Format system and other miscellaneous questions - Samsung Galaxy Nexus

I understand about wipe the dalvich cache, cache, and user data.* I see it is recommended that you format the system data and sd card and this is where I am confused.
I am on a custom rom and the next time I change roms I want to make sure I do it properly.* Before I flashed my latest JB rom I did a complete factory restore to 4.0.4 and then unlocked/rooted using one of the all in one programs. (wanted a clean install of all apps/data)* I then loaded rom manger downloaded my rom, went to recovery, wiped the cache, dalvich, and user data and while still in recovery I installed the downloaded rom no problem and everything is running fine.
My questions.
When they say back up your SD card is that what I see when I plug the phone into my computer? And this is the safe part of the system if all goes well during rom changing.
When told to format system and sd card here is what I see for my options:
Mount/sdcard
Mount/system
Unmount/cache
Unmount/data
Format/sdcard
Format/system
Format/cache
Format/data*
What do I actually need to do in this section and what order do I do it in?* Before or after the cache/dalvich/userdata?
And my main question is, if I use Rom Manger and download a rom, then reboot into recovery, then wipe the cache, dalvich, user data, and then do the format part above, will I lose the downloaded rom or is that part of the system untouched?

Unnecessary steps are unnecessary.
Rom install will format/wipe system for you and new dalvik cache will be generated automatically.
Going to a whole new rom, just do factory reset/wipe data from main screen in cwm. Then install rom.
Cache will be wiped with factory reset within cwm.
And yes when they say back up your sdcard, it means the files you see when you plug it into your computer.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Thanks for helping me understand more clearly. I guess i did do everything correct my last install.

korsjs said:
Thanks for helping me understand more clearly. I guess i did do everything correct my last install.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you did it fine.
General rule of thumb is that there is no need to nuke and start fresh unless you are having some major issues with your rom
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Related

[Q] How do I format the internal storage and flash with cwm

I've had a bit of a nightmare tonight, I rooted and cwm my nexus within the first hour of ownership and flashed modaco pauls rom however after a couple of days of messing around I found myself wondering how to format the internal storage but still be able to flash via cwm. Have poked around I've found you are able to push the rom via adb while in cmw so again no problem except selecting "wipe" from ics doesnt really format the partition the storage, while when the phone is running and plugged into the computer you seem to have a fresh storage area however the free space is still taking into account of old files. And when I went back to cwm it clearly still showed the old deleted files which seems strange. The only way i was able to clear everything was via the storage menu with ics deleting folders one at a time ?!
So my question is......
Which is the best way to format the internal storage area and once completed am i able to push my rom onto the phone and flash correctly?
Same problem here.
Even with wiping and formatting data, cache, system, dalvik cache and even a factory reset from the running Android, I still have old data from non-present apps in my app list.
Download the Super Wipe script from the Android Revolution HD thread, flash it in CWM and voila - completely formatted phone (bar the user data like pictures, music, etc)
Simplest way is to re-lock and re-unlock back the bootloader
Proyoyo said:
Simplest way is to re-lock and re-unlock back the bootloader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will this has any effect on rom / root?
GBIC said:
Same problem here.
Even with wiping and formatting data, cache, system, dalvik cache and even a factory reset from the running Android, I still have old data from non-present apps in my app list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Grab the Nexus Toolkit in the development section. It will do everything you are looking for plus more.

[Q] General Rooting Question

Since there is no sd card, when you flash a ROM and have to wipe data, do you lose all the stuff like music, pictures, and ringtones? If so, what do you guys use to make this not a pain. I can't imagine recompliling all the folders from what you have backed up on your computer is the best way. I have titanium backup, but isnt that really just for restoring your apps and contacts, not so much for things like music and ringtones etc.?
Also, does the CWM backup/recovery work with this phone? I come from a droid charge and the restore never really worked on that phone.
its been answered a ton of times
your data in /sdcard/ (also known as /data/media/ ) is left alone when you wipe data/cache in cwm/twrp
restore works fine.
Your virtual SD card isn't wiped, so your photos and music are preserved. If you want a little extra assurance though, just back it all up to a Dropbox account. That way you always have access to it if something does go wrong during a wipe.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
What he says!
I have clockwork mod touch installed. For a fresh clean install, I wipe data/factory reset, wipe cache and then install the zip from sdcard (the new ROM is itself stored on the sdcard).
Zepius said:
its been answered a ton of times
your data in /sdcard/ (also known as /data/media/ ) is left alone when you wipe data/cache in cwm/twrp
restore works fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DZYR said:
What he says!
I have clockwork mod touch installed. For a fresh clean install, I wipe data/factory reset, wipe cache and then install the zip from sdcard (the new ROM is itself stored on the sdcard).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the sd card, the images, ringtones, data files will remain untouched also with a full wipe.
DZYR said:
What he says!
I have clockwork mod touch installed. For a fresh clean install, I wipe data/factory reset, wipe cache and then install the zip from sdcard (the new ROM is itself stored on the sdcard).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Be aware that wiping data/factory reset also wipes cache. And the need to wipe caches when flashing roms is a myth. They're hash signed by the rom at flash, different roms have different signatures, thus android will always be forced to rebuild them after a new rom has been flashed.
Sent from my i9250

