Develop Bugs

[Tools/Recovery] TWRP for LG Optimus F3Q

TWRP Recovery for the LG F3Q (codenames: fx3q, d520)
Background story (who ever wants to know):
As I'm currently testing around with flashing etc I hated it to re-flash the stock ROM again and again. It is sooo time consuming..
In that kind of ROM compiling learning process I also was able to build a working TWRP recovery for the LG F3Q so that was such a good feeling But as said the caveat was that because of the locked bootloader we can reach TWRP (or CWM) only when executing "adb reboot recovery" from the running system. That was not really satisfying me though..
Some day I've done a factory reset and well I saw that this is starting my TWRP recovery when executing it! Well it isn't such a surprise as TWRP sits on the recovery partition and will be triggered by the factory reset script but... well do you think what I think? When it would be possible to start TWRP fully and not that factory reset part of TWRP than we would have a workaround to reach the recovery mode without booting the system (which is in fact not possible anymore when flashing of system.img/boot.img fails)
That said.. I was in touch with the TWRP developers bigbiff and Dees_Troy and many thanks for the hint they gave me! I have build a new TWRP version based on that information I got and well the idea of that is:
Vol Down + Power -> LG Factory Reset screen appears
Confirming with power 2 times as asked
Voila: No factory reset anymore but TWRP is here!
Well that will have a caveat - READ CAREFULLY:
As you may think of the factory reset in the boot-up process and within the ROM will not working anymore until you flash another recovery!
But if you know that it is not such a caveat because you can choose the wipe options within TWRP to do a "manual" factory reset.
v2.8.1.0 build 5
USE THAT ON YOUR OWN RISK! BACKUP BEFORE!
Working (quickly tested):
Install (to flash a custom Kernel)
Mounting partitions
Reboot Recovery | System
adb shell (also see known issues)
Backup (compressed | uncompressed | encrypted (!) | unencrypted)
Restore (unencrypted | encypted (!) | compressed | uncompressed)
Internal storage /data/media
MTP which mounts the external storage!
File Manager
Terminal Command
Power charging while in TWRP
Displaying CPU temp
Totally untested:
WIPE (should work)
decrypting /data (but should work as it do so for encrypted backups already)
Every option which is not stated as "Known issue" or "Working"
Known issues (with workarounds):
ADB works only when screen "timed out" (manual locking does not help it must time out) therefore ADB can take up to 1 minute after boot until it becomes available (because screen need to be timed out first)
Workaround: set the time limit in the screen menu to e.g. 10 sec (that is the default value for now)
Timezone is not set correctly (that seems to be a well known bug in several devices using TWRP.... )
Workaround: set a timezone which displays the most accurate timezone
Known issues (without workarounds):
When you use the "Power Off" option in the "Reboot" menu the device will reboot instead of powering off
Wiping /data not possible after "factory reset buttons" used. You need to choose "wipe" and then "format data" manually (or use mke2fs on CLI).
Vibration is not working (I will not fix that atm because I like it that way)
Hardware keys at bottom doesn't work
If you use the factory reset button /data partition will be inaccessible and need to be re-flashed (means you will LOOSE your app and system configs when you use factore reset)
Download:
Attached you will find the TWRP v2.8.1.0 version ready to use even with locked bootloader:
BACKUP EVERYTHING BEFORE USING THIS. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!
DD Image file:twrp_v2.8.1.0_build5_fx3q_FR-OFF.img.zip = FactoryReset is disabled / TWRP will be loaded instead (also see known issues)
Read the Installation & Usage instructions in this thread on how to install that file.
Installation & Usage instructions
Pre-Requirements
Read the FAQ
YOU NEED ROOT! (check FAQ)
YOU SHOULD do a NANDroid BACKUP! (check FAQ)
You need to boot up, enable USB debugging and then connect USB cable.(check FAQ get ROOT - the link contains a guide on that)
You better doing a NANDroid backup right? (I mentioned that before - but DO it! NOW!)
For the best usage experience install the sediKERNEL or use joel's debloated stock ROM which includes it already
Bulletproof Method 1: "the average user"
Use this guide if you simply want to install & use TWRP like it should be. If you're unsure use this guide!
Install:
Download the TWRP recovery file and unzip it
copy it to your device (e.g. adb push or simply copy & paste by your file browser)
Download the loki_tool (https://github.com/djrbliss/loki/raw/master/bin/loki_tool)
copy loki_tool to your device (e.g. adb push or simply copy & paste by your file browser)
execute:
adb shell
su (you may need to grant permission)
mount -oremount,rw /system
cp /PATH-WHERE-YOU-COPIED/loki_tool /system/bin/ && chmod 755 /system/bin/loki_tool
loki_tool flash recovery /PATH-WHERE-YOU-COPIED/twrp_X.X.X.X_recovery_FRoff/off.img
reboot recovery --> you should see the TWRP screen
Usage (sediKERNEL v2.0 or higher installed):
Power on the device
when you see the LG logo the first time do NOTHING!!
When the screen goes black THEN press Volume UP + Volume DOWN. Both the same time and hold them pressed.
Release the buttons when the screen goes black again
Wait. You will see the LG logo a third time and then you will see the recovery screen!
If you see a kernel crash then you have pressed the magic keys too early! Read and follow the above steps carefully and you should be fine.
Usage (without sediKERNEL v2.0 or higher):
boot into your ROM
execute "adb reboot recovery" from your PC or open a Terminal on your device and execute "su" then "reboot recovery"
Bulletproof Method 2: "developers only"
This is the developers preferred way of installing TWRP. It ensures that even when your ROM or Kernel gets damaged that you still be able to boot into recovery. This is to the developers or heavy testers who are knowing what they do ONLY!
But even when you think this is for you: Read the important hint at the end before deciding if you want to choose this method.
Install:
flash recovery image to your RECOVERY partition:
adb shell su -c dd if=/storage/external_SD/twrp_vXXXXX_fx3q_FR-OFF.img of=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/recovery
adb reboot recovery
A user reports the the by-name does not worked for him but this one:
adb shell su -c dd if=/storage/external_SD/twrp_vXXXXX_fx3q_FR-OFF.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p17
-> If you can see TWRP now everything is fine - Otherwise DO NOT continue!
BACKUP YOUR WHOLE DEVICE NOW! I highly recommend to backup everything except /data from within TWRP because it is easy and works (from TWRP v2.8build5 or higher)
BACKUP /data is recommended to be done NOW and this way:
adb shell su -c dd if=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/userdata of=/external_sd/userdata_backup_stock.img
--> This can take a long while but it contains also the backup for the internal storage not only /data and that internal part is not backupable over TWRP
while in TWRP flash the same recovery image to your BOOT partition now (do not think that this is dangerous. The boot partition is not a magic thing or so it is only the partition which will be started from the bootloader thats all about it. So yes you can install a recovery image on the boot partition without any harm.):
adb shell su -c dd if=/external_sd/twrp_vXXXXX_fx3q_FR-OFF.img.loki of=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/boot
watch carefully that the process ended without errors and that the size is exactly the same as it should be (about 1,3GB)
adb shell sync
power off the device by taken out the battery (do not use reboot or something we want to be sure that the next step is absolutely really the normal boot up)
Boot up normally --> you should see TWRP !! You're NOT in recovery mode you're booting the normal boot mode!
Go on with flashing the sediKERNEL into your RECOVERY partition:
Download the sediKERNEL from here (the stock one could work, too but never tested ...)
push it to your device with adb or MTP (since v2.8build5)
Flash the sediKERNEL to your RECOVERY partition:
adb shell su -c dd if=/external_sd/sediKERNEL_JB-vXXXX.img of=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/recovery
Reboot into Recovery by using TWRP GUI or by executing "adb reboot recovery"
Your ROM will boot.
Usage:
From now on every time your device booting up you will see the TWRP screen and need to choose Reboot-->Recovery to boot your ROM.
This is the absolute best way to use TWRP if you want to be sure that you will reach the recovery even when your ROM gets damaged and is confirmed to work very well (as always guarantees are not available )
Important hint:
Be sure that you keep in mind that from now on your recovery and boot partition are not the same anymore (you can always revert back to the normal behaviour, of course!). So if you want to flash a kernel image you need to ensure that it goes to the RECOVERY partition instead of the normal BOOT partition (because on boot partition is TWRP now).
If I got my ROM working I will definitively add an option to the installer where this will be ensured and I asked @joel.maxuel for his stock ROM to add that, too. As for now we are the only ones who are developing for the F3Q so you should be save enough atm but you will need to keep that always in mind when you want to replace the kernel and/or ROM.
What would happen if you forget about that? Well nothing really bad because when you install a kernel or ROM the boot image partition simply gets overwritten and that means only that your TWRP is not there anymore but the system will boot (if the new kernel/ROM is not buggy or damaged). You then could install TWRP by method 1 or using method 2 by using the boot image/Kernel you want to install.
Damage your device - booting (NOT RECOMMENDED will loose /data ):
You probably NEVER want to use this method. It is here for reference only.
I highly recommend to choose one of the above bulletproof versions instead of this one because it WILL damage /data and you need to restore that whole partition afterwards.
All my tests has shown that this comes not from TWRP (in one of my tests I disabled everything in the sourcecode of TWRP which wipes /data) but coming from LG itself. The factory reset button/option do something with the /data partition sturucture and afterwards you cannot use that anymore. I also tried to restore the partition info by trying all backup superblocks but that doesn't worked. No backup superblock is accessible.
Restoring them by mke2fs and e2fsck does not work unfortunately.. (mke2fs -S /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/userdata && e2fsck -yf /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/userdata)
So if you have loosed your /data and/or internal storage you need to have a DD imaged backup near.
Install:
same as for "Bulletproof Method 1" above
Usage:
When you choosen FR-OFF then TWRP will be able to start without booting up the whole system (also see known issues):
Power Off the device (remove battery)
Vol Down + Power --> Then put the battery back --> LG Factory Reset screen appears
Confirming with power button 2 times as asked - if you downloaded and flashed the FRoff version of TWRP it will NOT open the normal reset procedure but /data and the internal storage are not accessible afterwards (read above about the details). That means your app configs and systems configs get lost that way. You have been warned!
Voila: No (full) factory reset anymore but TWRP is here when you have damaged your ROM or for some dev approach
If you want the factory reset back simply choose the file twrp_2.7.1.0_recovery_FRon.img.lok and follow the above instructions. Afterwards you will have TWRP but it will be reachable only when you execute "adb reboot recovery" from the running system.
XDA:DevDB Information
sediTWRP for LG Optimus F3Q, Tool/Utility for the General Discussion
Contributors
xdajog
Source Code: https://github.com/xdajog/bootable_recovery_twrp_fx3q
Version Information
Status: Stable
Current Stable Version: v2.8.1.0 build 5
Stable Release Date: 2014-11-18
Created 2015-05-19
Last Updated 2015-07-20

FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is that "adb" thing?
adb stands for: Android Debug Bridge and can help a lot when it comes to work with your device. It is not for developers only but they use it a lot of course.
But a normal user can use this to exchange files without the need of mounting, backing up the device, reboot the device and use it as a very comfortable way of having a terminal emulator.
Normally adb itself is not available as a standalone application - it comes with the Android SDK which is very big and heavy if you want to use adb and/or fastboot (another great tool) only.
But we live in a great world with many people wanting to make things easy so here you go when you want/need only adb and fastboot:
download & install adb at lifehacker
(Direct link for Windows users: Go to easy ADB install thread)
How to get root for the F3Q?
Here is the tool and guide: Saferoot
[*]What is a "nandroid" backup?
nandroid means essentially: "a full image of all your partitions" so it is a full snapshot of your ROM including all your apps and contents.
The name NANDroid is a portmanteau of "NAND" (as in Flash memory - NAND flash) and "Android." (Source)
[*]How to create a "nandroid" backup?
(See above for the meaning of "nandroid backup")
You have several options on how to do that.
The normal and absolutely recommended way is to do that "offline" (from within recovery mode) but you can also do it "online" (while Android is running).
.
Offline nandroid backup by using TWRP recovery: Guide
If you have no custom recovery installed read on.
.
Online nandroid backup:
by using an app:
There is 1 (known to me) "online" nandroid backup tool available which will backup from within your running Android: PlayStore.
I tested it and still using it since a while and I really like it but I would not fully resist on it.
I had no problems backing up but sometimes an app is lost when restoring. This may have been fixed but well it is like imaging a running Windows or Linux system:
Do not do it online if you can - it may/will work but there could be problems/inconsistencies later!!
If you never made a nandroid before doing it online will not harm anything and should be your first start. So install the Online Nandroid backup tool and begin.
Check out this guide for some hints: Guide
(If you like the Android app do not hesitate to buy the unlock key to support the developer!)
by using commandline tools:
First of all you need "adb" installed (check out the FAQ answer number 1 above).
Then you need someone who is telling you the device partition table and you need a big sized SD card to hold the images.
The reason is that you will use a special command named "dd" which images the whole partition (not the content only!).
dd is a VERY dangerous tool because if you use it wrong your device may get bricked so it is essential that you are using the
correct command and check that twice!
Check out the next FAQ on how to do this for the F3Q.
[*]How to create a "nandroid" backup for the F3Q - WITHOUT having a custom recovery?
The whole process will take a big amount of time but it is worth to follow each step including the md5sum checks at the end.
Please read the previous FAQ first because there you will find more information about background and other options you may have.
Ensure you have a SD card inserted which is big enough and having enough free space available (4GB at least! I recommend at least 8 GB but this depends on the size of your current data partition. A completely stock ROM with nothing installed and unused will need 3 GB space).
.
Install "adb" on your pc (check out the FAQ #1 above).
root your device (check out FAQ #2 above)
connect with adb to your (running) F3Q:
adb shell
(you should see a prompt)
su
(you need to grant permission if you haven't yet)
Then backup your current ROM and data:
dd if=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/system of=/storage/external_SD/system.2015-07-20.img
dd if=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/boot of=/storage/external_SD/boot.2015-07-20.img
dd if=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/userdata of=/storage/external_SD/userdata.2015-07-20.img
dd if=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/recovery of=/storage/external_SD/recovery.2015-07-20.img
# If you never backed up your EFS you really should do that once:
dd if=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/modemst1 of=/storage/external_SD/modemst1.img
dd if=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/modemst2 of=/storage/external_SD/modemst2.img
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to be sure you can do an online backup now, too ( Guide ) Online Nandroid backup App
.
copy the backup(s) to your device (connect USB cable - open your external storage and drag&drop) <--- DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!!!! It is absolutely essential!
Check your copy on your device:
md5sum /storage/external_SD/system.2015-07-20.img
md5sum /storage/external_SD/boot.2015-07-20.img
md5sum /storage/external_SD/userdata.2015-07-20.img
md5sum /storage/external_SD/recovery.2015-07-20.img
md5sum /storage/external_SD/modemst1.img
md5sum /storage/external_SD/modemst2.img
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download a md5sum checker like this one Windows MD5 and load each file you copied to it (on Linux the "md5sum" command can be used of course).
compare the md5sums from the above output and ensure that they are all matching.
[*]Why is factory reset not working when installing TWRP? (or: AAAAaaaah my /data is inaccessible after doing a factory reset!!!!)
All my tests has shown that this comes not from TWRP (in one of my tests I disabled everything in the sourcecode of TWRP which wipes /data) but coming from LG itself. The factory reset button/option do something with the /data partition sturucture and afterwards you cannot use that anymore. I also tried to restore the partition info by trying all backup superblocks but that doesn't worked. No backup superblock is accessible.
Restoring them by mke2fs and e2fsck does not work unfortunately.. (mke2fs -S /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/userdata && e2fsck -yf /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/userdata)
So if you have loosed your /data and/or internal storage you need to have a DD imaged backup near. Sorry but you have been warned (known issues) before.
.
if you want the factory reset back simply choose the file twrp_2.7.1.0_recovery_FRon.img.lok and follow the above instructions. Afterwards you will have TWRP but it will be reachable only when you execute "adb reboot recovery" from the running system. v2.7. is not recommended to use but atm the only option if you really want that. Instead I would better try the wipe options from within TWRP and re-installing your ROM of choice or simply using the official LG flashing tool to get your F3Q fully reset.
.

