Database Info

Observations as to why market breaks / force close, and other anomolies

As I suspected early on the issues boil down to corruption within the User Data or Cache partitions, less often on the system partition due to an unexpected shutdown of the device. Shut on these devices need to follow the proper shutdown routine as any linux environment. Following this best practice will ensure that all data is written out to its corresponding file system by flushing all cache, unmounting the file system, etc..
Here are the culprits of why we see so frequent random Force Closes, Market Resetting, etc. ultimately resulting in an unclean shutdown, corrupting some data.
1. The button we use is also a forced off button. Typically if you hold it down too long you are powering off the device.
2. Some times when in sleep mode you see the Viewsonic logo upon starting - that means that the system shutdown (most likely crashed).
3. If your running Vegan your hitting the reboot.. I dont know for sure but I suspect this is NOT performing a clean shutdown... (I dont have a copy of the source)
Anyway... wanted to pass this on... as last night my data partition became corrupt after using the Reboot function on the Poweroff menu of Vega 5.1..

shouldnt need source code to debug a dirty shutdown..Cant you just run an adb logcat? maybe run the shutdown command in a terminal on the device and pipe the output into a text file for later viewing

My internal memory has to be repartitioned every few weeks - I'm certain that something is corrupting it over time. I had massive FC's just a week or so back where the SD partition re-do was the only fix.
I suspect that this happens in stock, as well - the problem of course is that there is no fix for a stock user, other than a return / exchange.

roebeet said:
My internal memory has to be repartitioned every few weeks - I'm certain that something is corrupting it over time. I had massive FC's just a week or so back where the SD partition re-do was the only fix.
I suspect that this happens in stock, as well - the problem of course is that there is no fix for a stock user, other than a return / exchange.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been on stock since I got the device just moving to the newer versions when they come as OTAs and have never ever had to mess with my partition, so I don't THINK the issue is in the stock software. In fact, the only problems I've ever encountered were when I used the enhancement pack, in which case my screen started to become unresponsive and the calibration.ini I was told to try did not work. Since then I went back to 3389 and the device has been perfect ever since.
I could be wrong though and just very, very lucky....here's to hoping. Another thing to consider is maybe the memory is going bonkers for some reason. I've had flash memory that lasted forever and I've had flash memory that has gone wacky over a period of 6 months....even a wipe by the utility designed to do it doesn't fix it properly. I don't know how CWM wipes or partitions the memory, I do know there's supposed to be a special way to do it.
If it's not faulty memory off the bat, then that leaves something in the 'extras' being put into these ROMs. Maybe some of the newer tegra drivers or some coding to make the ROMs faster - I'm just saying, can't leave any stone unturned.
Has anyone that has stayed loyal to stock encountered these issues? We have to ask that question I think. Then we ask how many of the people playing with ROMs are seeing the issues, this would include people that have used CWM to partition and mess with their mounts initially.
I can say I've never seen data disappear from my internal memory or my SD and I can also say I've never seen multiple FCs except after putting in the enh. pack (keep in mind I got my tab on Dec 20something, so I had 3053 and then 3389 soon after).
The first sign of anything being 'corrupted' on it's own at stock and I'll be sending mine back. As an owner of Android since Android's been around, I've never had my G1 or MT4G (or any smartphone before it) become corrupted due to not being shutdown or reboot properly and while this is a tablet I think the fundamentals should be the same. Pampering 'faulty' memory is a risk. You can wipe and re-do all you want, but if it's faulty it's going to stay that way.

