You will need to download some files. I will assume you have the usb drivers installed on your PC and confirmed that connecting your Nextbook 7 to your PC via USB cable is working. If you haven't done that yet, please see my other blog post about installing the USB drivers.
Download The Firmware Update
First you need to down load the firmware update from the NextbookUSA website. You can click here to go to the firmware download page.At the bottom of the page find the section "Updates Nextbook tablet". From the drop down box in that section choose "Firmware downloads".
Scroll down to the section labeled "Nextbook 7 (NX700QC16G) firmware update instructions:"
Click the big blue "Download" button next to "Firmware Update File".
Save the file to your PC and wait for it to finish downloading. This could take some time depending on your internet speed due to the file size being over 2G.
Once the is done downloading, locate the file on your PC. The file name you are looking for is NXM7100LVD_WM_20141010_V1.0.14_4.4.2_20141023.zip. Right click the file and choose Winzip/Extract Here. If you are using another archive extraction tool on your PC, choose that one to unpack the file. This will take some time to unpack since the file is about 2G in size.
Download The Flash Tool
Since the flash tool on Nextbook USA website doesn't work, you are going to get one from a different website. The flash tool we are going to use is called "SP Flash Tool" and you can download it by clicking here. Scroll down and find the download link titled "SP Flash Tool v 3.1420.00 (5.1420.00)". Click he link title "SP Flash Tool v 3.1420.00 (5.1420.00)" and save it somewhere on your PC.Once the file has downloaded you will need to locate the file and unpack it. The file is called "SP_Flash_Tool_exe_windows_v5.1420.00.rar". Right click the file and choose Winzip/Extract to here. Or choose the archive tool you have installed on your PC and extract it.
Apply The Nextbook 7 Firmware Update
Very important! You need to turn off your anti-virus software because some anti-virus might tell you the SP Flash Tool is a virus and block you from running it. So disable your anti-virus software. I'm using Avast and I right clicked the icon in the system tray and choose "avast! shields control", then "Disable until computer is restarted". If you aren't using Avast anti-virus, you will need to figure out how to disable your anti-virus software. If you are running any malware or other type of protection software, you should disable that as well. Some people have reported they needed to disable windows defender also.Locate the firmware folder you extracted above. The folder is called "SP_Flash_Tool_v5.1420.03". Depending on how you chose to extract it, it maye be located inside "SP_Flash_Tool_exe_windows_v5.1420.00" folder. Double click the folder called "SP_Flash_Tool_v5.1420.03" and find the file called "flash_tool.exe". Right click "flash_tool.exe" and choose "Run as administrator". Click "Run" in the popup, then click "Allow" in the next popup if these dialog boxes popup.
Once the tool opens, click on "Scatter-loading" button.
In the "Open Scatter File" dialog box, browse to "NXM7100LVD_WM_20141010_V1.0.14_4.4.2_20141023\images" folder.
Select the file named "MT8127_Android_scatter.txt".
Click open button or double click the file named "MT8127_Android_scatter.txt".
Click the arrow to the right of the drop down box that says "Download Only"
Choose "Firmware Upgrade".
Make sure you tablet is off and not connected to your PC.
Click the green "Download" arrow
With the tablet off, connect the Nextbook 7 tablet it to your PC with the USB cable.
At the bottom of the "Smart Phone Flash Tool" window, you should see a progress bar running.
Note: If you do not see the bar, try plugging the USB cable into a different USB port on your PC.
Wait untill a window with a green circle and white check mark pops up. Mine took about 4minutes. Yours might take longer, so wait for it.
Remove the USB cable from your tablet and turn the tablet on.
It will take several minutes for the table to finaly load.
You should now be presented with the "Startup Wizard" on your tablet.
Go through the wizard if you wish.
Congradulations! Your tablet firmware is now updated! If you go to settings/storage you will now see one large partition with about 13.12GB of available space.
Problem solved!
