as usual, if anything goes wrong, no responsibility etc
The official update tutorial for rooted users doesn't keep app data, only internal storage! This tutorial keeps EVERYTHING
This method allows updating from 4.5.15 (unlocked, encrypted, rooted) to 5.0.2 without any data (sys settings + app data + user data) loss
A FAQ section is present at the end of this post and will be regularly updated.
List of files to download while doing the following steps:
OOS 5.0.2 ROM
Codeworkx TWRP recovery
Latest Magisk
Terms and software used in this guide:
Fastboot / Bootloader = bootloader of the phone, it's a very low level mode of the phone that allows booting into recovery. Can be accessed by using the advanced reboot menu (enable in dev options) or by "adb reboot fastboot".
Recovery = a small operating system on the phone that allows you to do various operations even when the main OS (Android) is broken. This includes flashing ROMs, modifying stuff on the storage, etc. It's the Android swiss army knife. If you can get a phone to boot TWRP, then you can do almost anything.
Magisk = rooting software that uses a systemless method to keep SafetyNet working. Systemless = instead of modifying the system, every change is put in a separate image that is mounted "over" the system. When the system tries to access a file modified by Magisk, instead of reading it from the partition, it reads it from Magisk. It's recommended to use Magisk instead of SuperSU as of 2018.
ADB = tool that allows controlling the phone from your PC through USB. You can use it when you're in Android if USB debugging is enabled in the settings, or when you're in TWRP. Here, we mostly use it for transferring files directly (without MTP) and running commands (using "adb shell")
Note: For this guide you will be required to download and install Magisk. If you don't want your phone to be rooted, then at the end of this guide reboot into TWRP, wipe both caches and re-flash the OS. This will uninstall Magisk and any other root patch. Beware: it will reflash stock recovery, so if you ever want to re-root, you'll need to reboot to fastboot and flash TWRP manually.
Convention for commands that you will have to run:
a command line starting with "C:" means that it should be run on your PC
a command line starting with "~ #" means that it should be run on your phone (through adb shell) while in TWRP
a command line starting with "OnePlus5:/ $" means that it should be run on your phone (through adb shell) while in OxygenOS
Although the commands start with "C:", this is just for readability purposes. You should run everything from inside an empty directory with enough disk space and writing access.
Your phone will have to be plugged in to your PC from the beginning to the end. Also, make sure it has at least 80% battery before beginning, just in case.
I know, the tutorial is huge. This is simply due to the fact that if I just wrote "make a nandroid backup of this and that, flash, and restore the backup while doing this", then some people may encounter problems because not everyone knows how to do a nandroid backup, restore it, etc. Also, there are a lot of things that need to be done precisely that way and not another way, which explains why the tutorial is huge. Also, you may notice that there is a lot of commands to run throughout the tutorial, this is because that way, I'm sure that at the end, you will have done everything like I did it on my phone, so that if you have a problem it's much easier to figure out where it comes from.
Summary of what you need to do (this is only a SUMMARY to give you a preview of what the whole thing looks like, you shouldn't follow it except if you're really an expert since a lot of things need to be done precisely, instead you should follow the easier complete steps below):
Make a Nandroid backup of /data
Backup files on internal storage
Wipe everything (internal storage + /data + system + caches), and then format data (important!)
Push and flash the OOS zip
Wipe caches and reboot (to Oreo!)
When it reboots, make sure everything (features, like Wi-Fi and fingerprint sensor) works. Don't "save anything" though, everything you do will be erased when we'll restore your backup. This is just a "test drive" for Oreo.
Reboot to TWRP, wipe Data and restore the /data backup
Run the three commands to fix Wi-Fi and fingerprints
Reboot (to System) and check everything works (don't do anything, don't change any setting, just make sure it works)
Reboot to TWRP, rename the "Android" folder to "Android_oreo" on sdcard, delete everything else on sdcard and restore your internal files
Rename the freshly restored Android (nougat) folder to "Android_nougat" and rename "Android_oreo" to "Android".
Flash Magisk, wipe dalvik+cache and reboot to System
When in Android, everything should work except some apps won't have their data. This is normal. Open a terminal (either on your phone using Termux or from your PC using adb shell), elevate using su and rename "Android" to "Android_oreo" and "Android_nougat" to "Android" (this is so that it correctly restores permissions)
If everything works fine, delete the "Android_oreo" folder
First, if you have Xposed Framework (systemless or not) installed, uninstall it. Next, if needed, uninstall any Magisk module that is "Nougat-only" to prevent any problems afterwards.
Boot the phone to bootloader/fastboot (either using advanced reboot, or by using volume down button when you start your phone) and boot to the TWRP recovery by doing
Code:
C:\> fastboot boot twrp-3.2.1-0-oreo-8.1-codeworkx-cheeseburger.img
from your PC.
Next, in TWRP, make a backup of /data (using the Backup button). Then, still while in TWRP, run the following commands:
Code:
C:\> adb shell
~ # cd /sdcard
/sdcard # tar cvf twrp.tar TWRP
/sdcard # md5sum twrp.tar
<< md5 checksum of twrp.tar >>
/sdcard # exit
C:\> adb pull -p /sdcard/twrp.tar
When the above command has finished, make sure that the checksum of the received twrp.tar file matches the one previously displayed.
If it doesn't match, delete the file and run adb pull again. Don't continue following this guide until you have received a 1:1 (checksum-wise) backup of /data.
Code:
C:\> adb shell
<< WARNING: dangerous command! double check the following line is correct before pressing enter! >>
~ # rm -rf /sdcard/TWRP
~ # rm /sdcard/twrp.tar
That was for /data. Now, the backup for the internal storage:
Code:
~ # cd /sdcard
/sdcard # du -csh
<< you should see here the total size of sdcard, that'll give you an idea of how long it'll take >>
/sdcard # tar cvf sd.tar element1 element2 element... elementN
<< in the command above, replace "element1..N" by a space-separated list of what you want to have in the backup.
Keep in mind that your list HAS to contain the element "Android" (case is important). It contains the app data.
Let's say for example you want to keep only the photos you have taken (and nothing, nothing else that was on internal storage).
The photos are in the folder DCIM, so the command will look like this:
tar cvf sd.tar Android DCIM
(because you want DCIM, and Android has to be in the list, no matter where)
>>
/sdcard # md5sum sd.tar
<< md5 checksum of sd.tar >>
/sdcard # exit
C:\> adb pull -p /sdcard/sd.tar
When the above command has finished, make sure that the checksum of the received sd.tar file matches the one previously displayed.
If it doesn't match, delete the file and run adb pull again.
Keep in mind that anything you don't put in that list will not be backed up and will be lost!
Now, you have a backup for all the important stuff so we can start doing the real sh*t.
Now, the important step:
Go back to the TWRP home screen, press "Wipe", "Advanced Wipe" and there check "Dalvik / ART Cache", "Cache", "System", "Data" and "Internal Storage". Confirm using the slider at the bottom of the screen. Press the home button, then "Reboot" and "FastBoot". Now, type the same fastboot command as in the previous step to boot the recovery image. You'll enter the recovery as before.
