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This thread is aimed for those who are new, or in the dark about the terminologies used throughout this forum. I do hope it will in some way or another enlighten you, and help make understanding what you read much easier:
Ill start off below with some basic terminology of the android platform, and also some file types:
Common Terminology
adb: Android Debug Bridge, a versatile tool lets you manage the state of an emulator instance or Android-powered device
ADK: Android Development Kit, What people use to develop anything for the droid such as ROM's
Baseband: In communications and signal processing, the baseband describes signals and systems whose range of the frequencies measured from close to 0 hertz to a cut-off frequency, a maximum bandwidth or highest signal frequency; it is sometimes used to describe frequencies starting close to zero
Boot Loader: State in which the droid can be flashed from RSD with an appropriate .sdk file that reprograms the phone into a specific ROM or update. This is typically a last resort when the recovery screen cannot be reached to make a much simpler and less risky solution
Boot Loop: simply means something is preventing the phone from completing it's boot cycle and is stuck between the boot animation and the unlock screen, creating a looped animation. This is often fixed by either reloading a Nandroid, or Reflashing a rom from the Boot Loader.
Brick or Bricked: Jargon for a completely unrecoverable device, (no more than a brick or paperweight)
Bug or Software Bug: an Error or flaw in software that produces a failure or unexpected/unwanted result. Typically created from incorrect code, this is why some ROMs are better and smoother running than others because certain developers have taken the time to input "perfect" code
Busybox: BusyBox is a single multicall binary that packages the functionality of most widely used standard Unix tools, BusyBox provides a fairly complete environment for any small or embedded system.
ClockworkMod: A recovery program that is often used to apply updates, ROMs, or create a back up or restore a backup file
De-odex: Apk files have respective odexes that devs use to supposedly save space. Deodexing means you convert it back to a .dex file and put it back inside the apk. This allows you to easily replace files (not having to worry about odexes), but the main point was to deodex services.jar so that you can change all text to different colors (such as the clock color to white) and to deodex services.jar, you need to deodex everything.
Dev. or Developer: An individual that creates, or alters a file in such a manner as to advance the program
Flash or Flash Memory: a program technology that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed
Kernel: The governor of the CPU usage and Battery output, one can upload certain Kernels to achieve greater performance speed of their device at the cost of some battery life
Nandroid or Nandroid Backup: A file typically created in the custom recovery program, such as SPRecovery, that is a carbon copy of whatever state your phone is in before a drastic change is made. the file then can be moved onto or off of the SD card for later use in case something should go wrong in the ROM or Update, or a Boot Loop occurs
OS: Operating system, I.E. Windows Vista or MAC or ANDROID
Overclocking: Speeding up the CPU past the factory presets to achieve a faster and more responsive device
ROM: Read Only Memory, a program used to make changes to anything from the look of the home screen, to icons to custom boot animation
Root: Common word associated with giving a user "super user" access to their phones programming and other various aspects that would normally not be possible, also known as "Jailbroken" for iPhone's
Shell or SSH: secure shell or ssh is a network protocol that allows data to be exchanged using a secure channel between two networked devices
SPR or SPRecovery: A recovery program that is often used to apply updates, ROMs, or create a back up or restore a backup file
Stock: Simply means an unaltered state, such as when you first purchase your phone from Verizon, or when you do a factory reset. Current stock image is Android 2.2 (Froyo)
SU: "Super user", or root permissions
Theme: A set of icons, backgrounds and app trays that change the ascthetics of the overall look of the droid and its applications
TUN/TAP: Refers to a network Tunnel, operates within layer 3 packets, or ip packets. Packets sent by a system via a TUN/TAP device are delivered to a user-space program that attaches itself to the device. A user space program may also pass packets into a TUN/TAP device. In this case TUN/TAP device delivers (or "injects") these packets to the operating system's network stack thus emulating their reception from an external source.
Underclocking: Slowing down the CPU mainly to limit battery usage
File types:
.apk or APK's: An .apk file extension denotes an Android Package (APK) file, an .apk file can be opened and inspected using common archive tools
.sbf: Summation Briefcase File
.tar: Similar to a zip file, a tar file archives multiple files into one file
.tgz: TGZ files are commonly used as install packages for Slackware Linux.
