Develop Bugs

[Q] Can I backup any data within fastboot?

Hi Folks,
I have experienced the sadly famous boot loop issue (the one that keeps the device on the boot screen forever), not in one, but in two different devices (same model and build, 4.0.2 GSM - ICL53F).
I fixed the first one by flashing the latest stock rom (4.0.4), but of course it lost all the data, including camera pictures.
So for this one, I would like to save as much as I can. The problem is, that I can't access the device with adb since it wont boot, I just can access it with fastboot.
I have managed to enter the ClockWorkMod Recovery and perform a backup, but it saves it into the sdcard, so if I flash the phone to fix it, it will lose the backup
So, the question is: How can I either access the filesystem trough fastboot or just performing a backup that won't be lost if I have to flash it.
Thanks in advance

You said you can access ADB...but I assume you meant can't?
If you can...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=24910351&postcount=21
And pull your sd card as well.
If not...
I assume you've tried booting into bootloader and odin?

Jubakuba said:
You said you can access ADB...but I assume you meant can't?
If you can...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=24910351&postcount=21
And pull your sd card as well.
If not...
I assume you've tried booting into bootloader and odin?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your assumption is right, I can't.
And yes, I tried booting trough odin and bootloader, many times, but I have read about many people experiencing this issue, most of them solved it by wiping data (and some also flashing). I know how to solve the booting issue, I just want to save as much data as I can.

mdelolmo said:
Your assumption is right, I can't.
And yes, I tried booting trough odin and bootloader, many times, but I have read about many people experiencing this issue, most of them solved it by wiping data (and some also flashing). I know how to solve the booting issue, I just want to save as much data as I can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I understand man.
The link I gave would back up your apps at least...
And your SD if you changed -noshared to -shared but I haven't had much success.
But you'd need ADB access.
Wait for another opinion if you wish.
But I'd assume you need a factory reset if you can't get ADB...
And simply flashing a rom doesn't work, right?

mdelolmo said:
Hi Folks,
I have experienced the sadly famous boot loop issue (the one that keeps the device on the boot screen forever), not in one, but in two different devices (same model and build, 4.0.2 GSM - ICL53F).
I fixed the first one by flashing the latest stock rom (4.0.4), but of course it lost all the data, including camera pictures.
So for this one, I would like to save as much as I can. The problem is, that I can't access the device with adb since it wont boot, I just can access it with fastboot.
I have managed to enter the ClockWorkMod Recovery and perform a backup, but it saves it into the sdcard, so if I flash the phone to fix it, it will lose the backup
So, the question is: How can I either access the filesystem trough fastboot or just performing a backup that won't be lost if I have to flash it.
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You cannot backup through fastboot with a shipping bootloader, but you can access /sdcard via adb when booted in CWM, despite not being able to connect when booted normally.
1) Boot into CWM.
2) Connect to a PC.
3) Open a command prompt in the same directory where you have your adb.exe file.
4) Type: adb pull /sdcard/

[Q] Repair platform.xml?

Hi folks,
I tried to modify the platform.xml file to enable some write permissions. As far as I can tell, the app I used to modify the file didn't write it back correctly, and now my device is what might be called "semi-bricked."
Almost everything force closes, WiFi and write permissions seem to be broken, and I can't seem to get my Galaxy Nexus to communicate with my PC via USB.
I tried booting into CWM and mounting some /system, but I'm not sure how to access it since fastboot/adb don't seem to recognize the device.
I've also booted into some sort of recovery (fastboot?) that looks like the attached image. But I can't get it to do anything except boot up into the normal OS when I click the power button.
Any suggestions on how I can get access back to my device so I can repair/replace the platform.xml file and restore functionality to my phone?
Thank you very much!

