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[Rooting & ROM Flashing VZW GS3] Noob Questions

I apologize in advance for asking the following noob questions. I have been an iPhone user for 3 years and wanted to take advantage of the GS3, which I am loving even without it being rooted. I am fairly tech-savy and believe I'll have no problem rooting my phone. There are just a few things I want to thoroughly understand. I've been sold on the fact that I want to root my phone to gain control of it, remove the bloatware, and extend it's battery life, etc. If there is a thread or posting or website somewhere that explains what I need to know very well, please direct me!!
I was looking for some major tips on the best way to achieve my goal of rooting and flashing to a new ROM...If someone could, PLEASE answer EVERY question. I'd like to fully understand how to get to my goal of rooting and flashing to a desired ROM without bricking it. If this gets desires attention, it could be a great sticky posts for other newbies!
1. First and foremost...What is a kernal? I see things about CM9/CM10 kernals. Is it something like a ROM? How is it related/different?
2. What is the CMW, what is a Touch Wiz?
3. What is the overall best way for a newbie to root their phone and install a desired ROM? Odin or???
4. As I understand thus far, there is rooting, then there is ROM flashing, and then there is something to do with unlocking the bootloader... I'd like to fully understand all of these.
Here's my goal and what I'm seeking help on... I think I want to use the Synergy ROM. What is the first step I must do? Do I somehow root my phone and then use Odin to flash to the Synergy ROM? Or is the first step simply opening Odin, connecting phone, and flashing to Synergy ROM? Do I not even use Odin to flash to Synergy? I'm confused here based on the install info in Synergys FAQ - do I use Odin at all??? Do I need to back anything up? Do I need to download or use some app to block Verizon OTA updates permanently??
In the Q&A of the Synergy ROM thread, it states:
You should have an unlocked bootloader if you wish to take full advantage of this ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Must I unlock the bootloader seperately via this thread here, or do ROMs or other kernals (or whatever) have the unlocked bootloader built-in?? Do I install the bootloader before I root or after I root? What's the best way to unlock the bootloader(mmmeff's EZ-Unlock App, Terminal Emulator, or Adam Outler's Casual for Rooting/Cwm/Unlocking Bootloader)? Also, how do I keep the bootloader from being updated OTA, to keep from having problems????
I think that answers most/all of my questions. I'd hugely appreciate a response and answers to clarify all this, or links to some post or site I'm missing that explain all this to me. My goal to to root my phone, likely install a ROM, and do all this without bricking it, and hopefully without voiding any warranties (though not a big deal).
Thanks a bunch in advance!!

All the answers you seek can be found in droidstyle's guide. It's a sticky in the development section.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

Introduction to Rooting:
This is meant as a very basic disccussion for people completely new to rooting and Android. As a result, it will omit many details and simplify others. If there is a blatant mistake, please let me know and I'll correct it, but if there's something that's just not QUITE right, chances are it's simplified on purpose. Also, it's not meant to be a rooting guide (as there are excellent ones out there already) so much as an explanation of concepts most of us take for granted, but noobies don't.
DISCLAIMER: I, nor anyone else referenced (or not) in this thread, am not responsible for what you do with your phone. Rooting and otherwise altering your phone has the potential to brick your device, void your warranty, and many other horrible horrible things. Perform these actions at your own risk.
What is root/rooting?
In Unix-style operating systems, "root" is the name of the user who has all permissions and is therefore able to run/modify/change/delete just about anything. If you're familiar with Windows, this account is called Administrator. The default account (that's you!) on an Android phone does NOT have these privileges. Rooting is the process of obtaining them (i.e. obtaining root access). Once you root, you can "flash" new software onto your phone without restriction. This is great because you now have control over what programs are on your phone, what your UI looks like, how your phone handles resources, what kernels you run, and more!
Once your phone is rooted, you don't always wield all of that power. You control your access to all these new abilities with a program called SuperUser (available on the market and baked into ROMS). This program can grant these special rights to any other program that requests them. So let's say a program wants to write data to a place it's not allowed. It will ask SuperUser to up its privileges and then BAM! it can write where it wants to. You yourself can gain SuperUser privileges in a shell by typing su. Then YOU can read, write, and execute to your hearts desire.
Before you root:
Before rooting, there are some basic things you should know. A lot of people rush into it without bothering to learn everything they should. Sometimes it goes well, and sometimes it doesn't.
Phone partitions: Your phone has a number of partitions. The important ones to know at first are:
1. System - this partition is essentially what you think of when you think of the operating system, the Android UI, and preinstalled
apps. When people talk about flashing ROMs (e.g. CyanogenMod, Synergy, etc), they are talking about flashing a new system
partition.
2. Boot - this is the kernel and ramdisk. The kernel is responsible for managing the interactions between the phones software (including the ROM) and the
hardware. Altering the kernel can increase/decrease performance, battery life, and more because it manages applications and system resources. When
you flash a new kernel, it flashes to the boot partition. You may not notice a big difference like you do when changing ROMS, but behind the scenes, your
phone's performance can be drastically altered. A *LOOSE* analogy is that the ROM is like the body and interior of your car (including exterior color, AC,
stereo, heated seats, TV in headrests, etc.) and the kernel is like the engine. You may not see it, but you'll know it's there if it's awesome or it sucks.
3. Aboot - this was largely unimportant for newbies until the bootloader lock/unlock situation. The short story is that aboot contains functions which
authenticate the boot partition (that's the kernel, remember?). It checks to see if your boot partition is Verizon legal and if not, it aborts the boot process
and politely tells you to contact Verizon. This authentication is what is referred to as a "locked" bootloader. It prevents you from completely booting the
phone with a custom kernel. The bootloader is "unlocked" by replacing the stock aboot partition with one that does NOT check up on the boot partition.
This is important because it allows us to run whatever kernel we want.
4. Data - this contains user installed apps, settings, contacts, bookmarks, etc, etc, etc. You can wipe this partition (as opposed to the above partitions) and
still boot into the operating system. You will have just lost all your setting and apps. This is called a factory/data reset.
5. Cache - this is stuff that you frequently use so it's kept available for better performance. You can wipe it without much consequence.
6. Recovery - this partition contains a separate operating system that allows you to recover from a corrupted/absent/otherwise jacked up operating system. It
has other functions as well. The big ones are to backup your device and restore said backups, to wipe certain partitions, and to flash things to your
phone (i.e. install new ROMs, recoveries, or other programs). The stock recovery is limited so you will definitely want a custom recovery, created by the
fine devs in the community, on your device.
What is a ROM and what is a kernel? I touched on this above. A ROM is what goes on the system partition. It contains what you think of as the Android OS including the UI and preinstalled apps. It controls how programs interact with you, the user. A kernel controls how those programs interact with the phones hardware. You need both a ROM and a kernel to have a functional phone.
How do I get started rooting and flashing?
There is an excellent guide stickied in the development thread here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1762709. However, many of us
forget what it's like to be a COMPLETE newbie and to someone who has no idea about anything, even fantastic guides like that can be a little intimidating.
You can follow the steps, but may not understand what you're doing. The steps to take to start out with are:
1. Make sure you understand what I've written above. Make sure you are comfortable with the possibility of bricking your phone.
2. Root your device. As I said above, this is simply gaining root/Admin/whatever you want to call it access on your phone. In and of itself, it does NOT alter
the ROM or kernel or much of anything else. However, there are many different ways to obtain root and some of them DO alter these things. The easiest
and safest way to root (IMO) is to use Noxious Ninjas excellent tool. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1792342. If you like it, I
encourage you to donate or at least "Thanks" him. It works by taking advantage of debugfs permissions to get su (remember this from above??) onto
your phone with permissions set so you can run it. It therefore doesn't change ROMs or anything else. You won't lose data, apps, or anything else. It just
sneaks su right onto your current setup.
3. Install a custom recovery. This will allow you to do all the fun stuff I talked about above. I recommend installing EZ-recovery from the market and flashing
CWM 6.0.1.0.
1. Install EZ-recovery
2. Under the "Recovery" heading, click the Recovery radio button and select CWM 6.0.1.0 next to it.
3. Click flash
4. Backup everything as if your life depended on it. This means backing up your IMEI as shown here
http://rootzwiki.com/topic/32397-tutorial-imeibackup-nv-with-qpst-us-variants/ and making a nandroid. A nandroid is an image of your phone
including your ROM, your data, and your kernel(depending on what phone you have). You can restore a nandroid backup and you'll be right back where
you were before flashing or changing things around. The steps to making a nandroid are:
1. Turn off your phone.
2. Hold down volume up, home, and power until recovery appears.
3. Use the volume rocker to go to "backup and restore" and hit the power button
4. Select backup and then select the external (default) or internal (labeled "internal") SD card
You can restore a nandroid in a similar fashion (although you should wipe data/cache first - see below).
5. Unlock the bootloader. You must do this seperately from flashing ROMs and kernels. Refer to this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1839791 and give appropriate thanks! A warning...if you mess up your aboot partition, there's really nothing (that I know of) you can do to revive your phone besides send it to someone with JTAG or back to Verizon.
You're now ready to start flashing ROMs.
As a precursor, there are ROMS that are based on TouchWiz modified Android from Verizon/Samsung and there are ROMS based on AOSP (e.g. CyanogenMod). TW roms need a TW kernel and AOSP roms need an AOSP kernel. Until you get comfortable with everything, I would stick with TW. Also, some roms come with kernels and will flash the kernel to your boot partition as well as the ROM to your system partition. Some ROMs don't come with kernels. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS read the OP of a rom you want to flash to find out kernel information as well as how to install the rom and anything else you may need to know. The general steps to flashing a ROM are (remember to read the OP for specifics):
1. Backup apps, data, call log, contacts, messages, etc. My program of choice for much of this is Titanium Backup available on the market. Buy it as you'll
use it a billion times.
2. Download the ROM you want and check the MD5
3. Place the ROM on the root of your SD card. Do NOT unzip it.
4. Reboot into recovery and make a nandroid backup
5. Wipe data/factory reset and wipe cache. Wipe it more than once if paranoid.
6. Go to "install zip from sdcard" and select the ROM you want
7. If you want/need to flash a kernel, install that zip from the sdcard too with the same command
8. Reboot and restore all that you backed up
Remember:
- ALWAYS backup before doing anything
- verify MD5
- wipe data and cache (unless told not to by the ROM dev)
- NEVER accept an OTA (having a custom recovery should block OTAs anyway)
PS. The techniques, tools, roms, etc in this post are not mine and arte the products of hours of hard work by multiple devs. Please thank them accordingly.

