[MOD][GUIDE] Unencrypt/Flashable - Disable Force Encryption - Any Rom/Kernel - Nexus 6 Android Development

Depreciated!! See this thread for the new recommended package. All of my instruction below is still valid, just use the new package from thread linked here.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3234422
~~DISCLAIMER~~​Flashing roms, kernels, and mods come with NO guarantee, NONE, ZILCH, NADA . . Do NOT use this package if you do not grasp and understand this concept. You have been warned.
This is a recovery flashable that will extract your boot.img, unpack all pieces, modify fstab.shamu to disable forced encryption, repackage, and flash boot.img back to system. It does NOT actually unencrypt your device. More on that later.
It will work on ANY kernel for this device, regardless of whether it is the stock kernel, or a custom ROM kernel. Also to date, it has shown to work on any version of android . . it is essentially future proof (unless google throws us a major curve ball in the future and radically alters how encryption is triggered at first boot).
Why use this? Who is this package for?
-If you are running 100% Stock Rom, but have a recovery installed and wish to unencrypt your storage. No root needed.
-Running a custom kernel you like, but it forces encryption and you want to change that.
-Currently unencrypted but want to flash a rom that uses FORCEENCRYPTION by default (cyanogenmod12).
-Just bored and want to toss the dice and see what happens.
That is pretty sweet right? Now you can flash anything and as long as you flash this afterwords, you wont have to worry about booting a rom and seeing that dreaded "Encrypting" screen anymore.
What doesn't this do?
-Well, to be blunt . . it does NOT actually UNENCRYPT your device. You will have to bite that bullet on your own, but I will offer some advice on that front later.
Changelog:
03/30/2015
Remove my ill advised attempt to auto patch nightlies, not possible
01/12/2015
Initial Build/Release
Includes fully working patch to initrd, specifically fstab.shamu to revert FORCEENCRYPTION by default.
Buglist:
Auto patch support removed, would never work anywayaddon.d support not currently working - fix is to flash this package with every nightly to preserve unencryption
How to download and install?
Download - NO_FORCE_ENCRYPT_shamu_v1.0-signed.zip
Reboot Recovery - TWRP only has been tested as working
Select "Install" and navigate to where ever you stored that file . . likely /sdcard/downloads/
Take a deep breath and wait for it to finish.
TADA . . done. Reboot and Profit!!
NOTE: You can feel free to flash this as part of a line of other packages.
Example: You are already unencrypted and want to flash Cyanogenmod 12 (assumes you have all packages downloaded already)
-TWRP factory reset (optional but recommended when coming from another rom)
--TWRP's built in factory reset function does quite well, but if you are like me and want a clean slate . .
---TWRP>Wipe>ADVANCED WIPE> and check System, Data, Cache (will leave internal storage intact). This is recommened specifically in conjunction with switching GApps.
-Install> and select all packages at once. I recommend the following order . . Rom, then my Kernel Patcher, then SuperSU (optional), then GApps last.
That was certainly easy right? Well the truth is, unless you are already unencrypted . . nothing will be different. You will still be encrypted. Bummer right? But that is where these next steps come in. They will give you the options available to reach the fabled unencrypted status!!
Below are the only three options I know of unencrypt once you are running a patched kernel. Select one below that works for you.
~~WARNING~~​
The below methods WILL erase EVERYTHING from data, including your INTERNAL STORAGE. Backup all important files, pictures, etc before proceeding. You have been told!!
-Go to Android>Settings>Backup & restore>Factory data reset (may not work properly with a custom recovery installed)
-Reboot to recovery and go to TWRP>Wipe>FORMAT DATA . . type "yes" to confirm
-Reboot to bootloader and type . .
Code:
fastboot format userdata
[note - I originally said to use the fastboot erase userdata function. This caused a recovery bootloop. Switching to "format" instead solved this issue. Thanks @aussie1234 for pointing this issue out to me]
Edit: make sure you boot android first after unencrypting before going into recovery. This will allow the proper creation of multiuser partitions, otherwise, twrp will not use the proper /data/media/0/ as root of storage.
Some may notice there is an experimental addon.d included. This NOT WORKING YET. DO NOT TRY AND USE IT. Not quite sure yet where in the chain it is broken, but that will be a problem for another day. In theory it should, but . . read the "disclaimer" at the top of this post. The idea here is to be able to flash nightlies as they roll out without having to re-apply this patch manually every time. This function is NOT supported on Stock Roms. If you try it and it works, let me know. Do NOT come yelling to me that it did not work and crying that you are now encrypted again. No whiner babies allowed.[REMOVED: didn't work and caused conflicts with some packages]
At the core of this tool is a script build by @dk_zero-cool which can be found . . [DEV][INITRD][2013-10-25] Injector - An Android Ramdisk Injection Tool
Ultimately, this package is as much his as it is mine. It is his magic script that did the hard part, I just put it to work in a new way.
Please don't share this package directly, link them back here if needed. That way, they can get proper support and instruction for its use.
Also thanks to @rascarlo . . his github made it easy to find what needed modded.

Nice! Now just to double check, im unencrypted so if i flash cm12 and this cm12 wont encrypt my phone while still using cm's kernel?

That is correct. In my tests it has worked just fine that way.
Edit: In fact, I just tested this exactly and works as expected.
On a side note, I can confirm that addon.d support does NOT work - do not attempt it. I updated the OP to reflect this and add a stronger warning. Right now you MUST flash this everytime you flash a rom that forces encryption.