.zip: Zipped file used to archive multiple files into one to save space and allow for single download
Reference Source: http://developer.android.com/guide/appendix/glossary.html
Understanding Root Terms & Procedures
Understanding ROM’s and builds
A ROM is essentially a custom version of Android. They are developed by independent geniuses smarter than you and me. Each tweaks, combines, or optimizes Android to offer something standard versions lack. Within ROM’s, you have what are known as builds (basic branches of Android code) that offer certain features and characteristics.
Think of it as a crude metaphor for Microsoft Windows. There’s XP, Vista, and Windows 7. All three are Windows operating systems and can typically run the same programs, but there are major differences between them. Within each OS, there’s further distinction between Vista Home, Vista Pro, and Vista Ultimate. Likewise, one ROM can spawn multiple versions. For instance, there are several flavors of Drake’s Hero ROM..
Each developer creates his ROM with its own purpose and feature set. Just because something works in Cyanogen’s ROM doesn’t mean it can work in Drake’s (or more specifically that they want to implement the feature at all).
Be advised that some ROM’s require a wipe (erases all information stored on your phone) before or after installation. This is done when you enter the recovery mode and perform a “factory data reset.” Developers will say if a wipe is necessary whenever you flash (load/install) a ROM
Where To Download ROMs
You’ll notice that ROM threads begin with the “[ROM]” tag. you can download them from here ALWAYS read the instructions before attempting to load a ROM. Each contains critical instructions or requirements that can cause big trouble if not followed correctly. Be sure to read change logs/release notes (plainly stated notes written by developers to explain updates). They will reveal important information and point out new features.
Before loading a ROM, perform a backup!
Using Recovery images and Nandroid back-ups
You may remember the recovery image from the one-click process. You’ll also use the recovery image to change ROM’s, apply themes, backup your phone state, and perform other functions. To launch the recovery image, turn off your phone and reboot by pressing Home and Power at the same time.
Performing a backup is typically a good idea when you enter the recovery image to load a ROM. I try to backup my phone at least once every 3 times I update to a new ROM. Nandroid will backup your phone’s state, allowing you to return to the settings/state saved to your SD card. If something goes wrong, it can be your best friend. The Cyanogen recovery image that came with one-click thankfully has Nandroid built-in, allowing easy backup/restore.
Credit to Androinica (Reference Source): http://androinica.com/2009/09/how-to-understand-android-root-terms-and-procedures/
Saved for Future Posts
Nice post for green-hand.
Thanks for taking the time to set this one up.
ur most welcome. if you have any additional information that u see fit to be added on, or any mistakes that need correction, please feel free to PM me
★★★★[INFO]ANDROID ROM & How they Work★★★★
Parts of a ROM
i. The kernel.
Android (like many other Smartphone operating systems) runs on the Linux kernel. The Linux kernel was created in the early 1990’s by a gentleman named Linus Torvalds in Helsinki, Finland. It’s incredibly stable, incredibly friendly, and incredibly difficult for the layman to understand and modify. Thankfully it’s also very popular so it has been ported on to a multitude of hardware, including our Android devices.
Think of the kernel as an interface layer between the hardware and software on your device. The kernel decides when things happen, such as the LED indicator gets lit or when the soft button's LED gets lit. An application sends a request to the operating system to blink the LED. The operating system then sends the request to the kernel, which makes the light flash for the amount of time requested by the OS.
What sounds like a round-about way to get things done is also what makes the system so scalable and robust. Application developers only have to code in a way the operating system understands and the kernel makes it work on the hardware. This also keeps the application running in it’s own user-space and separate from the kernel. That means when you run the latest uber-cool app that wasn’t designed for your particular OS version, or is still very beta and it crashes, the kernel gives you the option to Force Close the application and the kernel can run untouched.
