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I check repartition when using odin and all my folders were still there is that normal.I thought that by checking repartition everything would have been wiped clean.
mike216 said:
I check repartition when using odin and all my folders were still there is that normal.I thought that by checking repartition everything would have been wiped clean.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is normal. Clicking re-partition does not wipe your entire sdcard. It only repartitions your /system, /data, /dbdata and /cache.
Moved of: Samsung Vibrant > Vibrant Android Development
To: Samsung Vibrant > Vibrant Q&A
Please put your questions to: Vibrant Q&A
thanks for clearing that up for me and sorry about posting in develepment section.so odin isnt doing anything different then if i installed a rom like bionix.when we flash roms they wipe the sd.ive heard people say that using odin to return to stock and reflashing can fix things like lag because there are ghost left behind other roms or is that bull ive read this by others when the would have wierd problems
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the wipes from Clockwork just erase those file systems and doesn't actually re-create them. This would not change the file system used if, for example, you were using voodoo and had ext4 file systems. I think Odin re-creates them and formats them as RSF when you select re-partition.
That's a very good question I disabled voodoo before reformating with print and im not sure I would.have been able to use odin to reformat without disabling voodoo
While there are many how to threads on pretty much everything, theres not much going into deeper details. While ofc any of us wishing to learn has google and can find many answers, its just from here the the answers mean a little more. My fear is, my self included, is that there are many of us with misconceptions on some of the inner workings or just bad knowledge. Just to be clear this is to clear up exactly what some of the terms we hear and use actually mean as well as some of the practices.
For example
Regarding Odin
How many partitions exist on the internal memory, and what are there functions.
What exactly does the PIT file do.
What all does the TAR file contain (full package) and how does it write to the partitions.
What is the csc option?
What else should we know about odin?
Why has nobody removed the phone option for our purposes here?
Voodoo, exactly what partition is it changing and how is it actually converting.
Which cache is used for what and where is it stored?
Just some things off the top of my head that i don't have a complete understanding of and wish to learn more. Again for this thread at least i am looking for some details from people that actually do understand. There are many of us that can spew out answers to these and more that are just close to right without a full comprehension.
This is for learning and not just getting enough to get you through a problem as im sure many of us are guilty of
I found the same problem when I first got into Android but this is more a forum for developers who know what they are doing.
MattRussNC said:
How many partitions exist on the internal memory, and what are there functions.
What exactly does the PIT file do.
What all does the TAR file contain (full package) and how does it write to the partitions.
What is the csc option?
What else should we know about odin?
Why has nobody removed the phone option for our purposes here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are I think about 10-11 partitions on the internal storage. You have /system, /data, /cache, /dbdata, modem, bootloader, secondary bootloader, kernel, recovery, there is a partition dedicated for OTA updates, and another one as well, though I'm not sure what it is for. There may be more as well.
The PIT file is the partition information table, which tells Odin where each partition starts/ends.
The TAR file can contain any of a number of items for flashing, and they'll get flashed to the appropriate partitions based on their name.
factoryfs.rfs=/system
dbdata.rfs=/dbdata
cache.rfs=/cache
movinand.bin=/data
param.lfs=the .lfs partition, not sure exactly what it does
boot.bin=bootloader
sbl.bin=secondary bootloader
modem.bin=modem/radio/baseband
zImage=kernel
recovery.bin=recovery kernel
Adding a md5 sum to the tar file and renaming it to .tar.md5 allows for built in error correction.
Not sure what csc mode is, but I've never seen it used, so I'd avoid it.
Odin is a tool created by Samsung as far as I'm aware for flashing their phones. No one has the source, or knows exactly where the tool came from, so that is also likely why no one has removed the phone button, because you'd have to HEX edit the executable to remove it, and there is no telling what effects it may have, so it's better to just leave it alone.
MattRussNC said:
Voodoo, exactly what partition is it changing and how is it actually converting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Voodoo converts the primary partitions of the phone, /system, /data, /cache, /dbdata. It converts by backing up the data to a file, reformatting the partition, then restoring the data from the file. If it didn't backup the data, it'd just be formatting the system.
