Develop Bugs

Firmware Flash with ODIN without losing installed apps

Hi there,
I just got my galaxy yesterday, I've read through the FAQs and searched the web but couldnt figure out how to flash the Galaxy without losing the installed apps. I read that the internal SD isnt touched but when I checked the JP3 build my device lost all installed apps.
So in case I want to revert back to another or try another firmware, what switch would I need to set not reconfiguring everything from scratch? If this isnt possible are there any other ways to quickly restore all apps I've installed?
Regs
r4n
edit: as samsung-firmwares seems to be down, does anyone have a UK O2 stock firmware image available?

Use Rom manager, from there you can backup/reflash and keep the data

Titanium backup. this app needs root but save every app. Normal apps protected apps and system apps

Titanium backup is a nice app.

[Q] Bloatware Reappears on Restart

So I used Visionary to root my HTC Desire Z, checked that it was rooted with Android Terminal Emulator using su returning #
I then proceeded to delete all the .apk's of the bloatware in /system/app folder
Upon restart they reappeared. I've tried 3 different file managers and I also tried deleting their data folders in /data/data and now matter what I do they reappear on a restart.
Does this mean it is hard coded into the ROM? DO I have to wait for a permanent root and flash a new stock ROM minus the bloatware?
Anyone found a solution or maybe i'm doing it wrong...

This is another example of where we're miles behind the G2 forums. Check out the G2 ROM Dev forum, there is an app there to show how you can delete built-in apps and then they won't reappear.
But BE CAREFUL ! It will probably be the case that if you go down this road, you may have a problem with future OTA updates.
The reason it's not working with your current method is that you're not really deleting anything. Write access to the internal storage is not possible right now (it is being worked on intensively for the G2), so the phone is caching the file system and making it appear they've been deleted, but the internal storage hasn't been updated. So when you reboot, the app just comes back again. This is how come there's been a myth that the phone automatically "un-does" any changes and resets itself when you reboot - it's not really doing that, because you didn't make any permanent changes in the first place.

steviewevie said:
This is another example of where we're miles behind the G2 forums. Check out the G2 ROM Dev forum, there is an app there to show how you can delete built-in apps and then they won't reappear.
But BE CAREFUL ! It will probably be the case that if you go down this road, you may have a problem with future OTA updates.
The reason it's not working with your current method is that you're not really deleting anything. Write access to the internal storage is not possible right now (it is being worked on intensively for the G2), so the phone is caching the file system and making it appear they've been deleted, but the internal storage hasn't been updated. So when you reboot, the app just comes back again. This is how come there's been a myth that the phone automatically "un-does" any changes and resets itself when you reboot - it's not really doing that, because you didn't make any permanent changes in the first place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the explanation! Hmm yeah, I don't know if I want to start flashing roms or leave it stock because it's pretty decent stock. And I did hear that updating/upgrading to new OS's have problems is you delete the bloatware programs...
Thanks again

st1n6r4y said:
So I used Visionary to root my HTC Desire Z, checked that it was rooted with Android Terminal Emulator using su returning #
I then proceeded to delete all the .apk's of the bloatware in /system/app folder
Upon restart they reappeared. I've tried 3 different file managers and I also tried deleting their data folders in /data/data and now matter what I do they reappear on a restart.
Does this mean it is hard coded into the ROM? DO I have to wait for a permanent root and flash a new stock ROM minus the bloatware?
Anyone found a solution or maybe i'm doing it wrong...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try this method:
1. install VISIONary
2. install busybox
3. install titanium backup
4. run VISIONary
5. Run BusyBox
6. install busybox through the installer
7. run Titanium Back-up
8. find the app you don't want
9. press and hold and an a contextual menu will pop up and select the last option
or check our this link: http://android.modaco.com/content/h...move-applications-using-the-recovery-exploit/
i did it this way and have master reset many times and all the Bell Bloatware is gone, BUT... i had to repeat the steps 4 - 9 after each time, but the crapware is gone!

seattleboi1982 said:
try this method:
1. install VISIONary
2. install busybox
3. install titanium backup
4. run VISIONary
5. Run BusyBox
6. install busybox through the installer
7. run Titanium Back-up
8. find the app you don't want
9. press and hold and an a contextual menu will pop up and select the last option
or check our this link: http://android.modaco.com/content/h...move-applications-using-the-recovery-exploit/
i did it this way and have master reset many times and all the Bell Bloatware is gone, BUT... i had to repeat the steps 4 - 9 after each time, but the crapware is gone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool thanks!

seattleboi1982 said:
try this method:
1. install VISIONary
2. install busybox
3. install titanium backup
4. run VISIONary
5. Run BusyBox
6. install busybox through the installer
7. run Titanium Back-up
8. find the app you don't want
9. press and hold and an a contextual menu will pop up and select the last option
or check our this link: http://android.modaco.com/content/h...move-applications-using-the-recovery-exploit/
i did it this way and have master reset many times and all the Bell Bloatware is gone, BUT... i had to repeat the steps 4 - 9 after each time, but the crapware is gone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried this method. Everything works fine (rooted, Busybox installed), but when I try to pick the option to "Force remove app (by recovery exploit)" I get the error message "Cannot remove system app, Failed to locate apk file".
What am I doing wrong?

redpoint73 said:
Tried this method. Everything works fine (rooted, Busybox installed), but when I try to pick the option to "Force remove app (by recovery exploit)" I get the error message "Cannot remove system app, Failed to locate apk file".
What am I doing wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never mind, I figured it out. You need to have either S-OFF or CID unlock in order for this method to work. I was only rooted, and intentionally not S-OFF and SuperCID. I used the gfree method to S-OFF and SuperCID, and the above method of removing the bloatware seems to be working perfectly now.

redpoint73 said:
Never mind, I figured it out. You need to have either S-OFF or CID unlock in order for this method to work. I was only rooted, and intentionally not S-OFF and SuperCID. I used the gfree method to S-OFF and SuperCID, and the above method of removing the bloatware seems to be working perfectly now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was the S-OFF. Unless you have S-OFF, you still have write protection on the system and recovery partitions. So apps will appear to get deleted as the information is written to cache. But they'll come back on a reboot because the information was never written to (deleted from) permanent storage.