History / Changelog
Previous development (v2.7.1.0)
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND USING v2.8 instead of this version!
You have been warned.. If you still want that buggy version go on here:
USE THAT ON YOUR OWN RISK! I STRONGLY RECOMMEND TO BACKUP EVERYTHING BEFORE PROCEEDING.
Working:
Install (to flash a custom Kernel)
Mounting partitions (see known issues for the internal one)
Reboot Recovery | System
adb shell
File Manager
Terminal Command
Totally untested:
WIPE (may work)
Known issues:
If the device becomes locked and then unlocked by the user adb will restart on the device (or crash and start again. haven't had looked into that yet)
When you use the "Power Off" option in the "Reboot" menu the device will reboot instead of powering off
RESTORE (will NOT work!)
BACKUP (will NOT work!)
You cannot mount the external sd via USB or MTP
Vibration is not working (I will not fix that atm because I like it that way)
Timezone is not set correctly (that seems to be a well known bug in several devices using TWRP....
Internal storage is missing (/data/media)
Hardware keys at bottom doesn't work
If you use the factory reset button /data partition will be inaccessible and need to be re-flashed (means you will LOOSE your app and system configs when you use factore reset)
Download:
Attached you will find the loki'ed TWRP version (v2.7.1.0):
AGAIN: THIS IS A PROOF-OF-CONCEPT only. It definitively WILL have bugs and problems! I want to proof that it will be possible to have TWRP on this device and also have a way to boot up into TWRP without booting the whole system.
twrp_2.7.1.0_recovery_FRoff.img.lok = FactoryReset is disabled / TWRP will be loaded instead
twrp_2.7.1.0_recovery_FRon.img.lok = FactoryReset is enabled / TWRP can be reached with "adb reboot recovery" only
Read the Installation & Usage instructions in the OP on how to install that file.

Awesome work! Saves having to risk modifying the bootloader (for now). :laugh: :highfive: Thanks!

xdajog said:
TWRP Recovery for the LG F3Q / D520
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm unable to get logs from TWRP, it does crash reliably when messing about in settings and such.
Timezone fix is needed. (Devices time is set to the correct local time, but TWRPs timezones arent correct.)
Device does not show internal storage.
Wipe menu does not differentiate from internal storage and /data
there's no /mnt, /storage or /sdcard present while in TWRP.
Uhm, I'm sure there's some more I've missed, but that's all I've got for now.

eriklion said:
I'm unable to get logs from TWRP, it does crash reliably when messing about in settings and such.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uhm what do you mean? adb shell and then open /tmp/recovery.log? Clicking on the small mini icon at middle bottom of the screen? Both working for me. Have you tested the above attached version or the one I gave you at dropbox? The above is a more current one!
Timezone fix is needed. (Devices time is set to the correct local time, but TWRPs timezones arent correct.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hm I will look into that
Device does not show internal storage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah forgot to mention that. Is that shown in CWM btw?
Wipe menu does not differentiate from internal storage and /data
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you explain what does that means?
there's no /mnt, /storage or /sdcard present while in TWRP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
/mnt and /storage are not needed or am I wrong? /sdcard would point to the internal storage I think but I decided to use /external_sd instead which is accessible in the latest version.

Finally got around to test. Looks great, I love having TWRP over CWM!
Unfortunately the backup function is not working. TWRP errors out and reloads itself. I have a pastebin, sorry it's so long but I wanted to try a couple different backup options before I gave up and produced a log file:
http://pastebin.com/QUfNw6Rk
The portions of interest are:
Code:
Backing up Cache...
I:Creating backup...
I:Creating tar file '/external_sd/TWRP/BACKUPS/1db9cba/1970-01-24--22-43-59 JZO54K//cache.ext4.win'
I:addFile '/cache/recovery' including root: 0
Failed to get selinux context: Operation not supported on transport endpoint
I:addFile '/cache/recovery/log' including root: 0
Failed to get selinux context: Operation not supported on transport endpoint
...
Code:
Backing up Data...
I:Creating backup...
I:Creating tar file '/external_sd/TWRP/BACKUPS/1db9cba/1970-01-24--22-43-59 JZO54K//data.ext4.win'
I:addFile '/data/dontpanic' including root: 0
Failed to get selinux context: Operation not supported on transport endpoint
I:addFile '/data/dontpanic/last_kmsg0' including root: 0
Failed to get selinux context: Operation not supported on transport endpoint
I:addFile '/data/dontpanic/next_count' including root: 0
Failed to get selinux context: Operation not supported on transport endpoint
I:addFile '/data/dontpanic/last_kmsg1' including root: 0
Failed to get selinux context: Operation not supported on transport endpoint
I:addFile '/data/dontpanic/last_kmsg2' including root: 0
Failed to get selinux context: Operation not supported on transport endpoint
I:addFile '/data/dontpanic/last_kmsg3' including root: 0
Failed to get selinux context: Operation not supported on transport endpoint
I:addFile '/data/dontpanic/last_kmsg4' including root: 0
Failed to get selinux context: Operation not supported on transport endpoint
I:addFile '/data/dontpanic/last_kmsg5' including root: 0
Failed to get selinux context: Operation not supported on transport endpoint
I:addFile '/data/dontpanic/last_kmsg6' including root: 0
Failed to get selinux context: Operation not supported on transport endpoint
I:addFile '/data/dontpanic/last_kmsg7' including root: 0
Failed to get selinux context: Operation not supported on transport endpoint
__bionic_open_tzdata: couldn't find any tzdata when looking for localtime!
__bionic_open_tzdata: couldn't find any tzdata when looking for GMT!
__bionic_open_tzdata: couldn't find any tzdata when looking for posixrules!
Starting TWRP 2.7.1.0 on Sun Jan 25 03:44:01 1970
I:Single storage only.
I:No internal storage defined.
I:No storage defined, defaulting to /sdcard.
I:Lun file '/sys/devices/platform/usb_mass_storage/lun0/file' does not exist, USB storage mode disabled
I:Found brightness file at '/sys/class/leds/lcd-backlight/brightness'
I:TWFunc::Set_Brightness: Setting brightness control to 255
Starting the UI...Pixel format: 480x800 @ 32bpp
Pixel format: RGBX_8888
Not using qualcomm overlay, 'msmfb43_80201'
framebuffer: fd 4 (480 x 800)
=> Linking mtab
=> Processing recovery.fstab
I:Processing '/boot'
I:Processing '/cache'
I:Processing '/data'
I:Processing '/misc'
I:Processing '/recovery'
I:Processing '/external_sd'
I:Processing '/system'
I:Creating Android Secure: /external_sd/.android_secure
I:Backup folder set to '/external_sd/TWRP/BACKUPS/1db9cba'
I:Settings storage is '/external_sd'
Updating partition details...
I:Unmounting main partitions...
E:Unable to unmount '/data'
I have a stock based ROM to test, and I want to make sure I can enter recovery through the bootloader should things go sour. If TWRP can backup and restore, that allows me to go back to my true stock after the test. Any ideas?

joel.maxuel said:
Finally got around to test. Looks great, I love having TWRP over CWM!
Unfortunately the backup function is not working. TWRP errors out and reloads itself. [.....] Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
There are several things coming in place when it comes to backing up out of TWRP atm...
You hopefully have read the big fat red warning ? What I mean is the part regarding /data gets lost when you do a factory-reset
That said if you have entered TWRP by pressing the physical keys your /data partition will be wiped (really bad thing but that it is made for and I haven't had the time to look into that further)
The result is a cleaned /data which is not mountable until you format it with mke2fs.
(e.g.: "adb shell mke2fs -T ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p15")
If you do not do that what MAY happens is that TWRP failing because of missing /data (and if not then you should ensure that /data was really backed up)
But as your log told me it seems to be not the problem here 'cause the /data partition is detected by TWRP. so it could be 2)
Mounting points.
As stated the mount points are not fully working in TWRP atm. That means when it comes to /sdcard which is the internal device storage it will fail, too because it cannot be found. The reason for this is that LG mounts /sdcard by the sdcard service but that is somehow tricky thats why it is not working atm.
And on top: the internal storage normally needs to be mounted to "/data/media" especially when we want to use MultiROM later.
So +1 for /sdcard or/and internal storage related
background info: http://teamw.in/DataMedia
The last one I could imagine is "something else" which could be catched by "/proc/last_kmsg"
The important thing is that this file gets written only after a crash and when the battery was not removed. So if the device reboots to TWRP again try to adb shell to the device and then paste the last_kmsg again. Maybe we can find something here.
When I will continue on TWRP I think of upgrading to v2.8 because they enable MTP here which could be good for copying data between device and pc..
BTW:
I have no idea what CWM port which is also be available would do in case of starting a backup especially what will REALLY gets backed up!!!!
IMHO the best way on doing a nandroid backup atm is "adb shell dd ...." Takes a long time but then you can be sure. I can give you all the mountpoints if you need them.
As I currently have not such much success with porting the ROM I will now come back here to TWRP and will finish it to have a hopefully fully working recovery. I cannot say the timeline for this but it will definitively be the next what I want to do because when this is done I can better match the rest for the ROM.