TWRP wipe

Can anyone confirm the wipe options of newest TWRP ? wipe cache and dalvik cache i know but I am unsure about the "wipe internal storage" and "wipe data" option ? Which option should I choose if i am coming from PA 4.1.2 to 4.2.2 ?
DONT wipe data.. in twrp wiping data will also wipe sdcard.. when flashing roms do a factory reset
Factory reset will delete all the app related data , right ? My contacts, mms , etc will also get deleted ? But the data/media will be intact ?
deepayanneogi said:
Factory reset will delete all the app related data , right ? My contacts, mms , etc will also get deleted ? But the data/media will be intact ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
correct
Great ,thanks for the quick reply , coming from CWM it was a little confusing for me first , btw is there any need for wiping system ? Any benefits ?
deepayanneogi said:
Great ,thanks for the quick reply , coming from CWM it was a little confusing for me first , btw is there any need for wiping system ? Any benefits ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
twrp is alot better than cwm IMO, its faster and it flashes roms better, i am saying this from experiece when i had a s2 i use to have issues with cwm but twrp never let me down..
and most roms wipe system before installing the rom but i wipe it anyway.. this is how i flash ANY rom, even updates of the same rom, and never have issues
1. factory reset
2. wipe system
3. wipe cache
4. wipe dalvik
5. flash rom
6. flash gapps
7. flash AK kernel(optional)
8. reboot
9. wait 10 mins then do another reboot
10. enjoy :good:
Khizar said:
twrp is alot better than cwm IMO, its faster and it flashes roms better, i am saying this from experiece when i had a s2 i use to have issues with cwm but twrp never let me down..
and most roms wipe system before installing the rom but i wipe it anyway.. this is how i flash ANY rom, even updates of the same rom, and never have issues
1. factory reset
2. wipe system
3. wipe cache
4. wipe dalvik
5. flash rom
6. flash gapps
7. flash AK kernel(optional)
8. reboot
9. wait 10 mins then do another reboot
10. enjoy :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again, for updates for same rom u also factory reset ? That means every time u setup your apps, contact , mms ? That would be painstakingly time consuming .
There are apps that can back up your apps and app data as well as text messages. Its not that time consuming. Some launchers can backup layouts, too, so that cuts down on having to reset your home screens. Contacts can be synced with your Google account, unless I misunderstood the contact comment, so much like your email they are synced when you enter your account details.
Enviado desde mi Nexus
Khizar said:
twrp is alot better than cwm IMO, its faster and it flashes roms better, i am saying this from experiece when i had a s2 i use to have issues with cwm but twrp never let me down..
and most roms wipe system before installing the rom but i wipe it anyway.. this is how i flash ANY rom, even updates of the same rom, and never have issues
1. factory reset
2. wipe system
3. wipe cache
4. wipe dalvik
5. flash rom
6. flash gapps
7. flash AK kernel(optional)
8. reboot
9. wait 10 mins then do another reboot
10. enjoy :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is pretty much the formula I follow.
1) Wipe cache
2) Wipe Dalvik (a little redundant since dalvik resides in /cache)
3) Factory reset
4) Wipe System (like said above, most ROMs wipe /system but I do not anyway)
5) Flash ROM
6) Flash GApps
7) Flash kernel of choice
8) Fix permissions
9) Reboot
10) I immediately install Titanium Backup and batch restore all apps and app data before signing into my Google accounts
11) Reboot back into recovery and fix permissions again
12) Wipe dalvik again so everything is optimized
13) Reboot
14) Set up ROM how you like it.
The other thing I do is copy Nova Launcher into /system/app and get rid of Trebuchet.apk or Launcher2.apk as well as live wallpapers and other things I consider bloat. Nova let's you back up all your configs and settings so I just restore that. I'm usually back up and running in 30 minutes or so, I could pretty much do it in my sleep...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Khizar said:
correct
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure? http://support.verizonwireless.com/clc/devices/knowledge_base.html?id=51446
Petrovski80 said:
Are you sure? http://support.verizonwireless.com/clc/devices/knowledge_base.html?id=51446
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I 100% guarantee you that a factory reset will leave your sd card intact, I do it every day almost. The only way to nuke your internal storage is to wipe data, which nukes /data/media (basically your sd card) and pretty much everything else, or wiping internal storage will also nuke your sd card...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
If I remember there are two options in TWRP , one is wipe data and wipe internal storage , so both do the same work , nukes data/media ? So what is the point of keeping both of them ?
deepayanneogi said:
If I remember there are two options in TWRP , one is wipe data and wipe internal storage , so both do the same work , nukes data/media ? So what is the point of keeping both of them ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Internal storage nukes just the sd card, wiping data nukes all internal storage, sd card, system, etc, if you do that you basically have to flash a stock image with fastboot...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
0dBu said:
I 100% guarantee you that a factory reset will leave your sd card intact, I do it every day almost. The only way to nuke your internal storage is to wipe data, which nukes /data/media (basically your sd card) and pretty much everything else, or wiping internal storage will also nuke your sd card...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have never tried the factory reset option with my GNEX, but using it on a Galaxy S or Galaxy Ace definitely erased the entire internal storage. It would als mean the factory reset warning is incorrect. Strange stuff.
Petrovski80 said:
I have never tried the factory reset option with my GNEX, but using it on a Galaxy S or Galaxy Ace definitely erased the entire internal storage. It would als mean the factory reset warning is incorrect. Strange stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well those other phones had external sd card slots no?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
0dBu said:
Internal storage nukes just the sd card, wiping data nukes all internal storage, sd card, system, etc, if you do that you basically have to flash a stock image with fastboot...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that is the case then I think the nomenclature is pretty confusing and misdirecting ,
factory reset = only app related data and contacts and mms
wipe data = everything including system also
wipe internal storage = data/media.
As far as I know the factory reset option in the rom itself nukes the data/media and app related data also , what in the case for recoveries are different .Wipe data option shouldn't be there in the recovery as it can be pretty dangerous if someone accidentally does it.
0dBu said:
I 100% guarantee you that a factory reset will leave your sd card intact, I do it every day almost. The only way to nuke your internal storage is to wipe data, which nukes /data/media (basically your sd card) and pretty much everything else, or wiping internal storage will also nuke your sd card...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you look at the link that Petrovski80 included, you and he are talking about two different "factory reset"s... on that is part of the Android OS and the other that is TWRP...
Trusstopher said:
If you look at the link that Petrovski80 included, you and he are talking about two different "factory reset"s... on that is part of the Android OS and the other that is TWRP...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was talking strictly about TWRP as per OP's question...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
My phone won't turn on
Hello,I'm newbie about this things so,I just Download Twrp and Wipe Cache,Dalvik,Data...How to Open my phone back?I stuck at the Samsung Galaxy Wonder then it Open Twrp back.....How to Fix this?Does anyone know :crying:
neymar12Adli said:
Hello,I'm newbie about this things so,I just Download Twrp and Wipe Cache,Dalvik,Data...How to Open my phone back?I stuck at the Samsung Galaxy Wonder then it Open Twrp back.....How to Fix this?Does anyone know :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I'm not wrong, wiping data means that u have erased your current ROM, and you need to reinstall a new rom.

