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Updated my Galaxy S2 from 2.3.6 to 4.0.3 and everything went fine but when i got to installing applications i got to about 80% so i restarted and it went to what i think is 99%-100%, a wiped cache and it reinstall applications but same thing stuck on installating apps.
When you say 'installing apps' do you mean when the phone syncs with your google account and re-installs your apps from the market, or are you trying to manually install them yourself from the market or backups i.e. titanium?
mr_tris said:
When you say 'installing apps' do you mean when the phone syncs with your google account and re-installs your apps from the market, or are you trying to manually install them yourself from the market or backups i.e. titanium?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no the screen is black and there is a bar thats full and a text above that says installing applications the phone is in "desktop" but its above so i cant use the phone, it was first improving apps (318) and then this.
Its all a part of updating the phone to ICS
Ah sorry yes I remember that bit now when I upgraded. Didn't have any problems for me, Maybe a full wipe of everything including the cache in CWM before flashing again might help. Besides that there's not much more I could really suggest. I'm sure there's someone here a bit more advanced that could help your problem.
Additional info:
Product Code: GT-I9100LKAXTC
PDA: I9100DXLP7
CSC: I9100OLBLP7
Phone: I9100DXLP7
Complete Hidswver: I9100DXLP7/I9100OLBLP7/I9100DXLP7/I9100DXLP7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the version from samfirmware that I'm using along with cfroot with no problems. Make sure to do all the wipes (FR, Cache, Dalvik Cache). It worked for me the first time. Also, it's an awesome stock rom.
Yarox said:
Is the version from samfirmware that I'm using along with cfroot with no problems. Make sure to do all the wipes (FR, Cache, Dalvik Cache). It worked for me the first time. Also, it's an awesome stock rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i was stuped not to write it all down so i dont know versions beside KL1 when i was picking firmware file, a really dont want to wipe everything cause i lose all my data etc, a did a backup with cwm manager on 2.3.6 but i dont know if i can use that when i have 4.0.3?
I had a similar issue when i first upgrated to ICS. Stuck on "Installing Applications" screen for a while - but i just left it and eventually it went through ok.
Did you ever resolve your issue?
Hi guys, i have the same error, my phone is stucked at the "Installing Applications" screen. I have contacted samsung trough the chat service at their website but they told me to leave it at the samsung service but i don't want to leave it there for around 30 days. I read that with a hard reset it will go back to work again. My question is: How I do a hard reset with my phone stucked? I don't have root.
Will take time if you were updating , if 15 minutes or more have passed do a data cache wipe from recovery.
And remember what wipe means...
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
atifsh said:
Will take time if you were updating , if 15 minutes or more have passed do a data cache wipe from recovery.
And remember what wipe means...
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, thanks for your help. I did a wipe cache but it didn't help. Wiped data and now my phone is working again and with ICS. But without my old data.
Hi,
I've just got the same problem, but could solve WITHOUT WIPING. Do the following:
- Restart phone
- on the lock screen, instead of swiping and getting stuck in "installing applications", just drop down notifications
- on notifications menu, tap where it should say "low on disk space". It will open "Applications" from the setting menu.
- Uninstall some apps until you get around "250MB" from the 2GB reserved by the system (250MB was what worked for me, that's the reason of the number; I had lower than 200MB before). I tried to move apps to SD Card to no avail, that's why I uninstalled the apps.
Hope this helps.
I had the same problem too.
Tried something similar to mbernstein
I had wave launcher still installed since it was an upgrade and i opened up my file manager with it and deleted around 1 GB backup stuff.Then restarted. It didn't work. Restarted again and then it didn't get stuck at the same place
Hope it helps
mbernstein said:
Hi,
I've just got the same problem, but could solve WITHOUT WIPING. Do the following:
- Restart phone
- on the lock screen, instead of swiping and getting stuck in "installing applications", just drop down notifications
- on notifications menu, tap where it should say "low on disk space". It will open "Applications" from the setting menu.
- Uninstall some apps until you get around "250MB" from the 2GB reserved by the system (250MB was what worked for me, that's the reason of the number; I had lower than 200MB before). I tried to move apps to SD Card to no avail, that's why I uninstalled the apps.
