[Q] Upgrading While Rooted - Galaxy S6 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

So, I know that OTA will fail since I am rooted. I am on a Sprint S6 with OC9. I rooted using the T-Mobile Auto-Root.
I see that OCF was published for Odin to flash back to stock. My question revolves around the recommended procedure for flashing with stock. I use Titanium Backup. If I backup, then flash OCF, will this also erase all data on the phone to the point where I have to restore all backups and customize the phone all over again? There's just some things Titanium can't restore well. Or is there a way to update the ROM without wiping everything (dirty flash)?
Given the phone has built-in storage and no microSD, does the storage partition ever get wiped unless I do it manually?
Also, is there any sort of change log for the stock ROM versions? Or do they seem to be just modem updates at this point?

I don't know much about this phone yet since I just got it but coming from a nexus 5 flashing a ROM would keep your data but in this case since it is a system image you will probably lose everything in your storage

Related

Best multiple ROM practice when using TWRP

Hello forums,
I have a rooted One running the latest official update version 44S with TWRP recovery. I am interested in flashing an Android Lollipop port (the one made from CM12 dailies). If I don't want to lose all my app data permanently (I know several resets and erases are necessary to swap ROMs), how can I back it up and then restore it once I've upgraded? Can I keep a backup of my current ROM/apps through the various resets necessary (just in case of big issues or bootloops)? FYI all my backups include system and data, but not cache.
Thanks to any help in advance!
If you're only backing up system and data, your phone will never boot when you restore the backup, you need to backup boot as well. You should always keep at least one backup on your phone at all times, just in case things go wrong. Unless you wipe your internal storage (which you don't need to do) you won't lose your backup. In regards to your user apps, just use Titanium Backup to back them up and then you can restore them after flashing a ROM.
Transmitted via Bacon

BT problem with 05Q. Help me downgrade

I was on stock 44S, except TWRP and root (and unlocked bootloader).
A couple of days ago, I gave the go ahead for OTA to 05Q and I lost the ability to connect to my BT car kit.
I see other people having the same issue over at op+1 forums but no solution.
I tested with different kernels and with full wipe but the problem is there.
The car kit will not recognize the phone at all. It just does not find it during scan. If I do it the other way round, and put the phone to scan for the carkit, it will find it and request the pin, but it will not pair.
I had no problem with 44S and I wonder what is the quickest way to downgrade without loosing data.
From the FAQ its not clear if flashing only system.img from 44S will work.
Another idea is to try a different ROM but the selection is vast and I'm confused over which one to use.
You can't really downgrade without losing some data, but if you just use Titanium Backup to backup your user apps first you can restore them after downgrading. So backup your user apps, perform a full wipe (system, data, cache, dalvik cache), flash the unofficial 44S stock rooted flashable zip from this thread, restore user apps, done.
If you want to try a custom ROM it really isn't all that hard, just read the features and try one (make a TWRP backup first), if you don't like it you can always restore the backup you made.
Transmitted via Bacon
Just to conclude this.
I took a titanium (and TWRP) backup.
Full wipe (except internal storage) and downgraded to stock-rooted-4-4-4-xnph44s from the above link (from TWRP).
After the lengthy restore process using titanium, BT is again operational as it should.
Some notes:
Mobile data is by default on - so if needed remove the SIM before the upgrade to avoid charges.
Don't forget to turn off the "Update CM recovery" to avoid overwriting of TWRP.

