Database Info

Nandroid Problems

Sorry for creating a new thread, but I have searched and worked at this problem for hours and can't find a solution. I have a myTouch 3G running the latest Cyanogen ROM, the latest Amon_RA recover image, and the Engineering 2010 SPL. This phone is a replacement and I had done a Nandroid backup on the old one before sending it back. Oddly enough, it would not let me do a BART backup, saying there was an unknown error and I should do it from a computer. Since there is not Apps to SD, I figured Nandroid would be good.
Now my problem is restoring it, if I try to restore it from the recovery image, it says "Error : run 'nandroid-mobile.sh restore' via adb!" Does anyone know why the recover will not run a BART backup or Nandroid restore without me doing it via the computer? Both of these functions work fine on my G1. At first, I thought it might be the SPL as I read of problems with the stock SPL not writing in fastboot mode. I actually tried to do the Nandroid restore via fastboot, but kept getting an error there. When researching that error, I saw that it was a result of the "Perfect SPL" so I changed it to the engineering SPL. I had a thought that this might be why the recovery would not complete these functions, but the problem persists.
I decided to follow the directions and loaded up my adb shell to try it that way. When following the directions on Cyanogen's website, I was unable to even mount my SD card, getting this error: "Mounting on sdcard failed: Device or resource busy". I then tried the 'nandroid-mobile.sh restore' function, but got this message: "nandroid-mobile.sh not found". It seems nothing works as it should, and I can't figure out why, especially since they all work fine on my G1. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Edit: I just tried doing it via fastboot again following these directions: http://code.google.com/p/android-roms/wiki/NANDROID_Fastboot
It worked well, until I got to the UserData section when it said "FAILED <remote: data length is too large>"

you may get that error when using bart if you do not have an ext partition. check make sure you have properly formatted your sd card, fat32 and ext2/3/4.

r u on adb shell mode? while on the recovery mode?
ensure that everything has been wipe~
i also face the same problem while restore it.. but.. it work when using adb..
its very simple..

I do not have an EXT partition as I do not need apps to SD. If you're saying I can't do a BART backup without one, that's fine. Any ideas as to why the Nandroid restore won't work?
@moosunk What do you mean by ADB shell mode? I am using the Windows Command Prompt and have typed "ADB Shell." I am able to navigate through all the normal ADB shell commands I'm used to (ie ls, cd, etc), but it doesn't find the restore option. I did try wiping right before doing the restore in the recovery mode. To get to ADB shell, I had to let the phone boot as I don't see any option in my recover image to access the phone via ADB, but if there is a way, please let me know. Thanks.

jimbo831 said:
I do not have an EXT partition as I do not need apps to SD. If you're saying I can't do a BART backup without one, that's fine. Any ideas as to why the Nandroid restore won't work?
@moosunk What do you mean by ADB shell mode? I am using the Windows Command Prompt and have typed "ADB Shell." I am able to navigate through all the normal ADB shell commands I'm used to (ie ls, cd, etc), but it doesn't find the restore option. I did try wiping right before doing the restore in the recovery mode. To get to ADB shell, I had to let the phone boot as I don't see any option in my recover image to access the phone via ADB, but if there is a way, please let me know. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ahaa.. u face the same problem with me..
nandroid from adb doesnt recognize any of the default backup that have been created...
u need to key in manually, when u do a nandroid recovery on your phone, there have specific file name base on date,
what i do is, just use the file name as a string to search the backup..
use this location also on adb..
/sdcard/nandroid/HT95YKF08716/BCDMRS-20091210-0806
this is mine, i dont know what is yours.. but u can check it by yourself i think..

