Original boot and android built copy - G1 Android Development

Original boot and android built copy - G1 Android Development

Hi all
I am new here, so, let me say a big Hello to all comunity. I am a developer for some programming languajes and just starting with android, hope I can write nice code to share here with all you.
My G1 is coming (hope get it in my hands next week) and the first I like to do is flash it with the new boot and modified RC30, but I like to have the original ones in a save place... maybe I need them one day.
But I have been reading the "Rooting, Hacking, and Flashing your G1/Dream" threat, the procedures are all clear like water, but still I have the doubt.... what is the way to save the original boot and Android built that comes with the phone?
Please, could anybody give me some help with this?
Thanks

The original /system /boot and /recovery are all restoreable with publicly available update files (you can even grab them direct from Google's https server), so don't worry about having to back up your own copy. If you absolutely must copy your own data, there are scripts out there to dump out your nand flash. Good luck and looking forward to seeing your code!

First, let me give you the thanks for your answer...
Nandroid is one of those scripts?
Believe I have been reading this forum for several days, but is hard to asimilate so much information, and more if that info isn´t writted on your native languaje...
I believe I understand that I must install a bootloader to use nandroid... and not sure if I can do it with the original android installed... I readed about the /system /boot and so on directories, but not sure if I can access them from the pc, and / or if those directories contains all you need to have the phone working, or if you need a boot sector or similar to get the phone booting...
Is possible the phone boots just reading the contents or the /boot directory, without a boot sector/master record??
Is hard to asimilate that for a windows os applications developer like me
Maybe you can show me the right thread to start, I think I must change my mind with that systems... I am a Delphi, C++ and so on developer for windows S.O, and now I like to introduce my own on Linux wordl too

Related

How and why do you people know all of this?

I had a friend root my phone and I know if I want to flash a new build I rename the file update and drag it to my android folder then restart the phone a certain way and press alt s to load the build.
I love my g1 and the 1.5 build Im using but I cant get any further because Ive scoured the internet and these threads and I just cant figure out what all of this computer jargon means and I dont understand how anybody does know without taking classes in it.
I think I should make a nandroid backup and partition my sd card to run apps but good lord what does this mean (regarding nandroid)???---
"anyone who has root on their G1 and has the engineering/dev spl bootloader [1] (or has a dev phone) + a recovery image with busybox and adbd running as root [2"
and this (regarding sd partition)???---
pre-requisite "You created the FAT32 / EXT2 combo partitions" I mean this is a PRE-REQUISITE! I found a thread regarding the fat/ext deal and didnt understand it either.
I know nobody is here to babysit but is there some website somebody can direct me to to begin understanding what Im reading, I mean I read through the sd partition for dummies thread and I literally understood MAYBE 10% of the words, if thats for "dummies" im clearly the "dumbest"
I have the will I just dont have the way, ive typed the language i dont understand into every search engine I know of and Ive learned nothing. You guys are born geniuses
and what the hell's a "script"

No offense intended, but I don't think you should root your phone or carry out any of the procedures outlined in the developer forum. Following instructions to the letter is important when you are performing unauthorized and unsupported hacks, and most of those instructions assume an intermediate-to-advanced level of computing understanding.
As far as "where you learn it", I assume it varies from person to person. Although in nearly all cases, you learn it slowly by absorption when you are immersed in computing culture. Eventually if you lurk enough and see a word enough times in a particular context, you gain an understanding of what it means without being explicitly told.

You learn as you read through forums and threads and asking questions. If you're lucky, someone will explain it to you.
A script is like a programming language that controls a software application.
Nandroid is a tool or script you can use to backup your phone. It takes a bit of knowledge to restore from the backup though and requires a separate thread
You can read all about SPL's here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=455860
Can't help you with busybox/adb/recovery image right now.
FAT32 and EXT2 are just file type partitions. Think of a hard drive as a box. You put a divider cutting the box down the middle to split it into 2 compartments so each compartment can store something different. That's essentially what you do to a SD card when you create a FAT32 and EXT2 partition.

I learned all this by totally screwing things up, then reading, and reading some more. Then using the search function of the forum and of course more reading.
Now I understand a good deal about ADB, terminal, and the many, many other things that come with a rooted phone,,
I don't agree with the post that said if you don't get it don't try it.....
But that is cause I learn by doing...

As mentioned, doing this is a little complicated. The wrong step can temporarily brick your phone and then you'd have to know how to fix it, which in a way also requires a certain level of knowledge. It's best to learn and absorb the information first and to NOT be in a hurry to implement what you learn.
DMaverick50 said:
I had a friend root my phone and I know if I want to flash a new build I rename the file update and drag it to my android folder then restart the phone a certain way and press alt s to load the build.
DMaverick50 said:
This will be invaluable to fixing a botched up hack. Although, many times you'll also have to wipe (alt-w) to clear out your personal settings and personal data.
DMaverick50 said:
I love my g1 and the 1.5 build Im using but I cant get any further because Ive scoured the internet and these threads and I just cant figure out what all of this computer jargon means and I dont understand how anybody does know without taking classes in it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As mentioned, we all just love the stuff, and pick it up as we go. Most of us read extensively and have well set backgrounds on computers. If you want to get your degree in brain surgery, it helps to have basic knowledge of human anatomy, first.
DMaverick50 said:
I think I should make a nandroid backup and partition my sd card to run apps but good lord what does this mean (regarding nandroid)???---
"anyone who has root on their G1 and has the engineering/dev spl bootloader [1] (or has a dev phone) + a recovery image with busybox and adbd running as root [2"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nandroid is a backup program build into the... "recovery mode" for lack of a better description. It's where you do the alt-s at. Alt-b creates a backup of your system. To restore it, you must read the thread sticky that walks you through it.
DMaverick50 said:
and this (regarding sd partition)???---
pre-requisite "You created the FAT32 / EXT2 combo partitions" I mean this is a PRE-REQUISITE! I found a thread regarding the fat/ext deal and didnt understand it either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As mentioned, FAT32 and EXT2 are types of filesystems. Think of it as being told to store a box in a wearhouse. The filesystem, in a sense, would be like the isles, shelves, etc. that help you not just have a giant pile of stuff.
This is asking you to have an SD card that has been partitioned off into two partitions (a giant wall in the middle of the wearhouse) where on one side you have one way of storing things that is easily understandable by the average joe (windows, linux, apple) and one side that is much more complicated but much more efficient to store things that only the wearhouse manager understand (linux.)
DMaverick50 said:
I know nobody is here to babysit but is there some website somebody can direct me to to begin understanding what Im reading, I mean I read through the sd partition for dummies thread and I literally understood MAYBE 10% of the words, if thats for "dummies" im clearly the "dumbest"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. We all started somewhere. Nobody here came here and understood everything over night. Most of us have YEARS of experience in the computer field, if not decades. As far as knowledge here, it takes months of READING to really start to understand things. Once you do, THEN things will make sense and then you're less likely to break your phone.
DMaverick50 said:
I have the will I just dont have the way, ive typed the language i dont understand into every search engine I know of and Ive learned nothing. You guys are born geniuses
and what the hell's a "script"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read, read, read. That's my way.
And like mentioned, a script is just what it is in real life. Something you follow. If I gave you a movie script, you follow what it tells you to do while in the movie. In the computer world, it's the same. You write a script that tells the computer what to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I see you joined few days ago. I suggest you start from the begining. i.e. read all stickies. Every questions that you've asked here was asked before by someone else and answered multiple times.
To offer a glimpse of hope here: it's a lot easier for n00bs now as more and more people get comfortable with Android and Android tools and it's not just 2-3 guys who can answer a question. Also, at this point we have apps that will run a script for you, move your apps and caches to SD, overclock you CPU, etc etc etc.
Welcome to XDA and good luck

For the APPS2SD do this....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=500387
OH, first backup EVERYTHING on your SD card to your desktop.
Open the terminal program... I always do this **** in adb cause you wont catch me dead trying to type and read a small screen when adb is copy and paste.
type
su
cd /data
wget http://64.105.21.209/bin/lib/droid/sdsplit
chmod 555 sdsplit
/data/sdsplit -nd -fs 7500M (thats for an 8 gig card. so adjust it depending on what side card you have 4 gig = 3500M etc...)
Now you need to make sure you have an APPS2SD rom... That makes /system/sd available. Now you have to copy and make "aliases" from the old spot to the new... Million threads on that one. Just wanted to give props to "MartinFick"s script (bunch of commands in a file I guess you can say. You can run any partitioning sw on windows 7 or I would of gone that route...