Just what the doctor recommended for a flash-addict like my self....
Thanx :silly:
. . . uploaded from a hand-held Killer WHALE

Works like a charm much alohas bradah hixanthus

So say I flash a ROM. I want to do ROM, kernel, your boot.IMG, the gapps followed by a factory reset/erase user data if I understand correctly?
Example : DirtyUnicorns then leankernel your zip and then gapps

bmwh0r3 said:
So say I flash a ROM. I want to do ROM, kernel, your boot.IMG, the gapps followed by a factory reset/erase user data if I understand correctly?
Example : DirtyUnicorns then leankernel your zip and then gapps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well if you flash lean, don't bother with my flashable, as lean is already set for no force encryption isn't it?

hlxanthus said:
Well if you flash lean, don't bother with my flashable, as lean is already set for no force encryption isn't it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure anymore. Will look. I tend to break things when flashing because I don't read closely. On my vzw note 3, I was well known to break everything. Kinda scary now that I have a nexus lol
Yes you're correct. I wonder why I can't get decrypted then?

bmwh0r3 said:
I'm not sure anymore. Will look. I tend to break things when flashing because I don't read closely. On my vzw note 3, I was well known to break everything. Kinda scary now that I have a nexus lol
Yes you're correct. I wonder why I can't get decrypted then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just do the factory rest then if already encrypted unless data is removed it will stay encrypted
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

hlxanthus said:
Well if you flash lean, don't bother with my flashable, as lean is already set for no force encryption isn't it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bmwh0r3 said:
I'm not sure anymore. Will look. I tend to break things when flashing because I don't read closely. On my vzw note 3, I was well known to break everything. Kinda scary now that I have a nexus lol
Yes you're correct. I wonder why I can't get decrypted then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hlxanthus said:
Below are the only three options I know of unencrypt once you are running a patched kernel. Select one below that works for you.
~~WARNING~~​
The below methods WILL erase EVERYTHING from data, including your INTERNAL STORAGE. Backup all important files, pictures, etc before proceeding. You have been told!!
-Go to Android>Settings>Backup & restore>Factory data reset
-Reboot to recovery and go to TWRP>Wipe>FORMAT DATA . . type "yes" to confirm
-Reboot to bootloader and type . .
Code:
fastboot erase userdata
Edit: make sure you boot android first after unencrypting before going into recovery. This will allow the proper creation of multiuser partitions, otherwise, twrp will not use the proper /data/media/0/ as root of storage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://github.com/imoseyon/leanKernel-shamu/commit/58ac4f97d882414bdea35d0d1ef0cd6f9027a3bb
Yes, lean kernel doesnt force encryption. If you are currently on lean kernel, so one of the three methods to unencrypted from above (quoted from my OP)

This worked great for me! Thank you SO much!

jtorress said:
This worked great for me! Thank you SO much!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It really is that simple isn't it? Glad it was of help!!

Mine is encrypted n6 running cm12 nightly .
So flashing this will format my storage or just data partition ?
I dont wanna loose my personal data's :/

This will not wipe anything. The package only turns an encryption forced kernel into a no force encryption kernel. It is then up to you to follow one of the three options from my OP to reach actual unencryption status.
But you can relatively easily do it, though it will take a little time. Boot to recovery, flash my package, and then create a nandroid backup. Then backup the entirety of your internal storage to your PC or OTG storage device. Once that is done, do one of the 3 methods to unencrypt. Once you do that, boot android (this step is important as it builds proper multiuser partitions) then restore data to your internal storage. Then boot back to recovery and restore your nandroid backup. That will take you back to the exact point you were before but now unencrypted.

I did all steps,but it still shows me that I'm encrypted. What am I doing wrong?

indigo888 said:
I did all steps,but it still shows me that I'm encrypted. What am I doing wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Walk me through in your own words what you did. Maybe we can figure out where you went wrong.

hlxanthus said:
Walk me through in your own words what you did. Maybe we can figure out where you went wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I flash package and made nandroid backup in recovery.Then made factory reset and boot Android till welcome select language. Then switched off into recovery and restored backup....

And when you say you did a factory reset, how did you do that? A twrp factory reset will not work as it leaves the internal storage in tact. I am very explicit on the 3 ways to do this part (at least I thought I was).

hlxanthus said:
And when you say you did a factory reset, how did you do that? A twrp factory reset will not work as it leaves the internal storage in tact. I am very explicit on the 3 ways to do this part (at least I thought I was).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did it from menu/settings/backup and reset.

indigo888 said:
I did it from menu/settings/backup and reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might be worth trying the other two methods as well. TWRP's format data method and the fastboot userdata method are pretty thorough. Should get you up and running

