[Gennaro]

Nothing to do… the “installer.efi” recognize the android partition, only if the android partitions are the only one in the partition table… i need a fastboot efi app, that i can run from uefi shell and flash android without other commands, because i tryed to do “installer flash android_system system.img” (when other partitions are present) but the installer.efi can’t find any partition… i tryed different label, but only if standard android_partition-name partitions are on hdd that program run… i tryed to flash only gpt, all work, even after reboot etc i can ever flash thing by doing “installer flash system system.img” but if i add one more partition (even if i add a labeled partition like: android_testpart) that can’t find any partition anymore… i have no more ideas… i think we never can restore android without erase all and re-flash all agin… very bad thing.

[Gennaro]

Mario Miniaci wrote:

Here is a photo. Here’s the exact sequence.

1. Power off
2. Power on
3. On the (Android) or (Windows) screen, first hold down vol+ and vol-, then tap on the (Android) and (OK)
4. Device will seem to reboot and Pipo logo will reappear. Keep holding it – takes about 20 seconds.

Note that I am running the BIOS from 16-06-2016. I have not tried the various options yet – I tapped on the bottom one and it just sat there. I tapped on the one containing the word ‘Android’ and it booted into Android. I’m a bit worried the others might lock it up again so I won’t mess further.

Thank you for your reply, I can not get into that mode, although I have the same version of the bios… but is a recovery mode do not think you will be able to use a flashing tool from PC… I also tried to put “system image: Android” in the bios under advanced settings, but nothing, did not charge me that mode, perhaps because Android does not work in my case.

You can try to connect it to the PC when it is in that mode to see if the computer finds a new hardware? (You can connect it via a USB-USB type c)

but I have the impression that not nothin change, because even using the “FlashBoot” taken from pipo.cn site (would installer.efi contained in the “disk” for flashing Android), the program does not see the partitions, I’ll probably have to set them in a specific way, I’m doing more tests to solve the problem…

[Gennaro]

Mario Miniaci wrote:

Really interesting thread and sorry for the misuse of “firmware” – I know they are really just images of the partitions mostly. Could it be that Pipo are using some version of MBR/GRUB which is getting updated by your preferred Linux version i.e. it sees the ID as something that it is allowed to update? Thanks for the tip on the keyboard unplugging, I will try it after a restore.

I do not think that touches the boot partition, because I still can use the selection of the boot without problems, and even I can get into the Android Recovery mode (by pressing the “Vol -” after selecting Android)… I noticed that linux automatically mounts 3 Android partitions when I start it, that mount “system”, “cache” and “config”… I think the problem is that, in mounting the disk automatically at boot, that creates some problem at the filesystem or in file permissions… so i think it would be enough flash back “system” but doing that from Acronis full partition image backup are not enought… I even tried to do it with “dd” on linux, used to flash the .img, obviously with “oem” unlocked from the UEFI chell with “installer.efi” provided by pipo.cn, but unfortunately it does not work… it seems like “reset” the partition once flashed from “dd”, it automatically re-label the partition in”android_system” (if i flash system.img) without filesystem (ext3, ext4 or fat etc.) and gparted does not show occupied space … Dunno, I am continuing to do tests when I can.

Mario Miniaci wrote:

Sorry I forgot the original purpose for which I responded! I tried holding down vol+ and vol- at the same time whilst clicking on Android and eventually the screen came up with an Intel logo in the top left on a black screen with a few rows of Chinese text separated by white lines, and the text “FTM”, “v1.60” and “Android” mixed in there. Is this any use?

WHATT??? HOW??? you doing that on pipo w1s? I tried all the techniques to get into that mode, without success, including simultaneously press “vol +” and “vol -” but I do not get into that mode! How exactly do you do? and what settings you have in the bios? because to me it does not work, I tried in every way, both in the initial boot, and after selecting… wothout success… let me know.

Thanks.

