Hello friends, Please note that i tried installing ClockworkMod 3.1.0.1 but it refused to setup for some reason, even though i did everything right i.e. holding down the down vol key and power button etc but like others i only get the green android with the exclamation mark in the middle, so i do not have a backup unfortunately ;(
Anyway the story starts here:
Please be patient with me though as i am new to all this but learning fast.
Got a new Asus transformer TF101 (with keyboard) for only 5 days with
Device serial: B70KAS3?????
Build number: HMJ37.WW_epad-8.4.4.11-20110711
Android version: 3.1
Didnt know about Razorclaw ability to root B70 :-(
Anyway on going online on the TF101 for the first time, I immediately got a message saying there was a new os update available, the TF101 auto downloaded it and i then immediately updated it, thinking that the new update was best for me :-(
After the update, i then had -
Build number: HTK75.WW_epad-8.6.5.21-20111216
Android version: 3.2.1
Razorclaw doesnt work on my TF101 however i was able to use use the WW_epad-user-8.6.6.19.zip update on it and then was able to root using Razorclaw.
After that everything worked fine until i used 'Rom Manager' to create a script that was to change my hostname to my preferred one instead of the usual 'android_????????????', i then set it to do so on boot within 'Rom Manager'.
I then used 'Rom Manager' 'reboot' script to reboot the TF and now it boots then flashes locked screen for a second and shuts down and the same thing happens when i power it up again
If i am lucky and quick, i can put in the password and see the desktop just before it shuts down.
I have a feeling it the script i created and set to execute on boot is what is causing the shutdown.
Is there anyway to fix this?
It not a low battery issue, already checked that.
Was thinking along the lines of a key combination to prevent scripts running on boot time.
Dont really want to wipe the TF, as it already taken me 5 days to get it setup how i want it and now this!
It sounds like you have a stock recovery and a buggered up system.
You might be able to recover with adb, but you'll have to know what to stop/kill before it reboots. If it's enable, adb will be active well before you see the lock screen. There might also be some tools in the android sdk, perhaps ddms.
What exactly is in this rom manager script? Perhaps it is passing a reboot via one of the partitions. You would need to clear the command to stop the reboots or just kill the process that is rebooting.
That's all I gots. Good luck!
gee one said:
It sounds like you have a stock recovery and a buggered up system.
You might be able to recover with adb, but you'll have to know what to stop/kill before it reboots. If it's enable, adb will be active well before you see the lock screen. There might also be some tools in the android sdk, perhaps ddms.
What exactly is in this rom manager script? Perhaps it is passing a reboot via one of the partitions. You would need to clear the command to stop the reboots or just kill the process that is rebooting.
That's all I gots. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanx for responding mate...appreciated.
the script is just a simple script with just one line with tr3ble being the new hostname, its exactly as below:
setprop net.hostname tr3ble
I'll have a tinker with adb but what how do i search for processes to stop/kill using adb as im not that clued up with linux commands
I'm not a pro either, but I think "ps" will show you the process and "kill <pid>" will kill them. There might be a better way and I haven't tested this, so if you end up in a worse situation than then one you are in, it's all on you.
I don't think that changing the hostname will cause a reboot. I think the "reboot" command from rom manager is somehow stuck. I think it passes a reboot command via one of the partitions so that it can "find" it when it restarts. You would just have to clear the command. I think it's somewhere in the /cache directory, but that is just a guess.
gee one said:
I'm not a pro either, but I think "ps" will show you the process and "kill <pid>" will kill them. There might be a better way and I haven't tested this, so if you end up in a worse situation than then one you are in, it's all on you.
I don't think that changing the hostname will cause a reboot. I think the "reboot" command from rom manager is somehow stuck. I think it passes a reboot command via one of the partitions so that it can "find" it when it restarts. You would just have to clear the command. I think it's somewhere in the /cache directory, but that is just a guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow...you are definitely pointing me in the some direction though, in the begining i didnt have a clue what to do and where to look but now i have a few things to try...i'll see how things go with adb and report back.
Thank you for your time and patience mate
Update:
I tried everything i could but just didnt seem to have much time to do much using adb so i bit the bullet and did a data wipe, but to my joy, after the data wipe the TF was still rooted and my adhoc hack was still in place. If only took me bout an hour to then reinstall all my apps, which was more or less easy as i had them all in one folder on my microSD.
So all in all, the data wipe which cured the shutdown after restart wasnt sooo bad afterall.
Thank for your help mate!
....Happy New year!
b00b said:
Update:
I tried everything i could but just didnt seem to have much time to do much using adb so i bit the bullet and did a data wipe, but to my joy, after the data wipe the TF was still rooted and my adhoc hack was still in place. If only took me bout an hour to then reinstall all my apps, which was more or less easy as i had them all in one folder on my microSD.
So all in all, the data wipe which cured the shutdown after restart wasnt sooo bad afterall.
Thank for your help mate!
....Happy New year!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did the same exact procedure when the same thing happened to my TF earlier this month.... Good to know that i wasn't the only one that faced this situation.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
Alright so looks like I did something completely stupid and now my phone won't finish the boot process. I was looking at some remappings for the recent key to the menu option and from a post in the development section I found a thread in the International One X development forum that had re-odexed files so that the recent key stayed as the recent key and holding the home button became the menu key. Since they were re-odexed and I had root access I figured I would just manually replace them on my phone with Root Explorer...bad idea. The files were:
System/Framework/android.policy.odex
System/Usr/keylayout/qwerty.kl
After I moved them and reset permissions I rebooted my phone and now it goes through the first couple of boot animations but gets stuck on screen that displays beats audio at the bottom.
I really need to know what to do to fix this. When I plug my phone into my computer it recognizes it as a new \drive, but I don't have access to any of it (still says I need to mount). I also have the android SDk and adb installed if thats of any help. I would really like to not lose any data so hopefully thats possible.
