Loading tweets...I now recommend that you use a newer (and more stable) version of Jelly Bean. See my new article: New Life for the G-Tablet
We now have Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) running on the ViewSonic G-Tablet. Thanks, TeamDRH! Click this link to visit their site and give them some “thanks” and a donation.
If you are a bit uncomfortable with flashing a new ROM on your tablet, here is a video of the entire process – in real time. It only took 30 minutes from start to finish. And, for this one, I actually did it in Windows 7. (You can also use Linux if you prefer.)
And, here is a short video (6 minutes) displaying the NEW GTab running Jelly Bean!
For everyone that likes to see a printed guide, here is a step-by-step “How to.”
Warning!
Introduction:
The NVFlash tool (program) is the PRIMARY Starting Point for any major changes or software fixes to your GTab. If you are having ANY problems with your ViewSonic G-Tablet, this is THE guide to follow. However, this version will increase the system partition to 350MB. That is necessary for the CM10 ROM but it may cause problems for some devices. Do not use this version except for CM10 (or later).
If you experience any problems with this NVFlash and how it sets up the GTab, then you should revert to CM7 or CM9 and the 250MB version of NVFlash (see the link above). Note: NVFlash is also called “APX mode”.
Warning!
WARNING:- This process will likely void your warranty.
- Assume that EVERYTHING on the GTab will be erased or deleted. However, that is not entirely true. NVFlash cannot erase anything on the SDCard (see this post). STILL, anything can happen.
- Any use of this guide (or anything on this website) is done SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Neither Ray Waldo, this website, its owners, or operators take any responsibility for your actions related to the use of any article/guide on this site. You have been warned.
Notice
DOWNLOAD THESE FILES. Even if you have used NVFlash before and already have it installed on your computer, USE THIS VERSION instead:
- TeamDRH_350M_Prep.zip This archive includes all the files that you will need (for both Windows & Linux) to install NVFlash and complete this guide. This archive must to extracted. Alternate download here.
- TeamDRH-JB-Alpha-5.3.zip This is the Jelly Bean ROM file. It also includes the Google Apps (GApps). This file is NOT to be extracted. It should be copied (in the .zip format) to the internal memory of your GTab. Alternate download here.
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Using NVFlash:
Important!
Note: There are two modes of operation controlled by booting with the volume buttons:- You get into APX mode by pressing the power and MINUS button. The gTab will flash on then go black. When in that mode, the GTab appears dead but will respond to commands from the attached computer – using NVFlash. If you mistakenly get into APX mode, just hold the power button down for about 30 secs to power off and exit the APX mode.
- You get into RECOVERY mode by pressing the power and PLUS button. When in that mode, the GTab has a menu of options to allow you to flash an update, reset to factory, etc. No USB connection or computer is needed to use Recovery. To get out of Recovery mode, always click on the “Reboot to SYSTEM.”
Prerequisites:
Important!
If you have already successfully used this (NEW) guide, then you can skip to the PROCESS section.- Backup any data on the GTab that you wish to save and copy it to some external storage. These procedures potentially delete everything on your GTab.
- Charge the battery to at least 70%. It is also a good idea to leave the power cable connected during these operations.
- Power off the GTab & remove your external SDCard (if you have one in the device).
- Download the NVFlash file from above.
- Extract the TeamDRH_350M_Prep.zip archive and rename the extracted folder to nvflash.
- LINUX ONLY: You must make the nvflash file executable – Open the nvflash folder; right-click on the nvflash file; Properties; Permissions tab; Tic the box to run the file as a program. Then - Skip to the “PROCESS” steps below.
- WINDOWS ONLY: INSTALL the APX drivers located in the “Flash USB driver” folder.
- CONNECT the USB cable between the GTab and your computer.
- On the GTab, hold the Volume minus (“-”) button AND the power button until the GTab comes on and then goes BLACK (this is the APX mode)
- When the gTablet is detected by Windows, and you are prompted for drivers, point the wizard to the ‘Flash USB Driver’ folder (inside the new “nvflash” folder.
- The driver install should complete normally and you will hear an audible connection sound.
- Power off gTablet by pressing the Power button for ~5 seconds.
Process:
Notice
Do not connect the USB cable to the GTab unless instructed to do so. Also, be sure to DISCONNECT the USB cable when the guide says to do so.- WINDOWS ONLY: If you have not installed the APX/USB drivers, then go back to the “PREREQUISITES.” Step and complete this step first.
- Connect the USB cable between the GTab and your computer. (If you continued from the previous section, the cable may already be connected.)
- On the GTab, hold the Volume minus (“-”) button AND the power button until the GTab comes on and then goes BLACK (this is the APX mode).
- On your computer, open the nvflash folder & click on the NVFlash program: Windows users, run the nvflash_gtablet.bat – Linux users, Open a terminal window, browse to the nvflash folder & enter the command, “sudo sh ./run.sh” (without the quotes. – note the space after the “sh” and before the “./” characters.)
- Wait. The NVFlash tool will only take about two minutes to complete. Do not proceed until it reports that it is finished.
- Power off gTablet by pressing the Power button for ~5 seconds. Leave the USB cable connected.
Partition the SDCard
Important!
The previous function rooted the GTab, partitioned its storage, and installed CWM v. 6.0.1.1. The next steps will use CWM to finish the preparation and install the Jelly Bean ROM.- On the GTab, start ClockWorkMod (CWM) RECOVERY: Hold the power and volume plus (“+”) buttons until the “recovery key detected” text appears at the top of the screen.
- Select “advanced” (using the up and/or down buttons) and press the Enter button (arrow on the right side of the screen).
- Select “Partition Internal SD Card” and press Enter.
- Select “2048M” and press Home – then select “0M” and press Home again. The GTab will report that it is “Partitioning Internal SD Card.” Do not touch the device until it reports “Done!” (3-4 minutes) at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap the “back” button (rounded arrow) to go back to the main menu.
- Select “Factory Reset” and press Enter. (Takes 2-3 minutes)
- When the screen reports “Data Wipe Complete, tap “Mounts & Storage” then “Mount USB” & click Enter.
- On your computer, Windows (or Linux) will recognize the new storage device. Open a window (if it is not automatically opened) and copy the TeamDRH-JB-Alpha-5.3.zip file to the root of the GTab.
- On the GTab, select “Unmount” press Enter to disconnect from the USB port. At this point, you can remove the USB cable.
- Press the Back button (rounded arrow) to return to main menu.
- Select “Install zip from sdcard” and press Enter. Then select “Choose zip from internal sdcard” and press Enter. Select the TeamDRH-JB-Alpha-5.3.zip file and press Enter. Answer “YES” and press Enter again.
- Follow the prompts (accept the licenses, etc).]
- When the screen displays “Please select installation options below” just tic all of them unless you KNOW you do not want that option. When finished, tap “Next” and the process is started. (Takes about 3 minutes.)
Reboot into Jelly Bean!
Error!
“It did not work!”
If you tried to follow this guide but somehow the process did not complete properly, here are a few things to try and sort it out.
1. It does work for most users. This page has been read over 7500 times. If only one in ten actually tried it, that still means that 750 people have used the guide. Very few have had issues – for all the rest (including me), it worked fine. Many have reported that it did while many others just left the site (happy) after completing the process.
2. “I followed the guide EXACTLY but it did not work.” This is a problem. Since it worked fine for so many others, logically, there are only two alternatives. Either you did NOT follow the guide exactly (in which case, you should repeat the entire process and be more careful about each step) OR, your hardware is different from others (continue reading for more on this).
3. Hardware issues. The explanation is more technical than I wish to cover here but your hardware (basically your memory) may have issues of which you are not aware. Some people report that Gingerbread (or some other previous version) works, “so I know that the hardware is good.” No, since ICS & JB require MUCH more of the hardware, they may not work on your device while other versions will.
4. “What should I do?” Here are the steps that I would suggest (do each step in order until something works):
- Repeat the process above (download all the files again, to assure that you got a good download) and be VERY careful to read and follow each step. If you do not understand a step, try it differently than you did previously.
- Repeat the NVFLash but – instead of the 350mb system partition – use a version with a smaller partition.
- Give up on ICS/JB and flash an older version (such as GingerBread).
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Notice
At this point, you will have the Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) operating system installed. It will display the simple “Welcome” screen. It is a good idea to leave the device alone for several hours to allow it to “settle in” and stabilize before you contine with the zsetup. This will generally eliminate the “lag” that some users report.- If you do experience a lag in execution, try the steps in Note1.
- If your GTab boot loops. goes black, or remains on the 3 birds, etc, try the steps in Note2 or Note3.
p
Note1: GTab “expert” Rajeevvp on XDA has suggested four things that can stop the LAG experienced by many who use this ROM. (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=28974462&postcount=619) Here are his suggestions (they work GREAT for me):
Try these things to reduce lag:
1. Apps/Background process limit – Reduce to 2.
2. Apps/ Don’t keep activites – Check the box
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To determine if your device has the 350MB system partition…
(if you followed these procedures & did this NVFlash, then it DOES – no need to check.)
To check the size of your SYSTEM partition, open the Terminal Emulator app (free on Play Store), enter “df” (without quotes). The “Filesystem” area is at the top of the list (either turn the GTab to portrait mode or scroll up to view the top of the list). Check the line that ends “/system”.
My device (with 350meg system) reads: /dev/block/mtdblock3 35xxxx xxxxx xxxxx xx% /system
If your device shows something around 200000 – or anything less than ~ 35xxxx, then you probably have a system partition that is TOO SMALL to support Jelly Bean!
———————————————–
TELL US about your experience in the comments below.
———————————————–
.
- Why Would I FORMAT My GTab?
- How to Flash Honeycomb on a GTab
- Installing Honeycomb (Users Perspective)
- USB Keyboard on gTab
- GTab Sleep of Death
- Review – GTab Case & Keyboard
- GTab does HDMI
- NVFlash for Dummies
- Traveling with the gTab
- GTabCombOver
- Ice Cream Sandwich on G-Tab
- ICS Update
- NVFlash Update
- GTab Tip of the Day
- Jelly Bean on the GTab
- New Life for the G-Tablet
270 comments
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Theodore Hasenstaub
May 20, 2013 at 7:34 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
This may sound like a dumb question but here it goes. Other tablets run the android system and Jelly bean. I assume that that they are able to use Skype with video. If so, why can’t the gtablet work with Skype? Couldn’t you just load the camera drivers used by them into the gtablet? You can probably see how much of a newbee I am!
Ray
May 20, 2013 at 8:24 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
No. It does not work like that. The drivers have to be compiled into the ROM. Since there are no official drivers available for the camera on the GTab, they have tried to create some from scratch.
If you MUST have skype and the camera, my recommendation is the Google Nexus 7 tablet. I have two of them and, although I did a root at one time, right now, NEITHER of them is rooted. There is almost no value since it does everything – and does it well – without rooting.
Ted Hasenstaub
May 17, 2013 at 11:09 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I just upgraded my Gtablet to Jelly Bean 4.1.1.1 following your utube video. Everything worked out fine. My problem is getting a USB camera to work with it. I have a Logitech Webcam Pro 9000. If I start the camera it turns on and I can take a picture( of myself). When I try to use it with Skype it won’t turn on. I tried reinstalling Skype but the same thing happened. It wouldn’t recognize the camera and turn it on. Can you suggest a webcam that will work? Or explain to me how to fix it? I am a real newbee at all this. Thank you.
Ray
May 19, 2013 at 6:12 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
It sounds like you are doing better than most. The code and drivers for the camera were never released by ViewSonic so the developers have tried to create their own – with some limited success. Don’t expect more than what you get.
Michael Breiy
May 14, 2013 at 12:41 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks for the great instructional video!! The realtime filming is a great advantage for novice users. My old Gtab is now running great!
Ray
May 14, 2013 at 5:50 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Congratulations! Glad that I could help.
Jas
May 7, 2013 at 5:54 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hello! I just installed Jellybean, and I can’t get amazon to install any apps, it basically stalls or errors out fo the download….any idea why?