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Worked for me, but, because I have locked my phone with a pattern, when I unlock it sends me direct to "installing app...", so I had to run the Task manager and from it drop down notifications then follow the rest. Thanks mbernstein!
odiseog said:
Worked for me, but, because I have locked my phone with a pattern, when I unlock it sends me direct to "installing app...", so I had to run the Task manager and from it drop down notifications then follow the rest. Thanks mbernstein!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad I could help!
I have the CM10 [skang jellybro] fascinate rom installed, and coming from a cm9 rom, all my apps didn't fit because they switched the partition around [making the app partition only 468MB, and the system partition 1.5 GB].
So anyway I had to move a lot of apps to the sdcard. So I just downloaded a newer version of my rom, and wiped cache/dalvik, nandroid backup, then I installed the new zip.
Then I rebooted, and it had to 'optimize' apps [create dalvik cache?] and after that finished...I only had about 15-20 apps show up in my app drawer. [I have probably around 40] So I clicked on Zedge, on my homescreen, and it said "App isn't installed." I then started to worry..:S I googled apps on sdcard disappearing.. and so I opened titanium backup, and under Batch operations, it said "Restore missing apps (6)," and they were 6 apps that I'd uninstalled but didn't delete the backup. so then I wasn't sure what to do next, because I did not create a fresh titanium backup prior to updating my rom [because I did a nandroid instead..] so then I went to Manage Apps, and then.. for some reason, all my apps showed up again! all the ones on my sdcard.
I tapped Zedge again on my homescreen, and it loaded up! So my question is, what happened? Why did my apps disappear, and then just show up again? was it loading titanium backup? or did the rom just scan the sdcard for apps?
Sounds like it just messed up the media scan of the sdcard which I have heard happens from time to time... not sure if that's related to your issue, but now are all your apps installed or are you still missing some? Next time I would just reboot again and let it re-scan to see if it helps
Crawshayi said:
Sounds like it just messed up the media scan of the sdcard which I have heard happens from time to time... not sure if that's related to your issue, but now are all your apps installed or are you still missing some? Next time I would just reboot again and let it re-scan to see if it helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ah.. yes they are all there, but I was just wondering why did they disappear, and then why did they just show up all of a sudden?
I guess if it is the media scan thing, that would explain it.
Fast Boot option may be the culprit
mvmacd said:
ah.. yes the [apps] are all there, but I was just wondering why did they disappear, and then why did they just show up all of a sudden?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CUT TO THE SOLUTION BELOW -- SEARCH FOR ////
Some (not all) of my apps moved to SD (all by Titanium Backup Pro) have begun to disappear and (sometimes) reappear without warning after I began to add and delete large Virtual Machines created in QEMU from my 16GB SanDisc class 10 microSD card on my HTC Droid Incredible running rooted stock Verizon Android Froyo 2.2.3. I know this thread is far from my phone's "home base", but from what I can tell this problem with disappearing apps located on an sdcard is NOT determined by hardware or even Android version.
I also happen to use LauncherPro by Federico Carnales instead of the built-in HTC Sense launcher. I noted elsewhere on XDA that a user had suggested that because at least some (maybe all) launchers start before the SD Card that this may be a problem, especially if changes are made to the sdcard that the launcher did not perform, or was not active during their performance by other apps such as Titanium Backup. That fits my situation, because I unmounted the SD, physically removed it to a PC, and added/deleted large VM files to save (lots) of time. No problems of this sort before I did this, so there must be some connection.
I noted that other users have tried reformatting SD, substituting different brands of SD, using newer/older SD etc. None of these reliably helped. So I skipped these options.
//// The (simple!) solution I tried that SEEMS to work (only time will tell!) is buried in the main Android Settings (accessed from the Menu button while in Home screen). Under "Applications" there is a setting "Fast Boot" that I checked long ago and forgot about (it seemed like a good thing to do at the time). The text warns "Turn off to use some Market apps" (that shows the age of my 2-yr old used phone and Android OS -- ohmygosh!-- because it refers to Market rather than Google Play Store!) Anyway, I unchecked the option and rebooted the phone.
Yes, it took a bit longer to boot (maybe a whole minute!), but after waiting about another minute ALL my home screen apps had normal icons and loaded properly. Titanium Backup Pro batch scenarios confirmed there were no apps in a forced uninstalled state (i.e. I had not done the deed, the system somehow had done it or at least rendered the apps "invisible" to Titanium, which decided they needed reinstallation).
