Messed up partitions & unable to flash - Nexus 9 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hey everyone,
A few days ago, I decided to downgrade from AICP 11 back to 10 (Android 6.0.1 to 5.1.1), wiped everything but internal storage. When flashing, I got an error, saying that the /vendor partition was missing, and indeed, while it existed, I could only mount it forcefully, because the device was busy.
This lead to a complete wipe, as after a reboot, TWRP asked for an encryption password, which I didn't set. Here, I did a factory reset & wiped everything. After that, I tried flashing again (5.1.1), but after it was completed, I got a line, which said "Couldn't unmount /system", which is true, as it's already unmounted. But when I mount it, all the files that are supposed to be installed seem to be there.
When I reboot the device, it gets stuck on the Google logo.
Frankly, I'm afraid to even flash back to stock, so I was hoping that someone more experienced could help me out.
It should be noted, that I still have access to fastboot, and TWRP.
Thanks in advance,
DecentM

How did you force mount /vendor?
Can you clarify where you are seeing these problems? (TWRP or within Android)
Do you have any nandroid backups to test and see if they work?

dmantilal said:
How did you force mount /vendor?
Can you clarify where you are seeing these problems? (TWRP or within Android)
Do you have any nandroid backups to test and see if they work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used mount -f and umount -f in the TWRP terminal
I see all these problems in TWRP, since I can't boot/get past the initial Google logo.
I do have a nandroid backuip on my laptop (as I had to wipe the tablet clean), but that's currently unavailable for me to use, I'll reply back when I tried it.
I doubt it will work, because it just extracts data to a predefined path, which seems like the same thing an installer zip does.

DecentM said:
I used mount -f and umount -f in the TWRP terminal
I see all these problems in TWRP, since I can't boot/get past the initial Google logo.
I do have a nandroid backuip on my laptop (as I had to wipe the tablet clean), but that's currently unavailable for me to use, I'll reply back when I tried it.
I doubt it will work, because it just extracts data to a predefined path, which seems like the same thing an installer zip does.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why did you need /vendor mounted in TWRP?
I thought flashing used dd (command) or similar to copy the *.img file to the partition (or, more accurately, the block device). If /vendor is mounted during *.img copy, that would most likely cause errors.

dmantilal said:
Why did you need /vendor mounted in TWRP?
I thought flashing used dd (command) or similar to copy the *.img file to the partition (or, more accurately, the block device). If /vendor is mounted during *.img copy, that would most likely cause errors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mounted it, because when I initially restored the 5.1.1 rom, I got an error, saying that the /vendor partition wasn't mounted.

DecentM said:
I mounted it, because when I initially restored the 5.1.1 rom, I got an error, saying that the /vendor partition wasn't mounted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are sure it was complaining about "unmounted", rather than "mounted"?
Do these roms include a vendor.img? You may need to flash the stock 5.1.1 vendor.img.
Either way, unless you mkfs'ed or resize2fs'ed the partitions, they should be fine. Full wipe & go.

dmantilal said:
You are sure it was complaining about "unmounted", rather than "mounted"?
Do these roms include a vendor.img? You may need to flash the stock 5.1.1 vendor.img.
Either way, unless you mkfs'ed or resize2fs'ed the partitions, they should be fine. Full wipe & go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure.
I already did a full wipe, but it still had issues. I'll try again tomorrow, and report back on how it went.

DecentM said:
I'm not sure.
I already did a full wipe, but it still had issues. I'll try again tomorrow, and report back how it went.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having a mismatched vendor.img could be your problem.
No ROM I know of includes a vendor.img. I think it is a legal issue, like including GApps with a ROM.

dmantilal said:
Having a mismatched vendor.img could be your problem.
No ROM I know of includes a vendor.img. I think it is a legal issue, like including GApps with a ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think that the issue is with the vendor image anymore, but with the partitions in general. I always had a mismatched vendor image, as it only results in a modal box after boot.
My problem is again, with the /system partition not being visible to flashable zip files.

Mismatched vendor.img can also cause bootloops and other quirks like battery-charge percentage inaccuracies.

Related

Well it isn't 'technically' bricked...