Please help me with this if you have any knowledge of what to do.
Just one little quick update. Even though my computer won't let me access my One X as a drive, when I use command prompt and adb to check for adb devices my One X is listed.
Run the at&t ruu exe file, located in the Dev section.
tanman21 said:
Run the at&t ruu exe file, located in the Dev section.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright I'm downloading that now.
In the meantime, how do I get root access with adb/give it permission to overwrite read only files? I pulled the two files that caused this messed and pulled my backups, but when I push them back to the phone it tells me I can't because their read only. I'd rather do it this way since I will be changing only the files that caused the problem.
EDIT: Is the RUU really going to delete all the information on my device? If thats the case I would really appreciate figuring out how to get adb to push my backuped files to the /system directory instead
ErikWithNoC said:
Alright I'm downloading that now.
In the meantime, how do I get root access with adb/give it permission to overwrite read only files? I pulled the two files that caused this messed and pulled my backups, but when I push them back to the phone it tells me I can't because their read only. I'd rather do it this way since I will be changing only the files that caused the problem.
EDIT: Is the RUU really going to delete all the information on my device? If thats the case I would really appreciate figuring out how to get adb to push my backuped files to the /system directory instead
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, the RUU returns your phone to factory (but doesn't touch your personal files)
EDIT: Also, just pulling this off the top of my head so take it with a grain of salt...
adb devices
adb shell
su
*grant the su request on your device*
adb push <from> <to>
stnguyen09 said:
Yeah, the RUU returns your phone to factory (but doesn't touch your personal files)
EDIT: Also, just pulling this off the top of my head so take it with a grain of salt...
adb devices
adb shell
su
*grant the su request on your device*
adb push <from> <to>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your comment. I used the RUU and it kept my personal data so its not a big lose. Had to reinstall a few apps, but for most of them (games at least) my saved data was still there.
I tried a lot using adb and just couldn't get it to work. I don't the phone got far enough through the boot process for root access to be allowed. I was able to run the one click root tool while it was in its stuck boot phase, but it still wouldn't give me permission to modify the /system portion of the phone to be read/write.
All in all though this was a great learning experience. Prior to this happening I knew nothing about adb and now I know commands for pulling, pushing, remounting, shell commands, and other things. I also learned how to fix a softbrick (first one) and what RUU is.
Posted this on Google Pixel forum earlier but haven't had much action there, perhaps it's a better question for this community as would like to figure things out sooner than later as I'm currently without a phone.
Hope all reading are healthy and safe...
Pixel 3 on verizon still on Pie (9) with PQ3A.190801.002 build, which I believe is from August 2019. Have not modified phone at all.
One morning the other day turned phone on and stuck with a "Pixel is starting" message. I can access settings and receive calls, when connected to BT in car can make calls too. Cannot receive messages though receive "You have new messages" notifications, got an alert about a VM that I was able to access.
I realize I can likely do a Factory Reset to fix THOUGH I do not want to go down that path without giving it a go trying to at the very least pull some data off the phone (texts, photos, videos). Yes, everything *should* be backed up...
I tried connecting to computer to see if could recognize as drive and transfer files onto computer (Pixel and MTP USB drivers would not install- tried on two laptops running Win7). I know I should probably be updating to Android 10 and am fine doing so, but would like to recover files first.
I mention some potential solutions below I found by some fellow XDA members when searched this topic before posting and am curious if there is anything I should attempt to do before/instead of possibly going with one of the 2 below.
Thanks SO much in advance,
Matt
Possible easier solution:
From _Ra1n_ on xda forums
"I couldn't fix the "Pixel is starting..." issue. Factory Flashing (after removing -w) QQ1A.191205.008 resulted resulted in being stuck at the "G" screen. I flashed the QQ1A.200105.002 factory image (again with -w removed) and was left in the same "Pixel is starting..." state.
Here is where things get interesting:
Over adb I launched the Settings app:
Code:
adb shell am start -a android.settings.SETTINGS
Next, I went into "Security," which prompted for my PIN, and then removed the screen lock. After doing this, I was able to get into /sdcard in the ADB shell, something that was not possible before.
Back in the settings app, I enabled USB File Transfer and copied all my files & photos off. I was also able to launch apps from within the apps list in Settings. This let me export settings/data from other apps that allowed it.
So it seems that entering your PIN in the Settings app also unlocks the phone!
Possible more complicated solution:
From sic0048 on XDA forums
"Is you bootloader unlocked? If so, you can flash the factory image and remove the "-w" command as suggested above, but if your bootloader is not unlocked this will not be an option. If you are on a locked bootloader, you can sideload an OTA image (which really is a full factory image). This will not wipe your phone or do a factory reset. It will however replace your OS with a clean version. Hopefully that fixes the issue. If not, then you will have to do a factory reset in order to "clean out" the problem."
Can you get into Settings? If so, you should be in pretty good shape. It seems like in the "Pixel is starting..." state, USB File Transfer (ie: MTP mode) only works AFTER the phone is unlocked (fingerprint or PIN). The problem is since the lock screen doesn't load, you can't actually unlock. You have to remove your PIN and/or fingerprint (I set "screen lock" to "None") and USB File Transfer should then work.
You should also be able to launch apps from the app list in Settings.
Link to my thread for reference (just in case someone arrives here from a search): https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-3-xl/help/stuck-pixel-starting-boot-t4038847
Yes, I can get into settings and just disabled the lock screen. I don't notice any difference but if you are saying that's what it takes to enable MTP then great. Seems like for MTP to even work requires some futzing in Windows, a known MTP issue I guess? I will have to play around on how to enable MTP and then hopefully device manager will recognize on computer now that lock screen disabled. When connecting to computer I'm alternating between use USB for file transfer both with and withOUT USB debugging on, even using USB for charging only, each time it tries to install drivers for Pixel 3, MTP, occasionally ADB. It's never installed Pixel 3, ADB installed once and MTP actually installed once (after disabling lockscreen) but asked for a restart and then didn't install the next time...