Now, on your PC, in the terminal, type
Code:
adb push -p OnePlus5Oxygen_23_OTA_029_all_1801292040_d71af3d.zip /sideload
(note: here, we are not using "adb sideload", we are really using "adb push"). In TWRP, click Install, in the file manager go to /sideload and select the OOS zip file. Confirm by sliding. If you get an error, go back to home, click Mount and ensure System is not checked. Then try installing again. If it still does not work, reboot to fastboot, type command again, get to the recovery and install again.
When the zip-file is installed, go home, click "Wipe", "Advanced Wipe" and check both caches and confirm. Then, go home, click "Wipe" and then "Format Data". Then, go home, click "Reboot" and then "System". Your phone will now reboot to Oreo. It will take a long time, but do not turn off the phone. Let it run. On my phone, it took on average 2 minutes for that boot.
You'll be greeted by the "first boot" page. It'll ask you if you want to restore a backup or start anew, choose start anew. Connect to your Wi-Fi network and Google account. Follow all the instructions until you get to the home screen. There, make sure everything works (especially Wi-Fi and fingerprint sensor). Don't save your fingerprints yet, they will be erased afterwards. If everything works, you can continue following these instructions. If not, post a comment down there.
Now that you're at the home screen, go in the settings, About Android and click the build number 8 times to enable Developer Options. Go in there and enable advanced reboot. Then, reboot your phone into fastboot/bootloader using the power button. Type the exact same command as before to start TWRP. Once that you are in TWRP, run the following commands:
Code:
C:\> adb push -p twrp.tar /sdcard/
C:\> adb shell
~ # cd /sdcard
/sdcard # tar xvf twrp.tar
/sdcard # cp /data/misc/wifi/WifiConfigStore.xml /sdcard/
In TWRP, click "Wipe", "Advanced Wipe" and check only the "Data" partition. Confirm. Press home, then "Restore" and choose the backup in the list. Confirm to restore. Back to the terminal, we need to run the following commands otherwise Wi-Fi and fingerprints won't work:
Code:
/sdcard # cp WifiConfigStore.xml /data/misc/wifi/
/sdcard # rm /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf
<< WARNING: dangerous command! double check the following line is correct before pressing enter! >>
/sdcard # rm -rf /data/system/users/0/fpdata
/sdcard # rm /data/system/users/0/settings_fingerprint.xml
Note: the command above are ran from your PC in an adb shell while the phone is still in TWRP.
Reboot the phone to system and ensure Wi-Fi and fingerprints are still working. Right now you should already see your old home screen and all your apps, but the internal storage isn't there yet. Reboot in fastboot, run the command to get in TWRP.
Once TWRP has booted, run the following commands:
Code:
C:\> adb push -p sd.tar /sdcard/
C:\> adb shell
~ # cd /sdcard
<< WARNING: dangerous command! double check the following line is correct before pressing enter! >>
/sdcard # rm -rf Alarms Albums DCIM Download Movies Music Notifications Pictures Podcasts Ringtones
/sdcard # ls
<< now, look at the list of files that were printed, and rm anything left that is not called "Android" or "sd.tar"
<< WARNING: dangerous command! double check everything is correct before pressing enter! >>
if when you do rm <the thing> it tells you it's a directory, then do: rm -rf <thething>
if there's a folder called SomeFolder, do "rm -rf SomeFolder"
next, run this:
/sdcard # ls
Android sd.tar <-- expected output
/sdcard # mv Android Android_oreo
/sdcard # tar xvf sd.tar
/sdcard # mv Android Android_nougat
/sdcard # mv Android_oreo Android
If you don't have Magisk somewhere on your sd card, download it and upload it using MTP or adb. Then flash it using the Install button. Clear dalvik/cache and reboot to system.
When the phone has booted (again, it might take time), make sure USB debugging is enabled and run the following commands:
Code:
C:\> adb shell
OnePlus5:/ $ su
<< here, you might see a Magisk screen asking for superuser access. Allow. >>
OnePlus5:/ $ cd /sdcard
OnePlus5:/sdcard $ mv Android Android_oreo && mv Android_nougat Android
Now, try some apps and make sure all the data is there (especially games and Netflix/Hulu/etc). If everything is there, and the phone works properly, go back in the terminal and type:
Code:
OnePlus5:/sdcard $ rm -rf Android_oreo
Optionally, start the TWRP app and flash it, it can always be useful. You can also reboot to fastboot to do that.
Now reboot your phone (normal reboot) one last time.
There, working OOS 5.0.2 / Android 8.0.0 phone with no data loss.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the whole thing take?
Highly depends on the amount of data you have on your phone. Since it the USB port only supports USB 2.0, it may take 4 or 5 hours in total.
Will doing this void my warranty?
No.
Will I be able to install future OTA updates using the regular download-reboot-flash-twrp procedure?
Yep. Just use the regular method as you would have on Nougat.
Will I lose my data?
If you follow all the instructions, no. Even if you don't follow them, as soon as you have made a backup of /data and internal storage, then no matter how bad you screw up you could always get a working phone back.
I followed the instructions and now my phone doesn't work
Boot in TWRP, wipe everything, reflash.
questions will be added there in the future
Having WiFi and fingerprint issues
You sure it is a good idea to just delete those files? I would have guessed that I need to replace these (nougat version from backup) with the oreo version to have it working just like before the restore.
Code:
/sdcard # rm /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf
/sdcard # rm -rf /data/system/users/0/fpdata
/sdcard # rm /data/system/users/0/settings_fingerprint.xml
I'm having the issues with wifi and fingerprints. Neither one is working. I'll try to figure out how to fix this.
@zdimension Thanks for this guide, I don't have time to test it yet, but I have a question
pdluke said:
Code:
/sdcard # rm /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf
/sdcard # rm -rf /data/system/users/0/fpdata
/sdcard # rm /data/system/users/0/settings_fingerprint.xml
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At this point in the procedure, adb shell is still using root (before flashing magisk) ? How is that possible ? Does the adb /sideload preserve root ?
olivier380 said:
@zdimension Thanks for this guide, I don't have time to test it yet, but I have a question
At this point in the procedure, adb shell is still using root (before flashing magisk) ? How is that possible ? Does the adb /sideload preserve root ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These commands should be run while the phone is in TWRP. Also note that adb /sideload is not used here, only adb push.
pdluke said:
You sure it is a good idea to just delete those files? I would have guessed that I need to replace these (nougat version from backup) with the oreo version to have it working just like before the restore.
Code:
/sdcard # rm /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf
/sdcard # rm -rf /data/system/users/0/fpdata
/sdcard # rm /data/system/users/0/settings_fingerprint.xml
I'm having the issues with wifi and fingerprints. Neither one is working. I'll try to figure out how to fix this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you delete them, they will be generated automatically at the next system boot. But you could also make a backup of those three files before wiping /data, store that somewhere, restore Nougat /data and then restore your backup of those three files. The result would be the same.
