Develop Bugs

[Q] A few questions about flashing ROMs

Hey All,
I am curious about a few things...
I had a couple/few nandroid back ups that were stored on my phone, do you all only keep 1 nandroid and delete your previous backups?
I am running mikfroyo and flashed another ROM about 2 days ago, had some issues so I went back to mik. I think I may have done it in a way that nobody else does...I did it like I was flashing it for the first time, wipe everything and flash from sd card.
Should I have just did a nandroid restore? What does this actually bring back? Text, recent calls, apps?
When doing a nandroid restore should I wipe all before doing so? I would imagine the answer is yes.
And one more, before switching to any new ROM, should I always flash Caulkins Format All zip?
Thank you.

Nand restore will restore everything that was on your phone when you made the backup. Definitely a good idea to flash the zip when installing a new ROM. I also do it to restore though.
When you restore, unless you are backing up the cache, which isn't necessary, you need to minimally wipe the cache/dalvik before you restore. Also, if your SD Card is partitioned, you would need to wipe SD EXT. I pretty much flash Calk's format all anytime I restore or flash a new ROM.
I almost never have one back up. I have a few ROMs I like so, I set them up the way I want and restore between them when I get bored, which is like 100 times a day it feels like.
I do usually only keep the latest backup of any one ROM though. At any given time I probably have at least 5.
Edit: I re-read your post and I think I misunderstood one part the first time. Sometimes, when I got back to a previous ROM, I do just reflash it and start over, but I am anal about fresh starts. Usually I do just nand restore, especially if I know the setup was running well. I don't typically restore a lot between ROMs b/c I feel like it just adds to something that can go wrong. A lot of times I redownload apps instead of restoring, especially if they are purchased, since they are just stored in my apps in the market anyway. And I never restore app data. Usually end up only restoring about 30 apps w/out data, but most people do backup/restore a lot of info with no problems.

You should have just restore from a previous backup. When you restore, it bring ti back to EXACTLY how it was, texts, number of calls, ect. Actually you don't need to wipe when doing a restore. Well you can manually wipe all of them, or flash the format all, so I'm saying yes.

Also, I suggest against wiping data before creating a nandroid backup, lol. That would defeat the purpose, as your info and apps will be gone! Just wipe cache and davlik before a backup, or nothing at all, just so there's no confusion.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Yeah, I didn't mean to wipe anything before backing up. But if your going to restore a different ROM and there's no cache included in the nand back up you're going to restore, then best to wipe it before you restore.

jstalford said:
Also, if your SD Card is partitioned, you would need to wipe SD EXT. I pretty much flash Calk's format all anytime I restore or flash a new ROM.
It is partitioned, what gets stored on there that needs to be wiped, apps?
Thanks for your help
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Click to collapse

It is partitioned, what gets stored on there that needs to be wiped, apps?
Thanks for your help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the ROM has a2sd built in, yeah, if not, nothing. I always wipe it just so I'm in the habit of doing it for when it's there. Also depending on how a2sd is set up, dalvik can be on there.

CM7 final bootloop

So I have a rooted (latest unrevoked) EVO with stock ROM. Radio is the current version so I did not need to flash a new radio. I have the rom backed up with rom manager and also a Titanium Backup.
I download Cm7-final with Rom Manager and proceed to flash it. All appears well until it loads and I'm stuck in CM7 splash bootloop and never get into the actual OS/homescreen. I boot to recovery and restore my prior rom backup, luckily all is fine.
My question is what have i done wrong? I read the EVO CM7 Wiki and it looks like I followed the instructions correctly. Do I need to ditch using RomManager and try it manually? Any suggestions on why I got this bootloop?

i had the same problem when i tried to update on the g2. i backed up the phone and wipe data and caches and flashed again the it worked you might have to do it acouple of times
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

KNguyen104 said:
i had the same problem when i tried to update on the g2. i backed up the phone and wipe data and caches and flashed again the it worked you might have to do it acouple of times
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Using the RomManager interface I chose to Wipe Data and Cache and also chose the gapps package to install. I guess I could try it again but I was mystified why it didnt work since I "thought" it was so simple.