MattRussNC said:
Which cache is used for what and where is it stored?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cache is similar to a temporary storage area for files that are created and used frequently/semi-frequently. The files there aren't fully needed, but help speed up the system.
phonefiend said:
I found the same problem when I first got into Android but this is more a forum for developers who know what they are doing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I do believe I would have to argue that most people that visit this forum knows what they are doing. While a great many here including myself that knows enough to get by, we would all be better off knowing more. Also since this is q&a forum I thought it would be a good place to ask and learn more then "how do root"
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA Premium App
Had no idea there was that many partitions. What was the reason that radios couldn't be flashed to the proper partition along with everything else? (as in why we always have to flash the modems on thee own)
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA Premium App
MattRussNC said:
Had no idea there was that many partitions. What was the reason that radios couldn't be flashed to the proper partition along with everything else? (as in why we always have to flash the modems on thee own)
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No one is completely sure how to flash a full modem file via recovery, and it may not be possible without using stock recovery. The only tried and true method that is know for flashing full modem.bin files is Odin (and Heimdall), so that's why it's always a separate step.
MattRussNC said:
Well I do believe I would have to argue that most people that visit this forum knows what they are doing. While a great many here including myself that knows enough to get by, we would all be better off knowing more. Also since this is q&a forum I thought it would be a good place to ask and learn more then "how do root"
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you misinterpreted my post. I'm just saying I also was looking for the same information you want but it didn't seem that the people in the know wanted to explain all the details you're looking for. It seems in your case someone at least tried to answer some of you questions, which is great.
phonefiend said:
I think you misinterpreted my post. I'm just saying I also was looking for the same information you want but it didn't seem that the people in the know wanted to explain all the details you're looking for. It seems in your case someone at least tried to answer some of you questions, which is great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People are much more likely to answer questions when they're posted in the correct section. You also tend to get questions answered if you join IRC and ask things, but don't expect to get everything handed to you, there is likely to be some work/searching on your own part as well.
imnuts said:
People are much more likely to answer questions when they're posted in the correct section. You also tend to get questions answered if you join IRC and ask things, but don't expect to get everything handed to you, there is likely to be some work/searching on your own part as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the answers to those first off. My apologies if i placed this in the wrong section, i thought this part was open for these types of questions.
Im sure irc is a great place to learn a great deal, however i fear asking in irc things that have been discussed many times. While searching will absolutely give you a very basic knowledge it is often repeated from those that don't fully understand it and may have it a little off. This isnt a cut at anybody as it should fall to the lower tiers to answer to the common issues that arise. However that kind of information is normally only good for solving a problem. For when there is no trouble and one wishes to know more about what they just did instead of how they did it, things fall short. Just about every member here can root, cwm flash, and odin but how many of us truly understand the process in detail. i know i dont, but i would like to. Thats what im looking for in this thread. Not how to do what we do, but whats taking place underneath.
Thanks again for the answers so far.
if this is in the wrong area and doesn't getting removed please let it fade.
imnuts said:
People are much more likely to answer questions when they're posted in the correct section. You also tend to get questions answered if you join IRC and ask things, but don't expect to get everything handed to you, there is likely to be some work/searching on your own part as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right about IRC being the place where questions may be answered. As far as searching, I can tell you a lot of the technical details aren't answered here.
MattRussNC said:
Thank you for the answers to those first off. My apologies if i placed this in the wrong section, i thought this part was open for these types of questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the proper place for questions. The problem is that many people will post their questions similar to this in the development forum, and that just gets the thread no where. And searching for technical info is difficult because usually you get flooded with useless stuff in your search.
imnuts said:
There are I think about 10-11 partitions on the internal storage. You have /system, /data, /cache, /dbdata, modem, bootloader, secondary bootloader, kernel, recovery, there is a partition dedicated for OTA updates, and another one as well, though I'm not sure what it is for. There may be more as well.
