Develop Bugs

Weird problem after unlocking NAND...

Followed it step by step (it worked!), but now when I restore the Nandroid backup I made my phone just cycles through the Sprint/4G boot screen continuously. I've wiped data, cache, and Dalvik/cache, and nothing. I restored to an earlier Nadroid backup (from like a month ago) and that one boots fine. Any ideas? Is my newest Nandroid backup just corrupt or something?
If this doesn't work I think I'll just flash to a brand new ROM, but gosh I'd like to backup my SMS messages lol
Thanks!

did you wipe?

I wiped:
Data/Factory Reset
Cache
Dalvik-cache
I didn't do SD:ext partition though...
Am I supposed to? Will it erase my SD card?

vulcZ said:
I wiped:
Data/Factory Reset
Cache
Dalvik-cache
I didn't do SD:ext partition though...
Am I supposed to? Will it erase my SD card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't wipe that, that's just for using Apps2sd

You need to wipe the user data. I dont remember how get there off the top of my head but it is where nandroid is.
I found it. I am using clockworkmod recovery, but you go to "wipe data factory reset" and you will see a bunch of no's and then a "yes -- delete all user data" select that and reboot. This should fix your problem.
vulcZ said:
I wiped:
Data/Factory Reset
Cache
Dalvik-cache
I didn't do SD:ext partition though...
Am I supposed to? Will it erase my SD card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I also had this problem once, I rebooted into recovery and flashed the newest radio and no more boot. Not sure if it was a fluke but you might try it if you cant get anything esle to work.

DHD stuck on boot logo

hi, i was flashing my DHD to CyanogenMod but i didn't wipe anything before that.
(i did it though RomManager) it got stuck on the splash/logo screen for about 10 - 15 mins so i turned off my phone (by removing the battery)
now i'm trying to restore, factory rest but its not working
tried everything on ClockworkMod v3.0.0.5 (wipe data/factory rest, wipe cache partition), backup and restore (restore and Advanced Restore) tried to restore (boot, system, data, cache and sd-ext)
Thanks !

BTKdragoon said:
hi, i was flashing my DHD to CyanogenMod but i didn't wipe anything before that.
(i did it though RomManager) it got stuck on the splash/logo screen for about 10 - 15 mins so i turned off my phone (by removing the battery)
now i'm trying to restore, factory rest but its not working
tried everything on ClockworkMod v3.0.0.5 (wipe data/factory rest, wipe cache partition), backup and restore (restore and Advanced Restore) tried to restore (boot, system, data, cache and sd-ext)
Thanks !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey why don't you read through the forum before you make posts? There are more than 3 threads discussing the same problem!!!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=953908
Restoring backups with 3.0.5 is a pain in the ass...not working atm...you would have known only if you have read before!

[QUERY] General Note II Flashing Ettiquette - WIPING

Hello all,
Coming from an OG Epic 4G. On the Epic, there was VERY little storage on the NAND (internal memory), and for all intensive purposes, all of your data that wasn't on the "system" partition was included there.
I'm experiencing a little heartache as I'm starting to transition to the Note II.
When flashing things on my Epic, and we did a factory wipe, it would wipe my system partition, boot, cache, etc.
Is there a functional equivalent for our Note II, that will not delete apps/etc. that are not stored on the "system" partitions. Meaning, when a dev suggests a factory reset, is there an alternative to cleanly wipe all of the system-type files that may/may not be compatible with this or that ROM, without wiping the ENTIRE internal memory?
Thanks! I look forward to an exciting couple of years here on the GN2 forums =]

MeetFace said:
Hello all,
Coming from an OG Epic 4G. On the Epic, there was VERY little storage on the NAND (internal memory), and for all intensive purposes, all of your data that wasn't on the "system" partition was included there.
I'm experiencing a little heartache as I'm starting to transition to the Note II.
When flashing things on my Epic, and we did a factory wipe, it would wipe my system partition, boot, cache, etc.
Is there a functional equivalent for our Note II, that will not delete apps/etc. that are not stored on the "system" partitions. Meaning, when a dev suggests a factory reset, is there an alternative to cleanly wipe all of the system-type files that may/may not be compatible with this or that ROM, without wiping the ENTIRE internal memory?
Thanks! I look forward to an exciting couple of years here on the GN2 forums =]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to set ya straight, /system is the ROM. Some ROMs include a few things in /data, but mostly a few apps and stuff. If you're using TWRP, you will have buttons to wipe various partitions. Even if you don't wipe /system, most ROMs (if not all) will wipe it for you anyway because, well, it has to so it can extract the new ROM properly.
How I always do things is backing up my user apps and data with titanium backup, wipe data, cache. Dalvik cache, and system, then flash the ROM. Some of that is redundant because wiping data will also wipe dalvik (since it's located in the data partition) and flashing a ROM should wipe system. But that's how I do it anyway.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

