[valkoz]

Because of many users want to Unpack Edit Repack PhoenixSuit Images

Because of many users can't use Linux

Because it is very easy

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* There are two simple factory methods to flash custom firmwares: local OTA upgrade and PhoenixSuit flasher

Local OTA upgrade uses signed ZIP files - you can use Windows only to make custom firmwares

PhoenixSuit flasher uses Phoenix images - you need use Linux to make custom firmware images

Local OTA upgrade vs. PhoenixSuit flasher

Local OTA upgrade firmwares: smaller size, easy to edit; can not be used for bricked tablets

PhoenixSuit flasher firmwares: bigger size, harder to edit; can be used for bricked tablets

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Windows Tools - for Local OTA upgrade firmwares

Tools A31-A31s

Spoiler

Size:99 mb
Dev-Host http://d-h.st/R4f

 1.jpg (63.38K)
Number of downloads: 32  2.jpg (45.02K)
Number of downloads: 32

Required Tools

Spoiler

Windows XP / 7 / 8 32/64 bit
DiskInternals Linux Reader http://www.diskinter...m/linux-reader/
Cygwin - to edit boot.img and recovery.img only http://www.cygwin.com/
7z http://www.7-zip.org/7z.html
WinRAR http://www.rarlab.com/download.htm *In case you prefer classic method to edit .apk files
WinMerge http://winmerge.org/
Notepad++ http://notepad-plus-plus.org/
Verify Java Version http://www.java.com/...d/installed.jsp
JRE (Java Runtime Environment) http://www.oracle.co...oads/index.html

Tutorials

Spoiler

* Pictures are better than words.

Descriptions "How To Use" are in the corresponding folders (_howto) of [_ToolsONDA_A31.

Detailed descriptions are here. http://www.slatedroi...0-onda-kitchen/

Allwinner/Unpacking and building LiveSuit images https://www.miniand....LiveSuit+images

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Linux Tools - for PhoenixSuit flasher firmwares

Tools A31-A31s

Spoiler

imgRePacker for Linux http://forum.xda-dev...d.php?t=1753473

System.img Tools for Linux Users  System_img_tools.tar.gz (90K)
Number of downloads: 7

Brief Manual for Linux Users  Linux.txt (2.44K)
Number of downloads: 10

* See Allwinner/Unpacking and building LiveSuit images https://www.miniand....LiveSuit+images for Detailed Manual

Tutorials

Spoiler

Allwinner/Unpacking and building LiveSuit images https://www.miniand....LiveSuit+images

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This Kitchen supports all tablets which use PhoenixSuit flasher

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IF YOU'LL FIND THIS POST USEFUL I'LL POST HERE ADVICES / TIPS FOR CUSTOM ROMs

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This post has been edited by valkoz: 20 May 2013 - 12:38 AM

[valkoz]

Reserved

This post has been edited by valkoz: 19 May 2013 - 06:25 PM

[androidjedi]

you just need this tool to unpack and repack allwinner a31 .img file

Attached File(s)

•  imgRePacker_204.zip (99.05K)
  Number of downloads: 13

This post has been edited by androidjedi: 19 May 2013 - 06:48 PM

[valkoz]

androidjedi, on 19 May 2013 - 06:47 PM, said:

you just need this tool to unpack and repack allwinner a31 .img file

Thank you, androidjedi!

Actually, I started the topic because of many users want to make proper custom firmwares for A31-A31s tablets and want to know how to change parameters to obtain Google Play access, better wi-fi, touchscreen responsiveness, longer battery life, etc.

Because of all A31 firmwares for all tablets use the same structure, it'll be useful for many users I think.

This post has been edited by valkoz: 20 May 2013 - 12:32 AM

[pk0377]

how to put the system save to system.fex or system.img?

[valkoz]

pk0377, on 21 May 2013 - 12:08 PM, said:

how to put the system save to system.fex or system.img?

Explain what you mean "system save to system.fex or system.img" ?

[androidjedi]

the imgRepacker can also be used for windows.

And I think he means how do you after mounting the system.fex and editing it, then save it back to system.fex (note system.fex is just a compressed ext4 image, you can simply rename it to system.img).

[androidjedi]

and i think i just answered you question, if you simply mount the system image as told in the tutorials, when you edit anything inside that automatically changes the contents of the system.fex when you unmount it

[valkoz]

androidjedi, on 21 May 2013 - 08:05 PM, said:

and i think i just answered you question, if you simply mount the system image as told in the tutorials, when you edit anything inside that automatically changes the contents of the system.fex when you unmount it

You are right.

It's possible to use imgRepacker in Winsows and Linux, and you need just to rename system.fex into system.img to convert to ext4, after that to edit it.

In Linux system.img retains files/folders permissions, in windows you need use updater-script.

[androidjedi]

valkoz, on 21 May 2013 - 11:39 PM, said:

You are right.

It's possible to use imgRepacker in Winsows and Linux, and you need just to rename system.fex into system.img to convert to ext4, after that to edit it.

In Linux system.img retains files/folders permissions, in windows you need use updater-script.

you dont have to rename anything .img, mounting the file while its extension is .fex will work as well. You are changing absolutely nothing renaming it to .img, so its just a useless step

[Balrog]

Thanks very much for the collected informations!

