[Q] Recoveries, and the different levels of recovery - Eee Pad Transformer Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting
Hi all,
i'm stressing out a little, mainly due to what I think is a lack of understanding on my part. I have a B70 Transformer with SBKv2, which basically means flashing stock via NVFlash is right out. Now, i'm slightly OCD when it comes to my devices, and I like to know exactly how certain procedures and processes work. So, i'll detail how I think it works, and if someone could correct me, that'd be great. From what I can tell in android, their are 3 levels of factory restoring/recovery.
1) The Factory Reset
So, from what I can tell, the factory reset boots into a special recovery mode, calls upon a hidden recovery partition and simply overwrites all FILES (not partitions) in the system partitions.
2) The Firmware flash
The firmware flash (this calls from experience with samsung devices) boots into a lower level recovery mode (or the same from what I can tell on the transformer), wipes all data of all partitions and restores all files from a firmware zip file.
3) The repartition
(Again, mainly experience from samsung devices). From what I can tell with special situations like this, the OS relies on a seperate entity (IE: Odin, Heimdall) to blank out the flash memory, re-lay a new partition layout and then restore the data.
Now, to my actual question. I like to keep my devices stock, but with a B70 and SBKv2 I am basically limited to option 1 unless I root. If the system itself crashes (IE, lockups, reboots etc) is it likely to alter or damage the recovery partition in any way? I'd like to know that barring a catastrophic incident/my own stupid tinkering that I have a way to bring back a completely clean and stock system. Will the factory reset achieve this? Is there any way to flash/downgrade new/old firmware on the B70s without rooting? I have tried the ASUS methods on honeycomb and ICS zip files from their website and beyond, but it doesn't seem to work. Do ASUS tablets have a PC based reflash package similar to Odin for samsung?
Excuse the blathering, I just want to be absolutely sure I can get a completely clean, stock experience if I need to, and ASUS devices seem a little more complex then Samsung devices to achieve that goal.
Thanks for reading and answering if you do
1.Facory reset deletes system data (Not apps or anything just stuff you put in) as well as wiping other installed apps but does not touch the data on your sd card
2. all firmware flash does is whatever the dev writes in the script which is most times mounting system and framework formatting them and rewriting the new files as well as writing in a new kernel
3. Only way to do this is NVFlash which requires sbk1 so you cant do this
Factory resetting will likley solve your problems
Rooting will not mess with recovery
Only way to downgrade is through root although most times downgrading takes the root away
The Odin equivalent is NVFlash which as i said before will not work for you
You are confusing some things, and overcomplicating others.
You have three boot modes- recovery, system, and APX. APX would be similar to the download mode on a Samsung phone, where it does nothing but wait to receive instructions and data to flash over both recovery and system partitions. As you have a SBK2, this mode is practically useless because before flashing, the bootloader needs to be unlocked with the SBK, and then can restore the device- as SBK2 is a mystery, APX mode on an SBK2 device is only useful to Asus at the moment.
Recovery mode can flash itself, and system partitions, and it can also wipe and backup data, install updates, etc. Think of any CWM recovery, these functions are contained in the recovery, although in the stock recovery they are hidden from view with an animation and no UI to interact with.
You can flash both ROM (system) and recovery partitions independently of one-another, well, in a way- you can install recovery from within the OS (does require a reboot and actually uses recovery to install, but nonetheless, if you botch your recovery mode you can reflash this way IIRC). You can also flash ONLY the ROM if you wish via recovery mode, if you have CWM installed. You can flash entire packages, containing both ROM and recovery, as well in CWM, and stock packages released by Asus can be flashed via the stock recovery partition.
In order to get a better understanding though, I suggest you read my noob guide linked in my sig
WOW, thankyou so much for the prompt replies! You people are geniuses, gentlemen (gentlepeople?) and scholars. Also, reading the guide recommended by luna now. Thankyou for the clarification
Here's my understanding:
1) the factory reset- this wipes data and maybe cache. The factory reset assumes that your device is not rooted, so there are no changes to the system partition. All non-root changes are to the data partition.
2) The firmware flash- this uses the recovery to write the system partition. The OTAs are applied this way with the stock recovery. Custom recoveries also use this. There is also a staging partition that can be used to write the kernel (boot.img on other devices) and the EBT partition (bootloader on other devices).
3) the repartition- this is nvflash and can be used (if accessible) to repartition, backup, and/or flash all partitions on the device. I think this is the counterpart to Odin/Heimdall since it can be used to recover an otherwise bricked device. This is analogous to fastboot on HTC devices, although it is possible to erase the fastboot bootloader and really brick the device. As far as I know, this type of brick is not possible with nvflash or Odin/Heimdall since the bootloader is built into the device.