Related

[Q] Ice Cream Sandwich Full Device Encryption and Flashing

If one enables full device encryption in Ice Cream Sandwich, am I correct in assuming that that the internal SD of that device is now not going to be available in the CWM recovery mode? And even if it was, the root fs would not be available? If so, this pretty much would make CWM flashing your device near impossible?
Does CWM even work if you use FDE? Or is it planned/
The question I guess is, when do you input your encryption password? Is it some pre-boot step?
I really want to enable device encryption but I can't find enugh details on how it works.
I did read this post on it., but it doesn't really answer my questions. And it is unclear if it encrypts the internal SD, or just the root FS?
http://source.android.com/tech/encryption/android_crypto_implementation.html
No one knows anything about this?
I got a Gnex today from Verizon in the US and I encrypted my phone after I unlocked the bootloader but before rooting. As a result I don't think I will be able to root because it doesn't seem that the modified boot.img that the instructions tell me to use can mount the encrypted system (it sat at the Google logo w/ the unlocked icon for 10 minutes before I pulled the battery and let it boot the stock boot.img) which came up fine.
It seems the only way to decrypt the phone is by doing a factory reset.
That's all I know. That being said, while a custom recovery may work for wiping partitions (such as cache), it would probably be mostly useless until the custom recovery is updated to support the encrypted file systems. I'm a *NIX user and an engineer, but don't have a lot of experience with Android's internals, so take all that with the appropriate sized grain of salt.
Regards,
Chris
Bump.
Anyone experimented with full device encryption / ROM flashing / SD Card? I'm curious about this as well, but not curious enough to experiment.
I dident try it myself, so i dont exactly know, how this works. But i think device encryption shouldent completly block clockworkmod recovery.
I think it could be a problem to make a backup while your device is encrypted. But i think it shouldent be a problem to recover a old system over an encrypted one. Encryption keeps people without the key away from reading data. This dosent mean you cant wright something over it and replace the locked data with some new one. But then you defenitly loose the old data. I dont think you can flash a new ROM or a recovery without a full wipe. You probably gona loose all the data you had on the old system.
But i general i think this is anyway a good think to do when you flash a new ROM.
I think you could give it a try, without briking your phone. But i dident try it, so i cant take any responsibility.
Would any of you happen to know how to get to the diagnostic mode?
ryfly65 said:
Would any of you happen to know how to get to the diagnostic mode?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sonst exactly know hat diagnostic Mode you mean. Depends hat Diagnose you want to run. Do you want to read the logfiles in your phone, wher you can see what ist doing? You could use the app alogcat. An other way would be to run logcat over Eclipse.
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using XDA App
Hilmy said:
I sonst exactly know hat diagnostic Mode you mean. Depends hat Diagnose you want to run. Do you want to read the logfiles in your phone, wher you can see what ist doing? You could use the app alogcat. An other way would be to run logcat over Eclipse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I need to edit modem information and enable a diag port for QPST, essentially allowing me to flash it to another carrier.
Is there any new information on this? Any help would be very appreciated!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
I encrypted mine after flashing the stock ICS 4.0.3 image and rooting. CWM still loads, but when I try to use USB mass storage, windows tells me it needs to be formatted before the SD card can be used.
You can use titanium backup to make backups of your stuff, and restore them to a non-encrypted phone. I have found no other way to unencrypt the phone than factory reset either. When you encrypt, then go to settings > security > encryption, it just has a greyed out area saying "Phone is encrypted", which is stupid and needs to be fixed.
nevarDeath said:
I encrypted mine after flashing the stock ICS 4.0.3 image and rooting. CWM still loads, but when I try to use USB mass storage, windows tells me it needs to be formatted before the SD card can be used.
You can use titanium backup to make backups of your stuff, and restore them to a non-encrypted phone. I have found no other way to unencrypt the phone than factory reset either. When you encrypt, then go to settings > security > encryption, it just has a greyed out area saying "Phone is encrypted", which is stupid and needs to be fixed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So if I factory reset the device from CMW I will not loose my pictures or TB in the internal SD?
What about flashing a new ROM?
Thanks!
I have been playing with ICS + FDE for several days doing different things. First off this is:
Nexus S 4G, running Pete's crespo4g OTA ROM
I flashed with CWM which is still on there and runs fine.
However: /data and /sdcard and /system (?) are encrypted and CANNOT be mounted.
To restore you have to 1) make a full backup over USB to a PC of the whole SDcard (or at least the important folders).
2) wipe and reformat everything. This isn't just a factory reset, this kills the sdcard as well.
3) mount (hopefully) the newly reformatted /sdcard and blow your backup from the PC onto the /sdcard
4) use CWM to restore a previous ROM.
That's pretty much it, give or take. Not for the faint of heart. However, if you are concerned enough to want encryption, you don't want to just say reboot recovery and voila all your files are belong to us, right?
---------- Post added at 03:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:34 PM ----------
Also, the backup to PC part is just your sdcard. It doesn't back up the whole system. There might be a way to do that via adb, I don't know.
So i am running rooted runnig miui.us rom. I just tried to encrypt phone.. It ran for 2 and a half hours and I got impatient. thinking maybe i shouldnt have done it... Then after a little bit of panic i said **** it if i lose data i lose data... so i powered off and back on hoping i didnt and the rom booted back up with all my data intact..... •••••• Wish I had more to report but im not doing that again until someone can confirm that it works fine...... I have tried booting into cwm yet.. If i have an issue when i need to boot illl report back but if you dont hear from me here then assume I was able too.
Pete's to CM9 - still encrypted
IT does indeed take a fairly long time to encrypt. If I understand correctly it will build the encrypted partition on a loopback (or something like) before erasing the original (by overwriting?).
I've got more to report. I followed my plan (couple posts back) for unencrypting and reflashing my phone. (Nexus S 4g).
The first bits of this worked fine. I was able to flash CM9 onto my phone (works like a champ btw). While the phone was in recovery I mounted the SD and copied my backup back onto it.
However...
When CM9 booted I STILL got the "unlock your device" screen, still the same password, and it decrypted and booted. That was surprising, but not as much as when I looked for the SD card, it said it was incorrectly formatted! The only thing to do was reformat and copy with the phone on and unlocked.
So lessons learned: 1) a factory reset from _inside_the_ROM_ doesn't remove the encrypted partition at all and
2) As far as I can tell, the SD card _is_ encrypted along with /data
I'd be very interested to hear other's experiences, especially someone who can remove their SD storage.
Undoing FDE
First off - Lacking a device with removable storage to test with all I can tell you is that the sdcard is not accessible by any normal means after FDE is enabled without booting into the encrypted system.
"Removing" FDE required three steps beyond normal:
-Factory reset from within the ROM
-factory reset/wipe at recovery and/or format /data
-once into a running ROM, reformat the sdcard
Once all that is done (in addition to normal setup for ROM) you should be able to operate normally again.
problem with encryption on sgs2 with android 4.0.3
I really want to enable my device encryption too, but I can't !!!
the phone start encrypting after he ask me for a new secure password, rebooting and asking again for my password and surprise!!!.... the password is not match ?!?!
I repetead these steps for 3 times but the same result...the password does not match!!! ?
Please, if someone found a trick to repair this inconvenient, tell us in this post steps to be followed.
Regards!
SGS2, Android Icecream 4.0.3
leech2082 said:
So i am running rooted runnig miui.us rom. I just tried to encrypt phone.. It ran for 2 and a half hours and I got impatient. thinking maybe i shouldnt have done it... Then after a little bit of panic i said **** it if i lose data i lose data... so i powered off and back on hoping i didnt and the rom booted back up with all my data intact..... •••••• Wish I had more to report but im not doing that again until someone can confirm that it works fine...... I have tried booting into cwm yet.. If i have an issue when i need to boot illl report back but if you dont hear from me here then assume I was able too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did exactly what you did, and so far everything seems to be intact Thanks!

