Database Users

Steps When Flashing Question

So I was reading the Royal Ginger Rom thread, and his instructions on the 3rd page I believe say to:
"Make sure when you wipe you wipe both on the main page of recovery. Then go to advance and wipe dalvik then go to mount and format boot, system and format sdcard. Then flash."
Have I been missing something here with all the ROM's I've been flashing? With all the ROM's I've flashed, I've only done "full data wipe", "wipe cache", and "wipe dalvik"
I've never done a format boot, system and fotmat sdcard.
And doesn't formatting a sd card wipe everything off it? Or am I thinking of something else

bballcat03 said:
So I was reading the Royal Ginger Rom thread, and his instructions on the 3rd page I believe say to:
"Make sure when you wipe you wipe both on the main page of recovery. Then go to advance and wipe dalvik then go to mount and format boot, system and format sdcard. Then flash."
Have I been missing something here with all the ROM's I've been flashing? With all the ROM's I've flashed, I've only done "full data wipe", "wipe cache", and "wipe dalvik"
I've never done a format boot, system and fotmat sdcard.
And doesn't formatting a sd card wipe everything off it? Or am I thinking of something else
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When you do full wipe /system is untouched so you should go format the /system, /boot, do full wipe. You can manually remount it but this is done auto when reflashing and reconstructing the image. Far as the format sdcard goes I take it that it access /sd-ext part which you should leave it alone if you don't understand.

BlackSHELF said:
When you do full wipe /system is untouched so you should go format the /system, /boot, do full wipe. You can manually remount it but this is done auto when reflashing and reconstructing the image. Far as the format sdcard goes I take it that it access /sd-ext part which you should leave it alone if you don't understand.
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So I should always do a FULL wipe then with whatever rom I flash? Could explain some "oddities" I've been getting at times lol
And just leave the format sdcard alone?

bballcat03 said:
So I should always do a FULL wipe then with whatever rom I flash? Could explain some "oddities" I've been getting at times lol
And just leave the format sdcard alone?
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1) Keep your battery 100% (trust me saves you alot of time recalibrating)
2) Format /system, /boot from Recovery
3) Wipe dalvik, full wipe
4) Flash whatever via SDCard

BlackSHELF said:
1) Keep your battery 100% (trust me saves you alot of time recalibrating)
2) Format /system, /boot from Recovery
3) Wipe dalvik, full wipe
4) Flash whatever via SDCard
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Click to collapse
Ah ok, I was totally unaware of step 2. I've just done "wipe data/factory reset" and the two cache's.
Interesting what I'll get from here on out now. What do you mean by "recalibrating" when you said to keep the battery at 100%?

bballcat03 said:
Ah ok, I was totally unaware of step 2. I've just done "wipe data/factory reset" and the two cache's.
Interesting what I'll get from here on out now.
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Thats why we are here. Normally most leave it alone and only time we recommend it is when user is doing major upgrade for example switching roms or having some issue that none else can replicate. You are now good to go

BlackSHELF said:
Thats why we are here. Normally most leave it alone and only time we recommend it is when user is doing major upgrade for example switching roms or having some issue that none else can replicate. You are now good to go
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thats sorta interesting
ive not once seen it mentioned in any of the rom threads or just around xda to wipe both boot and system until seeing it in the royalginger thread
not saying its wrong...but it should be maybe conveyed that only wiping date/factory reset, cache and dalvik isnt always sufficient

Freek91 said:
thats sorta interesting
ive not once seen it mentioned in any of the rom threads or just around xda to wipe both boot and system until seeing it in the royalginger thread
not saying its wrong...but it should be maybe conveyed that only wiping date/factory reset, cache and dalvik isnt always sufficient
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Click to collapse
Well normally people just do full wipe (/data, /cache, /sd-ext, /sdcard/.android_secure) and wipe dalvik but if you want to properly do it then you can format /system manually or do it via adb fastboot erase system -w. This is more clean way to do it as you get rid of the /system which is not normally covered with wipe.

A point of clarification. As I understand it, the Dalvik cache (used by Mobile Java apps) is a structure within the /data partition. A "full wipe / factory reset" formats /data, so a wipe of the Dalvik cache in addition wouldn't actually do anything.
Wiping the Dalvik cache along with /cache is usually recommended for ROM "upgrade" flashes, when /data is left intact.

[TPT] CM10 Cannot wipe cache

Hi everyone, I recently rooted my 16GB WE TPT and installed cm10 v.0.8.1 and I love the performance and everything, if only there were no reboots. After reading in this forum I wanted to try to reinstall things from scratch wiping everything. For some reason I don't seem to be able to to anything with the data that is on my TPT. Neither can I do a factory reset from settings nor can I wipe data from Recovery. It doesn't display an error but it just doesn't delete anything. Then I tried to restore my backup from my original rom but this doesn't work either: it says error while restoring data (after recovery and system).
Can anyone help me? Could I have accidentally locked the data or anything?
Btw, Google Play has stopped working after my last try to restore stock and then install cm10 again.