[Q] Two questions relating to fresh odin original FW flash, TWRP & encryption

I have been having a persistent issue trying to encrypt my phone's internal storage. (Samsung Galaxy S4 mini LTE (GT-I9195). I thought it might be related to me rooting the device, since I read that you can't encrypt a rooted phone.
So a few minutes ago I plucked up the courage to follow the tutorial to flash my original downloaded firmware to the phone, in an attempt to erase all trace of root. Well the phone came up and wanted my password, so I rebooted and installed TWRP via odin again, then did a factory reset and then used the wipe data option and proceeded to make a backup, assuming this would be as useful and as good as odin-flashing my original firmware back for future use and more convenient and less dangerous than using odin.
Well, after booting it up, going through the setup wizard and then adding a lockscreen password, I am still unable to encrypt the phone. It shows the green android robot, screen fades out, then very soon after that the phone reboots and it all comes back up as normal unencrypted. Bare in mind that this is still the stock firmware that was odin-flashed and then a factory reset.
After all this, what would I need to do to get the phone encryption working?
Also, is my assumption correct, that the new TWRP backup I made, after flashing the original firmware via odin, is that new fresh backup as good as flashing the original again via odin? At least in terms of the OS status? I know the recovery isn't changed by such a backup and odin wipes absolutely everything, but I think you know what I am asking.
Morthawt said:
I have been having a persistent issue trying to encrypt my phone's internal storage. (Samsung Galaxy S4 mini LTE (GT-I9195). I thought it might be related to me rooting the device, since I read that you can't encrypt a rooted phone.
So a few minutes ago I plucked up the courage to follow the tutorial to flash my original downloaded firmware to the phone, in an attempt to erase all trace of root. Well the phone came up and wanted my password, so I rebooted and installed TWRP via odin again, then did a factory reset and then used the wipe data option and proceeded to make a backup, assuming this would be as useful and as good as odin-flashing my original firmware back for future use and more convenient and less dangerous than using odin.
Well, after booting it up, going through the setup wizard and then adding a lockscreen password, I am still unable to encrypt the phone. It shows the green android robot, screen fades out, then very soon after that the phone reboots and it all comes back up as normal unencrypted. Bare in mind that this is still the stock firmware that was odin-flashed and then a factory reset.
After all this, what would I need to do to get the phone encryption working?
Also, is my assumption correct, that the new TWRP backup I made, after flashing the original firmware via odin, is that new fresh backup as good as flashing the original again via odin? At least in terms of the OS status? I know the recovery isn't changed by such a backup and odin wipes absolutely everything, but I think you know what I am asking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ODIN doesn't wipe everything. Perform a factory reset via stock recovery immediately after flashing the firmware via ODIN to set your phone back to stock. And who told you that enryption doesn't work with rooted phones?!
LS.xD said:
ODIN doesn't wipe everything. Perform a factory reset via stock recovery immediately after flashing the firmware via ODIN to set your phone back to stock. And who told you that enryption doesn't work with rooted phones?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did a factory reset and deleted data and performed a new backup that I have saved to the computer.
But when I started to realise I could not encrypt I went googling and found a blog post by someone who claimed that he had to jump through all kinds of hoops to get it to encrypt after he rooted his S4 mini. But my problem is even non-rooted on default firmware with TWRP recovery installed I cannot encrypt So I am hoping someone here will have the answer.
Morthawt said:
I did a factory reset and deleted data and performed a new backup that I have saved to the computer.
But when I started to realise I could not encrypt I went googling and found a blog post by someone who claimed that he had to jump through all kinds of hoops to get it to encrypt after he rooted his S4 mini. But my problem is even non-rooted on default firmware with TWRP recovery installed I cannot encrypt So I am hoping someone here will have the answer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The point is that that KNOX detects the TWRP recovery. Enryption is possible with any rooted custom rom and probably with any roms but Samsung's S4 generation and newer due to the stupid KNOX security.
LS.xD said:
The point is that that KNOX detects the TWRP recovery. Enryption is possible with any rooted custom rom and probably with any roms but Samsung's S4 generation and newer due to the stupid KNOX security.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I did get encryption working one time on a custom rom but I have no idea how I did it. What should I do to improve my chances of getting encryption working? I thought when I rooted the original rom it removed knoxx?

