Database Users

Odin/Nandroid/Titanium Backup

So if I want to save everything on my phone (including kernel, radios, apps, system, market links, etc) how do I go about doing that? There's a check box in odin called Dump and then File [Dump] at the end but it didn't quite work the way I expected and I'm a little afraid of something wrong with odin, so I'd rather if someone could tell me how to do it from experience.
It would be nice if there was a recovery program that did a full backup of your device so that you could always resore from within recovery, but my understanding is that nandroids can't replace your radio or anything like that. So does a nandroid backup just saving you from having to reflash to stock from odin and having to do a titanium restore?
Thanks.

no one?
.....Buehler?

11 minutes worth of searching... ( I kinda knew where to look )
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=459830&highlight=Nandroid+backup+restore
I was just gonna throw out a close enough answer and hope not to get flamed for my incompetence, but I got over curious as to whether or not my over-complication was correct.. so here goes it in simple terms..
its basically a script (.sh file) that tells your phone to backup your system to your sdcard while your phone is in recovery... something like this(off the top of my head):
to backup
mount /system
cp /system/* /sdcard/nandroid/DATE
to restore
mount /sdcard
cp /sdcard/nandroid/DATE /system
hope that answered your question?

junkdruggler said:
11 minutes worth of searching... ( I kinda knew where to look )
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=459830&highlight=Nandroid+backup+restore
I was just gonna throw out a close enough answer and hope not to get flamed for my incompetence, but I got over curious as to whether or not my over-complication was correct.. so here goes it in simple terms..
its basically a script (.sh file) that tells your phone to backup your system to your sdcard while your phone is in recovery... something like this(off the top of my head):
to backup
mount /system
cp /system/* /sdcard/nandroid/DATE
to restore
mount /sdcard
cp /sdcard/nandroid/DATE /system
hope that answered your question?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that's just a regular nandroid backup. The scripts are handled for us these days by the excellent recovery menus in clockwork. So I don't think that's what I was looking for. I get the feeling I can do what I'd like from odin, I just don't know how to go about doing it.

Well there has to be a script that pulls the radio and kernel and whatever else you would want...( I saw koush ask someone with a stock phone to do it for him..) Then you would just have to make it an update.zip.. Koush would probably be the person to ask how to do it...
But I pretty much have to be at a computer to mess up your radio or kernel do you can use it to fix your phone with odin and do a nandroid..
I personally use an older recovery on my g1 and use switchrom.sh to backup and restore.. Which has to be typed by hand..
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Make sure to backup your efs partition!

I just wanted to share a story of woe and redemption so that it doesn't happen to you.
As background, I had sim unlocked my phone using helroz's method a while back, and my phone has been working fine from team whiskey's early days till now. Recently, I was flashing my phone as most of us do. I noted that after flashing the dead horse kernel, my market was not working properly, so I decided to odin back to JFD. From there, I flashed Bionix, but afterward, noted that I wasn't getting any cell reception. After some investigation and several odins, I looked at my software info and found that my baseband was unknown. I flashed back to JFD however, and it worked fine. In fact, this was the only rom where the cell worked. The phone otherwise was functioning flawlessly, including wifi.
Further investigation showed that this has happened to others, and anecdotally, people have fixed it by odining over and over or doing some magic with their sim card. I did just that but to no avail. After some thinking, it occurred to me that maybe my /efs data was bad, so I took a look. Hitting *#06# showed the generic samsung IMEI while in JFD (it did not work in other versions as the baseband was not working), not my normal IMEI. That's odd. I still had the backup from trying to sim unlock it months ago. I tried to overwrite the /efs folder w/ my own, but I could not write it due to 'not enough space.'
Further investigation showed that indeed, my efs partition had been borked, and so I could not write data to it (I could copy however). The only way to fix this is by flashing/odin'ing a new partition. This only works if you have a backup, which I didn't. Basically, I had a fancy media player at this point.
I went ahead and looked on craigslist and found a vibrant w/ a broken screen, figuring I could swap out the guts. I immediately backed up the /efs folder and partition of the broken phone, just in case. On a whim, I tried to flash the efs partition from the broken phone to my phone. Lo and behold, the baseband came back. I was now able to write to that partition, so overwrote the /efs folder w/ my backup from before. My IMEI came back afterwards, and so now, I have 2 functioning vibrants. I'm not sure what data is stored in /dev/block/stl3, but I do know I was able to fix my phone using another phone's data. They both work w/ my sim, though I am unsure if they can connect simultaneously using different sims or if they are somehow cloned, but the IMEIs are different for sure.
The moral of the story is that this phone is nigh unbrickable and even when it doesn't boot, you can always try the jig. The only part of the phone you can't fix w/ a routine odin it seems, is the efs partition, so I would encourage everyone to make a backup and keep it safe. This is not done standard as an initiation into rooting and roms and such, but it should be. Normally, odin'ing a rom does not write to this area, but even w/o screwing with this, frequent flashing and odins can apparently corrupt it, leaving you high and dry. With this backup and odin, you could probably fix your phone from any jam.
Here are the relevant threads on how to do this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=882039
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=859914
Keep those backups safe!

