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White PDN Owners START HERE

76K views 3 replies 1 participant last post by  mrsburnout 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
NOTICE: We (developers, members, moderators and administration) are not responsible for what you do with and to your device.
***Use of any modified FWs is at your own risk.***

UPDATE - 1/18/13 Updating topic with links - HELP- White PDN 2012 Firmware <--- Those with 2012 FW Devices Please read this topic.

- 9/7/12 NOTICE: There is a 2012 FW that Pandigital has not provided as of this writing.

Original reports of incompatibility with the 2010/2011 FWs and "bricks" reported in this topic here: Do Not Downgrade WPDN from SL20_20120224 to S10 or SH20 FW

HUGE props and THANK YOU!!! to mac1_131
for buying another WPDN, updating the wiki and helping the "Pandiginuts" here at SlateDroid recover their devices.

Discussion here: Walmart WPDN R7T40WWHF1 firmware

Wiki: Understanding the 2012 OP Firmwares - - Walmart R7T40WWHF1 WPDN

//UPDATE

Welcome to the SlateDroid Community
So, you got a White Pandigital Novel (WPDN) and came here to hack or enhance your device. Well, we have a fantastic group of developers, members and moderators who are more than willing to help you with that. You must also do your part. Participate in discussions and contribute to the community. Another simple request before you begin your journey through the PDN section of SlateDroid is to educate yourself. The amount of information here is massive to say the least and it gets tedious answering the same questions over and over. Not to mention, this also clutters up the boards with unnecessary redundancy that we all must wade through. Please, do yourself, and the rest of the community a favor: Use the search box at the top of the forum main pages before you post a question that has been answered many times already. Search is your friend.


The PDN Wiki was written for your benefit and contains an encyclopedic amount of information. Most of the Newbie questions can be answered on your own if you choose to LEARN before you take the hacking leap. We want you to become more informed about and familiar with your device. The WPDN can be bricked quite easily when installing modified firmware. Please, do not just install anything on your WPDN before knowing the issues involved. We do not want you to brick your WPDN. An enormous amount of time and work has been devoted to creating and keeping our wiki current. As a community, this perhaps is our greatest accomplishment and certainly most useful tool THANK YOU ALL!!

Which Firmware Do You Have?

OEM or Stock firmware (FW) refers to the manufacturer supplied and supported software Pandigital wants you to have on your WPDN. The soon to be considered Legacy version of the White Pandigital Novel (WPDN) has a locked home screen with a bookshelf interface. This is the stock S10 series of Fws supported by PD during 2010. The Current version of the WPDN (which PD forced on users without warning) has a vanilla Android home screen. This new 2011 FW is the stock SH20 series and has caused quite an uproar over the last month. Some members bricked (killed, kaput) their devices after installing the SH20 FW and trying to go back to the S10 Fws.

It is important to understand that there is a flaw in the newer versions of the Pandigital firmware, those introduced in January 2011 (the SH20 series), which can cause a fatal Flash-Loop when you attempt to downgrade to previous incarnations of their official software or modified firmware based on those pre-January 2011 (S10 series) versions. Downgrading = Bricks if you don't use one of the workarounds, patches or replacement firmware developed here at Slatedroid.

Thankfully, we have some spectacular developers working with our PDNs right now who have designed fixes for the flaws and created enhancements to the software that make modifying your device both safe and easy, turning your moderately priced eReader into a fully functional hand-held computer for a fraction of the cost of similar devices.



You will need to identify which FW version you have before you proceed to alter your WPDN. The FWs have specific naming conventions similar to these. The corresponding month and day numbers vary and are all listed (and mirrored for download) in the PDN Wiki.

