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I know its something fairly simple, but for the newbies out there, here's a simple walkthrough I made for how to flash a custom ROM on your Android phone. If there are any improvements I can make, let me know How to Flash a Custom ROM on Android
Benefits of Flashing a Custom ROM
While you’ll end up seeing a lot of benefits from custom ROMs, they all probably fall under 3 main areas:
Better Performance – You’ll be able to overclock Android or even see it built in with the ROM as well as see overall performance increases from various tweaks
Better Battery Life – One of the first things people do when rooting is remove stock apps. Don’t know how? Most developers have the apps already removed in their ROMs. Additionally, various system tweaks and improved kernels, as well as undervolting Android help to drastically improve Android battery life.
Better Overall Experience – Try other versions of Android such as those found on other phones that have been ported to yours; stay up to date with updates and new features; try out different Android themes, etc.
All in all, there are a LOT of benefits you’ll get from using a custom ROM on Android, so wait no more, here’s How to Flash a Custom ROM on Android.
Basic Steps
Choose the ROM that you want and download its .zip file
Transfer the zip file to your phone's sd card. Do not put it into any folder.
Turn off your phone and reboot into recovery, usually by holding the down button and power button at the same time.
Do a Nandroid backup
Wipe the phone by clear cache/factory restore and wiping dalvik cache
Flash the zip file that you put on your sd card
Reboot phone
tl;dr
this should probably go in the wiki.
[email protected] said:
tl;dr
this should probably go in the wiki.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is, but its still gotta be posted in a thread.
djR3Z said:
It is, but its still gotta be posted in a thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh i wasn't saying it didn't belong here lol. This will prove helpful I am sure. Thanks in advance for all the people it helps
[email protected] said:
Oh i wasn't saying it didn't belong here lol. This will prove helpful I am sure. Thanks in advance for all the people it helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ohh I gotcha Well thanks man
how do you:
Wipe the phone by clear cache/factory restore and wiping dalvik cache
how do you wipe dalvik cache?
Also...
I downloaded Azrael v2.41
am I suppose to rename the .zip file from Azrael_v2.41_by_Ricsim78 to PC36IMG.zip?
I once renamed it to PC36IMG.zip and it would not read it and ask me to flash..
dongator7 said:
how do you:
Wipe the phone by clear cache/factory restore and wiping dalvik cache
how do you wipe dalvik cache?
Also...
I downloaded Azrael v2.41
am I suppose to rename the .zip file from Azrael_v2.41_by_Ricsim78 to PC36IMG.zip?
I once renamed it to PC36IMG.zip and it would not read it and ask me to flash..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're rooted, I recommend flashing to Amon Ra Recovery.
When you boot into Recovery, go into the Wipe section, there are options there to "wipe factory restore" and "wipe dalvik cache"
After you do that, go back to the main screen in Recovery mode and find where it says "flash from zip file" (or something along those lines), then navigate to where you have the Azrael zip file.
I was in the same boat you're in, just 2 days ago. I've been reading these forums nonstop for 2 days now
I did the wipe..but I'm not exactly sure how to "flash from zip"
can't find that...
and still wondering if I have to rename anything
dongator7 said:
I did the wipe..but I'm not exactly sure how to "flash from zip"
can't find that...
and still wondering if I have to rename anything
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't have to rename anything.
What recovery are you using - Amon Ra or Clockwork
- If you wiped and performed a NANDROID backup, then select the option of "FLASH ZIP FROM SD CARD". Then you should see the .zip file of the ROM you downloaded, select that, confirm, and once done reboot.
Good to go!
there's so many guides..some are outdated and such
I don't have root access. Still trying to get to that part before flashing.
Already performed a wiped. Now I'm stuck and don't know how to perform a proper root since all the pc36img are outdated.
I have hboot 0.97.0000
dumb question but... after i flash from zip when do i then restore the nandroid??
DJ_Bizarro said:
dumb question but... after i flash from zip when do i then restore the nandroid??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After you flash a ROM, you don't need to restore the nandroid. The Nandroid back up is an image of your system at the time you do the back up. You would only restore the Nandroid when you want to go back to the version on the backup.
What I do with a ROM is load it, then get everything working the way I want it to and then do a back up of it. Can then go back to it whenever you want to after trying out more ROM's.
dongator7 said:
there's so many guides..some are outdated and such
I don't have root access. Still trying to get to that part before flashing.
Already performed a wiped. Now I'm stuck and don't know how to perform a proper root since all the pc36img are outdated.
