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Hello,
I am trying to recover from a softbrick issue. I have a BLU Studio C 5+5 LTE and therefore can't use TWRP or CWM (At least that is my assumption, maybe someone knows different). Before getting into the softbrick state I took 3 different types of backups in the hopes that one of them could be used in case it was needed. (like this)
Type 1 - I did an ADB shell backup from a completely stock device (unrooted) I used this command-
adb backup -apk -all -f fullbackup.adb
For this method I followed this guide here-
https://linuxiswonderful.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/full-backup-of-nonrooted-android/
Type 2 - I used Titanium backup and performed a complete system and application backup
Type 3 - I rooted the phone and backed up all partitions using dd after reviewing the partition layout of the device. For example, to backup the system partition I did the following at an ADB shell-
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p21 of=/storage/sdcard1/firmware-img/system.img
I believe the last operation I tried before softbricking was installing the Xposed framework module for my device (running Lollipop 5.1.1).
I am able to still communicate to my device using ADB and I can get an ADB shell. or enter fastboot mode My device presently shows the manufacturer's logo when booting and gets no further.
To recover from this issue I think I have two basic options
#1 restore from backup
#2 locate the problem that is causing the system to hang at startup in the first place
At the end of the day I am trying to find the simplest, quickest method to get back up and running. Both methods are acceptable to me. I am not worried about losing any data.
My challenge/sticking point is how to turn my backups into a usable format to get me back on track or understand the boot process enough to get out of the boot loop.
The first thing I tried was mounting my raw image files created from the dd process. I followed this guide-
https://samindaw.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/mounting-a-file-as-a-file-system-in-linux/
I ran these commands-
#losetup /dev/loop0 /path/to/my/system.img
# mkfs -t ext3 -m 1 -v /dev/loop0
# mount -t ext3 /dev/loop0 /mnt
# cd /mnt
# ls
The various image files I created all seemed to mount "ok" OK meaning that the loopback mount process worked but it appears there is nothing but a lost+found folder in the mounted image. (I'm not sure why that is.)
I am still researching methods to turn my other backups into something usable for recovery purposes.
For using the adb backup file I created, this is what my understanding is-
Adb backup uses a type of compression (don’t remember what kind). I would need to uncompress the file first. After uncompressing and being able to view the file contents I would think I should be able to put together a flashable zip file of some sort.
I think the process for Titanium backup would generally be the same- uncompress/convert file format, create/assemble a flashable zip file
The last thought I had was trying to get the system to boot. To do so, I need to better understand the boot process. I am familiar with how Linux boots as I am a Sys Admin. I know Android is similar but just different enough to make me research this further. I can pull dmesg log for anyone if that will help. I was also seeing where you could use the logcat command. (That is new to me as it seems more Android specific and not used in Linux that I know of)
If there is any other info you need to see, please let me know. I made a lot of notes about the system architecture, partition layout, etc.
Many thanks in advance for your help!
XDA Visitor said:
Hello,
I am trying to recover from a softbrick issue. I have a BLU Studio C 5+5 LTE and therefore can't use TWRP or CWM (At least that is my assumption, maybe someone knows different). Before getting into the softbrick state I took 3 different types of backups in the hopes that one of them could be used in case it was needed. (like this)
Type 1 - I did an ADB shell backup from a completely stock device (unrooted) I used this command-
adb backup -apk -all -f fullbackup.adb
For this method I followed this guide here-
https://linuxiswonderful.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/full-backup-of-nonrooted-android/
Type 2 - I used Titanium backup and performed a complete system and application backup
Type 3 - I rooted the phone and backed up all partitions using dd after reviewing the partition layout of the device. For example, to backup the system partition I did the following at an ADB shell-
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p21 of=/storage/sdcard1/firmware-img/system.img
I believe the last operation I tried before softbricking was installing the Xposed framework module for my device (running Lollipop 5.1.1).
I am able to still communicate to my device using ADB and I can get an ADB shell. or enter fastboot mode My device presently shows the manufacturer's logo when booting and gets no further.
To recover from this issue I think I have two basic options
#1 restore from backup
#2 locate the problem that is causing the system to hang at startup in the first place
At the end of the day I am trying to find the simplest, quickest method to get back up and running. Both methods are acceptable to me. I am not worried about losing any data.
My challenge/sticking point is how to turn my backups into a usable format to get me back on track or understand the boot process enough to get out of the boot loop.
The first thing I tried was mounting my raw image files created from the dd process. I followed this guide-
https://samindaw.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/mounting-a-file-as-a-file-system-in-linux/
I ran these commands-
#losetup /dev/loop0 /path/to/my/system.img
# mkfs -t ext3 -m 1 -v /dev/loop0
# mount -t ext3 /dev/loop0 /mnt
# cd /mnt
# ls
The various image files I created all seemed to mount "ok" OK meaning that the loopback mount process worked but it appears there is nothing but a lost+found folder in the mounted image. (I'm not sure why that is.)
I am still researching methods to turn my other backups into something usable for recovery purposes.
