Develop Bugs

[Tool][Port][Blackhole Nullifier & Wipe][1.5a][6.3.12] Discontinued

I've been working on this port for personal use, but I figured others may find this useful.
What is it?
It's a script flashed through recovery, same as when you flash a ROM, that wipes for you in one simple step!
What does it do? (Wipe)
Depending on which version you choose, it calls on mke2fs and e2fsk to format /cache /data /system, then check the partition afterwards.
It will wipe /cache for the cache only, or system, cache and data for the full wipe. It does not do the external SD card, but it WILL FORMAT INTERNAL SD!
What does it do?(Nullify)
Same as the wipe, however this first calls on DD to zero out the partition, leaving NO DATA behind. Its a full overwrite of all data in the partition, with no way to salvage after running. The chances of anyone being able to recover any data after this is run is pretty slim outside of extreme power users and like..the CIA or something. Even then the data would be so corrupted I doubt anything usable could be rebuilt. Best used when bugs come up regardless of wiping multiple times, or prepping the tab for sale, no personal data can be retrieved from the internal SD.
How do I use it?
This is assuming you run a custom recovery!
System Wipe:
Reboot into recovery (this has been tested on my personal device with CWM and TWRP).
Make a full backup.
Install from SD, pick the system wipe zip.
Install the zip.
Wait a bit, it should take a minute for full wipe.
You can either restore a backup or flash a new ROM zip.
OPTIONAL: Fix permissions
Reboot system
NOTE even on a restore first boot will take longer then normal.
Cache Wipe:
Reboot into recovery.
Make a full backup, just in case.
Install from SD, pick Cache Wipe zip.
It'll take a second.
OPTIONAL: Fix permissions
Reboot system
NOTE boot will take a little longer then normal.
Nullifier:
Make sure you have at LEAST 50% battery or are plugged in.
Copy all information and files you want to save from Internal SD to PC or external SD card (the slot one).
Reboot into recovery.
Make a nandroid backup.
Install zip from SD, pick the nullifier zip you want to run.
Cache nullify takes about 9 minutes, full system takes about 35-40.
Check if you can mount /system /data and /cache, if you can, proceed, if not, reboot recovery (recovery not system!)
Install from zip, pick your ROM zip, or restore a nandroid.
Reboot system, and do whatever the DEV suggests.
NOTE Boot will take longer then usual.
What's this ported from?
This is based on work by Volk's Nullifier script for the G2x, and based directly on the Hellfire Nullifier. It's no longer really even close, but the concept and work is still based on their work.
What does each version do?
Cache Wipe: Formats /cache and deletes /data/dalvik-cache.
System Wipe: Formats /cache /system and /data. Recovery mounts INTERNAL SD to /data/media, so THIS DELETES INTERNAL SD!
Please backup your INTERNAL SD before running this or you will lose everything on it!
Cache Nullify: Nullifies /cache and deletes Dalvik-cache.
System Nullify: Nullifies /cache /data /system. THIS DELETES INTERNAL SD!
Cache Wipe\Nullify is meant for cleaning up when things get buggy.
System Wipe is meant to format everything for a new rom install or nandroid backup restore. The recovery will remove directories around /media, not format, this will format /data completely in preparation for new data.
System Nullify is meant to destroy all data in /system /cache /data, including your internal SD, by zeroing out the partitions. In other words, writes 0s from start to end.
Who should we thank?
Volk, who created the initial concept and script Nullifier, which this is based roughly on.
x0hell0x who ported it to the Hellfire Kindle Series, which this is based directly on.
da-pharoah, who helped me through the process and dealing with different device IDs in different recoveries. If it weren't for him I'd have given up and made seperate zips for each recovery.
What's coming up?
Right now I think this is complete! I'm unsure of how it handles CWM, so I may need to create CWM versions.
Things to note! READ THIS!
This is intended to run on the Acer Iconia Tab A100 ONLY! I have not set this up to run on any other device, and doing so may result in a brick! This wipes partitions, and could wipe boot, recovery, or any number of other partitions if run on a different device!
This was created and tested on my personal device using TWRP recovery! Using any other recovery may or may not prevent the script from running correctly! System wipe\nullify erases internal SD please backup data and ensure your ROMs and Nandroids are stored on EXTERNAL SD CARD!
The wipes are meant for every flash, the nullifiers are NOT meant for every flash! They are meant for changes from one ROM to another rom, or every few flashes, say 10. Otherwise use manual wipes or my wipe scripts!
Porting:
I'll consider porting to other devices if I have time, please PM me if interested.
I am not responsible for any damage that may occur from use of this script! If you choose to use this, that is your choice. As with anything else, flashing can cause problems including data loss, hair loss, bricking, brick laying, and magical fairies cracking your screen.
Changelog:
5.25.12 v0.1
Initial attempt at porting over, full of fail.
5.26.12 V1.0
Wipe Cache only version completed and successfully run on my device in CWM and TWRP.
5.27.12 V1.0a
Minor changes to the script for cache only version.
5.28.12 V1.1
More changes, changed handling of device ID from recovery to handle both types of recovery reporting (thanks da-pharoah)
Adjusted the status bar indicator to better reflect where in the operation the script is (thanks da-pharoah)
5.30.12 V1.1a
Created post, minor clean up of spelling errors.
5.30.12 V1.3
System Wipe finished after some major changes to command arguments. Cache wipe getting updated as well to 1.3 with a fix to rm argument.
6.1.12 V1.4
Cleaned up an error with the cache being formatted and throwing errors. Updated and cleaned up Cache Nullifier, all scripts updated to 1.4.
6.1.12 V1.5a
I made a mistake and updated the wrong script versions, resulting in nothing being formatted due to the system not unmounting before carrying on with the script. My apologies, I hadn't noticed the issue until I attempted to use it today for a rom install. For now, use only 1.5a versions, updating them all now with the fix. Slight changes to output to help see what it's saying. Working on getting the status bar timing correct.
6.3.12 V1.5a Final
Rechecked each script, and should ALL now be FULLY working in TWRP. CWM may or may not handle the script correctly, if you run into issues like it not working, send me a PM or Email with /cache/recovery/last_log and if there dmesg. System Nullifier added finally!
Please bear with me, I'm finishing my High School course and only have limited time on any given day, and it mostly goes to schoolwork, I will update when I can, and I really hope to have the full wipe completed within a few days. Nullifier may take longer as I'm not sure why DD hangs.
Downloads: These are on my drop box for now, it's small so it shouldn't cause issues.
Blackhole System Wipe 1.5a A100
Blackhole Cache Wipe 1.5a A100
Blackhole Cache Nullifier 1.5a A100
Blackhole System Nullifier 1.5a A100