xdajog said:
<SNIP>
IMHO the best way on doing a nandroid backup atm is "adb shell dd ...." Takes a long time but then you can be sure. I can give you all the mountpoints if you need them.
As I currently have not such much success with porting the ROM I will now come back here to TWRP and will finish it to have a hopefully fully working recovery. I cannot say the timeline for this but it will definitively be the next what I want to do because when this is done I can better match the rest for the ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This should work (I've done it before for eriklion):
Code:
adb shell
dd if=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/system of=/storage/external_SD/system.2014-11-12.img
dd if=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/boot of=/storage/external_SD/boot.2014-11-12.img
dd if=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/cache of=/storage/external_SD/cache.2014-11-12.img
dd if=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/userdata of=/storage/external_SD/userdata.2014-11-12.img
Now, is there a recommended adb command to wipe data and cache, since factory reset function is not the best choice? I see a few with the following process...
Code:
adb shell
su
format DATA
format CACHE
...but not much commentary on it.
I appreciate the second (third, whatever you are on) crack at TWRP. Hopefully the next version will squash the bugs. Btw, I will see if I can provide a /proc/last_kmsg tonight have posted a last_kmsg here.

joel.maxuel said:
This should work (I've done it before for eriklion):
Code:
adb shell
dd /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/system /storage/external_SD/system.2014-11-12.img
dd /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/boot /storage/external_SD/boot.2014-11-12.img
dd /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/cache /storage/external_SD/cache.2014-11-12.img
dd /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/userdata /storage/external_SD/userdata.2014-11-12.img
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes thats all you need to backup & restore
joel.maxuel said:
Now, is there a recommended adb command to wipe data and cache, since factory reset function is not the best choice? I see a few with the following process...
Code:
adb shell
su
format DATA
format CACHE
...but not much commentary on it.
I appreciate the second (third, whatever you are on) crack at TWRP. Hopefully the next version will squash the bugs. Btw, I will see if I can provide a /proc/last_kmsg tonight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always do it that way:
Code:
Starting TWRP
adb shell
("su" in TWRP not needed normally)
mke2fs -T ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p15 (for userdata)
mke2fs -T ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p14 (for cache)
Then you can be sure it is clean and well formatted. ext4 is for both cache and userdata and works fine for me.

twrp v2.8 with many enhancements and fixes is on its way
Stay tuned ....
if you get bored in the meanwhile ... click thanks

Is someone here with running the stock ROM (or absolutely not modified means formatted! /data partition) who is willing to give me a quick help? It must be stock or placed back to stock by using a backuped image dump if you have one.
The following need to be done in recovery so you need to have CWM or TWRP installed. Boot into recovery (adb reboot recovery) and then use "adb shell" to connect.
I need your output of this command:
Code:
mke2fs -n /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/userdata
This will not do/destroy/modify anything.
It should display some information about that partition. Read the details here http://linux.die.net/man/8/mke2fs
The reason is that LG factory reset seems to wipe superblocks (wanted by LG or not - fact is that they are thrown) and THEN forwarding to the recovery tool like TWRP but to be sure I need the above output from 1 or 2 people to be sure enough on how to proceed.
Thanks in advance
As Joel investigated that may destroy /data cause of a buggy version of mke2fs!! Oh man..
-----
Sent from my SGH-I927 using XDA Android mobile app

Ok thx to joel I'm able to investigate the LG facotry reset further.
In parallel I will try another way which will be (if I get it working) absolutely smooth and will not have such workaround character like the current idea (hijacking factory reset).
Give me some time but if that works it would be a great solution for accessing recovery..
Stay tuned some good things may happen...
-----
Sent from my SGH-I927 using XDA Android mobile app

Finally v2.8 for F3Q has arrived !!! I think a very good approach now!
Have fun and as usual any thx click.... and so on
Check out the OP for Download and details:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=55239027&postcount=1
UPDATE:
I have completely reworked the "Installation & Usage instructions" section in the OP. PLEASE READ and be happy

xdajog said:
Finally v2.8 for F3Q has arrived !!! I think a very good approach now!
Have fun and as usual any thx click.... and so on
Check out the OP for Download and details:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=55239027&postcount=1
UPDATE:
I have completely reworked the "Installation & Usage instructions" section in the OP. PLEASE READ and be happy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great work.
Am looking at method two. If I was to install a ROM, wouldn't the boot partition (thus my new recovery) be overwritten by the ROM package's boot.img? And when I was cooking with the Kitchen, the ROM required a specific mount point for the boot partition. If it is supposed to point to recovery, seems to me that neither would boot (overwritten recovery, ROM pointing in the wrong location).
So, what is this solution getting around? So we have an option to load TWRP before a system we don't necessarily trust will boot? Thus avoiding the bootloader fallback even more? Or is it a broken boot.img breaks TWRP as well so even if we try to go in through the bootloader, TWRP fails to load as well?
Sorry for my confusion, still trying to grasp all this new information.

joel.maxuel said:
Great work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks
Am looking at method two. If I was to install a ROM, wouldn't the boot partition (thus my new recovery) be overwritten by the ROM package's boot.img?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Method 2 will suggest that if you install a custom ROM that you are be able to use/choose the boot.img partition (I hoped that the "hint" at the was clear enough but better to ask of course!)
And when I was cooking with the Kitchen, the ROM required a specific mount point for the boot partition. If it is supposed to point to recovery, seems to me that neither would boot (overwritten recovery, ROM pointing in the wrong location).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well yes you either need to point to the recovery partition or (and that would be what I recommend) you let the user choose what he wanted to do.
So, what is this solution getting around?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best we can do here (and that is what I will do for my custom ROM if I get it done some day) to use AROMA installer and ask the user if he has a recovery installed in the boot partition or not. Then you can choose what to do in the updater script.
I uploaded an example of my AROMA installation setup for the "sediROM for Samsung Captivate Glide" in this post. This one is VERY complex but you will get the idea and many input on how to do things.
So we have an option to load TWRP before a system we don't necessarily trust will boot? Thus avoiding the bootloader fallback even more?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes using method 2 we have always coming TWRP up when powering on the device. We then can choose to do things in there or to boot to "recovery" which will be the ROM. What do you meant with "bootloader fallback"?
Or is it a broken boot.img breaks TWRP as well so even if we try to go in through the bootloader, TWRP fails to load as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure If I got you. When the boot partition gets overwritten TWRP and any possibility to get into TWRP will be lost because it sits only in the boot partition when using method 2. If you choose to do a factory reset when powering on the device or from within the ROM I have no idea what happens then unfortunately. That is untested but if you willing to test..
Sorry for my confusion, still trying to grasp all this new information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worry about that happy if that is useful for someone

xdajog said:
I uploaded an example of my AROMA installation setup for the "sediROM for Samsung Captivate Glide" in this post. This one is VERY complex but you will get the idea and many input on how to do things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I will take a look at this in the next few days.
xdajog said:
Yes using method 2 we have always coming TWRP up when powering on the device. We then can choose to do things in there or to boot to "recovery" which will be the ROM. What do you meant with "bootloader fallback"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bootloader fallback as in having to access TWRP via the bootloader. Our regular method is to access form the ROM, but if the ROM is bricked for whatever reason, the fallback is through the bootloader.
xdajog said:
Not sure If I got you. When the boot partition gets overwritten TWRP and any possibility to get into TWRP will be lost because it sits only in the boot partition when using method 2. If you choose to do a factory reset when powering on the device or from within the ROM I have no idea what happens then unfortunately. That is untested but if you willing to test..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was alluding to the scenario if one was to choose method one, installed a ROM, and things got busted badly... Would you even be able to access TWRP with a bad boot partition? I think so, because recovery partition should be self sufficient (I think you proved it by swapping their places by way of method two), it is just getting into recovery by way of bootloader) I don't particularly like.
Had to face that fear last night, and ultimately, TWRP started up fast enough from the bootloader that it seemed like nothing happened, but when i went to dump the log, it could not recognize the sdcard. DD'ing my userdata partition back fixed that issue.