The only odd behaviour was that auto brightness was turned off after I unchecked Fast Boot and rebooted. Going into Android Settings > Display and rechecking "auto brightness" took care of that. No other oddities or strange behaviours thus far (but it has only been about an hour).
I will report back here on this thread only (Samsung Fascinate > Fascinate Q&A > What just happend? apps on sdcard) if anything else requires reporting. Silence implies success!
link: https://www.google.com/url?q=http:/...ds-cse&usg=AFQjCNE3D5NrpiSqCRSof-ou1mn6iyeGVg
(I am copying this original post (without edits) to other relevant threads, but will not post anything further elsewhere -- only here. This is a bit arbitrary (although this thread appears to be the most recent active one on this topic), but I hope this approach pleases the XDA sysops/admins) :angel:
EDIT 2012-12-26-a:
Nearly all of the 100+ apps on my HTC DINC (Droid Incredible) continue to behave normally after the "fast boot OFF" fix. (No disappearing act.) However, I did find one that appeared to be installed but really was not: ASTRO File Manager. I used Titanium Backup Pro to reinstall app+data from a backup. It only took a couple of minutes, and after that all went normally.
The only other noticeable issue right after the fix is that nearly all of my installed, functioning apps were listed as "missing" by Titanium Backup in its Batch scenario list (although they were NOT counted in the total number of apps listed with the scenario -- that number was 61, and it should have been nearly 170 based on the number of apps actually in the physical list). After about a day or so of regular usage, a re-check of the "missing apps" Batch scenario found all the functioning apps no longer listed; the 61 missing apps were valid -- they were all from earlier ROMs belonging to the original HTC setup and another phone (MOTO OG Droid). Since I have kept the MOTO as an emergency backup smartphone, I might conceivably want to revive some of these apps.
EDIT 12-26-b:
Some other potentially useful points I have gathered in my survey of this topic across XDA:
1. This problem happens most often when using the "Disk drive" option in the USB Debugger system app. It also happens after physically returning the sdcard to the phone after removing and inserting it into a PC.
2. Those who have wiped the app data cache also report serious problems.
3. Wiping the dalvic cache while in Recovery mode automatically triggers a rebuild of that cache, which may make apps behave oddly or disappear until the rebuild is complete, which reportedly "takes time"
Personally, I did only #1 myself, and the fast boot removal fix seems to work well for that one.
I cannot confirm the others, but they seem to make sense to me, and I doubt the fast boot removal fix would have any influence on them.
4. There are some signs that apps installed to internal phone storage can behave in the same way. This may mean that the fast boot OFF tweak may prove beneficial to any storage area, since they all come on-line after the OS loads from phone memory.
EXT4ALL (aka Convert2ext4) = final fix for dalvik cache related bugs (?)
Further investigation of the Dalvik cache reveals a significant connection between it and a number of odd and unpleasant behaviours, including Low Disk Space warnings and disappearing apps.
Fortunately, there are some excellent XDA forum threads about dealing with the Dalvik cache.
The best recent place to start seems to be here:
[Q] Incredible running CM7.2 "Low on space" message (launched 2012-12-14)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2047424
It is not because of the focus on the Droid Incredible or CyanoModGen in this thread, but the attention paid to the more universal fix "EXT4 4 ALL" aka "EXT4ALL" or "Convert2Ext4". (Thanks to Senior Member cmlusco for his post #9 on the thread that got me started in the right direction!)
Files can be found at these locations:
Goo.im site http://goo.im/devs/tiny4579/mods
DINC.does-it site http://dinc.does-it.net/EXT4_Mods/
One version of this fix (Convert2Ext4_no_data_limit_normal_dalvik.v2.0.zip) moves the Dalvik cache from the default, limited 150MB internal partition to the "unlimited" (or at least maximum) 750MB internal partition.
Any phone with a kernal installed that supports ext4 can utilise this fix.
[ I personally use gingertiny 2.6.35.14-v2+ (2012-02-13), which has supported ext4 since late 2011]
My own experience has been to flash the "no data limit normal dalvik" zip file using ClockworkMod 5.x Recovery -- this was entirely painless. I just downloaded the file into my phone's downloads folder on the sdcard using a web browser, then ran CM Recovery (with a little assist from ROM Manager), selected "install a zip from sdcard" and navigated to the file. It was all done in 5 minutes. After manually rebooting a second time, everything seems to be working normally after about half a day of regular use.
