Database Info

Flashing Question

I'm currently rooted running a MIUI ROM. My question is, if I want to flash to a different ROM, what do I need to do prior to flashing? Can I just flash directly over using CWM or do I need to revert back to stock first?
Thanks

If it was an update to the same rom then you could probably just flash over depending on the chef's instructions.
But a different rom, I would definite wipe data/factory reset it first.
Of course I would backup apps/data, and a nandroid backup too

SysAdmNj said:
If it was an update to the same rom then you could probably just flash over depending on the chef's instructions.
But a different rom, I would definite wipe data/factory reset it first.
Of course I would backup apps/data, and a nandroid backup too
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply, so would I need to unroot and reroot and all that stuff over again, or can I just choose the factory rest option from the boot menu?

There's no need to return to stock, just wipe data/cache from the CWM menu.

If I have a backup of of an existing ROM, and a Titanium backups of all apps and app date, why would I need a Nandroid backup too?

Titanium backup not restoring properly

I flash roms like crazy. Never had a problem up until lately. No matter what rom I use the restore from titanium does not stick. If I update any apps from the market the updates do not stick. Any reason for this?
Quick update#1. Flashed completely back to stock and then rerooted. Still same result. any suggestions are appreciated.
Flash back to stock full wipe/ factory reset from there. wipe cache. re flash clockwork mod and restore... done.

BT problem with 05Q. Help me downgrade

I was on stock 44S, except TWRP and root (and unlocked bootloader).
A couple of days ago, I gave the go ahead for OTA to 05Q and I lost the ability to connect to my BT car kit.
I see other people having the same issue over at op+1 forums but no solution.
I tested with different kernels and with full wipe but the problem is there.
The car kit will not recognize the phone at all. It just does not find it during scan. If I do it the other way round, and put the phone to scan for the carkit, it will find it and request the pin, but it will not pair.
I had no problem with 44S and I wonder what is the quickest way to downgrade without loosing data.
From the FAQ its not clear if flashing only system.img from 44S will work.
Another idea is to try a different ROM but the selection is vast and I'm confused over which one to use.

You can't really downgrade without losing some data, but if you just use Titanium Backup to backup your user apps first you can restore them after downgrading. So backup your user apps, perform a full wipe (system, data, cache, dalvik cache), flash the unofficial 44S stock rooted flashable zip from this thread, restore user apps, done.
If you want to try a custom ROM it really isn't all that hard, just read the features and try one (make a TWRP backup first), if you don't like it you can always restore the backup you made.
Transmitted via Bacon

Just to conclude this.
I took a titanium (and TWRP) backup.
Full wipe (except internal storage) and downgraded to stock-rooted-4-4-4-xnph44s from the above link (from TWRP).
After the lengthy restore process using titanium, BT is again operational as it should.
Some notes:
Mobile data is by default on - so if needed remove the SIM before the upgrade to avoid charges.
Don't forget to turn off the "Update CM recovery" to avoid overwriting of TWRP.

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

Due to problems with Google Services on my rooted Galaxy S5 (SM-G900F) I opted for a reset from TWRP and it returned to a condition where after some initial screens it was just stuck at "Checking for Updates" so I went back into TWRP and told it to wipe the other partitions. Whoops - now I have no OS (I was sort of assuming that the factory reset OS was somewhere else)
Which is the stock ROM for my Region - UK, unbranded - where do I get it from and how do I load it using Odin and/or TWRP?
TIA

Hello,
Did you make a nandroid backup of your stock ROM or a nandroid backup of a custom ROM if you installed one? If you have a nandroid backup of either of those then you can restore them in TWRP by choosing the restore option and then your nandroid then swipe the slider at the bottom of the screen. If you installed a custom ROM at any time before this and you still have the ROM file then you can reflash the ROM and Gapps.
If you don't have a custom ROM stored anywhere but can still get to recovery, then you can download any of the custom ROMs compatible with your device and a Gapps package that matches it and put them on your extsdcard then boot to recovery and flash the ROM and gapps, do the normal wipes in recovery after flashing, the normal wipes(wipe data/factory reset, wipe cache and wipe dalvik cache), DO NOT CHOOSE THE ADVANCED OPTIONS THAT LET YOU WIPE PARTITIONS.
Check this thread to see if it is your stock firmware, it SHOULD be but double check first, it also has instructions for rooting again and installing recovery.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5/development/stock-rom-root-recovery-sm-g900f-t2967725
If that doesn't work then go to Sammobile.com and search for your stock firmware by using your device model number.
The firmwares can sometimes be found at samsung-updates.com also.
Find the right firmware for your exact model number and flash through Odin.
For further assistance, post your question in the forum linked below.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5/help
Good luck.

