Does Version 1.17 lock out the HACK to make the E2 into ES2?

SMK · Post by **SMK** » Sat Oct 31, 2015 12:06 am

My guess is Korg is using the new 1.17 update to block the recent E2 to ES2 hack.

It has been reported that once you install the 1.17 VSB file that you can no longer revert back to the older firmware such as 1.03 and 1.10. As ridiculous as it sounds there are reasons users prefer their older versions of the firmware.

Anyhow my thinking is this: The Hack is a system.VSB file. 1.17 is also a System.VSB file. So basically if Korg introduced code in the 1.17 VSB file that prevents other versions of the VSB file to replace the newer VSB file, then that goes to say the hacked VSB (based on the 1.10 and 1.06 VSB files) is most likly not going to work. If anything I'm guessing one would need to hack version 1.17 to be swap-able before using it...at there own risk!

So before the rest of the community, that loved swapping os's, falls for the 1.17, can anyone who has installed 1.17 see if the hack still works?

Or is everyone else thinking the same thing I am and didn't do the update?

robotunes · Post by **robotunes** » Sat Oct 31, 2015 4:12 am

Confirmed: Updated E2S cannot load older OS versions, so the hack doesn't work after update. I presume that's true of the E2 as well.

Telengard · Post by **Telengard** » Sat Oct 31, 2015 12:00 pm

robotunes wrote:Confirmed: Updated E2S cannot load older OS versions, so the hack doesn't work after update. I presume that's true of the E2 as well.

I don't think it ever was able to load older versions. The hack used the current system files and changed some of the values in them. So it may still be possible with the new files.

Anyone??

JoyrexJ9 · Post by **JoyrexJ9** » Sat Oct 31, 2015 2:08 pm

Telengard wrote:
robotunes wrote:Confirmed: Updated E2S cannot load older OS versions, so the hack doesn't work after update. I presume that's true of the E2 as well.
I don't think it ever was able to load older versions. The hack used the current system files and changed some of the values in them. So it may still be possible with the new files.

Anyone??

Exactly, people are confusing not being able to rollback the firmware with not being able to swap the firmware.
It's a few bytes swapped in the header file - I've seen nothing yet with someone swapping the bytes in the file, and then confirming that the hack no longer works

pauloapo · Post by **pauloapo** » Sat Oct 31, 2015 4:31 pm

But then, why on earth would they make it so you can't roll back to previous firmware?

That's something you're supposed to be allowed to do with anything that gets updated, just in case the newer version doesn't work so great.

To me, this is a signal of an effort to lock out the possibility of switching. I may be wrong of course. and I know for sure I'll stick with 1.10 until proven so.

I'd be very cautious about trying to hack this new firmware.

SMK · Post by **SMK** » Sat Oct 31, 2015 9:35 pm

In previous firmware versions you could roll back the firmware. I've done it and so have others.

The firmware prevents that from happening.

What you can not use of the Hack is the files you have made since those files are all based on version 1.10 for E2 and 1.06 for ES2.

You will have to hack the new firmware 1.17 and 1.14 to be swapping OS's.
The first part of the hack is to remove what ever code prevents reverting bacl to a previous version...this is what gives the OS it's swapping feature. Next you have hack the OS to allow for uploading the Sampling version and another OS for uploading the Synth version.

It's my guess that Korg believed if users felt burdened with trying to hack a new OS for every new Firmware upgrade then users would least likely to attempt to hack the firmware.

Telengard · Post by **Telengard** » Sun Nov 01, 2015 1:20 am

SMK wrote:In previous firmware versions you could roll back the firmware. I've done it and so have others..

Are you 100% sure of this? I tried it from version 1.10 back to 1.03 and it wouldn't let me.

But then, why on earth would they make it so you can't roll back to previous firmware?

Apple does this all the time, not letting you roll back your iOS versions. It isn't that uncommon. But in saying that, I hate it myself because I bought the hardware and I should be able to do ANYTHING I want to with it.

JoyrexJ9 · Post by **JoyrexJ9** » Sun Nov 01, 2015 9:28 am

SMK wrote:The first part of the hack is to remove what ever code prevents reverting back to a previous version...this is what gives the OS it's swapping feature.