For using the adb backup file I created, this is what my understanding is-
Adb backup uses a type of compression (don’t remember what kind). I would need to uncompress the file first. After uncompressing and being able to view the file contents I would think I should be able to put together a flashable zip file of some sort.
I think the process for Titanium backup would generally be the same- uncompress/convert file format, create/assemble a flashable zip file
The last thought I had was trying to get the system to boot. To do so, I need to better understand the boot process. I am familiar with how Linux boots as I am a Sys Admin. I know Android is similar but just different enough to make me research this further. I can pull dmesg log for anyone if that will help. I was also seeing where you could use the logcat command. (That is new to me as it seems more Android specific and not used in Linux that I know of)
If there is any other info you need to see, please let me know. I made a lot of notes about the system architecture, partition layout, etc.
Many thanks in advance for your help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Greetings,
Thank you for using XDA Assist.
There are no specific forums for your device model on XDA. However, if you create an XDA account, you can ask your questions here:
Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting
You will receive expert advice there.
Good luck and welcome to XDA!
Hi. I have to flash a TWRP backup and can't do it thorugh custom recovery due I have a Yotaphone (the phone with a LCD screen by one side and a eInk screen by the other side) and the LCD screen is broken, so I have to use fastboot or adb (as far I know). I cannot even install a ROM because it needs the LCD screen for the first start.
The question if I can do it, cause I know it could be problems with formats.
(I asked this on Yotaphone specific xda forum but no one answered)
Thanks
eReader Fan said:
Hi. I have to flash a TWRP backup and can't do it thorugh custom recovery due I have a Yotaphone (the phone with a LCD screen by one side and a eInk screen by the other side) and the LCD screen is broken, so I have to use fastboot or adb (as far I know). I cannot even install a ROM because it needs the LCD screen for the first start.
The question if I can do it, cause I know it could be problems with formats.
(I asked this on Yotaphone specific xda forum but no one answered)
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You would probably have better luck flashing the stock firmware or have someone with the same device create an adb backup then restore it via adb.
Or if you know which individual .img files you need, have them pull a copy of whichever individual .img files you need(for example: system, boot, etc) then fastboot flash them or use adb shell to dd the .imgs back onto your device in the partitions they belong in.
I DO NOT PROVIDE HELP IN PM, KEEP IT IN THE THREADS WHERE EVERYONE CAN SHARE
@Droidriven ,you are right about it would be easy to fash a stock rom, but the LCD screen is necessary for that due the first boot. Maybe I am a little lucky 'cause I live with person who has the same device as me.
I tried the adb backup -all but it seems to just make a backup of the personal data.
Making a dd backup patition would be the better, but for some reason my device isn't recognized as a MTP device and can only connect in PTP. Tried to change the configuration on the phone but still only works with PTP, and I think in PTP mode doesn't have a mounted folder where I can make this stuff.
What I don't know how to do is the dd within the adb shell. It will work connected in PTP mode?
eReader Fan said:
@Droidriven ,you are right about it would be easy to fash a stock rom, but the LCD screen is necessary for that due the first boot. Maybe I am a little lucky 'cause I live with person who has the same device as me.
I tried the adb backup -all but it seems to just make a backup of the personal data.
Making a dd backup patition would be the better, but for some reason my device isn't recognized as a MTP device and can only connect in PTP. Tried to change the configuration on the phone but still only works with PTP, and I think in PTP mode doesn't have a mounted folder where I can make this stuff.
What I don't know how to do is the dd within the adb shell. It will work connected in PTP mode?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is USB debugging enabled?
I DO NOT PROVIDE HELP IN PM, KEEP IT IN THE THREADS WHERE EVERYONE CAN SHARE
Yes, debuggind mode is on. In PTP mode, adb sees my device correctly, in MTP mode appears like ???????
I think maybe the answer is where that you mentioned about "adb shell". As long as I can't see the phone mounted in MTP mode it's the only way I see. Now I am searching for the way on pointing the dd output file outside the adb shell. So the process is:
BACKUP:
-adb shell > dd partitions saving them outside the phone
FLASHING:
-fastboot partition by partition
Another problem I have is to know which partion is each, 'cause with "mount" I don't get so much information and with "cat /proc/partitions" only have 13 partitions with their size and no more info. I am looking what to "adb push" that can help me. Maybe install busybox.
Trying to backup&restore without MTP, without access to the recovery nor SDcard... Harder is impossible!!!
eReader Fan said:
I think maybe the answer is where that you mentioned about "adb shell". As long as I can't see the phone mounted in MTP mode it's the only way I see. Now I am searching for the way on pointing the dd output file outside the adb shell. So the process is:
BACKUP:
-adb shell > dd partitions saving them outside the phone
FLASHING:
-fastboot partition by partition
Another problem I have is to know which partion is each, 'cause with "mount" I don't get so much information and with "cat /proc/partitions" only have 13 partitions with their size and no more info. I am looking what to "adb push" that can help me. Maybe install busybox.
