Hi,
Sorry for being a noob but i came from android phones with sdcards and this is the first time i had one without a sdcard card slot..
the main question is, if i wipe the device, will the content in the /sdcard folder that i transferred via MTP (photos, music, Nandroid backups, etc) be wipe out as well?
I am asking because I swear the i did a wipe yesterday and ALL the content in the phone is gone, including the things i put in the /sdcard folder...
just need to clarify or maybe i am crazy? Please help..
There is no SDcard. Its all one big partition. Doing a factory reset wipes the entire device. Yes your pictures and videos, too.
lordlad said:
Hi,
Sorry for being a noob but i came from android phones with sdcards and this is the first time i had one without a sdcard card slot..
the main question is, if i wipe the device, will the content in the /sdcard folder that i transferred via MTP (photos, music, Nandroid backups, etc) be wipe out as well?
I am asking because I swear the i did a wipe yesterday and ALL the content in the phone is gone, including the things i put in the /sdcard folder...
just need to clarify or maybe i am crazy? Please help..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the /sdcard folder actually points to /data/media. Doing a factory restore resets the /data partition, including the contents of /data/media. This means everything put in /sdcard will be erased.
That's stupid. Really stupid. I factory reset my phone all the time... Am I supposed to copy everything back over every time... Eh that would suck.
My transformer and G2x had internal memory and a factory reset from clockworkmod didn't touch the internal storage.
Nvbackups would copy everything though.
-sent from temp HTC Rezound waiting for Galaxy Nexus
player911 said:
That's stupid. Really stupid. I factory reset my phone all the time... Am I supposed to copy everything back over every time... Eh that would suck.
My transformer and G2x had internal memory and a factory reset from clockworkmod didn't touch the internal storage.
Nvbackups would copy everything though.
-sent from temp HTC Rezound waiting for Galaxy Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Instead of doing a factory reset, you could just delete everything in /data except for /data/media. That will achieve the same thing and leave your media data alone.
Wiping data and cache in CWM do NOT wipe my whole phone what are you guys talking about? The /sdcard is treated and mounted as if it were a physical SD card.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
joshnichols189 said:
Wiping data and cache in CWM do NOT wipe my whole phone what are you guys talking about? The /sdcard is treated and mounted as if it were a physical SD card.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Hmmmmmmmm.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
joshnichols189 said:
Wiping data and cache in CWM do NOT wipe my whole phone what are you guys talking about? The /sdcard is treated and mounted as if it were a physical SD card.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Yeah if you just wipe your data/cache via CWM it DOES NOT touch anything in your /sd card. However doing a factory reset via the settings menu while booted does!
RTContent said:
Yeah if you just wipe your data/cache via CWM it DOES NOT touch anything in your /sd card. However doing a factory reset via the settings menu while booted does!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok just to be clear, because people (me lol) get confused when people talk about the SD card when talking about the nexus. obviously there isnt one...so im assuming the partition that handles the media is what u refer to as the Sd card...virtual sd card. correct? and if i wipe data/cache via CWM it does NOT wipe my pictures, videos, etc...but if i factory reset under settings while booted...it WILL wipe EVERYTHING...i think i got it now if what i just said was correct...
v2.2v said:
ok just to be clear, because people (me lol) get confused when people talk about the SD card when talking about the nexus. obviously there isnt one...so im assuming the partition that handles the media is what u refer to as the Sd card...virtual sd card. correct? and if i wipe data/cache via CWM it does NOT wipe my pictures, videos, etc...but if i factory reset under settings while booted...it WILL wipe EVERYTHING...i think i got it now if what i just said was correct...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You got it
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
joshnichols189 said:
Wiping data and cache in CWM do NOT wipe my whole phone what are you guys talking about? The /sdcard is treated and mounted as if it were a physical SD card.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1.. all these people are thinking the phone doesn't have a "sdcard." There is a "sdcard" but its more like internal storage. Think of it as a computer,
- Older phones like the G1 rely on the SDCard fully... so this is like running a OS off a USB drive without internal storage (G1 has a little internal storage.. not enough to say that there is one)
- Phones such as Galaxy S1/S2 have a sdcard AND internal storage. What does this mean? It's like a internal hard drive with the ability for external storage (flash drive, sd cards).
Example: Galaxy S2 has 16GB internal storage and expandable storage.
Phones like the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S, Galaxy Tab is like.... internal hard drives without the ability for expanded storage (unless you USB OTG a flash drive!). This is just a beyond misconception on the scene and this is what they meant by not having a sdcard.
