Database Users

[ICS] system/vendor ..why we have it, and is it required??

After the ICS update, we now have a "vendor" directory within our system folder.
This folder seems to hold duplicates of folders found within the "system" directory (which includes the "app" directory, containing bloatware and copies of apps from "system/app").
My questions are:
What is the purpose of the "vendor" directory?
And, can the "vendor" directory be safely deleted all together? (I did give this a go, and up to now, do not seem to be experiencing any side effects.)
Sent from my LT15i using xda app-developers app

Vendor directory is there since gingerbread. That is where sony put all miscellanous files. For example all apk's inside the vendor/app are only being used by setup guide. If setup guide is launched for the 1st time it copies all the contents inside vendor directory and being copy pasted to it's respective directories.
It was mainly made for the use of the factory reset in the settings app in the phone. Wherein if you do a factory reset the phone delete's all the data it contains and return back the 3rd party files back in case you uninstalled it.

Oh, I never noticed it while I was on GB. The only reason I noticed it this time was because I had bloatware running from the vendor dir (such as Lets Golf).
Sent from my LT15i using xda app-developers app

Yes. If you were a ROM developer and want to integrate some optional apps(let users have the right to uninstall it if they want to) then the best place to put it is in the vendor directory.

How does that work then? As with the bloatware I had, I had to use root explorer to remove it from the vendor directory to stop it from being available on the device, the option to uninstall in the settings menu wasn't available.
Sent from my LT15i using xda app-developers app

I'm not sure if it was a bug or what but that's not the case on GB. Probably sony intended it to be like that or they have done some minor errors.
Anyways I don't see any good reason why the likes of let's golf be considered as a system app. It won't even work unless you download it's game data.

Ah I see.
Yeah, I'm with you on that one, totally not cool of them to make a game a system app .
Sent from my LT15i using xda app-developers app

Due to vendor app partitions.
We get very less space around 40 kb in system partitions
Sent from my Xperia Arc using Tapatalk 2

To get rid of this f***** use less partition .
Flash arc s fw.
Sent from my Xperia Arc using Tapatalk 2

Is there no other way of completely removing the partition without having to flash an S rom?
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92jacko said:
Is there no other way of completely removing the partition without having to flash an S rom?
Sent from my LT15i using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No there is no other method
Sent from my Xperia Arc using Tapatalk 2

This is a Question Thread! [Q & A]
MOD ----> Move or Delete
Why he ask 4 questions in 1 thread and put it to General...
The answers are also questions so move!!!

Apps in otg

Has anybody figured out a way to store data from app to a flash drive? I've tried multiple things like moving files on es files and even tried the directory bind app to no avail... Any other ideas?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

Do a search for Directory Bind on this site. It does what you want. Caveat: I can't get it to work with 4.2, so I reverted to 4.1.2 until the emulated directory structure issue is solved.

I actually got the app from the page on xda... I just tried four times with two apps and can't get it to work... I know the two files have to match perfectly... I do have a question though... Did u rename the storage file extsdcard or did I just rename the file in the app to usbStorage?
Sent from my HTC One XL using xda app-developers app

I figured out why it wasn't working...I'm on job 4.2.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

I use usbStorage because Stickmount mounts my flash drive there. 4.2 uses /storage/shell/emulated/0/usbStorage/sdn1/* for its source, and /sdcard/* for its target. I can bind them (especially on a second mount, when n=b), but apps don't find the real target. More correctly, Directory Bind doesn't allow me to specify the real target.
It works great in 4.1.2, so I am running 4.1.2.
I'm not the lowest of the low, but I am the slowest of the slow.

How to delete app that was installed via recovery as a zip file?

I installed a handwriting app from another thread via twrp recovery by choosing install from zip file , so the nexus sees it as a stock app, only giving me the option to disable instead of delete. How do I uninstall it, now that it's a system app? I've searched all over the web and can't figure it out. I tried using titanium backup to do it, but it just boots me into twrp and I see no setting in there that let's you delete an app that you flashed via zip... Thanks!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

Restore the backup image you made before installing the app
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

If you know the name of the app and are rooted, you can go to /system/app and delete or rename the app. Disabling the app would work also. Why is that not ok?

