[Q] I have a question about flashing roms - Samsung Galaxy Nexus

I've never had a phone that doesnt have an SD card. So I flashed roms left and right and didnt have to worry about a lot of data like music and pictures and stuff on my phone.
Does the clockwork for the nexus avoid wiping certain folders to preserve some of that data or am I going to have to deal with losing everything every single time i want to do a data wipe for a new rom or something? I thought I read it did something like this for the nexus s. Is it functioning the same for the galaxy nexus?
Thanks!

Yes. When using CWM, it avoids wiping anything in the //sd card/ folder. Although when unlocking the bootloader for the first time this will wipe EVERYTHING so make sure to backup!

Related

[Q] Clockwork recovery and full wipes?

Suffice to say i'm a bit unclear about this... my scenario
currently running leedroid 2.3d with ext3 app partion and I wanted to test out some of the gingerbread ports so far.
If I do a nandroid wipe, and the clear the app partion, and wipe through clockwork, install the new gingerbread rom, decide I dont like it. Can I still restore from the nandroid backup and have lost nothing... I realize it may sound like an obvious question but I couldnt find any conformation on that and really dont want to loose my current setup
Yes, assuming you nandroid before you do the full wipe
To be clear -
Nandroid backups take a complete image of the phone (ROM, apps, homescreen settings...) which is used to put everything right back where it was before you started messing with it.
Take a backup before you do anything, personally I have about 5 or 6 now (usually 2 or 3 on the phone itself, and a couple of trusted older ones copied onto my laptop) so I can get back to a working system. I keep a spreadsheet list of exactly what they are (ROM, setup, kernel if appropriate) so I know which one to restore to. Maybe it's just me but I find "2011-02-02-15.43.53" less than helpful as a restore point name.
Once you have a backup I'd also suggest rebooting, connecting to your computer and backing up the contents of your SD card. So far I've had one card die completely on me, luckily for me there was nothing irreplaceable on it. Backups, like all other files, can be copied from one SD card to another.
Thanks to both of you that was exactly the clarification I was looking for

[Q] Pitfalls of Flashing the GNex?

Hello, I searched through three pages and didn't find a similar thread, I have also skimmed a fair bit and still nothing.
Since the GNex has all of its memory internal will I be forced to slowly and painfully back up all of my pictures, music, documents, etc every time I choose to switch roms and do a full wipe?
I understand that in the process of rooting it is a safety feature of Google's to erase everything; however, I just hope there is an easier way.
if you use a rom from the same cook you might not have to wipe before you install a newer rom.
bdangol said:
if you use a rom from the same cook you might not have to wipe before you install a newer rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's true but with this being a new device and the hope that their will be a HUGE amount of development that would be a fate worse than not even rooting lol.
I'm confused. With the Nexus S I never lost all my stuff on the SD when I wiped and flashed new roms. Is there something different with the file system between the Galaxy and the S?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
when you wipe you don't lose any pictures or videos or anything like that. It only erases the system and data folders
Generally, it only wipes/reinstalls /system and /data, leaving /sdcard intact (even though there isn't an sdcard... we know). That being said, it is possible to fully wipe the device, as I've had to do a few times (copying stuff back to my phone right now actually...), but most people won't need to do that at all. Even for switching ROMs.
Good to know the Nexus S avoided this issue. It might be that you just lose everything when you do the initial root, flash cwm, etc step.
You will lose everything whenever you fastboot oem unlock.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

Rom flashing question

I'm not new to flashing roms but I am new to this phone. I'm used to the old epic and evo where everything is stored on a external sd. So with this phone storing everything internal I was wondering when I wipe or do factory reset to flash a ics Rom will I lose all of my songs and pictures and whatnot?
Thanks
No sir. All your pictures/music will be safe.
Sent from my E4GT running AOKP from times_infinity.
konaman said:
I'm not new to flashing roms but I am new to this phone. I'm used to the old epic and evo where everything is stored on a external sd. So with this phone storing everything internal I was wondering when I wipe or do factory reset to flash a ics Rom will I lose all of my songs and pictures and whatnot?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should get yourself an external SD card.
You should also spend some time reading through the wiki's and stickies. Actually a lot of time. If you don't, even though you may have plenty of flashing experience with other devices, you could easily 'paper weight' your phone.
This phone is different in structure to your previous one(s).
It will ONLY help you to understand how to properly do things by reading and then reading some more.
Welcome to the E4GT and have fun.

[Q] Wipe Internal SD

I've been using a ROM on my ATT Galaxy S3 that has been acting weird; maps force closing, black screens constantly, apps freezing for extended periods of time, and I want to start fresh. I'm going on a road trip for the holidays and would really like to use maps as they were intended.
I wiped all my personal data but there are still some pictures showing up in gallery and some app folders that didn't get deleted. My understanding is that this is all on the internal SD card. Is the ROM itself (AOKP 4.1.2) on the internal SD card also? If I were to go into CWM and format the internal sd would I lose everything and would the phone be unable to boot or would I be able to simply re-flash the ROM? if i were to put the new ROM on an external SD card would i be able to go back into CWM and flash it from there?
If I'm missing something feel free to correct me or point me in the right direction (a guide would be ideal). I've searched on various sights and can't find exactly what I'm looking for, everything seems a little vague.
Thanks a bunch and Happy Holidays.
Wiping your sdcard probably won't fix anything. Try this
Download the latest versions of your ROM, gapps and if you choose a kernel. Go into recovery backup your current setup, factory reset, wipe data, cache, and dalvik. Flash new ROM, gapps. Boot it up then boot back into recovery. Fix permissions. Then you should be good.
Brilliant. It looks like that fixed all my problems thus far; no flickers, no black screens, maps are working.
Thanks again, hope you have a good holiday.
acav19861 said:
Brilliant. It looks like that fixed all my problems thus far; no flickers, no black screens, maps are working.
Thanks again, hope you have a good holiday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem you too

ROM switching on the HTC One?

