6 hours ago, Datsun said:

I had used a Windows machine to make a backup of mine but I am not sure that it worked for me. I ended up using Linux Mint, using the dd command to make a back image. 
Does this help ?

I've used osx, windoze and Linux. They all work.

I appreciate the help thanks very much 

but I am no wiser.

I am new to this and what I really need is for someone to help me through the process preferably on a windows machine as I don’t have access to one with Linux.

Thanks again 

22 hours ago, bonee said:

I've used osx, windoze and Linux. They all work.

What did you use on windows machine please help.

I used Win32 Imager. 

10 minutes ago, Datsun said:

I used Win32 Imager. 

Do you think it worked?

 I’m researching how to add a Linux partition to my computer did that one definitely work 

thanks again 

When I used it I used a cheap sd card I bought on Amazon. It worked for a while, a very short while. Then I ponied up and bought a 16gb, class 10  San Disc sd card. Used my Linux Mint to image it on there and have no issues since. I might have screwed it up in the Windows machine, it was my first attempt at doing this or it just might’ve been the cheap card. 

22 minutes ago, Datsun said:

When I used it I used a cheap sd card I bought on Amazon. It worked for a while, a very short while. Then I ponied up and bought a 16gb, class 10  San Disc sd card. Used my Linux Mint to image it on there and have no issues since. I might have screwed it up in the Windows machine, it was my first attempt at doing this or it just might’ve been the cheap card. 

Thank you so much sir 

I have bought a good quality card and will try the Linux method described in one of your posts, that’s when I figure out how to add Linux to my machine.

thank you very much for your help.

I just hope it helps you. I was frustrated for a long time reading any and everything I could on here before I finally got it right. Good luck. 

16 hours ago, mickem60 said:

What did you use on windows machine please help.

Win32 Disk Imager

1 minute ago, bonee said:

Win32 Disk Imager

Thanks a lot 

On 7/16/2022 at 4:34 PM, mclairs said:

Hi All,

Anyone know if Z9250 is the same as W4500NEX? I tried changing the panel touch type to resistence, it does boot but the touchscreen aint working

not sure where else to look at. Just want to confirm before i burn more SDcard away. =(

On 9/21/2022 at 8:42 AM, MaxL said:

If anyone interested i can help fixing.

Do you have a backup image of AVH-Z9200DAB thatI can use to restore my device any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

..........

On 7/13/2021 at 1:19 PM, slackwaredragon said:

[7/13/2021 update - Part 2 added, see second post]

I've gotten a bunch of messages and gave a few empty promises (sorry guys) that I'd write this up. Life got busy and I haven't had time to tinker with my w4500nex, especially since I traded in my Jeep for a well-equipped Ram (that 12" screen is both awesome and underwhelming). I haven't played with this since but I figured at the very least I could give you a how-to so you could get your radios back online and hopefully someone can build upon my work and make these things really powerful. The software might suck, but the audio hardware and features are a lot better than many of the android models you find on eBay. I've broken this up into 3 sections; how to build a working SDcard from an readily available image using Linux, how to dive deeper down the rabbit hole to tinker with the NEX series and finally some thoughts and final notes.

Quick note of warning: Proceed at your own risk, opening up the device will void your warranty which is probably dead anyways. I'm not responsible for modifications you make to your radio. Something will probably go wrong. You might violate laws in your area. Going 88mph may or may not send you back through time - I hold no responsibilities for time paradoxes.

To get started… "My SDCard Died in my w4500nex, how do I fix it?"

What you'll need;

• 8gb or 16gb SdCard that's SDHC. SDHC is important, smaller than 8gb or larger than 16gb cards may not work. Even the right size cards might not work, these things can be finicky. Once you write an image to the card and boot the headunit with it installed, it'll lock the sdcard to the unit and you won't be able to re-use it. Best to have a few different brands as spares to be safe.
• SDCard reader (usb or internal).
  • Bonus: If wanting to experiment with cmd42 (how the SDCards are locked) then know that it seems random on which SDCard readers actually support the CMD42 protocol. 4 of the readers I had did not, but a random chromebook did. Raspberry Pis also support CMD42.
• Linux desktop, laptop or Virtual Machine. I used Ubuntu. This can probably be done on Windows, but I prefer to use Linux when working with Linux-based operating systems.
• Tools and instructions on how to open the NEX radio. (If someone is kind enough to post opening instructions, I'll link them here.)