Hugh reeder
May 6, 2013 at 11:41 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
What program do I use to unzip the prep file? On windows 7 home edition, I tried jzip and winzip.
thanks,
Hugh
Ray
May 6, 2013 at 9:16 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
If you are having trouble extracting the archive then you probably have a bad download.
Shayan
April 23, 2013 at 3:54 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hello, I followed everything and the process went smoothly. However, somewhere I may have done something wrong because I am unable to find the google playstore.
Shayan
April 23, 2013 at 4:23 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Never mind, I went over the steps and fixed the issue. Thanks for the amazing post.
Ray
April 23, 2013 at 5:37 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Glad you figured it out. Care to share what the problem was?
Vonny Kleinman
April 18, 2013 at 11:38 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Well it is installed! I had some hitches, and was hoping to install SmoothBean, but ended up with this version of Jellybean instead. There where two moments of panic:
a) when Windows 7 didn’t recognize my gtab as a APX device but instead called it an unknown device and placed it in the Serial Bus section of Windows Device Manager. I used a different computer and it did not have that problem. I think Windows was trying to assign a driver and “figure out what was being plugged in.”
and
b) when the bootloader.bin file couldn’t be found, but I was able to redownload the file and re-extract it, which solved that problem….maybe an incomplete download or extraction? I had the same trouble trying to copy the last file “system” for SmoothBean and it said the file was basically corrupted or incomplete.
So it is running but the launcher has failed and the system is very much at a crawl. I think I will try and partition a larger section and redo the whole process, feeding an app a day and let the machine break in a bit more.
Thanks a lot for your help. The video was so much easier to follow after doing ROM installs from a bunch of text.
Ray
April 19, 2013 at 11:39 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Congratulations! Glad it worked and I hope that it speeds up after the initial install. Please report back and let us know how it works out.
Tony Startup
April 15, 2013 at 12:18 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Did it tonight!..Didn’t even follow instruction exactly…but it worked fine…once installed and began using, performance seemed to pick up when i turned off “dithering”…..thank you for the work and instructions.
Ray
April 15, 2013 at 5:12 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Congratulations! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Jon
March 31, 2013 at 2:33 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Installed and everything was working great. Installed a bunch of apps from Play Store and Amazon Apps for Android. Rebooted and then couldn’t get Wi-Fi to work. Thoughts/suggesitons?
Ray
April 1, 2013 at 5:32 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
First thing when you have any weird problem is to reboot and see if it continues.
Some users report that if the GPS is on in settings they lose audio. It may also be your problem.
Failing those, you can check the comments here for the other trouble shooting steps.
Jon
April 1, 2013 at 7:03 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks for the reply. Have rebooted several times – no luck. Thoughts about booting into recovery and just re-installing TeamDRH-JB-Alpha-5.3.zip? Or, installing the “Smoother” ROM?
Ray
April 1, 2013 at 7:26 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Or, visit my page here: http://raywaldo.com/2012/11/new-life-for-the-g-tablet/ and install a newer/better ROM.
skyler
March 29, 2013 at 2:04 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hey it works great but the camera dose not work can u tell me how to fix it test it on yours to see if it works
Ray
March 30, 2013 at 6:40 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Excellent. The camera is not working with any current roms. You can use a USB camera.
Jason
February 27, 2013 at 6:54 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hello there. I recently purchased a new 10 in tablet and I was wondering if you know how to restore the original image on this GTab? I am also looking to sell it if you know anyone who may need it for testing, etc. It is in perfect working condition. Please let me know. Thanks.
Ray
February 27, 2013 at 7:16 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I don’t know if anyone is interested are not. I gave away the last two GTabs that I had.
I don’t know why anyone would want to have the old Tap-n-Tap OS.
I used the NVFlash to clear the device entirely and then flashed a new ROM (I suggest “Smoother”). That would be a good way to “clear” it before getting rid of it.
Jeff Jenson
February 26, 2013 at 8:37 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
My Gtablet came with a Vegan ROM, I saqw the Viewsonics ROM had a new adnroid version, 2.2 I think. I sucessfully loaded that, but then was unable to load Google play to reload my apps, but everything else worked. I found your instructions on how to load ver 4.1.1. I successfully loaded this version. I can now get into Google play, but have a server error when updating or loading apps from Google. I am able to load some of my free apps from the Amazon store, but I need my apps from Google. Any ideas on why Google will not work? Software or hardware related?
Thanks
Jeff
Ray
February 27, 2013 at 10:19 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Usually, you can fix that by going into settings/apps & clear the data for the play store app and then reboot.
I strongly recommend that users install one of the new ROM such as “Smoother” – see my “New Life for the Gtab” article.
Chris
February 24, 2013 at 7:29 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I tried this the other day. after installing the drivers and running nvflash_gtablet sucessfully. after i turned off the tab as per directions, my tablet is completely unresponsive, i cant get it to turrn on or go into recovery mode for the next part of the directions. ive tried the reset button and everything, the only way ive gotten the screen to come back on was re-running the nvflash file and getting that 1 line of text. im nott sure what to do next
Chris
February 24, 2013 at 10:10 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Tried the steps in note #2, same issue, after running nvflash_gtablet.bat, i cant do anything
Ray
February 25, 2013 at 7:54 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Some devices are unable to use the 350MB version of NVFlash. Try one of the smaller versions. Here is a link to our previous “NVFlash for Dummies” article: http://raywaldo.com/2011/01/nvflash-for-dummies/
See also our “New Life” article for an updated ROM.
John Anderson
February 24, 2013 at 10:25 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
The Team DRH prep has gotten [me] out of several problems with unresponsive ROMs and what seemed like total brick situations. It also leaves you in position to try some other great ROMs.
Alan
February 24, 2013 at 1:18 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi Ray, I installed like your process shows and when I get to the JB loading where the words fly thru it just stays on screen. Yours video shows a few minutes and then loads the Welcome screen. I waited with that loop going for 20 minutes and its still going. Any ideas or am I using a Gtablet that’s not compatible with Jelly Bean?? Thanks
Ray
February 24, 2013 at 1:56 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Loops are almost always fixed by redoing the nvflash. Also, get the “smoother” rom and flash that.
Sandy
February 23, 2013 at 6:08 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I followed your instructions and installed Jelly bean and it worked fine, had no problem until the next day morning. Now I can not turn the G tab on, won’t boot up. Can you please help.
Thank you,
Sandy
Ray
February 23, 2013 at 3:14 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
1. Hold the power for about 30 seconds (to assure that it is truly OFF) then release
2. Press the power button only until the screen flashes a light.
Check the comments on this article and the “New Life for the G-Tablet” article. Someone had a similar problem recently.
John Anderson
February 23, 2013 at 3:43 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi Sandy, I followed a youtube video to open the Gtablet and pressed the internal reset button inside, which is just about in the middle after removing the back cover. That is the only thing that got mine working again. I tried the reset button combination, and also tried to use NVFlash, with no success on any of those options.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PswxJ96gXbs “Cracking open the Gtablet”
Ray
February 23, 2013 at 3:51 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks, John. Although I would have preferred that you recommend *MY* video (grin):
Mark
February 21, 2013 at 11:13 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray – I followed your video and by the time the video was over my gtab was running Jelly Bean – Thanks!!
Ray
February 22, 2013 at 6:14 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
That’s great! Thanks for sharing your experience.
jessica
February 17, 2013 at 8:55 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks for this great tutorial. Worked just as you described.
Ray
February 18, 2013 at 6:43 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
You are welcome.
Jerry West
February 18, 2013 at 8:14 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray,
I installed the J B Rom pretty early in its process and an not sure that it is the “smoother” version. I’ve checked with a terminal program and have the 350 partition. how do i tell if i have the newest version installed?
Ray
February 18, 2013 at 1:54 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Smoother was released around 1st of September last year. You can read the settings / about tablet and it will have some info about your installed ROM. I don’t have the info with me but, if you installed prior to September, you need to upgrade to Smoother. It is really nice.
John Anderson
February 10, 2013 at 2:00 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
One more comment. I had to open my gtab to press the internal reset button. While there, with the back cover off I thought that if I ever needed to do this again I would have try the same steps all over again. So I measured the location of the internal reset, and I am going to drill a small hole so I can access it without prying open the cas again. The dimensions I have are: 4-7/16 from the right side with the screen facing down; and 3-5/32 from the bottom.
Ray
February 10, 2013 at 2:43 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks for the comments and drilling info, John.
Have you tried the Smoother rom? It is much faster and “smoother” than the TeamDRH Rom.
John Anderson
February 10, 2013 at 2:49 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks for the info, no I have not tried that one yet. I will make that my next gtab project.
Ray
February 10, 2013 at 4:36 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Well worth the effort.
John Anderson
February 18, 2013 at 9:55 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi Ray, I finally installed the Smoother Rom and it is working well.
Ray
February 19, 2013 at 5:47 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Great. Keep in touch.
John Anderson
February 10, 2013 at 1:47 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi Ray, Jelly Bean on the Gtablet, and the prep instruction has saved me and my gtablet several times, even after trying other ROM’s and getting stuck, thanks. I also wanted to pass along a recent experience. Even though I had JB on my gtab the performance was a little slow most of the time. Since I did not have a file manager I liked, I went back and installed ES File Explorer, and ES Task Manager. Once the task manager was installed, the performance increased remarkably. Web sites load much faster, and applications are responding quite a bit faster.
Thanks again for your instructions, the are right on the money.
Tony Wilson
February 9, 2013 at 1:19 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi Ray,
I used your fantastic instructions to install the TeamDRH Jelly Bean update and the install worked great.
Unfortuntaely I have a problem. Everything works except parts of the touchscreen. I boot without problems
the DRH splash screens are fast, when I get to the lock its fast and responsive. After I unlock there are two problems
I have to hold for at least 1 second any of the icons to activate, and many of the icons don’t respond at all, like the one
in the upper right hand corner for Apps. Most of the time the touchscreen doesn’t work at all. Occasionally it work
normally.
Its been a while but I didn’t have this problem on the stock TapnTap ROM. I rooted and installed
CyanongenMod V7.1.0.1 and didn’t have this pronlem.
Any ideas as to what the problem might be?
Ray
February 9, 2013 at 2:11 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Did you install the TeamDRH Rom (from the links above)? If so, you must have failed to read the first line in the article – where I recommend the “Smoother” ROM in the linked article. You can continue to use the PROCESS on this page but install the ROM from the other page.
Tony Wilson
February 9, 2013 at 9:36 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks Ray,
I definitely did NOT use the Smoother ROM. I just installed it and what a difference that makes. My G Tab has never worked better. I use it for email and reading PDFs, No need to buy the Google Nexus just yet.
Thanks Again
Ray
February 10, 2013 at 7:33 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
The gtab does not have the hardware to compare with the Nexus 7. Still, the Smoother rom is the best that I know about for the gtab.
George
February 9, 2013 at 8:01 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I installed the ROM successfully. The only issue I have is that the screen is less sensitive. I wasn’t like this with Honeycomb. Is this normal?
Ray
February 9, 2013 at 8:16 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Did you install the TeamDRH Rom (from the links above)? If so, you must have failed to read the first line in the article – where I recommend the “Smoother” ROM in the linked article. You can continue to use the PROCESS on this page but install the ROM from the other page.
frank
February 8, 2013 at 11:19 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
i followed your instructions and it was flawless thank you but i noticed when i plug the tab in to charge it will not charge i have to reboot it then when it comes back on then it indicates charging also i have noticed if i turn the tab off it will fully charge 50% of the time the other fifty percent it wont and just for reference i never had a problem charging or any other problem for that matter
any assistance you can offer will be great,,,
thank you Frank…
Ray
February 11, 2013 at 7:33 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Did you do a “Factory Reset” before (or after) flashing the ROM? If not, that is the next step. I will delete all your settings and apps.
