TF300T Encryption unsuccessful

[Thinus]

The encryption unsuccessful error is an indicator for a corrupted data partition. The system cannot read or mount /data and assumes it's encrypted.
You could try solving this by using the Wipe Data command from the bootloader menu: Power +Vol Down until you see the screen with 3 or 4 icons, use Vol Down to move to Wipe Data, then Vol Up to execute.
This thread is about the TF300T - not the TF300TG. So I am not entirely sure it works the same. Most likely it does, but I cannot be sure since I've never tried it.
You did download the correct firmware? It should be WW 10.6.2.11. That is the last update Asus has on it's website.
Doesn't really matter what you have on there now. You can flash the same firmware or an update to your current one with this method. You only cannot downgrade this way.
Other than that check the most likley culprits:
microSD is not fat32
firmware not extracted once or renamed incorrectly - make sure you can see file extensions in Windows and that you did not add a double extension like .zip.zip

Hi Droidbound,

I've managed to flash the latest firmware from the SD Card. I think the SD card was a dud. Anyhoo it managed to flash. But still getting the "encryption unsuccessful" message even after a successful flash. Tried the "wipe" command but this is not working. So sorry to keep bugging you about this. Anything else I can try?

At least now we know that the manual flash procedure works for the TF300TG as well.

Thanks again,
Thinus.

[Thinus]

Welcome to the forum

My recommendation....
1. Do a Factory Reset & wipe the device
2. Return it to your retailer for a replacement

Don't waste time on it - at 2 weeks old you should just be enjoying your new device, not having to cope with this sort of disappointment.

Let us know how you get on.

Hi janner43,

I unfortunately cannot return mine. I've done the manual flash from SD card as proposed in these forums but still getting the "encryption unsuccessful" message.

Anything I could try?

Thanks,
Thinus.

[Kevinthefixer]

Did you try the factory reset? And BTW, is the tablet unlocked, and do you have a custom recovery?

[droidbound]

Did you try the factory reset? And BTW, is the tablet unlocked, and do you have a custom recovery?

He has a TF300TG. I am not aware of any development for that model. The earlier story is here:
http://www.transformerforums.com/for...d.php?p=347611

@Thinus I think this is the better thread to continue the discussion.
So you have successfully flashed the stock firmware for your TG model but the "encryption unsuccessful" error is still there. Bummer
You said in your last post that you tried the factory wipe (I assume from the bootloader? The Wipe Data command?) and it failed. Define 'failed'.
That command is supposed to call the recovery which then should wipe the data partition. Unfortunately the stock recovery is not very sophisticated (to put it mildly) and it does not throw out any error codes which might help identify what the problem is. But does it start at all? What happens when you hit Vol Up on the Wipe Data icon?

There are not many options left to try. I can think of only two:
1. Try to erase the data partition in fastboot
2. Send it in to Asus

For 1. check out the Beginner's Guide in my signature. The instructions for getting fastboot to work are the same for your tablet and so are the drivers you may need. Once you have fastboot established, you can try this command:

fastboot erase userdata

This may or may not work, but without a custom recovery or even only root there's nothing else....

Don't know if I would recommend 2.
The only cure Asus repair centers seem to know for a non-booting tablet is to install a new mainboard. Last quote I have seen was $341. That was yesterday for a US user who sent it in. I would not put that kind of money into outdated technology....

[Thinus]

Good day droidbound. Thanks for picking this up. I will continue in this thread.

To answer your questions:

1. I used the volume up + power button combination and navigated to the "wipe" option with volume down and then pressing volume up to select. The tablet says something along the lines of "wiping..." and then it resets.
2. The SD Card with the firmware is still in and after the reset the android shows that it is loading the software (no more dead bot on its back yay). If I take the SD card out, I get the dead droid icon again. Ugh.
3. If I leave the SD card in, after the firmware upgrade/install the tablet reboots but then the dreaded "encryption unsuccessful" message appears again.

I think I will try your guide for erasing the data partition using fastboot. Just so you know, I also really don't mind rooting it, I just want it to be functional again so if the fastboot route does not work, I will try the rooting it. What stable custom ROM would you recommend? As long as the 3G and wifi modems still work and the face camera (for Skype) I'm good. I've seen there is a page telling you how to get lollipop on the TF300TG. I could try that.

I will also, in parallel, try to contact the store where it was purchased--maybe by some miracle it is still under warranty but I doubt that. I am not paying R4000 (approximately $341 in our currency) to fix it.

I will let you know if I get stuck. Thanks again!
Thinus.