I get that error message when using Amon_ra's recovery but when I reboot all of my information is there.

decepticon said:
I get that error message when using Amon_ra's recovery but when I reboot all of my information is there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, it doesn't seem to do anything on mine. I only get one little status dot before I get the message and it takes less than a second, so I don't think it's copying anything.
Regarding typing out the string in ADB, I have tried that, but the problem seems to be that the nandroid script isn't recognized by my phone since it says "android-mobile.sh not found." If I understand that message correctly, it's saying it is not finding the script it needs to run the nandroid restore. Do I have to CD to a certain directory first or something, and shouldn't this script be built into my Cyanogen ROM?

and what if you try to restore it with an older recovery image? this problem has surfaced with the latest releases, I think (it gave me that error on the last restore too but the backup was restored)

ID?
I am getting the same error. It started to happen right after (test)flashing a Motoblur Rom. My wild guess is that flashing this ROM has changed some ID (maybe of the SD CARD) leading to a missmatch error and failure to reflash the backup. However, at this point only a wild guess. As it is possible to access the SD card from PC via new Recovery, it does not worry me too much (read backup from Recovery to Desktop, switch to Fastboot, flash the .img's). But I agree it is a pain in the ....

For all the "why" questions : Check /tmp/recovery.log right after you have an issue to see what is going wrong!!! I even added an extra menu option to move the log to your sd card so you can view it more easily....

feicher said:
I am getting the same error. It started to happen right after (test)flashing a Motoblur Rom. My wild guess is that flashing this ROM has changed some ID (maybe of the SD CARD) leading to a missmatch error and failure to reflash the backup. However, at this point only a wild guess. As it is possible to access the SD card from PC via new Recovery, it does not worry me too much (read backup from Recovery to Desktop, switch to Fastboot, flash the .img's). But I agree it is a pain in the ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I finally gave in and tried that, but it didn't work either. When I was doing this, I got this error message when flashing the data.img: "FAILED <remote: data length is too large>"

This is just getting more and more frustrating. I finally figured out how to use ADB with the phone in recover mode and access the nandroid-mobile.sh commands and that is not working either. It finds the backup and the nandroid.md5 file, but then says "Error: no backups found" when I try to use it or any of the three I have. It says the nandroid.md5 is not found, even though it shows that file in the path. I can't do this using adb shell, fastboot, or the recovery menu like every guide I have found on the internet says, and I can't figure out why it doesn't work. I highly doubt the backups are corrupted as I have 3 seperate backups and none of them are working. However, I have been able to read these backups off the SD card using windows and even flash all the files via Fastboot (except the most important data.img since it says it's too large for no apparent reason). Please somebody help, I am about to jump over a cliff.

Try the following :
Run the following in adb and note down the serial number :
Code:
cat /proc/cmdline | sed "s/.*serialno=//" | cut -d" " -f1
Rename the nandroid backup directory on your sdcard to the serialnumber you just noted down
/sdcard/nandroid/NEW-SERIAL/BCDMRS-20091210-0806
Run nandroid restore from the recovery menu and choose the new serialnumber ID and then the backup to restore.

Amon_RA said:
Run the following in adb and note down the serial number :
Code:
cat /proc/cmdline | sed "s/.*serialno=//" | cut -d" " -f1
Rename the nandroid backup directory on your sdcard to the serialnumber you just noted down
/sdcard/nandroid/NEW-SERIAL/BCDMRS-20091210-0806
Run nandroid restore from the recovery menu and choose the new serialnumber ID and then the backup to restore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, I will try that when my wife gets home today. I sure hope it works, but I wonder why it wouldn't work without changing it. When I swapped my G1, the recovery found the old backup regardless of the serial number change, but that is definitely something I hadn't thought to try. <Fingers Crossed>
Edit: Thanks so much, it worked perfectly!!! You sir deserve a Redbull!

I was having this same problem, I figured it out I couldn't do a nandroid backup because I didn't have enough room on my sd card, easily solved. but bart still wouldn't work, in my search of solutions to my problem it was NguyenHuu post about the ext partition, so did a repair ext through the recovery and everything is working.
Hope this helps someone.