If you're coming from a sense rom, wipe cache, data, dalvik, system, boot, basically everything but the sd card. After that, flash cyanogenmod, then gapps, then start the phone.
Sent from my hand with XDA Premium installed

snowboarda42 said:
If you're coming from a sense rom, wipe cache, data, dalvik, system, boot, basically everything but the sd card. After that, flash cyanogenmod, then gapps, then start the phone.
Sent from my hand with XDA Premium installed
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I'm an android noob, you'll have to forgive me. I thought when I selected "wipe data and cache" prior to flashing CM7 in the RomManager interface that it meant it would wipe all of that.
So I need to manually wipe everything except the card? Also, a secondary question, will any of this jeopardize the ability to restore my currently backed up stock sense rom if **** hits the fan?

Alpine- said:
I'm an android noob, you'll have to forgive me. I thought when I selected "wipe data and cache" prior to flashing CM7 in the RomManager interface that it meant it would wipe all of that.
So I need to manually wipe everything except the card? Also, a secondary question, will any of this jeopardize the ability to restore my currently backed up stock sense rom if **** hits the fan?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it won't as long as you have a nandroid. Look up the "VR Superwipe," and flash it. I'd recommend booting into recovery manually and doing this. Wipe cache and dalvik after flashing the superwipe for good measure. Finally flash the ROM.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

Alpine- said:
So I have a rooted (latest unrevoked) EVO with stock ROM. Radio is the current version so I did not need to flash a new radio. I have the rom backed up with rom manager and also a Titanium Backup.
I download Cm7-final with Rom Manager and proceed to flash it. All appears well until it loads and I'm stuck in CM7 splash bootloop and never get into the actual OS/homescreen. I boot to recovery and restore my prior rom backup, luckily all is fine.
My question is what have i done wrong? I read the EVO CM7 Wiki and it looks like I followed the instructions correctly. Do I need to ditch using RomManager and try it manually? Any suggestions on why I got this bootloop?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same issue....although mine have been caused by restoring system data.
What I did is manually DL the rom, boot into recover, wiped cache/dalvic, flashed from zip (Both CM7 and the proper GAPPS file) and it worked.

eventer289 said:
No it won't as long as you have a nandroid. Look up the "VR Superwipe," and flash it. I'd recommend booting into recovery manually and doing this. Wipe cache and dalvik after flashing the superwipe for good measure. Finally flash the ROM.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
nandroid? So the RomManager rom backup I created isnt sufficient? I also have a full Titanium Backup saved too. Why Nandroid? I was under the impression this was just a similar app to Titanium - wrong?
Thanks for the input guys.

Alpine- said:
nandroid? So the RomManager rom backup I created isnt sufficient? I also have a full Titanium Backup saved too. Why Nandroid? I was under the impression this was just a similar app to Titanium - wrong?
Thanks for the input guys.
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Click to collapse
So wait, still getting the loops?

teh roxxorz said:
So wait, still getting the loops?
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I have no tried since I got all these suggestions. Sorry for the confusion. I suspect manually wiping and manually installing will work.

