How to use Wwr MTK + SP Flash tool to backup Mediatek rom

[Tutorial] How to use Wwr MTK + SP Flash tool to backup Mediatek rom

hovatek
Administrator

49,774

08-02-2018, 04:39 PM

#1

This is a step-by-step guide on how to use Wwr MTK tool & SP flash tool to backup Mediatek (MTK) firmware. We had previously created guides on how to backup or dump firmware from a Mediatek (MTK) devices; using MTK droid tools , Miracle Box , Infinity CM2 MTK and using SP Flash tool . This guide is going to make use of Wwr_MTK Tool + SP flash tool and it doesn't require that you root the phone before you can make a backup.

What's the advantage of this method over SP Flash tool only dump

When attempting to dump your firmware using SP flash tool only, you'll face two challenges:

Finding a scatter file for your exact phone model (finding one for your chipset doesn't necessarily mean you can use it for a full dump of your phone)
Processing the full ROM_ to get all files in your firmware especially if MTK Droid tools doesn't support your phone. You'll usually need to dump one partition at a time to get around this.

Very Important Notice

The video and text guide on this page are based on wwr_mtk v2.30, if you're using wwr_mtk v2.51 then ensure to follow the guide @ https://www.hovatek.com/forum/thread-46323.html
If you're following the video guide, also ensure to read / check the text format guide below as there may be some info we'll add as time goes on & new changes are made, these changes may not be available in the video.
If your chipset doesn't appear in Wwr tool then you can manually add it in Wwr window in order to create the temporary scatter file OR modify the template.ini file within wwr folder & include your chipset (we've included a recent template.ini to the requirements section which should contain the most recent chipsets to present day 20/03/2019)
If you try doing a RAM test but all you see in SP flash tool is DRAM flip test, see step 17 in the text guide below. Do NOT perform DRAM flip test on your phone, it takes a long time to complete and may weaken the emmc chip on the phone
If you wish to skip userdata and cache partition because of the large size and time it takes to readback, see how to skip userdata and cache when dumping ROM using Wwr_MTK @ https://www.hovatek.com/forum/thread-22701.html
If you load your PGPT file into wwr mtk tool and it seems empty, see https://www.hovatek.com/forum/thread-22701.html for the fix
Some MTK phones (mostly recent mediatek phones) require a custom download agent (DA) and on rare cases an Auth file in order to perform operations using SP flash tool, you can check our custom DA section OR better still, use MTK Bypass

Requirements

Download Wwr_MTK tool
Download template.zip @ [ Login to download] & extract template.ini into wwr folder, replacing the existing file (this will add recent chipset types to the list in step 3 in the guide below)
Download SP flash tool
Download Notepad++
Download and Install Vcom Preloader Driver
Windows PC
MTK Phone

Steps to backup a Mediatek Android device's firmware using Wwr_MTK and SP flash tool

Follow the steps below to use Wwr_MTK tool + SP flash tool to backup Mediatek firmware

