ADB vs. Root Explorer vs. Terminal on device - EVO 4G General

With certain files, SteelH describes using Root Explorer as "like trying to swap the engine of a car while it's running"
I experienced this as I tried to copy back a modified services.jar file with Root Explorer. I ended up using ADB and it worked fine.
Question 1: I did this while the phone was running/OS loaded, but ADB copy method worked while Root Explorer didn't. Why? Does ADB have higher authority in some way?
Question 2: How about using a terminal window on the phone to copy/replace files (if a computer is not handy)? Does it yield the same function/result as Root Explorer or ADB?
Question 3: If I simply want to back up the file, say services.jar or framework.apk, to be copied to SD, can I use Root Explorer for that?
Thanks.

snovvman said:
With certain files, SteelH describes using Root Explorer as "like trying to swap the engine of a car while it's running"
I experienced this as I tried to copy back a modified services.jar file with Root Explorer. I ended up using ADB and it worked fine.
Question 1: I did this while the phone was running/OS loaded, but ADB copy method worked while Root Explorer didn't. Why? Does ADB have higher authority in some way?
Question 2: How about using a terminal window on the phone to copy/replace files (if a computer is not handy)? Does it yield the same function/result as Root Explorer or ADB?
Question 3: If I simply want to back up the file, say services.jar or framework.apk, to be copied to SD, can I use Root Explorer for that?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i can't answer all of these authoritatively, but i will say
-i find adb to be the easiest way to do ANY modifications, as long as you know just a handful of commands and remember to remount. also remember to pull anything you are getting ready to mess with, just in case you bork it up. takes a lot less time to push an unmodified file than it does to do a complete restore. especially if you forgot to backup, lol
-if you have a terminal app mounted with rw privileges, you can move whatever you want wherever you want. however, referring back to my last point, adb is easier. i find that trying to type type type things out on a dinky little keyboard is a bigger pain in my butt than using my full size one, especially when i can use cut/paste from the intertubes.
-i think rooted explorere shouldn't have a problem copying a file from /system/ or /data/ to some folder on your sdcard

Thank you for the information. I just copied a file with terminal (on phone) and Root Explorer. Interesting thing: using the CP command, the file that was copied onto the SD showed the current date. The file that was copied using RE has the original date.

Related

Re-write damaged build.prop?

I've managed to make a typo somewhere when updating the build.prop and it hasn't written it, now my tab has a /System/build.prop.old file, but no /System/build.prop file. I've got a backup of the file, has anyone either got a valid UPDATE.ZIP file for a JK5 EU firmware version of the build.prop that I can write (will it work from the "external" SD card?) - or some other way of gaining root access via the recovery ADB shell so that i can rewrite this file, or am I going to need to reflash via Odin? I've tried creating my own update.zip file but it tells me that it can't find it, so I'm guessing it has to be on the internal SD card, which is not a lot of use as I can't mount it.
Not a big deal if I have to, I'd just rather know an alternative in case I stuff it up again
EDIT: Nevermind, I worked out how to gain root access whilst in recovery, pretty simple really - the same as the regular manual-root process but just using a different work folder. The /tmp folder is writeable in recovery mode so I just copied the rageagainstthecage binary into there via "adb push", set it to executable, ran it, killed the adb server and restarted it, reconnected and I had root access, moved the build.prop back and all is well again.
Based on this, it'd be a piece of cake to write an UPDATE.ZIP that did a full permanent shell-root and also installed busybox and superuser.apk. Any point or are people happy enough with the existing methods?

[Q] Cant find data/local

i tried the search and google but find nothing on this. Im not new to rooting, i rooted my OG droid, but now im trying to root my Mt4g and having trouble. I have the .86 boot loader and im trying to do the gfree method of rooting. Only problem is when i go to transfer my gfree files to data/local, i cant find data local. Im using astro file manager and i hit the up button to get as far as i can go. Once i do that i select the data folder, and it just says empty directory. so i can find /data, but not /data local. Thanks for taking the time to read my question.
Astro file manager will not show the /data/local folder. If you don't have root you have to push gfree using adb.
i'm on a 4g slide with this same problem, i need to move a file to the /data/local, and my file managers cannot find 'local', and do not let me create one.
i am already rooted.
leoilios said:
i'm on a 4g slide with this same problem, i need to move a file to the /data/local, and my file managers cannot find 'local', and do not let me create one.
i am already rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you need to use a root explorer.
or use the line command
Code:
adb push <file_name> /data/local
Another thing you could do is download visionary, temp root, use a root required file manager to move the file to data/local. Then un temp your phone an run gfree
From my fist to your face, enjoy.

[Q] NS4G Rooted still can't access any files in /root/

First off, I have a Nexus S 4g from Sprint (d720) rooted using the method as posted in the thread titled "[GUIDE] Nexus S 4G Simple Root/Unroot" by kpkimmel back a few weeks ago when that was the ONLY method available.
I am trying to edit an XML file located in my /root/data/data/ directory but I can't access it from adb shell nor the app "Root Explorer", I can however see and 'cd' to the directory but it shows up empty on both "Root Explorer" and through adb . As it seems, I don't have the proper permissions to be able to view/edit the files/folders in the root folder.
SuperUser permissions have been granted for both adb shell and Root Explorer as well so I know that part is in order. I guess I could just be missing an obvious step in accessing the /root/data folder but any help would be greatly appreciated.
Should I just unroot my device and re-root using a different method? Anybody with adb and permissions issues experiences please help. I'm more than frustrated at this point.
Thanks in advance.
try mounting it as rw
Would you be able to list the steps please?
Top right of the page, hit read write
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk
My /root contains nothing either. What is it exactly you want to edit?
its a empty folder.

Unable to replace system files

I am trying to flash a touchwiz launcher and it succeeds in flashing in recovery but the files are not getting put into priv-app folder.
also, trying a copy paste using root explorer but it fails.
some files get copied but for some reason touchwiz launcher does not, any idea why?
Does Root Explorer have any option to remount /system with write permission? Nearly all File Managers with root access do it that way.
It looks like your /system is still mounted read-only. What exactly is being copied over?
Also, you can "adb shell" to the phone while on recovery, that way you have full access on the phone.

Cant modify file?

I'm trying to replace one of the files in /system/usr/keylayout but i'm getting an error telling me the system is read only.
So i've gone back to the /system folder in Root Explorer and tried to remount it as rw but nothing happens.
So i've gone in and tried to use ADB. I turned on USB Debugging and connected with ADB, used "adb shell" to get in, then every variation of deleting the file and remounting the file system i can. Every method to delete the file tells me its read only, and every method to remount it tells me that the folder isnt in /proc/mounts. If i dont specify a folder and just use /, then it runs and shows a ton of folders, but i still cant delete the file. My goal is to replace it with another.
Any ideas why? I'm rooted with magisk, newest version of platform tools on the laptop, im running OOS 11.0.4.4 IN11AA, stock rom and kernel.

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