The PIT file is the partition information table, which tells Odin where each partition starts/ends.
The TAR file can contain any of a number of items for flashing, and they'll get flashed to the appropriate partitions based on their name.
factoryfs.rfs=/system
dbdata.rfs=/dbdata
cache.rfs=/cache
movinand.bin=/data
param.lfs=the .lfs partition, not sure exactly what it does
boot.bin=bootloader
sbl.bin=secondary bootloader
modem.bin=modem/radio/baseband
zImage=kernel
recovery.bin=recovery kernel
Adding a md5 sum to the tar file and renaming it to .tar.md5 allows for built in error correction.
Not sure what csc mode is, but I've never seen it used, so I'd avoid it.
Odin is a tool created by Samsung as far as I'm aware for flashing their phones. No one has the source, or knows exactly where the tool came from, so that is also likely why no one has removed the phone button, because you'd have to HEX edit the executable to remove it, and there is no telling what effects it may have, so it's better to just leave it alone.
Voodoo converts the primary partitions of the phone, /system, /data, /cache, /dbdata. It converts by backing up the data to a file, reformatting the partition, then restoring the data from the file. If it didn't backup the data, it'd just be formatting the system.
Cache is similar to a temporary storage area for files that are created and used frequently/semi-frequently. The files there aren't fully needed, but help speed up the system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was wondering some of those terms my self.
thanks for all the Great info,
One thing been bugging me lately. Most likely every one has experienced the need to either wipe the caches more then once or flash multiple times for success. How is it that wiping cache is not 100%. Why does flashing a rom more then once sometimes yield different results when done the exact same way?
i believe the phone button in odin is to flash radio/modem alone
which we unfortunately do not have (yet)
the phone button and other buttons are still there because the gsm ones, like the captivate and vibrant, are using it
jk0l said:
i believe the phone button in odin is to flash radio/modem alone
which we unfortunately do not have (yet)
the phone button and other buttons are still there because the gsm ones, like the captivate and vibrant, are using it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've only flashed the modem/radio by itself in the PDA button like everything else. As far as I know, we only flash things for the Fascinate through the PDA button (except of course for the atlas v2.2 PIT file.) That includes ROMs bundled in an ODIN package, modems/radios, and recoveries.
jk0l said:
i believe the phone button in odin is to flash radio/modem alone
which we unfortunately do not have (yet)
the phone button and other buttons are still there because the gsm ones, like the captivate and vibrant, are using it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone button is for completely different devices, likely their regular, non-smartphone, devices. It is not meant for flashing anything for the Fascinate.
Could have found a better place i guess but this will do. Noticed we are still without a FAQ aside from the outdated one as well as the guide. I thought perhaps some discussion on what should be included in a FAQ was in order to fill the gap.
Simple basic guides are important and have there place, however as one can use links to more details there is no reason not to have a comprehensive guide.
Just a thought. Most of us know the basics of what root is and how to gain that access. Most of us also has no idea exactly how get root manually without following instructions either. So what i was hoping for in the next guide
Q= What is root ?
A= Super user access needed for apps that need more control over your device like titanium backup
For more information click here
Then give the full out dev definition including the details that require reading up to understand. For those that want to learn.
Q= How do i root ?
A= Flash this package in odin (and give the dl link as well as a odin guide link)
For more information click here
Have the full process laid out by what needs to be done in shell without giving the copy and paste instructions. For those that want to understand what they are doing more than just doing it.
Just thought it would be nice if our next guide could be useful to more then just beginners.
Hello,
I have strange defect in my phone: after every power cycle phone wakes up in state it was at about February 13 2012. I can not permanently change anything. I also can not change firmware. I even have made full three stage recovery from broken nand write, as described elsewhere here, without changing anything.
What is strange: no warnings or failure notices. Phone is working normally. Flashing is also seemingly working okay. But after restart nothing is changed. Only when I work with big files, random apps start to crash. I discovered this when downloading maps.