How to make your own SDCard using the W4400NEX image and get a working touchscreen (read section 3 for more info on why this is necessary)

1. Download the AVH-W4400NEX v1.02 image from this thread (http://avic411.com/index.php?/topic/82490-backups-and-images/page/8/ - first post on that link, the filename should be AVIC.zip).
2. Copy the file to your Linux machine if it's not already there and unzip the archive. You should see a file named AVIC.img. You'll need to mount this IMG file in Linux, access one of the partitions and change the sysd.conf file
3. Before mounting, make sure it's a valid image by using fdisk (fdisk -u -l .\AVIC.img). If you're using the file I linked above, it should have the same output as the below. 

   
   
   Disk ./AVIC.img: 7.53 GiB, 8068792320 bytes, 15759360 sectors
   Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
   Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
   I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
   Disklabel type: dos
   Disk identifier: 0x95516e09
   
   Device      Boot   Start      End  Sectors  Size Id Type
   ./AVIC.img1      1050624  1071103    20480   10M 83 Linux
   ./AVIC.img2      1071104  1091583    20480   10M 83 Linux
   ./AVIC.img3      1091584  4622335  3530752  1.7G  5 Extended
   ./AVIC.img4      4622336 15042559 10420224    5G 83 Linux
   ./AVIC.img5      1091585  1153023    61439   30M 83 Linux
   ./AVIC.img6      1153025  1214463    61439   30M 83 Linux
   ./AVIC.img7      1214465  3311615  2097151 1024M 83 Linux
   ./AVIC.img8      3311617  3573759   262143  128M 83 Linux
   ./AVIC.img9      3573761  4622335  1048575  512M 83 Linux
   
   Partition table entries are not in disk order.

    

4. Now that you've verified the file, you'll want to mount partition 7 to access the sysd.conf file. To do this you'll want to create a new folder under /mnt (I named my avicpart7) and you'll need to know what the offset of partition 7 is in the SDCard. To get this number, look at the sector size (in this case 512) and do some math (START x SECTORSIZE = OFFSET). For this our offset is 621806080. The command would be sudo mount -o loop,offset=621806080 AVIC.img /mnt/avicpart7 - now when you do "ls /mnt/avicpart7/etc" you should the sysd.conf files in with all the other files in the etc folder.
5. We only care about the main sysd.conf file, you can modify it by doing 'sudo vim /mnt/avicpart7/etc/sysd.conf' (or your text editor of choice) and scroll all the way to "AVH_W4400NEX" and look for "sysdconf.com.TouchType" then change it from "capacitator" to "resistence". Alternatively, you can copy over the one I did at https://pastebin.com/deeQxhzN.
6. Now that you made the changes, go back to your home directory and dismount the partition connected to the image; sudo umount /mnt/avicpart7 (and rm -rf /mnt/avicpart7 if you don't need the directory anymore.)
7. Assuming your using the same PC to write the SD image, stick in a supported SDCard and use dd to write it (i.e. dd if=AVIC.img  of=/dev/sdX bs=4M where sdX = ID of your Sdcard)
8. Pop that bad-boy into your head-unit (remember to insert it into the hidden OS SDCard spot) and watch it boot. Note that depending on what firmware your unit was on, it might reboot a couple of times while it gets reflashed by the v1.02 firmware on the SDCard.
9. Provided you followed my instructions (and that I wrote them out correctly), the head-unit should work now.

This should get you going if you're having problems. The next post below goes more indepth about the environment for those who like to tinker. 

Thanks for the inspiration, successfully fixed, thanks again

On 8/20/2022 at 1:14 PM, rtheil said:

I spent hours researching this over the last day, only to find that it's really hard to find what we should be doing TODAY. Had my radio act stupid yesterday morning, immediately ordered SD cards after research, and got it fixed today after work.

