[android tablet] Backup and Restore / Image Lenovo A7600 / Tab A10

[gtg93]

The school have just purchased 75 Lenovo A7600 tablets (Lenovo Tab A10).

 

Basically, I want to build one up and image the rest so I thought the best way to do this would be with a custom recovery - any thoughts? Any suggestion on how to do so with this model?

 

I was thinking the best way would be to flash something like Clockwork Recovery, then use that to backup the first device and then restore it on the rest. Obviously as the tablet isn't very popular model, there's very little online about doing this on this model so I'm a little hesitant as only done it with my own mobiles in the past, and I know some hardware only works with certain recoverys. The mobiles I've done it on in the past, have been popular devices therefore heavily documented online on doing such things.

 

At the minute it's taking about 40mins per tablet to setup to how we want it so I think this would be a quicker way, if we had say 10 SD cards and just worked through them.

 

We don't seem to be able to find drivers for this device so would all need to be done on the device.

 

Lenovo have said we can do what we want with the software, their warranty still stands unless we start physically tinkering with the hardware.

 

Any help and/or advice is highly appreciated.

[MordyT]

A nandroid is the best way here for you. Although you will have an issue with identical Android ID's and so on. The correct way would be to build your own custom ROM that can be flashed. Either way, this would be 5 mins per device.

Do you know if the bootloader is unlocked? Functional fastboot?

I would go with TWRP instead of CWM BTW.

Despite the device, they are pretty much the same procedure. Let me know when you get one and I will have you run some commands to see what the status is.

[gtg93]

Thanks for the speedy reply.

 

I was thinking Nandroid myself, but wasn't sure, as you said, if the IDs would get messed up - I've never had to do it on this scale before.

 

I have the device in front of me know, so anything you have to help would be great.

 

edit: Forgot to mention - The device is brand new running Lenovo's base software so I think the bootloader is locked. The only way I know of checking this is a dial code, but it being a tablet, there's no dialer available.

 

A fastboot mode is available in the boot menu however.

Edited July 25, 2014 by gtg93

[MordyT]

Hook it up to a PC, turn on USB debugging, accept the RSA fingerprint, try a adb reboot bootloader and see if it boots to the boot loader.

[gtg93]

Already tried some adb commands via the PC, but it would appear there are no drivers available for the device so the PC doesn't recognise it... the commands don't send it just shows as "device not found" Edited July 25, 2014 by gtg93

[gtg93]

OK, So i've manage to get a driver for a similar tablet, a modified the inf so it installs for this tablet and the adb commands are now working...

 

 

 

Should this be needed by anyone else at some point:

 

Download -> http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/downloads/detail.p​age?DocID=DS022366

 

Add the two lines below - under the exisiting Lenovo devices mentioned in both the x86 and x64 sections of the inf.

 

;Lenovo A7600

%CompositeAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_17EF&PID_7731&MI_01

Edited July 25, 2014 by gtg93

[gtg93]

bump??

[Arthur]

If you have adb working could you use that to do the backup and restore? e.g.

 

adb backup -apk -shared -nosystem -all -f tablet_backup.ab

 

adb restore tablet_backup.ab

 

To backup individual apps, you can use the following command (the red text is the name of the app).

 

adb backup -apk [color="#FF0000"]com.tapatalk.edugeek[/color] -f edugeek.ab

Edited July 30, 2014 by Arthur

[DMcCoy]

I have tried adb backup and restore on earlier android and it didn't go well. The apps were there, but they weren't associated with the store so wouldn't update (couldn't root the tablets, only helping to get them working for a school).

 

If you can root then it may be easier to make them system apps so you can reset to get a new android ID, however it's getting more difficult to integrate apks back into the ROM post 4.1 due to the additional lib files that don't get moved :|

[DMcCoy]

What you really want (at least for apps) is play store for education, sadly over a year later and still no sign in UK

[MordyT]

bump??

Can you do a and reboot bootloader and see what the status of the boot loader is?

[gtg93]

Sorry for taking so long to get back, but I've been working at other sites so not got a chance to have a look at this:

 

If you have adb working could you use that to do the backup and restore? e.g.

 

adb backup -apk -shared -nosystem -all -f tablet_backup.ab

 

adb restore tablet_backup.ab

 

To backup individual apps, you can use the following command (the red text is the name of the app).

 

adb backup -apk [color="#FF0000"]com.tapatalk.edugeek[/color] -f edugeek.ab

 

Tried this already, but as @DMcCoy mentioned it didn't work brilliantly - not everything appeared to restore quite as I wanted it to.

edit - Actually, I have tried this without the "-apk -shared -nosystem -all -f tablet_backup.ab" - but now tried with and just get a 0kb backup file.

 

Can you do a and reboot bootloader and see what the status of the boot loader is?

 

Thanks for getting back to me - When I run this it just boots to a black screen with "=> FASTBOOT mode..." in the bottom left

Edited August 6, 2014 by gtg93

[gtg93]

Tried this already, but as @DMcCoy mentioned it didn't work brilliantly - not everything appeared to restore quite as I wanted it to.

edit - Actually, I have tried this without the "-apk -shared -nosystem -all -f tablet_backup.ab" - but now tried with and just get a 0kb backup file.

 

I was using the incorrect backup password. (Is it home time yet?) it's currently running again at 128mb and still going. Fingers crossed.

 

edit - This worked better than before, but I still have to manually disable all the system apps that we don't want and uninstall the rubbish that comes pre-installed such as Skype. I've done "adb uninstall" for the apps I need to remove, but the system apps won't uninstall without root and they won't disabled without root. My thoughts were I could automate it all with a script but unfortunately not due to needing root for the disable command (silly in my opinion).

Edited August 6, 2014 by gtg93

[MordyT]

Thanks for getting back to me - When I run this it just boots to a black screen with "=> FASTBOOT mode..." in the bottom left

 

This is good news. We need a compatible recovery, then we can try a fastboot flash recovery

 

If we can get a custom recovery, then nandroid away...

 

Edit: lol I just went looking on XDA for a recovery (it happens) and found your post there.

Edited August 6, 2014 by MordyT

[gtg93]

This is good news. We need a compatible recovery, then we can try a fastboot flash recovery

 

If we can get a custom recovery, then nandroid away...

 

Edit: lol I just went looking on XDA for a recovery (it happens) and found your post there.

 

This is where I've been coming up against a brick wall - Struggling to find any info on or about this device, let alone anything that's listed as compatible... Is there any other way to find out if it's compatible other than what the developer has released or just flashing the recovery? I'm assuming not...

 

Samsung / LG /HTC etc devices tend to be much easier to do this sort of thing with - why they didn't buy the Nexus 7 tablets is beyond me! :/

 

haha - that was my second port of call after Edugeek

Edited August 6, 2014 by gtg93