Deozaan said:
Hi folks,
I tried to modify the platform.xml file to enable some write permissions. As far as I can tell, the app I used to modify the file didn't write it back correctly, and now my device is what might be called "semi-bricked."
Almost everything force closes, WiFi and write permissions seem to be broken, and I can't seem to get my Galaxy Nexus to communicate with my PC via USB.
I tried booting into CWM and mounting some /system, but I'm not sure how to access it since fastboot/adb don't seem to recognize the device.
I've also booted into some sort of recovery (fastboot?) that looks like the attached image. But I can't get it to do anything except boot up into the normal OS when I click the power button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it is not bootloader. to access to the bootloader turn on your device long pressing power, volume up and volume down buttons together (don't use odin).
To access to cwm recovery from bootloader just press volume down button until you see "recovery" option, then press power button and it will boot in recovery.
which rom are you using?
solution: download the zip file of your rom and extract the file you modified, make a zip (if you can't make a flashable zip i'll post an attachment for you) and flash it in recovery

enryea123 said:
No it is not bootloader. to access to the bootloader turn on your device long pressing power, volume up and volume down buttons together (don't use odin).
To access to cwm recovery from bootloader just press volume down button until you see "recovery" option, then press power button and it will boot in recovery.
which rom are you using?
solution: download the zip file of your rom and extract the file you modified, make a zip (if you can't make a flashable zip i'll post an attachment for you) and flash it in recovery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply.
I actually did manage to get my PC to recognize the device via USB/adb and I copied the file back to the way it should have been. But that didn't fix anything, so I ended up doing a wipe/factory reset. Everything works now but things still seem a bit. . . off. For instance, it takes a while after my phone boots up before the WiFi will actually connect. It used to be connected almost immediately. And it takes a while for the alarm icon to load/show up in the notification area at the top. And I can't find the option in the settings anymore to use USB debugging. There are lots of little things like that, where it works, but it just doesn't quite work like it used to. . .
And to answer your question, I'm using the stock ROM that came with the Galaxy Nexus (from Google Play Store).

Deozaan said:
Thanks for the reply.
I actually did manage to get my PC to recognize the device via USB/adb and I copied the file back to the way it should have been. But that didn't fix anything, so I ended up doing a wipe/factory reset. Everything works now but things still seem a bit. . . off. For instance, it takes a while after my phone boots up before the WiFi will actually connect. It used to be connected almost immediately. And it takes a while for the alarm icon to load/show up in the notification area at the top. And I can't find the option in the settings anymore to use USB debugging. There are lots of little things like that, where it works, but it just doesn't quite work like it used to. . .
And to answer your question, I'm using the stock ROM that came with the Galaxy Nexus (from Google Play Store).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
first: to make the "developer settings" appear go settings/About phone and tap on build number 7 times (google has hidden it in 4.2).
said that, you can:
1) fix permissions in cwm recovery (under advanced menu)
2) download a zip of your rom and flash it in recovery
3) if your bootloader is unlocked (you see a padlock when you boot your phone) you can flash a factory image to return completely stock.
4) if your bootloader is locked you can follow the 3) method but you will lose all your sdcard data.

enryea123 said:
first: to make the "developer settings" appear go settings/About phone and tap on build number 7 times (google has hidden it in 4.2).
said that, you can:
1) fix permissions in cwm recovery (under advanced menu)
2) download a zip of your rom and flash it in recovery
3) if your bootloader is unlocked (you see a padlock when you boot your phone) you can flash a factory image to return completely stock.
4) if your bootloader is locked you can follow the 3) method but you will lose all your sdcard data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again for the response.
I got developer settings to appear. Hooray! Fix Permissions is one of the first things I did to try to repair the platform.xml file when things were broken. I ran it again (but from ROM Manager rather than from CWM Recovery) and it didn't seem to have any effect on the weird sluggishness when first booting up.
My bootloader is unlocked. Will I have to root again if I flash one of those factory images? I'm currently backing up the contents of my "SD card" in case I have to completely wipe the entire thing.