does this actually "wipe" data so that is can not be recovered? or just erase it?

joeyjojojjjjjj said:
does this actually "wipe" data so that is can not be recovered? or just erase it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right now all it does is format, or wipe, with mke2fs to whatever FS that partition uses, EXT4 or EXT3. Its not much different from using CWM wipe/format commands, just does it all for you. Once I figure out why DD hangs, it will then Nullify the partitions, complete and utter destruction of data by overwriting the partitions with 0s, leaving no traces behind at all. I'm currently hammering out the full system wipe script, which will do /cache /system /data and /data/dalvik-cache, the /cache/dalvik is done when /cache is formatted. The problem I ran into is for some strange reason, internal SD is mounted to /data/media in recovery, meaning formatting /data directly will erase the internal SD card as well. The recovery gets around this by deleting directories around it, but never formats it, which IMO can lead to issues and bugs down the line. I have only 1 method of dealing with this, and that's moving /data/media to the external SD card (SDC), formatting (or nullifying) then moving it back. As this can mean moving up to 8 GB, its not a liable method as it will take a LONG time to move it there and back.
I'm hoping to have the first full system wipe available tonight, however it WILL erase the internal SD, this is only to be used if you don't care what's there, or are having alot of bugs, and copy your stuff off before running. I can't test it since the wife is using the tab now, and I'm not gonna put it online without testing it first.
TL;DNR: It just erases it.