I have hboot 0.97.0000
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried this simple, easy to use root method?
Unrevoked
I've flashed a few roms now (masters stock rooted voodoo versions of nexus s firmware) and every time I do the boot logo just keeps on going until I do a battery pull and reboot, and then it's ok.
It's not a problem, I just wondered why this happens??
did you wipe dalvik, factory settings, cache?
did you change the kernel?
zephiK said:
did you wipe dalvik, factory settings, cache?
did you change the kernel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. These roms don't wipe anything and I don't want to lose my stuff. I don't think you are meant to wipe with them either.
buachaille said:
No. These roms don't wipe anything and I don't want to lose my stuff. I don't think you are meant to wipe with them either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was asking if YOU did wipe them because if you're going from one ROM to the other ROM you are supposed to wipe.
You lose your settings and apps. Back them up using Titanium Backup (Or any other related app).
Or.. better yet, just perform a nandroid backup. After that, wipe those 3 and reboot. See if the problem is resolved, if it is then you already know. If not then nandroid restore.
If you're going from one ROM to a completely different ROM made by someone else, you have to wipe data/factory settings!
If you're flashing an updated version of the current rom you're using, wipe cache/dalvik-cache.
If you're flashing different roms every other day, go buy Titanium Backup to backup your apps/settings.
And uh what ROM are u flashing where "you're not meant to wipe"
-Nexus S
nxt said:
If you're going from one ROM to a completely different ROM made by someone else, you have to wipe data/factory settings!
If you're flashing an updated version of the current rom you're using, wipe cache/dalvik-cache.
If you're flashing different roms every other day, go buy Titanium Backup to backup your apps/settings.
And uh what ROM are u flashing where "you're not meant to wipe"
-Nexus S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am new to this so I'm still getting my head around it.
From stock I went to the rooted voodoo version of this - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=971690.
From there I went to the stock rooted version of this - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=979851
In both cases it says:
Rom Information:
Does it wipe: No
Does it flash the radio: Yes
So since they don't wipe, I assumed I shouldn't wipe anything, but it looks like I was wrong. From your post it looks like I should have wiped the cache and dalvik cache. I know how to do this in CW but I've never done it and my roms are working fine.
So next time master releases an update I gather I should wipe cache and dalvik cache yeah?
Also, when I do this will it remove any of my settings or apps?
Hope you can answer these questions, and thanks for advice so far.
<<edit>>
Just did a bit of googling and it looks like you don't lose settings when you wipe dalvik cache and cache, so what does actually get removed.
There is a thread stickied in development called ref roms themes and kernels. It gives step by step directions on how to flash all three including what should be wiped. Check it out
Sent from my MattedBlues CM7 Nexus S from the XDA Premium app.
It says:
Does it wipe: No
Does it flash the radio: Yes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
because its saying that the ROM doesn't wipe. Some ROMs are built in a way so that it automatically wipes your phone to ensure best performance. The creator is just saying that it doesn't do that BUT you need to wipe. The keyword does and need are two different things. The basic concept between going from 1 ROM to another (unless its the same ROM series) requires a wipe in all three: dalvik, cache, factory. If you're going from the same ROM to a newer version and encounter bugs, its best if you wipe.
I'm a more advanced user when it comes to Android since the first Android phone. I know what I'm talking about. When you go from stock ROM to another, its going to have bugs if you don't wipe.
If you're using Axura 1.1.1.0 and its fine, and he releases a new version. You can flash without wiping (but you can wipe cache & dalvik to be safe; none of your settings will be wiped). Wiping factory settings is the only one that will wipe your settings / apps.
If you're going to be a flasher, its best if you purchase Titanium Backup Pro (or MyBackup.. but I highly recommend Titanium Backup). Use this program and it will save all of your apps + settings to them. Just don't use it to save SYSTEM apps/files because it will cause FCs.
Dalvik Cache / Cache.. its nothing you need to know in particular. It's just removing cache that your phone set up to increase speeds. It just wipes them and gets the Android system to re-establish them. So no caches from the previous ROM will carry over onto the new one.
EDIT: n/m..............
zephiK said:
It says:
because its saying that the ROM doesn't wipe. Some ROMs are built in a way so that it automatically wipes your phone to ensure best performance. The creator is just saying that it doesn't do that BUT you need to wipe. The keyword does and need are two different things. The basic concept between going from 1 ROM to another (unless its the same ROM series) requires a wipe in all three: dalvik, cache, factory. If you're going from the same ROM to a newer version and encounter bugs, its best if you wipe.
