Develop Bugs

Question about Nandroids

I had this over on another site but I have moved on to this phone that isn't supported there. So my base question if I was to create a nandroid , and upload it ,could anther person then download and restore it if they were on the same network(especially if modems were saved) and it was the same phone? I don't have another phone to test on but as long as no personal info was logged into it could help people with issues that seem to be random and give hands on to fix others issues
Sent from my weapon of choice.

I used to do this when I got my phone swapped out and didn't have any problems. Nowadays I prefer to wipe and install everything fresh though.
As long as it's only /system and /data and nothing unique to the phone's hardware (like a radio-related partition) I think it should be fine.

Sense crashing, data trapped

Today I tried updating my ARHD from 31.2 to 33.1. Before and during the process I made few beginner's mistakes:
- didn't back up important data
- didn't do ful wipe (it is not mandatory :silly
After reboot I got constant Sense crashes, and I practically can't use HOX as a smart phone (calls and messages are still usable :good. I am aware that most probably I will have to do the full wipe to make my phone woking properly.
What I am looking for is a way out of this situation, with keeping the most important data. Basically, I need data from few apps only (SMSes mostly, and some notes that were note backed up).
I was thinking of making a nandroid and extracting them out of there. Might be dirty, but I do need this data.
Where these could be located? How coulld I access them? Is there a way that I can access this data through CWM?
Every advise that will help is appreciated

I made a CWM bakup, and in a data partition, I found a file "hc_sms.db" in data\data\com.handcent.nextsms\databases\ that is some 200+k.
Is this what I am looking for?

Problem solved, thanks to wajahebat.
Data from cwm backup was ok, system was not. So, after full wipe I restored data only, and now my phone is working fine.

TWRP Backup takes forever on data section

Hi all
Am running ViperOne on HTC One M8 S-OFF full root, latest TWRP (although it happened on the older version also).
When I try to make a TWRP backup (system, data, etc), the system portion goes quickly but the "data" portion takes forever. I dont even know if it would ever finish as I end up hard rebooting after an hour in frustration. I try on the internal drive and the external SD, same issue.
Any idea why this happens and how I can fix it ?
Any help would be much appreciated,
Thanks

Did you turn on compression ? If so turn it off and it will be done in 2 minutes tops

Thanks for the reply.
No I don't turn on compression. But will double check to make sure.

Just tried it again without encryption and it was much quicker. That must be the cause. Now the question is if I can leave nandroid on my sd card not encrypted. Maybe best to put on computer instead.

Whatever you wish, always good to have a backup somewhere else

Agreed
Thanks for all your help.
Will keep on computer.
Btw do you think its safe to also leave a copy of my nandroid on my internal SD, or can other apps access it ??
I always worry with the endless permissions that all apps ask for.

Mwah i never had issues in the 6 years i run htc/custom roms and leaving backups here and there.
People are often to scared, probably because of other people telling wild stories, not saying nothing can happen but me thinks it a tad overrated

Thanks Mr Hofs

Lagging poor performance.

Having major problems with my Note 4. It is often really sluggish. Has horrible lag. Sometimes it just randomly resets. And, when it resets, sometimes it goes straight to download mode and says could not do normal boot at the top. For example, right now it has been on the Samsung galaxy note 4 boot screen for a few minutes. I had to pull the battery for it to boot. Sometimes, when I press and hold the power button, it doesn't respond.
I have tried a number of fixes.
-Factory reset.
-Full wipe
-Format data, then full wipe
-Odin back to stock firmware (KK, LP and MM)
-Restore backup from TWRP
I searched and saw another thread with similar symptoms, but it was pretty old with only one response. I am really at a loss as to what to do. I can only assume it is hardware related. I haven't really dropped it. No water damage. Always in a case.
Any help would be appreciated

I had the exact same issues you are describing. It ended up being the only reason i upgraded to note 7. Now of course note 7 is being recalled & i wish i could go back to a fully functional note 4.
Hope somebody has a solution for this!