Bleelas said:
Introduction to Rooting:
This is meant as a very basic disccussion for people completely new to rooting and Android. As a result, it will omit many details and simplify others. If there is a blatant mistake, please let me know and I'll correct it, but if there's something that's just not QUITE right, chances are it's simplified on purpose. Also, it's not meant to be a rooting guide (as there are excellent ones out there already) so much as an explanation of concepts most of us take for granted, but noobies don't.
DISCLAIMER: I, nor anyone else referenced (or not) in this thread, am not responsible for what you do with your phone. Rooting and otherwise altering your phone has the potential to brick your device, void your warranty, and many other horrible horrible things. Perform these actions at your own risk.
What is root/rooting?
In Unix-style operating systems, "root" is the name of the user who has all permissions and is therefore able to run/modify/change/delete just about anything. If you're familiar with Windows, this account is called Administrator. The default account (that's you!) on an Android phone does NOT have these privileges. Rooting is the process of obtaining them (i.e. obtaining root access). Once you root, you can "flash" new software onto your phone without restriction. This is great because you now have control over what programs are on your phone, what your UI looks like, how your phone handles resources, what kernels you run, and more!
Once your phone is rooted, you don't always wield all of that power. You control your access to all these new abilities with a program called SuperUser (available on the market and baked into ROMS). This program can grant these special rights to any other program that requests them. So let's say a program wants to write data to a place it's not allowed. It will ask SuperUser to up its privileges and then BAM! it can write where it wants to. You yourself can gain SuperUser privileges in a shell by typing su. Then YOU can read, write, and execute to your hearts desire.
Before you root:
Before rooting, there are some basic things you should know. A lot of people rush into it without bothering to learn everything they should. Sometimes it goes well, and sometimes it doesn't.
Phone partitions: Your phone has a number of partitions. The important ones to know at first are:
1. System - this partition is essentially what you think of when you think of the operating system, the Android UI, and preinstalled
apps. When people talk about flashing ROMs (e.g. CyanogenMod, Synergy, etc), they are talking about flashing a new system
partition.
2. Boot - this is the kernel and ramdisk. The kernel is responsible for managing the interactions between the phones software (including the ROM) and the
hardware. Altering the kernel can increase/decrease performance, battery life, and more because it manages applications and system resources. When
you flash a new kernel, it flashes to the boot partition. You may not notice a big difference like you do when changing ROMS, but behind the scenes, your
phone's performance can be drastically altered. A *LOOSE* analogy is that the ROM is like the body and interior of your car (including exterior color, AC,
stereo, heated seats, TV in headrests, etc.) and the kernel is like the engine. You may not see it, but you'll know it's there if it's awesome or it sucks.
3. Aboot - this was largely unimportant for newbies until the bootloader lock/unlock situation. The short story is that aboot contains functions which
authenticate the boot partition (that's the kernel, remember?). It checks to see if your boot partition is Verizon legal and if not, it aborts the boot process
and politely tells you to contact Verizon. This authentication is what is referred to as a "locked" bootloader. It prevents you from completely booting the
phone with a custom kernel. The bootloader is "unlocked" by replacing the stock aboot partition with one that does NOT check up on the boot partition.
This is important because it allows us to run whatever kernel we want.
4. Data - this contains user installed apps, settings, contacts, bookmarks, etc, etc, etc. You can wipe this partition (as opposed to the above partitions) and
still boot into the operating system. You will have just lost all your setting and apps. This is called a factory/data reset.
5. Cache - this is stuff that you frequently use so it's kept available for better performance. You can wipe it without much consequence.
6. Recovery - this partition contains a separate operating system that allows you to recover from a corrupted/absent/otherwise jacked up operating system. It
has other functions as well. The big ones are to backup your device and restore said backups, to wipe certain partitions, and to flash things to your
phone (i.e. install new ROMs, recoveries, or other programs). The stock recovery is limited so you will definitely want a custom recovery, created by the
fine devs in the community, on your device.
What is a ROM and what is a kernel? I touched on this above. A ROM is what goes on the system partition. It contains what you think of as the Android OS including the UI and preinstalled apps. It controls how programs interact with you, the user. A kernel controls how those programs interact with the phones hardware. You need both a ROM and a kernel to have a functional phone.
How do I get started rooting and flashing?
There is an excellent guide stickied in the development thread here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1762709. However, many of us
forget what it's like to be a COMPLETE newbie and to someone who has no idea about anything, even fantastic guides like that can be a little intimidating.
You can follow the steps, but may not understand what you're doing. The steps to take to start out with are:
1. Make sure you understand what I've written above. Make sure you are comfortable with the possibility of bricking your phone.
2. Root your device. As I said above, this is simply gaining root/Admin/whatever you want to call it access on your phone. In and of itself, it does NOT alter
the ROM or kernel or much of anything else. However, there are many different ways to obtain root and some of them DO alter these things. The easiest
and safest way to root (IMO) is to use Noxious Ninjas excellent tool. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1792342. If you like it, I
encourage you to donate or at least "Thanks" him. It works by taking advantage of debugfs permissions to get su (remember this from above??) onto
your phone with permissions set so you can run it. It therefore doesn't change ROMs or anything else. You won't lose data, apps, or anything else. It just
sneaks su right onto your current setup.
3. Install a custom recovery. This will allow you to do all the fun stuff I talked about above. I recommend installing EZ-recovery from the market and flashing
CWM 6.0.1.0.
1. Install EZ-recovery
2. Under the "Recovery" heading, click the Recovery radio button and select CWM 6.0.1.0 next to it.
3. Click flash
4. Backup everything as if your life depended on it. This means backing up your IMEI as shown here
http://rootzwiki.com/topic/32397-tutorial-imeibackup-nv-with-qpst-us-variants/ and making a nandroid. A nandroid is an image of your phone
including your ROM, your data, and your kernel(depending on what phone you have). You can restore a nandroid backup and you'll be right back where
you were before flashing or changing things around. The steps to making a nandroid are:
1. Turn off your phone.
2. Hold down volume up, home, and power until recovery appears.
3. Use the volume rocker to go to "backup and restore" and hit the power button
4. Select backup and then select the external (default) or internal (labeled "internal") SD card
You can restore a nandroid in a similar fashion (although you should wipe data/cache first - see below).
5. Unlock the bootloader. You must do this seperately from flashing ROMs and kernels. Refer to this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1839791 and give appropriate thanks! A warning...if you mess up your aboot partition, there's really nothing (that I know of) you can do to revive your phone besides send it to someone with JTAG or back to Verizon.
You're now ready to start flashing ROMs.
As a precursor, there are ROMS that are based on TouchWiz modified Android from Verizon/Samsung and there are ROMS based on AOSP (e.g. CyanogenMod). TW roms need a TW kernel and AOSP roms need an AOSP kernel. Until you get comfortable with everything, I would stick with TW. Also, some roms come with kernels and will flash the kernel to your boot partition as well as the ROM to your system partition. Some ROMs don't come with kernels. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS read the OP of a rom you want to flash to find out kernel information as well as how to install the rom and anything else you may need to know. The general steps to flashing a ROM are (remember to read the OP for specifics):
1. Backup apps, data, call log, contacts, messages, etc. My program of choice for much of this is Titanium Backup available on the market. Buy it as you'll
use it a billion times.
2. Download the ROM you want and check the MD5
3. Place the ROM on the root of your SD card. Do NOT unzip it.
4. Reboot into recovery and make a nandroid backup
5. Wipe data/factory reset and wipe cache. Wipe it more than once if paranoid.
6. Go to "install zip from sdcard" and select the ROM you want
7. If you want/need to flash a kernel, install that zip from the sdcard too with the same command
8. Reboot and restore all that you backed up
Remember:
- ALWAYS backup before doing anything
- verify MD5
- wipe data and cache (unless told not to by the ROM dev)
- NEVER accept an OTA (having a custom recovery should block OTAs anyway)
PS. The techniques, tools, roms, etc in this post are not mine and arte the products of hours of hard work by multiple devs. Please thank them accordingly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THANK YOU!!!!! Very helpful! I had no idea I needed EZ-Recovery to flash CWM as the primary recovery tool - that saved me big time as I was about to unlock the bootloader later today.
After posting this last night, and awaiting responses, I was browsing and trying to take in as much as I could. I finally realized that each section in the linked guide is a different way to either root or install a ROM. After I figured this out, and read about Odin being best for newbies, I decided to take the risk and wing it, even though I wasn't 110% sure.
So, now I'm rooted and have ROM manager/CWM installed, TiBu, and ES File Explorer installed. Now I'm just trying to figure out what I can/cannot remove as far as bloatware. A few items I'm sure I'd like to keep (working), so I don't want to mess with anything that might be used in another app/widget....Which brings me to my next question...
What's the best way to remove bloatware? I found an excel spreadsheet online that shows what's safe/unsafe to remove but I'm confused as to what I should do to get rid of items I NEVER want, and how to turn off items I MAY want in the future. If I freeze these items, do they stay frozen upon reboot, and until I unfreeze, or otherwise? What's the difference between a .APK package and a single process, etc?
Thanks in advance! I feel like I entered Android Elementary last night and already graduated to Android Junior High!
P.S. The captchas on this site to post ARE THE WORST CAPTAS IVE SEEN IN MY ENTIRE FRIGGIN LIFE, MY GOD!!!! I must refresh it 20x til something is RELATIVELY clear. Seriously????

ike034 said:
1...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too..... But the post are suppose to me helpful and or contribute in some way....
But at least we can thank all over the place......