How to completely wipe?

I've been having alot of issues, lag, freezes, reboots, and ive been having these issues on a few different roms ive tried. I had Been running the paranoid android one from Jamied81 and it worked great but then i switched around and on any rom including the PA one, and other cm10 roms, im having the same issues, So There must be something wrong with my phone... i guess?
How can i completely wipe clean and start fresh? because ive been wiping data, cache and dalvik cache but thats not helping...
Of course i could go back to best buy and cash in on my warranty.. but i really dont want to do that...
thanks
Well,
It depends on the level you want to take the "cleaning" too...
Data, cache, dalvik cache, and stats are a normal cleaning, and used by most folks to get an average clean.
Some roms even state to do this 3 times or more to be sure.
Two additional steps are needed to get the device "clean". and it involves moving everything off of the device to PC storage, and wiping the following two areas.
( by everything, I mean "anything" you want to keep. pictures etc.)
First, the SD card. As the device uses this memory location for cache of files, and bits of user data, it can be a source of misery when bouncing between roms. so a complete format to FAT32 on the PC will wipe this card clean.
Second, and my personal favorite, is wiping of the internal card space, or the EMMC partition.
This is performed through the recovery, under the advanced options menu, in the format sub-section.
Effectively, wiping the emmc "will" remove all rom data from the device, above the normal data wipe level, and leaves the device empty.
Note: the new rom will re-populate the needed files to run the rom upon the first boot cycle.
IMPORTANT !!!
If moving files back to your device from PC, you must ensure that they are clean too. It is very easy to forget that many files contain rom specific data, and should be avoided as a restore function, especially APK's....
The partitions from the last rom will remain in place, but they will be overwritten by using odin to restore the device. ( if you wish to restore the factory rom architecture )
If odin or kies are not used, the rom partitions remain, but are empty anyway.
"WARNING" !!!!
Although this method is considered safe, you "will lose "any" data or files left behind on the internal space of the device, or on your External SD card by formatting.
And you must place a new rom to your External card prior to placing the card back into the phone, and use CWM or TWRP recovery to flash a new rom in recovery mode. (unless odin or kies are used to return a device to stock condition)
Note: (no pun intended)
This method will "not" touch your recovery, Unless using odin or kies to push a non-rooted rom to the device, and the user must choose carefully when selecting any firmware image to flash.
It is up to the user to restore the factory partitions by flashing a stock odin rom, unless the last rom was a "stock" rom. (Note: kies may be used as well, but Odin is the most common, and works well )...
The standard recovery flash can be used, and is advised if you want to retain root...!!!!
"WARNING" !!!... THE USE OF ODIN OR KIES TO FLASH A STOCK FIRMWARE IMAGE WILL REMOVE YOUR ROOT, AND RECOVERY, FORCING THE DEVICE BACK TO A STOCK STATE....( choose carefully as you select any image to flash using Odin or Kies, as these roms are likely "NOT" rooted roms, and will jam you up)...
I hope this helps you.
Please ask if you have any questions, "before" attempting this procedure... PM included.
And could the Mods please move this thread to QA ? Thank you.....g
gregsarg said:
Well,
It depends on the level you want to take the "cleaning" too...
Data, cache, dalvik cache, and stats are a normal cleaning, and used by most folks to get an average clean.
Some roms even state to do this 3 times or more to be sure.
Two additional steps are needed to get the device "clean". and it involves moving everything off of the device to PC storage, and wiping the following two areas.
( by everything, I mean "anything" you want to keep. pictures etc.)
First, the SD card. As the device uses this memory location for cache of files, and bits of user data, it can be a source of misery when bouncing between roms. so a complete format to FAT32 on the PC will wipe this card clean.
Second, and my personal favorite, is wiping of the internal card space, or the EMMC partition.
This is performed through the recovery, under the advanced options menu, in the format sub-section.
Effectively, wiping the emmc "will" remove all rom data from the device, above the normal data wipe level, and leaves the device empty.
Note: the new rom will re-populate the needed files to run the rom upon the first boot cycle.
IMPORTANT !!!
If moving files back to your device from PC, you must ensure that they are clean too. It is very easy to forget that many files contain rom specific data, and should be avoided as a restore function, especially APK's....
The partitions from the last rom will remain in place, but they will be overwritten by using odin to restore the device. ( if you wish to restore the factory rom architecture )
If odin is not used, the rom partitions remain, but are empty anyway.
"WARNING" !!!!
Although this method is considered safe, you "will lose "any" data or files left behind on the internal space of the device, or on your External SD card by formatting.
And you must place a new rom to your External card prior to placing the card back into the phone, and use CWM or TWRP recovery to flash a new rom in recovery mode.
Note: (no pun intended)
This method will "not" touch your recovery, Unless using odin or kies to push a non-rooted rom to the device, and the user must choose carefully when selecting any firmware image to flash.
It is up to the user to restore the factory partitions by flashing a stock odin rom, unless the last rom was a "stock" rom. (Note: kies may be used as well, but Odin is the most common, and works well )...
