MG-31B Firmware Issue and Forcing Recovery Mode

[mrdurden]

I decided to update the firmware for my E-Great and after searching the forums, I got the link to EGreat's FTP site for the latest firmware from Jan 2010:

EG-M34A-01-17-100317-15-POP-403-000

After installing it, the splash screen is for Popcorn Hour and when I tried to reinstall an earlier E-Great branded firmware, it wouldn't let me.

Also, it says is needs the 00-17-091216-15-EGR-403 NMT apps but I can't find any link to these anywhere.

Are there any known issues with running this configuration?

Is there a way to force the player to go into recovery mode so that I can use the recovery firmware to return it to a proper E-Great firmware?

[chris57]

Please provide the link.

We do not allow any help for users who have OEM NMT's that have flashed them to PCH. This breaks licensing agreements and could ultimately mean the removal of those licenses from PCH machines who'se customers have paid the premium for those licenses. We will protect those licenses. It is the forums policy to ban anyone asking for help with cross flashing.

Now having said that you seem to be suggesting that it was an actual eGreat official link, if that's the case then please provide it for Syabas to investigate and you may also recieve assistance.

[mrdurden]

I am having trouble finding the original link that lead me to it, but I got the firmware off E-Great's own FTP site.

ftp://220.231.142.130
Usermane: admin
Password: egreatworld123

The HTTP address for the same IP is EGreat's website.

I've just found a link on another forum that indicates that this is a hacked version of the PCH A110 firmware that makes the EGreat think it is an A110.

I really just want to reflash to an original EGreat firmware so if there is any way to force it into recovery mode, I think that would do it.

[tinyhands]

If memory serves, the link to that FTP site was posted on the legacy Egreat forums, not their support area. I don't believe there's any concrete evidence that it was provided by Egreat, although by leaving it on their ftp server they clearly tacitly approve.

Unfortunately, with the high likelihood of bricking the system, I don't know anyone with the resources to experiment with this firmware and recovery from it. Perhaps this thread, substituting the Egreat recovery firmware, will work -- http://www.networkedmediatank.com/showth...p?tid=8193

Even though your Egreat seems to think it is a PCH, you should not attempt to use the PCH recovery firmware.

[mrdenn1s]

chris,

I have already told you on other thread that egreat's latest official 31B FW is PCH FW.

No users here are cross flashing by intent. they are going to the egreatworld site, using the links from the forum there to upgrade, and are getting PCH FW

The splashscreen is PCH and the extra TV output modes that eGreat used to provide are now gone, and replicate what my A110 has always had

PS...works fine too

[chris57]

Well enjoy it as I cant see you getting any further updates

Looks like they have landed their customers in a right mess. No further firmware updates for their players any more and then they dump you with the wrong firmware that you can't recover from using your or the PCH recovery files. Doesnt seem so great to me.

I'll pass this along to Syabas to see if they can provide files to recover your unit to a eGreat player but I wouldn't hold your breath. You may be better trying other forums as opposed to the official NMT Owners forum that is provided by Syabas.

[mrdenn1s]

(01-15-2011 10:03 AM)chris57 Wrote:  Well enjoy it as I cant see you getting any further updates

Looks like they have landed their customers in a right mess. No further firmware updates for their players any more and then they dump you with the wrong firmware that you can't recover from using your or the PCH recovery files. Doesnt seem so great to me.

I'll pass this along to Syabas to see if they can provide files to recover your unit to a eGreat player but I wouldn't hold your breath. You may be better trying other forums as opposed to the official NMT Owners forum that is provided by Syabas.

Calm down Mr Alarmist.

No need to scare shitless innocent consumers who have been led down the wrong path by a dodgy Chinese OEM that passed Syabus' integrity standards.

Now that I have PCH FW on my 31B, guess to which server it points to for updates

In essense, the 31B is now a A110 in ever sense of the word except for the case. Same recovery tools, FW, update location.....everything

[chris57]

Here we go yet again

You may think that its the cleverest thing since sliced bread to be able to come onto this forum and claim innocence with regards the licence infringements. That does not cut any ice with the license holders and by now trying to suggest that Syabas are complicit that will be very helpful in any future negotiations.
You have also highlighted that you and others are now using cross flashed units and that as we have always said is against forum rules. Yes I had an idea that it had happened but I was wanting not to blow it up on the forum as now M34 owners and other eGreat NMT model owners will also be looking for future updates by this method, come on here and ask about it and get banned. Sure they'll thank you in the long run.

Try and see past your own nose end at times. Now lets get back on topic and try and find a way for eGreat owners to return their units into eGreat players without bricking their players. The instructions are on MPC forums on how to do this in reverse with a variety of OEM NMT's.

