[Q] Broke Screen, Want to Backup files - Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi,
So today the front of my Nexus 4 cracked and rendered it completely dysfunctional. The worst part is that there's a screen lock, making it impossible for me to access through Android File Transfer. I was reading that you could use adb and screencast to access the phone and to unlock it, allowing for me to retrieve files. But after installing and running commands, it seemed like I couldn't find a device when I inputted the command 'adb devices'. I know, I searched it up and I think the reason is that usb debugging was not enabled (I don't remember if I did or didn't enable it at all). I've read past threads which explain how to enable it even with a cracked screen but I'm just too confused on how to do it. All this SDK and AVD stuff confuses the heck out of me (I'm fairly new to the whole Android notion) so I practically have the IQ of a 5 year old. My phone is rooted (In which it did wipe the memory so that may be why debugging could be off) and I'm currently flashing Cyanogenmod. Could someone please explain to me how do I enable debugging with a dysfunctional screen like I'm 5? Also, if there were an easier alternative to retrieving/backing up my files that would be nice knowing too because all of this stuff is currently doing my head in.
Thanks!

You can try to access adb from recovery too.
Turn off phone and start by holding VOL-DOWN and POWER together. You will boot into BOOTLOADER mode and there switch to RECOVERY MODE by VOLUME button (2 times press is this mode). If you have installed CyanogenMOD, then you have probably advanced recovery (CWM or TWRP). Now try command "adb devices".
If you haven't CWM or TWRP recovery installed, boot again into BOOTLOADER mode and flash recovery by fastboot.

xjcook said:
You can try to access adb from recovery too.
Turn off phone and start by holding VOL-DOWN and POWER together. You will boot into BOOTLOADER mode and there switch to RECOVERY MODE by VOLUME button (2 times press is this mode). If you have installed CyanogenMOD, then you have probably advanced recovery (CWM or TWRP). Now try command "adb devices".
If you haven't CWM or TWRP recovery installed, boot again into BOOTLOADER mode and flash recovery by fastboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick reply,
After I hit advanced recovery and selecting my backup, which option do I press? Do I restore the boot, system, data, cache, or sd-ext?
Also typing in adb devices only lists the recovery device and I don't seem to be able to access it through Android File Transfer, what do I do with the serial number it tells me?
By the way I don't have any backups when I had no screen pattern so wouldn't recovering those areas still give get me locked out?

loolnicetry said:
Thanks for the quick reply,
After I hit advanced recovery and selecting my backup, which option do I press? Do I restore the boot, system, data, cache, or sd-ext?
Also typing in adb devices only lists the recovery device and I don't seem to be able to access it through Android File Transfer, what do I do with the serial number it tells me?
By the way I don't have any backups when I had no screen pattern so wouldn't recovering those areas still give get me locked out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android File Transfer is not working in recovery mode, but you can pull required files by "adb pull /sdcard/some-file-or-folder/ /to/some/path/on/your-system/". Of course you can pull whole /sdcard/. You can try also adb backup (I didn't try it yet). From recovery you can also make nandroid backup of the system and transfer to computer by adb pull.
In recovery mode you have access to full system (maybe you must mount some partitions), that means you can use magic command "adb shell", to get shell (in shell you can use "ls" for list files, "cd" for change directory) and do what you want. To remove screen lock try some guide from XDA, I've found for example [GUIDE][HOW-TO]Crack android pattern lock! or [EASIEST]Crack Android Pattern/Pin/Password Lockscreen without root.
I hope this will help you.

xjcook said:
Android File Transfer is not working in recovery mode, but you can pull required files by "adb pull /sdcard/some-file-or-folder/ /to/some/path/on/your-system/". Of course you can pull whole /sdcard/. You can try also adb backup (I didn't try it yet). From recovery you can also make nandroid backup of the system and transfer to computer by adb pull.
In recovery mode you have access to full system (maybe you must mount some partitions), that means you can use magic command "adb shell", to get shell (in shell you can use "ls" for list files, "cd" for change directory) and do what you want. To remove screen lock try some guide from XDA, I've found for example [GUIDE][HOW-TO]Crack android pattern lock! or [EASIEST]Crack Android Pattern/Pin/Password Lockscreen without root.
I hope this will help you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH! You were easy to understand and got straight to the point which was perfect! On a side note, do you know if there's a way I can extract and save my sms messages and read them on my computer? I know I can take out the .db file but it's complicated to open on a Mac and it's quite an effort. (Considering my phone still has a lock on it)