[Gennaro]

Updates:

First attempt actually failed, for some reason, “installer.efi” Efi program used to flash android from efi shell, fail to see the partitions… even if all the partitions are rightly labeled… i think the program see a valid android partition only if all the partition are labeled with the prefix “android_” but from the moment that windows partition do not have “android_” prefix, installer.efi have problem at see all partitions… in fact when i start the script, that say me “not all partitions have “android_” prefix, failed to remove prfix from all partitions: invalid parameter”, i can’t actually modify “installer.efi, because i do not have the source code… i think i have to create a new efi program for flashing android only…
Unfortunately, there is no even a record for this “installer.efi” so i do not know exactly what commands i can use in scripts…
I will continue to do testing, and I will keep you updated… Meanwhile, if you have other solutions, you can suggest them.

[Gennaro]

Just to inform you, i working on a personal solution to flash android without touch windows partitions, i decoded dpt.bin, now i know exact name of each android partition and exact size… because after flashing android, partition labels will be erased and i can’t flash android anymore without flash gpt.bin before (but that erase all partitions, windows partitions included), by this way i want to try to rename all partitions with the specific name, and using a personal script (already done) for flashing all things except the gpt.bin… by this way i think only android will be flashed, without touch windows partitions (obviously i made a backup of all windows partitions before to start the process) i do that today, first i have to sleep 7 or 8 hours 😛

Cross fingered, if that work i made a post with an how-to and the new script attached, made by me for flashing android without erase windows.

[Gennaro]

BBaker wrote:

Your problem is probably specific to the type and version of the Linux distro that you are using – and you did not state. eg. Ubuntu 16.04? Linux Mint 18 Cinnamon?
No way to even begin solving the problem without this information. Also, you will likely have a better chance of solving this problem by posting to forums for your specific OS distro.

Posting in the specific forum of my OS rightly tell me that is a problem of the tablet, because the boot of a system should not result in any changes to other systems or partitions, unless you do not change anything in the other hdd… The system I use it is a simple debian, with kernel 4.3 (and some patches applied to recognize the hardware of the pipo w1s, but even without these patches the problem was the same, I have applied patches recently).

More than anything else from this forum I would like to know if there is a way to flash Android only, without touching the other partitions, because the current Android flash method, taken directly from the support page of pipo.cn, implies the execution of a script from the UEFI shell, which clears and recreates all partitions without worrying about keeping the windows one and then later, by flashing the windows firmware, the windows 10 partitions are recreated… obviously losing all the data, changes and fixes.

Or at least I’d like to know if there is a way to get into DNX Mode or in any case to load the image of Android via ADB, the rest then I do it … but the PC does not see the tablet as hardware when I connect via USB type C.

[Gennaro]

Mario Miniaci wrote:

Sounds like you are very comfortable with flashing and hacking around with your tablet which is great. Which version of the bios/android/windows are you using? On the Pipo site they have a new version of the Windows image and the BIOS (hosted on Baidu but I have mirrored here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=67744233&postcount=15 for convenience) – maybe that will help? I haven’t tried the new files yet (not enough time!) but I intend to as I ran a Windows 10 update and it messed up my touchscreen totally. Note – I don’t see a specific Android download on the W1S support page.

Hello, thanks for reply, yes, I deal with hardware and software for years, I am a programmer by profession and I have dealt with IT security for years, I have no problems with these devices, even the router as soon as I buy them I flash them with a version of open-dd-wrt, because the commercial software included are shameful.

I also adapted many of this tablet drivers for linux. (Since it did not recognize them), But I can not understand why the boot and use of linux from pendrive, should in any way compromise the android system…

I already use the latest versions of the “firmware” downloaded directly from pipo.cn (and baidu), for the dual-boot version of the pipo W1S 3G 64 + 4

In fact I have no problems with windows, it works perfectly, just sometimes the keyboard interfere with the tablet orientation and reverses the touch, but is resolved by unplugging the keyboard and restarting the tablet.

I can not find information on how to get into DNX Mode or about how to flash Android by ADB from recovery mode of Android… At least that way I could flash Android without destroying windows… but I should find a solution so as not to spoil andorid every time…

[Author]

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