Related
Here's the guide for rooting by rivera82falcon:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1219246
Guide for installing ROMs by me:
Before installing the ROM...
1, Download Titanium Backup from the market, allow superuser permissions, then click menu>batch>backup all user apps.
2. Make sure fastboot is off in settings>power.
3. Put the ROM zip on the root of your SD Card
4. Download SMS Backup and Restore, and backup your SMS.
5. Back up your contacts by checking "back up my data" or something like that under settings/privacy
How to install the ROM...
1. Turn off phone, and hold power and volume down until you get a white screen that says Hboot.
2.Volume down/up is for scrolling; power is for selecting.
3. Scroll down and select RECOVERY.
4. Scroll down and selected BACKUP AND RESTORE.
5. Select BACKUP and wait for it to finish.
6. Hit the back button to go back to the main menu.
7. Scroll down and select WIPE DATA/FACTORY RESET.
8. Scroll down and select WIPE CACHE PARTITION.
9.Hit the back button to go back to the main menu.
10. Scroll down and select ADVANCED, then WIPE DALVIK CACHE.
11. Hit the back button.
12. Select mounts and storage and select FORMAT SYSTEM.
13. Hit the back button to go back to the main menu.
14. Scroll down and select INSTALL ZIP FROM SD CARD, then CHOOSE ZIP FROM SD CARD, then whatever the ROM zip is.
15. Let it do its thing. This may take 5-10 minutes. DON'T PULL THE BATTERY.
16. When it is finished, hit the back button to go back to the main menu.
17. Select REBOOT SYSTEM NOW. This boot may take up to 15-20 minutes so be patient. Once again, do not pull the battery!
18. Run the initial setup. When you're setting up your google account, make sure the "keep data backed up" or whatever box is checked. This will make sure to restore your/keep your contacts backed up.
19. Redownload Titanium Backup. Hit menu/batch/restore missing apps with data.
20. Redownload SMS B+R. Restore your SMS.
21. Enjoy your new ROM!
Nice guide for those not wanting to use a ROM manager.
When I restore the user apps will that also restore the app settings and gamesaves?
Sent from my HTC Droid Incredible 2 via the XDA app.
klabit87 said:
When I restore the user apps will that also restore the app settings and gamesaves?
Sent from my HTC Droid Incredible 2 via the XDA app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would recommend restoring the app only, and then go back and restore the data. You will then have whatever settings you had as well as game scores, levels etc after doing this. Just make sure that before you flash a new rom, to make a new backup, or at least a backup of the apps or games that may have had the settings, scores or levels changed. I have gotten into the habit of backing up my games after I get done playing. Nothing worse than flashing a new rom, and have to go back a few levels and start over
Just wondering - what exactly does formatting do? I've always done a system wipe, cache wipe, and dalvik wipe before flashing but I've never formatted. I've flashed a good half dozen ROMs without issue, so I was just wondering what the deal was with formatting.
I also haven't been wiping battery stats when flashing. That one makes sense to me though.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using XDA App
cory.spicer said:
Just wondering - what exactly does formatting do? I've always done a system wipe, cache wipe, and dalvik wipe before flashing but I've never formatted. I've flashed a good half dozen ROMs without issue, so I was just wondering what the deal was with formatting.
I also haven't been wiping battery stats when flashing. That one makes sense to me though.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't wipe batt stats unless your flashing on a full battery. Really just a full data wipe and dalvik cache wipe will do it.... Then mount system and fix permissions if you're having trouble with rom after install/reboot. Can't hurt to follow above procedures, minus a battery stat wipe every time. That will reduce your battery's life over time...
Sent from my Incredible 2 using XDA App
Formatting is generally used to erase the SD Card, such as if your were going to partion the SD Card, or change the File System IE Ext 3 to Ext 4.
Guys, I updated the OP, based on feedback.
And I think the reason that I did all that extra wiping was from back in the droid incredible 1 forums. When gingersense roms came out, the op's of every thread said to wipe EVERYTHING like 3 times. I just did everything once, but still. I probably didn't need to wipe all that stuff.
