So... I have an Archos 55 and well, root is dangerous, particularly when you're being annoyed with pop up adverts and want to get them gone.
TL;DR:
So basically this all started when I found that web pages and adverts were just opening. Whether I was using the device or not, they'd just magically appear, sometimes ten at a time, accessing the internet at will. I was not best pleased as I have not long purchased the phone, but true to form, Archos have no idea what customer service means, so I was left to attempt to remedy the situation myself. Ordinarily, I would have just formatted and reinstalled the O.S, I do that with linux all the time alas I knew that was difficult.
Instead I sought to find out what exactly was causing the adverts. I deleted all the apps I had installed, but still the adverts kept coming. I did a factory wipe. Still with the adverts. At this point I was a bit stuck, so I grabbed an anti-virus app. It showed a few things that were causing problems including one trojan, under com.android.settings (or something to that name). I made a few enquiries and needless to say, this wasn't a false positive, but it had meant that I had a trojan...and I really don't like trojans. Cue the rage and the not thinking properly as I deleted com.android.settings without making a backup thinking... "shouldn't be too hard to put back"...oh how wrong I was...
I of course tried to make amends by grabbing a "copy" of settings from another site (and possibly a different phone) but I was told that it was ROM and no amount of permission changing was going to change that (I tried and I apparently failed, I may have possibly been doing something wrong, but I don't think my chown/chmod skills are `that` shabby).
The problem:
- No access to settings. Settings doesn't exist. (No access to USB Debugging either because that requires tapping the about phone bit and guess what...)
- Can't install apps as something has "Stopped".
- No access to WiFi
- Using Linux (Ubuntu something or other...15 I think).
- Mobile Tinkering Newb (But I'm not totally tech illiterate).
I do have access to fastboot mode apparently.
So what I think I need is a way to reinstall lollipop 5.1 so I can get back to square one, without (at least initially) using ADB (because I've tried and my device just refuses to show). I've also tried a few "needrom" things but, of course, they don't work because linux.
If anyone could possibly help me, I would be greatly appreciative in any way. I just want wifi back really. (I can see that wifi works and a network is available I just can't edit the settings to access it). If I can provide more information, please ask and I shall provide.
[SOLUTION]
Back up your device <- Essential
Grab a rom from NeedRom
Enable Fastboot.
Enable USB Debugging etcetera.
Use custom software (provided by NeedRom) (I know this seems dodgy but you try anything when you're desperate enough and this works so...if you're worried then take precautions and make a backup of your own phone first.) to open up the .pac file. Check where the files have been opened up to.
Copy the files to a more stable area (i.e from Temp to your Data drive), they should be in .img format as .pac basically appears to be some kind of archive that groups them all into one.
Use Fastboot (you might need to enable this so make sure you do it) and flash the .img files to the phone and sparse them to about 250MB.
Restart the phone.
Check phone works properly.
If works properly, consider donating to NeedRom.
Anyone?
Trojan
I have the same problem, but I didn't uninstall the setting, did your Trojan installed random apps too? Like MyApps or something like that?
Seeing the same problem I think the problem is that the device comes with it, but I haven't found anything else to do apart from installing avast to tell me when unknown sources get on to install a random app.
Talasa said:
Anyone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey I fixed it, I have Uninstalled settings and successfully installed them again, no pop ups since.
Message me so I can tell you how to do it.
Fantasma198 said:
Hey I fixed it, I have Uninstalled settings and successfully installed them again, no pop ups since.
Message me so I can tell you how to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi! How did you solve the problem? Please let me know
It appears to involve installing an apk installer from the Google Play stores (any will do it seems). Then by installing a copy of the Settings.apk.
Neither of which I am able to do as, due to getting rid of settings Google Play won't work. So....
Edit. I managed to get Google Play installed and then installed an APK installer. However installing settings is restricted as security won't let me install unofficial apps. >.>
How do u get rid of pop ups
Fantasma198 said:
Hey I fixed it, I have Uninstalled settings and successfully installed them again, no pop ups since.
Message me so I can tell you how to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do u get rid of them my phone is plaqued with them they are so annoying I didn't even root my phone just done a simple software update thanx
R3b3l3k8 said:
How do u get rid of them my phone is plaqued with them they are so annoying I didn't even root my phone just done a simple software update thanx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
What you have here is a virus.... and like me, it's probably embedded in settings. I.e It comes with the device.
There is no way to get rid of those adverts....except...by voiding your warranty. You will need to wipe your device and reinstall a rom, preferably not your original. (That or send it back to Archos). Taking your phone back to the store and demanding a refund is an option before I proceed further and this is the solution I recommend.
Take this moment to back up all your data.
What I did however and what seems to have gotten rid of them is firstly head over to NeedRom (search) and acquire a freely provided Rom of someone else's phone. There are two versions for the Archos Platinum 55 and it will depend on your specific phone.
Now you will need to flash (this will destroy all data on your phone so make sure you get it backed up) your rom. You can use the ADB solution but that couldn't work for me. So I used Fastboot instead, however to use this the rom provided by needrom is in a .pac file format, you need to get the .img file from it. You can do this by loading up the software provided by NeedRom (named FactoryUpload or something like that) load the .pac file and look at the file path locations. The one I checked was for System. I then went to where it said it was, in my case a Temp folder, copied and pasted all the data to somewhere not temp (all the .img files I needed were there).
Then I used Fastboot to flash the rom entirely there are much better Fastboot tutorials out there than I can explain myself. This flash included System, Recovery, Cache and basically everything, however it wouldn't let me do it all at once. I had to use a particular "flag" or "switch" so that it would `sparse` all the files over 250MB (that was the number I chose) and it worked after that.
This is the only way without returning the phone to get rid of the adverts *if* the virus is indeed in Settings. There's no way to remove Settings safely. I tried.
Updated and revised, 11-29-20
In this post I am presenting a way to slightly extend the practical range of the 8 gb Nook Tablet by using microG for Google Services Framework spoofing rather than the resource-hogging GApps. Although I have tested these ROMs thoroughly on the BNTV250a, they would all likely run just fine with GApps on the 16 gb model (I currently run AOSP 7.0 with microG on my 16 gb tablet), while only CM 11 runs acceptably on the 8 gb model with GApps. Let's get that simple setup out of the way first.