The standard recovery flash can be used, and is advised if you want to retain root...!!!!
"WARNING" !!!... THE USE OF ODIN OR KIES TO FLASH A STOCK FIRMWARE IMAGE WILL REMOVE YOUR ROOT, AND RECOVERY, FORCING THE DEVICE BACK TO A STOCK STATE....( choose carefully as you select any image to flash using Odin or Kies, as these roms are likely "NOT" rooted roms, and will jam you up)...
I hope this helps you.
Please ask if you have any questions, "before" attempting this procedure... PM included.
And could the Mods please move this thread to QA ? Thank you.....g
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow.... first of all, thanks for the very detailed reply.
So i format the card separately, format the emmc in recovery, and install a new rom? do i need to deal with the other partitions? or will the new rom just take care of that?
mottyengel said:
Wow.... first of all, thanks for the very detailed reply.
So i format the card separately, format the emmc in recovery, and install a new rom? do i need to deal with the other partitions? or will the new rom just take care of that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The partitions will be empty....and the device will be as clean as you can safely get it, without risking a brick....g
gregsarg said:
The partitions will be empty....and the device will be as clean as you can safely get it, without risking a brick....g
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks alot for your help!!
mottyengel said:
Thanks alot for your help!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Always welcome...g
Another easy way...go to this site: http://rootzwiki.com/topic/25980-sgh-i717ucle2-official-leak/, follow the instructions, bam. Basically just throw into DL mode and hit start, its one of the one click Odin ICS leaks from designgears and it completely wipes everything on your phone.
I have run into similar sounding problems as yours where my phone won't wipe properly in cwm, and I've used this to completely nuke my internal storage and start over.
Of course, transfer all pictures, music, and important files to your computer first. Then after you use the one click Odin, just begin romming as usual
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
With a nice moist wipe!
Sent from the TermiNOTEr!
While i've seen and like the rootzwiki method, I prefer to manually wipe and install roms.
For me, it adds back in, that level of control I like to have when changing roms etc.
I'm the " do it myself " kinda user ...but I agree, it's a good system.
Thank you for posting it ....g
---------- Post added at 06:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:08 PM ----------
borijess said:
With a nice moist wipe!
Sent from the TermiNOTEr!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
..springtime fresh ??
Oh yehhhhhhhhhh!!!.....LOL .......g
I factory reset. cache wipes. Darkside wipe zip.
"The clean getaway"
gregsarg said:
Always welcome...g
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
View attachment 1291207
Sent from A Closet @ Arkham Asylum on my GNote using Forum Runner, Black ★.
Yeah, I prefer the manual way in cwm as well, but I've run into an error a couple of times where it won't wipe properly. So I nuke my phone to fix the ability to wipe. There's no way I would do that every time I flash a ROM.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
welchertc said:
Yeah, I prefer the manual way in cwm as well, but I've run into an error a couple of times where it won't wipe properly. So I nuke my phone to fix the ability to wipe. There's no way I would do that every time I flash a ROM.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True ....and of course, my post was meant in the context of a device having severe problems.
I seldom use that method either, but in a pinch it's good to have available ......and if users see and retain either of the methods we've posted, they can repair virtually any problem going forward.
And hopefully avoid those JTAG moments we all dread ....g
That's for sure. Haha.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
Must wipe...
View attachment 1291573
Sent from A Closet @ Arkham Asylum on my GNote using Forum Runner, Black ★.
LOL. !!!
Excellent !!!
welchertc said:
Another easy way...go to this site: http://rootzwiki.com/topic/25980-sgh-i717ucle2-official-leak/, follow the instructions, bam. Basically just throw into DL mode and hit start, its one of the one click Odin ICS leaks from designgears and it completely wipes everything on your phone.
I have run into similar sounding problems as yours where my phone won't wipe properly in cwm, and I've used this to completely nuke my internal storage and start over.
Of course, transfer all pictures, music, and important files to your computer first. Then after you use the one click Odin, just begin romming as usual
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. But, i dont see any instructions... what do i do with the file?
Basically its a one click version of Odin with the files already loaded into it so you don't have to pick anything.
Download it to your comp, unzip the file (I believe?), open the program, put your phone into download mode, connect it to your comp, make sure Odin recognizes it, then click start.
Takes a bit because its a huge process that it's undertaking, but at times its necessary to go nuclear on your phone.
Really should only be used as a last resort to wiping your phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
welchertc said:
Basically its a one click version of Odin with the files already loaded into it so you don't have to pick anything.
Download it to your comp, unzip the file (I believe?), open the program, put your phone into download mode, connect it to your comp, make sure Odin recognizes it, then click start.
Takes a bit because its a huge process that it's undertaking, but at times its necessary to go nuclear on your phone.
Really should only be used as a last resort to wiping your phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed ....g
I mostly wipe front to back.