loolnicetry said:
I CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH! You were easy to understand and got straight to the point which was perfect! On a side note, do you know if there's a way I can extract and save my sms messages and read them on my computer? I know I can take out the .db file but it's complicated to open on a Mac and it's quite an effort. (Considering my phone still has a lock on it)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm really happy that I helped you!
Android is storing messages, contacts in SQLite database, there is not another way to grab these files from recovery. But it's not complicated to extract these files. Download for Mac OS X sqlite-shell-osx-x86-XXX.zip from SQLite Download Page and extract it somewhere.
Then pull messages by
Code:
cd /path/where/is/extracted-sqlite
adb pull /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db .
Finally you can list your messages by
Code:
./sqlite3 mmssms.db 'select address,body from sms'
If last command is not working try make it executable and repeat previous step
Code:
chmod +x sqlite3

xjcook said:
I'm really happy that I helped you!
Android is storing messages, contacts in SQLite database, there is not another way to grab these files from recovery. But it's not complicated to extract these files. Download for Mac OS X sqlite-shell-osx-x86-XXX.zip from and extract it somewhere.
Then pull messages by
Code:
cd /path/where/is/extracted-sqlite
adb pull /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db .
Finally you can list your messages by
Code:
./sqlite3 mmssms.db 'select address,body from sms'
If last command is not working try make it executable and repeat previous step
Code:
chmod +x sqlite3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the pulling of the .db file, it says the remote object does not exist, what should I do?

loolnicetry said:
For the pulling of the .db file, it says the remote object does not exist, what should I do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm that is strange, maybe this will help you (especially check first answer): http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12266374/backup-full-sms-mms-contents-via-adb
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

xjcook said:
Hmm that is strange, maybe this will help you (especially check first answer):
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I try to enter the $mkdir command it says it's not found. Am I meant to include the $ in the command?

xjcook said:
Hmm that is strange, maybe this will help you (especially check first answer): http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12266374/backup-full-sms-mms-contents-via-adb
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I FIXED IT MYSELF! I'm feeling a bit smart haha, it turns out my system and data wasn't mounted and all I had to do was mount it through cwm. Thanks a lot friend you were a great help, I'd be panicking a substantial amount without you!

Related

[Q] Motoblur home process failing

Hello All,
I would really appreciate help on this issue I have been having. I recently rooted then unlocked the bootloader of my device. I downloaded a root uninstaller and may have somehow killed the home process from running. Now, when i turn on the device, i get the error
The application Home (process com.motorola.home) has stopped unexpectedly
It does not go away and comes repeatedly back, not allowing me to change any settings whatsoever. I don't know what to do. I tried going into android recover mode and both wiped the device and cleared the cache, but the problem persists. I also tried putting a cyanogenmod version on the devices SD card but cant get it install because for some reason I can't get clockwork mod installed correctly. I cannot turn on USB debugging mode because I can't get into the settings. I tried using the .sbf to flash it but it is the .sbf I used to unlock the device so I am not sure that is the right one or if the right one would even do the trick, I fear that the system files that run the home application may be corrupt, deleted or permanently inactive. I would appreciate any ideas people may have to help me.
Also, becuase I factory reset the device, the bootloader is unlocked, but it is no longer rooted, and I cannot root it at this time becuase I cannot turn on USB debugging mode.
I was looking at the guide here;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1302423
And was wondering why it didn't work when I tried to install CWM, then I noticed something I didnt see;
"DO NOT FORGET TO DO THIS PART: After the install of RomRacers recovery boot up your phone. Open up your favourite file browser (I used Astro file manager to do this ) and navigate to /system/etc/ and delete the file called 'install-recovery.sh'"
Is there a way to do this from the PC as I wouldn't be able to on my device? Or is the fact that it is not currently rooted going to stop me from doing anything?
Thanks,
heronpj said:
I was looking at the guide here;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1302423
And was wondering why it didn't work when I tried to install CWM, then I noticed something I didnt see;
"DO NOT FORGET TO DO THIS PART: After the install of RomRacers recovery boot up your phone. Open up your favourite file browser (I used Astro file manager to do this ) and navigate to /system/etc/ and delete the file called 'install-recovery.sh'"
Is there a way to do this from the PC as I wouldn't be able to on my device? Or is the fact that it is not currently rooted going to stop me from doing anything?
Thanks,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are familiar with ADB, the basic commands would be:
Code:
adb remount rw
adb shell
While in the ADB shell:
cd /system/etc
rm install-recovery.sh
exit
that should cover it.
let me know if this works for ya.
Thanks for your response. The only problem is my phone isn't in USB debug mode, and I can't set it to be. Any idea of how to get that turned on without being able to get into the settings?
FaithCollapsing said:
If you are familiar with ADB, the basic commands would be:
Code:
adb remount rw
adb shell
While in the ADB shell:
cd /system/etc
rm install-recovery.sh
exit
that should cover it.
let me know if this works for ya.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
heronpj said:
Thanks for your response. The only problem is my phone isn't in USB debug mode, and I can't set it to be. Any idea of how to get that turned on without being able to get into the settings?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you boot into recovery?
FaithCollapsing said:
can you boot into recovery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can, and have down a wipe data as well as cleared the cache, problem persists.
Solved!!! I was able to basically button mash until somehow the screen to log into the play store came up. Download launcher pro and that got me back into my phone! Thanks for your help