Weioo said:
THANK YOU!!!!! Very helpful! I had no idea I needed EZ-Recovery to flash CWM as the primary recovery tool - that saved me big time as I was about to unlock the bootloader later today.
After posting this last night, and awaiting responses, I was browsing and trying to take in as much as I could. I finally realized that each section in the linked guide is a different way to either root or install a ROM. After I figured this out, and read about Odin being best for newbies, I decided to take the risk and wing it, even though I wasn't 110% sure.
So, now I'm rooted and have ROM manager/CWM installed, TiBu, and ES File Explorer installed. Now I'm just trying to figure out what I can/cannot remove as far as bloatware. A few items I'm sure I'd like to keep (working), so I don't want to mess with anything that might be used in another app/widget....Which brings me to my next question...
What's the best way to remove bloatware? I found an excel spreadsheet online that shows what's safe/unsafe to remove but I'm confused as to what I should do to get rid of items I NEVER want, and how to turn off items I MAY want in the future. If I freeze these items, do they stay frozen upon reboot, and until I unfreeze, or otherwise? What's the difference between a .APK package and a single process, etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to hear you're rooted and learning a lot! Now you're opening another HUGE can of worms, namely how Android organizes the application framework, what are services, processes, activities, tasks etc. You may have already found the information you're looking for, but a montrously dumbed down version is that the APK is a package containing the compiled program and all the extraneous files it needs to run while a process is an actively running application. In order to debloat, you can either freeze an application with another program like TiBu, or you can manually freeze it by changing the app extension, or you can delete the APK, or you can remove it from the rom you want BEFORE you even flash it. What you choose depends on your goals...why you want to debloat.

Weioo said:
THANK YOU!!!!! Very helpful! I had no idea I needed EZ-Recovery to flash CWM as the primary recovery tool - that saved me big time as I was about to unlock the bootloader later today.
After posting this last night, and awaiting responses, I was browsing and trying to take in as much as I could. I finally realized that each section in the linked guide is a different way to either root or install a ROM. After I figured this out, and read about Odin being best for newbies, I decided to take the risk and wing it, even though I wasn't 110% sure.
So, now I'm rooted and have ROM manager/CWM installed, TiBu, and ES File Explorer installed. Now I'm just trying to figure out what I can/cannot remove as far as bloatware. A few items I'm sure I'd like to keep (working), so I don't want to mess with anything that might be used in another app/widget....Which brings me to my next question...
What's the best way to remove bloatware? I found an excel spreadsheet online that shows what's safe/unsafe to remove but I'm confused as to what I should do to get rid of items I NEVER want, and how to turn off items I MAY want in the future. If I freeze these items, do they stay frozen upon reboot, and until I unfreeze, or otherwise? What's the difference between a .APK package and a single process, etc?
Thanks in advance! I feel like I entered Android Elementary last night and already graduated to Android Junior High!
P.S. The captchas on this site to post ARE THE WORST CAPTAS IVE SEEN IN MY ENTIRE FRIGGIN LIFE, MY GOD!!!! I must refresh it 20x til something is RELATIVELY clear. Seriously????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you decided on a ROM you want to use yet? Personally I think that takes a lot of the decisions about de-bloating out of the equation. Pick a ROM, flash it, and see what you got? I first did the de-bloated root method and didn't have the stock e-mail app! While it is easy to download an e-mail app from the play store I was still shocked that it was considered bloat by the builder of the particular de-bloated version I chose.
Currently I am on Synergy 1.7 r23 with Darkhorse theme. I also like the Color in HD theme but can't decided between the two.

Bleelas said:
Glad to hear you're rooted and learning a lot! Now you're opening another HUGE can of worms, namely how Android organizes the application framework, what are services, processes, activities, tasks etc. You may have already found the information you're looking for, but a montrously dumbed down version is that the APK is a package containing the compiled program and all the extraneous files it needs to run while a process is an actively running application. In order to debloat, you can either freeze an application with another program like TiBu, or you can manually freeze it by changing the app extension, or you can delete the APK, or you can remove it from the rom you want BEFORE you even flash it. What you choose depends on your goals...why you want to debloat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, the explanation of what a .APK is helped a TON! Thank you!
dan_joegibbsfan said:
Have you decided on a ROM you want to use yet? Personally I think that takes a lot of the decisions about de-bloating out of the equation. Pick a ROM, flash it, and see what you got? I first did the de-bloated root method and didn't have the stock e-mail app! While it is easy to download an e-mail app from the play store I was still shocked that it was considered bloat by the builder of the particular de-bloated version I chose.
Currently I am on Synergy 1.7 r23 with Darkhorse theme. I also like the Color in HD theme but can't decided between the two.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know you've been helping me in my other thread. Thanks again for everything! I believe you know now, I am on Synergy r46, running quite stable so far but I haven't done much to the phone since flashing.

I've got a noob question... is there any way to back up your IMEI and install the samsung drivers from a Mac besides running Parallels or VMware? I rooted using Adam Outler's Casual and would like to start flashing ROM's but don't want to risk it without backing up my IMEI first.

See the note in this thread that backing up IMEI is obsolete. Nowadays you use the method linked from that thread, which does not involve making a backup first.

Weioo, I'd like to thank you for your intelligent questions, willingness to read, and attitude in this forum. It's good to see someone posting in the correct place, educating theirself, and not coming into the forum saying something like "plz help my phone wont boot and i didnt read enouf". So, respect. :good:
Anyway, to add something to this thread. What version of Clockwork Recovery are you using? If you're using version 6+, let me say a little how to manage your backups. The new CWR stores its backups in /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup/, which will only be about 20mb in size - this is normal. The backup file is just sort of an index, and the other couple hundred megabytes meat of the backup is stored as a ton of tiny files in /sdcard/clockworkmod/blobs/. If you ever need to clean up space on your phone's storage, always delete the backup file and do not touch the blobs directory. When you make your next backup, CWR will clean up the space freed from deleting that backup file.
What's actually going on is that instead of making one big file as a copy of a phone's complete image (as CWR did in previous versions), it saves space by backing up each file individually. If you have two backups with the exact same file (having the same hash), CWR deduplicates that by only backing it up once. The blobs folder has each fine, with the hash as its filename, and the backup file includes which hashes (filenames) it needs to function. When very few things change in between backups, the new backup only has to add new blobs for the things that changed (and thus have a different hash). You don't delete the blobs directly because it's not obvious which ones are used and which aren't. When CWR cleans up space, it reads the backup files and deletes blobs that aren't associated with any existing backups.

rednukleus said:
See the note in this thread that backing up IMEI is obsolete. Nowadays you use the method linked from that thread, which does not involve making a backup first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay thanks, but if I do flash something and lose my IMEI, to do that process I'd need to be running Parallels or VMware on my Mac. Basically I'm trying to figure out if there is another way to do this using a mac or would I need to buy one of those programs if I lose my IMEI?

Great beginner post
lazarus2405 said:
Weioo, I'd like to thank you for your intelligent questions, willingness to read, and attitude in this forum. It's good to see someone posting in the correct place, educating theirself, and not coming into the forum saying something like "plz help my phone wont boot and i didnt read enouf". So, respect. :good:
Anyway, to add something to this thread. What version of Clockwork Recovery are you using? If you're using version 6+, let me say a little how to manage your backups. The new CWR stores its backups in /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup/, which will only be about 20mb in size - this is normal. The backup file is just sort of an index, and the other couple hundred megabytes meat of the backup is stored as a ton of tiny files in /sdcard/clockworkmod/blobs/. If you ever need to clean up space on your phone's storage, always delete the backup file and do not touch the blobs directory. When you make your next backup, CWR will clean up the space freed from deleting that backup file.
What's actually going on is that instead of making one big file as a copy of a phone's complete image (as CWR did in previous versions), it saves space by backing up each file individually. If you have two backups with the exact same file (having the same hash), CWR deduplicates that by only backing it up once. The blobs folder has each fine, with the hash as its filename, and the backup file includes which hashes (filenames) it needs to function. When very few things change in between backups, the new backup only has to add new blobs for the things that changed (and thus have a different hash). You don't delete the blobs directly because it's not obvious which ones are used and which aren't. When CWR cleans up space, it reads the backup files and deletes blobs that aren't associated with any existing backups.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This should be stickied!!

My apologies for the newb questions, but last night I modded my phone to Eclipse 2.1 version 10-20-12 with the latest GAPPS 10-21-12 ( http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1934572 ). This latest GAPPS seems to be missing a bunch of applications including GMAIL registration (to access the Play store successfully) as well Google Now and many other Google based apps (Google Maps, Google Voice, etc etc). I don't believe the ROM was installed incorrectly - I went through the prerequisite Wipe Cache/Wipe Partition/Wipe Dvalik Cache and even Fix Permissions. Also the Voice Search application is missing, but maybe that's tied in with the Google suite of apps not running correctly.
Being that I'm a newb on this site I can't post the question over on the Eclipse page (not allowed access with less then 10 posts) but I find it impossible to properly register/access Google Play as well as using any of the Google Apps. I went ahead and downloaded Google Now separately and installed the APKs but this just resulted in the program crashing when the GPS is enabled (keeping it disabled keeps Google Now at the "Initializing" screen).
Thanks for any support that can be provided.