Updates
1.4 versions are up.
Now includes Cache only Nullifier! This is the wiping that I think joeyjojojjjjjj was looking for. Unrecoverable data destruction. Currently DDs /cache, then formats and checks, then deletes dalvik-cache. Overwrites the partition with 0s from beginning to end, leaving nothing but ZERO behind, hence blackhole nullifier.
Hoping to finish up System Nullifier tonight some time.

1.5a Final is done
Scripts are now up to 1.5a Final. The zips are still labeled as 1.5a but they are all updated. Added system nullifier! Please use caution with the wipes and nullifiers, and ensure internal SD is backed up and your nandroids and roms are stored on external SD card before using!
Tested working on TWRP Recovery, YMMV on CWM recoveries.

pio_masaki said:
Scripts are now up to 1.5a Final. The zips are still labeled as 1.5a but they are all updated. Added system nullifier! Please use caution with the wipes and nullifiers, and ensure internal SD is backed up and your nandroids and roms are stored on external SD card before using!
Tested working on TWRP Recovery, YMMV on CWM recoveries.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I finally came upon this thread! Well done bro! Great work and keep it up! makes me wish I had an a100 just to test it

da-pharoah said:
So I finally came upon this thread! Well done bro! Great work and keep it up! makes me wish I had an a100 just to test it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works lol it's based on your work after all

pio_masaki said:
It works lol it's based on your work after all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol I know but still u got it rockin for the a100 so that's what I meant..
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium

Wipes with Crossix Memory Swap?
I am using the Crossix memory swap.
If I use the system wipe script, will it erase the data on my *actual* internal sd (i.e the 5gb partition that I largely don't use). Or will it erase the data on my *tricked* internal (my 32gb microsd card)?
Thanks, I can't wait to try this stuff out!

conorkickass said:
I am using the Crossix memory swap.
If I use the system wipe script, will it erase the data on my *actual* internal sd (i.e the 5gb partition that I largely don't use). Or will it erase the data on my *tricked* internal (my 32gb microsd card)?
Thanks, I can't wait to try this stuff out!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Internal SD only. It will never touch your external SD card. And the reason is....
The crossix mount swap is only active when android runs from /system. This is run from recovery, so any system mods don't affect anything running in recovery.
So you're safe, only the included internal SD is wiped, regardless of crossix's mount swap.
Tapatalked from my Galaxy S II.

This is sick. Nice work.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium

could you make a port of the babsector utility ? A lot of bricks can come back to live with i believe
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1624645

Presko said:
could you make a port of the babsector utility ? A lot of bricks can come back to live with i believe
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1624645
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has nothing to do with these tools lol.
Anyways I can port it but its useless without the sbk, so not really a point until Acer releases it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Excuse me but after a couple of days reading about this problem , what is sbk ?
What ever it is , I doubt that they are going to release even a windows 8 driver for this tablet
Btw I have contacted the Russian author via 4pda and he says to give a straight shot and to send him a screen shot
Tomorrow at work will have time to try
Is there something specific to put in the start command at prima vista ?

Presko said:
Excuse me but after a couple of days reading about this problem , what is sbk ?
What ever it is , I doubt that they are going to release even a windows 8 driver for this tablet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its the encryption key for the boot loader, specifically to use nvflash in apx mode. Its covered in the brick thread.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

pio_masaki said:
Its the encryption key for the boot loader, specifically to use nvflash in apx mode. Its covered in the brick thread.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well that's a chance to ps my post while you aswer it
btw is there a petition or something that I can contribute with ?