I selected the unofficial CM 11 ROM with the final security patches by Chris Hoffmann [https://www.mediafire.com/?gq1y21uz11lr1c0]. It is serviceable for me. The main drawback is the old WebView (which cannot be updated) resulting in the inability of browsers to display many sites properly, including the current default skin for XDA. Despite this, I've come to feel that it's perhaps the best option, with or without GApps. Installing this ROM is easy. Flash with the recovery listed in post #2, reboot, then flash a pico GApps package from Open GApps. To run the ROM without GApps, read on.
I made a quick tour of CM 12.1, CM 13, AOSP 6.0 and AOSP 7.0, and Lineage 14.1. In the following post I'll lay out some pros, cons and hints based on my experiences. I flashed each ROM several times, trying different things, building the system from scratch each time rather than restoring apps from backup. That gave me a chance to work with each OS and see how it would perform not only during setup, but also during a shakedown/tweaking phase. What I can say about all of these ROMs is that GApps effectively kills each and every one on the BNTV250a.
Life without GApps
I, of course, tried side-loading apps without GApps. Easy, right? I thought so until I came to a few that whined about requiring Google Play Services to run. Even mundane things like the NPR News app, my local newspaper and MX Player are "GSF dependent" (Google Services Framework). Then I tried another app that would not install at all. Turns out it did a license verification check (it's free!) and saw no Google anything, so forget it. This was sort of news to me I suppose because even my lowly NST had GApps installed once upon a time, so I never encountered this issue before. You can hunt around for apps elsewhere but if you pick up an app that happens to be featured in the PlayStore, you may be out of luck no matter where you got it from. Or maybe not.
There is a project called microG by XDA member @MaR-V-iN. It consists of a lightweight set of apps (two at minimum, a third if you want location services) which provide the needed authentication to Google servers and/or inquisitive apps. There is a catch: the ROM must support "signature spoofing".
These ROMs do not have that option. You can Google "signature spoofing" to read the pros and cons. This is just information. Caveat emptor, etc. There is an Xposed module called FakeGapps which enables signature spoofing. I tried this on a few ROMs and found it worked fine. At the time I started this there was no official Xposed update for Android 7.0 and as that was one of my targets, I started looking for something else [note: Xposed has since been updated to include Android 7.0 and beyond]. That led me to Tingle by XDA member @ale5000. This is a Python/ADB based method of automatically patching framework.jar to enable signature spoofing. This seemed to me a more direct and elegant approach. Although I was intimidated by it at first, I eventually just dove in. The only thing I didn't already have was Python and that was easy enough to install. The process is basically automatic once it gets going. Unfortunately it does not work for ROMs that are odexed or deodexed. The AOSP 7.0 ROM turned out to fall in that category. Xposed must be used there.
OK, what can all this do for you? It can get you a spoof of Google Services Framework without GApps. Period. There are a few simple additions to allow for location services. It used to be that you could also enable Calendar and Contacts syncing. No more. As for PlayStore access, this is possible running microG with CM 11, but not beyond. It's just too resource intensive. For ROMs beyond CM 11 I found the Aurora Store (F-Droid) to work OK, although not always in the same way. On some ROMs you can use the anonymous Aurora Store login, on others you need to supply a Google account (email). Trial and error.
The General Process
If you have never "flashed" anything before that you can talk about at work, then you need some basic instructions for creating an SD card that will allow you to try out these procedures. The excellent instructions by @digixmax here will get you started with the SD card. You need to follow steps 1-2 to prepare the card, although the version of TWRP you use will depend on the ROM you want to try out (see second post for links). Also, the ROM itself will vary (see second post for links) and you will not want GApps (unless you are just installing CM 11 with GApps). The remainder of the steps (3-10, skipping 9) also describe the general process of flashing a ROM (or other "flashable" files like Xposed, etc.) using the SD card.
1. Flash the ROM using an appropriate recovery (I have listed the ones I used in the following post)
2. First boot, enable root, USB debugging and ADB
EITHER
3. Connect tablet to PC via USB and access via ADB ("adb devices"--some of these ROMs require that you approve PC access to the tablet via ADB, so check the tablet screen to approve that option if needed)
4. Open a command window on the PC and navigate to your Python installation directory. Because I was not sure what I was doing I just dumped the entire contents of Tingle into the Python directory. That simplified path issues for me. Type "python main.py" and select option 1. Wait for the "all done", hit CTRL-c and kill ADB server. Disconnect tablet from USB and reboot.
OR
3. Flash appropriate Xposed for the OS; reboot
4. Install Xposed installer app and FakeGApps.apk; use Xposed installer app to enable FakeGapps (signature spoofing); reboot
5. Install root file manager of choice if desired (the CM stock file managers are totally capable of the following operations if given root access; the stock file explorers of the AOSP and Lineage ROMs may allow the same, although I have had mixed results. You can always install a root file manager via ADB before continuing if all else fails) A copy of ES File Explorer is attached below.
for CM 11 without GApps but with the PlayStore:
6. Move Phonesky.apk--i.e. the PlayStore-- (old, lightweight version from a KitKat ROM: http://www.mediafire.com/file/1c2f0n3k3cwsln7/Phonesky.apk/file) into /system/priv-app; set apk file permissions to rwx-r-r.
7. Move microG component apks into /system/priv-app; set apk file permissions to rw-r-r (you need a minimum of Services Core, Services Framework Proxy for this step)
8. Reboot
9. Check microG Settings to be sure spoofing is enabled and other permissions are given; set to enable Google device registration; add an account. This process can be slow. Be patient. If you end up at a black screen, reboot and try again or see if the account is already established.
10. Open the PlayStore. Do some searching. You want to give it time to auto-update (this process may be completely silent). Exit. Check Settings>Apps>Downloaded to see if PlayStore has shown up there. If it has, then it may be updated. You can check yourself to see if the version number is higher. If there is no update, access the PlayStore again and check again. Once you have an update, you're good to go.