Maybe change the title to "Noob's Guide to Flashing ROMs Manually"? The noob way to flash a ROM (or managing/creating backups) is definitely using Rom Manager.
Done. Good point, although ROM manager is known to mess things up.
Yeah what's now in the OP is the exact procedure I've been using, it's been working great so far.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using XDA App
I've never wiped battery stats, not really sure what the benefit is. Used multiple batteries and ROMs on my previous phone.
If you do a factory reset it wipes your data and cache. I generally just do a factory reset/dalvik wipe on new ROMs. When flashing over a ROM, just format cache and dalvik.
If you are really picky you can go into advanced and wipe each partition there manually.
thanks for the great write up. i hope this isn't a stupid question, but when you're switching roms and doing all this formatting do you lose your pictures, text messages, contacts, etc.???
wiping cache and dalvik is redundant after doing a data wipe/ factory reset. dalvik cache lives on the data partition. and the factory reset wipes cache already anyway.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using XDA App
shoman24v said:
I've never wiped battery stats, not really sure what the benefit is. Used multiple batteries and ROMs on my previous phone.
If you do a factory reset it wipes your data and cache. I generally just do a factory reset/dalvik wipe on new ROMs. When flashing over a ROM, just format cache and dalvik.
If you are really picky you can go into advanced and wipe each partition there manually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wipe battery stats now, but not through recovery. I download battery calibration from the market, and follow the instructions in the app. Major increase in battery life.
lddrew said:
thanks for the great write up. i hope this isn't a stupid question, but when you're switching roms and doing all this formatting do you lose your pictures, text messages, contacts, etc.???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you wipe cache and/or dalvik cache only, no. If you wipe data/factory reset, you will lose any of the above on PHONE STORAGE. You can save pics to the SD card, so they won't be deleted, you can download SMS Backup and Restore from the market for texts. For contacts, some ROMs have backup assistant. For those that don't, make sure you check "backup my settings" under settings/privacy on your current ROM. This will back up your contacts to you google account. After you flash a new ROM, just check the "backup my settings" box when setting up your google account. Also, just redownload SMS B+R, and restore your SMS. If your pics are on the SD, they will still be there, you don't have to do anything. Hope this helps.
Lots of edits in the OP.
AgalychnisCallidryas said:
I wipe battery stats now, but not through recovery. I download battery calibration from the market, and follow the instructions in the app. Major increase in battery life.
If you wipe cache and/or dalvik cache only, no. If you wipe data/factory reset, you will lose any of the above on PHONE STORAGE. You can save pics to the SD card, so they won't be deleted, you can download SMS Backup and Restore from the market for texts. For contacts, some ROMs have backup assistant. For those that don't, make sure you check "backup my settings" under settings/privacy on your current ROM. This will back up your contacts to you google account. After you flash a new ROM, just check the "backup my settings" box when setting up your google account. Also, just redownload SMS B+R, and restore your SMS. If your pics are on the SD, they will still be there, you don't have to do anything. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you so much, i've been doing a lot of reading but this has all the answers i was looking for in one place. i really appreciate it. thanks!!
This is the only guide I've managed to find that gives simple and concise instructions. Many other guides leave out steps, use different names for things, or use abstract terminology.
Very well done and a HUGE thank you! I'm new to rooting and I've been trying different roms like I've been doing it for years.
I'm glad I helped. I flashed my first ROM with my friend giving step-by-step instructions over the phone lol.
This is exactly what I do for ALL of my android devices.
However...especially when going from aosp to sense...or vice versa...system, data and cache should really be formatted.
This is really a solid habit to get into...as I do this with every ROM. This way I can accurately find bugs if applicable and helps me determine if the ROM quality is up to snuff.
Kinda like hand tightening lugs on wheels and torquing them.
Great writeup. Thanks!
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium
Lag is typically a result of Android working really hard to do all the things you want at the same time. You may be right that an application may be hogging the CPU or even the RAM. Try to keep the number of applications/processes you do to a minimum (e.g load a web page, while sending an email, while opening contacts, etc.).