Deozaan said:
Thanks again for the response.
I got developer settings to appear. Hooray! Fix Permissions is one of the first things I did to try to repair the platform.xml file when things were broken. I ran it again (but from ROM Manager rather than from CWM Recovery) and it didn't seem to have any effect on the weird sluggishness when first booting up.
My bootloader is unlocked. Will I have to root again if I flash one of those factory images? I'm currently backing up the contents of my "SD card" in case I have to completely wipe the entire thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, you can firstly try to flash a zip of your rom (search on xda or google), it should fix.
the fastboot flash method is the google method so you won't need root (you just have to go into fastboot and connect your phone to your computer, doesn't matter if you have root, or a different rom/kernel/recovery).
If you don't know you to flash from fastboot try first to flash the rom zip.
having a backup of the sdcard is always a good idea :good:, i have 2 backups of mysdcard on 2 different hard drives of my computer and the pictures i take with the camera are automatically uploaded on my dropbox .

enryea123 said:
well, you can firstly try to flash a zip of your rom (search on xda or google), it should fix.
the fastboot flash method is the google method so you won't need root (you just have to go into fastboot and connect your phone to your computer, doesn't matter if you have root, or a different rom/kernel/recovery).
If you don't know you to flash from fastboot try first to flash the rom zip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Weird things are happening. I was making a backup of the "SD Card" and partway through, things stopped copying over. And pretty much everything got erased from it. No big deal, since I'd already copied the important stuff first.
But CWM Recovery won't flash the zip file. It keeps telling me the update failed. I verified the hash on the zip I downloaded and it is the same as what is listed on Google's site. But it just won't flash in CWM.

Deozaan said:
Weird things are happening. I was making a backup of the "SD Card" and partway through, things stopped copying over. And pretty much everything got erased from it. No big deal, since I'd already copied the important stuff first.
But CWM Recovery won't flash the zip file. It keeps telling me the update failed. I verified the hash on the zip I downloaded and it is the same as what is listed on Google's site. But it just won't flash in CWM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wait, are you in cwm recovery o just in stock recovery (they are different)? have you previously installed a cwm recovery using fastboot? which zip are you trying to flash?
edit: ok you know what is rom manager so i think that you are in cwm.
edit2: try this zip http://goo.im/devs/bigxie/maguro/bigxie_maguro_OTA_JOP40D-signed.zip

enryea123 said:
wait, are you in cwm recovery o just in stock recovery (they are different)? have you previously installed a cwm recovery using fastboot? which zip are you trying to flash?
edit: ok you know what is rom manager so i think that you are in cwm.
edit2: try this zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was in CWM Recovery. I was using the zip file that I extracted from the link you gave me for Google's stock ROMs (I can't post external links yet):
(Factory Images "takju" for Galaxy Nexus "maguro" (GSM/HSPA+) (with Google Wallet) --> Android 4.2.1 (JOP40D))
Strangely enough, after "failing" to flash the zip, I had to log into my Google account again because I had selected the option to Wipe Data and Cache, and most things seem to be working very well again. One odd thing I'm still noticing, though, is that some things don't seem to be syncing properly. For example, if I archive some of my email in the Gmail app, then log into Gmail on my PC, the mail is still unread in my inbox. My phone downloads the new mail just fine. But the changes I make on my phone (reading, archiving, deleting, etc.) don't seem to be syncing to anywhere else.
I'm downloading the zip you suggested. I'll give that a try. Thanks!

enryea123 said:
edit2: try this zip http://goo.im/devs/bigxie/maguro/bigxie_maguro_OTA_JOP40D-signed.zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this one
Deozaan said:
I was in CWM Recovery. I was using the zip file that I extracted from here the link you gave me (I can't post external links yet):
(Factory Images "takju" for Galaxy Nexus "maguro" (GSM/HSPA+) (with Google Wallet) --> Android 4.2.1 (JOP40D))
Strangely enough, after "failing" to flash the zip, I had to log into my Google account again because I had selected the option to Wipe Data and Cache, and most things seem to be working very well again. One odd thing I'm still noticing, though, is that some things don't seem to be syncing properly. For example, if I archive some of my email in the Gmail app, then log into Gmail on my PC, the mail is still unread in my inbox. My phone downloads the new mail just fine. But the changes I make on my phone (reading, archiving, deleting, etc.) don't seem to be syncing to anywhere else.
I'm downloading the zip you suggested. I'll give that a try. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is not a flashable zip! It is a factory image, it must be flashed via fastboot using a computer.

enryea123 said:
That is not a flashable zip! It is a factory image, it must be flashed via fastboot using a computer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to be sure I explained myself clearly, I downloaded that Google provided factory image (a .tgz file) and inside it I found a zip file named "image-takju-jop40d.zip" which is what I tried to flash.
That said, I've just recently finished downloading the one you just suggested to me and I will give that one a try soon. Thank you again for your help. I really appreciate it.

