Related
I can't read french, but the translation site seems to indicate that this hexedit will permanently unlock any phone. My Captivate nv_data.bin matches perfectly.
I just can't translate all the comments and i really want to read what everyone is saying.
Any french speakers out there?
http://forum.frandroid.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=26052
Thanks to zzyxy for posting this in another thread.
EDIT - changed title and found English Post on XDA.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=8182729&postcount=107
Translated by google chrome
Here is how to unlock a phone that has missed its flash Froyo JPC (request for unlock code and displays the correct imei)
New semi automated method available here: http://forum.frandroid.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=27019
Beware if the imei is not good before you start, it will not be at the end.
This method can also be used to modify the Product Code for those interested
All that was done on'm Android 2.1 since Froyo modifies the files to his liking (I advise to do New JM1, it works very well).
Thank you for everything you read, do not fly the tutorial is very important !!!!! I could not be responsible for those who are mishandling
Before anything else, save the file efs /, we will play with:
http://forum.frandroid.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=25668
Need to be root, busybox, android sdk available here:
http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
(In windows) we decompress the ZIP, it renames the file "android-sdk-windows" to "android" short and placed in c: \ (the name and location to the sdk is placed are important to commands typed by hand later)
Extracting a nv_data.bin:
Plug the phone in usb mode enabled USB debugging
Start => Run => cmd (a DOS window will open)
Tapper to space by:
cd ..
cd ..
cd android
cd tools
adb pull / efs / nv_data.bin
Close the DOS window
The file will appear in the nv_data.bin réperoire c: \ android \ tools.
Edit the file with a hex editor nv_data.bin (EditHexa available in my example here: ... http://www.logitheque.com/logiciels/win a_9903.htm):
188 021 offset (page 3137) to "XEF" (ca will recognize the phone as "naked") (thus change the product code)
Offset 18146E (page 3,083) to "00000000" (ac will put the network unlock code 00000000)
We backup ^ ^
Then we go back in adb ^ ^
Start => Run => cmd (a DOS window will open)
Tapper and point in space by:
cd ..
cd ..
cd android
cd tools
adb shell mkdir / sdcard / efs "
adb push nv_data.bin / sdcard / efs
adb shell
su
mv / efs / .nv_data.bak / efs / .nv_data.bakk
mv / efs/.nv_data.bak.md5 / efs/.nv_data.bakk.md5
rm / efs / nv_data.bin
rm / efs/nv_data.bin.md5
rm / efs/.nv2.bak
rm / efs/.nv2.bak.md5
cp busybox / sdcard / efs / nv_data.bin / efs / nv_data.bin
chmod 755 / efs / nv_data.bin
chown radio.radio / efs / nv_data.bin
If he ever put the radio user does not exist, try "chown 1001:1001 / efs / nv_data.bin" instead and yes for some it is still not the same ....( thank you Froyo JPC / JPH )
There may be errors on. Nv2.bak and md5 (they do not exist at all)
I renamed the. Bak. BAKK to set aside the time everything is finished, they will be erased later.
do: ctrl + c
unplug the phone, remove the battery without turning the phone 30 seconds.
restart (on or before this point we must put the sim)
The network will unlock code: 00000000, it will the code is good but not unlock it anyway. If its not working properly and restart the phone again.
once functional, * # 06 # displays the correct imei
After there are bugs that require reflashing, reflash in New JM1 via Odin with re-partition active (I did not test other firmwares)
Must rooter again (the busybox normally installs with the root) ... and yes again ^ ^
reboot (so the normally nv_data.bin.md5 must have recreated)
Creating the. Bak
plug the phone into USB debugging mode enabled
We return under adb ^ ^
Start => Run => cmd (a DOS window will open)
Tapper and point in space by:
cd ..
cd ..
cd android
cd tools
adb shell
su
rm / efs / .nv_data.bakk
rm / efs/.nv_data.bakk.md5
busybox cp / efs / nv_data.bin / efs / .nv_data.bak
busybox cp / efs/nv_data.bin.md5 / efs/.nv_data.bak.md5
chown radio.radio / efs / .nv_data.bak
chown radio.radio / efs/.nv_data.bak.md5
Ctrl + c
Unplug your phone
and it finally finished your phone is unlocked and working again all operators ... remember to save them now ^ ^
A big thank you to Rickou who brought me on a platter chown radio.radio Chaineau who was missing.
And has Reve40 with whom I studied nv_data.
And Hideki Jis26 who tested the method before it is online.
A remark Hideki:
hideki wrote:
Otherwise I just add details about my case.
So personally I stopped before the stage flashing in JM1 because I had no problem and my bak files were recreated itself at startup.
I tried the following reredémarrer my imei and no problems still, no application code. And like bin files are recreated at each boot from bak, I concluded that my bak was so good .
What greatly simplify the procedure .
This was not the case for me and therefore Jis26 peus be that after the Roma moved to the base, we could have some small variations, I can not say more.
Last edited by helroz (25-09-2010 1:50:37 p.m.)
Thanks for the translation but I found something even better then machine gobbly gook ,
I just found the original post by Helroz - in english on XDA if anyone wants:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=8182729&postcount=107
"This method work for galaxy s with damaged nv_data caused by froyo JPC (good imei but unlock code required)
this method is to recreate a new unlock code and allow the phone to unlock with new unlock code
I post this on frandroid with pictures and link for software:
h***://forum.frandroid.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=26052"
So has anyone tried this method? Is changing the country code "XEF" necessary for unlock? Is that just for changing the product code?
michael.seltzer said:
So has anyone tried this method? Is changing the country code "XEF" necessary for unlock? Is that just for changing the product code?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have yet to try it, but changing the country code is only necessary if you flashed a different international firmware and it changed that.
Ya i flashed to cognition 2.2 so it shouldn't be an issue right?
michael.seltzer said:
Ya i flashed to cognition 2.2 so it shouldn't be an issue right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not the country code, since you flashed an AT&T build.
when performing the busybox line, I get
cp: write error: No space left on device
Why? I have plently of room on my phone, what is the problem here?
No one has any idea?
Vae Hostilis said:
when performing the busybox line, I get
cp: write error: No space left on device
Why? I have plently of room on my phone, what is the problem here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ran into this, and i have an answer... took me bit to discover it...
The /efs partition is only about 6MB in size - the nv_data.bin is 2mb. There is a hidden backup file and another file as well that are also about 2mb.
ls -l -a (you can't do ls -la as in linux or unix) will show you hidden files and sizes.
So you probably tried to backup your nv_data.bin in the /efs folder, and then copying a new one over and you ran out of space. Delete the nv_data.bin after you back it up to your SD card, then copy the changed one over.
alphadog00 said:
I ran into this, and i have an answer... took me bit to discover it...