As far as launching apps from the settings, I *can* get into the app list but Android 9 does not give an option to open them (unless I need to do something else that's not currently set-up). I know you said this:
"There should be a "Open" shortcut just below the app icon to the left of "Uninstall" (or "Disable" if it is a built-in app)." But I don't see one. If I can get into my backup app, I can hopefully back up my latest SMS which I'm not sure would be possible by just copying things onto computer, such as photos/videos.
Once I get MTP enabled, should I just be able to access my files by opening my phone as a device or will I need to get into ADB to access?
Thank you for your continued help
Matt
_Ra1n_ said:
Can you get into Settings? If so, you should be in pretty good shape. It seems like in the "Pixel is starting..." state, USB File Transfer (ie: MTP mode) only works AFTER the phone is unlocked (fingerprint or PIN). The problem is since the lock screen doesn't load, you can't actually unlock. You have to remove your PIN and/or fingerprint (I set "screen lock" to "None") and USB File Transfer should then work.
You should also be able to launch apps from the app list in Settings.
Link to my thread for reference (just in case someone arrives here from a search): https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-3-xl/help/stuck-pixel-starting-boot-t4038847
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Matt Spo said:
Seems like for MTP to even work requires some futzing in Windows, a known MTP issue I guess?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, it should "just work." I'm not sure why you're having issues. Did USB File Transfer work before you ran into this problem?
Matt Spo said:
As far as launching apps from the settings, I *can* get into the app list but Android 9 does not give an option to open them (unless I need to do something else that's not currently set-up).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, I forgot Android 9 didn't have this! If you're familiar with ADB, you can launch apps by activity. You may be able to launch the Pixel Launcher with: "adb shell am start com.google.android.apps.nexuslauncher/.NexusLauncherActivity"
Matt Spo said:
Once I get MTP enabled, should I just be able to access my files by opening my phone as a device or will I need to get into ADB to access?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With USB File Transfer enabled you should be able to just access it like you normally would with it plugged into a computer. I was able to, at least.
Matt Spo said:
Thank you for your continued help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course!
_Ra1n_ said:
Honestly, it should "just work." I'm not sure why you're having issues. Did USB File Transfer work before you ran into this problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never attempted USB file transfer before now!
_Ra1n_ said:
Ah, I forgot Android 9 didn't have this! If you're familiar with ADB, you can launch apps by activity. You may be able to launch the Pixel Launcher with: "adb shell am start com.google.android.apps.nexuslauncher/.NexusLauncherActivity"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds good, essentially launching the Pixel Launcher will allow me to see all of my apps on the device and open whatever necessary?
_Ra1n_ said:
With USB File Transfer enabled you should be able to just access it like you normally would with it plugged into a computer. I was able to, at least.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds great, just need to get USB File Transfer working on computer (trying on 3 diff ones).
_Ra1n_ said:
Of course!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I'm likely not replying to this in sequence. That adb shell Pixel Launcher did not work, gave a type 3 error, does not exist.
MTP is not installing allowing me to access the phone as a device. Perhaps that's because I'm stuck with "Pixel is Starting" on my screen? I can launch ADB though, just trying to figure out to command to launch Google Photos so I can perform cloud backup from there onto my account. Also, would like to perform backup of SMS/MMS. The app I use "SMS Backup & Restore" gave me a shell command to try to launch a backup but did not work. I'm also trying a program called "backuptrans" which I was able to install on phone via ADB but am still trying to figure out a command that will launch the app so I can possibly use for backup of sms/mms/photos.
I am without root if that matters for anything. I have not given up hope of saving these photos/videos, sms/mms but it's getting frustrating trying various commands each night in ADB to launch apps to no avail.
Thanks,
Matt
_Ra1n_ said:
Honestly, it should "just work." I'm not sure why you're having issues. Did USB File Transfer work before you ran into this problem?
Ah, I forgot Android 9 didn't have this! If you're familiar with ADB, you can launch apps by activity. You may be able to launch the Pixel Launcher with: "adb shell am start com.google.android.apps.nexuslauncher/.NexusLauncherActivity"
With USB File Transfer enabled you should be able to just access it like you normally would with it plugged into a computer. I was able to, at least.
Of course!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Matt Spo said:
Never attempted USB file transfer before now!
Sounds good, essentially launching the Pixel Launcher will allow me to see all of my apps on the device and open whatever necessary?
Sounds great, just need to get USB File Transfer working on computer (trying on 3 diff ones).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let's take a few steps back. Does the following adb command list the contents of your internal storage?
Code:
adb shell ls /sdard
If so, everything is certainly still there. You can lookup how to use the "adb pull" command to pull files/folders manually. If not, please post any errors that are returned.
The following command should copy the DCIM folder from internal storage onto your computer (where the camera app stores pictures & videos):
Code:
adb pull /sdcard/DCIM
That will copy the DCIM folder into the directory your currently in. You mentioned you were using Windows 7, the command prompt (C:\some\path>) indicates your current directory.
The following commands should open Google Photos and SMS Backup & Restore, respectively:
Code:
adb shell am start -n com.google.android.apps.photos/.home.HomeActivity
Code:
adb shell am start -n com.riteshsahu.SMSBackupRestore/.activities.IntroActivity
Thanks for your continued help, posted responses below. Also, after a lot of searching someone recommended the app "Backuptrans Data Sync," which apparently can backup all I'm looking to (SMS/MMS/Photos/Videos) and I have since installed the .apk to my phone (provided by developer) via ADB and am trying to figure out the exact ADB command to trigger that to open on my phone so I can attempt a connection to their software on PC via WiFi since I cannot get USB working. Supposed it's activity name is "com.backuptrans.datasync.DataSync"
_Ra1n_ said:
Let's take a few steps back. Does the following adb command list the contents of your internal storage?