I'm a more advanced user when it comes to Android since the first Android phone. I know what I'm talking about. When you go from stock ROM to another, its going to have bugs if you don't wipe.
If you're using Axura 1.1.1.0 and its fine, and he releases a new version. You can flash without wiping (but you can wipe cache & dalvik to be safe; none of your settings will be wiped). Wiping factory settings is the only one that will wipe your settings / apps.
If you're going to be a flasher, its best if you purchase Titanium Backup Pro (or MyBackup.. but I highly recommend Titanium Backup). Use this program and it will save all of your apps + settings to them. Just don't use it to save SYSTEM apps/files because it will cause FCs.
Dalvik Cache / Cache.. its nothing you need to know in particular. It's just removing cache that your phone set up to increase speeds. It just wipes them and gets the Android system to re-establish them. So no caches from the previous ROM will carry over onto the new one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a very helpful post and clears a lot up. Many thanks. Looks like I had better do it again and do it right this time.
I've got titanium backup. Bought it after I rooted, but never restored with it yet. Also, thanks for the info about no saving system files with it, as I currently do have it setup to backup all user apps and system data, so I will have to change that. I gather I should just change it to all user apps??
buachaille said:
That is a very helpful post and clears a lot up. Many thanks. Looks like I had better do it again and do it right this time.
I've got titanium backup. Bought it after I rooted, but never restored with it yet. Also, thanks for the info about no saving system files with it, as I currently do have it setup to backup all user apps and system data, so I will have to change that. I gather I should just change it to all user apps??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Backup all user apps is the one you want to do. You can backup bookmarks using Google sync or a app known as BookmarkSB
If you have system apps backed up, delete all backups using batch and reapply user app backup
zephiK said:
Backup all user apps is the one you want to do. You can backup bookmarks using Google sync or a app known as BookmarkSB
If you have system apps backed up, delete all backups using batch and reapply user app backup
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your help. I reflashed the rom and I did it properly this time. Had a bit of a problem with TB restore as I'm a noob but Joel from TB answered an email I sent him very quickly and I got it sorted (thanks joel).
How long does it take to flash a rom once you get good at it? Took me a while tonight because of mistakes.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
buachaille said:
Thanks for your help. I reflashed the rom and I did it properly this time. Had a bit of a problem with TB restore as I'm a noob but Joel from TB answered an email I sent him very quickly and I got it sorted (thanks joel).
How long does it take to flash a rom once you get good at it? Took me a while tonight because of mistakes.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can usually get from booting into recovery to having a usable device with most everything set up in about...10 minutes? Assuming I already downloaded the ROM lol sometimes those mirrors are slooooooow.
Have you ever installed a ROM that AUTOMATICALLY wiped your data when you installed it? Some ROM's have commands in their updater scripts that will AUTOMATICALLY wipe your data during the ROMs install process regardless if you chose not to wipe data before the install. This was frustrating to me because I did not want to have to go through the process of resetting up my device when I was only updating to the current version of the ROM I already had on my device.
It is always better to wipe completely before installing a new ROM, however there may be instances when you do not want to do that (i.e. upgrading from ROM version 1.1 to version 1.2, etc.). I recommend doing a full wipe when installing a new ROM however, I like to have the option to not do a full wipe and preserve my data and my system setup and not have the ROM automatically wipe my data.
If my ROM runs fine without wiping data then I like the convenience of not having to re-install all of my apps and system settings. If I find that the ROM is not behaving correctly after updating then I will go back and do a fresh install with a full wipe.
So if you have a ROM that AUTOMATICALLY wipes your data then this is how to modify the ROM so that it will not automatically wipe your data upon installing. It is very easy to do. Follow these instructions:
Navigate to the directory where your ROM is saved on your computer.
Open the ROM zip file with a zip application of your choice.
Navigate to the "META-INF>com>google>android" folder.
Extract the "updater-script" file.
Open this file with the Notepad application in Windows.
Locate this line in the text *format("ext3", "EMMC", "/dev/block/mmcblk0p26");*. It is usually somewhat near the beginning of all of the text in file.
Delete that line (note: the line will not have the * symbols before and after so just delete the line in between *'s)
Save the file but do not choose "Save as". Make note of the directory where the file was saved.
If your zip application does not ask to save the edited file automatically into the ROM zip file then re-add that file back into the ROM zip file in the original directory/folder where the file existed in the ROM zip file.
Copy the ROM zip file to your phone SD card.