In any case, my suggestion is to flash the “Smoother” rom. http://raywaldo.com/2012/11/new-life-for-the-g-tablet/
John Anderson
February 11, 2013 at 7:48 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I had the exact same problem (droping to 50% power) after doing another ROM and realized that my charger was inverted, green light up. When I turned it the other way, green light down, it charged normally. I think he charger is polarized, even though, the prongs do not indicate that it is.
Ray
February 12, 2013 at 11:18 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Sorry John, but that is not possible. The power plug connects to a transformer – which is AC (non – polarity).
Your situation was just a fluke. The plug can be inserted into the wall either way and it will work the same.
I have owned a GTab for a couple years and I have NEVER plugged it in upside down – and it has never failed to charge.
buddy
February 5, 2013 at 7:04 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Just wanna say ” Thank you Ray” I have searching for this kind of video for a while and my Viewsonic G tab has been sitting on my closet. Finally… Thank you so much …
Buddy
Ray
February 6, 2013 at 6:59 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Glad to help.
Mark
January 28, 2013 at 9:06 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I was just reading that there would be another update coming soon. Sounds like it may have the 3.X kernel this time.
The real interesting news is that it sounds like this will make the camera work finally. That would be pretty amazing.
Ray
January 29, 2013 at 2:28 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
If they get the camera and mic working properly, that would be a great thing – allow skype video calls.
Also, the 3.x kernel is super nice. Every other tablet that I know and use already has the 3.x kernel so it is important if the GTab is to retain any usability.
Mark
January 29, 2013 at 6:40 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I think the biggest issue they have is memory constraints. The GTab has a really nice GPU. Better than many other tablets but it requres 128mb of ram just for the GPU. Fosser2 one of the TeamDRH guys said this about it:
“The issue comes when we have to allocate 128M of 512M ram just for the GPU. So we have to make up for that lost memory using hacks like zram and such”
Ray
January 31, 2013 at 7:34 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Yes, the GTab seems to have been “ahead of its time” as far as hardware. But, they skimped on memory. Also, not releasing the code for the camera and some other issues really soured a lot of people on the manufacturer.
Jerry West
January 26, 2013 at 8:56 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
First i want to say thanks for all your contributions on the G Tablet.
I’ve installed DRH’s Jelly Bean after using their ICS and it does work well. I have a problem with it as I did with the ICS ROm. occasionally the system will slow down and I get the “WAIT YES or NO” box. Is this something with the launcher or do i have a device problem?
Jerry West
Ray
January 26, 2013 at 9:47 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
You might want to try the Smoother Bean rom. It seems to have fewer slowdowns and works pretty naturally. Still, these roms are calling on the G-Tab’s older hardware to produce more than it is designed to do.
Only real solution is to give Google $200 for the Nexus 7. If you do, you will never look back.
Mark
January 26, 2013 at 1:11 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray, don’t you find the 7″ screen to constrictive after the GTab’s 10″ screen?
Ray
January 26, 2013 at 4:43 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Not at all. I find the 7″ form factor to be PERFECT! It is plenty large enough to read books (note that all the new “content” tablets are 7″. It is also small enough that you can put it in a (large) pocket or purse. I have declining eyesight but it is still my preferred form factor. I bought a second N7 to give my wife for Christmas. I also gave her a Nexus 4 phone (best phone and best value on the market).
Gary Steinberg
January 26, 2013 at 4:51 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray,
Do you find the Nexus 7 – 16GB to be sufficient or should a person opt for the 32GB at the extra $50? I have enjoyed my Gtab (32GB) after converting to the Nov. ’12 Bean Rom. But if I were to buy the Nexus; I was just wondering….
Thanks again for helping bring the Gtab’s back to life. Wishing you great health.
Ray
January 26, 2013 at 5:02 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
With all the cloud storage for my personal music, pictures, videos, etc, I rarely store ANYTHING on the 12GB that are available to me on the N7. If you have an Android phone, you can tether the Internet to your tablet and give it access.
Also, for music, I like Pandora to stream new music.
The only question is “How much bandwidth will I use if I stream everything?” I don’t do a lot of streaming but in the past two years, I have rarely exceeded the 1Gb level. Most of my “playing” is at home where the Internet is not measured and that does not count against the carrier’s limits.
To answer your question, just look at how much space you have left on your GTab and review whether everything stored there is really important.
Finally, if you watch a lot of movies on your devices, you can use external storage. It may not be “cool” with a cord hanging out of the tablet, but it works.
Mark
January 24, 2013 at 9:00 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hey Ray, (or anyone that knows..)
Is TeamDRH done with the GTab now? I notice they haven’t updated their website with any new info in almost 6 months now. Are they done with any further updates?
I’ve been out of the loop and don’t know what the latest info is and there’s nothing on their website.
Mark
Ray
January 25, 2013 at 7:30 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I believe that they are still working on the G-Tablet but they seem to be working on the backend more than the ROMS. It looks like the only viable ROM out now is the “Smoother Bean” rom noted here: http://raywaldo.com/2012/11/new-life-for-the-g-tablet/
Mark
January 26, 2013 at 1:12 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks so much, Ray! I’ll check it out.
Jason
January 20, 2013 at 8:29 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
after this upgrade does it upgrade from the amazon app store to google play store?
Ray
January 20, 2013 at 9:12 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
The Android Play Store is included with the GApps when they are installed. If you want the Amazon AppStore, you must sideload it after setup.
Jason
January 20, 2013 at 9:20 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
excellent. do videos play and do photo’s open? the last rom update i did messed up all of those and i am considering this rom to resolve.
Ray
January 21, 2013 at 4:56 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I believe that everything works except the camera.
Luis
January 15, 2013 at 3:40 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hello!
Thanks for this tutorial, but I have one question. What app downloader does it use? Because right now I am living in europe and I can’t use the default app downloader from the 2.2 Android version who comes with the tablet. That’s the main reason I am lookig for a software update.
Thanks for the reply
Ray
January 15, 2013 at 8:27 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
When you root & install a custom ROM, you will have access to the Google Play Store (previously the Android Market) which should be available to you in Europe.
David Rubin
January 10, 2013 at 3:37 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thank you Very Much for the walkthrough. installing jb was actually simple after watching your video straight through.
Ray
January 11, 2013 at 8:08 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Glad to help.
Akh
January 8, 2013 at 11:58 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hello Sir,
I exactly followed your steps. Installing APX driver and running the nvflash BAT steps were successfully completed exactly you did show on the above video. The step was to boot the tab into recovery mode. But it always goes into APX mode. I tried Vol plus + pwer and vol minus + power. Both combinations go to APX mode. I am struck here. can you please help me.
Ray
January 9, 2013 at 8:20 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Re-read the article. I added a section “It did not work” that may offer some help.
Annel
January 7, 2013 at 9:35 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi sorry for asking but I liked your keyboard. where did you bought it? I cant find a proper keybard with case like yours.
Ray
January 8, 2013 at 6:55 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
It is an HP bluetooth keyboard that I glued into a cheap cover for the gtab. Hand-made and one of a kind.
Tom Ragle
December 29, 2012 at 7:54 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Good morning. I just completed installing the TeamDRH Jelly Bean update and it looks great. One thing though; I’ve loaded and re-loaded Amazon APPS Store and it continues to display only a blank screen with a search bar. Thoughts, suggestions? And thank you for your continued work on these devices.
JessicaB.
December 25, 2012 at 6:14 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
im running cynognenmod7…. what should i do first?
Thanks!
Ray
December 27, 2012 at 1:06 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Present OS does not matter much. The process is the same. NVFlash to set up the disk and then CWM for recovery, then use that to flash a ROM. Done.
keeran
December 18, 2012 at 9:46 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Great!! I have successfully installed JB. Instructions were pretty straight fwd except one liner (step 4) under Partition the SDCard – which says hit Home button instead of “Enter”.
Overall, Am Happy moved to JB directly from TnT (2.2) enjoying many useful apps installed now. Thanks a lot folks… You are doing great job!!!
Frank Pierannunzio
December 18, 2012 at 1:47 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I tried this but messed up big time. Somehow it would not install and I think that I somehow lost the backup. Does anyone have any idea on how to get back into the Gtab? I tried to boot with usb in but cannot get in. Ray would know, but he is not available.. Any ideas out there?
Thanks allin advance.
Frank P.
Ryan
January 23, 2013 at 1:23 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
email me at kmkmob@hotmail.com and i can walk you through it.
Justen Case
December 16, 2012 at 7:17 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Outstanding! Watched the video and installed Smoother and followwd up with the boot image update just like you describe. Now have a great tablet with Google Play! No more finding apk files for apps. Thank you thank you thank you!
Phillip
December 13, 2012 at 12:37 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Wow, I follow your Video to the exact, and now I’m just letting the GTab “settle in” as you put it. It work great. You have everything that is need in one page to download. I like the fact that you do it in real time, as some of us Newbies get nervious and blow it before finishing.
Great work to you and also to Team DRH. I can’t wait to test drive the new Alpha JB on my GTAB!!!
Thanks again
Adam
December 12, 2012 at 12:26 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Worked like a champ. Only issue I had was the Camera won’t work. Your walk through made it very easy to complete.
Ray
December 12, 2012 at 3:14 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I found that the ROM in my “New Life…” article is more responsive. If you want to try it, make a Nandroid backup of the current setup. Then you should be able to just do a factory reset and flash the new one. If it does not work out, just restore your backup and you are back where you are now.
Ton
December 8, 2012 at 4:19 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I follwoed the instructions up to the reboot into CWM by pressing power and plus buttons. There is no response from the gtablet. It will not reboot.
Ray
December 8, 2012 at 10:02 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Did you read the introduction? It says that if you have any problems….
Ima Bricker
December 5, 2012 at 9:55 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Well somehow I missed the comment at the top of the article that said to do the CM10 ROM. To make this more clear, i would humbly suggest a “click here for the latest ROM” box at the top of the article. It worked for a few hours and now I’m now bricked. I have held the power button until my finger cramped to no avail. It is very interesting that when I plug the ViewSonic in to my Win7 64 pc, the pc tries to load an MTP USB Driver in the Portable Devices section of the hardware manager. This fails. I guess I have to wait until it totally runs out of battery so that I can try to install CM10? If it does come back to life, what steps should I take to start fresh? Thanks in advance!
Ray
December 6, 2012 at 6:24 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I would do the nvflash to restore it to a known position.
Ima Bricker
December 6, 2012 at 3:32 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Well I hooked up a USB light and finished draining the battery. I plugged it for a few hours to charge and it powered up just fine. I then went to shut it down and it locked up in the power down sequence. Bricked again. I once again have the light hooked up and am draining the battery as fast as I can. Once I do get to restart I plan on doing the following:
1) Connect the USB cable to my W7 computer
2) Boot using the power and – button
3) Assuming the APX drivers are still there, I will run the bat file “NVFlash_gTablet.bat” from the Full_Stock_NVFLASH_CWM_5504_Touch.zip
4) power off
5) Boot using the power and + button
6) I will increase the partition size from 2048 to 350MB. I will wait to see what the menu calls 350MB.
7) Tap the “back” button (rounded arrow) to go back to the main menu.
8) Select “Factory Reset”
9) Select “Mounts & Storage” then “Mount USB”
10) On my computer I will copy the Full_Stock_NVFLASH_CWM_5504_Touch.zip file to the root of the GTab to return it to stock.
11) On the GTab, select “Unmount” press Enter and disconnect the USB cable
12) Go back to the main menu and select “Install zip from sdcard” and press Enter.
13) Select “Choose zip from internal sdcard”, press Enter.
14) Select the Full_Stock_NVFLASH_CWM_5504_Touch.zip file and press Enter. Answer “YES” and press Enter again.
Can I skip to step 5 or is it necessary to run the .bat file before changing the partitioning?
If all goes well, I guess I do steps 1-5, skip 6&7, do 8-14, but put in either the “G_Harmony_Jellybean_v2.0(SuperChargered.zip” or the “SmoOther_Bean_4.1.2_CM-10.ver1.4.2(Standard).zip
It looks like if you use the “SuperChargered” ROM, that you have to run some code by hand each time you reboot the gTablet?