ResolveD
Disregard the previous post - used GAPPS from 10-12-12 (w/o Dvalik cache wipe) and Google Now, Voice Search, G-mail register, Google Play all work fine now. The only issue I see is presently with the Google Now browser not scrolling through links, but you can always use the magnifying glass (which shows you previews of the webpages it finds).
Anyways HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ROM!!! Eclipse 10-20 build (4.1.2) w/10-12 GAPPS. Easily the best ROM out there so far :laugh:

Deleting System apps
Now that I have finally rooted my VZW GS3, and installed Titanium Backup Pro, am I able to delete system apps from there without damaging anything? I have not installed a custom ROM, all I have done is root, unlock bootloader and install CWM. I want to get rid of bloatware (e.g. Polaris Viewer) can I use TI BU Pro?

levilib said:
Now that I have finally rooted my VZW GS3, and installed Titanium Backup Pro, am I able to delete system apps from there without damaging anything? I have not installed a custom ROM, all I have done is root, unlock bootloader and install CWM. I want to get rid of bloatware (e.g. Polaris Viewer) can I use TI BU Pro?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

levilib said:
Now that I have finally rooted my VZW GS3, and installed Titanium Backup Pro, am I able to delete system apps from there without damaging anything? I have not installed a custom ROM, all I have done is root, unlock bootloader and install CWM. I want to get rid of bloatware (e.g. Polaris Viewer) can I use TI BU Pro?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just wanted to add that it may be better to just freeze the apps, or at least run a nandroid backup so you can revert to stock. Without all system apps intact an OTA update would fail.

apacseven said:
Just wanted to add that it may be better to just freeze the apps, or at least run a nandroid backup so you can revert to stock. Without all system apps intact an OTA update would fail.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not worried about an OTA update, and I made a nandroid, I just want to make sure I'm not going to delete anything important. are there any apps you can think of that I would want to delete but it would cause problems?

[Q] Startup error - installed wrong script

To whom ever can help out, I have a Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, and cannot seem to get my problem resolved by myself. I have somehow inadvertently managed to install an update.zip that had or had no relations to this particular OS of this particular model of android.
My problem is that I wanted to be able to, migrate my apps to the external SdCard or extSdCard, and I think I used an update.zip designed for the cellphone HTC Evo 4g. Not realizing that I will be later unable to use the restore feature from a previous backup I had made using CWM 6.0.1.0 to recover from my inadvertent mistake (not to comfortable making a backup, and thinking I can restore properly anymore, like I can on my cellphone that I am spoiled with).
Silly of me to think I could use an update.zip designed for another type of device such as the HTC Evo 4g, but… (anyway my bad what was I thinking…?). The update.zip, by the way is "dtapps2sd-2.7.5.2-signed", like I mentioned this is clearly designed for the HTC Evo 4g, and not for the Samsung GT2 7.0.
The problem I experience now is not complete lose of my GT2 7.0 device I can still install and change out OS through the CWM-Recovery and install apps through the Android Market. I do however experience the inability to check my Storage properties under my Settings profile. When I attempt to click on this link it pauses for a second as if it wants to open up and perform its normal function, then reports an error "Unfortunately, Settings has stopped". Now at this point this is where I would have to mention another issue similar to this one, and that is at startup. When I first start the device up and it runs through its process of startup configuration. It will then report a list of programs that are prevented from running properly it as follows;
Unfortunately, the process android.process.media has stopped.
Unfortunately, My Files has stopped.
Unfortunately, Factory Test has stopped.
Unfortunately, MTP has stopped.
Now my question is, how is-it possible to resolve this issue. I have tried to complete a fresh install of the OS, CWM-Recovery, and also attempted to wipe everything possible that the recovery will allow, but I am not expecting much, as I cannot even get the backup and restore feature to work efficiently enough to provide me with what I need it to do…
I have provided this post with a download of the update.zip I used as well as the version of the OS I have provided my Samsung GT2 7.0. If anyone can shine some insight on what direction I should attempt to do to resolve this issue I would be more that interested to take a look at what I could use to correct this error of mine…
-Samsung GT2 7.0 - OS (Use the Download link above the Rosewell signature)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1784318
-dtapps2sd-2.7.5.2-signed
http://www.mediafire.com/?7jpc5oudzt6o76p
I might be comfortable to ADB Shell into my device to make changes, or if one was able provide me an update.zip/script that would be great. Also is there a better recovery out there than the ClockWorkRecovery.

Better recovery so you may try twrp or so
Try install a fresh firmware preferably with a pit file from odin pc
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

Mohamedselim said:
Better recovery so you may try twrp or so
Try install a fresh firmware preferably with a pit file from odin pc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mohamedselim, Thanks...
Will look into this..., any links by the way in regards to the "fresh firmware with a pit file"...?

Have you tried downloading and flashing a full Odin tar file to restore your device to stock?

imnuts said:
Have you tried downloading and flashing a full Odin tar file to restore your device to stock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeap...!, I have tried this already, have had no promising results...

This is the only compatible version of a .pit file...;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1642744
Can anyone provide me another one for the GT-p3113...?

Just checking in..., and wondering if anyone has a solution for this...?

Factory reset in stock recovery. So Odin a stock Rom and before u install anything custom, do a factory reset in recovery after u Odin back to stock. Then flash away.
I imagine you have alrdy tried a factory reset using a custom recovery.

WAIT!!! You don't have to factory reset, just reboot into CWM recovery ang go to mounts and storage>wipe internal storage. Confirm and reboot. You will lose anything on the sdcard but your apps will stay.

RomsWell said:
Factory reset in stock recovery. So Odin a stock Rom and before u install anything custom, do a factory reset in recovery after u Odin back to stock. Then flash away.
I imagine you have alrdy tried a factory reset using a custom recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MultipleMonomials said:
WAIT!!! You don't have to factory reset, just reboot into CWM recovery ang go to mounts and storage>wipe internal storage. Confirm and reboot. You will lose anything on the sdcard but your apps will stay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. I am all over the Factory resets, and wipes.
2. Already tried Stock Rom(s).
3. I believe my problem is a bootloader, or partitioning script. (As this denies me access from inside settings>storage where I can view my allocated size, and Restore to Factory button. In addition in CWM, I am not allowed to mount/sdcard(internal), extSdCard is ok though. Also, I cannot plug Tab via USB to check contains on Internal or External sdcard, but I can remove the External to transfer data from it via sdcard slot on PC...)
Maybe you can recommend a good Stock Rom, so I can give that ago...
I was in the process last night, and could not get a good connection with Heimdall or Odin. I am now looking into driver issues, so...

Ok, so I was successful in taking RomsWell and MultipleMonomials advice, and was able to return my device back to "Normal" state, including "Stock Recovery". But I still have the original problem as in my request I asked in my first post...
I do however experience the inability to check my Storage properties under my Settings profile. When I attempt to click on this link it pauses for a second as if it wants to open up and perform its normal function, then reports an error "Unfortunately, Settings has stopped". Now at this point this is where I would have to mention another issue similar to this one, and that is at startup. When I first start the device up and it runs through its process of startup configuration. It will then report a list of programs that are prevented from running properly it as follows;
Unfortunately, the process android.process.media has stopped.
Unfortunately, My Files has stopped.
Unfortunately, Factory Test has stopped.
Unfortunately, MTP has stopped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think now, if I cannot get a sizable remedy..., is just to try and send it in Samsung so they can take a look at it...
Any suggestions...?
FYI; I have also tried connecting to Kies, but due to the inability to posses a "MTP" (Media Transfer Protocol), is the reason I cannot connect to my SdCard & extSdCard. I can "PTP" (Picture Transfer Protocol) into it, using "adb shell", but not using "MTP"...
So I do not know how much "MTP" has to do with this relationship of the other three items that I mentioned in my bullet list in my quote, but...
Anyway, I don't know what I am trying to say, but thank you two, for getting me this far...!

grassy-sneakers said:
1. I am all over the Factory resets, and wipes.
2. Already tried Stock Rom(s).
3. I believe my problem is a bootloader, or partitioning script. (As this denies me access from inside settings>storage where I can view my allocated size, and Restore to Factory button. In addition in CWM, I am not allowed to mount/sdcard(internal), extSdCard is ok though. Also, I cannot plug Tab via USB to check contains on Internal or External sdcard, but I can remove the External to transfer data from it via sdcard slot on PC...)
Maybe you can recommend a good Stock Rom, so I can give that ago...
I was in the process last night, and could not get a good connection with Heimdall or Odin. I am now looking into driver issues, so...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try formatting internal storage in CWM?

MultipleMonomials said:
Did you try formatting internal storage in CWM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not quite confident on how much this will work. As I have tried this multiple times to wipe "Wipe Factory/Data", "Wipe Cache", including all the partitions under the "Advance" section found in CWM Recovery. Even using TWRP Recovery.
Per this post; I just attempted to flash a "Stock Rom", but not before doing a factory/data, cache wipe using "Stock Recovery", including after a successful install...
No luck, the same problem still exist as above...

Ok, this was all just the rudest experience I put my self threw. As I have an HTC Evo 4g - cellphone and have become comfortable with installing ROM's, Kernels, and Updates.zips, as well as, other modification. All threw the Recovery designed for this particular device, and don't get me wrong there has been a couple of times. Maybe more than a couple, more like a few times I have installed incompatible downloads I find in the XDA forums. Which makes this screw up, difficult form me to know that as long as you can get into a Download/Bootloader or a modified Recovery designed for a particular device that was successful flashed correctly. Well the screw up are easily redeemed/recoverable.
So, to make a long story short. After having called Samsung Customer Care (the 1-800-SAMSUNG) number, it seems to have been a External SdCard getting in my way from having been real short from sending my Tab off to the repair department (where ever it is...). I in fact already had it in an envelope, all I needed was an address to send it to. Anyway the nice person on the other side of the phone requested that I remove my External SdCard, and confirm that I was able to get into my "Storage" tab under my settings. Well after success getting this option back, I then made the suggestion that maybe my Eternal SdCard is corrupt or incorrectly formatted. She then agreed maybe this is the case. After ending the phone call. I quickly restarted my Tab, again only to find out that I was no longer receiving the error messages like mentioned above, which is great, because after multiple flashes of "Stock Roms w/Stock Recovery", and forcing myself to believe that it was a system install error. It in fact the External SdCard in place preventing me from throwing my Tab against the wall / in the mail to Samsung Repair Center...
"Man what an ordeal...!!!"
Thanks to all that helped with the suggestions, as to what direction I most defiantly tried.
I am now in the process, since I am living back in Stock mode. To receive an OTA (Over The Air) Update, and am still in the process of seeing if this thing still possess any residual silent errors...
I will keep you posted.
If not, well it off to happy rooting for me...!!!

That is it, my problem is resolved. Damnedest thing this problem of mine, it seems the only thing I screwed up was the micro SdCard. to the point it was the cause of all the error I received when I started up the device, as well as when I attempted to access my storage through me settings options...!!!
Now re-rooted, and a happy camper, Cheers...!