See the video tutorial below or at https://youtu.be/GMAytZ56hac

Extract the Wwr_MTK zip file then launch Wwr_MTK_V2.**.exe
When you launch the tool for the first time, the language will be in Russian. To change this, click on "the second item on the toolbar" > Language > English , then restart the tool
Select your device chipset type from the list [use the app @ https://www.hovatek.com/forum/thread-13054.html to verify your chipset] and if your chipset is not listed then scroll to the end of the list and select "Add" to add your chipset type
Select your memory storage type
Click on "Create and save as"
In the window that opens next, Select the folder location you wish to save the scatter file [this is only a temp and empty scatter file] then click on Save
Edit the scatter file using Notepad++ to get the values for preloader
We'll be using the above scatter file screenshot as an example in this tutorial but take note of the actual values in your own scatter file. The focus at this point is on 3 values
- physical_start_addr: 0x0
- partition_size: 0x80000
- region: EMMC_BOOT_1
When reading back using the SP flash tool readback guide @ https://www.hovatek.com/forum/thread-526.html , You are to select the appropriate Region , input the correct Start Address and Length.
Now, use the newly created scatter file to do an SP Flash tool readback of Region EMMC_BOOT_1 and leave the file name as ROM_0 , values are stated below.
- Region: EMMC_BOOT_1
- physical_start_addr = Start Address
- partition_size = Length
Return back to the Wwr_MTK tool, then Click on "Select File" at the top right hand corner
Navigate to the location of the ROM_0 file and select it
Click on the "Preloader" tab
Click on "Preloader analysis" and wait while the tool analysizes the ROM_0 file.
Once successful different info will be displayed on the tool (it may display wrong CPU info just ignore it) then Click on "To extract preloader and save as..."
Navigate to the folder location where you previously saved the temp scatter file, rename the filename to "preloader.bin" then Click on Save
In the small window that appears next, Click OK to proceed
Using the temp scatter file and the preloader you just generated, perform a RAM test to get the length needed to make a full ROM dump using the guide @ https://www.hovatek.com/forum/thread-21972.html . From all the info displayed after the RAM test, take note of the hex value of EMMC_PART_USER (in my case it is 0x00000003a3e00000).
[If you try doing a RAM test but all you see in SP flash tool is DRAM flip test, then get the length needed to make a full ROM dump using the guide @ https://www.hovatek.com/forum/thread-22701.html ]
Return back to SP flash tool and perform a full readback of Region EMMC_USER using the value you got from the RAM test and leave the file name as ROM_1
- Region: EMMC_USER
- Start Address: 0x0
- Length: the hex value you got for EMMC_PART_USER from RAM test
Now, you should have made a total of 2 readbacks
- ROM_0 = EMMC_BOOT_1 (PRELOADER only)
- ROM_1 = EMMC_USER (FULL DUMP except preloader)
Return back to the Wwr_MTK tool and in number 3 on the tool, Click on "Select File" then navigate to the location of the ROM_1 file and select it
The tool will scan the file then prompt you to select the file containing preloader (which is ROM_0), Click on OK to proceed
Navigate to the location of the ROM_0 file and select it (you could also select the preloader.bin you generated earlier in place of ROM_0)
The tool will scan the file and display some info about the device in red, Click on "Scatter File" tab
The items highlighted in PINK color are usually not needed when flashing, Untick them (cache and userdata are not highlighted but i have unticked them from mine because they are usually large and after flashing a different phone that is not yours with this rom, you'll need to clear userdata and cache in recovery mode for the phone to bootup properly)
Note that the partitions highlighted in PINK will not be appear in SP flash tool when you select the scatter file. If there is a partition highlighted in PINK which you want to include, then use the scroll bar to move to the right then change FALSE to TRUE by double clicking on it (i have included NVram as an example)
Click on "Auto Mode" tab
Click on "To build the firmware (Cut to partitions and create scatter file)"
In the window that opens next, select the folder location you wish to store the files (the files will be your SP flashable firmware)
Wait while the tool prepares an SP flashable ROM for you and when it is complete, you should see DONE displayed in red color
Locate the SP flashable ROM files created in the folder location you chose above

Important Notice

Credits to vvaaavv for developing and sharing Wwr_MTK tool

Video Transcript

Quote:In this video tutorial, I'll be explaining how to backup a Mediatek Android phone's firmware using WWR_MTK tool and SP Flash tool. We already have a guide on how to dump using SP Flash tool but the advantage of this method is that you don't need to have gotten a scatter file for your exact phone model okay? Unlike in the SP Flash tool method also that it processes the raw dump into separate files boot recovery, preloader and the rest for you. You also need to have installed your VCOM drivers. Very important. We have a guide on that so check it out. You need to have taken note of your phone's chipset we also have a guide on how to know your phone's chipset. Now, once you've done these, what you'll want to do is to open the wwr folder where you're going to be launching the wwr mtk exe file and then you wait for the dashboard to come up.

Once it comes up, you'll notice that its in Russian so you have to change the language. What you do is click on the tab here, click on Language and then you click on English. You close the tool then you relaunch it. When it relaunches this time around, its going to be in English then we can proceed. I'll resize this ahead of other stuff I'll be doing. Now, what you'll want to do is to select your phone's chipset . We have a guide on how to know your phone's chipset so check it out. [Selecting my phone's chipset] . Then your memory type. emmc or nand. Usually it'll be emmc but you can do some research on your phone's specs then you click on Create and save as.. Now, this is going to create a temporary scatter file. Navigate to the location where you want to save your scatter file and click on Save. That's going to create a temporary scatter file.

You can navigate to the location of the scatter file and then I'll open using Notepad++ so you can see what it looks like. Its just a temporary scatter file, its not a full scatter file like you're probably used to. The goal is just to extract certain values. Alright! So we have this scatter file here and we're going to be using some values from the scatter file okay? Let's minimize that. Now, we'll launch SP Flash tool. We're going to be doing a readback of preloder.bin. Okay? What we want to do right now is to backup preloader.bin using the values from the scatter file Just click on OK, this is nothing to worry about. So click on Choose. We're going to be loading the scatter file which wwr just created [selecting my scatter file]. Select the scatter file and click on Open.