When you do a factory reset, wipe cache, wipe dalvik... your /sdcard/ IS NOT TOUCHED unless you run a script that says otherwise!
/sdcard/ and all the other folders are treated as two separate partitions!
When you unlock your bootloader and it wipes, that deletes everything, including the sdcard folder.
yea i was about to say this is incorrect information, if you want to wipe everything i believe in the ARHD thread there is a wipe script to wipe everything, even data/media
azr3alazd3ycum said:
yea i was about to say this is incorrect information, if you want to wipe everything i believe in the ARHD thread there is a wipe script to wipe everything, even data/media
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Super wipe lite from the ARHD thread does not wipe the virtual SD card.
--- This script will erase and format your system and cache partition using EXT4 file-system ---
--- It will also wipe /data partition, but /data/media (virtual SD card) will be untouched ---
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All your personal files that would be stored in SD Card in other devices which has one, are stored under /data partition, at /data/media/.
The /sdcard/ is just a link to /data/media.
There seems to be special handling in CWM recovery image for Galaxy Nexus when formatting /data partition as it will not touch /data/media. It's nice feature indeed, but you cannot now empty your /data/media content without manual work. But normally you don't even want to do that so it's fine.
It would be much more simple to just forget about the "virtual sd card" or /sdcard, since those are just, well, virtual and makes unnecessary confusion.
So our files are now stored like they would be under C:\Users\media. If you format C-drive, you'll lose your 'personal' files as well from media folder. The "virtual sdcard" /sdcard would be just a similar as Windows has as "Favorite" feature, just a shortcut to a certain folder location.
joshnichols189 said:
Super wipe lite from the ARHD thread does not wipe the virtual SD card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was referring to the full one. Its not out for the nexus yet. He has it for the transformer however.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
hey guys,
found this thread searching for an answer, i'll go ahead and ask it right here as it fits the the topic:
what i want to do when installing another rom is to wipe (system) data, cache and Dalvik cache (and i do not want my private files on the sd card to be touched). it is clear to me that CWM does not touch the sdcard partition. BUT: since all the apps are installed onto the sdcard partition they won't be deleted, right?
i want all my apps to be gone and to have a completely fresh new system installed without ANY leftovers from apps or apps/data or anything else that got stored on the sdcard partition while using the previous rom. of course these apps would not be installed anymore when you boot up the new rom, but all their files and folders would still remain on the sdcard partition, right? i'm talking about all those files that the rom generates itself and stores on the sdcard partition. of course i want to keep all my music, downloads, pictures, etc. but i want everything else to be gone.
to my understanding cwm does not touch the sdcard partition which leaves all the app folders and other android-created-files and folders (that were automatically created when using the previous rom) untouched and i would have to manually look for all these files and delete all these remnants which is kind of annoying.
do you know what i mean?
thx and greetz,
v.
vercetti said:
hey guys,
found this thread searching for an answer, i'll go ahead and ask it right here as it fits the the topic:
what i want to do when installing another rom is to wipe (system) data, cache and Dalvik cache (and i do not want my private files on the sd card to be touched). it is clear to me that CWM does not touch the sdcard partition. BUT: since all the apps are installed onto the sdcard partition they won't be deleted, right?
i want all my apps to be gone and to have a completely fresh new system installed without ANY leftovers from apps or apps/data or anything else that got stored on the sdcard partition while using the previous rom. of course these apps would not be installed anymore when you boot up the new rom, but all their files and folders would still remain on the sdcard partition, right? i'm talking about all those files that the rom generates itself and stores on the sdcard partition. of course i want to keep all my music, downloads, pictures, etc. but i want everything else to be gone.
to my understanding cwm does not touch the sdcard partition which leaves all the app folders and other android-created-files and folders (that were automatically created when using the previous rom) untouched and i would have to manually look for all these files and delete all these remnants which is kind of annoying.
do you know what i mean?
thx and greetz,
v.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you clear all your data/cache when installing a new rom it will also wipe apps that have been installed on your sdcard. This does not include removing folders that apps may store additional data on the sdcard. If you want to remove these folders unfortunately you will need to do it manually.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Installed apps do not go in /data/media, but /data/app and /data/data. I dont think /data/cache exists, /data/dalvik-cache does.
Those are only erased if you do a wipe data/factory reset in cwm/twrp, and for the latter wipe dalvik cache.
sent from my i9250
Hi all,
I am currently running Ir8 ROM meaning I did not need to wipe before I flashed it over the stock ROM.