I have a Droid Eris but I made the fatal mistake of putting clockwork recovery on it :'( and now I can't do anything with it because of the following:
1.) Can't install PB00IMG.zip from HBOOT because: "Main version is Older!" (I've checked the md5sums and everything lines up)
PB00100 XC SHIP S-ON
HBOOT-1.49.0000 (PB0010000)
MICROP-0111
TOUCH PANEL-SYN0104
RADIO-2.42.01.04.27
Feb 8 2010,00:08:56
2.) Clockworkrecovery 2.5.0.1 (I get the error message below)
3.) A bad deployment of GSB Gingerbread (2/18/2011) {Stays on Android skateboard screen and never does anything}
Is there anything I can do with this combination of stuff to get my phone booting into Android again?
Any help (even a "you're screwed" message) would be of help. Thanks guys
ttp://img834.imageshack.us/img834/8232/img20110221103304.jpg
KannedFarU said:
I have a Droid Eris but I made the fatal mistake of putting clockwork recovery on it :'( and now I can't do anything with it because of the following:
1.) Can't install PB00IMG.zip from HBOOT because: "Main version is Older!" (I've checked the md5sums and everything lines up)
PB00100 XC SHIP S-ON
HBOOT-1.49.0000 (PB0010000)
MICROP-0111
TOUCH PANEL-SYN0104
RADIO-2.42.01.04.27
Feb 8 2010,00:08:56
2.) Clockworkrecovery 2.5.0.1 (I get the error message below)
3.) A bad deployment of GSB Gingerbread (2/18/2011) {Stays on Android skateboard screen and never does anything}
Is there anything I can do with this combination of stuff to get my phone booting into Android again?
Any help (even a "you're screwed" message) would be of help. Thanks guys
ttp://img834.imageshack.us/img834/8232/img20110221103304.jpg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't do anything further to your phone until you have answered a couple of questions. In the meantime, plug your phone onto the charger and keep it fully charged. The steps you take at this moment are extremely critical. In particular, I would recommend that you avoid attempting to flash a PB00IMG.ZIP file or run an RUU until you have investigated a few more things.
First, let's find out about your skills and resources:
Q1) Do you know how to use "adb" and the command line?
Q2) You are still able to boot into recovery, HBOOT, and Fastboot modes, right?
I'll post another entry in a minute or two - I want this to get up on the board ASAP.
OK, so here's the deal about that symlink error.
It can result from two different conditions - one of which is innocuous, and one of which is "near-death".
In the "near-death" case, flashing a PB00IMG.ZIP file or running an RUU sometimes results in a hard brick, so, for the moment you should avoid that.
So, if it is the "innocuous case", what happens is that you simply flashed a ROM file which was truncated or corrupted. The installer script performs a lot of "symlink" installations after files have been unpacked from the "system" area in the ROM file; if that fails so that the target of the symlink is not found, you get an error similar to what you see in your .jpg file.
(BTW, this is the exact reason that newbs are advised to stay away from Clockwork - it does not perform signing verification of ROM files to check that they are complete and uncorrupted. Amon_RA does this, so that it is impossible to flash a corrupted ROM using Amon_RA - but ClockworkMod does not provide you that protection).
The second cause is much more sinister - we have observed cases where something in Clockwork ends up causing the MTD driver in the kernel to mark a massive number of pages in flash memory as if they had fatal flaws - they can not be reclaimed by the standard erasure methods that the custom recoveries normally use. The net effect is that when you try and load a new ROM onto the phone (assuming that the ROM file is correct, complete, and uncorrupted), the installer runs out of space and the installation fails.
[SIZE=+2]We will need to be able to discriminate between those two cases to determine how to proceed next.[/SIZE]
The most direct way to detect this more critical problem is to boot into ClockworkMod recovery, create a shell on the phone using "adb", and then attempt to "mount" the /system mount point. It is possible that this will fail; but if it succeeds, you then erase everything in /system, and do a "df" command to look at available space on the phone, as in:
Code:
C:\WindozeSucks> [COLOR=green]adb shell[/COLOR]
# [COLOR=green]mount /system[/COLOR]
[COLOR=grey](If the above command fails, proceed no further)[/COLOR]
# [COLOR=green]cd /system[/COLOR]
# [COLOR=green]df -k /system[/COLOR]
Filesystem 1K-blocks Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/block/mtdblock3 174080 112128 61952 64% /system
# [COLOR=green]rm -rf /system/*[/COLOR]
# [COLOR=green]df -k /system[/COLOR]
Filesystem 1K-blocks Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/block/mtdblock3 174080 112128 61952 64% /system
# [COLOR=green]cd /[/COLOR]
# [COLOR=green]umount /system[/COLOR]
The example output of the "df -k" command above is from my phone where I did not erase the /system folder. Note that its total size is about 174,000 kB (roughly 170 MB). If you have a bunch of bad pages, your total size will be quite a bit smaller than this. Note also that it reports the "Use%". If you are showing 100% use when you first run the "df" command, this likely also indicates a problem of this nature.
When you actually erase all the files in the /system folder, the 2nd time you run the "df -k /system" command, you should see a very low total "Use%" - about 1%. Note that his erasure does not correct the problem - we are only trying to find out what state your phone is in at the moment.
2) If you are not familiar with using adb, there is an indirect route you can take, which is to determine if the ROM file on your SD card is corrupt or not.
Ahhh, ****, I forgot that ClockworkMod doesn't have a MS-USB mode
Again, boot into Amon_RA, connect to the PC, and then toggle "MS-USB toggle" from the Amon_RA menu. Then use a file explorer on the PC to find out the exact size of the ROM file on the SD card (down to the very last byte). If it is exactly the correct size, it is somewhat unlikely that this is a simple problem of a corrupted ROM file. If you know how to do it, compute the "MD5" signature of this ROM, and report both the exact total file size (in bytes) and the MD5 signature.
I'll provide more instructions after you respond.
bfb0
PS You didn't mention WHICH PB00IMG.ZIP file you were trying to flash, nor the exact version of GSB you used - I presume you mean the ROOT version/GSB v1.6, but you ought to clear that up to avoid any ambiguities.
I can post up a flashable zip that will allow you to replace your ClockworkMod recovery boot with Amon_RA, so don't get discouraged yet.
Such a thing is trivial to do - it's never been done so far on the Eris forum because the emphasis of rooting was on getting any custom recovery in place, rather than replacing a custom recovery with another custom recovery.
But, I think it is important to use non-destructive methods first to investigate as thoroughly as possible; because your current recovery boot is your lifeline to getting the phone back, we should avoid that until I've received some feedback from you.
bftb0
Nevermind.
bftb0 said:
Ahhh, ****, I forgot that ClockworkMod doesn't have a MS-USB mode
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In ClockWork Mod Recovery it's under the Partitions menu, I think at the bottom of the list.
roirraW "edor" ehT said:
In ClockWork Mod Recovery it's under the Partitions menu, I think at the bottom of the list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks - I wasn't aware of that.
I have been using both Clockwork and Amon_RA - I think you saw the hack/trick I am using that allows me access either one I choose from a cold boot.
I tend to use Clockwork for Nandroid backup/restore (because it is far more complete), and Amon_RA for almost everything else. I want my installer to perform signing verification, dammit!
bftb0 said:
Thanks - I wasn't aware of that.
I have been using both Clockwork and Amon_RA - I think you saw the hack/trick I am using that allows me access either one I choose from a cold boot.
I tend to use Clockwork for Nandroid backup/restore (because it is far more complete), and Amon_RA for almost everything else. I want my installer to perform signing verification, dammit!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome!
Yes, actually even with ROM Manager installed I most often use QuickBoot or any other app/ROM's reboot to recovery option and then load ClockWork from there. Most of the time it seems actually less time consuming than bothering to load ROM Manager just to tell it the same thing. I don't keep any other zips in the root of the SD card besides FlashBack21 and 15, so the update.zip for ClockWork is always right there easily accessible without scrolling through a list.
And I won't lie, ClockWork Mod definitely has a different approach to the naming of it's menu options and organization, and even naming of those menu items, so it doesn't surprise me that you didn't know that the USB mount option did exist - in a weird place, if you ask me. Makes sense only in hindsight.
Something just rang a bell so I loaded ClockWork Mod re: signature verification. I would have brought this up a LONG time ago, but I honestly just didn't remember it until now, I swear.
ClockWork Mod DOES have signature verification, at least as a menu toggle.
In CWM's main menu, choose "install zip from sdcard". You'll see the third option in the list is "toggle signature verification". If I choose it now it then says at the very bottom of the recovery screen "Signature Check: Enabled". This setting doesn't stick between reboots (tested), although they could probably set it up so that it does by one of two methods:
1. Writing a settings file on the SD card which the recovery reads when loaded.
2. Actually modifying the update.zip as necessary to make this setting permanent until it's re-toggled.
I think where the confusion lies is that if you actually use ROM Manager the way that it's meant to when flashing a ROM, you'll never get the opportunity to see the menu option for signature verification as I believe that ROM Manager causes CWM to automatically reboot after the flash.
I rarely even enter ROM Manager as I mentioned above, so I guess that's how I got a little bit more familiar with the varying contents of the CWM menus. I never toggled sig verification on before except a very long time ago as a test to see what it did - but I just didn't ever think about it ever again after that.
I will probably toggle it on from now on, though.
I don't know what the "toggle script asserts" option below that is, though. Any idea so that I don't have to search?
Back to how I originally started this post. I was going to say that despite CWM not verifying the signature (by default - now that I know), I like the ability to organize my various flashable items in my favorite hierarchy of folders too much to revert back to Amon RA for typical flashing. Now that I know there's no reason to, I won't feel as lazy.
