[UTILITY] Quick ADB Pusher v0.5 (Get it now!) [25-12-2012] - Android Software Development

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Background:
It all started with me often finding myself sending small files to my device, and quickly got sick of the constant enabling/disabling of USBMS on my old phone, which is quite slow with re-mounting the SD card(ZTE Blade).
I also quickly got sick of not being able to quickly transfer files from my PC to my tablets internal storage.
There are a few graphical interfaces for adb out there, but none was really what I wanted...
So I decided to attempt to code something myself, and here we are!
Info:
A graphical UI for "adb push" to quickly transfer files from your PC to any location on your Android device.
.... Thats what I planned when i started, and what the first 2 versions did...
Now it hosts a powerful File Explorer thats capable of doing everyday tasks such as copy, paste, rename, create folders, delete files and folders, as well as transfering files on its own.
Features:
The main application is capable of sending and receiving files, and installing APKs.
It also serves as the connection-manager as can connect to devices using either your USB Sync cable, or by using WLAN (req. an app on your device to enable wireless adb).
Finally, it hosts a few other functions such as reboot to recovery, reboot to bootloader and a plain reboot.
The Filebrowser is very similar to any other filebrowser you use everyday on your PC.
It can copy/cut and paste files and folders within the device, rename file and folders, create new folders, delete files and folders.
Highlights would be:
Browse the content of your device like you browse your PC's harddrives
Drag and drop files between your PC and your Android device
Move, copy, delete and rename files and folders
Limitations:
The main program does not detect case sensitive, which can end up with funny results if you push a file to "/removable/" instead of "/Removable/" for example.
ADB is only capable of sending 1 file at a time, but is capable of sending whole directories incl. subdirs.
In a future update, I will add the ability to send multiple files.
Getting started:
Everything should be self explanatory. Most of the buttons have tooltips that tells you what they do.
Basically you make sure USB Debugging is turned ON on your device, plug it into your PC and start Quick ADB Pusher.
If you are connecting using a USB Cable, the application should find it automatically.
If you're connecting through wifi, you will need to type the IP address in the dedicated field. Port only needs to be provided if you are using any other port than the standard 5555. The IP address will be saved, and you can select it from the drop-down list the next time you start the application.
Requirements:
An Android device.
Windows
.NET 3.5
USB Debugging turned ON.
Additional Recommendations:
Root
Busybox
Vulnerable Kernel or Custom ROM
Q&A
Q: My device is rooted, but the program says it cant get root access
A: You are probably on stock rom or kernel. Most shipped roms have root-access from adb blocked.
To check this: Open default.prop located in the root of your device ("/"). If ro.secure is set to 1, thats your issue. Note: Default.prop gets overwritten everytime you restart the device, so changing this file will do nothing.
Theres is an app available that can fix/bypass this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1687590
Q: The cache didnt delete itself when I closed the app!
A: You have two choices here: Either delete the cache/ folder located in the same location as the adb pusher exe, or you can just open and close the program.
If the cache still wont delete itself, report it as a bug.
Q: I cant connect to my device over wifi!
A: Make sure you have an app on your device that enables wireless ADB and that its turned ON. I personally use adbWireless found on the Play Store.
Double-check you are attempting to connect to the correct IP and port.
Q: Whats the "Information" window good for?
A: Its actually a left-over debug window, but can provide you with useful information should a transfer fail. If nothing else, you can use it if and when you report a bug.
Note that the Info window only shows what the main program is doing. ADB Explorer works independently, and will not report anything to the Info window.
Q: Why do I have to click a button to switch between push, pull and install?
A: The program need to knows which adb command to run (adb push or adb pull), and having a button for it was the easiest way for me .
The install option is there because you might not always want to install an .apk, but rather store it on your SD card or something. I know I do.
Q: Why cant I send a whole folder to my device from the main program?
A: Old implementation, use the built-in ADB Explorer instead, which allows you to send whole folders.
Q: Whats the point in the main program, when the Explorer can do everything but better?
A: At the moment it still controls the actual transfers as well as the connections to your device(s).
The main program is, however, more or less untouched since v0.3, while the Explorer is constantly being updated. Therefore, the Explorer hosts more and better features.
I am concidering removing the main form, as its rather obsolete by now.
Q: I Have a question!
A: Feel free to ask in this thread, and I'll answer your question as best I can.
Q: Can I donate?
A: No, I dont feel this program is worth "paying for" and it wouldnt feel right to receive money for it in any form.
Hit 'thanks' and vote the thread 5stars instead
Q: I Found a bug, how do I report it?
A: Report it to me on this forum, either in the thread or through PM, and I'll make sure to look into it.
Just make sure to provide as much info you can.
And remember: I cant fix anything if I dont know about it! So dont hesitate reporting bugs.
Changelog:
v0.5 current version
First of all... v0.4.1 had 6570 views on the attachement alone. Not bad... :victory:
Added an awesome splashscreen! As those who have used this program before should know - the program takes a while to load. The splashscreen is visible during this load, so you know the program is actually starting.
The wifi-field has been redesigned. It now saves your IP adresses so you dont have to retype them every time.
Added an "X" button next to the wifi-field. This button clears the wifi-cache and removes all entries in the list.
Added my name with a link to this thread, Ive seen my program hosted at a few sites with no credit whatsoever. I dont mind anyone hosting it elsewhere, in fact Im happy it gets spread, but PLEASE at least give me credit for it.
Slight redesign
Added tooltips to both the main application and the Filebrowser
Filebrowser:
Renamed "ADB Filebrowser" to "ADB Explorer". It can do so much more than just view the files on the device, so this name is more fitting. I should think of a new name for the entire application as well... "Quick ADB Pusher" isnt even half the truth anymore
Added cache feature! Everytime you enter a directory youve already been in, the cache kicks in rather than asking the device for the content. Each device has its own cache (note: a wifi-connected device will have its own cache based on the IP, so if you connect to the same device using cable or another IP, the cache needs to be rebuilt).
The cache will update as follows:
When entering a new directory not currently present in the cache.
When you hit the refresh button.
When you rename a file/folder.
When you create a new folder.
When you paste a file/folder from the clipboard.
When you delete a file/folder.
When you transfer a file/folder to the device.
The cache will NOT update when you send a file from the device to your PC
The cache will get deleted upon application exit.
You can now cancel the contentlisting and go back by hitting "../", Backspace shortcut-key or the Back button. Added because some directories takes ages to load on various devices, and its not so fun rolling your thumbs when all you want to do is go back to the previous dir
Added "drag-drop" to the filebrowser - you can now dragdrop files and folders directly to the browser to send it(or install, if .apk) to your device. The cache will refresh upon completion. You can also drop files and folders FROM the browser to your PC!*
* this might not sound so special, but it was a ***** to implement. Dragging stuff to the browser - ~50 lines of code. Dragging stuff FROM the browser - a little over 200 lines of code... C# sure has its limitations...
Added "Grab" to the right-click menu. This will send the selected file/folder from your device to your PC.
In short, the filebrowser can do what the main application can, so you dont have to close the browser to send/recieve a file/folder. A loading thingy will appear over the browser while a filetransfer is in progress.
Added "Properties" to the right-click menu. This shows some info such as the size of the file, and even the total size of a folder (incl. sub dirs). If you select a folder with a lot of content/folders, it might take a while to calculate the size. Other things it show is where its mounted and what permissions the file/folder has. NOTE: Requires Busybox, and root for files and folders only accessible by root (duh!)
Added 3 warnings upon opening the browser: One to inform you if your device isnt rooted, one to warn you busybox is missing and one to warn you if your device is rooted, but ADB was unable to acquire it. None of these warnings will show if adb acquires root and busybox is present.
Added a textarea showing the used space on the device, based on the mounted partition (such as /data, /sdcard, etc). So dont be scared if the number jumps around while youre browsing - it just means youve entered a different partition. Click to switch between used and free space. Requires Busybox
The browser now remembers your last location and will not start from "/" everytime you open it. Memory is lost upon main program exit and when you select a different device.
Added "View file" (prev. unfunctional "Open" menu item) to the right-click menu. This allows you to view smaller files (up to 10MB) without permanentally save them on your PC. I have blocked larger files because the time it takes to transfer those files isnt worth it for just "a quick look". My devices transfers a 10MB files between 2 and 5 seconds(depending on device) - which I think is ok, so I set the limit there.
Tweaked and tuned to make the browser act somewhat normal for devices without root/busybox. Devices without root/busybox will miss out on quite a lot though And before anyone asks - No, I do not plan on making this program able to root your devices. There are plenty of tools for that already.
Fixed the shortcutkeys that only worked when they wanted to. In addition, several more shortcuts have been added.
List of currently supported shortcuts:
ctrl+x: Cut file/folder
ctrl+c: Copy file/folder
ctrl+v: Paste file/folder
ctrl+s: Grab the selected file/folder
shift+delete: Delete the seleceted file/folder
shift+n: Create a new folder
F1: View file
F2: Rename file/folder
You can also use the arrowkeys to navigate, similar as in explorer. cut/copy/paste only works within the ADB Explorer.
Added Forward and Back buttons. Works the same way ordinary back/forward buttons do. Also changed icon for Refresh
Added a Toolbar, containing more buttons such as "view file", "download", "upload", "delete"...
Added 2 eastereggs , one is easy to find. The other is well hidden, and actually serves a purpose Well actually, the latter isnt really an easteregg, but it should be hard enough for you mortals to find
Known issues:
You friends might rage and throw their IPhones at you when they see this
------
HTC Sync REALLY doesnt like ADB, so close that crap before starting this app, or better yet - uninstall it!
It seems HTC Sync is trying to start its own adb server, and is very persistant in doing so.
This results in Quick ADB Pusher and HTC Sync having a fight for their life on who is going to start the server.
------
If you install an .apk, then try to send something else, the program will try to install that as well. This is because I was retarded and forgot to add one check.
Solution: Close the filebrowser, untick "install apk". Will be fixed in the next version, I promise! :angel:
Version History:
v0.4.1 - 6570 views on the attachement alone. Not bad...
Fixed filebrowser not working on some devices, I hope. Please test this for me as the browser has always worked fine for me on all my devices.
Changed apk install method to use AndroidLib's method. It now tells you if the installation was successful or not.
... Some minor things I cant remember.
Note, the "Open" option in the filebrowser is just a placeholder for now, its not a bug that it doesnt work, it isnt ment to work.
v0.4
Fixed bug where files and folders containing "_(" threw a syntax error.
Added file browser for device (see Seperate notes).
Added wireless ADB support.
Added Pull-file mode.
Re-designed the UI.
Moved the info-view to 3rd tab. Im moving away from it more and more.
A lot of the text and button-text will now change depending on your current choices. Ex. the Send-button now switches between Send, Pull and Install.
A truckload of code rewriting and optimizations.
Added an additional check for Root remounting, which should fix rare cases where remounting fails (If your device cant be remounted as root, please report it along with your device, rom etc)
Added "Install APK" You can now install APKs directly through the program.
Added reboot options in the Advanced tab
Added device info in the Advanced tab (The temp seems to be reported in C * 10, so I report it as C / 10, let me know if it doesnt look right for your device, and dont forget to tell me what device/rom you're using)
Filebrowser Features:
Browse and select files.
Context menu (right-click menu).
Copy or move(cut) files/folders within the device.
rename files/folders on the device.
delete files/folders on the device. Warning: Deleting the wrong files might brick your device! Double-check that you really want to delete the file before doing so!
create new folders on the device.
icons for certain formats (more to be added).
progressbar for directory loading progress.
'clipboard' icon to remind you what you currently have selected for copy/cut.
Notes:
The filebrowser is in its early stage. I have bugtested it as much as I can and it works flawless with my 3 devices.
The speed of listing directoiess/files greatly differs with device. My TF101 lists the contents about twice as fast as my ZTE Blade, theres not all that much I can do about it, as I dont have the time right now.
When pasting a file in a location where a file with the same name already exists, the program will currently simply overwrite the file. I havnt had time to add a check for it yet (ETA: Next version).
---To be added:
Direct interacting/editing of files, such as text files etc.
cache-feature, to reduce the frequency of grabbing the dir. contents from the device (which will help speed up changing paths).
A "file exists" check when pasting, allowing you to chose to overwrite or rename the old file.
v0.3
Fixed program freeze when no device was connected.
Added device selection, so it should work with multiple devices connected. please test this for me
Rewrote most of the program to make use of AndroidLib.dll
Removed the console(debug) tab, as it served little to no use now
Added an 'Advanced' tab for future use
Cleaned up a lot of garbage code
Fixed system not mounting as R/W
Other minor changes and fixes
v0.2
First public release
v0.1
very first version I wrote, which was buggy and often froze and god knows all...
Trust me, it was terrible. It worked and did what it set out to do but... It was terrible...
The latest Version has been tested and bugfixed on the following devices:
ZTE Blade with Swedish Spring 5, connected through USB Cable
ASUS Transformer TF101 with Team EOS Nightly build 28, connected through WIFI
HTC One S with stock 4.0.3, no root, no busybox. USB Cable
HTC One S with stock 4.0.4, root, no busybox. USB Cable
HTC One S with stock 4.0.4, root, busybox. USB Cable.
-------------------
Suggestions for improvements, feedback etc are more than welcome
Thanks to:
regaw_leinad - for writing the very handy AndroidLib found here
Dont forget to hit 'thanks' if you like my application. Every thanks I get brings a smile to my face
Download:
If the attachment doesnt work, try this mirror (select version and hit ctrl+s, or file -> download)