In cwm you find under advanced a setting called "fix permissions". Try that

emuandco said:
In cwm you find under advanced a setting called "fix permissions". Try that
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Doesn't do anything.

idewis said:
Doesn't do anything.
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Hi, i had big problems with my Data-Partition. The Partition was read-only. No wipe with CWM was possible. Is that the same problem what you have? Do you have an logcat? Any error-messages?
Wiping was only possible with adb...
Here is my post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1944759
When it is the same problem, it exist an solution...
Greetings

tpauli said:
Hi, i had big problems with my Data-Partition. The Partition was read-only. No wipe with CWM was possible. Is that the same problem what you have? Do you have an logcat? Any error-messages?
Wiping was only possible with adb...
Here is my post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1944759
When it is the same problem, it exist an solution...
Greetings
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have the same error messages you have/had, but I could image that my data partition is also read only since I can neither delete or install anything. What did you do to get rid of that problem?

The solution was to completely format the data permission. This can't be done in CWM directly because CWM tries to keep the folder /data/media, which is your internal sd-card and only deletes the other files (That's obviously not formating). In the link you can find a zip files that you can "flash" in CWM, it will format the data partition and does nothing else. After using it you should also manually wipe the cache using CWM.
Like i said, this will include your internal sdcard! Make backups first if you have important data stored on it!
http://ubuntuone.com/4zKT1jqeqhR8qdGh2y4TaM

I need to clear it - if I do "wipe data/factory reset" in stock ICS recovery menu - will it cause deleting ROM (and reboot will make brick) OR just will get it back to clean factory ROM?
I found few threads here about "wipe data"-thing, but it seems to me, that every version of Android / custom ROM / recovery type could behave different.

[Question] What does it mean to "WIPE"?

I want to have a clean install on my Nexus, and I was wondering what it meant to "WIPE". Is it Factory reset, cache, dalvik cache, and system? Or is it also system too?
I have TWRP
Thank you!

factory reset. when you wipe data, you factory reset. that automatically wipes your cache and dalvik too.

simms22 said:
factory reset. when you wipe data, you factory reset. that automatically wipes your cache and dalvik too.
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It's not system too?

iamjerry123 said:
It's not system too?
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Click to collapse
no.

simms22 said:
no.
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Thank you so much for answering all my stupid questions. So If I wanted a new clean start for my phone (while it still being rooted and not losing all my SD card files) I would just have to do a factory reset, then flash?

Unfortunately, the terminology seems to vary from device to device and even from recovery to recovery.
It can mean either (a) "destroy the filesystem and rebuild a new blank one" or it can mean (b) "don't destroy the filesystem but delete all the files in it". In both of these cases, access to all files are lost, but there are subtle differences for the flash memory with regards to whether the blocks are marked as erased or not.
As regards to recent versions of TWRP, the "factory reset" button underneath the Wipe menu does not behave exactly like either of the above cases (although it is more similar to case (b)), nor does it behave the same way as the stock recovery's version of "factory reset", which deletes EVERYTHING in /data.
TWRP's version of "factory reset" erases everything in /cache, but when it comes time to deal with the /data partition, it avoids erasing all the files in /data/media. This is where the "internal SD card" files are stored INCLUDING ANY BACKUP FILES you might have made (if you didn't use an external storage for the backup)
Here's what I would recommend when using the Wipe menu in TWRP:
1) Put the tablet down on a table before you enter the Wipe menu - don't hold it in your hands. The reason for this is that none of the touch buttons require confirmation, so an accidental touch could lead to an immediate disaster involving loss of your backups.
2) If you are installing a new ROM from scratch, the only button you need to use is the "factory reset" button - nothing else. (Performing Dalvik wipe or Cache wipe are superfluous as the "factory wipe" button takes care of this) *1
3) If you are installing a ROM which is a small revision from a prior version - and the ROM dev has explicitly indicated it is OK to do a "no wipe" install, use only the "cache wipe" and "dalvik wipe" bttons. *2
In short, you should really only use the top four buttons in TWRP under normal circumstances. Especially you should avoid the "wipe data" button unless you are:
- selling the device or returning it
- some disaster happened where the /data partition fails to mount any longer.
*1 It is somewhat unusual that ROM devs fail to add a wipe of /system in their scripting prior to
installation; so typically using the "wipe sytem" button is not needed for new ROM installs, and it is cerainly not desired if you want to do a complete reset of whatever ROM is already installed.
*2 Doing this kind of thing is just asking for trouble - understanding and using the Titanium Backup along with full-wipe installs is a better idea.
cheers