[q] urgent help is needed, too many pattern attempts

Hi, i need a fix for this and fast !!! I've tried all that is listed on xda about this issue, but to no avail. Anyway, i forgot my pattern and went to the forgot pattern menu. My wifi was off, so i figured it would give a prompt of some kind to turn on the wifi and then log on to my google account. But nooooo, google supposes that everyone's wifi is on all the time. Please help, what do i do ? I rebooted to recovery, i made a nandroid and currently i am adb pulling the twrp folder from my N7. I would have just factory reseted it, no probs, but i remembered i have some EXTREMELY important works in colornote that i can't afford to lose. Please help, what do i do ?????
Looks like you answered your own question. Unless your Android isn't encrypted, just boot into TWRP and backup your data using adb:
adb pull /data/data C:\backup
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The main thing you will have to concern about is restoring those data and make it readable by the app. There are several ways, but you can either:
adb push C:\backup\colornotes /data/data/colornotes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't forget some devices you need to give it write permission first: adb remount rw, though should not be needed with TWRP. Or just copy the folder back using a rooted file manager.
Then go into adb shell and fix permission of the files so the app can get access to them:
adb shell
su - (again shouldn't be needed wile in TWRP)
chmod -R 644 /data/data/colornotes (or 777 for full access)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tips while in adb shell:
Check permissions of files by typing: ls -la
Check what partition is mounted and whether you have write privilege to it by typing: cat /etc/fstab
Also, if you use a custom rom like CyanogenMod or AOKP, there is an option to enable all widgets on the lockscreen. Just put the Power Control widget on the lockscreen, then you can toggle WiFi on and off. (Can't remember if this is also possible with stock.)
Have fun.
OR have a look here.
Looks like either of the two methods suggested would be feasible with only a recovery running, but the 2nd one is easiest (as a custom recovery wouldn't necessarily provide a statically-linked sqlite3 utility).
if it works it doesn't require any wiping.
BTW guess how I found this.... wait for it .... wait for it.... wait for it.... I used google search.
Hi, i forgot to mention that i made the twrp backup while i was locked out and whenever i try to restore from the backup after a factory reset, it goes back to square one... And when i did a full wipe and hoped to use titanium backup to extract stuff from the nandroid, it just gives me and empty list, but the backup is there, all 5gb of it
iAndroidOS said:
Hi, i forgot to mention that i made the twrp backup while i was locked out and whenever i try to restore from the backup after a factory reset, it goes back to square one...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, that is to be expected, is it not? You are restoring exactly what is already there - effectively a no-op.
OK, I just booted into TWRP (2.4.1.0) and confirmed that the (equivalent of the) following disabled my pattern lock on the next boot:
cd /data/system
mkdir foo
mv locksettings.* foo
mv gesture.key foo
I did all of the above (the 'cd' command is implicit) using TWRPs touch interface - didn't even need adb.
ymmv as I am using jdq39/4.2.2 and my tablet was not in a "locked-out" state, but its an easy thing to try.

Cracked screen- no touch. ADB unauthorized - how to pull nandroid backup?

I sadly dropped my nexus 4 on hard tiles yesterday face down and the whole front cracked everywhere! The phone still turns on, I can copy internal storage off fine, but since the touchscreen doesn't work anymore I'm having trouble with getting system data off e.g. sms.
I've managed to get non touch CWM installed, made a nandroid, but now I can't copy the damn thing off! ADB gives me unauthorised for every command, and obviously I can't use the phone to authorise my PC. Am I now essentially screwed? Been googling for ages and can't find a way round the fact I can't use ADB or force my phone to authorise my PC without using the screen.
Any other ideas would be massively appreciated. The phone is rooted, CM10.2, and luckily usb debugging is enabled.
Cheers!!
You said you can copy internal storage right? so why not pull the nandroid from /clockworkmod/backup?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4
I do not use CWM, but I do use TWRP and it allow me to access to the /data and /sdcard partition just fine, /system is off limit though. I don't know where your nandroid is backed up in, but I assume its in /sdcard.
Try this: Flash TWRP in fastboot mode, then press the volume button either up or down twice, then press Power to access the recovery. Then on the main menu of TWRP, you can do adb commands right away.
I can then simply back up my whole /sdcard partition by: adb pull /sdcard/ C:\backup
Or backup the all the apps data: adb pull /data/data/ C:\backup
Thank you both for the advice. I've tried using adb in recovery, but it says: remote object '/sdcard' is not a file or directory.
If I type adb devices, I get my phone ID along with 'recovery' next to as expected.
Any ideas?
Thanks.
EDIT: Ignore this, just added a / after /sdcard and now its pulling ok. Thanks so much!
I was typing this up before I read your edit:
If you don't know where certain files are, you can type "adb shell" to enter the phone itself, there you can look at the phone directory structure and find where your files are located.
Use the cd and ls commands to navigate in the phone: http://afrodita.rcub.bg.ac.rs/~ivica/nlm/part1/cd_ls.html
Once you're done, type "exit" to get out of adb shell. Then you can use the "adb pull" command to copy the files.