Note: actually, not exactly. Erasing the first file won't change anything since it's not used anymore in Oreo, but the two other files contain the fingerprint configuration (list of saved fingerprints). So,
Either you remove the files and you have to save your fingerprints again at next boot
Either you restore them from an Oreo backup and you'll get the fingerprints you had saved during the "first boot" procedure when you rebooted the phone right after flashing the OS
But the result is mostly the same: everything works. Deleting the files ensures you get something clean. If you restore from an Oreo backup I can't guarantee the result (as it may interfere with other files from the Nougat backup).
10 bucks to make a script to do this all for me haha.
@zdimension Thanks for the clarification Another thing you might add to the files to download would be Magisk (optionally). In this kind of guide, I've always find it useful to download everything first.
olivier380 said:
@zdimension Thanks for the clarification Another thing you might add to the files to download would be Magisk (optionally). In this kind of guide, I've always find it useful to download everything first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oops, forgot to add it
I added the link, and also instructions for how to un-root afterwards for those who would want it.
To improve the guide, here are some ideas :
- You should highlight that rm -rf is a very dangerous command, and that it needs to be checked twice (especially the targeted folder)
- It could be useful to use the du -csh command to check the size of a folder (to estimate the backup time for example).
- As a safety measure, one could md5sum the tar file before and after using adb pull
What do you think ?
olivier380 said:
To improve the guide, here are some ideas :
- You should highlight that rm -rf is a very dangerous command, and that it needs to be checked twice (especially the targeted folder)
- It could be useful to use the du -csh command to check the size of a folder (to estimate the backup time for example).
- As a safety measure, one could md5sum the tar file before and after using adb pull
What do you think ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the ideas! I updated the post (and I added a changelog at the bottom for future reference).
Followed guide for successful upgrade from 4.5.15 encrypted, unlocked bootloader w/ Magisk root.
One note, after the first complete wipe and flash of the full ROM, it was getting stuck on first boot and never completed. Discovered that I needed to not just wipe the Data partition but Format it in TWRP, to clear out the old encryption I think. Magisk wouldn't install either until I did this.
@debork thanks for the positive feedback (all the merit goes to @zdimension of course)
@zdimension there are many people in the other thread https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-5/how-to/official-oxygenos-4-5-2-7-1-1-ota-t3627003 that tried (unsucessfully) to upgrade from 4.5.15 to 5.0.1, maybe a link to this topic could be useful for them (if it's not too late).
Regarding the
Go back to the TWRP home screen, press "Wipe", "Advanced Wipe" and there check "Dalvik / ART Cache", "Cache", "System", "Data" and "Internal Storage".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it should be highlighted in red, since it is the actual "clean flash" (AFAIU, correct me if I'm wrong).
if we only have the BL unlocked non root and stock recovery can we only ota without any loss of data ?
debork said:
Followed guide for successful upgrade from 4.5.15 encrypted, unlocked bootloader w/ Magisk root.
One note, after the first complete wipe and flash of the full ROM, it was getting stuck on first boot and never completed. Discovered that I needed to not just wipe the Data partition but Format it in TWRP, to clear out the old encryption I think. Magisk wouldn't install either until I did this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for feedback, I will add that to the guide (although it worked with just Wipe for me )
zdimension said:
Thanks for feedback, I will add that to the guide (although it worked with just Wipe for me )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you rooted the 4.5.15 with Magisk or SuperSU (which is not compatible with Oreo anymore) ?
olivier380 said:
Have you rooted the 4.5.15 with Magisk or SuperSU (which is not compatible with Oreo anymore) ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I stopped using SuperSU when it was sold to that shady company. Also, Magisk is better imo.
quick05 said:
if we only have the BL unlocked non root and stock recovery can we only ota without any loss of data ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Official OnePlus support said that nothing is guaranteed if your bootloader is unlocked. But since you're on stock recovery + non rooted, you could always try. But backup everything first. Some people here on XDA have reported that it doesn't work, though.
Just followed your guide with no problems. Thank you very much!! I can confirm also that you need to format data after the wipe otherwise it gets stuck in a bootloop!
Thanks so much for this. I was able to successfully follow the guide and get upgraded to 5.0.1 without losing any data. In fact, I even messed up one step by failing to include the Android directory in the sdcard.tar backup (perhaps that should be more explicit), but it doesn't seem to have affected everything; all of my apps seem to have retained their data.
A few notes:
1. The file size of twrp.tar was ~14GB but when executing the pull command, it recognized it as only ~1.3 GB. As a result, the pull was not complete until it reached over 1000%. All the more reason to do the md5 check.
2. As others stated, I needed to format the data partition, not just wipe it.
3. I might recommend also including a "summary" version somewhere on what this guide does. Scrolling through the guide the first time, it seemed pretty daunting, but really all that you're doing is: backing up data partition and internal storage; wiping device; flashing Oreo ROM; tweaking a few files; and restoring backed up data and internal storage.
Thank you again so much! Glad to finally be on Oreo.
elight3 said:
Thanks so much for this. I was able to successfully follow the guide and get upgraded to 5.0.1 without losing any data. In fact, I even messed up one step by failing to include the Android directory in the sdcard.tar backup (perhaps that should be more explicit), but it doesn't seem to have affected everything; all of my apps seem to have retained their data.
A few notes:
1. The file size of twrp.tar was ~14GB but when executing the pull command, it recognized it as only ~1.3 GB. As a result, the pull was not complete until it reached over 1000%. All the more reason to do the md5 check.
2. As others stated, I needed to format the data partition, not just wipe it.
3. I might recommend also including a "summary" version somewhere on what this guide does. Scrolling through the guide the first time, it seemed pretty daunting, but really all that you're doing is: backing up data partition and internal storage; wiping device; flashing Oreo ROM; tweaking a few files; and restoring backed up data and internal storage.
Thank you again so much! Glad to finally be on Oreo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the feedback! I'll add a summary to the guide.
Related
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
As always, mucking with your device at this level is risky. If you follow this process, you do so entirely at your own risk. I accept no responsibility for any detrimental effects resulting from following this process, or for any problems associated with the updated files. Only if you accept these risks should you use these instructions.
PREREQUISITES
Unlocked bootloader (see my guide to do this)
Working fastboot (also see my guide )
Patience
NOTES
I developed and followed this process on Ubuntu Natty, 64bit. I see no reason why it should not work on any other platform, since the only tool used is fastboot and the syntax for fastboot is the same on any platform. if you need to know how to get fastboot working, there are already many guides for that (see my how to unlock your bootloader thread, for example)
BUTTON CONFUSION
When in landscape mode, with the camera at the top, the power button is on the left 'vertical' side of the tab. On the top is the volume rocker. In this orientation:
- The LEFT side of the volume rocker is VOLUME DOWN
- The RIGHT side of the volume rocker is VOLUME UP
This might seem obvious, but to anyone who is used to phones, this is the opposite, since they were designed to be used in Portrait mode.
PREPARE
1) With your Tab in fastboot mode (step 1 of "GETTING ROOT" below), make sure you have a working fastboot implementation:
Code:
fastboot devices
If all is well, you should see your device serial number. If there is a problem, you won't get any response.