That's not how the "hack" works at all.
It's simply swapping a few checksum bytes in the header so the ES2 firmware looks like an E2 firmware and tricks the E2 into accepting it.
It has nothing to do with versions, no code is removed at all

SMK · Post by **SMK** » Tue Nov 03, 2015 10:24 am

JoyrexJ9 wrote:
SMK wrote:The first part of the hack is to remove what ever code prevents reverting back to a previous version...this is what gives the OS it's swapping feature.
That's not how the "hack" works at all.
It's simply swapping a few checksum bytes in the header so the ES2 firmware looks like an E2 firmware and tricks the E2 into accepting it.
It has nothing to do with versions, no code is removed at all

Ah, cool! Well, JoyrexJ9, it sounds like you are the right person to make us a version of both upgrades that will allow us to rollback to previous versions of the OS. It would be great if you or someone could cut us a version for 1.14. I upgraded my sampler and the damn X/Y pad still won't work like I am used to.

Poumtschak · Post by **Poumtschak** » Tue Nov 03, 2015 12:41 pm

With the E2 <-> E2S strings swap, and the last byte (23 for E2 - 24 for E2S), OS version number was actually part of the mod.
So one could try to edit the E2 1.10 OS and change its version number (01 0A) to anything higher than 17 (01 11), see if the updated tribe just checks that before flashing the firmware. Same goes for the E2S, you do the maths.

At you own risk, needless to say.

Code: Select all

E2 v1.10 (01 0A)

4B 4F 52 47 20 53 59 53 54 45 4D 20 46 49 4C 45
45 32 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
53 59 53 54 45 4D 00 00 00 01 01 0A 00 01 23 FF

KORG SYSTEM FILEE2..............SYSTEM........#ÿ

E2 v1.17 (01 11)

4B 4F 52 47 20 53 59 53 54 45 4D 20 46 49 4C 45
45 32 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
53 59 53 54 45 4D 00 00 00 01 01 11 00 01 23 FF

KORG SYSTEM FILEE2..............SYSTEM........#ÿ

E2S v1.06 (01 06)

4B 4F 52 47 20 53 59 53 54 45 4D 20 46 49 4C 45 
45 32 53 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 
53 59 53 54 45 4D 00 00 00 01 01 06 00 01 24 FF

KORG SYSTEM FILEE2S.............SYSTEM........$ÿ

E2S v1.14 (01 0E)

4B 4F 52 47 20 53 59 53 54 45 4D 20 46 49 4C 45
45 32 53 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
53 59 53 54 45 4D 00 00 00 01 01 0E 00 01 24 FF

KORG SYSTEM FILEE2S.............SYSTEM........$ÿ

I'm more keen to think preventing the rollback to an older OS has to do with user support. Most of the time in IT, first thing they ask you is to make sure you have the latest firmware...

On the other hand, both E2/E2S OS had a whopping increment of 6 in version number before releasing those one to public. Food for thoughts indeed, given how scarse is the changelist.

_INTER_ · Post by **_INTER_** » Tue Nov 03, 2015 12:43 pm

@SMK. "swapping a few checksum bytes" alone proves that actually JoyrexJ9 is the clueless one.

So one could try to edit the E2 1.10 OS and change its version number to anything higher than 17, see if the updated tribe just checks that before flashing the firmware.

And after you done (and it works) and want to update to the actual latest version you'd need to increase the version again.

Poumtschak · Post by **Poumtschak** » Tue Nov 03, 2015 5:13 pm

_INTER_ wrote:And after you done (and it works) and want to update to the actual latest version you'd need to increase the version again.

The version checking is a novelty on OS 1.17, so provided it works, if you flash on an OS 1.17 electribe2 an edited OS 1.10 where the version byte 01 0A has been changed to - say - 01 12 (1.18 ), the checking code will not be there anymore next time since its the good old 1.10 running for real.

It's getting confusing though.

_INTER_ · Post by **_INTER_** » Tue Nov 03, 2015 8:14 pm

ah yea thats true

immon · Post by **immon** » Tue Nov 03, 2015 10:15 pm

Ok so I just attempted to update my hacked E2 (the grey one which was running the sampler os 1.10) to 1.14. I did this on the assumption that it would become the updated sampler.

It is now stuck after booting and simply says 'software update' I have then tried to reload 1.14 and it says 'working' and then says 'error no file'.

Please deduce from this whatever you like.

Tarekith · Post by **Tarekith** » Wed Nov 04, 2015 7:05 am

What if you try loading the new grey os?

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Does Version 1.17 lock out the HACK to make the E2 into ES2?

Does Version 1.17 lock out the HACK to make the E2 into ES2?

Hack > update > fail