The /efs partition is only about 6MB in size - the nv_data.bin is 2mb. There is a hidden backup file and another file as well that are also about 2mb.
ls -l -a (you can't do ls -la as in linux or unix) will show you hidden files and sizes.
So you probably tried to backup your nv_data.bin in the /efs folder, and then copying a new one over and you ran out of space. Delete the nv_data.bin after you back it up to your SD card, then copy the changed one over.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried deleting the file in the efs folder, then just copying the file over using root file manager and it still says I don't have enough room. after deleting the file, I have 1.91mb free in that folder. is there anything in there I can toss?
And what does busybox have to do with transfering the file? as in why do i have to include busybox when typing in the command on adb?
Edit: here is the list of files in there in case I have some unnecessary ones.
.android (folder)
---empty
.imei (size: 15)
.nv_data.bakk (2097152)
.nv_data.bakk.md5 (32)
.nv_state (1)
imei (folder)
---bt.text (23)
---mps_code.dat (3)
nv.log (96)
after listing these off, I notice there is a serious math problem here..... how do i have 4.01 mb (according to root file manager) filled?
Vae Hostilis said:
Tried deleting the file in the efs folder, then just copying the file over using root file manager and it still says I don't have enough room. after deleting the file, I have 1.91mb free in that folder. is there anything in there I can toss?
And what does busybox have to do with transfering the file? as in why do i have to include busybox when typing in the command on adb?
Edit: here is the list of files in there in case I have some unnecessary ones.
.android (folder)
---empty
.imei (size: 15)
.nv_data.bakk (2097152)
.nv_data.bakk.md5 (32)
.nv_state (1)
imei (folder)
---bt.text (23)
---mps_code.dat (3)
nv.log (96)
after listing these off, I notice there is a serious math problem here..... how do i have 4.01 mb (according to root file manager) filled?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did all this via ADB shell and i didnt use the busybox command; but i don't see your original nv_dat.bin - that is 2MB. You can delete the bakk file - that was made by some script - i have never seen the OS add 2 K's.
If you want to keep something move it to SD card and then delete from /efs. I know it is the nv_data.bin and .nv_data.bin that are 2MB files - they take up the room in the partition.
Unless you use a terminal and type in the commands - it is hard to tell what the file manager may still be hiding. I haven't used root file manager.
alphadog00 said:
I did all this via ADB shell and i didnt use the busybox command; but i don't see your original nv_dat.bin - that is 2MB. You can delete the bakk file - that was made by some script - i have never seen the OS add 2 K's.
If you want to keep something move it to SD card and then delete from /efs. I know it is the nv_data.bin and .nv_data.bin that are 2MB files - they take up the room in the partition.
Unless you use a terminal and type in the commands - it is hard to tell what the file manager may still be hiding. I haven't used root file manager.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the .nv_data.bak, the .nv2.bak, and the nv_data.bin in the sdcard folder. I believe the instructions told us to move those out of the efs folder and rename the copies (left in the efs folder) to .bakk instead of .bak, as they were the ones that would be deleted later.
All the files you see, are all the files in there, looking through ADB and the Root File manager app w/ hidden files shown. and the file sizes are not adding up to the total 4 it says I have in there, but I will try deleting the .bakk file and see what happens.
The nv_data.bin is the important one.
With what you listed, you should have about 4mb free, not 4 mb used. If you are in ADB shell you also have the df and du commands to show you how much of the /efs partition is used.
lol. it tells me 4.01mb is used.... sigh.....
Edit: just wiped my phone for the hell of it to see if it fixed anything. All the files are back, safe and sound, and the MATH ADDS UP (Yeay!). I'll try one more time before I give up.
Edit 2: just ordered a replacement device from at&t. I'll just run the Generate Code program on that, hopefully. Thank you for your help!!
So has anyone actually tried this? Does it actually work?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
How did you get att to replace it?
michael.seltzer said:
So has anyone actually tried this? Does it actually work?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does work. As long as your IMEI is good. (*#06#). Take a good unlocked nv_data.bin - put your IMEI and unlock/unfreeze codes in it; in the right places. Move it your phone and reboot.
so if i just follow the guide exactly i'll be good? Is there a chance that my phone might not boot up? For some reason my phone can't get into download or recovery mode so i don't want to be stuck.
michael.seltzer said:
so if i just follow the guide exactly i'll be good? Is there a chance that my phone might not boot up? For some reason my phone can't get into download or recovery mode so i don't want to be stuck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
with a bad nv_data.bin - it should still boot -but I can't guarantee it. Never tried.
Hacking system files, there is always the chance the phone won't boot. AT&T did it with OTA upgrade.... How bad do you need to unlock your phone -that is the question you need to ask yourself.
DO NOT POST IN THIS THREAD BEFORE READING THE WHOLE POST
PLEASE ADD GUIDES TO COMMON ISSUES YOURSELVES
To my recollection, the previous WM Guides thread was successful.. so we'll be moving on to android as well - from beginner to pro.
I hope this thread will provide answers to a decent percentage of your questions.
Please hold until guide collecting is finished..
In the meanwhile you are ALL invited to send me links or full guides to add to this thread.. remember, we are all about sharing.
COMING SOON! (in the meanwhile, you've got a great battery life guide at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=471521 - be sure to thank BruceElliot for it!)
also, if you decide to post a guide, please keep the guide as neat as possible, with a title containing the LEVEL ([BEGINNER], [INTERMEDIATE], [PRO]) and the commonly searched words so that people who look for it can find it easily. (if you can, use the same color (dark orange) and same size (4) and Bold.. for the main title.. tho that's not a must )
post #2. [BEGINNERS+INTERMEDIATE] Replacing System Files using Android Commander
post #3. [EVERYONE] ADB Workshop by Adrynalyne and Guide by Captainkrtek
post #4. [QUICK FAQ's] Common QnA's for beginners by Timmymarsh (work in progress)
[BEGINNERS] Replacing system files using Android Commander
Replacing system files using Android Commander:
(This post was formally based in the HD2's RTL support thread and revolved around our need to replace frameworks)
so:
1. Download the android SDK from: http://dl.google.com/android/android...08-windows.zip
2. EXTRACT(!!!) the android-sdk-windows to c:\
(make sure you extract the dir - not run the setup from inside the zip file)
3. install Android Commander from http://androidcommander.com
4. Connect your device and make sure it's set to Debugging mode in /settings/applications/development/
5. You might have to set a dir containing your adb.exe file. set it to c:\android-sdk-windows\tools\
6. You will see a Total Commander-like interface. you can then copy the framework.jar file to the correct directory (there's no difference between SD android builds and androids in ROM - the system dir will be shown the same way)
a. Yes, you can replace/delete system files while android is running.
b. (for androids running from SD) Any file copied to /sdcard/android/root/system/X will be copied to /system/X in the system file. The sdcard/android root dir is JUST LIKE your root in ROM androids.
c. Make sure you either created a backup or verified a match in any other way before replacing files like frameworks, zimage, modules, etc.. your android might not boot afterwards (I keep all system.ext2 files backed up so that i can restore them incase i screw something up.)
enjoy
[EVERYONE] ADB Workshop by Adrynalyne and Guide by Captainkrtek
This following guide was rewritten by Captainkrtek, please make sure to thank him for it
Original Post:
(http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=879701)
This workshop was held in #android-learning on irc.freenode.net by XDA Member Adrynalyne. All credit to him for this guide, I simply am taking it and turning it into a guide. Here we go!