Trying to backup&restore without MTP, without access to the recovery nor SDcard... Harder is impossible!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This command in adb shell or Terminal Emulator should give you your partitions and names(obviously you'd type "su" then press enter then run this command)
ls -l /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/
The part with "msm.sdcc.1" might be different for your device. If that command doesn't work I'll help you find what needs to go in that part of the command for your device.
I DO NOT PROVIDE HELP IN PM, KEEP IT IN THE THREADS WHERE EVERYONE CAN SHARE
su is not found inside the adb shell, and I found this is cause is not rooted. I have to do it through TWRP in android 6.
As I said, I have two devices of my model so I hope I find time tomorrow for doing it. I also hope to can flashing it to the other device in fastboot mode or some way it doesn't need the main screen (remember I have a LCD screen and a eInk)
I will say something when I do the root. Thanks
Finally did it!
It appears each partitions clearly with the "ls" command you give to me. The question now is how to dd outside the phone. Have I to mount the pc inside the shell or what?
eReader Fan said:
Finally did it!
It appears each partitions clearly with the "ls" command you give to me. The question now is how to dd outside the phone. Have I to mount the pc inside the shell or what?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
adb shell should work to dd, you just need to make absolutely certain that you are dd-ing the correct .img to the correct partition(mmcblk0xx), the partition number would go where the xx is.
For example, my recovery.img would be flashed to mmcblk018(the number of my recovery partition.
If you dd an .img to the wrong partition, you'll brick the device, the command has to be exactly correct, no margin for error or easy fix if you get it wrong.
I DO NOT PROVIDE HELP IN PM, KEEP IT IN THE THREADS WHERE EVERYONE CAN SHARE
I know all this stuff, but first I need to make the .img of each partition, and I though with adb shell I could do a dd to outside the phone. The TWRP backup I have isn't .img files, they are .win files.
I searched again if its possible to do that and all I found is the xda thread about doing a workaround with adb forward and busybox. If there is no more options I will do that.
What I thought to do is create a backup of the needed partitions and save them in the userdata free space. I think this have to be possible, but as I cannot use the LCD screen I have to do the backup where I do not have to pass thorugh the first boot configuration, cause it is did in the LCD screen. Which partitions have I to backup? Only system and boot? Or there is another tool for creating .img backups?
EDIT: Also found the twrp adb possibilities (http://www.pocketables.com/2014/10/using-twrps-new-adb-interface.html) but have the same problems than with dd
I frequently modify boot and recovery partitions from within terminal app. Here's what I do to grab the boot partition for example(you likely want BusyBox installed first)
cat /dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/boot >boot.img
or
dd if=/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/boot of=boot.img
Make changes, then reverse the commands to write back. I think cat gives you a more verbatim copy for initially cloning a partition. I have had success with both.
The question that brought me here is what happens if i flash all partitions from a firmware archive and attempt to upgrade a whole system this way from twrp recovery.....
Greetings all.
Several weeks ago, I made this post seeking help with a self-created problem. I am happy to announce that the problem has been resolved with the immense help of sephstyler. He is literally my phone's messiah.
The afore-mentioned XDA member has a device identical to mine. I borrowed his and mirrored most of the data on his device by copying several partitions off his phone on to mine. I followed this guide about changing CID/MID.
I got a hold of a notepad document (you'll find it here) that lists partition information of the U11+. I wasn't sure which of my partitions were corrupt but I was certain the one containing the OS and IMEI information were messed up. My IMEI was blank. The OS version reported in fastboot was 9.99999 or something like that.
So I set out to copy these partitions and their corresponding img files in no particular order - boot, hosd, radio, modemst1, modemst2, cache, system, vendor, persist, and sdf1 (which carries CID info).
Please note that this method fixes the issue where your device is stuck on the bootloader screen with the message, "this phone has been flashed with unauthorised software and is locked....." And you will need a second device that is identical to yours (and functional too) for this process to work. I don't know if they both have to come from the same region (i.e have the same CID and MID). I guess there is no harm in trying. You couldn't possibly do more harm to your device by doing this. Or maybe you could. Either way, I will not be held responsible for any undesirable outcomes.
Steps taken:
- I installed HTC drivers on my computer, running Windows 10 64-bit. And 15-second ADB Installer. Get them both from here and here. I uninstalled HTC Sync Manager after the installation was done as I only needed the drivers.
- I flashed TWRP on the borrowed device so I could have access to adb from recovery.
- I then opened up a command prompt window on my computer, typed adb devices just to be sure that drivers were installed correctly.
The next few steps can be achieved right from within TWRP using the Terminal function. But I chose to use my computer as it'd be much quicker and I am less likely to make typos on a full-sized keyboard.
In a command prompt window, type adb shell. Hit enter.