Thanks Viper, I was aware /system being the ROM. Perhaps I'll install twrp instead of can so that I cwm just wipe certain partitions and see how that goes.
sent from my ginormous Note II

Unsure how to properly wipe without wiping internal storage

Hello all,
Sorry for this semi-noob question. I have had many android phones and rooted all of them but this is my first Nexus device. I've unlocked my bootloader and have TWRP installed and I'm ready to install a ROM. Unfortunately I am unsure of how I can do a full wipe without wiping my internal storage too.
On every other phone I have had, I would go to advanced wipe and then wipe system, data, cache and dalvik cache but I just did that and it wiped my internal storage :/
I had to flash the stock system image through ADB because ADB sideload wasn't working. Now I'm afraid to wipe system again before trying again because I feel like it will wipe my internal storage again. How can I wipe system properly before installing a new ROM?
Thanks!

Now the interesting question here is: What is internal storage?
You seem to think it is the entire emmc, including your system, cache and data partitions but that is not how that term is used.
As far as I have been able to figure this out "Internal Storage" in Android refers to the entire /data partition which in itself again is divided into a user accessible part where your photos, videos, files are stored ( /data/media and mounted as /sdcard/0 ) and the rest of the /data partition which is used for apps you install and their data. That part is not accessible to the user unless you have root.
Now, for 99% of all wipe operations all you need to do when installing a new rom is to wipe the data partition of all user installed apps and their data, dalvik and cache - also called a 'clean install'.
Any rom installer worth a damn will format /system before installing a new rom, so wiping /system is redundant.
TWRP made this very easy: Enter the Wipe menu and swipe the button. Default is to wipe /data (without wiping /data/media), cache and Dalvik. Flash the rom - done.

berndblb said:
Now the interesting question here is: What is internal storage?
You seem to think it is the entire emmc, including your system, cache and data partitions but that is not how that term is used.
As far as I have been able to figure this out "Internal Storage" in Android refers to the entire /data partition which in itself again is divided into a user accessible part where your photos, videos, files are stored ( /data/media and mounted as /sdcard/0 ) and the rest of the /data partition which is used for apps you install and their data. That part is not accessible to the user unless you have root.
Now, for 99% of all wipe operations all you need to do when installing a new rom is to wipe the data partition of all user installed apps and their data, dalvik and cache - also called a 'clean install'.
Any rom installer worth a damn will format /system before installing a new rom, so wiping /system is redundant.
TWRP made this very easy: Enter the Wipe menu and swipe the button. Default is to wipe /data (without wiping /data/media), cache and Dalvik. Flash the rom - done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Internal Storage" as I used the term refers to just the user accessible part of the data partition where (as you said) photos, files, etc are stored. On previous versions of TWRP for phones I have had, you could wipe system, date, cache, etc and it would always leave internal storage intact. Ergo, after wiping, you could navigate to your downloads folder and find the ROM you wanted to flash. The issue I had was that I wiped "system" using TWRP and it wiped my "internal storage", meaning my downloads and photos and everything - leaving me with no ROM to flash.
You answered my question perfectly toward the end with this
Any rom installer worth a damn will format /system before installing a new rom, so wiping /system is redundant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I come from a series of phones where this was not standard behavior for ROM installers, so failing to wipe system would lead to a dirty flash and almost assuredly cause issues. Thanks for the input, I will just do a data wipe from now on.

You shouldn't count on roms wiping system automatically.
A well established rom like pure Nexus for instance does not wipe system at flashing, leaving it up to the user to clean or dirty flash.
Always read and follow the installation instructions that come with the rom and you should have little problems. If there aren't any instructions, stay away from the rom is my advice, especially of you are a new user.
As to your question: go to the wipe menu in twrp. Then do an advanced wipe. Check every box except internal storage and wipe. Then proceed to flash your rom.

peltus said:
You shouldn't count on roms wiping system automatically.
A well established rom like pure Nexus for instance does not wipe system at flashing, leaving it up to the user to clean or dirty flash.
Always read and follow the installation instructions that come with the rom and you should have little problems. If there aren't any instructions, stay away from the rom is my advice, especially of you are a new user.
As to your question: go to the wipe menu in twrp. Then do an advanced wipe. Check every box except internal storage and wipe. Then proceed to flash your rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I'm not a new user by any stretch, just new to the Nexus 5x.
As to your question: go to the wipe menu in twrp. Then do an advanced wipe. Check every box except internal storage and wipe. Then proceed to flash your rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is exactly what I did when it wiped the ROM file (and all photos/sms backups) from my internal storage. That's how I have always wiped before flashing a new ROM in TWRP and this is the first time it ever wiped my internal storage, hence my question. I think I'll just stick to ROM installers that perform a system wipe. I plan on running the odex stock based ROM I just installed for a while anyway.