Boot into recovery and install the ROM zip without manually wiping data.
Do not remove any other text lines or text characters from this file other than what is in between the *'s from the above instructions. There are no spaces in between any of the commands in the updater-script so keep the same character formatting in the file. Also, use Notepad in Windows (or a text editor in Mac; I do not know what that application is called on a Mac) for editing this file and do not use a word processing application (such as Word). Word processing applications can sometimes add hidden formatting in the text that you do not want.
This is for use with custom ROM's for the Thunderbolt. I do not know if this will work for other devices. Always make a backup before using this mod/change.
This mod/change only prevents the ROM itself from AUTOMATICALLY formatting and wiping your data upon installing. It does nothing else other than that. If the ROM itself does not AUTOMATICALLY wipe data during the install process then there is no need to use this. I have tested this successfully multiple times without issue.
The usual disclaimer applies to making this or any other modification to your device. I am not responsible for any damage this may cause to your device. Use at your own risk. However, if you made a backup then you should be fine.
I have searched the internet and the forums and did not find any instructions on how to do this so I made this post. If something like this has been posted before I apologize for cluttering the forum. Also, if I posted in the wrong forum I also apologize.
Hope this helps anyone who has this issue.
Very nice. Although I've had bad luck not wiping.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
Have had random issues not wiping I always do now even if rom says it will do it...
Sent from my BURNTH3ORYX using Tapatalk
If wiping is to much of a hassle for you then you shouldn't be flashing roms. The only time not flashing work is an update to a Rom. If its to much of a hassle to set things up then its going to be a bigger hassle when you run into problems and have to re-flash you Rom and wipe data, or just restore Nandroid because your to lazy (sometime you just don't have the time, I've been in this situation. What you do is just wait until you do, problem solved)
eraursls1984 said:
If wiping is to much of a hassle for you then you shouldn't be flashing roms. The only time not flashing work is an update to a Rom. If its to much of a hassle to set things up then its going to be a bigger hassle when you run into problems and have to re-flash you Rom and wipe data, or just restore Nandroid because your to lazy (sometime you just don't have the time, I've been in this situation. What you do is just wait until you do, problem solved)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sometimes I have had the pleasure of screwing something up while toying with settings, where a quick install of the same rom over the current install is an easy fix. This makes that possible on roms that auto wipe... its a GOOD thing.
Morkai Almandragon said:
Sometimes I have had the pleasure of screwing something up while toying with settings, where a quick install of the same rom over the current install is an easy fix. This makes that possible on roms that auto wipe... its a GOOD thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see your point, and I have flashed an untouched Rom over one that I themed and something got screwy, many times. I guess I haven't stuck with any Rom that had auto wipe for more than a day before I'm back to a better Rom.
Awesome and thanks... definitely use for me.
Chingy provides similar instructions for his ROMs on his site. It's useful if you, say tweak a kernel setting or fat finger something and the ROM goes unstable and all you really want to do is reflash the kernel, but the kernel, like Ziggy's, is only available in the ROM itself. Flashing one ROM over the exact same ROM shouldn't cause problems and this does have practical use in fixing problems. I'm gonna also the thanks button for it on behalf of someone that didn't know this, used it, and didn't thank back.
snicklet said:
Have you ever installed a ROM that AUTOMATICALLY wiped your data when you installed it? Some ROM's have commands in their updater scripts that will AUTOMATICALLY wipe your data during the ROMs install process regardless if you chose not to wipe data before the install. This was frustrating to me because I did not want to have to go through the process of resetting up my device when I was only updating to the current version of the ROM I already had on my device.
It is always better to wipe completely before installing a new ROM, however there may be instances when you do not want to do that (i.e. upgrading from ROM version 1.1 to version 1.2, etc.). I recommend doing a full wipe when installing a new ROM however, I like to have the option to not do a full wipe and preserve my data and my system setup and not have the ROM automatically wipe my data.
If my ROM runs fine without wiping data then I like the convenience of not having to re-install all of my apps and system settings. If I find that the ROM is not behaving correctly after updating then I will go back and do a fresh install with a full wipe.
So if you have a ROM that AUTOMATICALLY wipes your data then this is how to modify the ROM so that it will not automatically wipe your data upon installing. It is very easy to do. Follow these instructions:
Navigate to the directory where your ROM is saved on your computer.
Open the ROM zip file with a zip application of your choice.
Navigate to the "META-INF>com>google>android" folder.
Extract the "updater-script" file.
Open this file with the Notepad application in Windows.