OR, for ROMs beyond CM 11:
6. Use root file manager to create the folder "Phonesky" in /system/priv-app. Set folder permissions to rwx-rx-rx. Use root file manager to move "FakeStore" apk into /system/priv-app/Phonesky and set apk file permissions to rw-r-r.
7. Move microG component apks into /system/priv-app; set apk file permissions to rw-r-r (you need a minimum of Services Core, Services Framework Proxy for this step)
8. Reboot
9. Check microG Settings to be sure spoofing is enabled and other permissions are given.
It's a lot, but if I could do it many times over you could do it once
In the end you'll have a tablet spoofing Google Services Framework so most apps will run without whining, but without the crushing weight of the PlayStore or the full GApps.
Contacts and Location
Life without GApps doesn't mean you have to give up these services. Just keep in mind that running background services can compromise a system that is already on the edge.
I tested the instructions that follow on a BNTV250a, using the stock Contacts and Calendar apps.
1. Contacts
There are some places in "on-line land" that describe a method for enabling contacts sync. I have not found the various methods to work any longer. It is possible to sync Contacts using DavDroid. There is only one version that will run on CM 11 and the same app will run on the other ROMs as well (attached below). However, you are adding more overhead to a device that is already pushing the limits. In the end I opted to export my contacts in vcard format and read them in as a local file. The more socially active may find this unacceptable, but it works for me.
2. Location
To enable location you will need to install an app which coordinates WiFi triangulation (something usually handled by GApps). There are two possibilities. You can get a Unified NLP apk from the microG download page. After installing the app you can check your microG settings to see if everything is OK. Then you can check Settings>Location and set it up the way you want.
If you want to use Maps you will also need to flash a maps.zip file from microG. This contains a couple of library files for Maps. As far as the Maps app itself, I have never had good performance from any version of Google Maps on my devices--until now. That's because I went fishing for an older, less bloated version that would run on the BNTV250a. It works beautifully on all my devices from KitKat to Nougat and allows pre-cache of map areas which don't expire. I've attached a copy of the apk file below.
Email
The stock Email client works great (at least for GMail accounts) and looks a lot like GMail (no surprise there). If you have your heart set on GMail, version 4.5.2--from GApps for Jellybean--seems to run just fine with a footprint of about 11 MB. I've attached a copy below.
The ROMs
Updated and revised 2-5-23
Generally I disabled any stock stuff I could that I would not use. Anything past CM 11 has a maddening issue I call "peek-a-boo keyboard", most noticeable when using the browsers. The keyboard drops out while you are typing or simply refuses to open without a struggle. You can solve this problem in CM 12 and minimize it in CM 13 by installing Simple Keyboard.
CM 11 is beginning to show expired certificates and SSL issues. You can try replacing or adding new certificates, but it's not easy and you're left with warning artifacts in the status bar. Ditto with CM 12 and CM 13, but they are not nearly as bad--for now. The stock browsers, fortunately, allow you to "ignore" security warnings which makes browsing more pleasant. You may not feel that's a great idea, but the reality is that browsing is the Achilles Heel for all these ROMS, and it's worse the higher you go. The stock browsers may give the best overall performance, whatever their shortcomings.
Because of the SSL issues, I don't recommend CM 11 any longer unless you are not going to do much in the way of internet stuff.
Note: I have noticed that both my Nook Tablets (8 and 16 GB) run better if they've been on for a bit. If yours is cranky when it gets up in the morning, pouring coffee on it won't help, but a little siesta after boot may be just the thing
CM 11 (but with issues as described above)
https://www.mediafire.com/?gq1y21uz11lr1c0
Flashed with SD-based TWRP 2.8.6.0, enabled signature spoofing with Tingle
This is arguably the best choice for the BNTV250a if you want something other than the stock B&N ROM. It runs smoothly enough that you could even keep the PlayStore app on it and it would still behave reasonably. It's even better without it. The only drawback with this ROM is that Android Webview cannot be updated. This means that some websites will not display properly or may simply crash, regardless of what browser you choose to use. I found the antique stock browser to be surprisingly good, but Via also works well. Also, the SSL is in need of updating, so you will run into issues with some websites and apps like OverDrive.
The lesson that this ROM taught me is that these tablets are for casual use. You can't just load them up with apps and expect them to run well. Think about what you really would like to use the tablet for. Consider older versions of apps that will probably still have more features than you will ever want but are less taxing to the system. You can see from the attached screenshot how I eventually pared my choices down. I should probably pare it down even more. Most of the apps are older versions and I've kept the total count low, certainly less than on my 16 GB tablet and other devices. You don't want to exceed about half of the internal storage capacity.
CM 12.1 (potential WiFi issue as described below)
http://www.mediafire.com/file/7zxc2e...K6-acclaim.zip
Flashed with SD-based TWRP 2.8.6.0, enabled signature spoofing with Tingle
Edit 9-30-22: I recently booted this up to find that it would no longer connect to my fairly new ATT router. Puzzled, I took the tablet to my local library and had no difficulty connecting there (open network, though). Next I started restoring backups of each of the other ROMs in this list and each one had no trouble with WiFi at home. I installed a fresh copy of the CM 12.1 ROM. It also refused to connect to the router. I scrounged around the web and found two more versions of CM 12.1. Neither would connect to my router. So...I'm not sure if there is some additional security ATT has built into their WPA2 authentication or what, but I mention this just to alert you that this might be a problem. I was even able to connect to a mobile hotspot generated by my Windows 10 machine (password needed). Why this new(?) problem for the 12.1 ROM only, I have no idea.
Before you start installing apps the behavior is sprightly, even on the BNTV250a. As the internal space decreases and RAM use increases, it becomes a little less so. Even so, when running well I think it comes close to CM 11 (with GApps), albeit with more lag.
The stock browser seems like the best bet (I tried many), though it can be slow.
