Develop Bugs

Read Only File System when removing apps

I am trying to remove some apps I dont use or want like the mail app and others and I know i have nand protection unlocked becasue I can run nand backup and restore. But when i run adb shell and rm Mail.apk i get message of rm failed for Mail.apk, read only file system. I am a noob with adb but is it possible i dont have nand unlocked?

Being able to NAND backup and restore doesn't have anything to do with having NAND unlocked.
You obviously don't have full root.

download or find (please pay for it on the market)
root explorer, run it, this will put you on the / directory which is the root of the phone, not the sd card, and up in the top right corner it says mount r/o or mount r/w
by default it is read only r/o
hit the button and beside it you will see small text saying 'mounted r/w'
if it lets you mount r/w then you should be good to go.
just navigate to your /system/app filder, long press on the apk file you want to delete and choose delete, it will error out if you dont have r/w access, but make sure the upper right corner still says 'mounted r/w' - sometimes when you mount the phone in the opening page, it doesnt mount everything as r/w so you might have to mount the /system/app folder.
so, if you have it mounted r/w and it says so, and it wont let you delete or rename anything, then you know that you do not have a full root, just the partial root and you will have to go thru and reroot it for full access.
there are simpler ways i imagine but root explorer is the king of file explorers as far as i am concerned.
the only thing it needs is a built in FTP and SMB (windows network) explorer.

FAndroidHTC said:
I am trying to remove some apps I dont use or want like the mail app and others and I know i have nand protection unlocked becasue I can run nand backup and restore. But when i run adb shell and rm Mail.apk i get message of rm failed for Mail.apk, read only file system. I am a noob with adb but is it possible i dont have nand unlocked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you be running the stock rooted ROM?
Sent from my PC36100

rafroehlich2 said:
Would you be running the stock rooted ROM?
Sent from my PC36100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
stock rooted rom doesnt matter, thats what i run from time to time and i can delete/move/rename anythign i want anywhere on the phone (ok i havent tried every folder but have not hit a file/folder i couldnt alter yet, because i have full root access.

v_lestat said:
stock rooted rom doesnt matter, thats what i run from time to time and i can delete/move/rename anythign i want anywhere on the phone (ok i havent tried every folder but have not hit a file/folder i couldnt alter yet, because i have full root access.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I asked because I had a similar problem when I had stock rooted. Once I changed it went away.
Sent from my PC36100

rafroehlich2 said:
I asked because I had a similar problem when I had stock rooted. Once I changed it went away.
Sent from my PC36100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmmm wierd.
maybe a bad rooted rom?
someone correct me here but do you have SuperUser installed?
doesnt he have to have superuser installed to do it via root explorer, or login to a terminal via adb with 'su' to rename/move/delete
if you didnt type su, and then get the $ prompt you cant do what you are trying to do. ... ???
i dont think you need to type su to do the following command but it probably wouldn't hurt ??
i am very adb green but do know enough to run some commands, its just that i prefer to do it with root explorer rather than command prompt.

download or find (please pay for it on the market)
root explorer, run it, this will put you on the / directory which is the root of the phone, not the sd card, and up in the top right corner it says mount r/o or mount r/w
by default it is read only r/o
hit the button and beside it you will see small text saying 'mounted r/w'
if it lets you mount r/w then you should be good to go.
just navigate to your /system/app filder, long press on the apk file you want to delete and choose delete, it will error out if you dont have r/w access, but make sure the upper right corner still says 'mounted r/w' - sometimes when you mount the phone in the opening page, it doesnt mount everything as r/w so you might have to mount the /system/app folder.
so, if you have it mounted r/w and it says so, and it wont let you delete or rename anything, then you know that you do not have a full root, just the partial root and you will have to go thru and reroot it for full access.
there are simpler ways i imagine but root explorer is the king of file explorers as far as i am concerned.
the only thing it needs is a built in FTP and SMB (windows network) explorer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use Estrongs File Explorer and use the root option. No payment required. Unless you are running CM ROM, be sure to turn off the root option before closing the program, otherwise next time you open ES it will give a force close.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

wow I love this forum what a huge response in such a short time I'm gonna test to see if I don't have nand properly unlocked and I tried using android mate to delete the apks and that didn't work either but I'm running fresh 1.0.2 currently

Just tried using es file explorer with root explorer and mount file system as writable and deleted the apk and everything worked great the app is gone! Thank you for the help this means i have nand unlocked right? I must have been doing something wrong in the adb shell

You can also issue the command 'adb remount'.
The system partition is mounted read only at start up and this command mounts it read/write. It has nothing to do at all with your NAND.