To copy the system image, type dd if=/dev/block/sda5 of=/sdcard/system.img
For cache, type dd if=/dev/block/sdd21 of=/sdcard/cache.img
For boot, type dd if=/dev/block/sda3 of=/sdcard/boot.img
For radio, type dd if=/dev/block/sdd13 of=/sdcard/radio.img
For modemst1, type dd if=/dev/block/sde2 of=/sdcard/modemst1.img
For modemst2, type dd if=/dev/block/sde3 of=/sdcard/modemst2.img
For persist, type dd if=/dev/block/sde5 of=/sdcard/persist.img
For vendor, type dd if=/dev/block/sda6 of=/sdcard/vendor.img
For sdf1 (board_info), type dd if=/dev/block/sdf1 of=/sdcard/sdf1.img
For hosd, type dd if=/dev/block/sdd12 of=/sdcard/hosd.img
These img files would be saved to your internal storage. I then copied all files to the root folder of my faulty device's storage using Windows Explorer. System.img however refused to transfer. I got creative and used a microSD to make the transfer possible.
Now that these files were sitting comfortably on my phone, I booted to TWRP, connected it to my PC, then entered the following commands in Command Prompt via adb shell.
To copy these images to the appropriate partitions on your phone:
For board_info, type dd if=/sdcard/sdf1.img of=/dev/block/sdf1
For system, type dd if=/sdcard/system.img of=/dev/block/sda5
For cache, type dd if=/sdcard/cache.img of=/dev/block/sdd21
For boot, type dd if=/sdcard/boot.img of=/dev/block/sda3
For radio, type dd if=/sdcard/radio.img of=/dev/block/sdd13
For modemst1, type dd if=/sdcard/modemst1.img of=/dev/block/sde2
For modemst2, type dd if=/sdcard/modemst2.img of=/dev/block/sde3
For persist, type dd if=/sdcard/persist.img of=/dev/block/sde5
For vendor, type dd if=/sdcard/vendor.img of=/dev/block/sda6
For hosd, type dd if=/sdcard/hosd.img of=/dev/block/sdd12
Upon completion, press Ctrl+C or type exit to quit adb shell. Then type adb reboot to reboot your device.
If the above commands were entered correctly (and if the adb gods smile upon you), your device should be restored.
Now I know that copying all images fixed the issue. My guess is the system, boot, and radio images were the crucial ones. I am not entirely sure. But I was desperate for a positive result so I copied the ones that I deemed important.
I hope this helps someone. Cheers.
P.S: My apologies for the formatting. I am still fairly new to this. Also, I just realised I could upload these images for anyone who doesn't have access to a second device. I shall update the post with download links after the upload's completed. Sorry about the brain fart.
[EDIT] Images are up. You can find them here. These files are for the Taiwan-based HTC U11+ (CID - HTC_621)
Nice tutorial.
Hi, I'm having a similar problem with my U11+.... followed ur download link but a decryption key is needed. whats the decryption key?
ChuDust said:
Hi, I'm having a similar problem with my U11+.... followed ur download link but a decryption key is needed. whats the decryption key?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's the key. I had no idea the files were encrypted to begin with. Sorry about that.
-b087zdU9re0k3e3HHah1w
P.S: Since you're downloading the image files from the link provided, you don't have to go through the first half of the process - copying data from a working phone to an external location.
Best of luck.
Hello. I have an identical situation. My original CID is 622. I changed the CID to 001, but after RUU firmware I could not boot into the system. Now after flash RUU, the phone will reboot into the bootloader. Can anyone help me?
Do you have to be rooted or with unlocked bootloader to be able to backup the phone partitions using this method ?
Or does it just work on completely stock from an db connection to PC ?
Thank you.
The bootloader needs to be unlocked at the very least so you can gain access to the required partitions. Root isn't necessary.
Hope this helps.
Hello, I followed your instructions and made backups of my partitions from HTC U11+ dual-sim european version 401.12.
With unlocked bootloader and rooted with magisk by patched boot image.
Ran adb shell and su while phone was running normally in Android OS and connected to PC.
I'm curious about the sizes of the images created because they don't match with the sizes from partitions.txt.
For example "4210688 sda5 - system" is actually 4,311,744,512 bytes,
"65536 sda3 - boot" is actually 67,108,864 bytes in created image, but the actual boot.img from the OTA file is 38,163,762 bytes.
If these sizes are different can I actually trust the created images ? and use them in need.
Can these created images be flashed by fastboot, for example for system.img: "fastboot flash -S 1G system system.img" ?
Thanks.
andreipaval said:
I'm curious about the sizes of the images created because they don't match with the sizes from partitions.txt.
For example "4210688 sda5 - system" is actually 4,311,744,512 bytes,
"65536 sda3 - boot" is actually 67,108,864 bytes in created image, but the actual boot.img from the OTA file is 38,163,762 bytes.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you divide the 4,311,744,512 bytes by the 1024, you get what you need - 4210688 - this is in Kb.
And so same for boot - 67,108,864 bytes / 1024 = 65536 Kb.
andreipaval said:
Hello, I followed your instructions and made backups of my partitions from HTC U11+ dual-sim european version 401.12.
With unlocked bootloader and rooted with magisk by patched boot image.
Ran adb shell and su while phone was running normally in Android OS and connected to PC.
