Can someone who knows explain the specifics about what happens to the phone during a flash, hard reset, etc.?
Specifically, what I'm asking is this: I know that flashing replaces your ROM, obviously, but what I'm asking is related to what happens on a lower level.
When, for example, one flashes a ROM that has mods, etc. all those mods (as part of the flashed ROM) are written from where to where on a hard reset or factory reset?
I don't really understand where the ROM software is stored on the partitions and I'd like to have a better understanding of that.
Restoring from a NAND backup rewrites what data?
Anyone?
can't really help you with partitions.. I did read it somewhere but can't recall of the top of my head..try a search on the original dev forum.
but if u open where the nadroid backup is located, most likely inside the clockworkmod folder, u'll have some of ur questions answered...
btw, when u do a data wipe in cwm recovery, it tells you which folders/partitions gets formatted..
Related
Does the QDL tool actually wipe the device?
I was speaking to a Dell support individual regarding the Dell Streak, and they stated it is impossible to completely wipe the device. I'm referring to actually clearing & restoring the device, much like fdisk'ing a hard drive & reinstalling the OS clean.
Does using the QDLtool to revert to 2.2 achieve this?
Thanks in advance for the help!
All you need to do is factory reset
Factory reset wipes the User and cache partitions
Reinstalling whatever rom resets the boot and system partitions,
the only data left is are device roms like baseband/dsp which shouldnt be messed with lightly.
If you really wanted to make sure even those are fresh, restoring stock roms does the mentioned above and reflashes all device roms on top of that
QDL tool basically does this except i dont know offhand if it touches the user and cache partitions.
Trying to actually repartition the device is probubuly dangerous since the bootloaders are stored in nand, if anything goes wrong the device has no idea what to load if you have to reset it
TheManii said:
All you need to do is factory reset
Factory reset wipes the User and cache partitions
Reinstalling whatever rom resets the boot and system partitions,
the only data left is are device roms like baseband/dsp which shouldnt be messed with lightly.
If you really wanted to make sure even those are fresh, restoring stock roms does the mentioned above and reflashes all device roms on top of that
QDL tool basically does this except i dont know offhand if it touches the user and cache partitions.
Trying to actually repartition the device is probubuly dangerous since the bootloaders are stored in nand, if anything goes wrong the device has no idea what to load if you have to reset it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know, I believed this also, but I when testing DJ_Steve's ROM's previously, I would do a factory reset from the device, and then from the recovery tool, and when I installed the new ROM, I still had remnants from previously installed items (i.e. google account was still associated, Swype was still activated...), therefore I haven't much faith in the factory reset items, and asked about the QDL tool...
Thoughts?
Are you resetting from inside android or from the recovery menu?
I've done it both ways, with the same result.
k. I just did both a factory reset from within the UI, and again from the Dell recovery tool.
I wanted to start clean when installing DJ_Steve's latest ROM is why I did this.
Now, I've installed it, and opened up the application area, and all of my programs I had on the streak before are still there, along with the wallpaper I had previously.
So... back to my original question of how to completely reset the device?
If I install a kernel, do I have to reinstall everything? Like.. Does it work as an update on the phone, or does it work like a reinstallation?
I tried to search, but I couldn't find anything that answered it.
Btw the kernel is EternityProject
Thanks in advance!
mortenmoulder said:
If I install a kernel, do I have to reinstall everything? Like.. Does it work as an update on the phone, or does it work like a reinstallation?
I tried to search, but I couldn't find anything that answered it.
Btw the kernel is EternityProject
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are just flashing a kernel, it will not touch the rom, so you shouldn't lose your data. Just make sure that the kernel is compatible with the device and the rom in question. If you flash a ROM, or a ROM/KERNEL combo, you will likely lose everything and start from scratch.
Best practice is to make a nandroid backup of your device before you flash *anything*, just in case, and as an extra precaution, copy the nandroid backup to your computer for safe keeping. It's also not always required, but I recommend wiping your cache and dalvik cache when flashing a kernel, just in case, but this will cause your first boot to take longer, in some cases (and on some older devices specifically) this can take several minutes, but usually doesn't take that long.