Need more help? See the following links.
nx700qc.blogspot.com
freaktab.com
I am having problems with the tablet showing up. I downloaded the driver files and it shows up when the tablet is on, but when I turn it off the device is not visible. I never get a progress bar.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried a different USB port? The ports on the front of my PC didn't work, so I tried the ones in the back and it worked. When you plug it in, a charging battery screen should show on the tablet when it's off.
DeleteHaving the same problem as Nick. It lights up with the battery when I plug it in but a progress bar never shows. I've done the process until then on two different computers and tried every USB port on both, front, back, sides (laptop).
ReplyDeleteMy fault. I missed the part about the drivers. Thanks a ton for this!
DeleteYou are very welcome and I'm glad I could help. I know tons of people are going to need help when they open their present on xmas!
DeleteThat worked great, it did take a long time, but the instructions were great. One thing that took me a minute, in case anyone else runs into this, is that after you download the drivers, and replace them with the corrected ones that you link, you then have to find the item called a quick installer to get the PC to recognize the drivers and use them (Might be obvious to some people, but I'm not very techy, so it took me a while to realize I had to do this). And I did have to turn off windows defender to install those drivers, that took me a bit to figure out as well.
ReplyDeleteOther than that though, even the few times I screwed up, it was because I hadn't read something quite right, so, great job! Just did a test run and have download twice as many things as were on the tablet, and its barely made a dent in the available space. Thanks!!!
Awsome! Glad it's working for ya. Thanks for the tips about disabling windows defender. I've added that to this post.
DeleteI didn't have to use something called "quick installer". Can you elaborate on that a bit so I can edit the USB post to be more accurate for others. Thanks!
Guys.....Please help!!!
DeleteHave done all the steps. The PC seems to recognizing the tablet but the firmware update will not start!!! I've tried all the USB ports. Turned win defender off. Tried downloading everything again. Still nothing. No progress bar. How long does it take to install the drivers??? When I double click install.bat, it's very quick but I get the "install complete" messages. I'm running Win 7. Oh, I also turned off driver signature enforcement. What now?
Where is this "quick installer" for the drivers?
DeleteHi, I was able to get the USB connect installed correctly, thank you for the help.
ReplyDeleteEverytime I open flash_tool.exe, it crashes. "Flash_tool.exe has stopped working" everytime. I'm using win7, sp1, defender off, anti-virus off.
Thank you.
You could try an earlier version of of SP Flash tool.
DeleteThey are at http://mtk2000.ucoz.ru/load/soft/soft_mtk/sp_flash_tool/5-1-0-14
I'm on Vista and had same problem till I used the newest version, which is the one I posted in this blog post above.
I accidently deleted the flash_tool.exe and now in any of the version of the flash tool I try, it does not have flash_tool.exe. What should I do to make it have the flash tool?
DeleteDelete the flash tool you downloaded and then re-download again. It should be there.
DeleteI am using the 7-zip software to unzip the Firmware Update Files, but it has an error whenever i try to extract. Is the Firmware Update Files corrupt? PLEASE HELP!
ReplyDeleteWhen I downloaded the firmware several weeks ago it was not corrupt for me. I've never used or heard of 7-zip. Maybe try winzip, winrar, or windows stock archiver. Maybe you can delete the firmware zip and re-download it.
DeleteI have experienced a similar problem with the "Driver" archive. I am using WinRAR, but I experienced the same problem using the Windows integrated archive management tool.
DeleteWhen I attempted to extract the contents of the "Driver" archive, I received warnings that there were checksum errors with every file in the archive and the they were all corrupt. Any thoughts?
David, the driver files from nextbookusa.com are corrupted. See my post about getting the USB drivers at
Deletehttp://nextbook7.blogspot.com/2014/12/usb-drivers-for-nextbook7.html
Ah, ... so I guess sine my machine can already mount the tablet as a USB drive that I don't even need those. *sigh* It's been a long day.
Deletedoes winzip cost any money?
ReplyDeleteWinZip has a free version. I been using WinZip for over 10 years and never paid.