[halfelite]

That ftp and firmware are uploaded by users not egreat all someone did is take the popcorn firmware edit the file and upload it there. egreat is not putting this out. So be warned next time you flash something you might not be so lucky.

[mrdenn1s]

(01-16-2011 04:25 AM)chris57 Wrote:  Here we go yet again

You may think that its the cleverest thing since sliced bread to be able to come onto this forum and claim innocence with regards the licence infringements. That does not cut any ice with the license holders and by now trying to suggest that Syabas are complicit that will be very helpful in any future negotiations.
You have also highlighted that you and others are now using cross flashed units and that as we have always said is against forum rules. Yes I had an idea that it had happened but I was wanting not to blow it up on the forum as now M34 owners and other eGreat NMT model owners will also be looking for future updates by this method, come on here and ask about it and get banned. Sure they'll thank you in the long run.

Try and see past your own nose end at times. Now lets get back on topic and try and find a way for eGreat owners to return their units into eGreat players without bricking their players. The instructions are on MPC forums on how to do this in reverse with a variety of OEM NMT's.

(01-16-2011 04:34 AM)halfelite Wrote:  That ftp and firmware are uploaded by users not egreat all someone did is take the popcorn firmware edit the file and upload it there. egreat is not putting this out. So be warned next time you flash something you might not be so lucky.

No,

The link is from an egreat employee via the egreatworld forum to the egreat ftp site. Anyone would assume this is therefore an egreat FW, but it isn't

Chris, you should be delighted. All egreat owners are now getting a PCH experience. Why would they buy egreat again?

To cut off support for egreat owners who have been duped by egreat (like myself and I think I am a knowledgable user) from this this is cutting PCH's nose off.

Support these guys and watch as they start to buy A210, etc for their next purchase

I for one will never buy an egreat agin (maybe a 34A as PCH have no equivalent) due to this obvious lack of FW support by them'

Please embrace me

[mrdenn1s]

Chris...an update for you.

You will like this one

So, after being duped by egreat into flashing both my 31B and 34A with PCH FW, I tried to do the honourable thing and flash back to egreat FW so I wasn't breaking any licences and ensure that when I die, I go to heaven

Anyhow, first I had to find the old FW which doesnt exist on the egreatworld.com site anymore. So I went to their FAQ section and found out that the old FW's are on an old hidden site.

So I went to that secret hidden site and downloaded the last egreat FW from Dec '09

Here's the cool part

When I went to upload it to my 31B / 34A, the screen message was that I was not allowed to "cross flash"

So now, even if I want to, I can't go back to being an egreat user. I am a PCH user forevermore!

As I see it, egreat cheated me into being a PCH user with dodgy firmware, and now PCH won't let me go back to the darkside even though I want to, and yet threaten to ban me from support

I'm stuck in purgatory!

[halfelite]

egreat might give links but if you goto that ftp you can upload anything you want. so they are uploaded by users and just dodgy egreat support pointing there users to it.

[raza]

I tried the procedure - with and without jumper - + the rename of the latest firmware but the problem is still there ...ERR019 after around 12%

[mrdenn1s]

(01-17-2011 12:29 AM)halfelite Wrote:  egreat might give links but if you goto that ftp you can upload anything you want. so they are uploaded by users and just dodgy egreat support pointing there users to it.

Sure

But why would the average punter even question the link given it is given by egreat?

To cut these people off at the knees is stupid marketing by all vendors involved.

All i see is disgruntled egreat purchasers (like myself) who will be driven into the PCH camp in droves.

Open your arms to these people like Jesus would

[tinyhands]

Although I'm an egreat owner, I have a hard time getting disgruntled over the lack of future support. And I don't even have a quasi-official, back-alley hacked firmware as an option.

For one thing, my egreat was only about $150 new. Sometimes you get what you pay for, and while that ain't exactly chump change, it's not like I missed a mortgage payment for it. For another, my pre-purchase research was clearly incomplete. I admit that I didn't understand the differences between egreat, pch, hdx, and the others. It appeared to me that they all had the same basic functionality and all claimed to be supported by regular firmware updates, so I picked one that I thought looked good and had the most connections. But it's my own fault for not knowing that PCH was the original developer and that the others could be cut off at any time.

But the bottom line, the reason why I'm not totally ticked off about my Dec 2009 firmware being the latest I'll ever run ... is that it works. Is it perfect? No. Do I wish it were faster? When do you ever not want it to be faster. Do I have to be careful not to throw some obscure format at it that may or may not play? Well, it depends on how you define 'obscure' but I know how to use Handbrake to make a video that works. Does it power on and play my movies? Every. bloody. time. And when it ceases to do so, it won't be because of the firmware.

I have shifted my expectations to account for the fact that sometimes I must do a little planning ahead before settling in to watch a program. Your mileage may vary.