[Solved!] G2 Soft Brick due to Incompatible Bootanimation.zip (Thx karandpr!)

[Original post has been removed, and replaced with the following updated information]
Hi there fellow G2 users! Unfortunately, I have made a foolish mistake and now I badly need your mighty super-brains over here at XDA to help me out!
Let me start out by saying I have an LG G2 VS980 (3aa) on Lollipop 5.0.2
Now all I wanted to do was change the boring boot animation that displays on startup with one that was more neato. So I did a simple google search and found a guide which instructed me on how to do so. It had me install a "one click root" APK file, and then install it and run it - which apparently rooted my phone and gave me access to my system folder. I then went into my /system/media/ folder and renamed the original bootanimation.zip (to bootanimation-og.zip) and replaced it with a new bootanimation.zip. Everything was perfectly fine until I rebooted my phone a few hours later. It was then that I discovered that I had accidentally used a bootanimation.zip for another phone, and it was not compatible with mine! Total face palm, I know!
So now when I power up my phone, it quickly flashes that (bad/incompatible) image before going straight to a blank screen that does not allow me to do anything. Not good at all, guys! So after doing TONS of hunting around on google and a couple other forums, I still have not been able to fix it. At first, nothing was working. However, after several hours of fiddling around with things, I have finally managed to get ADB to recognize my device again! So I have made a little bit a progress.
After getting ADB to work, I did something which was suggested on a guide I found on Google - which was to use ADB to "pull" the bad file from the system folder. So I went into the command prompt and issued the "pull /system/media/bootanimation.zip" command, and it worked, sort of, I think? It ended up pulling everything out of my /system/media/audio folder, as well as the bootanimation.zip, bootanimation-og.zip, and shutdownanimation.zip files - and placed them into a folder called "bootanimation.zip" inside my ADB folder. Unfortunately, after trying to reboot my phone, it did not solve the problem. The same blank screen happens.
So then, following another guide which recommended I try "pushing" the original bootanimation.zip back into my system folder, I tried just that. I opened the command prompt and issued the "adb shell" command, followed by the "su" command - and this is where I get stuck. It shows me the #root access, but it does not allow me to type anything. I assume this is because SU is trying to display the "permission? option" on my phone - but I cannot ACCEPT it because of my blank screen issue.
I also tried booting into TWRP without installing it (using the method listed in THIS guide under "Installing TWRP"). After placing the "recovery.img" into my ADB folder and trying the "adb reboot bootloader" command, followed by the "fastboot boot recovery.img" command - it simply gets stuck saying <Waiting for device>.
So here I am, completely bamboozled. A couple of people and/or pages I have visited have suggested that I just flash back to stock using KDZ, but I have a couple of concerns regarding that. First, when I go to the "LG G2 : Go Back to Stock" guide here on XDA, it says I have to flash the same firmware that I had been using previously. When I go to the link provided to download the firmware, under the Verizon folder there are only 2 firmwares listed: "Verizon VS98024A_11.kdz" and "Verizon VS98027A_05.kdz" - neither of which are the firmware my phone was using, which was "VS9803AA" - So I am unsure if I would even be able to use this method? And second, I was really hoping I would be able to fix this without losing my data, so I would REALLY like to be 100% sure that there are no other solutions to my issue before I resort to reverting back to stock.
So this is where I hope you guys and your brilliant minds can swoop in and save me from my troubles! Is there ANYTHING I can do to save my phone, by replacing that stupid incompatible bootanimation.zip file with the original one - without wiping back to stock? If any of you are able to help me, I would be sooooo forever grateful! I will patiently await your responses. Thank you guys SO much in advance for any help you may be able to provide.
Much appreciative,
Terri (Psy)
(A very special thanks to @KennyG123 and @karandpr for the help they have attempted to provide thus far!)
PsyintZ said:
Hi guys!
I have made a serious mistake, and I feel so stupid! I was wondering if any of you awesome people at XDA would be able to save me.
I have an LG G2 vs980 Lollipop 5.0.2
So, all I wanted to do was change my startup screen to get rid of that boring LG logo and replace it with something neater. I went over to Google and found a guide on how to do this, and followed the steps 1 by 1. Everything actually worked out perfectly, but it wasn't until after I was locked out of my phone that I realized that I had used a startup image that was not compatible with my LG G2! (Total face palm!). Now, whenever I power my phone, it flashes that "neat" image that I replaced the stock one with - before the screen goes completely blank and I cannot do anything at all. That's not good!