Also, I see now that in CWM v2.5.0.7 that they renamed the "partitions" menu to "mounts and storage". Still slightly confusing, but oh well.
Wasn't it speculated or more that Amon RA may not wipe Dalvik correctly when Cache To Cache is used? Did anyone come to any definitive conclusion regarding that?
roirraW "edor" ehT said:
Something just rang a bell so I loaded ClockWork Mod re: signature verification. I would have brought this up a LONG time ago, but I honestly just didn't remember it until now, I swear.
ClockWork Mod DOES have signature verification, at least as a menu toggle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While I have seen this before myself, the one time that I tried to use it in Clockwork with a known-good .zip file it gave an error message. In other words, this passed Amon signature check, successfully installed on both recoveries, yet gave an error when I tried to set it.
Maybe I was reading the error message wrong, though.
Wasn't it speculated or more that Amon RA may not wipe Dalvik correctly when Cache To Cache is used? Did anyone come to any definitive conclusion regarding that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't see how it wouldn't. Wiping Dalvik formats the /cache partition, and the /cache partition with cache2cache is holding both the system Dalvik cache (the one that you want to wipe when there has been a change in the Android system files) as well as the third party app cache (normally in /data.) It's definitely true, though, that Clockwork does a more thorough Nandroid backup and restore, as it backs up and restores /cache, the SD card's /.android_secure folder (where Froyo/GB store apps moved to SD) as well as ext partitions on the SD card (where 2.1 ROMs store apps2sd.)
At this point in time it's beginning to look like the OP did a "drive-by" posting, so I suppose it's Ok to continue with the OT discussion.
doogald said:
While I have seen this before myself, the one time that I tried to use it in Clockwork with a known-good .zip file it gave an error message. In other words, this passed Amon signature check, successfully installed on both recoveries, yet gave an error when I tried to set it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same experience here. From that I concluded that it doesn't work correctly.
I suppose it could be set up to reject the "test key" signature, as it really isn't a private key (cuz everybody has it), but that would make it useless for Eris dev ROMs.
doogald said:
While Wiping Dalvik formats the /cache partition
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Eh?
That's counterintuitive. I thought Amon_RA only wipes /cache when you do a "wipe data/factory reset". Is clockwork different in this regard?
bftb0 said:
That's counterintuitive. I thought Amon_RA only wipes /cache when you do a "wipe data/factory reset". Is clockwork different in this regard?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was actually talking about Amon's, and I am probably very wrong about that - I hadn't really checked. Still, all that cache2cache does is move /data/dalvik-cache to /cache/dalvik-cache and create a symlink so /data/dalvik-cache points to /cache/dalvik-cache, so any procedure that wipes /cache/dalvik-cache and even /data/dalvik-cache is going to wipe Dalvik just fine with cache2cache installed, right?
doogald said:
I was actually talking about Amon's, and I am probably very wrong about that - I hadn't really checked. Still, all that cache2cache does is move /data/dalvik-cache to /cache/dalvik-cache and create a symlink so /data/dalvik-cache points to /cache/dalvik-cache, so any procedure that wipes /cache/dalvik-cache and even /data/dalvik-cache is going to wipe Dalvik just fine with cache2cache installed, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, when Amon_RA is performing installs or Nandroids, it mounts the "data" and "system" partitions on the normal mount points, namely /data and /system, respectively.
So, yeah - if someone had cache2cache installed on their ROM, there would be a symlink
/data/dalvik-cache -> /cache/dalvik-cache
So if Amon_RA's strategy for "wiping dalvik cache" is to "mount /data and rm -rf /data/dalvik-cache", then yes - the folder at /cache/dalvik-cache would get wiped.
But if someone was NOT using cache2cache ( me! ), then the /cache/dalvik-cache folder, which normally contains entries for apps in /system/app (for Froyo and GB) would be preserved if you were "overflashing" a ROM, assuming that the dev did not place an explicit "format CACHE:" directive in his installer script.
When I am "overflashing" a ROM, I always look at the result with an adb shell to Amon_RA after everything is flashed, but before the first boot, and I manually remove /cache/dalvik-cache if it is there.
In that specific case (no use of cache2cache), there is no need to wipe the /data/dalvik-cache (because none of the apps in /data/app have changed), and a very good reason to wipe /cache/dalvik-cache (because many of the apps in /system/app could have changed).
Arguably, if someone is NOT using cache2cache, then a "wipe dalvik-cache" in Amon_RA wipes the wrong cache if the intent is to overflash a Froyo or Gingerbread ROM - because the /cache folder does not get wiped ... and that is precisely the location that you do want to wipe, because what is being replaced is the system apps.
I wonder how many rooters understand that subtlety.
And then, after that, I wonder if it is even necessary to worry about it - I thought that Android does a variety of signature checks on every boot, and if there is a mismatch between the .apk and the .dex, the .dex gets re-created automatically.... I think. (Ugh. I know how to check this experimentally, but it's a lot of work.)
doogald said:
While I have seen this before myself, the one time that I tried to use it in Clockwork with a known-good .zip file it gave an error message. In other words, this passed Amon signature check, successfully installed on both recoveries, yet gave an error when I tried to set it.
Maybe I was reading the error message wrong, though.
I can't see how it wouldn't. Wiping Dalvik formats the /cache partition, and the /cache partition with cache2cache is holding both the system Dalvik cache (the one that you want to wipe when there has been a change in the Android system files) as well as the third party app cache (normally in /data.) It's definitely true, though, that Clockwork does a more thorough Nandroid backup and restore, as it backs up and restores /cache, the SD card's /.android_secure folder (where Froyo/GB store apps moved to SD) as well as ext partitions on the SD card (where 2.1 ROMs store apps2sd.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bftb0 said:
At this point in time it's beginning to look like the OP did a "drive-by" posting, so I suppose it's Ok to continue with the OT discussion.
Same experience here. From that I concluded that it doesn't work correctly.
I suppose it could be set up to reject the "test key" signature, as it really isn't a private key (cuz everybody has it), but that would make it useless for Eris dev ROMs.
Eh?
That's counterintuitive. I thought Amon_RA only wipes /cache when you do a "wipe data/factory reset". Is clockwork different in this regard?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should also be noted that CWM wipes .android-secure (and /sd-ext, as well as Data and Cache) when you choose "wipe data/factory reset". Noticed this just now.
I wanted to test the signature verification since CWM had been updated recently for the Eris, at least with one ROM and it's associated files (GAPPS, zach.xtr's C2C). I flashed GSB v1.6 with verification turned on. It never reported any error flashing the zip. It did, however, claim that "gapps-gb-20110120-signed.zip" failed sig verification. I immediately flashed that zip via Amon RA and it flashed just fine.
zach.xtr's C2C passed CWM's sig verify, though.
I'm doing research to see if I can find any more information on this behavior.
bftb0 said:
Well, when Amon_RA is performing installs or Nandroids, it mounts the "data" and "system" partitions on the normal mount points, namely /data and /system, respectively.
So, yeah - if someone had cache2cache installed on their ROM, there would be a symlink
/data/dalvik-cache -> /cache/dalvik-cache
So if Amon_RA's strategy for "wiping dalvik cache" is to "mount /data and rm -rf /data/dalvik-cache", then yes - the folder at /cache/dalvik-cache would get wiped.
But if someone was NOT using cache2cache ( me! ), then the /cache/dalvik-cache folder, which normally contains entries for apps in /system/app (for Froyo and GB) would be preserved if you were "overflashing" a ROM, assuming that the dev did not place an explicit "format CACHE:" directive in his installer script.
When I am "overflashing" a ROM, I always look at the result with an adb shell to Amon_RA after everything is flashed, but before the first boot, and I manually remove /cache/dalvik-cache if it is there.
In that specific case (no use of cache2cache), there is no need to wipe the /data/dalvik-cache (because none of the apps in /data/app have changed), and a very good reason to wipe /cache/dalvik-cache (because many of the apps in /system/app could have changed).
Arguably, if someone is NOT using cache2cache, then a "wipe dalvik-cache" in Amon_RA wipes the wrong cache if the intent is to overflash a Froyo or Gingerbread ROM - because the /cache folder does not get wiped ... and that is precisely the location that you do want to wipe, because what is being replaced is the system apps.
I wonder how many rooters understand that subtlety.
And then, after that, I wonder if it is even necessary to worry about it - I thought that Android does a variety of signature checks on every boot, and if there is a mismatch between the .apk and the .dex, the .dex gets re-created automatically.... I think. (Ugh. I know how to check this experimentally, but it's a lot of work.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I certainly didn't know this. Very interesting, thank you!
I Agree
roirraW "edor" ehT said:
It should also be noted that CWM wipes .android-secure (and /sd-ext, as well as Data and Cache) when you choose "wipe data/factory reset". Noticed this just now.
I wanted to test the signature verification since CWM had been updated recently for the Eris, at least with one ROM and it's associated files (GAPPS, zach.xtr's C2C). I flashed GSB v1.6 with verification turned on. It never reported any error flashing the zip. It did, however, claim that "gapps-gb-20110120-signed.zip" failed sig verification. I immediately flashed that zip via Amon RA and it flashed just fine.
zach.xtr's C2C passed CWM's sig verify, though.
I'm doing research to see if I can find any more information on this behavior.
I certainly didn't know this. Very interesting, thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree yes, thank you!

