I'm trying to recover some lost pictures from cache. I can't root because my bootloader is still locked, and unlocking it will wipe the very data I'm trying to recover... Is there any way for me to get read-only access to my cache, without first wiping the phone?
What exactly will adb backup/restore keep? Will it save my cache? I've heard people say it stores literally *everything* and others say it won't back up the cache and some other system files?
The djrbliss motochopper toolkit http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2233852 would be absolutely perfect, except that I'm running 4.3, and I don't know of any way to downgrade without wiping the phone... One Click Root also would be perfect, except they don't support the Nexus 4...
Is there any way I can root access, or at least read/pull these files, without wiping the device?
I've been searching frantically for days now, I'd pay good money to have those pictures back If I can get these pictures off, you can bet I'm rooting immediately!
Nexus 4, running 4.3 build JWR66Y all stock
If all you want to do is be able to access files on your cache partition, you could try using "adb pull /cache/".
I dont think that needs root, but i could be wrong. Nonetheless, its worth a shot. Setup adb , open command prompt, and run:
Code:
cd Desktop
mkdir cache
cd cache
adb pull /cache/
Chromium_ said:
If all you want to do is be able to access files on your cache partition, you could try using "adb pull /cache/".
I dont think that needs root, but i could be wrong. Nonetheless, its worth a shot. Setup adb, open command prompt, and run:
Code:
cd Desktop
mkdir cache
cd cache
adb pull /cache/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does appear to need root - it just leaves the destination file empty? Likewise I can't access /cache/ it through FTPDroid or Total Commander, says I don't have permission
bken said:
It does appear to need root - it just leaves the destination file empty? Likewise I can't access /cache/ it through FTPDroid or Total Commander, says I don't have permission
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess you need root as I just tried adb pull too and it's not working, opening the folder in adb shell is not working either so I guess you have no luck
What you could try is copying the partition using dd but I'm not sure what's the name of the partition (which block) etc ... But that *could* work. EDIT: Not working either, you still get permission denied, sorry
Sent from my Nexus 4 running Android 4.3
mihahn said:
I guess you need root as I just tried adb pull too and it's not working, opening the folder in adb shell is not working either so I guess you have no luck
What you could try is copying the partition using dd but I'm not sure what's the name of the partition (which block) etc ... But that *could* work. EDIT: Not working either, you still get permission denied, sorry
Sent from my Nexus 4 running Android 4.3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for trying. adb backup gave me access to all my app files, but didn't grab cache.
Here's a thought: through the backup I have an extracted .ab file with all the data for the app that wrote this data into cache. Is there a way I could replace the .apk with something that could copy this program's cache data to /sdcard, and then "restore" with this modified .apk? Would the new .apk retain the permissions of the old, and let me copy this data? Or, alternately, could I modify the .apk to allow debug mode so I can open the cache as that app in console, and adb pull then?
My next best option I can think of, is to go ahead and unlock the bootloader, let the phone reset, and then immediately root and perform data recovery, and hope I don't overwrite everything in the meantime. I'm not sure yet which USB Mass Storage methods (if any) will let me use a standard file recovery program to scan the drive. This is also my last resort, as if it screws up I'm toast.
Forensics lab got back to me, said they could "probably" do it but it'd cost me $1200 I would happily pay 120 but 1200 is absurd. Wonder what their method is to extract data...
OK I think I'm almost there!! I retrieved the .apk through my Holo Backup full system backup and decompressed it using Droid Explorer. Decompiled with apktools, changed my manifest file, and then recompiled into apk. Now I'm trying to get my new AndroidManifest.xml and resources.arsc into my .apk without mucking up the certificate... It sounds like people have had success taking the changed files out of the newly compiled apk and stuffing them into the old apk real quick without it changing the certificates, but I don't seem to be having the same luck? I'm getting this error which isn't a "no certificates error" but isn't success either. Only thing I changed was debug = "false" to "true"
Code:
c:\>adb install -r -d d:\com.xxxxx.xxxxx.apk
2490 KB/s (15989341 bytes in 6.269s)
pkg: /data/local/tmp/com.xxxxx.xxxxx.apk
Failure [INSTALL_PARSE_FAILED_UNEXPECTED_EXCEPTION]
The apk I'm starting from installed fine, and I know because it reverted me to a previous version because the marketplace had just updated me over the weekend. This zip trick has also apparently worked for a few people, any suggestions other than keep trying other computers and programs?
