[Tuto] [EN/FR] Install/Installer nBoot + ControlX (+Linux)

[critor]

I think it has nothing to do with holding or not holding the key.

The boot options are saved in the BootD partition.
But they won't be saved if your BootD partition is invalid.
It can happen if you did select the non-documented option (possible he did it by mistake, since it's near the key) - it's reformatting the BootD partition (for safety reasons since your calculator may be semi-bricked if an Ndless program writes some values to this partition), but I intend to change its behaviour, by letting you switch the critical values instead of reformatting everything.
To make the BootD partition valid again, I think you need to sucessfully install and boot an OS.

Also, boot options are going to be lost too if you disable ControlX by switching boot=Boot2/Diags.


If .tco files aren't listed by the link software anymore, it's that he did switch his model family/type successfully.

If neither .tco files nor .tcc files are listed by the link software, it's likely that he did switch the model family (CX/CM).
In this case, .tmo/.tmc files should be listable then, if any.

[parrotgeek1]

.

[critor]

also you should make sure it keeps the exam mode!

Very bad idea in my opinion, since some exam mode options (which can't be set officially but may be set through a buggy or malicious flashing code) are a permanent brick in themselves.
Permanent loss of some features, forever reboot-loops, non-bootable OSes...

And if you don't have a reboot-proof Ndless, Ndless won't help you unbricking since you currently can't install it in exam mode, which is a major problem.
(and it doesn't make sense, since installing it in exam mode is not a problem - all your files are hidden, so you'd need USB connectivity to retransfer the Ndless files, which you won't be able to do during a real exam)

Anyway, it's not documented for the moment, and I'm still thinking about how to change things before making them public. For the moment, people who have bricks are going to ask for help anyway.

[critor]

@Bisam Regarding your OS 4.0.0, did you wait for the 2nd boot to complete ?

Could you install a working Ndless-able OS, launch nsPartManagic, and list me the partitions offsets/sizes it's reporting ? (or take a picture, as you wish).
I'll try to reproduce your exact setup.

And by the way, what's the full ControlX bottom status line ?

Thanks.

from my other post you must have missed

Would it be possible to create a program which dumps the first 16 megabytes of flash memory of his calculator into a file and then we could use it to clone his calculator in an emulator and see what's different about the flash memory?

I think Bisam can already dump us everything with nsNandMgr.
We'd need images of the following partitions :
- Manuf
- Boot2
- BootD
- Diags
- ExtnD

I'd also like to have his calculator ndless_resources.tns file, to be sure.

It might also be a filesystem corruption. It can happen : you delete files, but they aren't really deleted. So a crashing Ndless startup program might still be launched although it's not being listed anymore.

[Bisam]

I can do all that... but what if I erased completely Flash (for example by changing something in nsPartition) and retry from scratch ?

If doing so, should I remove nboot before ?

PS : They didn't have any USB/ttl converter at my school's lab... I'll have to buy one.

[critor]

I'd avise you not to uninstall nBoot/ControlX.
Also in your case, there is no easy/documented way to really remove everything.

Some guess... Is your calculator still zoned to fr ?
Mines are either zoned to en or unzoned - it might be what's interfering for some stupid reason.

[parrotgeek1]

.

[Bisam]

I tried to dump every partition... but for some reason, I couldn't dump "Manuf".
The calc froze after "writing to file..." and after having waited for half an hour, I resetted and nothing was written in "manuf.img".

I could dump "BootD", but I don't think it's really useful to dump the other partitions as they are only copies of files that you already own.

I'll try changing OS with my zone set to "en"... we'll see.
[Edit] Nothing changed with "en" instead of "fr". The truth is out there.

[geekpersonman]

I tried to dump every partition... but for some reason, I couldn't dump "Manuf".
The calc froze after "writing to file..." and after having waited for half an hour, I resetted and nothing was written in "manuf.img".

did you try multiple times?

and this would be 1 in a million chance of fixing the issue but have you checked the diags on your calculator to see if it reports anything strange?

[parrotgeek1]

.