Database Users

Ghost Vending.apk

Ill keep this short and sweet. heres my timeline:
1. I noticed that my market magically "demorphed" itself (as in deapplied a metmorph theme)
2. I went into Metamorph to reapply and Metamorph told to cfree up some memory in my system partition so as to avoid any problems.
3. I went into Root Explorer and saw my system memory was at 20kb, so i deleted my enormous shutdown animation, which freed up more than enough space.
4. I then discovered that my Vending.apk had somehow been relocated to /data/app.
5. I deleted it from /data/app, and, just to make sure started from scratch, i attempted to rm Vending.odex from /system/app via ADB but it said the file did not exist
6. Pushed Vending.apk to /system/app to reinstall, and now that its installed, it still wont show up anywhere on my phone (not in the launcher, not anywhere)....even thought i confirmed it is installed in root explorer
so my question is......where in the god damn is my bloody market????

Update: So it turns out this happens with any app i try to push to /system/app.......root explorer shows it as installed yet the app will not show up anywhere

odin then reflash firmware

lralexl said:
odin then reflash firmware
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That always should be the last option, yet always seems to be everyones first answer
Sent from my pocket rocket!

I recall reading that if the signature of the apk doesn't match, once you connect to the Market and go back it reverts it to an original copy. I can't recall where exactly I read this but it had to do with changing the look of Market, which causes it to revert back.

Modifying the update to keep root

Ok, here is a new version of OTA2 for US tablets that should be flashable in CWR and should keep CWR and root without requiring the use of OTA rootkeeper. I would still protect root with OTA Rootkeeper and temp unroot before updating (you can try it without temp unroot but it has caused some problems for other users). This update will still scan all your system apps so you need to restore or unfreeze any system apps that you deleted or froze using Ti Backup.
Instructions:
This update is for owners of US tablets with root and ClockworkMod Recovery. Make sure your battery is well charged before flashing this, a dead battery mid update can create major problems!
1. Install OTA Rootkeeper and protect root. You should now temp unroot. Users who did not temp un-root have had issues with su access after updating.
2. Download the update below and put it on your external sdcard
3. Restore any system apps that you have removed
4. Reboot into ClockworkMod Recovery (Shutdown Thinkpad, turn on and press vol+ repeatedly until you see booting recovery image)
5. I would also highly recommend making a nandroid backup if you have not previously done so.
6. Select install zip from sdcard>choose zip from sdcard then browse to and select the update you downloaded here
7. update.zip will run, it will check your system apps during the update and may fail if you have changed something, if so the error message should explain why
8. Reboot tablet; it will be a very long reboot. This is normal; it seems to take forever but just let it boot.
9. Use OTA Rootkeeper to restore root.
Flash at your own risk! I am not responsible if this totally bricks your tablet! This is the US update, do not flash if you are using a tablet from another region! Seriously this stuff could cause problems.
ThinkPadTablet_A310_02_0039_0086_US_CWR.zip
-----------------------------------------
Original Message
So I would like to modify the new OTA so I get the updates without losing root and my current recovery. It is my understanding that the file: \META-INF\com\google\android\updater-script contains the instructions for how the update should run. Can I simply modify this script so that it won't delete root or overwrite my recovery or boot and then flash it in CWR? It looks like it would be pretty straight forward but it would be nice to get some information from someone more knowledgeable so that I don't mess something up and brick my TpT. One obvious line to remove would be where it deletes superuser.apk and su. There is also a section where it patches the boot image, I'm not sure what this patch does but I am worried that maybe somehow they might lock the bootloader. EDIT: I updated, and still have CWR so the bootloader didn't get locked. The other lines I would remove are the ones that reference recovery. If someone with knowledge of android would be willing to help me with this then I will upload my modified update.zip (assuming it works) so that others can avoid the hassle.
So I think that the process would be to delete the current \META-INF\ folder, then put in my modified updater script in \META-INF\com\google\android\updater-script and sign the update with SignApk.jar? Is this the correct process? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
I attached the original updater-script below for anyone interested in taking a look.

I appreciate you posting the file. I've never worked with Android code and this was a great intro.