joel.maxuel said:
Bootloader fallback as in having to access TWRP via the bootloader. Our regular method is to access form the ROM, but if the ROM is bricked for whatever reason, the fallback is through the bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean "factory-reset" right? By either pressing the factory reset buttons (or by choosing from within the ROM) correct?
I was alluding to the scenario if one was to choose method one, installed a ROM, and things got busted badly... Would you even be able to access TWRP with a bad boot partition? I think so, because recovery partition should be self sufficient (I think you proved it by swapping their places by way of method two), it is just getting into recovery by way of bootloader) I don't particularly like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you install TWRP with method 1 and your boot partition gets corrupt you still be able to reach TWRP by using the factory-reset buttons. But you will loose /data then.
If you install TWRP with method 2 and your boot partition has gone you can not start TWRP anymore because it sits on there.
So you're more bulletproof by choosing method 1 because you would reach TWRP even when the boot partition gets damaged but you will loose /data then! Mentioned in the known issues in the OP.
Had to face that fear last night, and ultimately, TWRP started up fast enough from the bootloader that it seemed like nothing happened, but when i went to dump the log, it could not recognize the sdcard. DD'ing my userdata partition back fixed that issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you have TWRP installed with method 1 you will reach TWRP by factory reset buttons and it will DO NOTHING ! Really! It simply starts TWRP because I patched TWRP that way that it will not wipe anything when triggered by the factory-reset command / button!
I can say that for double sure since today because:
1) In one of my tests I had disabled REALLY EVERY wipe option within TWRP - compiled it - installed it and even then /data gets lost!
2) I have installed the BOOT image means KERNEL on the RECOVERY partition today again and then used the factory-reset buttons again (after I restored /data of course)... and /data gets lost AGAIN--?!!
That means even when there is absolutely no custom recovery in place (like TWRP) which would normally handle wiping /data then nevertheless /data gets corrupted! I have tested that twice so I can say now for sure that this has nothing to do with TWRP but it comes from the LG bootloader instead! That bootloader is CRAP. sorry.
I had tested one approach which is build in boot image RAM disk which catches the keys which are pressed and then reboot into recovery. That would work but only as long as you have a working boot image partition. So that is the same good/bad as having TWRP sitting within the boot partition which is much easier to do so I decided to go this way for now.
One last word about the crappy factory-reset by LG: I have tried a lot to find out what really happens to the partition or partition table of /data when those keys are pressed but the only thing I can say is that the superblocks are inaccessible and the same for the backup superblocks. doing a "mke2fs -S" does not work (and wouldn't fix the root cause of the issue) and I have no idea what LG do here. Therefore cannot fix that ..
so I believe we will need to live with one of the 3 methods described in the OP....
Hope that answered some of your questions...

Bad news..
The Desire Z of my wife is completely broken now.
That means I cannot develop anymore..
- I ported and released the latest TWRP version to the F3Q
- I'm able to build AOSP JellyBean (not booting yet though),
- I compiled and released a custom AOSP Kernel (named sediKERNEL)
.... and a lot more..
I have everything I need to continue here in place...
I have the will and the ability to continue...
But no device anymore..
If someone has a F3Q to give away.. then I will continue but I'm not willing to buy a F3Q for developing only. So if you have an idea how we could continue let me know.
Update:
Check out the following link if you want to help http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2952919
Otherwise that will end here for me unfortunately...
Hopefully not.
Yours
Xdajog.
-----
Sent from my SGH-I927 using XDA Android mobile app

I will update the installation instructions soon!
Because of the new sediKERNEL v2.0 the instructions will be made bullet proof only .. and i try to do it more detailed @Kediil
-----
Sent from my SGH-I927 using XDA Android mobile app

Question Read Only Access to System Files after Root

here are some commands I have tried after root following @sd_shadow 's guide
[email protected] ~ $ adb remount
/system/bin/sh: remount: inaccessible or not found
caprip:/ # mount -o rw,remount /system
mount: '/system' not in /proc/mounts
caprip:/ # mount -o rw,remount /
'/dev/block/dm-0' is read-only
caprip:/ # touch file
touch: 'file': Read-only file system

Wanted to post something like this right now since i have the same problem, i think for adb remount to work you need to first run adb root, but that doesnt work unless you modify ro.debuggable=0 to 1 which cannot be done since you cant mount system as rw, i will keep you updated if i find anything tho!
- Apparently you can modify the boot.img to set ro.debuggable=1 but most of the tools i tried dont recognize this phones boot image as valid so i wont really spend more time on this since i think its something way beyond the scope of what i can do. And the only tool that worked outputted a unusable archive, i think this has to do with the source of the device being closed or something related to why we dont have custom roms on this device yet. But dont take my word for it since i just started playing with stuff like this a few hours ago so i can remap the assistant button.
And even if i could modify it i have a hunch it would behave just as using remount from shell.
If anyone who understands this better than me could provide some insight to my rambling it would be great!

The reason for this behaviour is the unified "super" partition. /system is dynamic, i.e. it may change size depending on future updates. /vendor is also a part of the "super" partition, thus is also read only. There is a way to restore rw access but it a) is not guaranteed and b) affects the ability to apply OTA updates.
If you're willing to take the risk, you should be able to find the relevant post on here (XDA, not the G30 section) with some search fu. You will need a Linux machine and the knowledge to use it. The "run on device" unified script does not fully work on the G30 and you need to reconfig the super image on a Linux box.

Chron0s said:
The reason for this behaviour is the unified "super" partition. /system is dynamic, i.e. it may change size depending on future updates. /vendor is also a part of the "super" partition, thus is also read only. There is a way to restore rw access but it a) is not guaranteed and b) affects the ability to apply OTA updates.
If you're willing to take the risk, you should be able to find the relevant post on here (XDA, not the G30 section) with some search fu. You will need a Linux machine and the knowledge to use it. The "run on device" unified script does not fully work on the G30 and you need to reconfig the super image on a Linux box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can I have some more search terms to find what you are talking about?

I can do better than that but with the usual caveats of bootloops, hard-bricks, kicked kittens, spacetime anomalies and global thermonuclear war:
G30 /system rw
I remain totally immune for blame when this goes wrong. You need a disaster recovery strategy in place before trying this. Read the first post in that thread thoroughly before doing anything.
Make sure you have a copy of the correct stock ROM and at least RSD-lite to recover. Also, revert Magisk patched initrd (boot.img - be sure your stock matches the ROM version or you'll lose the touch screen/RIL) before attempting this method - you can restore it later but the script requires the live ROM on the device to be stock. This is not something Motorola can be blamed for, it's upstream and applies to all devices running with a super partition and dynamic /system and /vendor.
More caveats: You will lose OTA updates. You will still need to boot to fastbootd to access /system. There is still currently no custom recovery for this device. A manual update will put you back to square one, which is why I decided to forget rw on /system and use Magisk to debloat/degoogle as the method employed in the debloater persists across updates.

Chron0s said:
I can do better than that but with the usual caveats of bootloops, hard-bricks, kicked kittens, spacetime anomalies and global thermonuclear war:
G30 /system rw
I remain totally immune for blame when this goes wrong. You need a disaster recovery strategy in place before trying this. Read the first post in that thread thoroughly before doing anything.
Make sure you have a copy of the correct stock ROM and at least RSD-lite to recover. Also, revert Magisk patched initrd (boot.img - be sure your stock matches the ROM version or you'll lose the touch screen/RIL) before attempting this method - you can restore it later but the script requires the live ROM on the device to be stock. This is not something Motorola can be blamed for, it's upstream and applies to all devices running with a super partition and dynamic /system and /vendor.
More caveats: You will lose OTA updates. You will still need to boot to fastbootd to access /system. There is still currently no custom recovery for this device. A manual update will put you back to square one, which is why I decided to forget rw on /system and use Magisk to debloat/degoogle as the method employed in the debloater persists across updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as I still have access to the bootloader I it should be fine? Also others on this device thread don't have this issue, why?

As long as you can boot to fastboot, you should be able to recover. There are, of course, exceptions to this as every G5s plus owner who ever deleted the persist partition without a bit-perfect backup will know only too well.
I haven't seen a single instance of anyone on a dynamic /system device, including the Moto G30, being able to remount /system rw without jumping through hoops like these. Perhaps it is simply because most people know that dynamic /system became A Thing recently. Again, this is on Alphabet, not Lenovo/Motorola.
This is also why this device section is full of "how to root" queries as the traditional method of banging su into /system/sbin and installing a management APK doesn't work with dynamic partitions. The only way to get a working su binary onto the system is via initramfs preloaded with the kernel, which is what Magisk patches and is why Magisk is the only root solution for this device.
If you think I'm typing nonsense, that's fine. Here's the advice, it was free and comes with a guarantee worth exactly what you paid for it.

No, not at all. Thanks for your help, Got error 73 which is where the Linux comes in so I imagine it's probably fine? I'll run the repair script when I get home later.

Error 73 is exactly the error I got, which is indeed why you need the older Linux method of patching the super image.