Thank you for sharing ur experience, I recently noticed that my data speeds have gone down after unlocking my vibrant using the method you mentioned above.Damn, I get edge speeds when I am on a HSPA network. Dunno whats the problem,called up simple mobile,am not data throttled.Sigh..
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

man this is scary, but your phone still works at JFD right?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

It didn't for a while. Now, both phones are fully functional. I had a copy of the /efs folder of my old phone, but not an image of the partition. The problem is, when the partition gets screwed, you can't write to it, making the /efs useless.
That's why I'm trying to get people to make the backup. It takes a few minutes, but can be a lifesaver. I do believe you can flash a foreign stl3 partition and overwrite the /efs like I did, but unless you had a friend, no one would share it w/ you as it contains their imei info. Better to just back up your own. And if you lose your /efs, game over.

How exactly do you back up a partition?

Very cool of you to post this up. Is there any reason to back up your efs partition if you have no reason to unlock?
<---backing it up anyway.

It's not the unlocking. It seems that over time, some people (such as myself) screwed up the efs partition by just flashing/odin'ing various roms. It shouldn't happen, but it does. Consider that no roms write to the stl3 layer, yet mine was working one day, then one odin later, it didn't. I'm sure the number of people this happens to is quite small, but when it happens, it happens. It's like a 6 mb backup which isn't that big of a deal.

It's better to be safe than sorry.
I did an experiment on my Galaxy Tab, that I move the /efs folder to memory card.
Soon I found the reception goes way worse (at least 10dBm less) and the serial number changed to 00000000, then I immediately copied (restore) the folder and everything was back to normal.
I tried to examine the files with hex editor but I found nothing spectular.

vnamee said:
It's not the unlocking. It seems that over time, some people (such as myself) screwed up the efs partition by just flashing/odin'ing various roms. It shouldn't happen, but it does. Consider that no roms write to the stl3 layer, yet mine was working one day, then one odin later, it didn't. I'm sure the number of people this happens to is quite small, but when it happens, it happens. It's like a 6 mb backup which isn't that big of a deal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's really weird. I've never really looked into the occurrence because I always assumed it was isolated only to those that did some weird hacking in an attempt to unlock, or to those that were developing and found themselves doing some nasty, nasty things.
I just created efs_dev-block-st13.img and efs-backup.tar.gz so hopefully I'm all safe and sound now.
Thanks again! Once I get beyond GPS stuff I find myself clueless.

draikz said:
How exactly do you back up a partition?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to read the two links in the OP and download adb. You also need root and busybox.