For those who flash a new or updated ROM sometime in the future, you would need to flash this fix after doing so.
There is plenty of information contained on the main threads of this topic. Links aplenty can be found; just follow the ones provided in the thread I suggest here to get started.
Hopefully, this brings an end to my struggles with my phone's storage issues, and to others of you reading this post and following the links to the threads and downloads.
FYI -- My storage values changed as follows after running the fix:
Total Internal memory: 748MB --> 770MB (22MB increase)
ROM free space: <1MB --> 20MB (close to the value change of total internal memory)
Used internal memory: ~335MB --> 464MB (close to 128MB increase)
Remaining internal memory: ~420MB --> 306MB (close to 128MB decrease)
So, it seems that my ROM was being used to cache app data, which would explain why the value kept declining even though I NEVER added anything to it (using Titanium Backup Pro or anything like it). When free space on my ROM literally ran out, Android OS hit the proverbial panic button and warned me to free 512kb minimum to allow Gmail to download new mail. Now, it has 20MB free (and will hopefully stay that way, since I NEVER intend to transfer anything into the ROM!) -- The internal memory usage jump of 128MB probably indicates the Dalvik cache.
SUMMARY:
1. Turning off "fast boot" in Android settings helps some, but it does not get to the heart of the issue. It will NOT make a Low Disk Storage warning go away.
2. Once you have a Low Disk Storage warning, you MUST uninstall enough apps to make it go away (keep track of what you take away, because you can reinstall them very soon!)
3. With no LDS warnings showing, flash the "Convert2ext4 no data limit normal dalvik" zip file. THIS APPEARS TO BE THE REAL SOLUTION!
4. Reinstall your recently removed apps, and you should be good to go! :fingers-crossed:
PS>>> One last unresolved issue: I am still unclear exactly WHERE the dalvik-cache ends up, since my Astro file browser cannot locate anything containing the word "cache" that does not now report "EMPTY". There are a large number of "com." folders containing software I have installed found in the /mnt/asec/ folder. The total size of the contents of this folder (362 MB) is within 100MB of the amount of internal memory reported in use. Does that 100MB represent the current size of the Dalvik cache files, or at least include them? If so, where are they located? If anyone can help me figure this bit out, I would be grateful! :fingers-crossed:
Not only will My Galaxy S2 not let me install new apps (trying to install VX Connectbot at a little over 800K) although it has 1.97 GB of internal storage space free, it won't let me update four apps either. They were sitting there trying to update for about half an hour before I gave up.
There's nothing wrong with the (Wifi) Internet Connection, as proved by other apps on the phone as well as by the Google Play Store updater.
If I go into Settings, Apps to look at the Play Store entry, it never finishes updating the Cache and Data storage figures, so the 'Clear Data' button is greyed out. If it wasn't I could clear the data and force the app to re-download it from Google's server. I've also tried rebooting but this makes no difference.
I really don't want to have to do a factory reset to fix this so I'd be grateful for any ideas. The phone is running stock Jelly Bean supplied by Samsung.
garryknight said:
Not only will My Galaxy S2 not let me install new apps (trying to install VX Connectbot at a little over 800K) although it has 1.97 GB of internal storage space free, it won't let me update four apps either. They were sitting there trying to update for about half an hour before I gave up.
There's nothing wrong with the (Wifi) Internet Connection, as proved by other apps on the phone as well as by the Google Play Store updater.
If I go into Settings, Apps to look at the Play Store entry, it never finishes updating the Cache and Data storage figures, so the 'Clear Data' button is greyed out. If it wasn't I could clear the data and force the app to re-download it from Google's server. I've also tried rebooting but this makes no difference.
I really don't want to have to do a factory reset to fix this so I'd be grateful for any ideas. The phone is running stock Jelly Bean supplied by Samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think Stock JB is rolled out yet by Samsung. But anyways try to clear cache and dalvik cache from recovery. This mostly resolves issues in any ROM.
Secondly, what are you referring to when you mention internal storage? If it's data partition then 1.97 is total size and not free. So please check that.