Deletewinzip.com
After clicking tghe green download button within the SP Flash tool, and then connecting tablet, Windows presents a message saying the driver installed successfully, but the SP Flash tool reveals no progress bar. Nothing happens. I tried connecting tablet to 3 of my pc's USB ports. We are using SP Flash tool version 5.1352.01. The other more recent versions could not be unpacked by the free RAR extract Frog from CNET because of an error.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried deleting the most recent downloaded flash tool and re-download it?
DeleteIs the tablet off when you connect it?
What version of windows do have?
I have windows 7. Do mean the tablet is powered off (shut down) when you say off or just sleeping when you press the button?
DeleteWe did download the first 3 versions and numerous times until we got the older version to work as we said above.
DeleteThe tablet must be shutdown. Not just sleeping, screen off.
DeleteWould you mind making the SP Flash tool available unpacked so it is not necessary to use any free RAR application?
ReplyDeleteI would if it was a single file, but the SP Flash tool is tons of files. Hundreds or more.
DeleteI was almost ready to return my tablet (and suffer through looking for a replacement anywhere near the same price) until I found your instructions for fixing the problem. The instructions worked perfectly! My contribution: The firmware update download took 25 minutes from an otherwise very high-speed internet connect. At least for me, there was a bottleneck upstream or at the origin server, but it flowed through at a slow & steady pace and completed without any errors. Thanks for helping me keep Christmas merry!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Glad I could help. Merry Christmas!
DeleteThe first time I have problems with the download, but lately I changed the download agent and it works, today I had what i pay for it, thanks to you my friend.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this guide, it helped me trouble shoot the extra storage issue as well as the issue with being unable to connect my tablet to my computer.
ReplyDeleteTo anyone having issues with expanding your tablets internal memory, I highly suggest you follow this word for word. You should finish with this easily.
Thank you again and Merry Christmas!
You are very welcome! Glad I could help. Enjoy your low cost tablet! Merry Christmas to you too!
DeleteGreetings! I got the Smart Phone Flash Tool installed and the scatter-loading file; however, it's asking for a downloading agent. I found several .bin files, but I was unable to find any reference in your above description. Can you help clarify for me? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteChoose the MTK_AllInOne_DA.bin file that us in flash tool folder.
DeleteMine was already selected. So I didn't add it to the instructions. I will edit the post to include this.
Got it. Ran it with the .bin file, but I did not get a progress bar/install. Tried the driver update with no success. Any other ideas?
DeleteMake sure USB drivers are installed. Verify you can view the files on the tablet from the PC.
DeleteThe tablet must be off when connected to the PC for fimware update.
Try a different USB port. The ports on back of PC seen to work where as ones on front of PC or other places might not.
Look over the instructions again. Maybe you skipped a step.
I went over everything step by step. I checked everything and tried all of the USB ports. Now, the tablet is not even turning on....
DeleteWell I doubt you bricked the tablet if the progress bar never started.
DeleteWhat version of windows do you have?
I'm not sure it will help, but maybe turning developer options on. Instructions for that is in another of my comments.
Is the battery charged? Do you see a battery on the tablet when plugged into USB port?
Tim thank you so much for all your help. I again downloaded the firmware file and this time used WINRAR and it unzipped without errors. Had trouble installing the driver files, but finally had success. Finally, I had to keep switching to a different USB port until I could see the install bar moving. Everything is now GREAT!!!! Thanks again for your help.
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome! Enjoy your fixed tablet!
DeleteI can't seem to get the SP Flash Tool v 3.1420.00 (5.1420.00) to work right... It keeps popping up as an adobe reader file
ReplyDeleteThe flash_tool.exe file opens in Adode Reader? How odd. No clue why that would happen. Are you sure you are clicking flash_tool.exe and running as administrator?