For me this ROM has two major issues. When it is unhappy, it will simply shut down the tablet, literally turning it off. This used to sometimes happen when I ran it on my 16 GB model, so it's not the fault of the BNTV250a. The other issue is problems for apps writing to the external SD card. For a tablet with precious little internal space, you just don't want apps downloading into internal space or storing lots of data there. There is an edit to the file /system/etc/permissions/platform.xml which corrects this issue for some apps. Find the section of platform.xml below and add the last line:
Code:
<permission name=”android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE” >
<group gid=”sdcard_r” />
<group gid=”sdcard_rw” />
<group gid=”media_rw” />
This change enabled OverDrive and Kodi, for example, to download files to the external SD card. It might work for others.
Not as fluid as CM 11, but WebView issues are gone and you can access most up-to-date content (if slowly).
CM 13
https://archive.org/download/cmarchive_snapshots/cm-13.0-20160819-SNAPSHOT-ZNH5YAO0IN-acclaim.zip
Flashed with SD-based TWRP 2.8.6.0, enabled signature spoofing with Tingle
Never having tried this ROM on my 16 GB tablet, I was actually pleasantly surprised by its behavior on the BNTV250a. There's a funny WiFi thing where if you leave WiFi on when you shut down and then boot up again, it will not automatically connect (unless the lockscreen has come on, which is pretty fast after booting, so no biggie). Otherwise it's pretty much like CM 12 although maybe a little more stable--if you don't overdo it. The Sound Recorder app is somehow broken on the CM 13 ROM. If this is something you'd like, you can replace the broken version in /system/app/SoundRecorder with the one attached below. Make sure the permissions are rw-r-r and reboot.
Some apps can't write to the SD card (as portable storage). Kodi is an example, I'm sorry to say. I've tried many "solutions" to this problem but the only one that worked for me is to edit /data/system/packages.xml, adding the permission for each specific app you want. This is a long file and I did this using the editor from the CM File Manager. There are probably easier ways. After locating the app you want in the xml file, add this line anywhere between the <perms> and </perms> tags:
Code:
<item name="android.permission.WRITE_MEDIA_STORAGE" granted="true" flags="0" />
This change will be overwritten if the app updates, so you might want to keep that in mind.
This is the ROM I've settled on for my BNTV250a (screenshot of home screen below)
AOSP 6.01 "Marshmallow"
Box
notredame.app.box.com
(you want aosp_acclaim-ota-MOB30Z.160820.zip)
Flashed with emmc-based TWRP 3.0.2-0, enabled signature spoofing with Tingle
This is one of the ROMs built by @amaces. The AOSP builds are very lean compared to CM ROMs so I was hoping this might perform somewhat better than CM 13. But I don't think it does.
The first big hurdle is enabling root. My thanks to @digixmax for pointing out the right tool. After first boot (or maybe even before, but I did it after) you need to flash UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.46.zip. Works perfectly.
The stock launcher is, well, funky. I replaced it with Nova Launcher but after installing a few other apps it was clear the system was under great stress. Lots of black screens and crashes. Not a good option for the BNTV250a.
AOSP 7.0
https://www.mediafire.com/?5vcw8l603d3r5sc
Flashed with emmc-based TWRP 3.0.2-0, enabled signature spoofing with Xposed
This is another ROM by @amaces and what I run on my 16 GB tablet. On that device it is virtually flawless. I really wanted to say the same for the BNTV250a, but I can't.
Enabling root for the ROM is achieved with Magisk.
The ROM appears to be odexed to Tingle and so you must flash the correct Xposed (for 7.0 and Magisk) and install the installer app along with the FakeGapps app as described in the previous post.
The stock launcher is pitiful and you need to install a root file manager to get anything done. The system is laggy and video is not smooth. Not even a potential option for the BNTV250a.
Lineage 14.1
Box
notredame.app.box.com
(there are many versions of this ROM. The link takes you to the "obsolete" folder where you need to hunt down lnos_acclaim-ota-NJH47F.180211.zip. This seems to be the only version without the shut-down bug)
Edit 2-5-23: Well...no, it does not have the classic shut-down bug (tablet reboots right after it "shuts down"). Instead, it often shuts down just fine, but occasionally locks up during shut down and has to be forced off with the power button.
Flashed with emmc-based TWRP 3.0.2-0, enabled signature spoofing with Tingle
This is a third ROM built by @amaces (his most recent for the NT). I didn't have much hope for this because if 7.0 was an issue, I didn't expect 7.1 to perform well.
The only native root capability is for ADB. To enable full root, you need to flash addonsu-14.1-arm.zip (attached below). I did that after first boot but perhaps it can be done along with the ROM.
Not surprisingly the ROM has the feel of CM. There appears to be a file manager but it is only a partial reflection of the native file explorer and is useless for the manipulations that need to be done, so you need to adb install a root file manager as described in the previous post.
The stock browser is complete rubbish. It looks to be Gello(?) but it is the most infuriating collection of electrons I have ever encountered. There are no navigational buttons, no bookmark button--no buttons at all! I really tried. I used gestures (some rude), I tried magic words (many of which do not appear in children's books). Nada. When I finally managed to reach my test site it was like wading through, well, Jello! So....attached below is the nice lightweight stock browser from AOSP 7.0. Navigate to /system/app/Browser and there you will find Browser2.apk. Rename it to something else and copy in the Browser2.apk attached below, setting file permissions to rwx-r-r. Reboot. If you are successful, you can delete the old, useless browser apk. To enable bookmarks, navigate to /system/app/BookmarkProvider and inside you will find the apk file. Tap to install. I don't know why this needs to be done, but it does even on AOSP 7.0. Reboot and you've got a functioning browser (rife with "peek-a-boo keyboard")
The ROM hates Kodi, crashing constantly. Video from other apps is not smooth. Not a viable choice for the BNTV250a.
For a lark I tried it on the 16 GB model and it's actually not bad, but then I saw that embedded browser videos (like YouTube, for example) were funky colors, so... It may be that later versions corrected this, but those likely have the shut-down bug. In any event, a terrible choice for the 8 GB model.