I'm not sure this will work. Although I'm not super knowledgeable in this.
I did find these two threads.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1185881
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=21351145&postcount=101
Of course, the latter is in respect to the Galaxy Nexus, and I am sure most of those people have unlocked bootloaders, etc. So again, not sure if those shed any more light on it, but am also curious on a process like this.
The update popped up on my tablet last night and I clicked "more info" and from what it lists, does not seem to be very many fixes

So I successfully updated in ClockworkMod Recovery without losing CWR and without deleting my Superuser.apk and su files by modifying the updater-script in the update.zip. Unfortunately it still messed up my superuser permissions somehow and I ended up having to use ADB while booted into CWR to push and symlink the proper files to get su working again (OTA Rootkeeper wasn't functioning properly because the files were there but the permissions were messed up). I have modified the update.zip so that now it deletes the superuser.apk and su files but keeps clockworkmod recovery. With this and OTA Rootkeeper I think you should be able to update while keeping CWR and restoring root. I will also provide directions here for those seeking to make their own modifications and possibly improve upon my efforts, but proceed with caution.
So what I did was open the zip in winrar and extracted the updater-script. I then edited some lines of code using Notepad++, deleting the ones that referred to deleting recovery or installing a new recovery as well as the lines to delete superuser.apk and /system/bin/su and /system/xbin/su. I also commented out a couple lines at the beginning (assert(getprop("ro.product.device") == "Indigo") because I was getting an error code status 7 when it was trying to perform this check while using clockwork mod. I checked my build.prop and it does say Indigo so I don't know why the check failed but just removing the check was easier for me than figuring out the problem (generally it is not good to remove such checks but I was sure I had the right file). In Notepad++ you must select save as and choose type all files then just save it with the same name. Then replace the updater-script in your zip file with the modified one, I used winrar and chose the compression to just be store (ie no compression). Then you need to delete the CERT.RSA, CERT.SF, and MANIFEST.MF files in the META-INF folder of your update.zip and you sign the update.zip using testsign.jar. Then your new modified update.zip is ready to go.
I think that the reason things did not work out for me is that there are a bunch of lines in the updater script about symlinking and setting permissions for stuff in /system and I think /system/bin/su was originally symlinked to /system/xbin/su which is the real file so things got messed up and I had the files still but the symlink and or permissions were messed up. I eventually fixed this by booting into CWR mounting system and using adb to repush /system/xbin/su and setting permissions and making the new symlinked su file in /system/bin just like the last lines of Dan's Thinkpad root bat file did.
Here is a modified update.zip that should delete your Superuser files but keep your ClockworkMod Recovery. I think that with this file you can use OTA Rootkeeper to make a root backup, temp unroot, then boot into CWR and update to the new OTA then you should be able to reboot and use OTA Rootkeeper to restore root and download Superuser from the market, while keeping CWR through the entire process.
Flash at your own risk! I am not responsible if this totally bricks your tablet! This is the US update, do not flash if you are using a tablet from another region! Seriously this stuff could cause problems.
That being said I think it will work. I followed this guide to sign my update.
Original updater-script
Modified updater-script in the update.zip linked above (this one deletes Superuser /system/bin/su and /system/xbin/su but keeps CWR)
Modified updater-script that I flashed on my tablet (this one messed up my su but doesn't delete the files)
If you need a good online file locker join Dropbox here and we'll both get an extra 250mb of space.

Unfortunately that update.zip didn't work for me, game me an error in CWR.
Is the other method, replacing the update scrip in the OTA and trying it ?

freezepop said:
Unfortunately that update.zip didn't work for me, game me an error in CWR.
Is the other method, replacing the update scrip in the OTA and trying it ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depending on the error you can likely edit the updater-script yourself and successfully installed. Most errors are due to changes in system apps causing them to fail checks. If you remove an app check you should probably remove the corresponding patch for that app in the updater script. What error did you have?