In a standard Android ROM (we will leave developer images and the like for another discussion) the kernel is bundled along with a set of instructions that tell the device how to load the kernel and the OS during boot. This is the boot.img that you see inside a zipped ROM that your not able to easily open. The device knows to extract this image to internal memory (the ramdisk) and follow a series of scripts (init scripts) to load the kernel and then the other portions of the OS. That’s what’s happening while you’re watching the boot animation. Interestingly enough this is done the same way for a PC, your smartphone, an Android tablet, or even a smart Linux powered toaster. If you’re feeling exceptionally geeky, plug your Android phone into the USB port on your PC and let the PC boot from the USB device. No, it doesn’t actually load, but you can watch the animation while it tries to match up the hardware support with what’s inside your PC. As I said, Linux is amazingly scalable and as a result so is Android.
What is a kernel? If you spend any time reading Android forums, blogs, how-to posts or online discussion you'll soon hear people talking about the kernel. A kernel isn't something unique to Android -- iOS and MacOS have one, Windows has one, BlackBerry's QNX has one, in fact all high level operating systems have one. The one we're interested in is Linux, as it's the one Android uses. Let's try to break down what it is and what it does.
Android devices use the Linux kernel, but it's not the exact same kernel other Linux-based operating systems use. There's a lot of Android specific code built in, and Google's Android kernel maintainers have their work cut out for them. OEMs have to contribute as well, because they need to develop hardware drivers for the parts they're using for the kernel version they're using. This is why it takes a while for independent Android developers and hackers to port new versions to older devices and get everything working. Drivers written to work with the Gingerbread kernel on a phone won't necessarily work with the Ice Cream Sandwich kernel. And that's important, because one of the kernel's main functions is to control the hardware. It's a whole lot of source code, with more options while building it than you can imagine, but in the end it's just the intermediary between the hardware and the software.
When software needs the hardware to do anything, it sends a request to the kernel. And when we say anything, we mean anything. From the brightness of the screen, to the volume level, to initiating a call through the radio, even what's drawn on the display is ultimately controlled by the kernel. For example -- when you tap the search button on your phone, you tell the software to open the search application. What happens is that you touched a certain point on the digitizer, which tells the software that you've touched the screen at those coordinates. The software knows that when that particular spot is touched, the search dialog is supposed to open. The kernel is what tells the digitizer to look (or listen, events are "listened" for) for touches, helps figure out where you touched, and tells the system you touched it. In turn, when the system receives a touch event at a specific point from the kernel (through the driver) it knows what to draw on your screen. Both the hardware and the software communicate both ways with the kernel, and that's how your phone knows when to do something. Input from one side is sent as output to the other, whether it's you playing Angry Birds, or connecting to your car's Bluetooth.
It sounds complicated, and it is. But it's also pretty standard computer logic -- there's an action of some sort generated for every event. Without the kernel to accept and send information, developers would have to write code for every single event for every single piece of hardware in your device. With the kernel, all they have to do is communicate with it through the Android system API's, and hardware developers only have to make the device hardware communicate with the kernel. The good thing is that you don't need to know exactly how or why the kernel does what it does, just understanding that it's the go-between from software to hardware gives you a pretty good grasp of what's happening under the glass. Sort of gives a whole new outlook towards those fellows who stay up all night to work on kernels for your phone, doesn't it?
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ii. The operating system.
Once the kernel is loaded, the init scripts tell the Operating System to load. Android is the user interface for a custom built Java virtual machine called Dalvik. Dalvik was written by Dan Bornstein, who named it after the fishing village of Dalvik in Iceland, where his family originated from. The debate of which Java VM is superior is best left for another discussion, so I’ll simply say that DalvikVM is a register-based machine versus true JavaVMs which are stack based.
The Dalvik machine creates executable files (.dex files) which can be interpreted by the OS and run by the end user. These .dex files are OS version dependant. That simply means that applications and core functions built to work with one version of Android may or may not work well with other versions. Google provides the tools through it’s Software Development Kit (SDK) for applications to communicate with the OS.
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iii. Core functions.
No smartphone would be complete without a set of functions that allow the device to be used as intended. Things like the phone and dialer interface, the calendar, the messaging system are core functions of the Operating System. In Android, these are run on top of the kernel as separate applications. The merits (or lack of) of providing these needed functions as separate applications is once again best left for another discussion, but this is what allows developers like HTC or Motorola to replace the standard functions with alternatives that provide a different look and feel from stock. HTC’s onscreen keyboard or Motorola’s MotoBlur contact list are great examples of this. The “little guy” isn’t left out of the mix either. Handcent SMS or Chomp SMS can integrate into the OS very well, as most of us already know.
