpdateLauncher", right? I've tried to find some usable "CWM" version of stock FW but without success.

So I've tried to flash TF700_421_US_BootRec_Flasher_Signed bootloader/TWRP package. Flash failed: "assert failed: write_raw_image ("data/media/blob","staging")" Instalation aborted. Then I've tried to flash TF700_10.6.1.14.10_US_Boot_TWRP_2610_Signed and it failed the same way :-(

I was looking for another loader, found "kernel-10.6.1.14.10-that9-oc". I've flashed it in CWM, reflashed CWM in fastboot, did Factory Wipe in CWM and flashed CROMiX ROM.

And the result is still the same. Tablet keeps freezing and rebooting.

I'm terrible sorry for my nooby problems and for bothering you but can you please give me another hint what to do? :-(

Milan

Why in Wotan's name did you downgrade to ICS??????
Doing that you are now on a totally incompatible bootloader with any current rom and ESPECIALLY any KitKat rom!
Any current rom thread I know of clearly states that the 10.6.1.14.10 bootloader is required for running the rom! How did you miss that?

It's a small miracle that your tablet boots at all...

You have to flash the latest Asus firmware from CWM (which IS your recovery btw) to get on the .10 bootloader, then reflash CWM in fastboot (because the firmware flash will replace it with the stock recovery)
then do a Factory Wipe in CWM
then flash the rom of your choice.

Alternatively you can look for the CROMi-X 5.4 thread in the TF700 dev section at XDA.
Look for the bootloader/TWRP package sbdags provided in the OP. It's a zip you can flash in CWM to get to the correct bootloader but it will also install TWRP 2.6.1 which is not compatible with KK roms. Flash it.
Reboot. Do not skip this step! Doesn't matter if it results in a bootloop. The bootloader flash precedes the booting of Android.
Then reflash CWM or TWRP 2.7 (which is compatible with KK roms) in fastboot.
Then do a Factory Wipe in recovery
Then flash the rom
Good luck.

Sent from my K00C using Tapatalk

 

[berndlb]

Ok Milan. I will try to help you get back to a working system, but you have to stop flashing stuff like kernels willy-nilly.
As long as you have fastboot access there are several ways of fixing this. But you can hard brick the tablet by flashing the wrong software. So slow down!
This will take time. I only have time in the evenings and not much of that either. So be patient.

The error you encountered indicates that your recovery is incompatible with your bootloader - which is no surprise.
I do not understand your reference to CWM needing a special kind of firmware - never heard about it. Please reference where you got that information. The firmware version you stated is nothing I have ever seen for this tablet. Where did you find it?

You did download the bootloader/TWRP package for your SKU from here??
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2425383

We have to get you on a compatible recovery/bootloader combination. My advise would be:
Download TWRP 2.3.1 from here: http://techerrata.com/browse/twrp2/tf700t
Flash it in fastboot following the steps for flashing a recovery in the OP of this thread.
Reboot.
Boot back into recovery and confirm that it is now TWRP 2.3.1
Choose "Install" , navigate to the bootloader/TWRP package from the CROMi-X thread I linked to earlier and choose it.
Before you swipe the button to flash check the box next to: Verify zip signature
Flash the file.
Reboot.
Boot into the bootloader with Power and Volume Down and read the tiny script. You should now be on the 10.6.1.14.10 bootloader
Boot into recovery and confirm that it is now TWRP 2.6.1
Choose "Wipe", leave everything as it is and swipe the button to do a factory wipe.
You should now be on stable base to continue.
If you want to run a KK based rom, flash TWRP 2.7 in fastboot
Reboot
Then flash the KK rom

Let me know if this worked.

Sent from my K00C using Tapatalk

 

[Milan Cejnek]

Hurray, it worked!!! Thank you very much!
There were some problems like command "fastboot devices" showed constantly nothing, TWRP refused to mount external SD card, fastboot didn't want to flash TWRP 2.7 but when I tried the same thing again after reboot then it worked.

Now answers to your questions:
>I do not understand your reference to CWM needing a special kind of firmware - never heard about it. Please reference where you got that information.
I've tried to flash it in CWM and it failed ("assert failed: write_raw_image ("data/media/blob","staging")" Instalation aborted). It was likely becouse of that incompatibility issues you've helped me to solve. But before that I thought stock FW has to be modded somehow to flash it via CWM, becouse the file structure of zip seemed different than in custom FW zips and someone has posted "recovery versions of stock ROMs". Why did he do that if they were the same as those downloadable from ASUS support site? Ok, maybe that was becouse most of them are gone now.

> The firmware version you stated is nothing I have ever seen for this tablet. Where did you find it?
http://www.asus.com/cz/Tablets_Mobile/ASUS_Transformer_Pad_TF700T/HelpDesk_Download/
ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T Firmware: V10.4.4.25 (for US SKU version only)
ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T Firmware: V10.6.1.14.10 Only for US SKU (Android 4.2.1)
And all possible FW versions can be found here: Index of /pub/asustw/EeePAD/TF700T

> You did download the bootloader/TWRP package for your SKU from here?? http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2425383
Yes, I did. At least something I did correctly

Once again - thank you!

Milan

P.S. I had to google what does willy-nilly mean :-D

 

[berndlb]

Great! Glad you got it solved.

Sent from my K00C using Tapatalk

 

[Robbbi]

OK, We all know that, fastboot, twrp.. apx driver.. etc, etc, etc.. all good, nice and runnig.....

BUT.. a big BUT... what can you do when you know for sure that the device isn't debugged and you cant reach it ?
How do you unlock if you cant even load OP and obviously you cant install a very easy unlock apk,
asus unlock apk is useless if you'r stuck in stock bootloader and you can do crap...

So..... ?

 

[Robbbi]

Sorry.. Unable to load OS, operating system..

 

[Marc Beauregard]

is there any way to recovery from wipe data when i installed an unlock V8.0.

Because my device is stock on begin and wo'nt open. Only Asus windows stays and frooze

 

[Marc Beauregard]

[Once you installed a custom recovery NEVER EVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES - AND I REPEAT: NEVER! - use the 'Wipe Data' option
is there any way to recover if i did that???

 

[akdiditalspace]

Thanks alot, was searching for this.

 

[berndlb]

[Once you installed a custom recovery NEVER EVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES - AND I REPEAT: NEVER! - use the 'Wipe Data' option
is there any way to recover if i did that???

Yes, there may be...
So you had a custom recovery installed? Which one (version number is very important)?
Which ROM do you have installed? Stock or custom?
Which bootloader version?

Do you have adb/fastboot set up on your PC?

I suspect the tablet boots only to recovery? Correct?

With the tablet in recovery, what do you get with

adb devices

 

[berndlb]

Thanks alot, was searching for this.

Great, I'm glad it helped.
Hope you followed the instructions in my XDA thread...

 

[pascal787]

Hi !

I have a problem with TWRP installation . I made a copy of fasboot anwser

Can anyone help me?

Microsoft Windows [version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. Tous droits réservés.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>fastboot devices
015d324901400406 fastboot

C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>fastboot -i 0x0B05 flash recover
y twrp.blob
error: cannot load 'twrp.blob'

C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>

 

[berndlb]

Hi !

I have a problem with TWRP installation . I made a copy of fasboot anwser

Can anyone help me?

Microsoft Windows [version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. Tous droits réservés.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>fastboot devices
015d324901400406 fastboot

C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>fastboot -i 0x0B05 flash recover
y twrp.blob
error: cannot load 'twrp.blob'

C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>

Is twrp.blob in your Minimal ADB... folder?