Thursday, June 5, 2014

How to Update Your Rooted Nexus to Android 4.4.3 Without Losing Any Data

From:
With the recent release of Android 4.4.3, all of you Nexus 5 owners running fully stock software will be getting a notification to apply the patch soon, but what about those of us with rooted phones?
The over-the-air update that comes directly from Google will not install on a rooted phone. The script that it uses to patch your OS to the newer version performs a check that will abort installation if any changes to the system partition are detected. And since the Superuser binaries are installed on the system partition, rooted phones cannot pass this checkpoint.
But there's no need to fret, we've got you covered here in a step-by-step guide that will let you install Android 4.4.3 KitKat on your rooted Nexus, and you don't even have to worry about losing any data. The steps will be essentially the same for all Nexus variants, including the Nexus 4, Nexus 7(both the original and 2013 models), and Nexus 10—simply grab the appropriate image files in Step 3.

Prerequisites

Step 1: Prepare Your Phone

Since this method will utilize Android Debug Bridge, you'll need to enableUSB Debugging on your device, which is in the Developer Options menu. If you don't see that menu in your Settings, let's unlock it now.
Head into Settings, then scroll all the way down to the bottom and hit About Phone. In here, scroll down to the bottom again and tap Build Numberseven times in rapid succession.
Next, back out one level and you'll see a new Settings menu titled Developer Options. Open this menu, then tick the box next to Enable USB Debuggingand press OK on the subsequent popup.

Step 2: Connect Your Phone to Your Computer

This is a simple step, but it's an important one. You'll need to connect your phone to your PC to apply the update, but the USB cable you're using to do that is important. Make sure there is no visible damage to the cable and the connection it makes at both ends is firm.

Step 3: Download the Factory Images from Google

Google's been kind enough to make the factory image files for the Nexus line of devices available to the public. The files you can download from their official site are the exact firmware that came shipped with your device, so there's no difference between this and an OTA update.
From your Windows PC, click this link to start the download. Make sure to note the save location as you'll need to access this file later.
Download links for other Nexus devices:

Step 4: Install Nexus Root Toolkit

I've covered Wugfresh's Nexus Root Toolkit in the past, and it's a wonderful tool. To simplify things today, we'll be using it to install the update. To download NRT, just click this link from your Windows PC.
When the download has finished, double-click the file and hit Run.
From the next window, click Install.
When the installer is finished, you'll be asked to enter your device name and Android build number. For Device Name, select Nexus 5, and in the Android Build Number field choose Build KOT49H.
This will vary if you are using a different Nexus device.
At this point, you'll see a dialog box instructing you to enable USB Debugging on your device. We've already covered that part in Step 1, but you'll also need to allow your computer to connect to your device at this point.
Unlock your device and you should see a dialog box asking you to Allow USB Debugging. Tick the box next to Always Allow From This Computer and tapOK.
Next, NRT will ask you to download a couple of files. Click OK on these two windows to allow it to download all of the necessary files.
Again, your prompts will look slightly different if you're using a different Nexus device.

Step 5: Configure Nexus Root Toolkit

At this point, you should be looking at the main screen of the Nexus Root Toolkit. First, you'll need to install the ADB drivers if you haven't already done so. Right up top, tap the button that says Full Driver Installation Guideto get things started.
On the next screen, click the Step 3 tab and take note of the Recommended Driver Solution. Click the corresponding driver solution below it, then follow the prompts for driver installation.
When finished, head back to the Nexus Root Toolkit's main page. From here, click the Options menu, then select Options.
Head to the Flash Stock tab on this screen, then tick the box next to Enable No Wipe Mode.
Press OK on the dialog box that shows up, then hit Apply to make your changes take effect.

