SP Flash Tool: Flashing Android devices based on Mediatek CPUs

FlashTool is a special "flasher" for smartphones running on MediaTek processors. With this program you can flash your smartphone to a newer version. operating system or replace the soybean firmware with a different modification kit, both official and custom (modified).

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1 Installing the Drivers. Using a microUSB cable, we connect the device with the computer and install the firmware drivers (e.g. firmware drivers suitable for most Lenovo smartphones can be downloaded). After installing the driver, disconnect the device from the computer.

2 Search for the required firmware. From a specialized page dedicated to your device, you need to download firmware designed to work with the Sp Flash Tool application . Custom or official - you decide. Find out more about custom and official software in the article:

3 Installing the SP FlashTool. As a rule, for firmware that is installed on devices using SP FlashTool, this program is included in the kit, in the software archive. Unpack the archive and run the application.

4 Device firmware. Turn off the device completely. We run the SP Flash Tool program on the computer and fill in the Download Agent and Scatter-loading File fields with appropriate files.

Mandatory check the box next to "DA DL All with checksum"

Press the button "Software -> Update"

The application will go into the standby mode for connecting to the device. Use a USB cable to connect your device to your computer. If everything has been done correctly, multicolored bars will appear at the bottom of the program, indicating the status of firmware "transferring" to the device.

Ultimately, a window with a green circle will appear on the computer screen, indicating that the firmware has been successfully "filled" into the device. Then we reboot the flashed device and enjoy its work.

Attention! Article written for reference! Everything you do is at your own peril and risk.

Many don't know how to properly flash Android with Flashtool. This application on the PC is used to restore the health of the smartphone when it completely stops responding to pressing any buttons. The program is only suitable for MediaTek Devices : Tecno, Gionee, Infinix, Opsson, Innjoo, Ulefone, Oukitel etc.

Prepare for ROM installation

Sometimes it happens that the smartphone does not turn on at all or refuses to start in recovery mode. This means it is out of order and firmware is needed.

The SP Flash tool can be used when your Android device turns on, but freezes if the charging logo appears on the screen. You can also use this tool to install custom firmware (ROM), recovery and update modes as well as to revert to previous version assemblies.

Most often, SP Flashtool is used to install standard firmware or update the operating system to the latest version . The Android proprietary software environment installation process is simple and the same method can be used for custom ROMs. To install the standard firmware you will need the following components:

• a personal computer with the Windows operating system;

• working USB cable;

• the latest version of SP Flash Tool;

• USB VCOM drivers suitable for Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10.

• ROM containing Android.

The USB VCOM driver is very important because it allows the device to properly communicate with the computer and the SP Flashtool application. If the driver is not installed, the program will generate errors when trying to install a new operating system on the smartphone.

Installing the ROM

To execute firmware with SP Flash tool, please do as follows:

If everything was done correctly, the phone should turn on. In the same way, you can update the firmware and install custom ROMs.

To flash Chinese phones, you can use FlashTool, which is great for this task. Suppose the firmware cable is already done. Now you need to download Flashtool v3.912 for example.

Before uploading "non-native" software, you need to back up the original software, ie just read it from your phone and keep it like the apple of your head.

First, open "Device Manager" and check the port number of our cable:

Basic FlashTool settings: 1) Run FlashTool and select the cable port

2) Select the speed. You can set the highest, and if there are bugs, choose less:

3) Selection of the type of reading - in most cases NOR:

Full Reading (Firmware) :

Go to the "Read back" tab and click "Add". Double-click the entry that appears:

A complete file saving window will appear. For example, write rom_backup.bin .

In the Length field, enter:

For 4Mb - 0x0040000

8Mb - 0x0080000

16Mb - 0x01000000

32Mb - 0x02000000

You can only check the size after you start reading the software 🙂. Basically the size is 16MB or 32MB (my KA08 was 32MB). First, write it as for 16Mb, and if it is not true, terminate the process and set the desired size *.

3) Now turn off the phone. Remove and reinsert the battery, but do not turn on the phone. Connect the cable to the phone. In FlashTool, click the "Read Back" button. Now the program is waiting for a signal from the phone. On it for a short time, so that it does not turn on (after releasing the button, you will understand whether the cable is working, because the red strip will go to the FlashTool from the bottom).

4) If all went well, it will be read full.

* You can check the size based on the data FlashTool will show when it starts reading the firmware. A red bar will appear below and then in the lower left corner we can see the type of processor, and in the right corner an inscription like 128Mb + 32Mb and the memory chip designation:

256 megabits = 32 megabytes 128 megabits = 16 megabytes 64 megabits = 8 megabytes 32 megabytes = 4 megabytes

Note: If the selected addresses do not match the size of the flash drive, then we stop the operation and remove and reinsert the battery (required!). We set the correct addresses and wait until the merging is complete.