Ive done that but I guess you can say unfortunately I have had only clean shutdowns since then... The last corruption I had I formatted my data and cache partitions before I ran logcat.... Of course thought of that afterward....
Generally if any has FCs, etc. etc. run a logcat and post it here... we will be able to confirm this...
We could change the way the partitions are created and add a sync which will further reduce chances BUT will take a performance hit...
I am very surprised though as the EXT3 filesystem is very resilient to dirty shutdowns (more than EXT4)...
I reviewed the out of the box framework source on the google GIT and technically if a reboot command is given a clean shutdown is performed via the framework... but the widget on the shutdown screen I suspect is not calling the method properly or is not being called at all... All speculation at this point... But for sure there is corruption occurring..
Since the last corruption I switch over to pershoots kernel... Even though his kernel seems to be a little slower he seems to have included the latest drivers which other items relate to data integrity (im reading into the release notes).
NEO: The first thing I did when I got my device install CW, Vegan... Updated Kernels also... Never had an issue until the first time (yes about a day ago) I used the reboot feature of Vegan. That corrupted my user data. I suspect if you have not been performing clean shutdown then you are just lucky. Linux, like any other OS, even with Journaling if you do not perform a clean shutdown you will surely encounter SOME corruption. Typically the corruption is re-mediated by the the file systems integrity controls. You dont even know it happened... 1 in 1000 the integrity controls can not overcome the significant loss of data and thus results in crashes, etc. Some times the corruption happens in areas where are lightly used thus why you would get a Market Reset... that data is easily replaceable on the fly. Core components that require subsystem to run are not replaceable and thus why I had to reformtat. What upsets me is that this failsafe is not working properly most likely as its far too frequent.... I too suspect it has something to do with CW.
But again.. between the wrongly placed power switch, the unprovoked reboots (ie viewsonic screen showing when trying to wake up the device) and the reboot button possibly not performing a proper shutdown will sure increase the chances in a wider distribution of users. So it may not be a CW issue and just some poor design.
When I have time today I will verify if the reboot function performs a clean shutdown... if anyone has the time please post the logcat... Im going to be running around today and will try to get to it..
watson540 said:
shouldnt need source code to debug a dirty shutdown..Cant you just run an adb logcat? maybe run the shutdown command in a terminal on the device and pipe the output into a text file for later viewing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

stanglx said:
I am very surprised though as the EXT3 filesystem is very resilient to dirty shutdowns (more than EXT4)...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AFAIK they're running yaffs ATM. Next move is to ext4...
Read some articles about this several weeks ago, apparently many apps do not properly flush file caches. One of the articles was a Google developer post about file corruption along with their API method which did a cache flush prior to a close, then a bit later was the Google indication that they were planning to move to ext4 FS to further help alleviate the problem.

stanglx said:
I am very surprised though as the EXT3 filesystem is very resilient to dirty shutdowns (more than EXT4)...
I suspect if you have not been performing clean shutdown then you are just lucky. Linux, like any other OS, even with Journaling if you do not perform a clean shutdown you will surely encounter SOME corruption. Typically the corruption is re-mediated by the the file systems integrity controls. You dont even know it happened... 1 in 1000 the integrity controls can not overcome the significant loss of data and thus results in crashes, etc. Some times the corruption happens in areas where are lightly used thus why you would get a Market Reset... that data is easily replaceable on the fly. Core components that require subsystem to run are not replaceable and thus why I had to reformtat. What upsets me is that this failsafe is not working properly most likely as its far too frequent.... I too suspect it has something to do with CW.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's my point. How many times since we've had our Android and smart phones have we had situations where they are turned off or rebooted without the proper procedures? Power drains till they die, they drop and reboot, we clog them up with stuff or some app drives them nuts and they reboot or shut off....Yet you rarely if ever hear about a phone's data being 'corrupted' with stock software. Sure it may happen with official OTAs etc, but never just off-the-bat like what's happening with the G-Tab. But it's not happening to everyone either so I'm just looking to see if there's a pattern.
Even since the G1 and newer phones, you don't really hear about or see file corruption issues on stock software with these phones. It's when users start going to ROMs that you hear of issues cropping up. That's not to say it doesn't happen at all at stock, I just think we're seeing it in a more concentrated fashion here because of all the formatting, re-partitioning, etc. At first you hear, 4GB is a great partition size, then you hear there are problems so move to 2048, then you hear 256MB swap, then no swap since Android doesn't use it. Then dataloop for speed, then no dataloop because of critical issues. Rules and instructions change almost on a daily basis. I think it's more than these poor flash drives can take I find sometimes it's good to keep it simple.
I owned a Vibrant for a while...decided it was a PoS when at stock I was seeing bad lag (because of Sam's terrible FS). People said...do the speedhack, it'll be fast!, but what was the caveat? Having to reboot the phone almost weekly, sometimes several times a week, and people were seeing what? Data corruption. That's not for me. Give me something that is lag free (doesn't have to be a bullet train, just don't skip on video or audio and make sure my live wallpaper and drawer animation is fluid and I'm happy!). Point being....keeping it simple may help to alleviate some of the issues. If people are seeing these problems with stock, then you're absolutely right and it would be a point of contention that the failsafe isn't working right.
Otherwise it seems the stock OS on these things are able to self correct in most situations and it may just be some of the many tweaked features in these ROMs doing something it shouldn't - or, I may just be very lucky indeed.
I'm still dying to get the OTA - I haven't seen one since 3899 yet.