[FAQ] [REF]★ All you need to know about Android | Read this before you post/root ! ★

[FAQ] [REF]★ All you need to know about Android | Read this before you post/root ! ★
Understanding the Android world before rooting your LG Nexus 5
Here is a *noob friendly* collection of information every user that wants to root their phone should know. Many people blindly follow guides without even knowing what "Rooting" means. Hopefully, this will help new users (and old ones, why not?) understand what is happening with their phone, and what they will put up with.
This may seem as a lot to read, but there are no shortcuts. You either read and learn what you're dealing with, or find out the hard way.
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Contents
Post 1:
★What does rooting mean?
★The advantages of rooting
★The disadvantages of rooting
★What about the internal memory? How does that work?
★Things you hear people talk about
★How to backup your stuff
★Flashing a custom ROM
★ADB and Fastboot
★Restoring your Nexus 5 to STOCK
Post 2:
★Tips and Tricks
★Questions and Misconceptions
Let's get started, shall we?
What does rooting mean?​
To 'root' your phone means to gain administrative rights on the file system of your phone (in linux, root is the username of the master admin, kind of being an Administrator on Windows). With root access, you can install and uninstall anything you want on the phone. Android is, in fact, based on Linux.
Most phones come with limited access regarding what you can and can't do on it. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, because it can keep users from accidentally breaking something they shouldn't mess with on the phone, especially in regards to the operating system. However, many manufacturers limit your rights to things that aren't really so mission critical, too, and rooting the phone gets around this.
If you have a few unnecessary applications (bloatware) pre-installed on your phone that you cannot uninstall, rooting will give you this ability. It will also allow you to upgrade to newer versions of Android before your phone's manufacturer and/or cell provider make the updates available to you.
So now you know what rooting means. And I bet you are now thinking "Should I do it, or not?" Well, hope this helps you decide:
The advantages of rooting​
-De-bloat your phone. Uninstall any unwanted system apps.
-More control over how the CPU acts. This can increase performance or battery life, depends on how you configure it.
-More control over power consumption. This implies undervolting your CPU, giving it less power, so it consumes less.
-More control over how apps start up. Prevent apps from starting up when they don't need to.
-Change your Baseband (Radio). Try different radio versions, with the purpose of reducing battery drain or improving your signal strength.
-Flash custom ROMs. Bored of the stock ROM and look? Browse through the hundreds of custom ROMs provided by this community, each having different features and looks.
-Backups. The ability to completely backup your phone, and fully restoring it to the time of the backup. This is done with a Nandroid Backup (we'll talk about this later)
-Mods and Inovations. Use many mods, fixes, tweaks or features created by the community!
-Custom Kernels. As a Nexus device, the Nexus 5 will have tons of kernels with different features, supporting better performance, or battery life! To see what a kernel is, keep reading.
-Run apps that need Root Permission. These apps can be very useful, like Titanium Backup, Root Explorer, Terminal Emulator and many others!
The disadvantages of rooting​
-Rooting will void your warranty (Although reverting root is very easy)
-The process a bit dangerous. Something could (99.9% probably not, but still) go wrong, and end up bricking your phone. So, yes, the process is 0.1% risky. You can end up deleting everything on your phone. You'll have to handle this process gently and with care.
-You will be able to do a lot more mistakes. These may cause damage to your phone (But hey, that's why we have these kind of threads, eh?)
-No more over the air official updates. You'll have to update your phone manually, through your recovery. (Which isn't that hard)
Now that you fully know what rooting implies, let's continue exploring the Android world.
What about the internal memory? How does that work?​
Now, as you might already know, each phone has an internal memory. In the Nexus 5's case, it's either 16GB or 32GB. This internal memory needs to hold a lot of things, not only your personal data. This is why you only have available to use 12.9 GB or 28 GB.
An Android's internal memory is partitioned into many chunks that have their separate purposes.
These are all the Nexus 5's partitions, and their names.
Code:
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/system /system
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/userdata /data
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/cache /cache
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/persist /persist
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/modem /firmware
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/boot /boot
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/recovery /recovery
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/misc /misc
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/modem /radio
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/sbl1 /sbl1
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/tz /tz
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/rpm /rpm
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/sdi /sdi
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/aboot /aboot
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/imgdata /imgdata
Yes, there are quite a lot. You, as a user, don't need to care about all of them. Here are the ones you will need to know about:
/system- size: about 0.5GB
This partition holds the Android OS itself. Kind of like the C:// disk on your every day Windows PC. This partition has many folders and files you cannot normally get to, due to safety reasons. For example, system/app is where all the system apps are installed.
If something gets deleted from this partition, Android will most probably won't work properly.
/data- size: either 12.9GB, or 28GB
This is where all your personal data is kept. This includes apps, sms, contacts, e-mails etc. It also stores your system settings, like wallpaper, and all those stuff you set up when you got your phone. The most important folders on this partition are data/app (where your apps are stored), data/data (where you app data is stored, like highscores and stuff), and data/media.
Data/media might be considered your sd-card. Yes, I know the Nexus 5 doesn't have an sd-card, but this folder works like one. When you connect your phone to your PC, this is the folder that pops up, with all your music, images, videos, and whatever else you keep on your phone.
Things are getting a bit more complicated, eh? Just bare with me. Next, I will be explaining the different terms you will be encountering throughout your Android experience.
Things you hear people talk about​
Kernel
The kernel is an essential part of any Linux based operating system. It's the program that manages input and output requests of the operating system. Imagine you're at a restaurant. You give your order to a waiter. He takes it to the chef, the chef makes your food, then the waiter brings it back to you, and you enjoy it. In this case, you are the Android system, the waiter is the Kernel, and the chef is the hardware. The system gives the Kernel a request, like firing up another processor core when you play a heavy game, and the Kernel fulfills the request.
Here is an image for better understanding
Recovery
This is a secondary, mini operating system that has access to your internal memory. It contains a few commands that would normally help you recover your Android system in case of a failure, like factory resetting. You will see that, for rooting, you will need to install a custom recovery.
The stock recovery does not have the ability to write custom ROMs (I'll explain these later) on your internal memory. A custom recovery has this option, and many more.
Here are some images for you to fully understand:
Stock recovery:
Custom Recovery
You can see that the Custom Recovery has more options, including "Backup and Restore", Advanced, and Install zip from Sd-card.
You can get in Recovery by powering off your phone, then hold Power+Volume Down button until a black screen with colored text appears. Then, use the volume buttons to select 'Recovery", and then press the Power Button to select it.
Bootloader
The bootloader is the first thing that fires up when you open your phone. As the name says (Boot+Loader), this program loads the kernel, which when boots up the Android system.
The same bootloader can also boot in recovery, as explained above.
When you first get the phone, the bootloader is in a locked state. That means that you cannot use fastboot commands like "fastboot flash" or "fastboot boot". With other words, you cannot simply flash a custom recovery. Thankfully, Google gave us the option to unlock the bootloader very easily, and flash a custom recovery of our choice.
Custom ROMs
A custom ROM is a ZIP file that contains an altered version of the Android OS. There will be many custom ROMs for the Nexus 5, made by wonderful and skilled devs for the community. You can install a Custom ROM with your Custom Recovery. Custom ROMs contain the following folders and files:
META-INF- This folder holds the installation info and data. A custom recovery does not know on it's own how to install a ROM. In this folder, there's a txt file that contains a script, with the purpose of telling the recovery what to do.
System- This folder contains the stuff that will be installed on the /system partition that we talked earlier about.
boot.img- Among others, this file contains the kernel that comes with the ROM.
Dalvik Cache
Android is an open source OS, which supports many different architectures. While it's mainly used in the ARM architecture, it could run on x86. Even with in the ARM there are still some variations. Just like in x86, there are many extensions and SSE is an example of that; ARM is no different and there are some variations from one ARM CPU to another. Dalvik is basically a VM(Virtual Machine) engine, this keep the apps to be universal across many architecture. While this is good, this costs processing power. Meaning, if the apps have to run through VM everytime, they will be very slow. Dalvik cache is basically cache of those apps that's already gone through the VM thus it doesn't require to go through the VM everytime. And when an app run, it run from this version instead. Since each ROM may contain different version of app or optimization or even different kernel or Android version, using dalvik cache from different ROM can get you into trouble. Think of it like trying to run application designed for Windows XP on Windows 7 or Windows 8. It may work, it may not work, or it may even crash. Wiping the Dalvik cache will force the Android OS to optimize all the installed apps all over again.
Ok, so now, after you read all this stuff, you're probably thinking "Ok, I will never get the hang of this". Don't worry. With time, you will know all of these from reflex. And, after you got over that, and manned up again, you probably thought "Ok, let's root this damn thing!". Not quite yet. We aren't done. There are still some crucial things that you need to know. So let's continue.
How to backup your stuff​
Before you do anything EVER, you'll always have to backup your stuff, even if you don't feel like it, or your dog died (in which case I'm truly sorry), but, no matter what you're about to do, always have a recent backup sitting around.
There are many ways and things you can and will probably have to backup.
1. Backup your entire phone, by creating a Nandroid Backup.
As you saw in the 'Custom Recovery" picture above, you have a "Backup and Restore" option. Here it is again:
With every occasion, it's best to use it as often as possible. It only takes about 2 minutes, but it could be a life saver.
A Nandroid will backup:
/system
/data (Except /data/media, where your "sd-card" is, because it's too large and not that important)
/cache (Yes, there is a cache partition, and it will be backed up, although not really necessary)
kernel (The kernel will be backed up too)
***Optional tip: I always keep a recent nandroid backup on my PC, in case I somehow wipe all my phone's contents, and my backup among with them. The Nandroid backup is saved at this location, which can be accessed with a root file explorer, like ES File Explorer : mnt/shell/emulated/clockworkmod/backup or sdcard/TWRP. If you want to copy it to your storage, just copy the latest backup, and then move it to your PC.
2. Your apps and data only
This can be very useful when changing ROMs. You just got bored of your ROM, and want to move to another one. The only way of taking your apps and data with you is by backing them up with an application like Titanium Backup. The backups will be saved in data/media, and will be restored using the same app with which you backup up on the new ROM.
3. Your SMS, Contacts, MMS etc.
These things can be backed up by special apps on the Play Store. Ok, contacts will be restored by Google Sync ( although not always done properly, that's why I still back them up), but SMS will not be restored. There are many free apps that back them up for you, nice an easily, for them to be restored in case of a ROM change or data loss.
4. Your storage (data/media, sd-card)
You just connect your phone to your PC, select all folders, and copy all over on your PC. This will be useful when you unlock the bootloader. A bootloader unlock will wipe all the stuff on your phone (This can be avoided, read guides). So keeping a copy of your sd-card contents on your PC isn't such a bad idea.
Now you know how to keep it safe by creating backups. I will say it again, you are never too safe! Backup when you do a modification, even if it's tiny. Now, after you've finished reading the above, you will probably attempt to root. You will use one of the guides out there ( I will link one at the end of this thread ) to install a custom recovery, and gain root access. But what to do with it? Well, you will most likely end up flashing a custom ROM.
Flashing a custom ROM​
You will get bored of the stock ROM, and will decide to flash a custom ROM. But you haven't done it before, and you don't really understand the process.Before you do anything, you must:
-Make sure that the files are for your phone ! If you flash files that were made for another phone, you might end up with a brick!
-Never panic! There is always a way out! That's what backups are for!
-Read all the instructions! Every ROM thread has instructions. Read them!
{By the way, flashing = installing}
Now, let me take you through the whole flashing process. ( Use the steps in the ROM threads if instructed differently than here )
1. You will search far and wide in these forums for a custom ROM that fits your needs. Every ROM comes as a ZIP file. So when you decide on a ROM, download the zip. For copyright reasons, Google Apps (Play Store, Google Now etc) don't come included with the ROM. So you will have to download them too. They are usually linked on the ROM main thread.
Some ROMs might have addons too, so check them out, and download the ones you want.
2. You now downloaded the ROM, Google Apps, and some addons. The next step will be to put them on your sd-card. Connect your phone to your PC, and make an easy access folder, like "Root Stuffs" where you'll put all these zips.
3. Now, let the backup process begin. You first backup your apps, app data , SMS, Contacts etc., like I explained above. I recommend Titanium Backup for apps and SMS, MC Backup for contacts.
4. Now you are ready to go in recovery. Power down your phone. Then, press and hold the Power Button and the Volume Down button at the same time. You will be brought to the Bootloader Screen. Now, with the Volume Buttons, switch through the options until you find "Recovery". Then press the Power Button again.
5. Now you will be booted in your Custom Recovery. Depending on your recovery, you will have the options on your screen.
CWM Recovery:
6. You will go to the Backup and Restore menu, and select "Backup". If you made a backup before, you can select "Delete" first, and delete it, for space consumption purposes.
7. After the backup finished, you will return to the main screen. There, select 'Wipe data/ Factory Reset". This will wipe everything in /data except /media, so your sd-card will remain untouched. Don't worry, you have a Nandroid Backup!
8. After the wipe finished, you will go to "Install zip from sd-card". You'll have to navigate to the folder where you put the ROM, and select it. You'll see it will nicely install.
9. After the ROM finished installing, you will have to flash the Google Apps zip, and the mods. Install them the same way you installed the ROM itself.
10. After you have flashed everything, you can select "Reboot system now" . First boot will take longer to complete. Again, don't panic. You have a Nandoid bakcup . You will end up with the ROM booted, and you'll continue setting it up.
TWRP Recovery:
6. Go to the "Backup" menu, select "Boot", "System", and "Data", then swipe the thing on the bottom on the screen to start backing up.
7. Once you're done, use the home button to get to the main screen. Select "Wipe", and swipe the thing again to Factory Data Reset. This will wipe data, cache and dalvik cache. This will not wipe your internal storage (Music, photos, etc).
8. After the wipe finished, use the home button again to get to the main screen. From there, select the 'Install" option. You'll have to navigate to the folder where you put the ROM, and select it. Then, by using the "Add more zips" option, add the Gapps package, and and then any addons or mods, in this order. Then swipe the bottom thing to flash.
9. After you have flashed everything, you can select "Reboot" . First boot will take longer to complete. Again, don't panic. You have a Nandoid bakcup . You will end up with the ROM booted, and you'll continue setting it up.
***In case something went bad, like your phone doesn't boot for more than 10 minutes, or the animation endlessly repeats itself (Boot Loop), do the following:
11*. Hold down the Power +Volume Buttons until the phone shuts down. Then release them for a second, and immediately press them again. You will be brought to the bootloader screen. Enter recovery.
12*. In recovery, go to the "Backup and Restore" menu, and select "Restore" for CWM, or "Restore" for TWRP. Then pick the backup you did earlier, and wait for it to complete. Then, select "Reboot system now", and you should be booted back in your original ROM.
Now, let's say that after you flashed a ROM, it either did not boot, or you had some bugs with it. You will go to the thread ROM to report your problem. Here's how to not post:
"This ROM doesn't work"
You will have to be a lot more specific than that. In reporting a problem, you will have to do the following:
-Say what you did (Flashing process)
-What you flashed afterwards
-What you did to reproduce the bug
-What recovery you use
-ROM Version
-even provide a logcat <This is quite advanced> (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1726238)
You have to give as many details as possible, so the developer can sort things out.
ADB and Fastboot​
ADB (Android Debug Bridge)
The Android Debugging Bridge is kind of a toolkit, that has many commands to control your Android from your PC. This is an essential part of your Android experience. With ADB, you can do many stuff that you couldn't normally do, like backup your apps, or push and pull packages from your phone.
ADB is also used by many of the useful tools out there, like toolkits, and all sort of programs that enhance your Android experience.
With ADB, you can also Logcat. Logcatting is creating a log of everything that happens on your Android phone while it's on. This is used to find the sources of bugs.
Example of ADB Commands:
Code:
adb pull /system/app/RANDOM APP = creates a copy of a system app on your PC
adb push app /system/app = Copies an app from your PC to your system partition
adb reboot bootloader/recovery = Reboots the phone in bootloader or recovery
adb logcat = Starts a logcat
Fastboot
Fastboot is also a toolkit of commands, but a bit different from ADB. While with ADB, you can do simple actions, with fastboot, you can do major ones, like flashing a whole partition, or formatting one. Fastboot is usually the preferred method to flash a recovery. Also, Fastboot usually works with .img files.
Fastboot is also a very easy method of bricking your phone. Always make sure you are flashing the right files for your phone. Furthermore, fastboot is not the preferred method for recovering your phone. It is the last resort. ADB and/or recovery is much easier and safer.
Example of Fastboot commands:
Code:
fastboot erase boot = Erases the kernel
fastboot erase recovery = Erases the recovery
fastboot flash system system.img = Flashes the System partition with an image
fastboot flash boot boot.img = Flashes kernel
fastboot flash userdata data.img = Flashes Data partition
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img = Flashes a new recovery
fastboot reboot = Reboots the phone
To use ADB and Fastboot, you must first have ADB drivers and Fastboot drivers installed. Here is a very good guide to set up these two useful things:
http://www.redmondpie.com/how-to-set-up-android-adb-and-fastboot-on-windows-tutorial/
Restoring your Nexus 5 to STOCK​
I moved the whole guide here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2513701
Check it out.
Now please proceed to the next post​