i appreciate the replies. Ive been on this forum for about month checking throughout the day (instead of paying attention to my professors) but only signed up recently to post.
I do understand the concept of nandroid and the sd partition, I just get lost in the processes very quickly. In my life Ive only learned by screwing things up so im ready for almost anything. I dont want to get stuck without a phone though so Ill definitely try to get a better understanding before trying anything dramatic. I guess Ill keep looking for some website that has a search where I can just type in all of the language I dont understand, surely this type of site exists I just havent found it yet...

southsko said:
For the APPS2SD do this....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=500387
OH, first backup EVERYTHING on your SD card to your desktop.
Open the terminal program... I always do this **** in adb cause you wont catch me dead trying to type and read a small screen when adb is copy and paste.
type
su
cd /data
wget http://64.105.21.209/bin/lib/droid/sdsplit
chmod 555 sdsplit
/data/sdsplit -nd -fs 7500M (thats for an 8 gig card. so adjust it depending on what side card you have 4 gig = 3500M etc...)
Now you need to make sure you have an APPS2SD rom... That makes /system/sd available. Now you have to copy and make "aliases" from the old spot to the new... Million threads on that one. Just wanted to give props to "MartinFick"s script (bunch of commands in a file I guess you can say. You can run any partitioning sw on windows 7 or I would of gone that route...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The steps seem doable but it says to use jesusfreak's build, i am on dude's will this be a problem? thanks

Simple...we are the borg! The apparent knowledge is actually just one giant shared conscience, connecting our minds together from the time we log onto XDA...and we think you should join us. *Evil Laugh*

knight4linux said:
Simple...we are the borg! The apparent knowledge is actually just one giant shared conscience, connecting our minds together from the time we log onto XDA...and we think you should join us. *Evil Laugh*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ROFL.
DMaverick50 said:
I guess Ill keep looking for some website that has a search where I can just type in all of the language I dont understand, surely this type of site exists I just havent found it yet...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if that exists. You see, almost all of those terms were invented by people in THIS forum.

DMaverick50 said:
The steps seem doable but it says to use jesusfreak's build, i am on dude's will this be a problem? thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did it on the dudes. Any (i think) build that enables the ext partition to be mounted to /system/sd will work...

So can I partition while on this regular build and then flash the apps2sd build or do I need to first download an apps2sd build and then do the actual partition?

some help
When it says to use the jf build that's just the one he used and is familiar with the steps the root hack the phone are the same no matter what. Now the thing you want to do is learn one proccess and stick with it weather it be abd, fastboot, or the sdcard method for beginners or noobs I do not suggest adb or fastboot cause it require knowing how to use a comand line and if you don't know what that is then don't try it. But like everyone says read about it first before you take the plunge also since you have a friend who can do it have him show you how he does it sometime seeing it done on the fly or being told while doing it with someone there to take over if things go wrong is always good. Have fun flashing and once you figure it out do it a few time to get used to it

DMaverick50 said:
I had a friend root my phone and I know if I want to flash a new build I rename the file update and drag it to my android folder then restart the phone a certain way and press alt s to load the build.
I love my g1 and the 1.5 build Im using but I cant get any further because Ive scoured the internet and these threads and I just cant figure out what all of this computer jargon means and I dont understand how anybody does know without taking classes in it.
I think I should make a nandroid backup and partition my sd card to run apps but good lord what does this mean (regarding nandroid)???---
"anyone who has root on their G1 and has the engineering/dev spl bootloader [1] (or has a dev phone) + a recovery image with busybox and adbd running as root [2"
and this (regarding sd partition)???---
pre-requisite "You created the FAT32 / EXT2 combo partitions" I mean this is a PRE-REQUISITE! I found a thread regarding the fat/ext deal and didnt understand it either.
I know nobody is here to babysit but is there some website somebody can direct me to to begin understanding what Im reading, I mean I read through the sd partition for dummies thread and I literally understood MAYBE 10% of the words, if thats for "dummies" im clearly the "dumbest"
I have the will I just dont have the way, ive typed the language i dont understand into every search engine I know of and Ive learned nothing. You guys are born geniuses
and what the hell's a "script"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
heheh .. didn't we mention we're all a bunch of geeks - LOL - genius cannot be found here (pointing at self) .. i have been known to have a couple bright ideas now and again tho
"script" is just a funny way of saying "we did the work for you" .. all those lines of text that nobody wants to type over and over and over are all neatly packed into one little file .. type the name of the file and VOILA!! all those lines of text are spit into the little pocket sized computer and you have no blisters on your thumbs to show for it
now .. if we could only find a script that got us thru rush hour traffic

DMaverick50 said:
So can I partition while on this regular build and then flash the apps2sd build or do I need to first download an apps2sd build and then do the actual partition?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did what I posted then flashed the APPS2SD rom and then transferred everything over, but when I flashed it it still had all my apps so I would say you can do it before also.
Remember to nandroid backup before you try and move all your files.
OT
Once you get adb running sending all these commands are so easy as you copy and paste and you can restore your phone back the way it was in 2 minutes...

southsko said:
I did what I posted then flashed the APPS2SD rom and then transferred everything over, but when I flashed it it still had all my apps so I would say you can do it before also.
Remember to nandroid backup before you try and move all your files.
OT
Once you get adb running sending all these commands are so easy as you copy and paste and you can restore your phone back the way it was in 2 minutes...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i see. im so much more confident attempting the partition after these posts im tempted to ask for the same help with nandroid since ive looked through the threads. But I guess i should head to one of them and start asking questions i know they run a pretty tight ship around here with duplicate threads and off-topic ones and what not...

nandroid was so much harder to read in the thread than it actually is
I'm hoping this thread may help other people.... and will try and help till I run out of beer.. anyway
restoring a backup when you are can connect with fastboot is so simple. Once you get adb working then dl and put fastboot in the tool dir. Then you go to your sd card /nadroid/randomcrap/whatever date/ and copy the 3 files below into the same tools directory.
from the command line on your computer type
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash data data.img
I flashed to one of the first cupcake roms and was like **** this! flashed right back to my old backup. ahhhhh!!!

southsko said:
nandroid was so much harder to read in the thread than it actually is
I'm hoping this thread may help other people.... and will try and help till I run out of beer.. anyway
restoring a backup when you are can connect with fastboot is so simple. Once you get adb working then dl and put fastboot in the tool dir. Then you go to your sd card /nadroid/randomcrap/whatever date/ and copy the 3 files below into the same tools directory.
from the command line on your computer type
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash data data.img
I flashed to one of the first cupcake roms and was like **** this! flashed right back to my old backup. ahhhhh!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get ready to laugh..............adb? Fastboot? Everything else looks straight forward ( I assume I'm copying the 3 things to sd thru cpu)...

lmao...

[Q] recovery.img and recovery-from-boot.p

Hi all,
I am trying to make sense of how the android system is made up w.r.t to boot/kernel.
I have been looking at the .img files in the build (I built for the "passion" device), and have been googling around to find some more information about the various .img files.
I ran into a nice HOWTO in android-dls.com 's WIKI, titled HOWTO:_Unpack%2C_Edit%2C_and_Re-Pack_Boot_Images (I'm sorry, I'm a new user so XDA won't allow me to post links. I will try to modify my post a soon as I'm granted permission for that)
but I am afraid it is a little outdated:
I have several questions, but I will try to be brief, so I'll focus on
one of them, and if that works I'll proceed to the next questions, all related to "Android bringup for dummy embedded linux kernel experts".
I am fairly aware of differences between different linux
configurations, and I am very familiar with linux bringup concepts, so I will just use common examples from the linux world as my terminology. Hope it will be clear enough.
I understood that boot.img a combination of a kernel (e.g. bzImage in linux) and an initial ramdisk (e.g. initrd.gz), wrapped by some header, as in common linux kernel loading practice (piggy.o etc.).
Now, the aforementioned HOWTO says that the "recovery" image is built on
the same way, and that it is stored on the target's /system/
recovery.img .
I would assume that this would be compound of the ramdisk-
recovery.img, and some other kernel.
Now, the problem is that:
1. This /system/recovery.img does not exist from what I saw (on my
Motorola XOOM tablet)
2. What does exist is /system/boot-from-recovery.p , which is
created during the boot process in obj/PACKAGING/
recovery_patch_intermediates/recovery_from_boot.p .
I saw tons of posts referring to the files, all said that "in order to
replace the rescue disk image, this file needs to be renamed" - but I
am looking for a way to figure out what it is, and how to extract its
contents.
I assume /system/recovery.img is deprecated, is that correct?
3. I did not see any flash devices in /proc/mtd (which is strange).
I searched for hours before sending this post, so I would appreciate
your help. I also posted a similar message at the google android-building group, but it has not been answered yet, and I got the impression that these forums are more active and can help me get where I need.
If it is not the right place to ask the question please let me know -
I just assume this is a general android concept and not device
specific.
Thanks,
Ron