[Q] A question before my first flash

I've been doing a lot of reading lately and I am finally about to flash my first ROM. Below is a list of what I've done as far as backup and prep. What I want to know is if there is anything important that I missed?
Made a nandroid backup with CWM
Backed up apps with Titanium Backup
Backed up efs directory from the phone
I have a copy of settings.db on my compuer
I have Odin 1-click on my computer
I have a jig made up just in case
Also, since I am on stock 2.1(JH7), I assume I don't need to go through the odin 1-click step, right?
Thanks in advance for your help

looks like you have everything covered except one thing (maybe): if you have an unlocked phone, check the forums to learn how to get your unlock back *before* flashing
i also put a copy of my sd card onto my computer in case something goes bad, but that's just my paranoia/ocd
and you should flash at 100% battery and reset the battery stats while flashing. you can even flash while the phone is plugged into the computer or ac outlet, so the flashing process doesn't drain from the phone battery. some ppl say this is voodoo, but i always flash at 100% and reset the battery stats while changing roms because its a convenient time to reset stats

sublimaze said:
looks like you have everything covered except one thing (maybe): if you have an unlocked phone, check the forums to learn how to get your unlock back *before* flashing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, thanks. I'm glad you mentioned that. I do have it unlocked and I didn't even think about it. I have to go to Thailand in a few weeks for work so I need it unlocked.
I think I remember reading that the unlock code is located in the nv_data.bin file and can be found by searching the file with a hex editor. I'll have to read a little more and play around with that before I flash.

I have been reading a lot lately, but could not find an answer to my noob question. I was just wondering if I flash an I9000 based ROM and lose my unlock or my product code gets messed up, can I just copy the original nv_data.bin file to the new ROM or will that cause me other problems. I know there are post as to how to fix this, but they are geared toward people who didn't make a backup and copying original would be much easier and quicker. Thanks.

^^^ Any help with above question?
I also have one other question. I've been poking around with Root Explorer and I see that all the sytem apps are naturally stored in /system/app folder, but I don't see the downloaded apps in there. I see what apperar to be my downloaded apps in /data/app folder. Is this where they are stored and if so, can I just copy them out and then copy them back after I flash a new ROM? If so, is there anything else I have to do with them to make them work again (like chown through adb)? I was wondering this because I have some paid apps and I don't know if they will automatically be available for download again once I sign on to the market and I don't want to lose them. Thanks for any help.

Infuse EFS Folder (Request for someone's backup)

Hi guys,
One miraculous day, my efs folder became corrupt, when it just so happened to be the week after the hard drive on my computer took a dump! What a week this has been.. I was wondering if it is possible for someone to zip their EFS folder and send it to me to see if I can't get this phone to connect back to the network again. I honestly think there are applications on androids marketplace that will wipe things if you have superuser installed.. because it was like BAM, one morning I wake up and my efs folder was deleted the day after I had installed some new apps.
So my question is - Will someone send me a backup of their EFS? If that won't conflict with their phone of course -- I would send it back to Samsung, but their 3rd tier support has no idea what I'm talking about - they just hear root and think I'm a piece of trash.
Any help would be greatly appreciated - I have not seen anything about trying someone elses efs so I thought it could be a bit experimental as well.. Thanks
-Brett

Salmiery said:
Hi guys,
One miraculous day, my efs folder became corrupt, when it just so happened to be the week after the hard drive on my computer took a dump! What a week this has been.. I was wondering if it is possible for someone to zip their EFS folder and send it to me to see if I can't get this phone to connect back to the network again. I honestly think there are applications on androids marketplace that will wipe things if you have superuser installed.. because it was like BAM, one morning I wake up and my efs folder was deleted the day after I had installed some new apps.
So my question is - Will someone send me a backup of their EFS? If that won't conflict with their phone of course -- I would send it back to Samsung, but their 3rd tier support has no idea what I'm talking about - they just hear root and think I'm a piece of trash.
Any help would be greatly appreciated - I have not seen anything about trying someone elses efs so I thought it could be a bit experimental as well.. Thanks
-Brett
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is an interesting request, Brett.
I thought the efs.rfs file contains one's phone imei number/network id etc.
idk for sure...
I thought using someone else's imei is kinda like "let me borrow your ss# so i can check the ss office to see if mine is working.
I didn't know if you found this link and tried it?
http://forum.samdroid.net/f28/complete-imei-restore-how-1817/
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=882039
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=953436
Fortunately for me, I had a efs backup on my hd.
I think I also saw scripts in Zeus and Doctor ROM that backs up efs also prior to flash..
good luck