[Q] Question about nandroid backups location

Hi, I've got a Nexus 10 and I already have rooted and installed TWRP recovery. I'm used to get devices with microsd slot. As this is not the case, I have a noob question.
I'm having problems installing certain apps and I want to try wiping the device and see if after wiping, the installation suceeds. Just in case, I have already taken a nandroid backup, but, as the backup is located in the internal SD, I'm afraid that if I wipe the device, it will also wipe the backup. Will wiping the device erase the TWRP backup too?. The backup is located at /sdcard/TWRP/BACKUPS/...... and so on. I think that wiping the device shouldn't wipe the /sdcard partition, but I'm not sure about this.
Can you please confirm that wiping the device will erase only /data and not /sdcard?
Thanks a lot.

joanquro said:
Hi, I've got a Nexus 10 and I already have rooted and installed TWRP recovery. I'm used to get devices with microsd slot. As this is not the case, I have a noob question.
I'm having problems installing certain apps and I want to try wiping the device and see if after wiping, the installation suceeds. Just in case, I have already taken a nandroid backup, but, as the backup is located in the internal SD, I'm afraid that if I wipe the device, it will also wipe the backup. Will wiping the device erase the TWRP backup too?. The backup is located at /sdcard/TWRP/BACKUPS/...... and so on. I think that wiping the device shouldn't wipe the /sdcard partition, but I'm not sure about this.
Can you please confirm that wiping the device will erase only /data and not /sdcard?
Thanks a lot.
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I can't confirm anything; but I'd highly suggest just backing up the nandroid to a computer just in-case. I'm pretty sure though that the nandroid would remain as long as you didn't actually format data.

espionage724 said:
I can't confirm anything; but I'd highly suggest just backing up the nandroid to a computer just in-case. I'm pretty sure though that the nandroid would remain as long as you didn't actually format data.
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That's what I've done so far. I have copied the nandroid backup to my PC. I suppose that it's possible, in case the backup is deleted, that I can mount the partition from recovery and then using adb, push the backup in order to restore it. Is this the way to go?.
By the way, what you mean is that the backup will remain as long as I don't format /sdcard, right? Because /data will get formated if I wipe the device, I think.
Thanks.

joanquro said:
By the way, what you mean is that the backup will remain as long as I don't format /sdcard, right? Because /data will get formated if I wipe the device, I think.
Thanks.
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Click to collapse
Not entirely sure; I know in TWRP there's some advanced wipe thing with selections (cache, dalvik, system, something else, usb) and then there's a "Format Data" button.

wiping cache, dalvik, system, and factory reset it will not wipe your "media" partition, also known as your sdcard or internal storage. Doing the "format data" will wipe the whole device including your sdcard.

EniGmA1987 said:
wiping cache, dalvik, system, and factory reset it will not wipe your "media" partition, also known as your sdcard or internal storage. Doing the "format data" will wipe the whole device including your sdcard.
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I finally wiped the device, tested the application I wanted to install and recovered without problems from the TWRP backup that hadn't been deleted. Now that I know that wiping the device solves the problem, I have to backup apps and data for every user, wipe again and recover only apps and data.
Thanks a lot.

[Q] About using / wiping using TWRP

Hello people. Just wanted to ask how is the right way to wipe when flashing a rom WITHOUT losing the rom (wiping internal)? In CWM i just factory / reset data then thats it then clear cache and dalvik cache. In TWRP do i just need to swipe when the screen says "Most of the time this is the time that you need" when i will flash rom? Thanks for guiding!

anyone?

1. factory reset
2. advance, wipe system
thats all for me, works everytime... just make sure to wipe cache/dalvik after flashing zip files be it roms or gapps or whatever :good:

The default "most of the time" option is a fresh reset of the phone. it wont wipe the ROM itself, but all the data will be lost and you start over. Wiping system will remove everything, a ROM must be flashed after wiping system.

So before i flash a rom i wipe the "most of the time" then advanced format system? right?

zero0422 said:
The default "most of the time" option is a fresh reset of the phone. it wont wipe the ROM itself, but all the data will be lost and you start over. Wiping system will remove everything, a ROM must be flashed after wiping system.
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So before i flash a rom i wipe the "most of the time" then advanced format system? right?

true that... sorry for misleading initially, format system only applicable if you wanna have clean install of new rom

marshygeek said:
So before i flash a rom i wipe the "most of the time" then advanced format system? right?
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No need to use format system unless you are installing a fresh ROM. Format system will remove everything from your device (other than sdcard info and all that). So you get a clean slate.
If you just want to flash an update to the same ROM you can either 'dirty flash', which I usually just wipe cahce/dalvik then flash the ROM and reboot, and you save all your user modified things, or you can wipe system and install the ROM. You lose everything that way so make backups.
Usually there isnt much need to factory reset unless you're having an issue with something. What is it you're trying to do?

I wanted to flash a stock based rom. Thank you.