When Flashing why do I still have files left over? - Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

When I install a new ROM I do a data wipe/factory reset each time but I always find some things left over from the previous ROM like app settings and files.
SHouldnt the process completely blank my phone and start over? If not should I be doing this?

«iain» said:
When I install a new ROM I do a data wipe/factory reset each time but I always find some things left over from the previous ROM like app settings and files.
SHouldnt the process completely blank my phone and start over? If not should I be doing this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When u flash doing wipe factory reset u format and reinstall all system files but u don't format ur internal card for that reason u still have some app setting and u still have all ur data like music and image. If u want clear all format ur internal card from setting - storage - erase ur internal card or from recovery - format internal sd card . Be carefully ur will lost all ur data with it
Using XDA Premium over Resurrection Remix ICS, the Best Rom ever made

thanks for the reply, makes sense now.

«iain» said:
thanks for the reply, makes sense now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome mate
Using XDA Premium over Resurrection Remix ICS, the Best Rom Ever Made

Related

[Q] Data can't be deleted, Vibrant have restore point?

I got a Vibrant as a gift from my relative (he recently bought a Tab), and i can't erase the data (gallery, his gmail account).
I have done everything that i know, from factory reset to wipe data from recovery mode. Well, i even downgrade the firmware to the stock UVJFD, but no matter how hard i try, everytime i restart the phone, the data will always restored. the applications i installed are also gone it's like the phone create some restore point that resets whenever it gets rebooted.
I'm not living in US, so i guess i can't get support from T-mobile
please help.. and excuse me for my bad english ^^
settings>sd & phone storage>unmount phone storage>format will erase everything
if you want to format the microsd..its there too, but you will lose Avatar if you do..
jmcghee1973 said:
settings>sd & phone storage>unmount phone storage>format will erase everything
if you want to format the microsd..its there too, but you will lose Avatar if you do..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i't didn't work the pictures and gmail account is still there
there are 2 storages there ..one says sd card and the other says phone storage ...you unmounted the one under phone storage and hit format??? because there should be like 3 folders left after that..
i unmounted and formatted both the phone and sdcard storage.. to no effect.. flashing new firmware didn't help either..
hmmm.. yep.. beyond me then .. works for me every time so you might need someone with a little more knowledge.
getting hopeless
Did you try the data factory reset from privacy settings?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
shovelhead83 said:
Did you try the data factory reset from privacy settings?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
already
Setting>Accounts and sync - if there are any of your relatives accounts under there, click on it then click remove account.
already... but to no effect..
fckndrmr said:
already... but to no effect..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All you have left then is to root and install a custom rom. That will fix the issue for sure or odin back to stock.
Dialing *2767*3855# will do a hard reset. That may help.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Monk4Life said:
All you have left then is to root and install a custom rom. That will fix the issue for sure or odin back to stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is right there, I even could not do "re-install package" in the recovery mode because all data I kept in the internal sdcard will always be vanished if I reboot the phone,, I tried to mount the internal sdcard in the PC, then format the drive. It can be formatted, but after I rebooted the phone all the previous data come back. That's the problem
fckndrmr said:
The problem is right there, I even could not do "re-install package" in the recovery mode because all data I kept in the internal sdcard will always be vanished if I reboot the phone,, I tried to mount the internal sdcard in the PC, then format the drive. It can be formatted, but after I rebooted the phone all the previous data come back. That's the problem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you need to get cwm recovery on there and format sdcards internal and external then reflash with Odin just to be safe
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda app-developers app