Step 6: Flash the Update

Back on the main screen of NRT, click the button labeled Flash Stock + Unroot. Don't worry about the "Unroot" part of that title, as we'll fix that later.
On the next screen, be sure to tick the boxes next to Other/Browse and I downloaded a factory image myself..., then click OK.
Use the next window to browse to the hammerhead-ktu84m file that you downloaded in Step 3 (or the one for a different Nexus device), then clickOpen.
Next, you'll be asked to enter an MD5 number to verify the file's integrity. Copy the following text, then paste it into the field in that window and clickOK:
  • 34a201b32259aadcc8c4879e45c1575c
If you are using another Nexus, your MD5 will be available from the same page you downloaded the factory image from in Step 3.
After a bit of processing, a window will appear that summarizes the install options you've selected. Click OK here to begin flashing the update, making sure that your phone doesn't get disconnected from your PC during this process.
When it's done, you may see a window asking you to change your build number. This is for NRT's own sake, and it's not necessary here, so just clickCancel.

Step 7: Re-Root & Flash Custom Recovery (Optional)

Since the Superuser binaries reside in the system partition that the new version of Android just overwrote, you'll have to install them again if you still want to have root privileges. You can also reinstall your Custom Recovery at this point if you had one before.
From NRT's main screen, under the Root subsection, tick the box next to And Also Flash: Custom Recovery. Then, just hit the Root button to begin the process.
On the next screen, click OK to begin rooting and installing a custom recovery on your phone.
When it's all finished, a confirmation box will let you know that the process was successful.
You should now be up to date, with root and custom recovery restored and all of your data intact. If you use Xposed, you'll have to install the frameworkagain for your modules to become active.
Most of the changes in Android 4.4.3 are under the hood, fixing various bugs and improving security. The only front-facing change that I've noticed so far is the dialer app, which got a bit of a makeover.
Now that wasn't so bad, was it? How are you liking the new dialer app? Have you noticed any interface changes other than the dialer? Let us know in the comments section below.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

How to install Logitech IO2 Digital Pen on Windows 8 64bit

I would bang my head how to make my digital pen to work again!

I tried several methods but apparently because the drivers are 32bit and my windows installation is 64bit, there is only one solution.

That I found it here: http://newbiewrench.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/logitech-i02-digital-pen-and-windows-7.html

It was originally suggested for windows 7 but I just tried on windows 8 and it also works like a charm!

Logitech IO2 Digital Pen and Windows 7 can work together

Windows 7 allows running old XP devices in a XP virtual machine.   You can download MS' virtual pc with XP mode here.  The magic in getting this to work is to have your Logitech IO2 digital pen in the cradle and have the cradle plugged in to your Windows 7 usb port at the time you install the virtual machine and install XP from a XP CD.  After you do all the usual updating of XP w/in the virtual machine, you can download logitech's last (RIP) driver for the IO2 digital pen here.  Press the 'External Mirror 1' link to download.   Also, be sure to click the 'USB' down arrow in the upper left hand area.  You'll see 'Digital Pen' as one of the USB devices.  Click the gray area to the left of that entry to activate that USB device so that virtual XP can see it.   That one cost me much head banging.

Here's a screen shot of my I)2 pen uploading 5 pages to the virtual XP machine running on Win 7.


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Thursday, January 23, 2014

New Sony VAIO Pro is now available with Intel® Core™ i7-4650U, Intel® HD Graphics 5000 and Wireless LAN (a/b/g/n/ac)!

The New Sony VAIO Pro 13 has just gone even better!!! Sony now allows you to also choose  Intel® Core™ i7-4650U which comes with the newest Intel® HD Graphics 5000. Furthermore compared to the usual models it features Wireless LAN (a/b/g/n/ac)!

As a reminder, until a couple of days earlier one had no option to upgrade to Core™ i7-4650U and all the models had the previous graphics card (Intel® HD Graphics 4400). The wifi did not feature ac at all.