http://www.galaxynexusforum.com/for...562-how-decompile-compile-using-apktools.html
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1658121
I'm not trying to reverse engineer this app for any evil, I only want my lost data that I only don't have because I failed to root when I should have and as soon as I have that, I'm reverting the app back to the official version. :angel:
Related
I've wiped and installed a lot of roms lately, and generally when I go to 'my downloads' in the market, only my paid apps are there. So, I have to go though the process of searching the installing each app again. It's just easier when they are all in a list.
I figured it would be a good idea to backup all my apps and then reinstall them afterward with adb in linux as such:
for a in `ls *.apk`; do adb install $a; done
this works, but of course they don't show up under 'my downloads' and I don't get update notifications.
Is there a way around this?
gsgleason said:
I've wiped and installed a lot of roms lately, and generally when I go to 'my downloads' in the market, only my paid apps are there. So, I have to go though the process of searching the installing each app again. It's just easier when they are all in a list.
I figured it would be a good idea to backup all my apps and then reinstall them afterward with adb in linux as such:
for a in `ls *.apk`; do adb install $a; done
this works, but of course they don't show up under 'my downloads' and I don't get update notifications.
Is there a way around this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to backup and restore the database file located in the market folder....it should be here...
Code:
/data/data/com.android.vending/databases
I'm assuming since you can backup and restore your apps thru adb then you can figure out how to pull and push this to your phone
I assume you would want to do this to get update notifications. If so you can grab "aTrackDog" from the market. It will list all you apps and when you refresh it will tell you when updates are available and give you a link to get the update from the market.
AdrianK said:
I assume you would want to do this to get update notifications. If so you can grab "aTrackDog" from the market. It will list all you apps and when you refresh it will tell you when updates are available and give you a link to get the update from the market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
will it only work for software installed through the market or will manually installed software show up as well?
DirectMatrix said:
You need to backup and restore the database file located in the market folder....it should be here...
Code:
/data/data/com.android.vending/databases
I'm assuming since you can backup and restore your apps thru adb then you can figure out how to pull and push this to your phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome. I'll do this next time I wipe and reflash with the latest coolest rom. =)
gsgleason said:
will it only work for software installed through the market or will manually installed software show up as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope, works for the apps on my ext3 even after switching builds several times, works great.
DirectMatrix said:
You need to backup and restore the database file located in the market folder....it should be here...
Code:
/data/data/com.android.vending/databases
I'm assuming since you can backup and restore your apps thru adb then you can figure out how to pull and push this to your phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For those of us who are not that familiar with adb, can you give a short tutorial on how to pull and then push that database folder?
well i just wiped and installed the latest cyanogen mod and when i went to the "my downloads" section of the store all the apps i had downloaded before were all there (paid and free)
I also thought it didnt do that, apperently it does
Gilliland12 said:
For those of us who are not that familiar with adb, can you give a short tutorial on how to pull and then push that database folder?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need ADB, you can use the terminal emulator from the market or the recovery console.
To pull the database, open terminal or recovery and type:
Code:
su
cd /data/data/com.android.vending/
cp databases /sdcard
that will copy that database file to the root of your sdcard.
When pushing it back it is probably best to do it while the phone isn't running, so only use the recovery console:
Code:
cd sdcard
cp databases /data/data/com.android.vending/
reboot
I haven't tested this, but it will have the same results as the ADB method.
AdrianK said:
You don't need ADB, you can use the terminal emulator from the market or the recovery console.
To pull the database, open terminal or recovery and type:
Code:
su
cd /data/data/com.android.vending/
cp databases /sdcard
that will copy that database file to the root of your sdcard.