Tips and Tricks​
1. Try to not use toolkits. (I'm not disregarding any toolkit dev. They did a wonderful job)
Chromium_ said:
It has been proven that every time you use a toolkit, god kills a kitten. Save the kittens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Due to the fact that people are lazy in nature , toolkits have been made so that users don't struggle with rooting their phone. But there are many reasons for you to not use one:
-->you won't learn anything from using a toolkit, and, if something goes wrong, a toolkit can rarely fix your problem. It's better if you rely on your own forces.
-->you put the fate of your phone in someone else's hands. If a bit of code is wrong, then your phone could get bricked.
-->you miss out all the fun. Why buy a Nexus device if you don't want to explore the depths of the Android OS?
2. Never panic
Whenever you don't know what to do, and you're stuck, don't panic. There are many people here that can help you. Don't try doing anything blindly. Search the forums, or start a thread in the Q&As section, and we will help you.
3. Read everything carefully!!
(If you read this, post a cat picture in this thread, and you will be rewarded with a thanks from me)
I might have said it a couple of times throuout this post, but always read everything. Someone wrote something for a reason. Usually, if you read everything, and do what you are told, you are bound to be failproof.
4. Battery pull emulation
If you hold the Power Button and both Volume buttons for 10-15 seconds, the Nexus 5 will power off, as if it had its battery pulled out. Useful when you get stuck.
5. Never try to make any system modification(root or flash ROM/recovery) without having enough time and resources to troubleshoot.
While most of the time, this is relatively painless when the you follow the instruction carefully. That said, things can go wrong. So, don't just say I saw a new ROM when I woke up and I wanna try it, and you have 30 minutes before going to work. Even if it only take 5 minutes to flash the ROM, if a thing goes wrong, those 25 minutes you have left may not be enough to fix your problem and you have no phone to use that day.
When you flash something, always make sure you have about an hour of free time, and a PC with ADB and Fastboot, ready to make us of if something goes wrong.
Ok, so now you know pretty much all a normal user should know. But there are still questions that are very frequently asked that need answering. Here are some questions and answers about popular problems and misconceptions. You might encounter these problems later, so give it one more minute of your time:
Questions and Misconceptions​
1. My Nexus 5 is getting very hot. Hardware problem?
Nope. There are many reasons that contribute to your phone getting hot, like
-the fact that it doesn't have any way of cooling itself
-the fact that a quad core produces more heat
-etc.
Don't worry. Everything is working as it should. For example, the Ipad gets 3 times hotter than the Nexus.
2. If I am rooted, will I receive OTA updates? (See Return to stock section)
Yes, and no.
You will be able to download the update by having installed the Stock ROM with stock kernel, though it will not be installed automatically, due to the fact that you have a custom recovery. You will need to install it manually.
3. The Nexus 5 audio quality is horrible. Why?
It isn't horrible. It's normal, but the max volume isn't as loud as on other devices. I have been a piano player for 12 years. I have quite a sensitive ear, and I can tell you that the audio quality on the Nexus is comparable with that of an Ipod. The only major difference is that, with the Ipod, you can go deaf with the max volume.
4. Which kernel/ ROM should I use?
Don't ever ask this question. What's good for others isn't necessarily good for you. You'll have to try the many kernels and ROMs yourself.
5. Google Now doesn't activate with "Ok, Google". Why?
Make sure your language is English (United States) in Settings>Language & Input.
6. My battery life is short. What should I do?
-Use a custom kernel made for battery life (like Franco)
-Use the Greenify app from the play store (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oasisfeng.greenify&hl=ro)
-Don't use Automatic Brightness. Set the brightness to about 35%.
7. My Baseband and IMEI are unknown. What do I do?
Flash the factory images, and then boot in the stock recovery and do a factory data reset. If it does not solve the issue, repeat. I had to do it 3 times for it to work.
8. What's the difference between "Development" and "Original Development"?
Original Development - Usually original pieces of work, based on the original AOSP source, or coded by yourself.
Development - Projects based on works from the Original Development, or that don't include actual developing (Stock rooted ROMs)
This is all for now. I hope you understand what's up with this Rooting process. If you have any questions, don't be shy to ask in this thread
If there is anything to be added to this thread, please post below
Thank you for the time you allocated to reading this! You are now smarter :good:
Good day, and Happy flashing!!!
For credits, useful links and other stuff, see the post below.​

