Develop Bugs

Quick question on wiping data & "SD"

Will wiping the phone in CWM delete files on the "SD" space of the phone? I've read it is all apart of the same partition, so I wanted to make sure before awkwardly deleting the ROM I am about to install..

I have wiped tons of times in CWR and it hasn't touched the /sd yet. All my files are safe and sound.
Sent from my GNex

Grims said:
Will wiping the phone in CWM delete files on the "SD" space of the phone? I've read it is all apart of the same partition, so I wanted to make sure before awkwardly deleting the ROM I am about to install..
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Click to collapse
Yes, it clears *all* internal storage.

So...which is it?

Maybe I misunderstood but are you talking about wiping /data and /cache? Because when I do this it does NOT wipe the /sd but does wipe all other user data, just like on every other android phone I have had.
Sent from my GNex

Grims said:
So...which is it?
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Click to collapse
Wipe data/factory reset on CWM wipes your WHOLE phone, including "SD" card. I advise you to use the Super Wipe Lite script from the Android Revolution ROM, get it here. This will do a complete wipe, except SD card.
A bit of more info, in case you're interested: the SD card is the folder /data/media mounted as /sdcard. When you wipe in CWM, the data folder is emptied as well.
EDIT: i havent actually tried to do a normal full wipe from CWM, im stating the above just from reading other reports here. Maybe the last version from CWM has fixed this, i dont know
EDIT2: You can wipe cache and dalvik as usual from CWM without any problems.

flakz0r said:
Wipe data/factory reset on CWM wipes your WHOLE phone, including "SD" card. I advise you to use the Super Wipe Lite script from the Android Revolution ROM, get it here. This will do a complete wipe, except SD card.
A bit of more info, in case you're interested: the SD card is the folder /data/media mounted as /sdcard. When you wipe in CWM, the data folder is emptied as well.
EDIT: i havent actually tried to do a normal full wipe from CWM, im stating the above just from reading other reports here. Maybe the last version from CWM has fixed this, i dont know
EDIT2: You can wipe cache and dalvik as usual from CWM without any problems.
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Click to collapse
I figured that was how it was setup, but didn't know if CWM had any logic built into it to filter out the folder. I'll take a look at the script, thanks.

The built-in factory reset in Android will also wipe everything.

I did data,cache,dalvik wipe and formatted system going from 4.0.2 to 4.0.3.
I did NOT lose my SD card

The default wipe in ICS clears *all* internal memory. The default Factory Reset feature of CWM does the exact same thing. I've done it twice and it wiped fully both times.

Very interesting direct contradictions going on in here..

Wiping data in CWM DOES NOT WIPE THE VIRTUAL SDCARD. People need to stop saying it does.. it is all one partition but the virtual SD card is not wiped when you wipe data in cwm.. Factory resets in settings will wipe your virtual SD card but cwm WILL NOT.
Edit: sorry I had a long night, but I will leave the caps so people actually read it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

It is quite troubling to read how many people are saying that wiping in CWM will erase the SD card.
It 100% DOES NOT. I have wiped in CWM dozens of times already. I can not say the same for Factory Reset in Android...but in CWM wiping data DOES NOT wipe your SD.

Format system and other miscellaneous questions

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.
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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

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 ?
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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
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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 ?
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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.
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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:
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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.

T800 What to wipe when installing a new rom

When installing a new rom what are you suppose to wipe? I always thought you only wiped cache/dalvik /data. Is there something I'm missing because I read today that someone was wiping their internal sd card also.

lartomar2002 said:
When installing a new rom what are you suppose to wipe? I always thought you only wiped cache/dalvik /data. Is there something I'm missing because I read today that someone was wiping their internal sd card also.
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Click to collapse
It depends what rom you are replacing. If stock to cm, you should factory reset (that automatically wipes cache and dalvik for you). If just flashing a new cm rom over an existing cm rom, then just wiping dalvik is usually enough. You should never need to wipe your internal sd media.
Sent from my SM-T707V using XDA Premium HD app

never wipe internal SD unless you have a ROM file or TWRP backup on an external SD card. wiping internal SD will delete the ROM file (in the root folder) that you plan to install after the wipe.

Yeah, I always d/l to ext sdcard. learned my lesson about the hard way when I first started rooting and flazhing roms.

I never wipe anything except cache and dalvik. I always dirty flash. If it doesn't boot then I wipe data.

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?
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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.