Sorry new to Android and am learning so please be gentle....I rooted my Razr Maxx and once I finished I installed some apps and made sure I had root access. I read that it was a good idea that I due a factory reset so I did....after the reset was complete. I noticed the icon SuperUser was now missing. Do I need that Icon? Was there any additional settings I could access via it. If so, how do I get it back?? thanks.
When you make a factory reset, all the user apps (that means all the aplications installed in the /data partition, the apps that the user has installed and wheren't there when you bought the phone) and all the personal configurations of the system are erased. A factory reset leaves your phone just as the way it was when you first turned on. So, if your SuperUser.apk was installed in the data partition it sure will be gone. That app is needed to administrate which aplications get elevated acces to some system resources, so if it's not there it is like you have no root access. Some scripts used to root the phone push the superuser.apk to the System/app folder instead of data/app, so it's not deleted by a factory reset, but this is not your case as it seems... You could donwload the superuser app from google play, but I dont recommend it as I tried it once and it didn't work. I think you should try repeating the whole root proccess, and not making a factory reset after it, it was never necessary for me. Good luck!
danygarss said:
When you make a factory reset, all the user apps (that means all the aplications installed in the /data partition, the apps that the user has installed and wheren't there when you bought the phone) and all the personal configurations of the system are erased. A factory reset leaves your phone just as the way it was when you first turned on. So, if your SuperUser.apk was installed in the data partition it sure will be gone. That app is needed to administrate which aplications get elevated acces to some system resources, so if it's not there it is like you have no root access. Some scripts used to root the phone push the superuser.apk to the System/app folder instead of data/app, so it's not deleted by a factory reset, but this is not your case as it seems... You could donwload the superuser app from google play, but I dont recommend it as I tried it once and it didn't work. I think you should try repeating the whole root proccess, and not making a factory reset after it, it was never necessary for me. Good luck!
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Should I do a factory reset or can I just to the entire root process again now?
slawcop` said:
Should I do a factory reset or can I just to the entire root process again now?
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Just do the entire rooting process again. If you do factory reset you will loose again your superuser.apk
You should be able to download the superuser app as the phone is still rooted. Try superSU, that's the SU app that installed when I rooted (eternity project easy root)
I did the same thing by mistake once & just downloaded the app & it worked like a charm.
Sent from my DROID SPYDER using xda premium
Related
To me, I should be able to Factory Reset my phone any time and get what was "Delivery" By Sprint/HTC/CustomROMChef
But I should be able to update (from market) any Market App.
So I see a lot of folks put a bunch of stuff normally in System/App in Data/App
So that users can uninstall it. That's fine.
But if users want it and factory reset (or clear data) it's completely gone and the only way to get it back is to flash.
If a Market App is in System/App and it be still updated from the Market.
If it can be updated from Market why can't it be uninstaled?
It seems there should be a script that runs when you clear data that repopulates Data to the same state it was delivered. But that would waste from ROM space.
What am I missing.
I hope folks follow my thinking and can straighten me out.
Thanks
Googling around I did find this one critical tidbit
Market updates with /system apps that aren't "supposed" to be in /system is a pain. The market will install an app into the /data/app directory by default, so if you have something like LauncherPro that is a non-system app by Google's definitions, but it's in your /system/app directory because it came pre-packaged with your ROM, then if you update from the market you end up with two copies of it -- a deprecated version in /system and the current version in /data.
You also lose any theming when you update from the market, but that's nothing new and iirc that's true for any themed app regardless of whether it's in /data or /system
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In the world of s-off you don't factory reset anymore you wipe and reflash.
If you factory reset any apps or data in the /data will disappear.
The system directory is typically write protected unless you can get root permissions, any updates are stored in data. Devs will typically put the updated apps in the system dir saves some space, once an update comes out the space you saved is then lost.
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
Chuki82 said:
In the world of s-off you don't factory reset anymore you wipe and reflash.
If you factory reset any apps or data in the /data will disappear.
The system directory is typically write protected unless you can get root permissions, any updates are stored in data. Devs will typically put the updated apps in the system dir saves some space, once an update comes out the space you saved is then lost.
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
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I understand what you are saying. But I'd like the option/concept of being able to clear Data without Reflashing.
So are you saying if a Market App (e.g. Google Maps) is in System and you update it from Market, it will always put the updated version in Data and leave the System one dormant (it will never replace or remove the one in system regardless of root status)?
How does Sprints Stock ROM do it? They allow removing some bloatware and I assume if I factory Reset, nothing would be missing, even if I uninstalled it.
All I can think they do is they bury a backup of Data in the ROM that is restored on Factory Reset.