[TEAM XPOSED] [Guide] Use Synergy EXT4 Tweaks on any ROM without losing data.

I was on a hunt to make this work without losing any data and I've figured out a way that works quite nice, and all it involves is a TWRP backup, ADB, and a bit of commandline.
Thanks to TrevE for his ever evolving tweaks to Android and for making them readily available to the community at the cost of one thanks per post, and maybe a beer or two (how many people really buy beer with donations?!)
Required:
TWRP backup
ADB
The EXT4 tweaks for /data
The EXT4 tweaks for /system
(If your ROM doesn't already have them, I will be providing the zips for them courtesy of Synergy.)
Step 1:
Connect your phone to your PC and like all things of this nature, BACKUP! Use TWRP to create a nandroid of your entire phone. We will need this backup to restore data and system via commandline. TWRP is the only tested method that works, since it creates backups that are actually TAR files (God, I love TWRP for this). Stay in recovery after completing backup.
Step 2:
While still in recovery, enable USB storage mode and download the two EXT4 files below (or applicable if your ROM already has one of the partitions optimized) onto the root of your microSD card. To make things easier, you can temporarily move your data.win and system.win files to the root of your microSD card. They are located in the TWRP folder on your microSD card. Afterward, disable USB storage mode.
Next, there are TWO ways to accomplish this. Choose which way you want to go before continuing.
Method 1: Reflash your ROM(NOT RIGHT NOW, later on in the guide--depending on ROM, this may format your /system and/or data partitions, rendering the tweaks useless.)
Method 2: Use commandline to restore your ROM from TWRP backup.
Step 3:
From recovery, wipe dalvik and cache and format data and and depending on method, your system partitions as well. NOTE: formatting the partitions can be done from TWRP in the advanced menu.
Step 4:
Flash the applicable EXT4 file.
Step 5:
Mount /data, /system, (if applicable), and /sdcard with TWRP and launch an ADB shell by typing "adb shell" then press enter while in your ADB folder from command prompt/terminal.
Step 6:
Type "cd /sdcard" and press enter. To make sure you're in your sdcard, type "ls" then press enter to verify that it's listing your microSD card contents.
Step 7:
Type "cd /data" and press enter. To make sure you're in /data, type "ls" then press enter to verify that it's empty. It will probably contain a lost+found folder, if so then that's fine.
Step 8:
If you moved your data.win and system.win backups to the root of your microSD card to make this easier, simply type "tar xvpf /sdcard/data.win" then press enter and it will begin extracting the backup file onto the /data partition. Otherwise, you will have to type "tar xvpf /sdcard/TWRP/nameofHTCfolder/nameofdatefolder/data.win" then press enter. This will take a few minutes to complete.
NOTE: MAKE SURE YOU ARE IN THE /DATA PARTITION BEFORE TYPING THAT COMMAND, OTHERWISE THINGS WILL GO WRONG.
Step 9:
Either reflash your current ROM (checking to make sure it doesn't format /system before installing) OR type "cd /system" then press enter. To make sure you're in /system type "ls" then press enter to verify that it's empty. It may contain another folder, if so that's fine. It should however be empty of ROM related files.
Step 10:
If you moved your data.win and system.win backups to the root of your microSD card to make this easier, simply type "tar xvpf /sdcard/system.win" then press enter and it will begin extracting the backup file onto the /system partition. Otherwise, you will have to type "tar xvpf /sdcard/TWRP/nameofHTCfolder/nameofdatefolder/system.win" then press enter. This will take a few minutes to complete.
NOTE: MAKE SURE YOU ARE IN THE /SYSTEM PARTITION BEFORE TYPING THAT COMMAND, OTHERWISE THINGS WILL GO WRONG.
Step 11:
Once this is all complete, exit ADB shell by typing "exit" then pressing enter. Next, unmount /system, /data, and /sdcard from TWRP and head on over to the fix_permissions option in TWRP and let it run. It will take a few minutes to complete.
Step 12:
Go ahead and wipe dalvik and cache again just to make sure, then reboot.
It will take a while to boot back into android, but if all goes well, you should have your data intact with fully optimized EXT4 partitions thanks to TrevE/Synergy.
NOTE: This worked for me, and if you follow the guide precisely, it should work for you too.
NOTE2: I did not try this method with /system, ONLY data, and it worked fine. I assume the same for /system as well.
Awesome! I as many others are appreciative of Team Xposed and how you explain mods to everyone. Most of the time we get a .zip with no explanation on how the .zip is doing what it does. We just know flash this and this happens, lol. With these breakdowns we all get a better understanding on how things work in our devices
Perhaps a sticky with all Team Xposed mods/tweaks, that would be
I believe this is what i used the last time i flashed synergy. If so, then it works great.
Wow the step by step was GREAT!! Man I did this in like 5 minutes....Granted it took me about 30 minutes to download all the tools I needed. Thanks for this one!!
Edit: So how do you know it truly worked?? How do I check if I am ext4 or not?
wow. I had EXT4 on my samsung phones and I LOVED it compared to this! I will definitely try this and make a video on my success or failure! lol
so what if i didnt care to lose data could i flash this with another rom.
Ok. So just trying to gain a better understanding here. So say if the rom were running already includes the /system tweaks but not the /data tweaks and the rom doesn't erase on flash can I just flash both of the files and flash the rom?? Also if I wanted to apply the tweaks to and existing nand can I just flash both the files and do a nand restore??? Or is restoring the data from the command line needed in order for the tweaks to work effectively???
Locked & Loaded
" Shooter on Deck "
Great write up, thanks for that!
Not to be a party pooper, but isn't there a tweaked version of the EXT4 optimized zip that backs up data to sd card, formats /data with ext4, then auto restores /data for you? I found it somewhere in the Synergy thread.
Correct me if im wrong if this does something more/different.
here is a link to it:
Synergy_Format_Data_EXT4_Optimized_apps_autorestored.zip
http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=708982&d=1315062399
I used it to go from Warm2.3 to Steel2.3 without any issues what so ever, except having to restore XDA app, wifi/bt networks and some widgets. It kept all my screens and settings just the way i like it. YMMV! i take no credit, and assume no responsibility if it rips your phone a new one.
Our phones are already ext4, the optimization just turns on some more features for ext4.
And the tool linked before me doesn't backup everything in /data... It should probably work, but if it misses anything this method will catch it
I just took the opportunity to wipe clean and reset some things.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA App
youngpro83 said:
Wow the step by step was GREAT!! Man I did this in like 5 minutes....Granted it took me about 30 minutes to download all the tools I needed. Thanks for this one!!