Tuesday, January 7, 2014

nvidia fix


I had this same problem just a few hours ago, the latest 331 is broken. Downgrading to the previous driver or any other, included the open-source nouveau won't work, the only solution is uninstall all nvidia packages and install the driver from the .run you can download from the nvidia website.
There, select your graphic card, architecture, etc, and download the installer. When it's done, you'll need to install it from the commandline without X running. Pres Ctrl+Alt+F6 and after login:
sudo service lightdm stop
sudo apt-get remove nvidia-319 nvidia-331 # (change this line to match the drivers you have installed).
Now, asuming your driver has been downloaded to the "Downloads" folder:
cd Downloads
chmod +x NVIDIA*
sudo ./NVIDIA*.run
I've used the asterisk here because I can't know if the driver you downloaded is the exact same name as mine, since it depends on your GPU. You could use autocompletion with the tab key to use the exact .run name.
Follow the on screen instructions. When you finish, reboot:
sudo shutdown -r now
If after rebooting you see the same problem, log again in a TTY and try:
sudo nvidia-xconfig
This should regenerate a new /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Just a quick update for anyone who used my solution: Today a new update of some gl libraries has broken my system again. I've had to re-install the NVIDIA run package, it complained about some of its libraries being altered and restored them to its working state. There seems to be a compatibility problem between libraries from the official repositories and the ones packaged in the driver. This is the reason I don't like to install things from outside packagers... To reinstall the driver, kill the X with
sudo service lightdm stop
and reinstall the .run with
sudo ./NVIDIA....run 
shareimprove this answer
1 
I get the following error on installing from these drivers : -> Installing NVIDIA driver version 331.20. -> Running distribution scripts executing: '/usr/lib/nvidia/pre-install'... -> done. -> The distribution-provided pre-install script failed! Continue installation anyway? (Answer: No) – Patryk Jan 2 at 23:08
1 
I forgot to tell you that, I got exactly the same message. First I choosed No out of caution, but then when I was about to give up and reinnstall the whole system, I've tried again and selected yes to continue anyway, and the installation finished OK. – darent Jan 2 at 23:11
Did the same and now I booted back to the system :) Thanks. – Patryk Jan 2 at 23:12
1 
Glad it helped. I was planing to spend today gaming and because of this, I've been hitting my head against the PC the whole day. Just remember one thing, your drivers are now installed from a source outside the package system, so if you later decide to install drivers from xorg-edgers or the official ppa's, you'll have to first uninstall this driver manually. If you try to use apt-get or the software-center to overwrite this drivers, it could break the configuration. – darent Jan 2 at 23:15
If you have secure boot enabled in bios, you have to disable it otherwise the installation will fail. – EApubsJan 3 at 4:26
1 
Just a quick update: I just restarted the system after upgrading some packages and it was broken again. Aparently, a new version of xserver-xorg-video-nouveau broke the nvidia driver installed manually. If this happens to you, since you said you were trying different drivers, just remove it with sudo apt-get remove xserver-xorg-video-nouveau and reboot. It should load again the privative drivers. – darent Jan 3 at 19:30
@darent, even with your fix, I get an error on startup "none of the selected modes are compatible with possible modes". It looks like the gui is loading in 800x600 resolution. – Gopherkhan Jan 4 at 6:22
This got me closer on 13.10, but not quite fully. I'm on a Lenovo y580 with an optimus-supporting 660M. I'm wondering if the bumblebee combination has messed something up further....what exactly is causing the rollbacks to not work? I had 310 working earlier, but just switched to the drivers in edgers a few days ago...– Gopherkhan Jan 4 at 6:24
Okay, I got it. The problem was with an incomplete ppa-purge of xorg-edgers. I had to re-add the ppa, then purge it again. After that, everything worked fine. – Gopherkhan Jan 4 at 7:25
I hope they realize this and release a new package soon, so we can add the ppa again and not depend on checking nvidia website for updates. I've been using xorg-edgers for months and never had problems with the nvidia drivers before (the ati drivers are a disaster, but that's a whole other story). – darent Jan 4 at 15:05
Just a quick update for anyone who used my solution: Today a new update of some gl libraries has broken my system again. I've had to re-install the NVIDIA run package, it complained about some of its libraries being altered and restored them to its working state. There seems to be a compatibility problem between libraries from the official repositories and the ones packaged in the driver. This is the reason I don't like to install things from outside packagers... To reinstall the driver, kill the X with sudo service lightdm stop and reinstall the .run with sudo ./NVIDIA....run – darent yesterday
http://askubuntu.com/questions/399153/after-apt-get-upgrade-system-always-boot-to-low-graphics-mode