Code:
adb shell ls /sdard
That gives me error message "closed"
If so, everything is certainly still there. You can lookup how to use the "adb pull" command to pull files/folders manually. If not, please post any errors that are returned.
The following command should copy the DCIM folder from internal storage onto your computer (where the camera app stores pictures & videos):
Code:
adb pull /sdcard/DCIM
That will copy the DCIM folder into the directory your currently in. You mentioned you were using Windows 7, the command prompt (C:\some\path>) indicates your current directory.
The following commands should open Google Photos and SMS Backup & Restore, respectively:
Code:
adb shell am start -n com.google.android.apps.photos/.home.HomeActivity
Gives type 3 error, activity class does not exist
Code:
adb shell am start -n com.riteshsahu.SMSBackupRestore/.activities.IntroActivity
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gives type 3 error, activity class does not exist
Matt Spo said:
Thanks for your continued help, posted responses below.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course! I just wish we were making progress!
The "error: closed" message suggests you may not be using an up-to-date version of the Android Platform Tools (https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools). Does the following command produce the same error?:
Code:
adb shell ls /storage
Are you absolutely sure you removed your PIN/passcode and disabled the lock screen? If you go into Settings > Storage, does the phone display the usage breakdown between (images & video, music & audio, ect) as you'd expect it?
The following ADB command will list every "package" currently on the phone:
Code:
adb shell pm list packages
Without getting into too much detail, every app resides in it's own "package." Locate the package for the app you want to launch and attempt to launch the app with the following command:
Code:
adb shell monkey -p app.package.name -c android.intent.category.LAUNCHER 1
Replacing app.package.name with the package you want to launch. For example, the following command should launch Google Photos:
Code:
adb shell monkey -p com.google.android.apps.photos -c android.intent.category.LAUNCHER 1
_Ra1n_ said:
Let's take a few steps back. Does the following adb command list the contents of your internal storage?
Code:
adb shell ls /sdard
If so, everything is certainly still there. You can lookup how to use the "adb pull" command to pull files/folders manually. If not, please post any errors that are returned.
The following command should copy the DCIM folder from internal storage onto your computer (where the camera app stores pictures & videos):
Code:
adb pull /sdcard/DCIM
That will copy the DCIM folder into the directory your currently in. You mentioned you were using Windows 7, the command prompt (C:\some\path>) indicates your current directory.
The following commands should open Google Photos and SMS Backup & Restore, respectively:
Code:
adb shell am start -n com.google.android.apps.photos/.home.HomeActivity
Code:
adb shell am start -n com.riteshsahu.SMSBackupRestore/.activities.IntroActivity
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
_Ra1n_ said:
Of course! I just wish we were making progress!
The "error: closed" message suggests you may not be using an up-to-date version of the Android Platform Tools (https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools). Does the following command produce the same error?:
Code:
adb shell ls /storage
I believe I am using the most current version of Android Platform Tools as I just downloaded it within the last week. As far as the command above receiving same "closed" error, no, I get "emulated self"
Are you absolutely sure you removed your PIN/passcode and disabled the lock screen? If you go into Settings > Storage, does the phone display the usage breakdown between (images & video, music & audio, ect) as you'd expect it?
Definitely disabled the lock-screen and fingerprint. Yes, going into Settings>Storage displays the usage breakdown as I would expect it. Fwiw- in "Security & Location" phone is encrypted.
The following ADB command will list every "package" currently on the phone:
Code:
adb shell pm list packages
Without getting into too much detail, every app resides in it's own "package." Locate the package for the app you want to launch and attempt to launch the app with the following command:
Code:
adb shell monkey -p app.package.name -c android.intent.category.LAUNCHER 1
Replacing app.package.name with the package you want to launch. For example, the following command should launch Google Photos:
Code:
adb shell monkey -p com.google.android.apps.photos -c android.intent.category.LAUNCHER 1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that command does display every package name. Trying to launch Google Photos via monkey command above led to "No Activities Found to Run, Monkey Aborted." Same message when trying to launch SMS Backup & Restore.
I don't believe I previously mentioned it, but device is NOT rooted. Imagine you probably figured that, lol.
Matt Spo said:
I believe I am using the most current version of Android Platform Tools as I just downloaded it within the last week. As far as the command above receiving same "closed" error, no, I get "emulated self"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume the following command returns the same "closed" error as before, then?:
Code:
adb shell ls /storage/emulated
Matt Spo said:
Definitely disabled the lock-screen and fingerprint. Yes, going into Settings>Storage displays the usage breakdown as I would expect it. Fwiw- in "Security & Location" phone is encrypted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is expected. All modern phones are encrypted whether or not a PIN is set. The PIN, fingerprint, ect. simply protects the key. This enables the user to set a PIN quickly and allows the PIN to be changed without re-encrypting everything with a new key.
Matt Spo said:
I don't believe I previously mentioned it, but device is NOT rooted. Imagine you probably figured that, lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In theory, that shouldn't matter. Nothing we've tried so far requires root and I recovered without root when this occurred on my phone.
Clearly your phone is reacting differently than mine did when I ran into this. Other than the Pixel 3 / Pixel 3 XL difference, the only other thing I can think of is that I was on Android 10 not Android 9. Without digging through the source code, Android 10 likely handles the device encryption differently.