Ok, here is a new version of OTA2 for US tablets that should be flashable in CWR and should keep CWR and root without requiring the use of OTA rootkeeper. I would still protect root with OTA Rootkeeper and temp unroot before updating (you can try it without temp unroot but it has caused some problems for other users). This update will still scan all your system apps so you need to restore or unfreeze any system apps that you deleted or froze using Ti Backup.
Instructions:
This update is for owners of US tablets with root and ClockworkMod Recovery. Make sure your battery is well charged before flashing this, a dead battery mid update can create major problems!
1. Install OTA Rootkeeper and protect root. You should now temp unroot. Users who did not temp un-root have had issues with su access after updating.
2. Download the update below and put it on your external sdcard
3. Restore any system apps that you have removed
4. Reboot into ClockworkMod Recovery (Shutdown Thinkpad, turn on and press vol+ repeatedly until you see booting recovery image)
5. I would also highly recommend making a nandroid backup if you have not previously done so.
6. Select install zip from sdcard>choose zip from sdcard then browse to and select the update you downloaded here
7. update.zip will run, it will check your system apps during the update and may fail if you have changed something, if so the error message should explain why
8. Reboot tablet; it will be a very long reboot. This is normal; it seems to take forever but just let it boot.
9. Use OTA Rootkeeper to restore root.
Flash at your own risk! I am not responsible if this totally bricks your tablet! This is the US update, do not flash if you are using a tablet from another region! Seriously this stuff could cause problems.
ThinkPadTablet_A310_02_0039_0086_US_CWR.zip

jhankinson said:
Ok, here is a new version of OTA2 for US tablets that should be flashable in CWR and should keep CWR and root without requiring the use of OTA rootkeeper. I would still protect root with OTA Rootkeeper just in case something goes wrong but don't temp unroot before updating and see if root still works after the update. This update will still scan all your system apps so you need to restore or unfreeze any system apps that you deleted or froze using Ti Backup.
Instructions:
This update is for owners of US tablets with root and ClockworkMod Recovery. Make sure your battery is well charged before flashing this, a dead battery mid update can create major problems!
1. Install OTA Rootkeeper and protect root (just in case), you shouldn't need to temp unroot though with this update.
2. Download the update below and put it on your external sdcard
3. Restore any system apps that you have removed
4. Reboot into ClockworkMod Recovery (Shutdown Thinkpad, turn on and press vol+ repeatedly until you see booting recovery image)
5. I would also highly recommend making a nandroid backup if you have not previously done so.
6. Select install zip from sdcard>choose zip from sdcard then browse to and select the update you downloaded here
7. update.zip will run, it will check your system apps during the update and may fail if you have changed something, if so the error message should explain why
8. Reboot tablet; it will be a very long reboot. This is normal; it seems to take forever but just let it boot.
Flash at your own risk! I am not responsible if this totally bricks your tablet! This is the US update, do not flash if you are using a tablet from another region! Seriously this stuff could cause problems.
ThinkPadTablet_A310_02_0039_0086_US_CWR.zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your work. I have ROW version and waiting OTA2 for that, but still now I know how to modify update-script. I have a question, why not to remove any unneeded software from update and remove check for installed software which are already removed?

redbaron said:
Thank you for your work. I have ROW version and waiting OTA2 for that, but still now I know how to modify update-script. I have a question, why not to remove any unneeded software from update and remove check for installed software which are already removed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Different people have removed different apps so one person may want the patch while another might want it skipped. I was just posting a generic version here that works for stock system apps. If others want to further customize their script then they are welcome improve upon it or customize it for their own system.

jhankinson said:
Ok, here is a new version of OTA2 for US tablets that should be flashable in CWR and should keep CWR and root without requiring the use of OTA rootkeeper. I would still protect root with OTA Rootkeeper just in case something goes wrong but don't temp unroot before updating and see if root still works after the update. This update will still scan all your system apps so you need to restore or unfreeze any system apps that you deleted or froze using Ti Backup.
Instructions:
This update is for owners of US tablets with root and ClockworkMod Recovery. Make sure your battery is well charged before flashing this, a dead battery mid update can create major problems!
1. Install OTA Rootkeeper and protect root (just in case), you shouldn't need to temp unroot though with this update.
2. Download the update below and put it on your external sdcard
3. Restore any system apps that you have removed
4. Reboot into ClockworkMod Recovery (Shutdown Thinkpad, turn on and press vol+ repeatedly until you see booting recovery image)
5. I would also highly recommend making a nandroid backup if you have not previously done so.
6. Select install zip from sdcard>choose zip from sdcard then browse to and select the update you downloaded here
7. update.zip will run, it will check your system apps during the update and may fail if you have changed something, if so the error message should explain why
8. Reboot tablet; it will be a very long reboot. This is normal; it seems to take forever but just let it boot.
Flash at your own risk! I am not responsible if this totally bricks your tablet! This is the US update, do not flash if you are using a tablet from another region! Seriously this stuff could cause problems.
ThinkPadTablet_A310_02_0039_0086_US_CWR.zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I flashed this zip. It didn't delete su or Superuser.apk, yet apps cannot get root access afterward. any suggestions?