Themes / Apps / Mods MFP / DFE / MakeRW for Alioth/in ( Universal script to install all ROMs via TWRP )

DFE ( Disable Forced Encryption )
MFP ( Multi Functions Patch, Universal script to install any ROM via TWRP )
MakeRW ( Gives system partitions permission to edit system files + increases the size of partitions. "Improved similar SystemRW" )​
To begin with, I will say that this script is primarily intended for installing any type of ROM via TWRP.
You fill in the arguments in the desired file, flash the script in TWRP, it will install everything without additional manipulations, it can also be used as a complete analogue of SystemRW (MAKERW), in my script the sections expand to the maximum, and there is the ability to use it separately as DFE ( Disabling Forced Encryption ), so that the memory is not encrypted and, for example, when changing the ROM, you would not necessarily need to format the / data partition, also in this case your data is not encrypted and TWRP will not ask for a password to change user data (access to internal memory), so to some extent, your data can all be safely pulled out in case the phone is stolen
Let's get started
First you need to download the script, the latest version is always available on SourceForge, the weight of the script is about 40mb
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
There are also truncated versions of MFP, intended only as a DFE/MAKERW script ( 4.6mb )
After you have downloaded it, you need to download the ROM you want to install, Recovery (optional, you can use the RECOVERY REFLASH function) works one-on-one as the function of the same name built into TWRP/OFOX/SHRP for A/B devices that do not have a special Recovery partition ), additional archives if you need Magisk, Gapps, Firmware, custom kernel, etc.
Now I will show you the arguments.txt setting which is always present inside MFP.zip using short videos as an example
An example of adding a recovery file, this file can be in both img and zip formats (for zip format, recovery.img must be inside the archive)
In this example, I add a recovery with the full path to the file. Video on Google Photo (click)
Spoiler: Video
Your browser is not able to display this video.
In this example, I add a recovery without the full path to the file (works for all other arguments), in this case you need to put the file in the MFP folder. Video on Google Photo (click)
Spoiler: Video
Your browser is not able to display this video.
Here I add a ROM and set it against FLASH RECOVERY and FLASH ROM "yes" telling the script that - YES, please flash these two files. Video on Google Photo (click)
Spoiler: Video
Your browser is not able to display this video.
Also, the path does not have to start like in my examples, it may differ for you, in any case, my script tries to align the path to the state /sdcard/..,. you can also do it manually to avoid problems Video on Google Photo (click) , for OTG instead of /sdcard/ it will be /usb_otg/
Spoiler: Video
Your browser is not able to display this video.
I also add additional .zip for installation, both with and without the full path, and I also write that FLASH ADDITIONAL ZIPS "yes" telling the script that these additional files need to be flashed. Video on Google Photo (click)
Spoiler: Video
Your browser is not able to display this video.
Another example, I specify to the script in the DFE and MAKERW line parameters - "yes" as I need it, and for example I set RECOVERY REFLASH as - "yes" Video on Google Photo (click)
Note: if the RECOVERY REFLASH and FLASH RECOVERY options are both set to "yes", then in this case the priority will be given to the RECOVERY FLASH option if the archive or img exists and the path to it is specified, if the path is specified but the file does not exist, then there will be an error and the script will crash, if the path is not specified and the option is set to yes, then the option will be reset and will be NO
Spoiler: Video
Your browser is not able to display this video.
Now consider 1 function, if the name of the .zip MFP contains the word ARGOUT <- exactly in capital letters, then in this case you tell the script that you need to read the parameters from argmunets.txt which is outside the .zip, and you need to put it in the same folder where MFP.zip "Video on Google Photo (click)" I did it first of all for faster debugging, I can safely go into the recovery, and upload the modified arguments.txt through the computer, without changing the archive, also in this case there is access to changing parameters directly from TWRP/OFOX/SHRP using the built-in text editing utility ( nano )
Spoiler: Video
Your browser is not able to display this video.
Well, just like what I said earlier, you can use this script to use DFE or MAKERW on an already installed system. Video on Google Photo (click)
This also works for installing additional .zips
Spoiler: Video
Your browser is not able to display this video.
Now you need to go to Recovery:
1. Just flash the MFP archive
2. If you use DFE after installing without errors, do format data (note, if you are in TWRP from VASI, then you need to reboot TWRP to format data) if you have not used dfe before (your data / data is encrypted), if you update firmware, then you do not need to do the format if the data has already been decrypted, after changing the firmware - it is recommended to make wipe data, you do not need to do this when updating the firmware
3. Do a reboot into the system and enjoy it
Notes:​
If you have a system installed in which fstab.sm8250 is present, and you use DFE, then the patch will make additional masking and the system will think that your data is encrypted (for example, with hentaios ) the data will actually be decrypted, but in the settings there will be an inscription they say encrypted.
If fstab.sm8250 is found, then TWRP from VASI will be automatically installed, if "yes" is set to RECOVERY REFLASH or FLASH RECOVERY with the specified path to the recovery file, this is the only TWRP that can work with these kernel sources, such protection from a fool
For the script to work correctly, I checked for free space on the device, for installing a ROM it is 24GB of memory, for a single MAKERW it is 15 ~ GB of space
If you only need DFE, then if a write-only (RO) system is detected, then the MAKERW patch will be applied
There is support for installing DFE / MAKERW via adb sideload, in this case you need to edit arguments.txt inside the archive.
If you use AOSP/LineageOS/hentaiOS recovery - adb sideload, then in the case of RO systems, you first need to flash only MAKERW, reboot the recovery, and only then flash DFE
If you use TWRP / OFOX / SHRP - adb sideload patch functionality is not limited
All ROM formats known to me at the moment are supported, in case new formats appear, you need to let me know, I will add support in the new version
There is also a video demonstration of the script
List of changes - Telegraph
You can thank me by donating a cup of coffee - PayPal
Code link to - GitHub
Download latest version - SourceForge

Very handy tool...! Will have to reread instructions.... Kind complicated to understand.... Lol

Congratulations my friend. Good work.

You're a life saver man. Thank you so much.

Hi again @LeeGarChat
Thanks for your interest in my hard work which your project is clearly based on but I must please ask you to try to come up with a different name for your new program. That way people won't confuse your new program with
the one and only original MakeRW by lebigmac
which is an integral part of my
SystemRW / SuperRW featuring MakeRW by lebigmac program.
Thank you very much!

lebigmac said:
Hi again @LeeGarChat
Thanks for giving credit to my hard work which your project is based on but can you please come up with different name for your program? That way people won't confuse your program with the original MakeRW by lebigmac. Thank you very much!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no, I won't

can this mfp work on other devices example Poco X3 and Poco X3 Pro?

Rexxy_24 said:
can this mfp work on other devices example Poco X3 and Poco X3 Pro?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe on all A/B devices, need testing. For OnePlus 9R working

Nice. It is possible to flash Fastboot roms with this tool?

panjgoori said:
Nice. It is possible to flash Fastboot roms with this tool?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes

Super Dope project, Now i wont accidently reboot without flashing DFE, everything automatic. Working excellent, tried on few roms!

Do MakeRW Decrease The Usable Space That I Get To Store Personal Files? I mean this..

LeeGarChat said:
yes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats cool. Gonna give it a try. Same procedure as mentioned above will be used for Fastboot ROMs as well ? Im intending to flash MMX MIUI 13.0.3.

panjgoori said:
Thats cool. Gonna give it a try. Same procedure as mentioned above will be used for Fastboot ROMs as well ? Im intending to flash MMX MIUI 13.0.3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes
kaatil said:
Do MakeRW Decrease The Usable Space That I Get To Store Personal Files? I mean this..View attachment 5557273
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe, i dont testing it

LeeGarChat said:
Yes
Maybe, i dont testing it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I needed to know that's why asked...can I make my system partition R/O Again How ?

kaatil said:
I needed to know that's why asked...can I make my system partition R/O Again How ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash rom without makerw

LeeGarChat said:
Flash rom without makerw
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean to say if i already have System RW capability how can I revert back to R/O at that moment?

kaatil said:
I mean to say if i already have System RW capability how can I revert back to R/O at that moment?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why do it? I mean do you just need to limit the write, or reset the partitions to their original state ? if the second then you need to flash the ROM as an update, if the first then there is a command, but you need to rebuild the super partition