Lastly what ROM are you coming from? If its ICS then a factory reset is strongly recommended.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
acekay said:
I don't think Stock JB is rolled out yet by Samsung. But anyways try to clear cache and dalvik cache from recovery. This mostly resolves issues in any ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the confusion. I'm trying to handle a million things at the same time, which is always when something else goes wrong. It is, of course, running ICS 4.0.4. I thought about clearing the cache via recovery and I'll do that if I don't find another solution. The phone won't be out of action for too long.
Secondly, what are you referring to when you mention internal storage? If it's data partition then 1.97 is total size and not free. So please check that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ooops! Quoted the wrong figure. There's 834 MB free.
Lastly what ROM are you coming from? If its ICS then a factory reset is strongly recommended.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was running Gingerbread when I got it but I did the factory reset before doing an OTA update to ICS.
No issues
Since you are now on 4.0.4 do not do a factory reset since your kernel might have the Brick bug.
There are threads that provide steps on re flashing ROM over 4.0.4. You will need to first flash a custom kernel that does not have this bug like Siyah or cf-root and then flash a ROM.
Just ensure that you follow the steps properly to get a clean install.
Edit: Check below thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1756242
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
I powered down and booted into Recovery, wiped the cache, and rebooted. It only took about 40 seconds to reboot which seems strange to me as under 2.2 and, I think, 2.3, it took a few minutes to rebuild the cache. Then the first thing that happens on keying in my pin and reaching the home page, I get the message, "Unfortunately, eBay has stopped." Maybe this has something to do with the problem, maybe it doesn't.
One other thing I noticed earlier but didn't mention as it didn't seem relevant is that some apps have changed their name in Settings, Applications. For example, Picshop Lite is now listed as air.ca.esdot.PicShop.Lite.
Anyway, it has made no difference. I look at any app in the list and it sits there saying "Computing...". I can force-stop running apps but I can't install apps, uninstall apps, or update apps. I'm going to leave this overnight (it's late here) and if I can't think of anything else before tomorrow I'll have to do a factory reset and reinstall everything.
Thanks, acekay, your post appeared while I was still editing mine. I knew absolutely nothing about this bug so you might have saved me from bricking the phone. The page you linked to mentions CWM. Since mine is a Samsung stock ROM it would be the stock recovery I'd be using. Is this likely to brick the phone? I guess it's better to be on the safe side and follow the instructions.
I'm also wondering about my legal position here. I got the phone from Virgin Mobile (UK) on a monthly plan. It was running Gingerbread before I did the OTA update to ICS and the update went OK. If the phone messes up and I do a factory reset and that bricks the phone, who is responsible, I wonder, Virgin Mobile or Samsung...
It took some lateral thinking but I think I've solved it. I powered down the phone, took out the micro-SD card, and powered up again. I went into Settings, Applications, Google Play Store and cleared the Data. I then ran the Play Store app and ran the four updates that were pending and everything went OK, so I tried installing VX Connectbot and that went OK, too, as did uninstalling the original Connectbot. As a precaution I uninstalled the eBay app just in case that was causing the problem. It's possible that somehow the eBay app got installed onto the SD card in error and that might have something to do with it stopping with an error every time I rebooted the phone.
I've noticed that the names in Settings, Applications are all now back to normal so I'm guessing that in fact it was something in Play Store's data that was messed up. Of course, that might have been caused by the eBay app. <Sarah Connor> God, a person could go crazy thinking about this. </Sarah Connor>
Anyway, thanks again, acekay. Working through my problem and your responses led to a solution.
Good to know its solved. So the issue was with moving the apps to SD . Better still that you tried this before a reset.
In case you plan on playing with custom ROMs in future just keep this bug in mind. Better to be cautious than sorry.
Cheers...
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
acekay said:
So the issue was with moving the apps to SD .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I can't be sure. I'm nowhere near needing to move apps to the card yet, and since I've uninstalled the eBay app I've no way of knowing if that's where it was. Or if it was causing the problem. But I do know that I won't be staying on ICS forever. If Samsung ever get round to giving us JB, I'll update to that. If they don't I'll look for a non-stock (and non-Touchwiz, thankfully) ROM. So thanks for telling me about the bug.
Same problem with SGS2 4.1.2, stock rooted rom. No external SD card.
I noticed one thing. When I do the following:
Settings->Application manager->All
it displays about 200M free and 1.7GB used, but after few seconds it changes to about 450M free and 1.5G used.
