Updating the firmware

Contents

First time flashing: read this

Beware that flashing a new image on your device will reset the device back to factory defaults and remove all data not on the memory card: preferences, bookmarks, installed applications, with a single exception that any previously-set lock code will be kept and not reset to the factory-default of "12345".

The "Backup/Restore" application only saves a list of your repositories and installed applications (the applications you can reinstall after flashing), files in /home/user/MyDocs, some settings in /home/user, gconf and /etc, and additional files reported by applications on install. In general, properly packaged applications tell the backup tool what to back up, but if you've created extra shell scripts or files outside MyDocs, you'll have to back them up yourself.

Flashing your device

MS windows users willing to update the N900 can use the Nokia Software Updater.

For other combinations, follow the steps below:

  1. Download the Flasher for your device model: N900, N810, N800 or 770
  2. In the same directory download the latest firmware image
  3. Make sure the battery of your device is fully charged.
  4. Unplug charger and switch off the device.
  5. Connect the device to your computer via USB without turning it on.

Linux

Execute as root (or as a normal user with rights to use the USB port—if you see Error claiming USB interface: Operation not permitted then you need to run flasher as root), replace <FIASCO image> with the firmware image you downloaded from Nokia: 

./flasher-3.5 -F <FIASCO image> -f -R

You should now see Suitable USB device not found, waiting. First, unplug the power cord from the device, as this will prevent it from updating and switch on your device while holding the Home-button (770 and N800) or swap button (N810 - the button with two overlapping rectangles on the left side of the device), and watch the messages on your console as the FIASCO image is flashed, after which it will reboot automatically—you're done!

  1. Now turn off your device (make sure you unplug the charger or else the device wont power down completely, you can plug the device back into power once it starts flashing) and plug in the USB cable to a port on the computer and the port on your device.
  2. Now, open up a terminal and run:
    It will ask you for an administrator password, enter it. 
sudo ./flasher-3.5 -F <FIASCO image> -f -R
  1. It will say: 
Suitable USB device not found, waiting
  1. First, unplug the power cord from the device, as this will prevent it from updating. Then take your device, and hold down the Home/Swap button (looks like a little house on the N800 and 770, and two overlapping rectangles on the N810, N900 users will not have to hold down anything), and while holding down the Home/Swap button press the power button to turn it on.
    If it doesn't doesn't boot and start flashing, make sure the USB cable is plugged in.
  2. It should start flashing and then reboot.
  3. You can remove the USB cable after it has booted to a normal desktop (just make sure to eject any cards that may have mounted on your computer).

Mac OS X

There are two methods for flashing the device on OS X, using the GUI, with the 770Flasher application or using the console, much like the Linux flashing method. Both methods work fine for both the 770 and the N800/N810.

GUI with 770Flasher

This is the easier of the two methods, and should be used by most people.

  1. Download the 770Flasher (yes, it will work fine for flashing an N800 or N810).
  2. Follow the steps above to get the appropriate firmware image.
  3. Drag the firmware image (will end in .bin) onto 770Flasher.
  4. Follow the on-screen prompts.
  5. You should now see Suitable USB device not found, waiting, switch on your device while holding the Home-button. Note for N810 users: switch on your device while holding the Swap button.
  6. Watch the messages as the image loads to the device after which it reboots automatically.

Console with Flasher-3.5

These steps cover flashing the device with OS X using the Terminal. This is the more difficult than using 770Flasher, but gives you access to the advanced options flasher-3.5 provides (like setting R&D flags, flashing only parts of the image, unpacking the image, etc).