Alpine:
When I first started flashing stuff I relied on the Clockwork app to do everything. I used it to flash roms and clear/wipe data and cache. However, after running into problems like yours I started doing it manually.
What I started doing was booting into RECOVERY (i know it sounds scary but it really isn't) A little off topic but there is a great app that I think every rooted user should use, it's called: Reboot Control Widget It only costs a measly $1 in the Market but it's well worth it. Basically you put the widget on the desktop and click on it. You are then given the option to Reboot your phone, Hot Boot (fast reboot), boot into Recovery, Bootloader or Shut Down. Best dollar you will ever spend on an app.
So anyway, l strayed from my point. The problem you are experiencing is partially due to not having fully wiped your phones data/cache. I know you think you did it through the Clockwork app but from experience it doesn't work that well. There is a "flashable" file called Calkulin's Format All. It is in the DEV section posted in Calkulin's Rom section. It will clear everything except the contents of your SD card.
1. Boot into RECOVERY
2. find: INSTALL ZIP FROM SDCARD
3. select the Calkulin's Format ALL.zip file (your phone will be totally clean after this)
4. Again, choose INSTALL ZIP FROM SDCARD
5. Select the ROM you want to flash. (If it is a Cyanogen based ROM you will have to flash the appropriate Google Apps file after flashing the ROM. If flashing a Sense ROM the Gapps file is not necessary)
6. Flash Gapps file (Google apps if necessary)
7. Once this is done select REBOOT SYSTEM NOW
I feel confident that if you follow those steps you won't run into any bootloops!

I have added the Format All.zip file that I mentioned in my last post.
Little advice:
- take the time to do a Nandroid before flashing a new rom
- use Titanium to restore only the apps w/o the data. I know it's nice to restore everything the way you had it on the last rom but from my experience this has led to instability in the new rom. Also from my experience when you are on a SENSE rom and use Titanium to backup your files and data when you install a AOSP (like CM) rom and try to restore those files and data it won't even let you. Just something to keep in mind if you are switching between CM to Sense or vice versa.

Alpine- said:
I have no tried since I got all these suggestions. Sorry for the confusion. I suspect manually wiping and manually installing will work.
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Click to collapse
Yes it should.
Manually wipe you factory/data, cache, dalvik, then flash the rom with the latest gapps and you'll be good.

SantinoInc said:
Alpine:
When I first started flashing stuff I relied on the Clockwork app to do everything. I used it to flash roms and clear/wipe data and cache. However, after running into problems like yours I started doing it manually.....
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Click to collapse
Wow, great post. Very informative and detailed, thanks a lot.
So why is creating a nandroid backup better than the ROM backup function in RomManager? I restored that rom once and it worked flawlessly. How does nandroid differ from the rom backup created in RomManager?

when you use clockwordmod recovery to wipe your phone the dalvik doesn't wipe with the wipe option you see on the main screen, i belive you will see the option to wipe it in the advanced menu

Alpine- said:
Wow, great post. Very informative and detailed, thanks a lot.
So why is creating a nandroid backup better than the ROM backup function in RomManager? I restored that rom once and it worked flawlessly. How does nandroid differ from the rom backup created in RomManager?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are the same. ROM Manager boots you into recovery and nandroids for you. People have mixed experiences with ROM Manager. From my experience it is best just to boot manually into recovery and take care of all your flashing and wiping there.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[Q] CM7 RC1 won't restore

so i have been using CM7 RC1 w/ stock kernel for a while now, without any issues. i was reading up and wanted to try the new incredikernel though, for the governor rather than using setcpu/juice defender for increased battery life.
so i did a titanium backup, then in Clockwork did a full backup before i started messing with anything. i then mounted to computer to put the kernel on the SD card. i did this, but was confused where to actually put the .zip file so that CW would see it. SD card or internal memory? i've had this issue before.
anyway, i didn't find the .zip when i booted into recovery, so i went to re-mount to USB to move it over to the other directory, and everything seized up on me. trying to mount USB basically froze my phone. re-booting did not fix, when i try to go into CM settings or try to mount USB same freezing would happen.
OK fine, i just did a nandroid backup so i figured it wasn't a big deal since i haven't actually made any changes yet and so i restored. then it would not boot. got stuck at the CM7 bootloader. ****. so i tried an earlier restore point, from a few months ago. that worked (also CM7-RC1 when i first put it on). i didn't wipe cache/dalvik when i tried the first time, so i wiped now and then tried to restore the most recent backup again. still, no luck.
so i've been living with the older restore trying to get everything how it was before. another note, i had installed a battery meter (RC1 did not come with one), and when trying to flash this, got stuck at the same bootloader screen again. another thing to note is that i have been updating CW to the latest version when it is available, but all versions are 3.xx. the latest i think i went from 3.0.0.5 to 3.0.0.8. just trying to include as much info as possible here...
any ideas? it's frustrating because i haven't actually been installing anything new. at this point i just want my phone the way it was, i.e. getting the latest restore point to work. it won't, but older restore versions will work. did CW mess up the backup, is it corrupt? is this a CM7 issue or CW? help please!
if this is in the wrong forum, apologies, it wouldn't let me post in the dev thread due to lack of posts.