Unfortunately I'm not really sure what else to suggest. You may have success updating to Android 10. I doubt it fixes the "Pixel is starting" issue though it may unlock the phone and let you pull data off. I would recommend doing this by sideloading a recent OTA instead of doing a System Update on the phone. If you'd like guidance with this, let me know. Google's page containing all of the OTA images & instructions for sideloading them is: https://developers.google.com/android/ota
_Ra1n_ said:
I assume the following command returns the same "closed" error as before, then?:
Code:
adb shell ls /storage/emulated
"Permission denied" is the error I get when I try that command. Does knowing that change anything regarding your thoughts on the matter?
This is expected. All modern phones are encrypted whether or not a PIN is set. The PIN, fingerprint, ect. simply protects the key. This enables the user to set a PIN quickly and allows the PIN to be changed without re-encrypting everything with a new key.
In theory, that shouldn't matter. Nothing we've tried so far requires root and I recovered without root when this occurred on my phone.
Clearly your phone is reacting differently than mine did when I ran into this. Other than the Pixel 3 / Pixel 3 XL difference, the only other thing I can think of is that I was on Android 10 not Android 9. Without digging through the source code, Android 10 likely handles the device encryption differently.
Unfortunately I'm not really sure what else to suggest. You may have success updating to Android 10. I doubt it fixes the "Pixel is starting" issue though it may unlock the phone and let you pull data off. I would recommend doing this by sideloading a recent OTA instead of doing a System Update on the phone. If you'd like guidance with this, let me know. Google's page containing all of the OTA images & instructions for sideloading them is: https://developers.google.com/android/ota
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for that link and for all of your efforts thus far. I messaged google tech support with the issue, I guess before I go the sideloading route to install Android 10, which may or may not help me, I'll see what they say. But I will certainly reach out, privately(?) if I need further assistance.
Matt Spo said:
Thank you for that link and for all of your efforts thus far. I messaged google tech support with the issue, I guess before I go the sideloading route to install Android 10, which may or may not help me, I'll see what they say. But I will certainly reach out, privately(?) if I need further assistance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, wait until you hear back from Google and see what (if anything) they have to say first.
One random thought I had regarding updating to Android 10: Note that on the Verizon model, since the bootloader is locked, you cannot downgrade (as far as I'm aware, hopefully someone can correct me if I'm wrong). I would first try sideloading QQ1A.200105.002 since that is the version I had success recovering my data on.
_Ra1n_ said:
Yeah, wait until you hear back from Google and see what (if anything) they have to say first.
One random thought I had regarding updating to Android 10: Note that on the Verizon model, since the bootloader is locked, you cannot downgrade (as far as I'm aware, hopefully someone can correct me if I'm wrong). I would first try sideloading QQ1A.200105.002 since that is the version I had success recovering my data on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for delay, been trying some things in the interim, unfortunately none of which have helped. I have now updated my Computer OS from Win7 to Win10 which helps get drivers recognized, both MTP and ADB (MTP was not working with Win7). Everything seems to be "running" properly. Upon doing some research, it seems like MTP connection for transfer has been disabled, possibly with my latest software update, which I believe is November 2019 (Android Pie). I could not find anyone mentioning that MTP/USB transfer has been RE-enabled with Android 10.
Could that be a reason I am getting the messages I am getting for ADB commands or is that a separate entity, unaffected by MTP mode being disabled by Google? It seems to me, that possibly my best/only option at this point, in order to (hopefully) recover SMS/MMS as well as photos/videos is to sideload updated software? If MTP still not enabled in the sideloaded update you mention, thereby having same results with ADB commands, perhaps I could at least have the option like you initially mentioned of opening the apps via settings, something which is not an option with Pie?
As always, thanks for your continued help. Btw, Google Tech support had no information to help my situation!
Matt Spo said:
I have now updated my Computer OS from Win7 to Win10 which helps get drivers recognized, both MTP and ADB (MTP was not working with Win7). Everything seems to be "running" properly.
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Click to collapse
In theory that should make a difference. MTP has been a standard for quite some time. Not sure what is (or was) causing your driver issues (if any). Out of curiosity, do you have another computer (or a friend/family member's computer) you can try plugging the phone into?
Matt Spo said:
Upon doing some research, it seems like MTP connection for transfer has been disabled, possibly with my latest software update, which I believe is November 2019 (Android Pie). I could not find anyone mentioning that MTP/USB transfer has been RE-enabled with Android 10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting, I hand't heard of this. In developer options, what happens when you set "Default USB configuration" to "File Transfer" and then plug the phone in?
Matt Spo said:
Could that be a reason I am getting the messages I am getting for ADB commands or is that a separate entity, unaffected by MTP mode being disabled by Google? It seems to me, that possibly my best/only option at this point, in order to (hopefully) recover SMS/MMS as well as photos/videos is to sideload updated software?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, I'm starting to think that your issue is either A) different than mine in some way or B) The "Pixel is starting..." bug acts differently on Android 9 and Android 10. What we've learned from ADB is that your phone isn't mounting the internal storage. It is possible that Android 10 mounts (and/or unlocks) the Internal storage earlier in the boot process than Android 9. This may be why I was able to access the data from the "Pixel is starting..." screen but you can not.
Unless you can find someone more knowledgeable that has something better to try, I would update to QQ1A.200105.002 (the Feb 2020 update) since that is where I had luck. Since your device has a locked bootloader, you will not be able to revert back to Android 9 (if that matters at this point). Let me know if you need help with this.
Matt Spo said:
If MTP still not enabled in the sideloaded update you mention, thereby having same results with ADB commands, perhaps I could at least have the option like you initially mentioned of opening the apps via settings, something which is not an option with Pie?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At this point, I'd say anything is possible.
_Ra1n_ said:
In theory that should make a difference. MTP has been a standard for quite some time. Not sure what is (or was) causing your driver issues (if any). Out of curiosity, do you have another computer (or a friend/family member's computer) you can try plugging the phone into?
