Bricked GS-King -- recovered!

[driven]

I was happily running CoreElec off microSD with a factory Android OS, and one day the box wouldn't boot. In the process of troubleshooting (I suspected heat damage), I used USB_Burning_Tool to install Spartan_ROM ATV (https://forum.freaktab.com/node/805016). The new Spartan ATV worked fine (except SMB), which indicated my hardware was okay -- guess it was the microSD card that failed.

Notably, I tried to flash a few other OS images, but USB_Burning_Tool never worked again after that one time -- it just won't connect to the GS-King. I also tried making an upgrade microSD card with Burn_Card_Maker (https://chinagadgetsreviews.com/down...er-v2-0-2.html), but GS-King box won't boot off it or upgrade the box. Okay, so I was stuck with Spartan ATV as an OS, but I still needed to get CoreElec running to meet my needs.

I tried 20-30 times to make a replacement bootable CoreElec microSD card using the standard process (https://wiki.coreelec.org/coreelec:beelink) without luck. (Maybe Spartan_ROM prevents microSD cards from booting..?) Anyhow, somewhere in this thrashing I discovered TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project) by holding the reset button and plugging in the box.... and I made a right mess of the internal memory trying to reflash a factory 915P0 image. I was getting a "Size of image is larger than the target device" error, and following a YouTube vid I reformatted the system_root partition. Yeah. TWRP says there's no operating system installed now. So that's a problem, maybe not recoverable.

Anyhow, here's where I am:
1. GS-King reboots every 5 seconds to SPARTAN logo. Update: Reboots every 20 seconds. No HDMI output. Fan runs, front skull and ethernet LED amber light up.
2. USD_Burning_Tool doesn't work. No USB connect tones, no device listed.
3. Burn_Card_Maker doesn't work.
4. I can get into TWRP and play around with partitions and images, but I have no idea what I'm doing here. Update: Not anymore. No TWRP.
5. I just want to run CoreElec on my GS-King -- ideally running on internal memory, but at this point microSD would be fine.

Is there hope or should I just admit defeat?

[clarkss12]

I feel your frustration, The GS King is one fantastic box, especially running CoreELEC as a file server.

You have proven that there is not a hardware issue, now you have to get the Windows PC to "see" your box.

I have been in your position before, where I could not get the USB Burning tool to "see" my GS King.
I forget the exact steps, but it can be done.

You have to use the Power plugged into your box, when you try to connect to your USB 2 cable to the OTG port on your box. I don't recall the exact sequence, power it on first or after connecting the USB 2 cable.

Also, try different burning tools. Each time you uninstall the burning tool and install a different one, it updates the drivers.

Once you hear your PC make a noise when you connect the USB 2 cable, you know that your box is "talking" to your PC.

Don't give up. Your box is NOT broken.

[driven]

Thanks for the encouragement. I feel like the doctor beating on his patient's chest while the flies are buzzing 'round...

Current status: Tried installing several versions of USB_Burning_Tool and drivers. I get no USB device connect tone when connecting the GS-King to my Windows 10 box and no device listed in USB_Burning_Tool (any version). GS-King has no HDMI output, no TWRP. On power-up it runs fan for 20 seconds, reboots, runs fan for 20 seconds, reboots... If instead I power-on in recovery mode (paperclip in hole), the fan just runs with no reboot cycle.

Found a list of many versions of USB_Burning_Tool here, which gave some hope -- they're all the way to v3.2.0 (although it doesn't seem fully baked -- throws errors when importing IMG files):

https://androidmtk.com/download-amlo...b-burning-tool

(If there's a different USB tool I could try, please let me know!)

The USB driver is also listed here: https://androiddatahost.com/5quvy

And there is a very clear tutorial, giving a very specific connect sequence (it actually says to put the device into recovery mode before connecting, which I did NOT do before when I originally flashed to Spartan_ROM): https://androidmtk.com/use-amlogic-usb-burning-tool

There's also an interesting-looking Amlogic Flash Tool, but it appears to want an IP address to connect (???): https://androidmtk.com/use-amlogic-flash-tool

I also looked up the name of the driver, found it on SourceForge, and installed this to no avail: https://sourceforge.net/projects/libusb-win32/

[ddogishere]

Try different cables & use stock ROM, good luck.

[clarkss12]

Have you removed the hard drive/s?

I added a couple of files to Google drive that you can try.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1T1tSVQYViavapnZY_D4j0Clh4uz2sS76?usp=sharing

[driven]

Have you removed the hard drive/s?

yes

[clarkss12]

yes

Try creating a sd card with that folder that I posted the link to. That may work. Been a long time since I used that method.