Couldn't find a thread on this and this may be a COMPLETE noob question...
I've never dealt with a phone that couldn't hold an SD card and I'm hoping to get the HTC One soon. I root/switch roms on all my phones.
I was just wondering, since the HTC One doesn't hold an SD card, what happens when I flash a ROM?
Usually, if I am correct, wiping data removes everything on the phones internal storage, and since the HTC One doesn't have external storage, will everything (songs, pictures, etc) be erased upon ROM switch?
I'm just baffled if it's all erased upon switching. Sorry for noob question, as I stated, I don't deal with phones with no external storage, so thanks XDA.
jakichan77 said:
Couldn't find a thread on this and this may be a COMPLETE noob question...
I've never dealt with a phone that couldn't hold an SD card and I'm hoping to get the HTC One soon. I root/switch roms on all my phones.
I was just wondering, since the HTC One doesn't hold an SD card, what happens when I flash a ROM?
Usually, if I am correct, wiping data removes everything on the phones internal storage, and since the HTC One doesn't have external storage, will everything (songs, pictures, etc) be erased upon ROM switch?
I'm just baffled if it's all erased upon switching. Sorry for noob question, as I stated, I don't deal with phones with no external storage, so thanks XDA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IIRC there's a virtual SD card where certain things dont get wiped (I think titanium backup accesses this)
crazyg0od33 said:
IIRC there's a virtual SD card where certain things dont get wiped (I think titanium backup accesses this)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you happen to know of it's accessible via computer or a file manager app? (or custom recoveries?)
jakichan77 said:
Do you happen to know of it's accessible via computer or a file manager app? (or custom recoveries?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its nothing different from dealing with a standard SD card. When you wipe you're wiping data (not internal storage but app data) cache and possibly dalvik and system. None if which will end up wiping your saved files on SD card unless you select wipe internal storage. Just to note HTC or Verizon blocked us from unlocking bootkoaders right now so no go on that except for a few that did it day one.
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using xda app-developers app
jakichan77 said:
Couldn't find a thread on this and this may be a COMPLETE noob question...
I've never dealt with a phone that couldn't hold an SD card and I'm hoping to get the HTC One soon. I root/switch roms on all my phones.
I was just wondering, since the HTC One doesn't hold an SD card, what happens when I flash a ROM?
Usually, if I am correct, wiping data removes everything on the phones internal storage, and since the HTC One doesn't have external storage, will everything (songs, pictures, etc) be erased upon ROM switch?
I'm just baffled if it's all erased upon switching. Sorry for noob question, as I stated, I don't deal with phones with no external storage, so thanks XDA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Recoveries differentiate between internal storage and the virtual "/sdcard", so that won't be wiped.
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk 4
just don't accidentally hit erase internal like I did!
you'll be stuck in recovery/bootloader with nothing to flash, no nandroids nothing
took forever to fix my horrible mistake.
been trying like hell to find an easy way to switch the menu order in TWRP. there is no reason why the internal wipe is right above system wipe.
alphabetical or not, it's set up for failure.
Learn from my misfortune!
eventually I was able to adb devices in fastboot to and it read my device, and eventually was able to get the phone mounted in recovery to adb push a rom.zip to flash.
nothing fun!
andybones said:
there is no reason why the internal wipe is right above system wipe.
alphabetical or not, it's set up for failure.
Learn from my misfortune!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cannot possible count the amount of times i hit that button and was half a swipe away from erasing my internal on my S3... The flow goes against us all.
Thanks guys, swayed my opinion toward the One in the right direction. I'll be sure to watch the HTC one development until an S-OFF method becomes available. I think we remember the Rezounds S-OFF o.0
Where there's a will there's a way. I'll also try not to lose my data on the internal SD card, probably back up my photos every so often. Thanks again.
jakichan77 said:
Thanks guys, swayed my opinion toward the One in the right direction. I'll be sure to watch the HTC one development until an S-OFF method becomes available. I think we remember the Rezounds S-OFF o.0
Where there's a will there's a way. I'll also try not to lose my data on the internal SD card, probably back up my photos every so often. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let's just hope we have the support we had for the Rezound, I truly hope someone will help bring this phone to life and give it the justice it deserves! S-OFF, and the DEV claims his much deserved bounty.
There is one wrinkle with these HTC internal sdcard partitions that people need to be aware of. If you select factory reset in bootloader rather than recovery, the whole thing can become corrupted so that you lose all your data. Everything. I've seen people do this and then panic thinking they've bricked their phones. It's fixable, but you have to reformat externally using your computer.
Wiping in recovery preserves the /sdcard partition. So as a general rule, wipe ONLY in recovery, NEVER in bootloader.
iElvis said:
There is one wrinkle with these HTC internal sdcard partitions that people need to be aware of. If you select factory reset in bootloader rather than recovery, the whole thing can become corrupted so that you lose all your data. Everything. I've seen people do this and then panic thinking they've bricked their phones. It's fixable, but you have to reformat externally using your computer.
Wiping in recovery preserves the /sdcard partition. So as a general rule, wipe ONLY in recovery, NEVER in bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How would one then completely factory reset their phone like you were allowed to on the Rezound? Just install the default ROM in H-Boot? (Well, not ROM, but I think you get what I'm saying, the P9H-blah.zip).
jakichan77 said:
How would one then completely factory reset their phone like you were allowed to on the Rezound? Just install the default ROM in H-Boot? (Well, not ROM, but I think you get what I'm saying, the P9H-blah.zip).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Factory reset inside Sense will wipe all user data.

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