Ok good to know thank you for the advice like I said I'm an adb noob lol

do adb remount then try again

I removed wireless_tether using root explorer. When i try to install another version of wireless_tether, it says i am trying to overwrite another app, then wont let me install because it says its a system app. then I go in to look and see if I had truly removed it , it has a different name "andro tether" under settings/apps/manage apps. It doesn't show this in the root explorer for me to delete it. How can I fully delete it if its not showing there anymore.
I still cant install the new version. Help

[Q] What have i done wrong

Trying to load a new boot animation onto my DHD and I've encountered an odd problem, apparently i can't write system folders, root explorer won't mount it and adb won't push the file to it saying write only system making me think it's not rooted properly.
I though I'd rooted it fine with visonary as I got s-off installed and clockwork?

Hello buddy! I think i can help you!
Follow this steps :
- Go on Root Explorer and coppy the bootanimation.zip
-Than go to /system/customize/resource and before you past it, click in the white box in the right top that called "Mount R/W"
- Mount R/W will be Mount R/O
- Coppy it, reboot and be happy!

yeah tried that root explorer won't mount r/w hence the issue

Rat1sully said:
yeah tried that root explorer won't mount r/w hence the issue
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you ever find a solution to this? I have the exact same problem where the system will not mount as r/w! The odd thing is that I have a custom rom installed so it should be rooted properly by default.
Anyone have any ideas?
is it something to do with having radio s-off and not the eng hboot?

Still have this problem only way round it is to flash in recovery, however leedroid gives an easier alternative if all your wanting is a custom boot animation
Sent from my Desire HD

Has Root Explorer been granted superuser permissions?
You wont be able to change anything if it hasn't.
To check, open the Superuser app and check Root Explorer has a green dot beside it.
If not click it and set to remember.
Now open Root Explorer and the R/W option should work.

All good as far as superuser is concerned pretty sure the only way to edit those areas is through recovery
Sent from my Desire HD

Weird.
Try Android Revolution HD ROM. This lets you change bootanims easy

do you guys have s-off? the nand protection, wont let you write to /system/ while the device is booted, even if your rooted without s-off

I'm running leedroid so no longer an issue for me but should have s-off remember doing it before installing cwm
Sent from my Desire HD

[Q] Access /data from HTC Sense?

Am wondering if there is a application or something that gives me access to /data while the phone is booted into the OS.
I know i can mount /data from recovery and remove/add files and stuff from there, but am wondering if this is possible to do while the phone is booted into the OS?

Nitrius said:
Am wondering if there is a application or something that gives me access to /data while the phone is booted into the OS.
I know i can mount /data from recovery and remove/add files and stuff from there, but am wondering if this is possible to do while the phone is booted into the OS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to flash the modified Hboot by AlphaRev to provide you with S-OFF (Securiy Off) for NAND unlock and to provide you with full root access, while the phone is powered on (booted into the OS). Search the Desire Android Development section of the forum.

Okay, let's say i do this, how do i access /data when am booted into the OS then?

Depending on what you want to do, you can use a File Explorer app to make modifications while the OS is running, and use apps like MetaMorph that require full system privileges to make r/w changes to the system partition, for example.
EDIT: Here is the thread I was referring to: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=794314

Well i've tried out s-off, and it looks like i can see the content on the /system folder with Astro, but the Data folder is empty, but i know there should be an bootanimation.zip file there, as i've seen it while the /data was mounted in recovery.
Maybe i need another file explorer than Astro? Or?