i think making a batch file was easier

Hey, cool app. There does however seem to be a problem with XDA's attachment feature, and it only downloads about 1k of the zip, then says complete. Also, if you plan on extending this a little more, check out my .NET Android Library named... well AndroidLib. It will help you out a bunch with the coding of the features you want to add.

regaw_leinad said:
Hey, cool app. There does however seem to be a problem with XDA's attachment feature, and it only downloads about 1k of the zip, then says complete. Also, if you plan on extending this a little more, check out my .NET Android Library named... well AndroidLib. It will help you out a bunch with the coding of the features you want to add.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the heads up.
I placed it on google docs, hopefully it works better
Linky
If it doesnt, perhaps you could give me a tip as to where to upload it. I used to have my own server so never really used any other file-sharing method
regaw_leinad said:
Also, if you plan on extending this a little more, check out my .NET Android Library named... well AndroidLib. It will help you out a bunch with the coding of the features you want to add.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
O nice, Ill definitely check that out Thanks.

Goatshocker said:
Thanks for the heads up.
I placed it on google docs, hopefully it works better
Linky
If it doesnt, perhaps you could give me a tip as to where to upload it. I used to have my own server so never really used any other file-sharing method
O nice, Ill definitely check that out Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, the new link works great! Unfortunately, when I don't already have an adb server running and hit the 'Check ADB Status' button, the form freezes and the process needs to be killed to close the program. Works fine when adb.exe is already running though.
---------- Post added at 12:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:17 AM ----------
Killing adb.exe while it's frozen fixes the issue I pointed out, probably means there is an error in your
Code:
Process
code
EDIT:
Stalls on process.WaitForExit() when debugging

regaw_leinad said:
Yup, the new link works great! Unfortunately, when I don't already have an adb server running and hit the 'Check ADB Status' button, the form freezes and the process needs to be killed to close the program. Works fine when adb.exe is already running though.
---------- Post added at 12:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:17 AM ----------
Killing adb.exe while it's frozen fixes the issue I pointed out, probably means there is an error in your
Code:
Process
code
EDIT:
Stalls on process.WaitForExit() when debugging
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the report,it seems to happen when theres no device connected. Silly me have only even tried the app with a device connected hehe.
I'll try to fix it later today

Goatshocker said:
Thanks for the report,it seems to happen when theres no device connected. Silly me have only even tried the app with a device connected hehe.
I'll try to fix it later today
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ah, you're calling
Code:
adb get-state
that gets the state of the device connected.
My .NET Android library handles everything adb wise, it even uses it's own adb binary, so the user doesn't have to have the sdk for it to work. let me know if you're going to reference it with your app, and I'll put your project in AndroidLib's post of "Projects using AndroidLib"

regaw_leinad said:
ah, you're calling
Code:
adb get-state
that gets the state of the device connected.
My .NET Android library handles everything adb wise, it even uses it's own adb binary, so the user doesn't have to have the sdk for it to work. let me know if you're going to reference it with your app, and I'll put your project in AndroidLib's post of "Projects using AndroidLib"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, I assumed that would work since it works fine if you do it directly in cmd. But guess not adb start-server didnt work either...
I think I'll leave the bug for now and start looking into your lib instead.

Really nice app
Do you plan to develop a Linux version ?

Great idea, thanks =)

How does it achieve rw access, since device-dependent?
For example, on some devices, in ADB shell, you use
Code:
mount -o rw,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock0 /system
But, in some, you use mtdblock3 instead of mtdblock0.
Since there's no setting on which mtdblock to use, how does the program know which one is correct?

Theonewithideas said:
How does it achieve rw access, since device-dependent?
For example, on some devices, in ADB shell, you use
Code:
mount -o rw,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock0 /system
But, in some, you use mtdblock3 instead of mtdblock0.
Since there's no setting on which mtdblock to use, how does the program know which one is correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
adb remount does all the job as you are ultimately using adb..
the command which you specified is used to mount on device shell which you enter by adb shell

madman_amit said:
adb remount does all the job as you are ultimately using adb..
the command which you specified is used to mount on device shell which you enter by adb shell
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, so that's what it does! lol
Thanks.
Actually, when trying it out, it says, after starting daemon "remount failed, action not permitted"
Nevermind, will check the program, it seems easier...

Looks cool! I shall give this a try later and see how it does with my HTC Rezound.
Thank you for your work!

Wow, responses
Thanks for the feedback guys.
Unfortunely Ive kinda killed my sync cable for my TF (tried to convert it to a usb host adapter^^), and currently dont have any other android device to play with.
So development has kinda stalled right now. Ive got rid of the freeze-when-no-device-connected, but developed another issue instead. Not anything major, but very annoying. The app freezes while it checks for a device >_>, its only for a few seconds, but annoying nevertheless.
As for linux version... Im afraid thats way above my coding skills, and I dont have a linux PC to test on anymore (I killed the laptop which was running linux when I tried to build a touchscreen on it. Yes! I break a lot of things)

Awesome, just what I needed!
Could you please add an option to connect the phone using network?, with the "adb connect" command, I can use a bat file before starting the app but because I have several devices connected to the network the phone´s ip change in time, and having it built in the app would be great

Awesome work, just tried it out now and it's pretty awesome.
I think an adb connect option would be awesome, for those who have adb wireless app on there phone then it'll be really easy to transfer files and it'll be pretty sweet.
Anyway keep up the good work

Hey, just an fyi,
Code:
adb remount
will NOT work if the device connected does not have the option ro.secure=0 in the default.prop of the ramdisk. You shouldn't assume it does, because not all "ROM" developers know how to change it. My library does check for this, but in case you don't want to use it, be sure you can mount the filesystem /system as rw that way, or using the mount binary on the phone directly.

regaw_leinad said:
Hey, just an fyi,
Code:
adb remount
will NOT work if the device connected does not have the option ro.secure=0 in the default.prop of the ramdisk. You shouldn't assume it does, because not all "ROM" developers know how to change it. My library does check for this, but in case you don't want to use it, be sure you can mount the filesystem /system as rw that way, or using the mount binary on the phone directly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey thanks for the info. I had no idea about that, remount have always worked on all my devices on all roms Ive tried.
I'll keep that in mind when Ive fixed my sync cable
Could you give an example of a device/rom combo remount does not work on?

Goatshocker said:
Hey thanks for the info. I had no idea about that, remount have always worked on all my devices on all roms Ive tried.
I'll keep that in mind when Ive fixed my sync cable
Could you give an example of a device/rom combo remount does not work on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't think of a specific example, but if the developer does compile a boot.img with ro.secure=1, adb remount will not work but lots of 'devs' these days just grab the boot.img from people who actually know what they're doing, so you should be ok, just in rare cases, this will not work.