ReplyDeleteI figured it out i downloaded it and deleted it twice and then it worked not sure why... but now i can't seem to get the flash tool to work. It says "At the bottom of the "Smart Phone Flash Tool" window, you should see a progress bar running.Note: If you do not see the bar, try plugging the USB cable into a different USB port on your PC." but i have plugged it into every USB port and it still isn't working
DeleteVerify the USB drivers are working by plugging it into the PC with the tablet on. Then check that you can view the files on the tablet from the PC with windows explorer.
DeleteMake sure the tablet is off when you connect it to the PC to do the firmware update.
Maybe close down the flash tool and redo the steps.
A few people had said they had to use a different USB cable to get it to work.
Can't get the flash tool to start the update!!!
ReplyDeleteHave turned off all antivirus, + win defender, switched tab to developer mode, downloaded a couple diff. drivers, downloaded the flash tool again, running tool as admin, tried all usb ports(6), tried a diff. usb cable, turned driver sig. enforcement off,
Everything seems to be right. I run the tool, plug my tab. in hear the chime, see the battery charge screen, but nothing happens. No progress bar.
I'm running win7 64bit w/ nextbook 7 16g tab.
Please help. been woeking on this for hrs. for my nephew
Should I let windows try to update drivers??? I keep skipping that?
DeleteUpdate: I tried all this on my laptop instead of my PC running same version of Win 7. After a few disheartening attempts, the flash tool finally worked!!!
DeleteThe tablet is good to go.
Thanks to everyone for all the posts and info., especially Tim.
If I find out why it wouldn't work on my desktop PC I will post the issue. I don't want any1 to go through the hrs of frustration I had to endure!!!
Thx again!!!
That's great!
DeleteJust read your previous comments and was going to suggest trying it on another PC or lap top. I have no clue why it wouldn't work on your PC the first time. I have heard others switching to another machine to get it to work.
I downloaded the firmware update file from the Nextbook site and it is 1.99GB. However someone on here said that it is supposed to be over 2GB. Can you confirm the size of the update file for me please? I don't want to attempt the update if I have a corrupted file.
ReplyDeleteMy downloaded firmware file is 1.99Gb and it is 21 files, 3 folders (unzipped). I had to use WINRAR to unzip since I got errors using WINZIP and 7-Zip.
ReplyDeleteMine is two folders, three zipped folders, a .patch file and a readme.txt file when unzipped. Did you attempt the update and did it work for you?
DeleteYes, but it took several times. I followed the instructions above (exactly) where you need to first update the drivers, then using the SP Flash tool it finally installed, but I had to keep moving to a different usb port. If the progress bar doesn't move, it's not installing. Finally, the progress bar moved, a big green box (with a check mark) showed up. I unplugged the tablet from the laptop, turned it on and after several minutes the update finished and it now uses all the storage. Tim Whetsel (above) can really help you out, he sure helped me.
DeleteCan i use a different SP flash tool. it says there are errors and i have tried downloading it 3 times and it is always a different size and corrupt.
ReplyDeleteI have tried the whole process but when I get to the final step I can't get the process bar to move, and I've tried every USB port. What should I do?
ReplyDeleteI figured it out. I just deleted and re-downloaded the flask tool like 15 times till i got a good one. Thank you for these directions and the links. Also had the same problem as carly above. I had to install the drivers your way even though my tablet was already able to link to the computer. then it worked.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! It worked!
ReplyDeleteI now have a bigger problem. As soon as I updated the tablet, the two laptops I used seem to have a virus. It won't allow me to get on the Internet on either laptop. Did anyone else have this problem?
ReplyDeleteThe sp flash tool will alert your anti virus sortware that it is a virus. Thus why you have to disable AV in the steps above.
DeleteIf you are done with the flash tool, you can remove it from your system.
What AV software do you have?
I deleted the flash tool and it still won't work. I have McAfee.
DeleteI did a search on mcafee disabled internet and found many results. Check out that search and see if there is a solution for enabling internet when McAfee disables it.