If you need anything else, feel free to send me a PM, I'll see if I can help.
Hello guys! I don't ever get the need to post in a thread or comments, but this time I'm entangled in some pretty confusing stuff, I'd like help with please.
I bought a used GS3 GT-I9300 and tried to install a custom rom on it. One thing lead to another, a problem after every problem and now I'm at a dead end :\
Last time I was able to boot into a ROM, was via restoring through nandroid backup. But the IMEI had become "unknown". I searched it around to find that this was a problem with the EFS folder. Luckily I had a backup of the efs part before hand! But I can't even utilize the backup! -_-
The Problem is, whatever I flash via odin (no matter which stock rom), I end up stuck at the "Samsung Galaxy SIII" screen. I have a backup of the efs, but if I go through philz recovery, it's not able to find my backup. I've tried every guide at there, and been searching about a whole day and now I give and ask for help from you guys with experience. What am I supposed to do, to get to a point where I can use my phone? Really sad after attempting so many things. NEED ASAP HELP PLEASE! :'( Thanks in advance.
hammadfozi said:
Hello guys! I don't ever get the need to post in a thread or comments, but this time I'm entangled in some pretty confusing stuff, I'd like help with please.
I bought a used GS3 GT-I9300 and tried to install a custom rom on it. One thing lead to another, a problem after every problem and now I'm at a dead end :\
Last time I was able to boot into a ROM, was via restoring through nandroid backup. But the IMEI had become "unknown". I searched it around to find that this was a problem with the EFS folder. Luckily I had a backup of the efs part before hand! But I can't even utilize the backup! -_-
The Problem is, whatever I flash via odin (no matter which stock rom), I end up stuck at the "Samsung Galaxy SIII" screen. I have a backup of the efs, but if I go through philz recovery, it's not able to find my backup. I've tried every guide at there, and been searching about a whole day and now I give and ask for help from you guys with experience. What am I supposed to do, to get to a point where I can use my phone? Really sad after attempting so many things. NEED ASAP HELP PLEASE! :'( Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Start with the simple things first... Do you boot into recovery after flashing with odin and factory reset this is the most common thing that people don't do and this solves most bootloop issues.
Sorry if you have tried that but you really need to give a small brief list of eactly what you have tried to do because saying (quote) "attempting so many things" does not help us to narrow down what is wrong otherwise people will be suggesting things you have already tried.
Question makes no sense, if you can't find the backup in philz then you aren't using it correctly or the backup is in another format. You'll need to understand the basics before you go any further.
Search for people who've extracted the efs backup on their pc then copied all the files across, follow their example.
tallman43 said:
Start with the simple things first... Do you boot into recovery after flashing with odin and factory reset this is the most common thing that people don't do and this solves most bootloop issues.
Sorry if you have tried that but you really need to give a small brief list of eactly what you have tried to do because saying (quote) "attempting so many things" does not help us to narrow down what is wrong otherwise people will be suggesting things you have already tried.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks mate. Well I've done that. Separately tried clearing cache alone and rebooting (didn't work). Then also tried factory reset (via TWRP) that didn't work either. Then I tried factory reset + clearing cache which didn't work too. No matter what stock rom I flash via odin, or a custom ROM via recovery, My phone does not proceed ahead from the "Galaxy S III 3G" Logo.
boomboomer said:
Question makes no sense, if you can't find the backup in philz then you aren't using it correctly or the backup is in another format. You'll need to understand the basics before you go any further.
Search for people who've extracted the efs backup on their pc then copied all the files across, follow their example.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you maybe give me the link for that please? I didn't even intend to backup efs, this is something which luckily happened accidentally haha.
In hope for seeing if I made a efs backup, I searched the internal storage + SD card of my phone and narrowed it down to 3 rar files:
1. efs_01Jan2012-0001.tar.gz (52KB)
2. efsbackup.tar (5.05MB)
3. efsbackup.tar.gz (62KB)
i was wondering if it is possible to downgrade from cm11 m11 to any android 4.0.4 rom , i want tutorial & tips on how to do?