At the same time it (long pressing home button and select memory usage->storage) shows 1.77GB/1.97GB free memory of system storage. So only about 200M is free. The same result is obtained in Teminal Emulator by inputting DF command. So it is very strange that in Application manager the free system memory is increased from 200M to 450M but in terminal and memory manager system manager is constant 200M.
So what the algorithm to solve the problem of install or update apps from market?
sercherry said:
Same problem with SGS2 4.1.2, stock rooted rom. No external SD card.
I noticed one thing. When I do the following:
Settings->Application manager->All
it displays about 200M free and 1.7GB used, but after few seconds it changes to about 450M free and 1.5G used.
At the same time it (long pressing home button and select memory usage->storage) shows 1.77GB/1.97GB free memory of system storage. So only about 200M is free. The same result is obtained in Teminal Emulator by inputting DF command. So it is very strange that in Application manager the free system memory is increased from 200M to 450M but in terminal and memory manager system manager is constant 200M.
So what the algorithm to solve the problem of install or update apps from market?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try clearing cache using some application like ES Task Manager, I had useless cache data of about 400Mb once and the biggest contributor was chrome at 100Mb.. And try using apps like SD Maid which will help you clean out clutter.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app
Obviously, I'm new to this site, as I imagine most are when they have their first big issue.
Right off the bat, I want to admit that this is solely my fault, and I have been trying to fix it for the past day... To make matters worse, the phone was a gift from my wife for our anniversary, so, I feel pretty bad about it...
The situation:
I rooted my phone yesterday with RazrBlade. I had to do a factory reset to get it to stick, but that was fine. I then installed Boot Menu Manager. I set up the necessary partitions, system_3 system.img (300mb), cache.img (300mb), and data.img (2Gb). I realize I probably should have given system more room... but I didn't think that was app related. I then flashed Liquid-JB-v2.8-OFFICIAL-spyder and gapps-jb-20130301-signed from goo.im. It didn't tell me the system partition was out of memory, so I assumed (like a fool) that everything was OK...
After a few reboots to the wrong system, namely the stock system, I decided to go into BMM and change the default to system_3, and then I did the dumbest thing possible: I thought to myself, "Wow, it would be a pain to see this bootloader each time my phone reboots. I'll turn the delay to 0!" So... I did...
The Problem:
My phone now boots straight past the recovery to system_3, which seems to have no space allocated for applications at all, including system ones. I attached a picture of the storage details. It goes through the setup process each time I reboot, and wipes any changes I make. I can't download apps, and I can't install them via APK because the phone thinks there is no space left. I don't have BMM installed in this system so I can't turn the delay up, to my knowledge. There is no file explorer on this system, so I can't go into the app files directly. I have tried connecting with "Android Commander" but it doesn't want to detect my device. I installed the ADT bundle for windows to get the usb driver, but still nothing... I also tried a factory reset again, but that does the same thing as rebooting for me now.
The Challange:
To my knowledge, I'm out of options, but I know most of you guys do this to see what you are capable of. I'm sure you've dealt with bigger issues. Can anyone help? Would Verizon techs be smart enough/have the right software to actually reset the phone?
Thanks!
RustyRazr said:
Obviously, I'm new to this site, as I imagine most are when they have their first big issue.
Right off the bat, I want to admit that this is solely my fault, and I have been trying to fix it for the past day... To make matters worse, the phone was a gift from my wife for our anniversary, so, I feel pretty bad about it...
The situation:
I rooted my phone yesterday with RazrBlade. I had to do a factory reset to get it to stick, but that was fine. I then installed Boot Menu Manager. I set up the necessary partitions, system_3 system.img (300mb), cache.img (300mb), and data.img (2Gb). I realize I probably should have given system more room... but I didn't think that was app related. I then flashed Liquid-JB-v2.8-OFFICIAL-spyder and gapps-jb-20130301-signed from goo.im. It didn't tell me the system partition was out of memory, so I assumed (like a fool) that everything was OK...
After a few reboots to the wrong system, namely the stock system, I decided to go into BMM and change the default to system_3, and then I did the dumbest thing possible: I thought to myself, "Wow, it would be a pain to see this bootloader each time my phone reboots. I'll turn the delay to 0!" So... I did...