LeeGarChat said:
why do it? I mean do you just need to limit the write, or reset the partitions to their original state ? if the second then you need to flash the ROM as an update, if the first then there is a command, but you need to rebuild the super partition
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am okay with formatting all my data...but i just need to make my super partition to the original state when it was new came with stock rom...i mean i want to revert back the expandable partition size to normal size that i get in stock rom without flashing MakeRW..can you please tell me the Files that i need and command that i have to make and where to get it done...i will not blame you if i got my device bricked...you just tell me the actual procedure so that i can do that..and the second thing you said I want to reset my partition to the original state when it was not expended to the maximum size..and after that i will flash makerw or rwlite if i want..but for now i need to reset my partition to the original state ..bcoz I think I have got a broken super partition.. that's why..i have my stock fastboot rom ready and everything is ready but i am stucked here from past many days and i need help

kaatil said:
I am okay with formatting all my data...but i just need to make my super partition to the original state when it was new came with stock rom...i mean i want to revert back the expandable partition size to normal size that i get in stock rom without flashing MakeRW..can you please tell me the Files that i need and command that i have to make and where to get it done...i will not blame you if i got my device bricked...you just tell me the actual procedure so that i can do that..and the second thing you said I want to reset my partition to the original state when it was not expended to the maximum size..and after that i will flash makerw or rwlite if i want..but for now i need to reset my partition to the original state ..bcoz I think I have got a broken super partition.. that's why
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you don't understand how it works, you don't need to do it. A super partition is just a container that holds system partitions. that my script is that the lebigmac script makes a copy of the container with sections, pulls out the sections and modifies them, and then packs them into a new container with the same properties. Also, when you flash a ROM, the container itself does not change properties, it writes new partitions to the container. your question doesn't make sense, you don't understand it. if you want the original state of the whole phone, then go to the service center or ask the author for an authorized account to flash the ROM via EDL

Getting GSI ROM's for g4

Hello, this sounds a little bit impossible but i made some progress with my friend. We made a vendor partition, edited the TWRP but we stuck at the part of making a vendor. Can the g4 community do it? I think you can, especially @steadfasterX. UsU, FWUL and SALT were masterpieces.

Also, it looks so hard. Because there is no phone with S808 and A9.

If you need to know how did i made the vendor partiton, i can help.

I use H815TR UsU'd. If that helps.

You should describe much more detailed what you did and what problems you have after that.

steadfasterX said:
You should describe much more detailed what you did and what problems you have after that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First i put the parted file on the phone and run it via terminal in TWRP.
cp /sdcard/parted /sbin/ && chmod 755 /sbin/parted was the command i used.
Second, i unmounted every partition and wrote the command: parted /dev/block/mmcblk0
After, I wrote p to see what number was my userdata (it was 50) and i wrote rm 50.
After i deleted the userdata, i wrote
mkpart userdata ext4 6359MB 30GB
mkpart vendor ext4 30GB 31.3GB
to make a vendor partiton.
Finally, i did a format data and @MeizuM6T edited the TWRP.
I did everything with @MeizuM6T .

Now i need vendor files.

The easiest way is to simply copy /system/vendor from an existing ROM tbh.

steadfasterX said:
The easiest way is to simply copy /system/vendor from an existing ROM tbh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most roms contain system-as root, obviously this is where @Emo19 and me get stuck.
Would connecting the vendor via FSTAB be enough to boot?

MeizuM6T said:
Most roms contain system-as root, obviously this is where @Emo19 and me get stuck.
Would connecting the vendor via FSTAB be enough to boot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well then i don't get the problem.
We mimic a vendor partition since (iirc) pie and to follow android standards we already moved everything needed to /system/vendor including config updates where needed pointing to /vendor. I would say 98% of this move is done already for the rest see e.g: https://github.com/LGgFour/android_device_lge_g4-common/search?q=System/vendor
Ofc currently /vendor is just a symlink to /system/vendor but for the system it feels like it has a separate vendor partition already.
So my guess was you just copy everything from /system/vendor and put that in your /vendor partition and if we made everything right and you fix the rest of the few /system/vendor paths it should just boot. Ofc you would need to update fstab to point to the dedicated vendor partition then. Does that help?

steadfasterX said:
Well then i don't get the problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The vendor has successfully connected but the treble support is still not visible.
Vendor is connected to the system and is working now, how should we arrange for treble?

MeizuM6T said:
The vendor has successfully connected but the treble support is still not visible.
Vendor is connected to the system and is working now, how should we arrange for treble?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no idea really. I have never ported anything to treble. just the other way around

steadfasterX said:
no idea really. I have never ported anything to treble. just the other way around
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I think we need to write "ro.treble.enabled = true" via build.prop. then we will try to install some GSI Roms.

MeizuM6T said:
Thanks, I think we need to write "ro.treble.enabled = true" via build.prop. then we will try to install some GSI Roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well I dont think its THAT easy. I was serious about the other way around so take a look at what I did for another device:
https://code.binbash.rocks:8443/MVA-VoLTE/android_device_samsung_j5y17lte/commits/branch/eos-q/search?q=treble&all=true
https://code.binbash.rocks:8443/MVA-VoLTE/android_device_samsung_exynos7870-common/commit/ab2567dc82fbdb2a21aa3ea28572dd18e5b7fb79
https://code.binbash.rocks:8443/MVA-VoLTE/android_kernel_samsung_exynos7870/commit/b8e2cf570dfd383fb3a4497d6b53d51c9226ca7b
Ofc you would do the opposite then what the commits showing and ofc I dunno if thats enough and haven't checked what needs to be adapted etc but it should give you an idea

steadfasterX said:
well I dont think its THAT easy. I was serious about the other way around so take a look at what I did for another device:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt it will open either, it shouldn't be that simple. I will look at what you have thrown

Question Looking for untouched stock O.O.S VBMETA 11.2.5.5 le15AA [disable secure boot?]

Does anyone have this stock vbmeta anywhere? I tried to look for 11.2.5.5 le15AA stock firmware to download but can not find it anywhere.
If not, how can I extract the stock vbmeta from my own device?

immortalwon said:
Does anyone have this stock vbmeta anywhere? I tried to look for 11.2.5.5 le15AA stock firmware to download but can not find it anywhere.
If not, how can I extract the stock vbmeta from my own device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Partitions Backup from Google Play store if you are rooted, or use the read function in MSM Tool.

TheGhost1951 said:
Partitions Backup from Google Play store if you are rooted, or use the read function in MSM Tool.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also realized just how silly my question was. I used TWRP and mounted the storage. Found all the vbmeta files that way and extracted. Sorry about it, didn't realize it was that ez to find them. I will keep partitions backup in my mind though. Gonna try to use it
Does vbmeta_a and vbmeta_b indicate the vbmetas for specified slots A and B?

immortalwon said:
I also realized just how silly my question was. I used TWRP and mounted the storage. Found all the vbmeta files that way and extracted. Sorry about it, didn't realize it was that ez to find them. I will keep partitions backup in my mind though. Gonna try to use it
Does vbmeta_a and vbmeta_b indicate the vbmetas for specified slots A and B?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it will backup all A and B partitions and label as such!

TheGhost1951 said:
Yes, it will backup all A and B partitions and label as such!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One last question: If you are trying to disable dm-verity using this command
Code:
fastboot flash --disable-verity --disable-verification vbmeta vbmeta.img
vbmeta_a.img would be substitute vbmeta.img on that code right?

immortalwon said:
One last question: If you are trying to disable dm-verity using this command
Code:
fastboot flash --disable-verity --disable-verification vbmeta vbmeta.img
vbmeta_a.img would be substitute vbmeta.img on that code right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That question I don't have an answer for. I am sure someone else in the thread will be able to give you an answer.

immortalwon said:
One last question: If you are trying to disable dm-verity using this command
Code:
fastboot flash --disable-verity --disable-verification vbmeta vbmeta.img
vbmeta_a.img would be substitute vbmeta.img on that code right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From my reading at xda, the recommended practice for this is to flash vbmeta as the name and assign the different current-slot. Rather than flash _a and _b individually. Some of this is was said because fastboot or fastbootd will fail when trying to flash 'vbmeta_a' and only work as 'vbmeta'. Others online have said this is the "safer" approach but I don't know why (other than avoiding failures from specified slots):
fastboot getvar current-slot
That tells you which slot you're on now, then flash vbmeta vbmeta.img and it'll be on the current slot. Then:
fastboot --set-active=a (or b)
to switch slots and again flash vbmeta rather than specifying _a or _b

immortalwon said:
Does anyone have this stock vbmeta anywhere? I tried to look for 11.2.5.5 le15AA stock firmware to download but can not find it anywhere.
If not, how can I extract the stock vbmeta from my own device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Msm tool readback or just simply download your current rom full build, extract payload and get it from there.