Took a bit of trial and error to get the perfect version of playstore to not give an error, but I got it working. Thank you a lot for this write-up!
Yes I am breathing life back into a BN Nook in 2020 (quarantine will do funny things to a guy). Thanks for the comprehensive guide. I had installed CM11 years ago and it kinda sucks as is, so looking forward to seeing how this shakes out. I have to re-educate myself on all the various steps like adb, installing root file manager etc, it has been a long while since I played around with android's innards!
denmalley said:
Yes I am breathing life back into a BN Nook in 2020 (quarantine will do funny things to a guy). Thanks for the comprehensive guide. I had installed CM11 years ago and it kinda sucks as is, so looking forward to seeing how this shakes out. I have to re-educate myself on all the various steps like adb, installing root file manager etc, it has been a long while since I played around with android's innards!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While you're becoming familiar again with the procedures, give me a day or two to update the post. I recently redid my BNTV250a with CM 13 to try some things and then finally went back to CM 11 using the MicroG components rather than GApps. I'm really happy with it, but I have to say that the tablet (just like my BNTV250 with AOSP 7) behaves better if it's been on for awhile. It can be really cranky if you try to start using it right after boot.
So I'll update the post title to include CM 11 and add some details about CM 11 to the second post in a few days.
Hey thanks for keeping up with this thread! I installed CM11 as suggested but hitting a snag with tingle. I just dumped the tingl directory into the python folder as you did and ran main.py. This was the output.
C:\Python27>python main.py
MENU
1 - Patch file from a device (adb)
2 - Patch file from the input folder
> 1 adb
ERROR: Missing adb => ['adb']
NOTE: Only one binary per type is required
ERROR CODE: 65
Not sure what I'm doing wrong
denmalley said:
Hey thanks for keeping up with this thread! I installed CM11 as suggested but hitting a snag with tingle. I just dumped the tingl directory into the python folder as you did and ran main.py. This was the output.
C:\Python27>python main.py
MENU
1 - Patch file from a device (adb)
2 - Patch file from the input folder
> 1 adb
ERROR: Missing adb => ['adb']
NOTE: Only one binary per type is required
ERROR CODE: 65
Not sure what I'm doing wrong
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't remember seeing the "adb" after "> 1", but I may just not remember. So, just in case and to be really clear (in case I wasn't before):
1. I assume you have adb working on your PC or you wouldn't have gotten to the Python step. Did you ever set the PATH for adb? I confess I never bothered until I tried this procedure. But you have to be able to access adb from the Python folder for this to work. If you're not sure, just cd to the Python folder and try starting adb. If it doesn't work then the PATH needs to be set. Here's a good description for Windows (scroll down to "Step 2"): https://lifehacker.com/the-easiest-way-to-install-androids-adb-and-fastboot-to-1586992378
2. When I said I dumped the contents of Tingle into the Python folder, I meant that literally. There is no "Tingle" folder in my Python folder,but there are a bunch of extra files that are "Tingle". Just want to be sure.
Those are my only ideas at present. I hope one of them does the trick!
Ah yes path variable did the trick! On to the next steps, I'll keep you posted!
Ok, now i am at the play store step - keep getting error "unfortunately google play store has stopped." Over and over again when attempting to open. After reboot too.
denmalley said:
Ok, now i am at the play store step - keep getting error "unfortunately google play store has stopped." Over and over again when attempting to open. After reboot too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you
1. Check microG settings to be sure everything is OK?
2. Sign in to your Google account from the microG settings (add account)?
3. Then try the PlayStore (check permissions on Phonesky folder and app)
One part I'm not clear on. I placed all of the apks where you say to (steps 6-8), once I reboot, is play store supposed to just appear? When I do self-check in microg everything is checked except playstore and the bottom two (location). I got the impression from your instructions that I'm supposed to wait for some background processes to appear.
denmalley said:
One part I'm not clear on. I placed all of the apks where you say to (steps 6-8), once I reboot, is play store supposed to just appear? When I do self-check in microg everything is checked except playstore and the bottom two (location). I got the impression from your instructions that I'm supposed to wait for some background processes to appear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the PlayStore icon should appear--admittedly a very old and funky one with this old version.
The Playstore automatically updates. I wish it did not, but there is no way to stop it. But to have that happen you have to access the Playstore at least once, maybe even download an app, and leave wifi on awhile.
On my main microG settings screen I show Google device registration ON. On the self-check screen, everything is checked except the last box. I have the location stuff installed.
So if PlayStore is unchecked, something is not right. Perhaps the app got corrupted when I uploaded it. I am shut down right now but can reup tomorrow. Or you can just get another app from Apkpure or similar. I used to use something around 8.02 to get started.
I am very much stuck at this point (unless I guess I continue with regular gapps which goes against the whole point of this approach). I tried nuking and redoing the whole process with the same result. Attached screenshots of all relevant screens to show permissions/settings/etc.
Also I can't find a "phonesky.apk" anywhere, only full-blown google store apks which are much larger than the phonesky.apk you provided and so I must assume are not the correct thing.
denmalley said:
I am very much stuck at this point (unless I guess I continue with regular gapps which goes against the whole point of this approach). I tried nuking and redoing the whole process with the same result. Attached screenshots of all relevant screens to show permissions/settings/etc.
Also I can't find a "phonesky.apk" anywhere, only full-blown google store apks which are much larger than the phonesky.apk you provided and so I must assume are not the correct thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Phonesky=PlayStore, just renamed--microG expects to see Phonesky
Something is not right with the app. I have to run, but here is a link to v. 8.02 which I have used in the past:
https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/google-play-store/google-play-store-8-0-23-release/
Rename to Phonesky before using. It will be a little more cranky but it will work to get you going. I hope.
Edit: or, if you prefer, go to OpenGapps and download a KitKat pico GApps. Extract from that zip the Phonesky app and use it.
Edit, Edit: yeah, I tried reupping a copy of the Phonesky app but when I downloaded it the file size did not match. So I changed the first post and inserted a link to a copy on my mediafire account. That downloads with the right file size.