Locate this line in the text *format("ext3", "EMMC", "/dev/block/mmcblk0p26");*. It is usually somewhat near the beginning of all of the text in file.
Delete that line (note: the line will not have the * symbols before and after so just delete the line in between *'s)
Save the file but do not choose "Save as". Make note of the directory where the file was saved.
If your zip application does not ask to save the edited file automatically into the ROM zip file then re-add that file back into the ROM zip file in the original directory/folder where the file existed in the ROM zip file.
Copy the ROM zip file to your phone SD card.
Boot into recovery and install the ROM zip without manually wiping data.
Do not remove any other text lines or text characters from this file other than what is in between the *'s from the above instructions. There are no spaces in between any of the commands in the updater-script so keep the same character formatting in the file. Also, use Notepad in Windows (or a text editor in Mac; I do not know what that application is called on a Mac) for editing this file and do not use a word processing application (such as Word). Word processing applications can sometimes add hidden formatting in the text that you do not want.
This is for use with custom ROM's for the Thunderbolt. I do not know if this will work for other devices. Always make a backup before using this mod/change.
This mod/change only prevents the ROM itself from AUTOMATICALLY formatting and wiping your data upon installing. It does nothing else other than that. If the ROM itself does not AUTOMATICALLY wipe data during the install process then there is no need to use this. I have tested this successfully multiple times without issue.
The usual disclaimer applies to making this or any other modification to your device. I am not responsible for any damage this may cause to your device. Use at your own risk. However, if you made a backup then you should be fine.
I have searched the internet and the forums and did not find any instructions on how to do this so I made this post. If something like this has been posted before I apologize for cluttering the forum. Also, if I posted in the wrong forum I also apologize.
Hope this helps anyone who has this issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for posting this. I have to different format commands, one that is 26 and one that is 25. Do I only delete the 26 one?
You always always need to Wipe for best performance.... Always. Period
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
ajftl said:
You always always need to Wipe for best performance.... Always. Period
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your running the same EXACT version, not even a minor update, then its fine to flash without a wipe, but that's the only time you can do so.
Only the 26.
nrfitchett4 said:
thanks for posting this. I have to different format commands, one that is 26 and one that is 25. Do I only delete the 26 one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only the 26. Leave all the others.
snicklet said:
Only the 26. Leave all the others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks, guesses that was the way to go. Worked without problems.
hi
Ive just installed Cleanrom, and it seems slower than the stock rom i used before.
I wonder if i should have done a system format in cwm, as doing this for Slimbean on my SGS helped quite a bit...
thanks
geoslake said:
hi
Ive just installed Cleanrom, and it seems slower than the stock rom i used before.
I wonder if i should have done a system format in cwm, as doing this for Slimbean on my SGS helped quite a bit...
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Format system is when you delete your ROM, if you want a clean install, yeah you should format system. This also depends on what ROM you want to flash. If you're going to flash stock, format system is good. I do it all the time when I flash stock
But I can also do it whatever the rom, right ? I mean if I upgrade from Cleanrom from 3.03 to 3.04, I cannot go wrong doing that ? (although they don't talk about formatting system in the guidelines).
Thank you
Format system is when you delete your ROM, if you want a clean install, yeah you should format system. This also depends on what ROM you want to flash. If you're going to flash stock, format system is good. I do it all the time when I flash stock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
format system basically deletes all your system apps, which really isn't worth to do in an update from v3.0.3 to 3.0.4 - if it's a big update with many more apps included maybe it's worth, but otherways it's waste of time...
-angel* said:
format system basically deletes all your system apps, which really isn't worth to do in an update from v3.0.3 to 3.0.4 - if it's a big update with many more apps included maybe it's worth, but otherways it's waste of time...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
System app? When I use twrp it said wipe system removes ROM, I guess on cwm is called format system.
Well, I guess "format system" should format system (=wipe the os i guess), not remove apps...
geoslake said:
Well, I guess "format system" should format system (=wipe the os i guess), not remove apps...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm why don't you use twrp. It's much better haha
Tamaskan said:
Hmmm why don't you use twrp. It's much better haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guess so, I guess its no problem to overwrite CWM with TWRP (as long as I load the right version, that is, JB as im on Cleanrom Inheritance 2.7.2)...
Format system on twrp and cwm means the same thing.
When you flash any ROM, all it does is place everything in the /system partition, and sometimes a kernel is also flashed.. this partition contains all files that make up android. All the apps that come with roms, all mods, themes, framework.. everything is here.