When pushing it back it is probably best to do it while the phone isn't running, so only use the recovery console:
Code:
cd sdcard
cp databases /data/data/com.android.vending/
reboot
I haven't tested this, but it will have the same results as the ADB method.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks.
Backup for Root works perfectly for me
if you got a paid app through adb and got a refund, can you still get updates for that app if you have it installed?
opasha said:
if you got a paid app through adb and got a refund, can you still get updates for that app if you have it installed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you will not get updates without re-purchasing the app. And talking about ripping off app developers on this forum is frowned up so please stop discussing it.
opasha said:
if you got a paid app through adb and got a refund, can you still get updates for that app if you have it installed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you got a refund, then you shouldn't have the app. That's stealing and it's not nice. Most apps are cheap (a couple of bucks at most), stop being a cheapskate.
Originally Posted by AdrianK View Post
You don't need ADB, you can use the terminal emulator from the market or the recovery console.
To pull the database, open terminal or recovery and type:
Code:
su
cd /data/data/com.android.vending/
cp databases /sdcard
that will copy that database file to the root of your sdcard.
When pushing it back it is probably best to do it while the phone isn't running, so only use the recovery console:
Code:
cd sdcard
cp databases /data/data/com.android.vending/
reboot
I haven't tested this, but it will have the same results as the ADB method.
i tried this but it dodnt work.
when I did the first command it said ommiting databases. so I thought it worked.
flashed to the new cyanogen 4.0 rom (which is amazing btw!) did the second command and it said cannot stat file "databases" no such file or folder.
what gives??
Id say the databases were open and couldnt be backed up.
You should try to copy them from the recovery.
Also, after copying why didnt you check if the database files were in your sdcard (or the path you specified for the copy) before wiping? If the file is not there its obvious that it cant be restored after the wipe..
thought it might have been hidden or on my ext2 partition! never mind i got atrackdog!
addiosamigo said:
thought it might have been hidden or on my ext2 partition! never mind i got atrackdog!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems you can only copy each of the four db files individually... but copying the entire folder doesn't work.
All that is needed is assets.db
Open the terminal and enter
$ su
# cp /data/data/com.android.vending/databases/assets.db /sdcard
Wipe, flash, reboot.
YOU MUST OPEN THE MARKET AND AGREE TO THE TOS BEFORE RESTORING!!!!
Open the market, agree to the TOS, and close the market. Open the terminal and enter
$ su
# cp /sdcard/assets.db /data/data/com.android.vending/databases/assets.db
# reboot
Hi,
I used Unrevoked's one-click Mac .app to root my Aria. I can boot into Recovery fine, but perhaps pertinently (perhaps not) there's a weird loop I can't get out of: (bottom of post at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=829439)
Anyways, I installed CM6.1-Liberty afterwards using ROM Manager. Now I would like to delete the News and Weather application, but I'm finding it difficult:
I've tried with the Super Manager application, a ROOT manager. It has SuperUser permissions, it tried to mount /system as R/W when I navigate to it, but when I rename the .apk file, the file retains its old name.
I've also tried booting into Recovery, mounting /system from the Partitions menu, then using the Terminal Emulator to do 'mv /system/app/blah.apk /system/app/blah.apk.bak.' But mv complains that the directory is not empty! (are .apk's even considered directories?)
Is something messed up with my ROM? Anything else I can try?
With the phone in recovery and /system mounted, using terminal try navigating to the actual /system/app folder and then removing the .apk. Not sure if its the same as windows, which is the rm command.
rm application.apk
Sent from my cm6.1 Aria using XDA App
It worked! Booted into Recovery, mounted /system, connected via USB, opened up an adb shell, and was able to move the desired apk.
I tested this moving HtcLockScreen.apk on my Liberated ROM. Will try to move the News & Weather application on the CM ROM too, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.
Thanks!!!
All good. Thank you so much.
I've gotta wonder now: what is it about Recovery that lets you do this? I can't find much (if any) hard info on Recovery online, or hboot/fastboot for that matter. It's a little annoying having to power down my phone to adb stuff around, then powering back up.
ninestraycats said:
All good. Thank you so much.