The Problem:
My phone now boots straight past the recovery to system_3, which seems to have no space allocated for applications at all, including system ones. I attached a picture of the storage details. It goes through the setup process each time I reboot, and wipes any changes I make. I can't download apps, and I can't install them via APK because the phone thinks there is no space left. I don't have BMM installed in this system so I can't turn the delay up, to my knowledge. There is no file explorer on this system, so I can't go into the app files directly. I have tried connecting with "Android Commander" but it doesn't want to detect my device. I installed the ADT bundle for windows to get the usb driver, but still nothing... I also tried a factory reset again, but that does the same thing as rebooting for me now.
The Challange:
To my knowledge, I'm out of options, but I know most of you guys do this to see what you are capable of. I'm sure you've dealt with bigger issues. Can anyone help? Would Verizon techs be smart enough/have the right software to actually reset the phone?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like to see you getting out of that one anyway,have you tried switching default storage? I mean try that I think that way the phone "thinks" your external sd is your internal memory and vice versa that might give you a chance to install BMM or a root explorer and debloat system..you got nothing to loose give it a try man,go to settings/advance and switch default storage,good luck.
Sent from my XT910 using xda premium
FIXED!
AztekSoul said:
go to settings/advance and switch default storage,good luck.
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Unfortunately, I tried that. The problem was that it requires a reboot, which wiped any settings
HOWEVER, the fix was along that line, it just required me to go into android shell and tell it manually.
I followed these steps to make the phone install to the SD card (internal phone app partition really) by default (because I'm a newb, I can't post links, so just google "how-to-install-android-apps-to-the-sd-card-by-default-move-almost-any-app-to-the-sd-card").
After doing so, I still had a problem downloading BMM from the market, but I think that was due to the market being outdated and troublesome, so I had to find an apk version instead.
I installed it, and restored the boot delay to 30 secs.
I then immediately booted to system_1 to feel safe.
I may try loading the Liquid Smooth rom again once I've fixed the partitions, but I will NEVER turn BMM's boot delay to 0 s EVER again...
so I picked up a used pixel from craigslist. seems ok. but I starting thinking... how can I be certain this phone is not booby trapped. it would be awful to have a trojaned device and not really know it.
I searched quite a bit about about malware that can survive factory reset. so it seems that simply resetting is not so great.
then I thought adb sideload an official google factory image to both slot a and slot b would purge any demons. but then again, I cannot find any documentation that make it clear what get overwritten and and what doesn't. (eg do the bootloader or recovery partition remain intact... seems like a great place to hide malware on a booby trapped phone). similarly, it is unclear what /system paritition blocks get replace.. all of them? some of them? can a clever trojan/rat survive an ota?
and then there is the full factory image install via fastboot. the problem is that I cannot enable oem unlocking b/c Verizon locked bootloader. booooooo
final thing. and the trigger that really had me thinking about this. after setting up the phone and connecting to the network, I saw a notification that subtley asked to install a Google screen reader. no idea why. and no google searches return anything useful. was this device hacked already??!
specifically the notification said:
"install app for screen share" and "tap to install from the play store"
so, any security minded android users out there who can help me understand if I need to trash this phone?
Infrequent pop-ups when using a web browser or when running an app can be normal. However, if you are getting pop-ups even when you’re not opening a browser or when using a totally different app, there could be malware in your phone. Malicious pop-ups are often brought about by a bad app that you may have installed in the past. In some cases, legit looking apps may update to a sinister version after some time and cause pop-ups to be displayed.
Run the phone in safe mode and observe it. Safe mode is great tool in detecting a problem app. On this mode, all third party apps will be suspended so if the problem is absent when your Android is running on safe mode, that means there’s a malicious app in the system. While in this mode, you should be able to use preinstalled apps normally as well as use basic networking services without a problem.
My recommendation to have a malware-free phone:
Do a factory reset
Before re-installing any app install an anti-virus app
So will sideloading an official factory OTA image using adb from recovery, completely remove any malware? (I read about malware that can survive a factory reset.)
Also, has anyone else ever seen a notification asking to install a screen reader? This appeared after a factory reset, immediately after connecting to the wifi network. No apps installed.
A factory reset really only deals with the Data and the Cache partitions. System partition isn't affected. This is true regardless device is rooted or not So if malware got installed in System partition it survives a factory reset. A factory reset will also not remove any ROM upgrades or OTA's.
Hopefully by now you have a better understanding of what a factory reset is.
May be the browser - what typically is installed as system app / system-privileged app - is the culprit: Use another browser and see what happens.