Most fundamental android problems in 2015

If you were not pleased with your PC, you could already for a few decades put a bootable OS installation media to your PC, press a key in boot (F12), etc.. then choose to boot from this media, press the enter key couple of times, choose a setting here or there and tadaaa..., you have a new fresh PC without all the bull****, ready to run as brand new and with pretty much standardized user experience .
After 10 years of Android development we are still not there and the platform is still fragmented as hell with serious fundamental problems. User experience and battery life of hundreds of device models are ruined by unneccessary bloatware
What makes Android so different that you could not boot from OTG USB stick by a standardized button combination (e.g. power button and volume down), or by just having the choice in the menu that usually comes from pwr-button up or pwr-button down...? And after that just install a new OS like windows 7 for PC without the complex process of first rooting a kernel, then installing CWM, then doing zillion things in CWM, and then installing customROM, and keeping your fingers that it works and you dont need to do extra factory reset, dalvik cache wipe, etc..etc....
Why it needs to be so much more complicated than with PC.....?
And why cant you disable manufacturer bloatware in android (like you can win winphone)...? If Google really wanted unfragmented platform could it not just put requirements for the manufacturers that if they want the next version of Android or Google Apps, then android needs to be easily reinstallable to the device from USB-stick, and the used needs to have the option to be able to remove all bloatware and return the original vanilla android experience to the device...? Or could it not require that there is a standardized way to boot from external media connected by USB OTG cable.
Other serious problems that still exist in 2015. Audio latency is still a joke that prevents a real interactive gaming or music composing experience.
Touch latency is also still behind IOS and Windows phone.
I have not tried to use a mouse in android but 2 years ago when I did, it was totally unusable experience with horrible latency. Is it still nowadays like this?
How about a bluetooth keyboard? Can you use it as smoothly as a bluetooth keyboard in ios...?

golemus said:
If you were not pleased with your PC, you could already for a few decades put a bootable OS installation media to your PC, press a key in boot (F12), etc.. then choose to boot from this media, press the enter key couple of times, choose a setting here or there and tadaaa..., you have a new fresh PC without all the bull****, ready to run as brand new and with pretty much standardized user experience .
After 10 years of Android development we are still not there and the platform is still fragmented as hell with serious fundamental problems. User experience and battery life of hundreds of device models are ruined by unneccessary bloatware
What makes Android so different that you could not boot from OTG USB stick by a standardized button combination (e.g. power button and volume down), or by just having the choice in the menu that usually comes from pwr-button up or pwr-button down...? And after that just install a new OS like windows 7 for PC without the complex process of first rooting a kernel, then installing CWM, then doing zillion things in CWM, and then installing customROM, and keeping your fingers that it works and you dont need to do extra factory reset, dalvik cache wipe, etc..etc....
Why it needs to be so much more complicated than with PC.....?
And why cant you disable manufacturer bloatware in android (like you can win winphone)...? If Google really wanted unfragmented platform could it not just put requirements for the manufacturers that if they want the next version of Android or Google Apps, then android needs to be easily reinstallable to the device from USB-stick, and the used needs to have the option to be able to remove all bloatware and return the original vanilla android experience to the device...? Or could it not require that there is a standardized way to boot from external media connected by USB OTG cable.
Other serious problems that still exist in 2015. Audio latency is still a joke that prevents a real interactive gaming or music composing experience.
Touch latency is also still behind IOS and Windows phone.
I have not tried to use a mouse in android but 2 years ago when I did, it was totally unusable experience with horrible latency. Is it still nowadays like this?
How about a bluetooth keyboard? Can you use it as smoothly as a bluetooth keyboard in ios...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well see that's the thing, you can. All you have to do is build an aosp based rom and flash it. You have to remember that each device is very different and unlike a pc is programmes to work with a set os made to work with it.
And as far as bloat you are mistaken even WI does is now excluding bloat that can't be removed and even 32 bit computers have locked bootloaders.