[Q] 3 problems with applications

Hi,
I have 3 problems related to applications for which I can't find solution.
1st is that after removing/uninstalling applications and then restarting phone at some point for whatever reason there are visible remnants of them. (screenshot attached)
I am able to uninstall them again, but after another restart they are back. So how to get rid of them for good?
2nd problem is that certain applications seems to uninstall/delete themselves upon phone reboot. It seems its related to SD card where they put themselves during install. I have tried to move majority of apps back to phone, but seems only some of them are affected by this. There are apps which are installed/moved to SD and they work fine even after restart, so don't know. Maybe some of them are not working after moving to SD? Although for some its strange because they install itself to SD without me moving them.
3rd problem appeared today. Yesterday I have updated to ICS via Kies and installed 5 updates from Market. Today after restart the same apps were back to previous versions and Market offered me the same updates for the same apps. Whats the problem with this?
Thx for your help
Reads as possible corruption of SD card .
Check Lost File folders .
jje
And how do I do it? What folders? LOST.DIR?
Or to put to computer and run chkdsk to check lost files?
wen u some times move apps to sd an wen a aoto update takes place so wen rebooted then either appear as shown in screen shot,cause get deleted an flashing roms then restoring from titanium also gives some app prblm....the best way is format ur ext card on pc .....and if u want to clean all crap which u don want(lost.dir)is a folder were chunks r stored...but coming to point if u want to clean all mess go in recovery an formatt sd card,format system,emmc all ,,an reboot an ur stuck on sammy logo means u hav nothing on phone ,so go in download mode an flash stock via odin.....imp backup ur efs b4 any thing
Thanks for your input, but I am not able to grasp much from your post.
Stileth said:
Thanks for your input, but I am not able to grasp much from your post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think many people can grasp anything this guy says. His "english" is pretty difficult to read. I'll try to translate for you.
rocky23 said:
wen u some times move apps to sd an wen a aoto update takes place so wen rebooted then either appear as shown in screen shot,cause get deleted
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I THINK what he's suggesting is that when you have apps installed to your sd card, then an update occurs, then if there are differences in how partitioning works between your old OS version and your new OS version, you may lose some apps.
rocky23 said:
an flashing roms then restoring from titanium also gives some app prblm....the best way is format ur ext card on pc .....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then there's a bunch of unintelligible gibberish... Seems to be suggesting that restoring apps using Titanium backup can cause issues, and suggests formatting the external SD card on your PC instead of in your phone.
rocky23 said:
and if u want to clean all crap which u don want(lost.dir)is a folder were chunks r stored...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He seems to suggest cleaning items from the LOST.DIR folder that you may not want.
rocky23 said:
but coming to point if u want to clean all mess go in recovery an formatt sd card,format system,emmc all ,,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then he seems to say if all else fails, reboot to recovery, format everything.
rocky23 said:
an reboot an ur stuck on sammy logo means u hav nothing on phone ,so go in download mode an flash stock via odin.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And if you're stuck after a reboot after you do all that, then flash a stock firmware via odin.
rocky23 said:
imp backup ur efs b4 any thing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Back up your /efs folder before you do anything. (which I agree with wholeheartedly)
I think I translated that correctly.
Thanks for your translation mate although I am not sure if he said anything what can help me except deleting and formatting all which is really something what I would like to avoid for now.
LOST.DIR is empty on both internal and external SD card.
Also the problem with remnants was happening before I upgraded to ICS, do I don't think its related to partitioning at all.
Stileth said:
Thanks for your translation mate although I am not sure if he said anything what can help me except deleting and formatting all which is really something what I would like to avoid for now.
LOST.DIR is empty on both internal and external SD card.
Also the problem with remnants was happening before I upgraded to ICS, do I don't think its related to partitioning at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Last time I had this issue, it was on my Moto Milestone where I had app2sd running, and my SD card was becoming corrupted. I had to format my SD card and re-install the affected apps.
Hmm, I am not using any external app like app2sd, just the option which is offering Android itself. You were formatting internal or external one?
Stileth said:
Hmm, I am not using any external app like app2sd, just the option which is offering Android itself. You were formatting internal or external one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was describing my condition on one of my old phones. (An old Motorola Milestone, which did not have an internal SD) Not an I9100.
If you are using the default app2sd in Android, then you'll want to format internal. But back up all your files (music, pictures, whatever else) before you do, obviously.
I see. Yeah I was planning to do backup of course, but if I copy back all after format won't be back also the problem?
Lost dir from me was to check for corruption as thats where corrupt sd card files go.
Copy backup to PC just in case .
jje
Stileth said:
I see. Yeah I was planning to do backup of course, but if I copy back all after format won't be back also the problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey pal before trying 2 delete any app please ensure that u have cleard the data and cache of the same since they do pose a problem later also manually delete all those app folders on ur sdcard after deleting the apps
Stileth said:
I see. Yeah I was planning to do backup of course, but if I copy back all after format won't be back also the problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It shouldn't matter...
But my advice is to go through your installed apps and make a list of all apps that are marked as installed to your SD. Then uninstall all of the ones that are. Then back up your internal SD, and do your format of internal SD.
DO NOT copy back the .android_secure folder after you format. This is the folder that Android uses for it's built-in app2sd. (so it will get created again automatically later)
That means you'll have to re-install all of the apps you made a list of above, but it SHOULD help alleviate your problem.
---------- Post added at 11:00 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:58 AM ----------
Sun90 said:
hey pal before trying 2 delete any app please ensure that u have cleard the data and cache of the same since they do pose a problem later also manually delete all those app folders on ur sdcard after deleting the apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The condition he describes is that the app is no longer being registered as installed. So I don't think he'll be able to do this.
Thanks mate, I am now making backup of internal SD card before formatting although there is no .android_secure folder. There is one on external SD card, but its empty. Anyway will try the format after all the data are copied.
So backup done, formatted card, copied all back, restarted phone and the remnants are still there
Stileth said:
So backup done, formatted card, copied all back, restarted phone and the remnants are still there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm.. you may not have a choice but to do a factory reset/full wipe to get rid of 'em. Sorry dude.
Thats not what I wanted to hear. Should I go for factory reset available directly from Android or should I boot to recovery and go with factory reset/wipe data or wipe cache?
Stileth said:
Thats not what I wanted to hear. Should I go for factory reset available directly from Android or should I boot to recovery and go with factory reset/wipe data or wipe cache?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Either one should be fine.
FYI, you can back up most stuff you have and restore using various methods, so you can get back to your current state... it will just take a bit of effort.
And which would you recommend? I have Titanium Backup Pro to use or is there easier way?

