BooHoo. Firmware. No more interested folks ?

[smallhagrid]

Hello All.
I still have an 'insane' Jetbook which holds a charge, but is otherwise unreliable since being 'upgraded'.

At one point a couple of the smarter, more skilled folks here were helping some folks get alternative firmware into Jetbooks...and I guess I missed the bus.

Is there anyone who is still interested in helping with this conundrum ?

I tried doing it myself without success.

The Aluratek, or the Chinese firmware set to English would likely make the poor JB 'sane' again - but I could not get any to work.

Any help to keep this poor thing from getting junked ?

Thanks.

[Ken Maltby]

What would be a more "sane" approach is to flash to the firmware made for the make
and model that you have.

There is a sequence for the regular jetBook upgrades and you may need to flash to
an earlier one, before you flash to the current one. The "sticky" at the top of this
forum should have all that you need.

If you can get to the diagnostic screen, you should reflash the NOR memory and Restore
to Factory Settings, then do your firmware updates.

Luck;
Ken

[smallhagrid]

Sure thing Ken, except:

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

What would be a more "sane" approach is to flash to the firmware made for the make and model that you have.

Been there/done ALL that - multiple times, with guidance from Ectaco as well.
Posted here a bunch of times asking for help too.
As I stated above, a couple of smart/talented FW 'guru' types from here had volunteered to assist with a change, but then they sort of vanished and I heard no more about it.

Sure enough:

There is a sequence for the regular jetBook upgrades and you may need to flash to an earlier one, before you flash to the current one. The "sticky" at the top of this forum should have all that you need.
If you can get to the diagnostic screen, you should reflash the NOR memory and Restore to Factory Settings, then do your firmware updates.

And I have EVERY single FW update from Ectaco as well as a couple of others; but nothing worked.
The JB (not LITE) is not bricked, it is just gone nutty and cannot be used as a result.

Here's the rough outline:
1st JB - defective, exchanged w/ vendor.
2nd JB - OK, but pre-PDF ability.

I wanted the nice Foxit PDF display/reflow added, so tried the FW updates.
BooHooHoo. It was never OK after that and now it cannot go back to the original/old FW.

Theory:
It is a couple of years old by now and came with FW 0.33G (or was that B, I'd have to re-visit my posts to be 100% sure...)

It seems as if the older generation hardware may NOT be usable with newer FW-> BUT, it is a one-way process as made by Ectaco and cannot be done in reverse to re-attain older FW.

THAT is what I was hoping to get help with originally, but an alternate vendor's FW may be even a better solution if Ectaco's cannot be reversed.

Here are some related postings:

http://www.ectaco.com/posts/list/20199.page
http://www.ectaco.com/posts/list/20175.page
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95231
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94796
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65256
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54172

I have been around the block, and I am one who does his homework dilligently, so my questions are usually not too foolish or ill-considered.

Thanks !

[Ken Maltby]

If you are willing to actually walk through the procedures again, I can detail the process.

Some of the procedure is needed to obtain new answers and establish the current
conditions, after all that you have done.

The first thing would be for you to tell us what firmware version and patch is shown
in the settings.

Luck;
Ken

[smallhagrid]

The critical question remains:
Is it, or is it NOT possible to roll-back the FW to an earlier version on the JB ???!

Thanks.

[Ken Maltby]

It might be, if the process to reflash the NOR and reset to the factory defaults as well
as reformatting your JB's internal memory with auto fix option set is performed before
hand. It is unlikely though, if you will not provide responses and describe results, as
we walk through the procedures.

So..earlier than what you have showing in the settings of your JB ... which is?

Luck;
Ken

[smallhagrid]

Too funny.

Whilst awaiting the FW update on the new Literati yesterday, I plugged in the JB and let it charge fully overnight.

FW version ? HAHAHAHAHA - it won't say - just flops back to the menu.

I told you it's gone nutty.

It looks to me as if it could use a total erasure - if such was possible other than by it's maker...

BTW Ken...I am a career technician in my mid-50's who does tech support for all my own business clients and their severely non-technical staff members.

I tell you this because it has:
1) taught me to speak with great care to the non-technical but otherwise very good people.
B) made me a bit hyper-sensitive if/when I get the impression that someone may be 'talking down' to me in exactly the manner I need to employ with non-technical folks.

As I said very carefully in an earlier post in this very same thread - I have DONE all this stuff over and over and even with guidance.

Are you claiming to have new/improved methods for fixing this JB ?
If so - great !!!
(If not, why would I simply re-do the same stuff to get the exact same results ?)

Thanks.

[Ken Maltby]

In other words you don't wish to try "again"? I guess you have never tried something
for the umpteenth time and suddenly had it work, even though you could swear that you
had done it exactly the same as before. You also seem sure that the procedures that I
would ask you to perform, are the same and in the same order as those you have already
tried. Well; it's up to you. If you want to give it a try make sure that it is fully charged
up, and let me know you are ready. If not, good luck finding someone else with a magic
cure, that will work.

Luck;
Ken

[smallhagrid]

Ken, thanks again, and:

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

In other words you don't wish to try "again"? I guess you have never tried something for the umpteenth time and suddenly had it work, even though you could swear that you had done it exactly the same as before. You also seem sure that the procedures that I
would ask you to perform, are the same and in the same order as those you have already tried. Well; it's up to you. If you want to give it a try make sure that it is fully charged up, and let me know you are ready. If not, good luck finding someone else with a magic cure, that will work.