I got it working again. The ROM you gave me failed signature verification in CWM Recovery, but I told it to install anyway and it worked. Thank you.
The problem I was having with Gmail not syncing was that I used Titanium Backup to restore my data, but because all the data from my "SD card" got erased, Titanium Backup itself lots its settings, so my Device ID was different. I guess Gmail relies on the device ID for syncing.
Thank you so much for your help! I learned a lot from the experience.

Glad i helped you. well this is one of the reasons why i don't restore data with titanium (especially system data).
and by the way:
Deozaan said:
Just to be sure I explained myself clearly, I downloaded that Google provided factory image (a .tgz file) and inside it I found a zip file named "image-takju-jop40d.zip" which is what I tried to flash.
That said, I've just recently finished downloading the one you just suggested to me and I will give that one a try soon. Thank you again for your help. I really appreciate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To fully reset and install a clean rom using fastboot you have to extract the bootloader-blabla.img and radio-blabla.img files from the tar.gz archive and then extract the 4 .img files inside the zip (that is inside the tar.gz) and flash this 6 .img files connetting your phone in bootloader mode to your computer and using fastboot in terminal (in fact this procedure reinstall the recovery too).

[Q] Stuck trying to restore to stock

Hi guys,
I've been running custom AOKP rom and decided to return back to stock.
I have the rogers version of the M8, and intended to flash a stock TWRP backup of someone's rogers save.
I made the poor decision of relocking and unlocking the bootloader again, leaving me without a functional OS and with only fastboot and TWRP recovery available to me. As a result, I can't get the rogers backup folder onto my phone ( I don't have a miscro SD), and the only other option I see is to manually push each file in the stock TWRP recovery with ADB to my phone, but I'm horrible with anything that involves command lines.
Any suggestions to get me out of this situation would be great. My end goal is to get the stock ROM / kernel running so I can get OTA's.
Edit: Solved by doing an advanced wipe and format in TWRP, and I flashed a stock Rogers nandroid

Just adb push or adb sideload a stock rooted ROM to your phone. Just a single command line.
If you want OTAs, you will also need stock recovery. But my recommendation is that OTAs have no place on a modded device.

redpoint73 said:
Just adb push or adb sideload a stock rooted ROM to your phone. Just a single command line.
If you want OTAs, you will also need stock recovery. But my recommendation is that OTAs have no place on a modded device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried flashing a ROM and unfortunately I get stuck on the boot animation.
Attempting to wipe my phone through TWRP before the zip install yields a failure:
E: Unable to mount '/data'
E: Unable to mount internal storage
Those two lines are repeated a couple times in the error screen.
It looks like I need to flash some form of backup but am not sure which one will hard reset my phone to stock from this scenario.

Flashnova said:
I've tried flashing a ROM and unfortunately I get stuck on the boot animation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which ROM? How did you try to flash it (how did you get it on the phone, did you adb sideload?)/
Flashnova said:
Attempting to wipe my phone through TWRP before the zip install yields a failure:
E: Unable to mount '/data'
E: Unable to mount internal storage
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Select "Mount" in TWRP main screen and make sure data is checked (cache should also e checked by default). If so, and still getting this error, di you by chance try to factory reset in bootloader (not TWRP)?

redpoint73 said:
Which ROM? How did you try to flash it (how did you get it on the phone, did you adb sideload?)/
Select "Mount" in TWRP main screen and make sure data is checked (cache should also e checked by default). If so, and still getting this error, di you by chance try to factory reset in bootloader (not TWRP)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I flashed dirty unicorns 4.4.4. I had a 2gb SD card which managed to get it to the phone (the 2gb isn't enough to move the system backup).
I can't check Mount in the settings and it remains unchecked, and yes, I did hit the factory reset in the bootloader thinking that it would help me (I assume this was another bad decision).