If you want to attempt to resolve the problem let's first assume that it's an application that's causing the problem.
Go to Settings (from Home Screen) --> about phone --> and check to see if any applications are on the list. If the application has a decent amount of battery usage from it (>5%) you may want to investigate the app further.
Then go to Applications (from settings) --> running services. This will let you know what apps have been stored in memory (RAM) and how much space they're taking up. When an application takes up more RAM then it should, it can cause our phone to work harder to get rid of apps not in use (this is how Android multi-tasks).
Ok let's assume this isn't an apps fault it may be time to clean your system cache. Have you ever noticed when you get a new computer, it's super fast, but as the years go on, your PC gets slower and slower. Sometimes things get stored in a cache which can slow down the system. To clear the cache on your android all you have to do is reset your phone to factory defaults. WARNING THIS WILL DELETE ALL OF YOUR APPLICATIONS you can of course re-download them, however it's not guaranteed that any of the information you have saved in the apps will persist. Anything saved on your SD card will remain unaffected.
Once you get everything downloaded and back to normal, you should notice your phone is pretty zippy again. However reseting your phone can be a pain and should only be done if you really can't pinpoint an application(s) that is responsible.
sleekykenny said:
Lag is typically a result of Android working really hard to do all the things you want at the same time. You may be right that an application may be hogging the CPU or even the RAM. Try to keep the number of applications/processes you do to a minimum (e.g load a web page, while sending an email, while opening contacts, etc.).
If you want to attempt to resolve the problem let's first assume that it's an application that's causing the problem.
Go to Settings (from Home Screen) --> about phone --> and check to see if any applications are on the list. If the application has a decent amount of battery usage from it (>5%) you may want to investigate the app further.
Then go to Applications (from settings) --> running services. This will let you know what apps have been stored in memory (RAM) and how much space they're taking up. When an application takes up more RAM then it should, it can cause our phone to work harder to get rid of apps not in use (this is how Android multi-tasks).
Ok let's assume this isn't an apps fault it may be time to clean your system cache. Have you ever noticed when you get a new computer, it's super fast, but as the years go on, your PC gets slower and slower. Sometimes things get stored in a cache which can slow down the system. To clear the cache on your android all you have to do is reset your phone to factory defaults. WARNING THIS WILL DELETE ALL OF YOUR APPLICATIONS you can of course re-download them, however it's not guaranteed that any of the information you have saved in the apps will persist. Anything saved on your SD card will remain unaffected.
Once you get everything downloaded and back to normal, you should notice your phone is pretty zippy again. However reseting your phone can be a pain and should only be done if you really can't pinpoint an application(s) that is responsible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is wrong my friend, you can clear cache from recovery and it does nothing to apps installed. No need to wipe phone.
Yep iv`e just cleared /system, /boot, cleared cache and Dalvik cache, flashed AIO 3.0.4 and all my apps are still there.
I do find stopping certain apps (which i rarely use) after boot does help a tad...
Install Custom ROM ipdate without full wipe?
MattchuR said:
Yep iv`e just cleared /system, /boot, cleared cache and Dalvik cache, flashed AIO 3.0.4 and all my apps are still there.
I do find stopping certain apps (which i rarely use) after boot does help a tad...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can u do that from Runnymede by sabastien15 AIO 2.2? i wanna go for the3.10.4 but i dont have the breath for all the contact/settings/app installing crap now
MazenGER said:
Can u do that from Runnymede by sabastien15 AIO 2.2? i wanna go for the3.10.4 but i dont have the breath for all the contact/settings/app installing crap now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No.
When you go from 2.x to 3.x you need to perform a full wipe. Just system cache and dalvik cache is not good enough.
You can, however, sync your phone with google, make a titanium backup, use the app backup/restore scripts from InsertCoin (search for them) before and after flashing the new ROM, in order to minimize the amount of setup you have to do afterwards.