The OP describes a bad flash or OTA update, corrupt partition or failing eMMC. I'd advise replacing battery as a first step of troubleshooting. Make sure it's charged fully at least once and have 75% or more capacity before starting.
I've never had to do anything risky with "PIT with repartition" or "nand erase all" but there are other advanced forums for that but I don't venture into recommending risky measures I haven't performed with experienced guidance. You could find these by googling or visiting Sammobile specific forums- I don't think it's acceptable to post external links.
But before I considered risking those methods there's some steps I'd eliminate first (warning: they may seem redundant but if having issues, I'd be thorough even if it appears redundant):
1. Backup and boot system, enable developer mode and enable USB debugging.
2. Disable reactivation lock in Settings/Security.
3. Open SuperSU app and fully un-root.
4. Wipe everything but extSdCard, factory reset and format data and power down and pull battery. Get serial number from underneath battery for Smart Switch.
5. Install Smart Switch on PC.
6. IMO, you should Odin stock tar before using Smart Switch if previously rooted.
7. Use Smart Switch to either install latest update or emergency restore phone. I didn't know Smart Switch worked in Note 4 so refer to Sammobile.
8. Once done, Check stock for stability for days before opting to do anything unless you've duplicated same results. If you have a true hardware issue, it may be evident while trying these steps.
9. Determine if you need to do anything further. I can't help with the riskier stuff; I've been fortunate enough not to experience anything warranting a risky procedure.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

i am now having this same issue on my note 4. i have gone through all of the steps outlined in this thread. The only thing i haven't tried yet is a full repartition. Any thoughts? OP have you had any success?
Thanks,
JD

I succeeded in a full brick lol. That's about it. Wont even charge/power on.

last night i re-odined with a pit file. I had selected re-partition, nand erase and hone EFS clear. I did get a successful odin and the phone had to reactivate with sprint. IN the end i still have the very laggy performance, phone sometimes not responding and spontaneous reboots.
All of this started in an instant. Everything was running fine on a TW rom that i had been running for about a week. I went to use the camera, the app froze and the speaker made a slight static kind of sound and then all of this started. No matter what kind of rom i put on here they now all act the same. very strange.
JD

JudasD said:
last night i re-odined with a pit file. I had selected re-partition, nand erase and hone EFS clear. I did get a successful odin and the phone had to reactivate with sprint. IN the end i still have the very laggy performance, phone sometimes not responding and spontaneous reboots.
All of this started in an instant. Everything was running fine on a TW rom that i had been running for about a week. I went to use the camera, the app froze and the speaker made a slight static kind of sound and then all of this started. No matter what kind of rom i put on here they now all act the same. very strange.
JD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't sound like you're having all the issues posted by the OP if stock was fine for a week and you can Odin successfully and have no issue until installing a custom ROM.
You replaced your battery and stopped using older ones? That camera issue was either a bad battery or incompatible camera in a custom ROM, IMO.
The stock ROM that worked fine for a week and the custom ROM that spontaneously reboots, which were they? Most likely, you're limited to what mods you can apply. In that condition, were you using stock or custom kernel? Kernel tweaker or none? Am I wrong to conclude your issue is the custom ROM and possibly custom setups?
Could you describe the random reboots? I've personally experienced a scenario where a ROM may run fine until user factory resets and ItsOn tries to install its bootstrapper but cannot with custom kernel or missing resources. It's persistent though, got a prompt to reboot with no issue or reason given when all seems well except the prompt to reboot that may actually become unexpected reboot if notification it's disabled and ignored. Some have found its best to factory reset and wipe internal memory when this happens and then install custom ROM cleanly. @freeza even added a line in script to delete /carrier/ItsOn folder and contents when that was identified as the issue when not wiping internal memory when completing ItsOn bootstrapper prior to installing custom ROM. I believe that works in that scenario but it highlights a need for user to follow OP install to prevent that in ROMs that omit that line in scripts. This could be a disconnect where phone isn't tested but deemed compatible with Sprint and data patch.
But kernel tweaks can cause issues with random reboots. The kernel I use works well with interactive governor but the rest are not as stable or fluid. I can under volt but only 25 or 30 mV and I limit over clocking to 2 steps above stock, no further (goal is stability without hurting battery with reasonable gains). You should consider that each processor has already been profiled to run within a specific volt to frequency table based on its ability so there's little room to limit with no adverse effects. Major steps can have adverse effects. Over clocking should also be given the same respect. We're already maximizing performance near threshold of stability. Think small steps, rather than large. Using the developer recommended kernel tweaking app is paramount for success as well.
Swapping kernels repeatedly may also leave your phone in an incompatible state so that even restoring boot.img partition to stock isn't helping. The reason is the modules the kernel uses. Developers will modify the contents of /system/lib/modules. Hopefully that's done in a compatible way but each custom flash over pre-existing custom setup may not be ideal but works best flashed over stock modules. If developer has done thorough testing, maybe the adverse effects have minimized but you can see where not having the phone for testing may impact users. Restoring boot.img only leaves the modules in unintended modification, especially for stock boot.img
Just a few examples of why a custom ROM may not be as compatible as stock for some users or carrier subscribers. You should mention the ones not being so compatible when comparing to stock as well as knowing that custom kernel tweaks and applications may not work as well on all ROMs.
There is a possibility you've chosen an incompatible ROM; ported ROMs may be nearly fully functional but have issues like you described. There's many workarounds posted in this forum that admittedly aren't fully functional; much effort has been shared by a few that have given much effort to find most compatible ROM but I think we'll get more stable support out of the box for Sprint version on Sprint from @tx_dbs_tx soon enough if your phone holds up- the OP describes an all too common failure with eMMC failure on Note 4. Sprint compatibility is tougher due its network and porting ROMs is tedious and may not work fully on phones not on hand for test.
Sent from my SM-N930P using Tapatalk

samep said:
Doesn't sound like you're having all the issues posted by the OP if stock was fine for a week and you can Odin successfully and have no issue until installing a custom ROM.
You replaced your battery and stopped using older ones? That camera issue was either a bad battery or incompatible camera in a custom ROM, IMO.
The stock ROM that worked fine for a week and the custom ROM that spontaneously reboots, which were they? Most likely, you're limited to what mods you can apply. In that condition, were you using stock or custom kernel? Kernel tweaker or none? Am I wrong to conclude your issue is the custom ROM and possibly custom setups?
Could you describe the random reboots? I've personally experienced a scenario where a ROM may run fine until user factory resets and ItsOn tries to install its bootstrapper but cannot with custom kernel or missing resources. It's persistent though, got a prompt to reboot with no issue or reason given when all seems well except the prompt to reboot that may actually become unexpected reboot if notification it's disabled and ignored. Some have found its best to factory reset and wipe internal memory when this happens and then install custom ROM cleanly. @freeza even added a line in script to delete /carrier/ItsOn folder and contents when that was identified as the issue when not wiping internal memory when completing ItsOn bootstrapper prior to installing custom ROM. I believe that works in that scenario but it highlights a need for user to follow OP install to prevent that in ROMs that omit that line in scripts. This could be a disconnect where phone isn't tested but deemed compatible with Sprint and data patch.
But kernel tweaks can cause issues with random reboots. The kernel I use works well with interactive governor but the rest are not as stable or fluid. I can under volt but only 25 or 30 mV and I limit over clocking to 2 steps above stock, no further (goal is stability without hurting battery with reasonable gains). You should consider that each processor has already been profiled to run within a specific volt to frequency table based on its ability so there's little room to limit with no adverse effects. Major steps can have adverse effects. Over clocking should also be given the same respect. We're already maximizing performance near threshold of stability. Think small steps, rather than large. Using the developer recommended kernel tweaking app is paramount for success as well.
Swapping kernels repeatedly may also leave your phone in an incompatible state so that even restoring boot.img partition to stock isn't helping. The reason is the modules the kernel uses. Developers will modify the contents of /system/lib/modules. Hopefully that's done in a compatible way but each custom flash over pre-existing custom setup may not be ideal but works best flashed over stock modules. If developer has done thorough testing, maybe the adverse effects have minimized but you can see where not having the phone for testing may impact users. Restoring boot.img only leaves the modules in unintended modification, especially for stock boot.img
Just a few examples of why a custom ROM may not be as compatible as stock for some users or carrier subscribers. You should mention the ones not being so compatible when comparing to stock as well as knowing that custom kernel tweaks and applications may not work as well on all ROMs.
There is a possibility you've chosen an incompatible ROM; ported ROMs may be nearly fully functional but have issues like you described. There's many workarounds posted in this forum that admittedly aren't fully functional; much effort has been shared by a few that have given much effort to find most compatible ROM but I think we'll get more stable support out of the box for Sprint version on Sprint from @tx_dbs_tx soon enough if your phone holds up- the OP describes an all too common failure with eMMC failure on Note 4. Sprint compatibility is tougher due its network and porting ROMs is tedious and may not work fully on phones not on hand for test.
Sent from my SM-N930P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I apologize i was not 100% clear in my previous post. I was running a custom rom when the camera issue happened. Since then any rom i install is very laggy and has spontaneous reboots. This includes stock odin roms with no mods at all. I have also tried multiple batteries.
JD