Presko said:
well that's a chance to ps my post while you aswer it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

pio_masaki said:
Huh?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not again I will stop editing previous posts

Presko said:
not again I will stop editing previous posts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh OK I didn't see the edits.
Anything using nvflash or apx mode needs the sbk, no way around it. It may yet be cracked like the a500s, but so far no.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

what exactly gets wiped when i wipe data?

Hello everyone,
after more then 2 years with my trusted N1 i finally had to move to a new phone because i broke the screen of my old one.
having the GN now for allmost a week, and within the first few hours of owning the device it got 3 OTA updates and is now at 4.1.1. i am quite happy with it but 2 days ago i startet messing around wiht it. so i ulocked the boodloader and rooted and got myself franco kernel on the GN.
as expected everything worked fine.
today i wantet to give some 3th party roms a try. i tried installing MIUI and euroskanks cm10. both with rom manager.
but on each of them i got in a bootloop after flashing, just showing the franco kernel boot animation.
i flashed both roms without wiping the data (just the cache)
i suspect that is my problem.
i am a little bit scared about the wipe data option for flashing new roms. on my N1 it worked fine since all my files on the sd card where not touched and i could get started allmost immediantly.
unlocking the bootloader of the GN wiped everything out off my phone and i had to copy it all back from a backup.
if i choose wipe data will that also (again) wipe my complete device or just the "OS part" and leave my data alone?
if it wipes everything how do i avoid having to make a backup of my data and restore it afterwards after each and every rom i flash?
i have noted the mnt/sdcard folder on my GN that (apparently) just links back to the root of the memory. what is the puropse of this folder? just to be compatible with "old" apps that insist on writing files to the SD-card or something else?
thanks for the info

no data from sdcard gets removed.
its basically a "NON REMOVABLE sdcard"... think of it that way.

patlabor said:
Hello everyone,
if i choose wipe data will that also(again) wipe my complete device or just the "OS part" and leave my data alone?
if it wipes everything how do i avoid having to make a backup of my data and restore it afterwards after each and every rom i flash?
i have noted the mnt/sdcard folder on my GN that (apparently) just links back to the root of the memory. what is the puropse of this folder? just to be compatible with "old" apps that insist on writing files to the SD-card or something else?
thanks for the info
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. It will wipe your "OS part" + apps. Will leave data in "sdcard" alone. Factory Wipe clears the virtual "sdcard"
2. Can't be avoided, I use Wugfresh's toolkit to make app backups a breeze. Takes a little more time than it used to when I had my OG Droid with a EXT partition but hey, at least you'll always have a current backup of your apps.
3. Yes. It'd actually be less obvious it's still called /sdcard/ if you weren't rooted and poking around . I believe JB switches this to sdcard0 now to account for devices that have external sdcards to be mounted as /sdcard1 and so on.

Ok, I guess I get it.
Just one more thing to make sure.
It looks like all my files are in the root of my phone and mnt/sdcard has just one folder but with the same files as the folder with the same name in my root.
When I wipe data now will it keep everything or just the files in my mnt/sdcard folder?

patlabor said:
Ok, I guess I get it.
Just one more thing to make sure.
It looks like all my files are in the root of my phone and mnt/sdcard has just one folder but with the same files as the folder with the same name in my root.
When I wipe data now will it keep everything or just the files in my mnt/sdcard folder?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Custom recovery (AKA not CWM or TWRP or whatever you're using) will wipe your SD card. Just remember that.
All the custom recoveries wipe /data/ while keeping /data/media/ (your sd card).
Nothing on your "SDcard" will be lost.

I'm in the same situation as the original poster and would like a "definitive" answer. CWM has both a factory reset and a format /data option (in a separate submenu). Which preserve the content of the virtual sdcard ? Which is the raccomended way to try out a JB rom? I have 10+ Gb of data in the sdcard and i would like to avoid moving everything forth and back via MTP protocol...
Thanks
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

IF you are using CWM recovery, "wiping data" will erase the entire userdata partition EXCLUDING /sdcard. This means that everything under /data (except /data/media which = /sdcard) will be erased. This includes all apps you have installed in /data, and most data for those apps.
IF you are using a stock recovery, "wiping data" or "factory reset, will wipe the entire userdata partition, including /sdcard.
Wiping data or factory restore/reset/whatever does NOT touch the system partition or return the device to "factory condition". So if you have installed apps in /system or have root, the will still be there.

