Whole Story:
I'm on a i337m Canadian S4 - Comes with Bootloader unlocked.
Last night I clicked "Format Data" by mistake in the newest TWRP - Lost everything - Could not do anything - flashing Roms did not work, so I downloaded a complete Restore of 4.2.2 from Sammobile and Odin 3.0.7 and was going to flash it back to stock.
About 1/2 way through the flash, something failed regarding a partition - Now my phone will not do anything other than display the below screen. It does not load a recovery, it does not go into download mode. Kies does not detect the phone anymore.
What can I do? Anything?
I'm so depressed over this.
bigystyle84 said:
Whole Story:
I'm on a i337m Canadian S4 - Comes with Bootloader unlocked.
Last night I clicked "Format Data" by mistake in the newest TWRP - Lost everything - Could not do anything - flashing Roms did not work, so I downloaded a complete Restore of 4.2.2 from Sammobile and Odin 3.0.7 and was going to flash it back to stock.
About 1/2 way through the flash, something failed regarding a partition - Now my phone will not do anything other than display the below screen. It does not load a recovery, it does not go into download mode. Kies does not detect the phone anymore.
What can I do? Anything?
I'm so depressed over this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Format data will do nothing other than restore to factory settings, it should boot straight after.
winwiz said:
Format data will do nothing other than restore to factory settings, it should boot straight after.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I've read, Format Data using the newest version of TWRP deletes everything, causing everything not to work and is some sort of bug.
The ODIN Flash then failed after too.
I have the i337M Canadian version with the S600 Qualcomm
I've flashed via Odin dozens of times before with my previous Note II / S3 - never had one fail.
bigystyle84 said:
From what I've read, Format Data using the newest version of TWRP deletes everything, causing everything not to work and is some sort of bug.
The ODIN Flash then failed after too.
I have the i337M Canadian version with the S600 Qualcomm
I've flashed via Odin dozens of times before with my previous Note II / S3 - never had one fail.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does adb detect the phone?
kingzain900 said:
Does adb detect the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure - I can see when I get home.
Can a cable cause this? I am not using the Cable that came with the phone - That wasn't included when I bought it. I'm using a Sony Cable from a Xperia T I used to own.
Why did the Odin flash fail to begin with?
Why did Format Data in TWRP cause all this to happen?
bigystyle84 said:
I'm not sure - I can see when I get home.
Can a cable cause this? I am not using the Cable that came with the phone - That wasn't included when I bought it. I'm using a Sony Cable from a Xperia T I used to own.
Why did the Odin flash fail to begin with?
Why did Format Data in TWRP cause all this to happen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can also ask Does god exist and what is the meaning of life.
Haha. I don't know. Such rethorical questions.
The cable matters because the other cable might not push enough current. Not sure. About the rest I have no idea. TWRP has a bug that's for sure. I don't use it. Check what adb says.
RESOLVED!!!
Tried my Laptop running Windows 7, and switched the cable. Also tried ODIN 1.85 instead of 3.07
Finally! This version of ODIN recongizes my phone.
3rd Attempt at flashing the firmware worked. The first TWO times failed.
Once it flashed, it froze, but factory rest has me back to Stock.
Now - to avoid that format Data button in TWRP, think I'll be giving CWM a try for the first time in years. Need me some Google Edition.
bigystyle84 said:
RESOLVED!!!
Tried my Laptop running Windows 7, and switched the cable. Also tried ODIN 1.85 instead of 3.07
Finally! This version of ODIN recongizes my phone.
3rd Attempt at flashing the firmware worked. The first TWO times failed.
Once it flashed, it froze, but factory rest has me back to Stock.
Now - to avoid that format Data button in TWRP, think I'll be giving CWM a try for the first time in years. Need me some Google Edition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wiping data, opposed to Formatting data.
TWRP FAQ
What to Wipe in TWRP
If you are switching ROMs (changing from one ROM to a completely different one) then you should perform a factory reset. A factory reset wipes data and cache (which includes dalvik cache). A factory reset will also wipe sd-ext and android_secure if your device has those items. 99% of the time, this is all that you need to wipe and you only need to do it once, not three times as some people would lead you to believe.
If you're installing a nightly update, then oftentimes you don't need to wipe anything at all. However, if you encounter strange behavior, then you may want to consider performing a factory reset. Of course, if the ROM maker recommends that you do a factory reset during an update, then it's a good idea to follow their recommendation.
The vast majority of ROMs wipe system as part of the zip install. This means that in most cases you do not need to wipe system... ever.
At this point, cache (not dalvik cache) is primarily used for recovery. It's used to store the recovery log and for storing OTA (Over The Air) updates. You probably don't need to wipe cache, and cache is already wiped as part of a factory reset.
In most ROMs, dalvik cache is stored in the data partition, so if you do a factory reset, you've also wiped dalvik cache. In a few custom ROMs, especially on older devices with small data partitions, the ROM maker may have moved dalvik to the cache partition to provide you with more room for apps. Since we wipe cache with a factory reset, again, you probably don't need to wipe dalvik. There are a few situations where you may need to wipe dalvik cache when installing updates, but you will know that it's needed when you are greeted with force closes when trying to open some apps.
Depending on your device and its configuration, you may have options for wiping internal storage, external storage, sd-ext, android_secure, and/or an option for formatting data. There's almost no reason that you would ever need to use these items. These options are there for convenience. For instance, if you're getting ready to sell your device, then it's a good idea to wipe everything on the device so that the new owner doesn't get your private data. Note that these wipe options may not be completely destructive. If you store especially sensitive information on your device or are really concerned about your private data, then you may need to look into other options to ensure that your data is fully destroyed.
norml said:
Wiping data, opposed to Formatting data.