Nitrius said:
Well i've tried out s-off, and it looks like i can see the content on the /system folder with Astro, but the Data folder is empty, but i know there should be an bootanimation.zip file there, as i've seen it while the /data was mounted in recovery.
Maybe i need another file explorer than Astro? Or?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What to do is, download EStrong File Explorer from the Marketplace. Once installed, open EStrong File Explorer and select the Menu button, then choose 'Settings'. Scroll down to 'Root Options' and select it. In Root Options, enable Root Explorer and choose the relevant option. Also choose the 'Mount File System' option as the /system partition was in read-only mode before and the files were hidden. Now, when you go to /data/local (i think), here you will find the location of the bootanimation.zip

Didn't work, looks like i have to have a CM rom or HiAPK rom. Any other idea?
And thanks for the help so far =)
Edit: There is an app in the market that's called "Root Explorer" that says it should give me access to the "elusive /data" folder, maybe that will work?

You don't need to be s-off to access /data. Or at least I didn't have to be.
Try putting bootanimation.zip in /data/local anyway and see if it works.
This overrides the existing bootanimation that is stored elsewhere.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

Trying out a different rom, and bought Root Explorer and now am able to see the content in the /data folder at least.

FYI CWM With latest .14 ICS release

I went throught the process to root and install unlocked bootloader after upgrading from stock hc to stock 14 ics build. Everything seemed to work well untill trying to install CWM.
EVerytime I rebooted to try to get into CWM I got the old recovery. It seems I had to rename install-recovery.sh. However when I tried to rename with term emu apparently the easy root method no longer works and system remained ro. In order to resolve I had to mount -o remount, rw /system/ then rename install-recovery, then re-run the cwm script.

paronowitz said:
I went throught the process to root and install unlocked bootloader after upgrading from stock hc to stock 14 ics build. Everything seemed to work well untill trying to install CWM.
EVerytime I rebooted to try to get into CWM I got the old recovery. It seems I had to rename install-recovery.sh. However when I tried to rename with term emu apparently the easy root method no longer works and system remained ro. In order to resolve I had to mount -o remount, rw /system/ then rename install-recovery, then re-run the cwm script.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm confused. Even if the root script from ZN was installed successfully which I can confirm and many other members who have ran this rom have confirmed, you would still need to mount /system some how. Whether it is from rootexplorer, es file manager, or directly from the terminal emulator as you did. That script roots the tab and makes /system/ mountable in various apps it doesn't make /system/ RW constantly. I'm glad you got it taken care of though.

Yup that what I'm saying. I started with a freshly clean install. I tried running the an method several times. I was able to install unlocked boot loader howver I had no rw access to /system unless I manually remounted. Every time I reboot I have to remount again

Well I would think BEFORE updating to .014 you should remove bootloader.blob and anything else that relates to changing recovery from the .014 update before attempting to flash. Otherwise you would end up with a stock bootloader again.

don't forget to remove the installrecovery script from the etc folder too just a fyi

@paronowitz
You might want to try rooting again. I'm currently on Zeronull's release, and I can mount /system fine from root explorer without having to mount it first through terminal emu. I've gotten into the habit of re-rooting roms on the tab.

I had not problem accessing /system. I could not change or delete anything in is specifically the install_recovery.sh without remounting it rw

if memory serves me right the install package for twrp removed the install recoveryinstall script.

paronowitz said:
I had not problem accessing /system. I could not change or delete anything in is specifically the install_recovery.sh without remounting it rw
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I apparently had no problems with root, until I tried to edit anything in /system. After re-rooting I could mount /system, AND edit/delete install_recovery.sh.

The OP had said he was renaming install-recovery.sh from the terminal emulator. Like I said in my post earlier the root script doesn't make /system/ rw constantly and the terminal emulator does not auto mount /system/ rw. So even if the script is working, you would have to use the same commands if you are using the termnal to rename. Also, by making /system/ rw you are making /system/etc rw, and this allows you to edit the file you were attempting to edit. So when I am referring to mounting /system/ as rw, we are talking about the same thing. /etc/ is a shortcut to /system/etc.

paronowitz said:
I went throught the process to root and install unlocked bootloader after upgrading from stock hc to stock 14 ics build. Everything seemed to work well untill trying to install CWM.
EVerytime I rebooted to try to get into CWM I got the old recovery. It seems I had to rename install-recovery.sh. However when I tried to rename with term emu apparently the easy root method no longer works and system remained ro. In order to resolve I had to mount -o remount, rw /system/ then rename install-recovery, then re-run the cwm script.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It sounds like you may want to just execute the commands by hand. The script will make assumptions that may not hold true for your current configuration.
Look HERE
Check out the Eew245's root method. It give you the most control since you do it by hand. If you don't have adb you can use the one supplied in the ZeroNull easy unlock package(careful to not run the scripts at the wrong time and such though). Anyway Im out of time today. It sounds like as others have said you probably just need to
su
mount -o remount,rw /system
mv /system/etc/install-recovery.sh /system/etc/install-recovery.sh.BAK
Then reflash cwm if you overwrote recovery when you updated.