[Q] How to install ROM from internal storage?

I'm going to install a new ROM for the first time, planning to install Wicked.
For installing a ROM, I understand you are free to do it from the internal or external storage - you just need to find the file from the recovery's file manager. No problem.
HOWEVER, instructions for this (and many ROMs I've read about) tell you to do a "full wipe" (data, cache and dalvik).
Does this mean I can't (shouldn't) install from internal storage? Or, what are the consequences of not wiping the data partition? Can it be wiped after somehow loading the ROM file?

j111 said:
I'm going to install a new ROM for the first time, planning to install Wicked.
For installing a ROM, I understand you are free to do it from the internal or external storage - you just need to find the file from the recovery's file manager. No problem.
HOWEVER, instructions for this (and many ROMs I've read about) tell you to do a "full wipe" (data, cache and dalvik).
Does this mean I can't (shouldn't) install from internal storage? Or, what are the consequences of not wiping the data partition? Can it be wiped after somehow loading the ROM file?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A "full" wipe isn't exactly a full wipe. You wipe system, data, and cache. While it's true that your internal SD card is on the /data partition, it is untouched by the wipe data function. As far as consequences to not wiping data... all sorts of problems can crop up if you don't wipe it; especially if you're moving between different ROMs (i.e. going from stock TouchWiz to an AOSP variant) or different versions of Android like 4.2.2 to 4.3, etc. If you're going from, say Wicked V9 to Wicked V10, it shouldn't be a problem to leave data intact because it's still Android 4.3. Wicked V8 to Wicked V9 would likely require a data wipe because it's going from 4.2.2 to 4.3.

lordcheeto03 said:
A "full" wipe isn't exactly a full wipe...While it's true that your internal SD card is on the /data partition, it is untouched by the wipe data function
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. So the internal sdcard is not wiped by the data wipe? Is it possible to ask for the details of what the data wipe does in exact terms? Sounds like it doesn't do any formatting, so it must do a delete (rm -rf) of certain directories? Any idea which ones and which ones it leaves alone?

j111 said:
Thanks. So the internal sdcard is not wiped by the data wipe? Is it possible to ask for the details of what the data wipe does in exact terms? Sounds like it doesn't do any formatting, so it must do a delete (rm -rf) of certain directories? Any idea which ones and which ones it leaves alone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It wipes the userdata partition, and others, there's like 30 different partitions. This partition is where your apps and app data is stored. It does not wipe the sdcard partition which is your internal sdcard.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727

I see. So what data is stored on the internal sdcard partition? Is this the file system that you see by default when you connect to a computer via USB (MTC)? Where pics are stored and whatnot...

j111;50555364Is this the file system that you see by default when you connect to a computer via USB (MTC)? Where pics are stored and whatnot...[/QUOTE said:
Yes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Wiping internal storage?

I followed This Guide to get temp root on my Verizon M8 in order to get s-off with sunshine. The SuperSU apk the guide requires is hosted on an iffy looking file hosting site. I'm worried that it could've been infected with malware, which would've gotten root access.
After getting s-off, I followed the guide to install the DigitalHigh GPE ROM HERE. First I had to flash the 5.1 GPE firmware, and then the ROM itself. Would doing both of these things remove any infections, if that apk was infected? If not, what should I do? If it had root access, it could have installed as a system app. I'm assuming that flashing either the 5.1 firmware or the ROM would've overwritten system apps, but I'd like to be sure.
If I wipe internal storage, will I still have s-off and be able to flash the firmware through adb or sideload a ROM?