Yes on the updated apps thing. Updates are saved to data the original is left dormant in system.
The apps in the stock rom are in system, certain ones can be removed or so you think. They are more like disabled, something allows to go dormant as you called it and the only way I know to get it back is a reset.
If certain rom devs move apps to data to be actually removed and you do a reset you lose those apps. If you don't want that to happen, I suggest backing up any and all apps you want sprint, HTC, other. Then reset and restore.
I have backups of all the stock Apps I like to use and if the rom includes it, and great! If not I have a good copy on hand.
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
Y factory reset when you could wipe dalvik and cache???,,, also learn how to move apps you want manually,,makes life easier for you sometimes
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ktrotter11 said:
Y factory reset when you could wipe dalvik and cache???,,, also learn how to move apps you want manually,,makes life easier for you sometimes
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
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Because if you having problems, due to what ever reason, clearing cache is not always the solution.
Hopefully a simple question.
I've rooted my tablet S and wondered if I do a factory reset will I lose root.
blackadder666 said:
Hopefully a simple question.
I've rooted my tablet S and wondered if I do a factory reset will I lose root.
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Click to collapse
Yes SuperUser / SuperSU will be deleted and you will need shell root to install again
I use the semi-auto script by binary and it's all good just make sure you have your OWN signed VpnFaker in the tar.gz archive.
Stfilz
UPDATE: Root stays intact LOOK BELOW
stifilz said:
Yes SuperUser / SuperSU will be deleted and you will need shell root to install again
I use the semi-auto script by binary and it's all good just make sure you have your OWN signed VpnFaker in the tar.gz archive.
Stfilz
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Em, reinstall from Play Store?
I'm pretty sure that the su binary will be still there.
Sent from my Sony Tablet S using xda premium
andyabc said:
Em, reinstall from Play Store?
I'm pretty sure that the su binary will be still there.
Sent from my Sony Tablet S using xda premium
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Never tried that but factory setting means factory? I.e no su binary ??
stifilz said:
Never tried that but factory setting means factory? I.e no su binary ??
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Click to collapse
Several times I have entered Recovery Mode screen, selected Reset to factory settings then Yes -- delete all user data, and did not lose root access. What I have noticed is apps and files that are side-loaded by Condi's ALLinONE tool (i.e., BusyBox, Superuser) remained installed after the reset. All other user apps (including BusyBox Pro and Superuser Pro) are deleted and have to be re-installed, and all user settings have to be re-entered.
Cat McGowan said:
Several times I have entered Recovery Mode screen, selected Reset to factory settings then Yes -- delete all user data, and did not lose root access. What I have noticed is apps and files that are side-loaded by Condi's ALLinONE tool (i.e., BusyBox, Superuser) remained installed after the reset. All other user apps (including BusyBox Pro and Superuser Pro) are deleted and have to be re-installed, and all user settings have to be re-entered.
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Well yeah, of course the su and busybox binary will still be there XD
Sent from my Sony Tablet S using xda premium
Cat McGowan said:
Several times I have entered Recovery Mode screen, selected Reset to factory settings then Yes -- delete all user data, and did not lose root access. What I have noticed is apps and files that are side-loaded by Condi's ALLinONE tool (i.e., BusyBox, Superuser) remained installed after the reset. All other user apps (including BusyBox Pro and Superuser Pro) are deleted and have to be re-installed, and all user settings have to be re-entered.
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Hmmm learn something new everyday. One would have thought that it puts it to Factory, as in the same as a fresh update.zip install.
Thanks for the info
Stifilz
I can confirm root remains in place after factory reset. In fact all necessary root files seem to be in place.
Went through the set up process i.e. language, time zone, wifi, gmail account etc. So all fine and root remains in place.
Only problem is the reason for the reset. I used AiO tool to apply the modded play store, but now I can't buy anything. So tried to install latest store apk (to hopefully overwrite the modded one) but that fails. Then thought if I reset everything I might be able to install the latest apk but but it still won't allow me to do it. The play store version is still the same as the modded one installed via AiO
The issue now is how to uninstall the modded one from the AiO tool
Hello,
In my question, What EXACTLY happens during a factory reset, the emphasis is, obviously, on "exactly". I will explain why I need to know this - the research I've done has failed to answer my question.
Carrier-phones come with a bunch of pre-installed apps. Of all possible scenarios, Japanese smartphones, and particularly Sharp smartphones, are the worst case. They are very difficult to root, very finicky phones that seem to go into a boot loop whenever you do something to them that you're not supposed to - all the more challenging
If we manage to root a Sharp phone, the first thing we do is freeze some of the Docomo or Softbank pre-installed apps that take up precious memory. We know that if we want to do a factory reset, we must first un-freeze all those apps, or we risk going into a boot loop, and having to ship the phone back to Japan to get repaired (for those of use who don't live in Japan).