Edit: So how do you know it truly worked?? How do I check if I am ext4 or not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good question. I suppose you could run a few Quadrant benches to ease your mind. You should get much better scores than you would normally. I suppose the only real way to know for sure is if someone created an EXT4 tweak checker of some sort lol. But the Quadrant benchmark should be enough, that is if you remember what kind of scores you were getting before hand.
digitalcrash said:
so what if i didnt care to lose data could i flash this with another rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you asked! If you don't care about losing data, just go ahead and format your system and data partitions with TWRP or whatever recovery you use, then apply the tweaks zips and go ahead and flash the ROM of your choice. You should double check the updater-script of your ROM to make sure it doesn't reformat the /system partition or it will render the /system tweak useless.
laie1472 said:
Ok. So just trying to gain a better understanding here. So say if the rom were running already includes the /system tweaks but not the /data tweaks and the rom doesn't erase on flash can I just flash both of the files and flash the rom?? Also if I wanted to apply the tweaks to and existing nand can I just flash both the files and do a nand restore??? Or is restoring the data from the command line needed in order for the tweaks to work effectively???
Locked & Loaded
" Shooter on Deck "
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, if the ROM you're running already contains the /system tweaks then you're half-way there. You still want a backup though, because each of these zips will format its respective partitions. You only want the zip that applies. In your case, you'd only need the data tweaks, but you'd still have to follow the guide that pertains to restoring your data partition after tweaking.
MFD00M said:
Great write up, thanks for that!
Not to be a party pooper, but isn't there a tweaked version of the EXT4 optimized zip that backs up data to sd card, formats /data with ext4, then auto restores /data for you? I found it somewhere in the Synergy thread.
Correct me if im wrong if this does something more/different.
here is a link to it:
Synergy_Format_Data_EXT4_Optimized_apps_autorestored.zip
http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=708982&d=1315062399
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you linked that. I actually looked over this yesterday, and while it does do something similar to this guide, It actually only restores part of your data partition, which is why it's said that you will need to repair your bluetooth devices and reenter your WiFi network settings. IIRC, it doesn't restore the entire data partition, just most of the important folders. If it were to do the entire partition, well, this guide would be much shorter.
freeza said:
Glad you linked that. I actually looked over this yesterday, and while it does do something similar to this guide, It actually only restores part of your data partition, which is why it's said that you will need to repair your bluetooth devices and reenter your WiFi network settings. IIRC, it doesn't restore the entire data partition, just most of the important folders. If it were to do the entire partition, well, this guide would be much shorter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for clearing that up, i will try your method as well. I need more ADB exposure to help me learn.
so my next question is if the rom does format system on boot then i would install with adb as your guide says?
digitalcrash said:
so my next question is if the rom does format system on boot then i would install with adb as your guide says?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup...pretty much.
Thank you for this. I was able to apply this without any issues.
freeza said:
Yup...pretty much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What would be the process if I didn't care about losing data? Would I just flash, and resign into my Google account and go through that process again?
LiquidSolstice said:
What would be the process if I didn't care about losing data? Would I just flash, and resign into my Google account and go through that process again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't care about losing data, you'd format/wipe the data and system partition from recovery, apply both ext4 zips... wipe dalvik+cache, reflash your ROM, and reboot
Keep in mind that this is pretty much the same process as factory reset, so you might as well just perform one of those lol
freeza said:
If you don't care about losing data, you'd format/wipe the data and system partition from recovery, apply both ext4 zips... wipe dalvik+cache, reflash your ROM, and reboot
Keep in mind that this is pretty much the same process as factory reset, so you might as well just perform one of those lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So just to be clear, all that I need to do is before I flash a ROM, Superwipe/XRON wipe like I always do, flash the ROM, flash the EX4 zips, and then clear dalvik/cache and boot?
LiquidSolstice said:
So just to be clear, all that I need to do is before I flash a ROM, Superwipe/XRON wipe like I always do, flash the ROM, flash the EX4 zips, and then clear dalvik/cache and boot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You wanna flash the zips before flashing ROM, as they format the partitions with the tweaks. You also want to double check the updater-script of your ROM to make sure it doesn't format the /system partition before installing, as it would remove the tweaks.
Soo..
Superwipe/XRON
EXT4 tweaks
ROM
No need to wipe anything as Superwipe/XRON already does this.
freeza said:
You wanna flash the zips before flashing ROM, as they format the partitions with the tweaks. You also want to double check the updater-script of your ROM to make sure it doesn't format the /system partition before installing, as it would remove the tweaks.
Soo..
Superwipe/XRON
EXT4 tweaks
ROM
No need to wipe anything as Superwipe/XRON already does this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
EXT4 before ROM?
Bear with me, I'm still a bit confused :X. Wouldn't flashing a ROM after the EXT4 data/system zips negate the zips' function?
LiquidSolstice said:
EXT4 before ROM?
Bear with me, I'm still a bit confused :X. Wouldn't flashing a ROM after the EXT4 data/system zips negate the zips' function?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol no problem.......Well, what the tweaks does is format the system and data partitions a certain way as to improve io functions and other stuff. It's like formatting a drive in Windows with cluster switches etc. It's still empty once you flash the tweaks. The ROM simply puts all the information on the newly formatted filesystem. If you were to apply the tweaks after flashing the ROM, it would format the partitions and erase all data, which is why you do it first. The updater-script in ROMs also have the ability to format partitions, which is why in Synergy ROMs, simply flashing their ROM also applies the tweak and which is why you should check your updater-script beforehand to make sure it doesn't have a format command in it, as it would negate the tweaks.