Related

Need Mac Beta Testers: Interface for Pushing Files

Hello,
I need beta testers running Mac OS X to test a new application.
This application is for people who are either uncomfortable or unwilling to use Terminal and ./adb for pushing files to their device.
This first beta version is just to test how it works on different computers. It pushes the file to the sdcard of the phone using ./adb. The only input needed from the user is to select the file.
Later releases will let the user choose which folder on the device to copy to, but the next release will probably just involve pushing .apk to the /system/app folder.
Please let me know the results.
http://derekcwilkinson.com/PushFile.zip
Beta 2:
http://derekcwilkinson.com/Push_File_Beta_2.zip
Change Log:
Added option to choose the location that the file is to be pushed to.
Added Recovery application
Added Reboot application.
Planned Updates:
Pull File - Ready
Device Backup - PM me if you know a good way to backup with ./adb (mine is taking too long)
Device Backup w/SD - PM me if you know a good way to backup with ./adb (mine is taking too long)
Install .apk - testing
Uninstall .apk - testing
Restore Backup - going to take awhile (need to get device backup working first)
Restore Backup w/SD - going to take awhile (need to get device backup working first)
Flash ROM - testing
is this an actual program or a script?
Works fine for me
mrchu001 said:
is this an actual program or a script?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a program that runs a script
It's just a test to see how it works, I will turn it into a more "real" application later.
I've updated it to Beta 2
I'm copied/pasted the android folder into /User/document but when i run "Push File With Location" show this error message -->
( iMac Snow Leopard v.10.6.3 build 10D573
@rainbow
same thing happening to me!
rainbow2112 said:
I'm copied/pasted the android folder into /User/document but when i run "Push File With Location" show this error message -->
( iMac Snow Leopard v.10.6.3 build 10D573
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, strange, I haven't had any beta testers have this issue.
Is the phone connected with USB debugging?
derekwilkinson said:
Is the phone connected with USB debugging?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I have always flag on debugging USB mode.
rainbow2112 said:
Yes, I have always flag on debugging USB mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this, and tell me where the error comes up.
http://derekcwilkinson.com/PushFileSource.zip
derekwilkinson said:
Try this, and tell me where the error comes up.
http://derekcwilkinson.com/PushFileSource.zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When run this, automator show this windows ...
rainbow2112 said:
When run this, automator show this windows ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, you're using a different language. That could be the problem. Is the folder path still /Documents/Android/SDK/tools on your computer?
Also, when you run it in Automator, where does the error occur?
derekwilkinson said:
Ah, you're using a different language. That could be the problem. Is the folder path still /Documents/Android/SDK/tools on your computer?
Also, when you run it in Automator, where does the error occur?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The folder path in my iMac is /Users/Rainbow/Documents/Android/SDK/tools
the error occur after a few seconds after click OK after choosing the file to be sent to MemoryCard
Okay, if it doesn't occur until then, that means it sees the device and android SDK. Is the SD card mounted on the computer? are you copying to /sdcard/ as the file path?
derekwilkinson said:
Okay, if it doesn't occur until then, that means it sees the device and android SDK. Is the SD card mounted on the computer? are you copying to /sdcard/ as the file path?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, sdcard no is mounted.
i don't understand this_ " are you copying to /sdcard/ as the file path?" sorry
When that window pops up (the one in your screenshot) are you putting /sdcard/ in the text box?
im going to try your app out =]
excited.
Sick of windows..
I am so sick of using a windows computer to do anything on my Hero so as soon as I get home tomorrow I will be trying this out on my system. SL 10.6.4 and I will be so happy to do it..
404 File not found. I'd love to help test this - can someone please re-upload the zip?
Edited 1/16/11
I'm using root explorer so this isn't really necessary for me anymore.
cloudstrife7 said:
404 File not found. I'd love to help test this - can someone please re-upload the zip?
Edited 1/16/11
I'm using root explorer so this isn't really necessary for me anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm a bit confused--PushFile is for pushing files from your Mac to phone (in other words, a computer-side application), while Root Explorer is a file manager for the phone (a phone side app), that, unless I've missed something, does not replicate the functionality that PushFile attempted to provide. Am I missing some cool new feature of Root Explorer that lets you easily transfer files from your Mac to your phone?

Android Commander.

I just want to give props to a program for windows called Android Commander. I am not sure if its been mentioned on the Vibrant forum yet, but it got me out of a major jam today.
Android Commander is basically ADB with an easy to use interface. It lets you pull and push files to and from your pc to your Android device.
Story:
I tried to MM the Androdena theme but it seems the framework was corrupted and caused me to keep me in a forceclose loop not letting mount or boot or really do anything. I did make a nandroid backup but some how deleted the CW update zip from my sd at an earlier date and could only boot up into the stock recovery. I was ok with having to reflash the stock rom using Odin, but needed some important pictures that I took for work. Needless to say I starting freaking out. I have ADB set up but only know a few basic commands and I'm sure what I needed to be done could have been done from there. I started searching for solutions on Google and found this awesome program.
I was first able to move the picture folder from my sd card to my pc, then move and rename the CW update.zip to root of the sd card in turn letting me boot into CW recovery and restoring my nandroid.
The only thing I needed to do was to make sure my device was online through ADB and Android Commander was able to find the device and show me all my files and such. Its a great program, and I highly recommend it if you are not familiar with ADB.
I will need to check this out when I get home. I want an easy way to remove the bloatware on my phone.
it seems like an interesting program, and would be good, but for me it doesn't show that i have root. it tells me "root no" and when i use the console in it and use the su command it tells me no. but still a good program over all, i did some looking around and i believe it will only show you have root access if you have an APP2SD installed. i might be wrong with that, but atleast if anyone else has the same trouble with it please let me know if you figure a work around.
ps, you can view root files and folders just not push or pull anything from them.
Yep, I am seeing the same thing.
I did some research on Google and this is what I came up with:
"adb remount and adb root are protected commands and need either a rooted kernel or a flashed recovery model to run" - Source: Rastaman-FB
ah I see. That's good to know. I guess ill be sticking with just the normal ADB. But I think the program will still be very useful for other stuff considering we don't have to mount the USB so no rescan media after the unmount. That alone is a keeper for me. Thanks again for the information pal.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
I must say
I have been using android commander since his 1st beta on all my android rooted phone..
It is the best android tool Out there.
Im usually private about the tools I use but
Android Commander (By PanPiotr) is the best and easiest adb GUI tools out there.
Features
Explore files:
- copy multiple files/dirs between Phone and PC
- copy multiple files/dirs between Phone folders
- delete multiple files/dirs from Phone
- new dir and rename options
- drag&drop multiple files/dirs in to progrm
- drag&drop files/dirs between program tabs
- partitions size info
- bookmarks
Manage apps:
- windows integration
- backup multiple apps to any dir on Phone/PC
- batch/single apps install
- install as private
- update
- batch/single uinstall apps
- uninstall with option to keep data or not
Console:
- type any shell command
- run sh script from PC
and more…
- flashing zip and img files
- options to reboot, reboot to recovery, reboot to bootloader, power off phone
- screenshots (beta)
Stupid question. I accidently deleted my update.zip file and I attempted to reflash another rom. Of course now I'm stuck at the Vibrant Logo and tried to use this app. It says its trying to connect, but never does. I have SDK installed, but I think its the version from when I was tinkering with the G1.
I got into Download mode with the BIG yellow triangle, but my PC never seems to show anything connected via USB unless I try connecting via Recovery.
This app sounded like something would help me since I'm not very good at ADB, but I guess I'm having issues getting over the first hurtle is seems. LOL
Qverse said:
I have been using android commander since his 1st beta on all my android rooted phone..
It is the best android tool Out there.
Im usually private about the tools I use but
Android Commander (By PanPiotr) is the best and easiest adb GUI tools out there.
Features
Explore files:
- copy multiple files/dirs between Phone and PC
- copy multiple files/dirs between Phone folders
- delete multiple files/dirs from Phone
- new dir and rename options
- drag&drop multiple files/dirs in to progrm
- drag&drop files/dirs between program tabs
- partitions size info
- bookmarks
Manage apps:
- windows integration
- backup multiple apps to any dir on Phone/PC
- batch/single apps install
- install as private
- update
- batch/single uinstall apps
- uninstall with option to keep data or not
Console:
- type any shell command
- run sh script from PC
and more…
- flashing zip and img files
- options to reboot, reboot to recovery, reboot to bootloader, power off phone
- screenshots (beta)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd say it's ok at best. I don't know of any other ADB GUI tools but this one doesn't work well with my Vibrant.
StrayPanda said:
I'd say it's ok at best. I don't know of any other ADB GUI tools but this one doesn't work well with my Vibrant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to have to agree with this. Is nice to have but doesn't play nice with the vibrant.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
It sometimes is very slow in reading internal sd memory on samsung vibrant and it loads up as a blank screen. Disconnecting usb cable and refreshing does the trick for me.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

The Viewsonic G Tablet Super Thread (w/Market, Gmail, and Maps!)