  1. Follow the steps above to get the appropriate firmware image and flasher.
  2. Now turn off your device (make sure you unplug the charger or else the device wont power down completely) and plug in the USB cable to a port on the computer and the port on your device.
  3. Now, open up the Terminal (it's in /Applications/Utilities/) and run:
    It will ask you for an administrator password, enter it. 
sudo ./flasher-3.5 -F <FIASCO image> -f -R
  1. It will say: 
Suitable USB device not found, waiting
  1. First, unplug the power cord from the device, as this will prevent it from updating. Then take your device, and hold down the Home/Swap button (looks like a little house on the N800 and 770, and two overlapping rectangles on the N810, N900 users do not need to hold down anything), and while holding down the Home/Swap button press the power button to turn it on.
    If it doesn't doesn't boot and start flashing, make sure the USB cable is plugged in.
  2. It should start flashing and then reboot.
  3. You can remove the USB cable after it has booted to a normal desktop (just make sure to eject any cards that may have mounted on your Mac).

Windows

MS Windows users willing to update the N900 can use the Nokia Software Updater.

Internet Tablet users can go to the appropriate support page for their device (N810 WiMAX Edition, N810, N800, or 770), download and install the Software Update Wizard, run it and follow the on-screen prompts.

Flashing the eMMC in the N900

N900 users don't need to reflash the eMMC of their device. If you are reading this it's probably because you got a pre-production device e.g. in the Maemo Summit. If you have a sales unit and you have problems with your eMMC you should contact Nokia Care.

Note that the eMMC images available do not contain pre-loaded maps. If you reflash your eMMC you will loose them (the Maps application will work as usual but you will need to download the maps needed).

In order to flash the eMMC you need to use directly the Flasher, supported for Linux, Mac OS X and MS Windows. Grab the eMMC image from [FIXME the Nokia repository] and execute replacing <FIASCO image> with the firmware image you downloaded from Nokia: 

./flasher-3.5 -F <eMMC image> -f -R

Seamless Software Update

Main article: Seamless Software Update

SSU is Nokia's new method for upgrading the devices over-the-air without requiring a reflash. When Nokia pushes an update over SSU, you will see an update notification and be given the option to install the update—just like with your computer.

Generally speaking, SSU updates should be relatively pain-free, but there are a few issues to watch out for.

  • If you have an aftermarket kernel or intifs installed (like the rotation support kernel or fanoush's bootmenu) and a kernel or initfs upgrade is pushed, they will be overwritten and you'll need to wait for your kernel or the bootmenu to be updated to reinstall them.
  • If you have extensively modified the home directory for user "user", such as moved all the documents to a memory card or removing or leaving empty some of the subdirectories

If the update doesn't show up for you at all, you may have accidentally (or intentionally) uninstalled osso-software-version-rx*4, which is required to update. You can get it back by simply running an apt-get install osso-software-version-rx34, for the N800, and an apt-get install osso-software-version-rx44, for the N810. Then updating your repository list in Application manager.

If the packages that caused osso-software-version-rx*4 to be removed are still installed, they will need to be removed completely (in the case of conflicting packages). Alternatively, for packages which are simply newer than those specified by osso-software-version-rx*4, you can install osso-software-version-rx*4-unlocked, which does not have strict dependencies.

Troubleshooting

  • If you get a "Permission denied" error then chmod +x flasher-2.0 or chmod +x flasher-3.0 to make the flasher tool executable. You may also need root permissions, run command with sudo or su to root.
  • If you need to flash your Nokia 770 with an image from 2005 then use the older flasher called "flasher" with no number in the name

USB

It may help to connect directly to the computer USB ports, avoiding the use of a hub - which includes the USB ports on laptop docking stations. The USB ports in the back of a laptop may also be better than using those in the front.

Some distributions do not present the USB device in the way that it expects it. First, see if it is necessary to "mount" USB:

mount -t usbfs usbfs /proc/bus/usb

If that does not work, try patching the flasher code. This replaces the use of /proc/bus/usb with the newer /dev/bus/usb filesystem:

perl -pi -e 's-/proc/bus/usb-/dev/bus/usb\000-;' -i.backup $FLASHER

Replace $FLASHER with the path to your flasher-2.0 or flasher-3.0 Linux binary.

Retrieved from "http://bugs.maemo.org/Updating_the_firmware"