all you need is to root your phone, such as w/ superoneclick which will put busybox on there. Then all you need is adb.exe.
Open up a command prompt where adb.exe is located. You can adb su or just go adb shell and then su.
The only commands you need are:
cat /dev/block/stl3 > /sdcard/stl3.bin (backs up sector management layer of partition)
cat /dev/block/bml3 > /sdcard/bml3.bin (backs up block management layer of partition)
tar zcvf /sdcard/efs-backup.tar.gz /efs (tars /efs folder)
cp stl3.bin efs.rfs (just makes copy of stl3.bin to new name efs.rfs)
tar -cf efs.tar efs.rfs (makes an odin flashable tar of partition)
I kept a copy of stl3.bin, bml3.bin, efs-backup.tar, and efs.tar.

vnamee said:
all you need is to root your phone, such as w/ superoneclick which will put busybox on there. Then all you need is adb.exe.
Open up a command prompt where adb.exe is located. You can adb su or just go adb shell and then su.
The only commands you need are:
cat /dev/block/stl3 > /sdcard/stl3.bin (backs up sector management layer of partition)
cat /dev/block/bml3 > /sdcard/bml3.bin (backs up block management layer of partition)
tar zcvf /sdcard/efs-backup.tar.gz /efs (tars /efs folder)
cp stl3.bin efs.rfs (just makes copy of stl3.bin to new name efs.rfs)
tar -cf efs.tar efs.rfs (makes an odin flashable tar of partition)
I kept a copy of stl3.bin, bml3.bin, efs-backup.tar, and efs.tar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've got backups of stl3.bin, bml3.bin and efs-backup.tar.gz
When I try to make the partition an odin flashable tar it tells me: "No such file or directory".

You have to cd into the directory, or else it should be:
cp /sdcard/stl3.bin /sdcard/efs.rfs (just makes copy of stl3.bin to new name efs.rfs)
tar -cf /sdcard/efs.tar /sdcard/efs.rfs (makes an odin flashable tar of partition)

This is kind of old news, but nevertheless important.
Months ago in the Q&A section there were two threads about the importance of the EFS, and how a corrupted nv_data.bin and EFS can cause many problems including losing the ability to use a different carriers sim, yet nobody paid attention to those threads, but I thought the info was vital.
Would using ROM Manager and backing up your current rom, also backup the /efs?

vnamee said:
You have to cd into the directory, or else it should be:
cp /sdcard/stl3.bin /sdcard/efs.rfs (just makes copy of stl3.bin to new name efs.rfs)
tar -cf /sdcard/efs.tar /sdcard/efs.rfs (makes an odin flashable tar of partition)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I did. I'll do it again and post up exactly what I type and put in. Maybe it's just operator error.

Here ya go.
It might have been operator error because that time I watched efs.tar get written to /sdcard

It should be efs.rfs, not efs/rfs. It's a file, not a directory.

SamsungVibrant said:
Would using ROM Manager and backing up your current rom, also backup the /efs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nandroid does not back up the /efs partition, at least not that I can tell. All those files in the backup folder are of the various partitions, and efs partition is not part of it.
The reason I made this thread to begin with is because when I had this problem, I looked high and low, and found scant info. In the future, if someone else has this problem, this will come up in a search and won't have some lame magical fix that may or may not work.

vnamee said:
It should be efs.rfs, not efs/rfs. It's a file, not a directory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pinky slip!!! For whatever reason, it took 3 tries but I finally got it to backup. Thanks for the help! I would never think to back this stuff up. Everyone does Nandroid's like crazy, which is good, but losing this stuff is losing your phone!

Excellent write-up vnamee thank you..........

[GUIDE] Backup your /efs folder before flashing any ROM (IMPORTANT!)