[Completed] Restore OS After Wiping System Partition - Galaxy S5

Due to problems with Google Services on my rooted Galaxy S5 (SM-G900F) I opted for a reset from TWRP and it returned to a condition where after some initial screens it was just stuck at "Checking for Updates" so I went back into TWRP and told it to wipe the other partitions. Whoops - now I have no OS (I was sort of assuming that the factory reset OS was somewhere else)
Which is the stock ROM for my Region - UK, unbranded - where do I get it from and how do I load it using Odin and/or TWRP?
TIA
Hello,
Did you make a nandroid backup of your stock ROM or a nandroid backup of a custom ROM if you installed one? If you have a nandroid backup of either of those then you can restore them in TWRP by choosing the restore option and then your nandroid then swipe the slider at the bottom of the screen. If you installed a custom ROM at any time before this and you still have the ROM file then you can reflash the ROM and Gapps.
If you don't have a custom ROM stored anywhere but can still get to recovery, then you can download any of the custom ROMs compatible with your device and a Gapps package that matches it and put them on your extsdcard then boot to recovery and flash the ROM and gapps, do the normal wipes in recovery after flashing, the normal wipes(wipe data/factory reset, wipe cache and wipe dalvik cache), DO NOT CHOOSE THE ADVANCED OPTIONS THAT LET YOU WIPE PARTITIONS.
Check this thread to see if it is your stock firmware, it SHOULD be but double check first, it also has instructions for rooting again and installing recovery.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5/development/stock-rom-root-recovery-sm-g900f-t2967725
If that doesn't work then go to Sammobile.com and search for your stock firmware by using your device model number.
The firmwares can sometimes be found at samsung-updates.com also.
Find the right firmware for your exact model number and flash through Odin.
For further assistance, post your question in the forum linked below.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5/help
Good luck.
Droidriven said:
Did you make a nandroid backup of your stock ROM or a nandroid backup of a custom ROM if you installed one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly not - wasn't expecting to need it, thought it would revert to factory default - I have Titanium backup of apps and data.
I am hopefully a few minutes away from downloading the stock ROM and hopefully can reflash that using ODIN.
KD
colehill said:
Sadly not - wasn't expecting to need it, thought it would revert to factory default - I have Titanium backup of apps and data.
I am hopefully a few minutes away from downloading the stock ROM and hopefully can reflash that using ODIN.
KD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Making nandroid backups in recovery is the most important and valuable function of custom recovery, flashing ROMs is its' secondary purpose Android is not like PC with a recovery partition that restores a factory IMG, on PC that factory IMG is stored in a recovery partition. The factory reset feature in stock android does not restore an IMG, it deletes all data from the user partition and leaves everything in system partition the way it is, if you delete a system app and then do a factory reset then you will still not have the system app that you deleted. Anything you modify in system remains the way you modified it if you use the factory reset option. You should only use the factory reset in recovery, not the factory reset in system settings when you have a rooted device with custom recovery.
I'm sure that when you found the recovery, the directions had to have mentioned making a nandroid backup of your stock ROM before flashing anything, your present situation is why you do that, so that if anything goes wrong then you can easily restore to the one ROM that you know for sure works with no issues.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
Droidriven said:
I'm sure that when you found the recovery, the directions had to have mentioned making a nandroid backup of your stock ROM before flashing anything, your present situation is why you do that, so that if anything goes wrong then you can easily restore to the one ROM that you know for sure works with no issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I installed the TWERP recovery as part of the rooting operation and I didn't pay any attention to the backup option - I thought that's what Titanium did.
I am learning and will make sure that I take a Nandroid backup once I have it back up and running. Life would be so much simpler if only Samsunng didn't stuff their 'phones with bloatware that can't be deleted in stock mode.
KD
colehill said:
I installed the TWERP recovery as part of the rooting operation and I didn't pay any attention to the backup option - I thought that's what Titanium did.
I am learning and will make sure that I take a Nandroid backup once I have it back up and running. Life would be so much simpler if only Samsunng didn't stuff their 'phones with bloatware that can't be deleted in stock mode.
KD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Titanium backup can only backup data that you installed or downloaded, it does not backup anything that comes on the phone itself, that is what custom recovery is for.
When following guides to mod your device, read and understand ALL instructions before you even make the first move to touch your device. Get used to being thorough about reading and understanding first or you'll end up in a mess, possibly even hard brick your device, all it takes is one wrong move. Not all mistakes are fixable with android devices.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