I meant of course /system/recovery-from-boot.p , and not recovery-from.boot.p
-R

Hi,
I don't know if you managed to find out what "recovery-from-boot.p" is, since this is quite an old post, but I think I'll try to help anyway.
recovery.img is not deprecated at all. From my own experience, it looks like "recovery-from-boot.p" is a protection measure introduced in Gingerbread, but not the recovery itself. What it does is replacing any recovery currently installed on the phone with the default one on every boot.
I discovered it after flashing a custom recovery on my Android 2.3.4 phone. It worked, but just during the first boot. The next time I rebooted the phone, the default recovery image was there again. After browsing several sites, I found that "recovery-from-boot.p" is responsible for that.
So, if you flash a custom recovery image on a Gingerbread phone and want to keep it forever, you must delete this "recovery-from-boot.p" from /system, or at least rename it. That way, your new custom recovery will never get overwritten buy the default one, unless you do it yourself.
I hope this helps you and clarifies this question.

Well, it helped me. I'm new to rooting and just came across mention of this file. I am trying to learn 'why' as well as 'how'', so your post was informative.

Was going to ask a dumb question but I figured it out

i need to delet those files
bigrammy said:
Was going to ask a dumb question but I figured it out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello
can't delete those files >> i am rooted but every time i delete or rename it take permission then nothing happen >> how i can delete them plsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

recovery from boot p
ahmed morsy said:
Hello
can't delete those files >> i am rooted but every time i delete or rename it take permission then nothing happen >> how i can delete them plsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey good day. Did you get your problem fixed...? I have an xt912 it has the same file. For days I've been trying to wipe the phone. Tryed rooting it. I tryed reprogramming it. And I got through with all of that. But everytime the phone boots up it goes back to the same state. Then I used a root browser and while exploring I saw this recovery from boot file. I need help. And I don't think I can downgrade the Motorola phones. Thanks in advance.

jman0 said:
Hi,
I don't know if you managed to find out what "recovery-from-boot.p" is, since this is quite an old post, but I think I'll try to help anyway.
recovery.img is not deprecated at all. From my own experience, it looks like "recovery-from-boot.p" is a protection measure introduced in Gingerbread, but not the recovery itself. What it does is replacing any recovery currently installed on the phone with the default one on every boot.
I discovered it after flashing a custom recovery on my Android 2.3.4 phone. It worked, but just during the first boot. The next time I rebooted the phone, the default recovery image was there again. After browsing several sites, I found that "recovery-from-boot.p" is responsible for that.
So, if you flash a custom recovery image on a Gingerbread phone and want to keep it forever, you must delete this "recovery-from-boot.p" from /system, or at least rename it. That way, your new custom recovery will never get overwritten buy the default one, unless you do it yourself.
I hope this helps you and clarifies this question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have deleted it . then flash recovery ,, but it failed .. it wont even now go to stock recovery itself.. any help..

Does recovery from boot has to do anything with ota update applying ? or it will cause issues in system update ?

I have recovery-from-boot.p in my system and i cant root my phone i cant change the recovery img ... Help?

I hadn't had to deal with this for some time, perhaps because I've updated my devices (Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7 '13) with the factory images, with "-w" removed from flash-all, then flashing CWM's recovery, ensure SuperSU was installed, then continuing. Today, I used the new OTA image on my Hammerhead/N5, and recovery-from-boot.p seems to be up to its old tricks again.
Solution is simple.
Flash your alternate Recovery in fastboot, fastboot flash recovery [recovery image file] . Boot into Recovery. Apply/install root app (typically via sideload). Mount /system. adb shell mv /system/recovery-from-boot.p /system/recovery-from-boot.p.bak. Reboot. Done. (If you're unfamiliar with fastboot, adb, and flashing new recovery partitions, you have some reading to do. Commence RTFM.)
I also used to have to move /system/etc/install-recovery.sh but that seems to be gone in Marshmallow. :} Or moved...?

well, after following a guide I have extracted the system.img from a pure-nexus ROM(The ROM I'm currently using), now I can see that "recovery-from-boot.p" file is responsible for recovery lock in my phone. I'll keep it short and straight to the question
"Can I remove this file and rebuild the .dat file and flash it?, so that I won't have any other problems at all"
I want to know if recovery-from-boot.p file is linked to anything other than just locking the recovery or re-flashing it innumerable times.

Trying to understand these instructions... (Android, SD Card default, EXT3, re-flash)

I have an LG Optimus T. Not the most ground breaking phone ever, but a heck of a deal for the money. Nonetheless, it's my phone, and I'm not really happy with the internal memory barrier I'm facing. For what it's worth, I have it rooted. I heard a way to partition your SD card (with part of it being allocated to ext3 file system) and re-flashing your phone somehow so the phone utilizes your ext3 partition on the SD card for housing applications. I heard several users in the IRC chat confirm this works well.
However, now that it's show time and I'm trying to do it, I'm a little confused. So please, be gentle, and I apologize if I'm re-hashing simple steps. I'm just trying to make sure I get what I'm supposed to do.
I'm working from this link here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10692249&postcount=1299
So from what I understand, the factory ROM can do fine, so I don't need to locate a custom ROM. That said, I just need to reset the phone to factory settings (thereby getting the factory ROM), run A2SD (is A2SD any different from A2SD Killer that they speak of in this post? I never heard of it), then go through the motions of the initial setup as it suggests (language choice, time zone, etc).
Then, prior to setting up my gmail account, I'm supposed to reboot to recovery. What does it mean reboot to recovery? Am I supposed to hold down the keys to do a factory reset? Is that what they mean by recovery?
I hate to ask these questions in a form of hand holding, but I just want to make sure I'm doing it right. After re-hashing this post several times and talking to 2 buddies about it without any further progress, I figured I'd just ask.
That said, can anyone help guide me in the proper direction? I'd greatly appreciate it.
Thanks!

make sure that you are looking at the right forum next time that link was for htc desire (use it only if it says its compatible for your phone)
before you start worrying about a2sd, you need a custom recovery, found here. once you flash recovery and boot into it, everything will be clear (ext, partition, flashing, etc)
for apps2sd, id suggest using ungazes data2sd (apps2sd and data2sd are basically the same thing, at least thats my understanding)
follow the steps there. if anythings unclear, post any questions and ill check back later

I did notice it was an HTC forum, but I was speaking with users who had other devices and claimed they used the same method, so I didn't think much of it. At that point I figured it was more of an Android thing vs an actual manufacturer thing.
When you speak of the custom recovery, what *exactly* does that entail? I was told Android phones have the hard factory reset that cannot be altered as long as you don't mess with /system under root terminal. That said, this phone is pretty much brand new. I have nothing on it that isn't already stored in the cloud somewhere (google contacts, gmail, work's email, etc).
What I'm trying to get at is, is a custom recovery needed only to get my phone back the way it was before I screwed with it? Or if I'm accepting to doing a hard factory reset, is that acceptable as well?
Thank you very much for the link. This seems a little more straight forward than the last one was. I'm also trying to understand the differences between handsets and Android versions here. For example, you mentioned the previous post was for HTC. It's a difficult thing for me to grasp because I come from a very heavy Linux background. If I mess with Ubuntu on one machine, then mess with Ubuntu on a top end server, then tinker with it on a laptop, it's still Ubuntu no matter what machine it's on. So it's hard for me to grasp the concept of Android acting differently on different machines (phones) and having different methods to different devices.
That said, it sounds like the link you posted to me is more of a generic "everything should work" type of scenario. After all, it's just moving /data. It would make sense that it would work that way, right? If not, please correct me, as I'd rather be wrong 1,000 times over again and be corrected than make 1 mistake and mislead someone or brick my phone.
Thanks for your response. Hopefully the recovery thing isn't too much of a hassle and I hope this ext thing can do the trick! What kind of difficulty is involved here? Is this fix, say, grandma approved? Or is that asking for a lot?
EDIT - Also, I noticed you spoke of Apps2SD. I have that installed... is that not acceptable to what I'm running? After all, it just seems to move what parts of the apps it can to the SD card. I was aiming to have the entire application base MOVED to the SD card. Is that what it does and I'm just a little confused??