A noob's (i.e. Me) guide to rooting the i717 and flashing a new ROM

So, after much research and trepidation, I flashed my first ROM to my i717 last week. Then I decided I didn't like that ROM and flashed another an hour later. So far it's been stable and speedy. I'm very happy. Thanks to XDA-Developers, Google, the Internet, and everyone who made this possible.
So, now, here's my simplified guide to doing what I did. This should NOT be taken as gospel. Please read as much as you can first. But, in an effort to give back, I thought a simple, step by step guide (or, more like links to the guides I found helpful) would be useful to someone. Are we sitting comfortably? Then let us begin.
1. Go here - http://rootgalaxynote.com/galaxy-no...y-note-sgh-i717-icsgingerbreadeasiest-method/ - and root your phone. It will also install ClockworkMod Recovery. Both of these need to be done before you can flash a new ROM.
NOTE: I hear that TWRP is the preferred recovery app. I've tried it and it's very nice. It just so happens that I had ClockworkMod installed when I actually decided to flash a ROM. But use whatever you like.
2. Go to the Play Store and buy Titanium Backup Pro. Well, actually, download the free version then buy the Pro key. There are other backup methods, but I like this one.
3. Backup EVERYTHING. You might never restore a particular app, but best to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I like to use the Google Drive option in Titanium to push by backup off my phone. But you can just hook it up to your PC and copy the backup folder from your SD card to your PC. This is just in case something REALLY bad happens. Best to have an off-phone backup.
4. Find a nice ROM to settle down with. I'm using Revolt (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2288566&highlight=revolt) but do your research and find one you like. If you decide to go with something built off Android 4.2 or 4.3 then you'll lose the Samsung Touchwiz stuff (fancy SPen features, etc.), but to me that wasn't as big a deal as I though.
NOTE: Make sure you know if the ROM need an additional Google Apps package. Sometimes they're listed with the ROM, sometimes not. Read and make sure or you could lose a lot of phone features or it may not even boot. Again, READING IS YOUR FRIEND.
5. Save the ROM (and GApps file if needed) to your phone's SD card (internal or external doesn't matter)
6. Boot into recovery (Hold Vol UP+Vol DOWN then press PWR and hold all 3 until you feel a vibration, then let go of PWR). When ClockworkMod (Or TWRP) comes up, RUN A BACKUP!
7. Read 6. Make sure you actually do it. I'll know.
8. Once you're sure you have your Titanium and ClockworkMod backups, follow the instructions for installing the ROM. Usually this involves (from ClockworkMod or TWRP):
a. Factory Reset
b. Wipe Cache (this is usually a part of Factory Reset, but doesn't hurt to do again)
c. Wipe Dalvik Cache (see cyanogen's response here for what this does - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=519495)
d. Flash new ROM
e, Flash Google Apps (you can also wipe cache and Dalvik cache between d and e)
9. Now the moment of truth. Reboot. Wait. This can take some time, so don't fret if it seems to be taking too long. I'd say if it's over 15 minutes then you might need to worry, but chill before then)
10. When it does boot, you'll basically have a fresh, new phone. You'll need to enter your Google account and follow all the usual stuff you did when you first got your phone.
11. Leave your phone alone now. You can click around, but don't install anything new just yet. I've seen many a post about letting things settle. So, maybe, poke around for 15-30 minutes just to see but don't change anything. Then Reboot
12. Now reinstall Titanium. You can start reinstalling your apps. DON'T reinstall standard apps or they could break (e.g. email app or its data) as the new ROM might not support the old version of the app. My rule of thumb is don't restore any data I can get back from my online accounts (Email, FB, G+, Keep, etc.). All of your pics and that should be on your SD card and should not need to be restored.
13. That's it. If you enabled a scheduled backup in Titanium you might want to disable it for a while to make sure you like what you have. That way, you can go back if you don't like it.
Hopefully that helps someone. Please forgive any mistakes or omissions and if anyone with more experience wants to give it a once over I'd appreciate it.
Thanks and good luck.
Sorry guy, but on step one there is a very high probability of someone bricking their phone.
Why? Because it has happened about 100 times over the past two years from people using that site/method. If you flash the wrong kernel you kill your precious.
You should edit your step to say in the strongest terms triple check your operating system and get the correct kernel.
And step one is unnecessary because all roms here are already rooted.
1. Flash TWRP using pc and Odin.
2. Download new rom.
3. Boot into recovery.
4. Wipe cache, system, data.
5. Flash rom. Boot and wait 10 minutes.
6. Check settings for networks.
7. Optional modem flash.
Only wipe that's needed is a factory reset within recovery. That wipes /cache too. The dalvik cache resides on the data partition and is thusly wiped as well.
The Rom will have a format /system line within the updater script.
And within titanium backup don't backup or restore system settings (anything in the list that's red.)
And as said rooting first isn't needed unless you've been using stock for awhile and have apps you'd like to backup first... the easiest way to root is simply flash the latest twrp with Odin.. boot into recovery... then when you go to reboot the system it'll see that you're not rooted and ask if you'd like to do so.
Thanks for the feedback. Like I hope I stressed, this is the method that worked for me.
I guess I have the terms mixed up in 1. I'm saying to install ClockworkMod (or TWRP) and root your phone. I want to root it here because I want Titanium installed before I change ROMS so I can go back to exactly how everything was before modding if I want. Does that make sense?
Also, can you tell me what's specifically wrong with the site I link in Step 1? I was on ICS at the time I think. Does it brick if you do it on JB?
I'll change the step to say to go here instead - http://teamw.in/project/twrp2/96
Is that better?
Also, can you explain your cache wipe suggestions. I've seen the official instructions say to Reset, then Wipe Cache, then Wipe Dalvik. I know the last 2 are included in the first, but why are we explicitly asked to do them again? Why do you think we don't?
My thinking behind adding it here is that it does no harm and if some devs think that not doing it will cause problems then why not include it to be extra safe.
If you wanted it back to the way it was before modding anything then you could flash a custom recovery and do a nandroid backup before rooting at all.
Titanium backup needs root. If you want your app data after flashing a rom then that's when it's needed.
As far as extra wiping... putting your arms over your head spinning in a circle while chanting a manta does no harm either and is just as effective.
When you flash as often as I do... you wanna streamline the process. Extra anything is just that... Extra... and is just a waste of time
His first step is correct. No one that I know has bricked their phone using those directions because that link does not install any kernels. And it never did. It works for all versions of android. Even after all this time there is so much misinformation given.
Studacris's help is as good as gold though. He has put me in my place in the past.
Thanks Everyone.