It seems like drivers are working, at least according to device manager. I have tried 3 diff windows 10 computers, all with USB-C->USB-A connections. I might try to find someone with a USB-C port so I can go USB-C->USB-C but given the state of the world right now, tough to go to someone's house or have them let me borrow a computer to test.
Interesting, I hand't heard of this. In developer options, what happens when you set "Default USB configuration" to "File Transfer" and then plug the phone in?
Tried that, nothing happened!
Honestly, I'm starting to think that your issue is either A) different than mine in some way or B) The "Pixel is starting..." bug acts differently on Android 9 and Android 10. What we've learned from ADB is that your phone isn't mounting the internal storage. It is possible that Android 10 mounts (and/or unlocks) the Internal storage earlier in the boot process than Android 9. This may be why I was able to access the data from the "Pixel is starting..." screen but you can not.
I was able to pull up directory of what apps were installed on the phone via ADB, is that different? When you say "access the data" do you mean open the individual apps from the settings menu? If so, you previously mentioned that that might be a new Android 10 option?
Unless you can find someone more knowledgeable that has something better to try, I would update to QQ1A.200105.002 (the Feb 2020 update) since that is where I had luck. Since your device has a locked bootloader, you will not be able to revert back to Android 9 (if that matters at this point). Let me know if you need help with this.
If I were to update to that update you mentioned (the following link lists what you mentioned- 105.002 as the January update, with 205.002 being February update), is it just following the steps here? https://developers.google.com/android/ota OR here https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bz6x7k-VkpUJMlZ1aEliVnhMOHM/view Do I have to sideload each OTA image in sequence from what I'm currently on until I get to the one you mentioned? Thought I saw mention of that somewhere.
At this point, I'd say anything is possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before going with the sideloaded OTA updates, I found the following sites which had a bunch of tips for people who have had recent trouble getting various Pixel phones to mount as drives on CPU, I am going to play around with these tips first, perhaps it's glitchy software update(s)? https://support.google.com/pixelphone/thread/8621523?hl=en&msgid=16913445 AND https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/58mp7o/pixel_xl_wont_connect_to_windows_10_pc/
Matt Spo said:
I was able to pull up directory of what apps were installed on the phone via ADB, is that different? When you say "access the data" do you mean open the individual apps from the settings menu? If so, you previously mentioned that that might be a new Android 10 option?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Even without a security PIN set, the "internal storage" (where app data is stored, where your photos are stored, ect) is still encrypted. Really your PIN only encrypts the key to unlock the internal storage. This is why you can set a PIN after you've used the phone and have a lot of data stored on it without waiting for the data to be encrypted (and change/remove your PIN without waiting for the data to be decrypted/re-encrypted). When a PIN is not set, the phone (should) automatically unlock the storage with the stored key. (I'm over-simplifying a little bit, of course)
My comment about Android 9/10 differences was a (somewhat educated) guess that Android 10 "unlocks" the "always-encrypted" internal storage at a different time than Android 9. If this "unlock" occurs earlier, the internal storage may be accessible once on the "Pixel is starting..." screen. Unfortunately we're fighting with a bug/glitch; none of this is an exact science.
Matt Spo said:
If I were to update to that update you mentioned (the following link lists what you mentioned- 105.002 as the January update, with 205.002 being February update), is it just following the steps here? ... Do I have to sideload each OTA image in sequence from what I'm currently on until I get to the one you mentioned? Thought I saw mention of that somewhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, follow the steps on Google's OTA page. No, you do not need to flash the OTAs in sequence. The OTAs available on that page are "Full" OTAs; you can jump straight to any Full OTA as long as it is more recent that the version you're currently on.
Matt Spo said:
Before going with the sideloaded OTA updates, I found the following sites which had a bunch of tips for people who have had recent trouble getting various Pixel phones to mount as drives on CPU, I am going to play around with these tips first, perhaps it's glitchy software update(s)?/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the issue was only an MTP issue, you'd still be able to access the data through ADB, something that it doesn't seem like we've been able to accomplish. Since you've tried multiple computers, I don't think this is related.
_Ra1n_ said:
Yes. Even without a security PIN set, the "internal storage" (where app data is stored, where your photos are stored, ect) is still encrypted. Really your PIN only encrypts the key to unlock the internal storage. This is why you can set a PIN after you've used the phone and have a lot of data stored on it without waiting for the data to be encrypted (and change/remove your PIN without waiting for the data to be decrypted/re-encrypted). When a PIN is not set, the phone (should) automatically unlock the storage with the stored key. (I'm over-simplifying a little bit, of course)
My comment about Android 9/10 differences was a (somewhat educated) guess that Android 10 "unlocks" the "always-encrypted" internal storage at a different time than Android 9. If this "unlock" occurs earlier, the internal storage may be accessible once on the "Pixel is starting..." screen. Unfortunately we're fighting with a bug/glitch; none of this is an exact science.
Yes, follow the steps on Google's OTA page. No, you do not need to flash the OTAs in sequence. The OTAs available on that page are "Full" OTAs; you can jump straight to any Full OTA as long as it is more recent that the version you're currently on.
If the issue was only an MTP issue, you'd still be able to access the data through ADB, something that it doesn't seem like we've been able to accomplish. Since you've tried multiple computers, I don't think this is related.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I reached back out to Google Tech. Support since realizing my issue seems to stem from the phone NOT being able to be controlled through connected device (computer) but not being allowed to do so, only allowing connection via "this device." They recommended updating software to most recent version of Android 10, which hopefully fixes that connection problem. I guess my decision is either upgrading to the software version you were on, was it - 105.002 (January) or 205.002 (February)? I saw a discrepancy in previous post between software version # and Month. Perhaps that will allow me to do what I need to do, if not I upgrade to the latest version. If I go straight to the latest version, there's no turning back to trying your software, since bootloader locked. Would you recommend starting with your software update and then potentially moving on to most recent if that doesn't work?