Appreciative said:
From my reading at xda, the recommended practice for this is to flash vbmeta as the name and assign the different current-slot. Rather than flash _a and _b individually. Some of this is was said because fastboot or fastbootd will fail when trying to flash 'vbmeta_a' and only work as 'vbmeta'. Others online have said this is the "safer" approach but I don't know why (other than avoiding failures from specified slots):
fastboot getvar current-slot
That tells you which slot you're on now, then flash vbmeta vbmeta.img and it'll be on the current slot. Then:
fastboot --set-active=a (or b)
to switch slots and again flash vbmeta rather than specifying _a or _b
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interestingly enough, I did your commands successfully. But it still says secureboot is enabled? Any tips / comments as to why?
Do I have to boot into twrp and wipe everything first?

immortalwon said:
Interestingly enough, I did your commands successfully. But it still says secureboot is enabled? Any tips / comments as to why?
Do I have to boot into twrp and wipe everything first?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I know, all OnePlus phones ship secure boot on and it stays on. I read something saying to turn it off, we would need signed boot processes (2 of the 3) from OnePlus (or maybe even the chip vendors) to certify the chain of trust up to booting the kernel. From not great memory, I think it was verifying the TEE was untampered, a boot rom checks signature against the TEE/TrustZone, then loads a bootloader which does the same check and confirms it's trusted to that point, and then the kernel loads as boot.img which we can modify but it's reported as tampered signature/untrusted and unlocked bootloader. Unlocked bootloader is different than secure boot off.
I've heard of debug builds that allow Secure Boot off but I have no experience with it on OnePlus. I haven't heard of it happening (with proof or tutorial) but would like to see it one day

Appreciative said:
As far as I know, all OnePlus phones ship secure boot on and it stays on. I read something saying to turn it off, we would need signed boot processes (2 of the 3) from OnePlus (or maybe even the chip vendors) to certify the chain of trust up to booting the kernel. From not great memory, I think it was verifying the TEE was untampered, a boot rom checks signature against the TEE/TrustZone, then loads a bootloader which does the same check and confirms it's trusted to that point, and then the kernel loads as boot.img which we can modify but it's reported as tampered signature/untrusted and unlocked bootloader. Unlocked bootloader is different than secure boot off.
I've heard of debug builds that allow Secure Boot off but I have no experience with it on OnePlus. I haven't heard of it happening (with proof or tutorial) but would like to see it one day
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting comment and very unfortunate to hear. Having a fully unlocked bootloader and magisk is great, but with secureboot enabled, there's still things you can't do which is pretty annoying. I hope one day someone can find a way to fully get rid of secureboot on oneplus devices, specifically the 9 pro.
There is system processes you can't modify the permissions of because of secureboot, and it annoys me. Don't get me wrong, this phone is still pretty damn good but secure boot annoys me.
I was also reading into this NEO script, but I'm not sure this is truly a working method.
[A/B][A-ONLY][SCRIPT][READ-ONLY][EROFS][ANDROID 10+] Universal Disable Force Encryption for RO and RW "NEO STABLE"
Disable Force Encryption NEO Do you all know what DFE is? no? Anyway. Basically, your device has an encrypted data section "/data" by default. Let's look at the advantages of google's solution that we will lose after disabling encryption: -...
forum.xda-developers.com
@LeeGarChat maybe you can help?

immortalwon said:
Interesting comment and very unfortunate to hear. Having a fully unlocked bootloader and magisk is great, but with secureboot enabled, there's still things you can't do which is pretty annoying. I hope one day someone can find a way to fully get rid of secureboot on oneplus devices, specifically the 9 pro.
There is system processes you can't modify the permissions of because of secureboot, and it annoys me. Don't get me wrong, this phone is still pretty damn good but secure boot annoys me.
I was also reading into this NEO script, but I'm not sure this is truly a working method.
[A/B][A-ONLY][SCRIPT][READ-ONLY][EROFS][ANDROID 10+] Universal Disable Force Encryption for RO and RW "NEO STABLE"
Disable Force Encryption NEO Do you all know what DFE is? no? Anyway. Basically, your device has an encrypted data section "/data" by default. Let's look at the advantages of google's solution that we will lose after disabling encryption: -...
forum.xda-developers.com
@LeeGarChat maybe you can help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are you trying to do with secure boot off? Maybe there's another way to go about it and others can offer some additional insight

Appreciative said:
What are you trying to do with secure boot off? Maybe there's another way to go about it and others can offer some additional insight
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just want to be able to modify system files R/W fully and change their permissions so I can disable some system modules that load that believe are unnecessary on the android OS. Also wouldn't hurt to try a new custom rom one day.

immortalwon said:
I just want to be able to modify system files R/W fully and change their permissions so I can disable some system modules that load that believe are unnecessary on the android OS. Also wouldn't hurt to try a new custom rom one day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see.
<Edit:> after looking in the thread briefly, someone said they were successful with the op9p: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...uring-makerw-read-write.4247311/post-87541235
As recently as October. Maybe it will help your situation.
</Edit>
Have you gone over these threads already?
[Closed] Universal SystemRW / SuperRW feat. MakeRW / ro2rw (read-only-2-read/write super partition converter)
Welcome to the one and only, the original, universal, System-RW / Super-RW feat. Make-RW / ro2rw (read-only-2-read/write super partition converter) by lebigmac Also known as: THE-REAL-RW, FULL-RW, EXT4-RW, EROFS-RW, EROFS-2-RW, F2FS-RW...
forum.xda-developers.com
[TOOL][WIN,LIN,AND,DARW] Super image tools | extract or make partitions RW in super partition
Disclaimer: Super image tools was made for testing and educational purposes, ME is not responsible for what you do on/with your device using our tools, you must agree that you using our tools on your own risk, I am not responsible for anything...
forum.xda-developers.com

Appreciative said:
I see.
<Edit:> after looking in the thread briefly, someone said they were successful with the op9p: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...uring-makerw-read-write.4247311/post-87541235
As recently as October. Maybe it will help your situation.
</Edit>
Have you gone over these threads already?
[Closed] Universal SystemRW / SuperRW feat. MakeRW / ro2rw (read-only-2-read/write super partition converter)
Welcome to the one and only, the original, universal, System-RW / Super-RW feat. Make-RW / ro2rw (read-only-2-read/write super partition converter) by lebigmac Also known as: THE-REAL-RW, FULL-RW, EXT4-RW, EROFS-RW, EROFS-2-RW, F2FS-RW...
forum.xda-developers.com
[TOOL][WIN,LIN,AND,DARW] Super image tools | extract or make partitions RW in super partition
Disclaimer: Super image tools was made for testing and educational purposes, ME is not responsible for what you do on/with your device using our tools, you must agree that you using our tools on your own risk, I am not responsible for anything...
forum.xda-developers.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[Closed] Universal SystemRW / SuperRW feat. MakeRW / ro2rw (read-only-2-read/write super partition converter)
Welcome to the one and only, the original, universal, System-RW / Super-RW feat. Make-RW / ro2rw (read-only-2-read/write super partition converter) by lebigmac Also known as: THE-REAL-RW, FULL-RW, EXT4-RW, EROFS-RW, EROFS-2-RW, F2FS-RW...
forum.xda-developers.com
The first link worked flawlessly. Root folder is now R/W, excellent and thanks.

I seem to have ran into another annoying problem. If I try to restore a backed up system file to the system folder via TWRP, I keep getting Error 1. Why won't it let me restore a backed up file?

immortalwon said:
I seem to have ran into another annoying problem. If I try to restore a backed up system file to the system folder via TWRP, I keep getting Error 1. Why won't it let me restore a backed up file?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have problems with TWRP restore after trying a different ROM and wanted to go back to my working ROM!

Sorry this topic kind of drifted off from my main question which is:
If there is any way possible to disable secure boot on OnePlus devices without having expert / nsa level knowledge of hardware hacking? Surely, if oneplus allows bootloader unlocks, there has to be a way to disable secure boot. Any expert out there want to chime in their 2 cents?

immortalwon said:
I seem to have ran into another annoying problem. If I try to restore a backed up system file to the system folder via TWRP, I keep getting Error 1. Why won't it let me restore a backed up file?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
immortalwon said:
Sorry this topic kind of drifted off from my main question which is:
If there is any way possible to disable secure boot on OnePlus devices without having expert / nsa level knowledge of hardware hacking? Surely, if oneplus allows bootloader unlocks, there has to be a way to disable secure boot. Any expert out there want to chime in their 2 cents?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disable vbmeta vbmeta_system and vbmeta_vendor
All 3 files you can pull from the rom.zip and the payload dumper

ChrisFeiveel84 said:
Disable vbmeta vbmeta_system and vbmeta_vendor
All 3 files you can pull from the rom.zip and the payload dumper
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already tried this, every time I go to confirm if secureboot is off, it says enabled in the bootloader / fastboot screen. Qualcomm probably has forced encryption via their processor. I wonder if there is a way around this or if I am doing something wrong. Here is a screen shot of my CMD prompt.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}