DeleteThanks a million! It took me a few hours and tries due to my lack of patience, but I got it! Now I have been downloading games and apps like crazy and have over 11 GB of space left. So nice to be rid of that annoying message regarding not enough storage capacity. The most difficult thing for me was to find the scatter loading file as it was inside another file. Once I discovered it, the rest was quite automated. Thanks again; you are a lifesaver!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Glad I could help you and many others. Enjoy your fixed tablet!
DeleteNot sure if my last comment didn't go through...but, my issue/question is (I've gotten all the way to the scatter-loading page) -- before I do the firmware update (for my Sons tablet), will he lose any game data, pictures, etc...? I haven't backed it up because the drivers won't install (even though they did the first time I plugged it into my laptop). I've been trying to use helium to back up the tablet, but all it does when I plug it in - is try to install the drivers, yet they never install (I did download the drivers you posted); maybe I missed something? Basically, all I need to know at this point is -- if any game(s) data and pictures/videos will be lost with the update? Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteYes, it will wipe out the entire tablet.
DeleteCan you give me a little more info...if I back everything up to my laptop -- can all the apps, pictures, and game data be restored?
DeleteFor sure the pictures, videos and music can be restored. Not sure of the apps and app data. Might need to reinstall apps and manually restore app data. Or try using a back up utility. I didn't back mine up and don't know much about backup utilities.
DeleteI have followed the directions 4 times, fresh downloads of all the files just in case, and still the final step, when running the flash tool will not move the progress bar. I know my tablet is connecting to my desktop properly as when it's on it asks me to connect the devices. I turn it off, unplug it, push the download button, plug the tablet back in and nothing.
ReplyDeleteDid you try different USB ports? I know that is a big problem.
DeleteI tried the three USB ports on the front and the two on the back. The flash tool just doesn't do anything once the tablet is plugged in.
DeleteI also attempted this on my netbook since some people said trying another device worked - it only has one USB slot. No joy.
Is there another site to download the firmware update tool? I have ben trying for a week now and can never get past 60% download before it is interrupted for some reason. I am downloading from http://nextbookusa.com/download.php
ReplyDeleteThe firmware or the flash tool? Firmware you have to get from nextbookusa.com. But you get the flash tool from the link provided above.
DeleteIt's the Firmware 1.99gb
ReplyDeleteNXM7100LVD_WM_20141010_V1.0.14_4.4.2_20141023.zip ( this is just a partial atm )
That is the firmware files that the flash tool uses. Nextbook is the only place to get the firmware files.
DeleteOk thanks
ReplyDeleteEverything worked as written until I turned my tablet back on. Now the touchscreen is unresponsive and the top portion is a rainbow of colors. Does anyone have ideas how to fix this?
ReplyDeleteIn the "Open Scatter File" dialog box, it tells me that the "NXM7100LVD_WM_20141010_V1.0.14_4.4.2_20141023\images" folder does not exist.
ReplyDeleteCan not flash my NextBook 8. Tried on Win8.1 and Win7. Tried multiple drivers, even PDAnet drivers. in the Flash Toll the progress bar never moves. Any Help?
ReplyDeleteTime to return the tablet. Tried for 7 days, 3 computers and no luck.
DeleteThe instructions above are for next book 7 not 8. Not sure it these will work on next book 8.
DeleteWorked fine. Thanks for the great instructions and the links! This is the first time I've ever done a firmware upgrade, and had no trouble.
ReplyDeleteThat's great! Glad to hear the update worked.
DeleteHow long does the upgrade take once you start downloading on the flash tool?
ReplyDeleteTook about 2-3 minutes after the progress bar starts. I think it depends on your connection.
DeleteAfter doing all these steps the tablet's screen is unresponsive. a quarter of it displays colored lines. What did I do wrong here? I need some help please.
ReplyDeleteWorked great. I think it took longer to pry the tablet out of my son's hands to do this than it took to complete the steps!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this posting these instructions. Awareness that the Tablet could be firmware updated to provide the full memory that convinced me to buy the Nextbook7. Even before upgrading the firmware it's a pretty good Android tablet.
ReplyDeleteThanks again.