I don't want to have things taking up unnecessary space. I'll try un installing by deleting that folder, since I didn't make a backup, I never imagined I would have to go so far as to restore just to uninstall an app, my mistake. I just can't believe that's the only way, I've restored before from backups and it's quite a lengthy process sometimes. At least when I used titanium backup.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

Solange82200 said:
I installed a handwriting app from another thread via twrp recovery by choosing install from zip file , so the nexus sees it as a stock app, only giving me the option to disable instead of delete. How do I uninstall it, now that it's a system app? I've searched all over the web and can't figure it out. I tried using titanium backup to do it, but it just boots me into twrp and I see no setting in there that let's you delete an app that you flashed via zip... Thanks!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are Rooted you can use Ron Toolbox from the store. It allows you to uninstall any app. Even System apps. I have been using it for some time and love it. It's great for getting rid of crapware installed by the OEM and Carriers that you don't want on your device. But it does require Root.

Thank you all, I am rooted. Deleting the apk in system /apps folder seemed to work, at least I no longer see it when I look in settings and downloaded apps. I will try rom toolbox though, thanks again for the quick responses!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

If it is an HTC phone with S-ON (i.e. no S-OFF), then then any change to the /system partition will be reverted on next reboot, so, yes, you can uninstall a system app, for example using TitaniumBackup, but it will re-appear after reboot.
If you don't have a nandroid backup, then you could open the original ZIP file that you flashed, look what it does, and create an UNDO.zip and then flash it. If it overwrites some existing files, then you can pull them from the original ROM.
For example, if all you need to do is remove some files:
1. Take the zip attached in this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2058944.
2. Unpack the zip.
3. Edit updater_script in a text editor, and modify the paths to the files you want removed.
4. Repack the zip.
5. Flash via recovery.
The operation can be done completely on the device if you have a proper file manager with archive support. I used TotalCommander which can open ZIPs and edit files in them, and when you press the back button it will ask you to repack the modified file back into the ZIP.
More info on creating your own flashable ZIP files:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2290009

Lost Nandroids

I can't seem to find my nandroid back ups. Usually they stay in the clockwork mod folder on the SD card. I do remember reading that they were moved to another directory somewhere. If anyone can help I will thank accordingly.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

In 4.2.x they will be in /data/media/clockworkmod but you can only view them using a root explorer. I posted some screenshots on how to find them with ES File Explorer here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=38857026&postcount=18

Hi,
Take a look at /mnt/shell/emulated/clockworkmod/backup or /data/media/clockworkmod/backup
EDIT: too slow

I'm going to steal this thread and ask... How do you access these backups from the PC though?

OK so I found the files but I can't delete them and ROM manager says they aren't there. What am I doing wrong? Need to delete these nandroids for space.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
NEVERMIND. GOT IT FIGURED OUT. PLEASE CLOSE.....

Was about to say delete them using what I posted before or delete them when in CWM

Unzip multi part TWRP backup

Hi,
I while ago I backed up my nexus 7's data partition as it was no longer booting and expected to be able to extract it and gain access to some data I needed. I do this on my HTC sensation using 4EXT recovery which outputs a zip but TWRP has given me .win000/1/2 files. I've read somewhere they are tar files but I have no idea how to rename them to make them able to be extracted using archive apps. I've attached a screenshot of the files if this helps.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using xda app-developers app

microang said:
Hi,
I while ago I backed up my nexus 7's data partition as it was no longer booting and expected to be able to extract it and gain access to some data I needed. I do this on my HTC sensation using 4EXT recovery which outputs a zip but TWRP has given me .win000/1/2 files. I've read somewhere they are tar files but I have no idea how to rename them to make them able to be extracted using archive apps. I've attached a screenshot of the files if this helps.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, microang...
Not quite sure what kind of data you're looking to retrieve, but have you investigated Nandroid Manager ?
This app allows you to examine, and selectively extract stuff from Nandroid backups, whether they be created by TWRP or CWM.
I used it myself quite recently to pull a 'build.prop' file for somebody here on XDA.
Needlessly to say, because this is an Android app, the Nandroid backup would first have to be copied over to some Android device.
With regards to using something like Windows... looking through my Nandroids backed up on my Windows laptop, I note that, like yourself, I also have several incidences where the data partition has been broken up into multiple archives, with names like data.ext4.win000 and data.ext4.win001.
Upon appending a .tar extension to these files, so thus, for example, data.ext4.win001 becomes data.ext4.win001.tar... and some of these files will open, and some will not... but that just maybe because I'm using old Windows archive software (jZip). I guess I need to update my Windows zip archive software.
Anyway... the best I can suggest is Nandroid Manager... but as mentioned, the Nandroid backup in question would first have to be copied over to some Android device - and you do need root, but as far as I know, you don't need TWRP/CWM installed. You can then explore the Nandroid and extract stuff.
Hope this helps.
Rgrds,
Ged.