Useful links
[GUIDE] Nexus 5 - How to Unlock Bootloader, Install Custom Recovery and Root
[INDEX] Google Nexus 5 - ROMs, Kernels, MODs, Recoveries, Themes
[HELP THREAD] Nexus 5 | Ask any question
[MODEM] [EFS] Nexus 5 Flashable Modems and EFS Backup
Nexus 5 OTA Help-Desk
Credits and Thanks!!
@rootSU
For providing me a template, inspiration, and much of the info. His original thread in the S3 forums: (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2362743)
@paxChristos
For the logcat part
@efrant
For pointing out some mistakes
@someone0
For this post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=47474453&postcount=81
​

Very good post. Im not new to rooting but I am when it comes to Nexus Devices. Im use to rooting phones with external SD cards so I have one question.
When Im going to flash a rom or zip or whatever in custom recovery, I know I have to "Wipe data/factory reset" then "wipe calivk". I know that the data wipe is for apps, app data and system settings. My question is will it also delete pictures, music, videos and other files/file folders like that on the device?

MMontanez347 said:
Very good post. Im not new to rooting but I am when it comes to Nexus Devices. Im use to rooting phones with external SD cards so I have one question.
When Im going to flash a rom or zip or whatever in custom recovery, I know I have to "Wipe data/factory reset" then "wipe calivk". I know that the data wipe is for apps, app data and system settings. My question is will it also delete pictures, music, videos and other files/file folders like that on the device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A Factory Data Reset doesn't wipe the data/media folder, where all the things that should be on the sd-card are. You can use the option with no worries.

Very informative, didn't read the whole thing though. I stop at the advantage of flashing custom ROM. In my past experience, gaining root <> able to flash custom ROM. If I understand correctly, even if you can gain root access but not able to unlock the boot-loader, getting a custom ROM would be problematic. IMO, I wouldn't list that there. Sure this maybe beyond noobie scope and doesn't pertain to Nexus 5 specifically. But I wouldn't use that as a rule of thumb. Having used the Sprint Photon 4G, I have respectfully disagree with you on that. Gaining root, mean having admin privilege for the OS not the boot-loader.
---------- Post added at 11:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:12 PM ----------
MMontanez347 said:
Very good post. Im not new to rooting but I am when it comes to Nexus Devices. Im use to rooting phones with external SD cards so I have one question.
When Im going to flash a rom or zip or whatever in custom recovery, I know I have to "Wipe data/factory reset" then "wipe calivk". I know that the data wipe is for apps, app data and system settings. My question is will it also delete pictures, music, videos and other files/file folders like that on the device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I understand of basic android OS is that the system and apps are sitting on separate partition. And so is you normal partition for data, which usually the phone shown as SD card even though it's not a separate internal SD card. The phone usually have one large pool of storage space, think of it like an SSD drive. Then it got split into many partitions for many things. It has boot sector, recovery partition(for storing recovery method, either stock, CWM or TWRP), boot partition, system partition and maybe may other system relation usage partitions. Those partition are already planed out(fixed) by the people who create the ROM for the device. And the rest of the space will be given for the user to do other thing under one partition. And this partition usually won't get wipe. If you have used any custom recovery like CWM or TWRP, there usually be an option to wipe or not wipe certain things. This is possible because all those things are stored in separate partition.

someone0 said:
Very informative, didn't read the whole thing though. I stop at the advantage of flashing custom ROM. In my past experience, gaining root <> able to flash custom ROM. If I understand correctly, even if you can gain root access but not able to unlock the boot-loader, getting a custom ROM would be problematic. IMO, I wouldn't list that there. Sure this maybe beyond noobie scope and doesn't pertain to Nexus 5 specifically. But I wouldn't use that as a rule of thumb. Having used the Sprint Photon 4G, I have respectfully disagree with you on that. Gaining root, mean having admin privilege for the OS not the boot-loader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well yeah, but from being able to flash a custom ROM to being able to get root access in your current ROM, there is only one simple step, that is installing SU binaries, and a superuser app. I just didn't want to confuse new users by changing the term used only for one small step.

I'll just adding things as I read through, while I'm not a noob by any mean, that doesn't mean I don't see thing missing out. Since sometime the author fill in the missing gap in his/her head. I know I did that a few time. As I read, I though, hmm "Understanding the Android world before rooting" that's helpful. But after I start reading, it's more like a guide to understand the rooting world of android. I understand that's not the purpose here to teach people android, hopefully not to the general XDA members audience. But I would say the headline isn't exactly saying it right. The you start throwing the term Linux. Sure I understand what it is, at least to my understanding. But, it probably wouldn't hurt to stated the first time the term linux is use that Android is a linux based OS as well. Not just saying root is an equivalent of admin in linux. If you are going to assume that the intended audiences don't know what root is, then you should assume the audience know that the same targeted audiences don't know that Android has a deep relationship with linux as well.
I would put extra emphasis on dealing with fastboot. Yes you can do a major operation w/ fastboot. That said, greater power come greater responsibility. It's much easier to brick your device w/ fastboot and less chance of unbricking from using fastboot than recovery or adb.

someone0 said:
I'll just adding things as I read through, while I'm not a noob by any mean, that doesn't mean I don't see thing missing out. Since sometime the author fill in the missing gap in his/her head. I know I did that a few time. As I read, I though, hmm "Understanding the Android world before rooting" that's helpful. But after I start reading, it's more like a guide to understand the rooting world of android. I understand that's not the purpose here to teach people android, hopefully not to the general XDA members audience. But I would say the headline isn't exactly saying it right. The you start throwing the term Linux. Sure I understand what it is, at least to my understanding. But, it probably wouldn't hurt to stated the first time the term linux is use that Android is a linux based OS as well. Not just saying root is an equivalent of admin in linux. If you are going to assume that the intended audiences don't know what root is, then you should assume the audience know that the same targeted audiences don't know that Android has a deep relationship with linux as well.
I would put extra emphasis on dealing with fastboot. Yes you can do a major operation w/ fastboot. That said, greater power come greater responsibility. It's much easier to brick your device w/ fastboot and less chance of unbricking from using fastboot than recovery or adb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Made some modifications. Thanks!
Credited you

Good thing to see this in the N5 section too.

Great job,dude:good:

Well done! Not a noob, but still learned some things.

jd1639 said:
Well done! Not a noob, but still learned some things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They say we never stop learning

abaaaabbbb63 said:
They say we never stop learning
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very true, I am 76 and learn new things all the time.
Very good and informative post.
While I knew the subject, I read the whole thing just in case I missed something.
The list of ALL the partitions was something I did not know.
:good:

Rooting may or may not void your warranty, depending on where you are. In the EU they cannot refuse warranty for a rooted device, or even a fully 'hacked' phone with unlocked bootloader, rooted and custom ROMed or even in the case of HTCs super CID'ed devices. The exception is if the fault is software related, if you brick it, you lose it, but any hardware fault is still covered.

ChrisM75 said:
Rooting may or may not void your warranty, depending on where you are. In the EU they cannot refuse warranty for a rooted device, or even a fully 'hacked' phone with unlocked bootloader, rooted and custom ROMed or even in the case of HTCs super CID'ed devices. The exception is if the fault is software related, if you brick it, you lose it, but any hardware fault is still covered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still, it does not apply to the whole EU. In countries where the Nexus 5 isn't sold through Google Play, warranty policies may differ. Retailers tend to take advantage of their monopoly over these countries and strip down the warranty coverage, and say that if you modified the software, it goes in the "Unsuitable Usage" category, and they can't do anything to it, not even hardware wise.
Trust me. Retailers know how to crook you with every occasion.

abaaaabbbb63 said:
Still, it does not apply to the whole EU. In countries where the Nexus 5 isn't sold through Google Play, warranty policies may differ. Retailers tend to take advantage of their monopoly over these countries and strip down the warranty coverage, and say that if you modified the software, it goes in the "Unsuitable Usage" category, and they can't do anything to it, not even hardware wise.
Trust me. Retailers know how to crook you with every occasion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They know how to try. Force the issue and they cave in. I went as far as starting court action over this and they then gave in because they know they would lose. Know your rights and use them.

Very useful info. Thanks.
Quick question. I am coming from htc one x. I have fastboot and drivers installed for that device. Will these work for the n5 or do I need to install new specific ones?

columbo67 said:
Very useful info. Thanks.
Quick question. I am coming from htc one x. I have fastboot and drivers installed for that device. Will these work for the n5 or do I need to install new specific ones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They will work for the n5 (I think.... more like 80% sure). Try and see.