I've tried this twice already with a factory reset in between each try, and it's worked both times!
Attached is a bunch of files you will need to make this work.
Download the attached Zip file and extrat the contents to your desktop
Mount your G and upload the "G Tablet" folder to your G's internal SD card
Using AndRootFile or any other file manager that supports root access, mount as R/W, and copy the contents of G Tablet\permissions to System\etc\permissions.
Copy the contents of G Tablet\framework to System\Framework
Copy the contents of G Tablet\lib to System\lib
Copy all the APK's found inside G Tablet\APK into your system\app folder.
Install them in this order:
GoogleServicesFramework.apk
OneTimeInitializer.apk
SetupWizard.apk
Talk.apk
Vending.apk
Gmail.apk
Maps.apk
Make sure you remount it as R/O when you're done!
Restart your G, Connect to Wifi, then launch Market.
Follow the standard Google Account setup procedure and enjoy your newly installed Market.
PROOF THAT IT WORKS (the guide might be broken at some point though, see explanation below): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dm2Kax8RQM
Someone please test this and let me know if you have any problems. Factory resetting doesn't delete any files I might have moved into the system folder so I might be missing something in this guide.
Feel free to donate to my beer fund if this helped you
Copying the following over from my thread over at Overclock.net (best computer enthusiast community, ever!)
Guides:
Setting Up ADB:
The ADB drivers do not recognize the Tegra hardware by default. You need to modify the USB inf file in order for it to recognize it and install the proper hardware.
Go to the usb_driver folder inside your Android SDK folder
Open up android_winusb.inf
Add the following under [Google.NTx86] and save (or if you prefer, download my pre-modified android_winusb.inf attached to the bottom of this post, and replace your existing android_winusb.inf with mine).
Code:
;NVIDIA Tegra
%SingleAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_0955&PID_7000
%CompositeAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_0955&PID_7100&MI_01
If you are running a 64 bit version of Windows, you need to add that code to the [Google.NTamd64] section as well.
Next, open a command prompt and type
Code:
echo 0x955 >> "%USERPROFILE%\.android\adb_usb.ini"
On your G, go to Settings -> Applications -> Development, and check "USB Debugging"
Plug in your USB cable, it will tell you that some drivers were not installed. That's okay! Point it to your usb_driver folder and it'll install the proper drivers.
Make sure ADB is working by opening a command prompt, navigating to your android sdk "tools" folder, and typing
Code:
adb devices
You should see a bunch of numbers if everything is set up correctly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting:
You need to have ADB fully working before proceeding. The easiest way to root is by using CLShortFuse's SuperOneClick. If you can spare the money, consider donating a buck or two to his beer fund
Connect your G and make sure USB debugging is enabled/ADB is working.
Extract the contents of SuperOneClickv1.5.2-ShortFuse.zip to a folder of your choice.
Run SuperOneClick.exe and click on Root. Wait for the process to finish, and you're rooted! Easy as pie.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Installing Launcher Pro/ADW:
It's actually really easy.
Download the Launcher Pro APK from here: http://www.launcherpro.com/apk/LauncherPro-0.8.1.1.apk
Connect your G and move the Launcher APK over to your Tablet's internal/external SD card.
Using whatever file manager you prefer (on your G), execute the Launcher Pro APK and install it.
Upon completion, hit the Home button and choose LauncherPro as your default launcher.
Reboot and feel the speed!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fixes:
Wifi Fix:
If your Wifi "errors" upon enabling, try one of the following methods
Method 1:
Reboot. Seriously, it fixes the problem a large portion of the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Method 2:
Download Wefi from here: http://www.wefi.com/download/android/
Install the APK on your G.
Run WeFi, hit the menu button (button between back and home), and hit Settings
Make sure Automatic Startup is checked. Click on "Wi-Fi on WeFi start" and choose "Always Turn On"
Restart your G and pray.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Method 3: Master Reset (you will lose all your apps)
Go to settings -> Security and do a Factory Wipe.
This works only SOMETIMES, but is not a guaranteed fix, so only use this as a last ditch resort
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nicely done, sir
Awesome job. OCN FTW
Fantastic.. worked like a champ!
Thanks!
Where did you find the USB drivers to mount the device?
Can i also include the contacts, mail, and calendar gapps?
mattmanion said:
Where did you find the USB drivers to mount the device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By mounting I mean connect the USB cable, then under the Notification Icon, Tap "USB Connected, Select to copy files to/from your computer"
insight3fl said:
Can i also include the contacts, mail, and calendar gapps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go for it, let us know what you find
r34p3rex said:
By mounting I mean connect the USB cable, then under the Notification Icon, Tap "USB Connected, Select to copy files to/from your computer"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know if there is a tutorial out there for installing the Root Explorer or Astro file manager on this thing? Sorry, I'm a newbie.
VERY NICE WORK!
FYI I reposted this on the slatedroid.com forum gave you credit and linked back to this thread. If you don't want it on there let me know and I will take it down.
by the way.. All I did to get this working was install the apk's in order and reboot. I do have a problem .. I can't find some apps on the market.. for example winamp doesnt show up..just the winamp 3rd party app.
Anyone else?
Does anyone know why live wallpapers aren't available?
tri0xinn said:
by the way.. All I did to get this working was install the apk's in order and reboot. I do have a problem .. I can't find some apps on the market.. for example winamp doesnt show up..just the winamp 3rd party app.
Anyone else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will look into that. The most likely reason is the lack of a unique Android ID.
does the regular nullsoft winamp show up for you?
great work man. Just saw the video.
I'm still trying to get adb access. First thing I did was modded the usb files but not the 64bit cuz I didn't see it. Guess I didn't look hard enough. Modded the 32bit one and added the Nvidia tegra info. Then tried adb and the oneclickroot and it didn't work. I then went in and found the amd64 area and added the lines to that portion of the usb.ini file also.
I don't have adb working to root. I'm on Win 7 64bit. any idea's. Then I'll try your guide.
xguntherc said:
great work man. Just saw the video.
I'm still trying to get adb access. First thing I did was modded the usb files but not the 64bit cuz I didn't see it. Guess I didn't look hard enough. Modded the 32bit one and added the Nvidia tegra info. Then tried adb and the oneclickroot and it didn't work. I then went in and found the amd64 area and added the lines to that portion of the usb.ini file also.
I don't have adb working to root. I'm on Win 7 64bit. any idea's. Then I'll try your guide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gunth you want me to help over Teamviewer?
My files are in place, but the APK files are not "installing" on boot and the tablet sets up normaly and gmail app is not there. I have tried going back in and changing R/O in root explorer, but still not go.. what am I missing? Can these files be pushed to the tablet via adb or do you have to use root explorer? Seems I had the same problem when I did this with my Odroid T.. I tried root explorer but ended up pushing with adb.
Thanks for your work on this
hmmm... it says "install"... I need to launch them from explorer and actualy "install" them? then reboot?
insight3fl said:
My files are in place, but the APK files are not "installing" on boot and the tablet sets up normaly and gmail app is not there. I have tried going back in and changing R/O in root explorer, but still not go.. what am I missing? Can these files be pushed to the tablet via adb or do you have to use root explorer? Seems I had the same problem when I did this with my Odroid T.. I tried root explorer but ended up pushing with adb.
Thanks for your work on this
hmmm... it says "install"... I need to launch them from explorer and actualy "install" them? then reboot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to run each APK manually through Root Explorer (or any package installer of your choice). Placing them there does not do anything
xguntherc said:
great work man. Just saw the video.
I'm still trying to get adb access. First thing I did was modded the usb files but not the 64bit cuz I didn't see it. Guess I didn't look hard enough. Modded the 32bit one and added the Nvidia tegra info. Then tried adb and the oneclickroot and it didn't work. I then went in and found the amd64 area and added the lines to that portion of the usb.ini file also.
I don't have adb working to root. I'm on Win 7 64bit. any idea's. Then I'll try your guide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having the same issue Gunth so when you get it working let me know
Just finished up installing the apks. Got a problem though. Now my home and search buttons don't work. Also lost Airplane mode when powering off.
*EDIT* Just watched your video. I don't think that's a finicky button. I think this hack causes the problem.
*EDIT 2* Just did a reset. Home button and search work again. So, it's got to be the hack.
Doc