-Jobo
Acer Iconia A100 Tab, ICS, rooted, unlocked, backed up, CWM, Superuser.
The A100 comes from the factory with 8GB internal memory and I added a 32GB chip. Fine, but as expected, I soon got the dreaded "Insufficient memory available" message. The A100 has an inherent design flaw which does NOT allow apps to be transferred to SD (have tried everything).
I've successfully swapped the mount points and now have combined the internal 8GB and the external 32GB to act as one single drive. The machine now sees itself as having 40GB of internal storage. Works perfectly BUT...
...now I'm permanently getting the ol' "Insufficient storage available" message on EVERY app I try to install. Even worse - I've done massive uninstalling of almost ALL my programs, and now I can't re-install ANY apps with getting the insufficient storage message, either from Play Store, or as a standalone apk installer file.
I've tried;
- Lucky Patcher
- rebooted countless times
- set all system files and folders to RW
- every type of cache cleaning program
- increased my swap filesize to maximum
- every type of past-program-cleanup tidy program
- tested, verfified, but still replaced, the 32GB sd chip
- used a terminal emulator to properly rewipe the cache folder
- restricted the list or startup programs to only system-required apps
- using SDK, have tried both the "set install apps to internal" and external drives
There is very little left on my system now (95% free), and the system runs beautifully and passes all diagnostics. I've just reached the point now where I cannot install or reinstall even the tiniest tiny programs. Of the few remaining programs, I dare not uninstall CWM, Superuser or ADB Control, for fear of not being able to even restore past backups.
In short, the more capacity I give back to the system, the less capacity it has.
Any thoughts/suggestions? (other than using it as a doorstop)
IF you have GPS enabled, look for the GPS data files (I can't remember exactly where) as the GPS on some of these tablets (like mine) repeatedly download AGPS data at will filling up part of the memory. Not sure if this is your issue, but this caused me all kinds of insufficient memory problems with my A100.
Yup, check the /data/GPS folder. If you use GPS it gets loaded with dated .txt cache files. The only fix is deleting them every once and a while or factory reset if your not rooted,
Clear data from play store and google frameworks.
Tapatalked from my Galaxy S II.
pio_masaki said:
Clear data from play store and google frameworks.
Tapatalked from my Galaxy S II.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your input. Yes, by this point I've ended up with a long checklist of regular things to do just to take any argument away from the machine. I regularly clear the data from Play Store and Frameworks. The GPS has been disabled for weeks, and was set to not update from any source other than straight GPS satellites (non-network). I killed off the few GPS data files I did find.
The available storage is now down to 382mb, and seems to be dropping by 50mb per day - while it simultaneously tells me I have 28GB free! WTF?
I now only have about 7 programs installed, excluding the obvious factory preinstalled ones.
CWM - 384kb
ES File Explorer - 5.7mb
Android Assistant - 1.74mb
Acer Recovery Installer - 2.55mb
Lucky Patcher - 5.62mb
ROM Manager - 5.32mb
Link2SD - 0.94mb
Wake Lock - 72kb
If I uninstall any of these in the vein hope of trying to clear any more space, I won't be able to put them back. Everytime I boot, I get the "Low space" warning, and no apps can be installed at all.
Just a thought - under Data Usage > Removed Apps > it shows an ever-climbing graph, and says Foreground: 0.00B, Background 2.70GB Is this just a record of past activity? Or does it show actual space that's being consumed? If so, I can see no way of clearing it. The View app settings button is greyed out.
I was having a similar problem although I never figured out what was the deal I used pio's black hole wipe and reinstalled my rom and everything works great now.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
Are you sure its not Lucky Patcher (yes I know this app is frowned upon here on xda)?
Open Lucky Patcher > Go to troubleshooting > click "remove fixes and backup".
illego said:
Are you sure its not Lucky Patcher (yes I know this app is frowned upon here on xda)?
Open Lucky Patcher > Go to troubleshooting > click "remove fixes and backup".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was going to mention that app tends to cause that error, its come up before. Any further discussion concerning that app should be taken to PM or off forum completely.