When /system is wiped, it deletes all these files to make way for a new rom. Most roms wipe system automatically when they get flashed anyway :good:
However, I think that cleanrom 3.0.3 is a dependancy for 3.0.4, this means that 3.0.4 requires the 3.0.3 system files to work properly. Check the cleanrom changelog or install instructions
Sent from my GT-I9100
Nothing happens, it just clears your data.
Tamaskan said:
System app? When I use twrp it said wipe system removes ROM, I guess on cwm is called format system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry, I was thinking of /system/app lol
I think the updates should rule that themselves that they delete the unnecessary things of an old version, so it's only recommended if you change your ROM or update to a ROM based on a later Android Version (4.1 to 4.2 or vice versa) or from AOSP to stock...
Otherwise it's just waste of time I think, I never used it and never had problems, so I think it's pretty good ruled in the updater scripts of the ROMs
Hi, I'm kinda at my wit's end with this problem that I'm currently facing and would very much appreciate some help. For some background, I'm on a Oneplus 7 Pro running stock firmware (OOS 11.0.7.1). I originally was planning on installing a Magisk module to spoof my device (Pixelify) to gain Pixel features. I noticed that one of the features was patching over the Android System Intelligence. It didn't work out the way I was expecting and I decided to uninstall the module. That went fine, but I wanted to make sure I was on the correct version of Android System Intelligence as well, so afterwards, I went into settings and "uninstalled all updates" to the app, which I assumed would have reset that particular app back to the version that originally shipped with the device.
Now, here's where the problem began. I restarted my device and I ended up sitting on the boot animation screen for over 20 mins. At that point, I knew something was wrong as it still hadn't booted into the system yet. I went into TWRP and decided to do a full reflash of the ROM (without wiping my data) and reflashed magisk as well. No luck either, still stuck at the infinite boot. So I went a step further and dirty flashed again without reinstalling magisk to see if it might have been any other modules not playing nice. Of course, that didn't work either and I'm still currently bootlooping. It's been going for the past 3 hours now...
In any case, would anyone have any suggestions on what I can do without doing a full wipe? I have access to TWRP and decrypting works fine. All of my files seem intact at the moment and from what I see, the ROM is has installed mostly fine, just something is causing it to hang during boot. Is there any way I can view the code running in the background during boot to see what's causing it to hang? Or maybe some other potential solution that I could try?
HunterBlade said:
Hi, I'm kinda at my wit's end with this problem that I'm currently facing and would very much appreciate some help. For some background, I'm on a Oneplus 7 Pro running stock firmware (OOS 11.0.7.1). I originally was planning on installing a Magisk module to spoof my device (Pixelify) to gain Pixel features. I noticed that one of the features was patching over the Android System Intelligence. It didn't work out the way I was expecting and I decided to uninstall the module. That went fine, but I wanted to make sure I was on the correct version of Android System Intelligence as well, so afterwards, I went into settings and "uninstalled all updates" to the app, which I assumed would have reset that particular app back to the version that originally shipped with the device.
Now, here's where the problem began. I restarted my device and I ended up sitting on the boot animation screen for over 20 mins. At that point, I knew something was wrong as it still hadn't booted into the system yet. I went into TWRP and decided to do a full reflash of the ROM (without wiping my data) and reflashed magisk as well. No luck either, still stuck at the infinite boot. So I went a step further and dirty flashed again without reinstalling magisk to see if it might have been any other modules not playing nice. Of course, that didn't work either and I'm still currently bootlooping. It's been going for the past 3 hours now...
In any case, would anyone have any suggestions on what I can do without doing a full wipe? I have access to TWRP and decrypting works fine. All of my files seem intact at the moment and from what I see, the ROM is has installed mostly fine, just something is causing it to hang during boot. Is there any way I can view the code running in the background during boot to see what's causing it to hang? Or maybe some other potential solution that I could try?
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When you removed the magisk module and uninstalled the updates, did you boot into TWRP and wipe your cache and dalvik cache(but not factory reset or wipe data partition)? If you didn't wipe cache or dalvik, try booting into TWRP and wipe cache and dalvik cache(but DO NOT factory reset). To wipe cache and dalvik cache, boot into TWRP and sekect the Wipe option, then select "advanced wipes", you'll see a list of partitions, select only the cache and dalvik partitions(do not select any other partitions) then swipe the slider to initiate the wipe, when it finishes, reboot your device, it might take 10 or 20 minutes to boot because it has to rebuild the cache and dalvik cache with the new changes that you've made.