Tricks to Make Your Android Smartphone Run Faster

Tricks to Make Your Android Smartphone Run Faster
Is Your Android Smartphone isn’t as Fast as it Should be: Here’s 10 steps on how to fix it.
In this fast generation, no one wants a slow phone every one want way to Make Android Phone Run Faster. When you first get your Android smartphone, it seems to work very well, things are fast and fluid responsive. But few months down the line, things started slowing down, many of us now have to settle for one as the hardware grows older, storage space run out, the number of bugs add up and reason for the problem is almost too simple to be true: your Android smartphone does not have the same settings, space and apps it had a when you first got it.
Most Android smartphones are prone to slowing down over time. However, this issue is not unique to Android. Device running iOS also encounter the same problem. The good news is that you don’t have to accept a slow Android smartphone their are way to make Android phone run faster.
Below are tricks and hacks we believe are efficient and effective to make Android phone run faster if you are experiencing a slowdown with your Android smartphone.
You haven’t got enough space
If you want your Android smartphone to run fast, then you’ve to do away with some stuff and junk files eating up space. Delete some apps, text messages, music and videos.
The Version of your OS met be out of date
One of the reason why you may experience slow down with your device is not because it’s old but because the running version of OS is outdated. If your smartphone supports the newest version of OS, updating should make things run faster.
You haven’t turned off your phone for a while
If your phone as being active and on for days without turning it off there are every possibility that this may effect to smooth running of the phone. Turning off your smartphone for a while is good. This will clear up things and shutdown some apps running at the background.
You’ve have too many apps
Too many apps mean too many apps eating up space that will enable your phone run properly. If you are pushing your phone memory to the limit, it’ll slow down. Try uninstalling some app or delete them completely.
You’ve got too many apps running
If you’ve too many apps open and running, there is high chance that your phone will slow down. Tap the minimize button and close all the apps by swiping it to the right side. That should free up some capacity.
You haven’t cleared your cookies for some time
Remember not clearing up your cookies for a long time takes up a lot of space. Clearing them up and staring over again should help make your Android phone run smoothly and faster.
Wipe Cache Partition
The cache partition on your phone contains temporary files which is different from your phone’s actual app data so it’s a good idea to get rid of the cache file every once in a while. Doing this will not only have your smartphone run faster but will also free up some storage. To clear up the cache files, you’ll have to enter your phone recovery mode. Once you’re there, find and select the ‘wipe cache partition’ option and just reboot.
Overclock your Android device
If you’re not satisfied with the overall performance of your smartphone, you can also overclock it. Many manufacturers maintain a low clock speed in order to minimize heat and extend your phone’s battery life. If you have a rooted device or are willing to root it, you can overclock it using an app like SetCPU. It’s not a straightforward process so be sure to follow proper guidelines and proceed with caution.
Too many app trying to access your location
Turn off your location to free up your C.P.U. to do that go-to Setting>Location and swipe the Turn on/off left to turn your device location off.
Do a factory reset
Sometimes, there are just too many things to take care of on your phone that you should just do a factory reset. It’s easier than cleaning up your device and getting rid of all the junk on your phone. By doing a factory reset on your Android phone you will wipe out all files, settings and data on your phone so make sure you’ve done a proper back up of all your files, app, data and settings before embarking on doing a factory reset.
The list above doesn’t necessary fixed up the problem. However, if after carrying out all of the steps and you still experience same problem, if your phone is still within warranty take it back.
Have you experience the same problem with your phone? How did you solve it? Share your experience and how you solve it via the comment box below.