NoSudo said:
It sounds like you may want to just execute the commands by hand. The script will make assumptions that may not hold true for your current configuration.
Look HERE
Check out the Eew245's root method. It give you the most control since you do it by hand. If you don't have adb you can use the one supplied in the ZeroNull easy unlock package(careful to not run the scripts at the wrong time and such though). Anyway Im out of time today. It sounds like as others have said you probably just need to
su
mount -o remount,rw /system
mv /system/etc/install-recovery.sh /system/etc/install-recovery.sh.BAK
Then reflash cwm if you overwrote recovery when you updated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's exactly what I had to do.

edit - miss-post

[Q] Deleting system file in terminal causes reboot

Hello all,
I'm trying to delete a system file using the Android terminal (as my end goal is to put it in a run shell task in Tasker) and it either reboots my phone or just doesn't delete.
Long story short, I'm using the Weak Sauce root method, but I do not have S-Off as I like how easy it is to undo the Weak Sauce root alone. This means, of course, I don't have immediate RW access to system. So here's what I've done:
Code:
# mount -o rw,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mmcblk0p46 /system
# busybox rm -f /system/media/audio/ui/camera_click.ogg
# mount -o ro,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mmcblk0p46 /system
When I do the first and last commands alone, the system mounts as RW and RO correctly, confirmed with # mount|grep system. But that middle command is the problem. Sometimes nothing will happen, other times my phone will reboot. I've also tried adding the following before the rm command with no success:
Code:
# chmod 777 /system/media/audio/ui/camera_click.ogg
I AM able to delete the file manually through ES File Explorer when mounted RW. But it comes back after I restart my phone, hence why I want this command to be used in Tasker.
What am I doing wrong?
PS: as for the "why" of deleting the shutter sound file, I take screenshots sometimes and the sound drives me nuts. I've tried removing the ogg file from the camera apk, but that didn't work after a reboot. I also tried replacing the ogg file with a silent one, but no success there either as the real one reloads itself when I restart.

Delete the file in recovery using TWRP
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

SmiLey497 said:
Delete the file in recovery using TWRP
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm trying to do it from the terminal so I can eventually put it into Tasker. I can delete it successfully with ES File Explorer, so no need for recovery. I just need some way to get it to work through the terminal.

If the file is coming back then you don't have proper write access to system and the file isn't actually being deleted which Is why it appears to come back.
Try using root explorer instead or do it through TWRP. Make system RW then just move or rename the file rather than delete it. If you have proper write access it will stick.

heather1209 said:
I'm trying to do it from the terminal so I can eventually put it into Tasker. I can delete it successfully with ES File Explorer, so no need for recovery. I just need some way to get it to work through the terminal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It comes back when you reboot. Your system is not writable you need to S-OFF. get system RW kernel, or delete through recovery.

SmiLey497 said:
It comes back when you reboot. Your system is not writable you need to S-OFF. get system RW kernel, or delete through recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, that makes sense. What's the system RW kernel you mentioned? I'm not familiar with that.

heather1209 said:
Ah, that makes sense. What's the system RW kernel you mentioned? I'm not familiar with that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2701816

heather1209 said:
Ah, that makes sense. What's the system RW kernel you mentioned? I'm not familiar with that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[KERNEL] [June 20] [Sense] [GPE] ElementalX 0.19 I think that'll work on stock Sense system.

heather1209 said:
Ah, that makes sense. What's the system RW kernel you mentioned? I'm not familiar with that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He means flash a kernel that has write access to system enabled.

SmiLey497 said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2701816
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or yeah, the MOD can work too :good: