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Root [Merit] ZTE Merit Touchscreen Bricked after *983*29873283# code

Hey Guys i've been thinking a little about the issue at hand, would any og you guys think that it may be an issue with the kernel not loading the driver for the screen to work? i did some reading on Kernels and i learnt that the kernel is the main passage of communication between the android hardware and the software, so my thinking lead me to think if there is a way of logging and see what drivers are being loaded by the kernel that may offer us some insight as to what might be wrong. So if there is a way to log this, how would we be able to do this? and i read that some of the Blades had same issues like this and the kernel was the culprit and the guys over at modaco did a patch to fix the issue on there blades, so this might as well work for this issue here.

Cheers
 
out of ideas said:
I just have ts_information as well.

it says

Manufacturer:Synaptics
Product ID: TM1768-002
Firmware Revision:2
Update flag: 0x0

good luck.
Click to expand...

my one says this, i just noticed this:

Manufacturer:Synaptics
Product ID: TM1768-002
Firmware Revision:0 (yours has 2 mines has 0) those this mean anything?
Update flag: 0x0
 
Hey Stayboogy, I am having the same problem. When I clicked on the first link, avail.unrooted.rar, mediafire says that the file was private. Anyway I could get access to this? Desperate!!!

Thanks
sdcard
-(folder named) image
--image.bin

go to settings, about phone, system updates, storage card updates, press ok, and follow the directions

once the phone reboots and the image installs, reboot the phone and see if all is working correctly again

if so,

you will need to install the custom recovery just like you did before, then restore the merit.stock.rooted nandroid just like before to get back to the standard ST/Net10 system image and operation[/QUOTE]
 
bethnesbitt said:
Hey Stayboogy, I am having the same problem. When I clicked on the first link, avail.unrooted.rar, mediafire says that the file was private. Anyway I could get access to this? Desperate!!!

Thanks
sdcard
-(folder named) image
--image.bin

go to settings, about phone, system updates, storage card updates, press ok, and follow the directions

once the phone reboots and the image installs, reboot the phone and see if all is working correctly again

if so,

you will need to install the custom recovery just like you did before, then restore the merit.stock.rooted nandroid just like before to get back to the standard ST/Net10 system image and operation
Click to expand...
[/QUOTE]

sorry to disappoint mate but there is no way to fix this, I learned the hard way as you can see from this thread, the only way is to get a new screen with digitizer, that's the only way I fixed mines.

cheers.
 
sorry to disappoint mate but there is no way to fix this, I learned the hard way as you can see from this thread, the only way is to get a new screen with digitizer, that's the only way I fixed mines.

cheers.[/QUOTE]

Actually,

I figured out that when I install a custom rom I can adb, there are even codes that allow you to make calls, so just for the thrill I wanted to connect my wifi and try that number again, just for kicks and just wait to see if it works
 
bethnesbitt said:
sorry to disappoint mate but there is no way to fix this, I learned the hard way as you can see from this thread, the only way is to get a new screen with digitizer, that's the only way I fixed mines.

cheers.
Click to expand...

Actually,

I figured out that when I install a custom rom I can adb, there are even codes that allow you to make calls, so just for the thrill I wanted to connect my wifi and try that number again, just for kicks and just wait to see if it works[/QUOTE]

won't work, I tried all of that and nothing worked I even used something called "android screencast" (google) to be able to control the screen like that, must have root and adb enabled on your device and also have java on your pc.
 
so the guys config.gz did not work either? DId you ever try to get a copy of somebody elses config.gz and settings.db and push them to your phone.

Yesterday i froze my phone, couldn't even get to the bootloader, was freaking out. After some searching I found fastboot, it worked, i'm not kidding you.

when I typed fastboot devices only got ??????? fastboot and when I did lsusb gave me google inc. Still let me do a fastboot erase cache, boot, recovery etc... than flashed the merit.rooted recovery and boot images and it booted up, whew.

what gets me about the *983* is that the code actually worked, no sim in the phone, no service but wifi and the avail rom, which btw I cannot find. Liked that beter then this merit stock rom. Wish somebody could point me to that one, liked the feel better, the green on the merit.stock confuses me :)

I saw a digitizer on amazon for $8 which, probably will order, yet, wanted to see if there was a fix in the meantime, my curiosity, I cannot help screwing around with things like this, in my blood.

If you still have that phone could you send me a copy of your config.gz to bethnesbitt@gmail.com micallan_17

adb pull /proc/config.gz
 
After looking around and trying to figure out exactly what the code it, it occured to me that it probably is a standard touchscreen calibrator code that works on most zte phone in general. For example, there is a code *983*10# that deletes the calibration file. A few others bring up FTM and DL mode, I'm thing the chips on these zte devices are basically setup somewhat alike, as for the codes probably would work on most zte phones.

The firmware is a software issue, the digitizer is a hardware issue. Updating the firmware couldn't have just blew up your original touchscreen and it stop working. If you were able to just buy a new digitizer and putting it in means that the *983* code did nothing to hurt the software.

Now another thought is, was your screen scratched or dark marks? A week before I tried this code I dropped mine and cracked the digitizer, which makes me think that is why it was just a calibration test and if your digitizer is messed up it will screw everything up, aka, do not use the code if you cracked your screen most likely. Otherwise, why not just take the original digitizer out and put it back instead of buying a new one?
 
look, there are several partitions on the device

a few of which are visible in the terminal, many that are not.

these are persistent partitions on the nand. the only way to gain access to them without the tools straight from zte is going to be impossible. one might could telnet into them through wifi/bluetooth with the stock boot or recovery as their ramdisks contain the drivers to do so, but none of us have enough information to do so.

this issue is either a config.gz issue where a value is overridden in the touchscreen driver because the oe kernel has the option set to be configured using .config mods by default

you never gave me a config.gz to see if this theory is correct or not. i highly doubt it is.

what has more than likely happened is that code formatted one of those persistent, inaccessible partitions that contained the driver itself as well as its configuration because such driver is NOT available at the software level. if the device was simply plug and play then one might could just detach and reattach it and see if that fixed the problem (this is far beyond my knowledge base though as nand related hardware is foreign to my skill sets).

if this is not the case, then yes, in fact the code does something on the hardware level that bricks that specific hardware device completely or the peripheral through which the system communicates with that particular hardware device.

the kernel is the lowest base that any user has access to right now. no one that i know of has a way to the hardware level that is activated long before the kernel initiates the drivers available to the installed filesystem
 
bethnesbitt said:
After looking around and trying to figure out exactly what the code it, it occured to me that it probably is a standard touchscreen calibrator code that works on most zte phone in general. For example, there is a code *983*10# that deletes the calibration file. A few others bring up FTM and DL mode, I'm thing the chips on these zte devices are basically setup somewhat alike, as for the codes probably would work on most zte phones.

The firmware is a software issue, the digitizer is a hardware issue. Updating the firmware couldn't have just blew up your original touchscreen and it stop working. If you were able to just buy a new digitizer and putting it in means that the *983* code did nothing to hurt the software.

Now another thought is, was your screen scratched or dark marks? A week before I tried this code I dropped mine and cracked the digitizer, which makes me think that is why it was just a calibration test and if your digitizer is messed up it will screw everything up, aka, do not use the code if you cracked your screen most likely. Otherwise, why not just take the original digitizer out and put it back instead of buying a new one?
Click to expand...

What code you say are for bringing up DL and FTM mode?
 
stock kernel and recovery contain FTM mode and Safe Mode. Safe Mode is activated with power and volume down through full boot. FTM is done with power on and release holding menu and volume down.

i was in both modes the first day i got the device 3 years ago
 
stayboogy said:
stock kernel and recovery contain FTM mode and Safe Mode. Safe Mode is activated with power and volume down through full boot. FTM is done with power on and release holding menu and volume down.

i've was in both modes the first day i got the device 3 years ago
Click to expand...

Avail or Merit? Either way can you provide a stock Kernel and Recovery that has does modes enabled and a way to flash them?
 
as opposed to above, safe mode is done with just menu all the way through boot until it vibrates

ftm is done with just volume down during boot. i just put my test phone into FTM but couldn't get anything to happen from the shell.

now i can't get back into it??? not sure what the deal is though...
 
i'm working on adding the binary to my recovery and seeing if it can run from shell in recovery.

i don't really think this is going to help anyone with anything though. ftm is virtually useless for this device since the bootloader is factory unlocked / non-existent

that's why the binary is embedded in the ramdisk of the recovery
 
just do what you see in the attached photo after copying ftm.img to /sdcard

welcome to ftm.......