Flashnova said:
I can't check Mount in the settings and it remains unchecked, and yes, I did hit the factory reset in the bootloader thinking that it would help me (I assume this was another bad decision).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that was a bad decision. But probably not one that you could have known about. Doing a factory reset in bootloader on a modded M8 corrupts the internal memory. This is your main problem right there.
If you have a Windows PC, connect the phone, go to Device Manager and find the phone. Then select the option to format the memory.
In the future only do a factory reset within the OS (in Settings) or in recovery, not in bootloader.

If you've gone through this much, I'd highly recommend getting comfy with a few command line commands. These may very well save you some time and additional headache (speaking from experience).
After recently running into issues with my newly purchased Roger's M8, I needed to restore to stock as well. Honestly, I followed these instructions to the T and it got me out scrape-free.
But, note Step #6 may require you to "adb push" your unzipped folder. And that's it.
Once you've ADB'd the massive nandroid backup, you should be out of the woods (in TWRP, Restore, Select the pushed backup file).
Good luck, and as long as you've got recovery/hboot looking back at you, you should be fine.

redpoint73 said:
If you have a Windows PC, connect the phone, go to Device Manager and find the phone. Then select the option to format the memory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not too sure where that option is located, would you know how to get there?
esuohe said:
But, note Step #6 may require you to "adb push" your unzipped folder. And that's it.
Once you've ADB'd the massive nandroid backup, you should be out of the woods
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After pushing the folder to my device I receive "protocol failure", so the push isn't working unfortunately.

Flashnova said:
I'm not too sure where that option is located, would you know how to get there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On Win7, go to Start Menu, use the search function at the bottom that says "Search programs and files" and type "Device Manager".
Or go to Start Menu>Control Panel>Hardware and Sound; and under "Devices and printers" you will see Device Manager.
Flashnova said:
After pushing the folder to my device I receive "protocol failure", so the push isn't working unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You aren't going to be able to write to the memory when its still corrupt.

redpoint73 said:
On Win7, go to Start Menu, use the search function at the bottom that says "Search programs and files" and type "Device Manager".
Or go to Start Menu>Control Panel>Hardware and Sound; and under "Devices and printers" you will see Device Manager.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Device manager does not provide a format option. Perhaps you mean disk manager? If I do format it will I have to somehow reinstall the android system?

Flashnova said:
Device manager does not provide a format option. Perhaps you mean disk manager? If I do format it will I have to somehow reinstall the android system?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've often read it described as Device Manager. Can't personally say from experience as I've never actually had to do it myself, but seen this described on XDA quite a few times. If the option comes up in Disk Management, that should be fine, too.
Formatting internal storage should not affect the Android OS, as its a separate partition (note how Windows is only reading the internal storage as around 25 GB of the total 32 GB). But you have to re-install a ROM anyway, as you presently do not have one installed.

How to get in fastboot mode?

Seems that the recovery has broken on my firephone,I cant sideload bin files anymore.how can i get in fastboot mode to flash recovery.img?Please help me and sorry for my bad english.
Sent from my SBM303SH using XDA Free mobile app

I "tortured" my device a lot during testing, never had that problem though. Recovery is rock solid (for now ^^).
What exactly happens when your phone is in recovery mode? Is your device still showing up when you try to use adb commands?
I guess you're not really talking about a literal *.img file...
You're from Japan?
regarding Hydros post: I think he's still able to get into adb / recovery, only the sideloading fails... (since he stated: "...can't sideload bin files anymore")

Boot Up. Enable adb and type
Adb reboot Bootloader

Bingo Bronson said:
I "tortured" my device a lot during testing, never had that problem though. Recovery is rock solid (for now ^^).
What exactly happens when your phone is in recovery mode? Is your device still showing up when you try to use adb commands?
I guess you're not really talking about a literal *.img file...
You're from Japan?
regarding Hydros post: I think he's still able to get into adb / recovery, only the sideloading fails... (since he stated: "...can't sideload bin files anymore")
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi @Bingo Bronson. My fire phone is running rooted 4.6.1. I have removed many system apps. If I do a factory reset without sideloading stock 4.6.1 image, my
phone won't work since I removed dialer, sms, lockscreen, etc.
If I first do a factory reset first, then sideload stock 4.6.1 image, will my phone get restored back to working condition, just like what it was when i first started this phone?
Thanks

@ leonidas1573 In this case: Factory reset won't help.
Reason: It only resets the settings and data for the apps installed.
You have to sideload the stock image, reboot.
After that, it will work fine (And yes, you have start all over again with your configuration). I did about 5 times already ^^.
I will post a new guide next week, with apps / content / settings that are safe to remove.