I had a question about the void warranty part. Do you know if it rooting/unlocking bootloader voids the warranty in Canada? I'll be getting the Nexus 5 as my first smartphone but would still like to mess around with rooting after a while, but would Google care if I rooted/unlocked the loader? Also, can you unroot/relock the loader?
Thanks.

Problem with PhilZ recovery!

Hello,
I thought of myself as a pretty experienced user, but you never learn enough!
However, I flashed some roms (lollipop) that, probably due to my mistakes, screwed up my file system, to the point that my recovery (latest PhilZ) wasn't able to find its backup anymore. Eventually I solved the problem as I was able to find my backups and use them to revert my phone to the rom I wanted to run (Carbon 4.4.4). But I was really annoyed by the fact that my file system was a bit off and still I was having problems with the recovery. So I decided to begin investigating the possibility to restore my phone to factory default. Before going with it, I tried the soft approach, i.e. I used the soft factory reset available from the settings menu. It all seemed fine and I re-flashed a lollipop rom that suited me.
Now the problem is that, after all the ordeal, I decided to make a new backup and so I did. It appears all fine, my recovery can actually "see" it, but I cannot identify it using a root browser! It seems to have disappeared unless I open the recovery and then I see it there. It is located in a folder that I can, of course, access, but,when I do so, I can't find the file!
I tried to put on my phone an old backup (always a PhilZ one), but when I try to put it on the phone I can't find the Backup folder in the Clockworkmod folder!
Anyone has any idea of what is going on and can give me a suggestion on how to overcome the problem?
Thanks
Luca
PS An alternative would be suggesting how to do a restore from a sideload: I thought I saw a similar option, but I can't seem to find it anymore within the recovery's options! I tried also restoring via NRT, but although all seem to go fine and the software return no failure notice, I can't find the backup file that should have been pushed (successfully) on my device!

Its not a recovery issue. Its an L issue.
Best thing to do would be to wipe data and storage then fastboot flash userdata.IMG
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2938749

rootSU said:
Its not a recovery issue. Its an L issue.
Best thing to do would be to wipe data and storage then fastboot flash userdata.IMG
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2938749
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for your help.
How can I find the img. file to flash?
Would it be ok to just go ahead and start from 0 using this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/general/tutorial-how-to-flash-factory-image-t2513701
How can fastboot flash an image file? I've never done that before! As I said, been doing this for a while, but never done this before...I think!
Luca

Alas, after reading your post on one-click toolkits, I'm afraid I'm one of those who thinks they can do things, but rely on simple tools to do them. However, I never (almost never) forgot to make a nandroid backup before flashing a new rom and, to be honest, I'm not a flashoolic. I never, ever bricked my phone (got a few bootloops). If I find a rom that suits my need, I stick with it for as long as I can.
The changes between KK and L are such that are beyond my comprehension, but I try hard to solve the problems I have without bugging everyone at the first obstacle. But now, after fidgeting with my phone for 2 days, I had to give up. With a few words, you singled out the reason why I couldn't come on top of this: things change and I was not informed of how much they did!
Luca

Problem partially solved..I think! Now I can see the folder and found my backup!!
I used the restorecon command you suggested. I couldn't make it work using terminal emulator (just did not accept the su command: why I don't really know). Then I thought about using adb shell via pc and, I really surprised myself; I was able to pull it through. I'm not totally brain damaged as I felt when I couldn't even reproduce the command you indicated. It is probably the application that doesn't work. It was my first time with adb shell, so a new thing learned.
However, now I would like to ask you: if I place in the proper folder the backup folder I saved on my pc, will I be able to restore the nandroid backup? I just need some data that I forgot (trivial things, such as text messages and a few app data, like passwords and stuff) but it would be useful.
Thanks once more for your help.
Luca

How to debug data related bootloop?

begonia (Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro), MIUI 11.0.6.0
I had an unfortunate series of events that resulted in a booloop. Basically:
- Magisk suddenly stopped working one day, after 1.5 year of no issues. I did nothing related to it recently, except just using root functionalities in e.g. Tasker
- I flashed newer Magik 23 and also updated TWRP fom 3.3.1 to 3.5.2
- everything worked fine up until one restart, which resulted in TWRP encryption problems. Right before restart I'm pretty sure I installed Viper4android. I could still get into system with a workaround of TWRP's "Decrypt user" hanging into button reboot, but Magisk/root wasn't working anymore
- so I thought reflashing Magisk and dm-verity/forceencrypt would help, but here's where the bootloops started. During the flash attempts I saw some partition mounting errors since the device was decrypted, so maybe that caused some data issues?
I tried now:
- downgrading TWRP to 3.3.1 - decryption works fine in it and I can flash problemlessly from it, however, doesn't help with bootloop. Reflashing Magisk/dm-verity zips from it also didn't help
- flashing recovery ROM (the same MIUI I had - 11.0.6.0) changed nothing
- flashing fastboot ROM in MiFlash with "save user data" option changed nothing, except I guess confirming the issue is with data
- last thing I tried was flashing uninstall.zip for Magisk since that removed its data folders, which I thought may have got corruped, also to no avail
I know it would probably get fixed with data wipe, but I need the data - I have hundreds of apps with lots of configuration for permissions, notiications, etc. and my recent backups from few months ago vanished because SD card got lost. I have a TWRP 3.3.1 backup of the data now, too bad I didn't do it before updating Magisk/TWRP - lesson learned... So the question is - what can I still do to further debug and fix this without losing data?
I read that reading these logs may also help with debugging, but not sure what to look for.
Kernel log (/proc/lastkmsg): https://pastebin.com/T2xBBRvi - some error looking lines at the end, but non-comprehensible. Can I use them somehow futher?
dmesg log: https://ghostbin.com/paste/vyBDk - don't really see anything here, but it's quite long and not sure what to look for
logcat: https://ghostbin.com/paste/PSh7f - lots of "avc" errors
Please help

Bump. Any help would be appreciated

Plug in the USB cable with the phone powered off. Then issue the commands
Code:
adb devices
adb wait-for-device
adb logcat
from your Windows CMD or Linux terminal: it will hang waiting for the device to come on-line, now power up the phone. The logcat should start scrolling off then.

While it's turned off:
Code:
$ adb devices
List of devices attached
mfaajbdu5s79pfhy unauthorized
If you `adb wait-for-device`, the cmd just waits and you can't enter next command.
`adb logcat`, if I skip the above, waits for device itself, but nothing happens, it just restarts to TWRP and the commands still hang. I can use logcat while in recovery though, that's what I did above

Ok, so I just went ahead and tried the following, too:
- made sure the TWRP data backup can get restored, just in case
- wiped data through TWRP, still the same (re)bootloop into TWRP. I tried both factory reset and advanced wipe with Dalvik/Data/ntenal Storage/Cache.
- so I tried reflashing 11.0.6.0 using MiFlash with that erasing data. That at least worked and phone boots after doing this, but unfotunately not what I'm looking it
- I then tried to get TWRP 3.3.1 back. I got into that and the usual rooting steps were invalid - recovery_fromboot ile was not present in system_root/system. Maybe that's not just present in downloadable ROMs? No clue, but doing the rest of required rooting steps - Magisk 23 install -> Close AVB (TWRP action) -> Remove dmverity (TWRP action) resulted this time in infinite type of bootloop, not sure why, waited for over 30 minutes
- so I reset into TWRP and tried flashing the dmverity zip that's from xda. And this is definitely what caused previous (re)bootloop as after flashing that its more or less the same time length before boot stops and restarts into TWRP. Now, weirdly, while installing this there was an error this time, saying that nvdata cannot be mounted
So I guess the problem before was with mounting nvdata? I see it's something related to phone's IMEI. How does it work exactly, is it somehow related to /data partition? Why wouldn't it mount? Why does it work with pure standard flashed ROM? Is it supposed to be empty when you look at it with TWRP's file manager? Could be something else but this is my only clue right now...
EDIT: oh, you can mount it in TWRP and that works fine, it's not empty. Not sure why that install scipt suddenly stated claiming it can't be mounted, by the end of log, though.

Completely no insights?

I'm coming back to the topic after almost 1 year on old backup phone because I got depressed by this incident and couldn't continue working on it. The old one is like 6 years old, it has abysmal battery life, it ran out of space and I can't install certain apps on older Android, I'm also missing a lot of the set up that I had and which was pretty convoluted - with Tasker and lots of other heavily configured apps. Which slows me down each day.
I can bring the new phone into usable state anytime, a matter of less than hour and reflashing the soft completely, however, setting it up initially took me one year of almost daily changes, many of which can't be retraced as my Titanium backup is old for some reason and there were a bunch of root related changes.
So any sort of help as to how I could potentially recover it with the data would be really appreciated.

And bump

Let's try a bump again

And one more hopeful bump. I'm even willing to pay/donate for any useful insight that will lead to progress with this as my old backup phone is becoming unusable and I don't want to start setting up this one from scratch again.

One last bump before trying in a new topic.
TLDR: what's the best way to debug a bootloop? Do the logs above help or is there something else?

Destroy666x said:
I'm coming back to the topic after almost 1 year on old backup phone because I got depressed by this incident and couldn't continue working on it. The old one is like 6 years old, it has abysmal battery life, it ran out of space and I can't install certain apps on older Android, I'm also missing a lot of the set up that I had and which was pretty convoluted - with Tasker and lots of other heavily configured apps. Which slows me down each day.
I can bring the new phone into usable state anytime, a matter of less than hour and reflashing the soft completely, however, setting it up initially took me one year of almost daily changes, many of which can't be retraced as my Titanium backup is old for some reason and there were a bunch of root related changes.
So any sort of help as to how I could potentially recover it with the data would be really appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Titanium backup is now broken, at least the recovery is now broken. You also are not allowed to start duplicate threads.

Titanium backup doesn't really help me anyways. And ok, I guess I'll keep bumping it then...

Can you access fastboot?