So, as of today, here it is for W4500NEX:

1. Buy SD card(s). I bought these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09CKFWP6N

2. Download the image:
Compressed (fastest download): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-J9GN8cGtTwOvS_w0AEtBM9lReHBUrA8/view?usp=sharing
or
https://mega.nz/file/P4xCES6a#HM_DyeRdGmWY1wuN1TqyPoR8TyZrJN823oilXAoS-Qw
or
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1d5sUiiyI_zP4dP-JwWL7e_tYXjA3H9eE?usp=sharing

3. Flash SD card using rufus (or similar): https://rufus.ie

4. Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eCvEen1p0g

5. Do the work. When done, make sure the ribbon cable has enough slack on the outside of the plastic face before pushing the display back in, otherwise it'll get pulled out of the plug.

6. Be happy.

I also ordered the $35 card off ebay because it was going to take a week. PacParts wants $95! That's ridiculous. People have got to STOP recommending buying from them! I then spent $28 for 5 SD cards from Amazon because I could get them delivered overnight. If anyone is desperate for an already flashed SD card, message me and we'll work something out.

Did you take a copy of the card you ordered off eBay?  I'm curious if it matches the image in your post.

Edit: In the event someone uses the first file, the AVIC4500only.zip, I found that it broke wireless Android Auto.  Still better than having a busted radio, but figured I'd throw out that warning.

Edit 2: So I was looking at an eBay listing for a pre-loaded SD card, the instructions said to Restore All Settings in System/Restore Settings/All Settings, erase the pairing from your phone, then choose Network Mode when the unit resets.  For whatever reason that seemed to work.  I might try to do another reset with Standard Mode, but at least I have it working again for now.

Edit 3: Did another reset, chose standard this time (much better for my sound, I wasn't happy with networked), and everything seems to work fine. Wireless Android Auto is working again. For whatever reason the backup camera screen seems to keep triggering, though I don't have one installed. I turned it off in settings, so we'll see what happens next time I go out.

Also posted this on the backups thread.

Looks like there are some eBay sellers selling OEM SD cards for w4500nex. Cheaper than pacparts...if links aren't allowed, please delete. But can eBay search "OEM AVH-w4500NEX"

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=oem+avh-w4500nex

5 hours ago, bassilap said:

Also posted this on the backups thread.

Looks like there are some eBay sellers selling OEM SD cards for w4500nex. Cheaper than pacparts...if links aren't allowed, please delete. But can eBay search "OEM AVH-w4500NEX"

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=oem+avh-w4500nex

all cards on eBay are copy of the original card

My barely used 4500 started with the reboot issue.  I followed the guides here and everything works except bluetooth.  It will connect and pair the first time and work until it's turned off. Then bluetooth fails to connect after that.  It will show my phone on the radio and my phone will also see it in it's settings but it fails to connect.  I have to reset the bluetooth memory on the phone and unpair it in my phone settings and reconnect.  Also can't connect to my phone via usb it now says non compatible device. And an error pops up after driving that the parking brake lead isn't connected properly.  I installed the microbypass when I installed the radio and hadn't had an issue with it until I used the .img posted here.

Update. Recent android update might be the culprit for the Bluetooth issue. Now my other car won't connect.  I reset the Bluetooth cache on my phone and will try again later. 

Update2:  Recent android update is causing my phone and others with a samsung A53 to have bluetooth issues.  System\General Management\Reset\Reset all network settings makes it so it works a few times before needing to reset it again.

Did anyone fix the iDataLink Maestro RR issue for w4500nex without having to purchase OEM? I purchased an SD card off Ebay (this guy: https://www.ebay.com/itm/133889598926) and it, too, won't work with Maestro RR. It sucks not having steering wheel controls but it also causes phantom draining and killing my battery. It took me a while to figure out and 3 Costco warrantied batteries. If I pull the fuses on the radio, no more dead batteries. The Ebay firmware did fix the boot loop but I guess it is not fully compatible with the w4500nex -- likely just the modified w4400 firmware as outlined here. The serial number is unchanged and I flashed the Maestro multiple times. I guess maybe the Maestro or the HU loop until the battery dies when the firmware isn't just right?