Samsung Galaxy J320FN - update fail/loop

Hi everyone! Before I describe my problem, I need you to know that I'm somewhat a noob when it comes to resolving and tinkering with software on Androids, but have some basic knowledge. I've look into all options and posting here is my last resort, please be patient
So recently, a customer brought in a J320FN. It is running on an older update (J320FNXXU0APH1, August 2016), and a few days back, after updating it to the lastest version the phone seized up. The owner has pictures and contacts that he really want to recover. After surfing through some forums, I saw that some phones, when being flashed with stock ROM via Odin, don't lose personal data, and some do. Before I try to flash this device, I want to make sure I can flash the stock ROM and eventually save the data.
I've tried wiping cache partition, because that's what I usually do when encountering software issues.
Also, the phone boots to the point where I can see the current time, and swipe down the notification bar. After some seconds, the phone reboots and the whole thing just goes on.
So my questions are;
1. Do I flash the latest version of Android or just reflash the current one?
2. Do I lose personal data, such as photos, videos and contacts?
3. Is there anything else I can do, before flashing fresh ROM on the device ?​
bregaryevich said:
Hi everyone! Before I describe my problem, I need you to know that I'm somewhat a noob when it comes to resolving and tinkering with software on Androids, but have some basic knowledge. I've look into all options and posting here is my last resort, please be patient
So recently, a customer brought in a J320FN. It is running on an older update (J320FNXXU0APH1, August 2016), and a few days back, after updating it to the lastest version the phone seized up. The owner has pictures and contacts that he really want to recover. After surfing through some forums, I saw that some phones, when being flashed with stock ROM via Odin, don't lose personal data, and some do. Before I try to flash this device, I want to make sure I can flash the stock ROM and eventually save the data.
I've tried wiping cache partition, because that's what I usually do when encountering software issues.
Also, the phone boots to the point where I can see the current time, and swipe down the notification bar. After some seconds, the phone reboots and the whole thing just goes on.
So my questions are;
1. Do I flash the latest version of Android or just reflash the current one?
2. Do I lose personal data, such as photos, videos and contacts?
3. Is there anything else I can do, before flashing fresh ROM on the device ?​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When it comes to flashing Samsung devices via Odin and whether or not the user data is erased or not, it depends on whether you are flashing a firmware that has an upgraded or downgraded bootloader.
The user data only gets wiped if you flash a firmware that has a bootloader that is older than the one currently installed on the device or if the bootloader is newer than the one currently on the device.
The user data does not get wiped if you flash the exact same firmware that is currently installed on the device, or at least, a firmware that has the exact same version of bootloader as the one currently installed on the device.
So you basically have 2 questions to answer.
1) does the firmware that I want to flash have an upgraded bootloader version compared to the bootloader version that is currently installed on the device?
2) does the firmware that I want to flash have a downgraded bootloader version compared to the bootloader version that is currently installed on the device?
If the answer to either of these two questions is no, then you can flash without it wiping the user data.
If the answer to either of these two questions is yes, then the user WILL be wiped during flashing.
If you want to try to save the user data before flashing the firmware, you can try finding a version of TWRP for J320N and flash it on the device then use the backup feature in TWRP to create a full backup of all data on the device. Then flash the firmware of uour choice via Odin, then the data can be extracted from the backup that was created via TWRP and restored on the device after flashing the firmware.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
Droidriven said:
When it comes to flashing Samsung devices via Odin and whether or not the user data is erased or not, it depends on whether you are flashing a firmware that has an upgraded or downgraded bootloader.
The user data only gets wiped if you flash a firmware that has a bootloader that is older than the one currently installed on the device or if the bootloader is newer than the one currently on the device.
The user data does not get wiped if you flash the exact same firmware that is currently installed on the device, or at least, a firmware that has the exact same version of bootloader as the one currently installed on the device.
So you basically have 2 questions to answer.
1) does the firmware that I want to flash have an upgraded bootloader version compared to the bootloader version that is currently installed on the device?
2) does the firmware that I want to flash have a downgraded bootloader version compared to the bootloader version that is currently installed on the device?
If the answer to either of these two questions is no, then you can flash without it wiping the user data.
If the answer to either of these two questions is yes, then the user WILL be wiped during flashing.
If you want to try to save the user data before flashing the firmware, you can try finding a version of TWRP for J320N and flash it on the device then use the backup feature in TWRP to create a full backup of all data on the device. Then flash the firmware of uour choice via Odin, then the data can be extracted from the backup that was created via TWRP and restored on the device after flashing the firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, thanks for the quick response.
I tried what you recommended but the problem still persists. After flashing the current version, the phone did the exact same thing and started looping.
Also tried TWRP but there's an FRP lock, preventing me from flashing it.
Now that the stock rom flash thing failed, guess there's only TWRP left. I did FRP unlocks before, but not on phones that are soft bricked. Is there anyway around it except wiping all data?
I may have forgot to mention, that the phone indeed has a passcode. And god knows what did the owner install/do with the device, that made ot to seize up.

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