I can only add these things in response:
1) I am a very long time technician; procedure and technique are in my nature by now.
B) The JB will NOT even reveal it's current FW version, as I said.
Q) The poor, nutty JB ate my time wholesale already - very, very, VERY carefully doing...re-doing...and RE-DOING the same procedures in slightly altered manners.
Z) I respectfully submit for your consideration, a quote:
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
--Albert Einstein

You are poking me to do repeats, but also saying I'll simply have more re-doing and you have not at all related to anything I've shared -except- to say I should allow you to direct me - which comes across as if to say that you know more than Ectaco (probably) and all the other folks here who tried to help in previous attempts (strikes me as doubtful.).

Have you read what I posted above...all of it ?
Did you look at the threads containing the adventures from before which I've also posted here ?
If so, I'd expect you'd have some insights to share rather than just 'follow me, papoose, and all will be well !'.

Thanks, and Best Wishes.

[Ken Maltby]

I am now curious as to what you expect to get from starting this thread? Do you expect
that someone will provide a third party firmware that can fix your ailing JB? If so, how
do you expect it to be installed onto your JB, except in the same manner that is needed
to install the firmware designed for your device? Don't you think it first might be a good
idea to try and establish what could be preventing you from flashing to one of the
firmware updates created for your device?

If you have the technical experience you claim, you should know that no one can
remotely diagnose/troubleshoot a piece of equipment, without questions and answers,
and noting the results of procedures performed on the equipment. What are you expecting that would be different from that?

If your position is that you have tried all possible remedies, and there is no point in
trying any further, then again, what's the point of this thread? What did you expect/
hope to find? What methodology were you expecting to be employed to fix your JB?

It is obvious that you don't want to work with me, good luck with finding someone who
can repair a likely firmware problem without using some of the procedures I would
suggest or reflashing the firmware.

Luck;
Ken

[smallhagrid]

Fascinating.
I meant no offense, and if any was made - I apologize.

Aside of that, perhaps I was not clear enough...I'll try and simplify in case anyone may wish to jump in here with one of these solutions, here is what I am after, if possible:

- Some way to FORCE a FW update of an older FW into the JB with/without erasure.
OR:
- One of the alternate FW versions from a non-Ectaco reader with the same H/W base.
OR:
- A way to put the oldest possible JB FW in despite what may be the newest in place.

From what went before ANY of those should work, assuming it is able to avoid whatever checking makes it fail...I have, on hand the JB FW files from 0.35a2 (modified by Kralik ?) to 0.35m, the Libre 0.33h version, and a whole bunch of the M218A & B FW files.

They've all been re-tried using instructions from this very site and all have failed one way or the other.

Thanks for any help.

[West Virginia]

You know, I've been a technician now for ten years. That's computers, networks, radio and general electronics. And Ken helped me.

General knowledge is great, knowledge on specific hardware or software is sometimes better. Ken is the best we have here and if you won't work with him then... you're done, aren't you?

"I respectfully submit for your consideration, a quote:
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
--Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein would not accept certain aspects of particle physics. He died without solving field unification.

j

[Ken Maltby]

Thanks for the support and the kind comments, but as to the particular approach that
'smallhagrid" seems most attached to, Kralik and tselling have done the actual work and
provided the most practical advice. Of course "smallhagrid" has posted that he tried
their methods and could not fix the JB he messed up. I can't be sure that my ideas
would lead to any better results, but I can't do much without more cooperation than
"smallhagrid" is prepared to engage in.

Luck;
Ken

[smallhagrid]

Wow, how could I have known that Ken is 'the guy' hereabouts ?
My making choices of how to proceed translates to 'done', Aye ?
Well, if you say so...but I wonder what has happened to the guys here who used to post about using AndLinux to access the guts of their ereaders to make 'em better ?

In my experiences (not just of tech stuff, but in life) there are mostly 2 types of guys when it comes to approaches to problem-solving...my example:

There's the windows kinda guys - who, when faced with a virus-infested PC just sigh, format the disk(s) and re-install EVERYTHING...over and over and over.

Then there's the Linux kinda guys, who really can ignore malware most of the time, but find they need to fix other things instead, so they have a look, and say: 'Well, if I tweak the code a bit and re-compile the kernel that should fix it in one shot.'

My point-> I, personally, have a sore spot when it comes to doing ANY work over and over and over again for ANY reason.
Whenever ANYONE counsels me in that direction I am immediately inclined to refuse.
This stubborn inclination has served me exceedingly well in my occupation because it has inspired me to find DIFFERENT solutions which work better.

But, I guess that sort of philosophy is too non-conformist for this forum, therefore I suspect, as has been said in opinion of me in this exact matter...I am 'done'.
(Perhaps I should offer the nutty JB for sale instead ?!)

PS: I don't think I'd presume to insult Einstein's stature, even if he wasn't perfect, 'cuz I shure ain't !!!

[smallhagrid]

I just loooove:

Originally Posted by Ken Maltby

Of course "smallhagrid" has posted that he tried
their methods and could not fix the JB he messed up.

How folks re-interpret things to suit themselves !!!!!!!!!!

The JB got flakey BEFORE the FW 'upgrade' using the files DIRECTLY provided by the Ectaco rep and following the corrected OFFICIAL instructions EXACTLY.
It got fully nutty when I tried to go forward from that point.

I did NOT write the code - but DID follow instructions perfectly.

'...he messed up...'