Bingo Bronson said:
@ leonidas1573 In this case: Factory reset won't help.
Reason: It only resets the settings and data for the apps installed.
You have to sideload the stock image, reboot.
After that, it will work fine (And yes, you have start all over again with your configuration). I did about 5 times already ^^.
I will post a new guide next week, with apps / content / settings that are safe to remove.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your reply. Yes, i did factory reset without sideloading the first time
I just sideloaded the stock image without factory resetting. It seems everything is working fine already I will try to wipe/factory reset, then sideload, make sure it's a clean phone before i start messing with the os again.

Yes, we would all like to know what's safe to remove.

@Bingo Bronson when i sideload ,it says
"E:failed to mount the cache(Invalid arguement)
E:cant open /cache/recovery/log"
my friend tell me this means that my rec is broken.
I dont know what i delete after root,cant start my phone,just stay on the fire logo.

@ dropiit
This is really bad. Cache partition is corrupt.
You would be able to fix this problem on any android device that uses an unlocked bootloader / custom recovery.
With the fire phone, you don't have any other options, only recovery mode (which is useless in this case).
I'm sorry, as far as I know, there is no solution to this problem for this device.
A "Factory Fastboot Cable" doesn't work / exist for this device (as well as Kindle HD latest gen. / HDX).
If you bought the phone directly from a retailer or Amazon, you might want to contact them first and ask how much it will cost to fix / replace the phone.

dropiit said:
@Bingo Bronson when i sideload ,it says
"E:failed to mount the cache(Invalid arguement)
E:cant open /cache/recovery/log"
my friend tell me this means that my rec is broken.
I dont know what i delete after root,cant start my phone,just stay on the fire logo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did this end up happening?

Nexus stuck in boot loop - unrooted - Backing up photos from bootloader or recovery

Hi.
Apologies if this is a very naive question, I am not particularly familiar with mods, roms and so forth.
I have rooted another phone in the past, but that is all.
The situation:
- Samsung Galaxy Nexus
- Not rooted/unlocked. Stock android automatically updated to the latest Android version supported
- Android developer option NOT set in settings
- Stuck in a boot loop: boots to android and then after a few seconds reboots, so no time to do anything
- Not sure how it happened, I had it for years, it was in my pocket and suddenly started doing that.
- Android fastboot and recovery loads up no problem
- I have tried anything I could find online to fix it: deleted cache, rebooted in safe mode, removed battery for 10 hours
- Nothing seems to fix it, it keeps rebooting
- I want to try a factory reset, but my family photos are in the phone
- Google synch seems to have stopped functioning for this device a year ago, all my 2016-17 photos and videos are locked in the phone.
Admitting there is nothing to do about the loop problem:
Is there any way I can copy photos and videos via usb while in recovery mode?
After I will reset the phone via recovery menu, hoping it will fix it. IF that does not fix it, I will flash another rom in. But I really do not want to wipe my data before backing them up.
I am assuming the answer is no, you cannot access the internal memory in fastboot/recovery unless your phone is rooted.
But I would like an expert opinion before I resolve to wipe one year of photos and videos which I will regret losing.

@mcaldo DON'T DO FACTORY RESET, EVERYTHING WILL BE LOST
which recovery are you using..?
if it's TWRP, then it's easy..
- boot into TWRP recovery
- go to "Mount" tab
- find "enable/disable MTP" button at lower options.. (enable it )
then connect your phone to that PC, where you always connected in past, ( to eliminate driver installation stage, all drivers will be preinstalled )
Regards