Does this look right to you Ray?
Ima Bricker
December 6, 2012 at 4:20 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ok, I tried to do the above. When I went to install the Full_Stock… the gTablet aborted. So I just put in the “SuperChargered” zip and it is cranking on that right now. I somehow failed to get it back to stock. Further posts will be on the newest comment page, since I have now moved to what currently is the latest ROM, maybe. (could be brick time again)
Ray
December 3, 2012 at 2:05 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Users (including Gary) who are uncertain of the process… Just watch the video, then read the entire article and then do the steps called for in the article. If you get confused, watch the video (again) & read the entire article (again). Then, start over and go through each step (again).
The only difference between flashing this ROM and the one in the newer (New Life) article, is the ROM files are different. But the process is exactly the same.
Gary Steinberg
December 3, 2012 at 7:28 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray,
Thank you so much for the instructions. My internet connection has been down most of the late afternoon and evening. I’m just now getting back on to your site. I plan to install the newer version of the JellyBean and I’ll keep you posted. I was just confused a bit when I went to the New Life page and did not see the NVFlash file. I will need to go back and read How to Backup gTablet so I can ensure I have a complete backup file. I have downloaded the “Boot.img Update” as well. I re-read your New Life page and there is no information about to do with the Boot.img Update file. Thanks again and I’ll update upon completion.
Gary
Ray
December 4, 2012 at 5:08 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I don’t really know what the new boot file accomplishes but (according to the instructions), just set up normally and THEN go back to recovery (CWM/TWRP) and flash the boot.zip file (do not extract the files.)
Gary Steinberg
December 4, 2012 at 10:17 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray,
I installed the Smo0therBean and let it set over night. Things appear to be working pretty well. When I tried to hook up the gTablet to my PC after the upgrade to copy some apps, I received an error message that it could not find the tervigon device driver. Also, when I connected my gTablet to the PC, a mesage on the bottom of the gTablet says “Connected as a media device”. FYI, the Smo0ther Bean software installation screens differed a bit from your earlier video. I still do not know what to do with the Boot.img Update file I downloaded from your New Life page. Thank you for bringing the gTablet up to date.
Gary
Gary Steinberg
December 3, 2012 at 10:25 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray,
Thanks for all the information you provide. I’m new to android and have a stock Viewsonic gTablet. In your opinion, do you think Team DRH will come out with a new version to their JellyBean program that will address the functions which are not working? I would like to update from the stock ROM but I would like to do it once and be done. I admit I was a bit reluctant to flash my gTablet but after watching your video and reading the steps I think I can do it. I am just waiting to see if a newer version will be released. Your opinion is appreciated. Love your site!
Thanks,
Gary
Ray
December 3, 2012 at 11:03 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks for the compliment on the site. I do work hard to make it look professional – and be helpful to users such as yourself.
I am very confident that you can (using my guides) accomplish the upgrade to the latest ROM. However, this is not it. See the new article here: http://raywaldo.com/2012/11/new-life-for-the-g-tablet/
Gary Steinberg
December 3, 2012 at 11:29 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray,
Just to clarify what I think you’re stating; should I install the files from the “new- life-for-the-g-tablet” page instead of TeamDRH_350M_Prep.zip and TeamDRH-JB-Alpha-5.3.zip on this page? Thanks again for taking the time to respond to my noob questions.
Gary
Ray
December 3, 2012 at 12:17 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Correct. The process is the same, just use the newer files. Let me know your results!
Gary Steinberg
December 3, 2012 at 1:53 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray,
You are so patient. One more question. Will I need to download the run the NVFlash program first to re-size the partitions to 350MB or is that included in the SmoOther_Bean_4.1.2_CM-10.ver1.4.2(Standard) file? I also downloaded the Boot.img Update. When do I install that? Both of these are .zip files but in the video you state not to unzip the one program. As you can tell, I’m trying to get all the steps clear in my mind before I try to update my gTab. Could you outline the sequence for me to use the SmoOther_Bean program? What do I do in APX mode?
Thanks again.
Gary (A real NOOB)
TurningWorm
November 25, 2012 at 11:54 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
This has probably been asked before but O couldn’t find it in the replies. What keyboard/case combo is the gtab in in the videos?
Ray
November 25, 2012 at 6:25 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Second video, at 30 secs in. The Moto keyboard. The case was modified and hand made from a commercial case/keyboard that I really did not like.
ernest
November 25, 2012 at 11:01 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Morning Ray,
thank you for the great install instructions. i successfully upgraded my G-Tablet from Beasty-Clemsyn 1.2 ROM (http://www.slatedroid.com/forum/199-viewsonic-g-tablet-1213-rom-development/) which i have been running close to a year. i tried other 1.2 ROMs but was not satisfied until i came across the Beasty-Clemsyn.
when i saw that there were Android 4.0 ROMs available, i was pretty excited. i followed your instructions as well as the notes provided by Team DRH (http://teamdrh.com/archives/development-news-archive/41-team-drh-jb-alpha-50), and the notes in the NVFlash install folder.
the install process went well – i did not keep track of time but maybe 1 hour total to flash the tablet, install the zip file, and then doing the initial setup after JellyBean 5.0 started.
the list of ‘What Works’ on the Team DRH page do work on my G-Tablet. i was able to install apps from the Play Store with no problem – here are some that i downloaded with success: ASTRO File Manager, Avast Mobile Security, Kingsoft Office, MX Player, TuneIn Radio.
the Voice Search does work but you need to speak slow and clear so i guess my microphone works. i do have an audible ring or a ‘click’ when i use various apps.
there are times the G-Tablet is slow to respond – when i check the Settings =>About tablet, it shows memory 345 MB. the model number of my G-Tablet is UPC300-2.2 – not sure if this will help anyone who is thinking of upgrading to this ROM.
other than the camera not working and some slow downs, i am really pleased with this ROM.
thank you for the great install instructions.
Ray
November 25, 2012 at 6:13 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks for the comment! Your experience will be valuable for others.
BTW, there are some really good ROMs that have just been released. I hope to have a review out tomorrow.
William
November 20, 2012 at 10:39 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Good morning,
I have installed Jellybean on my G Tablet, other then the commonly known issues “camera & mic”, I also have absolutely no sound. I searched around and 1 or 2 users had a loose wire touching a contact on the motherboard. I removed the cover and checked and all looks good, anyone else run into this?, I also heard you could remove DSP manager as a fix, but, I am not sure on the un-install………..
regards
Will
Ray
November 20, 2012 at 10:47 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Turn off the GPS. You don’t have the hardware anyway. For some reason that conflicts with the sound.
Michael Minh
November 20, 2012 at 9:48 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi Ray,
I have completely follow your intruction on you tube on how to install jelly bean on g-tablet, but when after I left it idle over night and finish set up in the morning. is freze up on me.
the screen is now saying (set up complete and ready to use but it just froze there after I push the word finish.
Can you please help me on how to reset the tablet or what should i do from here.
Ray
November 20, 2012 at 9:59 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hey Michael..
Just hold the power button until the GTab turns off. Leave it off for a few minutes and then turn it back on and see what happens. It is when it first comes up (normally – without the lockup) that you want to leave it for a few hours. Then you should be able to sign in with your gmail account and start using it.
Note: some GTabs are (for reasons that I do not know) not able to run JB. If you continue to have troubles, try the solutions in the notes at the bottom of the article (above). If that does not help, you may have to revert to an older version of Android.
alsher
November 17, 2012 at 5:55 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I successfully installed JellyBean on a GTab that had CM 6 or 7 already on it from a Windows 8 PC.
But there were deviations from the instructions’ outcome. While my PC did recognize the Gtab after those instructions were followed, I had to format the partition before I could copy the ZIP file to it. Then I had to restart the device in order for the ZIP to be opened. I have only booted into JellyBean the first time (very long startup) and am letting the system rest as instructed to see how things run. In any case, I have got it on my home network, and have downloaded one app.
My problem: I have a Nexus 7, an iPad, a Kindle Fire, so what the heck do I do with this tablet?
Ray
November 17, 2012 at 7:15 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Congratulations!
What to do now….
1. Write a review comparing all your tablets
2. Give the gtab to a needy child for Christmas
3. Enjoy your many benefits
Bill
November 15, 2012 at 2:01 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi, am an noobe w/android. Ran the TeamDRH_350M_Prep file and then the nvflash_gtablet.bat on my gtablet. All went as expected. Partitions created and data loaded. When I restarted the gtab (power and +) it started but now hangs on “Booting recovery kernel image”. I have tried several fixes with no lucK including a complete nvflash format, shorting the 4 solder points next to the reset button, pushing the reset button, draining the battery etc. Am running bootloader 1.2. Please help
Ray
November 15, 2012 at 9:49 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
It sounds like your GTab is one of the group that does not work with the larger (350M) system file that this version of NVFlash sets up – and that is required for the larger JB ROM.
Did you try the solutions listed in note2 and note3 at the end of the article? Other than that, I would just return to the old version of NVFlash and install ICS. Guides are all in this series of articles.
Bill
November 16, 2012 at 12:28 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray, thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I tried no2 comment and looked at no.3 both lead me to the same issue. On reboot (power and ‘+’ button) the gtablet hangs on the birds and “Recovery key detected” and “Booting recovery kernel image”. I cannot get into CWM. I also tried a complete Flash to “Full_Stock_NVFlash_CWM_5504_Touch”. Again on reboot it hangs as noted above. The NVFlash seems to progress as it should formating and loading partitions. Is there a way to completely wipe out (reformat)everything in storage including all partitions and data including everything on the internal sdcard to start from a blank page (similar to completely formating a pc hard drive? Thanks.
Ray
November 16, 2012 at 3:06 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Read my article on “Why would I format my Gtab?”
Bjorn
November 4, 2012 at 7:24 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
In order to get hdmi working would it be btter to use one of the froyo or gingerbread? Thanks. Great work on this!
Ray Waldo
November 4, 2012 at 7:49 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
GingerBread should work. GB is certainly a big improvement over Froyo. I don’t recall what was the last version to include HDMI with sound. My cable broke soon after I did the video and I did not want to buy another so I didn’t have any way to test it.
theedo
October 27, 2012 at 8:21 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Does this ROM require BL1.1 or BL 1.2? Does the prep file automatically set the correct boot loader.?
Important info I think
Ray Waldo
October 27, 2012 at 9:27 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
The guide directs you to everything you need. It will prepare your gtab properly. No longer any need to worry about bootloader.
Brian Adams
October 25, 2012 at 3:44 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi Ray,
I really appreciate all your tireless efforts in providing instructional videos and Info! I just recently flashed my Gtab with Jelly Bean and it works really well. I have a dumb question though, I want to copy movies from my computer over to my Gtab via usb however, when I copy them I can’t seem to access the internal memory to find them. I placed them in a folder named movies, but I cant access movies folder from the Gtab. Any thoughts on what I am doing wrong? Thanks in advance!
Ray Waldo
October 26, 2012 at 6:33 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
The gtab has several storage areas that can be confusing because of the similar names. See my article about “format the gtab” which explains it.
Another confusing issue is that (starting with jb) Android uses a different usb protocol for transfer to devices. It is called mtp. Google that to learn more.
desimor
October 22, 2012 at 10:12 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I said I’d be back with an update, well I’d like to happily report that I have had no more SODs (which is to say that there may not be such a thing as SOD). I have had several moments where my tablet took at least 5 minutes or more to wake up, BUT IT DID EVENTUALLY WAKE UP! I have been careful to “tap” the power button and “patiently” wait for it’s awaking.
As for slowdowns. Since the fixes I mentioned in a previous post, I have had very little. I have heard of other fixes such as changing dalvik cache from 256 mb to 96 or 128 to help with slowdowns and jittery performance. I personally have not tried this fix simply because I don’t know what dalvik cache does. I’d have to research its purpose, but I am quite happy with how my GTab is performing. However, the same person that gave that fix also said not to flash because there will be browser lock ups (which I’ve experienced). From my understanding of flash, it’s “required” so I don’t see what he’s referring to. He also mentions to use another launcher instead of stock, which I’ve been considering before I found his thread. Though they are rare, my Trebuchet will lock up and ask if I want to force close. I haven’t decided between GO Launcher, ADW, or the one suggested in his thread, Apex. I’m wondering if it will hog memory and do more bad then good.
