WARNING - Possible LOCKED RK Loaders showing up!

[rd001]

I understand that flashing most of current custom ROMs roots the device, however would rooting a minipc stick prior to flashing help at getting around a locked bootloader?

Good question. Other than this thread mentioning that it is possible they are locking bootloaders, no other info has surfaced on the subject.

You have to keep in mind that people may have done something dicey to their devices or that there were some defective units shipped that could account for such reports.

I don't think rooting any miniPC before flashing a rooted or unrooted ROM would be any advantage but maybe Finless Bob will give you a (1000x better) answer to that question. He is the real expert as you must be aware.

I have the Minix NEO X5 so it isn't really comparable but that MK808 is a nice unit. I think they have it running Picuntu already so I'm a little jealous of your stick. Geez, I have stick-envy, gotta get out more.

[Daytpn56]

maybe Finless Bob will give you a (1000x better) answer to that question.

I'd of dismissed the locked bootloader speculation had Finless not suggested unchecking the loading of a new bootloader during the flashing process. At any rate my MK808 from CozySwan, aka now CozyBuyer, arrived already rooted, so rooting or not rooting before flashing is now a moot question for me.

I previously bought/returned 2 iMito MX1s due to the connectors physically becoming unseated from the board. I debated long and hard getting a Neo X5 as all of dongle devices seem like they are extremely fragile. In the end my wallet and the large MK808 user community drove my decision to try the MK808. If it suffers the same fate as the iMito, I will return it to Amazon and replace it with a Neo X5. At this point I'm ok with the MK808 and the stock ROM, but then I was ok with the iMito first too. At the end of the day, your MK808 envy may be unjustified.

[[email protected]]

Im using the 1.22 bootloader no issues so far on my tablet with it, borrowed from another tablet rom

Also rumors say Rockchip will go more open in the future following AMLogic

[Asxetos]

Please keep this thread alive with suggestions-findings on how to revive bootloader-bricked TV sticks-boxes.

I believe myself am a victim of the locked bootloader situation with a MK802IIIS-BT stuck in maskrom mode for ever.

You just have to take a closer look into Rikomagic's own official updates (dump xxx.img contents) to find that there is good merit to the suspicions...

Ricomagic official update of 28/4/2013 (4.1.1): contains RK30xxLoader(L)_V1.22.bin
Ricomagic official update of 15/6/2013 (4.2.2): contains RK30xxLoader(L)_V2.03_lock.bin <---!!!
Ricomagic official update of 22/7/2013 (4.2.2): contains RK30xxLoader(L)_V1.32.bin
Ricomagic official update of 7/11/2013 (4.2.2): contains RK30xxLoader(L)_V2.07_lock.bin <---!!!

Simply following the official updates, you go from a locked to a normal bootloader 3 times !!!!

Most (if not all) custom roms contain the 1.22 bootloader and you are practically forced to flash the bootloader (you have to erase IDB), since in almost all custom roms the parameter file with partition sizes - positions is changed.

With no previous knowledge - warning of this bootloader culprit (you simply cannot follow every single post made in this forum), people that followed the official rom updates and especially if in-between they wanted to test a custom rom, were screwed for good...

PS.
The pin short in the NAND chip (6-7, 8-9 etc, tried them all) does NOT work if your device is a victim of the situation described above.

[malfrat]

Please keep this thread alive with suggestions-findings on how to revive bootloader-bricked TV sticks-boxes.

I believe myself am a victim of the locked bootloader situation with a MK802IIIS-BT stuck in maskrom mode for ever.

You just have to take a closer look into Rikomagic's own official updates (dump xxx.img contents) to find that there is good merit to the suspicions...

Ricomagic official update of 28/4/2013 (4.1.1): contains RK30xxLoader(L)_V1.22.bin
Ricomagic official update of 15/6/2013 (4.2.2): contains RK30xxLoader(L)_V2.03_lock.bin <---!!!
Ricomagic official update of 22/7/2013 (4.2.2): contains RK30xxLoader(L)_V1.32.bin
Ricomagic official update of 7/11/2013 (4.2.2): contains RK30xxLoader(L)_V2.07_lock.bin <---!!!

Simply following the official updates, you go from a locked to a normal bootloader 3 times !!!!

Most (if not all) custom roms contain the 1.22 bootloader and you are practically forced to flash the bootloader (you have to erase IDB), since in almost all custom roms the parameter file with partition sizes - positions is changed.

With no previous knowledge - warning of this bootloader culprit (you simply cannot follow every single post made in this forum), people that followed the official rom updates and especially if in-between they wanted to test a custom rom, were screwed for good...

PS.
The pin short in the NAND chip (6-7, 8-9 etc, tried them all) does NOT work if your device is a victim of the situation described above.

symptom are like a locked bootloader.... the reset pin maybe defective and stay pulled down when you press on it and release. in other word the reset pin is sticked down. try to clap on the board corner right under the reset switch. i got this tricky problem in flashtool: found rk loader ok flash the rom normaly ok and write nand check without error. but stay in flash mode (rk loader found) and don't reboot to os. it solve my problem and looking on a custom reset switch mod plastic button of the switch is too cheap, i got an half button now for a year i play with the paper clip and needles with different roms....