(also im kinda noob) , also i dont care if this rom (4.0.4) that im gonna install is gonna be a custom or stock ( i just want it to be touchwzi based) , also i dont know any custom 4.0.4 touchwiz based rom can u show me some? ( sorry for bad english)
& tnx for helping my poor i9300:angel::angel::angel::angel::angel::angel::angel::angel:
seriously!! No ONE can help??? ( i just wanna know how to repair imei number as i dont have any backup from ics and i have a null imei now)
Hi,
Downgrading in general is almost impossible. You might need to do a full wipe. Sometimes it may work without, but you may experience strange problems and will spend more time on solving them compared to a clean install.
When changing ROM editions, you should also format the system partition (TWRP -> advanced wipe, you might find something similar in other recoveries).
Perform a full backup first and keep it on a safe place. It's also recommended to keep a backup of the EFS partition (if you don't have one already).
SuperBommel said:
Hi,
Downgrading in general is almost impossible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not true. ...
You can always downgrade.
Just do a factory reset and full wipe before.
Repair a imei nr. just search the hundreds post here on xda.
coolhof said:
Not true. ...
You can always downgrade.
Just do a factory reset and full wipe before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, that's what I meant with "formatting the system partition". I just wanted to mention that this is not something like a "smooth" downgrade where you switch to another version and everything else can remain. The term "downgrade" may imply that you just "change" something. In fact you setup a new phone.
Sorry for confusion.
SuperBommel said:
Sure, that's what I meant with "formatting the system partition". I just wanted to mention that this is not something like a "smooth" downgrade where you switch to another version and everything else can remain. The term "downgrade" may imply that you just "change" something. In fact you setup a new phone.
Sorry for confusion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Watch out what you advise people.
"Formatting" is something else as doing a wipe.
My system is formatted to f2fs file system.
If someone tick the option to format the system in odin it good end up with a brick.
Then you need to flash a rescue system with pit file.
coolhof said:
Watch out what you advise people.
"Formatting" is something else as doing a wipe.
My system is formatted to f2fs file system.
If someone tick the option to format the system in odin it good end up with a brick.
Then you need to flash a rescue system with pit file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While I was talking about TWRP, I thought this was clear. However, I should have used the correct term. You are totally right. Will try to be more precise in future. Thanks for the hint.
Hello!
Please excuse me and my language. I am also kind of a noob.
Is there any way to completly remove Android from smartphone?
auroranova said:
Hello!
Please excuse me and my language. I am also kind of a noob.
Is there any way to completly remove Android from smartphone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find the best way is either letting it go for a swim or run over it with a large vehicle. But seriously, what do you mean by that? It's like asking how to remove Windows from your PC. There wouldn't be anything on it to actually use the device.
Wipe partitions
I want to wipe all my partitions (including the kernel) in order to reinstall my firmware. I have rooted my phone and messed up with some kernel settings. I want to erase everything so I can start over. I may be a little stupid to ask for this but sorry. I am a noob. Is there any way?
auroranova said:
I want to wipe all my partitions (including the kernel) in order to reinstall my firmware. I have rooted my phone and messed up with some kernel settings. I want to erase everything so I can start over. I may be a little stupid to ask for this but sorry. I am a noob. Is there any way?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For most devices, this is not necessary - to wipe everything. Rarely would you ever need to wipe the boot partition (where the kernel is stored), as just flashing another kernel, rom, or reloading the stock firmware with the appropriate tool would take care of this. Why don't we backup a bit and start with which device do you have, what update was it on before you started, and what have you done to it (which rom, kernel, etc) as any or all of those things can affect which steps you should take to resolve your issue.
Fixed it!
Nevermind.. I fixed my issue. There was a problem with com.android.systemui. And about partition wipping.... I managed to do that with SP Flash Tool from MediaTek
Thank you for your support!