TWRP FAQ
What to Wipe in TWRP
If you are switching ROMs (changing from one ROM to a completely different one) then you should perform a factory reset. A factory reset wipes data and cache (which includes dalvik cache). A factory reset will also wipe sd-ext and android_secure if your device has those items. 99% of the time, this is all that you need to wipe and you only need to do it once, not three times as some people would lead you to believe.
If you're installing a nightly update, then oftentimes you don't need to wipe anything at all. However, if you encounter strange behavior, then you may want to consider performing a factory reset. Of course, if the ROM maker recommends that you do a factory reset during an update, then it's a good idea to follow their recommendation.
The vast majority of ROMs wipe system as part of the zip install. This means that in most cases you do not need to wipe system... ever.
At this point, cache (not dalvik cache) is primarily used for recovery. It's used to store the recovery log and for storing OTA (Over The Air) updates. You probably don't need to wipe cache, and cache is already wiped as part of a factory reset.
In most ROMs, dalvik cache is stored in the data partition, so if you do a factory reset, you've also wiped dalvik cache. In a few custom ROMs, especially on older devices with small data partitions, the ROM maker may have moved dalvik to the cache partition to provide you with more room for apps. Since we wipe cache with a factory reset, again, you probably don't need to wipe dalvik. There are a few situations where you may need to wipe dalvik cache when installing updates, but you will know that it's needed when you are greeted with force closes when trying to open some apps.
Depending on your device and its configuration, you may have options for wiping internal storage, external storage, sd-ext, android_secure, and/or an option for formatting data. There's almost no reason that you would ever need to use these items. These options are there for convenience. For instance, if you're getting ready to sell your device, then it's a good idea to wipe everything on the device so that the new owner doesn't get your private data. Note that these wipe options may not be completely destructive. If you store especially sensitive information on your device or are really concerned about your private data, then you may need to look into other options to ensure that your data is fully destroyed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks - I realize this and am installing TWRP as we speak. (I just prefer it)
I was actually reading the Complete Guide in the general section and saw under CWM install that you need to format data between switching Roms.. I never actually did this ever with previous phones. Completely my fault for reading the CWM part, not the TWRP part, right under neath. I thought the Format Data was something S4 specific since this is my 2nd day with the device.
I'm now rooted with TWRP back on.
Might be a stupid question, but anyone know how to do this? I want to only keep PSX And neo with no other data on it (Such as games that require downloaded data, apps and etc). Wiping data on CWM doesn't wipe everything (Yes I did cache and dalvik as well), would wiping the sdcard wipe everything and leave the ROM? Hopefully someone can help, thanks
Also, if the only way of wiping brings me back to stock/unrooted, would I still have CWM installed to install custom ROMs and such still?
These are the wipes you are looking for:
1. wipe data/factory reset
2. wipe cache partition
3. mounts and storage > format sdcard
4. advanced > wipe dalvik cache
That should leave you with a empty/clean internal sd card, no data (apps, settings, etc.), and your current rom and kernel.
if you want to completely wipe everything and go back to stock Android, just use one of the toolkit and flash stock image. it will wipe everything in the phone.
Or just fast boot the images including the userdata file it'll erase the entire phone memory. Toolkits are convenient but you should know how to use fastboot too it saved me when my recovery wouldn't boot and there was no ROM on the phone.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Hello,
i want to flash an Custom Rom with Mobile Odin Pro, without tripping my Knox.
After the flash, how can i wipe data, system, dalvik cache and cache, with the stock recovery?
I dont want to do a factory reset, because my internel sd card is full and i have no time to copy it on my laptop.
Thx a lot!
I just rooted my phone yesterday and I tried to delete a TWRP backup that was on my internal memory. I was unable to find out how to do it and set permissions in TWRP, which caused my phone to start booting with unable to start messages and a black screen. I tried restoring a backup and I wiped and restored, both have still same issue.
So at the moment I can start TWRP or factory reset, but as of yet, I cannot restore my backup.
When I backed up the phone I didn't select everything, I left out data.
Since you didn't backup your data, they are a few options. Wipe dalvik and cache from recovery, dirty flash a rom, clean flash a rom.
metalfan78 said:
Since you didn't backup your data, they are a few options. Wipe dalvik and cache from recovery, dirty flash a rom, clean flash a rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was using an old version of twrp. I updated to 2.8.6.0 and it all works now, thanks.
Hi,
I've recently done a succesful flash of Blisspop after a full wipe.
Now I want to update, but I don't want to do a full wipe. Simply installing the zip on-top gives a permanent booting screen. Can you update without starting from scratch?
Did you wipe cache & dalvik after flashing updated zip?
I did not. Is that the only required extra step? And will I lose data if I do so?
Kalenden said:
I did not. Is that the only required extra step? And will I lose data if I do so?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you only lose data when you wipe the data partition
In recovery, you'll see different named partitions, cache, dalvik cache, system, data, etc etc
If you wipe System, you wipe the ROM
If you wipe Data, you wipe your user data
Caches are just temp partitions, safe to wipe any time, only side effect is a longer first boot as Android needs to re-cache everything
But yes, you do need to wipe the caches when updating to a newer version of the same ROM/Droid version, and no you won't lose your data
Here's how I do it:
Wipe System
Wipe Caches
Flash new ROM
Flash new Gapps
Flash SuperSU if needed
Wipe Caches again
Reboot
Result = New ROM with no loss of data
That's a clean flash, a dirty flash is how you did it without wiping System
If you are moving to a newer version of android, or a different ROM, wiping data becomes more necessary, especially if the move is to an older version of droid
Thanks. I'll try it out.