Now, the million dollar question is, what happens if we delete/uninstall those system apps? And here I am asking about the general case, hoping that Sharp haven't invented some twisted scheme here too.
When we do a factory reset, how does the phone know what was - and what is supposed to be - in the /system/apps folder? Hence: What EXACTLY happens during a factory reset?
Does the phone look up a file which contains a list of all those pre-installed app, and verify the contents of the /system/app folder against it --- and if something is missing, it gets stuck during reboot? Or does it simply delete the contents of the /data folder, without paying attention to /system/app? And why does it go into a boot loop, if a system app was frozen?
In the end, I don't simply want to freeze some apps, I want to get rid of them completely --- you can't imagine the load of BS that Japanese carriers cram into their phones (a built-in Rakuten auctions app, a McDonald's app, a BeeTV app??? and so on and so forth) --- but I want to make sure the phone isn't checking what's supposed to be in /system/app.
---------------------
In the case of my 005SH, the rootkit came with a recovery that helps me "resurrect" the phone from a boot loop - and that has happened twice after a factory reset so far - I deleted some seemingly insignificant app, and Titanium Backup failed to restore it for some reason, so it's now gone forever. But not every rootkit comes with a proper recovery...
cheeseus said:
Now, the million dollar question is, what happens if we delete/uninstall those system apps?
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Some system apps are important for the device to run properly and some are just bloatware that can be deleted without harm (e.g, Youtube, ChatOn.. etc). There are several app lists in the forum of safe app to remove (this is one).
But I advice you not to play with system apps if you don't know which app is safe to remove.
cheeseus said:
When we do a factory reset, how does the phone know what was - and what is supposed to be - in the /system/apps folder? Hence: What EXACTLY happens during a factory reset?
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Click to collapse
All app in system partition will be restored as if it was first time to be run, although all of your installed app, contacts, sms, WiFi access and data will be deleted
majdinj said:
Some system apps are important for the device to run properly and some are just bloatware that can be deleted without harm (e.g, Youtube, ChatOn.. etc). There are several app lists in the forum of safe app to remove (this is one).
But I advice you not to play with system apps if you don't know which app is safe to remove.
All app in system partition will be restored as if it was first time to be run, although all of your installed app, contacts, sms, WiFi access and data will be deleted
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Click to collapse
Thanks but this does not answer my question. I know perfectly well which apps are bloatware and which are essential. I will restate my question:
Is there some register or list, which the phone checks during factory reset, and which says what apps were originally installed in /system/app? That is, will the phone "know" that I have removed some of the original apps?
cheeseus said:
Thanks but this does not answer my question. I know perfectly well which apps are bloatware and which are essential. I will restate my question:
Is there some register or list, which the phone checks during factory reset, and which says what apps were originally installed in /system/app? That is, will the phone "know" that I have removed some of the original apps?
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Click to collapse
As I mentioned, factory reset will delete all data apps that can be found in data partition not those found in system partition.. If it happens some of original apps are installed in data partition, then they will be deleted (unless if they are found in preload partition!!).. I can't be clear more than this..
majdinj said:
As I mentioned, factory reset will delete all data apps that can be found in data partition not those found in system partition.. If it happens some of original apps are installed in data partition, then they will be deleted (unless if they are found in preload partition!!).. I can't be clear more than this..
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Click to collapse
Really, read my question carefully, please, not just the title of the thread. You are talking about something very different.
It is known that on Japanese Sharp phones, if you uninstall and remove completely some of the apps that are installed by the manufacturer or the carrier in /system/app, when you do a factory reset, the phone may - or even will - go into a boot loop (will be bricked). This has nothing to do with apps that are installed in /data.
Is it possible that Sharp have added an extra "security" mechanism to their phones to prevent users from removing pre-installed apps (similar to their MIYABI LSM lock)? I want to know how to find this security mechanism, if it exists, and - hopefully, how to cheat it.
How does the phone know what apps are supposed to be in /system/app, and if it doesn't find them when rebooting after a factory reset, why does it go into a boot loop?
if i want to do a factory reset because of unacceptable lags, would i lose the root?
should i do survival mode on supersu or other thing to make sure the root would still be there?
anerco said:
if i want to do a factory reset because of unacceptable lags, would i lose the root?
should i do survival mode on supersu or other thing to make sure the root would still be there?