mandrsn1 said:
I flashed this zip. It didn't delete su or Superuser.apk, yet apps cannot get root access afterward. any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is what happened to me originally, it can be fixed though. Did you make a backup with OTA Rootkeeper? If so open Android Terminal emulator and type:
/system/su-backup
mount -o remount,rw /system
cp -f /system/su-backup /system/xbin/su
ln -s /system/xbin/su /system/bin/su
chown root /system/xbin/su
chmod 6755 /system/xbin/su
Then reboot your tablet. I believe this should fix your root access. If you don't have a backup I think you can also fix it by running adb while booted into CWR. I can give you those instructions if this doesn't work.

Apparently you should temp un-root before installing my update then restore your su backup with OTA Rootkeeper after updating.

You wear the crown
Thanks for posting the fix, too. Waiting for reboot to finish.
Really appreciate all your hard work. The instructions you posted for me in thinkpad forums worked perfectly and I learned a lot in the process.

toenail_flicker said:
Thanks for posting the fix, too. Waiting for reboot to finish.
Really appreciate all your hard work. The instructions you posted for me in thinkpad forums worked perfectly and I learned a lot in the process.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did the fix work for you?

Still waiting for reboot. I waited about 20 minutes and rebooted manually. So far it still hasn't made it in for me to try the fix.
---------- Post added at 09:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:44 PM ----------
jhankinson said:
Did the fix work for you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fix not yet working. Got this far
/system/su-backup
mount -o remount,rw /system
cp -f /system/su-backup /system/xbin/su
error message
cp: applet not found
Any ideas?

toenail_flicker said:
Still waiting for reboot. I waited about 20 minutes and rebooted manually. So far it still hasn't made it in for me to try the fix.
---------- Post added at 09:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:44 PM ----------
Fix not yet working. Got this far
/system/su-backup
mount -o remount,rw /system
cp -f /system/su-backup /system/xbin/su
error message
cp: applet not found
Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try
busybox cp -f /system/su-backup /system/xbin/su
may have to type busybox before some of the other commands too if they give an error.

So my line would be
busybox cp -f /system/su-backup /system/xbin/su
cp: applet not found

Just a quick note of thanks for getting me through this. Root is wonderful!

If
cp -f /system/su-backup /system/xbin/su
fails, use
dd if=/system/su-backup of=/system/xbin/su
instead.

jhankinson said:
Ok, here is a new version of OTA2 for US tablets that should be flashable in CWR and should keep CWR and root without requiring the use of OTA rootkeeper. I would still protect root with OTA Rootkeeper just in case something goes wrong but don't temp unroot before updating and see if root still works after the update. This update will still scan all your system apps so you need to restore or unfreeze any system apps that you deleted or froze using Ti Backup.
Instructions:
This update is for owners of US tablets with root and ClockworkMod Recovery. Make sure your battery is well charged before flashing this, a dead battery mid update can create major problems!
1. Install OTA Rootkeeper and protect root. You should now temp unroot. Users who did not temp un-root have had issues with su access after updating.
2. Download the update below and put it on your external sdcard
3. Restore any system apps that you have removed
4. Reboot into ClockworkMod Recovery (Shutdown Thinkpad, turn on and press vol+ repeatedly until you see booting recovery image)
5. I would also highly recommend making a nandroid backup if you have not previously done so.
6. Select install zip from sdcard>choose zip from sdcard then browse to and select the update you downloaded here
7. update.zip will run, it will check your system apps during the update and may fail if you have changed something, if so the error message should explain why
8. Reboot tablet; it will be a very long reboot. This is normal; it seems to take forever but just let it boot.
9. Use OTA Rootkeeper to restore root.
Flash at your own risk! I am not responsible if this totally bricks your tablet! This is the US update, do not flash if you are using a tablet from another region! Seriously this stuff could cause problems.
ThinkPadTablet_A310_02_0039_0086_US_CWR.zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx jhankinson, this work for me. my TPT 1838 US.

US OTA ICS won't update after root...

I rooted my TPT with the yet another root exploit method while on version 0089_US, and it worked great. Then I installed RootKeeper and temporarilly unrooted. My TPT is not and never has been modified in any other way, no CWR, no apps deleted, nothing.
When I try to install the OTA ICS update, it will start to install, and then fail with some kind of assert failed error message that mentiones busybox, and then say error in /cache/update.zip.
Anybody know what's going on???