Thank you again for all of your help thus far, seems like this could be the home stretch, exhausted all possible scenarios. If upgrading software doesn't work, seems like I am SoL in hopes of backing up.
Matt
Matt Spo said:
I reached back out to Google Tech. Support since realizing my issue seems to stem from the phone NOT being able to be controlled through connected device (computer) but not being allowed to do so, only allowing connection via "this device." They recommended updating software to most recent version of Android 10, which hopefully fixes that connection problem. I guess my decision is either upgrading to the software version you were on, was it - 105.002 (January) or 205.002 (February)? I saw a discrepancy in previous post between software version # and Month.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're correct; I mistyped that a few posts back. The version I had success recovering on was "QQ1A.200105.002" specifically.
Matt Spo said:
Perhaps that will allow me to do what I need to do, if not I upgrade to the latest version. If I go straight to the latest version, there's no turning back to trying your software, since bootloader locked. Would you recommend starting with your software update and then potentially moving on to most recent if that doesn't work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct, if you sideload the most recent update you will not be able to sideload an older update with a locked bootloader. My gut instinct would be to update to the version I had success with because we know it worked at least once. Obviously I can't guarantee it will work for you, but I'm really hoping it does. If it doesn't help, updating to the latest version would be the next step.
Matt Spo said:
Thank you again for all of your help thus far, seems like this could be the home stretch, exhausted all possible scenarios. If upgrading software doesn't work, seems like I am SoL in hopes of backing up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course! I'm still hopeful this will work out!
Random aside: @Ditamae ran into the exact same issue as me and seems to have had similar success with recovering data. He responded to my original post about this issue: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=82567069&postcount=5. He indicated he was on the January 2020 update as well.
TL;DR, I'm having 'SIM not detected' issues and my laptop will crash if I open another tab, please help I've attached output of `locat -b radio`
SOURCES
https://sourceforge.net/projects/an...8-UNOFFICIAL-treble_arm64_bvS.img.xz/download
https://github.com/topjohnwu/Magisk/releases/tag/v23.0
open_gapps-arm64-10.0-nano-20211021.zip from https://opengapps.org/
https://unofficialtwrp.com/twrp-3-3-1-root-doogee-s68-pro/
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:
I believe about two years back I had already installed an earlier build of LineageOs v17 Magisk v19 using fastboot. This was a trial and error kind of thing as I'm only a fanatic when I have to be. After a long time I finally had a working combination; sort of. Soon about every month or so, or after a couple of restarts, my SIM card would not get detected. Though different behaviors would occur, like 'Emergency calls only', 'No Service' or SMS suddenly not coming through. Since then one time or two a restart fixed the issue until the next month or so. I tried inserting the SIM in every order of events, wiping cache/ dalvik, switching airplain mode, resetting network settings, uninstalling magisk and so on. Then I read somewhere I can't remember about draining the battery capacitors(?) by turning the device on and off on an empty battery until there's no power left and the screen doesn't light up. So I did that and that worked! After a couple of times running into this issue on a fully charged 6300mah battery I downloaded 'generic battery drainer' from the GPlayStore and that app is still on my main screen. Apparently when the device shuts down as the app is draining it, the SIM is detected again when I power up after that, so no need too drain completely... I couldn't find answers anywhere and I like Lineage so much that I just accepted it :')
RECENT EXPERIENCE:
This weekend I decided to give it another try and went for LineageOs v18 but TWRP wouldn't go any further than 'Failed to mount /system/<something>' and I finally went for the above mentioned sources. I patched TWRP recovery using the Magisk app (though I get the impression that this was designed out of necessity, I kinda like being able to switch between Magisk like this). It took me a while to understand that using wipe and decrypting data in TWRP before flashing system (fastboot) has the result of adjusting the system partition to the size of system image when flashing, leaving no space for gapps. Then I flashed stock rom, started device and let it encrypt, then flash the new system image. This kept the original system size with enough space. System started up nicely after, except for: In magisk I got "abnormal state, other su detected". After much reading I could link it to the /system/xbin/su binary. Renaming this (scared to remove) fixed that and $PATH was even appended with ":/sbin:/sbin/.magisk/busybox:". And then, the SIM card issues started after my first couple of reboots :') When it works, so far it's only when I boot without magisk.
QUESTIONS:
Whenever I use the wipe option in TWRP that will also decrypt the device, I can wipe whatever I want. But as soon as system starts it's encrypting data again and I have to use adb for example. Isn't this a generic thing? I get confused about reading so much to use TWRP for this.
Can anyone shed light on the effects of what I'm describing with "draining the battery"? And how running the drainer app might have similar effects?
What is a better approach to configure the size of the system partition? Cause now it's basically twice as big as it has to be
Is the /system/xbin/su in the Lineage build? Is that the built-in root that was/ is/ will be deprecated?
And the GOLDEN question, how can I fix these SIM issues? My head is exploding with information trying to figure out what apps and processes are involved in this. As a logcat first-timer I managed to get the output of `logcat -b radio`, see attached file. This line caught extra attention "Failed getting samsung hardware radio", but I'm out of my territory.
THANKS in advance for any input,
greetings, from a little experienced flasher
RUNNING WITH MAGISK
Further inspecting the lines of logcat -b radio, it seams that ril-daemon isn't started when I'm booting with Magisk/ root, like in the previously attached file. Also getprop shows way fewer props with 'ril' in the value than starting non-root, though altering in count between boots. Reading this https://wladimir-tm4pda.github.io/porting/telephony.html and under RIL Initialization "RIL daemon reads rild.lib path and rild.libargs system properties to determine the Vendor RIL library to use and any initialization arguments to provide to the Vendor RIL" I'm wondering, can it be something as simple as a missing PATH or env value? Anyone have the same experience?