I would like to give the CM9 nightly kang a go. I was just about to wipe before I flashed the new ROM when it occurred to me that all my files, pictures, nandroid's etc are stored in the virtual /sdcard on Galaxy Nexus.
With my Nexus One all my files were on the physical SDcard meaning they were unaffected by any kind of wipe including a full factory reset.
Could someone explain how this works with the Galaxy Nexus, do I need to back up all my files and nandroid's etc onto my PC every time I need to perform a wipe before installing a ROM to avoid FC's etc, or is the virtual /sdcard on a seperate partition, I'm a little confused??
Many thanks in advance for any help
You would be well served to perform backups of the internel sd card in the unfortunate event of a wipe.
CWM has been written to not format the device partition mounted to /data which has the virtual sd. It instead just removes all files/directories outside of /data/media.
You are safe to perform a data wipe from CWM without losing data in the virtual sd.
silow said:
You would be well served to perform backups of the internel sd card in the unfortunate event of a wipe.
CWM has been written to not format the device partition mounted to /data which has the virtual sd. It instead just removes all files/directories outside of /data/media.
You are safe to perform a data wipe from CWM without losing data in the virtual sd.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks for your quick reply, that is very helpful. I will of course follow your advice and back everything up before proceeding to be on the safe side!
Okay, I'm not quite fully understanding the internal memory on the S3. I used to own the OGEvo (as I've stated several times) and it didn't have 'usable' internal memory like the S3 does. For instance if I were to flash a new ROM (wiping data, cache, dalvik) then everything internally would be wiped. For the S3 I think it's a little different right? http://forum.xda-developers.com/images/smilies/confused.gif As we all know it's 12GB of free usable internal memory where I can put vids, pics, and music (and other crap) there for immediate access w/o having to use my SD card. My question is that when you flash a new ROM (wiping data, cache, dalvik) is the 4GB that's (apparently off limits) the only thing that gets touched? the reason why I ask is because I decided to move a large chunk of files from my SD card to my internal memory so I could use the SD card for something else. I just want to know that all my stuff internally won't be erased (even though I have back ups of most of it anyway, it's just bothersome if I would have to re-sync everything again)
When u wipe data in cwm it doesn't touch your files on your internal memory (SD card). It only wipes your ROMs data. Its like a factory reset. So all your files are safe.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda premium
musclehead84 said:
When u wipe data in cwm it doesn't touch your files on your internal memory (SD card). It only wipes your ROMs data. Its like a factory reset. So all your files are safe.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Thanks! I needed that verification, lol
yes its your /data folder
18th.abn said:
yes its your /data folder
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Click to collapse
So you're saying it would erase my music, videos, and pictures if stored on internal memory and I did a factory reset to flash a new rom??
mstrmscn said:
So you're saying it would erase my music, videos, and pictures if stored on internal memory and I did a factory reset to flash a new rom??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Flashing a new rom deletes files in /system. Wiping data deletes files in /data. Files in your "internal memory card" are in /sdcard so its fine. You can flash all you want.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy SIII on MetroPCS!
Ok, this might sound like a noob question but before deleting any files on the internal storage I want to make sure to not delete the wrong ones
I flash roms almost on a weekly basis, try tons of apps which all leave files on my internal storage so now when I look at it I see lots of garbage that I'm pretty sure I can delete - so here is my question:
When flashing a new rom I wipe data and cache and after that can I safely delete every folder on the internal storage? I guess that the only ones that I should keep are:
- clockworkmod
- data
- DCIM
- android
Or is there a way to wipe the phone without losing root? (I just don't want to go through the hassle of rooting again..)
Thanks
Seek and you shall find. :good:
Simply go into Mounts and Storage in the Recovery menu and select "format /data and /data/media (/sdcard)" - that does the trick. It deletes everything on the internal memory but leaves the external SD card untouched --> success!
Use with caution though: before this always do a nandroid backup to the external SD and above all don't do all of this if you are not sure about what you are doing
i usually
i) wipe data/factory reset
ii) wipe dalvik cache
iii) format /system
And always after this there are so many unused and uneccesary directories & files left in my internal sd card.
So you propose that after also runningformat /data and /data/media (/sdcard) everything in internal sdcard is deleted?
the thing is that most probably i have the ROM file and gapps etc in internal sdcard in order to flash the phone.if i run this and if i understood correctly that it deletes everything, then it will also delete those ROM files right?
so please clarify this if you can or propose the best way i guess other aditional steps (that im missing out) in order to have the cleanest possible phone.
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
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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.
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