Install /e/OS on a Sony Xperia Tablet Z2 Wi-Fi - “castor_windy”

The instructions in this guide will assist you to install /e/OS on your castor_windy. Please read through the instructions at least once before actually following them, so as to avoid any problems later.

It is important that you know that downgrading Smartphones on OS versions greater than the /e/OS OS version you plan to install, can cause instability or at worst brick some devices. We recommend that you check your current OS version, before attempting the installation.

It is advisable to flash your device only if you know what you are doing and are ok taking the associated risk. All /e/OS builds are provided as best effort, without any guarantee. The /e/OS project and its project members deny any and all responsibility about the consequences of using /e/OS software and or /e/OS services.

Requirements

If required take a backup of all important data from your phone on an external storage device before proceeding.
Do not take a backup on the same device as some of these actions will format the device and delete the backup.
Ensure your phone is charged more than 50%
Check that adb and fastboot are enabled on your PC. If not you can find the setup instructions here
Download all the files and images mentioned in the download section below before starting the installation
Make sure you have a working data cable to connect your device to the PC. There are cables which are only for charging and do not transfer data.
Enable USB debugging on your device. You can find the instructions here
Make sure that your model is listed in the Smartphone Selector. Check the model supported. Where available, information on the model supported should show as a pop-up when you hover the cursor on the Device name. The model number supported should be the exact same.
Boot your device with the stock OS at least once and check every functionality.

Warning: Make sure that you can send and receive SMS and place and receive calls (also via WiFi and LTE, if available), otherwise it will not work on /e/OS as well. Additionally, some devices require that VoLTE/VoWiFi be utilized once on stock to provision IMS.

Please share your experience , suggest tips or changes to this install guide documentation by visiting the Xperia Tablet Z2 Wi-Fi specific topic on our community forum.

To report issues in /e/OS please refer this guide

Downloads for castor_windy

/e/OS Recovery for community build
/e/OS build : Q community

To understand the difference between /e/OS builds check this guide

Special Requirements

Warning: Before following these instructions please ensure that the device is on firmware version 23.5.A.1.291. To discern this, you can run the command adb shell getprop ro.build.display.id on the stock ROM after following the steps under the Requirements header above. If the device is not on the specified version, please follow the instructions below to install it.

Caution: Flashtool version 0.9.19.9 or later is required.

Download and install Flashtool on your machine
- If you’re are a Windows user of any version, open a file explorer and navigate to C:\Flashtool\drivers folder, then install the drivers found within
- Additionally, if you are a Windows 8.1 (x64) user you will need a patch found here
Reboot your machine
On the device, navigate to the Settings app, in the System menu, under the About this device listing, and take note of your model number & carrier
Open Flashtool
Click the symbol to download and open XperiFirm (round button on the right) to download the latest firmware for your device
In XPeriFirm, select your device and an appropriate firmware on the middle column with the version 23.5.A.1.291. Then click on the firmware on the right side below Available Firmware and download it
After the download finished, close XperiFirm. Flashtool now automatically recognizes the downloaded files and prepares the image to be flashed
Now click on the lightning symbol (flash device), select Flashmode and click on OK
Select the firmware file you just downloaded above
Check all the boxes under the “Wipe” menu
Click “Flash” ..It may take a few minutes for the flashing progress indicator to pop up
Turn off your phone.
Hold the volume-down button and keep holding while connecting the device to your PC
Once the flashing process has started, release the volume rocker as soon as possible
When the flash finishes, boot up the device and once booted, please proceed with the instructions

Warning: Ensure the USB cable doesn’t come unplugged during the flashing process!

Unlocking the bootloader

Tip: The steps given below only need to be run once per device.

Warning: Some vendors/manufacturers prevent the bootloader from being unlocked. Depending on where your device was acquired you may or may not be able to unlock the bootloader. To verify if your device is compatible please check the devices list.

Warning: Unlocking the bootloader will erase all data on your device! This also includes your DRM keys, which are stored in the Trim Area partition (also called TA). Before proceeding, ensure the data you would like to retain is backed up to your PC and/or your Google account, or equivalent. Please note that OEM backup solutions like Samsung and Motorola backup may not be accessible from /e/OS once installed. If you wish to backup the TA partition first, you can find tutorials related to your device on the internet.

On the device, dial *#*#7378423#*#* (*#*#SERVICE#*#*) to launch the service menu.
Go to service info > configuration and check rooting status - you can only continue if it says Bootloader unlock allowed: Yes.
Connect the device to your PC via USB.
On the computer, open a command prompt (on Windows) or terminal (on Linux or macOS) window, and type:
```
 adb reboot bootloader
```
Follow the instructions on Sony’s official unlocking website to unlock your bootloader.
Use your code to unlock the bootloader of your device:

fastboot oem unlock <your_unlock_code>
Since the device resets completely, you will need to re-enable USB debugging to continue (Settings->About Phone->Build version, and then you can go to Settings->Developer opptions to enable USB debugging).

Installing a custom recovery using `fastboot`

Before proceeding ensure you have downloaded the custom recovery from the link given in the Download section above
Connect your device to your PC via USB.
On the computer, open a command prompt (on Windows) or terminal (on Linux or macOS) window, and type:
```
 adb reboot bootloader
```
You can also boot into fastboot mode via a key combination:
- Lorsque l’appareil est hors tension
- hold Volume Up and connect the USB cable. The notification light should turn blue.
Once the device is in fastboot mode, verify your PC finds it by typing:
```
fastboot devices
```
Tip: If you see no permissions fastboot while on Linux or macOS, try running fastboot as root

Tip: Some devices have buggy USB support while in bootloader mode. If fastboot hangs with no output when using commands such as fastboot getvar .. , fastboot boot …, fastboot flash … try a different USB port (preferably a USB Type-A 2.0 one) or a USB hub
Flash a recovery image onto your device by typing
```
 fastboot flash recovery recoveryfilename.img
```
Replace the recoveryfilename with the name of the recovery image you downloaded in the previous section
Now reboot into recovery to verify the installation:
- Lorsque l’appareil est hors tension
- hold Volume Down + Power Keep holding both buttons until the device vibrates, then release.

Steps to install /e/OS from recovery

Tip: Use the volume keys to navigate and power key to select

Tip: Use the volume up key to choose the arrow at the top to go back to main screen

Tip: If your PC is unable to detect your device with adb in the /e/OS recovery main screen tap Advanced » Enable adb

Format the device

On /e/OS Recovery main screen:

Select Factory reset
Select Format data / Factory reset option
Next screen will display a warning that this action cannot be undone
Select Format data to proceed or Cancel if you want to go back
If you selected Format data, the format process will complete

Tip: You will see text in small font on the lower left side of the screen mentioning format progress

The small font text would be similar to this
```
 Wiping data
 Formatting/data
 Formatting/cache
 Data wipe complete
```
Display will now return to the Factory Reset screen

Install /e/OS

In /e/OS recovery main screen:

Select Apply Update and in next screen Apply update from adb
In the next screen, the device is now in sideload mode

Note at this point the Cancel option is highlighted that does not mean you have canceled the action. The device is in adb sideload mode.
On your PC type begin adb sideload. Type the below command in a console

adb sideload downloaded_file_name.zip

Replace downloaded_file_name.zip with the name of the /e/OS file you downloaded in the previous section
Press enter key on the keyboard to start the sideloading The screen will show the progress percentage…This might pause at 47%
Give it some time
The PC console will now display Total xfer: 1.00x
The phone screen will now display some text with a message similar to

Script succeeded result was [1.000000]

This means that the install was successful.

Reboot the device