You can find the raw IRC log here
Good evening folks, and welcome to my ADB workshop. This is by no means a full explanation on the subject, but more of a crash course to help folks get up to speed, and get more from their devices. There may be some things you already know here, so please be patient and respect those who do not.
Reference Files
http://adrynalyne.us/files/How to install adb.pdf
http://adrynalyne.us/files/Using ADB.pdf
So, lets just start with the basics.
What is ADB?
ADB stands for the android debugging bridge and is used for testing and debugging purposes by developers.
However, we like to get more out of our devices, and its a great way to fix things.
Knowing adb can mean the difference between a paperweight and a working phone.
So, to start with, we will look at installing ADB.
Generally speaking, the Sun/Oracle JDK is required to run all SDK functions.
ADB is but one tool in the SDK arsenal.
So, we begin by downloading and installing the JDK. This can be found here:
https://cds.sun.com/is-bin/[email protected]_Developer
Choose your OS, download and install. I recommend that 64 bit users use the regular x86/32 bit version as well.
Moving ahead, we download the Windows sdk from here:
http://dl.google.com/android/installer_r08-windows.exe
Due to already installing JDK, you won't be stopped by the install process.
Now, if you notice, I installed it to:
C:\android-sdk-windows
I did this because it makes things easier when setting up path variables.
I encourage everyone to do the same, but obviously it is not required.
So, this SDK is handy, but is only good up to 2.2. We want the latest and greatest! (Well I do)
So, we navigate to:
C:\android-sdk-windows\
and we run SDK Manager.exe
If you notice in your PDF file for installing adb, you will notice that you can update, and I made a choice not to include earlier sdk versions.
I won't go into full detail on that, but depending on the version of SDK you have, 8 or 9, it WILL make a difference in using adb.
By default, for version 8 adb.exe resides in C:\android-sdk-windows\tools
By default, for version 9 adb.exe resides in C:\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools
We will assume version 9 in this guide
Really, the SDK is installed and adb is usable right now, but in my humble opinion, its not enough
I like the ability to use adb in ANY directory on my machine.
To do this, we edit Windows's environment variables.
Specifically, the system path.
To do this, we click on start, or the orb (depending on OS), and right click on Computer, left clicking on properties in the menu.
If its windows XP, I believe it brings you into advanced system properties immediatly. Vista and 7 need a second step.
On the left hand side, as you notice I have highlighted in the pdf, left click advanced system settings.
Under advanced tab, we left click environment variables...
There are two boxes here.
We are concerned with system variables, however.
So we scroll down the list and highlight path and click edit.
Ignoring all the extra stuff in here, make sure you are at the end of the line, and type
Code:
;C:\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools
The semicolon allows us to separate it
from the previous path statement.
Click ok all the way out.
We now have ADB setup globally. We can use cmd.exe (I use powershell) and no matter what directory we are in, adb is recognized.
If it is not, make certain you entered the path into system variables, and made no typos.
If you installed to a different location, you will need to adjust the path accordingly.
This concludes the section on installing the Android SDK to use ADB.
This next section will be on using ADB, so please open that pdf now.
Now, this applies to any OS, not just Windows.
Well, with the exception of the USB drivers.
I will not go too much into that, but if you take a look at the PDF, it goes through installing usb drivers for the sdk, and how to download them.
Fiarly straightforward, in that rspect.
Now, to setup our phones to use with the SDK and ADB, we must change some settings.
First, we go to menu softkey, then settings.
We scroll down to Applications and tap it.
Under Development, we will check Enable USB Debugging. Please note the SGS phones are different in this respect.
The USB cable must be unplugged before enabling or disabling this setting.
Once this is done, we are now ready to play with adb
One quick note: If you get device not found/conencted, please reboot your phone. DJ05 has a quirk in it where ADBD randomly crashes on boot.
A reboot will fix this
ADBD= ADB Daemon
Ok, continuing on.
Lets look at installing applications. This is also known as sideloading.
Unlike installing from the SD card, it does not require unknown sources to be enabled.
The command for this is
Code:
adb install packagename
This assumes that you are working from the directory where the file is located.
This will install the application to /data/app.
It will also show sometimes useful errors if install fails.
That is not something you will see from the Android GUI.
Now, a lot of us have probably deleted files with apps like Root Explorer. While this isn't really a bad thing, it leaves behind databases and data for the application removed.
This is where the 0kb applicaiton entries come from.
If you take that application entry name, you can uninstall the extra data via adb.
First we go to the adb shell which logs into the phone.
Code:
adb shell
If we end up with a $, we will want admin rights, in many cases. This is not one of them, I don't beleive.
To get admin rights, you want to type
Code:
su
Look at your phone if this is the first time, it may prompt you to allow access. Else you will get permission denied.
If you are not rooted, this will not work either.
Ok, now that we are logged in, we will type
Code:
pm uninstall packagename
where packagename is the name of the 0kb listing.
Now this seems like a pain in the a** and I agree.
HOWEVER
There will be a time where Manage applications crashes when you try to uninstall it from the phone. In this case, a factory reset, or this method is the only effective way to fix the problem.
Moving on.
How many of us have removed system applications or renamed them? Did you know that you can simply disable them from the system?
Code:
adb shell
su
pm disable appllicationname
This will disable it, and the system will ignore it.
This can be seen as safer than deleting or renaming things, but your mileage may vary.
On the other hand, you can also re-enable these applications.
Code:
adb shell
su
pm enable applicationname
Please note: Not all applications will properly re-enable. I believe a factory reset or reinstall of said application will fix the issue.
Also, application names are absolutely case sensitive.
*nix based Operating Systems see the letter 'a' and 'A' as two different things.
when you log into adb shell, you are playing by android rules
Ok, a lot of us tweak and mod our phones and turning off the device to get to clockwork recovery, or battery pulls, or multiple button holds to get into Download mode are troublesome and annoying at best.