[guide] ubuntu on your gtab

hello. i managed to get ubuntu running on my tablet, and i thought i'd share how i did it.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
note that this does not change your android setup, ubuntu will run on top of android. you will not lose any data if everything goes well.
all credit goes to user houzuoguo for his guide and the people he cites for their work. this post is based on this one.
my setup
zpad clean 3.0 with pershoots latest kernel. i don't know if it will work with other combinations, so if you try and succeed with a different system please tell me. also, if it doesn't work try using pershoot's kernel on your current rom and trying again.
when reporting success or failure, make sure to note whether you are using any of the new data2loop, data2ext, or other weird fs hacks.
what you'll need
the main ubuntu package. download with a torrent client (much preferred to save the devs bandwidth) here. if you don't know how to use torrent clients or can't for some reason, you can direct download from here.
android vnc viewer. it's on the market.
better terminal emulator, also on the market.
the attached zip file.
maybe adb, depending on your storage situation (more later.)
NO APPS ON YOUR SD CARD. just move them all to your internal storage with the built in application manager. the guide i linked above has instructions for trying to do it with apps on your sd, but i'm not even gonna bother. do it at your own risk and all that.
get to it
1. extract the attached zip. you should have a folder called "ubuntu" with three scripts (one letter filenames) inside.
2. open the ubuntu package you downloaded, go into the "linux" directory, and extract JUST "rootfs.ext2" to the "ubuntu" folder you just made.
3. rename "rootfs.ext2" to "ubuntu.img"
4. okay, decision time. you want at least 2gb free on the partition you're putting ubuntu. if you have the room on your sd card, you can just put it there with android's built in mass storage mode. if you need more room and it has to go on your internal storage, you can put it there.
if you decide to put ubuntu on external storage (i did) you need to make one small change to the "b" script in your ubuntu folder. open "b" with notepad or your favorite text editor, and change line 15 (losetup /dev/block...) to say "sdcard2" instead of "sdcard". again, this is for zpad clean. i don't know if other roms mount storage in the same way. (EDIT: looks like TNT stock and TNT Lite do, at least)
also if you decide to use external storage, the built in mass storage mode won't work to mount it. instead you can use an ftp server or adb to get your files on internal storage. i use the swiftp android app from the market and coreftp for windows to transfer files. this is very slow, so you can use "adb push file\path /sdcard2/file/path" to transfer over usb if you'd like. also, i guess, you could just pull the sdcard and throw it in a reader.
btw, if you do have adb running you can use it to do most everything below, it's handy. i'd recommend hooking a keyboard up to your tablet if not, there's a lot of typing. hint: control + d twice in adb will send it to the shell
5. ok, so now you have a directory called "ubuntu" with 4 files (u, e, b, ubuntu.img) inside. it's either on your internal flash, or on your sd card with the modified "b" file. if that sounds like you, move on.
6. because we don't have a trackball, and we need a special key for some of the stuff we're doing, you need "better terminal emulator" from the market. open the preferences and change your "Control Key" to volume down. also check "start as root" while you're in there.
7. in the terminal, type "cd /sdcard2/ubuntu" (or sdcard/ubuntu, depending on where you got it. i'm not going to differentiate again, you can figure it out)
8. now "sh u" (ignore rm -r -f errors)
9. when it tells you to, type "b" and hit enter.
10. if you see “[email protected]:/#” then you've successfully booted into a ubuntu shell. you can be done now, if you want, but most people want to see the gui, so keep going.
NOTE: always use "exit" to leave the ubuntu shell. don't just quit stuff willy-nilly. if you do quit stuff willy-nilly, open your terminal again and type "e" to clean up. you can do this a couple of times as an OCD check.
11. while in the ubuntu shell (and while connected to wifi) type "apt-get update", wait for it to finish and return a new line, then type "apt-get install tightvncserver". wait for that to finish.
12. type "cd /bin". this is where it get's really fun. now type "cat > x". this will not return a new command line, just a blank one. now type the following, hitting enter after each line, even the last one, and another one at the bottom.
Code:
rm -r -f /tmp
mkdir /tmp
chmod 777 /tmp
export USER=root
export XKL_XMODMAP_DISABLE=1
vncserver -geometry 1024x600
now press and hold volume down, and hit d. this should take you back to a new command line.
13. one more. this time do "cat > s" and enter:
Code:
export USER=root
vncserver -kill :1
vncserver -kill :2
sudo reboot
sudo halt
do volume down + d again.
14. to make those scripts executable, type "chmod 777 x" and then "chmod 777 s"
15. you're about ready. type "x" and hit enter. it will ask you for a password, which you should make, and then verify. answer "n" to the view-only password. it will only do this password stuff once, each subsequent time you run it will just do it.
16. leave the terminal app and open android-vnc-viewer. give the new connection a nickname, enter the password you just made in the terminal, choose port 5901 and use 24-bit color. hit connect.
17. in a minute you'll see ubuntu! be patient. play around when it's up, wee!
there's no sound yet, and you need to use ftp to connect to your gtab's internal storage (see bottom of post), but you get firefox! no flash.
keyboards and mice (including bluetooth HIDs) will work in ubuntu if they work in android.
some programs won't run, it's because android has stricter memory management policies than ubuntu. i'd like to get a list going of successfully run apps in ubuntu so post if you get something working.
NOTE: for some weird reason, ubuntu is using the keyboard key "d" by itself as a shortcut key, so whenever you use it it just minimizes everything. to fix this, go to the top and click (system -> preferences -> keyboard shortcuts) and look for one using "d". i think it was the very bottom one. just click the shortcut and use backspace to clear the shortcuts' function. you may have to restart your ubuntu shell for it to take.
18. to exit, hit menu -> disconnect, then in your terminal app again type "s" to stop vnc, and "exit" to leave ubuntu.
from houzuoguo in the original guide
If you have GUI running, you * MUST * type “s” (enter) to stop VNC server before you exit from Ubuntu terminal!
In case that your Android kills your Android Terminal application and you still have VNC server running, do the following steps:
a. Start Android Terminal
b. type “b” (enter) to bring back Ubuntu terminal
c. type “s” (enter) to stop VNC server
d. type “exit” (enter) to exit from Ubuntu terminal
Fail to do so you will have problem with VNC connection next time you use it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
from houzuoguo in the original guide
A little trick to access SD card from your Ubuntu:
1. Install “SwiFTP” from Market (freeware)
2. Set up FTP server using SwiFTP
3. In Ubuntu, “Places → Connect to Server” then:
Service type: FTP (with login)
Server: localhost
Port: (port number specified in SwiFTP, default is 2121)
Folder: /
User Name: (user name specified in SwiFTP)
Then press “Connect” and enter your password specified in SwiFTP. Now feel free to access your phone's file system!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
19. i suspect that i'm going to have to revise this guide a lot if anyone ends up being interested, so let me know if you think i should change something.
cheers!
Ha, Good Work!
But I am expecting an full Boot to Ubuntu instead of using VNC
heeae said:
Ha, Good Work!
But I am expecting an full Boot to Ubuntu instead of using VNC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
doesn't this thread acomplish that,
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=894960
Might be a silly question but... is this a dual boot kinda thing? I've none experience with Ubuntu, but would like to.
Hi,
I have the same question as jpmi above.
Also, is this apparoach similar to this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=908502
If it is, it's great that you got it working!
Having said that, I have a couple of questions, because I'd really like to do this with my Gtab:
- I know you said that you're running Zpad firmware. I'm still on stock TNT 3452, and I'd really like to get this working on stock. FYI, with stock:
/sdcard == internal SDCARD
/sdcard2 == external microSD card
Can you tell me (us) what changes in the b/e/u files need to be changed for stock?
- FYI, I had started to look into what was in that thread I linked above, and ended up borking my Gtab. However, one of the things that I noted when I was reviewing the scripts from that other implementation was that it expected to use an ext2fs for the .img, and TNT stock doesn't have the ext2fs module. I noticed that your scripts use yaff, which I think the stock TNT also uses, i.e., the big .img file is an ext2fs, and that gets mounted using a loop mount. Is that correct.
- Again, I have the same question as jpmi above. I'd really like to be able to put this ubuntu stuff JUST on the external microSD, not affecting the stock TNT stuff on the internal SDCARD (/sdcard), and be able to boot into stock TNT, start a term, and then run a (or some) command lines to bring the Gtab up in Ubuntu. Does what you describe in this thread do that?
Thanks for this, and sorry for all the questions!!
Jim
hey jim
that approach looks very similar, although it's for the nook color and wouldn't work on your gtab.
you're right, i'm going to update the OP, /sdcard points to internal and /sdcard2 to external on my ROM as well. got 'em switched. you would want to change your "b" script to use /sdcard2 and make sure that the ubuntu folder is on the external storage.
also, i'm not sure about ext2fs on TNT stock, but you can download and flash pershoots gtab kernel which will work with TNT but give you the correct support. this won't change your rom, you probably won't notice any difference at all.
the "e" and "u" scripts are all good. you don't need to mess with them.
yes, you're correct in assuming that the .img file gets mounted as a loop device. (losetup). you're also correct in saying that you will be able to boot into TNT and run ubuntu from the terminal without derailing TNT. in fact, because the ubuntu shell happens in better terminal and the gui happens in android-vnc, you can use the home button to get back into your android launcher at any time, and back into ubuntu without interrupting anything. it's pretty cool.
i hope i got you on the right track. keep in mind that this isn't my work, just adapted a teeny bit for the gtab from a guide in the nexus one forums.
good luck!
iammuze said:
hey jim
that approach looks very similar, although it's for the nook color and wouldn't work on your gtab.
you're right, i'm going to update the OP, /sdcard points to internal and /sdcard2 to external on my ROM as well. got 'em switched. you would want to change your "b" script to use /sdcard2 and make sure that the ubuntu folder is on the external storage.
also, i'm not sure about ext2fs on TNT stock, but you can download and flash pershoots gtab kernel which will work with TNT but give you the correct support. this won't change your rom, you probably won't notice any difference at all.
the "e" and "u" scripts are all good. you don't need to mess with them.
yes, you're correct in assuming that the .img file gets mounted as a loop device. (losetup). you're also correct in saying that you will be able to boot into TNT and run ubuntu from the terminal without derailing TNT. in fact, because the ubuntu shell happens in better terminal and the gui happens in android-vnc, you can use the home button to get back into your android launcher at any time, and back into ubuntu without interrupting anything. it's pretty cool.
i hope i got you on the right track. keep in mind that this isn't my work, just adapted a teeny bit for the gtab from a guide in the nexus one forums.
good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Thanks for the info.
The ext2fs thing is a stopper for me, as I don't want to (permanently) switch off of stock TNT yet, so the kernel thing is a kind of no-go.
At one point, I thought that it was possible to add filetype support using modules, e.g. using modprobe and the appropriate .so, but haven't figured that one one.
Another way: I think you did this with Zpad? So, I'm assuming that comes with ext2fs support? Is that via modprobe, or is it built into the Zpad kernel?
Again, thanks for the info.
Jim
Running with vnc, meaning where
Got it running, but when I type a 'd' the current app minimizes, rather useless like that
I followed your instructions to the letter but after i run "sh u" and then hit b to boot I get the following error. What did I do wrong, or is it a simple mistake?
Edit: should probably mention I am using data2loop. Might be the cause of my problems...
Type 'b' to boot Ubuntu
# b
b
SET VARIABLES
SET UP LOOP DEVICE
losetup: /dev/block/loop1
MOUNT
mount: Device or resource busy
mount: No such file or directory
mount: No such file or directory
mount: No such file or directory
SET UP NETWORK
net.ipv4.ip_forward = 1
b: cannot create /data/local/ubuntu/etc/resolv.conf: directory nonexistent
b: cannot create /data/local/ubuntu/etc/resolv.conf: directory nonexistent
b: cannot create /data/local/ubuntu/etc/hosts: directory nonexistent
ENTER UBUNTU
chroot: can't execute '/bin/bash': No such file or directory
UMOUNTING
umount <path>
umount <path>
umount <path>
umount <path>
losetup: /dev/block/loop1: Device or resource busy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jimcpl said:
Hi,
Thanks for the info.
The ext2fs thing is a stopper for me, as I don't want to (permanently) switch off of stock TNT yet, so the kernel thing is a kind of no-go.
At one point, I thought that it was possible to add filetype support using modules, e.g. using modprobe and the appropriate .so, but haven't figured that one one.
Another way: I think you did this with Zpad? So, I'm assuming that comes with ext2fs support? Is that via modprobe, or is it built into the Zpad kernel?
Again, thanks for the info.
Jim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you could technically use insmod to push the correct kernel module, but in all honesty it's probably not worth it. you'd have to do it at every boot. do you have clockworkmod recovery installed? installing a new kernel is as simple as flashing it like a rom, and going back to stock is just as easy. there's nothing permanent about any changes you make, especially because the gtab comes with root access already.
and no, i have a viewsonic gtablet, i'm just using the zpad clean rom with pershoot's kernel, which comes with the ext2fs pieces built in.
bigideasmb said:
Running with vnc, meaning where
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i suppose with a local vnc viewer (or a forwarded port) you could run ubuntu and android simultaneously with another computer. i can't imagine why, except just to do it.
Xerion said:
Got it running, but when I type a 'd' the current app minimizes, rather useless like that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i had this stupid-ass problem too. it turns out that ubuntu is using "d" as a keyboard shortcut, for some reason. while in the ubuntu gui, go to (system -> preferences -> keyboard shortcuts) i think it's the very bottom one. just click it and hit backspace to clear the key, and you may have to restart your ubuntu shell to see the change, it'll stick. thanks for bringing this up, i'll throw it in the OP.
dekkon said:
I followed your instructions to the letter but after i run "sh u" and then hit b to boot I get the following error. What did I do wrong, or is it a simple mistake?
Edit: should probably mention I am using data2loop. Might be the cause of my problems...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
like i said, i haven't tried or heard of anyone trying with data2loop, so that could be your problem. also make sure that there are no apps installed to your sd card (see "what you'll need" in the OP) and try again if there are.
i said, i haven't tried or heard of anyone trying with data2loop, so that could be your problem. also make sure that there are no apps installed to your sd card (see "what you'll need" in the OP) and try again if there are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I borked something and needed to do a factory reset (no big deal) which I think should have cleared out data2loop after I reinstalled my rom (TnT Lite 4.1.0 w/pershoot's 1/12 kernel). I am however trying to run this from the internal sdcard (/sdcard/ubuntu) instead of the external /sdcard2. I still get the same error.
iammuze said:
i had this stupid-ass problem too. it turns out that ubuntu is using "d" as a keyboard shortcut, for some reason. while in the ubuntu gui, go to (system -> preferences -> keyboard shortcuts) i think it's the very bottom one. just click it and hit backspace to clear the key, and you may have to restart your ubuntu shell to see the change, it'll stick. thanks for bringing this up, i'll throw it in the OP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, I looked everywhere except in Ubuntu itself Thanks, now I can at least play with it a bit
I ran into an issue when trying to execute the code after step 15 (the typing "x" part) in the terminal emulator. It gives me an error saying the user variable is not defined, any ideas what's going bonkers?
Unrelated to this I had to do a data/cache wipe and after that I had no issues booting up ubuntu
my setup:
zpad 3.0
pershoot's kernel
no other hacks or updates yet
This worked very well for me so far. Thanks!!!