Here are a lot infos about the A-Series CPU and how to read the informations in the decompressed .fex-config-files: http://linux-sunxi.org/Main_Page

In relation to extracting and mounting the images:
After the work of the very good tool "imgRePacker" you have convert it with this tool: [REF] Unpacking and repacking stock rom .img files. Afterwards you are able to mount the images as an ext4-loop.

Here are the short version how to use simg2img (installation under Debian):

unzip ext4_utils.zip
cd ext4_utils
apt-get install zlib1g-dev
make

To unpack the .img file:

./simg2img factoryfs.img output.img

To view the contents of .img file:

mkdir tempdir; mount -o loop output.img tempdir

To repack .img file:

./mkuserimg.sh -s /some/directory/with/files ./factoryfs_custom.img ext4 ./temp 512M

EDIT: Sorry, I just read that the infos are already in the Brief Manual for Linux

This post has been edited by Balrog: 22 May 2013 - 03:58 AM

[valkoz]

Balrog, on 22 May 2013 - 03:40 AM, said:

Thanks very much for the collected informations!

Here are a lot infos about the A-Series CPU and how to read the informations in the decompressed .fex-config-files: http://linux-sunxi.org/Main_Page

In relation to extracting and mounting the images:
After the work of the very good tool "imgRePacker" you have convert it with this tool: [REF] Unpacking and repacking stock rom .img files. Afterwards you are able to mount the images as an ext4-loop.

Here are the short version how to use simg2img (installation under Debian):

unzip ext4_utils.zip
cd ext4_utils
apt-get install zlib1g-dev
make

To unpack the .img file:

./simg2img factoryfs.img output.img

To view the contents of .img file:

mkdir tempdir; mount -o loop output.img tempdir

To repack .img file:

./mkuserimg.sh -s /some/directory/with/files ./factoryfs_custom.img ext4 ./temp 512M

EDIT: Sorry, I just read that the infos are already in the Brief Manual for Linux

Thank you for links!

I think it'll be very helpful for many users to gather such infos, because I didn't see in the internet the place which collects all information about repacking A31 image.

[pk0377]

valkoz, on 21 May 2013 - 11:39 PM, said:

You are right.

It's possible to use imgRepacker in Winsows and Linux, and you need just to rename system.fex into system.img to convert to ext4, after that to edit it.

In Linux system.img retains files/folders permissions, in windows you need use updater-script.

sorry, I still don't know how to do it
1. open the onda IMG wo have the system.fex
2. save the system.fex name to system.img use DiskInternals linux Reader can open it
3. i don't know how to save the system folder to system.img

my system is windows7
i don't want work in linux.
Thanks

This post has been edited by pk0377: Yesterday, 01:13 AM

[androidjedi]

well you need to work in linux if you want to achieve anything, android is a linux system, and even basic modding you need linux, simple as that, if you dont want to use linux then dont bother.

BTE cygwin is linux emulator on windows so its still linux.

Go install vmware and you can run linux within windows

[pk0377]

androidjedi, on 23 May 2013 - 12:08 AM, said:

well you need to work in linux if you want to achieve anything, android is a linux system, and even basic modding you need linux, simple as that, if you dont want to use linux then dont bother.

BTE cygwin is linux emulator on windows so its still linux.

Go install vmware and you can run linux within windows

yes i know
so if use it in linux i think i can do it ,
but i want to find away work in windows.
Thanks

[androidjedi]

pk0377, on 23 May 2013 - 01:12 AM, said:

yes i know
so if use it in linux i think i can do it ,
but i want to find away work in windows.
Thanks

I just told you how, install vmware and run a linux virtual machine within windows, thats as close as you are going to get to making it work, windows isnt designed to be a programming OS.

[valkoz]

pk0377, on 22 May 2013 - 09:26 PM, said:

sorry, I still don't know how to do it
1. open the onda IMG wo have the system.fex
2. save the system.fex name to system.img use DiskInternals linux Reader can open it
3. i don't know how to save the system folder to system.img

my system is windows7
i don't want work in linux.
Thanks

You do not need Linux to make firmware! (Linux need to convert firmware to flash with PhoenixSuit only)

1. Extract firmware (V972Core4-V1_v2.0.img for example) - it's inside downloaded RAR (V972Core4-V1_v2.0.rar) - into folder D:\[_ToolsONDA_A31\[[[_image_A31.

2. After that follow manual to extract firmware to V972Core4-V1_v2.0.img.dump. Manual into folder _howto

3. Inside V972Core4-V1_v2.0.img.dump find file system.fex

4. Copy system.fex into folder D:\[_ToolsONDA_A31\[[[_sgs2toext4. After that change file extension system.fex to system.img - change file extension (with total commander or other file explorer) (or choose mode "show file extension" in windows to see files extentions)

5. After that follow manual to extract content of system.img to D:\[_ToolsONDA_A31\[[[[_system_A31. Manual into folder _howto

6. Now you can see and edit factory firmware into folder D:\[_ToolsONDA_A31\[[[[_system_A31.

Steps 1 - 5 take about 5 minutes - after 5 minutes you can edit firmware

This post has been edited by valkoz: Yesterday, 07:31 PM