Well, I think I'm giving up. I've redone the process three times now. I used your new Phonesky.apk this last time and I still can't get the play store to show up. Only other thing I can think to ask - if I add a google account through microg settings, is it supposed to change to indicate that account is now added? Because if I go in there it will still say "add acount" even though I can see in the regular settings under accounts that a google account is present.
edit
The only other thing I haven't yet tried is redownloading everything and maybe even using a different PC. Ah heck who am I kidding, like I've got anything better to do. I'll keep cracking at it.
denmalley said:
Well, I think I'm giving up. I've redone the process three times now. I used your new Phonesky.apk this last time and I still can't get the play store to show up. Only other thing I can think to ask - if I add a google account through microg settings, is it supposed to change to indicate that account is now added? Because if I go in there it will still say "add acount" even though I can see in the regular settings under accounts that a google account is present.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm really baffled by this behavior. When you add a Google account via microG nothing changes on the microG settings page, but the account should show up in the CM11 settings under "accounts".
When you prepare the system for flashing, do you do an Advanced Wipe? I'm a little AR about this sort of thing, especially as my devices have been flashed with different OS's many times. I start with an Advanced Wipe, clearing out everything except, of course, the microSD card, and then I follow that by a regular wipe. Then I start flashing.
If you are still having trouble, let me know and I'll wipe my current system (I have a backup) and start again from scratch, downloading copies of the files I have posted to see if I can duplicate what is happening to you. Maybe Google has changed something in the time since I did my newest configuration and the microG folks have not caught up with it yet. This appears to be true for Contacts because I cannot get them to sync up or even see my Google contacts. This was not the case in the past. There is chatter about it on the microG site, but none of the "solutions" go anything beyond what I have already related and some of the conclusions are like "and it just started working..."
I did not do the advanced wipe, so let me try that. I'm also going to redownload everything and give it another go. No need to wipe your device just yet - you've already done WAY more than I expected to help! I will do this over the next few days and keep you posted.
Well I tried six different ways, full wipe, change the "group" set for the group permissions to "root" (it had been set to sdcard), redownloaded every last bit of software used in this process, used a different computer, etc etc etc. Nothing is working. Still no play store. Everything else seems to be fine except that.
So anyway, I finally just did a full wipe, flashed the CM11 unofficial that you provided in second post, and grabbed a kk gapps package and flashed that. Switched from trebuchet to nova and I've got a tablet I can live with! Working much better then the cm10 rom I had on there before (like swipe to unlock screen, wait 5 seconds....touch app drawer, wait 5-10 seconds....touch an app, wait 30 seconds....slooooooow).
Thanks for pushing me along in this direction, before I started back into this process I had completely forgotten all the little intricacies which would have gotten me hung up and possibly bricked. And all the of the other guides out there have broken links, outdated info, etc. So I'm happy with where I landed and very much appreciate the help, even if we didn't quite get there with your proposed improvements! I now have a capable e-book, backup songbook for gigs, and a spare digital mixer controller that I can clean up the personal stuff from and hand off to an assistant.
denmalley said:
Thanks for pushing me along in this direction, before I started back into this process I had completely forgotten all the little intricacies which would have gotten me hung up and possibly bricked. And all the of the other guides out there have broken links, outdated info, etc. So I'm happy with where I landed and very much appreciate the help, even if we didn't quite get there with your proposed improvements! I now have a capable e-book, backup songbook for gigs, and a spare digital mixer controller that I can clean up the personal stuff from and hand off to an assistant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad you reached a point where you feel good about the outcome but sorry that you had to waste so much time.
I will run through the procedure again in the next few days. Maybe there's something that got garbled in the updating of the post. In any case I'd feel better if my instructions actually achieved the intended result.
nmyshkin said:
I will run through the procedure again in the next few days. Maybe there's something that got garbled in the updating of the post. In any case I'd feel better if my instructions actually achieved the intended result.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well.....I'm not sure how the error crept in, but it looks like the creation of the Phonesky folder was the issue. This is needed for ROMs beyond CM11, but there are no folders in /system/app or /system/priv-app for CM11. Thus for CM11 only, the files like Phonesky.apk are simply dropped into /system/priv-app and the permissions set as described, Then everything works as it should.
I've corrected the instructions. My apologies.
I hope I'm posting this in the right place, I looked around a bit but I didn't get anything except more confused. So here's my issue, I'm a noob at all this rooting/programming business so before I messed with my nice phone I've been practicing on a LG L15G Sunrise TracFone running android 4.4.2. I gained root access with Kingroot, started to remove some bloatware that seemed safe to uninstall but I was wrong. Something I removed is now causing my settings app to crash. As soon as you try to open it, it just crashes. I don't have a recovery and can't find a rom anywhere for this particular phone. SO, since it's a $10 phone that I only use as a mp3 player anyway I'm not too concerned so I just want to fix it to see if I can and maybe learn something. I have an idea to restore the phone and my main question is can you request admin rights for an app on the phone if i hook it up to my PC with adb shell? If so what are the commands, or scripts, whatever you call it. And my second question is again about using adb console. I want to install an apk file onto the phone, but since my settings don't work, I can't get to the security tab to allow apps from unknown sources. Is there a way to turn this on with adb? Or somehow install the apk manually without permission.