Now, to your question, the system and recovery are seperate systems. You can bork your system and still be able to boot into recovery, so there is a way to restore. That being said, there are a few limitations since all of the tf101 recoveries I have come across don't back up the kernel/boot.img. This can be a problem if incompatible bootloaders or kernels are flashed together. To compound the problem, some roms have kernels/boot.img's included and some do not, so it's quite possible to get into a bad situation just by flashing something and then trying to restore a backup. This seems to be a common problem here on XDA in the transformer section- flashatosis.
After all that, it is possible to go completely stock without nvflash, but you have to use the staging partition to do it.
Related
[Q] Boot Loop
Please Help i loaded a custum ROM and it loaded but it just loops I tried taking out the battery factory reset and nothing it show a skull then droid and continues over an over until the battery is drained. How do I get it to stop?
With that total lack of useful information in your question, it's going to be very hard to help you. From what you've posted, I believe you might be using an Android phone. I can't tell anything else. I don't know if you have a Recovery image installed, if you have taken a Nandroid Backup that you could use to restore your environment, or what steps you took to damage the OS. A valid Nandroid Backup would make recovery quick and easy. If you can boot into the bootloader (steps to do so are depending on the specific phone), you could use Fastboot from a Windows or Linux workstation to begin steps to repair your environment. From the bootloader, you might also be able to boot into Recovery, if you have a Recovery image installed, and restore a Nandroid Backup, if you bothered to take one. If you are unfamiliar with Fastboot, it is a desktop program that communicates with the bootloader on the phone via USB. A running Andriod system is not used. Using it, you could flash a recovery image, etc. Fastboot is part of the Android SDK, but you can also install just Fastboot and its counterpart desktop application used when Android is running, adb, without installing the entire SDK. See http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=928370
You could also flash a official RUU and everything will go back to stock and you could start again, that's unless you flashed recovery and made a backup before you flashed a custom rom, then it's just a matter of a simple restore. More information would be helpful.
[Q] [URGENT] Need Help For MY DEAD DEVICE
I recently changed back my build.prop to the original one that i backed up before. Then my device cannot boot anymore. It is stuck in the ASUS splash screen when i boot the device. Then I flash the latest CWM recovery. But the latest version CWM cannot do anything like factory reset or flash zip. After that, i tried to use the "wipe data" in the bootloader, it doesn't work either (still stuck in the splash screen). And then i tried cold boot linux and it also doesn't work. Up to this point, I cannot find anyway to fix it. However, I found that adb is somewhat working in CWM recovery. I tried "adb push build.prop /system/build.prop" (the build.prop is extracted from the US_epaduser_10_26_1_7_UpdateLauncher.zip package from ASUS official site), it doesn't work either. I put the US_epaduser_10_26_1_7_UpdateLauncher.zip package from asus support site in sd card and tried to flash it by CWM recovery, it doesn't work either. AFTER ALL THESE PROCEDURE, i think the system is corrupted because of some possible dirty wipe IS THERE ANY WAY TO WIPE EVERYTHING AND RESET THE whOLE SYSTEM? i feel like my device is completely dead... so i need help and solution asap my device is unlocked, rooted, and updated to 10.26.1.7 android 4.3. it is a US version. btw i asked ASUS support and they said they would charge CAN$330 for fixing it (replacing the main board), which is......... So is there any ways to fix it without sending it to asus repair ccenter? I want to make sure that 1. The wipe data function in the bootloader works 2. Does wiping data in bootloader fix the build.prop problem Or do anyone of you have any idea of solving tthis problem? ANYWAY TO WIPE EVeRUTHING INCLUDES SYSTEM thROUGH BOOTLOADER? sorry for my bad english
Have you tried to install Full Recovery Mode ? First Enable USB Debugging and watch if your Device is correctly recognized on you Device Manager . Search and install the software , for first use i suggest to search some Tutorials about this. Then you can use the Full Recovery Mode and format / wipe cache and system .