I think I understand how the factory reset works. For this discussion, I am do used on Google Pixel line, no modifications, and no root, and only app from the official Play Store.
The adb sideload of a Google factory OTA is the part I don't fully understand.
For example, doe the OTA merely replace files? Or does to do a bitwise blocklevel swap? Does it modify anything in the bootloader, or recovery partitions?
I cannot find clear documentation on this.
The notification requests to install Screen Reader do not come from Chrome or any browser. They appear to come from the system. (Android 10).
So what I am trying to figure out is whether some malicious actor/app installed a persistent malware into the system partition, or the bootloader, or the recovery. Such that a factory reset cannot remove it (like with xHelper malware)
Like for example, can a malware get into the system partition, and a manual adb OTA sideload , or even manual fastboot factory image install, fail to remove the malware from the system partition? That would be. a nightmare for security.
Finally, I cannot find any documentation from Google that Pixel (3) on Android 10 will automatically try to install a screen reader as a native operation.
Basically, is this used, never rooted phone, permanently Trojan-ed junk now?
@thehighhat
Sorry to say this: I'll no longer waste my time with this ...
oops: duplicated post deleted
jwoegerbauer said:
...
My recommendation to have a malware-free phone:
Do a factory reset
Before re-installing any app install an anti-virus app
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OK. Not sure why you're done with this - if you have insight, sharing it is good for everyone.
anti-virus (13 different ones) all show no malware. shows it is clean.
there are well known malware that can survive a factory reset.
the notification to install "screen reader" occurred immediately after a newly wiped phone connected to internet, even before any of the default apps (chrome, settings, etc.) opened
still looking for answers from someone who knows:
has anyone ever seen a system notification asking to install a "screen reader"?
does anyone know if
Code:
adb sideload official.google.ota.img
on a pixel modifies the boot partition or the recovery partition?
does anyone know if that manual ota install will guarantees the system partition contains only unmodified valid files/blocks?
thehighhat said:
OK. Not sure why you're done with this - if you have insight, sharing it is good for everyone.
anti-virus (13 different ones) all show no malware. shows it is clean.
there are well known malware that can survive a factory reset.
the notification to install "screen reader" occurred immediately after a newly wiped phone connected to internet, even before any of the default apps (chrome, settings, etc.) opened
still looking for answers from someone who knows:
has anyone ever seen a system notification asking to install a "screen reader"?
does anyone know if
Code:
adb sideload official.google.ota.img
on a pixel modifies the boot partition or the recovery partition?
does anyone know if that manual ota install will guarantees the system partition contains only unmodified valid files/blocks?
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Click to collapse
If you fastboot flash an official google system.img partition. From Google. With the correct hash value to insure correct download. It should flash the entire partition. Same goes for any other partition. If you have a certified unmodified image and flash it, the entire partition should be flashed, not just part of it.
With OTA updates. You only get patches. At least that's how the normal process goes. You got the smaller sized ota update and it only modifies the specific files that are being patched for that particular OTA update.
So with normal OTA only pieces of the partitions get updated. Sometimes they all are not touched with every update.
Delgoth said:
If you fastboot flash an official google system.img partition. From Google. With the correct hash value to insure correct download. It should flash the entire partition. Same goes for any other partition. If you have a certified unmodified image and flash it, the entire partition should be flashed, not just part of it.
With OTA updates. You only get patches. At least that's how the normal process goes. You got the smaller sized ota update and it only modifies the specific files that are being patched for that particular OTA update.
So with normal OTA only pieces of the partitions get updated. Sometimes they all are not touched with every update.
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Thank you. This is exactly what I was looking for
So it sounds like file level replacement instead of block level.
Does the ota verify the other files on the system partition that it does not intend to modify?
thehighhat said:
Thank you. This is exactly what I was looking for
So it sounds like file level replacement instead of block level.
Does the ota verify the other files on the system partition that it does not intend to modify?
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Click to collapse
It does in the sense that it verifies before and after the process begins/ends, the correct size of the partition. This is true in the sense of Ssmsung devices and how the typical standard recovery image works.
But it is the update zip that does most if not all of the size/digest verifications after the files have been patched. Because there is no real way for the rom to know how big the updated build(s) is going to be before the update arrives.
Generally I've seen it verify all the hash values are the same as last time it updated when it begins. And the update zip specifies the ending size.