Generally, when making changes to the system partition, booting into recovery after making the changes and wiping cache is required in order for the device to load the system with the changes that were made instead of continiung to load cached data from before the changes were made, this tends to cause issues because the device is loading cached data that it can't use or understand anymore. Also, reflashing your ROM without wiping cache and dalvik cache would not solve this issue. You should do this any time you add/remove/modify/delete/uninstall/edit anything at all in the system partition, even if you only changed one tiny thing, you still need to boot into recovery then wipe cache and dalvik cache then reboot to apply the changes. This is not required when changing things in the user partition but it is absolutely vital that you do it when changing anything involved in the system partition.
Droidriven said:
When you removed the magisk module and uninstalled the updates, did you boot into TWRP and wipe your cache and dalvik cache(but not factory reset or wipe data partition)? If you didn't wipe cache or dalvik, try booting into TWRP and wipe cache and dalvik cache(but DO NOT factory reset). To wipe cache and dalvik cache, boot into TWRP and sekect the Wipe option, then select "advanced wipes", you'll see a list of partitions, select only the cache and dalvik partitions(do not select any other partitions) then swipe the slider to initiate the wipe, when it finishes, reboot your device, it might take 10 or 20 minutes to boot because it has to rebuild the cache and dalvik cache with the new changes that you've made.
Generally, when making changes to the system partition, booting into recovery after making the changes and wiping cache is required in order for the device to load the system with the changes that were made instead of continiung to load cached data from before the changes were made, this tends to cause issues because the device is loading cached data that it can't use or understand anymore. Also, reflashing your ROM without wiping cache and dalvik cache would not solve this issue. You should do this any time you add/remove/modify/delete/uninstall/edit anything at all in the system partition, even if you only changed one tiny thing, you still need to boot into recovery then wipe cache and dalvik cache then reboot to apply the changes. This is not required when changing things in the user partition but it is absolutely vital that you do it when changing anything involved in the system partition.
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Thanks for the response! Unfortunately, I already wiped the dalvik cache after I reflashed my ROM yesterday and it didn't end up being able to boot. Since the OnePlus 7 Pro is an a/b device, there's no other cache partition to wipe.
I ended up leaving it to run on the boot animation screen until it ran out of battery (just to see what would happen). Besides for the phone becoming burning hot to the touch, it just stayed at that screen for another hour or 2 before it finally ran out of battery. This leads me to believe that it's definitely doing something in the background at that time, but just not sure what.
Edit: Just for some extra context, I also created a flashable zip of the latest OEM version of the Android System Intelligence APK and flashed it to system/app through twrp. Since I'm not able to boot to unlock my device, I thought this was the only way to install the app. In any case, it didn't make a difference either. Not sure if this means maybe the APK wasn't the issue or if this just didn't install the app the way I was expecting. No error codes when flashing the zip though.
HunterBlade said:
Thanks for the response! Unfortunately, I already wiped the dalvik cache after I reflashed my ROM yesterday and it didn't end up being able to boot. Since the OnePlus 7 Pro is an a/b device, there's no other cache partition to wipe.
I ended up leaving it to run on the boot animation screen until it ran out of battery (just to see what would happen). Besides for the phone becoming burning hot to the touch, it just stayed at that screen for another hour or 2 before it finally ran out of battery. This leads me to believe that it's definitely doing something in the background at that time, but just not sure what.
Edit: Just for some extra context, I also created a flashable zip of the latest OEM version of the Android System Intelligence APK and flashed it to system/app through twrp. Since I'm not able to boot to unlock my device, I thought this was the only way to install the app. In any case, it didn't make a difference either. Not sure if this means maybe the APK wasn't the issue or if this just didn't install the app the way I was expecting. No error codes when flashing the zip though.
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Use TWRP to create a backup of your device in its current state, then try to extract the data from the backup, if the data is intact, it can be restored once you get the device working. If your data is intact in the backup, you can do a full system and data wipe via TWRP then reflash your ROM then restore the data that you want restored. This "should" get you back to where you want to be. Be careful, be certain of what you do at every step or you may end up losing data or not being able to get it to work while at the same time be able to keep your previous data.
Droidriven said:
Use TWRP to create a backup of your device in its current state, then try to extract the data from the backup, if the data is intact, it can be restored once you get the device working. If your data is intact in the backup, you can do a full system and data wipe via TWRP then reflash your ROM then restore the data that you want restored. This "should" get you back to where you want to be. Be careful, be certain of what you do at every step or you may end up losing data or not being able to get it to work while at the same time be able to keep your previous data.