I'm curious about the sizes of the images created because they don't match with the sizes from partitions.txt.
For example "4210688 sda5 - system" is actually 4,311,744,512 bytes,
"65536 sda3 - boot" is actually 67,108,864 bytes in created image, but the actual boot.img from the OTA file is 38,163,762 bytes.
If these sizes are different can I actually trust the created images ? and use them in need.
Can these created images be flashed by fastboot, for example for system.img: "fastboot flash -S 1G system system.img" ?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi. I hope your first question was answered. Regarding your second concern, I'm afraid I don't have an answer to that. At the time, flashing any image files onto my device didn't fix the issue even though each flash completed successfully. Copying them manually sure did.
Hope this helps.
Do you have the twrp backup of the stock rom?
andreipaval said:
Hello, I followed your instructions and made backups of my partitions from HTC U11+ dual-sim european version 401.12.
With unlocked bootloader and rooted with magisk by patched boot image.
Ran adb shell and su while phone was running normally in Android OS and connected to PC.
I'm curious about the sizes of the images created because they don't match with the sizes from partitions.txt.
For example "4210688 sda5 - system" is actually 4,311,744,512 bytes,
"65536 sda3 - boot" is actually 67,108,864 bytes in created image, but the actual boot.img from the OTA file is 38,163,762 bytes.
If these sizes are different can I actually trust the created images ? and use them in need.
Can these created images be flashed by fastboot, for example for system.img: "fastboot flash -S 1G system system.img" ?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
do you have the twrp backup of stock rom?
I did not make backups with twrp.
Hi guys,
Here, for those who are interested, I'm maintaining the packages to use postmarketOS on bare-metal hardware.
I only tested the A750FN variant.
Check it out!
Feedbacks are welcome!
Many thanks:
@VDavid003 for kernel sources
Thanks alot for making this contribution
M0Rf30 said:
Hi guys,
Here, for those who are interested, I'm maintaining the packages to use postmarketOS on bare-metal hardware.
I only tested the A750FN variant.
Check it out!
Feedbacks are welcome!
Many thanks:
@VDavid003 for kernel sources
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After a week or 2 i can get back home and test it , so keep making these and I'll test them and tell you about my experience
Hello, can you share how you did it? I can't find any files for flashing on the postmarketos wiki page, I have TWRP installed.
Arm1nas said:
Hello, can you share how you did it? I can't find any files for flashing on the postmarketos wiki page, I have TWRP installed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't tested it yet , but you'll have to use the pmbootstrap tool to build a zip that you can flash through the TWRP
The wiki of postmarketOS explains how to use the pmbootstrap tool. Go check it out
animegamer4422 said:
I haven't tested it yet , but you'll have to use the pmbootstrap tool to build a zip that you can flash through the TWRP
The wiki of postmarketOS explains how to use the pmbootstrap tool. Go check it out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I figured it out. I created an Ubuntu VM and built it. I am not sure why but now the phone doesn't boot to pmOS, it just spits out some errors or there is only a terminal. TWRP says it can't mount /system, maybe I have to reflash the recovery.
Arm1nas said:
I figured it out. I created an Ubuntu VM and built it. I am not sure why but now the phone doesn't boot to pmOS, it just spits out some errors or there is only a terminal. TWRP says it can't mount /system, maybe I have to reflash the recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it's a issue with the recovery and also it's normal for TWRP to not be able to mount the system
Let's try to diagnose it by going through the error
Could you upload the log and also the screenshot of the error that it spits out
Also upload the built image to some cloud service and send the link here so that i don't have to go through and build the image again
Thanks for testing it out and I'll join you soon so keep trying and I'll try to do everything i can to help you , Have a good day.
animegamer4422 said:
I don't think it's a issue with the recovery and also it's normal for TWRP to not be able to mount the system
Let's try to diagnose it by going through the error
Could you upload the log and also the screenshot of the error that it spits out
Also upload the built image to some cloud service and send the link here so that i don't have to go through and build the image again
Thanks for testing it out and I'll join you soon so keep trying and I'll try to do everything i can to help you , Have a good day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pmos-samsung-a7y18lte.zip
drive.google.com
I think that it's trying to install itself to /system partition which is very small, and the "data" partition is like 50GB. Maybe it's a problem with PBRP (I can't install twrp, it doesn't work for me).
Can you try installing this file and testing if it works for you, or is it the same problem?
Arm1nas said:
pmos-samsung-a7y18lte.zip
drive.google.com
I think that it's trying to install itself to /system partition which is very small, and the "data" partition is like 50GB. Maybe it's a problem with PBRP (I can't install twrp, it doesn't work for me).