Did you do a complete wipe before trying to restore your backups? In recovery, wipe data/factory reset, wipe cache, wipe dalvik cache, format boot, system, data and cache.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App

k_nivesout said:
Did you do a complete wipe before trying to restore your backups? In recovery, wipe data/factory reset, wipe cache, wipe dalvik cache, format boot, system, data and cache.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
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i did not do that before. i just tried though, and same result. stuck in CM7 boot loop.
wtf happened to my backup!

That happened to me once. Try this. Save everything on your sd card to your computer. Reformat card. Then put just the nandroid back on card. It might help.

Yeah sounds like it may be an issue with the SD card or your backup..
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App

Need some slight clarification on a couple of things.

Ok, im not too much of a newbie with flashing roms..but im trying to understand something. Ok right now im on synergy-kingdom rom and whenever I flash a sense rom, my wallpaper and settings seems to carry over from the first rom. Im trying to have a fresh install so to speak. Before every new rom I clear the cache, dalvik cache, data, atleast 3 times. and run a super-wipe zip...but every time it seems like things are unchanged. Basically i want to know how to get the cleanest install without keeping some settings from the previous install?

Well you're doing it right; if you're on clockwork, it may not be wiping correctly for some people, in which you can try switch to amon ra, another recovery, or update to the latest clockwork. Cuz you only need to: backup your apps+data, do a full wipe [factory/data, cache, dalvik cache], flash rom, reboot. Then when restoring apps and data, restore only apps+data, NOT system settings.

ok thanks im using amon ra btw..guess im doing it right. Ok, for example...yesterday I fudged up my synergy install by trying to install a mod for a rosie. So instead of doing a nandroid restore, i just opted to do a fresh install over again after wiping/erasing all the things mentioned above. Upon boot i was expecting to see the wallpaper that came with original rom but instead I got the wallpaper I assigned earlier that day. For some reason I thought it was supposed to load all the original settings of that rom (including wallpapers etc..)and not some settings that I chose manually.

I have done the exact same thing. I've had to repartition SD to remove the data. As I think about it, I started wiping everything except sd card, hasn't done it since then.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium

Slagdude76 said:
I have done the exact same thing. I've had to repartition SD to remove the data. As I think about it, I started wiping everything except sd card, hasn't done it since then.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium
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So your saying I should repartition the sd to get rid of the left over settings?

Random crashes after restoring to backup.

I had flashed Warm TwoPointThree. Didn't really like it so I restored to my nandroid back up. Now the phone randomly crashes for no apparent reason. It is sitting next to me on my desk and just now it crashed, wasn't even touching it. Secondary to the crashes is that after it happen and I try to report the phone is registering no charge and then immediately shuts down till I put it on a charger, regardless of actual battery charge.
Edit
More info. It has never crashed while on the charger. Don't know if that is relevant.

Did you wipe properly prior to restoring your nandroid? Also, what recovery are you using? If it's not Amon-ra, you need to get it! Make sure when doing a nandroid restore you have the appropriate items checked for restore (Assuming you did this when making the nandroid to begin with). Usually Boot, System, Data, and SD ext if partitioned.

Im using Amon-ra and I have an unpartitioned SD card. What do you mean by wipe? I'm a new to the entire rooting thing.