i understand what you mean (how ubuntu on one machine is the same as ubuntu on another)
its the same thing with android EXCEPT that each android device is made different by the hardware (i.e. my phone is limited by the fact that its cpu is not powerful enough to run some apps; different components make up each device in contrast to lets say iphone, where each iphone is the same; my understanding is that each rom utilizes and has commands for each of these components so if they're different then youll need a rom unique for each device)
heres a general scope over recovery:
custom recovery - allows you to flash a rom, make/restore a nand backup, well it allows you to do a lot of things
stock recovery - only a hard reset (done automatically)
a hard reset wont cut it if you screw up your phone. youll need a custom recovery (which allows you to back up your entire system as a nand backup)
when you say apps2sd, i think you are talking about moving the app to the sd card in settings. thats not true apps2sd. true apps2sd moves the whole app to the sd card, giving you unlimited space to store apps (well actually you are only limited by your sd card)
if i missed anything, tell me. im multitasking right now (sorry)

Hahah, no you're doing quite well for multitasking! I understand what you mean, and it makes sense to me. I mean, after all, isn't it still the same analogy to Ubuntu? (at first I didn't think so, but now I think it may be more relevant) After all, if I'm running a dual proc 6 core system with 24gb of RAM, it'll certainly move Google Earth (aka, an app) faster than a Pentium 3 with 128mb of RAM would, even though they're both packin Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, or whatever your flavor may be. So in theory, I suppose you can apply the same analogy from Ubuntu as you do Android. The catch is, Ubuntu (or any Linux distro for that matter) runs on old hardware great, so the gap between old computer vs super computer is less relevant than today's Android based smart phones, where 300mhz could mean whether or not you can run a certain app. Compared to real life, Ubuntu operates just as quick to me on my dual proc 6 core (12 core total) server with 24gb of RAM as it does my P4 1gb RAM box on my test bench.
Anyway, going back on topic a bit more... yeah I was thinking of the Apps2SD from the market. So I suppose the "real" Apps2SD is a true "mv -R" type of application (linux recursive move of data).
Okay, so get the market based App2SD out of my head. Gone. Done. Okay... the thing I'm still not understanding is the recovery. I mean, I'm looking at the hard factory reset as, say, a recovery "Ghost based" partition that some Windows computers often come with.
Example - Windows gets fubar'd. Reboot. F8. Recover system. And it dumps the recovery image on the main partition. Ta da! Just like it was when you bought it at Best Buy!
I mean, if I could get it back to factory, then I could just start over, right? Trying to put it into words as best I can... I was thinking of it like this.
Hard factory reset = Windows recovery image from Dell factory (back to day 1).
Nandroid custom reset = Own "self made" Clonezilla/Ghost image (customized with your stuff as a backup you made yourself)
That's what I was thinking. So that being said, am I absolutely positively required to do a custom backup? Can I not just rely on the hard factory reset to take me back to day 1 from when I got it from T-Mobile and (if I so desire) start the process over if I tank it? You see, I was told that it's nearly impossible for me to permanently brick an Android phone, as the hard reset, while inconvenient since it would wipe my stuff, would at least get me back to a bootable, functional ROM.
If I'm re-hashing unnecessary things and just need to focus on the fact I have no choice, by all means, e-slap me. Thanks for your help so far. I'm just trying to learn what I can! Your time is appreciated.

the thing is, a time may come when you cannot even boot your phone (lets say you were messing around and modding and all of a sudden you get stuck in a bootloop) and you try doing a factory reset but it doesnt work. this might be because something is corrupted. for android, a factory reset only wipes the data but does not restore anything. this is where custom recovery comes in handy. not only can custom recovery do a factory reset, it can restore a backup if your phone ever gets screwed up (unless you screw it up so much that you cant even access your recovery, then things get much more complicated). think of this backup as a system restore on windows (creating a restore point on windows is like creating a nand backup in custom recovery)
and dont worry about all the questions a few months back i never knew this myself so i understand

Well my friend, your patience is certainly appreciated. I understand a little better now. So let me throw out another analogy just to further solidify what little understanding I feel I have.
Factory reset = Windows restore point
Nandroid reset = Self made recovery image via Clonezilla/Ghost
Your point is a Windows restore point is only good as long as the system is solid. If your hard drive dies, suddenly your backed up restore point is useless. But... dump on that Clonezilla/Ghost image you have saved elsewhere and you're good to go.
That said, how should I get started? How do I make a Nand backup? Any guides you recommend? Will this back up my current apps, settings, etc?
Once done, how would I go about the actual Apps2SD method for making the SD card act as app storage? I assume it's that ungazes link you provided earlier?
Again, thanks for your help!

Figure this is where I should come in to help. You can install Amon_ra's recovery or clockworkmod onto your device (you can choose if there is both) but you should be able to do all that from a backup and restore menu in the custom recovery. You can go get the free version of rom manager and it should be able to install clock work recovery all without that much input from you, then you boot into recovery from rom manager. It shows you this simple yet amazing GUI that you never thought possible with something so small such as your android device. You are then given choices, do you want to flash a zip to mod your system such as custom roms, new keyboards, etc. Backup and restore (nandroid backup) or even mount it in USB mode which is useful if you never backed up, and didn't keep a copy of a custom rom on your SD card. (I never made that mistake of atleast the latter option. lol) So basically, the recovery is the "safemode" of android, only you don't get to access all of your stuff until you leave "safe mode"
and a bit of advice: NEVER flash anything without 50% or more battery.
It probably will atleast softbrick your device if it dies mid-flash.

oh, I see. Yeah I thought recovery was the actual PROCESS of pulling an old backup over, not so much operating in a sterile system environment such as safe mode.
About flashing, I would suspect it would best be done plugged in with AC power. I've had a laptop or two nearly die on me in my flashing days (went to the bathroom, came back, flashing red light, uh oh!) so I think I'll be good there.
So which applications do I need to get started? The problem I face is when I google something, there's no less than 600 ways to do all sorts of various tasks. So I have a hard time separating which one is best practice, which one is the old method, which one is definitely a bad idea, etc. So you say I can choose which ROM to use. Are they pre-built into whatever recovery software I need to use to get this job done? Or do I have to download them somewhere and put them on my SD card and then boot into recovery?
EDIT - hey how about this lil guy here?
http://code.google.com/p/android-roms/wiki/SPL
Came across it when I was googling for Nandroid Backup.
EDIT 2 - Or this guy. Looks to be the same step as the Nandroid step within the first link. Looks like the first link, while a bit more dated, is also a bit more thorough.
http://theunlockr.com/2010/02/06/how-to-backup-and-restore-your-android-phone/

Since you're rooted, you can run thiss https://market.android.com/details?id=com.koushikdutta.rommanager&hl=en and it will be able to install clocwork mod recovery. Then you just boot into it and whatever rom you want to use (found in the android development forum for your device) you install that zip from SD card and voila! You're golden with a new rom on your phone. It isn't completely needed though. lol

if i were you, i wouldnt use rom manager (it is known to cause problems). for now, use the recovery i posted in the second post. if you want to flash a rom, heres a list of most (if not all) roms for our phone.
as you start getting familiar things, you should start referring here
heres a general scope of things when it comes to flashing a custom rom:
1. boot into recovery
2. make a nand backup
3. you MUST wipe data/factory reset, cache, and dalvik cache. wiping the sd card is not necessary
4. flash the rom
5. boot normally (first boot can take awhile)
and remember, never flash more than one file without rebooting normally in between or else you might run into some problems

When you say wipe the dalvik, cache, etc, is that done during a factory wipe or do I need to do that in a separate step?
Edit- which rom would you suggest? I hear a lot about cm7. Thats the only one I recognize.

they are separate processes but they are found under the same category
so itll be like this:
wipe
wipe data/factory reset
wipe cache
wipe dalvik cache
wipe rotation settings
wipe battery stats
something like that (at least this is how it works for amonra recovery. for clockwordmod recovery, i believe they are categorized differently but its still the same idea)

Ahh, I gotcha. I remember reading instructions on clearing the dalvik-cache, so that's why I thought maybe I'd have to re-hash those links I found and do that in a separate step. But it sounds pretty streamlined!
Well, I'll give this a shot tonight. I'm still going back and forth on which ROM to use. I hear a lot about CM7, but I also heard of 1 or 2 users saying on CM7 they lost their Google Navigation or Google Latitude functionality, both things I utilize. I also had no idea the Opt T was supported on CM7. But then again, if it's anything like Linux distros, using one of the more popular ROMs has its benefits as those are normally the highest supported.
People weren't lying when they said stop googling and just go to XDA forums. Thanks for the help yet again, bro.

im using cm7 and both google navigation and latitude work for me. and i know that the link i gave you said optimus p500 roms, but all p500 roms work for the p509 (since they both use the same hardware). just remember not to flash any roms from any other forums, flash only from the p500 forum
glad i could help. if you need any more help, just refer to that forum or pm me (since i have the same phone as you)

Sweetnsour, I was just suggesting Rom manager to be able to flash clockwork, then he could flash amon_ra from inside clockwork. I think that's possible? It was more of a hint for a newer user. I remember being on the other side and since I don't personally own your device, I was just offering general android advice. Glad to see you corrected me though, anyway, good luck OP. Hope you enjoy your device modifications.