I've gotta wonder now: what is it about Recovery that lets you do this? I can't find much (if any) hard info on Recovery online, or hboot/fastboot for that matter. It's a little annoying having to power down my phone to adb stuff around, then powering back up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it had to do with the fact that the aria is an s-on device (don't quote me on that). Whatever it is, the system can't be modified while android is running on the aria, so you have to boot into recovery to do it.
Sent from my cm6.1 Aria using XDA App
CallMeAria said:
I think it had to do with the fact that the aria is an s-on device (don't quote me on that). Whatever it is, the system can't be modified while android is running on the aria, so you have to boot into recovery to do it.
Sent from my cm6.1 Aria using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not quite... You can put Titanium Backup into "Chuck Norris" mode and it will let you delete some system apps. Another easy way to achieve the same is to unzip the ROM, delete the .apk and .odex files you do not want, rezip it and re-flash. Bingo... the stuff you do not want is gone. You need to know what you are deleting though, some stuff is used by the system and other apps.
For anyone else whos wondering how to delete a non-uninstallable apk this is how I usually do it on windows (should be the same on mac too.)
- boot into recovery
-open new command promp
-adb shell mount /system
-adb shell rm -r /sysytem/app/apkname.apk
done and done, note letter case matters in apk name.
U can also extract the rom on ur computer and delete the .apks u don't want
Sent from my Liberty using XDA App
the subject says it all. I've been trying to push apps to my encrypted xoom all afternoon without any luck...
I'll go ahead and admit upfront that I am a noob when it comes to using the sdk... so that could also be a major factor.
adb install (insert exact location+ filename.apk for the app you want to install)
I just tested it out
for example
adb install C:/abc.apk
What command are you using? What error message are you getting? Did you do a adb remount to make sure that the /system/app path is writable?
You can always do an adb install [package name].apk as well.
scsa20 said:
What command are you using? What error message are you getting? Did you do a adb remount to make sure that the /system/app path is writable?
You can always do an adb install [package name].apk as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just tried to execute adb remount (I had not until you mentioned it), but I get a "remount failed: operation not permitted".
Code:
Hannibal:platform-tools dmoore$ ./adb install /Users/dmoore/Documents/android-sdk/platform-tools/AsusReader.apk
1259 KB/s (7747001 bytes in 6.007s)
pkg: /data/local/tmp/AsusReader.apk
Failure [INSTALL_FAILED_DEXOPT]
Additional information: I am on a MacBook Pro using the latest version of the SDK (downloaded it yesterday).
try typing "adb devices" if it does not list your xoom try installing or re-installing the motorola usb drivers
http://www.motorola.com/Support/US-...tware_and_Drivers/USB-and-PC-Charging-Drivers
just noticed the macbook part
http://www.samsung-tablets.com/motorola-xoom-usb-driver-for-pc-and-mac-download.html/
Ok... back to me being a complete when it comes to the SDK (and the Xoom in particular)...
My Xoom is completely stock... it has not been rooted or otherwise modified.
With that being said, is there some trick to getting the file system to mount as r/w? Do I need to reboot in to recovery before adb remount will work?
Sic123 said:
just noticed the macbook part
http://www.samsung-tablets.com/motorola-xoom-usb-driver-for-pc-and-mac-download.html/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've already installed the Android File Transfer app... it only allows me to browse the SD card - not the root fs... unless there's something I'm missing...
dmoore44 said:
Ok... back to me being a complete when it comes to the SDK (and the Xoom in particular)...
My Xoom is completely stock... it has not been rooted or otherwise modified.
With that being said, is there some trick to getting the file system to mount as r/w? Do I need to reboot in to recovery before adb remount will work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you dont have to be in recovery (recovery wont do any good unless you install clockwork recovery) for adb remount to work but if your not rooted you cant push files into the system folder thats the whole point of rooting is to unlock the system files also if your pushing it into /system/app the rom is odexed so you will need the apk plus the odex file
Sic123 said:
you dont have to be in recovery (recovery wont do any good unless you install clockwork recovery) for adb remount to work but if your not rooted you cant push files into the system folder thats the whole point of rooting is to unlock the system files also if your pushing it into /system/app the rom is odexed so you will need the apk plus the odex file
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the odex file, so i'm not terribly worried about that.