Yeah you should be able to install a program and authorize root access, I don't know about kingroot I haven't heard great things but otherwise what's the point of root. Try installing flashfire and see if you have root access (careful with flashfire it's powerful).. If not I might recommend trying to replace kingroot with supersu like in the following post
https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...g/replace-kingoroot-supersu-manually-t3573361
JakersAK said:
I hope I'm posting this in the right place, I looked around a bit but I didn't get anything except more confused. So here's my issue, I'm a noob at all this rooting/programming business so before I messed with my nice phone I've been practicing on a LG L15G Sunrise TracFone running android 4.4.2. I gained root access with Kingroot, started to remove some bloatware that seemed safe to uninstall but I was wrong. Something I removed is now causing my settings app to crash. As soon as you try to open it, it just crashes. I don't have a recovery and can't find a rom anywhere for this particular phone. SO, since it's a $10 phone that I only use as a mp3 player anyway I'm not too concerned so I just want to fix it to see if I can and maybe learn something. I have an idea to restore the phone and my main question is can you request admin rights for an app on the phone if i hook it up to my PC with adb shell? If so what are the commands, or scripts, whatever you call it. And my second question is again about using adb console. I want to install an apk file onto the phone, but since my settings don't work, I can't get to the security tab to allow apps from unknown sources. Is there a way to turn this on with adb? Or somehow install the apk manually without permission.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Search for XDA-University forum, there's a thread on basic adb commands over there
In terminal
su
With adb
adb shell
su
Sent from my KYOCERA-C6745 using Tapatalk
Thank you all for your help. I did find the info on another thread and I now have unknown sources enabled. I was planning on replacing kingroot with supersu, there's plenty of tutorials on that floating around. Just wanted to regain access to my settings first before I made things worse. So now I have an idea, tell me if it's stupid. one of the apps i removed screwed the phone up, don't know which one, however, I was able to find apk files of the apps i uninstalled deep in the root browser. If I took these and reinstalled them back in their rightful spots as system apps would everything fall back into place like it never happened? Cuz that would be cool. I've never spent enough hours on this $10 phone I could have bought 10 of em by now if i was working lol. Just glad I was smart enough to take the time to learn this crap on a cheap phone instead of bricking my Moto X on the first go round. thanks for the help guys.
JakersAK said:
Thank you all for your help. I did find the info on another thread and I now have unknown sources enabled. I was planning on replacing kingroot with supersu, there's plenty of tutorials on that floating around. Just wanted to regain access to my settings first before I made things worse. So now I have an idea, tell me if it's stupid. one of the apps i removed screwed the phone up, don't know which one, however, I was able to find apk files of the apps i uninstalled deep in the root browser. If I took these and reinstalled them back in their rightful spots as system apps would everything fall back into place like it never happened? Cuz that would be cool. I've never spent enough hours on this $10 phone I could have bought 10 of em by now if i was working lol. Just glad I was smart enough to take the time to learn this crap on a cheap phone instead of bricking my Moto X on the first go round. thanks for the help guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should. As long as you have a copy of the app. I haven't been using the new root browser, but idk if it has a recycle bin.
Sent from my KYOCERA-C6745 using Tapatalk
Hey guys, how are y'all doing?
Here's a little background on my problem:
A year ago bought a cheap-ass smartphone for my mom, from a big supermarket chain in my country that was selling french phones cheaply, it was only 60€ and my mom needed a phone, so there it is!
Anyway cut to the present, the phone is riddled of what I suspect is malware that installs itself as soon as I remove it such as Free Games, com.google.toolkit, MiniChrome, N62Androidpt, System Component, adservice, and a couple others.
It also keeps switching wi-fi off, and turning on that option that allows apps to be installed from unknown sources, and worst of all it keeps opening the phone in built browser with adds, and even porn sites on occasion, which is really not desirable as my very young aged nieces love stealing the phone and try to use it.
I installed malwarebytes, also did a factory reset to no avail it fixed nothing.
So I decided to flash a stock rom to see if I could get rid of it, searched around and found a repository of stock roms or firmwares or whatever it's called (I'm not too familiar with this side of smartphones), which I'd love to post, but apparently can't because I've last than 10 posts: doc-doapi.com/EM/selecline/smartphone/
It has a lot of roms for different models of my brand.
Used the UpgradeDownload - R2.9.2015 tool that was in that folder and flashed it successfully.
After I turned on the device it opened the new phone setup process, logged in to my google account, and restores my stuff like contacts, and a few trusted google apps from before the flash, but it soon started again to install those malware apps I stated up there on it's own, and it was soon in the same state as before...
Anyway here's some info about my phone that probably should've gone to the top.
It's a Selecline phone
Model S4S5in3g
Android version: 5.1
Kernel version: 3.10.65
Compilation number: S3S5in3g.V1.2_20160307
At the back it has a sticker and another model number 870712 which I used to find the folder on that repository of stock roms.
And that's all in a big nutshell, anyone has any tips?
Thanks.
lil' bump
Do you have login credentials for this Auchan website where you found the ROMs? It is asking for a login ID and password. I need ROM for Model S6S5IN3G.
Quick tip for getting rid of Malware even before they start. Go to Settings and check Data Usage. See which apps are using lots of data (downloading junk into your device). Note if there are any strange sounding apps that are downloading a lot of data, especially if it is not an app that you yourself were directly using.
Next, flash the stock ROM again. Once you flash the new ROM, you have to find a way to root the device. Try KingRoot. Then after the phone is rooted, go to Playstore and download SD Maid. Run SD Maid and give it root access. In the settings for AppControl of SD Maid, allow it to show system apps. Then run app control and freeze any strange-looking user apps (or anyone that was downloading a lot of data) and system app that are not required.
Please, let me know about the website and how to access the ROMs.
As mentioned before, install a clean room again. Copy virustotal app from the attachment of these post (https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=77053739&postcount=11) to SD-card and install it. Turn wifi on and let it run. Control every app and the system-apps. Post a screenshot of the findings. If there are findings, then the room is infected. The only way to deal with this, is to root it, install rootexplorer an kill the infected app. This can be dangerous, if for example, the lauchner is infected, an alternative launcher must first be installed and set as default, before you can kill the infected one (otherwise you will own a useless phone until you flash it again ;o).
Hey guys, thanks for trying to help.
I tried literally everything before, I've even somehow got a kitchen up and running and I removed everything that looked suspicious and all those bran add-ons from the rom, but even then I'd still get infected.
I didn't really try the antivirus route though and to be honest I already shelved that phone, but I'm kinda bored, so I'll try y'all suggestions, an extra working phone can always come in handy.