I had the same issues with the ROW update. I followed this thread (thoroughly) and got ICS with root intact.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1723048

I'm confused. The fix was:
"Restored busybox from the same file mentioned before and it worked."
How do I "restore" busybox?

userno69 said:
I'm confused. The fix was:
"Restored busybox from the same file mentioned before and it worked."
How do I "restore" busybox?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's what I needed to do to get busybox restored and access to my stock recovery again:
1. Downloaded a previous update from Lenovo's site. (had to go two versions prior to find one with a busybox file in it).
2. Extract the Busybox file from the archive (system/xbin Directory)
3. Copy the file to your tablet
4. Using ES File Explorer or Astro, copy this Busybox over to the system/xbin Directory on your device. Note: I had trouble here with permissions that came down to a few settings in ES File Explorer (system access, write permissions, etc).
5. Reboot into recovery by pushing Vol + a few times after Lenovo appears.
Hope this helps.
-A

Both ES File Explorer and File Manager fail when attempting to overwrite the existing busybox.
Any suggestions?

garypen said:
Both ES File Explorer and File Manager fail when attempting to overwrite the existing busybox.
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you verify your ES file explorer root settings (Root Explorer and Mount file system enabled). These settings are required to make changes to system files.

EpsilonTheGreat said:
Can you verify your ES file explorer root settings (Root Explorer and Mount file system enabled).These settings are requibe able to overwrite busybox.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! That enabled me to overwrite busybox. Now, I am crossing my fingers that the OTA update works.
It started downloading directly from the "check for update" page, rather than quickly saying an update was available, and asking to reboot and install, as it had been doing. So, perhaps it checks busybox before even DLing the update.
It's taking a while to DL. I'll post results after the next reboot ad install attempt.

garypen said:
Thanks! That enabled me to overwrite busybox. Now, I am crossing my fingers that the OTA update works.
It started downloading directly from the "check for update" page, rather than quickly saying an update was available, and asking to reboot and install, as it had been doing. So, perhaps it checks busybox before even DLing the update.
It's taking a while to DL. I'll post results after the next reboot ad install attempt.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw the exact same thing after fixing busybox. Glad it worked for you (so far)!

Worked like a champ. Rocking ICS on my TPT with root.
It's really not a huge diff from HC. But, lots of little things that I had become accustomed to on my ICS phone.
The tpt does seem a little faster now. Play store is working better, too.
I just wish I could replace that stupid Lenovo quick app icon with the android app launcher icon, like on my nexus. Why do they locate the apps icon at the very top corner? Makes no sense.

I've tried all the busyboxes that I can find and still no update. Can someone post a working one?

I used the one from the 0086US update.

I found one, I used the OTA update.zip
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1507285 OTA Update.zip A310_02_0039_0086_US
Also, I kept root.

assert(file_getprop("/system/build.prop", "ro.build.fingerprint") == "Lenovo/ThinkPadTablet/Indigo:4.0.3/ThinkPadTablet _A400_03/0065_0128_US:user/release-keys" || file_getprop("/system/build.prop", "ro.build.fingerprint") == "Lenovo/ThinkPadTablet/Indigo:4.0.3/ThinkPadTablet _A400_03/0069_0130_US:user/release-keys")
Error in /tmp/sideload/package.zip
Summonabeeeetch!!!! I noticed its the first step of the script... any ideas? Anyone? Maybe Ian not destined for ics :-( any ideas?

daswahnsinn said:
I found one, I used the OTA update.zip
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1507285 OTA Update.zip A310_02_0039_0086_US
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get it directly from Lenovo:
http://download.lenovo.com/slates/think/tablet1/ThinkPadTablet_A310_02_0039_0086_US.zip
Busybox is located in the system/xbin folder.

garypen said:
You can get it directly from Lenovo:
http://download.lenovo.com/slates/think/tablet1/ThinkPadTablet_A310_02_0039_0086_US.zip
It's located in the system/xbin folder
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For some strange reason I couldn't get any of the ones from the lenovo site to work, Thank though this should help someone else for sure.

I was able to update to ICS with CW by editing the updater-script. I commented out the verification check.