[Q] New SD card + A2SD

I just received my new 32gb SD card, and am wondering how to ensure that my ext3 partition is also copied over, not just the fat32 files. I have found some other threads regarding this process but I still have some unanswered questions.
FYI, I am using MIUI 1.11.4 on a rooted Acer Liquid E (and malez-recovery, which is based on CM).
1. The general consensus seems to be to do a nandroid backup, partition the new card with gparted, and restore that backup (and obviously copy the fat32 files to my computer and then transfer back). I'd just like someone to tell me I'm correct before I try it.
2. On every single one of the threads I found, it always says to do a nandroid backup. Do they really mean a nandroid+ext backup?! Will the basic nandroid backup do the trick (I don't see how)? I'm concerned about this because I always get errors when I attempt a nandroid+ext backup. I plan to run nandroid-mobile.sh -b -e via adb once my file transfer is complete (stupid slow old sd card + computer), but I'm not confident that it'll work. If it doesn't, what options do I have for accessing the ext3 partition? **UPDATE: I ran nandroid-mobile.sh, and it eventually said "--ext2 specified but unable to mount the ext2 partition". I'm still Googling but I haven't figured out a solution yet. Ideas?
3. Every thread recommends using gparted but provides no justification as to why. Since I am using Windows, the whole process seems over-complicated. Can I not just use the "partition sd card" available through recovery? Why is it better to use gparted?
Thanks for any help you can give a semi-n00b!
skittleys said:
1. The general consensus seems to be to do a nandroid backup, partition the new card with gparted, and restore that backup (and obviously copy the fat32 files to my computer and then transfer back). I'd just like someone to tell me I'm correct before I try it.
2. On every single one of the threads I found, it always says to do a nandroid backup. Do they really mean a nandroid+ext backup?! Will the basic nandroid backup do the trick (I don't see how)? I'm concerned about this because I always get errors when I attempt a nandroid+ext backup. I plan to run nandroid-mobile.sh -b -e via adb once my file transfer is complete (stupid slow old sd card + computer), but I'm not confident that it'll work. If it doesn't, what options do I have for accessing the ext3 partition?
3. Every thread recommends using gparted but provides no justification as to why. Since I am using Windows, the whole process seems over-complicated. Can I not just use the "partition sd card" available through recovery? Why is it better to use gparted?
Thanks for any help you can give a semi-n00b!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Do that (just do it ; in case anything goes wrong, you can restore the nandroid backup and have your device up and running easily). If you don't create one (make sure you do) you will have a hard time getting your device to work again (and depending on your device, it may not be fixable).
2. Just make a nandroid backup. Some roms have it enabled by default (access to the partition). See here: http://forum.cyanogenmod.com/topic/19160-modhow-to-apps2ext-for-cm7-updated-03312011/.
3. Using GParted is the easiest method (which is why it is recommended): http://gparted.sourceforge.net/.
Theonew said:
3. Using GParted is the easiest method (which is why it is recommended): .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Easier than 3 multiple-choice questions in a recovery I've already installed???
Theonew said:
2. Just make a nandroid backup. Some roms have it enabled by default (access to the partition). See here:.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt that my ROM does an ext backup by default.... I have now run nandroid-mobile.sh and eventually got the following message: "Warning: --ext2 specified but unable to mount the ext2 partition". I'm still Googling but I haven't yet figured out a solution for this. In the meantime, I have copied /sd-ext to my computer, which might end up being a decent workaround...but I'd still love to know what's going on!
**UPDATE: Something I've noticed...:
If I access the phone after a "normal" reboot, /sd-ext definitely exists (I can see it using simply ls, and also mount and df), but no scripts are available in /sbin.
When I go into recovery, /sbin contains all the scripts (so I can now run nandroid), but /sd-ext doesn't appear!
I've a strong suspicion this is why the partition can't be mounted during the nandroid backup.
So how do I fix this?!
skittleys said:
Easier than 3 multiple-choice questions in a recovery I've already installed???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to others, yes .
skittleys said:
**UPDATE: Something I've noticed...:
If I access the phone after a "normal" reboot, /sd-ext definitely exists (I can see it using simply ls, and also mount and df), but no scripts are available in /sbin.
When I go into recovery, /sbin contains all the scripts (so I can now run nandroid), but /sd-ext doesn't appear!
I've a strong suspicion this is why the partition can't be mounted during the nandroid backup.
So how do I fix this?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You cannot "fix" it. That is one reason but it also really depends on your device. For example: http://www.jayceooi.com/2011/01/12/...tition-on-sd-card-with-clockworkmod-recovery/ - This device is able to do it from recovery and it is easier than the GParted method (at least on that device).
Theonew said:
You cannot "fix" it. That is one reason but it also really depends on your device. For example: - This device is able to do it from recovery and it is easier than the GParted method (at least on that device).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think we're mixing up 2 different issues now.
Forget the partitioning method, I'll just use gparted.
But now there's a major issue: I can't make a nandroid+ext backup. I've used adb to copy everything from my current ext partition and can load it onto the new card's partition, but that might not be an effective solution -- will it break all the symlinks? I'm trying to figure out whether symlinks ultimately store a path (therefore links won't break because the directory structure is still the same) or an address (which will break the links if I'm just copying + pasting). I'm finding conflicting answers.
So now I'm asking about what this error means (why won't it mount), whether the behaviour I described in the "update" above is normal (no sbin in normal mode, no sd-ext in recovery), and what alternatives I have! (Oh, and also my symlinks Qs) Plenty of people using the same recovery have created nandroid+ext backups without problems, and all the posts I'm finding about the issue relate to older versions of AmonRa.
skittleys said:
I think we're mixing up 2 different issues now.
Forget the partitioning method, I'll just use gparted.
But now there's a major issue: I can't make a nandroid+ext backup. I've used adb to copy everything from my current ext partition and can load it onto the new card's partition, but that might not be an effective solution -- will it break all the symlinks? I'm trying to figure out whether symlinks ultimately store a path (therefore links won't break because the directory structure is still the same) or an address (which will break the links if I'm just copying + pasting). I'm finding conflicting answers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's quite likely that it will break the symlinks (just like .android_secure issues). Are you able to make a nandroid-only backup?
skittleys said:
So now I'm asking about what this error means (why won't it mount), whether the behaviour I described in the "update" above is normal (no sbin in normal mode, no sd-ext in recovery), and what alternatives I have! (Oh, and also my symlinks Qs) Plenty of people using the same recovery have created nandroid+ext backups without problems, and all the posts I'm finding about the issue relate to older versions of AmonRa.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What recovery are you using (include version)? It is a known problem for some recovery not being able to have access to the SD-ext partition (e.g. ClockworkMod Recovery 3.0.0.5 on some if not all devices). So you should be able to access the SD-ext partition in recovery, and you should be able to access sbin normally.
Theonew said:
It's quite likely that it will break the symlinks (just like .android_secure issues). Are you able to make a nandroid-only backup?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I can do a nandroid backup of the internal partitions. Also not sure what issues you're referring to. I did some research on symlinks and posted on a linux forum and concluded that it shouldn't break....
Theonew said:
What recovery are you using (include version)? It is a known problem for some recovery not being able to have access to the SD-ext partition (e.g. ClockworkMod Recovery 3.0.0.5 on some if not all devices). So you should be able to access the SD-ext partition in recovery, and you should be able to access sbin normally.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(I don't have enough posts to insert URLs) I am using Malez recovery 0.6.1 (current is 0.6.2, nothing in the changelog suggests any relevant fixes though). I've searched extensively and it seems that I'm the only malez user having this problem.
Also, I can access sbin, but its only contents are adbd and ueventd. /sd-ext just plain doesn't show up in recovery mode.
Question: who is the owner of your /system, /sd-ext, and /system/sd partitions?
And a possibly unrelated question: what's the point of running a command through busybox (e.g., busybox ls instead of just ls)?
skittleys said:
Yes, I can do a nandroid backup of the internal partitions. Also not sure what issues you're referring to. I did some research on symlinks and posted on a linux forum and concluded that it shouldn't break....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It shouldn't break, but on some roms it does.
skittleys said:
Question: who is the owner of your /system, /sd-ext, and /system/sd partitions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean?
skittleys said:
And a possibly unrelated question: what's the point of running a command through busybox (e.g., busybox ls instead of just ls)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Busybox adds additional commands that the normal android command system does not have/understand on it's own (It gives you additional LINUX/UNIX based commands). See here: http://busybox.net/about.html.
Theonew said:
What do you mean?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you run ls -l the 3rd and 4th columns show the 'owner' and 'group', respectively. It'll say things like root, system, etc., or maybe 0, 1000, 500, etc.
Theonew said:
Busybox adds additional commands that the normal android command system does not have/understand on it's own (It gives you additional LINUX/UNIX based commands). See here: http://busybox.net/about.html.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So there's no point in running a command like ls through busybox, right?
New question:
All that /system/sd contains is a 0-byte file called 'placeholder'. I can't find much info about this, but it sounds like this is intentional. But I know that this is where the ext partition is supposed to mount to. Does yours look like this (in either normal mode or recovery)? (edit: in recovery mode, the placeholder is gone, replaced with another 0-byte file called 'empty')
Also, do you think you could paste the output of mount when run in recovery?
BTW, A2SD seems to work perfectly otherwise. The only oddity I've noticed is that when I run a2sd forcecheck near the end it tries to unmount the partiton and can't.
Code:
[ ] Launching Apps2SD Start Program with forcecheck
[ ] Starting Darktremor Apps2SD in forcecheck mode
[ ] Creating Force Check Flag File...
[ ] Unmounting /dev/block/mmcblk0p2...
umount: can't umount /sd-ext: Device or resource busy
[ ] Rebooting phone...
Ironic that I can't mount it in recovery yet I can't unmount it normally!

Need system.img, boot.img and recovery.img

Hello there,
can someone please provide a system.img, recovery.img and boot.img from a WI501Q? I've derped something up quite hard by backing up the system partition while the bootloader was still locked, now I tried to flash it and the filesystem seems to be corrupted...
I tried reflashing a TWRP backup made from someone else but even transfering the backup to the watch fails at some point with "protocol error"... The watch reboots then and no files were saved to the watch.
Thanks already!
See Post #4 on how I resolved this (kinda).
[del]
ranf said:
[del]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What did you mean by using ext2simg?
Okay, after some derping around, trying, failing and more I managed to restore it...
I had a TWRP backup from my still OEM locked bootloader (I booted TWRP via fastboot boot twrp3.img), via fastboot I formated the system, userdata, cache and so on partitions and something along those lines seemed to work.
Before that the /data partition seemed to be corrupt for whatever reason, not even TWRP was able to display the free space. After doing the above it suddenly was able to display it again but the /data/media folder was missing, I created it manually, pushed the TWRP folder onto it, Restored and it worked!
So yeah, not sure what exactly went wrong here or how to fix it... Sorry...
EpicLPer said:
What did you mean by using ext2simg?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In Ubuntu it is in this package:
http://packages.ubuntu.com/xenial/amd64/android-tools-fsutils/filelist
Works better than img2simg.