completely wipe the phone?

Just wondering, as i'm probably selling my Galaxy S3 soon... what's the easiest way to completely wipe everything off the phone? Pictures, apps, documents.... everything? Will re-install a custom ROM after wiping.... just want to make sure all personal data is off the phone.
elementaldragon said:
Just wondering, as i'm probably selling my Galaxy S3 soon... what's the easiest way to completely wipe everything off the phone? Pictures, apps, documents.... everything? Will re-install a custom ROM after wiping.... just want to make sure all personal data is off the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I imagine using twrp would be the best way. Not sure if there is another alternative. Maybe odin.
First before wiping system you may want to wipe internal storage (after backing up your internal storage to your computer or something first of course). Then boot up your current system and transfer a rom you want to install to your internal storage. Then reboot to twrp and wipe system, factory reset, cache and dalvik. Then install a rom fresh and then it should be ready to go. This is what I do after selling a device, before shipping to a customer.
.... wouldn't copying a custom ROM to the internal storage BEFORE wiping System and everything also erase the custom ROM i just transferred to the device?
And i mean wiping EVERYTHING. basically as if the phone was just taken out of the box, and unlocked, rooted, and custom ROM installed. No left over files whatsoever. Don't think wiping just System does that, does it? Wouldn't i do the "Wipe Internal Storage" or something like that? Think that's about what i did on my Motorola Atrix when i sold that.
* edit looking into the wiping system part to see exactly what it erases.
Wiping system, factory reset, cache and dalvik should erase everything except storage. You could wipe internal storage after you freshly install a ROM. But hopefully there are no errors, because you will have no files on storage if something had went wrong during installation. I would also have a ROM file on an external sdcard that you could plug in if you needed to.
You will probably want to leave one ROM file on the device for the person you are selling it to, just incase.
Sent from my Nexus 5
stelv said:
* edit looking into the wiping system part to see exactly what it erases.
Wiping system, factory reset, cache and dalvik should erase everything except storage. You could wipe internal storage after you freshly install a ROM. But hopefully there are no errors, because you will have no files on storage if something had went wrong during installation. I would also have a ROM file on an external sdcard that you could plug in if you needed to.
You will probably want to leave one ROM file on the device for the person you are selling it to, just incase.
Sent from my Nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I am selling it with the 8GB Micro-SD card anyway, since i've got no use for it with the Nexus 5. And i believe that's what i did with the Atrix. Wiped storage/system/factory reset/cache. Pretty much everything that made sense to wipe.... and just kept the ROM on the SD card out of the phone, just to make sure i didn't accidentally wipe that somehow.
And i'll probably just do what i usually end up doing for stuff like this. Wipe everything, install the ROM and make sure it boots, and just shut it off when it comes to the initial setup screen.
Here are some useful links
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1823906
http://teamw.in/whattowipe
Sent from my Nexus 5

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[ ] - added by me.

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