Can you try installing this file and testing if it works for you, or is it the same problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd love to test it , but currently I'm not at my home and my A7 is at home (since It's not my daily driver) but I'll test it as soon as I can get back home
Until then
Keep figuring out things
Also I think you can use the TWRP terminal to Change the size of system partition using the resize2fs command i guess
I found this when I looked into it
First to clarify, Resize Partition is different than Resize File System, TWRP provides latter option. It resizes the ext2/3/4 filesystem to the size of partition it's created on. Filesystem size can be checked with df command when mounted, and partition size with blockdev. Just like HDDs or SSDs on PC, Android's eMMC storage is divided into partitions (can be 50+). Some of them have filesystem e.g. the larger ones userdata and system. In simple cases a filesystem occupies a complete physical partition, but it's not always the case, LVM makes it possible to have single filesystem on multiple partitions. Or the opposite what happened in your case as explained here: Sometimes the zip file of: a custom ROM does not have the correct size for the system partition and if the ROM flashes a raw system image, that image will not take up the full block device. Running resize2fs can fix the size Similarly: Sometimes flashing a factory image may flash userdata with an image with a file system that does not take up the full size of the block device So TWRP can expand the filesystem to reclaim wasted space. That's what happened in your case to the /system partition. The actual size of partition was 2.5 GB, but flashed image was of 1.5 GB. Coming to your query: I realized that the system partition is too big (~1.5GB). The current ROM uses only about 40% of the partition so I want to shrink it to make space for cache and data. You want to resize partition, not filesystem. So resize2fs (which TWRP uses at back end) isn't the right choice. As your partition table suggests, you need to delete and recreate partitions 9 to 12. IT'S DANGEROUS AND NOT RECOMMENDED, you may permanently brick your device. All data on these partitions will be lost, so do backup. Also, fdisk isn't proper tool for GPT, it's for MBR partition scheme. Use parted or gdisk instead, but with great care.
So now you can just resize the system partition in case it's size is smaller than the image (not likely in my opinion)
animegamer4422 said:
I'd love to test it , but currently I'm not at my home and my A7 is at home (since It's not my daily driver) but I'll test it as soon as I can get back home
Until then
Keep figuring out things
Also I think you can use the TWRP terminal to Change the size of system partition using the resize2fs command i guess
I found this when I looked into it
First to clarify, Resize Partition is different than Resize File System, TWRP provides latter option. It resizes the ext2/3/4 filesystem to the size of partition it's created on. Filesystem size can be checked with df command when mounted, and partition size with blockdev. Just like HDDs or SSDs on PC, Android's eMMC storage is divided into partitions (can be 50+). Some of them have filesystem e.g. the larger ones userdata and system. In simple cases a filesystem occupies a complete physical partition, but it's not always the case, LVM makes it possible to have single filesystem on multiple partitions. Or the opposite what happened in your case as explained here: Sometimes the zip file of: a custom ROM does not have the correct size for the system partition and if the ROM flashes a raw system image, that image will not take up the full block device. Running resize2fs can fix the size Similarly: Sometimes flashing a factory image may flash userdata with an image with a file system that does not take up the full size of the block device So TWRP can expand the filesystem to reclaim wasted space. That's what happened in your case to the /system partition. The actual size of partition was 2.5 GB, but flashed image was of 1.5 GB. Coming to your query: I realized that the system partition is too big (~1.5GB). The current ROM uses only about 40% of the partition so I want to shrink it to make space for cache and data. You want to resize partition, not filesystem. So resize2fs (which TWRP uses at back end) isn't the right choice. As your partition table suggests, you need to delete and recreate partitions 9 to 12. IT'S DANGEROUS AND NOT RECOMMENDED, you may permanently brick your device. All data on these partitions will be lost, so do backup. Also, fdisk isn't proper tool for GPT, it's for MBR partition scheme. Use parted or gdisk instead, but with great care.
So now you can just resize the system partition in case it's size is smaller than the image (not likely in my opinion)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The /system partition is 3.9G big.
This is everything:
https://imgur.com/MOKz0uR
Arm1nas said:
The /system partition is 3.9G big.
This is everything:
https://imgur.com/MOKz0uR
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry i was sick from past 2 days so couldn't reply earlier
Anyways could you like drop to a shell when you boot up postmarketOS
If yes then check the dmesg
I also think you'll have to flash a special kernel which could also be obtained from the pmbootstrap tool
Also it'd be great if you could record a video of the phone booting up into postmarketOS as that'd help us understand until how far it can reach and where it gets stuck
Thanks alot and Take care
animegamer4422 said:
Sorry i was sick from past 2 days so couldn't reply earlier
Anyways could you like drop to a shell when you boot up postmarketOS
If yes then check the dmesg
I also think you'll have to flash a special kernel which could also be obtained from the pmbootstrap tool
Also it'd be great if you could record a video of the phone booting up into postmarketOS as that'd help us understand until how far it can reach and where it gets stuck
Thanks alot and Take care
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello, did you make any progress with it? I will try installing pmOS again and recording everything.
This is my installation procedure:
On a Ubuntu 20.04 VM I run:
$ pmbootstrap init
I select my device, DE, go through the setup.