____Mdd said:
@mcaldo DON'T DO FACTORY RESET, EVERYTHING WILL BE LOST
which recovery are you using..?
if it's TWRP, then it's easy..
- boot into TWRP recovery
- go to "Mount" tab
- find "enable/disable MTP" button at lower options.. (enable it )
then connect your phone to that PC, where you always connected in past, ( to eliminate driver installation stage, all drivers will be preinstalled )
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply!
By recovery, I meant 'android system recovery'
It gives me the following options:
reboot system now
apply update from ADB
apply update from USB drive
wipe data/factory reset
wipe cache partition
Is any of the above useful?
Unfortunately, I do not have any alternative recovery software available
Edit: Googling I found this: "Apply update from ADB: The Android Debug Bridge allows you to plug your device into your PC and issue commands from there. "
If I can issue commands through ADB, perhaps there is a command to copy data from my phone to my computer?

mcaldo said:
Thanks for your reply!
By recovery, I meant 'android system recovery'
It gives me the following options:
reboot system now
apply update from ADB
apply update from USB drive
wipe data/factory reset
wipe cache partition
Is any of the above useful?
Unfortunately, I do not have any alternative recovery software available
Edit: Googling I found this: "Apply update from ADB: The Android Debug Bridge allows you to plug your device into your PC and issue commands from there. "
If I can issue commands through ADB, perhaps there is a command to copy data from my phone to my computer?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you can copy through adb commands..
Get and extract Minimal ADB and Fastboot from here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2317790
From PC, run CMD to extracted folder directory.
Connect phone to PC, go to update from ADB(in recovery),
Type "adb device" , it will show serial number and connected..
Then "adb pull /sdcard " (if you know particular directory of data then write it like /sdcard/photos,, otherwise writing /sdcard will copy all folders from your phone. )
it will start copying to same adb folder ..

____Mdd said:
Yes, you can copy through adb commands..
Get and extract Minimal ADB and Fastboot from here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2317790
From PC, run CMD to extracted folder directory.
Connect phone to PC, go to update from ADB(in recovery),
Type "adb device" , it will show serial number and connected..
Then "adb pull /sdcard " (if you know particular directory of data then write it like /sdcard/photos,, otherwise writing /sdcard will copy all folders from your phone. )
it will start copying to same adb folder ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the advice.
I followed the instructions closely, and nearly got there.
adb devices returns
#serialnumber sideload
so all good
but adb pull /sdcard returns
adb: error connect failed: closed
I tried several other commands with no success
kill-server and start-server work fine but do not solve the problem
adb usb returns
error closed
So, I am starting thinking that the problem is in the bootloader being locked.
However, if I unlock it, it will be wipe all my data, I understand?
Googling about it, I found this:
The behavior is status-by-design. Your stock recovery is not designed to grant shell access. Your only choice here is to somehow manage to flash a custom recovery. – Firelord Dec 30 '15 at 14:19
3
To achieve something similar to what @FireLord suggested: TWRP can be booted on many devices without being installed. For that, find a matching image, then boot to the bootloader and run fastboot boot twrp.img. Btw: you can check with fastboot devices resp. adb devices whether a device is visible to the corresponding tool. – Izzy♦ Jul 8 '16 at 19:40
So I understand one could boot TWRP without installing it, but I am not sure if that means I could do that with the bootloader locked?
I found WugFresh nexus root toolkit which seems to do that, among many other things, but again it warns that the phone must be unlocked (using the android build "Android *.* Any", I did not know what else to choose, not sure if that makes any difference as for locked/unlocked requirements)
EDIT: my fastboot screen reads "FASTBOOT STATUS - Failbootloader locked" as the last line, when trying to run TWRP without installing.

Yes, unlocking bootloader will wipe everything..
What actually you did ? Why it went into bootloop ???
I have also read that about boot into TWRP without installing.. and it worked for many one without unlocking bootloader... Don't know why not on GNex.

____Mdd said:
Yes, unlocking bootloader will wipe everything..
What actually you did ? Why it went into bootloop ???
I have also read that about boot into TWRP without installing.. and it worked for many one without unlocking bootloader... Don't know why not on GNex.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What actually you did ? Why it went into bootloop ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A very good question, to which I have no answer, unfortunately.
The phone was used by my wife for 2 years and then by me for other 2. I recently changed the battery.
Never rooted or unlocked. No unusual apps installed. I am a very basic user, as you might have guessed, and being my only phone at the moment, I really would not risk experimenting with it.
It went very slow over the last 4 months, so I was planning to reset it.
I put in my coat pocket for a few hours, when I took it out it had a train ticked stuck to the screen and was quite warm and on the lock screen. It froze, so I took the battery out and restarted it. From then on it is stuck in a loop, not sure why really.
I have also read that about boot into TWRP without installing.. and it worked for many one without unlocking bootloader... Don't know why not on GNex
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's good to know. I'll research more than.
It seems there might be a problem with the fastboot drivers on my computer, even selecting them from device manager did not work. Win7 refuses to install. The ADB drivers in theory work fine though.