S10_08_20_K3_PD_INX7E_ENG_6410POP (2010 series) Locked B&N Bookshelf homescreen

SH20_20110127_K_PD_INX7E_ENG_6410POP (2011 series) Vanilla Android homescreen

Where to find your FW revision on your WPDN:

S10 series: Tap settings (the gear icon) then tap right until you get to the support tab

SH20 series: Tap Menu Settings About Device

If you have one of the S10 series FWs and want to stay with it, Please consult the original beginner's guides. Stop now or find them linked in the PDN Wiki later.These original guides are mini wiki's themselves, and shed light to the very beginning of the PDN forum at Slatedroid. (Recommended reading)

Newbies Guide: Getting Started as of 8/28

START HERE. Beginner's Guide to the White PDN

SH20 Series FW:

Update: 3/16/13 - Pandigital has been out of business for quite some time. Do NOT use their Upgrader application!!! It is directing to dead mirrors

UPDATE 2/15/11

If you are using Pandigital's upgrader application (latest is version 6.0.0.0) Please be aware that the PD upgrader application now creates a backup folder in my documents on your computer. If you run into problems, such as exclamation Andy while trying to upgrade via Pandigital, please see this thread for instructions. (specifically reply #3)
Here: WPDN:pandigital FW upgrader now creates backup

Please see our new basic guide 3/1/11 here: White PDN (SH20 series FW) New Users LOOK HERE

Please Note: When upgrading to the SH20 FWs from the S10 FWs for the first time, the SH20 FW needs to be flashed twice to allow installation of the user apps.

If you already have an android account or don't want one (you know you do) you can stay with stock FW and just sideload apps. Sideloading is taking an apk file (app) from one device such as your phone or computer and transferring the app via SD/microSD card from one device to the other.

The stock SH20 FWs come with an alternative android market called SlideMe (SAM4.0) that you can download apps from as soon as your wifi is set up. The SlideMe market has nowhere near the amount of apps that the Android Market has. (See, your wanting Market now, aren't you?)

Stock SH20 FW also comes with ESfile explorer. This is a simple to use app for finding and installing apps you have loaded and stored on your SD card. If you have already put some apps on your WPDN and want to change FWs , you will need to back up your apps.

There is an excellent pictorial tutorial in the SlateDroid Wiki here

If you want to Enhance your WPDN, there are MANY options available.
Read this thread: [2011 INDEX] Current/Popular Alternate Firmware Mods and Patches

Please read this thread BEFORE posting in the FW / Development board.
REQUIRED Reading: PDN FW Development Board

If you have problems and are not sure where to ask, post your questions here:
WPDN (&Clones) Main Discussion
The old FAQ threads have been closed to further discussion.

Here are a couple very useful threads:

Kewlguy's Fixflash and microSD card Partition Removal

Help my PDN is stuck in a flash loop, what do I do???

HOWTO: Install Firmware - White PDN

BEFORE you flash a custom FW:

Before flashing any new firmware do a factory data reset first.

Remember: All FW posted on this site, or linked through it, is used at YOUR own risk.

Always read the first post of a developer's thread very carefully. This post is often updated with the latest changes, warnings, instructions and change log for the firmware. You should always read through the entire thread so you understand what you are doing to your WPDN and what you need to do to back out of it if you don't like what you did. Remember, Downgrading=bricks without a proper workaround. Should you prefer the S10 series FW, Here is what you will need to do: HOWTO: Downgrade WPDN From SH20 to S10 FW

Please read through those developer's threads to gain insight with how the FW was worked and issues that have come up as well as the solutions, during testing. That way you will know exactly what you are getting in to, and most of the questions you have will probably already be answered there. Then re-read the first post again.
 
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#2 · (Edited by Moderator)
UPDATE -

NOTICE: There is a 2012 FW that Pandigital has not provided as of this writing.

Original reports of incompatibility with the 2010/2011 FWs and "bricks" reported in this topic here: Do Not Downgrade WPDN from SL20_20120224 to S10 or SH20 FW

HUGE props and THANK YOU!!! to mac1_131
for buying another WPDN, updating the wiki and helping the "Pandiginuts" here at SlateDroid recover their devices.

Discussion here: Walmart WPDN R7T40WWHF1 firmware

Wiki: Understanding the 2012 OP Firmwares - - Walmart R7T40WWHF1 WPDN
 
#4 ·
Strike through obsolete info and added warning --

Update: 3/16/13 - Pandigital has been out of business for quite some time. Do NOT use their Upgrader application!!! It is directing to dead mirrors

UPDATE 2/15/11

If you are using Pandigital's upgrader application (latest is version 6.0.0.0) Please be aware that the PD upgrader application now creates a backup folder in my documents on your computer. If you run into problems, such as exclamation Andy while trying to upgrade via Pandigital, please see this thread for instructions. (specifically reply #3)
Here: WPDN:pandigital FW upgrader now creates backup
 
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