I would suggest the black hole wipe or at least a hard reset and leave that app out of the next install. No restores just fresh installs from play store.
Tapatalked from my Galaxy S II.
pio_masaki said:
I was going to mention that app tends to cause that error, its come up before. Any further discussion concerning that app should be taken to PM or off forum completely.
I would suggest the black hole wipe or at least a hard reset and leave that app out of the next install. No restores just fresh installs from play store.
Tapatalked from my Galaxy S II.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lucky Patcher was the last app I was successfully able to install a few days ago, and I only put it on in a last ditch effort to try and solve the 'insufficient memory available' problem which had been growing steadily worse over the past two weeks.
I did a hard reset and confirmed a clean running virginal machine, although I still got the 'Low space' and 'Insufficient memory available' message, but I did a another backup just to be safe. I then followed the black hole wipe to the letter. Everything went smoothly through each step, and now when the phone boots, it just sits there displaying the Acer logo for eternity.
When I do a recovery boot, I can now only get
"Erasing Cache before SD update...
SD update cmd: recovery
Booting recovery kernel image
Recovery verified failed..."
Did this just brick my tab? Or does someone know of a way out? Obviously the PC or ADB no longer recognizes it.
sailboatamelia said:
Did this just brick my tab? Or does someone know of a way out? Obviously the PC or ADB no longer recognizes it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm. Silence.
Can anyone give me their humble private opinion if running the black hole wipe has indeed bricked my system?
- or - based on the message I'm now getting...
"Erasing Cache before SD update...
SD update cmd: recovery
Booting recovery kernel image
Recovery verified failed..."
Does anyone know if there's anything that can be tried first, before I send it back to Acer?
Has anyone themselves had that message before?
sailboatamelia said:
Hmm. Silence.
Can anyone give me their humble private opinion if running the black hole wipe has indeed bricked my system?
- or - based on the message I'm now getting...
"Erasing Cache before SD update...
SD update cmd: recovery
Booting recovery kernel image
Recovery verified failed..."
Does anyone know if there's anything that can be tried first, before I send it back to Acer?
Has anyone themselves had that message before?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What did you erase with the blackhole wipe?
Theonew said:
What did you erase with the blackhole wipe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The black hole wipe:
Cache Wipe: Formats /cache and deletes /data/dalvik-cache.
System Wipe: Formats /cache /system and /data. Recovery mounts INTERNAL SD to /data/media
Please backup your INTERNAL SD before running this or you will lose everything on it!
Cache Nullify: Nullifies /cache and deletes Dalvik-cache.
System Nullify: Nullifies /cache /data /system.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1682525
All of which is not necessarily to be feared - as long as you can still gain access to the recovery ROMs on the external SD. The problem is, after doing the above-mentioned processes, you cannot even boot into recovery, much less access the external SD. All you're left with is the Acer logo, and the ability to power up or down.
.
sailboatamelia said:
The black hole wipe:
Cache Wipe: Formats /cache and deletes /data/dalvik-cache.
System Wipe: Formats /cache /system and /data. Recovery mounts INTERNAL SD to /data/media
Please backup your INTERNAL SD before running this or you will lose everything on it!
Cache Nullify: Nullifies /cache and deletes Dalvik-cache.
System Nullify: Nullifies /cache /data /system.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1682525
All of which is not necessarily to be feared - as long as you can still gain access to the recovery ROMs on the external SD. The problem is, after doing the above-mentioned processes, you cannot even boot into recovery, much less access the external SD. All you're left with is the Acer logo, and the ability to power up or down.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uh no. It doesn't touch boot, recovery, external SD or bootloader. Recovery verified failed means your boot loader is locked.
Tapatalked from my Galaxy S II.
pio_masaki said:
Uh no. It doesn't touch boot, recovery, external SD or bootloader. Recovery verified failed means your boot loader is locked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow! That's good news! (maybe) So... if I can unlock the bootloader then, in theory, I should be able to continue restoring the tab? Please excuse my vertical learning curve on this. If I understand correctly, there is no bootloader unlocker for the A100 iteself, but apparently there's a compatible one for the A200 that can be used.