You need to wipe all data factory reset, boot, system, and dalvik cache in recovery three times each. Then restore your nandroid. You can also use a superwipe script but I feel manually wiping them is best.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA

dieselford said:
You need to wipe all data factory reset, boot, system, and dalvik cache in recovery three times each. Then restore your nandroid. You can also use a superwipe script but I feel manually wiping them is best.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA
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Can I use the wipe feature in Amon-ra to do this?

Yes. That is the way to do it.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium

Try fix permissions, I think RA has it under other, or if u have Rom manager there is an option to fix permissions
Sent from my Synergized Aggressive Lionfish Evo using the XDA app

I think I may have found a problem with the backup I was using. For some reason the backup file had 2 copies of every entry.
Under the other tad in RA recovery there was options to fix apk uid mismatches and move recovery.log to SD.
I selected the fix apk uid mismatches. Im hoping that is the fix permissions that the previous poster was talking about. If not then can I get some direction in doing it properly?

SabaBoBaba said:
I think I may have found a problem with the backup I was using. For some reason the backup file had 2 copies of every entry.
Under the other tad in RA recovery there was options to fix apk uid mismatches and move recovery.log to SD.
I selected the fix apk uid mismatches. Im hoping that is the fix permissions that the previous poster was talking about. If not then can I get some direction in doing it properly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes that's it.

Well the crashes have started again. They seem to start slow, one crash then like 3 days later another and then just increase in frequency, today it crashed 5 times before noon. I'm at the point that I think perhaps I need to wipe and not attempt to do a restore. My concern is will I lose my root if I do that?

Will I lose root if I do wipe with out restoring afterward?

SabaBoBaba said:
Will I lose root if I do wipe with out restoring afterward?
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Click to collapse
If you wipe without restoring, you won't have a ROM on your device. You'll have to flash one, and as long as it's a custom or rooted stock ROM, you'll be fine.

Well I did a factory reset tonight so we'll see how that goes. Thanks to those people who contributed.

Well I did the factory reset and this morning it crashed again. I'm at a loss. All this started after I installed the Warm 2.3 ROM and then restored back to a backup to get the stock ROM back. Any thoughts on what to try now?

Any further help that anyone can offer on this. I'm at the end of what I can think of to do

SabaBoBaba said:
Any further help that anyone can offer on this. I'm at the end of what I can think of to do
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Click to collapse
Just stop restoring and flash a ROM from scratch. Do a full wipe (everything except SD card), and then flash the ROM (custom or stock) or your choice. It seems that the restore is at the root of your problem, so it may be time to give up on that.
Current ROM (BootManager Slot 5): ICS-Deck-PreBeta20 | Kernel: Mason v0.14 SBC (FSO)

Captain_Throwback said:
Just stop restoring and flash a ROM from scratch. Do a full wipe (everything except SD card), and then flash the ROM (custom or stock) or your choice. It seems that the restore is at the root of your problem, so it may be time to give up on that.
Current ROM (BootManager Slot 5): ICS-Deck-PreBeta20 | Kernel: Mason v0.14 SBC (FSO)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well Im going to flash this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1455340&highlight=stock+rom and see if that works. Thanks for the assist.

After wiping last night and loading the rooted version of the latest stock ROM it crashed again today. Next idea?

Try wiping in recovery by flashing Edify_Format_ALL (found on xda). I manually wipe Dalvik, habit... Flash rom from scratch. I use Titanium Backup to back up apps and data just for these situations. Some caches are moved to SD card, maybe delete these folders and let system rebuild them. (ie android_secure).
Hope you get it sorted out.

Grizraz said:
Try wiping in recovery by flashing Edify_Format_ALL (found on xda). I manually wipe Dalvik, habit... Flash rom from scratch. I use Titanium Backup to back up apps and data just for these situations. Some caches are moved to SD card, maybe delete these folders and let system rebuild them. (ie android_secure).
Hope you get it sorted out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ill give that a shot. I hope I can fix what ever I did to foul this thing up.
Just from searching the forums I really dont understand this edify thing. Can you help be get some clarity on it?