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

[critor]

Experimenting a new inject zone for the payload... all 3.0.0-4.4.0 OS patches can now fit in the same payload.
1 ControlX to rule them all !

Looks stable on the emulator.
It's a little too soon for a public beta, I have to confirm this on hardware first.

[critor]

Here is ControlX 4.4.5 public beta :

controlx4.4.5beta1.zip

It's a major rework of the payload code.

New features :

• Changed : Bigger payload inject zone - support is now enable by default for all 3.0.0 to 4.4.0 OS versions
  Now downgrade or upgrade freely to whatever version you want (assuming your hardware is compatible) without fearing not being able to go back.
• Changed : New Boot2 update preventer, which is not OS-specific anymore and should work with all future OS versions
  Which means that if you don't want Linux, we may remove the ExtendeD partition creation from the tutorial

[parrotgeek1]

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[parrotgeek1]

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[critor]

But, sadly, from now on I can only test on emulators. When I went home for a week after exams, I left my CX in my room. Someone stole it.

Oh, what a shame...
Especially after all you're doing for the TI-Nspire community.

Try to win a TI-Nspire at the TI-Concours, or at a next TI-Planet contest.

[parrotgeek1]

But, sadly, from now on I can only test on emulators. When I went home for a week after exams, I left my CX in my room. Someone stole it.

Oh, what a shame...
Especially after all you're doing for the TI-Nspire community.

Try to win a TI-Nspire at the TI-Concours, or at a next TI-Planet contest.

I bought a School Property non-CAS Touchpad for $30 on eBay! (Of course, to me it's a CAS, because I'll just use NlaunchX.) It's yellow, so I'll never lose it. I think it will be good enough for me.

Whoever stole my calculator is going to be very confused by ControlX and ndless.

[Bisam]

I had some tests with the new ControlX 4.4.5... and I saw some graphic bugs when trying to mess things up !
For example, launching the Boot2 3.1.0.16 overwrites the Nspire logo... at the wrong place !

Well, that is a very minor bug since nobody (except me) will do that.

Another thing is that I couldn't launch CAS OS 4.4 at all on my non-CAS. It kept uninstalling itself if I let it boot the first time or re-booting again and again if I reset just after installing (at the grey screen).


I also had a feature idea (if possible) : launch maintenance menu from CtrlX (as for diags menu). It would be much easier than pressing the 3 keys while pressing reset !

[critor]

Thanks for your post, Bisam.

I had some tests with the new ControlX 4.4.5... and I saw some graphic bugs when trying to mess things up !
For example, launching the Boot2 3.1.0.16 overwrites the Nspire logo... at the wrong place !

I know. Old Boot2 versions are re-outputting the Nspire logo. And recent Boot2 versions don't output it anymore.

Old Boot2 versions aren't useless, since Boot2 3.9+ aren't going to accept installing OSes older than 3.6.
Launching older Boot2 versions is a way to install thoses OSes, though it won't work with Boot2 3.1. Boot2 3.1 support is the worst one in ControlX, because the code to patch is different.
But Boot2 3.0 or 3.2.4 are ok for this.

Another thing is that I couldn't launch CAS OS 4.4 at all on my non-CAS. It kept uninstalling itself if I let it boot the first time or re-booting again and again if I reset just after installing (at the grey screen).

OSes 4.0.2+ are going to uninstall themselves after the 1st boot, if not targeting your model.
The trick is to force a reboot immediately when the 1st boot completes (just after the loading bar reaches 100% when you get the grey screen).
Other things can be interferring, like Ndless files (ndless-resources.tns) or Ndless startup programs (in /ndless/startup/) not compatible with OS 4.4, since ControlX is forcing Ndless installation in all cases.

I'm going to try reproducing your issue.

I also had a feature idea (if possible) : launch maintenance menu from CtrlX (as for diags menu). It would be much easier than pressing the 3 keys while pressing reset !

I already checked this, as it would be much better than those fingers-killing-keys.

It seems the Boot1 is scanning the keypad once, storing all active keys.
Then it loads the Boot2, and Boot2 is checking the stored keys - it doesn't rescan the keypad (that's why the keys need to be hold during the reset, not after).

The problem is the keypad state is not accessible in RAM, but through a port I couldn't write to.

[critor]

@Bisam
Battery charged - I just successfully installed 4.4 CAS on my non-CAS CX with ControlX 4.4.5.
I have 3 files in the startup folder : nSonic2MS, Nover, and parrotgeek1's CAS patcher.

So something is interfering on your calculator.
I'd advise you to remove mviewer_cx from the startup folder. I don't remember ever updating it for OS 4.4. And anyway, it's useless if you don't use the mv() and mvl() commands.

If the problem persists after removing mviewer_cx...
If I remember well, 3.6 CAS did work on your non-CAS CX.
So, assuming your other Ndless and startup files are up to date, you could try installing other CAS OSes between 3.6 and 4.4, and tell which ones are working.
You won't need the 1st boot reset trick up to OS 4.0.0.
It'll be needed starting with OS 4.0.2.

[Bisam]

I already checked this, as it would be much better than those fingers-killing-keys.
[...]The problem is the keypad state is not accessible in RAM, but through a port I couldn't write to.

I thought it could be possible to dump that menu, copy it to another memory zone (like Extended or else) and launch it from there, as for Diags, as I said.
But I may be dreaming... I have no idea if this could be done.

Something else : how do you erase a part of boot2 zone (or any other zone) with BtMg ? Can it be done only by overwriting ?


And yet another feature idea.
How about copying a full OS in Extended zone and allow to inject it (as nSwitchOS does) from CtrlX before Boot2 starts ?
One could recover from a wrong manipulation which deleted the OS (on purpose or not) without using a computer.