[USER Tips] HD/HD+ Stock Root User Tips from LeapinLar

When I originally bought the Nook HD+, I made several futile attempts to get ADB working so I could sideload apps to it. I was so frustrated that I was ready to give up and return it. But I finally got it going and with the help of a few smart users here was able to get it rooted and installing apps directly on the device. So, to save some other users the same frustration I had, I thought I would outline what I did to make this device hum.
Update 12/27/2012: A lot has changed since I first created this tips thread. I am updating it to the latest information. Most of the steps below are not necessary anymore since I now have a new thread here which lets you do these things easily with a special version of ClockworkMod (CWM) recovery for the HD and HDplus. And the text here has been modified to reflect that and include the HD.
Update 11/02/2013: Since B&N has included the gapps and Play Store in version 2.1.0 and above and since verygreen developed the new boot.img that removes B&N /system file protection scheme and I updated my HD/HD+ CWM thread to account for those changes, I decided to give this thread an update. I have added comments to the sections in italics below where necessary
If you have questions or comments on this post, reply to this thread. Please do not send me private messages or emails. By posting in the forums others get a chance to help you and if I answer your question in the forum, others can see my response and it may help them too.
1. Setting up ADB
ADB is very useful for many things but you do NOT need ADB to root anymore. Look at my thread referenced above to use CWM to root.
Also, rather than use ADB via USB, it is much easier to use a Wireless ADB app available in the Play Store.
If you want to know how to set up ADB with USB, click on the "show content" button below.
The first thing you need to do is get ADB working on your PC so that it can connect with the HD+. The instructions to do that is on B&N's own site here. (But you really don't have to do all that, see below). To make it easier for XDA users, I have attached to this post the drivers downloaded from B&N site. Download and unzip that file to your PC.
To install the drivers, do the following (I tested this on Windows XP and Windows 7):
1. On your HD+ go to settings, device information, developer options, and make sure check "Enable ADB" is not checked.
2. Plug in the device to the PC with the USB cable. MTP should install.
3. Unplug the device, go to settings again and check 'Enable ADB'. Plug back in.
4. New devices will try to install. When they do, work your way through the options until you get to the choice "include this location in search" (the terminology is a little different in Win7) and browse to the location you unzipped the driver files above. Continue and the driver should install. In Windows 7 just one device will pop up. On Windows XP, two may. (Edit: If you are having trouble with this step, go to the B&N link I have above and read and follow section 4.6 of that guide. You can skip section 4.6.2 since you unzipped those drivers earlier. But do all of the remaining steps in section 4.6).
5. An "Android Composite ADB Interface" will install. If the computer says it needs to reboot to finish. Do it.
6. If, when it starts back up, and after installing ADB below, it does not work, you may need to go the Device Manager and look to see if "Android Composite ADB Interface" device has a yellow exclamation point by it. If it does, update the driver with the B&N driver again.
7. Create a file named adb_usb.ini and put 0x2080 in it with no line feed or carriage return. Go to \documents and settings\ and open your users folder and create a folder named .android and put that file in it.
8. I have attached a file named adb.rar below. Just unrar the adb.rar file. There will be three files there that you can put in a directory (any name you want).
9. Open a command prompt and cd to wherever you copied those adb files. If you set your path to that directory, you can have the prompt set for any directory, like where your apks are stored. Type 'adb devices'. It should go through some commands ending with a list of devices connected. The serial number of your HD+ should be listed. You can now run ADB commands.
2. Sideloading Apps
Once Unknown Sources is activated by my CWM zip above, you do not really need to install apps this way anymore.
Once you have ADB connected to your HD/HD+, it is very easy to sideload install apps. Just have your command prompt set to the location that you have your apk's stored and type "adb install xxx.apk", where xxx.apk is the name of your app. It is best to name the apk to something simple with no underlines or special characters in the name. It does not matter what you name it, the real name is inside the apk. The app should install. I would start with a launcher app since sideloaded apps cannot be seen in the stock launcher. Then I would install AnyCut which I have attached to this post. This app allows you to put the Home command on your launcher's home screen so that after you make your launcher default, you can get back to the B&N home page. There is a trick mentioned in the B&N guide referenced above that lets the stock app drawer see your sideloaded apps. On the Apps screen, hold the volume up button while you press the "Apps" word at the top of the screen for 2-3 seconds. An "Extras" screen will pop up showing all of the sideloaded apps. You have to do this every time you want to see it.
3. Rooting the HD/HD+
Rooting is now very easy using CWM in the referenced thread above. If you want to use the older manual method, click on the "show content" button below. But be warned these older methods no longer work on version 2.0.5 or newer.
Verygreen came up with the original scheme to root the HD+. But it had a problem. The HD+ checks on boot to see if /system has changed, and if it has, it will not boot. It tries this 8 times and on the last time the "8 failed boot" procedure kicks in and your device is wiped clean (including your storage space) and the factory ROM is re-installed. He later modified it to survive a reboot. Someone0 developed another scheme where he can root without modifying /system directly. So the next time it boots, it boots normally. See his thread here.
ONCE YOU HAVE ROOT, DO NOTHING THAT MODIFIES /SYSTEM OR IT WILL NOT BOOT AND END UP RESETING ITSELF. Also do not install anything that installs to /system, like busybox, AdFree and a few other apps. Ignore this warning with Universal Root rev3 or higher.
4. Setting OTA (Over the Air) Updates from B&N to Manual
When you first register the HD/HD+ it will automatically update itself to the latest version. To protect yourself against further updates that might jeopardize your ability to root or add other mods, you should try to block further automatic updates. But it seems that making this mod is no longer effective, B&N updates anyway.
Again, I have a CWM zip that will do this for you in the referenced thread above. If you want to see how to do it manually, click on the "show content" button below.
EDIT: (2/22/13) I have a new way to block OTA that seems to work so far. Another user (thanks greenya!) discovered this and I have come up with a way to implement it. I use the app AdAway to put my own black list of sites to not allow access to. If you want to try this, you must be rooted. Get AdAway either on the 1mobile.com market or at its developer's site (http://code.google.com/p/ad-away/). Before you do anything go to its preferences and change the target hosts file to /data/data/hosts. That way it will not reset the device. Then go to "Your Lists". Add this site to the black list: su.barnesandnoble.com. Then go to the main menu and select "Download files and apply ad blocking". It will ask you if you want to add a symlink, say yes. (If you installed the new boot.img from verygreen or flashed my latest version of Universal Root (rev3 or higher), you do not need to worry about adaway resetting your device. Just install it normally.)
It does not seem to block any B&N shopping or downloading apps or books. I installed this on my 2.0.5 and purposely tried to update and it says it needs the update but pushing download does nothing. Then I unblocked it and pushed download and it started to download immediately. So it does work.
Basically the same method used on the Nook Color and Nook Tablet should work on the HD+. It requires that you edit a database file and that requires root access. I use the paid Speed Software's SQLite Editor. You need to use the latest version (2.0.1). I could not get my older version to get root access.
So here is a description on how to do it with SQLite Editor. Open the app and it should get granted superuser access. Then browse with it to /data/data/com.bn.devicemanager/databases. There should be a file there named "devicemanager.db". Open that with SQLite Editor. There should be a list down the left side, one being "registry". Click on that. A table opens up that looks like a spread sheet. On line 6 is com.bn.device.fota.mode. Scroll across till you see the value column. It should say auto. Edit that to manual. Save the database and you are done.
This worked on the other Nooks, so should work here. See the post below for another automatic method.
5. Setting Up Installing from Unknown Sources
I also have a CWM zip that will do this for you in the referenced thread above. If you want to see how to do it manually, click on the "show content" button below.
You can toggle the unknown sources using the same method as I used for blocking OTA. Just look for the database in /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases. The database is settings.db. Open secure and line 4 - install_non_market_apps and change the value to 1.
6. Setting up Google Play Store and Google Apps
I also have a CWM zip that will do this for you in the referenced thread above. If you want to see how to do it manually, click on the "show content" button below. If you have stock version 2.1.0 or higher you do not need to flash my zip. Play store is included in the ROM.
Someone0 has a post on how to add Google Play Store is here. And he now has it so you can install the entire Gapps package, including Play Store. Again, you must be rooted first.
7. Setting LCD Density
If you are like me, you hate the tiny fonts on these high resolution devices. You can change the default lcd density to help with that. The default lcd density for the HD/HD+ is 240. I changed it to 300 and everything works fine on the HD+ and fonts are a little larger. But you cannot modify build.prop on /system to do that. It will cause the device to reset itself since you are modifying /system. To get around that, create a file in /data named local.prop. Add the following line to that text file:
qemu.sf.lcd_density=300
Then reboot and your new density is set. You need to be rooted to do this on the device.
I found that changing the density on the HD made the SystemUI app crash. If you want larger fonts for the HD, I recommend you use the tip in the next section.
8. Larger System Fonts
If you don't want to set your LCD density higher but you still want larger fonts, a user (Windsor1959) just passed on this tip. Go to the B&N app store and install the free app Go Read. Once that is installed, open it and use the menu to go to accessibility settings. There is an option for larger system fonts. It works great. Thanks Windsor1959.
I also just discovered that there is another hidden setting that lets you set the system fonts from small, normal, large and huge. To get to these settings you need a third party launcher like zeam or adw and the AnyCut app I attached below. On the launcher screen long press and select shortcut. Select AnyCut from the list. Within AnyCut select activity and scroll down to fonts. Select that and a fonts shortcut will appear on the launcher screen. Open that and you can select the font size.
9. Data structures on the HD/HD+
For those of you used to having two separate partitions for data and media files, B&N has used a different scheme for the HD/HD+. They make one very large /data partition ranging from 5GB to 28GB depending on which device you have. Then they create a folder in /data (/data/media) and, using the sdcard fuse feature, link it permanently to /sdcard. So that means it is one big dynamic space for both /data and /sdcard, sharing the free space. /data is considered root and /sdcard is not.
They named it /sdcard because a lot of third party apps expect there to be an sdcard on the system and won't run unless there is one. That creates a little bit of a terminology problem for us Nook Color users. We are used to having /sdcard be an external SD. And on top of that, if we do add an external SD, it is mounted as /ext_sdcard under /mnt and that is hard for some apps to see. And when you connect your device to your PC with MTP, internal media (sdcard) is called 'internal memory' and the SD (ext_sdcard) is called 'SD card'. I think B&N did this with the expectation that users would not be rooted and be able to see that stuff under the hood.
Since sdcard is really just a part of /data, it is formatted as ext4 instead of FAT32 like the Nook Color media partition was. That means you can store a single file larger than 4GB, which is the limit for FAT32. Most external SD cards are formatted FAT32 so they are also limited to a single file size of 4GB. But it makes them directly readable by your Windows based PC. When you first put a new external SD in the HD/HD+, it asks you if you want to reformat it so you can more easily store your media files. If you say yes, it will format it to ExFAT, a new flash drive format that supports larger file sizes. That's good for your media files since you can have very large files on it. But it could be bad if you want to take the card out and put it in your Windows XP PC because XP cannot read it without an update patch from Microsoft. If you have Vista or higher, ExFAT can be read natively.
When you do a factory reset (clear /data) your media directory (/sdcard) is wiped out too.
Also, the B&N media, books, magazines, etc., are stored in /data/nookmedia, which is root.
10. White on White Text for Some Apps