Need help saving data from bootloping S2

Hi,
I'm running the last cyanogenmod 12.1 ROM on my S2. There is no custom kernel or recovery. The only thing I did was a repartition to 1GB system. This setup ran since 2016 feb. without problems. Tuesday morning got a notification from the play store, that there are updates to some of my apps, so I set my phone to update them all and left it there. I came back after 20min and then came the problem:
The phone is bootlooping. The booting animation finishes, then it starts optimizing my apps, every time different amount of apps. After it finishes it starts booting again... rinse and repeat. I tried to leave it there for a very long time, with no success. The phone is very hot in the CPU area and the battery gets hot too when it's bootlooping.
I am able to go in recovery and download mode. My recovery is the stock cyanogen recovery unfortunately. I tried putting it in download mode and since I have Android Studio installed on my pc, I tried to establish an adb shell (with adb shell command) with the adb tool that came it. Unfortunately it does not find my device (neither with adb devices). I might do it wrong though. Fortunately Odin 3.04 seems to recognize my phone, so I might be able the flash something, but I'm afraid that my internal memory is starting to fail and that is causing all these issues, so the flash would fail. First I'd like to try to save data without flashing if possible.
I have most of my user data on my sd card, so the most important thing would be to save is my contacts, messages and call history. No, I don't sync it with google, yes I know it's stupid. It used to mess up my contact list so I dropped using it.
Any help and advice would be appreciated, thanks in advance!
N7Gabe said:
Hi,
I'm running the last cyanogenmod 12.1 ROM on my S2. There is no custom kernel or recovery. The only thing I did was a repartition to 1GB system. This setup ran since 2016 feb. without problems. Tuesday morning got a notification from the play store, that there are updates to some of my apps, so I set my phone to update them all and left it there. I came back after 20min and then came the problem:
The phone is bootlooping. The booting animation finishes, then it starts optimizing my apps, every time different amount of apps. After it finishes it starts booting again... rinse and repeat. I tried to leave it there for a very long time, with no success. The phone is very hot in the CPU area and the battery gets hot too when it's bootlooping.
I am able to go in recovery and download mode. My recovery is the stock cyanogen recovery unfortunately. I tried putting it in download mode and since I have Android Studio installed on my pc, I tried to establish an adb shell (with adb shell command) with the adb tool that came it. Unfortunately it does not find my device (neither with adb devices). I might do it wrong though. Fortunately Odin 3.04 seems to recognize my phone, so I might be able the flash something, but I'm afraid that my internal memory is starting to fail and that is causing all these issues, so the flash would fail. First I'd like to try to save data without flashing if possible.
I have most of my user data on my sd card, so the most important thing would be to save is my contacts, messages and call history. No, I don't sync it with google, yes I know it's stupid. It used to mess up my contact list so I dropped using it.
Any help and advice would be appreciated, thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, did you try dirty flashing the ROM using CyanogenMod recovery?
And then wiping cache and dalvik cache?
MigoMujahid said:
Ok, did you try dirty flashing the ROM using CyanogenMod recovery?
And then wiping cache and dalvik cache?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, thanks for the advice, I didn't think of that. I assume this means there is probably no solution without flashing. Do I need to flash gapps too?
N7Gabe said:
First of all, thanks for the advice, I didn't think of that. I assume this means there is probably no solution without flashing. Do I need to flash gapps too?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, no need for that, just the ROM, and it won't delete anything.
MigoMujahid said:
No, no need for that, just the ROM, and it won't delete anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, I went to recovery, pressed apply update, searched for the cm12.1-20160203-nightly rom (same I had installed), flashed it without error messages, then I pressed wipe cache partition, then reboot system now. Now the phone starts to boot, the boot animation is playing for a few minutes, then the phone turns off. Tried it multiple times, with and without charging. I can still get into recovery.
N7Gabe said:
So, I went to recovery, pressed apply update, searched for the cm12.1-20160203-nightly rom (same I had installed), flashed it without error messages, then I pressed wipe cache partition, then reboot system now. Now the phone starts to boot, the boot animation is playing for a few minutes, then the phone turns off. Tried it multiple times, with and without charging. I can still get into recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, we will try another thing, can your phone be recognized using adb in recovery?
If so you can pull the data(contacts, sms) using adb pull command.
The data usually is stored there:
/data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db
And there:
/data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts.db
If you were able to do it then fine, if not, there is luckily another solution!!
You have the latest cm12.1 build which is Feb 3rd build, so your build support iso-rec TWRP recovery, so you can flash TWRP recovery zip provided by the.gangster using CM recovery and reboot recovery so it will replace the CM recovery with TWRP, in TWRP you can mount system and data using "mount", and using the file manager there you can access the above mentioned directories and copy the files manually in the external sdcard(or the internal sdcard), then you can clean flash and copy them again after that.
That would be the ultimate solution
MigoMujahid said:
Ok, we will try another thing, can your phone be recognized using adb in recovery?
If so you can pull the data(contacts, sms) using adb pull command.
The data usually is stored there:
/data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db
And there:
/data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts.db
If you were able to do it then fine, if not, there is luckily another solution!!
You have the latest cm12.1 build which is Feb 3rd build, so your build support iso-rec TWRP recovery, so you can flash TWRP recovery zip provided by the.gangster using CM recovery and reboot recovery so it will replace the CM recovery with TWRP, in TWRP you can mount system and data using "mount", and using the file manager there you can access the above mentioned directories and copy the files manually in the external sdcard(or the internal sdcard), then you can clean flash and copy them again after that.
That would be the ultimate solution
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In recovery I can see my device with adb, but every command runs into a device unauthorized error.
Code:
D:\Android\sdk\platform-tools>adb devices
List of devices attached
0009bd0863c43f unauthorized
Code:
D:\Android\sdk\platform-tools>adb shell
error: device unauthorized.
This adb server's $ADB_VENDOR_KEYS is not set
Try 'adb kill-server' if that seems wrong.
Otherwise check for a confirmation dialog on your device.
etc.
So I assume I flash TWRP with odin. Is it possible to save data to a PC through USB connection with TWRP? I'm asking, because I'd still prefer a full backup if possible (I don't have the space for it on my external sd). Second question, if I'm able to save mmssms.db and contacts.db, how do I extract the data from it, or maybe reimport it (even to a different phone/ROM)? I don't entirely understand isorec, but let's say I manage to flash TWRP and save my data. Can I flash the latest LOS 14.1 and keep the isorec TWRP? Or after the LOS flash, I need to flash TWRP again? As I mentioned I already have the 1GB system partition, so that shouldn't be an issue. It would be a nice two birds with one stone, saving my data and updating my obsolete ROM to a isorec TWRP+LOS 14.1 combo.
Lastly, this is the recovery you mentioned, right?: recovery-the.gangster-IsoRec-TWRP-3.1.0-0-i9100.zip
N7Gabe said:
In recovery I can see my device with adb, but every command runs into a device unauthorized error.
etc.
So I assume I flash TWRP with odin. Is it possible to save data to a PC through USB connection with TWRP? I'm asking, because I'd still prefer a full backup if possible (I don't have the space for it on my external sd). Second question, if I'm able to save mmssms.db and contacts.db, how do I extract the data from it, or maybe reimport it (even to a different phone/ROM)? I don't entirely understand isorec, but let's say I manage to flash TWRP and save my data. Can I flash the latest LOS 14.1 and keep the isorec TWRP? Or after the LOS flash, I need to flash TWRP again? As I mentioned I already have the 1GB system partition, so that shouldn't be an issue. It would be a nice two birds with one stone, saving my data and updating my obsolete ROM to a isorec TWRP+LOS 14.1 combo.
Lastly, this is the recovery you mentioned, right?: recovery-the.gangster-IsoRec-TWRP-3.1.0-0-i9100.zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, TWRP won't be flashed with Odin, it will be flashed with CM recovery that you already have, and yes i meant the one you mentioned.
Second, the contacts.db and mmssms.db won't take that much space, and anyway it's OK to copy them to internal sdcard, not obligated to external, and no need to access them, after you flash another ROM like LOS 14.1, you can re copy them back to their directories.