2) Downlad View attachment skitzandroid-10-1v-root_0.2.zip and View attachment skitzandroid-stock-recovery.zip
3) Create a folder on your desktop called "root"
Code:
mkdir ~/Desktop/root
for Ubuntu or
Code:
md %userprofile%\desktop\root
for Windows
This will be referred to as the working directory throughout the rest of this guide
4) Copy skitzandroid-10-1v-root.zip to your working directory (DO NOT UNZIP!)
5) Extract the skitzandroid-recovery.img file from skitzandroid-stock-recovery.zip to your working folder. Your working folder should now have 1 IMG file and one ZIP file.
6) This was an afterthought - Make sure fastboot is somewhere in your path (ie can be executed from anywhere). To test, 'cd' to any random folder and type 'fastboot' and make sure it runs.
7) Copy the skitzandroid-10-1v-root.zip file to the root of your sdcard. You can eithe drag/drop, or run:
Code:
adb push skitzandroid-10-1v-root.zip /sdcard/
from your working directory
...now the easy part
GETTING ROOT
1) Power off your Tab and power it back on, while holding the VOLUME DOWN button.
2) When the DOWNLOAD / FASTBOOT icons appear, press VOLUME DOWN again to select FASTBOOT icon (the one with the USB logo) and press VOLUME UP to confirm selection.
3) Confirm you are now in fastboot mode and do a:
Code:
fastboot devices
If all is well, you should see your device serial number.
4) Open a terminal / CMD prompt and CD to your working folder
Code:
cd ~/Desktop/root
for Ubuntu or
Code:
cd %userprofile%\desktop\root
for Windows
5) Run the following command:
Temp Root:
Code:
fastboot boot skitzandroid-recovery.img
..and wait. It might not look like anything is happening but it is.
Permanent Root:
Code:
fastboot flash recovery skitzandroid-recovery.img
6) You should now have a recovery menu. Use the volume rocker (up/down navigates menu options) to select "Install zip from SDCARD" (or something like that - if someone can post the exact menu item wording, I will update the guide). Press (tap!) the POWER button to confirm the menu selection
7) Navigate to the root of your internal storage (/sdcard), select the skitzandroid-10-1v-root.zip file and press (tap!) the POWER button to confirm selection.
8) Once complete, use the Volume rocker to select "REBOOT" from the menu and press (tap!!!) the POWER button to confirm selection.
9) You're done! Press the thanks button on this thread to continue
TESTING
1) Once your Tab boots up, check your apps menu to confirm the existence of SuperUser app.
2) With the Tab attached to your PC via USB cable, do the following:
Code:
adb shell
su
..and watch the screen on your Tab for a SuperUser prompt. If you see this, congratulations!
If you have never rooted a phone/tablet before, go get Titanium Backup Pro and ROM Manager from the market. As soon as the custom ROMs start flowing in, you'll be all set to go.
Edit: How about thanking smaskell who was very patient and persistent in dumping the image from his Google IO 10.1 - for the good of his fellow XDA members. Without his help, this would not be possible.
Note that the above process doesn't flash the recovery, just loads it.
If you want to flash the recovery permanently, all you need to do is follow the guide above and then, in step 5, use this command instead:
Code:
fastboot flash recovery skitzandroid-recovery.img
You will then have a permanent recovery which you can get to by doing:
Code:
adb shell
su
reboot recovery
at any time.
Note that doing just
adb reboot recovery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...for some bizarre reason does not boot to recovery. Open up a shell first, as shown above.
I will also give you credit in the guide for having "Balls of Steel" to steal a phrase from PaulObrien
EDIT:
...and the Balls of Steel award goes to *drumroll*
Egan
...for having the balls to flash the recovery. Thanks egan. If I was in a battle, I'd definitely want you in our squad
FAQ
Does it need unlocked bootloader? Yes, see my other guide for this.
Do I need to wipe, or will it wipe my device? No and No.
Can I return my device to factory default config? Yes. This process does not flash the partition unless you follow the process in post 2 which is optional.
Changelog
0.2 - Added busybox (can be flashed over the top of 0.1 without wipe)
0.1 - Initial Relase
Factory Voda Tab Images
Recovery
Boot
System
Awesome news! Thanks to everyone who worked on this - I can't wait!
Great, great job you guys! This thing needs root so it can grow
Thanks a lot bcmobile and smaskell! Ill give it a go around launch.
Sent from my LG-P990 using XDA Premium App
Thank you guys, it's working great on my 10.1v
I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this already - but is there anyway of getting temp root on these devices so I can backup all my apps and data (properly) before unlocking / flashing recovery / rooting??
This wont make any changes to the partitions. You could undo the whole process by just deleting a few files.
The process in my second post would actually flash the image, and would be permanent if you had no 'factory' recovery image to flash back.
The 'standard' process in post 1 is normally used for testing and doesn't overwrite the recovery partition
Thanks a lot. Works like a charm
Now to make a full "original" fastboot flashable restore fileset:
Boot: dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p5 of=/sdcard/boot.img
System: dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p4 of=/sdcard/system.img
Would this be enough to have a proper "original" image? (With the small addition of root offcourse)
(Did a dd of dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p1 of=/sdcard/efs.img too, just to have a backup
Will see if I can make a full nandroid back-up now
Before flashing any recovery images etc..
gjroeleveld said:
Thanks a lot. Works like a charm
Now to make a full "original" fastboot flashable restore fileset:
Boot: dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p5 of=/sdcard/boot.img
System: dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p4 of=/sdcard/system.img
Would this be enough to have a proper "original" image? (With the small addition of root offcourse)
(Did a dd of dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p1 of=/sdcard/efs.img too, just to have a backup
Will see if I can make a full nandroid back-up now
Before flashing any recovery images etc..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's all the backup I have done so I hope so
Just uploading a new version of the update zip (v0.2) which includes busybox
bcmobile said:
This wont make any changes to the partitions. You could undo the whole process by just deleting a few files.
The process in my second post would actually flash the image, and would be permanent if you had no 'factory' recovery image to flash back.
The 'standard' process in post 1 is normally used for testing and doesn't overwrite the recovery partition
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I realise that applying the root won't wipe anything, but unlocking the bootloader comes with a nice factory reset if I'm not mistaken..
gjroeleveld said:
Now to make a full "original" fastboot flashable restore fileset:
Boot: dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p5 of=/sdcard/boot.img
System: dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p4 of=/sdcard/system.img
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the ignorance, but are these fastboot or a adb commands?
Good work!
You should mention that you can't unlock and flash the Root-Update in one step.
The recovery complains then that /data/media is missing
Regards
EDIT:
black beard said:
Sorry for the ignorance, but are these fastboot or a adb commands?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are adb commands you need to do with su!
black beard said:
Sorry, I realise that applying the root won't wipe anything, but unlocking the bootloader comes with a nice factory reset if I'm not mistaken..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is part of the recovery image, not the unlocked bootloader.