From my tab's current state, could you please tell me what the next step(s) are?
I'd be eternally indebted to you.
.
I know this is not a development thread but I must insist we have something like this in this area. I feel it's important to all development for accurate results and debug information.
I see this all the time. People think they are fully wiping when a developer asks for it. I believe that some people still don't understand what a full wipe is because there is no such single option in ClockWorkMod Recovery. Most likely the reason for that is because Koush didn't want too many posts about "I'm stuck on Google logo" or "my phone won't boot". So here is a test you can do yourself: Backup your ROM of course, and then do a full wipe. Then don't install anything and just reboot. If you end up pass the Google logo and onto the boot loop screen, then what you think is a full wipe is incorrect. If you are stuck on the Google logo and nothing is happening however, then congratulations... you know what you're doing 
For the rest of you, here are proper steps to fully wipe without leaving any trace of ROM on your phone:
* wipe data/factory reset
* format /system
* format /boot
Now most people think that the first option is enough. That may often be the case but because the developer can drastically change the contents of the /system folder, things can get messed up if you don't format it. And guess what, that first option will not do it. Wipe data/factory reset only wipes the /data folder which contains your personal settings and all the apps you installed. The ROM is then left blank as if you just flashed it and you can start over. FYI, the format of boot partition simply wipes the boot animation and you can restore it using the advance option in recovery from ROM to another.
I've seen some zip files which do this automatically so that's fine but at least you know what needs to be done to fully wipe.
There you go. I hope this clears some things. Now lets flash some ROMs! 
Credit
Obasanity
I looked through many threads, posts, websites, and tutorials, but none of them say how to literally wipe my device completely (it could be that it's not possible), what I want to do is completely remove literally everything so that it's like a brand new hard drive without even any files in it.
'Factory Reset' doesn't remove everything because android still boots after a factory reset and android wouldn't be able to boot if there were no files on the device. TWRP doesn't remove everything either because how is twrp running, and I can still see the androids root directories in twrps file manager (TWRP does tell me that there's no OS installed, but then why is there still a functioning file system with actual files in them).
I want to completely wipe everything so that any future roms I download will have no way to be affected by any old kernels/roms/apps that I have installed in the past. I want to clean install android on top of a literally empty phone hard drive. If this isn't possible then what's the closest to that that I can get? Cuz I tried various roms and I had bugs that persisted between multiple roms even though other people said that they didn't have these issues.
In case you're wondering: I'm currently running LineageOS 15.1, oreo 8.1
Your best bet it to wipe using stock image. Reinstall TWRP and wipe system, cache and data before installing new ROM
I agree with the advice given by Vanschtezla.
Also, if you would completely wipe all data on the phone's storage then that would also wipe the partition table. The storage area is divided into partitions which are mounted to for example /system /data and /cache when your phone boots.
Also there is no real need to "wipe everything" as you say as that could brick your phone. If you just boot TWRP and wipe using "Factory reset" and additionally: System then everything should be clean enough to install a new ROM. Depending on the ROM it will wipe the System partition anyway.
Kernels reside in the system partition so when you wipe System, any Kernel is gone
Pre installed (system) Apps sit in the System partition so wipe System and they are gone
User Apps sit in the data partition so wipe data (that is included in the Factory reset) and they're gone
All in all I think you're expecting issues that simply do not exist. Especially if you just follow the instructions of the (custom) ROM you want to install.
THANK YOU!
peterpv said:
I agree with the advice given by Vanschtezla.
Kernels reside in the system partition so when you wipe System, any Kernel is gone
Pre installed (system) Apps sit in the System partition so wipe System and they are gone
User Apps sit in the data partition so wipe data (that is included in the Factory reset) and they're gone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is exactly what I was looking for! Why don't any "How to wipe your phone" guides say these things (even the ones that get more technical don't mention what exactly gets deleted for each wipe option, which is why from your perspective it was probably very weird to read my question).