ScotchtapeLoser said:
I was able to update to ICS with CW by editing the updater-script. I commented out the verification check.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which ones did you comment out?

Your Tablet may vary....
I started with
Build.prop
Gmail
Anything starting with Google...
MarketUpdater
MediaProvider
Mediauploader
NetworkLocation
I would comment out the line, add the new updater-script to the zip file. Try it. When it threw out an error I would comment out that line... rinse and repeat
After a time I just became annoyed and comment out all of the apply_patch_check (around 450 lines). I do not advise using this shotgun approach.
bigsnack said:
Which ones did you comment out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

ICS OTA install busybox error
Hey guys I didn't want to start another thread because this one is very similar to the issue I am having now. My tablet asks me to install an OTA update but once its about half way done in recovery in spits out some kind of error(check attachment). When it comes to tablets Im a noob but I was wondering if you guys can give me some solid instructions on how to get past it?
Thanks in advance.

Reference this thread:
http://www.thinkpadtabletforums.com...ds-and-development/ics-ota-failing-w-busybox/

Rooted & TWRP 2.8.0.1 - flashable zips?

I have successfully rooted my T230 and installed TWRP 2.8.0.1. I now want to update the Google system apps with the latest available. I currently do this on my HTC One X running CM11 with the PA-GAPPs from here. I also modify the .zip file contents with the latest when they come out - I usually check here.
Now I tried this on the T230 and the script starts but exits saying 'Incompatible GApps Currently Installed' - I wasn't expecting it to work to be honest.....
I still want to update the Google system apps in /system/app and /system/priv-app to the current ones as the ones in the OTA ROM are fairly out of date. I know I can let the Play store update them to the current ones, however I wipe the device frequently and would prefer not to have to go through this each time. There are apps on the play store that let you move system apps and to user apps and vice versa which I have used before however its a faf each time they get updated as you need to make the system app a user app, let it automatically update or manually update it yourself with the .apk file and then move it back to system/app.
I'd prefer a flashable .zip I can install from recovery?
Andy

ADB100 said:
I have successfully rooted my T230 and installed TWRP 2.8.0.1. I now want to update the Google system apps with the latest available. I currently do this on my HTC One X running CM11 with the PA-GAPPs from here. I also modify the .zip file contents with the latest when they come out - I usually check here.
Now I tried this on the T230 and the script starts but exits saying 'Incompatible GApps Currently Installed' - I wasn't expecting it to work to be honest.....
I still want to update the Google system apps in /system/app and /system/priv-app to the current ones as the ones in the OTA ROM are fairly out of date. I know I can let the Play store update them to the current ones, however I wipe the device frequently and would prefer not to have to go through this each time. There are apps on the play store that let you move system apps and to user apps and vice versa which I have used before however its a faf each time they get updated as you need to make the system app a user app, let it automatically update or manually update it yourself with the .apk file and then move it back to system/app.
I'd prefer a flashable .zip I can install from recovery?
Andy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I haven't tried flashing a Gapps zip but I agree that the apps are really outdated and would be too much to update each time you factory reset/wipe the device.
One way of doing this as you have mentioned: Remove the current Gapps. But I'm not sure it works for the play services. But even doing this may lead to the same error while flashing the zip.
Second way, as you said yourself, would be to make them as user apps and update them and make them system apps again. Which would take some time. But it seems the best method here.
The last way, specific to your case, is to wipe the device, update the apps and finally make a nandroid backup. Next time, instead of wiping, just restore the backup.
There can also be other ways to flash the zip in traditional manner but I think it would require a chance in the updater script of the package. (While you're at it, make sure you're flashing Kitkat 4.4 Gapps and not L Gapps.)

zombie system apps

Hi XDA. Hope someone can offer some help here. Ive just updated my OP5 to the latest OOS build. I am rooted, latest TWRP & Magisk.
I am having issues deleting unwanted apps from /system. Every time I attempt in Titanium Backup, it appears successful, but when rebooting the app is back.
Also have tried manually removing the directories and associated from /system/priv-app, however every time I try root explorer i get a "Delete Failed" message.
The only way I have been able to do this successfully is from the TWRP file manager, however its a PITA tracking which friendly app name corresponds to what folder in priv-app.
Any suggestions?

so figured this out. Permissions or something must have been messed up. Completely wiped system, data, everything using twrp and did a fresh install.
Working as expected now