The SP FlashTool firmware program is used to restore and update the operating system on devices based on MTK processors. And only for them. It's good that most manufacturers have such models in their arsenal. So the program matters in any case. United and universal instruction on how to flash devices with FlashTool does not exist. It all depends on the manufacturer of the smartphone. In some devices, everything is as simple as shelling a pear, while other devices will need to be prepared for the treatment.

You can download this program anywhere. But better on the developer's official website. The tool is constantly updated and supports an increasing number of devices. Now it can be successfully used on smartphones and tablets. About this via FlashTool and will be discussed further.

A bit about the program

The SP FlashTool application enjoys well-deserved popularity among fans of experimenting with their smartphones. With it, you can replace the firmware on devices with MTK processors. However, the program can do more than just that. With its help, you can test the memory, partitions, hardware of the smartphone. In efficient hands, it is indeed a powerful diagnostic tool. And when paired with a timer, this app has no price tag.

Of course, the firmware process is different for different devices. They are trouble-free devices. But there are also some that can "take out the brain" of the user during the procedure. If you absolutely need a positive result , then it is better to study the specific model software process separately. How to flash Fly with FlashTool? Generally the same as models from other manufacturers. After all, we will talk further about the universal version, which is suitable for almost any device.

Stage 1. Installing the drivers

You must install drivers for the program to detect the device. This is the first and most important step. Without it, the firmware will crash. Usually, the standard drivers that come with the device are sufficient. But in some cases, you will have to search through specialized firmware forums.

The fact is, some smartphones require a special driver for their firmware. Without it, nothing will come of it. It's easy to find - just go to the search engine . To follow the driver installation process, it is better to open the device manager. If there are no devices marked with a yellow question mark at the end of the installation, then you are fine. But this is only the first step. Then how do I flash my phone with FlashTool? Everything is simple. Now you need to choose the correct software. More on that below.

Stage 2. Choice of firmware

There is a huge variety of firmware for your device on the Internet. Hence the problem of choosing the right one. It should be noted right away that "standalone" teams from unknown manufacturers should be avoided. These are the so-called Perhaps they are faster than the factory ones in terms of performance, but they do not differ in stability.

That is why we are looking for software from the manufacturer. But here, too, you need to be careful. Alpha and beta versions should be strictly avoided. By using them, you can get a brick. The best solution will be the factory version marked as stable. After selecting the firmware, download it and unpack the folder with it to the root of the drive. This completes the preparation process. Now let's move on to the next point. by FlashTool we almost know.

Stage 3. Preparation of the program

Run Flash_Tool.exe. Then the program work window appears . Depending on the severity of the "death" of the device, different firmware modes can be selected. Suppose our smartphone is more alive than all living things. You just need to change the software. In this case, you do not need to change any program settings.

In the upper right corner, click the Scatter-Loading button and find the folder with the unpacked software. Here you need to find the MT65xx_Android_scatter.txt file. Where xx are the final processor numbers of the device model. After that, it will start downloading the files needed for the firmware. If your computer is quite efficient, it will take some time. After a successful download, it remains to click the Download button. The program is now in standby mode. Waits for the smartphone to connect. Time to move on to the next stage. How to flash devices via FlashTool when the program is ready?

Stage 4. Device firmware

Much depends on the smartphone model. If the device has a removable battery, you need to turn off the phone, remove and reinsert the battery, connect the device to the computer (turned off). If the battery is not removable, simply turn the device off. Then we connect it with a USB cable . In any case, it is enough to connect only the switched off smartphone. If your camera is a brick, it's hard to go wrong here. It's always off anyway.

After connecting, the program will detect the device and the firmware process will start. This may take a long time. It depends on the degree of "death" of the device and the power of the computer. In any case, a green ring will appear at the end of the firmware. This means that all operations were successful. That's all. You can disconnect the smartphone from the computer and try to turn it on. This sequence of steps visually describes something through FlashTool. The program is suitable for most phones.

Functions of various devices

In some cases, the default settings The program for flashing a smartphone from one manufacturer is not enough. This is where you have to play around with the settings. And since the English language program , some difficulties may arise. In any case, to get the correct firmware for "problematic" devices, you need to consult a specialist. Ask him how to flash Sony Xperia via FlashTool and you will hear the description of the required process.

In the case of a "purebred Chinese" it is even more difficult. Most likely, you will need to solder a USB cable to make it flashing suitable. The only good thing is that there are very few such ICC-based devices. And the risk of bumping into them is small. In addition, they use the Android operating system very rarely. Most often they have their own system of unknown origin. That doesn't make it any easier, of course. But the question of whether FlashTool disappears by itself. Because the program is simply not suitable for these devices.

