Helios ROM v1.0 - Tesco Hudl

[stakhanov]

Good news for all this morning.
My Travel plans were changed and so I spent a little more time with the Hudl.
I tried the linux script again and this time it did not stop unfinished, it ran to the end and claimed that the tablet was rebooted. It wasn't, I was back to square one.
In desperation I dusted off my XP box, an ancient, ex-corporate machine rescued from a skip, running SP2 and using whatever mouse/monitor/keyboard was available. I've previously only used it to run an Epson printer service programme.After transferring the required bits and pieces I read and followed the RileyROM beginner's guide contained in the blinky_helios zip. After a couple of tries there it was, the star on the screen!
The Hudl is up and running minus most of the bloat and without the infuriating "jingle" when booting. I'll leave it alone now (for a while).
My eternal gratitude to Captain Midnight for his interest and help and to the creator(s) of the ROM
Thanks to all concerned, I'll be more careful the next time I venture on the Hudle path.
I'll probably wait until you experts have got it all down to tyro level as I did with the other Android devices I've rooted.

[stakhanov]

Thanks once again Capt.
You obviously have great patience with those of us who don't know what we're doing.
It's all getting clearer but I still have trouble getting the device to be recognised.
See:-

About to RESTORE Your Hudl - PRESS ANY KEY to CONTINUE or CTRL-C to ABORT...
error: device not found
rkflashtool: info: rkflashtool v5.1
rkflashtool: info: Detected RK3188...
rkflashtool: info: interface claimed
rkflashtool: info: writing flash memory at offset 0x00000000
rkflashtool: info: rkflashtool v5.1
rkflashtool: info: Detected RK3188...
rkflashtool: info: interface claimed
rkflashtool: info: writing flash memory at offset 0x00002000
rkflashtool: info: writing flash memory at offset 0x00002020
rkflashtool: info: writing flash memory at offset 0x00002040
rkflashtool: info: writing flash memory at offset 0x00002060
rkflashtool: fatal: premature end-of-file reached.
rkflashtool: info: rkflashtool v5.1
rkflashtool: info: Detected RK3188...
rkflashtool: info: interface claimed
rkflashtool: info: writing flash memory at offset 0x00004000
rkflashtool: info: writing flash memory at offset 0x00004020
rkflashtool: info: writing flash memory at offset 0x00004040

....And there it stops.

It appears to fail to find the device and then change it's mind (should I increase sleep time?)

When I was cruising the forums before buying the Hudl I came across a post, I believe from a developer, stating that there was some issue with the loader when moving from JB to KK and vice versa. Sadly I'm an old man and my short-term memory is failing. I can't remember where the post (or the forum) was.

I may have to shelve this project for a few days as my grand daughter is terminally ill and I need to head south soon.

I'm very grateful for your time, perhaps, one day, I'll be able to return the favour. Until then I have to rely on your expertise.

[CaptainMidnight]

I must admit, I'm not sure I understand parts of your reply: -

I have also tried to re-root it using the " flashroot.hudl.linux.sh" script from Paul O'Brian at modaco (the one I initially used). That seems to run normally, reading and writing, but when it comes to re booting - nothing.

Are you saying the hudl is 'completely NOT accessable' from your PC in any form i.e. obviously ADB access appears to be down, what about rkflashtool access i.e. bootlader mode?

If the hudl is communicating enough to be recognised by rkflashtool i.e. it can be placed in bootloader mode, for the quickness of a fix, if you had a win7 (for example) PC available you could use the flash tool included in the Helios download (RKAndroidTool) to flash the entire Helios ROM over the top of whatever is currently on your hudl. Obviously potentionally this will loose anything you already had on the hudl.

Some have advised to use this method when writing a new paramter file, which the Helios ROM requires due to the difference in the kernel partition size (basically in a normal hudl - Tesco didn't deploy a kernel in the kernel partition , but it's in the boot partition from what I can remember, where as the Helios ROM included said kernel - but this was too big for the original kernel partition, hence a paramter block setting change) but personally I can't see why writing the parameter file via the Linux rkflashtool would be any different?

I've not heard so far of a hudl being hard bricked, I didn't think that was possible with RK3188 tablets?

If you can shed more light on how you are talking or think you are talking with the hudl that may give some more clues to sorting it out.

EDIT: Penny has just dropped Ok, re looked-up the Linux script metioned above from modaco - see below: -

#!/bin/bash
chmod +x ./rkflashtool-linux
./rkflashtool-linux r 0x00142000 0x00200000 > system.backup.img
./rkflashtool-linux w 0x00142000 0x00200000 < system.root.img
./rkflashtool-linux b

As you can see all this is doing is backing up the system.img and replacing it with a rooted system.img.

You may have now realised the issue now --------- as the Helios ROM uses a modified parameter block, your starting position for the system.img is NO LONGER at 0x00142000 it's now at a higher address of 0x00144000 - so by running this script over a Helios ROM'd hudl you're now corrupting the last part of the recovery.img and corrupting the start of the Helios system.img if that makes sense

As a minimum I would advise re-flashing the whole Helios ROM, also just as a contrast / compare via a windows PC if possible - just to rule out any issue with a parameter block write via the Linux tool.