One of the annoying issues with using some third party apps is the HD/HD+ displays some dialogue boxes with white text on a white background so that the text is unreadable. Someone0 and I developed a patch that can repair this. I have a zip in my CWM thread referenced above to repair the HD+ and HD. (Also since stock version 2.1.0, B&N has dramatically changed the color scheme so that the white-on-white issue is no longer the problem it used to be, I have discontinued providing white-on-white mods for version 2.1.0 and above.) If you want to see how to do it manually, click on the "show content" button below.
Someone0 and I have been working on this and have found a solution. It requires a modification to the framework-res.apk on /system. And the mod works very well. The problem is that the apk is on /system and must be symlinked using our symlink trick we use on /system files when we need to modify them. That is easy to do, but this particular apk is very critical to your system. If you do not get it installed properly, it will lock up the device and you either need to reset it completely or repair with ADB.
If you are tech savvy enough you could modify your own apk and install it. In the colors.xml file in the values section of the de-compiled apk, are two settings that need to be changed, "background_light" and "background_holo_light" need to be changed to "ffcfcfcf". The color choice was a compromise between making the text dark enough to be seen against a white background and bright enough to make things like menus show in the grey backgrounds. Re-compile and put the apk in /data, delete the apk in /system and symlink to the one in /data. The problem with doing it manually while running is as soon as you delete the apk, things go bonkers. And you cannot add the new symlink until the original apk is deleted. If you start messing with this mod, be sure to have ADB enabled so if it locks up and gets stuck on booting, you can access things with ADB and hopefully repair it. When I did my system manually, I copied the modded apk to /data with root explorer, used root explorer to set /system to read/write, then used ADB to delete the apk in /system and create the symlink. If you mess up, it will boot, but get stuck at the 99% level. Hopefully if you left ADB enabled, you can use ADB to repair whatever is wrong.
11. Implementing Userinit.d
Userinit.d can be used to run specialized scripts as part of the boot process. The HD/HD+ does not implement userinit.d, but it can be modified to allow it. And these scripts can be used to customize the performance of the device, like modify fonts, change colors, add symbolic links, modify drives, set CPU speeds and tweaks, etc.
I have implemented userinit.d in the new Universal Root zip in my referenced CWM thread above. (The latest version no longer uses it).
The scripts are usually named with numbers at the beginning and no extension. Examples would be the scripts from CM7 init.d which are: 00banner, 01sysctl, 03firstboot, 05mountsd and others. They are executed in the order of the numbers. They are plain text files that have as the first line:
#!/system/bin/sh
Then they have script commands in text format.
The beauty of these scripts on the HD/HD+ is you put them in /data instead of /system which would reset your device. Put the script files in a new folder named /data/local/userinit.d. Set the script file permissions to execute.
There are examples of userinit.d scripts out there if you search for init.d scripts on XDA or the web. Some will work on the HD/HD+ and some won't. I have a great example in the next section.
12. Swapping "sdcard" and "ext_sdcard"
I now also have this modification as a flashable zip in my CWM thread linked above. No need for root with that one.
As explained in section 9 above, the internal media is named "sdcard" so that apps can store their files there. Some users would like them stored on their external SD. I have a userinit script that will swap "sdcard" and "ext_sdcard" so that apps will store their files on the external SD. The external SD will show as "sdcard" and the internal media will show as "ext_sdcard". And it shows swapped using MTP also. It can be a little confusing since we cannot control the names, but they are swapped. If you don't have an external SD plugged in, both sdcard and ext_sdcard will show the internal media.
To swap the drives, make sure userint.d is implemented, then download the attached file, 11SDswap.rar, and extract it and put the file in /data/local/userinit.d. Set the permissions of the file to execute in all three boxes. On the next reboot, they will be swapped. To return to normal, just remove the file and reboot.
13. Skipping OOBE (Out of Box Experience)
Skipping OOBE is when you want to skip the registration step when you first start your device or after a reset. Not registering means that you will not be able to buy books or apps from B&N or, if you already have an account, have access to already purchased items. Your name will show as TEST (which can't be changed). And, if you set up wifi, the device will still check for updates and if found, update.
So if you don't want to register, or that device is already registered to someone else and you can't, just skip OOBE. There are instructions for the Nook Color here. They still work for the HD/HD+.
14. Back Up Your Stock ROM Installation with CWM v6.0.2.8 for Nook HDplus and v6.0.2.7 for the HD
Now you can backup your stock installation with my bootable CWM (ClockworkMod) recovery SDs. That way you can restore if you make a mistake and change /system so the device starts to reset itself. Just catch it before the reset completes, insert the card and restore and you will be back to OK.
You can do anything with these CWM SDs you normally would do with CWM, (nandroid backup, wipe system, data, cache, dalvik-cache, fix permissions, etc).
One of the nice features is you can wipe /data without it wiping your internal media at /data/media. So, if you want to reset, just wipe /data and your media files are still left intact. And when you do a nandroid backup, it can be placed either on internal media or your external card. The nandroid backup feature backs up /boot, /system, /cache and /data (without the media folder). So if you want the media folder backed up you must do it manually from within stock. And when you restore, you can selectively restore any partition. So if you mess up /system by putting something there that causes a reset, just selectively restore /system.
EDIT (5/22/13) - There is a new procedure brought to my attention by another user (thanks fanoush) which lets you make the CWM SD without burning the image. It seems the OMAP4 devices are a little more liberal on the booting requirements than previous OMAP devices. This makes it easier to install on any size SD. Go to my HD/HD+ CWM thread linked in my signature and look at item 1a. There are instructions and files there.
The versions attached below are under 120 MB so they can be put on any size SD. It burns very quickly. But there is no room there for any backups. After burning the SD you can use partitioning software (like Mini-Tool Partition Wizard or EaseUS Partition Manager, both free) to expand it to the full size of your SD card if you want so there would be plenty of room for backups. But be sure to only expand the back end of the partition, being careful not to touch the beginning.
I also now have a 4GB versions for both the HD and HDplus attached to the CWM thread referenced above.
To make the SD, download the version for your device and extract the file. It should be a 120MB .img file. Burn (write) that image file to your SD card using Win32diskimager in Windows. In Linux or OSX (Mac) use the "dd" command.
To use Win32DiskImager, find it on the web (here, it's free) and install it on your Windows PC. Open it (be sure to run it as administrator) and select the drive (device) that has your card reader with your SD inserted. Then in the image file box put the location where you have the extracted img file. Then when everything is set right, click on the write button. A warning will pop up asking if you want to proceed. When you have verified that you are going to write to the correct device, click on Yes. (One user overwrote their external USB hard drive by not verifying first). With the small version it should burn fairly rapidly. If you get an error message about access denied, it means you are looking at the drive with Windows Explorer. Close Windows Explorer and try again. In fact, it is a good idea to close all unnecessary windows when burning, even your browser.
Insert the SD into your powered off Nook HD/HD+ and power on. It should boot to CWM with the label v6.0.2.8 for HD+ stock. The HD version just says v6.0.2.7 for Stock. You can tell it is booting properly if the cyanoboot logo shows up after the Nook logo shows for a few seconds. If the Nook logo stays there and starts changing, it means it is booting to stock. Hard power off by holding the power button for several seconds. Try again.
Manipulate the controls with volume up/down for cursor, n key to activate and power key for back.
15. Modifying System Files on the HD/HD+
Ordinarily you cannot modify system files on these devices because they will detect the change and reset themselves back to factory stock, wiping out all your data at the same time. But there is a safe way to do it if you are rooted.
If you have installed my new Universal Root rev3 or higher or installed verygreen's boot.img, the below procedure is no longer necessary, just modify the files directly.
The HD/HD+ has a manifest file included in the boot files that has a listing of each file that is supposed to be in /system and a checksum of each file. On boot, it reads the files in /system and makes sure each file that is there is on the list and matches the checksum. It ignores directories, symlinks and missing files. If one is added or has the wrong checksum, it stops and tries to boot again. If it reboots 8 times in a row without completing the boot, the automatic reset feature kicks in and your device is formatted and the factory ROM is reinstalled.
So you can see that missing files are OK and symlinks are OK. So if you want to modify a system file, first copy it to /data somewhere, delete the original, and make a symlink in /system to replace the deleted file. The symlink points to the file copied to /data. But be careful, some files, like framework-res.apk, are being used all the time and if you delete it, even temporarily, the system goes crazy.
The scheme that someone0 and I use is to mimic /system under /data/su so that the structures are the same to avoid confusion. For example, if you wanted to modify build.prop, it would be copied to /data/su/system/build.prop and the symlink would point there. Since build.prop is not used very often, it is safe to now modify it however you want. But be careful, some settings there are vital, like hardware rotation. Mess with that and things will go all wonky on the next reboot.
Here are the specific commands to make this happen using build.prop as an example:
1. Use your root file manager to copy /system/build.prop to /data/su/system/build.prop. Set the file's permissions to match the original.
2. Delete /system/build.prop also using your root file manager
3. Set up Terminal Emulator. Start the program and type su enter. After you allow superuser access, the prompt turns to #
4. Type the following command at the # prompt (without the quotes):
"mount -o remount,rw /system"
5. Then this command:
"ln -s /data/su/system/build.prop /system/build.prop"
(That first letter is a lower case L)
6. Then this command:
"mount -o remount,ro /system"
You are done. You can now modify build.prop in /data any way you want and the system will not reset.
But before you do this mod or any other system file mod, I recommend you have backed up your system using CWM as described in the previous section. That way if you did not get it right somehow and it starts to reset, you can insert your CWM card to stop the rebooting and selectively restore /system and try again.
One side benefit of doing this build.prop mod is if B&N tries to update you in the future, it will fail because it cannot verify your build.prop because it is missing. And, in my experience, it does not try again.
16. Nook HD/HD+ internal partition structure and backups
The partition structure for the HD/HD+ is the same and is as follows:
Code:
P# Name Size Type
1 xloader 128K Fastboot Image
2 bootloader 256K Fastboot Image
3 recovery 15MB Fastboot Image
4 boot 16MB Fastboot Image
5 rom 48MB vfat
6 bootdata 48MB vfat
7 factory 448MB ext4
8 system 672MB ext4
9 cache 464MB ext4
10 data varies ext4
There is a simple process to make image backups of your internal partitions. Most people will never have to use the backups, but there is one critical partition that holds vital device specific information that was created at manufacture that is probably wise for you to back up. The process requires that you have either Terminal Emulator installed or ADB set up. And it can be done either in rooted stock or CM10/CM10.1. In Terminal Emulator or ADB Shell in superuser mode, type the following command:
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p7 of=/mnt/sdcard/factory.img
This will make an image of your partition 7 that has that vital information. It also has a copy of the factory.zip file used to reset your device should you need to. If you want to back up the rest of your partitions, just change the p# and file name in the above commands to match the listing above. Partition 10 is quite large so should not be backed up using this method.
To restore a partition, just reverse the information following the if= and of= statements in the command. The information stored in partitions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8 is specific to the ROM version you were running when you made the backup, so restoring them to another version is probably not a good idea (and if you do, restore all 5 of them together). Only do it if it is a last resort. And of course you should not restore HD partitions to the HD+ and vice versa.
Enable Unknown Sources and Blocking Auto OTA made easy (updated 12/3)
Instead of making a new thread, I have decide to make the tips that already available, but hard to use and make it simple.