That's going to load just one entry in SP Flash tool. So you go to the readback tab we're going to be reading back the preloader in two steps; first, readback ROM_0 then process ROM_0 OK? So you click on Add, that is going to add this row then you double-click this row. A Window will popup. Now, in this Window that pops up, you navigate to where you want to save the ROM_0 file you leave it named as ROM_0 (don't change the file name) then click on Save. In this Windows that pops up under region, you select EMMC_BOOT_1. Under Start Address, just 0x0 (that's the default Start Address. Now, under Length, you go to your scatter file. Under partition_size, you copy the value you have there then paste it under Length and you click on OK.

You're going to readback the raw preloader.bin as ROM_0. Click on Readback. Now, power off the phone, still with battery (in), don't hold any button then you connect it to the PC via USB cord. SP Flash tool should detect your phone if you have VCOM drivers installed and then you should have the bars loading any minute now. We have a red loading bar Alright! green OK so you can close this. Now, navigate to the location where you saved the ROM_0 file this is the raw preloader file. You still have to process it to preloader.bin [locating my ROM_0] using wwr to get my raw preloader.bin. [minimizing notepad++] Go to wwr. In wwr, you click on Select File at the top right corner. A window will popup. Now in this Window, select the ROM_0 and click on Open. Once the tool has loaded it, you go to the preloader tab then click on Preloader analysis (top left) that's going to analyze the preloader.

Now, once you have these details displayed click on To extract preloader and save as... Just rename this file to preloader. It already has an extension as .bin then you click on Save. That's going to save a file called preloader.bin to the same folder as my ROM_0. So I have my preloader.bin. What I've just done is to process my raw ROM_0 to preloader.bin. Now, I can go ahead. The next step is to do a RAM (memory) test using this preloader.bin in SP Flash tool. The goal of the RAM test is to get the Start Address and Length for my full romdump. Before you do that, you need to go to Download. I need too reload the scatter file so that it can detect the preloader because preloader is required for the RAM test. So I'll click on Choose again, select the scatter file and this is going to be ticked automatically.

Now, under Memory Test, you untick everything but leave RAM Test ticked and click on Start. Don't forget to reload your scatter file so that preloader will be ticked under Download. Now, once you've clicked on Start, What you'll want to do is to power off the phone, still with battery in, you connect it to the PC via a USB cord and..[error message] I think I'll have to repeat the process. I'll pause here to quickly reload the scatter file. I'll reconnect and wait for a detection. Alright! Great! I can close this. So this is the info I really need for my memory test. [scrolling] Under EMMC_PART_USER, you need to copy the value of size. That's the last thing you have there. Then maybe open notepad and you save the value there. We're going to be using this value as our Length for the full romdump okay? We're going to dump the entire rom. Now, we go back to SP Flash tool,go to the Reaadback tab. You can remove that entry then click on Add again then double-click then new entry

We're going to be going through the process all over but using different values.So this, you can name ROM_2 . Now, look at this (Lenght) value. You know you have several 0s before the first non-zero which is 3. So I just cut off all the 0s before the first non-zero digit (which is 3 in my case) and copy the reset I have. For start, I put 0x0. For Length, I just paste what I have from notepad and click on OK. So I can click Readback. You power off the phone, still with battery in, then connect to PC (no buttons held). This is the full dump. We're backing up the phone's entire partitions so this is going to take a while. but don't interrupt the process because if you do, the phone will go dead and you'll have to keep charging to get it to come back up. I have 1%. I'm going to just pause till this gets to like 99%. Alright! Great! 99% and we're almost done. Once this is done, what we're going to have is the ROM_2 file which is a full raw dump. [Green OK] So you close it.

So we have a full dump which is in its raw state (ROM_2). Now, we need to process this raw dump to get the component files like recovery, preloader and the rest.To do this, we go back to our wwr tool Auto mode tab. I'll just re-select my chipset. Click on Select File. In this Window that pops up, you select the ROM_2 file which is the raw (complete) dump. Now, this shows all the partitions which are contained in the dump I just made. This popup says you have to select your preloader.bin, click on OK. Select the preloader.bin then click Open. [processing]. Its not backing up yet. Under the scatter tab, select the partitions you want to backup I'll slide this way (right) so you have a list of all the partitions. Lets say I want to add NVRAM to the list. You'll see that NVRAM is (set to) false. To change it to true, double-click it. When you change from false to true that means its going to be contained in the processed backup (final rom).

Back to the Auto mode, I'm going to give a Go Ahead by clicking this button at the bottom which is To build the firmware.. In this Windows, select the folder where you want to save the processed files. then click on Save. I'll advise you create a new folder and then you select that folder. And sit back while the tool processes the raw file into component files. This is going to take a while so just be patient, don't interrupt the process. I'll pause (recording) here and resume when its almost done. Alright! Great! So we have a Done message. I can now go to the folder which I'd selected. Here, I have all the component files. I should have created a new folder and selected that. I have it dumped in the same location where I have my ROM_0 and the rest. So you can clean up, maybe by deleting some files you don't need like my ROM_0 and ROM_2, I don't need them anymore.