Hi everyone!
The reason why I post this threat is that there is no clearly mention about the /efs folder in the rooting/how-to guides in here. In my opinion, it's the MOST IMPORTANT thing to know for all Samsung devices with Android OS before flashing any custom ROM. There is a really good threat posted in Original Android Development by Rawat, which I'm going to quote right here. Unfortunately, it's not a sticky threat so it's gone somewhere deeper in the forums.
I really beg you for a sticky of this thread, or Rawats to prevent all new users of damaging their phones.
My point is: many of you can agree, the /efs folder is very sensitive. If it get corrupted and you have no backup of it, well.. let's just say it's nearly impossible to get you phone working again. It contains your IMEI number and some other important things! There have been some situations when it get corrupted after flashing some ROMs. Without a backup, your IMEI is gone. The only way to get your phone working again is to send it back to Samsung Service.
Here is the guide, originally posted by Rawat! Thank you very much:
This guide is based on a guide by Candanga on the i9000 forums, and some commands from supercurio
Please hit thanks on their posts and show them some love for the write up.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I’ve compiled a quick guide to instruct how to make a copy of the /efs folder. I’ve found in many threads suggestions about backing up this folder but the methods itself are very general. Most of the times they suggest to “root and copy the folder” with Root Explorer or similar, but usually it’s not that easy or it just doesn't work for everyone.
This guide ASUMES you have read this Excellent Guide by Darkstrikerfirst:
H E R E <-- Make sure to read the ADB Guide.
I recommend doing this with a Mobile just taken out of the box or with any Official ROM of its Service Provider. If you have already Flashed your phone with another ROM but its working fine, then you can use that /efs also.
Why the /efs folder?
This is a very sensitive system folder that contains Phone-specific information such as the IMEI (encrypted in the nv_data.bin), wireless devices MAC addresses, product code (also in the nv_data.bin), and much more. Often users trying to change product codes or trying to unlock the mobile will end up corrupting data in this location.
Why back it up?
Well, let’s resume it saying that backing-up this little folder will keep you away from Samsung service centres.
***WARNING: I take no responsibility to any damage caused by the methods cited and/or written here. Their sole purpose is to back-up data and not to alter in any way the integrity of the original files of the mobile***
What you will need:
* Rooted SGS II to get permissions as a SU (Super User) and perform the backup
* I would suggest learning a little about the terminal commands used (in case you are not familiar with them), as it’s better to know what you are doing rather than typing strings like a little chimp without knowing what they are; if you are a little lazy, then you have a good chance bricking your mobile. <- Busybox Commands(or Google them)
* Terminal Emulator by Jack Palevich (available from the market) <-Terminal Emulator or use ADB which is included in the SDK Development Tools
The standard prompt of terminal (adb) is a $ sign. Once you enter “SU” it will become a # Sign.
***NOTE: Make sure to keep an eye on the screen of your SGS II during this process, because it may request SU permissions [currently doesn't on CF-root]; else, you will get an error (just if it’s the first time). In Terminal Emulator you will need to reset the app after granting permissions cause it usually freezes***
*Remember: to use ADB you need to enable USB DEBUGGING under Applications/Development in your SGS II.
Here are 3 methods, I recommend that you do both Clean and RAW.
Basic, unix permissions lost :
Code:
su
busybox cp -a /efs /sdcard/efs/
Clean :
Code:
su
busybox tar zcvf /sdcard/efs/efs-backup.tar.gz /efs
After this, you will end up with the file efs-backup.tar.gz in your INTERNAL SDCARD in sdcard/efs/, which is a “tarball” or a ZIP of the /efs folder. That file is your backup. You can expand it with Winrar.
You can also back up the mmcblk0p1 (where /efs is stored) under /dev/block which can greatly support in recovering your IMEI in case of a screw-up:
RAW :
Code:
su
cat /dev/block/mmcblk0p1 > /sdcard/efs/efs_dev-block-mmcblk0p1.img
alternative
Code:
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p1 of=/sdcard/efs/efs_dev-block-mmcblk0p1.img
Same thing, the target is the INTERNAL SDCARD in sdcard/efs/, so go ahead and copy the file.
--------------------------------------
original thread by Rawat @ xda: click here

matee89 said:
Without a backup, your IMEI is gone. The only way to get your phone working again is to send it back to Samsung Service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not 100% true, there are other ways, for example I know how to generate valid nv_data files.
matee89 said:
RAW :
Code:
su
cat /dev/block/mmcblk0p1 > /sdcard/efs/efs_dev-block-mmcblk0p1.img
Same thing, the target is the INTERNAL SDCARD in sdcard/efs/, so go ahead and copy the file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think using dd is better than cat, I dont know why but I have a feeling cat could do some character conversion in some circumstances, so :-
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p1 of=/sdcard/efs/efs_dev-block-mmcblk0p1.img
or better still do both, cannot have too many backups

