Boyue Mars Android 8 upgrade without Windows?

[tadas]

I have a Boyue Mars that runs Android 6.0 that I'd like to update to 8.0. The instructions talk about double-clicking DriverInstall.EXE, which I know in advance will do nothing interesting on my Ubuntu Linux 20.04LTS system.

Is there a manual process I can use, or am I stuck having to find a Windows system?

Aloso, there's a "warm reminder" that I should "Please properly back up all important files in advance, upgrade will clear all the file contents." Does this mean I have to reinstall my apps and re-migrate my 8,000+ book Calibre library?

[raygj]

Originally Posted by tadas

I have a Boyue Mars that runs Android 6.0 that I'd like to update to 8.0. The instructions talk about double-clicking DriverInstall.EXE, which I know in advance will do nothing interesting on my Ubuntu Linux 20.04LTS system.

Is there a manual process I can use, or am I stuck having to find a Windows system?

Aloso, there's a "warm reminder" that I should "Please properly back up all important files in advance, upgrade will clear all the file contents." Does this mean I have to reinstall my apps and re-migrate my 8,000+ book Calibre library?

If you get a micoSD card get one with the "A1" or "A2" Android speed rating.using ubuntu file manager create a directory called ' books ' (all lower case letters) in the root directory of the microSD card.insert SD card in Likebook Mars. use Likebook Mars file manager to copy all your books contained inside the internal "/Books" directory to the external SD cards " /books " directory.unmount the SD card.
after you install 8.1 and reboot you have to relog into google play and reinstall apps listed in your programs library in your google play store...in Settings/power management turn off screen saver and automatic shutdown .. if you insert your SD card and reboot the Likebook Mars the books on the SD card won't be visible to the Mars ereader program until the Mars has finished scanning ,error checking and adding all the books in the inserted SD cards '/books' directory into its internal book catalog file.. this can take much longer than 10 minutes (depending on external SD card MAX access read speed+number of ebooks) ..when it has finished then in Settings/power management turn on screen saver and automatic shutdown .. all your books will be visible when you are on the Home screen inside the 'Library' tab inside the Books folder.the reboots in the future will be fast boot-up times .
when you want to add more books just insert SD card into ubuntu machine and use the ubuntu to copy books to the SD cards "/books" directory.

[guest]

There is a linux tool that in theory should work, but in practice it didn't work for me. I've updated the reader from a virtual box (it's possible to download a free windows from microsoft's site).
During the update process all data will be erased.

[blueskiesoki]

I used a windows 10 PE boot cd running a live windows environment and followed the previously posted tutorial to update my Mars successfully.

Also, yes you will need to copy any books you have , apps, etc. it will erase the Mars when you do the Android 8 update (like a new device).

I did like the upgrade though. It is much more responsive.

[blueskiesoki]

FYI, I did have to flash mine twice. The first flash boot looped. ( Likebook logo with one dot, screen would flash off, and Likebook logo with one dot repeating).
I the hard powered off using power button. Flash procedure a second time. Normal boot process with alternating dots as normal startup. It did take a while for first successful boot.
Works great now though.

[ioancr]

Linux upgrade successfully done for Likebook Mars T80D.

It was not straightforward for me though. After the first failed attempt, my device would never get past the black screen. Such a despair.

But looking back now, the way how I got it working and the results, I think the new version is worth every single sigh and perhaps it's the right time to share my experience.

RESOURCES:
My host machine is a Manjaro Linux. Had to install Virtualbox and load Windows 8.1 to have the upgrade requisites as per instructions.

FIRST FAILED ATTEMPT:
I couldn't get flashing according the Boyue instructions, the (otherwise working) device couldn't pass "Check chip control". I've tried various DriverAssistant packages (4.5 through 4.8), or newer AndroidTool executables. Nothing.