I come here with my tail between my legs ducking from any backlash I may get from any users here. I spent the better part of the evening Googling around, asking in IRC, and trying to get this part working.
I ran into several issues. Some of them are quite comical to me.
I Googled around, as well as utilized the links that were provided to me in this thread. I learned that Clockwork and Rom Manager are from the same dev team, but they are two separate products. Likewise, I was hearing other users confirm that Clockwork is the bees knees but that Rom Manager is kind of "ehh" with predictability and reliability.
After I ran into some road blocks I ended up asking in the IRC Android chat room. Some users in there directed me to some guides. I read through them. Of course, each one was different. So to a user like me, I have no idea which one is the better one to go with. The one guide kept talking about how I need to run a .sh script. So, of course, I download the files supplied and extract them. No .sh script. I ask in the IRC chat and I caught hell because I should read the directions more clearly. I read through them several times and got no where. Ultimately, some users in the IRC chat decided to link me to the guide they recommended. Later, I too ran into a road block there.
Moving along, I went into the XDA-Devs chat once I found myself at the next road block. There some users spoke to me about what I was trying to do. I linked to them the guides the Android users told me to use and they were wondering why I was using such old guides to do this simple task.
This is where my frustration is brewing. There are a million and one ways to do everything. There's no structure. No consistency at all. I've done a ton of reading and I still feel like I know next to nothing about doing a "simple" recovery. I know phones are different. I know ROMs are different. But holy hell. Doing "xyz" task on one Android phone vs the same task on another Android phone is as different from driving a lawnmower vs a dump truck.
At this point I installed Android SDK on my Ubuntu machine. However, "adb shell" was yielding a command not found error. It's nearly 2 am. I'm packing it up for tonight.
That said, let's back up a bit here. My goal is this. I have an LG Optimus T. I have it rooted. I would like to utilize Clockwork in order to do a recovery as Clockwork came heavily recommended by many sources I read about. Then, I would like to utilize the XDA site for a list of available ROMs for my phone and choose one of my liking.
Is this guide, right here what I should be using to get this job done?
Along with that, how exactly do I need to install SDK on Ubuntu so it works without headache?
Thank you to everybody who has been patient with helping me learn this stuff so far.

that guide works. after you flash the recovery from that guide, don't think that you are always stuck with it. you can always flash another recovery in recovery. as for sdk, do you need it to flash recovery? those commands to flash recovery can be done on the phone using a terminal emulator. (about installing sdk on ubuntu, I will check on that tmrw because I'm doing this on my phone, and over where I'm at I should be sleeping)
EDIT: and here's a list of roms for our phone http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=16535249
EDIT: for sdk, have you tried this?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=11823740#post11823740
Sent from my LG-P500 using XDA Premium App

Okay. I wasn't sure if it was safe to run those commands from the phone. I was tempted to but, ahh, figured I'd wait.
Now these instructions are exclusive to the Clockwork mod, correct? So if I get any other recovery (Amon Ra, for example) there will be specific instructions for that exact recovery too as well, right?
I'll give this a shot later and see where I end up. Thanks for your help!
Edit... It's a shame those commands aren't in an sh script already. Just a fun idea... What I'd add them to a blank text file and on the phone just chmod +x it and run it. Would that work??

the commands are fairly similar:
cwm (from your guide):
#mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock5 /system
#cat /sdcard/flash_image > /system/bin/flash_image
#chmod 755 /system/bin/flash_image
#mount -o remount,ro -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock5 /system
#flash_image recovery /sdcard/recovery.img
#reboot recovery
amonra (from here):
# mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock1 /system
# cat /sdcard/flash_image > /system/bin/flash_image
# chmod 755 /system/bin/flash_image
# mv /system/etc/install-recovery.sh /system/etc/install-recovery.sh.bak
# mount -o remount,ro -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock1 /system
# flash_image recovery /sdcard/recovery-RA-GNM-thunderg-1.1.0.img
# reboot recovery
after you flash either cwm or amonra, you wont have to do this again when you flash another recovery. to flash another recovery, you would just have to flash the recovery zip in recovery. these zips can be found here

[Q] Something Missing from my files?

Hi
I am trying to install the Jellybean 4.1.1 ROM on my rooted Nexus S.
The history of my attempts so far are here: Rooted Nexus S OTA Upgrade to 4.1 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1833420
I have downloaded the "image-soju-jro03e.zip" form the Android open source website, and used the Nexus Root Toolkit to install it.
This failed, and I attempted to install the image using ROM Manager.
This also failed, and produced a lengthy Recovery Log.
I have read through it and it seems to be telling me that certain files or folders are missing from the download.
e.g can't open /dev/tty0: No such file or directory
W:Unable to get recovery.fstab info for /datadata during fstab generation!
W:Unable to get recovery.fstab info for /emmc during fstab generation!
W:Unable to get recovery.fstab info for /sd-ext during fstab generation!
can't find /sd-ext in /etc/fstab
Is that what this means?
How can I correct it?
The full log is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HWeYsXPnppQbgoloz72RH81E8a479LBmvYXIlzYPETo/edit
S

Help with recovery log
Hello?
Can anyone help me to understand this recovery log?
Should I direct my question to the "ROM Manager" people?
I have tried without success to install JB 4.1.1 from the Google Android Images page, and I think it must because something is missing from the file structure of my current ROM.
Am I on the right track?
M S

First of all, what variant of the Nexus S do you have? If you turn off the device and remove the battery, it should be on the sticker showing the device serial number.
Once you find that, you can head over to this link and look for the right image for your device:
http://www.randomphantasmagoria.com/firmware/nexus-s/
I'm assuming that since you're from 4.0.4, you just need to flash the update zip. If you're device is rooted, chances are you have ClockworkMod installed. If so, maybe you should just consider putting in a custom ROM. Flashing it should be much faster. I'd be glad to help you if you can give more info on your variant, current software state (version, rooted/not rooted, etc).

new hope
nightsky87 said:
First of all, what variant of the Nexus S do you have? If you turn off the device and remove the battery, it should be on the sticker showing the device serial number.
Once you find that, you can head over to this link and look for the right image for your device:
http://www.randomphantasmagoria.com/firmware/nexus-s/
I'm assuming that since you're from 4.0.4, you just need to flash the update zip. If you're device is rooted, chances are you have ClockworkMod installed. If so, maybe you should just consider putting in a custom ROM. Flashing it should be much faster. I'd be glad to help you if you can give more info on your variant, current software state (version, rooted/not rooted, etc).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello nightsky ( is that like, "nice guy",?) thanks for taking a look.
My phone is a Nexus S i9020, no suffix.
It is running Andriod 4.0.4 ICS. It is "rooted" and "unlocked".
I have Clockwork Mod v.6.0.1.0. Superuser v.3.1.3. and ROM Manager v.5.0.2.0.
I have tried over and over again without success to upgrade to JB 4.1.1 and I am getting sick and tired of this stupid game.
I would be happy to just stick with ICS 4.0.4, but every week, the phone tells me that an "update is available", and I have to dismiss the message every time I look at the phone! When I tried to apply the update It used to crash, requiring a battery-pull reset. Now I have CWM it takes over and says "failed to verify file signature", "install untrusted package?"
If I press on and install, it fails and the android is on its back with a red triangle on its belly.
If you look at the posts I have linked to, I have been on a steep learning curve regarding ROM flashing, and I understand the basic idea, its just that when I follow the instructions given on the forum, It doesn't happen that way for me and I suspect that there is something wrong with the file structure on my phone. That is why I have posted the link to my recovery log.
If you can help, please reply.
I have had a look at the "Random Phantasmogoria" site that you recommend, is it offering anything different than the Google developers site https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images that I have downlooaded my image from?
MS

another version!
PS I have just had a look at the Google Dev. site and there appears to be a new version of 4.1.1 called JRO03L.
My next attempt, I'll try that.
MS
goodnight