ADB can help us here.
Here, we do not need to be logged into the shell
If we want to merely reboot the phone:
Code:
adb reboot
If we want to go to recovery (works well with voodoo5)
Code:
adb reboot recovery
If we want to go to Download Mode because we need Odin, heaven forbid:
Code:
adb reboot download
Its instant. No waiting on animations or anything else.
Its also handy if Android has locked up, but yet still works in adb.
I for one hate taking my case off to battery pull.
So now we move on to pushing and pulling files.
Sometimes, I don't feel like mounting my sd card to copy a file over to my phone.
I can use this command to push a file straight to my sd card:
Code:
adb push filename /pathtodirectoryonphone
So for instance, if I have test.txt that I want to send, I would type:
Code:
adb push test.txt /sdcard/
and there it goes.
Ok moving on
Pushing files can be done to any directory, however, some are protected.
For instance, /system is going to give you a permission denied or a read only filesystem error.
To get around this, the easiest thing to do is push the file to your sdcard, then log into the shell:
Code:
adb shell
Code:
su
We will then mount the system as writable
Code:
mount -o rw,remount /dev/block/stl9 /system
Then we can use something like
Code:
cp /sdcard/test.txt /system/app/test.txt
cp stands for copy
and it requires the path of the file and destination path. The name of the file is optional
When you copy it, you can rename it to whatever you like.
For instance, if we wanted to backup a file
Code:
cp /sdcard/test.txt /sdcard/backuptest.txt
Now, lets assume you do not have busybox installed.
You non rooted users will not.
Then you must use a slightly more complicated command called dd
This is used like this:
Code:
dd if=/sdcard/test.txt of=/system/app/test.txt
if is for inputfile
of= output file
Not every user friendly, but probably one of the safer copy commands.
Ok, moving on to pulling files.
Lets say you want to get a file from your phone, to modify, backup, etc.
To do this, we simply use adb in this manner:
Code:
adb pull /pathtofile/filename destinationname
For instance, if I wanted to backup ADW launcher in system/app
I would do this
Code:
adb pull /system/app/ADWLaucnher.apk ADWLauncher.apk
And it will pull the file from the phone and put it in the current directory.
Like above, you can specifcy where it goes.
pushing files to the sdcard, it seems prudent to talk about changing permissions.
sdcards are typically fat32, which destroys permisisons, and Android is heavily permission based.
So if you push an application to your sd card, then try to copy it to /system/app/ bad things are going to happen, or the app may not even show up.
So in that case, we use something called chmod.
This is used in this manner
Code:
adb shell
su
chmod 755 /pathtoapplication/applicationname
Keep in mind
you dont want to do this while its still on your sd card.
an example
Code:
adb shell
su
chmod 755 /system/app/ADWLauncher.apk
755 is good for applications and script files.
Just a couple more topics to cover.
Lets go over deleting files.
This becomes especially handy for removing rogue applications.
To do this, we must be in the adb shell.
Code:
adb shell
su
rm /system/app/ADWLauncher.apk
You may need to remount system as writable with:
Code:
mount -o rw,remount /dev/block/stl9 /system
That applies when using chmod as well.
So what I did above was delete ADW Launcher from system/app
However, what if I wanted to delete the entire contents of a directory?
Same thing as before, except
Code:
adb shell
rm -f /data/dalvik-cache/*.*
I just cleared my dalvik-cache with that command
very quick, very effective.
If you just tried that, please reboot your phone now
Ok....this leaves us with the final topic: logcat
logcat allows us to log what the OS is doing, and possibly delve information for when things are not working
its quite simple Reading it is another.
To use logcat
Code:
adb shell
logcat
To logcat to a certain file do
Code:
adb shell
logcat > /sdcard/logcat.txt
Now we let the log settle down to a reasonable amount of data coming in and not a wall of scrolling, then start the app in question. When it gives an error, we hit ctrl-C and kill the adb shell session.
This should have captured enough data to see the error. Now, I prepared an example. A user came to me on IRC, and Google Maps was force closing. Clearing data didnt fix it, Clearing dalvik-cache, and fix permissions did not fix it. In this case, the user did not know how to use adb So I had him grab an app called alogcat from the market and email me the log. This is also a very valid method.
this file explains what the problem was, and highlights what to look for as an example.
http://adrynalyne.us/files/logcat.pdf
___________________________________________________________________
This concludes the guide from Adrynalyne, there will be more workshops such as this one in irc.freenode.net #android-learning.
Thanks to everyone in #samsung-fascinate !
QUICK FAQ's
sources: Q&A Section, The Weekly Q&A Section by XDA News Writers (thanks guys)
Q: ‘Is there any way to block specific apps from using my data connection?’
A: Try the Droid Wall application.
Q: ‘I read how you can make changes in the build.prop file on my Android device. How exactly do I get to it?’
A: Install ASTRO file manager, browse to /system, long press on build.prop – Edit – Copy. Press on the home icon then Edit icon – Paste. Connect sd card, edit it, and paste it over from where you copied build.prop
Q: What happens if I update my phone? will I need to re-root it and get the ROM again? will all of my applications get erased? If so, is there a way around this?
A: You will lose your root, but not apps if it is just an update.
Q: I just tried to flash a ROM from recovery on my Android phone and got “Verification Failed, Installation Aborted” What happened?
A: Before you can flash a custom ROM the .zip file must be digitally signed in the ROM kitchen, if unzipped and re-zipped it will lose its verification, this happens often using the Safari browser as it likes to decompress .zip’s. Or if your download is corrupted (download the ROM again) it will fail the Verification.
Q - HTC Location Widget shows "map data unavailable"
A - On the widget, click the pin/then click the windows button/click get more/scroll to download maps/download relevant map (care, maybe a big file). Now exit and click onto map, your location should now be visible :)
Q:So, I moved all the apps on the SD, but is still not enough. How can I free some memory? I could delete the cache of the older upgrade or something else?
A:Do you have pictures and videos? If so, check if they are on the SD card and not on your internal memory. Cleaning your cache helps, and try deleting your text messages threads.
Q: ‘What exactly is a kernel and what are the benefits in changing it?’
A: A kernel is a bridge between the applications and the actual data processing done at the hardware level. The kernel’s responsibilities include managing the system’s resources – the communication between hardware and software components. Flashing different kernels gives you different operating speeds, better battery life, the ability to overclock, and more.
Android control other device with IOIO Board.
It use ADB.
http://androidcontrol.blogspot.com/2011/10/ioio-board-for-android-control-io.html
timmymarsh said:
QUICK FAQ's
sources: Q&A Section, The Weekly Q&A Section by XDA News Writers (thanks guys)
Q: ‘Is there any way to block specific apps from using my data connection?’