You can always put back a stock image using fastboot which is one of the really nice things about fastboot unlocking vs bootloader exploits. "fastboot oem unlock" can then be undone by "fastboot oem lock" and nobody would know the diff.
seraphimserapis said:
Good work!
You should mention that you can't unlock and flash the Root-Update in one step.
The recovery complains then that /data/media is missing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!
Yeah, oem unlock doesn't actually do anything until the next boot
Egan said:
Thanks a lot bcmobile and smaskell! Ill give it a go around lunch.
Sent from my LG-P990 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works like a charm! Now lets backup the original recovery and then flash the stock recovery .
Egan said:
Works like a charm! Now lets backup the original recovery and then flash the stock recovery .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you going to flash it?
You will earn the official "Balls of steel" badge
Thanks,
Also remember to enable USB debugging after you have done the unlocked bootloader, took me 5 min to to realize why adb did not want to work, 5 scary min after the reboot.
I've tried to make a proper nandroid backup but haven't been able too.
Tried with romdump 0.72 but that crashes :-(
Most tutorials use Rom Manager, but that needs some work from @koush before we can use it.
I'll google on
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
Update 11-26-2012
The issue that this procedure was designed to overcome has been resolved in the latest version of CWM (6.0.1.9 or newer). Please view http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1781899 for details and download links. If you do not want to upgrade to the latest CWM the directions below will still work but you should really just update.
Background
Due to the multi-user support capabilities of Android 4.2(+) the clockworkmod directory created by ClockworkMod and used to store downloads and backups is being created in /data/media. Unfortunately this directory is not accessible to individual users and therefore backups created in recovery can not be viewed or modified by ROM Manager and vice versa. ROM Manager will look for the directory /data/media/<user number> (e.g. /data/media/0) to which /sdcard is mounted when you are logged in as the user whose number is <user number> (e.g. 0).
Requirements
ClockworkMod Recovery installed and functioning
ROM Manager
ADB installed on your computer and functioning
Willingness to accept that you are on your own and I am not responsible if you mess something up!
Solution
1. Boot into CWM recovery
2. Attach your Nexus 7 to your computers USB port
3. Open an ADB shell using a console from your computer
Code:
adb shell
4. Confirm that you have a clockworkmod directory at /sdcard/clockworkmod (I am using user number 0 for the rest of this procedure, if you wish to use a different user substitute 0 with your user number)
Code:
cd /data/media/0
ls
4a. If you do not see a clockworkmod directory create one with the command below, otherwise proceed to step 5
Code:
mkdir /data/media/0/clockworkmod
5. See if you have a clockworkmod directory at /data/media
Code:
cd /data/media
ls
5a. If you see a clockworkmod directory type the command below, otherwise proceed to step 6
Code:
mv clockworkmod clockworkmod_bak
6. Create the symbolic link
Code:
ln -s /data/media/0/clockworkmod/ clockworkmod
7. If you already had backups in clockworkmod (now clockworkmod_bak) you can move them to the new folder by executing the following command
Code:
mv clockworkmod_bak/backup/ clockworkmod/
mv clockworkmod_bak/blobs/ clockworkmod/
mv clockworkmod_bak/download/ clockworkmod/
WARNING: I tested a backup from recovery and verified the backup was in ROM Manager, renamed the backup in ROM Manager, and confirmed the backup was renamed in recovery. Due to time constraints I did not restore the backup though I can't imagine why it would fail. As mentioned above do this at your own risk. If you do not have a unix/linux experience I would suggest that you wait for someone with experience to follow these steps (I wrote them after I did the procedure so they haven't been vetted) before you attempt it yourself.
Very helpful, i was wondering what they did to mess up clockwork mod
been trying to undo 4.2 for hours as i dont quite like it
truehybridx said:
Very helpful, i was wondering what they did to mess up clockwork mod
been trying to undo 4.2 for hours as i dont quite like it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am on the fence about 4.2 myself and when I couldn't see my 4.1.2 backup I had a panic moment. I have to admit that either 4.2 is growing on me or I am already forgetting how good 4.1.2 was .
sandnap said:
I am on the fence about 4.2 myself and when I couldn't see my 4.1.2 backup I had a panic moment..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1! Panic indeed! LOL
Great tutorial. Thanks and have a happy thanksgiving
Is there a way to do this without using adb? I don't know how to get it working.
It looks like you are just moving all the files from one location to another, right? If thats the case can I just move them with a file explorer? Also where are the back-ups from pre 4.2 stored, I thought it was sdcard/clockworkmod/ Can I move the back-ups from there to a data/media/clockworkmod folder?
StarOrc said:
Is there a way to do this without using adb? I don't know how to get it working.
It looks like you are just moving all the files from one location to another, right? If thats the case can I just move them with a file explorer? Also where are the back-ups from pre 4.2 stored, I thought it was sdcard/clockworkmod/ Can I move the back-ups from there to a data/media/clockworkmod folder?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please see my update to the original post. Once you update to the latest CWM you can copy any existing backups to the new backup and blobs folders under /data/media/clocworkmod. This is discussed in more detail in the thread I linked to.
Code:
mv clockworkmod_bak/backup/ clockworkmod/
mv clockworkmod_bak/blobs/ clockworkmod/
mv clockworkmod_bak/download/ clockworkmod/
This is me just being nit picky, but this looks better:
Code:
mv clockworkmod_bak/* clockworkmod/
I guess for people not confident in their linux abilities that '*' misplaced could be deadly though...anyway thanks for the simple and great workaround/explanation.
Wiping/ Factory resets (in CWM or TWRP) don't erase this data folder? Are we confident in this?
255|[email protected]:/data/media/clockworkmod # mv backup/ /sdcard/clockworkmod/
failed on 'backup/' - Cross-device link
How are you able to move the directories?
This seriously annoys me. Despite the recent surge of newer android devices not containing any sd card slots for secure file storage away from ROM flashing, everything is now embedded. I have had several accidental internal storage deletions containing backups and roms and no the clockworkmod is even harder to locate and backup conveniently through usb/ftp. Thanks for the tut.
TheAtheistReverend said:
Wiping/ Factory resets (in CWM or TWRP) don't erase this data folder? Are we confident in this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah i am wondering that too.it doesnt feel safe for me that the backups are in the system but not in sdcard.
nexus file locations
On the nexus devices (certainly the 7, which has no external sdcard), the only real mounted portions are cache, system and data. Locations like /sdcard/ /storage/emulated/0 etc. are all fuse mounted from /data/media
Supposedly most of the data portion will survive flashing new ROMs and recoveries, everything except unlocking the boot loader, which wipes data f to meet the android security model.
Doesn't feel very safe, though.
amp said:
This seriously annoys me. Despite the recent surge of newer android devices not containing any sd card slots for secure file storage away from ROM flashing, everything is now embedded. I have had several accidental internal storage deletions containing backups and roms and no the clockworkmod is even harder to locate and backup conveniently through usb/ftp. Thanks for the tut.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would use TWRP. I have switched and never looked back. It has quite a few more advanced options that I didn't see with clockworkmod, and overall has be MUCH more reliable.
The clockworkmod recovery issue stated in this thread does not affect TWRP at all.