TheLeshii said:
I'm assuming that flashing either the 5.1 firmware or the ROM would've overwritten system apps, but I'd like to be sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firmware doesn't touch system partition; but a ROM flash wipes it and flashes the new ROM to the system partition.
TheLeshii said:
First I had to flash the 5.1 GPE firmware, and then the ROM itself. Would doing both of these things remove any infections, if that apk was infected?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't claim to have the technical knowledge to really say. But I suppose theoretically its possible some malicious code can reside on other partitions. But it probably unlikely for an infection to be that sophisticated, when there is lower hanging fruit to be had. I'd guess that you are correct, that most malware is installed in system partition or as an app in user data.
TheLeshii said:
If I wipe internal storage, will I still have s-off and be able to flash the firmware through adb or sideload a ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, yes, and yes.
The only thing that can make the phone s-on again, is you manually making it so.

So if I do wipe internal storage, would I be able to do everything without a microSD, being that I can't enable USB debugging with no OS? If so, would it be as simple as rebooting to fastboot, then RUU mode, flashing a firmware zip, and then maybe pushing the ROM?
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app

TheLeshii said:
So if I do wipe internal storage, would I be able to do everything without a microSD, being that I can't enable USB debugging with no OS? If so, would it be as simple as rebooting to fastboot, then RUU mode, flashing a firmware zip, and then maybe pushing the ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure I follow. Wiping internal storage doesn't affect the ROM. Or are you thinking of wiping everything (internal storage, system, etc.) again.

Wouldn't wiping internal storage take out everything, including the ROM? I'd just like to my sure my phone is clean of malware.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app

TheLeshii said:
Wouldn't wiping internal storage take out everything, including the ROM? I'd just like to my sure my phone is clean of malware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Internal storage" specifically just means the user-accessible storage partition (also called the "virtual SD" by some), which is /data/media. That one partition, that's it. No other partitions are touched, including system (ROM) partition, as I already mentioned.
Now, there are options to wipe other partitions, such as in the Advanced Wipe options in TWRP. If you select the system partition, than that will wipe the ROM. But again, its a completely different option and partition than internal storage.

If I wipe the OS completely, would I still be able to access the device with adb? Or would wiping /system definitely get rid of all possible malware?

TheLeshii said:
If I wipe the OS completely, would I still be able to access the device with adb?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be able to use adb while booted into TWRP. Fastboot commands will work without OS (boot into bootloader-fastboot mode).
TheLeshii said:
Or would wiping /system definitely get rid of all possible malware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Definite" is a tough term. In the grand scheme, in theory you can have malware on your phone and computer from any number of sources. But its a matter of probability. I'd say if you've already replaced your ROM, wiped user data, and you wipe internal storage; the probability of malware is rather low.

redpoint73 said:
"Internal storage" specifically just means the user-accessible storage partition (also called the "virtual SD" by some), which is /data/media. That one partition, that's it. No other partitions are touched, including system (ROM) partition, as I already mentioned.
Now, there are options to wipe other partitions, such as in the Advanced Wipe options in TWRP. If you select the system partition, than that will wipe the ROM. But again, its a completely different option and partition than internal storage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to ask again, seems I have to do it because my internal storage is almost full because of unnecessary "things".
So if I wipe the internal storage from TWRP, it will not affect the ROM, etc? So I don't need to flash any ROM again after wiping the internal storage?
Thank you, sir!

pryg said:
Sorry to ask again, seems I have to do it because my internal storage is almost full because of unnecessary "things".
So if I wipe the internal storage from TWRP, it will not affect the ROM, etc? So I don't need to flash any ROM again after wiping the internal storage?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ROM is on the "system" partition, which is completely separate from internal storage. You will only wipe the ROM if you specifically choose to wipe the system partition in Advanced wipe options.
You will however, lose all personal data on internal storage if you wipe it, including TWRP backups. So its advised you copy TWRP backups to your computer or removable SD before wiping. You should always have a known good TWRP backup available, in my opinion.
ROM zips also take up a lot of space. If you've been doing a lot of ROM flashing you might clear up your storage problem simply by moving unneeded TWRP backups and ROMs to your computer.