[Q] Stuck at Samsung logo during boot even on stock rom
I have soft bricked and then recovered a lot of devices but this one has me stumped. I tried to install a custom kernel that I compiled myself using odin. When that didn't work I tried to copy the image using dd. My theory is that I wrote to the wrong block device and broke something. When it wouldn't boot I figured it was no big deal, I'll just revert to stock. I have tried flashing the stock rom with Odin and by using Kies emergency recovery. Both seem to succeed but whenever I boot I just get stuck at the samsung logo which displays on the screen forever. I can still get into download mode and recovery mode just fine. Things I have tried: - Factory reset (I've done this many times from stock recovery and TWRP) - Cache wipe (Also tried several times from stock recover and TWRP - in TWRP I tried all the different wiping options) - Flash stock ROM - Turn off device and wait for more than an hour (since there is no way to do a battery pull) My understanding is that the bootloader must be functioning otherwise I would not be able to get as far as I do. And since flashing stock ROM doesn't do anything there must be a partition with corrupt data that is not being rewritten when I install the ROM. Any ideas what this might be? Are there any resources I can use to completely repartition the device? Any ideas are appreciated.
I fixed my problem so I just though I'd post the solution here in case someone finds this on Google or something. It seems that I did indeed corrupt a partition that is not rewritten when you flash a stock rom or do an emergency system restore with kies (which I believe does nothing more than download the stock rom and then flash it). I actually had to buy a second device and use dd to copy over all the partitions and then returned the second device So if you have this problem you might have to ask someone on this forum to give you an image of whichever partition you broke.
Cellular Bricked SM-N920T
Hello All: I have been using and tinkering with phones for years now, note 2,3,4 and 5. I say this so you understand I'm not new to fixing usual issues with rooting and flashing custom roms, etc. There may be a solution to this, but I haven't been able to find it after weeks of searching and trying different things. After flashing Tek's Rom with COJ -> COK my phone gets the "This phone has been flashed with unauthorized software and has been locked..." error no matter what I do. I have completely wiped, formatted, Odin'd stock firmware and flashed and flashed every bit of software I can find, including using at least ten fresh md5 verified new downloads of the firmware, etc. I have tried arter97's kernels including last several versions, and several other kernels I can't remember. Anyway, when I complete wipe and format, and then Odin flash the stock firmware (COK), my phone never leaves the Samsung Note 5 boot screen. If I flash a kernel, I can get to the setup mode, but I get the error message that my device has been locked and cannot make calls or register my phone on the tmobile network. My sim card works just fine with other phones. I am using it as we speak on a Lumia 950, but I cannot stand not having the spen. I have tried flashing kernels through philz, twrp, and the stock recovery. I have tried OTG and flashing kernels from the internal SD card once I flash a kernel and get past the setup. Since I use two step verification, and cannot receive texts, it's a real pain to get into my google account. When I try to login to my Samsung account, it says, "processing failed," each time. Tmobile has been less than helpful. I am at wit's end. Anyone have any thoughts? I'd really appreciate the help. Thanks.
Make sure you have everything backed up. Odin to stock be sure OEM unlocking is on. Do a full wipe in stock recovery. then try to root again.
steve97ta said: Make sure you have everything backed up. Odin to stock be sure OEM unlocking is on. Do a full wipe in stock recovery. then try to root again. Click to expand... Click to collapse Forgive me, and thank you for your reply, but I am not sure if I could have been any more clear that I have full wiped, odin'd back to the stock firmware, etc. no less than a hundred times. Not only that, but I have tried COJ, COK, all three recoveries, different kernels, etc. I can assure you OEM unlocking is on, and has been on each and every time. In ODIN Mode (Download Mode), my phone reads: Download Speed: Fast Product Name: SM-N920T Current Binary: Samsung Official System Status: Custom FRP LOCK: OFF Secure Download: Enabled KNOX WARRANTY VOID: 1 (0x0301) RP SWREV: B:2 K:0 S: 0 It does not change much when I flash a kernel or a custom rom, other than current binary to "Custom" Anyway, I want to be clear: I have turned on OEM unlocking, no fingerprint lock or any lock mechanism, full wiped through philz recovery, twrp, etc. and ODIN flashed the STOCK firmware from this forum, from Tek's thread, from Sammobile (I even paid the $10.00 to make sure), and I absolutely cannot get my Sim card to register on the network. I tried again this morning. First, I full wiped and ODIN'd COJ. Then, I full wiped and ODIN'd COJ w/NAND Erase All. I should note that each time I boot to recovery, I get the same old message, "DM-Verity Verification Failed... Need to check DRK first..." I also get this error when I wipe, "preload checkin... E: failed to mount /preload (no such file or directory)" I then full wiped and ODIN'd COK. I rinsed and repeated. I still get the exact same errors I mentioned above. The phone sits still at the Samsung boot screen (it does not get to the colored logo screen or the T-Mobile screen, just the black and white) for as long as I will allow it (sometimes hours). Update: I have now individually full wiped and flashed the BL, AP, CP, CSC, and PIT files multiple times with no changes. I have read somewhere that I may need to unpack the firmware file itself and remove the cache.img file?
