[ N810 , diablo 43-7 ]

I have maemo running from int. and ext. mmc:s.

Is there a way to reinstall a fresh diablo OS in the flash memory,
without the use of an extra computer?
I have a copy of the Nokia file for reflashing OS 43-7 from a PC.

( I guess I just don't find the right catch words to search with ... )

Search 0xFFFF

Thanks, Maacruz!

It seems I will have to do some reading until I start to understand what I find ...
( I'll probably be back with quetions.)

If you can think of a reference for a Linux beginner,
I'd certainly appreciate it.

Well, this forum and wiki is full of howtos, although they are sometimes hard to find.
About learning linux in general, maemo isn't the best suited platform (device form factor, space limitations, specialized tools...), you'd better start with some full blown userfriendly distro like opensuse or ubuntu. Those distros have a lot of documentation and support for begginers.
About the flashing, you can directly flash with 0xFFFF, or use it to extract the pieces (rootfs, initfs and kernel) and flash each separately (in this forum you'll find examples of how to do it)

maacruz, Thanks !

Exactly what I wanted to know.

Yes, a search for 0xFFFF certainly pointed to several uses for it.
A couple of hours of reading, and I began to understand the possibilities.

Also,
I found a reference to an ARM version of 0xFFFF by qwerty12,
and a reference in linux.softpedia.com (2008) that 0xFFFF had stable support for N800,
but not yet for N810 and a warning that Nokia might make changes.
And no release since 2007 in garage.maemo.org ...

I get the impression that on an N810 I should use 0xFFFF only for experimenting,
and if that is the case I think I'll leave it for now.

There is no ARM version of the standard Linux flasher, is there?
I happen to have two N810:s but at the moment no other running computer.

So I guess I had better ask a neighbour to let me use his PC for a normal reflash.

A question,
if I learn some more Linux and decide to go wild and try something with 0xFFFF,
is there a risk of damaging the N810 beyond the possibility of a standard reflash?


( The momentary reason for all this:
I had a backup of original OS 43-7 (made with Console Tools), but while restoring it I accidentally restored to the usb stick and wiped it. And I had no copy.
As in the classical cartoon: [delete?], OK, [are you sure?], OK, [file deleted], NOOO, what did I do...
When will you ever learn.)

About learning Linux in general ...
Yes I agree, a "normal" Linux with good support for beginners makes a good start,
but a barebone Linux would be easier to try to penetrate.
Experimenting with the tablet - my first contact with Linux - has certainly taught me a lot.
The forum howtos on e.g. advanced booting and cloning will probably make good future lessons.
( Now I use Penguinbate's very functional Console Tools and Qole's Easy-xxx.)

But good reading on the Linux file system is hard to find.
Any suggestions?
(My previous experience is digging into and tinkering with RISC OS (on the Acorn Archimedes), which was very logically structured and much simpler.)

Thanks again,
KristianW

In this thread, already visited by you, I've posted a 0xFFFF binary for the N8x0.
http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php...ghlight=0xFFFF
About really bricking your device, it is very difficult. The sensitive part is the NOLO, so as long as you flash separate pieces (kernel, initfs and rootfs), in the worst case you'll need a computer to reflash. So, if you are afraid, break the firmware FIASCO image into pieces and flash each separately; in your particular case you only need to flash rootfs, which thanks to your dual boot setup is completely safe, but if you really want a learning (and time consuming) experience, you should try to restore the flash rootfs without reflashing (it is what I do when I break it).
About documentation, unfortunately I'm a veteran and I'm unaware of the new documentation for beginners (there may be a lot around ubuntu) but I can point you to the guides and then howtos in the Linux Documentation Project ( http://tldp.org ), a few may be somewhat outdated in certain matters, but it is what I used back in the day and they are awesome. Also, the man and info pages are a basic reference, but the tablets lack such documentation because space requirements.

maacruz !

Thanks a LOT !
This is much more than I hoped for when I started asking!

Now that I have two tablets I will be able to have a playground ...
.. and take my time.
( I just wanted a spare one, expecting a long wait for a new pocket-linux - the N900 isn't what I want.)

I'll certainly make m-o-r-e than one backup of the binary you kindly provided !
I'll download it in few days when I have a good I-net connection, this one is a bit unreliable.

Your instructions are just what I need, as that info has been a bit vague in the threads I have read.
Also, in your post I read the first _definite_ statement that FIASCO means the image Nokia provides for reflashing.
And thanks for good references!

Regards,
KristianW

I had given up on that thread as the link for a manual in Maemofied's post #7
http://www.nopcode.org/0xFFFF/?p=docu
didn't work.

Now it suddenly did, see:
http://talk.maemo.org/showpost.php?p...4&postcount=10