My question is: can sgs2 with Android 2.3.3 seemingly work O.K. with totally nonfunctional nonvolatile memory writing?
Because I don't know your history....
Did you full wiped that is
Format cache data system sdcard
Dalvik.
atifsh said:
Because I don't know your history....
Did you full wiped that is
Format cache data system sdcard
Dalvik.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did. Nothing gets erased. If you know, how Android system works: in your opinion is it possible that system under light usage works O.K. in spite that nonvolatile storage is effectively read only?
Strange issue, but yes in theory, if your storage is busted in a way that it actually works as a read only, but when an application need to write something it fails and crashes.
atifsh said:
Strange issue, but yes in theory, if your storage is busted in a way that it actually works as a read only, but when an application need to write something it fails and crashes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When an application needs to write something it does not fail, at least when it does not write large amounts of data. I can do everyday tasks: add or remove contacts, add few apps (which then actually work), move icons on screens and so on. Is all this possible with NVmemory working as ROM? Because after power cycle all that is gone and all reverts to February 13 2012 state.
Just a thought but have you tried erasing all the contents of your phone?
Using ODIN you can install an odin Cyanogenmod rom, use the pitfile and select repartition. This I believe wipes everything except the 14gb user data portion. Then, just format that under settings.
Perhaps a full wipe would fix it.
MikeMurphy said:
Just a thought but have you tried erasing all the contents of your phone?
Using ODIN you can install an odin Cyanogenmod rom, use the pitfile and select repartition. This I believe wipes everything except the 14gb user data portion. Then, just format that under settings.
Perhaps a full wipe would fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I think too, but didn't told him because using pit got a high chance of bricking.
And the way he is using suggests he is out of warranty.
MikeMurphy said:
Just a thought but have you tried erasing all the contents of your phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone does not effectively wipe at all. After any wiping or installing new roms/bootloaders/pits/anything the phone wakes up in state it was 2012/02/13, except date and time, which is current.
If you have used pit and tick repartition, and still nothing erased, boy your internal storage is shouting get rid of me fast or I'll go dead on you soon.
Or I could be wrong and your phone will out lived you
I am pretty much convinced that my phone is irreparable. I do not look for solution to make it work normally again (although I would very much welcome one if I'm wrong).
I seek an answer from somebody who intimately knows, how Android filesystem works: Is it possible, that phone works seemingly O.K. under very light usage in spite that it cannot in fact write to flash memory? And work like this for 2 months without giving warning/error messages?
I compare my situation to a PC with ram-disk setup and an unwritable hard disk. This would not work long. Can Android?
Hey Zie, you may not get this notification of reply, but I wanted to ask, did you ever reach a solution with you SGS II? I'm on the Skyrocket and the same thing happened to me a few days ago. So far nothing has worked and I just upgraded. This was my second Skyrocket coming from an Infuse 4g.
Can't return the phone because all can tell its a rooted device with a custom rom on it. AOKP Milestone 6. Let me know what u did to get around this if u can....
Sent from my SGH-I727 using xda premium
Hi everyone
Right before finally updating to JB, I would like to delete EVERYTHING from the internal memory.
I have too many folders that came with apps that I deleted months ago, but I don't know which are those and which are suppose to be there.
How can I delete EVERYTHING before flashing the new JB?
Thank you
Been covered eleventeen thousand four hundred and thirty six times already on here. Search.
MistahBungle said:
Been covered eleventeen thousand four hundred and thirty six times already on here. Search.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
was hoping not to get this answer, cause I did search actually...
not from laziness, I guess I'm not sure what to search for, can you please refer me to such post?
So it didn't occur to you to do a factory reset in the first instance ? (And if it did, you didn't mention it in your OP; we're not mindreaders. We only know about your situation what you tell us).
MistahBungle said:
So it didn't occur to you to do a factory reset in the first instance ? (And if it did, you didn't mention it in your OP; we're not mindreaders. We only know about your situation what you tell us).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All right...
I did factory reset in the past and it did not delete all folders.