[driven]

Have you removed the hard drive/s?

I added a couple of files to Google drive that you can try.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...76?usp=sharing

Thanks for that -- the IMG, especially. The manufacturer's download link was broken.

And wouldya look at that, USB_Burning_Tool saw the GS-King and was able to successfully load the IMG!!!

To retrace my steps for future generations -- and myself, if I have to do this again:

1. Uninstalled USB_Burning_Tool and AMI_Burning_Tool. Reboot.
2. Installed USB_Burning_Tool 2.1.7.1 (downloaded from your gdrive). Reboot.
3. Ran USB_Burning_Tool and Import Image on GS-KING_X_918P0_wol_bt.img (downloaded from your gdrive). Checkimg was success.
4. Hit Start button. Plug both power and USB to OTG simultaneously -- one Youtube video was adamant about this, and it's what I did the first and only time I had success. Nothing. Unplug both. Hit Stop button.
5. Hit Start button. Plug USB to OTG, then power. Nothing. Unplug both. Hit Stop button.
6. Hit Start button. Plug power, then USB to OTG. Nothing. Unplug both. Hit Stop button.

Up til now, nothing new. Nothing works, just as before. Just for completeness, I wanted to try Recovery Mode -- this was, after all, what the official guide (https://androidmtk.com/download-amlo...b-burning-tool) stated, although it's not what worked for me the first time.

7. Press Recovery button with paperclip, power on. Release recovery button after 3-4 seconds. Plug USB to OTG. ***CONNECTION!?!!!*** Realize I didn't hit Start button, so I hit Start button in USB_Burning_Tool and it started the data transfer, completed in about 4 minutes.

Now I can't say what was different (pretty sure I tried that version USB_Burning_Tool before) or whether Recover Mode is a necessary step, but my brick is running Android now! Thanks for your help!

Feeling brave, making CoreElec installation microSD...

edit: And yessssssir CoreElec installed just like it's supposed to. Great way to end the weekend! Thanks again!

[clarkss12]

Thanks for that -- the IMG, especially. The manufacturer's download link was broken.

And wouldya look at that, USB_Burning_Tool saw the GS-King and was able to successfully load the IMG!!!

To retrace my steps for future generations -- and myself, if I have to do this again:

1. Uninstalled USB_Burning_Tool and AMI_Burning_Tool. Reboot.
2. Installed USB_Burning_Tool 2.1.7.1 (downloaded from your gdrive). Reboot.
3. Ran USB_Burning_Tool and Import Image on GS-KING_X_918P0_wol_bt.img (downloaded from your gdrive). Checkimg was success.
4. Hit Start button. Plug both power and USB to OTG simultaneously -- one Youtube video was adamant about this, and it's what I did the first and only time I had success. Nothing. Unplug both. Hit Stop button.
5. Hit Start button. Plug USB to OTG, then power. Nothing. Unplug both. Hit Stop button.
6. Hit Start button. Plug power, then USB to OTG. Nothing. Unplug both. Hit Stop button.

Up til now, nothing new. Nothing works, just as before. Just for completeness, I wanted to try Recovery Mode -- this was, after all, what the official guide (https://androidmtk.com/download-amlo...b-burning-tool) stated, although it's not what worked for me the first time.

7. Press Recovery button with paperclip, power on. Release recovery button after 3-4 seconds. Plug USB to OTG. ***CONNECTION!?!!!*** Realize I didn't hit Start button, so I hit Start button in USB_Burning_Tool and it started the data transfer, completed in about 4 minutes.

Now I can't say what was different (pretty sure I tried that version USB_Burning_Tool before) or whether Recover Mode is a necessary step, but my brick is running Android now! Thanks for your help!

Feeling brave, making CoreElec installation microSD...

edit: And yessssssir CoreElec installed just like it's supposed to. Great way to end the weekend! Thanks again!

Glad you got it working, perseverance pays off.
It is really hard to kill these boxes. I have probably done this at least a hundred times or more in the last 8 or 10 years, and have NEVER killed one that I recall.
The GS King is a fantastic device, and nothing else like it in the market place.

Edit::::: YES, always depress the "reset" button when trying to use the USB burning tool.... There are some devices that will work WITHOUT depressing the "reset" button as you connect the USB cable to your OTG port, but those are rare. I think my Beelink Mini 2 does not need to depress the "reset" button, but not positive.

Also, MOST devices do NOT need the POWER to be plugged in, but some do. YOUR GS King needs power to install the firmware. MY new Ugoos X4 Cube REQUIRES power to install firmware (also have to use the reset button).