I wasn't trying to steal anyone's IMEI.. I just have tried multiple techniques, but I have not tried the first link..
I've been having trouble getting a shell with adb, does it need to be in download mode?
I was trying to see if it were possible to copy someone's existing files, and use a hex editor to change things, but reading into it, the IMEI is not able to be edited easily without knowing the encyrption type.
I'm just frustrated and have been back and forth with both at&t and also samsung (Their support is a joke, no one I spoke with even knew what the EFS folder was..)
I will try this technique and will report back later when I get home from work tonight. I've been reading a lot of similar issues with the null/null IMEI in the infuses and the guy at the AT&T store said that this was the reason they stopped selling the phone in their store.
Thanks for the help, I'll let you know what happens.
-Brett

Goodluck.
From the tone of your post, I didn't suspect any malice...I had a gist of what you were trying to do.
From reading some of links, there may be some method of recovery.
I hope that you're able to get it back.

I posted one a while back. I think it was in the q&a section. I won't be at my computer for a couple of days or I'd upload it for ya. Try searching or scrolling thru there.
Edit: I just uploaded an EFS.zip, unzip and flash the included efs.tar thru Odin or heimdall.

I had the same problem but i fixed it through Odin. There is an option in odin where you can click on the side (sorry i just reformated the comp so i dont have odin installed) that says something about the EFS. Try that, it fixed it for me.

On a related note. I thought I read somewhere that typical backups such as tibu and nandroid do NOT back up the efs folder. Is this correct? Should we all be doing this manually to protect against corruption?

Try searching here or on market. I remember there was this app called "nitrality" something. This app backs up EFS that we can restore in case we mess it up.

diablo009 said:
Try searching here or on market. I remember there was this app called "nitrality" something. This app backs up EFS that we can restore in case we mess it up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did try to dl that app and ran it. It didn't work for me. The app hung up the system until you fc it.
If you're versed in linux or Term emu, you can use script to back up your efs.
If you had flashed zeus or doctorz, there are scripts build in that backs up your efs.
if you had root explorer, you can find efs folder in your root. long press on the folder allows you to create zip or tar of this as well.

Any harm in just copy/paste the whole folder to external SD with root explorer? Then copy paste to windows over USB? Will permissions get messed up?
I think I've already backed it up but there have been a couple threads on this. Wonder if it should be part of superthread or a sticky...do this first :...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA App

rxnelson said:
Any harm in just copy/paste the whole folder to external SD with root explorer? Then copy paste to windows over USB? Will permissions get messed up?
I think I've already backed it up but there have been a couple threads on this. Wonder if it should be part of superthread or a sticky...do this first :...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no problem with copy/paste that I know of.
Being cautious, I have a zip, a tar, and the whole folder on my PC, USB and box.net.

Hypothetically,
I have access to another Infuse on the same family plan at that, if i were to copy the efs folder to mine what would that do?
I want to make sure not to have the same IMEI number on the network though, but this could save me a lot of hassle...
any thoughts?

Read the threads on the links I provided...you will get more understanding.

I have multiple times, but the first post that seemed like it would be the best fix, I have to get him to send me a fixed nv_data file and he seems to be unresponsive at the moment.
I think I'm going to root the 2nd infuse, back up her efs folder (MULTIPLE times lol) and fix it so it's generic and not an exact replica of hers..
Do you see any problems there? I'm definitely not an expert at all with this.