Other kernels were suggested in his thread as well that should have fixes for JB, but I have yet to try them. I’m quite happy with my GTab so I don’t want to do anything that will wipe my Tab. Please feel free to explain what dalvik cache is or commenting on the launchers.
So far, I’m just a happy GTab and JB user.
desimor
October 22, 2012 at 10:13 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I should have posted the thread I was looking at.
Here it is: http://www.slatedroid.com/topic/37578-rom-53-alpha-dirty-bean-41x-team-drh-update-082312/
Ray Waldo
October 23, 2012 at 6:21 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
If you are happy then leave it alone. The gtab is struggling to run jb at all.
Adobe flash is no longer supported by Android 4.1.1 (jb). I have an article about viewing amazon Prime videos that tells how to bypass the restriction.
Maestro Masa
October 20, 2012 at 8:42 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi , Thank you for your dedicated effort for your tutorial. I successfully introduced DRHversion of JB according to your youtube.
It works almost very well. However, only one problem Icannot disolve.
My gtab does not recognise ext sd.
HOW can I disolve ?
When I tried to app from internal sd to ext sd using app2sd, the software does not recognise ext sd and failed tto move.
And all of the downloaded document was stored in internal sd.
HOW can I use ext sd? thx.
Ray Waldo
October 21, 2012 at 9:37 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Not certain about why but you could try the solution here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=32093304&postcount=179
Brian
October 18, 2012 at 9:08 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Flashed JB to my Gtablet, let it sit for 8 hours, but can not get WiFi to turn on. Any suggestions. Everything else seem s to be working.
Ray Waldo
October 18, 2012 at 10:07 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I have no idea if you cannot turn it on. Try re flash the rom.
If you mean that you cannot see the network, then try a different network / router.
Brian
October 18, 2012 at 12:53 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Have reflashed ROM twice from seperate computers, downloading files each time. Tablet boots up and goes to start screen. Next screen is turning WiFi on. Will not turn on. Went to settings, can not move wifi on/off button to on. Help files grayed out. Everything else seems to work.
Ray Waldo
October 18, 2012 at 4:27 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
It won’t be very useful without wifi.
Did you do the entire NVFlash as I show on the guide? If not, then that is likely the problem.
Otherwise, try a different NVFlash and a differnt ROM. My guide for ICS for example.
Brian
October 18, 2012 at 9:37 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Went into recovery, checked permissions & mounted exterenal sd, rebooted, it works. Will let you know if I have any other problems.
Paul
October 16, 2012 at 7:58 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I have a question, I had flashed my g tab over to JB a little while back and has been working ok for a while with some slow downs. I looked to fix it and it sort of worked but here is the issue. I was working on my tablet last night just fine plugged it in to charge over night and now it will not turn on at all, can’t plug into computer to recognize nuttin. Does anyone have any ideas at all to fix this please.
Paul
October 17, 2012 at 2:37 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Nothing really please I need help. I can not get my computer to recognize gtab or power on at all and battery light is showing fully charged. What is wrong with this thing. Just died for no reason.
Paul
October 17, 2012 at 2:39 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
help, really no comments yet please help.
Paul
October 17, 2012 at 2:56 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ok so thnak you to me lol I am very impatient so I did even more searching on other sites and found that my problem was as easy to fix as taking off my back cover and pushing the white reset button. Bam back up and working for now. May re flash and redo JB now to see if that will help resolve other issues I am having.
Thank you for being here, all of you. I am not the techyist person but can figure things out but with all the help on Ray’s site and many others you make it easier for someone like me to help themselves so again.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!
aaron bellamy
October 15, 2012 at 11:24 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thank you Thank you, just loaded JB on my GTab following your step by step video and it was a flawless install. Now loving my machine again…One note though, I lost flash and it won’t download from Google play….need help there. Other than minor issues great upgrade.
Thanks
Ray Waldo
October 15, 2012 at 12:00 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Flash is no longer supported on ANY Jelly Bean devices. Search back a few pages in articles and find one where I explain how to get Amazon Video working on the Nexus 7. You can do the same.
Harlan
October 14, 2012 at 4:21 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I just followed your video.. (It was perfect). THANK YOU …Thank You…. thank you! More to come as I get acquainted wtih my “New” Gtab!
Ray Waldo
October 14, 2012 at 5:14 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Great! Thanks for sharing.
Chad
October 12, 2012 at 8:04 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Love this rom, think its the best I have had on my g-tab. However I do have it slow down every once in a while. I saw your suggestions on how to speed things up and wanted to give them a try. However when I go into Developer options, everything is grayed out. How do I enable these options. Also I can’t find settings/rom control, can you point me in the right direction for this rom?
Thanks for your help, and all the hard work you put into this.
Ray Waldo
October 12, 2012 at 10:08 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
With each new ROM, things change and some of the options that were available on the previous ROM are no longer available. Just do what is available.
The devs are trying to make the most of the GTab but it is difficult to make a 2-yr old tablet into a competitor for the Nexus 7. If you followed the guide exactly then you probably have about the best you can get on the GTab.
Mark
October 13, 2012 at 6:08 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
One of the things they changed is that you have to confirm that you want to change these options. If you will look at the screen when you are in the “Developer options” you will see an On/Off switch in the very upper right hand corner when you first go to that screen. You have to tap “On” and the available settings will no longer be grayed out and you can change them.
Ray Waldo
October 14, 2012 at 12:26 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks Mark. Until I get another gTab, I will have to depend upon you guys to help me out with these operational issues. Some things are different on the gTab with JB from other devices with JB.
Dick
October 12, 2012 at 9:37 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Just loaded Jelly Bean 5.2. How do you access info on the external SD card. Can not find the system functions
Thanks
Dick
Masa
October 13, 2012 at 2:48 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi, My gtab is same. I cannot use ext-sd card. please help us. I am beginner.
Ray Waldo
October 13, 2012 at 9:03 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
You have to execute the USB icon in the notification area. Then follow the prompts.
Jelly Bean does several things differently. The icon with three lines will clear the notifications and the settings icon is also there in the same area.
Mark
October 13, 2012 at 6:04 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
The external SD card is now mounted in a different place. It used to be mounted under /mnt as was the internal SDCard.
Now both are mounted at the root level; “/”
Look for /microsd and that’s the extrernal sdcard.
The internal sd card is mounted as /sdcard.
Mark
October 13, 2012 at 6:05 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Another thing to keep in mind. If you are using ESExplorer I think it defaults to only going to the Internal SD card. You have to go into settings and tell it to start at root; “/” and then you can see everything that is mounted and not just your internal SDCard.
Charlie Dosé
October 10, 2012 at 2:19 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I installed Jellybean on my gTablet yesterday, using your instructions. All went well, except with the installation of features.There, I only got the first page checked. I tried swiping to get to the remaining items in the list, but apparently swiped in the wrong direction and couldn’t advance so I hit the Next button, and of course, only the items I selected got installed. What can I do to get the rest of them?
Ray Waldo
October 10, 2012 at 7:23 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Not certain which “features” you are speaking about. Are you speaking about the questions at the pre-flash? If so, then the simplest and best thing IMHO is to just repeat the flash and select the “features” that you want.
Or, if you are speaking about the Google apps, just download them from the Play Store.
Jeff
October 8, 2012 at 8:38 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Just loaded Jelly Bean 4.1.1 ? how do you access info on the external SD card. All I have is movies and music on it.
Dick
October 8, 2012 at 11:38 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I did the jelly bean on my gtab. It works great except for two issues.
1. I can not find trash can
2. Can not scroll the screen up and down for settings app
Thanks
Ray Waldo
October 8, 2012 at 12:54 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
All standard “NEW” interface in Jelly Bean. The trash can appears on the opposite as the notifications (top?). Pull the notifications to see the settings. The three bars there will clear the notifications. See this site for some other JB stuff: http://tech2.in.com/features/android/10-cool-tips-and-tricks-for-jelly-bean/356742
desimor
October 5, 2012 at 11:21 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Just wanted to update you on what has happened so far.
First off, when the tablet works, I absolutely love this thing. It’s fast, snappy and just absolutely rocks out hard compared with some tablets I play with in Best Buy (aka Amazon’s show room). In fact, when I pulled it out in Best Buy, I could see that other tablets just weren’t as smooth as mine.
I must admit, the screens on “almost all” other tablets beat mine out (coming from a graphics junkie), but its not enough to deter you from the GTab’s performance. Yes, the Nexus 7 is faster, but the GTab pulls in pretty close.
However, I have been having consistent problems with it. I’m hanging in there only because its such a great tablet. First was the random slowdowns that just seemed overbearing. I tried all the fixes in both the article and the comments, but none seem to work. I did a 2nd fresh install and that didn’t prove to do much.
Then after fiddling around. I noticed that setting zRam to 18% (which one guy in comments suggested) actually caused most of the slowdowns. Then, I turned off google play auto-updates which also significantly fixed a lot of slow downs. I still get slowdowns, but not so frequently. Now I can show off the device to my friends.
It was working great for several days, but then I started struggling with SODs. I’ve had 2 recently. Could not turn on device. Could not tell if device was off or asleep. Plugging in power did not wake device either.
After first SOD, disconnecting and reconnecting device worked and it was back to normal. However, during use, device shutdown on its own (only once). Still worked fine after turning on (I did have a 50% charge so it wasn’t dead battery).
Second SOD: I charged it all night and did the plug-out-plug-in method and it turned on, but turned back off because it had a dead battery (?). The light to indicate that the power plug is in came on last night so I know it was charging; however, it apparently didn’t. Bizarre.
I’ve had a tablet before this one and I broke the screen. Now I’m having software issues with this one. I just cannot win with tablets. I’ve fixed computers in phenomenal ways that baffle even me. Almost as if they just work when I get around them. Tablets… not so much. They don’t like me.
Ray Waldo
October 5, 2012 at 12:11 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I am sorry that your gTab is giving you so many problems. I don’t currently have one to test. So maybe some other users have suggestions?
desimor
October 7, 2012 at 9:19 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Currently, I am typing from my GTab.
To update, I have not had anymore SODs. I have been careful to be patient when waking the device and I’ve only been “tapping” the power button. There have been moments where it took It’s time waking. I increased the minimum CPU frequency from 216 to 456 and it seems to wake a little faster.
Side Note: Increasing frequency doesn’t seem to drain battery while asleep.
I will most certainly update if I have any further problems, but honestly I’m praying that there is no further issues. I am totally satisfied with my purchase. God is good to me.
Ray Waldo
October 8, 2012 at 9:31 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Sounds like a satisfied customer! Thanks for the report.
God is good ALL THE TIME!
Brooke
October 2, 2012 at 5:06 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks for the detailed instructions! Everything went according to instructions without a hitch.
But here is my when I go to Google Play store and attempt to update an app or download a new one I get the following message
Update for “Google Play services” could not be downloaded due to an error (Error retrieving information from server. [RPC:AEC:0]}
I repeated the entire procedure and let it sit over night. Same issue, so googled around and this is worked for me. First removed my googled account. Rebooted into Recovery Mode. Went to Advanced>wipe Dalvik Cache.
Rebooted back to system, reentered account and it was able to start downloading apps from Google Play.
Ray Waldo
October 2, 2012 at 5:11 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks for the comment. And a SPECIAL THANKS for the tip on how to get the Play Store working!
Paul
October 2, 2012 at 12:23 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I seem to get a boot loop no matter what I do. I am always able to flash back to stock 1.2 tnt (ouch). I had been running Vegan Tab Ginger for about a year. I read a post from Fosser2 taking me through the process of starting from 1.1 thru 1.2 then trying the whole JB flash. No Go
Always either boot loops to birds or black. Anyway, I read where Bishop posted another fix from Rajeevvp where you flash a fixed Kernal, but that one I have a problem wrapping my head around. Does someone have this Kernal already in Zip?? I would try this, but my kernal editing blows.