Third, if you flash the latest LOS 14.1, you can keep the iso-rec TWRP it won't be removed.
MigoMujahid said:
First, TWRP won't be flashed with Odin, it will be flashed with CM recovery that you already have, and yes i meant the one you mentioned.
Second, the contacts.db and mmssms.db won't take that much space, and anyway it's OK to copy them to internal sdcard, not obligated to external, and no need to access them, after you flash another ROM like LOS 14.1, you can re copy them back to their directories.
Third, if you flash the latest LOS 14.1, you can keep the iso-rec TWRP it won't be removed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, so I need to find an SD card reader then, to put the recovery on it. Or is there another way to get it on the phone?
By the way, thank you for taking your time and helping me, I'm really grateful!
N7Gabe said:
Okay, so I need to find an SD card reader then, to put the recovery on it. Or is there another way to get it on the phone?
By the way, thank you for taking your time and helping me, I'm really grateful!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No pb bro, you're welcome.
Yes, you will need to get the recovery in the phone somehow, or you can put your memory card in another phone and use the phone to put the recovery in the sdcard, then place it in your phone again.
That would be an alternative if you don't have a sdcard reader.
MigoMujahid said:
No pb bro, you're welcome.
Yes, you will need to get the recovery in the phone somehow, or you can put your memory card in another phone and use the phone to put the recovery in the sdcard, then place it in your phone again.
That would be an alternative if you don't have a sdcard reader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I managed to get it on the phone and flashed it. The phone was plugged in to my pc, and I could acces my internal SD so I managed to back that up. But here's the thing, TWRP file manager showed my /data to be empty, and not long after, the phone just shut down. My battery is only a few months old, so that should not be the issue, and the phone was also charging from the PC.
After this shutdown, I had a very hard time to get into recovery, because the phone thinks the battery is dead. I couldn't start booting normally either. Only download mode was available, but it only said, it can't get into download mode, because the battery is low. (when I plug in the charger the phone shows 100% battery) I changed my battery to my old weak one, I managed to get into recovery with it, after multiple tries. (I think it had nothing to do with the battery but was lucky) Now I check my /data through adb and it shows empty aswell:
Code:
D:\Android\sdk\platform-tools>adb pull /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db
adb: error: remote object '/data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db' does not exist
D:\Android\sdk\platform-tools>adb shell
~ # 
~ # ls
and-sec init.recovery.service.rc selinux_version
boot init.recovery.smdk4210.rc sepolicy
boot.txt init.recovery.usb.rc service_contexts
cache license sideload
charger mnt supersu
data proc sys
default.prop property_contexts system
dev recovery tmp
etc res twres
file_contexts sbin ueventd.rc
fstab.smdk4210 sdcard0 ueventd.smdk4210.rc
init sdcard1 usbotg
init.rc seapp_contexts
~ # cd data
/data # ls
/data # 
Do I have to mount it somehow maybe? (Oh and twrp always ask at start to mount sys in read-only or R/W. I always mounted it in R/W.) I'm afraid if I start moving in TWRP the phone will shut down as it always did. If I use adb or windows explorer to acces the phone it does not shut down.
N7Gabe said:
I managed to get it on the phone and flashed it. The phone was plugged in to my pc, and I could acces my internal SD so I managed to back that up. But here's the thing, TWRP file manager showed my /data to be empty, and not long after, the phone just shut down. My battery is only a few months old, so that should not be the issue, and the phone was also charging from the PC.
After this shutdown, I had a very hard time to get into recovery, because the phone thinks the battery is dead. I couldn't start booting normally either. Only download mode was available, but it only said, it can't get into download mode, because the battery is low. (when I plug in the charger the phone shows 100% battery) I changed my battery to my old weak one, I managed to get into recovery with it, after multiple tries. (I think it had nothing to do with the battery but was lucky) Now I check my /data through adb and it shows empty aswell:
Do I have to mount it somehow maybe? (Oh and twrp always ask at start to mount sys in read-only or R/W. I always mounted it in R/W.) I'm afraid if I start moving in TWRP the phone will shut down as it always did. If I use adb or windows explorer to acces the phone it does not shut down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should go to "mount" in TWRP, and tick "data" and "system", i said that already earlier.
MigoMujahid said:
You should go to "mount" in TWRP, and tick "data" and "system", i said that already earlier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After I sent the message and before I read yours just now, I managed to mount, save and even make LOS run. So I was wrong, the battery is probably dead. I guess the lot of heat it produced while bootlooping killed the battery. I switched back to my old original wore out battery which is humpy and everything, but I managed to do everything with the phone. Now my problem is after I put back the .db files in their place, when the phone start it constantly crashes android.process.acore, the messaging app and the caller app. I think it might be a permission issue, but I have no idea how to fix it.
N7Gabe said:
After I sent the message and before I read yours just now, I managed to mount, save and even make LOS run. So I was wrong, the battery is probably dead. I guess the lot of heat it produced while bootlooping killed the battery. I switched back to my old original wore out battery which is humpy and everything, but I managed to do everything with the phone. Now my problem is after I put back the .db files in their place, when the phone start it constantly crashes android.process.acore, the messaging app and the caller app. I think it might be a permission issue, but I have no idea how to fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download ES file explorer from play store and grant root access for root explorer and set permissions to the 2 files as (rw- rw- ---) as described in screenshot, then reboot.
MigoMujahid said:
Download ES file explorer from play store and grant root access for root explorer and set permissions to the 2 files as (rw- rw- ---) as described in screenshot, then reboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This method worked with the contacts db, but not with the messages db. Actually I did not find any databases when I first copied it there, even made the databases folder. Thanks though, I'm almost done!
N7Gabe said:
This method worked with the contacts db, but not with the messages db. Actually I did not find any databases when I first copied it there, even made the databases folder. Thanks though, I'm almost done!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, i seem to know the problem here, i looked at my own mmssms.db file and found it in this path:
/data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db
(not the same path for the contacts.db file)
So you should move it there and add the same permissions that you added to the other file, that will do the job for you
MigoMujahid said:
Ok, i seem to know the problem here, i looked at my own mmssms.db file and found it in this path:
/data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db
So you should move it there and add the same permissions that you added to the other file, that will do the job for you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the path you told me the first time, and this is where it doesn't work. That databases folder was not even there, until I made it. I don't even have any other files in the folder but the mmssms.db that I copied there.
N7Gabe said:
This is the path you told me the first time, and this is where it doesn't work. That databases folder was not even there, until I made it. I don't even have any other files in the folder but the mmssms.db that I copied there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know what is the problem...I've ran out of ideas here
At least you got your contacts back :silly:
MigoMujahid said:
I don't know what is the problem...I've ran out of ideas here
At least you got your contacts back :silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem, I got lucky, run a search in the data partition for mmssms.db and it appears that now it is located in /data/user_de/0/com.android.providers.telephony/databases. I backed it up, then overwrote it, fixed the permission, rebooted and now it seems to work, so all is well.
In the end I managed to not only save my data, but to fix my phone and even upgrade it to the latest LineageOS, thanks to you! I wish you a good life!
N7Gabe said:
No problem, I got lucky, run a search in the data partition for mmssms.db and it appears that now it is located in /data/user_de/0/com.android.providers.telephony/databases. I backed it up, then overwrote it, fixed the permission, rebooted and now it seems to work, so all is well.
In the end I managed to not only save my data, but to fix my phone and even upgrade it to the latest LineageOS, thanks to you! I wish you a good life!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip, i have a marshmallow ROM right now, it seems that the location was changed in Nogut, I'll keep that in mind.
Have a good life too.

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