If you are using odin you should only need to put the tar in the AP slot. Are you using the factory note 5 cable? Also what version of odin?
steve97ta said: If you are using odin you should only need to put the tar in the AP slot. Are you using the factory note 5 cable? Also what version of odin? Click to expand... Click to collapse Yes. I am trying additional methods because, as I have said, I have already tried to do the basic methods of wipe data / internal storage / system / cache /dalvik cache (10x), ODIN stock firmware, rinse repeat. Yes, I am using the factory cable. Odin version 3.10.7 I am however having additional issues caused by my efforts. My E:/data partition seems to be missing. Thanks
er0k02 said: Yes. I am trying additional methods because, as I have said, I have already tried to do the basic methods of wipe data / internal storage / system / cache /dalvik cache (10x), ODIN stock firmware, rinse repeat. Yes, I am using the factory cable. Odin version 3.10.7 I am however having additional issues caused by my efforts. My E:/data partition seems to be missing. Thanks Click to expand... Click to collapse That happened to me if you have a backup of your efs partition you can restore and it should fix verify your imei that is the same as the one it has on the box on a sticker @Jammol can help in here he is the one that helped me he is good at this kind of stuff and remember to always do a backup i learned from this thing too This only means your imei is messed up same things that you mention happened to me even that samsung account failed stuff and all it was the imei lol Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk
Ok, thanks. What happens if I do not have an EFS backup? I may have a NANDROID from TWRP somewhere, but I doubt it.
I know you did a million things. For me, after I flash stock unrooted thru Odin, I will get bootloop until I wipe in Stock recovery.
I appreciate that, but yes I had also tried that. At this point I think the poster above is correct in that I need to restore the EFS partition. I have read tricks of switching the mount point, and also about using some "magic" tools online. Does anyone know how I can fix the missing partition? Tmobile isn't helpful, and I can't get on the phone with anyone from Samsung. Also, update: I was able to successfully flash the android 6.0 rom on cokc firmware last night, but it is still giving me the same problems not recognizing my sim and not working as far as registering on the network. I also cannot login to my Samsung account. I really appreciate the help.
er0k02 said: I appreciate that, but yes I had also tried that. At this point I think the poster above is correct in that I need to restore the EFS partition. I have read tricks of switching the mount point, and also about using some "magic" tools online. Does anyone know how I can fix the missing partition? Tmobile isn't helpful, and I can't get on the phone with anyone from Samsung. Also, update: I was able to successfully flash the android 6.0 rom on cokc firmware last night, but it is still giving me the same problems not recognizing my sim and not working as far as registering on the network. I also cannot login to my Samsung account. I really appreciate the help. Click to expand... Click to collapse Just as cautionary reminder, always make sure that OEM Unlock is turned on before flashing anything whatsoever. Even if you're on a custom rom already. I flash almost daily and I check every single time before I flash something. YOU NEVER KNOW! You said earlier up that you have a TWRP right? If you still do check it to see if it has a backup of the EFS partition. If you do have the EFS partition backed up, try and remember what firmware you were on. You'll need to be on that firmware when you restore it. In other words, if you were on COKC when you made it, you'll have to be on that when you restore it. Also try restoring it on TekHD rom if you were on COKC when you made the backup. Don't wipe anything, and reboot after the restore. ONLY RESTORE THE EFS, NOTHING ELSE!!! Upon reboot, if you have a fully working phone again, do a factory reset from inside the rom. Once it reboots, if it works still, download his Stock Rooted Rom in post 5. Do a full wipe and flash that, your EFS should not wipe. Once rom is done flashing, reboot and see if you still have a fully working device. If you do, go ahead and try an Odin flash to full stock. Do a full wipe before using Odin.
Jammol said: Just as cautionary reminder, always make sure that OEM Unlock is turned on before flashing anything whatsoever. Even if you're on a custom rom already. I flash almost daily and I check every single time before I flash something. YOU NEVER KNOW! You said earlier up that you have a TWRP right? If you still do check it to see if it has a backup of the EFS partition. If you do have the EFS partition backed up, try and remember what firmware you were on. You'll need to be on that firmware when you restore it. In other words, if you were on COKC when you made it, you'll have to be on that when you restore it. Also try restoring it on TekHD rom if you were on COKC when you made the backup. Don't wipe anything, and reboot after the restore. ONLY RESTORE THE EFS, NOTHING ELSE!!! Upon reboot, if you have a fully working phone again, do a factory reset from inside the rom. Once it reboots, if it works still, download his Stock Rooted Rom in post 5. Do a full wipe and flash that, your EFS should not wipe. Once rom is done flashing, reboot and see if you still have a fully working device. If you do, go ahead and try an Odin flash to full stock. Do a full wipe before using Odin. If you need further help, add me to Google Hangouts [email protected]mail.com Click to expand... Click to collapse Thanks, I'll add you to hangouts. I don't have a backup EFS, for sure.