Thanx for this, it seems to work even for the latest CWM.
Sent with desire from My One
angusc said:
Thanx for this, it seems to work even for the latest CWM.
Sent with desire from My One
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Iget an error: Read-only File system :crying:
fokus said:
Iget an error: Read-only File system :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If doing commands with adb did you remember to use
adb shell
And check that your command line starts with #......
Sent with desire from My One
angusc said:
If doing commands with adb did you remember to use
adb shell
And check that your command line starts with #......
Sent with desire from My One
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that is exactly what i did.
I am on ARHD 11.0
S-off
ElementalX 2.2
I'm on ARHD 11.0 as well.
Strange, I followed the OP from step 1 to 6. I couldn't get step 7 to work so I just used my root explorer to copy the directory contents across in to the newly created clockworkmod folder, then deleted the clockworkmod.bak directory and all was good.
Tip: copy and paste each cmd from the OP in to your adb commands window......
Sent with desire from My One
angusc said:
I'm on ARHD 11.0 as well.
Strange, I followed the OP from step 1 to 6. I couldn't get step 7 to work so I just used my root explorer to copy the directory contents across in to the newly created clockworkmod folder, then deleted the clockworkmod.bak directory and all was good.
Tip: copy and paste each cmd from the OP in to your adb commands window......
Sent with desire from My One
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THX. That is what i did. I also tried it via Terminal on the device - same error: System read only... hmmm
EDIT: Works fine now after e vew reboots. THX
Hi gurus,
I currently have TWRP, rooted, stock android, encrypted, and a lot of apps and data on the phone. I'm looking for a way to decrypt the phone and bring me back to the same state that I left it.
I think this is process, correct me if I missed anything.
1. Put the phone in Airplane mode, so nothing changes during this process
2. Reboot into recovery
3. TWRP backup
4. adb pull /data/media <PCDirectory>
5. Do the decryption steps, flash TWRP, re-root
6. adb push <PCDirectory> /data/media (don't do this)
6. Use Android MTP and Windows to copy the files from back to Nexus 6.
7. TWRP restore backup from setup #3.
8. Reboot phone and I should be back to where I was except now decypted
9. Turn off airplane mode
----- ANSWER: I took the dive, and everything works. -------
Here's what I did. (I used a mix of adb, fastboot, and NRT)
1. Put the phone in Airplane mode, so nothing changes during this process
2. adb reboot recovery
3. TWRP full nandroid backup
4. adb pull /data/media <PCDirectory> (while still in recovery)
5. adb reboot bootloader
6. fastboot flash boot boot_noforceencrypt.img (flash the no-encrypt boot image)
7. fastboot format userdata (wipes the device)
8. Reboot and enable USB Debugging
9. Use NRT to root and flash TWRP
10. Reboot into recovery
11. TWRP nandroid restore (Make sure to uncheck boot, as I made a mistake the first time. If the "old" boot image gets restored, the phone will re-encrypt itself on startup)
12. Reboot and enable USB Debugging
13. Copy any missing files from the <PCDirectory> back to the Nexus 6 using MTP.
Good luck, now I have a much faster phone! There is probably a way to do this all in NRT or the command prompt, but I had NRT setup already and didn't have to re-download any additional files.
My situation is identical to yorus so I'll be curious if we get a good answer.
No. Don't use Adb to push to data/media. You'll screw up the permissions to the /decade folders. Use MTP in android (not recovery) to do the transfer back.
when I do the transfer back in MTP, I assume there will be some files that will already exist on the device? Should I overwrite or skip?
ertw96 said:
when I do the transfer back in MTP, I assume there will be some files that will already exist on the device? Should I overwrite or skip?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Merge if you can, otherwise overwrite
This is exactly what I've been wanting to try.
ertw96 said:
Hi gurus,
I currently have TWRP, rooted, stock android, encrypted, and a lot of apps and data on the phone. I'm looking for a way to decrypt the phone and bring me back to the same state that I left it.
I think this is process, correct me if I missed anything.
1. Put the phone in Airplane mode, so nothing changes during this process
2. Reboot into recovery
3. TWRP backup
4. adb pull /data/media <PCDirectory>
5. Do the decryption steps, flash TWRP, re-root
6. adb push <PCDirectory> /data/media (don't do this)
6. Use Android MTP and Windows to copy the files from back to Nexus 6.
7. TWRP restore backup from setup #3.
8. Reboot phone and I should be back to where I was except now decypted
9. Turn off airplane mode
----- ANSWER: I took the dive, and everything works. -------
Here's what I did. (I used a mix of adb, fastboot, and NRT)
1. Put the phone in Airplane mode, so nothing changes during this process
2. adb reboot recovery
3. TWRP full nandroid backup
4. adb pull /data/media <PCDirectory> (while still in recovery)
5. adb reboot bootloader
6. fastboot flash boot boot_noforceencrypt.img (flash the no-encrypt boot image)
7. fastboot format userdata (wipes the device)
8. Reboot and enable USB Debugging
9. Use NRT to root and flash TWRP
10. Reboot into recovery
11. TWRP nandroid restore (Make sure to uncheck boot, as I made a mistake the first time. If the "old" boot image gets restored, the phone will re-encrypt itself on startup)
12. Reboot and enable USB Debugging
13. Copy any missing files from the <PCDirectory> back to the Nexus 6 using MTP.
Good luck, now I have a much faster phone! There is probably a way to do this all in NRT or the command prompt, but I had NRT setup already and didn't have to re-download any additional files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now if I can just get ADB to work on my windows 8 computer.
lalew25 said:
Now if I can just get ADB to work on my windows 8 computer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did this on a Windows 8.1 computer. So it should work on Windows 8. I did have some trouble installing the drivers orginally and found that the Nexus Root Toolkit does it best.
It allows you to delete all your previous drivers, and any other drivers that Windows attempts to install. Then it installs the correct USB drivers for the Nexus 6, and you're ready to rock and roll. Enable USB debugging and you it should be able to detect your device.
I'll give that a try, thanks.
I think I already have the nexus toolkit. Is it a big speed difference when you take off the encryption? Does it effect battery life at all?
lalew25 said:
I think I already have the nexus toolkit. Is it a big speed difference when you take off the encryption? Does it effect battery life at all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes to both, in certain operations... A little bit.
Yes definitely. I had a Nexus 5 before running Lollipop, and I play 2 racing games, Real Racing 3 and GT 2 Racing, both of which run perfectly fine on my Nexus 5. On the Nexus 6, during game play it was fine, but switching apps and loading times during the game took forever, slower than my Nexus 5.
After Decrypt, but games fly, and general operations feel a lot snappier too. Sorry, don't have any benchmarks, but decrypting does speed up the phone quite a bit.
If you've used up more than half of your storage, will a nandroid backup even work? I need to get that backup onto my PC, but don't think I have room to backup my phone on phone....
Help?
No context issues. Ownership should be media_rw.media_rw for /data/media and everything within. /data/media and /data/media/0 should be 770. umask inside should be 002. Not sure if setting this will allow adb push to honor it. Otherwise, resetting the perms can be done in batch.
