Maemish | # 1371 | 2021-10-10, 21:02 | Report

What about Rescue Os? Could it be a solution for Mivas?

peterleinchen | # 1372 | 2021-10-10, 22:05 | Report

Yes.
It will export all partitions. But I am afraid only for Linux machines, not Windows.

joerg_rw | # 1373 | 2021-10-10, 22:35 | Report

The problem seems to start in a misconception of what a maemo fremantle device is and how it works

>> it's not a phone, it's a palmtop << or somesuch the original Nokia advertisment which is pretty much to the point.

N900 is a SingleBoardComputer like raspberry pi or a zillion others, and runs a pretty standard linux. there's no "ROM" to "dump ", but there's for example ssh-server that offers access with root permissions to shell and vie sftp for data transfer from (and usually to) literally every storage existing on the device. You however WILL have to install ssh-server for that - I don't see where from that requirement to >>Most important thing is that I don't install anything to the device<< arises, what's wrong with installing ssh-server for example? You could access it even from a windows PC with putty or the like

cheers
jOERG

Mivas_Greece | # 1374 | 2021-10-11, 06:58 | Report

Thanks a lot for the feedback! No I don't need backup of files, but rather extract the firmware if possible... I am afraid if I try to install something on this device, it will brick... Also, I guess RescueOS is similar to backup menu, so it requires installation to the device?

I am not sure, but are there perhaps more generic tools for Linux OS extraction that might also work?

Mivas_Greece | # 1375 | 2021-10-11, 07:02 | Report

Ok... I see, that was my alternative option... But does it require installation to the device or after I plug it I can make it work? Perhaps I could install Linux on an old laptop I have just for that purpose...

Mivas_Greece | # 1376 | 2021-10-11, 07:07 | Report

Hi, in either case I just trying to extract firmware via Meamo-ish ways, else, I need something more generic that could work for any Linux distro... Since I have no information about the OS itself, I don't want to try installing anything as, if it is incompatible (most likely), it might risk bricking the device.

Edit: So, this ssh-server would be fine on any Linux-based system? And with ftp transfer can I make an entire clone/"dump ROM" of its flash drive (or whatever it has) that can be flashed back to it if needed?

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Last edited by Mivas_Greece; 2021-10-11 at 07:15.

mrsellout | # 1377 | 2021-10-11, 13:34 | Report

To continue on Joerg's track, maemo is based on Debian linux, with it's own custom desktop environment: it's just linux that runs on a device with phone capabilities. Have a read of the wiki to try to get a better understanding of the n900 and maemo.

Even if you install something that prevents it from booting you can use the flasher to boot up with a rescue kernel and you can fix the issues, just as you might with a PC/laptop using a bootable USB disk.

Alternatively you can flash a firmware (or what you consider a ROM) to revert back to factory conditions.

BackupMenu gives you the option at boot up to boot something similar to a Rescue kernel, without mounting the root partition, and allows you to back it up. You can then boot normally and copy that backup on to your PC or if you used an SD Card, you could just pull that out and keep that safe.
If you then need to go back to that backup you just reboot the device with the keyboard open, and when BackupMenu starts up, you just select the option to restore a backup.


This can be a bit overwhelming, but there's so much documentation about this device it will do you the world of good just to spend a few hours reading around the wiki.

And it's well worth doing too, I bought mine in 2010, and before that I'd dabbled with linux, but failed to stick with it (not having a compatible modem was just one issue), but once I started using maemo, I quite quickly crossed over and haven't looked back

Maemish | # 1378 | 2021-10-11, 15:50 | Report

What about using cloning? Could that be sort of what he is trying to find. I remember someone explained here about a year ago how he is doing it.

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Last edited by Maemish; 2021-10-11 at 16:02.

Mivas_Greece | # 1379 | 2021-10-11, 16:39 | Report

Is it possible to make an entire clone of its memory? That would be what I need. And a clone might be mountable I guess, or flashable etc if someone wants to look into the files.

joerg_rw | # 1380 | 2021-10-11, 17:08 | Report

Why extract? you got all of the software, almost all even in source code, on garage and in repos and in the firmware images.

N900 is absolutely unbrickable, worst case you need "coldflashing" but that's highly unlikely to ever happen.
For a "complete dump" of the N900 flash drive , and restore, use plain backup-menu


This device is WAY MORE hacker friendly than you obviously think it were :-)


cheers
/j