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I believe as long as you have Superuser or SuperSU installed properly into the System directory and su within bin or xbin, you should be fine. Factory Resets wipe the Data partition, your settings and any Apps that you downloaded from the market. If you have SuperSu installed, you can check within its settings to see whether it is installed within System or not. If not, it might not be a bad idea to move it over. I have a Dev S4, so this isn't an issue for me, but everytime I have factory reset Root has been saved (Supersu is in System in my case) - the only thing I lost were any updates to Supersu after the Factory reset. Once you set up your gmail account, it should update SuperSu from the play store like normal.
You may also want to check out the app "fast reboot", "seeder" - which is found on XDA and a good cache cleaner. I use Sartory's "Cache Cleaner Legacy"
Actually Seeder really helping the lags. thank you for the information. i would try a factory reset my SU files are installed in the system.
i changed some app in system app,
1)will their setting(app data) be resistent to a factor reset?
2)if not, there is way to make their setting(app data) be immune to a factor reset?
3)in which folder are located system app'settings?
FASTWEBAR said:
i changed some app in system app,
1)will their setting(app data) be resistent to a factor reset?
2)if not, there is way to make their setting(app data) be immune to a factor reset?
3)in which folder are located system app'settings?
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Click to collapse
A factory reset will clear it's data, the app will remain however, titanium backup can do that and lastly assuming you're asking for the root location of system apps, /system/apps/
Critical Detox said:
A factory reset will clear it's data, the app will remain however, titanium backup can do that and lastly assuming you're asking for the root location of system apps, /system/apps/
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no,i cannot use any backups.
i need the app's setting to be immune to factory reset.
there are not just apk and odex files in system/app? i wanted to know where the system apps save their settings.
FASTWEBAR said:
no,i cannot use any backups.
i need the app's setting to be immune to factory reset.
there are not just apk and odex files in system/app? i wanted to know where the system apps save their settings.
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Click to collapse
From the main Root directory, /data/data/(select the app in question)/shared_prefs/ that should contain what you're looking for. Hopefully lol
There isn't a way to keep the settings of the app through a reset, even if it's a system app since the settings of the app itself will be in the /data/data folder.
es0tericcha0s said:
There isn't a way to keep the settings of the app through a reset, even if it's a system app since the settings of the app itself will be in the /data/data folder.
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so also the /data/data folder will be reseted in a factory reset?
i knew some antitheft apps could still work after rest.does not that mean their app and setting survived?How could they do it?
the antitheft app is just an example.
FASTWEBAR said:
so also the /data/data folder will be reseted in a factory reset?
i knew some antitheft apps could still work after rest.does not that mean their app and setting survived?How could they do it?
the antitheft app is just an example.
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Most factory resets will wipe everything except the /data/media folder in the /data directory. The antitheft apps are coded to grab the settings stored on the SD card or internal storage after reset, however, they also have to reboot again after it is reset for this to take effect. I suppose it might be possible to make a zip to flash in a custom recovery to wipe everything but leave a specific folder by customizing an update script. Another alternative might be to make an init.d script for persistent app and data. I'm not sure how to exactly do that, or if they would work, but I don't believe there would be another way due to how wipes are done.
do you mean this?
from a antitief 's faq:
I have a rooted device. Can I get additional features?
Yes! If you have rooted your device you can integrate Cerberus into your ROM and get two additional features: complete uninstall protection (Cerberus will even survive a wipe /factory reset) and GPS auto-enabling even on Android 2.3.3 and later. To have these features uninstall Cerberus, then download cerberus.zip, put it on the sd card and install it from recovery. Cerberus is also available on ROM Manager.
If that method doesn't work, you can manually install Cerberus in /system/app this way:
- Uninstall Cerberus from your device
- Download [email protected] apk and put the file on your sd card
- Open a terminal emulator and execute:
su
mount -o remount,rw /system
cp /sdcard/Cerberus.apk /system/app/
chmod 644 /system/app/Cerberus.apk
On Android 4.4 and later versions, the app must be installed in /system/priv-app, so the last two commands would be:
cp /sdcard/Cerberus.apk /system/priv-app/
chmod 644 /system/priv-app/Cerberus.apk
- Now Cerberus should be installed as a system application. Try to open the app, log in and see if it works.
I don't want to root my device, but it has an unlocked bootloader. Can I have the root features anyway?
Yes! You have to install a custom recovery first (google "your device model custom recovery " for more info). Then download cerberus.zip, rename it to update.zip and put it on the sd card. Reboot into recovery and install it.
I wonder if a app that is not coded in specific way can do this too?
FASTWEBAR said:
I wonder if a app that is not coded in specific way can do this too?
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Click to collapse
No. The app will not be able to set itself up and grab settings on it's own without coding it to do so.