Does Flashing Stock Samsung ROM in Odin Clear out the System Partition?
Options Used:
No repartition
ROM put inside PDA slot
I'm wondering because I suspect there may have been some malware in the previous ROM that was flashed. So I want to be sure all the Files that were in the System Partition Previously are deleted.
Related
If you install cwm and then do a repartition,does that nuke whatever rom you are using thus requiring a reinstall?
Hi,
If you follow the normal instructions (make sure it's CWM .8, and not CW Recovery or whatever it's called) to re-partition system and swap wth CWM, I believe that the "system" means the "/system" partition, where all the apps, etc. are stored, so "yes", using CWM to re-partition "system" and "swap" (to 2048/0) effectively wipes out most of the ROM.
Since the re-partition only changes (re-partitions) those two partitions, it doesn't touch the other partitions (there are a bunch), such as the recovery partition (where the stock recovery or CWM live), the boot partition (where the kernel lives), etc., but when you then flash a new ROM after doing the CWM re-partition, that replaces all of those, plus puts the new stuff from the new ROM/flash into /system.
NOTE that apparently SOME (not all) of the stock TNT firmwares (e.g., TNT 3452) include the recovery partition, whereas some others (the earlier TNT firmwares) didn't, so, if you flash 3452 using CWM, it replaces CWM (again, which is in the recovery partition) with the stock recovery. So, for those TNT firmwares that include the stock recovery, you'll need to re-install CWM .8 AFTER flashng those stock TNT firmwares (again, not all of them do that).
Jim
So it has come to my attention that when you restore a firmware via nandroid backup It does not restore the default ext4 partition that you convert. I found this out today when I had hoped my constant flashing would lead to XXKPN not booting unless I used CFRoot when flashing from Cranium [XXKPH]. Only to find out the firmware booted . Now this got me in surprise only because default partition is rfs and not supposed to be able to boot if set partition format was ext4. All default Samsung firmwares come with rfs partition.
Code:
Note: Next time you flash to a new firmware and back, you are required to flash the ext4 script then restore your nandroid backup for that respective firmware.
Misledz said:
So it has come to my attention that when you restore a firmware via nandroid backup It does not restore the default ext4 partition that you convert. I found this out today when I had hoped my constant flashing would lead to XXKPN not booting unless I used CFRoot when flashing from Cranium [XXKPH]. Only to find out the firmware booted . Now this got me in surprise only because default partition is rfs and not supposed to be able to boot if set partition format was ext4. All default Samsung firmwares come with rfs partition.
Code:
Note: Next time you flash to a new firmware and back, you are required to flash the ext4 script then restore your nandroid backup for that respective firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought everyone knows this Because
1. before converting to ext4 you make backup. And if it will restore filesystem you will never get ext4 (it will always put rfs from backup)
2. when you make backup you can see that it backups files, not partition.
Mods please Sticky this thread and lock it by Misledz's permission before the thread is noob killed
Tapashocked via my gt-I9003 with a random keyboard of my choice !
I think mod should murge this info in already available sticky thread. Making lot of thread sticky will not be a good idea.
vishal24387 said:
I think mod should murge this info in already available sticky thread. Making lot of thread sticky will not be a good idea.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree, although this is helpful information, having too many stickied threads could become a problem.
falex007 said:
I thought everyone knows this Because
1. before converting to ext4 you make backup. And if it will restore filesystem you will never get ext4 (it will always put rfs from backup)
2. when you make backup you can see that it backups files, not partition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too already know this by reading skin's original post on ext4.
Instructions were to make nandroid backup -> convert to ext4 -> restore backup -> reboot.
After that u will have ext4 partitions.
So after you anything restore from backup, u will still have ext4.
Yeah but this came as a surprise, I didn't expect that the file system gets overwritten. Some cases flashing to another firmware kicks you into a bootloop due to ext4 previously there, but there are times when the firmware boots which got me in wtf is happening kind of scenario.
When I used cranium or any custom ROM usually does Ext4 by default, but upon flashing XXKPN on top of it, it worked? Which isn't supposed to, So what I'm confused is, What is responsible for the rfs file format, the pit? or the firmware? , and does clearing cache partition reset to rfs?
Because flashing XXKPH->XXKPN->XXKPH without use of pit works and this is without CFRoot
Yes for what this pit file for ? Means for what partition.is it convert file system to rfs ?
My 9003 can't work from last week.
