2014

I stumbled upon a full-page ad for a 50% off electronics sale at a newly opened shopping mall. When I arrived, a crowd was already hunting for deals. Luckily, I managed to grab a brand-new budget tablet, the MSI Primo 81, originally marked at $100, for just half the price.

I went back to my place and, excited, unpacked and turned on my first tablet.

A simple but colorful animation with a pleasant sound invites me inside.

I played with it for a while, and then it struck me: this thing is slooow — too slow for me. What a pity.

As I could not find any good use for it, the tablet ended up at the bottom of the drawer and was forgotten...

2023

...till now. Actually, I was looking for something else, and I found it.

Looks brand new, even after those nine years. Completely discharged as expected.

Let's give it a chance! - I thought.

I charged the battery 100%, and... here comes the first disappointment/challenge: It does not boot! It stucks on the MSI logo and goes nowhere.

Make it alive or make it... electro trash?

Making electro trash from a barely used device is a bit sad.

So, I accepted the challenge about MSI Primo 81, an Android 4.4 KitKat tablet, assuming the fun should be good.

NOTICE / WARNING: I take NO RESPONSIBILITY for any steps to recover an Android device,
especially MSI Primo 81. If you have a similar problem, you can try taking them at
your OWN RISK. This is not a technical advice. Your case may be different than mine. 
Also, DO NOT TRUST any external source mentioned here, as there is no guarantee that
the software is free from viruses or malware or will not cause DAMAGE to your device.
Always check files downloaded from the internet with up-to-date AV software.
Loading firmware/software on your Android device from unknown and untrusted sources
introduces a high RISK.

Problem 1: What this thing is?

So, basically, at this point, I knew this was an MSI device only because it showed the logo.

I had no clue what that thing was. On the back side, the printing almost disappeared, and the letters were so small that they were hard to read even from the zoomed-in picture.

Finally, I got the name:

MS-N821

Indeed, this device by MSI existed.

Problem 2: How to boot this at all?

Searching for:

How to hard reset the MSI MS-N821 tablet

gave some clues, but none of the advice worked.

My first shot was this old Owner's Manual: https://manualzz.com/download/61899754, but there was nothing about hard reset.

The second shot:

MS-N821 MSI site:msi.com

gave a product list offered in Japan. In Japanese. This trace will be helpful later, though.

Then I found this thread: https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?threads/please-help-how-to-hard-reset-msi-primo-81-or-recovery.255010/

That was gold:

On Apr 20, 2015, hchg wrote:

The reset of Primo 81 would be long pressing the power key for over 8 secs, but it won't enter the Android recovery mode.
The better way to solve your problem now is to re-flash the firmware.

FW Download Link: http://download.msi.com/archive/frm_exe/N821_v4.5rc5_v4.4_20140414.zip
Updaet Guide: http://www.msi.com/files/pdf/Primo73_75_81_91_93firmware_recovery_en_21.pdf

The better way is (...) to re-flash the firmware!

Maybe something happened to the flash memory after so many years without power? Let's try this!

Somehow, the "Update Guide" is still there: http://www.msi.com/files/pdf/Primo73_75_81_91_93firmware_recovery_en_21.pdf

And the firmware! http://download.msi.com/archive/frm_exe/N821_v4.5rc5_v4.4_20140414.zip

The Firmware Recovery process requires PhoenixSuite1.0.6.zip.

Let's go to the product page and download it, right?

Problem 3: Unsupported by MSI

I was late. Like two years only, but still.

The product page, linked in the Firmware Recovery Guide, was gone.

MSI dropped support for this and similar devices in 2021 (Primo 73, Primo 75, Primo 81, Primo 91, Primo 93).

Somehow, I also found the product page on MSI Japan, jp.msi.com, but it was already gone too.

So, I used the Wayback machine:

https://web.archive.org/web/20150720091448/http://jp.msi.com/product/windpad/Primo-81.html#hero-overview

...and the translator that is built into the Chrome browser.

Hint: Look at the URLs—even if the link is in Japanese, the URL can be in English.

This way I found again the manual, OS image and the USB driver for Windows (finally not needed).

But there was no PhoenixSuite anywhere!