Factory images are not to be installed with ROM manager/recovery.
They are factory images that are installed with fastboot.
Your solution is a rather simple but may seem complex to you at first. If that makes sense.
First screw all those one click/ ROM manager crap.
Either download the SDK and get the platform tools add on ( quides are all the over the place). Or use one of those zips people make that include fastboot.exe and a driver or whatnot.
Boot the phone into the bootloader. Connect it to the PC. Open a command prompt in the directory with fastboot.exe and the factory images....
Type in fastboot devices. If your serial comes up just follow the commands in the quide. Re root if you want.
What you where attempting to do reminds me of kids in the arcades just smashing buttons and hoping something works
I am not going to right a guide m. There are stickies and somebody actually made a very noon friendly explanation the other day on here somewhere. Sorry don't know where at the moment.
If there is a specific part or something in particular you don't get let me / us know.
Moral of the story is a once a computer is set up with fastboot properly it is very simple.

jus to add on the post above. the instruction to install the factory images are on the same page where you downloaded the image in question.
and there is something to be wary of : flashing the factory image will WIPE the phone CLEAN (except what's on the usb storage o/c).

albundy2010 said:
Factory images are not to be installed with ROM manager/recovery.
They are factory images that are installed with fastboot.
Your solution is a rather simple but may seem complex to you at first. If that makes sense.
First screw all those one click/ ROM manager crap.
Either download the SDK and get the platform tools add on ( quides are all the over the place). Or use one of those zips people make that include fastboot.exe and a driver or whatnot.
Boot the phone into the bootloader. Connect it to the PC. Open a command prompt in the directory with fastboot.exe and the factory images....
Type in fastboot devices. If your serial comes up just follow the commands in the quide. Re root if you want.
What you where attempting to do reminds me of kids in the arcades just smashing buttons and hoping something works
I am not going to right a guide m. There are stickies and somebody actually made a very noon friendly explanation the other day on here somewhere. Sorry don't know where at the moment.
If there is a specific part or something in particular you don't get let me / us know.
Moral of the story is a once a computer is set up with fastboot properly it is very simple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Smashing buttons and hoping something works?
That's not very nice, or fair!
If you take the trouble to read my post, and the linked previous posts, you will see that I am trying my best to follow the instructions given on this forum, where I hoped to find knowledgeable professionals who contribute their valuable time free of charge to help noobs like me.
So far I have followed the instructions, only to get something other than the result described. This is why I am asking for your help to understand the recovery log, so that I can work out for myself what went wrong, and what I should change next time to get it right.
At this point in the journey I am still unsure about backup. I have "backed up" using the nexus root tool kit, which is a Nandroid back up, and I have "backed up" using ROM manager, but Titanium Back-Up does not recognise the backups and wants me to "back up" some more. After all this is over will I be able to clear out all the dross that my phone memory is accruing? Is there any point backing up Apps like "Google Earth" when I can easily download them from the Play Store after I have my new OS? etc... etc...
Anyway, I am going to try again, this time with the new JRO03L image, and this time I shall do it Command Line style instead of the "one click crap", as you recommend, my friend. I'll let you know how I get on.
MS

[Q] 100% Original Stock ROM backup before root?

Hi there,
I am new to xda and new to Android hacking.
What I wanna ask is, (I guess it's of most newbies concern as well), can we have a 100% backup of our system (stock ROM)? Obviously, it is important because:
If we perform an official (OTA) update to a new Android version. And we don't like it. It is possible to get back to the old original one which we are used to. (not everybody likes new things, and/or not every new thing is good)
If our phones are having some problems. And we have to give it back to the company for a fix. In most cases they will flash a new ROM for us. If we wanna keep using the old one (explained in #1), we have to keep a copy of it by ourselves.
If we want to try new custom ROMs, we may want to switch it back after trying.
Whenever we do any modifications, it's always better to keep a backup/roll-back point. In case anything goes wrong, we have a safeguard.
For the official warranty issue.
Yup I do see there are some official stock ROMs downloads for some particular phones. But those are not really a backup of our original ROMs. And it's always hard to verify if those downloads are the original official releases. And, if those downloads are 100% stock ROMs, this means some guys out there could make it, so what is the way to do so?
Or, how those mobile phone companies do it in their labs?
I have been doing researches on this topic for a few days. Some posts claim that their methods are "backup stock ROM" or "backup before rooting". But after digging into it, they requires rooting and/or flashing CWM. Here comes a few questions:
Questions
Rooting will in fact changes some files/data of the system. So backup after root is NOT getting the original stock ROM. Is it?
Is there a method to "un-root", so ALL the changes are TOTALLY reverted?
Installing/flashing things like CWM in phone requires rooting, which would make the ROM not original. Is there a way to extract the system backup from a computer externally?
In addition, I have found some related pieces. which could be useful to anyone viewing this post, and might be useful for you to solve this (my) question. :fingers-crossed:
* as I'm a new user, I can't post links directly. Please delete the blank spaces in between.
ht tp://www .modaco .com/topic/351269-backup-original-rom/
In reply #5, user C3C0 raised a method of backing up the original stock ROM without root. But it seems he is flashing CWM and that method is only for ZTE Skate.
adb backup tool of Android SDK
At the first sight i came across this approach, I thought it is the official method to do whole system (ROM) backup (WOW - how nice!). But after studying for a few more posts, I think adb backup can only backup app+app_data, and possibly some system settings only. Am I correct? And also, adb backup is only for ICS (Android 4.0), isn't it?
adb backup usage: ht tp://forum.xda-developers .com/showthread.php?t=1420351
(But mentioned in the bottom of #1 the poster is having some issues on using adb backup. Perhaps there are some bugs and not reliable(?)
One more question on adb backup: Can it backup just one app+app_data, and restore just one app+app_data, without affecting other things? If yes, we don't need to root and don't need Titanium Backup (which requires root) for backup app+app_data. Isn't it?
** In case I have said anything or any terms wrongly in this thread, please DO correct me, for helping me and helping others.
P.S. i am using LG Optimus 3D.
Thanks a lot, wholeheartedly,
midnite_

Backup phone before root
Hello all this is my first post here...woohoo!:fingers-crossed: This forum is amazing as to the amount of information available. I just wish that in looking for what I need to do I did not need to look in so many places. I feel that if I want to root my T-Mobile GS3 that all the information should be in one subsection of the forum, but it is not that simple I guess....lol Anyway any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have a Samsung GS3 with T-Mobile that I want to root. Everyone says to back up the phone before you do it but I am not really seeing how to make a backup before I start. It appears that most of the guides to root just say to backup without telling you how to fo it. Another thing (correct me if I am wrong) I see the nandroid backup that I think is a backup of the phone however it seems to be done after you make changes to the phone and I thought the backup was supposed to be done before you do anything. Is it that there is not a way to make a complete backup with an unrooted phone?
My question is basically the same as the OP here. I have been reading and reading and reading posts here in the forum. There is much information here and much of it is duplicated with slight variances in some of the duplicates. I am not certain as to which rooting method I should use. There seem to be so many choices. As a new person to this forum I will say that you can find just about everything about any phone which is awesome. The hard thing is sifting through the many options to pick one to use for your issue.
I do see that Mr. Robinson has a thread with backups of the original roms. The only thing is that they are default roms that are like an out of the box phone and not my phone with my apps and my settings. That is what I want to backup...My phone with my settings and my apps.
:good: Thank you in advance for any one that can shed some light on this for me and the OP'er