Possible to fix a corrupt EFS partition without a backup?
Man, I am in the same boat. I do not have an EFS backup. Any help would be appreciated.
I've done it. I am no longer locked out of the network, no longer getting the error, EFS fixed without a backup, Samsung account accessed. I'll write out the steps and post in a bit. Battery is dying. Thanks
Do you have the steps to recover the EFS? I've been stuck for few days now and feel it is a crime to exhaust every option as you already figured it out. Thanks for the share either way!
just throwing in my two cents...I have this same bizarre boot loop, Odin not sticking crap. the fact it still says your system is custom tells me it's in the same ball park. do everything you usually do, then reset twrp settings to default, reboot to recovery, wipe all cache blah blah, then reformat to ext4, repair, resize every partition. to get davlik, select it and system together, then file system to ext4, to get the internal storage, select it with data. then reboot recovery...MOUNT SYSTEM...do it all again... reboot, let it get stuck at logo...reboot to recovery clear caches, MOUNT SYSTEM, DO IT AGAIN.. just the caches... you're welcome you're
er0k02 said: I've done it. I am no longer locked out of the network, no longer getting the error, EFS fixed without a backup, Samsung account accessed. I'll write out the steps and post in a bit. Battery is dying. Thanks Click to expand... Click to collapse It would be interesting to know how you solved this. I just made sure I have an efs backup.
I completely forgot about this thread. I apologize to everyone for the delay. To recap: My phone was cellular bricked. It turns out I had a corrupted EFS partition. The way I managed to "fix" the problem was tedious and may not work for everyone. 1. I ODIN flashed the stock firmware multiple times; 2. I erased the data in my Samsung account. I had to do this online through their website. I think this was crucial. 3. During each initial ODIN flash, I selected Phone EFS clear, Phone Bootloader Update, Nand Erase All, Repartition, etc. in ODIN. 4. I then re-flashed stock COJ without selecting EFS clear, Phone Bootloader Update, Nand Erase All, Repartition, etc. I just let it select the normal options. 5. I then ODIN flashed TWRP, and flashed Jovy's ROM after flashing the Stock Modified Kernel. 6. I used the tool inside Jovy's Aroma installer [Fix Corrupt EFS Partition, or whatever it is called]; 7. I didn't install any of the Samsung apps. 8. I then installed the ROM. 9. As soon as the ROM booted, I connected to WiFi as quickly as possible and ran through the steps as fast as I could before I gave T-Mobile the chance to display the message that my phone had been rooted and would no longer be able to connect to the cellular network. I logged into my google account and rebooted quickly before anything else happened. This took less than 30 seconds. 10. I went back into TWRP, full wiped and formatted. 11. Back to ODIN flashing Stock COJ. 12. ODIN flash TWRP. 13. Flash Jovy's ROM + Stock Modified Kernel. 14. Restore EFS partition. 15. Install ROM. 16. Finished. It has been working since the day I posted above.
Try this tool You might want to verify if Smart Switch tool by Samsung works on your device. I had a problem flashing my note 5 with the oem lock and this program saved the day. Is free and you can google it, I hope it helps.
Sorry, thanks, but no, if you choose to read this thread, you will understand that Samsung (in this situation), including Smart Switch, Kies, and other utilities, not only fail to rescue the firmware, but get in the way of ODIN, require resetting your Samsung account additional times, take up hours of bandwidth, ram, proc power, and gigs of hdd space. At best, Smart Switch is horrible, worthless, and stupid waste of time for those with an actual corrupted EFS partition, no backup, tripped Knox, and the other deets mentioned herein.
Question Bootloop problem
Hello, My oneplus 9 is stuck on the boot loop. I tried to switch it on recovery mode and also tried to force restart but nothing seems to work. I don't want to wipe my whole data as I do not have the backup. Please help me with this issue if someone knows about it
you can get your device back up and running by flashing certain images from the stock rom through fastboot using a pc. I can't tell you exactly what you need to flash as I dont have this device. Maybe look for a tutorial of some sort. As far as I know, you need to flash all images except for data, (i.e. system, boot, recovery, and others). Don't take my word on that, as I haven't done it in a long time, and it varies depending on your device. Proceed at your own risk!