Let's ask Google again:

msi phoenixsuit1.0.6.zip

Anyone?

I got several Chinese pages, some not very trustworthy looking, and this other one that seems to be a legit shop in Hungary:

https://www.alcordigital.hu/downloads.php?method=download&id=12

Install the software

I installed the PhoenixSuite, but it failed to install the "Google Inc Win USB" driver on Windows 10.

Here is how to fix that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKsuzITki3E

Search for: Recovery options

Settings > Recovery options > Advanced startup > Restart now

Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup settings > Restart

Choose: Disable driver signature enforcement (option no. 7 - use F7 to select)

(When got back to Windows, run the installer again and select the "Repair" option)

3, 2, 1... Flash it! But Cable ≠ Cable

So the procedure is exactly as described in the Firmware Recovery Guide (Primo73_75_81_91_93firmware_recovery_en_21.pdf):

1. Long press the power key at least 10 seconds to power off the device.
2. Release “power key” after the system shut down (For now, Do NOT connect to PC)
3. Press “Volume +” and do NOT release it.
4. Keep pressing “Volume +” button and connect to PC through USB2.0.
5. Keep pressing “Volume +” button and push 5 times on “power” key. ( Please make sure “Volume +” and “power” are pressed together when you push the fifth time on “power” key)
6. Release all key which are pressed and the device should start the auto upgrade process. (If the upgrading didn’t start, please repeate the steps 1~5)

It did not work for me initially because of the USB cable (maybe a data line was broken?). After I took a brand new one, it went smoothly.

The procedure takes about 5 minutes. Just stay still and do not touch anything.

Back to 2014

OK, I am in. Hurray!

Android has started, and... nothing is working!

No Google Play store, no YouTube. Retry. Still nothing.

But the browser still opens websites. That is a good sign.

The device has not been updated since I bought it. Nine years in IT is like a century. Everything has changed.

Let's start with some cleaning. Remember, this device is not a speed demon.

Just "Force stop" and "disable" all the applications you won't need. Do it slowly, one by one, so you know what has stopped working.

Let's update it

Because Google Play is not working, probably due to changes in the cloud API, we will need another way to bring newer applications.

At least at the beginning.

The plan is as follows:

1. We need the newest versions of some basic software, but it must work on Android 4.4 KitKat.
2. This software will not come from the official Google Play store, so we have to allow the installation of apps from Unknown sources.

Settings > Security > Device Administration > Unknown sources [X]

Now we are good to go.

To find all the applications, I searched for:

[application name] apk for android 4.4

like:

"vlc apk for android 4.4"

I downloaded all the apps from https://apkmirror.com. I am not related to this website. Feel free to use any source you want.

The applications I found and used are here:

What did not work:

At this point, you should be able to Sign Into Google Play and download applications from there.

Disallow installation from unknown sources:

Unknown sources [ ]

Welcome to 2023, Primo 81!

And yes, you can still register your MSI Primo 81 for Warranty and Quicker Product Support:

https://account.msi.com/en/login

Level up: Root it (WARNING: Exploit included)

WARNING: If you follow my steps in this part, you are especially exposed to dealing
with viruses, malware, etc.
Yes, really.
You have been warned and hopefully discouraged.

Here is where things get murky:

I googled:

how to root android 4.4 msi

And the first result optimistically asks back:

root the Primo 81?

The link leads to the "MSI Forum (Micro-Star International)" and mentions the Root Onda package.

STOP Here! This package contains Exploit:AndroidOS/Lotoor.B!MTB

⚠️ DO NOT INSTALL IT! ⚠️

Even on the Russian forum, users complain that their devices behave weirdly after installing this package. If I only knew what could cause that. Hmmm? :)

To Root it or not to Root it?

I see this as an opportunity to learn something new.

How to root an Android device? Not how to follow the steps, but deeper inside.

What exactly makes the software from the .ru websites and instruction steps written in Cyrillic "magic"?

Root it! (but myself)

Afterword

I am glad I found this forgotten device.

Today, in 2023, buying things is easier than fixing them.

This little intellectual challenge, combined with a bit of luck and the goodwill of people keeping internet archives, gave me a lot of satisfaction.

It is great that this device has not been lost.