So, what is it? This little thing will set Enable install from Unknown Sources and change the auto update to manual update for Nook HD ROM. I keep hearing how people are saying they have hard time making these changes so, I make it pretty dead simple. It's as simple as I can make. If you are looking at the timeline, root first, then this, and then gapps after. I now make them all so simple that it take me like 15mins to do all those 3 things from scratch. Originally I grab the sqlite3 from one of the app, which I guess I shouldn't have. Now I replace it w/ the one from CM9, which I guess is okay. And smaller size too.
If you were using verygreen version of root, try running this first.
Code:
adb shell su -c "/data/su/busybox chown shell.shell /data/su"
Pre-Requisite:
ADB and root.
NEW Instruction:
download the settings_new.zip in the attachment and save it somewhere.
unzip it.
run install.bat (for windows)
OLD Instructions:
download the settings_old.zip in the attachment and save it somewhere.
unzip it.
run install.bat (it basically just upload settings.sh and sqlite3 and change their permission, if you are on linux just do that instead)
adb shell
su
/data/su/settings.sh
*** OLD TEXT ***
While it's true that we should put heavy emphasis on not touching /system and that is not just manual works, but also any app with root access. You could be installing something like busybox via goole play store and screw everything up. That said, we are not touching /system at the moment because we lack the knowledge of that the nook is doing during boot process. I have been able to get asomething like AdAway to work which actually creating a sym link from /system/etc/hosts to /data/data/hosts file. I been doing this under the assumption that mounting and sym link are ok in the /system. But I would be worried too if there is a lot of those.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lost and Confused
I tried following the instructions on the B&N’s website, but I do not see ‘Android Composite ADB Interface’ or even ‘Android Phone’ within the Device Manager of Windows. I now have ‘BNTV600’ and ‘NOOK’ under Device Manager/Portable Devices. I think this is for the big leagues and I may mess something up. Probably going to wait until there is a YouTube video guide showing step by step on how to successfully root the Nook HD+.
Many thanks to ‘leapinlar’ for the help.
cybersonic_ca said:
I tried following the instructions on the B&N’s website, but I do not see ‘Android Composite ADB Interface’ or even ‘Android Phone’ within the Device Manager of Windows. I now have ‘BNTV600’ and ‘NOOK’ under Device Manager/Portable Devices. I think this is for the big leagues and I may mess something up. Probably going to wait until there is a YouTube video guide showing step by step on how to successfully root the Nook HD+.
Many thanks to ‘leapinlar’ for the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you read my description above, it says to update the driver for BNTV600.
No longer able to access internal & external memory on the Nook
leapinlar said:
If you read my description above, it says to update the driver for BNTV600.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what I did:
1. Plugged my Nook HD+ to my computer (ADB enabled)
2. Device Manager / BNTV600 / Update Driver Software / Browse my computer for driver software / Usb_driver_r04-windows folder / OK
3. Clicked on ‘Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer’
4. MTP USB Device appeared so I clicked on ‘Have Disk’
5. Browsed ‘android_winsub’ and clicked Open and OK
6. Android Composite ADB Interface appeared so I clicked ‘Next’
7. Message, ‘Windows can’t verify the publisher of this driver software’
8. Install this driver software anyway
9. Rebooted my computer
10. When the Nook is connected to the computer (ADB not enabled)
a. The Nook shows up as a G: drive and ‘MyNOOK Setup’ is the only file in it
b. Clicking on the ‘MyNOOK Setup’ brings me to a message:
• Welcome to MyNOOK Setup.
• MyNOOK Setup is a one-time installation that will allow you to tranfer your personal files to your NOOK.
• Transferable files include, but are not limited to: photos, music, videos, EPUB, PDF and Microsoft Office files.
• Note: Copyright protected files are not transferable
• To install, go to .... can't post link since im a noob
• For more information, visit ..... can't post link since im a noob
c. MyNOOKSetup.dmg appears when I click on the first link
11. When the Nook is connected to the computer (ADB enabled)
a. AutoPlay ‘BNTV600’ constantly appears.
12. I cannot access the internal or external memory on the Nook for both #10 & #11,
13. Running ‘makeroot.bat’ in the cmd for both #10 & #11 does not work either.
14. Device Manager / NOOK (BNTV600 no longer exist)
Follow my instructions to install the drivers and use my driver file from my first post. Go to device manager and delete any those three drivers you installed earlier, composite, mtp, etc. Then just do the bntv600.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk
Cool but....
...I am having a slight problem. I can not download your attached file usb_driver_r04-windows-Modded-for-HD.zip :/ everytime I do my computer which is running windows xp is telling me there is nothing there. Can you please help me thank you
Possible driver conflict with Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 Plus
leapinlar said:
Follow my instructions to install the drivers and use my driver file from my first post. Go to device manager and delete any those three drivers you installed earlier, composite, mtp, etc. Then just do the bntv600.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I followed your instructions and I successfully installed the driver you provided in your zip but the following actions occur after computer reboots.
When ADB is disabled
• NOOK (G Drive appears in My Computer
When ADB is enabled
• NO NOOK (G Drive in My Computer
• BNTV600 AutoPlay windows constantly pops up
I forgot to say that I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 Plus installed in this computer. The following items are what I see in Device Manager:
• Portable Devices / NOOK
• SAMSUNG Android Phone / Android Composite ADB Interface
I tried deleting all the drivers and repeat your instructions but the SAMSUNG Android Phone / Android Composite ADB Interface keeps appearing.
Dopey32 said:
...I am having a slight problem. I can not download your attached file usb_driver_r04-windows-Modded-for-HD.zip :/ everytime I do my computer which is running windows xp is telling me there is nothing there. Can you please help me thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know what to tell you. I just tried again with windows XP and it downloaded fine. Just keep trying. And watch where windows puts it.
cybersonic_ca said:
I followed your instructions and I successfully installed the driver you provided in your zip but the following actions occur after computer reboots.
When ADB is disabled
•NOOK (G Drive appears in My Computer
When ADB is enabled
•NO NOOK (G Drive in My Computer
•BNTV600 AutoPlay windows constantly pops up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I experienced a lot of the same symptoms.
The Nook G: is for Mac users that do not have MTP. It is so they can get the drivers they need. Notice the .dmsg (sp ?) is for them. That will only go away when you get MTP working or switch to enabled adb.
I was most concerned with getting the adb interface working, so I just ignored the MTP issues until later. In fact I temporarily disabled it so it would not keep popping up during adb.
After I got everything sideloaded and rooted, I tackled the MTP issue. With adb unchecked, I went to USB devices and uninstalled the USB mass storage device (which was the Nook G). Then it recognized MTP.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk
I think it's safe to say that what we(me and other who got all the stuff out seperately) did so far aren't anything very dangerous. We havn't touch any other partition or boot loader. Unless you mess them up yourself since now you have root, then the worst it could happen is a full factory reset or you can force yourself to factory reset it.
okay got a little farther
I have installed the drivers and my nook is having the same symptoms as cybersonic_ca. Now I am trying to figure out how to utilize the command prompt, i type in adb devices and it responds with 'adb' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.
please help, i am trying to root my nook and HD+ but i feel i must be forgetting something. I am sorry if i am very bothersome but i can not figure out what is going on
All these tips also help with the HD. Thanks so much!
Sent from my Nook HD using xda premium
Dopey32 said:
I have installed the drivers and my nook is having the same symptoms as cybersonic_ca. Now I am trying to figure out how to utilize the command prompt, i type in adb devices and it responds with 'adb' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.
please help, i am trying to root my nook and HD+ but i feel i must be forgetting something. I am sorry if i am very bothersome but i can not figure out what is going on
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then you have either not installed the Android SDK (Software Development Kit) on your PC (which includes adb) per the B&N instructions or your path variable is not set to include where you installed it.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk
Dopey32 said:
I have installed the drivers and my nook is having the same symptoms as cybersonic_ca. Now I am trying to figure out how to utilize the command prompt, i type in adb devices and it responds with 'adb' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.
please help, i am trying to root my nook and HD+ but i feel i must be forgetting something. I am sorry if i am very bothersome but i can not figure out what is going on
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you can't follow or understand the instructions about adding the path to adb in the environment path you can always just cd "/to the directory adb is installed/" and run adb directly from there. easy way is to just drag the folder into the command prompt window. it'll save a bit of typing - only works if you're not running cmd as admin.
You said you modded the drivers from B&N? What did you change? Just curious...
So, instead of making another thread, since this is a tips thread, I'll just post it here.
Just in case you are not familiar with a factory reset on the Nook HD+, there are two kind of factory resets. The one that you perform yourself, which is actually not a full factory reset and the one that Nook get pissed and do the full one.
A factory reset that you perform yourself, whether from the GUI or button combination will basically clean the partition /data while a full blown one will basically restore other partition such as /system.
Why do I bring this up, because as we know, we are not perfect. I make mistake and so do other. Sometime instead of trying to re-trace the step and fix our mistake, it's easier to just reset everything. Well, since we can't just do a full blown factory reset our self, at least not very easy, we can at least force the Nook to do it for us.
So, if you felt like I did something wrong, and I don't know which step to take next, I make a little tool for you to start over. You can see the attachment, reset.zip in there, there are 3 files. You only have to run reset.bat if you need a linux version, maybe you can beg the OP to do it for you. If you exam the package, you can see that this is very similar to the original root method which force itself to factory reset, so this is basically a modified version of that. Obviously you still required ADB. Well, on the other hand, if you never get ADB working in the first place, you probably can't mess up that bad that you need this tool in the first place.
Let me make it clear, this tool WILL RESET EVERYTHING. It also REBOOT MANY TIMES. And expect the whole process to take about 10 minutes.
dbh369 said:
You said you modded the drivers from B&N? What did you change? Just curious...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually modified a generic driver by putting the Nook HD+ device id in it. I was not able to download the B&N driver so I don't know if it needed modifying or not.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk
cybersonic_ca said:
I followed your instructions and I successfully installed the driver you provided in your zip but the following actions occur after computer reboots.
When ADB is disabled
• NOOK (G Drive appears in My Computer
When ADB is enabled
• NO NOOK (G Drive in My Computer
• BNTV600 AutoPlay windows constantly pops up
I forgot to say that I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 Plus installed in this computer. The following items are what I see in Device Manager:
• Portable Devices / NOOK
• SAMSUNG Android Phone / Android Composite ADB Interface
I tried deleting all the drivers and repeat your instructions but the SAMSUNG Android Phone / Android Composite ADB Interface keeps appearing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am having the same problem as Cybersonc_ca. I did everything according to the nook developer website and when I enable ADB on my nook hd+, it does not show my BNTV600 under portable devices but I DO have Android Phone >> Android Composite ADB Interface.
If I go to command prompt, how can I make it so that it checks that folder as well?
I apologize for such noob questions. Thank you.
sayw0rd said:
I am having the same problem as Cybersonc_ca. I did everything according to the nook developer website and when I enable ADB on my nook hd+, it does not show my BNTV600 under portable devices but I DO have Android Phone >> Android Composite ADB Interface.
If I go to command prompt, how can I make it so that it checks that folder as well?
I apologize for such noob questions. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to command prompt and type 'adb devices' and see if you have any. And the looking for bntv600 was for getting the composite to show. You have that.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk

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