ASharpEdge said:
Hello all this is my first post here...woohoo!:fingers-crossed: This forum is amazing as to the amount of information available. I just wish that in looking for what I need to do I did not need to look in so many places. I feel that if I want to root my T-Mobile GS3 that all the information should be in one subsection of the forum, but it is not that simple I guess....lol Anyway any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have a Samsung GS3 with T-Mobile that I want to root. Everyone says to back up the phone before you do it but I am not really seeing how to make a backup before I start. It appears that most of the guides to root just say to backup without telling you how to fo it. Another thing (correct me if I am wrong) I see the nandroid backup that I think is a backup of the phone however it seems to be done after you make changes to the phone and I thought the backup was supposed to be done before you do anything. Is it that there is not a way to make a complete backup with an unrooted phone?
My question is basically the same as the OP here. I have been reading and reading and reading posts here in the forum. There is much information here and much of it is duplicated with slight variances in some of the duplicates. I am not certain as to which rooting method I should use. There seem to be so many choices. As a new person to this forum I will say that you can find just about everything about any phone which is awesome. The hard thing is sifting through the many options to pick one to use for your issue.
I do see that Mr. Robinson has a thread with backups of the original roms. The only thing is that they are default roms that are like an out of the box phone and not my phone with my apps and my settings. That is what I want to backup...My phone with my settings and my apps.
:good: Thank you in advance for any one that can shed some light on this for me and the OP'er
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi ya,
It's so nice that you are having the same concern as I do.
As far as i know, the approaches of rooting differ from phones to phones. So we may have to find our own specific rooting method in the phone model sub-forums. It won't be hard for your popular S3
I would like to have a look at that Mr. Robinson's thread. If he can backup the stock ROM, those app+app_data wont a big issue (i guess).
cheers,
midnite_

midnite_ said:
Questions
Rooting will in fact changes some files/data of the system. So backup after root is NOT getting the original stock ROM. Is it?
Is there a method to "un-root", so ALL the changes are TOTALLY reverted?
Installing/flashing things like CWM in phone requires rooting, which would make the ROM not original. Is there a way to extract the system backup from a computer externally?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi midnight, welcome to a new and exciting world of Android and trying new things. First, let me assure you, what you want is NOT something new. People have been doing this type of thing for years. That is flashing and testing roms. As you will learn, it actually becomes quite addictive. We call those folks that get addicted to flashing: Flashaholics or crackflashers, lol
First let me talk about "root". This process consists of unlocking a lower level of the Android system known as the bootloader. Unlocking the bootloader of your device allows you to flash a custom recovery, flashing a custom recovery allows you to flash the Superuser binary and Superuser.apk, This is what allows you to use apps that require "root". The bootloader is not an OS file. So when you are unlocking your bootloader you are not modifying your stock rom. Only when you have flashed the Superuser package have you modified your stock rom. And even that isn't really modifying anything. When you flash the Superuser package, it adds two files to your rom at certain locations of the file system. It adds the Superuser.apk file to system/app and it adds the SU binary to system/bin. Basically you CAN have a totally S-OFF (unlocked) bootloader and still have an entirely stock rom if you want. But the real benifit is flashing a custom recovery like ClockworkMod Recovery and then flash the superuser package.
As far as extracting the stock system, you should try giving adb a go. Do it right now if you like. Ensure you have the android sdk installed and properly set up on your computer and your computer can recognize your phone. Ensure your phone is in debugging mode, connect your phone to your computer, open up a command window, and run this command:
Code:
adb pull \
This command will pull everything off your phone except for data which is where your market or Google Play apps are stored.
Beyond XDA there are aso more resources to learn from. For example, http://www.android.com is a good place to start, and to learn more about adb check out http://developer.android.com/tools/help/adb.html
If you need to learn how to setup the sdk here is the place to learn how: http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
I'm sure others will add to this as well which is the good thing about this community.
Welcome to XDA, I hope you have fun learning, and maybe share back someday things you learn along the way.

wildstang83 said:
Hi midnight, welcome to a new and exciting world of Android and trying new things. First, let me assure you, what you want is NOT something new. People have been doing this type of thing for years. That is flashing and testing roms. As you will learn, it actually becomes quite addictive. We call those folks that get addicted to flashing: Flashaholics or crackflashers, lol
First let me talk about "root". This process consists of unlocking a lower level of the Android system known as the bootloader. Unlocking the bootloader of your device allows you to flash a custom recovery, flashing a custom recovery allows you to flash the Superuser binary and Superuser.apk, This is what allows you to use apps that require "root". The bootloader is not an OS file. So when you are unlocking your bootloader you are not modifying your stock rom. Only when you have flashed the Superuser package have you modified your stock rom. And even that isn't really modifying anything. When you flash the Superuser package, it adds two files to your rom at certain locations of the file system. It adds the Superuser.apk file to system/app and it adds the SU binary to system/bin. Basically you CAN have a totally S-OFF (unlocked) bootloader and still have an entirely stock rom if you want. But the real benifit is flashing a custom recovery like ClockworkMod Recovery and then flash the superuser package.
As far as extracting the stock system, you should try giving adb a go. Do it right now if you like. Ensure you have the android sdk installed and properly set up on your computer and your computer can recognize your phone. Ensure your phone is in debugging mode, connect your phone to your computer, open up a command window, and run this command:
Code:
adb pull \
This command will pull everything off your phone except for data which is where your market or Google Play apps are stored.
Beyond XDA there are aso more resources to learn from. For example, ht tp://www .android .com is a good place to start, and to learn more about adb check out ht tp://developer .android .com/tools/help/adb.html
If you need to learn how to setup the sdk here is the place to learn how: ht tp://developer .android .com/sdk/index.html
I'm sure others will add to this as well which is the good thing about this community.
Welcome to XDA, I hope you have fun learning, and maybe share back someday things you learn along the way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Wildstang,
Thanks very much for your warm welcome and very informative reply. So are you a Flashaholics or Crackflashers yet?
As I am a newbie, please forgive me if I am asking dumb questions.
As far as I understand,
The steps of root is
1. Unlock the bootloader
2. Flash Superuser binary & Superuser.apk
** does "flash a custom recovery" means "flash Superuser binary & Superuser.apk"?
"Flash Superuser binary & Superuser.apk" is just "add SU binary to system/bin" and "add Superuser.apk to system/app". Then why not just copy them into place?
I just found on the web that "flashing" means replacing the OS of the phone with a new ROM. Would that still keeping the stock ROM?
To have a backup of the original stock ROM, can I
1. Unlock the bootloader
2. Flash Superuser binary & Superuser.apk
3. Perform the backup
And later, after I have flashed a new ROM, or whatever I do, as long as I didn't brick it, when I want to rollback my phone to its original, I can
1. Restore the backup
2. Delete "SU binary in system/bin" and "Superuser.apk in system/app"
3. re-lock the bootloader
Is this correct?
I don't mean to challenge you. But does adb pull \ really backup the system, or just all the files?
Thanks very much again!
midnite_

Hey midnite_,
I am a newbie too and have a lot of blank spots in my understanding of what we can do with android. I also came here with same question. I found how to root, this isn't a secret. Like you, I want to know how do I fix it if I break it.
So, with regards to your questions.
1. Unlock the bootloader
Not clear on this one, as not every tutorial even mentions this part. My feeling is that this might be specific to some phones, like HTC.
2. Flash Custom Recovery (such as AmonRa, CWR, TWRP...)
Recovery is an intermediate stage of phone booting process after bootloader but before OS.
It is there to allow OTA (Over the air) updates. During those, the OS is halted and replaced with a newer one.
What this means for us is that the recovery is capable of replacing OS (ROM - are these terms interchangeable?).
Recovery is the same as hidden partition on windows, that is sometimes present on a PC. It has a limited interface.
It can replace one OS image with another. It probably checks the checksum and creates the new one after the update. It is probably the gatekeeper.
Stock recovery will not replace OS with an image from SD card or from PC through USB. Only OTA.
This is the reason for flashing the custom (hacked) recovery on.
Custom recovery is made to allow additional options, such as allowing image sources such as PC or SD card, and also a ROM backup (write OS image to PC).
3. Flash update file using "upgrade from SD card" function of custom recovery now in place.
In this step, the Superuser.apk and bin files are placed. Stock recovery will not let us do that.
Also, I think the reason we can't just use ADB to "copy" superuser package to phone is because the system is either running or exists as an image (compressed?), and is probably protective of its modification. (So, likely the superuser package also replaces the checksum that the OS uses to check if it has been compromised?) Yes, this modifies your rom.
I assume that unrooting could be done after this by updating again with a file that removes superuser package and that would make your rom stock again.
4 OR flash custom ROM, which usually includes superuser package. Of course using custom rom means you no longer have stock rom.
To have a backup of original ROM, you would :
1 Unlock bootloader,
2 Flash (install) custom recovery
3 superuser doesn't matter here
4 Use custom recovery function to back up your stock ROM.
I want to know the answers to the rest of your questions as well as some clarifications to mine.
Personally, I am looking for a way to backup the stock recovery as well.
I know there are some people asking about this. The procedure appears to be as follows:
(pieced together so don't take it as a tutorial)
1 Unlock bootloader (again, unclear on this. Also some mention S-OFF and others don't)
2 With USB debugging allowed (meaning connect as device requiring a driver), Connect to a PC with ABD, and a driver installed.
3 From ADB, issue a command "adb boot recoveryimage.name" instead of the usual "adb flash recoveryimage.name".
This will make the phone boot into a custom recovery image that is residing on PC, without first writing it to the phone.
4 Unclear how, but make that custom recovery now being live to back up stock rom to pc.
5 Unclear how, but make that custom recovery now being live to flash either root or custom rom to the phone.
6 Disconnect, reboot the phone. Once in OS, use root privileges to mount recovery partition ? (this makes it visible as drive)
7 Don't know how, but use root privileges to back up now visible stock recovery partition to PC as image.
( This should give you two out of three original parts.)
Keep in mind that even if my peace-by-peace "know-how" ever works, there is at least one clearly faulty step:
The back up of the original state of the boot loader has been never made. I do not know if it is easily can be toggled back and forth from lock to unlock and back without leaving any trace. Also, like yourself, I probably don't quite understand what am I talking about, but I have tried to make as much sense of what I have read here and there.
This is my first smart phone, and my experience with linux is limited to building a minecraft server on MineOS, which was pre-made so that not much was required to make it run. I have "mounted" a partition for the first time last week, trying to break Win7recovery, booting it with Knoppix. This is why I think this is probably will come in play here too, as the recovery partition on W7 was hidden. Until then I didn't understand what mounting means, as windows always does it for you. So, take everything I say with a bunch of salt.
Please, let me know too, if you find out more. I want to flash the hell out of my Prism, but I want to be smart about it.