JudasD said:
I apologize i was not 100% clear in my previous post. I was running a custom rom when the camera issue happened. Since then any rom i install is very laggy and has spontaneous reboots. This includes stock odin roms with no mods at all. I have also tried multiple batteries.
JD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, my mistake too. Maybe you said that before and I didn't follow the flow of your comments.
You did the nand erase all but do you typically wipe internal memory and factory reset prior to flashing ROM or stock tar? I also prefer to power down and pull battery before going to download mode and flashing stock tar.
If you've done everything and get random reboots on stock or failed to normal boot or eMMC failure, that may be your eMMC failing or other internal failure. I would expect it only gets worse over time- time to repair our replace. I just did my local research with uBreakItIfixIt and the guy says I'd have to bring in my own part but labor is only $10 plus tax to replace main motherboard. Part lists on web for $80 or more. Amazon has a listing for it too.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01M..._SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=Motherboard+N910P
Sub $100 repair estimate isn't so unreasonable compared to increasing cost of upgrading to locked phone with no root possibilities. But HTC is an option if their offering is appealing. I'm thinking maybe 2017 HTC has an appealing upgrade that I may find worthy for the money. Sure wish an OEM would duplicate the Note 4 on a refresh with updated internal components.
If my phone were to break today, I'd give that a go. I trust business names like Amazon and uBreakItIfixIt. Ubreakitifixit usually has parts on hand for simple or common repairs like screens, internal batteries and USB ports. That outfit just did an economical repair in an iPhone 6 for my wife. Replaced screen and battery for just over $160.
Sent from my SM-N930P using Tapatalk

General Comparing backup solutions

Just wondering what everyone else is using for backups (apps, app data, internal storage, sms/mms, etc.), particularly if you're switching between ROMs or anything else that involves wiping periodically. I love experimenting with custom ROMs but I hate the wipe/restore that goes with it, and I almost always lose data when I soft-brick. I also often lose data when intentionally wiping to flash a different ROM and my app data fails to restore. Anyone have a flawless solution for always staying backed up (preferably on a schedule) and always restoring successfully?
Things I've tried:
* Migrate: Earlier versions had restoration problems, but these days it's more reliable. I do a full backup before any intentional upgrade or ROM flash, then copy to a computer manually, and it usually restores successfully
* SwiftBackup: Limited options, but the nightly schedule keeps most of my data backed up to the cloud and has restored successfully about 95% of the time
* Titanium Backup: Was beyond perfect, but discontinued
* OAndXBackup: Seemed like an okay replacement for TiBu but the only time I tried to restore it failed
* AlphaBackup: Flexible manual backups but limited auto backup options. Haven't tried to restore
What else is out there? I especially miss the options for TiBu where I could back up everything once a week and then backup "apps with modified data" nightly. Nothing else I've found has that specific option.