Anyway, no need to boot back into Android. After formatting /data in TWRP, it does need to be rebooted though to remount /data. And for some reason, rebooting straight into the recovery seems to cause it to then reboot to OS. Instead, reboot to bootloader from TWRP and then go to recovery from there. Some directories might need to be created (I think /data/media is there but /data/media/0 doesn't. As well, /sdcard in twrp will currently point at /data/media instead of /data/media/0)
Code:
cd /data
mkdir media
chmod 770 media
cd media
mkdir 0
chmod 770 0
push the contents of /data/media/0 back with adb
Code:
chown -R media_rw.media_rw /data/media
cd /data/media/0
find . -type d -exec chmod 775 {} \;
find . -type f -exec chmod 664 {} \;
nvm
I was following originally this guide by a user who posted steps that would basically allow me to move all of my apps from my internal storage to external SD card. The link to the thread I had posted about this can be found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-l90/general/internal-memory-storage-help-t3171582/post62245649
I managed to root my phone using the KingRoot method, right after, I installed Flashify, flashed the TeamWin Recovery Project, and right after, it automatically rebooted me. After that, I went to the reboot section, clicked on recovery, and than, it loaded me to an icon where the Android logo is opened from its belly with a red triangle with the ! mark inside the red triangle.
I am assuming that my Android OS was deleted, as I see I now have 3 GB of free internal storage space. I originally was running everything on stock. Is there any solution here? I did manage to install CM12.1, but I forgot to flash GAPPS, thus I had to manually download the Flashify and KingRoot APK's and ended up deleted CWM12.1 as it just seemed buggy.
At this point, I want to just go back to my normal Android, I am fine with using Stock, as long as I have free storage. Though, if using another ROM would be better (where battery life improvements and overall faster performances is always acceptable). I don't want to brick my phone, as it so far seems to be working.
I currently don't have any other backup phone on me, so I would love to solve these issues ASAP as I do need my phone to make calls and answer SMS Text Messages.
Thanks!
What is your L90 variant?
You probably messed just the system and boot, CM12.1 and other custom roms currently runs with KitKat bootstack, and you may flashed them with Lollipop bootstack. Try to boot holding PWR + VOL DOWN, wait for LG logo show up, immediately release PWR button and hold again (don't release VOL DOWN). If you aboot is fine, you'll be shown a white screen asking if you wan't to reset your phone. If you still have your stock recovery, your phone will actually be reseted to stock, if you changed the recovery to TWRP or CWM, it will boot into them.
From the recovery you can create the right .zip to flash stock system and boot images retrieved from your kdz of your phone with LG Fimrware Extract. If you are able to flash them back, you won't need Kingroot, since your bootloader is unlocked, you can root your phone straight from the recovery with SuperSU flashable zip.
If none of the two options happen, you probably messed your aboot or recovery partition.
F. Gacrux said:
What is your L90 variant?
You probably messed just the system and boot, CM12.1 and other custom roms currently runs with KitKat bootstack, and you may flashed them with Lollipop bootstack. Try to boot holding PWR + VOL DOWN, wait for LG logo show up, immediately release PWR button and hold again (don't release VOL DOWN). If you aboot is fine, you'll be shown a white screen asking if you wan't to reset your phone. If you still have your stock recovery, your phone will actually be reseted to stock, if you changed the recovery to TWRP or CWM, it will boot into them.
From the recovery you can create the right .zip to flash stock system and boot images retrieved from your kdz of your phone with LG Fimrware Extract. If you are able to flash them back, you won't need Kingroot, since your bootloader is unlocked, you can root your phone straight from the recovery with SuperSU flashable zip.
If none of the two options happen, you probably messed your aboot or recovery partition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I did mess with my stock recovery boot, and instead TWRP is set as my boot. When I pres the VOLUME down and Power button, I get prompted to a White screen that says "Erase all user data and restore default settings?", after I select "Yes", and "Yes" again, it shows "Factory Reset Performing". Than a quick animation of the Android logo with gears running behind it, after that it looks like it reboots, but right back to Team Win Recovery Project. From there, when I select Reboot, and recovery, it just shows the Android logo with the red triangle.
What are my options from here? I should mention, when I select the option "Reboot" in TWRP and go to "Recovery", it does say "No OS Installed!" , after swiping it than says "Install SuperSU? Your device does not appear to be rooted. Install SuperSU Now?".
Is there a proper way to also root the device, since it seems to be rooted, even though I swipe to install SuperSU?
EDIT: I also have a LG L90 D415.
If TWRP is booting, you are fine. TWRP is your new recovery, takes place of the stock LG recovery.
I don't know how many variants L90 have, you are D415RD or its a different model? If it's the same D415 you said, you can flash the D415RD zip with TWRP from this topic: http://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-...flashablestock-zip-kk-l-via-recovery-t3137255 (use Lollipop if you were at LL before, use KitKat if it was KK. You cannot downgrade to KK if you were on LL before, they are different bootstacks).
I suggest before flashing, wipe > adv wipe > dalvik/system/data/internal storage (your internal sd data will be wiped)/cache - do NOT format sdcard, it's your microSD with the necessary zip files to go back to stock. Go back and format data, type yes. Go back to home menu, reboot > recovery so your data get remounted and accessible again (ignore warnings saying there is no android installed and asking to install super user). Install > select the zip and wait. You can also flash SuperSU to get root (do after flashing the rom): https://download.chainfire.eu/696/SuperSU/UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.46.zip
F. Gacrux said:
If TWRP is booting, you are fine. TWRP is your new recovery, takes place of the stock LG recovery.
I don't know how many variants L90 have, you are D415RD or its a different model? If it's the same D415 you said, you can flash the D415RD zip with TWRP from this topic: http://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-...flashablestock-zip-kk-l-via-recovery-t3137255 (use Lollipop if you were at LL before, use KitKat if it was KK. You cannot downgrade to KK if you were on LL before, they are different bootstacks).
I suggest before flashing, wipe > adv wipe > dalvik/system/data/internal storage (your internal sd data will be wiped)/cache - do NOT format sdcard, it's your microSD with the necessary zip files to go back to stock. Go back and format data, type yes. Go back to home menu, reboot > recovery so your data get remounted and accessible again (ignore warnings saying there is no android installed and asking to install super user). Install > select the zip and wait. You can also flash SuperSU to get root: https://download.chainfire.eu/696/SuperSU/UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.46.zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah okay, great, so I can easily fix this solution Just a question here - after performing this, when I go back to Stock, would it be recommended to just stick with it? I did some searching for fast Lollipop ROMs, and there are only a few out there from my search...
Also - Next time, is there a better way to do all of this? I was originally trying to install Xposed as a previous user had posted on these forums, that it allowed you to do a multitude of things additional to the whole Link2SD access.
Stick to the stock ROM.
TWRP is the best way of doing all of this, there nothing more easy than simply booting TWRP recovery and flash a zip file. Forget LG recovery and KDZ flash, TWRP is much better. TWRP allow to flash select partitions, thus preserving your unlocked bootloader and custom recovery.