I just got the "com.sec.android.app.twlaucher" broken(force close) and all other applications are also broken even I flashed with any new ROM.
The whole broken story is here:
1. I installed XXKPQ with CWM, and created a backup with CWM
2. Then flashed it with DDKP2 by Odin
3. I got a application broken, and tried to backup DDKP2 with CWM and stopped by incident
4. I tried to restore OS with the backup in step 1
5. I got many Force Close after I restored the OS
6. I tried to flash with any ROM, but always got Force close for any application(even the com.sec.android.phone)
Can anyone give advice for it?
Or I have to change a new memory chip?
Thanks!
realcode said:
My 9003 can't work from last week.
I just got the "com.sec.android.app.twlaucher" broken(force close) and all other applications are also broken even I flashed with any new ROM.
The whole broken story is here:
1. I installed XXKPQ with CWM, and created a backup with CWM
2. Then flashed it with DDKP2 by Odin
3. I got a application broken, and tried to backup DDKP2 with CWM and stopped by incident
4. I tried to restore OS with the backup in step 1
5. I got many Force Close after I restored the OS
6. I tried to flash with any ROM, but always got Force close for any application(even the com.sec.android.phone)
Can anyone give advice for it?
Or I have to change a new memory chip?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont restore the backup of one firmware over another firmware.
Flash xxkpe twice aand over it flash xxkpq with factory reset after flashing each time. Use this guideforum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1133787
Sent from my GT-I9003
I tried to format the data, but it didn't work. I can see the previous installed application broken even I flashed with new ROM(Re-partion).
It seems something was locked by system.
Follow this guide to flash XXKPQ Check if everything works well. Try to restore your CWM backup
I tried to flash XXKPE/XXKPQ, but I got a wrong message "E: failed to mount /data (Invalid argument)" when the phone startup".
And the phone repeated to restart, I can't the normal phone.
It seems there is something wrong with the partion of /data.
Is there other way to fix it?
the /data is ext4, I am not sure XXKPQ support ext4 or not.
When flashing XXKPE with pit and all the other stuff you should see Re-Partition checked. Then everything should be formatted with the standard RFS filesystem unless you convert it. The stock Kernel doesn't support ext4, but that doesn't mean that you can't try to flash a Kernel that supports ext4.
Did you let the phone boot up completly after every flash?
I didn't let XXKPE boot up completely after flash.
It seems that the /data partion was not reset in flashing with the "Re-partion" selected.
I got error message when I tried to check the disk status.
/sbin # fsck.ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p3
fsck.ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p3
e2fsck 1.41.6 (30-May-2009)
/dev/block/mmcblk0p3: recovering journal
fsck.ext4: unable to set superblock flags on /dev/block/mmcblk0p3
There's are a few threads with how to return to stock, but it mainly describes how to install stock rom.
Whenever I flash a new rom, the files in the "download" directory remains untouched and it looks like other files elsewhere doesn't get touched.
Is there a way to return the unit to absolute original stock condition (not just ROM). That is everything in the unit?
I've been having some issues and installed various roms and such and I wonder if that's why it's acting up.
Thanks!
Power off the device then ,Power and volume down do factory wipe or reset i forget. That should clear the internal memory and put all settings back to original
I do the factory wipe when installing a new rom, but the files in the "download" directory and other previously created directories for other apps like "zinio" or "perfectviewer" seem to remain untouched. So I wonder if there are other stuff that is not returned to 'stock'?
Well you should be able to delete anything on /sdcard the most it would do is break apps you installed and your pictures and what not. If im not mistaken /sdcard is your internal memory and /removable/microsd is the external. So if you delete the contents of /sdcard then flash stock rom and do wipe you should be back to stock. I did a factory reset and it did clear everything in /sdcard.
When you do a factory reset in CWM or TWRP, they format all of /data except /data/media/, which is where /sdcard is mounted.
You will need to flash the stock ROM, which should install the stock recovery also (if not, find the stock recovery image, and flash it). Then, like the previous poster said, boot into the bootloader and do a factory reset from there. The stock recovery will erase everything in /data, including /data/media, and it will erase your internal storage.
I have to flash stock rom for my mobile because on the current custom rom adb doesn't work. I have different backups of previous roms and apps on my phone storage (internal sdcard) or should I say built-in sdcard. Wanted to know that if I would use sp flash tool for flashing stock rom, then will it erase internal sdcard?
Will I lose all my backups?I am working on ubuntu.
Please help me on this issue. Any information will be appreciated.