If you have done nothing modification to system, then wiping data should work, but i have doubt if it also wipes personal data too, on TWRP it wipes data excepting /data/media/ which contains all personal data.. but don't know about wiping on stock recovery...
I hope you will find solution as soon as possible..
Regards.
PS. I can install stock recovery and try wiping /data.. and check what things get wiped.. but i need little time for that experiment...

____Mdd said:
If you have done nothing modification to system, then wiping data should work, but i have doubt if it also wipes personal data too, on TWRP it wipes data excepting /data/media/ which contains all personal data.. but don't know about wiping on stock recovery...
I hope you will find solution as soon as possible..
Regards.
PS. I can install stock recovery and try wiping /data.. and check what things get wiped.. but i need little time for that experiment...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much.
Looking at google's documentation on the nexus:
You can remove data from your Pixel phone or Nexus device by resetting it to factory settings. Resetting to factory settings is also known as formatting the device or doing a "hard reset".
If you're factory resetting your device to fix an issue, make sure that you've tried all other troubleshooting options first. Find out how to troubleshoot your issue.
Important: Performing a factory reset will erase all data from the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would seem that indeed all data will be removed.
This point, I will research a bit more into drivers, in case that is what it's preventing adb pull from working.
I really need a working phone, so if that fails I will hard reset, then unlock, root, flash in an alternative bootloader and perhaps a rom, and put ubuntu touch in dual boot. That will hopefully prevent me from loosing data in the future.
Sorry, this is out of topic to my question, but, , could you suggest any stable, solid rom for the nexus?
I read good things of CM12, and I ran into one which seemed to do to quite well with split windows, but I do not remember the name right now.
EDIT: I remember the name of the rom now, it's https://omnirom.org/about/

A last question if you can..
I tried to solve my boot loop problem by sideloading an update from google (maguro yakju yakju-jwr66y-factory-4cadea65.zip)
It loaded it fine but then failed because the installation it says it is not signed.
Basically, being a stock bootloader recovery from Samsung, it will only sideload OTAs from samsung, not the stock ones from google..
I cannot find the samsung ones anywhere, not for the nexus anyway, just the newer devices..
By any chance do you know where I could download proper Samsung OTA zip updates for the nexus?

Well, I talked with an android developer who confirmed that, unless you have a friend working in criminal forensic technology or similar, there is no way to get around a lock on this phone to pull data out.
So, sadly, I have wiped my phone by unlocking it, flashed TWRP and then omnirom with gapps.
My photos are gone, including a bunch of stuff my kid had made and asked me to photograph for safeeping. Very safe indeed
He kept asking me why they make the lock like that, instead of allowing some kind of password, perhaps he has a point.
So, it is quite unlikely that somebody who knows as little as I did will ever read this *before* finding themselves in the same situation.
But if you do, back up your data, unlock and flash TWRP, clockworks or some alternative, and thank yourself if and when disaster strikes..

@mcaldo wiping data/factory reset in STOCK RECOvERY will wipe everything... There is very few chances to get backup...
And yeah i found something interesting..
You can flash system.img.. only system files will be corrected not anything else..
Get appropriate zip from here : https://developers.google.com/android/images
Now take system.img to ADB/Fastboot folder ( i assume you know how it works )
Just go "Fastboot flash system system.img"
It will rewrite system partition..
Another one:
See downloads on this thread..
One says NON-WIPE, if you want me to try that zip, i will again require time for that. See here : https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-nexus/general/guide-restore-to-stock-unbrick-galaxy-t2065470
---------- Post added at 11:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:09 AM ----------
I don't saw your reply, it was on next page.. its sad... Sorry i am late..