[D6603] 23.0.1.A.5.77 Telenor + debloated version

So, this is just a pristine (as "untouched" as possible) image of the Norwegian telenor one.
What I have done:
I've extracted everything, deodexed it, and put everything, excluding all useless junk, in here. Nothing is edited or removed.
All I've added is SuperSU, busybox and ES File explorer. And changed /system/etc/customization/settings/config.prop so the phone is in US English on first boot. (Well, that's the only thing I've edited)
Only files that aren't deodexed are playstationcertified.odex and com.android.nfc_extras.odex. There's no .jar-files for them so...
I copied playstationcertified.odex to com.playstation.playstationcertified.odex since AndroPlus mentioned something about it somewhere. Don't know how important this is.
What kernel should I use with this?
I'd recommend AndroPlus' work any day. It's awesome! So head over and hit that thanks-button for him to show how awesome you think it is!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=56439759&postcount=1
If you do use one of his 27-and-on-kernels you can format /system and /cache as F2FS.
Do not format /data as F2FS though. Do not do it. The phone won't boot if /data is formatted as F2FS.
Don't know why not.
If this bricks your phone or whatever else problem arises, I'm not responsible or of much help.
All I can vouch for is it runs fine on my D6603 Z3 phone. With /cache and /system formatted as F2FS.
(Also runs fine with /cache and /system as ext4, if you're wondering)
Does it work with a locked or unlocked bootloader?
It works with an unlocked bootloader. Don't know if it works with a locked one, mine is unlocked.
Here you go:
shrunk-D6603_23.0.1.A.5.77_R12B_Telenor.zip
Here are the files that have been removed:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/vybrb0k5l0s5coy/removed.zip
They're just collected in a zip-file with various folders that tells you where they belong. So you can just take what ever you feel is missing and put it "back" in place in the shrink-zip above.
Here is the original (but still deodexed) thing in one big chunk:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/85evwwlu7fn7vul/23.0.1.A.5.77_Telenor.zip
Just for the sake of the challenge, here is as small as I manage to squeeze it. Just about 1GB on the phone after first installation (420MB as a download).
1. The background is "black" on boot. You need to touch and hold the screen, choose "themes", and select the one theme there is. There is no longer any automation-process that does this on first boot.
2. You need to set language yourself. Go to "settings", "language and keyboard", and change it to the language of your preference.
3. You now have a small ROM on your phone!
http://www.mediafire.com/download/0ei9bjbb8dfn99c/small-D6603_23.0.1.A.5.77_R12B_Telenor.zip
"But I need this and that program, can't you add..."
You do it! Just put what ever program you have or want in to /system/app on the phone (that is, in the zip-file). Some programs needs to be in /system/priv-app (they will force close on you until you put them in /system/priv-app - to really confuse you, playstation app has to be in /system/etc/product/applications, or it won't work. Why I have no idea...).
"But nothing happens when I hit the search bar on top..."
I removed Google Search. If you want it you can put it in /system/priv-app.
"I want to add wallpapers and ringtones"
Here you go. Just add ringtones and wallpapers to their respective folders and zip up, then install just like you'd install a ROM.
http://www.mediafire.com/download/5f5745fo5jlu4qb/add-ringtones-wallpapers.zip
Gonna give this a go later..
Just wondering, if you have already done the drm restore method listed in androkernel thread do you lose it when you flash a rom via zip? Is there anyway to get the drm fix to work on this rom?
Thanks!
Guitarfreak26 said:
Gonna give this a go later..
Just wondering, if you have already done the drm restore method listed in androkernel thread do you lose it when you flash a rom via zip? Is there anyway to get the drm fix to work on this rom?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I haven't. My point is generally just to make a "pristine" ROM. That is, I've removed what I don't think is needed (I'll upload the "leftovers" in a zip, after doing some more work), but other than that, this is just the way the original ROM was.
With added root and a file explorer.
But it's not that hard to add the stuff from that zip-file. They're just a few files that are extracted to overwrite some files in /system. Just open up the drm-zip and you'll see. The script for DRM doesn't do anything other than just extract (and overwrite) the files inside the zip. So if you want, you could just try to add those files to this and make that happen yourself.
What's the process for getting it as f2fs? Total novice with file systems but saw you guys talking about it in the kernel thread? Is it a case of installing it then converting in twrp?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Has anybody tried this on locked bootloader?
The OP says they don't know since they have unlocked bootloader.
Thanks
@Verbato, please for next build i request 2 things, 1. Please remove the wipe internal storage upon flashing, 2. Please add the clock and calendar back, i think many users feel the way i do saying the clock and calendar are vital system apps that were removed, thanks for your work, the rom is smooth and fast with f2fs
corpsegrinder62 said:
@Verbato, please for next build i request 2 things, 1. Please remove the wipe internal storage upon flashing, 2. Please add the clock and calendar back, i think many users feel the way i do saying the clock and calendar are vital system apps that were removed, thanks for your work, the rom is smooth and fast with f2fs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whats the best way to set it up with f2fs? Op said he will release a zip soon with missing apps etc
Guitarfreak26 said:
Whats the best way to set it up with f2fs? Op said he will release a zip soon with missing apps etc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The easiest way i done it is i used androplus kernel v27 with multirom twrp 2.8.5, flash with fota if u need to. Go to wipe, advanced wipe, tick which partition you want, eg. System, click change/repair file system - F2FS, do it with system and cache, just be warned - it will wipe both /data and /data/media so backup first. Last step is flash rom zip, sit back, relax, and enjoy f2fs partition, you should notice apps launch tons faster after doing it. Cannot format /data to f2fs though as op mentioned, system and cache only.
@Corpsegrinder Sure, no problem. If it's annoying you, the wiping of /data, I can just send you a new updater-script. It's inside of META-INF. If you download the first file over you'll find calendar and clock in /system/app. They're called "SemcClock.apk" and "SemcCalendar.apk".
I'll remark out the /data-wipe and add clock+cal in the next update.
Updated. No deletion of any data in... data. Added calc and calender. Will put in some work to make it even smaller. Means quicker, means less CPU-usage, and so less battery usage.
corpsegrinder62 said:
just be warned - it will wipe both /data and /data/media so backup first
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not any more.
Working on making it a slight bit smaller/quicker/etc.
Root and recovery
Hi. I really appreciate your work putting a debloated rom together for us.
I'm quite new to Z3 roms and feel quite overwhelmed by all the technical info in the various threads. Do you know if/how I can flash this with TWRP and keep the phone rooted?
I did the downgrade/giefroot/recovery process that doesn't need to unlock bootloader, so I'm sitting on the .93 build for now.
KnuckleSnackwich said:
Hi. I really appreciate your work putting a debloated rom together for us.
I'm quite new to Z3 roms and feel quite overwhelmed by all the technical info in the various threads. Do you know if/how I can flash this with TWRP and keep the phone rooted?
I did the downgrade/giefroot/recovery process that doesn't need to unlock bootloader, so I'm sitting on the .93 build for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download and pre-root .77 with PRFCreator, flash it through recovery, re-flash recovery itself, switch off and then on again (dnt reboot)
I really like this since i hate bloatware. Is there any chance to get a lollipop version with minimal to no bloatware?
Will this work on the D6616?
any link for AndroPlus kernel? link in OP not working. thank you.