RUNNING WITHOUT MAGISK
logcat -b radio shows way more output and many more things happening. I get the impression that the issue is in or close to the application framework layer... I'm now, still hopeful, attaching two files of logcat radio output. One after boot, up to the login screen and one after login.
Between my post and now, I did however "Remove Telephony Subsystem" through setting => Phh Treble Settings => Misc features, (just trying things out as I read stuff) and I haven't been able to get SIM working again, also not after draining the battery as previously worked. Can this be related? How do I get it back (without reflashing)?
Finally some time to update again. As I have understood, Lineageos18 seems to have an extra level of complexity with the need for mounting system as rw and gets more complex if it is encrypted, so I'm still with magisk patched twrp and GSI Lineageos17.
My SIM still isn't working while booted as root, and I can at least determine that rild is not started and also not present/ available through the terminal. As to why and how to fix that, please let me know if you do! I read some places that PATH has to be inserted with the value of PATH from the non-root env in the init.environ.rc file. That did not make a noticable difference for me. I have not installed the magisk app. So far my SIM is working better than before in non-root/ normal system boot, even after restarts and switching to and back from root.
Some (trivial) things I found many questions and few answers about so far on my quest, in case it might help someone:
I could get rid of "too many symbolic links encountered" in the twrp terminal by setting PATH to just one bin location like '/sbin'. I also had this ld.config.txt error in the terminal (which indeed did not exist on my phone) and was able to trace it back to the /system/system/bin/dlinker64 binary trying to mount that file. I just renamed that and that resolved the error. Then I was able to use the terminal to edit the init.environ.oc file (I could not get adb to work in twrp mode). Not anything specifically, but I found this (among many posts on this forum) quite helpful https://www.didgeridoohan.com/magisk/MagiskInstallationIssues.
Recently updated my Pixel 4a and have run into an issue that causes a strange boot loop to a screen that states "Cannot load Android system. Your Data may be corrupt." and prompts to either factory data reset or try booting again. What's strange is that when attempting to boot it again, it is able to load into the device and I have normal access to the phone for about 30-60 seconds before it restarts and prompts a factory reset again.
My main issue is that I need to backup/upload about 900 photos to google photos that were not saved. So far the phone has been rebooting, connecting to wifi and uploading about 0-3 items to google photos per boot until it restarts. Eventually I may be able to secure all my photos this way but I want to know if there is a more efficient method to do this.
Things to know:
Bootloader is locked (can't unlock due to wipe) -> cannot use custom recovery/ flash twrp
USB debugging is enabled and I have sideloaded the latest OTA (sunfish) via ADB sideload in recovery mode but the boot loop has not resolved.
I can successfully use ADB pull /sdcard/DCIM/Camera for only up to 60 seconds until it force restarts. When I attempt to pull again on the next boot, it will pull the same files because it is copying and not moving them.
Does anyone have a solution to this rather than to just factory reset or continuously rebooting? It is frustrating because I still have access to the phone's files but only for about less than a minute. I have scavenged reddit threads, forums, and google for some way to do this but to no avail. (Also is there a way to use the stock recovery's "mount /system" option?)
It's not very elegant, but I could totally imagine a script that listed the files and then copied a few at a time, waiting for the phone to reboot before continuing...
I have a python script that uses adb to "sync" a directory on the phone with a directory on the PC, but it's doing a push, not a pull.
a1291762 said:
I have a python script that uses adb to "sync" a directory on the phone with a directory on the PC, but it's doing a push, not a pull.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I modified my script a bit to pull instead of pushing, it's ... awfully rough (eg. you have to manually create a Camera directory to store the files it copies) but it seemed to work in principle. It might be enough for you, or it might serve as a base for a better solution. No doubt it'll need a few mods anyway, especially if you're on Windows (in which case ls won't work).
You might also try booting into safe mode, in case that stops the phone from rebooting? https://www.androidauthority.com/how-to-enter-safe-mode-android-801476/
a1291762 said:
I modified my script a bit to pull instead of pushing, it's ... awfully rough (eg. you have to manually create a Camera directory to store the files it copies) but it seemed to work in principle. It might be enough for you, or it might serve as a base for a better solution. No doubt it'll need a few mods anyway, especially if you're on Windows (in which case ls won't work).
You might also try booting into safe mode, in case that stops the phone from rebooting? https://www.androidauthority.com/how-to-enter-safe-mode-android-801476/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the reply! I am on Windows and I am not too script savvy out of writing a few simple AHK actions so I am not entirely sure how to proceed with what you have there.
Booting into safe mode did not work unfortunately. Seems the time until restart was the same as well.
Expressionize said:
Thank you for the reply! I am on Windows and I am not too script savvy out of writing a few simple AHK actions so I am not entirely sure how to proceed with what you have there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do have a windows PC for gaming so I'll fire it up and see if I can make it work there.
a1291762 said:
I do have a windows PC for gaming so I'll fire it up and see if I can make it work there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to brute force the process and finally made my way through the photos. There was one lucky boot that allowed normal access for about 3 minutes and that was enough time for adb pull to completely grab what I needed. I appreciate your time and help.
I guess it still doesn't solve the issue if someone else runs into my similar situation though, but it seems like a rare enough problem.
Expressionize said:
I was able to brute force the process and finally made my way through the photos. There was one lucky boot that allowed normal access for about 3 minutes and that was enough time for adb pull to completely grab what I needed. I appreciate your time and help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worries. I'm glad you got your photos.
I had to go out, but I got back and literally just finished updating the script so it runs on Windows and is a bit smarter (eg. waiting for the phone to come back when it goes away). I'll attach it here in the event someone else finds it useful
There's a few variables at the top to configure it. It needs python and adb but shouldn't need anything else.
python3 fetch_files.txt
It's got a .txt extension instead of the more typical .py because XDA won't let me upload a .py file.