My major question would be this though... Do I need to go full blown root, or can I just unlock the device?
Hi everyone. As a new Kindle Fire user, I bought mine AFTER the recent Kindle 6.2 update. After following step-by-step the instructions posted on this forum to root KF, I seemed to have succeeded at my first attempt. However, when trying to copy and paste either vending.apk or amarket.apk to system/app folder using File Expert which I got from Amazon store, I couldn't get it to work. This means I don't see either apps in the system app folder after I paste them there. I followed the instructions to the T and rebooted KF, still no show. I then tried to install it via adb, I was able to "adb install" googleservice frameworks on KF. But when trying to "adb push" the market app to system/app, I keep getting "adb access denied". I tried re-rooting with superoneclick, still can't "adb push".
I really don't know what went wrong. BTW, I could hard install the market app on to KF and gained access to the market. (I thought KF blocked it.) But all my download from android market seem unsuccessful. I need help. Thanks.
Problem solved. And here's what I found out and how I made it work. Thanks for everyone who posted to help.
After trying what everyone suggested here, I still couldn't get r/w perssion to the system folder. I reset my KF to factory setting and started all over again. This time I realized it was the File Expert app that's causing this problem. Although it seems like File Expert could gain full access to the system, it doesn't allow you to make any modification to the system folder. I know someone claimed it worked on theirs. But if your File Expert comes from Amazon app store, it DOES NOT work when you try to paste anything into the system. When I realized that ROOT EXPLORER is no longer available on Amazon, I figured that could be the reason. After downloading Root Explorer to my PC and installed it onto KF, everything worked like a charm! So for those of you who encounter similar problems, it's not you. It could be the File Expert app that you got from Amazon.
You need to mount system as writable
Thanks Felnarion. But I did that. It didn't help. I followed the instructions step by step. Don't where the problem is. I find it hard to believe that KF allows me to do regular install of android market(the market icon even shows on the carousel) but I can't do it the "sneaky" way? Anyone else tried installing market app directly from the sd card?
In that case I think it's your app. I just downloaded file expert and had problems copying to /system as well.
Try root explorer, haven't had any problems with it.
File Expert is broken in regards to mounting folders RW/RO. Even though it claims it has successfully changed permissions, it never does or they don't stick. I suffered the exact same issue, regarding mounting folders RW/RO, and had to install Root Explorer to get the job done.
Code:
mount -o rw,remount -t ext4 /dev/block/platform/mmci-omap-hs.1/by-name/system /system
is the adb command
nycrare said:
However, when trying to copy and paste either vending.apk or amarket.apk to system/app folder using File Expert which I got from Amazon store, I couldn't get it to work. This means I don't see either apps in the system app folder after I paste them there. I followed the instructions to the T and rebooted KF, still no show. I then tried to install it via adb, I was able to "adb install" googleservice frameworks on KF. But when trying to "adb push" the market app to system/app, I keep getting "adb access denied". I tried re-rooting with superoneclick, still can't "adb push".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This might be a dumb question, but did you
Code:
su
and click OK on the Superuser prompt on the KF screen prior to the adb push attempts? Were you able to mount /system rw through adb? If adb can't get root access there's no way File Expert will be able to.
devilot said:
File Expert is broken in regards to mounting folders RW/RO. Even though it claims it has successfully changed permissions, it never does or they don't stick. I suffered the exact same issue, regarding mounting folders RW/RO, and had to install Root Explorer to get the job done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
File Expert works fine. I've used it to do all my root related installs. You just have to make sure you check the 'Root Explorer' box under Settings>File Explorer Settings before trying to do any /system mounts, it's off by default.