Powerful, efficient, configurable, scheduled https://github.com/VR-25/migrator

miravision said:
Powerful, efficient, configurable, scheduled https://github.com/VR-25/migrator
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks great! I'll definitely give it a try. As a Linux person I love that the help section is written like a man page. How's actual real-world success in restoration?

I have searched on github for a zip to install, but nowhere to be found, so no magisk installable zip.
Then I saw that there is an issue that after using the app for a backup it breaks every app on the device.
So this is both not installable nor stable.

I may have used Titanium since Android 7, until Android 12 Titanium is still running well

zxc123ygy said:
I may have used Titanium since Android 7, until Android 12 Titanium is still running well
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TiBu development was stopped at least a couple of years ago and I've had all sorts of issues since Android 10. App freezes when it encounters certain apps, it can't handle split apks, restored apps tend to crash, etc. Glad it's working for you, but that hasn't been my experience the last couple of years.

Titanium still has some usefulness, but is definitely outdated!

terlynn4 said:
Just wondering what everyone else is using for backups (apps, app data, internal storage, sms/mms, etc.), particularly if you're switching between ROMs or anything else that involves wiping periodically. I love experimenting with custom ROMs but I hate the wipe/restore that goes with it, and I almost always lose data when I soft-brick. I also often lose data when intentionally wiping to flash a different ROM and my app data fails to restore. Anyone have a flawless solution for always staying backed up (preferably on a schedule) and always restoring successfully?
Things I've tried:
* Migrate: Earlier versions had restoration problems, but these days it's more reliable. I do a full backup before any intentional upgrade or ROM flash, then copy to a computer manually, and it usually restores successfully
* SwiftBackup: Limited options, but the nightly schedule keeps most of my data backed up to the cloud and has restored successfully about 95% of the time
* Titanium Backup: Was beyond perfect, but discontinued
* OAndXBackup: Seemed like an okay replacement for TiBu but the only time I tried to restore it failed
* AlphaBackup: Flexible manual backups but limited auto backup options. Haven't tried to restore
What else is out there? I especially miss the options for TiBu where I could back up everything once a week and then backup "apps with modified data" nightly. Nothing else I've found has that specific option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How come nobody's mentioned custom recoveries and their backup options? TWRP has some solid backup options, though I will mention it's far from perfect.

razercortex said:
How come nobody's mentioned custom recoveries and their backup options? TWRP has some solid backup options, though I will mention it's far from perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not familiar with the options in TWRP other than making a full nandroid or partition backup (which is huge since I keep a lot of data on my phone). Are there other options? Does it have a way to back up apps and app data? I also assume TWRP doesn't support Android 12 on this device yet?

It should work regardless of the Android version, but I'll stop myself from making assumptions.
Some custom recoveries like OrangeFox have app specific backup, though it's quite unstable. So a full nandroid backup may be your best bet. Try compression, it may reduce the backup size.

TWRP isn't available for 12 yet that I'm aware of. The last update that went official stated in the changelog that the recent update should make it easier to port it for A12. Flashing/booting it on an A12 rob will send you straight back to bootloader.

Titanium is indeed old, discontinued and had a terrible UX, but still works (Android 11).
Swift Backup has matured a lot, I believe is the complete replacement for Titanium.

razercortex said:
How come nobody's mentioned custom recoveries and their backup options? TWRP has some solid backup options, though I will mention it's far from perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because twrp cannot use my external USB flash card, it's unusable. I have to make a full backup on internal data and then export that, but how could I ever restore if needed?
I wished twrp would work, had that half of my life on my phones, but not on this one until this works. Twrp on oneplus9 I'm seeing too much problems atm.

Bright.Light said:
Because twrp cannot use my external USB flash card, it's unusable. I have to make a full backup on internal data and then export that, but how could I ever restore if needed?
I wished twrp would work, had that half of my life on my phones, but not on this one until this works. Twrp on oneplus9 I'm seeing too much problems atm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah I see. Thank you for clarifying.