Hi Guys I found a new way to get beyond avos and right into a root console - Its a bit tricky and you need some extra hardware for it but it works on my 2.1.0.4 Firmware and it should work on all others to that point.

Here´s how it works:

You Need:

1 Docking Station
1 USB/serial converter
1 PC with serial port or another converter
1 serial cable

Ok basics first.



It tells us that the archos opens 8 local and 4 remote consoles.
We cannot access the local consoles because we cannot enter ctrl alt f1(although i guess that avos would ignore this key combo)

BUT using the USB serial adapter we can enter a console.

What you have to do:
remove the Archos from your docking station
plugin your USB Serial Connector into the USB Host of the archos. Connect it to your pc using the serial cable(and the other converter if you dont have a serial port anymore)
start your computer
shut down your archos completely(hold Poweron 4 seconds)
put the archos into your docking station
It will automatically boot up.
your USB serial converter will now be /dev/ttyS1 (ttyS0 is the infrared port of the docking station).
You can connect to the Archos using your computer (i used this software: http://www.heise.de/software/download/s ... inal/37876 ==> it is in english for all of you, folks) and login as root.

There you stand here we go.

NOTE: it is required that you proceed the above steps in order. when the unit is not completely shut down as you put it into your docking station it will not load the needed driver that maps the USB to serial. This needs to be done at boot time otherwise the archos will not open a console on this serial port.

sweet

So can I now put qtopia on my 605 with fw 2.1.04? Are there other things that need to be done or can I just put the original qtopia file on my archos and run the commands from my computer that before I had to run from the GFT hack?

my hack enables you to do exactly the same things that the arcwelder/GFT does, just in an other way, so yes, you can run qtopia with your 605. Note that you´ll have to put the image of qtopia onto the archos _before_ you apply my hack, because the USB host blocks the USB-Client Port(named USB B on the Docking station) physically.

This is a good one! :)

Actually, it's not even a hack, the door was wide-open all the time... :D

But I guess Archos can feel quite secure as they activated the lock-down feature of the bootflash in 1.8.x which makes messing with the bootloader extremely difficult to say the least...

Nice find suRRendeR =D> . I will try it tomorrow when I have the usb to serial from my work :D
I am also quite curious when Archos is releasing a firmware update to close this :roll: .

Maurice 8)

You mean in order to get some bug fixes and new features we have to continue finding hacks? ;)

Yes, they will be forced to continue support for the 605 :lol:

Maurice 8)

nice find buddy, but - before i rush out and buy an adaptor - will a minidock do the trick too?

I dont know because i do only have a Docking Station. As far as it has a USB Host(That plug a computer has, where you plug your usb stick in) I see no reason why it shouldnt.

And yes its not really a hack, its more likely a backdoor that has been left open, so fixing it with future fw releases is to be expected. But I guess its good to have the archos open, at least for me, as I have my wireless http server up and running again.

btw @Laforma: Wait before you buy an adaptor, because now that the device is open i am going to check out more theories I had about getting inside the Archos like an udev Exploit which could make it much easier to access the device(and especially with more common additional hardware. And there are some other theories i always wanted to test.

cool, another way in :) .

better than my attempt to access the boootloader (hit a dead-end in 6 hours :oops: )
at least it still has fw: 1.7.13


anyway is there a hardware hack that can interface this usb port without a dock(I tried looking on the other forums)?

the mini dock has an usb host port too, so consider buying it, its worth the money anyway :)

the few reasons why i was going to build one my self are because of:
1.)the only access to the internet is the virus and spyware filled council pc's at the library or,
2.)the internet access around my mates (where i was attempting to hack the bootloader of the archos whilst fixing his pc),
3.)i love hardware hacking (and better at it in comparision to software)

for '1' ill be wondering why the device cost £1000 leaving me in big debt!,
for '2' i dont want my mate to think i'm using him for his internet,
for '3' i'll find it fun'-ish' and it can be done within my spare time (whilst no-one is about),

unless they do them in my local store:
currys,
comet,
PC World
ect...?

might check it out sometime.

Sweet! Now I can send my broken USB archos in for repairs!

This is very promising. But I'd be interested in knowing how it works...

At what stage during the boot process does the 605 load the driver for the usb-serial converter? And why does it even _have_ a driver for a USB serial converter? Presumably you'd need a specific type of converter, right? There are about a dozen popular usb-serial chipsets around -- or does the 605 have drivers for them all? (and why?) Or is this `feature' something that was put in deliberately for (e.g.,) fault finding in the factory?

When you connect the usb-serial converter and the unit boots, does the ordinary boot process get blocked somehow? That is, do you end up in -s single user mode or something like that? Or does the boot continue and load AVOS and all that stuff?

have you a photo of the connexion ??

Nice done...
I will try it.

Thanks

Edit:I try to translate it for french communauty,but y failed.If someone can do this,please?

As Far as I know the Archos can load The driver after booting into AVOS as well, I just guess it just doesnt open a serial console when the converter is attached to the Archos after it has booted, so far that leaves me to conclude that the archos kernel does detect and insert the correct module/or it has it monolithic and then sets up consoles.

FYI I used a generic Sitecom USB Serial converter bought in a local electronics store. The drivers are there noteably inside the Sources(even that old one Archos release -> look inside AX05_GPL/linux_davinci/drivers/usb/serial.

the boot process continues and The archos is booted up till the end(ohm AVOS) u can use the AVOS just as usual. It is basically like GFT, as everything happens under the GUI.



I guess they just didnt remove it when they started programming the firmware from the davinci linux branch.

I don't have a minidock yet, but is it possible to use ucom and tty under linux to do this without serial cables at all? You'd still have to make a franken-usb cable, but you wouldn't have to mess with serial cables.

@suRRendeR

If I connect the USB to serial converter I got, it displays the message USB device not supported I think that means mine is not supported by the drivers or is it normal?
I have an edgeport/1 from http://www.digi.com/products/model.jsp? ... d=207&pm=Y
What settings on the port are you using?

Thanks in advance

Maurice 8)