A: Try the Droid Wall application.
Q: ‘I read how you can make changes in the build.prop file on my Android device. How exactly do I get to it?’
A: Install ASTRO file manager, browse to /system, long press on build.prop – Edit – Copy. Press on the home icon then Edit icon – Paste. Connect sd card, edit it, and paste it over from where you copied build.prop
Q: What happens if I update my phone? will I need to re-root it and get the ROM again? will all of my applications get erased? If so, is there a way around this?
A: You will lose your root, but not apps if it is just an update.
Q: I just tried to flash a ROM from recovery on my Android phone and got “Verification Failed, Installation Aborted” What happened?
A: Before you can flash a custom ROM the .zip file must be digitally signed in the ROM kitchen, if unzipped and re-zipped it will lose its verification, this happens often using the Safari browser as it likes to decompress .zip’s. Or if your download is corrupted (download the ROM again) it will fail the Verification.
Q - HTC Location Widget shows "map data unavailable"
A - On the widget, click the pin/then click the windows button/click get more/scroll to download maps/download relevant map (care, maybe a big file). Now exit and click onto map, your location should now be visible :)
Q:So, I moved all the apps on the SD, but is still not enough. How can I free some memory? I could delete the cache of the older upgrade or something else?
A:Do you have pictures and videos? If so, check if they are on the SD card and not on your internal memory. Cleaning your cache helps, and try deleting your text messages threads.
Q: ‘What exactly is a kernel and what are the benefits in changing it?’
A: A kernel is a bridge between the applications and the actual data processing done at the hardware level. The kernel’s responsibilities include managing the system’s resources – the communication between hardware and software components. Flashing different kernels gives you different operating speeds, better battery life, the ability to overclock, and more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your patience and taking the time to answer those questions. I loved your simple and easily digestible format.
There is a note
*nix based Operating Systems see the letter 'a' and 'A' as two different things.
when you log into adb shell, you are playing by android rules
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this note is all wrong..
1. linNUX is not *NIX.
2. Mac OS-X is a *NIX OS, it is based upon UNIX, they use their own variant called Darwin. Darwin does not require capitolization.
3. The word should be POSIX. Linux is POSIX compliant and POSIX defines the capitolization standardards
soft brick
Taioba said:
Is there any way to use ADB even though I can not enable USB debugging by the android?
I have an Atrix with soft-brick. How can I restore a file (framework-res.apk) knowing that my USB debugging is off?
I can enable ADB via fastboot?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found this for atrix 4g....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=965546
hope it helps
knoknot said:
i have a bricked s2 not so sure how to go about reviving it via adb
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
check this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1237815
thanks. searched for that
Thanks for it.
Great Guys............ :good:
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing this guild :d, i am new member for reccod
Great job~ Sometimes could be used this.
I'm using Windows 10 RTM and I've set the path, yet I still get the "unrecognized application" error in the command console. What am I missing?
Nevermind, a restart fixed it. Used to be you didn't have to.... sheesh.
nir36 said:
Replacing system files using Android Commander:
(This post was formally based in the HD2's RTL support thread and revolved around our need to replace frameworks)
so:
1. Download the android SDK from: http://dl.google.com/android/android...08-windows.zip
2. EXTRACT(!!!) the android-sdk-windows to c:\
(make sure you extract the dir - not run the setup from inside the zip file)
3. install Android Commander from http://androidcommander.com
4. Connect your device and make sure it's set to Debugging mode in /settings/applications/development/
5. You might have to set a dir containing your adb.exe file. set it to c:\android-sdk-windows\tools\
6. You will see a Total Commander-like interface. you can then copy the framework.jar file to the correct directory (there's no difference between SD android builds and androids in ROM - the system dir will be shown the same way)
a. Yes, you can replace/delete system files while android is running.
b. (for androids running from SD) Any file copied to /sdcard/android/root/system/X will be copied to /system/X in the system file. The sdcard/android root dir is JUST LIKE your root in ROM androids.
c. Make sure you either created a backup or verified a match in any other way before replacing files like frameworks, zimage, modules, etc.. your android might not boot afterwards (I keep all system.ext2 files backed up so that i can restore them incase i screw something up.)
enjoy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, this Guide is very informative
Help with LG D722
I'm using LG D722 phone and I somehow unlocked bootloader and installed twrp recovery. I backed up Lollipop that's what I'm using and i want to restore custom ROM
I know I need to install Google Apps after installing Custom ROM. But Do I also need to install Modem files on my device ? Because I can't find them on XDA Forums. Please give me a link or something. The help is not just appreciated but seriously needed.
Success. Thanks
Hello, I walk testing one recovery but I'm booting before flashing, the question is, will the recovery feel same when booted vs flashed? I've booted and used to flash a pair of zips but felt very laggy and bugged although did the work right. Thanks
Edit: solved, tried myself
Sent from my SHIELD Tablet K1 using XDA-Developers mobile app
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=872128&page=2
Attn Moderator. This is a reply to:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=712433
I was able to use Tasker with the "Secure Settings" plugin [to turn on ADB Over Network and Wireless ABD Enabled/Wifi+]
[But you could also do this on your phone if you don't want to install anything additional http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1685736]
To send APKs to my phone via wifi I did the following:
First I put adb.exe in C:\adb\
Then I ran the follow reg file:
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.apk\shell\Install to Phone]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.apk\shell\Install to Phone\command]
@="C:\\adb\\connect-to-phone.bat & C:\\adb\\adb.exe install %1"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Send to Phone]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Send to Phone\command]
@="C:\\adb\\connect-to-phone.bat & C:\\adb\\adb.exe push %1 /sdcard/"
If copying this setup exactly, you will also need to create the following file: C:\abd\connect-to-phone.bat
Code:
C:\adb\adb.exe disconnect&&C:\adb\adb.exe connect 192.168.1.101
[This is the static IP address of my phone, yours will probably be different] ^^
Does anyone know if there is a way to get this into the right click Send To > menu?
\\EDIT This script does not like file names with spaces, please make sure there are no special characters or spaces in the names of the files you are sending to the phone
Additionally, sometimes I've had to run it twice to get it to connect
Can someone please move this to the correct forum?
I was looking for this and I have modified above script to work properly for directories with spaces in its name. Simply change %1 in above script to \"%1\"
Thanks for the original version.
Make sure that whatever directory you point to one your phone already exists. It wont create a new folder for you.
In my case the above code became like this.