[janner43]

I've moved the posts from the other thread here. Good luck gettin a fix guys. If DB & GT can't fix it, its not gonna get fixed, so you are in good hands thinus.

[Thinus]

He has a TF300TG. I am not aware of any development for that model. The earlier story is here:
TF300T Encryption unsuccessful

@Thinus I think this is the better thread to continue the discussion.
So you have successfully flashed the stock firmware for your TG model but the "encryption unsuccessful" error is still there. Bummer
You said in your last post that you tried the factory wipe (I assume from the bootloader? The Wipe Data command?) and it failed. Define 'failed'.
That command is supposed to call the recovery which then should wipe the data partition. Unfortunately the stock recovery is not very sophisticated (to put it mildly) and it does not throw out any error codes which might help identify what the problem is. But does it start at all? What happens when you hit Vol Up on the Wipe Data icon?

There are not many options left to try. I can think of only two:
1. Try to erase the data partition in fastboot
2. Send it in to Asus

For 1. check out the Beginner's Guide in my signature. The instructions for getting fastboot to work are the same for your tablet and so are the drivers you may need. Once you have fastboot established, you can try this command:

fastboot erase userdata

This may or may not work, but without a custom recovery or even only root there's nothing else....

Don't know if I would recommend 2.
The only cure Asus repair centers seem to know for a non-booting tablet is to install a new mainboard. Last quote I have seen was $341. That was yesterday for a US user who sent it in. I would not put that kind of money into outdated technology....

droidbound,

I've managed to connect with the tablet through fastboot. It only worked if the tablet was displaying the bootloader screen. If the encryption unsuccessful" screen was displayed I could not access the device through "fastboot devices". I can also note that windows reported that the "MTP" driver did not install by the fastboot one did. Not sure if this matters.

"fastboot devices" yielded "015d2994ab4c2215 fastboot"
"fastboot erase userdata" yielded "********* Did you mean to fastboot format this partition? erasing 'userdata'... OKAY [0.850s] finished. total time: 0.852s"

I then selected "RCK" from the bootloader menu and ....."encryption unsuccessful" was still displayed. Because of my disappointment I got a bit more bold and tried "fastboot format userdata". This took 17 seconds and the tablet froze for a bit but I fiddled with the buttons and got it to restart into the bootloader and selected RCK again.

Software installed again and... still got the dreaded message. So sad.

Should I try installing TWRP bootloader and a custom ROM, or do you think this is a hardware issue? Can I shove this into a cupboard forever? :-)

Thanks again
Thinus.

[Kevinthefixer]

AFAIK the 300T stuff all works on the TG--but no 3G support, which you said you needed. In addition, if your tab is not unlocked you cannot install anything but stock FW on it, which is why I asked about that. It is probably a corrupted filesystem issue, not hardware, but a locked tablet simply lacks the tools to repair it. The locked bootloader prevents fastboot from running some commands that might do it otherwise. And unlocking, unfortunately, requires a working Android installation.

[Thinus]

AFAIK the 300T stuff all works on the TG--but no 3G support, which you said you needed. In addition, if your tab is not unlocked you cannot install anything but stock FW on it, which is why I asked about that. It is probably a corrupted filesystem issue, not hardware, but a locked tablet simply lacks the tools to repair it. The locked bootloader prevents fastboot from running some commands that might do it otherwise. And unlocking, unfortunately, requires a working Android installation.

Thanks Kevinthefixer,

Are you saying there is nothing more we can do, seeing as I cannot unlock the tablet? That would be very unfortunate. It just stopped working properly one day. Definitely never buying or recommending Asus again. Or is it an android issue?

Thinus.

[droidbound]

The fastboot erase userdata finishes a bit too quickly. It doesn't take long, but .8 seconds??? Not sure if that was successful....
Try the fastboot format userdata again and give it some more time. Sounds as if you interrupted it? Did the cmd window report that it was finished? Define: "froze for a bit"
See the problem is that you cannot install a custom recovery like TWRP because you did not unlock the bootloader. And you can only do that with a running system and the Asus unlock tool.
Without custom recovery you cannot install a custom rom either.

As long as you have the firmware file on your microSD the stock recovery will find it and flash it whenever you enter recovery. Just keep that in mind.

But something is preventing Android from booting and I cannot figure out what - unless one of the partitions (and most likely /data) is totally borked.
What the heck - run these commands one by one
fastboot erase userdata
fastboot erase cache
fastboot reboot

Take the microSD out before you reboot, just to eliminate it as a source of trouble....