I have also tried ICS with the same results. Yes…I have used both the setups with either 250mb for ICS, and the larger for JB.
Ray Waldo
October 2, 2012 at 2:26 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I saw this post on XDA and I wondered then why you associated ME with a kernel “fix.” I have never flashed a kernel on any of my devices so I could not possibly have recommended it to anyone.
With over 2000 page views & over 50,000 hits per day, this site is very busy. 99% of users do not post comments. Therefore, I have no idea of how many people have tried this ROM – but it is a LOT! As you can see by the comments that are posted, most users have no problem with flashing the Jelly Bean ROM and it works great for them.
Only a few users, such as yourself, have problems. Since I cannot see what errors you are experiencing, I don’t know why you cannot get it to flash. As I told the other user… It may be hardware related. Try flashing again and be CERTAIN to follow the instructions exactly – and, record any error dialogs.
As to restoring Vegan Tab, I have no idea. It is so old and unsupported, I would be surprised if it still operates. Even if it did, without updates, it would be very UNSECURE and buggy. The earliest ROM that I would recommend is gTabCombOver which should be linked in the “series” table above.
Paul
October 6, 2012 at 10:01 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Sorry, I guess you did not flash the kernal…but this page has note 2 and note 3 giving possible solutions for JB flash failures. I was just posting in hopes of a solve from any listeners. I have had no luck yet.
Paul
Rick
October 3, 2012 at 7:59 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I am in the exact same boat as you.
A month or so ago, i did successfully get it to boot up using a different kernel from about 6 months ago. I was thrilled. However, I couldnt get my gtab to charge then with that kernel. After messing around a bit, I gave up on jelly bean and went to flashback, where i had no issues at all.
For the past week or so, i’ve tried this version of jb as well as 2 others on slatedroid, still the same result.
Anyone with any advice on what to do would be appreciated. I too tried to create the kernel that Paul mentioned in the thread but had no luck there. Not sure if it was my kernel creation or just my gtab acting up on me.
Thanks
Paul
October 6, 2012 at 10:06 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Any fix for you yet…thinking about leaving this thing alone and giving it to my son. Maybe just spontanious by myself an Asus, Acer or Samsung.
John Nelson
October 2, 2012 at 12:13 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
WOW!! As always your procedures walked me through setup with no problems. i have been running GTab_Honeycomb3.2 for almost a year. Intermittent lockups, crashes, and problems continue.
Speed- increased with no lags. installed APU CPU Tuner.
Interface – easy, cleaner
Installation process – just follow the instructions. Only worrisome parts were when my Windows computer took about 15 minutes on the initial installation driver for APX to scan my computer for files. Managed through it. APX mode is easy and there were no concerns.
Not working: camera. I can live with it.
Strongly recommend this upgrade to Jelly Beans. I have had my gTab since June 2011 and have used TnT, CyanogenMod, Gtab HC, (something else). This tablet continues to deliver the most value of anything on the market.
George M
September 30, 2012 at 8:34 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi everyone! I put DRH JB 5.3 on my g-Tab following the excellent instructions Ray posted. Everything went fine, with no indications of any problems. I installed some of the apps I had on the g-Tab previously, and none of them indicated any problems. However, my g-Tab seems to have slowed to a crawl since that time. It takes repeated, and long presses of a button to start a program and when they do start it is slowly. Is there something that causes this slowness? I found recently that Trebuchet Launcher ( installed with the Team Hacksung ICS v 15 ) was causing problems on my Samsung Fascinate, so I have just recently replaced it with Apex Launcher. Seems to help, so I am trying the same on the g-Tab right now. Any other suggestions appreciated!
Ray Waldo
October 1, 2012 at 8:11 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Since you are experiencing lag on multiple devices, it sounds like an application that you are using may be the problem.
You might try uninstalling the apps that you have downloaded. But even that may not fix the problem that an erring app may have caused. Apps often do not clean up their settings when they are uninstalled.
The better plan might be to do the nvflash again.
One user stated that formatting to 4096/0 (rather than 2048/0) was helping some people. I am skeptical but it might be worth a try.
In either case, after a fresh rom install, be sure to allow the rom to “settle in” for several hours before you do any setup.
On setup, do NOT allow Android to backup and restore your previous apps.
Don’t download any apps.
Just leave it “clean”.
After a few days, Download one app at a time and then test it to determine if your problem is an offending application.
George M
October 1, 2012 at 9:46 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks Ray! I thought it might be some app in particular. I tried uninstalling different things, which didn’t help as much as I was hoping, but moving to Apex Launcher seems to have helped. It has only been a day or two, but I have not had FC like I was getting, and things seem more responsive. I might try re-flashing this coming weekend to see if it helps any, but when I did it the first time I left it overnight before I setup Google or installed anything. I will post again if I find anything definitive. Thanks!
Farrukh
September 24, 2012 at 1:22 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
i get stuck in boolt loop at the 3 birds. the birds appear and then the screen goes blank for a couple of seconds before the birds reappear. this happens a couple of times before it gets stuck at the birds screen.
the same thing used to happen with me in all the ICS roms. Flashback HC rom works like a charm in the 1st attempt so i have to revert to that.
i checked my system partition and its 350megs.
I have tried both the fallback methods in the post above but the result is the same. please suggest a solution as i would really like to try out jb on my gtab.
Ray Waldo
September 24, 2012 at 6:34 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
According to the devs, some GTabs have too many bad areas of memory to allow it to support the large 350M system partition needed for JB. Only suggestions are to either go back to whatever works or repeat the entire NVFlash and assure that you are completing every step EXACTLY. If it does the same thing again, it is almost certain that you have some hardware issues.
Paul
October 2, 2012 at 12:29 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I seem to have the same issue, and my Gtab worked great with Vegan Ginger 7 for over a year with out issue. Please let me know if you find a resolution for this issue as I can not seem to find a good post on flashing back to my VeganTab. This tnt is really terrible.
gimme
September 24, 2012 at 11:31 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Recently flashed DRH JB 5.3 from DRH ICS 1.3. Loving Jelly Bean on my GTablet. However the indic/tamil fonts are not rendering on both stock browser and Dolphin.
These fonts were working find on ICS ROM.
Any help / suggestion is much appreciated
Ray Waldo
September 24, 2012 at 6:28 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I don’t use the alternate fonts so I could not advise you. I do seem to remember seeing something about fonts on the XDA thread. You might want to read though those posts. I don’t have a link because I don’t recall in which thread it appeared.
JBeAtBReaZe
September 22, 2012 at 1:58 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
oops forgot any word for the on-board cam ?
Ray Waldo
September 24, 2012 at 6:55 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Nope.
JBeAtBReaZe
September 22, 2012 at 1:55 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
just did it took little less then half an hour and boom done… i was coming from a unique soft brick. i had hc installed went to stock then back to cwmod, and loaded 4.0 from someone else who will remain nameless (aka it sucked) went to stock just to make sure. and loaded cwmod, then bottle of smoke didn’t like that but before i could do anything gtab shut down and cw corrupted, so only thing i could do was recover, so had hi-bride b.o.s.
with stock boot-loader, how that worked i don’t know but could not install cwmod. could boot to b.o.s. but not able to do anything else. that you sooooooo much for your help. i shall take it if i must…. have i been demoted to noob?
Steven
September 22, 2012 at 12:38 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray -
Any tips on how to replace/fix the AC plug? Immediately after flashing the GTab to Jelly Bean, the dog walked by and snagged the power cord, pulling the tablet on the floor and it hit the plug which was plugged into the tablet, and something broke. Now it will not charge…. as an alternative, any other charging mechanism you may suggest?
Steve
Ray Waldo
September 24, 2012 at 6:54 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I had that happen to my first gtab. The jack in the gtab is not the best quality and has been a problem for many users. If the accident broke it, the is not much hope outside of commercial repair. You should be able to use the universal power adapter from Walmart (about $15). Set it to 12v, positive tip and use the appropriate plug.
George M
September 22, 2012 at 5:19 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray, thank you very much for such a thorough job on the instructions! Really a great service to those of us installing the new ROM. One thing I have run across is that my G-Tab is now seen as a different device in Google Play, so my apps are not reinstalling automatically as they had in past versions of the TeamDRH ROMs. Any idea how to get the reinstall to work? Thanks again!
Ray Waldo
September 22, 2012 at 5:31 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
That happens each time you change roms. Do manual setup once and future resets will work. See the comments for other ideas.
George M
September 22, 2012 at 6:04 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Interestingly, the device name used for this ROM is the Malata name. In the last one, it used TeamDRHICS or something. Not a big deal in either case, but an interesting to work on fixing. The ROM is great so far! Thanks again Ray!
Ray Waldo
September 24, 2012 at 6:58 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Malata is the manufacturer of the device. Each developer chooses what device name they want to use.
diana
September 21, 2012 at 5:53 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I’ve used your site the most in flashing roms on my gtab. Many thanks. Question: HDMI out has not worked with the dock since I switched from Vegantab 5.1to ICS, and now drh jelly bean 5.3. They say HDMI out is working but not for me–don’t know what the trick is but I really enjoyed using it with my TV. Do I have to go back to froyo to use my dock or is there something I’ve missed.
Ray Waldo
September 21, 2012 at 6:28 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I don’t have a dock so I cannot check it out. However, the devs report that the VIDEO works but not the audio (via HDMI). In any case, I am sorry but I cannot help.
Mike
September 21, 2012 at 1:53 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Installed this per instructions. Installed some apps, set up accounts, no problem. Opened google drive and it froze, has a black box that might be flash. Now it won’t respond or shut off, holding power or power with either volume key for a minute + (tried all combinations, over 1m each) won’t get the thing off.
Can’t imagine what else to do except wait for the battery to die.
Ray Waldo
September 21, 2012 at 5:57 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I have never encountered an electronic computing device that, if you hold the power button long enough, will not power down. If that is the case, you have two options. One, take the back off and disconnect the battery. Two (as you said), just wait until the battery dies (not recommended).
When you do get control again, I suggest that you repeat the entire process – including the nvflash. If it fails again, your gtab may not be compatible. Some devices have memory issues that do not allow the larger system partition.
Allan
September 20, 2012 at 5:44 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I installed JB last night. I did not leave the Gtab overnight, but did leave it for approx 4 hrs before doing the set up. Everything was working great, speed, apps, etc… This morning I put it on charge and when I went back to use the screen was black. Pressing the power button ( even with volume – or +) does nothing!? Any help appreciated!
Ray Waldo
September 20, 2012 at 6:14 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
4 hours rest should be fine. That should not be an issue.
It sounds like you may be experiencing the (either real or confused) Sleep Of Death (SOD).
1. Power off the GTab (or most any other electronic device) by holding the power button for at least 30 seconds – up to a minute.
2. Power on the device (cold boot) by holding the power button until the device lights up.
3. Power on the device (from sleep) by TAPPING the power button for a fraction of a second. The device will not light up immediately so WAIT for about 5 seconds. If it does not turn on after 5-10 secs, hold the vol (+) or (-) button and press the power button for a second. Again, wait for 5-10 seconds. If it still does not power on, start over at #1.
Allan
September 20, 2012 at 6:35 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Firstly, thanks for your response. Unfortunately, none of your advice is working (yet, but I will keep trying), so possibly/probably SOD. What’s the option from here? Drill a DRH!?
Allan
September 20, 2012 at 6:41 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Also, I forgot to mention (I know I said everything worked great.. but) that when I was using the Gtab whilst it was working I did encounter the screen going black a couple of times, but I tapped the power button and all was good and continued using.
Ray Waldo
September 20, 2012 at 7:31 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Did you do the nvflash to 350M system partition?
Did the power off not work? How long did you hold the power button before releasing it?