When I emphasized EVERYTHING, I thought I made it clear that I want everything gone.
anyway... I already installed JB and it didn't erase anything of course.
I would be thankful if anyone could at least tell me where I can find a list of folders that come with the phone, so I won't delete important folders.
If your phone is rooted/has CWM, boot into CWRecovery & format cache, data, system, & internal sd card. Be warned, once you do this, you will need to flash a stock rom via Odin after. In the event Odin does not play nice with your phone, search. It's almost always something really obvious stopping it from working (I won't be answering any posts from you saying 'Help ! Odin doesn't work').
From there you'll have a 'clean' setup to flash whatever you want on.
Do not 'find a list of folders' and start deleting stuff from your existing setup; there's a fair chance you'll end up deleting something important & bork it.
Shachar85 said:
All right...
I did factory reset in the past and it did not delete all folders.
When I emphasized EVERYTHING, I thought I made it clear that I want everything gone.
anyway... I already installed JB and it didn't erase anything of course.
I would be thankful if anyone could at least tell me where I can find a list of folders that come with the phone, so I won't delete important folders.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash custom kernel like Siyah via CWM or ODIN.
Reboot into recovery.
Flash kernel cleaning script.
Format internalsd card (or /emmc)
Format external if needed.
Now flash custom rom via recovery or reboot into download mode and flash rom via ODIN. (As mentioned above do not ask how, plenty of info on this).
After many attempts I finally got my Samsung Fantasy V2.3.5 rooted. I've tried several methods that I found on forums and after running one of them with Odin, I now have a slightly system. That did not root so I kept trying and now have it rooted and superuser privileges which is what I wanted so I can delete some bloat.
But now I have a few questions (probably pretty basic but as I said, I'm really new at this)
When I ran the Odin attempt I installed CI500_VZW_EH03_GB_CM.tar.md5 and also a program called atlas_v2.2.pit, which I understand created a new partition. I also ran cwm-recovery-ALL.tar and I can now boot into CWM recovery.
I would like to clean up my device and get rid of all that I put on it that I don't need. Here are my questions:
1. Can I get back to my original system? Is the new system on a different partition and if I delete that partition, will the device than default to my original?
2. If I go into CWM Recovery and clear the cache/reset, besides losing all of my data (contacts, settings, etc) will I also lose ROOT?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Allinone1 said:
After many attempts I finally got my Samsung Fantasy V2.3.5 rooted. I've tried several methods that I found on forums and after running one of them with Odin, I now have a slightly system. That did not root so I kept trying and now have it rooted and superuser privileges which is what I wanted so I can delete some bloat.
But now I have a few questions (probably pretty basic but as I said, I'm really new at this)
When I ran the Odin attempt I installed CI500_VZW_EH03_GB_CM.tar.md5 and also a program called atlas_v2.2.pit, which I understand created a new partition. I also ran cwm-recovery-ALL.tar and I can now boot into CWM recovery.
I would like to clean up my device and get rid of all that I put on it that I don't need. Here are my questions:
1. Can I get back to my original system? Is the new system on a different partition and if I delete that partition, will the device than default to my original?
2. If I go into CWM Recovery and clear the cache/reset, besides losing all of my data (contacts, settings, etc) will I also lose ROOT?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well,,, using ODIN and the ROM file and the .pit file is essentially formatting the internal harddrive of your phone and recreating different & new partitions for the Rom to operate with.
It did not keep what you had.
{that also answers you question #1 )
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=999097
is a good post about PIT files and what they do.
the link is on the Galaxy S I9000 page which is a cousin phone of the fascinate, couldn't find the fassy version.
edit::: oh here it is ...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1513143
2012 Fascinate Rooting Glossary for Noobs - Definitions in layman's terms
This also has all the other terms and general knowledge you'll need to get going...
Edit again:::
to answer question #2...
No, by using that particular .tar.md5 file it is already pre-rooted,,, so wiping cache, or dalvik, or "factory reset" will not erase root
.