On 8/21/2022 at 9:48 PM, Alex1 said:

i downloaded and install the file w4500img that you had previous , everything is working except lost maestro steering wheel controls, maestro module lost communications with the pioneer , thank you 

What did you end up doing?

I am totally fed up with my AVH-W4500NEX. I've been reading these fourms and watching videos for 5 hours trying to figure out what to do. It's 4 am right now so I'm stuck waiting for Target to open but when they do I am going to purchase a SanDisk Ultra PLUS 32GB SD card and try to use Rufus to burn the AVIC4500only file to the card. Hopefully that works but if not I will buy the new Pioneer card from PacParts and make a copy of that on a nicer SD card like a lot of you guys have been doing. I will keep you guys updated with how things go. Also is there a newer or better version of the firmware than the AVIC4500only file? It seems like that was the most problem free file that's actually available to download. Thanks!

On 7/13/2022 at 9:16 AM, fry said:

Thanks @Datsun It seems our images are different in some way.

For others viewing this topic, I purchased one of the official Pioneer SD cards for the AVH-W4500NEX from PacParts.com. Part number QXX3352 (https://www.pacparts.com/part.cfm?part_no=QXX3352&mfg=Pioneer).

I created an image from the card using this command(in linux, MacOS can do this too):

dd if=/dev/sdcard of=/path/to/image.bin bs=512

and then hashed the resulting file with this command:

sha256sum /path/to/image.bin

and the output of that command was:

6a466ff1a69dd147cd5e2601f73bbac4340d70f4ee3436b2db51153552dbaef2  /path/to/image.bin

This doesn't tell me a whole lot other than the simple fact that @Datsun's image and my image are different. There's a million reasons why they could be different.

Has anyone else bought the official replacement SD card, and would they be willing/able to do some coop hacking around with disk images of a fresh-from-the-factory card with me?

I bought the official replacement card. QXX3352 from pacparts.com. The Maestro started working again right away. So something is up with the Ebay cards. The seller wanted me to change the device ID to fix it and sent a PDF instruction. Even though his image is supposedly straight from an original...

I also made a backup image of the card for when this happens again. Here is the sha256sum hash:

1cf66153e6dcc1e0b09d7bf39719cb7278307567c287a174ce13e3a7d8dcc52a

7 hours ago, urboinoah said:

I am totally fed up with my AVH-W4500NEX. I've been reading these fourms and watching videos for 5 hours trying to figure out what to do. It's 4 am right now so I'm stuck waiting for Target to open but when they do I am going to purchase a SanDisk Ultra PLUS 32GB SD card and try to use Rufus to burn the AVIC4500only file to the card. Hopefully that works but if not I will buy the new Pioneer card from PacParts and make a copy of that on a nicer SD card like a lot of you guys have been doing. I will keep you guys updated with how things go. Also is there a newer or better version of the firmware than the AVIC4500only file? It seems like that was the most problem free file that's actually available to download. Thanks!

Will 32GB work? I too was struggling to find 16GB. I was going to use a copy and not the original but said screw it. I don't trust Amazon for SD cards.

It will 

27 minutes ago, dd36 said:

Will 32GB work? I too was struggling to find 16GB. I was going to use a copy and not the original but said screw it. I don't trust Amazon for SD cards.

It will work - but as others have said, if you use the Maestro RR - it will no longer work.  You'll need to rewrite/reprogram the serial number (device id) in to the radio, regardless of what it says is there.  You may want to seek out @asd255 for a better alternative with a fully working image / ability to recode the device ID

29 minutes ago, dd36 said:

Will 32GB work? I too was struggling to find 16GB. I was going to use a copy and not the original but said screw it. I don't trust Amazon for SD cards.

I've also heard that Android Auto (wireless) may no longer work in that image.  Wired is fine.