Allan
September 20, 2012 at 8:59 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Yes, nvflash to 350M, but I did have trouble installing the APX drivers. Firstly, the computer did not recognize my gtab, also it kept telling me my drivers for the device were ‘up to date’ when I tried to install the ‘flash USB driver’. So, I searched to find a solution… I managed to find a way to update drivers by switching USB hub and using a different method. Then, everything went smoothly – way easier than HC and ICS and I thought all was good… until now.
Allan
September 21, 2012 at 9:24 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I held the power button for well over a minute, also tried pressing quickly to wake up, and finally tried Power with (-) and (+) button for over a minute, but still nothing. Any other suggestions? Screen still blank and device looks powered off. I connected to PC and no prompt or response.
Ray Waldo
September 21, 2012 at 2:46 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
That last part was my next suggestion since it could be in APX mode. But your computer should recognize it when you connect.
Try these in order until something works (hopefully)
1. Plug up the power cord and see if it will come on – the battery may be discharged.
2. Remove the back cover and disconnect the battery for a few minutes. Then reconnect and see you get a response.
3. With the back cover off, press the reset button (pretty much in the center of the device) and hold for a few seconds.
4. Use a small section of aluminum foil to short all four connections on the pad next to the reset button.
5. ???????
Allan
September 21, 2012 at 6:52 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks, I will try what you suggested and hopefully have some luck. I did notice on the Team DRH website that connecting USB when device is in sleep mode will give you SOD. I don’t think I did that, but I did connect the power to charge when I had it in sleep mode… So, who knows?
Ray Waldo
September 21, 2012 at 7:11 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
SOD still does not lock up the device. It only seems to be turned off. When you power off and power it back on it should be fine.
Allan
September 23, 2012 at 12:14 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I disconnected the battery for a couple of mins and when I reconnected the Gtab started working again. What do you think caused this? Do you recommend I do anything, or leave as is and see if I have another issue? Thanks for your help!!
Ray Waldo
September 24, 2012 at 7:00 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I would not do anything. If it fails again, disconnect the battery again and repeat the flash. Or, it could be a conflict between some apps.
Allan
September 24, 2012 at 11:56 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
It did it again, I was watching Netflix last night in bed, then left it in sleep mode overnight. Battery must have died during sleep mode, then same issue trying to turn device on even once battery was charged again. I just opened and unplugged batt again for a min or two, now all is working again. I will power device off completely from now on and try not to let the batt die and see if this helps.
Ray Waldo
September 24, 2012 at 6:29 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Sounds like a good plan of action. Please report back if you discover any answers.
Mark
September 19, 2012 at 5:50 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hello,
I installed JellyBean today. I just got finished but it’s not re-installing all of my previous apps from ICS. Is there something that I need to do to trigger that?
Ray Waldo
September 19, 2012 at 6:13 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Sorry, but nothing (AFAIK) can “trigger” an Android restore of apps if it does not recognize that the device is the same one that you had previously backed up.
If you backed up with Titanium Backup, then you can easily restore the apps with that. Or, if you did a nandroid backup (with CWM), then you can do a limited backup with that.
However, a full setup is a small price to pay for the additional power and speed of the JB interface.
richard
September 19, 2012 at 12:21 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Writing from my new grab with JB! Got a refrub from tiger direct for $150 and installed it the fist night!
You do need to install a new browser with flash support to get good video, but I love it!
Any idea when a camera fix will be out?
Ray Waldo
September 19, 2012 at 6:17 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I sincerely doubt that it will be fixed. TeamDRH is the only group (that I know) still developing for the GTab. They would be glad to add support for the camera but View Sonic / Nvidia / TI / whoever has not released the code that would enable it.
desimor
September 19, 2012 at 10:52 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I just got my Gtab off amazon. Used for $120 and in brand new condition (leather case included). I see why people hated Tap n Tap. Worst software ever. Upgrading to JB was a huge improvement, but it still has occasional slowdowns. I’m afraid to show this thing off to other people because those slowdowns always happen when I do. Just putting in my pattern after waking the device, there is a huge slowdown. After a while, I can use the device normally and it runs fast, but then after a few minutes (sometimes I can get an hour), it will slowdown again. I don’t know what to say honestly. Sometimes the slowdowns are too frequent for me, but other times it works excellent for a longer period of time. I guess my Gtab is shy around people. lol. I like JB, but do you think any of the other ROMs you’ve tried might have a little less randomness. Everyone on XDA forums say to use stock Froyo to gain the highest stability, but I’m not going lower than HC. I’d rather just deal with it. Is JB really that much better (in stability) than Flashback, CombOver, and DRH ICS. Btw, I have tried the all the fixes for the lag, including the one in the comment section, but it hasn’t made a difference. Forgive me, I might be setting my expectations a little bit too high and I might seem like I’m looking for flawlessness in a ROM. Truth is, I’m just trying to get as close as possible. If this ROM is the closest, then it will put my mind at ease.
Ray Waldo
September 19, 2012 at 11:05 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Well, truthfully, the gtab cannot compare to my Nexus 7. Don’t set the standard too high. But I did not experience the kind of slowdowns that you describe.
Did you allow the device to sit overnight before the initial setup? It may sound like foolish junk but the rom developers say that it is important to avoid slowdowns.
HC & ICS both had similar issues so I can not see any value in them since JB seems better and faster.
Brent W Peterson
September 18, 2012 at 10:14 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Installed and Worked great! I used my Parallels version of Windows 7 from my MAC… No problems. Took less than 30 minutes and I am up and running. Thanks
Ray Waldo
September 18, 2012 at 11:23 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Great! Glad it worked out.
I think (not certain) you could use the Linux script on the Mac terminal..
Maybe you could check it out and let us know?
Steve
September 17, 2012 at 2:10 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
great.
this alpha version from TeamDRH revived my dead g-tablet.
though, the battery status is always at 100% (same thing happened with ICS). and after when the battery is exhausted, the g-tablet went to Sleep of Dead…
Need 3 days to revive it…
Hence, my current solution is to charge my g-tab everyday…
Is there anyone who could help me with the battery status problem??
Ray Waldo
September 17, 2012 at 6:44 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I believe that your problem is a hardware issue. The electronics in the battery determine what the status reports. You could run the old NVFlash to the stock OS. If it is hardware, you will continue to experience the same problem. If it starts operating correctly, then you could try JB again and see what happens.
Otherwise, charging each night is probably the best you can do.
Eric Shubert
September 15, 2012 at 11:56 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Very nice video and write-up. I did my first procedure today, and it went very smoothly. Haven’t had a chance to test drive JB yet, as I’m letting it “settle”.
The only problem I had was the Linux command for nvflash. It was easy to determine that “sudo sh ./nvflash_gtablet.sh” was incorrect, as there was no such file in the nvflash directory. After briefly looking around the files that were there, I figured the command “sh run.sh” would do the trick, and it did work nicely.
Ray Waldo
September 16, 2012 at 10:10 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Good catch! I don’t create the files and I missed the change when I did this video in Win7 (spit).
dib
September 13, 2012 at 9:46 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Looking at others are comments on installation of the ROM, I should probably charge my gTab overnught , wipe it clean, and try again. I had ICS on here before and things were sluggish. Perhaps I missed something. Time to ensure I covered everything properly.
Ray Waldo
September 14, 2012 at 7:58 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
That is usually the best plan when something weird is happening. Please let us know your results!
Ray Waldo
September 14, 2012 at 4:24 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Yes, that sounds like the exact same suggestions that I would have offered!
Be sure to let us know about your progress & how it works out…
dib
September 18, 2012 at 6:51 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I ended up booting to CMW and wiping everything – data, cache, system, and dalvik cache. Also redid partition and let the install “settle” for a couple hours while making lunch before doing the initial setup wizard . That seemed to help the most out of all the steps – I didn’t really pay attention to that before, thinking the step didn’t really make sense… oops.
I believe when I initially installed Jelly Bean, I went directly from ICS and didn’t wipe the data and system partitions – I remembered leaving some remnants behind. At this point, the Jelly Bean rom is a little laggy, but not as much as before. I still have yet to do any system tweaks, so I’ll see how it does.
Hopefully, a Beta release is in the near future that addresses the performance issues.
Ray Waldo
September 18, 2012 at 7:17 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Sounds like you did everything right. Hopefully, it will work well for you.
JChan
September 13, 2012 at 8:19 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I had a hard time when upgrading to HC that has two diffenet build for Gtab.
This JB upgrad is no brianer especially it is helpful to have the real time video to show how long one supposed to wait.
I no longer getting error message as in the HC and this JB is a lot more stable.
I can do multi-task such as listening to music when running other applications.
One problem I have is Gtab will go into APX mode when it is on and connecting to my PC USB port.
My Gtab is dead in this mode and would not response to the on/off switch. The screen is dead all the time.
I can charge the unit indicated by the red light. Instead of wait and run the battery out, I opened the case and diconnected the battary cable for one minute. I pushed the on button, and Gtab booted up normally.
From now on, I will transfer file using external SD card.
Ray Waldo
September 13, 2012 at 9:37 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Yeah, I like this rom better than any other that I have tried. I am glad that our guide was helpful. You are welcome to click on the donation button in the right sidebar. B-)
I am not sure why your gtab did not reboot.
There are several ways to get out of apx mode. The least desirable is to run the battery down. The second least desirable probably is to disconnect the battery.
The easiest is to hold the power button for about a minute. Then release and press it again for normal boot.
Enjoy!
dib
September 13, 2012 at 9:26 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
My gTab is going into apx mode without connecting it via USB. It seems to have some memory leak issues as well, but I haven’t spent a lot of time looking for common threads or behaviors leading up to the moment it becomes unresponsive. Hopefully I can find something definitive. Battery pulls work in the meantime.
Ray Waldo
September 14, 2012 at 8:04 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I suspect that it is just turning off the display and going into deep sleep – rather than going into APX. Sleep Of Death (SOD) was a “popular” issue for a while. There were many theories but one problem is holding the power button too long when powering back up from sleep.
When returning a GTab from sleep, you only TAP the power button. It may not respond immediately but it should come on in a couple of seconds. If not, hold one of the volume buttons and tap the power button again (slightly longer?).
Of course, to power on (from full off), you must hold the power button until the GTab lights up.
RapInBoston
September 12, 2012 at 8:53 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I just loaded the JB 4.1.1 following all of your directions, worked like a charm, much easier than past flashes. However, when I tried to load the adobe flash player it said not compatible.
I know that when gtab first came out they had their won flash player. Is there a flash player that works with this version?
Ray Waldo
September 12, 2012 at 12:54 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I posted an article several months ago that said Adobe is phasing out flash for mobile. I believe that only UK devices are now allowed to download Flash. Check the articles (on this site) about the Nexus 7. There is one that says how to enable Amazon Video / Flash on that tablet. Should work for the GTab on JB also.
Mark
September 11, 2012 at 8:49 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi Ray,
Thanks so much for your helpful guide. You are the best.
I have not gone over to JB yet as I am pretty happy currently using ICS. One question I wondered about was how much free memory do you have? If you reboot and run for a few minutes and then delete all of the unecessary apps with a task killer how much free memory is available? I sometimes have 200mb available in ICS. I wondered if JB hogged more of that now.
Thanks for any help. Anyone else reading this if you could answer that would be great also.
Ray Waldo
September 11, 2012 at 12:37 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Sorry. I am temporarily without a GTab. I can’t check it.
Stephane Faucher
September 12, 2012 at 6:53 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hey Mark,
I did some tests yesterday evening on a clean JB install and mine seems to run with approximately 140-150 MB of free memory.
Ray Waldo
September 12, 2012 at 12:52 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Are you still experiencing lag?
Stephane Faucher
September 12, 2012 at 6:35 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I briefly installed few apps yesterday evening and everything runs smoothly now. Time will tell but so far so good. It was a good decision to flash it again using your guide
Ray Waldo
September 13, 2012 at 9:39 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks. Glad to help. The donation button is in the sidebar. B-)
Mark
September 12, 2012 at 6:24 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thank you Stephane!
dib
September 10, 2012 at 10:45 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Some of the tweaks listed on “Note1: Rajeevvp’s ICS rom tweaks” don’t seem to be applicable with Jelly Bean.