Thanks for info Odia! Well, the backup is still important. Saves a lot of time for newbies, so i think that this guide should be sticky. Everyone can see it clearly then

There is already a thread about this...
rawat thread
And there's an app on the way apparently..
app thread

Yes, but this thread is not sticky. If you at least read a little part of mine post you should see that I quoted Hawats thread and put a link to it. My point is that this should be more visible for everyone. To be honest, it should be sticky like the rooting guides and other how to's, because it can give you serious problems with the device when files inside /efs get corrupted. Myself I haven't know about the purpose of /efs since yesterday, because it wasn't clearly mentioned in here. Just want to help other newcomers to Samsung devices.
This app will do exacly the same thing like you will do right now following this guide. It's not released yet, so this guide should be used meanwhile.

matee89 said:
Thanks for info Odia! Well, the backup is still important. Saves a lot of time for newbies, so i think that this guide should be sticky. Everyone can see it clearly then
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure the backup is important, is why I added some input to your thread about using the dd command to make double sure the backup taken was valid.
Can an admin or mod make Rawat's thread sticky pls?

Okay, shall edit and post the alternative backup method with dd comand instead of cat.
Would be great with sticky. I don't think that majority of people who's flashing ROM's know how important this folder is. From what I've heard the nandroid backup in CWM recovery does not backup the /efs so it's needed to be done manually.

before using this comands you should use mkdir /sdcard/efs if you don't want to get an error
I made clean, raw and dd back up. Now I have two files of 20 MB each and one of 28Kb is it ok?

Yes, it seems okay. I saved my efs backup files on my PC as well in case something happens to the internal sdcard storage.

Thank you for that. I will backup mine tonight.

Thank you got the backup with my Note

Re: mp1806
Probably some of the ROMs that you flashed had an automatic backup script included, so you already got a working efs backup on your sd card. If you want to be completly sure if the backup is correct, you can make it manually by following the steps in my first post. Later you can even copy your backup to your PC if you like to.

There is three or four apps by now that aid you in creating EFS backups.
Most have been mentioned in the other (older) EFS backup thread.
It's one app i forgot the name of, EFS-Pro that works from your computer and my own one (see sig).
If you search for "efs backup" on the market you will find "Nitrality" (or however it's spelled, forgot the exact name right now) and my one.
Mine also offers an option to check the EFS backup if it's OK or corrupted, so can be really sure to have a good one when the check succeeds.
Point beeing:
No real need to tinker on the shell anymore

Great Thanks for this

Hi, I am using the RAW method on my Galaxy Note, rooted, but I keep getting a file not found error. Anyone able to help? I got the su and the prompt changed correctly, but after:
cat /dev/block/mmcblk0p1 > /sdcard/efs/efs_dev-block-mmcblk0p1.img
It just says file not found. What am I doing wrong?

Another way is to use ktool made by Hellcat to backup your efs and even restore.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1314719&highlight=ktool
Anyone knows if this tool is as good as command line way?

(nvm)

Odia said:
Not 100% true, there are other ways, for example I know how to generate valid nv_data files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you please let me know how to generate it? I HAVE LOST THE EFS FILES ON MY PHONE!

Samsung Tool
Samsung Tool is the easiest and more safe method

how do you restore it?