CVAngelo said:
Do you have login credentials for this Auchan website where you found the ROMs? It is asking for a login ID and password. I need ROM for Model S6S5IN3G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd love to help you mate, I found that repository in a forum maybe forum.gsmhosting, and I've tried to access it earlier, and I'm also denied access.
hello,
been having this weird bug/problem with com.miui.security center with every miui 9 release for poco(miui 10/pie security app runs fine but i didnt like miui10!)
the strange thing is that xiaomi is sending updates to all its apps on miui 9 exept security center!!(am talking about the app update not about the antivirus defs update etc).
the question is : can i remove the security app?and how?( am on miui 9.6.14 global stable ....rooted).
Install Titanuim Backup and uninstall from there.
P.S you can run into problems and force close issues along with other unbearable ****. so backup Security App on Titanium Backup and then uninstall it
Don't even think of uninstalling the Security app. I tried it twice and ended up in bootloop. I spoke to a miui dev and he said Security app is an essential part of miui rom and messing with it means messing with the ROM.
Right
Same here
com.miui.securitycenter
Need a mod for this can someone help.
How do i mod this so that all undesirable tracking & spyware components can be removed. It is obvious that this of a tracker agent making it unsafe for the user only makes it safer for XIamoi & its partners.
So I opened up the the app components-
Broadcast receivers activities services etc. And here is what I found .....
In something that supposedly claims to be a for security component for the phone
- Dunno if they will let me stick in a screenshot here . There are adware and spyware components down to the core.
Code:
AdsProcessPriorityService
com.facebook.ads.internal.ipc.AdsProcess
PriorityService
AdsMessengerService
com.facebook.ads.internal.ipc.AdsMessen
gerService
That is to name a few
- any attempt to disable this component is futile because even if you run pm disable the component is force enabled
- the other singers if I am rooted and I am ' magiskcally ' I hide magisk from all these redmi components. ..... even Here it forces need to unhide magisk could you see the extent of spyware organisation down to the core
I would like to continue this thread with an invitation to vah word wants to give me an approach and work with me so that a magisk module that will grab his component from the current phone and mod it -let the original spyware component load during boot time and post boot do a swap with the mod
Is it possible to do this kind of modification & unspy MIUI
Yes it can be. Use lucky patcher and "delete system app". It worked for me without bootloop. I think there wasn't many things changed after that except for no 10s warnings and no sidebar functions
Vipxpert said:
Yes it can be. Use lucky patcher and "delete system app". It worked for me without bootloop. I think there wasn't many things changed after that except for no 10s warnings and no sidebar functions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i can confirm this , i on miui 13.0.11 , redmi note 10(mojito) . uninstalled com.miui.securitycenter , rebooted . no bootloop. i will let other know if i encounter some bug later
Edit1: cant open battery setting, manage apps show nothing
Vipxpert said:
Yes it can be. Use lucky patcher and "delete system app". It worked for me without bootloop. I think there wasn't many things changed after that except for no 10s warnings and no sidebar functions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can i delete miui cleaner ?
Apih95 said:
can i delete miui cleaner ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well.... Isnt that intergrated into Security Center app as well lol
ron_hyatt said:
hello,
been having this weird bug/problem with com.miui.security center with every miui 9 release for poco(miui 10/pie security app runs fine but i didnt like miui10!)
the strange thing is that xiaomi is sending updates to all its apps on miui 9 exept security center!!(am talking about the app update not about the antivirus defs update etc).
the question is : can i remove the security app?and how?( am on miui 9.6.14 global stable ....rooted).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lucky patcher (slightly sketchy) and De-Bloater appear to work to remove apps on rooted devices
Obviously
Code:
adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 com.miui.securitycenter
will not remove it but if all you need is it to be disabled you can try that
Hello, this probably won't be seen, but to the very few travelers who discover this message on google or something:
As of January 19th 2023, the "Security Center" application on MIUI 13 is extremely sketchy.
I'm planning on trying to decompile it if possible.
Currently (According to the AOSP part of the settings) The app has permissions that are very worrying. Downloading files without permission, proprietary MIUI perms, full network access, etc.
Not only that, the built-in package manager utility (PM), refuses to disable com.miui.securitycenter due to being unable to "disable core miui packages..." and spitting out an exception dump.
This is clearly a protected app, that has too many permissions, for no apparent reasson.
Setting SELinux to permissive dosen't help either.
There are 2 options that people have currently - Either leaving a piece of a PUP (Potentially unwanted program) on their phone, or risking bricking it by uninstalling it.
According to the posts on this thread some people have had success, some got a soft-brick.
Doing so shouldn't result in a hard brick, so if you have backups, a userdata format should solve the issue.
TheMagnificent_Y said:
Hello, this probably won't be seen, but to the very few travelers who discover this message on google or something:
As of January 19th 2023, the "Security Center" application on MIUI 13 is extremely sketchy.
I'm planning on trying to decompile it if possible.
Currently (According to the AOSP part of the settings) The app has permissions that are very worrying. Downloading files without permission, proprietary MIUI perms, full network access, etc.
Not only that, the built-in package manager utility (PM), refuses to disable com.miui.securitycenter due to being unable to "disable core miui packages..." and spitting out an exception dump.
This is clearly a protected app, that has too many permissions, for no apparent reasson.
Setting SELinux to permissive dosen't help either.
There are 2 options that people have currently - Either leaving a piece of a PUP (Potentially unwanted program) on their phone, or risking bricking it by uninstalling it.
According to the posts on this thread some people have had success, some got a soft-brick.
Doing so shouldn't result in a hard brick, so if you have backups, a userdata format should solve the issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i recommend lineageos rom instead of miui but make backups
Hi I'm struggling with the same problem trying to stop de SecCenter. Maybe there is a way to stop the app to run. I tried on my Note 10 Pro with MIUI12.0.6 Global (Android 11) and it works.
You need root on the phone. You should change the owner of the folder "/data/user/0/com.miui.securitycenter" to a user the is not System. In my case a run the command "chown -R root:root /data/user/0/com.miui.securitycenter". After that you need to kill the process of the "com.miui.securitycenter". So at the end the process doesn't start anymore. In the next boot you need do the process again because the boot change the permission of the folder to the system again.
I'm trying to create a Magisk Module to do that but i don't know how until now.