redpoint73 said:
ROM is on the "system" partition, which is completely separate from internal storage. You will only wipe the ROM if you specifically choose to wipe the system partition in Advanced wipe options.
You will however, lose all personal data on internal storage if you wipe it, including TWRP backups. So its advised you copy TWRP backups to your computer or removable SD before wiping. You should always have a known good TWRP backup available, in my opinion.
ROM zips also take up a lot of space. If you've been doing a lot of ROM flashing you might clear up your storage problem simply by moving unneeded TWRP backups and ROMs to your computer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, sir. Where can I find the TWRP backups?

pryg said:
Thank you, sir. Where can I find the TWRP backups?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TWRP>Backups>Serial number

Unsure how to properly wipe without wiping internal storage

Hello all,
Sorry for this semi-noob question. I have had many android phones and rooted all of them but this is my first Nexus device. I've unlocked my bootloader and have TWRP installed and I'm ready to install a ROM. Unfortunately I am unsure of how I can do a full wipe without wiping my internal storage too.
On every other phone I have had, I would go to advanced wipe and then wipe system, data, cache and dalvik cache but I just did that and it wiped my internal storage :/
I had to flash the stock system image through ADB because ADB sideload wasn't working. Now I'm afraid to wipe system again before trying again because I feel like it will wipe my internal storage again. How can I wipe system properly before installing a new ROM?
Thanks!

Now the interesting question here is: What is internal storage?
You seem to think it is the entire emmc, including your system, cache and data partitions but that is not how that term is used.
As far as I have been able to figure this out "Internal Storage" in Android refers to the entire /data partition which in itself again is divided into a user accessible part where your photos, videos, files are stored ( /data/media and mounted as /sdcard/0 ) and the rest of the /data partition which is used for apps you install and their data. That part is not accessible to the user unless you have root.
Now, for 99% of all wipe operations all you need to do when installing a new rom is to wipe the data partition of all user installed apps and their data, dalvik and cache - also called a 'clean install'.
Any rom installer worth a damn will format /system before installing a new rom, so wiping /system is redundant.
TWRP made this very easy: Enter the Wipe menu and swipe the button. Default is to wipe /data (without wiping /data/media), cache and Dalvik. Flash the rom - done.

berndblb said:
Now the interesting question here is: What is internal storage?
You seem to think it is the entire emmc, including your system, cache and data partitions but that is not how that term is used.
As far as I have been able to figure this out "Internal Storage" in Android refers to the entire /data partition which in itself again is divided into a user accessible part where your photos, videos, files are stored ( /data/media and mounted as /sdcard/0 ) and the rest of the /data partition which is used for apps you install and their data. That part is not accessible to the user unless you have root.
Now, for 99% of all wipe operations all you need to do when installing a new rom is to wipe the data partition of all user installed apps and their data, dalvik and cache - also called a 'clean install'.
Any rom installer worth a damn will format /system before installing a new rom, so wiping /system is redundant.
TWRP made this very easy: Enter the Wipe menu and swipe the button. Default is to wipe /data (without wiping /data/media), cache and Dalvik. Flash the rom - done.
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"Internal Storage" as I used the term refers to just the user accessible part of the data partition where (as you said) photos, files, etc are stored. On previous versions of TWRP for phones I have had, you could wipe system, date, cache, etc and it would always leave internal storage intact. Ergo, after wiping, you could navigate to your downloads folder and find the ROM you wanted to flash. The issue I had was that I wiped "system" using TWRP and it wiped my "internal storage", meaning my downloads and photos and everything - leaving me with no ROM to flash.
You answered my question perfectly toward the end with this
Any rom installer worth a damn will format /system before installing a new rom, so wiping /system is redundant.
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I come from a series of phones where this was not standard behavior for ROM installers, so failing to wipe system would lead to a dirty flash and almost assuredly cause issues. Thanks for the input, I will just do a data wipe from now on.