Is there anyway to update the firmware on a Mac running Yosemite? Using Wine (https://www.winehq.org/) I can run flash_tool.exe and find the DA and scatter-loading files. Once I do all of this, it just sits and doesn't do anything. Does anyone know if the problem is with the USB drivers? Help! I'm going on a road trip with young kids!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIs there anywhere else to download the firmware update file for nextbook 7 other than the nextbookusa site? The reason i ask is that i am receiving an error 404 when i click on the blue download box (none of the 3 download buttons work and all have same error). However, i can download the instructions pdf above it just fine. The process outlined above seems straightforward enough but its hard to do when you cannot download the files. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI just downloaded it from their site today and it was slow ... very slow ... but it worked. Unfortunately, I cannot get my device driver to install so i cannot update the firmware anyway.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the good instructions. I am having a problem though when the SP Flash Tool recognizes the NextBook, the software displays a popup with the message;
ReplyDelete"PMT changed for the ROM; it must be downloaded."
What can I do make it work?
ReplyDeleteThanks for info but when tried to unzip the flash_tool.exe on my laptop, I get the "flash_tool.exe has stopped working" popup..
What steps must I take next?
You, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar. Now I have thick, ropey, 16G of memory. I encountered a couple of errors. Had to disconnect and reconnect a couple of times. (My screen froze at one point. Powered it off by holding the power button for 15 seconds, then reconnected.) Not sure if this is an issue, but my last action before it worked was to remove my sd card. Could that hinder the flash tool? Either way, I am up and running now.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCan't get the driver to work despite going through every comment and trying everything. I officially give up, but I wanted to say thanks anyway.
ReplyDeleteLauran, which driver are you having trouble with?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! My daughter can finally use her tablet the way it was intended--being able to play games and take pics & vids!
ReplyDeleteThis worked wonderfully!!! =D
Good post....Thank you for this post man. its very informative. . Thanks.
ReplyDeleteNetwork Cable Repairing Services
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post. It was most helpful and my tablet is now useable. I just wish I had tried finding a solution a year ago instead of living with a useless tablet for a year...LOL
ReplyDeleteHope everyone has a Merry Christmas.
While this is a great post every attempt I have made to update the firmware has failed. I have tried on two different computers, one running Windows 7 and the other running Windows 10. While both computers recognize the tablet when it is turned on, neither will recognize it when it is turned off, so the firmware update never installs on the tablet. If anyone reading this has any ideas please let me know. Otherwise, I'm stuck with a tablet that says "running out of space" and there is nothing I can do about it.
ReplyDeleteNot only did the firmware update fail, now the tablet will not power on. I have just ruined my eight year old sons birthday gift from his big brother. I'm going to cry myself to sleep now.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteIf memory serves me right, press the volume - button and power button down holding them both down for a half minute till a screen of text appears. Then pick the option to do a factory reset. Doing this from my phone so I can only access my human memory unit right now.
There is also a youtube video. I think I found it searching nextbook 7 hard reset
Hi,
ReplyDeleteIf memory serves me right, press the volume - button and power button down holding them both down for a half minute till a screen of text appears. Then pick the option to do a factory reset. Doing this from my phone so I can only access my human memory unit right now.
There is also a youtube video. I think I found it searching nextbook 7 hard reset
Ok so memory is almost right the screen will flash the startup pic then go black and the text appeared when I released both keys simultaneously.
ReplyDeleteI bricked my device while performing the update..:-(((
ReplyDeleteNow it won't turn on... Hard reset does not help, either.
Could somebody help me, please? What can I do now?
Thank You.. First time flashing. Works great.. Got 13GB for apps now.. Just glad it worked the first time.Had to try different USB port but i got it.. Install app from play store now works again..
ReplyDeleteHi, I need some help, the driver is down on the website you shared, can you please recommend another one?
ReplyDeleteSorry, not the driver, the flash tool
DeleteSorry, not the driver, the flash tool
DeleteAny idea where to download the firmware from now? Apparently they have pulled it from the Nextbook site.
Delete