Salmiery said:
I have multiple times, but the first post that seemed like it would be the best fix, I have to get him to send me a fixed nv_data file and he seems to be unresponsive at the moment.
I think I'm going to root the 2nd infuse, back up her efs folder (MULTIPLE times lol) and fix it so it's generic and not an exact replica of hers..
Do you see any problems there? I'm definitely not an expert at all with this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In order to see what is on the root of a phone, you may need to root it.
Once rooted, you can look for the efs folder.
I haven't used z4root in a while on an unrooted phone, I don't know if this program will let you see the root folder or not. It's possible.
The efs on my phone shows several programs and folders.
One of the folder is /imei. I suppose this is where the unique id is located.
read the thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1372455
as you can see, the efs contains unique id...i'm not sure of even how to make up a different imei file from using someone else's efs folder.
if your phone boots up but does not connect, if you go to settings/about phone/status
does it list the imei?
if it does, are you able to use a script in terminal emulator to back it up?
if you can't find the script, you can try flashing doctor or zeus rom, they have scripts to back up your efs folder. then try locating it on your phone.
the other thought i had was for you to call your provider to see if they can give you your previous imei number.
I'm only reasoning from what I have read...these are new territory to me.

Right, I have rooted my phone and for whatever reason the EFS folder is completely empty... The folder is there, but completley empty.
I have the IMEI number, its on the back of the phone as well as AT&T gave it to me.
The fact that my entire folder is empty, and I hadn't backed anything up because I never flashed the kernel or rom makes me think that the android marketplace does have malicious code that simply says:
if(phone==rooted){
wipe efs foler
}
continuing to pull my hair out and attempt new things, if anyone has any ideas let me know.

Salmiery said:
continuing to pull my hair out and attempt new things, if anyone has any ideas let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out Post # 5, I just edited my post.

its not simply a folder its actually a partition, on Linux you can mount drives/partitions however you like so it can appear to be under another directory and be an entirely different device.
you can make a .rfs image from the dd command through adb or terminal emulator.
if it is corrupt you "may" be able to salvage it through options of the dd command.
I gotta look up the device path and whatnot but if there is anything on there, visable or not, you might be able to recover the unique files and paste them over the files from someone else's efs backup. if not I have heard but never tried it, but I heard that fromatting the partition will cause the system to generate a generic efs, but I don't know for sure.
edit: the device location is /dev/block/stl3
you can dump it to the SD card with
dd if=/dev/block/stl3 of=/sdcard/efs.rfs bs=4096
if there are bad blocks I think but not quite sure you can add noerror to the end
dd if=/dev/block/stl3 of=/sdcard/efs.rfs bs=4096 noerror
but if the information has actually been deleted unless it was overwritten it is mostly intact. it is not well known that delete doesn't actually delete the data, even after a format data can be recovered with the right program. if the dumps come up empty there is also dd_rescue and foremost but I don't know if those commands are available on android, but you may be able to loop mount the dump on a Linux box or in cygwin and try the ddrescue or foremost commands.
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-newbie-8/learn-the-dd-command-362506/
hopefully you can recover something. and learn something along the way. this is also useful for recovering deleted files and securely deleting stuff you want gone for real.

i remember I lost my efs on my captivate. There are tools in the forum to get it back.

Salmiery said:
Hi guys,
One miraculous day, my efs folder became corrupt, when it just so happened to be the week after the hard drive on my computer took a dump! What a week this has been.. I was wondering if it is possible for someone to zip their EFS folder and send it to me to see if I can't get this phone to connect back to the network again. I honestly think there are applications on androids marketplace that will wipe things if you have superuser installed.. because it was like BAM, one morning I wake up and my efs folder was deleted the day after I had installed some new apps.
So my question is - Will someone send me a backup of their EFS? If that won't conflict with their phone of course -- I would send it back to Samsung, but their 3rd tier support has no idea what I'm talking about - they just hear root and think I'm a piece of trash.
Any help would be greatly appreciated - I have not seen anything about trying someone elses efs so I thought it could be a bit experimental as well.. Thanks
-Brett
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uh, NO than you. My EFS folder has nothing to do with yours. Don't know how that would work...