Droidriven said:
Did you make a nandroid backup of your stock ROM or a nandroid backup of a custom ROM if you installed one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly not - wasn't expecting to need it, thought it would revert to factory default - I have Titanium backup of apps and data.
I am hopefully a few minutes away from downloading the stock ROM and hopefully can reflash that using ODIN.
KD

colehill said:
Sadly not - wasn't expecting to need it, thought it would revert to factory default - I have Titanium backup of apps and data.
I am hopefully a few minutes away from downloading the stock ROM and hopefully can reflash that using ODIN.
KD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Making nandroid backups in recovery is the most important and valuable function of custom recovery, flashing ROMs is its' secondary purpose Android is not like PC with a recovery partition that restores a factory IMG, on PC that factory IMG is stored in a recovery partition. The factory reset feature in stock android does not restore an IMG, it deletes all data from the user partition and leaves everything in system partition the way it is, if you delete a system app and then do a factory reset then you will still not have the system app that you deleted. Anything you modify in system remains the way you modified it if you use the factory reset option. You should only use the factory reset in recovery, not the factory reset in system settings when you have a rooted device with custom recovery.
I'm sure that when you found the recovery, the directions had to have mentioned making a nandroid backup of your stock ROM before flashing anything, your present situation is why you do that, so that if anything goes wrong then you can easily restore to the one ROM that you know for sure works with no issues.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

Droidriven said:
I'm sure that when you found the recovery, the directions had to have mentioned making a nandroid backup of your stock ROM before flashing anything, your present situation is why you do that, so that if anything goes wrong then you can easily restore to the one ROM that you know for sure works with no issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I installed the TWERP recovery as part of the rooting operation and I didn't pay any attention to the backup option - I thought that's what Titanium did.
I am learning and will make sure that I take a Nandroid backup once I have it back up and running. Life would be so much simpler if only Samsunng didn't stuff their 'phones with bloatware that can't be deleted in stock mode.
KD

colehill said:
I installed the TWERP recovery as part of the rooting operation and I didn't pay any attention to the backup option - I thought that's what Titanium did.
I am learning and will make sure that I take a Nandroid backup once I have it back up and running. Life would be so much simpler if only Samsunng didn't stuff their 'phones with bloatware that can't be deleted in stock mode.
KD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Titanium backup can only backup data that you installed or downloaded, it does not backup anything that comes on the phone itself, that is what custom recovery is for.
When following guides to mod your device, read and understand ALL instructions before you even make the first move to touch your device. Get used to being thorough about reading and understanding first or you'll end up in a mess, possibly even hard brick your device, all it takes is one wrong move. Not all mistakes are fixable with android devices.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

Reverting back to stock recovery

Hi,
I flashed Twrp but I can't backup, because it can't mount data.
I thought, I'd try to revert back to stock recovery and then flash twrp again.
Does anybody know how to do that without flashing an entire stock Rom?
Thanks

nearlygod said:
Hi,
I flashed Twrp but I can't backup, because it can't mount data.
I thought, I'd try to revert back to stock recovery and then flash twrp again.
Does anybody know how to do that without flashing an entire stock Rom?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
Why you just flash TWRP again and start from begining?
Anyhow if you wish to reflash your stock recovery You need to reflash a stock boot.img
Here you have 2 ways to do it:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=66934553&postcount=218
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=66922116&postcount=215
In those threads the point was to re root but the principle is valid you can use them as guides

nearlygod said:
Hi,
I flashed Twrp but I can't backup, because it can't mount data.
I thought, I'd try to revert back to stock recovery and then flash twrp again.
Does anybody know how to do that without flashing an entire stock Rom?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had this problem and found out in my case, at least, it was because when I rooted, I didn't "format data" during the process. I've been told that if you don't format data during the process, you leave the data partition encrypted, and thus it can't be mounted (at least by non-system apps and processes). No guarantees here as always, but If you back everything up and redo the root process and do the data format, then you may be able to mount data. At that point you can restore your apps and info. I've also read (but haven't tried this!) that you can do a nandroid backup and restore ALL your data from that nandroid after you reset your phone (which the data format will do). You should google everything I have suggested and see if you can get what you need in this way, without having to reflash the ROM entirely or try to revert to stock recovery.

kettir said:
I had this problem and found out in my case, at least, it was because when I rooted, I didn't "format data" during the process. I've been told that if you don't format data during the process, you leave the data partition encrypted, and thus it can't be mounted (at least by non-system apps and processes). No guarantees here as always, but If you back everything up and redo the root process and do the data format, then you may be able to mount data. At that point you can restore your apps and info. I've also read (but haven't tried this!) that you can do a nandroid backup and restore ALL your data from that nandroid after you reset your phone (which the data format will do). You should google everything I have suggested and see if you can get what you need in this way, without having to reflash the ROM entirely or try to revert to stock recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1

Hi. Yes, I had to format everything. Now it works. Also the issues I had with Titanium Backup are gone. I flashed the ExtSdFix and I'm almost running like on Kitkat, yeah