bump... midnite_ r u still around?

Hi Descent2,
Yes i am still around but i am busy with other stuffs at this moment. Thanks very much for your reply. You have studied a lot and you really did good summarisations. Very informative and I learnt a lot from it. Hope some of the masters or experienced ones would come by and bring us out of the mist
cheers,
midnite_
Descent2 said:
Hey midnite_,
I am a newbie too and have a lot of blank spots in my understanding of what we can do with android. I also came here with same question. I found how to root, this isn't a secret. Like you, I want to know how do I fix it if I break it.
So, with regards to your questions.
1. Unlock the bootloader
Not clear on this one, as not every tutorial even mentions this part. My feeling is that this might be specific to some phones, like HTC.
2. Flash Custom Recovery (such as AmonRa, CWR, TWRP...)
Recovery is an intermediate stage of phone booting process after bootloader but before OS.
It is there to allow OTA (Over the air) updates. During those, the OS is halted and replaced with a newer one.
What this means for us is that the recovery is capable of replacing OS (ROM - are these terms interchangeable?).
Recovery is the same as hidden partition on windows, that is sometimes present on a PC. It has a limited interface.
It can replace one OS image with another. It probably checks the checksum and creates the new one after the update. It is probably the gatekeeper.
Stock recovery will not replace OS with an image from SD card or from PC through USB. Only OTA.
This is the reason for flashing the custom (hacked) recovery on.
Custom recovery is made to allow additional options, such as allowing image sources such as PC or SD card, and also a ROM backup (write OS image to PC).
3. Flash update file using "upgrade from SD card" function of custom recovery now in place.
In this step, the Superuser.apk and bin files are placed. Stock recovery will not let us do that.
Also, I think the reason we can't just use ADB to "copy" superuser package to phone is because the system is either running or exists as an image (compressed?), and is probably protective of its modification. (So, likely the superuser package also replaces the checksum that the OS uses to check if it has been compromised?) Yes, this modifies your rom.
I assume that unrooting could be done after this by updating again with a file that removes superuser package and that would make your rom stock again.
4 OR flash custom ROM, which usually includes superuser package. Of course using custom rom means you no longer have stock rom.
To have a backup of original ROM, you would :
1 Unlock bootloader,
2 Flash (install) custom recovery
3 superuser doesn't matter here
4 Use custom recovery function to back up your stock ROM.
I want to know the answers to the rest of your questions as well as some clarifications to mine.
Personally, I am looking for a way to backup the stock recovery as well.
I know there are some people asking about this. The procedure appears to be as follows:
(pieced together so don't take it as a tutorial)
1 Unlock bootloader (again, unclear on this. Also some mention S-OFF and others don't)
2 With USB debugging allowed (meaning connect as device requiring a driver), Connect to a PC with ABD, and a driver installed.
3 From ADB, issue a command "adb boot recoveryimage.name" instead of the usual "adb flash recoveryimage.name".
This will make the phone boot into a custom recovery image that is residing on PC, without first writing it to the phone.
4 Unclear how, but make that custom recovery now being live to back up stock rom to pc.
5 Unclear how, but make that custom recovery now being live to flash either root or custom rom to the phone.
6 Disconnect, reboot the phone. Once in OS, use root privileges to mount recovery partition ? (this makes it visible as drive)
7 Don't know how, but use root privileges to back up now visible stock recovery partition to PC as image.
( This should give you two out of three original parts.)
Keep in mind that even if my peace-by-peace "know-how" ever works, there is at least one clearly faulty step:
The back up of the original state of the boot loader has been never made. I do not know if it is easily can be toggled back and forth from lock to unlock and back without leaving any trace. Also, like yourself, I probably don't quite understand what am I talking about, but I have tried to make as much sense of what I have read here and there.
This is my first smart phone, and my experience with linux is limited to building a minecraft server on MineOS, which was pre-made so that not much was required to make it run. I have "mounted" a partition for the first time last week, trying to break Win7recovery, booting it with Knoppix. This is why I think this is probably will come in play here too, as the recovery partition on W7 was hidden. Until then I didn't understand what mounting means, as windows always does it for you. So, take everything I say with a bunch of salt.
Please, let me know too, if you find out more. I want to flash the hell out of my Prism, but I want to be smart about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

check here
All your answers can be found here: [REF] [GUIDE] Welcome to your device, the Galaxy S III. For more XDA related issues check here: [GUIDE] - XDA New User Guide - Getting started on XDA
Good Luck!
mf2112
XDA Moderator
ASharpEdge said:
Hello all this is my first post here...woohoo!:fingers-crossed: This forum is amazing as to the amount of information available. I just wish that in looking for what I need to do I did not need to look in so many places. I feel that if I want to root my T-Mobile GS3 that all the information should be in one subsection of the forum, but it is not that simple I guess....lol Anyway any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have a Samsung GS3 with T-Mobile that I want to root. Everyone says to back up the phone before you do it but I am not really seeing how to make a backup before I start. It appears that most of the guides to root just say to backup without telling you how to fo it. Another thing (correct me if I am wrong) I see the nandroid backup that I think is a backup of the phone however it seems to be done after you make changes to the phone and I thought the backup was supposed to be done before you do anything. Is it that there is not a way to make a complete backup with an unrooted phone?
My question is basically the same as the OP here. I have been reading and reading and reading posts here in the forum. There is much information here and much of it is duplicated with slight variances in some of the duplicates. I am not certain as to which rooting method I should use. There seem to be so many choices. As a new person to this forum I will say that you can find just about everything about any phone which is awesome. The hard thing is sifting through the many options to pick one to use for your issue.
I do see that Mr. Robinson has a thread with backups of the original roms. The only thing is that they are default roms that are like an out of the box phone and not my phone with my apps and my settings. That is what I want to backup...My phone with my settings and my apps.
:good: Thank you in advance for any one that can shed some light on this for me and the OP'er
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thanks mf2112. But those resources are seem only for GS3. And it seems it is not teaching us to backup our stock ROMs, it provides stock ROMs for us to download instead. Is there a general way to backup our stock ROMs?
Thanks,
midnite_
mf2112 said:
All your answers can be found here: [REF] [GUIDE] Welcome to your device, the Galaxy S III. For more XDA related issues check here: [GUIDE] - XDA New User Guide - Getting started on XDA
Good Luck!
mf2112
XDA Moderator
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

You must unlock your bootloader then flash a custom recovery. You will then use that custom recovery to make a backup of your rom. That backup will be stored on your sd card.
Now, I have tried to help you and so have a couple other folks. You expect us to just give you answers step by step. I am sorry but this is simply not how XDA works. XDA is set up in a way which makes it for any users to find quickly what they want to know. Use the search feature on the site and you will find many answers. I tell you to go do your own research now and be proud of what you learn on your own. And if you cannot, please do not try to modify your phone further, you may just brick it if you aren't careful.

midnite_ said:
Thanks mf2112. But those resources are seem only for GS3. And it seems it is not teaching us to backup our stock ROMs, it provides stock ROMs for us to download instead. Is there a general way to backup our stock ROMs?
Thanks,
midnite_
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I put in the GS3 links since the OP was using that phone. Every phone will be different so I don't think a general way or guide would be practical.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using xda premium

Database Info

welcome