The_mamba said:
Thanks, I'm not a new user by any stretch, just new to the Nexus 5x.
This is exactly what I did when it wiped the ROM file (and all photos/sms backups) from my internal storage. That's how I have always wiped before flashing a new ROM in TWRP and this is the first time it ever wiped my internal storage, hence my question. I think I'll just stick to ROM installers that perform a system wipe. I plan on running the odex stock based ROM I just installed for a while anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for assuming you're a newby. Last time i wiped that way in twrp (June 2016) it left my SD card alone. Maybe you checked the wrong box?

peltus said:
Sorry for assuming you're a newby. Last time i wiped that way in twrp (June 2016) it left my SD card alone. Maybe you checked the wrong box?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worries, I appreciate the help either way. I suppose it's possible I checked the wrong box but I am very diligent about that because I have REALLY screwed myself over with that in the past. I accidentally wiped internal storage once or twice on my HTC One and had to RUU back to stock, losing everything including root. Luckily recovery is quicker and easier on the 5x (and the phone is brand new so it had no pictures on it).
I'm afraid to try it again even with a nandroid since the recovery files or stored on internal storage so wiping that would leave me SOL too. Like I said, I'll probably just ride on this ROM until the Nougat or so and then make a full cloud backup before trying a full wipe again.

Wiping system did not erase your files. /system is read only, so you nor your apps can store anything there.
I respectfully disagree with @peltus. In those parts of XDA where I "grew up" a dirty flash is a rom flash without wiping data. And I would be grateful for a link to a rom where the installation script does not involve formatting or wiping /system.
I could be wrong but I believe TWRP's wipe of data is without data/media.
Internal Storage wipes the entire data partition.
One if these days with more time I'll give it a try
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

BONUS: What is a data/media device?
https://twrp.me/faq/datamedia.html
The relevant part:
Since /data/media is part of /data, we pretty much never actually format the data partition. Formatting data, of course, also removes the media folder that contains the internal sdcard. When you choose a factory reset [or wipe data], instead of formatting, we use rm -rf commands to remove all the folders except for the media folder so that we can remove all of your apps and settings while leaving your "sdcard" intact. In TWRP we also have a wipe internal storage option that rm -rf's the media folder and a "Format Data" option that formats to recreate the entire file system in case something goes completely wrong or to remove device encryption.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[ ] - added by me.

[Guide] What to wipe or format: the case of an upgrade or a completely different ROM

I feel like explaining this somewhat more extensively as it was not clearly documented somewhere. In the case of a totally new and different ROM (so not an upgrade to a newer version which the ROM developer stated as safe for upgrading), you should wipe the following partitions:
/system (where your ROM resides)
/data (without /data/media if you want),
/cache (probably not needed though as it does not contain a whole lot usually).
When upgrading, if deemed possible, you don't format anything, and flash the new ROM over the old one. In many ROMs, /system will usually still be erased/formatted by the flashing procedure. However, most ROMs automatically reinstall Gapps, root, F-Droid etc. through an addon.d script specifically designed for ROM upgrades, which is convenient when upgrading. When flashing a totally new ROM, erasing /system yourself is hence not strictly necessary, but to make sure the old ROM packages do not interfere with the new one through addon.d, it's best to erase it before flashing.
In TWRP, this formatting for a new ROM goes as follows:
You can simply perform a "factory reset" in TWRP (which deletes most of /data, the Dalvik cache in /data and /cache). Now your settings and apps are removed. Your user data in the internal storage is untouched, which is actually at /data/media, a.k.a. /sdcard where it is mounted too. Then format /system via advanced wipe.
For the same result, you can also just via the "advanced wipe" wipe data, Dalvik cache, cache and system.
Alternatively, choose "format data" (which then wipes /data completely, including internal storage (/data/media) as well as Dalvik cache) and wipe /cache and /system) via "advanced wipe".
For the same result, you can also just via the "advanced wipe" wipe data, Dalvik cache, cache, system and internal storage.
You can leave the other partitions (such as modem partitions, persist, preload (unless your new ROM uses it), EFS, boot (since the kernel is updated by your new ROM) and a few others). In fact, most of these you cannot even format using TWRP.
Note that a factory reset in a custom recovery is usually different from the factory reset in the stock recovery (confusing, I know): it only deletes /data (without /data/media) and cache. In the original recovery it formats /data completely (similar to the "format data" option in TWRP).
See also here and here.
BTW some people on this forum seem to think you should wipe things several times, like wiping the floors ...
Of course, that's nonsense. Flashing too: it should only be done once. These bits are digital people!