memory error in camera

i am not able to use my memory card partially after i open the camera. i can play music,see files in file manager..but when i open camera it says memory error...or some times memory write protected;cant edit files. and after that if i open the gallery..i am not able to view any image...although i can see them through the file manager....after using the camera even if i want to download images or videos from whats app or backup my apps from titanium backup i am not able to do it.even i cannot capture screenshot..i have a lot of space after formatting around 3 gb so space is also not a problem..any one please help..i also formatted the memory card but it also didnt helped i have sandisk 8gb microsd...plz plz help..while writing this all...i noticed that if i format my sd card and then use it without restoring any thing that i backed up...i am able to use it...and if i backup...then i am not able to use it....damn confused what is happening..plz help....thank you in advance..:fingers-crossed:
xperia mini(st15i)
rooted
unlocked bootloader
stock ics
Any one???
Do you have clockworkmod installed? If yes, wipe data using it or do a factory reset.
It'll wipe all phone data . Backup your important data and wipe your data partition. It should work.
Click thanks if I helped you!
Sent from my smultron using xda app-developers app
gouthamthemostwanted said:
Do you have clockworkmod installed? If yes, wipe data using it or do a factory reset.
It'll wipe all phone data . Backup your important data and wipe your data partition. It should work.
Click thanks if I helped you!
Sent from my smultron using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was using aokp by kang xperia...when i at first got this problem...then i flashed stock ics....still the it did not got okay.
Try fixing permissions using Rom manager
Press thanks if I have helped!
Sent from my smultron using xda app-developers app
Do a factory reset.
Sent from my WT19i