Why didn't my apps install on my new U11+ ?

I just bought a U11+ as an upgrade to my U11 and am configuring it, which is taking longer than I expected because neither of the two backups I did (htc's and Backup Your Mobile) installed most of the apps (or their data). Also, I've had two System updates in the last two days.
I got my custom background, the Keep Notes app (plus its data) and Facebook; that's pretty much it.
What did I overlook?
Oh, yeah... I cannot find a setting to keep the display on when powered. Anyone know how to do that?

If you did a jump to a new OS version or device that may be why.
If you did any major firmware updates on the new device, it's factory reset time.
Otherwise clear the system cache.
Manually loading them may be your only option.
Welcome to the fking planet

blackhawk said:
If you did a jump to a new OS version or device that may be why.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That occurred to me when I (finally) checked the OS version and saw that it was 8.
I've been getting update notices for the last two days and the most recent one (the third) was the Android 9 OS (update # 2.19.401.2). Where can I check on official updates so I can get an idea when this will stop (because manually looking for updates this morning got me nothing, then I saw the update prompt a couple hours later).
Updated to 9, rebooted and verified that Google Drive is connected, but I'm still not getting Backup & Restore to work. Will have to experiment with the others.

Jeff in 92833 said:
That occurred to me when I (finally) checked the OS version and saw that it was 8.
I've been getting update notices for the last two days and the most recent one (the third) was the Android 9 OS (update # 2.19.401.2). Where can I check on official updates so I can get an idea when this will stop (because manually looking for updates this morning got me nothing, then I saw the update prompt a couple hours later).
Updated to 9, rebooted and verified that Google Drive is connected, but I'm still not getting Backup & Restore to work. Will have to experiment with the others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I learned long ago that if your OS is fast, stable and fulfilling its mission, let it be.
I've been on Pie for 2 years, my last reload was 1.5 years ago, still fast and stable with minimum maintenance. What's not to like?
Unless you start screwing with the firmware and bring in new issues that need fixed.
Security generally isn't an issue unless you do something stupid.
There's no saving dumb bunnies... be careful what you load and download.

blackhawk said:
If you did a jump to a new OS version or device that may be why.
If you did any major firmware updates on the new device, it's factory reset time.
Otherwise clear the system cache.
Manually loading them may be your only option.
Welcome to the fking planet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did a Factory Reset (but it stayed Android 9). I did this because I had 'restored' a lot of files from Backup Your Mobile's (aka BYM) work on my U11.
Two things are bothering me:
1) The HTC Transfer Tool is not working this time (it transfers the PIN Code, but never gets to CONFIRM. After repeated attempts following reboots, etc., I have noticed that the PIN Code sometimes flickers off and back on again; what's up with that?).
2) BYM transferred my SMS and MMS to my U11+, but clicking on a text message that includes an MMS just makes the message thread avatar flicker and stay on the message thread listing (not even a flicker of the thread is displayed).

You mean screen lock codes?
First I don't password lock devices. You're the most likely one to end up getting locked out.
If you do use one I wouldn't attempt to back it up and transfer it. If it gets corrupted what follows won't be fun.
Pie's a good OS.
Clearing the system cache never hurts to try when experiencing glitches.

blackhawk said:
You mean screen lock codes?
First I don't password lock devices. You're the most likely one to end up getting locked out.
If you do use one I wouldn't attempt to back it up and transfer it. If it gets corrupted what follows won't be fun.
Pie's a good OS.
Clearing the system cache never hurts to try when experiencing glitches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I did not mean screen lock codes. The HTC Transfer utility worked the first time I tried it before the Factory Reset, but it's not working now. The PIN Code is displayed on the source phone, but it doesn't activate the confirmation button to do the transfer.
I have since learned that many of the apps that were copied over via Google Play's utility also transferred the data, but not all the apps were transferred.
More research to be done, it seems.