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Just finished backing up my data through TWRP and and did a full reformat of my device. After reflashing my ROM, I was back up and running! So thanks for the tip! However, after restoring the data partition, I realized that the issue was with the data partition specifically rather than on the system side as I had the same problem again. So I cleared the data partition again but kept data/media (internal storage) intact, and just like that, the device booted just fine this time.
Would you have any suggestions on what I could do to to troubleshoot the data partition? I have some important app info that I need to get the data back from.
Or if not, do you know how to capture logs from a failed boot?
HunterBlade said:
Just finished backing up my data through TWRP and and did a full reformat of my device. After reflashing my ROM, I was back up and running! So thanks for the tip! However, after restoring the data partition, I realized that the issue was with the data partition specifically rather than on the system side as I had the same problem again. So I cleared the data partition again but kept data/media (internal storage) intact, and just like that, the device booted just fine this time.
Would you have any suggestions on what I could do to to troubleshoot the data partition? I have some important app info that I need to get the data back from.
Or if not, do you know how to capture logs from a failed boot?
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Logs from logcat do not persist through reboot. You need to look at your last_kmsg file, kmsg persists after reboot and it should capture the issue. If you have important app data, it should have been stored in data/media in your Android/(name of app) folder and your apps should be in data/data/app folder.
In the future, I recommend booting into TWRP and creating a backup before you make any kind of changes to your device, then, if the change causes an issue you can just boot into TWRP and restore the backup, this will put you back to what you had right before you made the change. Then you can troubleshoot what caused the issue and find a solution to how to apply your change without causing the issue again.
Droidriven said:
Logs from logcat do not persist through reboot. You need to look at your last_kmsg file, kmsg persists after reboot and it should capture the issue. If you have important app data, it should have been stored in data/media in your Android/(name of app) folder and your apps should be in data/data/app folder.
In the future, I recommend booting into TWRP and creating a backup before you make any kind of changes to your device, then, if the change causes an issue you can just boot into TWRP and restore the backup, this will put you back to what you had right before you made the change. Then you can troubleshoot what caused the issue and find a solution to how to apply your change without causing the issue again.
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Yeah, lesson learned with that. I'm just glad I was able to backup my data in TWRP, which means I should theoretically be able to extract them back out again if I really need them. But back to the topic, I did check my last_kmsg file and it was unfortunately empty.
What I did do though was since I still have access to my recovery, I pushed my PC's adb keys to my device to be able to execute the command and grab a logcat during boot.
Could you by any chance take a look at the file (it's a onedrive preview link) to see if you might be able to notice the issue? I'm going into the territory of Googling everything and I was just completely lost when I looked at the file as I have no idea which errors actually matter and which ones don't. Thanks in advance!
HunterBlade said:
Yeah, lesson learned with that. I'm just glad I was able to backup my data in TWRP, which means I should theoretically be able to extract them back out again if I really need them. But back to the topic, I did check my last_kmsg file and it was unfortunately empty.
What I did do though was since I still have access to my recovery, I pushed my PC's adb keys to my device to be able to execute the command and grab a logcat during boot.
Could you by any chance take a look at the file (it's a onedrive preview link) to see if you might be able to notice the issue? I'm going into the territory of Googling everything and I was just completely lost when I looked at the file as I have no idea which errors actually matter and which ones don't. Thanks in advance.
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Too many errors for me to volunteer my time to figure out.
All I can say is, at each line that reports an error, it states the error then lists the service(s) or app(s) that are involved in or effected by that error, everything listed after the error all the way down the list to the next error are related to that error.
Do a Google search for each error and the name of the package that immediately follows that error.
Droidriven said:
Too many errors for me to volunteer my time to figure out.
All I can say is, at each line that reports an error, it states the error then lists the service(s) or app(s) that are involved in or effected by that error, everything listed after the error all the way down the list to the next error are related to that error.
Do a Google search for each error and the name of the package that immediately follows that error.
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No worries, totally understandable. I think Titanium Backup might actually be my saving grace, as it's able to read TWRP files as well. So all I have to do is run my backup through that and have it directly restore my data. In any case, appreciate the advice you've given so far!
you might probably found a fix but you're supposed to put the other os in the internal storage and not the micro sd card since it wont detect bootable drives just like on a pc and if u didnt install the os on the sd card then you can search for a boot unlocker which can unlock your phone from the infinite boot based on your phone and os
have a good day