So if I'm rooted using Visionary and have S off using the gfree method but I never installed busybox.. What would be the best method? Can I just install busybox and install or would I need to do another method?
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

Rickroller said:
So if I'm rooted using Visionary and have S off using the gfree method but I never installed busybox.. What would be the best method? Can I just install busybox and install or would I need to do another method?
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just install Busybox.
The above method worked great EXCEPT for one app: Kobo (e-reader). I've tried to force remove in Titanium Backup three times now, and also tried using the "regular" un-install option in Titanium Backup. Every time the phone reboots, Kobo is still there.
Any ideas?

I used an app called system app remover i think thats the name...not 100% suree...but i got it to get rid of wifi calling cuz im on roger and tmobile wifi calling wouldnt work so i tried the titanium back up method and it didnt work so i looked around and android underground had a download for the app and it removed the app and it went into an fc loop so i pulled the battery and it is gone and rom runs perfectly fine
Sent from my HTC DesireZed

SN4K3B1T3 said:
I used an app called system app remover i think thats the name...not 100% suree...but i got it to get rid of wifi calling cuz im on roger and tmobile wifi calling wouldnt work so i tried the titanium back up method and it didnt work so i looked around and android underground had a download for the app and it removed the app and it went into an fc loop so i pulled the battery and it is gone and rom runs perfectly fine
Sent from my HTC DesireZed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using an app called Absolute System Root Tool has the feature to uninstall system apps, and this worked for me to remove Kobo.

[Q] Titanium Backup not working

After flashing runnymede v5.0 AIO, i'm not able to use titanium backup anymore, it says that it isn't able to get root access,
I tried busybox update from titanium backup itself, it failed,
Then the one from market, still not working
After that i checked if i had proper root, i did, but still i re-ran gingerbreak. Still no result. Is there any other solution? other root apps work..

That seems odd :/
Gonna sound fairly basic, but you gotta start somewhere.
Does Titanium show up in the allowed list in SU?
Has it requested SU?
Hav you e-mailed dev? sounds more like a bug if its the only root app not working.
my 2c.

No it doesn't, in the log it says denied for Titanium Backup, however it never showed me a pop up, and in the settings of SU i enabled the option that it allows every app, still no succes

it still sounds like a bug in the app from here. Like I said though, that's only my opinion. Which version of Titanium is it (not number, but paid or free)?

It is the paid version

Again, just a thought, but have you tried using the free version? Just to see if its Titanium in general or just that one app?

I have tried the free version.. No success..

Did a factory reset and flashed the rom again, Titanium backup working fine now.

[Q] Special request for OTA update without factory reset

Folks, I've looked around for a couple of days to find a way to OTA update without loosing my data, settings, customizations ...etc, but all guides shows a complete restore to revert to a blank vanilla start, so please guys just check my status below and tell me what is the best solution for this
my GNEX is 90% stock (stock rom, stock kernel, but only CMW and rooted) is it possible to restore the stock recovery, and unroot without factory reset? to be 100% stock for the OTA update.
if yes then please just hint me the way and i'll be good to go.

If you haven't modified any system files...yes.
AKA
You haven't used an adblocker.
You haven't removed any system apps.
You haven't used your root access...at all, really.
Why not use titanium to backup user apps...
Make a nandroid...
And transfer those files to your PC.
Factory reset.
Transfer Titanium back over...
And restore apps.
You'll only have system settings to change at that point.
Post 2 of the guide linked in my sig will help with this process.
As well as posts 1/3 on setting up and using ADB to pull the files off of your phone (MTP is slow and unreliable...but if you want to use it - go for it).

Any idea how to remove/disable KNOX on SM-T900 v5.11?

I successfully installed the official 5.11 ROM for my SM-T900 (wifi model) via Kies 3 and rooted it and also was able to get TWRP installed. I've seen several threads on removing KNOX but the option to uninstall does not exist for the KNOX app in the 5.11 ROM. I tried removing using Titanium Backup, but on the next boot, the Touchwiz interface would consistently crash forcing a TWRP restore. Unfortunately the TWRP restore also seemed to be imperfect as Touchwiz would also crash after the restore. I had to reinstall the v5.11 ROM via Kies and re-root and restore apps from Titanium Backup. Right now, it seems stable but from what I have read, KNOX can cause all kinds of issues so if there is a foolproof way to remove it, I'd love to hear it.
Thoughts?

hello
some root programs remove knox
regards

Rooting, might have possibly been one thing. You could have rooted your device with something like Towelroot, and still have, had access to Knox, again. (Once you were in rooted that is.).
But, the moment you flashed TWRP, (Or, indeed any other Recovery), to your Device.... Then it's automatically gone FOREVER!
As you would have tried the so called Knox Flag. So as it is you'll never be able to use Knox again. If you wish to be stuck on an older Stock ROM, then... Just use something like ES File Explorer, and locate the *.apk (Inside either ~/data/apps - ~/system/apps), and just delete it there, like you would any other piece of Bloatware.