[Q] Bricked Galaxy S3 with no backup

I rooted my S3, changed one file, and am now stuck in the startup screen. I've looked on the forums but I'd like to confirm what my recovery options are.
(1) Since I have no backup*, can I recover from a factory recovery for my model and still keep some of my data, apps and customizations?
It's a N American SIII (Rogers Wireless Samsung SGH-I747M). I can boot successfully into both Odin and CWM Recovery (Clockwork 5.5). BusyBox installed. I do not have a functioning MicroSD.
*I only did one thing:
renamed framework-res.apk to framework-res.apk2 to test permissions. Errors and crash ensued, then I restarted and here I am.
That apk file is part of a fix which is circulating that corrects a bug in the North American models' battery reporting, which requires replacing the apk with a slightly modified version. I thought trying a file rename was a safe small test, prior to backing up. The name "framework" should have tipped me off probably.
(2) Is factory recovery my best option? I would love to get in and just name the file back. But I can't get in.
(3) Was some automatic backup made that I overlooked? Rooting and the learning curve took so many steps I can't remember myself.
(4) Can I just restore the /system directory perhaps?
Yep, relative noob here. Hope my question is placed correctly and I haven't missed another post with the answers I need, if not pls advise.

Copied question to a better thread
It's now in the Android Q&A, see:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=28256764
Just getting used to the forum here.

NEVER FEAR find a ROM that you want to install and flash it using Odin or copy it to SD card and flash using clockwork mod And no there is no secret backup BTW once you get your phone working again make a backup then Go to where its stored And label it ALWAYS backup as soon as you root your phone

If you can manage, push a similar framework (taken from someone else) using adb...
Typed using a small touchscreen

How?
jezus101 said:
NEVER FEAR find a ROM that you want to install and flash it using Odin or copy it to SD card and flash using clockwork mod And no there is no secret backup BTW once you get your phone working again make a backup then Go to where its stored And label it ALWAYS backup as soon as you root your phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can flash a ROM using Clockwork instead of Odin? I totally missed that memo! Tips please
I found that Clockwork required the file to be in the internal SD folder -- I couldn't access the External SD card under any circumstance. There was no way to get a file to the internal file system without a functioning ROM. This is still confusing me. Maybe I had the wrong version of Clockwork or was doing it wrong. Not for lack of trying.

Cant delete backups / Memory Full

Hi, Im new to this device but right after I got it I did the right thing and voided my warranty Rooted and installed a custom recovery. The recovery has been a bit of a pain but that is a story for another thread.
The problem I am having is that when I try to take a backup from recovery it errors (I forget the error, sorry. ) however the backup is still right there in the backup directory. I tried a second attempt at a backup (to see if it would error again) and these two backups filled my remaining memory. lI of course used my file explorer to delete these extraneous backups-- only to see that they are not deletable. I also tried on the PC. The folder lists read and write in the permissions. I am kind of at a loss as to what to do. IIRC correctly from a while back with this issue the answer lies somewhere in CHMOD, but I cant quite seem figure it out. CD to the directory in a terminal emulator and then CHMOD 777? Thanks for your help in advance.

knoober said:
Hi, Im new to this device but right after I got it I did the right thing and voided my warranty Rooted and installed a custom recovery. The recovery has been a bit of a pain but that is a story for another thread.
The problem I am having is that when I try to take a backup from recovery it errors (I forget the error, sorry. ) however the backup is still right there in the backup directory. I tried a second attempt at a backup (to see if it would error again) and these two backups filled my remaining memory. lI of course used my file explorer to delete these extraneous backups-- only to see that they are not deletable. I also tried on the PC. The folder lists read and write in the permissions. I am kind of at a loss as to what to do. IIRC correctly from a while back with this issue the answer lies somewhere in CHMOD, but I cant quite seem figure it out. CD to the directory in a terminal emulator and then CHMOD 777? Thanks for your help in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are using TWRP, It is not possible to delete twrp backup images using normal ways. Either you can install esfile explorer and navigate to device/data/media/0/twrp/backups/ and delete from there. Or use file manager in TWRP to delete the backups. I think there is also another option in twrp to view or delete backups.
Sent from my Moto G using Tapatalk 2

Ill check out the other things you said, but Im actually getting this problem in ESfile... Ill report back if I can get at it through the recovery.
Edit: ESfile works. I followed the path you laid out ad got there just fine I didnt realize Id have to take such a roundabout path. Thank you.