If you are talking about all the partition format and reboot things I said, that actually is not really necessary, but since you tried to make some other changes other than simply flashing a new rom, I just wanted to make sure you were making a clean flash and first boot to avoid any obscure errors.
I don't know what is the current development status of Xposed in android LL and the recovery flasheable zip for our L90, but the last time I checked it wasn't stable and could lead to lots of FC to an unbootable system, so I just skiped any modification at this level.
F. Gacrux said:
Stick to the stock ROM.
TWRP is the best way of doing all of this, there nothing more easy than simply booting TWRP recovery and flash a zip file. Forget LG recovery and KDZ flash, TWRP is much better. TWRP allow to flash select partitions, thus preserving your unlocked bootloader and custom recovery.
If you are talking about all the partition format and reboot things I said, that actually is not really necessary, but since you tried to make some other changes other than simply flashing a new rom, I just wanted to make sure you were making a clean flash and first boot to avoid any obscure errors.
I don't know what is the current development status of Xposed in android LL and the recovery flasheable zip for our L90, but the last time I checked it wasn't stable and could lead to lots of FC to an unbootable system, so I just skiped any modification at this level.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
YES! I was able to boot back into Stock ROM, but further more, I have root access via SuperSU! I was able to do the Link2SD method, and removed a bunch of the bloatware pre-installed on the ROM, it all works now! Thanks a lot for helping on all of this!
After spending literally my whole day trying to get my phone root acces, I think I will stick to Stock, everything works, and I don't want to kill another day trying to accomplish a miniscule achievment, since I already have Root access.
Now, one of my last questions: is there an appropriate way for me to boot into TWRP? Every time I reboot, I go straight to my ROM, not sure how to go back to TWRP (in the case I ever need to flash something again).
Otherwise, my phone works, and I was able to achieve my original goal of freeing up internal space.
Any cool tips or advice you recommend to possibly speed up or just enhance the Stock ROM now that I have root access?
Sent from my LG-D415 using XDA Free mobile app
I recommend to remove the software after flashing in TWRP, before doing the first boot, just mount /system and open ADB. If you do this after install, there is probably a lot of .dex files and app data remaining taking precious storage.
For example, if you update Youtube, Gmail and other pre-installed apps, after update they won't be removed, instead the new version will be renamed to something like com.google.youtube-2 and the previous version will remain in /system, you can notice this if you go to your app list in setting and try to uninstall, android will say that the version will be reverted to the stock one that shipped in the stock rom.
Here's a list of stuff and apps I removed before booting:
rm /system/usbautorun.iso
rm -r /system/app/Books
rm -r /system/app/ChromeWithBrowser
rm -r /system/app/Drive
rm -r /system/app/Gmail2
rm -r /system/app/GoogleTTS
rm -r /system/app/Hangouts
rm -r /system/app/LGSearchWidgetProvider
rm -r /system/app/Maps
rm -r /system/app/Music2
rm -r /system/app/Newsstand
rm -r /system/app/PlayGames
rm -r /system/app/PlusOne
rm -r /system/app/Street
rm -r /system/app/talkback
rm -r /system/app/Videos
rm -r /system/app/YouTube
rm -r /system/apps/bootup/LGBoxnet
rm -r /system/apps/bootup/LGFlashlightWidget
rm -r /system/apps/bootup/LGSmartWorld
rm -r /system/priv-app/LGBrowser
rm -r /system/priv-app/LGDictionary
rm -r /system/priv-app/LGEmail
rm -r /system/priv-app/LGFileManager
rm -r /system/priv-app/LGMemo
rm -r /system/priv-app/LGQTranslator
rm -r /system/priv-app/Velvet
rm -r /system/vendor/carrier/system/LGRemoteCall
rm -r /system/vendor/carrier/system/rspermlge
rm -r /system/vendor/overlay/com.android.browser
rm -r /system/vendor/overlay/com.lge.email
rm -r /system/vendor/overlay/com.lge.filemanager
rm -r /system/vendor/overlay/com.lge.lgworld
Of course, this is MY case, I removed applications that I thought not to be necessary to me. Apps such as Gmail, Youtube and etc I installed the most recent version from play store. Note that some apps cannot be removed or your cannot go past the setup wizard (the first screen after the first boot) e.g.: webview.
Don't try to install Xposed Framework, you will end with a lot of FC that will render the system unusable, I tried and didn't worked, but I had a TWRP backup and was just a matter of reverting everything.
Also, disable automatic system update. If you leave this checked in the settings and your phone updates, you will end in a soft brick.
To go to recovery you have 2 ways:
1 - Install Android Terminal Emulator, type su, then reboot recovery.
2 - Turn off your phone. Hold PWR + VOL DOWN, wait for LG logo show up, immediately release PWR button and hold again (don't release VOL DOWN). Don't worry, since you have TWRP recovery installed instead of LG recovery, your data won't be reseted, instead it will boot into TWRP.
I personally don't like the this second method because it's a good way to worn out your pwr and vol buttons, my previous phone was a LG Optimus 2x and the pwr/wake button became almost unusable after some time, I need to press very hard to work, use this second method only if you cannot boot into recovery from the OS.
To avoid always typing those command in Android Terminal Emulator, you can create a shortcut widget, just type reboot recovery in the argument, name the shortcut and it's done, everytime you tap the shortcut it will automatically open the terminal and reboot the phone. Don't forget to configure the app. to open always with su or the shortcut won't work (reboot command needs superuser access).
Xposed framework works in our L90 Lollipop, as long as you follow those steps I found @ reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/LGL90/comments/3f8ycw/guide_how_to_install_xposed_framework_on_lollipop/
If you skip disabling the apps mentioned and clearing cache and dalvik, you will end in a infinite number of force closes and crashes, rendering the system unusable.
Of course, like always, do a system/boot/data backup with TWRP, if anything goes wrong, you'll be able to go back.
After the first boot a window will be shown saying that android system is updating some stuff, this will take a few minutes don't worry.
I installed LG Pie Support module to remove that annoying home google search ring when swiping from navigation buttons to screen.
Lollipop Memory Leak Fix module seems to have no effect tbh.
Hello,
I am hoping someone can assist with interpreting my log file or provide suggestions on how to convert my backups into a usable format that can be flashed back to the phone thus recovering it to a usable state. I have a logcat and dmesg in a text log file. I have put the file up on Google drive, the link is here-
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9e...ew?usp=sharing
I also spent time reading and studying the post about using logcat and dmesg posted here-
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2274119
I believe the last operation I tried before softbricking was installing the Xposed framework module for my device (running Lollipop 5.1.1).
I have tried one solution so far, go into recovery, clear cache and reboot.
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 phone is 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 am able to still communicate to my device using ADB and I can get an ADB shell or enter fastboot mode.
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. I am familiar with how Linux boots as I am a SysAdmin. I know Android is similar but just different enough to make me research this further.
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
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 Advice!
Found my answer. Used ADB shell and mounted /system in RW mode. Changed /system/bin/dex2oat filename and the device booted normally. Issue solved!