SDCARD hard brick recovery WIP, need dumps

I am working on getting a proper MJE SDCARD debrick image. I will need memory dumps of the boot partitions.
From ADB shell or terminal emulator run the following command
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0 of=/sdcard/unbrick.img bs=512 count=524288
This will place a file called unbrick.img into /sdcard (not your actual memory card (extSdCard) but your internal device memory. All I need you to do is upload this file anywhere you see fit so I can download it. I greatly appreciate your time!
At this time, I am only looking for retail SM-N900V MJE dumps.

ryanbg said:
I am working on getting a proper MJE SDCARD debrick image. I will need memory dumps of the boot partitions.
No sensitive data will be dumped with this command, and you will be helping the community out greatly if you have the time.
From ADB shell or terminal emulator run the following command
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0 of=/sdcard/unbrick.img count=524288
This will place a file called unbrick.img into /sdcard (not your actual memory card (extSdCard) but your internal device memory. All I need you to do is upload this file anywhere you see fit so I can download it. I greatly appreciate your time!
At this time, I am only looking for retail SM-N900V MJE dumps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Retail or DE? Or does it matter?

cam30era said:
Retail or DE? Or does it matter?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Preferably retail, but if you have DE, go ahead anyways. Maybe I'll be able to find something new. As long as it's MJE.

ryanbg said:
Preferably retail, but if you have DE, go ahead anyways. Maybe I'll be able to find something new. As long as it's MJE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That may be a problem. While baseband is MJE, ROM is CM11. That surely won't work. Sorry about that.

cam30era said:
That may be a problem. While baseband is MJE, ROM is CM11. That surely won't work. Sorry about that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It won't grab anything from CM11, don't worry. These are just the boot partitions which would remain unmodified after installing CM11.

Deleted

PM sent.
Retail N3, up to date firmware.
<Note3>

OP: did you find or get a copy of a debrick img file for the SM-N900V? my retail edition is definitely hard bricked.

trevorcobb said:
OP: did you find or get a copy of a debrick img file for the SM-N900V? my retail edition is definitely hard bricked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let us know your results from the thread over in the General forum:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-note-3/general/howto-recover-hard-brick-t2834419

bftb0 said:
Let us know your results from the thread over in the General forum:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-note-3/general/howto-recover-hard-brick-t2834419
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Long time no see old friend.

ryanbg said:
Long time no see old friend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@ryanbg
Sorry for not getting in touch - I know I disappeared as if I had died. Life - and work - intervened to the point of needing to drop something on the floor, and unfortunately that was my XDA involvement. (As it is, even this post is a little bit of hooky). But all is well; I see you are still fighting the good fight. Thanks for your efforts.

PIT for 1GB /system partition

I would have posted this in Android Development, but apparently I lack the rank to do so. Maybe a mod can move there it if it is more appropriate?
Need a larger /system partition for newer ROMs? The attached PIT file will push you up to 1GB. Not including instructions, PIT files are for advanced users and crazy dumbasses like myself only! If you don't know what it is or how to use it, you're in the wrong place.

HiltonJ said:
I would have posted this in Android Development, but apparently I lack the rank to do so. Maybe a mod can move there it if it is more appropriate?
Need a larger /system partition for newer ROMs? The attached PIT file will push you up to 1GB. Not including instructions, PIT files are for advanced users and crazy dumbasses like myself only! If you don't know what it is or how to use it, you're in the wrong place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the 1G pit file. Needing some instructions.
Despite being new to this android "guts tweaking",
I have followed successfully your guide "Stable AOSP 7.1 setup w/ working Google and Voice - ACHIEVED!". It worked fine (no 1Gb /system repartition, as you advised). Many thanks for that.
However, after a while my GT-P7500 /system partition got full (568Mb), and could not install the xposed framework mod.
Could you please post some guidelines on how to clean flash the @decatf AOSP Nougat 7.1, onto the GT-P7500, including the 1GB expansion, through this pit file.
Thanks.

HiltonJ said:
I would have posted this in Android Development, but apparently I lack the rank to do so. Maybe a mod can move there it if it is more appropriate?
Need a larger /system partition for newer ROMs? The attached PIT file will push you up to 1GB. Not including instructions, PIT files are for advanced users and crazy dumbasses like myself only! If you don't know what it is or how to use it, you're in the wrong place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in desperate need of help because at first i was able to flash the pit file but then now when i flash it gives me an error telling write complete repartition failed. any ideas?i really have tried for many hours ussually i can manage to load twrp or clockwork mod recovery or any custom rom but now all i can do is just get to the download function to use odin..... even recovery is not available to me...help pls.