I should have created a new folder to process these. I have 2 scatter files. You can delete the temporary one. So that's basically how to dump a Mediatek Android phone's firmware using Wwr MTK & SP flash tool

This post was last modified: 09-11-2023, 07:39 PM by hovatek.

kaew158
Techie Member

54

09-02-2018, 05:51 AM

#2

Please share some software to backup Qualcomm (msm8952) chipset 's firmware.

hovatek
Administrator

49,774

09-02-2018, 11:04 AM

#3

(09-02-2018, 05:51 AM)kaew158 Please share some software to backup Qualcomm (msm8952) chipset 's firmware.

refer to https://www.hovatek.com/forum/thread-21810.html

Note!
We have a reply schedule for Free Support. Please upgrade to Private Support if you can't wait.

ColinB
Enthusiastic Member

14

14-02-2018, 10:20 PM

#4

@Hovatek

This is such a poor video you produce for this mans work.

vvaaavv Youtube

Please do again

hovatek
Administrator

49,774

15-02-2018, 09:04 AM

#5

(14-02-2018, 10:20 PM)ColinB @Hovatek

This is such a poor video you produce for this mans work.

Please do again

What were you expecting in the video that's missing?
Specifics please...
The videos are in russian and that's not exactly helpful so your input on how our video could have been better would help

This post was last modified: 15-02-2018, 09:18 AM by hovatek.

Note!
We have a reply schedule for Free Support. Please upgrade to Private Support if you can't wait.

davek17
Enthusiastic Member

13

21-02-2018, 04:15 PM

#6

Hey nice tool, I will definitely be trying this. Does it work or does anyone have any success stories with later MTK chipsets and OS's like MT 6737, mt8537 etc and Nougat?

hovatek
Administrator

49,774

21-02-2018, 08:12 PM

#7

(21-02-2018, 04:15 PM)davek17 Hey nice tool, I will definitely be trying this. Does it work or does anyone have any success stories with later MTK chipsets and OS's like MT 6737, mt8537 etc and Nougat?

try it on those chipset types and be the first to give feedback
BTW android version doesn't really matter here, the chipset on the other hand does. [e.g some MTK chipsets are still not supported by latest SPft version .etc]

This post was last modified: 21-02-2018, 08:12 PM by X3non.

deb80
Newbie

3

30-03-2018, 07:13 PM

#8

Hello.

The MMTK Droid Tool does not seem to work on my phone as i am trying to dump my firmware. I could not get/see the "block" button as i try to edit via notepad.

My phone model is: Infinix Note 4 X572 (Oreo 8.1.0 updated) Build: H5312CE-O-180203V55 (chipset): MT6753 (aarch64) Kernel: 3.18.79+ SDK27

Please help me

xerxes
Senior Member

8,357

31-03-2018, 10:10 AM

#9

(30-03-2018, 07:13 PM)deb80 Hello.
The MMTK Droid Tool does not seem to work on my phone as i am trying to dump my firmware. I could not get/see the "block" button as i try to edit via notepad.
My phone model is: Infinix Note 4 X572 (Oreo 8.1.0 updated) Build: H5312CE-O-180203V55 (chipset): MT6753 (aarch64) Kernel: 3.18.79+ SDK27
Please help me

Follow the guide on this page(wwr) or try https://www.hovatek.com/forum/thread-13347.html .
Make sure to properly install VCOM drivers before doing it.

hovatek
Administrator

49,774

01-04-2018, 01:52 PM

#10

(30-03-2018, 07:13 PM)deb80 Hello.

The MMTK Droid Tool does not seem to work on my phone as i am trying to dump my firmware. I could not get/see the "block" button as i try to edit via notepad.

My phone model is: Infinix Note 4 X572 (Oreo 8.1.0 updated) Build: H5312CE-O-180203V55 (chipset): MT6753 (aarch64) Kernel: 3.18.79+ SDK27

Please help me

MTK Droid tools does not support newer MTK phones and chipsets

Note!
We have a reply schedule for Free Support. Please upgrade to Private Support if you can't wait.

View a Printable Version

Users browsing this thread:
2 Guest(s)

What's the advantage of this method over SP Flash tool only dump

Very Important Notice

Requirements

Steps to backup a Mediatek Android device's firmware using Wwr_MTK and SP flash tool

Find us

Call us

Mail us

Useful Links

Actions