Thank you everyone for your help. If I remember correctly, I did try "su" in adb. but not sure if entered the code correctly. I also heard about File Expert could be the cause when it comes to gaining permissions. I checked root explorer on File expert settings as well. I'm beginning to wonder if my hard install of market app ,which worked to my surprise, messed things up. I will try to reset my KF to factory setting and start over again. I will report back with the result. Once again, I really appreciate everyone's help.
death2all110 said:
Code:
mount -o rw,remount -t ext4 /dev/block/platform/mmci-omap-hs.1/by-name/system /system
is the adb command
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have to admit this is the first time I see this code. I tried something similar based on an instruction from another site. But not this exact code. I will try it later.
that command line was a life saver
Saved me a future headache
nycrare said:
After trying what everyone suggested here, I still couldn't get r/w perssion to the system folder. I reset my KF to factory setting and started all over again. This time I realized it was the File Expert app that's causing this problem. Although it seems like File Expert could gain full access to the system, it doesn't allow you to make any modification to the system folder. I know someone claimed it worked on theirs. But if your File Expert comes from Amazon app store, it DOES NOT work when you try to paste anything into the system. When I realized that ROOT EXPLORER is no longer available on Amazon, I figured that could be the reason. After downloading Root Explorer to my PC and installed it onto KF, everything worked like a charm! So for those of you who encounter similar problems, it's not you. It could be the File Expert app that you got from Amazon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. I was the one it worked for and I'm pretty sure I got mine from the Market, not Amazon. Good thing I haven't clicked that update button from within Amazon App Store.
Thank you for following up. Perfect example of how it can help others.
Glad you got everything sorted.
Hi. My screen is dead on my phone. I need to somehow disable the alarm.
I cannot seem to find where the alarm data is stored.
I then tried to delete the apk.
I got an ADB by booting into TWRP. Then used ADB SHELL. I attempted to cd into System/App as follows
cd system/app
/sbin/sh: cd: can't cd to system/app
I figured I had a root permission error, so I tried "su" but it couldn't find the command which is odd because I have SuperSu.
I can't navigate the TWRP menus due to my broken screen and don't know what to do.
Ratiocination said:
Hi. My screen is dead on my phone. I need to somehow disable the alarm.
I cannot seem to find where the alarm data is stored.
I then tried to delete the apk.
I got an ADB by booting into TWRP. Then used ADB SHELL. I attempted to cd into System/App as follows
cd system/app
/sbin/sh: cd: can't cd to system/app
I figured I had a root permission error, so I tried "su" but it couldn't find the command which is odd because I have SuperSu.
I can't navigate the TWRP menus due to my broken screen and don't know what to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can wipe data.... and to do so you can use a openrecovery script
make a file named openrecoveryscript and push it in /cache/recovery/
in the file put the folowing command
wipe data
and then reboot into recovery and it will execute by itself.
by wiping data the phone will reset to factory/rom defaults. you will loose installed data. everything on "sdcard" will stay in place
darkobas said:
you can wipe data.... and to do so you can use a openrecovery script
make a file named openrecoveryscript and push it in /cache/recovery/
in the file put the folowing command
wipe data
and then reboot into recovery and it will execute by itself.
by wiping data the phone will reset to factory/rom defaults. you will loose installed data. everything on "sdcard" will stay in place
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I considered wiping it, but wanted to avoid that so I can determine who attempts to call/text me before I can get a replacement.
darkobas said:
you can wipe data.... and to do so you can use a openrecovery script
make a file named openrecoveryscript and push it in /cache/recovery/
in the file put the folowing command
wipe data
and then reboot into recovery and it will execute by itself.
by wiping data the phone will reset to factory/rom defaults. you will loose installed data. everything on "sdcard" will stay in place
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get an mhl cable and plug it in to a tv or monitor. It mirrors the display so you can navigate it as usual, unless the digitizer AND the panel are both dead...
Sent from my LG-D803 using xda premium
dirt_squirrel said:
Get an mhl cable and plug it in to a tv or monitor. It mirrors the display so you can navigate it as usual, unless the digitizer AND the panel are both dead...
Sent from my LG-D803 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I should have clarified. The display works as in it can display an image. It just does not recognize my touch other than in a very small area.
If you have root access with adb...
Run adb root
Then adb shell
Cd to /system/media/alarms and delete all the sounds.
Or search for clock in /data/data
Sent from my LG-D802 using Tapatalk