So my question is this - Is there a way I can access my system folder without having access to my phone? I know EXACTLY what file I need to remove/edit to solve this problem! In fact, that is what is frustrating me the most. It's not some random error message out of the blue that I know nothing about. I know exactly what the problem is, I just don't know if I have access to the solution. I just really hope I don't have to wipe everything back to stock all because of a lousy startup image.
Is there a way to access the system folder on my phone so I can remove the bad file and replace it with the stock image so I can get my phone working again? If anybody can help me figure out the best method to solve this issue, I would be forever grateful! Thank you guys so much in advance!
Much appreciative,
Terri (Psyintz)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are rooted you should be able to swap the files using ADB
http://www.droidviews.com/push-pull-files-android-using-adb-commands/
Good luck!
KennyG123 said:
If you are rooted you should be able to swap the files using ADB
http://www.droidviews.com/push-pull-files-android-using-adb-commands/
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem with guides like this is they all have that step that says "First, you must enable USB Debugging" - which requires USB access to my phone to do. Granted, it is already enabled because I had to enable it during the process of changing out my startup image - but that makes me think it needs access to a connected device in order to work properly. And I cannot connect to my device when it locks up before booting. Whenever I try to utilize an adb command, it returns the message "error: device (null) not found."
So, I guess my question is - is it still possible to use commands like these when my phone cannot boot up and give USB access to adb?
I am beginning to lose faith in there being an option to solve this problem without just performing a factory reset, and losing all of my data. If I were to take this route, can I just use my phone's built-in option? By holding the correct keys, and then choosing to wipe all my data and return to stock?
PsyintZ said:
The problem with guides like this is they all have that step that says "First, you must enable USB Debugging" - which requires USB access to my phone to do. Granted, it is already enabled because I had to enable it during the process of changing out my startup image - but that makes me think it needs access to a connected device in order to work properly. And I cannot connect to my device when it locks up before booting. Whenever I try to utilize an adb command, it returns the message "error: device (null) not found."
So, I guess my question is - is it still possible to use commands like these when my phone cannot boot up and give USB access to adb?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your screen is blank it is difficult to see if the phone is asking permission to allow the USB connection. That is most likely the problem. If you have a custom recovery on your phone you may be able to flash a ROM of the same Android version and not lose your data.
KennyG123 said:
If your screen is blank it is difficult to see if the phone is asking permission to allow the USB connection. That is most likely the problem. If you have a custom recovery on your phone you may be able to flash a ROM of the same Android version and not lose your data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure I do not have a custom recovery thing installed. I do not remember installing one. I simply installed a "one click root" thing via an APK file, and once that was installed, I went into my /system/media folder and renamed my bootanimation.zip file to boonanimation.zip.backup, and then put in the new (bad/incompatible) bootanimation.zip file. Those were the only steps I performed. Since it appears I will not be able to use ADB to "pull" this bad file out, and most likely will have to wipe everything and go back to stock - can I just use the built in "factory reset" option that came with my phone (by holding the volume up + power keys at the same time)? Will this just wipe everything and put my phone back to how it was when it was brand new?
Very sorry to bug you guys with all of this. I feel like such a goofball. I just wish I could get everything back to normal
Thank you guys very much for your help. I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out.
Making Progress?
Okay guys. I think I may have some good news. After a LOT of fiddling around, I managed to get ADB to see my device! When I use the "adb devices" command, it finally returns my phone's address. That's the good news.
The bad news is, upon the suggestion of a forum member, I attempted to use the "adb pull /system/media/bootanimation.zip" command to try and yank the bad file out of my system folder. It ended up pulling the entire /system/media/audio folder (and all files contained within), as well as bootanimation.zip, bootanimation.zip.backup (the original file that I turned into a backup), and shutdownanimation.zip. All of those files are now sitting in my adb folder (waiting to be put back in their spots if I can ever get back on my phone). The problem is, it didn't solve the problem. When I power on the phone, it still quickly flashes the incompatible image before going to the same blank screen.