This slatedroid post might help others as it helped me:
http://www.slatedroid.com/topic/36770-rom-53-alpha-dirty-bean-41x-team-drh-update-082312/page__view__findpost__p__417963
I’ve experienced a few odd slowdowns to the extent of needing to pull the battery.
I have only done the following tweaks and things are much smoother on my JB GTab:
“Settings: Performance
Processor: Maximum CPU frequency: 1200 MHz
Memory Management: zRam 18% (though from an earlier post from one of the devs, I gather that this setting currently has no effect.
Memory Management: Allow Purging of Assets: Checked (when I try to run enormous games, I reasoned freeing up as much memory as possible would help, though the way the system works, I don’t think this setting is necessary).
Surface improvement: Disable Dithering (any help dithering provides is minimal, in my opinion, and any gain in memory and or CPU/GPU freedom can help). Dithering is a way of blending pixels to prevent ‘bars’ or lines of color in gradient images.”
Ray Waldo
September 11, 2012 at 6:33 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thank you. Very helpful comment. My gtab is temporarily unavailable so it is difficult for me to check the details. Posts such as your’s fill the gap.
Stephane Faucher
September 10, 2012 at 9:34 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi there,
I was searching for ways to improve the JB slowdowns on my gTablet and found your site. Your guide is awesome. However I can’t find the ROM Control option under Settings. You do have this option on your JB installation from TeamDRH ?
Thanks
Ray Waldo
September 10, 2012 at 9:45 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
No, that is something I copied from the ICS rom. I have deleted that portion. Thanks.
Stephane Faucher
September 11, 2012 at 7:04 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks ! Wish I would have found your post before starting to install JB on my gTablet. I was never instructed to leave my tablet idle for several hours on the first boot. Do you think I should start over again as describe in your guide to fix my ROM slowdowns ?
Ray Waldo
September 11, 2012 at 8:10 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I see that some of the best developers say it is important. It is not a big deal to repeat the NVFlash and everything. The only problem is configuring the system.
My experience is that once you start having lag, it does not go away. It can get better but I was never REALLY satisfied until I did this JB install. It is clean and works great.
My suggestion is to: 1) backup all your apps in Titanium Backup 2) backup the entire system in CWM, 3) save the backups to an external device 4) NVFlash again 5) Flash JB again 6) Let it sit for several hours (turned on but sleeping) 7) MANUALLY setup everything 8) backup in CWM (again).
All of that will take about an hour of your time (active). But when you are finished, you should have a fine tuned tablet! If you don’t like it, you can switch back to where you are now (EASY) by just restoring the CWM backup (no setup required).
If you are satisfied with the new setup then the CWM backup will enable you to return to a clean install QUICKLY.
The value of the TI apps backup is that whatever apps Android does not restore (most), you can install them from the backup.
Stephane Faucher
September 11, 2012 at 4:52 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
You convinced me and I decided to flash JB one more time from scratch using your guide. My gTablet has been sitting idle for the past 8 hours. I’ll start to install everything shortly and will keep you posted to let you know if the slowdowns issues are resolved. Thanks again !
Chandler Mock
September 10, 2012 at 9:15 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray, it worked the first time… well,the first time that I followed your instructions correctly!
Ray Waldo
September 10, 2012 at 9:45 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Congratulations!
Paul
September 10, 2012 at 3:39 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
The download links do not appear to be working .. both links above time out when I try and download the files.
Ray Waldo
September 10, 2012 at 4:11 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
You are correct. The TeamDRH website is not available at this moment. They are probably doing some maintenance on the site. Keep checking the links and they will probably be back on line in an hour or so. If not, I have added “alternate download” links to each of the files. These links are SLOW so the TeamDRH links are preferred.
stef
September 10, 2012 at 10:38 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
thanks so much for these instructions and your real-time video. it was really, really helpful. i followed along and understood every step….except when i got to the point at the very end, JB didn’t boot up for me…instead I got the 3 bird bootloop. any ideas on what to try?
(prior to trying to put JB on, I had rooted and was running vegantab gingeredition …maybe v5 or something like that).
any guidance you have would be appreciated! Thank you!
Ray Waldo
September 10, 2012 at 1:52 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
It should not make any difference what you had on it previously. I would just repeat the process. If that doesn’t work, check Note2 in the article. I added it today. It is the “last resort” before reverting to an earlier version of Android.
chrisbenson1
September 9, 2012 at 11:36 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
OK, so df in Terminal Emulator shows 350M for /system with 292M used.
Ray Waldo
September 10, 2012 at 5:22 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
If you have a 350M system partition then that is OKAY and you did the nvflash. Did you also partition to 2048/0? Those two wiped the system partition – and I thought it would have wiped data but maybe not.
Were all your applications still installed or did you use titanium backup to reinstall them?
chrisbenson1
September 9, 2012 at 11:35 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
OK, in Terminal Emulator, df gives me a /system of 350M with 292M used.
chrisbenson1
September 9, 2012 at 11:12 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I’ve had time to think through this whole thing about not doing the 350 prep zip, but the next thing I did involved running the wonderful new “touch” CWM after the NVFLASH, so that means I had that part, right?
flavio
September 9, 2012 at 1:35 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
realize the process and worked my gTablet 5 minutes then went out and no lights .. Help!
Ray Waldo
September 9, 2012 at 1:57 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
It is possible that your device has some bad sectors in the memory and cannot support the larger (350MB) system partition. This has been discussed on the XDA forums and is a consideration.
I suggest that you download the files again, repeat the entire process – EXACTLY! Make one change: reset to factory before and after flashing the ROM.
If the symptoms return in the same way, you probably cannot do the JB upgrade. Switch back to the latest TeamDRH ICS ROM. In which case, you will also have to run the 250MB version of NVFlash to return your system partition to the smaller size.
Actually, there is a 300MB version that you could use and see if JB will run in that. I don’t have a link but I read about it either on the TeamDRH.com website or, on one of the GTab forums on XDA. You can search those and find it.
Efros
September 9, 2012 at 6:46 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks for this, the meticulous instructions and the video really made this a painless transition. All too many times in the past I’ve found myself staring at an inactive screen wondering if this is what should be happening. Excellent work.
Ray Waldo
September 9, 2012 at 9:50 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks for your report and comment. Glad to help. Please consider the donation links (grin).
yu yin
September 8, 2012 at 7:41 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I tried to make it less laggy, but I dont have rom control in my settings. I did for ics though.
Ray Waldo
September 8, 2012 at 8:38 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Yes, I need to correct that. Thanks for reminding me.
Did the other tips help?
Paul
September 7, 2012 at 9:27 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I am just wandering which ROM you feel is the absolute best to use right now for an everyday steady user? I currently have the old TnT Lite v4.4.0 running but have been having more problems than normal with it. I have a lot of forcecloses, and can not update any of my apps now for some reason. Also it will not log into my gmail account which I feel is why it will not do updates properly.
I am about to try this new Jelly Bean and see what happens. But any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Ray Waldo
September 7, 2012 at 10:00 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Which ROM is “BEST” is based upon your needs. If you need the camera or real use of the microphone, then I would recommend one of those older ROMs since they were the most stable to include all the functions.
Likewise, if you MUST have a tablet that NEVER gives any problems, then you probably would be best served with the STOCK OS.
However, for most people, you just cannot beat the way Jelly Bean looks, acts, and the sheer number of NEW apps it will enable.
The good thing about the GTab is that it is so versatile… You can try each one and keep changing until you find whatever suits you best.
chrisbenson1
September 6, 2012 at 3:37 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I’m dying to hear more feedback on the microphone cutting out – I gave up the camera for FlashBack 10.3, but I’m not willing to give up dictation, though I guess I could get accept it if it works well enough for voice searches. But, specifically, what happens when it cuts out – does it come back after a pause, does it stop working till the next cold reboot, can you press the mic icon to bring it back without losing your place in speech-to-text?
I’ll probably load it up this weekend and try it regardless.
Another question I had is if this setup is more stable for overclocking/undervolting – I’ve never successfully used SetCPU to clock it any higher than 912 without locking up within a few minutes at 1000, a minute at 1200, or seconds at 1400 MHz.
Ray Waldo
September 7, 2012 at 10:38 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Sorry but I can’t help you right now. I just shipped my GTab to my nephew. I will be getting another in a month or so but for now, I don’t have one.
Perhaps, after you install the Jelly Bean ROM, you could check those things and report your findings back here? That would be appreciated, if you do.
chrisbenson1
September 9, 2012 at 8:34 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi Ray, happy to oblige…
Here is my first report:
The install went very well even though I started it last night during SNL around midnight after some several-odd number of beers, but I cheated and didn’t do a factory reset for obvious reasons if you’ve used a gTab daily as your PC away from your PC and customized the heck out of it over the course of the last year or so, and I’m definitely paying the price.
The microphone issue seems totally acceptable for my use – I was able to do several voice searches last night, and, even dictating to K9 mail, it cuts out, but you just push the mic again and, after a lag, it does pick back up. (Interesting aside, one of the things I dictated was “new Team DRH Jellybean”, and it interpreted that as “nude teen” something or other – pretty good probabilistic reasoning, if you ask me.)
The main issue I’m having, probably because I didn’t want to give up my 180 apps and start over, is that my Google account is screwy, possibly because I had a bunch of services like YouTube that were registered under my Google account (natch) under an older password before they made me change it 8 months ago.
Regardless of the reason, I’m not really able to use YouTube or the Google Play store right now and I get recurring errors about Google Talk being stopped. (For reference, I have _never_ used Google Talk to my knowledge, but I can’t uninstall it because, um, it’s Google. I have the free VOIP app for Google Voice, and it worked great under FB, but I haven’t tried it yet under JB.)
My main issue initially was that I was having persistent FCs with Trebuchet, which I assume is my new launcher, but that seems to have cleared up with a couple of Dalvik cache wipes. (Trebuchet is a fan-frickin’-tastic name for a launcher BTW, whoever came up with that.)
Still, it has never asked me to log in to Google like the other ROMs have done on start-up.
The good news is that I like this new ROM enough to do it all over again correctly if I can’t get it to work as is – the ROM is night-and-day faster than my old setup, including booting from a cold start in about a quarter of the time, which seems odd for a larger OS, but then again, I’ve been successful running overnight with SetCPU clocked up to 1200 MHz (with “Performance” governor), which seems to be the max for any of them.
Also, many fewer problems with power button issues and Wi-Fi weirdness than I’ve gotten used to, and I love all of the new features that JB brings to the gTab.
So, for all of you playing along at home, this is my (mostly pleasant) experience coming from the most recent Flashback Honeycomb (10.3 I believe) and installing without a Factory Reset.
Ray, I understand you don’t even have a gTab right now, so, not asking for “HELP!”, just giving feedback on my experience, but if you have any advice other than “Just do it right,” [puts on Frazier radio voice] I’m listening.
Ray Waldo
September 9, 2012 at 9:41 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks Chris! The comments should be helpful to others. I am pleased to hear that the mic will restore easily.
As you said, not doing a “reset to factory” will generally have some repercussions. BTW, did you NOT run the new 350MB version of NVFlash? Evidently, you did not if the apps were not wiped. THAT may be more of an issue than not doing the RESET. I suspect that you will continue to experience “weird” issues until you “Just do it right.” (Frazier voice off)
If it makes you feel any better, Jelly Bean is better at not requiring a reset if you are already on a JB ROM. I updated my wife’s Kindle Fire from a slightly older JB Rom to a newer one (from a different developer) and I did NOT do the reset. I just did a “wipe dalvik” and it worked fine. Since both used the Trebuchet launcher, even the widgets remained on the desktop.
chrisbenson1
September 9, 2012 at 10:29 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hmm… I definitely did the 350 prep file first, but I’ll have another look at that aspect – perhaps I didn’t do it right – but if doing it right means I lose everything anyway, I might as well do the factory reset.
I’ll let you all know what I find out.
Thanks!
Chris