Hope that's helped a little more .....................

[stakhanov]

Hiya, not come across that one before - so limited on advice on what has happened in your case.

Excuse some obvious questions that follow: -

Have you tried manually reseting the hudl using the reset pin hole on the back?

After such a reset, does it show any signs of life?

If not, are you able to put the hudl in bootloader mode by holding in the up vol and using the back reset pin hole - then re-connect to the pc and try access either via rkflashtool (in linux) or rkandroidtool (in windows)?

Another suggestion - was the battery low etc, I've had an occasion with the hudl where it wouldn't turn on until it had been plugged into the charger for a good 10 minutes.

Final thought, with you saying you flashed Helios via linux (aka rkflashtool) what list of partitions did you flash etc including what parameter block settings were you using?

Thank you Capt.

First a reply to the obvious: Yes, I've tried every combination of pin, power, vol up and vol down known to man and there is no sign of life.

The battery was fully charged when I attempted to flash the rom.

I've tried another USB cable and port.

When I try to use adb ($ adb root) I get the " device not found" message.

I have also tried to re-root it using the " flashroot.hudl.linux.sh" script from Paul O'Brian at modaco (the one I initially used). That seems to run normally, reading and writing, but when it comes to re booting - nothing.

Now I come to the bit where my statement in my initial post that I was "playing out of my league" appears true.
I just copied your helios_restore.sh script as posted in #39 and pasted it into a terminal.
I'm guessing that I should have done more.

I'm grateful for the time you've taken so far to help a hapless noob who's gone bouncing into a minefield and wants rescuing, if you can find a way out for me you'll definitely be on my Christmas card list.

Thanks again.

[CaptainMidnight]

Hiya, not come across that one before - so limited on advice on what has happened in your case.

Excuse some obvious questions that follow: -

Have you tried manually reseting the hudl using the reset pin hole on the back?

After such a reset, does it show any signs of life?

If not, are you able to put the hudl in bootloader mode by holding in the up vol and using the back reset pin hole - then re-connect to the pc and try access either via rkflashtool (in linux) or rkandroidtool (in windows)?

Another suggestion - was the battery low etc, I've had an occasion with the hudl where it wouldn't turn on until it had been plugged into the charger for a good 10 minutes.

Final thought, with you saying you flashed Helios via linux (aka rkflashtool) what list of partitions did you flash etc including what parameter block settings were you using?

[stakhanov]

Bricked my Hudl installing Helios via Linux?

Hello, all,
I'm new here and I may be playing out of my league so please excuse any ignorance.
I have just followed Capt Midnight's perfectly clear post on using linux (Mint 15 64bit in my case) to flash Helios rom to my Hudl.
Everything appeared to run perfectly until the rebooting message, it didn't reboot so I held down the power button - nothing. The tablet is, to all intents and purposes, dead. ADB can't see it (I've yet to fire up my XP PC to try Windoze) and it doesn't show the charge symbol when plugged into the charger.
The only thing that I can think that I may have done wrong was that I had already rooted the thing using the script published on Modaco.
Has anyone else experienced anything like this?
All suggestions gratefully received

[Tetsumi]

Quickly reading the thread I couldn't ascertain if Apps-from-SD is supported natively with this ROM or not? Does anyone know? (A 7yo Aspi with a serious gaming addiction easily fills the internal memory.)

Cheers.

Seems it makes no difference - can't ADB to the hudl anyway:

Build: JDQ39.20131016.200812

glyn@glyn-Lenovo ~ $ adb devices -l
List of devices attached
???????????? no permissions usb:2-1.3

Anyone know of a fix for this? (Windows 8x64 can't even find the hudl)

[Tetsumi]

Quickly reading the thread I couldn't ascertain if Apps-from-SD is supported natively with this ROM or not? Does anyone know? (A 7yo Aspi with a serious gaming addiction easily fills the internal memory.)

Cheers.

[greybot]

Just one question. At the restart step am I rebooting immediately at the "let's get you started" screen by powering off and on again? I'm still having a lot of tesco bloatware to remove both from settings > apps and widgets

Edit: FIXED! It was downloading a few tesco apps and blinkbox during the update, and I just had to uninstall them, whereas before i was disabling them and they were still taking up resources.

Thanks for this excellent rom. Now to get rid of the navigation bar once and for all!

[900supersport]

Helios ROM uploaded

http://www.freak-tab.de/900supersport/hudl/blinky_helios_rom_1_0.7z

[CaptainMidnight]

Helios ROM v1.0 currently uploading for 900supersport to access and re-new original link.

[900supersport]

If you can put it on gdrive or similar and send me the link I'll pick it up from there and upload it to our ftp site. Cheers

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[CaptainMidnight]

No problem just send me a link to where to send it and I'll do it tonight when I get in from work.

[900supersport]

I think that would be one of the ROMs that was recently deleted maliciously our ftp server. If you have a copy I can get it uploaded and the link fixed.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[CaptainMidnight]

... I'll give Blinky or 900supersport a chance to correct the link first as I don't want to step on anyone's toes