Then I type:
$ pmbootstrap install --android-recovery-zip
$ pmbootstrap export
Then on the phone I unmount everything:
https://imgur.com/PlQZ1oB
Go to ADB sideload:
https://imgur.com/xf1FBzQ
https://imgur.com/H9AbkXY
I connect the phone to my computer and use this command to install pmOS:
$ adb sideload pmos.zip
I recorded the installation procedure:
As you can see it boots up the first time, the file system only has 2.6GB free, when it reboots again, it just boots into busybox terminal. When trying to boot up it gives me these errors:
https://imgur.com/qEtwRlx
I logged in and typed:
$ df -H
This is the output:
https://imgur.com/7n61Vm3
If I try to start the desktop environment with $ startx command I get these errors:
https://imgur.com/8xOA1kc
dmesg output:
https://imgur.com/eizBP3m
https://imgur.com/nP8aAaB
This is the phone's partition layout:
https://imgur.com/9xNmaAV
https://i.imgur.com/M0m3GjW.png
D
Arm1nas said:
This is my installation procedure:
On a Ubuntu 20.04 VM I run:
$ pmbootstrap init
I select my device, DE, go through the setup.
Then I type:
$ pmbootstrap install --android-recovery-zip
$ pmbootstrap export
Then on the phone I unmount everything:
https://imgur.com/PlQZ1oB
Go to ADB sideload:
https://imgur.com/xf1FBzQ
https://imgur.com/H9AbkXY
I connect the phone to my computer and use this command to install pmOS:
$ adb sideload pmos.zip
I recorded the installation procedure:
As you can see it boots up the first time, the file system only has 2.6GB free, when it reboots again, it just boots into busybox terminal. When trying to boot up it gives me these errors:
https://imgur.com/qEtwRlx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the late reply
Anyways i just got home and have the smartphone I'm my hands
So i can too test it out
Also I think we should try switching to Wayland as X seems to be crashing
By using Wayland if it works we'll know that it's not a Xorg issue but if Wayland too fails we'll know that it's a big in the Kernel and the way it handles hardware
Also could you create a Telegram group for us to chat instantly I think that way we can help each other better and then we'll just create a general guide on fixing things ok XDA
(I cannot post links since I didn't started the thread)[/url]
Arm1nas said:
This is my installation procedure:
On a Ubuntu 20.04 VM I run:
$ pmbootstrap init
I select my device, DE, go through the setup.
Then I type:
$ pmbootstrap install --android-recovery-zip
$ pmbootstrap export
Then on the phone I unmount everything:
https://imgur.com/PlQZ1oB
Go to ADB sideload:
https://imgur.com/xf1FBzQ
https://imgur.com/H9AbkXY
I connect the phone to my computer and use this command to install pmOS:
$ adb sideload pmos.zip
I recorded the installation procedure:
As you can see it boots up the first time, the file system only has 2.6GB free, when it reboots again, it just boots into busybox terminal. When trying to boot up it gives me these errors:
https://imgur.com/qEtwRlx
I logged in and typed:
$ df -H
This is the output:
https://imgur.com/7n61Vm3
If I try to start the desktop environment with $ startx command I get these errors:
https://imgur.com/8xOA1kc
dmesg output:
https://imgur.com/eizBP3m
https://imgur.com/nP8aAaB
This is the phone's partition layout:
https://imgur.com/9xNmaAV
https://i.imgur.com/M0m3GjW.png
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the late reply
Anyways ...post links since I didn't started the thread)
Arm1nas said:
This is my installation procedure:
On a Ubuntu 20.04 VM I run:
$ pmbootstrap init
I select my device, DE, go through the setup.
Then I type:
$ pmbootstrap install --android-recovery-zip
$ pmbootstrap export
Then on the phone I unmount everything:
https://imgur.com/PlQZ1oB
Go to ADB sideload:
https://imgur.com/xf1FBzQ
https://imgur.com/H9AbkXY
I connect the phone to my computer and use this command to install pmOS:
$ adb sideload pmos.zip
I recorded the installation procedure:
As you can see it boots up the first time, the file system only has 2.6GB free, when it reboots again, it just boots into busybox terminal. When trying to boot up it gives me these errors:
https://imgur.com/qEtwRlx
I logged in and typed:
$ df -H
This is the output:
https://imgur.com/7n61Vm3
If I try to start the desktop environment with $ startx command I get these errors:
https://imgur.com/8xOA1kc
dmesg output:
https://imgur.com/eizBP3m
https://imgur.com/nP8aAaB
This is the phone's partition layout:
https://imgur.com/9xNmaAV
https://i.imgur.com/M0m3GjW.png
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I installed plasma desktop and it seems to be working great though there's no on screen keyboard so i had to use a USB OTG to connect a external keyboard and unlock the device and use it And also the performance is not very great it lags alot probably due to the lack of GPU acceleration
animegamer4422 said:
I installed plasma desktop and it seems to be working great though there's no on screen keyboard so i had to use a USB OTG to connect a external keyboard and unlock the device and use it And also the performance is not very great it lags alot probably due to the lack of GPU acceleration
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What method did you use to flash pmOS? And what recovery do you have? Mind sharing the built pmOS files, so I can flash it myself?