Jeff in 92833 said:
No, I did not mean screen lock codes. The HTC Transfer utility worked the first time I tried it before the Factory Reset, but it's not working now. The PIN Code is displayed on the source phone, but it doesn't activate the confirmation button to do the transfer.
I have since learned that many of the apps that were copied over via Google Play's utility also transferred the data, but not all the apps were transferred.
More research to be done, it seems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My bad... I use Google search a lot and it doesn't need to be that specific model or OS version most times. Many of the issues are long standing. I even use solutions for other manufacturers models. Whatever comes in handy.
And/or just play with it until I work it out.
I haven't used that app. If you upgraded the firmware or are transferring data from another device these kind apps can screw up especially with app settings.
If you're doing a factory reset because of an issue or a crash they can inadvertently reload the root cause of the issue.
It's nice to save the homescreen, theme, icon setting on a reload using these though. Most apps I hand reload/configure or use the app's backup setting file like with Poweramp or DIGI Clock which are very intensive to set from scratch.
Critical data I save in a master backup folder(s) as files. Be ready to reload at any time as most crashes while rare give little or no warning. Redundantly backup critical data to at least 2 hdds that are physically and electronically isolated from each other and the PC.
Most times a factory reset is to give the device a clean slate. Looking over app settings while setting them up helps to spot things you may have previously missed. It helps a lot to be familiar with the nuts and bolts at the user interface level. Many times when troubleshooting this is where the answers lurk.
I consider my first load or two on a new phone trail runs. After which it's pretty well sorted out for a clean load. I do the same on PCs. Android's are very forgiving but poorly written apps or the user can still skew hidden user settings that are hard to find/access on a stock device. A stable, fast load is a pleasure to use and will run well for a long time with only simple maintenance on a stock Android.

Frustrated Causual User With New Device

I couldn't find this online, or it seems the method no longer applies, and I couldn't get it to appear in a search here.
The last time I upgraded was from an S9 to the Note 20 Ultra. When I did, it asked me if I wanted to copy from the old phone, and everything was moved over, including all of the apps. The only things missing were the older texts from my side and some of the data inside some apps.
This time is used Smart Switch, and it only transferred data and a few of the apps. It was better before!
Is there a way to get everything or almost everything moved over?
I just want to get switched over quickly.
Thanks!

A clean load is best for stock phones. Do it right the first time...
SmartSwitch can screw up bad. A different device and OS version can cause issues. Potential data loss is also a possibility.
Never use SmartSwitch as the only backup... keep at least 2 copies on hdds that are physically and electronically isolated from each other and the PC.
Copy/paste critical data, then verify size, file count and if readable. If you have an SD card it should already be there on the old phone.
Otherwise develop a plan/organize your data so you can reload as quickly, accurately and painlessly as possible with zero critical data loss.
After 2 back to back boot loops in 3 days I learned that lesson

Clean Load? Do you mean don't use SmartSwitch, and just set up the new phone manually?
Maybe this device is too different for SW to work? Are there any alternatives?

Myk_Myk said:
Clean Load? Do you mean don't use SmartSwitch, and just set up the new phone manually?
Maybe this device is too different for SW to work? Are there any alternatives?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeap. Always the best option. A good load can last for years if you don't do firmware upgrades/updates. This stock Note 10+'s load will be 3 yo this June, still fast, very stable with minimal maintenance. Still running on Android 9. Android loads can be very long lived, a great OS.
A clean load means when you do find issues (and you will) you won't be wondering if you imported the problem with SmartSwitch. The last thing you want to do is a factory reset because the issue is likely to reoccur*. Instead find the root cause. Knowing you have a good base load helps with troubleshooting.
If SmartSwitch screws it up a factory reset maybe the only realistic solution. It may be lagging, system instability or subtle issues. My second N10+ may need this done because I inadvertently used more SmartSwitch options than I had wanted. So are the issues from SmartSwitch or because of Android 10? Only one way to know for sure... You get the idea.
*a boot loop or malware that can't be eradicated are the exceptions. With a boot loop you still need to track down the root cause, usually a buggy 3rd party app.