You shouldn't count on roms wiping system automatically.
A well established rom like pure Nexus for instance does not wipe system at flashing, leaving it up to the user to clean or dirty flash.
Always read and follow the installation instructions that come with the rom and you should have little problems. If there aren't any instructions, stay away from the rom is my advice, especially of you are a new user.
As to your question: go to the wipe menu in twrp. Then do an advanced wipe. Check every box except internal storage and wipe. Then proceed to flash your rom.

peltus said:
You shouldn't count on roms wiping system automatically.
A well established rom like pure Nexus for instance does not wipe system at flashing, leaving it up to the user to clean or dirty flash.
Always read and follow the installation instructions that come with the rom and you should have little problems. If there aren't any instructions, stay away from the rom is my advice, especially of you are a new user.
As to your question: go to the wipe menu in twrp. Then do an advanced wipe. Check every box except internal storage and wipe. Then proceed to flash your rom.
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Thanks, I'm not a new user by any stretch, just new to the Nexus 5x.
As to your question: go to the wipe menu in twrp. Then do an advanced wipe. Check every box except internal storage and wipe. Then proceed to flash your rom.
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This is exactly what I did when it wiped the ROM file (and all photos/sms backups) from my internal storage. That's how I have always wiped before flashing a new ROM in TWRP and this is the first time it ever wiped my internal storage, hence my question. I think I'll just stick to ROM installers that perform a system wipe. I plan on running the odex stock based ROM I just installed for a while anyway.

The_mamba said:
Thanks, I'm not a new user by any stretch, just new to the Nexus 5x.
This is exactly what I did when it wiped the ROM file (and all photos/sms backups) from my internal storage. That's how I have always wiped before flashing a new ROM in TWRP and this is the first time it ever wiped my internal storage, hence my question. I think I'll just stick to ROM installers that perform a system wipe. I plan on running the odex stock based ROM I just installed for a while anyway.
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Sorry for assuming you're a newby. Last time i wiped that way in twrp (June 2016) it left my SD card alone. Maybe you checked the wrong box?

peltus said:
Sorry for assuming you're a newby. Last time i wiped that way in twrp (June 2016) it left my SD card alone. Maybe you checked the wrong box?
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No worries, I appreciate the help either way. I suppose it's possible I checked the wrong box but I am very diligent about that because I have REALLY screwed myself over with that in the past. I accidentally wiped internal storage once or twice on my HTC One and had to RUU back to stock, losing everything including root. Luckily recovery is quicker and easier on the 5x (and the phone is brand new so it had no pictures on it).
I'm afraid to try it again even with a nandroid since the recovery files or stored on internal storage so wiping that would leave me SOL too. Like I said, I'll probably just ride on this ROM until the Nougat or so and then make a full cloud backup before trying a full wipe again.

Wiping system did not erase your files. /system is read only, so you nor your apps can store anything there.
I respectfully disagree with @peltus. In those parts of XDA where I "grew up" a dirty flash is a rom flash without wiping data. And I would be grateful for a link to a rom where the installation script does not involve formatting or wiping /system.
I could be wrong but I believe TWRP's wipe of data is without data/media.
Internal Storage wipes the entire data partition.
One if these days with more time I'll give it a try
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

BONUS: What is a data/media device?
https://twrp.me/faq/datamedia.html
The relevant part:
Since /data/media is part of /data, we pretty much never actually format the data partition. Formatting data, of course, also removes the media folder that contains the internal sdcard. When you choose a factory reset [or wipe data], instead of formatting, we use rm -rf commands to remove all the folders except for the media folder so that we can remove all of your apps and settings while leaving your "sdcard" intact. In TWRP we also have a wipe internal storage option that rm -rf's the media folder and a "Format Data" option that formats to recreate the entire file system in case something goes completely wrong or to remove device encryption.
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[ ] - added by me.