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\ADB Push to Phone]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\ADB Push to Phone\command]
@="C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Minimal ADB and Fastboot\\adb.exe push \"%1\" /sdcard/ADBPush/"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\ADB Push to Phone]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\ADB Push to Phone\command]
@="C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Minimal ADB and Fastboot\\adb.exe push \"%1\" /sdcard/ADBPush/"
Install minimal adb and fastboot from xda if you dont have it. Change directories as suited to your system to point to adb.exe file. Location on phone must already exist. Edit in notepad, save as .reg file and install it.
Warning: Even an expert runs the risk of “bricking,” or locking up their Android device when modifying it. Often this is a ‘soft brick’ from which they can recover, but sometimes the device is “hard bricked” from which no recovery is possible, and the device becomes a source of spare parts. Proceed at your own risk. Neither the author, nor XDA is liable if you do “brick” your device.
Note: I have insufficient posts to include outside links. I'll add them when I do. Until then you'll need to search the 'net.
Keeping that in mind, you may wish to acquire an older model device to practice with before attempting to modify leading edge devices. Kijiji and Craig’s List are good sources for low cost, used devices that can be used for practice. I acquired the Samsung Galaxy S5 neo (SM-G903W) with Android 7.0.0 (Nougat) installed, I’m using in this guide for about $20 USD. Although any device will do, try to get one from the same manufacturer as the device you want to modify. If your device is a phone, you do not need a SIM card to follow this guide.
The Android OS is a derivative of Linux, and many, but not all commands are the same. You should refer to Linux or Unix manuals for an explanation of the commands. Search the ‘net for “Linux Commands” to find the latest manuals.
As the boot animation and sound are the most common modifications, changes to those are the goals of this guide. It seems as though there is an app for everything now. Yes, they are handy, but this guide will use the command line for many of the modifications. I use Terminal Emulator on the device for command line access. I also use BusyBox to expand the command set available. Both are available from the Play Store. You need root access to install and use BusyBox.
The first step is to read the manual for your device. Pay particular attention to the method used to enter the download and recovery modes. The Samsung Galaxy S5 neo uses volume up + home + power to enter the recovery mode, and volume down + home + power To enter the download mode from the power off condition. Press the volume and home buttons first, and then press the power button while holding them down. The device will boot into the desired mode. You may also require special USB drivers on your PC for your device.
Next you need to take as complete a backup of your device as possible using the stock options. See your manual for help with this. It’s also a very good idea to download the full firmware, as well as the boot and recovery partitions and any tools needed to re-flash this software. The best way to find these is to consult the manufacturer’s website, then this forum, followed by a ‘net search if nothing else provides results. For my device I need Odin on my PC. I found the full firmware at sammobile.com and firmware.mobi. The boot and recovery images can be extracted from the Samsung file, and then re-compressed using 7-zip on your PC. The firmware.mobi website offers all three files for several versions of Android, as well as a configured Odin package to root my device.
Now that we’re ready, the next few posts in this thread will cover the following sequence:
1. Root Device
2. Install Recovery
3. Install Applications
4. NANDroid backup
5. Make your modifications
Root Device with Chainfire
Warning: If you have a KNOX enabled device, rooting it will trip the KNOX warranty flag, voiding your warranty. This flag cannot be reset, and will prevent some applications from working.
Warning: Rooting improperly can “Hard Brick” your device, turning it into a source of spare parts.
There are numerous rooting tools out there. I use Chainfire whenever possible. The current website firmware.mobi will generate an easy to use package including Odin for supported devices. Download and extract the package to a new folder on your PC. Start Odin using the root.bat file. Read the warnings. Next:
Ensure Developer Options are enabled on your device. On the SM-G903W, go to Settings/About Phone/Software information/Build number seven times. Other devices may use a different method. Consult your manual.
In Settings / Developer Options ensure OEM Unlock is on and turn on USB Debugging
Note: I also turn “Auto update system” off
Turn the device off, then re-boot into the download mode (Volume Down + Home + Power, and then press Volume Up on my device)
Plug the device into a USB port of your PC
Select AP in Odin, then select the image.tar.md5 file downloaded with your package.
Ensure one of the COM ports is highlighted.
This is your last chance to abort. DO NOT CONTINE if you have any doubts.
Click Start
When your device is rooted successfully you’ll see a green pass in Odin. Congratulations! Your device will re-boot into recovery mode to root the device, and then re-boot normally. Well, that’s how it was supposed to work. When I used the CF Autoroot file for the SM-G903W, I got the error message “Recovery is NOT seandroid enforcing”, and was unable to boot into the recovery mode. I used Odin to re-flash the recovery partition which allowed me to enter the recovery mode again. A little searching on this forum, led me to this post by Neoony. I used the link for the SM-G903F and succeeded in rooting the device.
Now you need a root manager. My preference is Super SU. Install it from Google Play. Run Super SU. It will let you know if you were not successful by reporting that your device is not rooted.
Install Backup/Recovery (TWRP)
As we intend to modify the Android system itself, we need the ability to back it up and restore it. There are several options including Clockwork Mod (CWM), Team Win Recovery Project (TWRP) and Titanium Backup. My personal preference is TWRP.
Installation is as follows:
Install the “Official TWRP App” from Google Play
Run the App, agree to the Terms and Conditions, and enable “Run with root permissions,” then tap OK.
Tap “TWRP FLASH” on the next screen
Select your device from the drop down menu, you will need a network connection for this. You’ll be presented with a series of choices. Choose the latest and greatest. The image will be downloaded to your device.
Select “FLASH TO RECOVERY”, and confirm the image is correct. You will see the message “Flash Completed Successfully!” when installation is complete.
Exit the “Official TWRP App” and re-boot your device into the Download, followed by Recovery, and finally normally to confirm all is well.
Install Applications
The applications to install are those you will use to customize your device. I suggest BusyBox, and Terminal Emulator from the Play Store. BusyBox requires root access for the expanded command set. Terminal Emulator will allow command line access on your device so you won’t need ADB on your computer. You will be able to gain root access through it to modify anything on your device anytime, anywhere.
Other Apps you may find useful are the Jota Text Editor, and Hex Editor. These are also available through the Play Store.
NANDroid backup
Once the device is rooted, and your choice of applications are installed it’s a good idea to fully back up the device. This includes ALL partitions, so you have a baseline that you can re-flash. If your device has minimal memory, you may need an SD card or USB OTG drive to hold your backup. These backups will often be larger than 4GB.
Re-boot your device into the Recovery Mode. In TWRP, select ALL the partitions. Select the desired Storage location, and tap OK. Swipe to backup your device. Note the warning that “Backups of data do not include any files in internal storage such as pictures or downloads.” That is not the purpose of TWRP, and is best accomplished with the native backup utility. This backup will require several minutes.
Make your modifications
With root access, a recovery program and needed applications installed; and a complete backup we are finally ready to modify the Android installation of your device. We’ll start with the boot animation.