So, I think I have made some progress. But unfortunately, the pull command did not solve the problem. Now that ADB is able to see my device, is there more that I can do? What would you guys recommend I do next in order to try and solve this issue?
Type the following commands
adb shell
$ bootanimation stop
OR
adb shell
$ su
# rm /system/media/bootanimation.zip
#mv /system/media/bootanimation.zip.backup bootanimation.zip
This might work if shell has root privileges only though ...
karandpr said:
Type the following commands
adb shell
$ bootanimation stop
OR
adb shell
$ su
# rm /system/media/bootanimation.zip
#mv /system/media/bootanimation.zip.backup bootanimation.zip
This might work if shell has root privileges only though ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi karandpr! Thanks for your help! Unfortunately, no luck yet.
I can get into the "adb shell" just fine. However, when I type "bootanimation stop" it returns "/system/bin/sh: bootanimation: not found." And when I issue the "su" command, it puts me into the root access thing where it says "[email protected]:/ #" - but then I am unable to type anything here. I am presuming this is because it is probably asking my phone for SU Permission, only I am not able to Accept it because of my blank screen.
I'm stumped again! I do feel like I'm getting closer to fixing it, though. I just hope these aren't.... false hopes.
PsyintZ said:
Hi karandpr! Thanks for your help! Unfortunately, no luck yet.
I can get into the "adb shell" just fine. However, when I type "bootanimation stop" it returns "/system/bin/sh: bootanimation: not found." And when I issue the "su" command, it puts me into the root access thing where it says "[email protected]:/ #" - but then I am unable to type anything here. I am presuming this is because it is probably asking my phone for SU Permission, only I am not able to Accept it because of my blank screen.
I'm stumped again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have monitor.bat in the adb folder ?
You can see your device connected.
use the screen capture option and see if the screen is replicated on your device.
can you try this command .
adb push bootanimation.zip.backup /system/media/bootanimation.zip
also while you can use adb pull to pull all your user data ...
karandpr said:
Do you have monitor.bat in the adb folder ?
You can see your device connected.
use the screen capture option and see if the screen is replicated on your device.
can you try this command .
adb push bootanimation.zip.backup /system/media/bootanimation.zip
also while you can use adb pull to pull all your user data ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not see monitor.bat in the adb folder.
And when I try the push command, I get "failed to copy 'bootanimation.zip' to '/system/media/bootanimation.zip': Read-only file system" - and I think I remember encounting this on another guide as well. The problem lies when trying to use the adb shell and the "su" command to mount the system drive as read+write. I get to the point where I have root access, but an unable to type the mount command because I think it is asking my phone for SU permission, and I am unable to grant it permission. Ugh! So close yet so far - and still so frustrating! You are awesome for taking the time to help me, though! Is there some way I can credit you to show my appreciation?
PsyintZ said:
I do not see monitor.bat in the adb folder.
And when I try the push command, I get "failed to copy 'bootanimation.zip' to '/system/media/bootanimation.zip': Read-only file system" - and I think I remember encounting this on another guide as well. The problem lies when trying to use the adb shell and the "su" command to mount the system drive as read+write. I get to the point where I have root access, but an unable to type the mount command because I think it is asking my phone for SU permission, and I am unable to grant it permission. Ugh! So close yet so far - and still so frustrating! You are awesome for taking the time to help me, though! Is there some way I can credit you to show my appreciation?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get the full android tools from here.
https://dl.google.com/android/repository/tools_r25.2.3-windows.zip
monitor.bat should be in tools folder after you extract them.
Quick question: Does your adb work again if you reboot phone ?
if your adb works after a reboot then can you run this command and see if screen lights up
adb shell stop
karandpr said:
Get the full android tools from here.
https://dl.google.com/android/repository/tools_r25.2.3-windows.zip
monitor.bat should be in tools folder after you extract them.
Quick question: Does your adb work again if you reboot phone ?
if your adb works after a reboot then can you run this command and see if screen lights up
adb shell stop