[Q] Installing rom after rom - running out of HD space

Just wondering if any Android users can advise of the best way to retain internal storage space after installing rom after rom.
I've tried to install quite a few roms over the past couple of weeks, and have noticed that the available HDD space on the phone's internal memory is becoming less and less each time. I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to the types of files the device (and current rom) need to run, so was wondering if there are any easy ways of telling which folders/files are needed and which ones aren't? Or, if there are particular folder(s) where old rom's data is kept that I could delete?
I'm using a Galaxy Note 2, which came with the Navigon app pre-installed by Samsung. The new custom rom I've installed doesn't have this app (and I don't want it) but I noticed there is still a folder on the phone called "Navigon", which I don't need. Deleting this folder freed up 0.25GB!... I'm wondering if there are any other easy (general) folders like this that I could delete?
My phone is down to less than a quarter of its space free and Jellybean doesn't seem to want to let us save apps to the SD... any advice would be appreciated! thanks in advance!
Do you still have all the files you used the flash each new ROM on there ? Those could potentially be taking up a LOT of space. Did you delete/format internal data between different ROMs ?
Hey, thanks for the quick reply!
I always do the wipe data, factory reset, wipe cache/dvlk cache thing every time. And I only keep one back up (on the phone). All my roms are on the external SD.
Is it strange that I still have the stock Navigon folder, etc. even though the rom I'm running now doesn't have this app?
Try "format usb storage" by connecting the mobile to pc.
This will erase all your internal storage files.
shashivydyula said:
Try "format usb storage" by connecting the mobile to pc.
This will erase all your internal storage files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks but won't this erase the current rom and all its operational files too?
whokilledsanta said:
Thanks but won't this erase the current rom and all its operational files too?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do a full wipe before flash, That means formatting data, system and internal storage. You will have to reset everything up again as it will wipe all settings and app data.
whokilledsanta said:
Thanks but won't this erase the current rom and all its operational files too?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. After connecting the mobile to the pc open the settings in your mobile and access storage and select FORMAT USB STORAGE.
shashivydyula said:
No. After connecting the mobile to the pc open the settings in your mobile and access storage and select FORMAT USB STORAGE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That will just delete his SD card files what good will that do? That's right nothing
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2
Formating sd card is different from formating usb storage. Formating usb will erase internal memory.
shashivydyula said:
Formating sd card is different from formating usb storage. Formating usb will erase internal memory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wouldn't it be easier just to go into storage and do that from phone? Or just do a factory reset its the sane thing
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2
bbrad said:
Wouldn't it be easier just to go into storage and do that from phone? Or just do a factory reset its the sane thing
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Factory reset is quite easier but it will make the device fresh. You will loose all the data, downloaded apps, apps on sd, and many more.
shashivydyula said:
Factory reset is quite easier but it will make the device fresh. You will loose all the data, downloaded apps, apps on sd, and many more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But even by formatting USB storage, he will end up loosing all his app data and other stuffs stored in the phone memory. In my opinion the user can take a backup of his user data and apps using titanium backup and then do a facotory reset. Restore the backup after this. If you have lost some space because of the residual files, then you can see the difference. If there is no change in the free space even after this, then its time for you to check the space that you app data using.

[Q] Wipe my phone

I've been flashing roms to my phone a lot lately and was thinking about restoring my phone by formatting/wiping everything possible using TWRP 2.4.4.0. I have seen the options available in one of the menus and wanted to know which ones I should select in order to safely wipe everything from it. I'm currently running Jelly'Beans' - Build 12 with a 40 GB sd card attached. I'm also backing all of my stuff up to dropbox so I will have everything safe for the keeping.
Any recommendations or steps I should take to get this done?
Thanks
I use every wipe function available whenever i flash a new rom...
s10sdeville said:
I use every wipe function available whenever i flash a new rom...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was just wondering if it would be OK to wipe "System", "External Storage", "Internal Storage" & "Format Data". I really want to wipe this thing squeaky clean and start off fresh. I'm kinda assuming that if I do all four mentioned above that basically the only thing left on my phone would be TWRP. I will then need to put a ROM on my sd card and then install it. Is that correct?
Thanks for your reply s10sdeville..... :good:
Deeked said:
I was just wondering if it would be OK to wipe "System", "External Storage", "Internal Storage" & "Format Data". I really want to wipe this thing squeaky clean and start off fresh. I'm kinda assuming that if I do all four mentioned above that basically the only thing left on my phone would be TWRP. I will then need to put a ROM on my sd card and then install it. Is that correct?
Thanks for your reply s10sdeville..... :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know the first three are Ok, but I don't know about format data. Yes you will need a way to put a ROM on your phone. Your SdCard is as good a way as any.
Make sure you have a good nandroid backup in case something goes wrong
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda premium
ezas said:
I know the first three are Ok, but I don't know about format data. Yes you will need a way to put a ROM on your phone. Your SdCard is as good a way as any.
Make sure you have a good nandroid backup in case something goes wrong
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, thanks for the replies guys. I've got 4 solid Nandroid backups on my sd card (will be gone soon), as well as on dropbox, my internal storage and my PC.
Will check back for any more replies just in case before I go through with this.
I gotta go to bed for now, have to go to work in 4 1/2 hours and I'd best get some good sleep...
:good:
None of the wipes actually delete twrp..i do em all then after the flash i wipe my sdcard

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