When it comes to Sony gadgets, they are generally very reluctant to flash. The bootloader of these devices is blocked for the sake of security. On the one hand, this is good as it protects the device from interference by comrades with "crooked hands". On the other hand, it is extra hemorrhoids when restoring the firmware. So before you start working with such smartphones, it's better to ask professionals how to flash Sony through FlashTool.

Application

This is just a general guide. Now you have an idea how to flash gadgets with FlashTool. For more accurate and accurate information, it is better to turn to a rich reference apparatus. But this article will also help you get acquainted with the basic methods of working with the program. Most of the time, this will be enough.

Probably everyone noticed how the topic of smartphones is covered in the current media. Their advertising is spreading everywhere, the production of the devices was undertaken by companies that were initially as far away from it as possible. For example, Mozilla's smartphone was announced not so long ago, and Mark Shuttleworth, whose company is involved in the release of the Ubuntu operating system, did not stand by.

Such hype simply could not help but attract the greatest attention of Chinese manufacturers, who from time immemorial were famous for their ability to create clones of popular electronics. After all, once even the famous Lenovo began, whose CEOs recently bought the entire IBM branch!

So today, no one is surprised to see someone in their hands a Chinese smartphone , the manufacturer of which is little known anywhere except China itself. However, there is nothing surprising in the behavior of buyers: often such devices cope with their immediate responsibilities very well, and the number of "faults" systematically declines year by year.

But there are also problems with them. Most often there is a need to replace the software, because the "native" program is sometimes not very well translated into Russian (and there are problems with the English language), so conveniently using a smartphone is a big question.

Sp Flash Tool will help you with this kind of problem.

Remarks

Important! The tool only successfully flashes devices whose architecture is built on the MTK chip. Therefore, before using, look at the specifications of your smartphone to make sure that it is suitable for "refinement". Since the firmware of Chinese Noname gadgets sometimes baffles even experienced users, we recommend that you read our article before starting work.

What do you need to have before running the software?

To start working with Sp Flash Tool, you must first charge your smartphone to at least 60% as this operation consumes quite a lot of power. Then, from any tech site, you need to download the MTK driver, as without it, your computer is unlikely to work normally with the gadget.

Of course, you will need the Sp Flash Tool itself. Then comes the turn of the firmware. Note: never, under any circumstances, download programs whose effectiveness and convenience have not been verified by at least a few users! No matter how attractive the software looks in the screenshots from the site, the reality can be very deplorable.

This is especially important if you are not experienced in "Russifying" Chinese devices. It may happen that you put some specific software on your smartphone yourself. Chinese software that you can't handle on your own. In addition, devices can simply be rendered useless as programs are not always written by truly "unbiased" people.

Get started!

After reading all of the threatening warnings, you can start working. First of all, at the root of the system disk, extract all the files that are there from the ZIP archive with the program. Important! What is "Root Disk"? Suppose you opened system partition "C". You actually don't need to do anything else because the root is what it is. In the literature, this term is referred to as "C: \".

Throw the entire contents of the firmware archive there. Now run the Sp Flash tool itself. To do this, right-click the file with the same name, and then select "Run as administrator". It is very important to run the application with administrator privileges, otherwise it may not work.

We work with the program

In the window that opens, click the Distributed loading button. A kind of "Explorer" will open, in which you must enter the path to the folder with the firmware of the program. In it, you are looking for a file in the form: "UUU ---- emms.txt". Here UUU refers to your MTK chip number. For example, "5674 --- emms.txt.

After indicating the directory to the program, do not close it, but start installing the drivers on the device. How to do it?

First you need to unpack the archive with them. Where to move them is the tenth question, since in this case the primary location is not required. Then you need Windows "Device Manager". To run it, right-click the "My Computer" icon, and then select "Properties" in the context menu. A dialogue box will open on the left side of which the item will be searched for. Click on it with the left mouse button.

Speed ​​is the key to quality!

And now - attention! You take the battery out of NoName, quickly insert it back, and then plug it into your computer. It will appear in the "Device Manager" window as the system itself is unable to find the necessary drivers.

To do this, right-click on the line with the question mark, select "Update Driver Software". Then quickly click the "Search on this computer" button, after which we indicate to the system the folder with the drivers you are looking for.

Important! During their installation, various warning messages may appear, which you do not need to pay attention to: this is due to the general instability of the Sp Flash Tool itself. Firmware not complete? Then we take out the battery again and reconnect the smartphone to the computer.

Why do we rely on the speed of connecting the gadget to the computer and pointing it to the location of the files? The point is that the nameless Chinese phones are unpredictable, and hence, with the slightest delay, the smartphone can be considered a completely different device. So you better act fast!

We put the software

We go back to the main Sp Flash Tool window again. How to continue using the program? Very simple!

In its upper part there is a Firmware | Upgrade button, which must be left-clicked. Then it only remains to wait. A signal that everything went well is a window with a large green "donut". Apparently, this is a Chinese synonym for "OK".