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, I am downloading those tools and will install them shortly. I'm not sure if I understand what you mean by "work again if I reboot my phone?" Could you be a little bit more specific for my newbie mind? I apologize for sucking at this! Lol
PsyintZ said:
Okay, I am downloading those tools and will install them shortly. I'm not sure if I understand what you mean by "work again if I reboot my phone?" Could you be a little bit more specific for my newbie mind? I apologize for sucking at this! Lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lets say your adb is working now.
You remove the battery and start the phone again.
Will you be still able to access adb or not ?
karandpr said:
Lets say your adb is working now.
You remove the battery and start the phone again.
Will you be still able to access adb or not ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I believe so. For example: I power it on and let it flash the incompatible image resulting in the blank screen. Then I perform an "adb devices" check and it returns my Phone ID. Then I hold power down until the phone resets, and displays the bad image again resulting in a blank screen. I then perform another "adb devices" check and it still returns my Phone ID. If that is what you were checking for, then yes, it appears to continue working after a reboot.
Also - my download of those tools is complete. I have unzipped the Tools folder to my desktop. Would it be okay to copy the entire contents over to my adb directory? Or is that a bad idea?
PsyintZ said:
Yeah, I believe so. For example: I power it on and let it flash the incompatible image resulting in the blank screen. Then I perform an "adb devices" check and it returns my Phone ID. Then I hold power down until the phone resets, and displays the bad image again resulting in a blank screen. I then perform another "adb devices" check and it still returns my Phone ID. If that is what you were checking for, then yes, it appears to continue working after a reboot.
Also - my download of those tools is complete. I have unzipped the Tools folder to my desktop. Would it be okay to copy the entire contents over to my adb directory? Or is that a bad idea?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Open that folder in desktop
the go to tools folder and you will see monitor.bat
Just run it
on a side note
run
adb shell stop
and see what happens
karandpr said:
Open that folder in desktop
the go to tools folder and you will see monitor.bat
Just run it
on a side note
run
adb shell stop
and see what happens
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright. When I run "Monitor.bat" it pops up a window asking me to "Provide the path to the Android SDK" - What shall I enter here?
And regarding the "adb shell stop" command - when should I enter that? Just right now, while it's sitting on the blank screen?
PsyintZ said:
Alright. When I run "Monitor.bat" it pops up a window asking me to "Provide the path to the Android SDK" - What shall I enter here?
And regarding the "adb shell stop" command - when should I enter that? Just right now, while it's sitting on the blank screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes right now when sitting on blank screen ...
The path to android sdk is path to desktop where you extracted the folder ...
karandpr said:
yes right now when sitting on blank screen ...
The path to android sdk is path to desktop where you extracted the folder ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay. After running the "adb shell stop" command - it appeared that nothing happened. It just went back to the standard "C:\adb>" line.
And after pointing Monitor to my desktop/tools folder, it said that wasn't a valid path. So I searched my computer for "sdk" and it found a folder with that label in Users/AppData/Local/Android/sdk - so I pointed it to that. After doing this, it ran and showed my device in the column to the left, but at the bottom it said it could not connect, and kept trying saying "Attempt 1 (Failed)... Attempt 2 (Failed).. etc..." - so I closed it, and then closed all of my other windows (including my ADB command prompt) in case any of those would be causing a conflict. And now upon re-opening it, it longer lists my device in that column on the left. Just my luck - I already broke it.
PsyintZ said:
Okay. After running the "adb shell stop" command - it appeared that nothing happened. It just went back to the standard "C:\adb>" line.
And after pointing Monitor to my desktop/tools folder, it said that wasn't a valid path. So I searched my computer for "sdk" and it found a folder with that label in Users/AppData/Local/Android/sdk - so I pointed it to that. After doing this, it ran and showed my device in the column to the left, but at the bottom it said it could not connect, and kept trying saying "Attempt 1 (Failed)... Attempt 2 (Failed).. etc..." - so I closed it, and then closed all of my other windows (including my ADB command prompt) in case any of those would be causing a conflict. And now upon re-opening it, it longer lists my device in that column on the left. Just my luck - I already broke it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try rebooting phone ....
If you get android shell again
do
adb shell
$ stop
$ start

