This week, my two major smart devices - laptop and smartphone - have undergone significant system changes. During this process, I have had many thoughts and feel it is necessary to record them.
Helpless in the face of Android 11's new architecture#
After a week of waiting, my newly purchased Redmi Note 10 Pro has finally been successfully unlocked and can be used for flashing. Originally, I planned to replace the system of the new phone with the European version because I prefer simplicity. The domestic version of the system has many functions that I don't need and includes advertisements in various strange places. It also provides some customized third-party applications as system applications, which I don't really like. The European version of MIUI is based on the domestic version of MIUI but is simplified. It also saves the effort of installing Google framework. Therefore, I eagerly downloaded the corresponding flash package and prepared to flash the phone following the process of "flashing recovery - factory reset - flashing system".
However, I was still stuck in my old "experience" and haven't been in touch with new systems and features for a long time. Android 11 uses a new virtual-AB partition method, which directly cancels the recovery partition. Flashing through recovery has become history 😭😭 (it will prompt "partition not exists").
So I looked for alternative methods, but unfortunately, the line flash package provided by xiaomi.eu does not have version 12.5. Using the official international version of Xiaomi's line flash package will result in AntiRollBack errors and device mismatch errors (the domestic code name is "chopin" and the foreign code name is "sweet"). According to extensive search results, I found that some experts have already provided a solution, which is to integrate TWRP into the boot.img and directly flash the boot partition to enable the corresponding booting, and then use TWRP for flashing. However, I still don't understand the underlying principles in this area, so I'll wait for someone to figure it out and then use it myself.
The biggest realization from this incident is that technological development is truly advancing rapidly. If I only hold on to the outdated technologies I know and don't keep learning with the continuous advancement of technology, I will eventually be overwhelmed by the wave of technological progress. I need to always maintain a mindset of continuous learning.
There was also a small episode. I thought since I couldn't flash into the recovery partition, I might as well flash into the boot partition. As a result, after using "fastboot flash boot twrp.img", my phone became bricked. Later, I realized that I shouldn't mess with things I don't understand.
New discoveries in upgrading to Windows 11#
Since Windows 11 started pushing the latest versions through Insider Preview, I wanted to use the new system as soon as possible. However, I didn't have the corresponding upgrade channel due to hardware reasons. After checking, I finally discovered that it was a TPM issue.
So I went into the BIOS and carefully examined each item. Finally, I found that I had never noticed this option before, and it was hidden by default for the operating system. At the same time, I also solved the virtualization problem, so I no longer encountered errors when installing emulators.
Although Microsoft still prompted that I did not meet the recommended upgrade requirements, I was able to smoothly change the channel and accept the push, and I started using Windows 11 with system updates. Windows 11 is about 6GB smaller than Windows 10, so I finally have some extra space on my already tight C drive. This version seems to only have UI adjustments, and I haven't really felt any major changes in the system. If I have to mention something, I found that I can directly view the files of the Linux subsystem through File Explorer. However, with the upgrade, the system performance seems to have slightly decreased, and there are some strange bugs. I have successfully sent feedback and hope it will be adopted.
If developers and the companies behind them can listen to feedback and users can send feedback in a timely manner, it will be a win-win situation for both service providers and recipients.