Problems on the way

Unfortunately, things can go a long way from the first time. We have already said that Chinese devices are very capricious, so you should not relax. What problems may arise on the way of a person who decides to install the software on his smartphone by himself? We are now discussing the Sp Flash Tool 8038 version, but all that has been said is quite true for the other releases of the app.

The most common situation is when the filling process of the New Program version takes hours with no visible progress. If this happens, try to cancel everything by closing the program, and then restart the operation by checking the "DA DLL ALL ... Check sum" box in the main utility window. In this case, disabling the checksum verification of the downloaded files will play a role. This is just the way to eliminate the message "Sp Flash Tool Error" is not very good.

Note!

Attempting to flash a phone with the verification function turned off is entirely at your own risk and risk. The fact is, (or more precisely, its coincidence) guarantees that the file is really who it claims to be. Simply put, under its guise you won't get any sophisticated Chinese virus that instead of flashing your phone decides to wipe your motherboard's BIOS.

The only problem is that programs of this type are extremely rarely created by more or less serious companies. Therefore, checksum mismatches are much more common than you might think. In any case, some bugs in version 8038 are associated with it. The Sp Flash Tool error can often be prevented. True, this requires a clear understanding of the essence of all the operations you perform.

If you are confident in your actions and know which specific sections you need to flash, you can deselect items you just don't need. It is quite possible that firmware process problems are only due to a "corrupted" irrelevant file.

This is how the Sp Flash tool works. How do I use the program if I keep getting an error while trying to install a new shell? In this case, you need to know the most common problem codes with which you can determine the cause of the problem.

1003s_com .... Failure

This error indicates some problems with USB ports. To get rid of it, you can try switching the cable to a different port. Tip: do not connect the device to the ports on the front panel of the desktop! This is due to their frequent breakdowns and simply disgusting quality.

The generic case companies most commonly used by computer manufacturers are rarely accurate. Often they use frankly defective components, which leads to: a large number of failures.

On the contrary, when working on a more or less new laptop, you should not connect the cable to the USB 3.0 port , since Sp Flash Tool.exe is quite a conservative program, and the Chinese smartphone itself may not try to use the new standard for some reason.

If that doesn't work, try all the steps on a different computer. It happens that the software stubbornly does not want to be installed on Windows 8, while on the old "seven" everything goes without problems. Finally, look for a different cable. The same Chinese who sometimes make very controversial smartphones often produce "floating" quality cables. They're inexpensive, so obviously you won't spend a lot of money buying a new cable.

1013s_com .... Failure

The source of the problem is the same. Try all of the above solutions first, and if it fails, download and install a newer version of the program. Often times, the problem is fixed even if you are using an older version of the application.

1011s_com .... Failure

If you saw such a message, it is also indicated by the large size of the firmware file. The internal memory of the device just won't be able to completely place it, so you will have to look for something more compact. Overall, Android is an interesting system in this respect. On a flash drive, at least a dozen gigabytes may be free, but if you run out of at least a few hundred KB during internal memory, you won't be able to do anything.

1011s_Unsupported… .Ver_of_DA

Appearing of this kind of error indicates a version mismatch. In this case, the firmware via Sp will only fail after installing the new version of the tool. In some cases, the crashes occur due to some kind of problem with the operating system, so try to do the same on another computer.

1040s_Usupported… .Operation

This message can be interpreted in two ways: on the one hand, it sometimes appears when the software and phone versions do not match. In addition, it may also indicate that you need to update the version of the software you are using.

1011s_DA..Error

In this case, you should also take a closer look at USB ports . As we mentioned above, this problem constantly occurs when the user tries to use the front ports to install the firmware. Among other things, you can try to blow them with compressed air and clean them with alcohol swabs. Of course, the computer must be turned off at this point.

Such a decision underestimates the negative role of dust, but it is very big! This material is an excellent dielectric, so the signals from the device may simply not get into the computer. This remark is true not only of the bug we just described, but almost all cases of some sort of crash with gadgets connected to the computer via USB.

3012 Nand_Flach_not_Found

This error indicates that you need to download the firmware file again. When saving the message, try using a different version of it, because the program detects it as corrupted. It may help to update the program itself.

To date, Sp Flash Tool V.3.1344 and other third family releases are considered the most stable. As a rule, with their help, the most optimal results are obtained. For relatively old phones, use the second family version as they even support completely "relic" chips.

Finally

Here is the Sp Flash tool. The instruction turned out to be quite extensive, but we just couldn't physically point to many points. Both the version of the operating system and its immediate state can affect the success of a firmware. In particular, if it is heavily affected by viruses, you should not hope for the normal operation of the tool.

We pay attention once again to consumables : Buy USB cables from normal and trusted stores, not from dubious suppliers. Sometimes a trifle like a faulty cable can ruin a lot of nerves.