I deleted an important application on my rooted phone

Note: I'm new to XDA, so I've basically made no posts so far. I tried posting this under HTC Bolt/Evo 10, but since I have not made the 10 post threshold yet, I cannot post there, so I just made the post here. If this post needs to be relocated please let me know.
After rooting my phone (HTC Bolt), I foolishly deleted some bloatware applications without backing them up. One of them was TouchPal, a preinstalled keyboard app. I didn't think this would be much of a problem because I already had it disabled in settings and was using a separate keyboard app for other purposes.
However, when I restart my phone, it always asks me to type my pin and "decrypt" the phone. I'm not sure why it does this (previous cell phone didn't), but apparently (this is only a theory) it uses this keyboard application, so I can't actually type my PIN in to decrypt my phone.
I could be completely wrong, and I might have accidentally deleted some other important file from my phone, but either way, I don't know how to fix my phone right now.
I did a bit of research and found out I was supposed to flash a ROM onto my device. However, I don't think I can even connect my device to my computer because normally I would have to enable USB debugging and file transfers.
So basically: is there a way to connect my phone to my computer that would allow me to do whatever is necessary to let me access my phone again? (also should I be flashing a completely new ROM? I should still have everything on my phone except a couple bloatware applications, so is there an easier workaround?)
Update: I got my phone to connect to my PC by booting it in recovery mode. I'll delete this thread if I can successfully flash a ROM.
Hey!
You have already rooted your phone - perfekt!
Now you can start to your bootloader and from there you can flash a twrp recovery if you haven't yet.
If you didn't, there are many tutorials how to do: google: your phone flash custom recovery via fastboot mode
If you have done this - you can easily backup your data with twrp recovery (I think twrp is the best)
After you have done this you can make a full whipe of your system.
If you have done this maybe the failure isnt anymore, but now you have no code to unlock! If the app is still not there - go to apkmirror.com and download the app(there are even system apps). Or just google "xxx.apk download"
After this you can restore your data from twrp!
Summary:
1. Flash recovery. Via fastboot mode
2. Restore your data via recovery
3. Full Wipe
4. Restart
5. If app is still not there - search for APK and install
6. Reboot to recovery (e.g. volume up and home at starting phone, google...)
7. Restore data
8. Restart to system.
I don't know if this Is work, but it's worth to try.
If this don't work: you can transfer data from phone to PC via fastboot mode and then you can flash custom ROM or stock rom,...
I hope this works!
Greets
Ksa
Ksawerion said:
Hey!
You have already rooted your phone - perfekt!
Now you can start to your bootloader and from there you can flash a twrp recovery if you haven't yet.
If you didn't, there are many tutorials how to do: google: your phone flash custom recovery via fastboot mode
If you have done this - you can easily backup your data with twrp recovery (I think twrp is the best)
After you have done this you can make a full whipe of your system.
If you have done this maybe the failure isnt anymore, but now you have no code to unlock! If the app is still not there - go to apkmirror.com and download the app(there are even system apps). Or just google "xxx.apk download"
After this you can restore your data from twrp!
Summary:
1. Flash recovery. Via fastboot mode
2. Restore your data via recovery
3. Full Wipe
4. Restart
5. If app is still not there - search for APK and install
6. Reboot to recovery (e.g. volume up and home at starting phone, google...)
7. Restore data
8. Restart to system.
I don't know if this Is work, but it's worth to try.
If this don't work: you can transfer data from phone to PC via fastboot mode and then you can flash custom ROM or stock rom,...
I hope this works!
Greets
Ksa
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. How would I install the apk onto my device?
ztcfrank123 said:
Thanks for the reply. How would I install the apk onto my device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I remember an easier way.
Maybe you can install app via ADB in recovery mode.
Therefore you need:
custom recovery
ADB tools installed on your PC
USB Driver installed
The APK downloaded from here: https://www.apkmirror.com/?post_type=app_release&searchtype=apk&s=TouchPal
If you have done this - reboot to recovery.
Navigate on your PC to the adb tools folder where adb.exe is in it. Open CMD with right click on address line.
Then write in CMD:
adb devices
If your phone is found, adb commands are working.
Then copy the APK in the folder where adb.exe is in it.
Type in CMD:
adb push xxx.apk /system/app(the address where you delete apk)
So maybe this works
So first check:
- custom recovery flashed?
- adb tools installed?
- USB driver installed?
If you have further questions, let me know.
KSA
Ksawerion said:
Type in CMD:
adb push xxx.apk /system/app(the address where you delete apk)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How would I find out the address where I deleted the apk? I already had adb, USB drivers, and custom recovery installed.
ztcfrank123 said:
How would I find out the address where I deleted the apk? I already had adb, USB drivers, and custom recovery installed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you delete the files?
Nice, then boot into recovery start CMD where you adb is installed and write" adb devices"
Do you see your device?
Ksawerion said:
How did you delete the files?
Nice, then boot into recovery start CMD where you adb is installed and write" adb devices"
Do you see your device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The files were deleted within the phone itself through Titanium Backup, so I have no idea where the file location is. As of now, I can adb push the apk, but I don't know where to push it to.
ztcfrank123 said:
The files were deleted within the phone itself through Titanium Backup, so I have no idea where the file location is. As of now, I can adb push the apk, but I don't know where to push it to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The now try:
adb remount
adb push Xxx.apk /system/app
adb shell chmod 644 /system/app/xxx.apk
adb reboot
Ksawerion said:
The now try:
adb remount
adb push Xxx.apk /system/app
adb shell chmod 644 /system/app/xxx.apk
adb reboot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the late reply.
The command "adb shell chmod 644 /system/app/xxx.apk" doesn't work for some reason. It says it is not a directory. (I changed the name from xxx to the actual apk name by the way)
ztcfrank123 said:
Sorry for the late reply.
The command "adb shell chmod 644 /system/app/xxx.apk" doesn't work for some reason. It says it is not a directory. (I changed the name from xxx to the actual apk name by the way)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay then forget this command and only try 'adb push' command, and restart phone maybe it works. Merry Christmas bre
Ksawerion said:
Okay then forget this command and only try 'adb push' command, and restart phone maybe it works. Merry Christmas bre
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah... I already tried that. Also I tried a bunch of other adb commands like deleting the file and it couldn't find the directory either .
Merry Christmas to you too!
ztcfrank123 said:
Yeah... I already tried that. Also I tried a bunch of other adb commands like deleting the file and it couldn't find the directory either .
Merry Christmas to you too!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was pushing successful? What says CMD after 'adb push'?

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