Modifying the boot animation:
Most devices use a ZIP file for boot animations. Samsung uses a proprietary QMG file. I tried to convert a boot animation that I put together a few years ago into the QMG format using Samsung’s Theme Designer Version 2.0.4 (Build 3918), as the links I found to newer versions on the XDA forum were broken. Searching through this forum, I found this post by Jertlok. I used the Marshmallow version with Nougat successfully.
Enough of this talking, let the games begin! Find the boot animation you want to use and download it to your device.
I’m using the Terminal Emulator for this installation. Our first step is to find the source and destination folders for this file. The relevant folders for the SM-G903W are:
boot animation: /system/media
downloads: /data/media/0/Download
If you have another device and the boot animation is located elsewhere, do a search of this forum first to find them. Look for your device first, and the other models by the same manufacturer.
Type the following commands using the Terminal Emulator:
Code:
su get super user privileges
mount -o rw,remount /system remount /system with read & write permissions
cd /system/media go to directory with boot media files, may differ
ls verify this is the correct folder
mv /data/media/0/Download/bootanimation.zip . move the file to our current location
ls verify the file was moved
exit leave super user mode
Reboot your device and verify the boot animation works.
Note: Don’t forget the period at the end of the mv command. This is a shortcut meaning the current directory, saving you from typing the full location.
Modifying the boot sound:
Finding the location for the boot sound can be more involved that finding that for the boot animation. If you know the name of the file, you can do a search through Terminal Emulator with the following commands:
Code:
su get super user privileges
cd /system/media choose a starting point for your search
find –name PowerOn.ogg name of the boot sound on the SM-G903W
This shows the file to be located in /system/media/audio/ui. Put the sound you want in the Download folder. I’ve named mine bootsound.ogg to show another use of the mv command. Use the following commands in Terminal Emulator:
Code:
su get super user privileges
mount -o rw,remount /system remount system with read /write permissions
cd /system/media/audio/ui go to the folder containing PowerOn.ogg
ls confirm we’re in the right folder
mv PowerOn.ogg PowerOn.ogg.bak rename PowerOn.ogg
mv /data/media/0/Download/bootsound.ogg . move bootsound.ogg
mv bootsound.ogg PowerOn.ogg rename bootsound.ogg
ls confirm the change has been made
exit leave super user mode
Reboot your device and verify the boot sound works. The shutdown sound is not used in the stock ROM. You can add a shutdown sound in the same manner by placing PowerOff.ogg in /system/media/audio/ui. Note: If PowerOn.ogg or PowerOff.ogg do not play, check your file permissions. Set them to the same values as the remainder of the files in the directory, usually 644.
Wrap up
Everyone needs to start somewhere. My goal in starting this thread was to provide that starting point, and a path forward for those new to modifying an Android device. That is why I started with a stock not-too-old device, and showed how to take it to manually changing the boot animation and sound. Why manually, when there are apps for that? An App can only accomplish a single task, such as changing the boot animation. At the command line you can do almost anything. You won’t be stopped by the lack of an App.
Much of the material covered by this guide is specific for a device. Those with Samsung devices came out far ahead, and those with a Galaxy S5 neo may just have hit the jackpot. The general sequence for all devices is the same. You’ll just need to dig for those devilish details.
There are two things that should stick out:
1. Use a not too old device by the same manufacturer as your target when starting. It’s far cheaper than bricking a bleeding edge device.
2. Backup, backup, backup! This can’t be stressed enough. Losing hours or days of work is very depressing, and often leads to dropping a project.
Good luck modding your device. This forum is one of the best, if not THE best place for resolving those devilish details that you will encounter.
The Next Step: Changing the Boot Logo
First, thanks to Near_07 for his post Galaxy S9 and S9+ Boot logo. I modified his package to make one for the Samsung Galaxy S5 neo. Note that his script is for the same exynos platform. This is critical for packages containing binaries.
I unpacked the pile to a new directory on my PC.
The first thing I did was to verify paths and filenames in the script "update-binary". I opened the file using WordPad on my PC for ease of reading. The file contains references to "/dev/block/platform/11120000.ufs/by-name/UP_PARAM", which does not exist on the S5 neo. I used Terminal Emulator to check for something close and found "/dev/block/platform/13540000.dwmmc0/by-name/PARAM ". I copied the file to the Download directory, and from there to my PC. Opening the archive, I found that it contained the file "logo.jpg". Bingo! I was in the right place. I copied the "update-binary" back to the Download directory on the S5 neo, and used Jota Text Editor to change ALL the references from 11120000.ufs to 13540000.dwmmc0; and UP_PARAM to PARAM. I then copied the modified "update-binary" back to replace the original on my PC. Why did I use Jota Text Editor on the S5 neo, instead of notepad on my PC? Unix, Linux, and Android use different end of line sequences than the PC. There are programs for the PC capable of generating Android compatible files, but I'm sticking with software already mentioned in this tutorial.
Choosing or Creating a New Boot Logo:
Choose or create a new .jpg image, the same size as your screen for your new boot logo. I've attached the original logo.jpg from my S5 neo to this post. I used that as a starting point, moving and adding elements to mate with my boot animation. I've included a demo copy in the zipped package. I've also attached a copy of the first image in my boot animation sequence. The powered by Android Nougat element fades in as the animation runs.
How to Change the Boot Logo:
You are rooted and have TWRP installed if you've been following along. These are pre-requisites. STOP NOW if they are not installed.
Download the file S5neo_Boot_Logo_Changer
Unzip the file to an empty directory
Replace logo.jpg with your desired logo. Note the name MUST be exactly the same.
Use 7-Zip to compress the contents of your working folder, with 'Store' as the compression method
Copy the resulting archive to the Download folder on your S5 neo
Re-boot your S5 neo into the Recovery mode
Install the package, re-boot, and enjoy!
Removing Bloatware (or fun with scripts)
Bloatware consists of the unwanted apps generously added to your phone by Google, the manufacturer, and your carrier. There can literally be a hundred or more of these apps on your phone. So how do you get rid of them? You can use a package found on this site, but that can be problematical. You may have a different view of bloatware than the package’s author. You may not know what each APK deleted by the package does, and delete one you actually want on your phone. If this happens you’ll need to restore from backup, factory reset the phone, or even re-flash the firmware. My preference is to archive the APK on my desktop so that hopefully I can restore the APks with the package manager.