Arm1nas said:
What method did you use to flash pmOS? And what recovery do you have? Mind sharing the built pmOS files, so I can flash it myself?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I created a recovery zip using Pmbootstrap and also I set the free space parameter (after running pmbootstrap init) to 2000mb (2gb)
And then i copied that zip file from the temp directory to a Pendrive and connected the pendrive to the phone in recovery mode (PBRP Recovery) and then flashed it
I'll upload the files in a bit
Also I tried using Phosh but it just gets to the Login TTY and then doesn't boots up and i think that's because the device lacks GPU acceleration
Also here's a Telegram group link which I'll delete once you join the group
~REMOVED~
M0Rf30 said:
Hi guys,
Here, for those who are interested, I'm maintaining the packages to use postmarketOS on bare-metal hardware.
I only tested the A750FN variant.
Check it out!
Feedbacks are welcome!
Many thanks:
@VDavid003 for kernel sources
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hello, are this thread still active?
Hello,
I am trying to figure out how to either inject a custom bootloader like Clover onto my Nvidia Shield, or to Modify the existing EFI bootloader itself or with a modification to a Recovery program such as TWRP in order to be able to use a custom bootloader to select "Boot From Usb"
I figure I oughta make a backup, but I do not know how to backup my bootloader either....
I think I understand how to look at the shield's partitions now to find the one with the bootloader, I'm just nervous to proceed...
I have been researching for a week and have learned amazing tidbits of knowledge on the sublayers of the shield, and a lot of its partitions...
I was able to install a custom OS, modified GAPPS, and root on my shield, I am just hung up on this final part....
If anyone would care to share even a bread crumb where to start, I Would Be Ever So Grateful
Download Clover EFI Bootloader - MajorGeeks
Clover EFI Bootloader can boot OS X, Windows, and Linux on Mac or PC with UEFI or BIOS firmware.
www.majorgeeks.com
Root Nvidia Shield TV Pro 2019 Version
THIS IS OUTDATED https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/bootmod-root-your-shield-in-1-minute-2015-2017-2019.4524873/ REPLACES THIS IF YOU WANT ANDROID OR USE THIS GUIDE...
forum.xda-developers.com
I forgot to ask, IS THERE A PULL COMMAND FROM FASTBOOT, TO COPY PARTITIONS? MY GOOGLE FU IS SUPER BUT MAN I AM HAVING A HARD TIME FINDING EXACTLY WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR :-(
jenneh said:
I forgot to ask, IS THERE A PULL COMMAND FROM FASTBOOT, TO COPY PARTITIONS? MY GOOGLE FU IS SUPER BUT MAN I AM HAVING A HARD TIME FINDING EXACTLY WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR :-(
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Typically partions get 1:1 bitwisely copied to PC by dd command ( AFAIK it's present in every Android distribution ) what can be achieved by means of ADB.
Example - for Windows PC only:
Code:
adb devices
adb exec-out "dd if=[BLOCK-NAME-OF-PARTITION-HERE] bs=4096" > C:\[NAME-OF-BACKUP-FILE-HERE]
jwoegerbauer said:
Typically partions get 1:1 bitwisely copied to PC by dd command ( AFAIK it's present in every Android distribution ) what can be achieved by means of ADB.
Example:
Code:
adb devices
adb exec-out "dd if=[BLOCK-NAME-OF-PARTITION-HERE] bs=4096" > C:\[NAME-OF-BACKUP-FILE-HERE]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank You! That is thinking outside the box haha I kept trying to do it through fastboot knowing there is very limited amount of commands, not realizing that Would Never Work. I appreciate Your Time! I will try adb now!!! It's so funny, it seems like such a simple answer but sometimes we see so many paths, it's hard to know which one to take...
jwoegerbauer said:
Typically partions get 1:1 bitwisely copied to PC by dd command ( AFAIK it's present in every Android distribution ) what can be achieved by means of ADB.
Example - for Windows PC only:
Code:
adb devices
adb exec-out "dd if=[BLOCK-NAME-OF-PARTITION-HERE] bs=4096" > C:\[NAME-OF-BACKUP-FILE-HERE]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello! May I pry your mind for a moment?
I ran this command on my shield "fastboot erase system" except instead of running it directly in the command line on windows,
I made a batch file for it, and when I ran the batch, it succeeded but it did something strange, it printed this message inside the batch
"
{\rtf1\ansi\deff0\nouicompat{\fonttbl{\f0\fnil\fcharset0 Calibri;}}
{\*\generator Riched20 10.0.19041}\viewkind4\uc1
\pard\sa200\sl276\slmult1\f0\fs22\lang9 fastboot erase system\par
fastboot erase boot\par
\par
}
"
It completely deleted the two commands i had in there and pasted that instead... do you know what that is by any chance or Why it did that? o.o It is fascinating!
I can not understand what you are doing: For me it is complete confusion.
jwoegerbauer said:
I can not understand what you are doing: For me it is complete confusion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worries, thank you for your time, Seriously. That ADB suggestion was Exactly what I Needed... Have a beautiful day!