BRICK: <<Disclaimer: Anything you do to your device is your responsibility!>> I've switched to Linux solutions at this point. Found the Rockchip Linux Upgrade Tool. It was rather easy to flash the 8.1 firmware, everything went ok in the logs. But my device would not restart afterwards, after a brief starting logo (the bridge picture), it switched to a black screen with a white circle and a message "erasing" that left to black screen and unresponsive device. The worst thing was that the Linux Upgrade Tool couldn't "see" a compatible device anymore. The Linux explorer read it as "rk33xx" device. What a shock.

FIRST SIGNS OF LIFE: I've unplugged USB from PC and connected it to the wall charger and ... Surprise! The boot logo page appeared out of nowhere and stayed with one dot still. Obviously the reader wasn't dead. It was time to move forward and experiment.

RECOVERY: I was able to get to the Recovery Menu. However every attempt to flash an "update.zip" through it unfortunately didn't work for me. I've tried external SD card, and even an OTG USB (though it never worked before nor seemed supposed to). ADB and Fastboot couldn't access the device as it was "locked".

FOUND ONE ADB DEVICE. In Windows virtual machine's Android Tool the black screen reader was identified as "Found One ADB Device". It was rather useless, yet relieving to know that a dedicated tool was still able to detect its device. Enough to keep moving forward.

LOADER HARD KEY COMBINATION: Soon I found out that Android Tool would load my device as "Loader" - that was a good news and the right way to go. In Linux it's a bit complicated to stand by USB port switching back and forth between host and guest, especially in delicate circumstances like flashing a device. I had to keep an eye on the Virtualbox's USB window for any ongoing issue, as the bricked device would easily disconnect whenever its status changes. It could pass from "rockchip" to "unknown device 2207:3300(100)" and so on, everytime loosing the connection.

BERNADO MOD: Luckily, I found hints in this forum pointing to use of a mod of Android Tool: RK_Android_Tool_2.3.9_bernado_mod. I gave it a try. It was the first time the flashing would ever progress within Windows environment for me. However "Device reset success" didn't prove so in practice: my Likebook stayed black. Things I've experimented with where "Erase Flash" before "Upgrade" and even a "Lower Format" in the Linux Tool - both useless in my case.

FINALLY SUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT: I've soon discovered that along with the modded Android Tool there is also a Bernado mod of the Device Assistant with drivers. One has to uninstall any previous drivers first (just press "Uninstall" before installing them). Unfortunately the new drivers didn't change anything in the only tool I've relied on (as of my expectations). Together with the fact that the default "Download list" is slightly different compared to the Boyue's AndroidTool (the first two components are not selected, I'm not sure of it's relevance though) incited me to give the last one another try. Odd enough, this was the first time it would progress. The firmware flashing eventually succedded as with modded tool BUT this time the Likebook turned on and loaded just normally!

CONCLUSION: I'm still not sure what exactly restored my device, nor am I willing to reproduce anything in order to find it out. Perhaps it's in the specific details, or it's just a hazard. Anyway, my Likebook has a new life now and that is what matters.

P.S. Credits go to this Forum and to the developers of the cited tools.

[ilyats]

Originally Posted by guest

There is a linux tool that in theory should work, but in practice it didn't work for me. I've updated the reader from a virtual box (it's possible to download a free windows from microsoft's site).
During the update process all data will be erased.

Have you tried the open source tool or the one from RockChip?

[guest]

Originally Posted by ilyats

Have you tried the open source tool or the one from RockChip?

I've searched for a tool named exactly the same as a windows version and I've found it. I assume the tool is from the same developer. I don't remember seeing sources in the downloaded package.

[edent]

Does anyone have a link to these tools?

[ilyats]

Originally Posted by edent

Does anyone have a link to these tools?

The tools from RockChip were available at
https://dl.radxa.com/rock/tools/linu...Tool_v1.21.zip
The open source tools are available from Debian distribution as package named
rkflashtool, probably available in other distributions with the same or similar name.

[ilyats]

Originally Posted by edent

Does anyone have a link to these tools?

Apparently newer version of RockChip tools is available at
https://github.com/rockchip-linux/to...x_Upgrade_Tool
The page above was linked from RockChip site, the one below seems to have a more recent version of the tool
https://github.com/rockchip-linux/to...x_Upgrade_Tool