To start, grab one of the packages to delete bloatware for your version of Android, for as close to your phone as possible. I used this one by Windforce. The contents of updater-script may include a section that looks like this:
Code:
run_program("/sbin/rm", "-rf", "system/app/AASAservice");
run_program("/sbin/rm", "-rf", "system/app/BluetoothMidiService");
run_program("/sbin/rm", "-rf", "system/app/CloudGateway2017");
run_program("/sbin/rm", "-rf", "system/app/GooglePrintRecommendationService");
There are many tools such as word processors, and text editors that you can use to strip out the unwanted bits so that you end up with something like this:
Code:
AASAservice
BluetoothMidiService
CloudGateway2017
GooglePrintRecommendationService
Save it as a file, ensuring that you have an Android (Unix) end of line character. We end up with a list of folders containing the unwanted APKs. Next we need a script to archive the APKs.
The following script has been designed to run in the ‘Download’ folder, from the Terminal Emulator, or ADB (Android Debugging Bridge). It was written on my desktop using Notepad++, to ensure the proper end-of-line character was used. The script, and APK lists must be copied to the Download folder from the desktop. To access the Download folder from the Terminal Emulator or ADB, Super User or root permissions are required. File permissions allowing root to execute the script must be set. Finally the script must be run from within a shell.
Code:
mount -o rw,remount /system # mount /system for read/write
tempdir=/system/app/app # temporary folder for APKs to be archived
mkdir $tempdir
while read apkname # loop parses file for APK names to archive
do
mv /system/app/$apkname $tempdir/$apkname
done < sysapp.txt # supplied list of APKs to be archived
tar -czvf sysapp.tar.gz $tempdir # archive APKs
rm -rf $tempdir # remove temporary folder recursively
rm -rf /cache/* # clear cache contents
rm -rf /data/dalvik-cache/* # clear dalvik-cache contents
reboot
exit 0
After the script has executed, you’ll note the icons for the archived APKs remain on the apps screen, and are still listed under Apps. The must be manually removed. You’ll find that ‘Uninstall’ is now available in both places for the archived apps.
Attached is a .zip file containing the script, and data files I used on a Samsung Galaxy S5 neo (SM-G903W).
I needed to restore my Whatsapp messages without having a proper whatsapp backup, in cloud or local, just a TWRP data partition backup (without userdata, thanks to encryption and some other unrelated problems), so, having only data/data/com.whatsapp directory with the unencrypted databases and files to work with, the usual solutions discussed here weren't an option. In my case, fully replacing the com.whatsapp folder and changing its permissions, as some other sources recommend, resulted in Whatsapp crashing for reasons I ignore. Such info was on the right track and after trying all kind of stuff I finally was able to restore my messages. My steps were as follows, hopefully it works for you too:
Requirements:
A backup of /data/data/com.whatsapp, it should have the databases and files subdirectories.
Rooted Android phone with Whatsapp uninstalled.
Basic terminal usage knowledge. (Should be possible to do it with a decent enough file browser but I won't cover it, feel free to adapt it)
If you need to manually extract com.whatsapp from a TWRP backup:
Locate the different data.ext4.win### files in the TWRP backup.
Rename them adding .tar at the end of the name and open them with Winrar/7zip.
If the .tar contains another data.ext4.win###, extract it and repeat the process.
Once you have access to the actual contents inside the files, locate the file which has the data/data/com.whatsapp directory.
Extract that com.whatsapp directory.
Once you have your copy of com.whatsapp:
Copy your backup of com.whatsapp directory to your phone (I will use /sdcard/com.whatsapp as example).
Install Whatsapp but DO NOT RUN IT. Try to use the same version. (Probably works between versions to some extent)
Install an Android terminal emulator and launch it. (Tested with termux)
Elevate, enter /data/data and show the permissions of the installed Whatsapp com.whatsapp directory:
Code:
$ su
# cd /data/data
# ls -ld com.whatsapp
You'll see something similar to:
Code:
drwx------ 10 u0_a117 u0_a117 4096 2020-03-09 17:28 com.whatsapp
Take note of the user/group, will have u0_a# format. (In my case will be u0_a117)
Enter into that directory:
Code:
# cd com.whatsapp
Copy files and databases directories from your transferred com.whatsapp copy in step 1 to your install location. (Don't forget the final space and dot)
Code:
# cp -R /sdcard/com.whatsapp/databases .
# cp -R /sdcard/com.whatsapp/files .
Change both directories owner and group to the one seen in step 5.
Code:
# chown -R u0_a117:u0_a117 databases
# chown -R u0_a117:u0_a117 files
Check the permissions to be 100% sure that the user/group are correct.
Code:
# ls -lad *es
Launch Whatsapp.
Whatsapp will ask you to configure your phone number. Once you're done, you'll see your messages right there.
If Whatsapp crashes after launching it, you wrote a wrong user/group when changing permissions. Whatsapp overwrites the contents of com.whatsapp before crashing, so you'll need to reinstall Whatsapp and start again. The user/group will be a different one each time you install it.
My system was buggy, not being possible to boot and backup via TitaniumBackup or similar..
I tried your method and worked perfectly via OrangeFox Recovery (with the terminal and the included file manager that facilitates copy/paste operations)
Thank you very much!!
Thank you for this tutorial. I have the same difficulty as the first respondent, in that my miui system is buggy and constantly restarting so no time to do a chat backup with the normal procedure. I also have orange fox recovery so I shall try to follow your instructions to the detail. Hopefully all will go well; I shall post back later with the results.
Yaagod said:
My system was buggy, not being possible to boot and backup via TitaniumBackup or similar..
I tried your method and worked perfectly via OrangeFox Recovery (with the terminal and the included file manager that facilitates copy/paste operations)
Thank you very much!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you introduce any variation or it worked straight off?
One thing that worries me is checking all the permissions
Thanks a lot! I'd just drop my device and it's screen broke, and I was able to "transplant" my WhatsApp installation to another device just fine!
I was trying something similar to this long ago (but also copying some whatsapp-related files from /data/user/0/) and it didn't work, maybe they were related to authentication? Anyway, if it works I don't care
Very nice guide.
you can skip the chown part and use
Code:
cp -rp databases files /data/local/tmp/
to keep the permissions and ownership.
And i think that
Code:
pm clear com.whatsapp
will do the work, you don't need to uninstall if the app opens after the installation.
.
It worked! You are great!
Thanks a lot
does this still work, iv tried exact but whatsapp keeps closing
I just want to say a big THANK YOU. I can confirm that it's still working.
As I have no root on my phone I have used the internal Terminal of TWRP Recovery instead of an app and executed the commands there. They were running without problems (except the command "su" of course) and WhatsApp recognized my previous data.
Custom ROM died yesterday, not able to do backups, recovery had problems too, so I managed to find some Whatsapp inside a TWRP Backup.
I'm unable to work with terminal, can't change directories, maybe because of Android 13. But with total commander app I'm able to move file and database folder and rearrange owner, group and permissions. at least I'm pretty sure to get it right. whatsapp still crashes.