FTM.img
​
 

Attachments

  • ftm.png
    ftm.png
    18.8 KB · Views: 66
allromeroblz1 said:
What code you say are for bringing up DL and FTM mode?
Click to expand...

You have to remove your sim and sd card for them to work, reboot your phone. I can't remember what code it was that did DL, when I get it i'll post it


*983*79482436#; gives DmAcc settings
*983*87274#; FTM mode
*983*3640#; You can ping and change your GSM settings and turn off radio (if no simcard present it will hide it in your status bar) here, pretty interesting for the novice.
*983*24474636#; HW(LCD,TCH,WIFI,BT,CAM,FLASH) INFO
*983*564738#: Log set (I believe the dl mode you were asking about)
 
stayboogy said:
look, there are several partitions on the device

a few of which are visible in the terminal, many that are not.

these are persistent partitions on the nand. the only way to gain access to them without the tools straight from zte is going to be impossible. one might could telnet into them through wifi/bluetooth with the stock boot or recovery as their ramdisks contain the drivers to do so, but none of us have enough information to do so.

this issue is either a config.gz issue where a value is overridden in the touchscreen driver because the oe kernel has the option set to be configured using .config mods by default

Attached are the config.gz. I had to send the info to a txt and than zip it for the Forum to allow an upload, also is my touchscreen info, not sure if that would be usefull, also, kmsg has info about the touchscreen if you have to to take a look.

Not sure how to send you files at the github link, but here they are. Thanks

you never gave me a config.gz to see if this theory is correct or not. i highly doubt it is.

what has more than likely happened is that code formatted one of those persistent, inaccessible partitions that contained the driver itself as well as its configuration because such driver is NOT available at the software level. if the device was simply plug and play then one might could just detach and reattach it and see if that fixed the problem (this is far beyond my knowledge base though as nand related hardware is foreign to my skill sets).

if this is not the case, then yes, in fact the code does something on the hardware level that bricks that specific hardware device completely or the peripheral through which the system communicates with that particular hardware device.

the kernel is the lowest base that any user has access to right now. no one that i know of has a way to the hardware level that is activated long before the kernel initiates the drivers available to the installed filesystem
Click to expand...


Here is my config.gz as well as my touchscreen info. I was a little curious and tried to copy another users info and push it back but couldn't seem to get the right permissions, as you stated above in so many words.

Couldn't figure out how to send you files through github, and honestly, been screwing around so much with this phone, just kind of do not feel like messing with github at the moment.
 

Attachments

stayboogy said:
just do what you see in the attached photo after copying ftm.img to /sdcard

welcome to ftm.......


FTM.img
​
Click to expand...

I have been having issues with flashing recovery images, keep getting:
mtd_write_partition: bad block at 0x00060000
mtd: not writing bad block at 0x00060000
mtd_write_partition: bad block at 0x00060000

Nevermind, did a dd on it works now
 
After reading and reading, this is what I discovered:

I downloaded this online update tool from the ZTE website: ZTE Handset software update tool - ZTE Software Informer. after installing this rom from area51: AT&T Latest Update for the Z990 - Android Area51. The tool detected my phone than told me to go to FTM mode by holding the volume(-) and power buttons at the same time, plug back into PC and than start update, could not get to FTM mode.

From what I have read, you cannot get to FTM mode on the zte merit z990/z990g if you have rooted your phone, FTM mode is basically, gone. You cannot use Fastboot unless possibly in FTM mode, which you will not get to if your phone has been rooted. Fastboot could possibly unlock your bootloader, if you could get to FTM mode on a unrooted original out of the box stock zte merit z990/z990g.

If you try to install AT&T avail, unmodified stock rom kernel, which I tried and downloaded here: AT&T Latest Update for the Z990 - Android Area51 ----- still cannot get to ftm mode, not sure if this was actually ever modified or because it's for the z990 not the z990g.

I than cam across this, stock zte merit z990g tracfhone: http://androidforums.com/merit-all-things-root/621990-zte-merit-z990g-net10-slimmed-stock-rom.html but it has been modified, still could not get to FTM mode. Anyways, this is for a NET10 phone, mine is Straighttalk

Some time ago ZTE did have an update file that worked, I remember doing something like this way back and was unable to use my touchscreen, the zte merit z990g update from the ZTE website worked, but that download link is dead now.

So basically what I am asking is:

Does anybody have the original unmodified ZTE MERIT z990g stock kernel/rom from straighttalk wireless that they could share with me?
 
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