Cannot Perform Factory Reset, or Install New ROMs - booting into current OS = FCs

Hi folks.
I've just acquired a Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, and I have officially unlocked the bootloader, and installed Redwolf Recovery, Magisk, and the Pixel Experience Oreo ROM, and the phone was working for a few days without issues.
Today however, whenever I boot into my phone, force close errors pop up at three errors per second, and when I try to perform a factory reset and reinstall a ROM, the current, yet corrupt installation remains, and I cannot get rid of it.
Is there any way to solve this issue, as this is the first time I have experienced this?
Thanks.
aha360 said:
Today however, whenever I boot into my phone, force close errors pop up at three errors per second, and when I try to perform a factory reset and reinstall a ROM, the current, yet corrupt installation remains, and I cannot get rid of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, you need to do advanced wipe in recovery and wipe /system, /data, /cache, /dalvik, /ART before installing a new ROM.
Should your preferred ROM still produce this issue, please try for a quick test https://download.lineageos.org/kenzo
You don't need Magisk to root LOS.
:good:
k23m said:
Hi, you need to do advanced wipe in recovery and wipe /system, /data, /cache, /dalvik, /ART before installing a new ROM.
Should your preferred ROM still produce this issue, please try for a quick test https://download.lineageos.org/kenzo
You don't need Magisk to root LOS.
:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much for that. I actually did that before you suggested this to me, and I'm back up and running now.
However, one thing I have learned is that you shouldn't add any files to internal storage AFTER doing a full, destructive wipe and AFTER installing anything from there, as those files will disappear while the storage gets occupied in the process, so I ended up having to repeat the process, but with the required files ON THE microSD CARD.
Another thing I have learned from this is to not install a custom ROM on encrypted storage and double-check the encryption status BEFORE flashing a ROM as I now know that some stock ROMs automatically encrypt the /data/ and /data/media/ partitions, which is a huge pain in the backside.
Lesson of the day: even if you think you're familiar with custom ROMs and installing them, there are times whereby you'll end up hitting brick wall dilemmas like this one.
aha360 said:
Thank you very much for that. I actually did that before you suggested this to me, and I'm back up and running now.
However, one thing I have learned is that you shouldn't add any files to internal storage AFTER doing a full, destructive wipe and AFTER installing anything from there, as those files will disappear while the storage gets occupied in the process, so I ended up having to repeat the process, but with the required files ON THE microSD CARD.
Another thing I have learned from this is to not install a custom ROM on encrypted storage and double-check the encryption status BEFORE flashing a ROM as I now know that some stock ROMs automatically encrypt the /data/ and /data/media/ partitions, which is a huge pain in the backside.
Lesson of the day: even if you think you're familiar with custom ROMs and installing them, there are times whereby you'll end up hitting brick wall dilemmas like this one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
U only need to do format data option if u come from miui rom. Coz miui encrypts the data and internal sd. So format data option is must.
Moving from one custom rom to another u dont need format data. Only wipe data reset is enough.
If u have any important document . keep it in external sd. If something goes wrong or custom rom cant boot then we use format data option which erases ur internal sd too.
No need to encrypt the device. Just install the rom which comes with selinux enforcing which is enough to protect ur userspace.
naik2902 said:
U only need to do format data option if u come from miui rom. Coz miui encrypts the data and internal sd. So format data option is must.
Moving from one custom rom to another u dont need format data. Only wipe data reset is enough.
If u have any important document . keep it in external sd. If something goes wrong or custom rom cant boot then we use format data option which erases ur internal sd too.
No need to encrypt the device. Just install the rom which comes with selinux enforcing which is enough to protect ur userspace.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Muchos gracias.
Also, I have a microSD card for that very reason, which is to keep all my files that I want to keep separate and safe from destructive deletion, and I have now learned that stock ROMs like the MIUI ROM encrypt the data and internal shared storage partitions, and that I have to do a full, destructive, internal storage wipe whenever I migrate to a custom ROM FROM a stock ROM.
Also, I frankly don't give a two sh!ts about storage encryption and SElinux policies as they're far too inconvenient for the trade-off in terms of technological security versus technological freedom, so I installed The SELinux Switch app from here, and I intend to leave the device decrypted for the aforementioned reasons.
aha360 said:
Also, I frankly don't give a two sh!ts about storage encryption and SElinux policies as they're far too inconvenient for the trade-off in terms of technological security versus technological freedom, so I installed The SELinux Switch app from here, and I intend to leave the device decrypted for the aforementioned reasons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. When we unlock bootloaders and root our devices we choose freedom and the remaining constrictions like SElinux and encryption are, in this context, completely useless shackles. Furthermore, encryption contributes to NAND flash wear and premature device failure.
:highfive:
k23m said:
Exactly. When we unlock bootloaders and root our devices we choose freedom and the remaining constrictions like SElinux and encryption are, in this context, completely useless shackles. Furthermore, encryption contributes to NAND flash wear and premature device failure.
:highfive:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not only that - SELinux, when set to Enforcing, restricts certain simple commands and shoves them unnecessarily behind root privileges, like "reboot bootloader", or "reboot -p", or "reboot fastboot", or "reboot recovery", or "reboot". I'm not going to wait 60 seconds for a device to reboot into recovery - screw that.
Hell, even having SELinux set to Enforcing can interfere with or block infrared beam access. Stupid crap I tell ya.

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