Failing to init and boot

[rstrblstr]

I'm normally really good with this stuff. I run my own linux server, have done plenty of sdcard image flashes for a variety of hardware, run OpenWRT on a Pi, run custom DNS on another Pi, root all of my Android phones, etc, etc... I hate to post another one of these, but I can't seem to get the GarlicOS 2.0 bootloader to run the init on TF2.

Any help would be great. I'll update this with my results.

setup:

• Stock OS on TF1 is RG35XXPLUS-EN231212.
• GarlicOS Bootloader files are all placed on the stock RG35XX-Plus roms partition in TF1.
• exFAT formatted TF2 card has '/boot/init' and '/boot/rootfs.f2fs' (armhf version) loaded onto it.
• init file was downloaded raw from the template init on github.

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troubleshooting:

• init file was tried created from scratch using nano.
• init file was tried after being made executable with chmod.
• I've tried using the stock os card that came with the device, the latest stock os (both 35XXPLUS-64GB-EN231212.IMG and RG35XXPLUS-EN231212-NOROMS.img), along with the slimmed down stock os ADX-RG35XX-PLUS.img.
• Tried holding the Menu button during boot.
• I am doing exactly the install steps shown here: https://youtu.be/w4_Z46w9n3g?si=N-uITo5iFOSrbDTJ&t=1145

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currently:

• The device continues to boot up fine into the TF1 stock os, but that's it.
• No folders are being created on TF2; the init does not appear to run.
• The only weird thing I'm doing is using macos for all of this, but that's never been a problem before for this sort of thing. I'll use my RasPi4 or a Windows VM if someone has a good reason for doing so.
• I have formatted the TF2 multiple times and tried again, and again.

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questions:

• I noticed the init mentions '/boot/boot/rootfs.f2fs' is the rootfs image supposed to instead be at /boot/boot/rootfs.f2fs? (edit: I tried it there with no luck.)
• Is there any reason that the latest 231212 StockOS version would stop working with the current bootloader? (given that the older slimmed down version that people have had luck with isn't working either, I'm guessing this isn't the problem.)

[Black-Seraph]

Are you by any chance using Windows as your operating system?

It loves to add .txt extensions to the init script.
It needs to be extension-less, which means you might have to enable the display of known extensions in your Windows folder options or rename the file via its properties dialog.

All GarlicOS files need to be stored in a subfolder named boot inside the exfat formatted MicroSD card.
Both the init script and the rootfs file need to be placed inside this boot folder.

[rstrblstr]

This was actually with macos. Init file is definitely good; I both downloaded the raw file straight to the card, and have tried creating it directly in Nano.

Someone on Reddit claimed to have been having the same problem with his mac before switching over to windows to do the exFAT format, and had success.

He suggested, and my current theory, is that there's something different about the way macos diskutility formats exFAT that was keeping the device from reading it properly.

My plan was to try an alternate CLI app for it, or do it in Linux before breaking out a Windows VM, but I ran out of time to play around with it before giving it as a Christmas gift. I'll be taking another run at it in the coming months when mine arrives, for actual testing and messing around, or I eventually retake custody of the gifted rg35xxplus once there's a stable release.

Thanks for all your work, and thanks for the reply! You're welcome to close this for now and I'll reopen when I get back to it.

[efipso]

I've had the same issue, and after formatting again from Windows it works fine

[larsfagerbakke]

I've had the same issue, and after formatting again from Windows it works fine

What tool did you use and what scheme did you format it to? exFat? Fat32? The stock sd card comes as a Fat32. With Minitool partition wizard on windows I've tried both exFat and Fat32. .sh extension AND no extension for the init without luck.

[efipso]

I've had the same issue, and after formatting again from Windows it works fine

What tool did you use and what scheme did you format it to? exFat? Fat32? The stock sd card comes as a Fat32. With Minitool partition wizard on windows I've tried both exFat and Fat32. .sh extension AND no extension for the init without luck.

When it worked, I'd used Minitool Partition Wizard and formatted the SD (a Kingston one with almost a week of use) as exFAT
For init file I've directly downloaded the file from github (link) and copied on SD without any extension, just named "init".

Try this if you don't done it like this, directly download the file and copy it to the SD(the file itself, you don't need to touch the code)

[SlowpokeFisher]

Adding my two cents here, I assume this has something to do with the partition table.

I don't remember how I ended up with a RAW based exFAT FS (no partition table, just one exFAT FS consuming the whole disk). Windows is reading it fine, but apparently the boot env on RG35xx+ doesn't like it. It always booted into TF1 stock OS. After reformatting my TF2 with SD formatter, which ends up with a MBR table and one exFAT partition, it's booting into Garlic without issue.

I didn't try GPT, but I'd assume others running into the same issue is more likely to be caused by GPT rather than RAW like me. I can validate it and update back later.

Edit: I tested and find that GPT actually also work. So the issue only occurs for RAW.

[jiannazzone]

Adding my two cents here, I assume this has something to do with the partition table.

I don't remember how I ended up with a RAW based exFAT FS (no partition table, just one exFAT FS consuming the whole disk). Windows is reading it fine, but apparently the boot env on RG35xx+ doesn't like it. It always booted into TF1 stock OS. After reformatting my TF2 with SD formatter, which ends up with a MBR table and one exFAT partition, it's booting into Garlic without issue.

I didn't try GPT, but I'd assume others running into the same issue is more likely to be caused by GPT rather than RAW like me. I can validate it and update back later.

I just wanted to chime in one more time that the suggestion from @SlowpokeFisher worked for me.

[pehesse]

Adding my two cents here, I assume this has something to do with the partition table.

I don't remember how I ended up with a RAW based exFAT FS (no partition table, just one exFAT FS consuming the whole disk). Windows is reading it fine, but apparently the boot env on RG35xx+ doesn't like it. It always booted into TF1 stock OS. After reformatting my TF2 with SD formatter, which ends up with a MBR table and one exFAT partition, it's booting into Garlic without issue.

I didn't try GPT, but I'd assume others running into the same issue is more likely to be caused by GPT rather than RAW like me. I can validate it and update back later.

That worked for me too. Thank you very much!