An additional set of Core Functions are provided by Google. Popularly called GoogleBits, things like Gmail, sync, Gtalk and the Android Market are applications written by Google that give an extra set of useful functions to the OS. You’ll find these on all smartphones, as well as many other Android devices.
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iv. Optional applications.
These are applications provided by the manufacturer to give the device even more usability. Things like the Amazon MP3 store, PDF readers, Corporate Calendar etc. allow you to do even more with your device. Remember - Droid Does
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B. How is a ROM packaged?
In most cases a ROM will come packaged in a .zip file. The recovery image’s kernel (yes, it has one too!) has the ability to unzip and copy the contents into the correct place. Inside this zip file is a folder (META-INF\com\google\android\) that contains a script prepared by the ROM “cooker” (another of those techie terms - it means the person(s) who developed the ROM) that tells the system what to format, what to copy and where, and any file operations that need to be done. Each device does things a bit differently, but this script is where it all gets done. More on this folder later.
You’ll also see a /system folder. This is the meat of the ROM. It has the necessary OS files, the Core functions, and any optional applications the cooker decided to include. The folder is structured the same way it is on your device - /system/app, /system/framework, etc. The whole tree is usually copied over and the existing /system folder is overwritten. The cooker uses the script to tell the kernel to erase the existing system folder, copy the new folder over, and set the file permissions.
Sometimes you will also see a data folder. This usually is space set up for optional applications, including optional system tools like busybox or SuperUser white list. These applications could be placed in the /system folder, but placing them in the data folder makes it easier for the end user (you and I) to remove or update them as needed.
You’ll also notice a META-INF folder. This contains the update script we talked about earlier, as well as secure keys that need to be provided so the device knows the update can be trusted. A special note needs made here. Trusted means that the update is trusted to be in the correct form to load the device. It in no way means the ROM is safe from malicious code. Anyone is able to use a set of test keys and create a ROM that will flash and run your device - even those people with bad intentions. Flashing and running a custom 3rd party ROM is putting faith in the cooker that he or she not only knows what they are doing, but are honest as well. Also, some Motorola custom ROMs will have a small update.zip stored inside this folder to be run on first boot of the device.
Finally we are left with the boot.img file. This is the kernel and ramdisk image we discussed earlier. Your phone copies this over to be decompressed and run when the device boots.
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2. How do I install a ROM?
In this section we’re discussing how to install a custom 3rd party ROM. ROMs from the manufacturer usually have a utility that runs on your PC to flash and load the new image.
A. Got Root???
Yes ?:good:!!!
Custom ROM’s simply will not load on devices that aren’t rooted. In theory, it may be possible to sign a 3rd party ROM with the keys that the stock recovery image will flash, but for the most part you need to have flashed a custom recovery image before you can change your device’s ROM. Instructions and tutorials on how to root your device are all over the internet. Some are good, some are bad. The hacking forum is a great place to go and learn more about rooting and how to successfully get it done on your device.
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B. Recovery
Most Android devices have had a custom recovery image written for them. This will overwrite the stock recovery image, allowing you to flash 3rd party ROMs as well as giving extra functionality. Help with finding and flashing the custom recovery image for your device can also be found in the hacking forum. The installation of a custom recovery image also allows for a very important function. Backup and restore.
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.C. Nandroid
Nandroid is a set of bash scripts and code written by that copies the state of your system and stores it in a folder on your SD card. You can then use the restore function of Nandroid to restore to this point at any time. This is a priceless feature and reason enough to root your phone. It’s included by default in most custom recovery images, and the code is freely available to use if you’re inclined to write your own recovery image.
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In most situations, using Nandroid to back everything up is easy:
1. Verify you have a memory card with enough free space (~300MB to backup, ~500MB to restore).
2. Reboot your device into recovery. It’s slightly different for each device, once again hacking forum FTW!
3. Navigate through the menu and select the Nandroid Backup function.
4. Apply your choice and wait for the device to tell you it’s finished.
It’s always good practice to copy the entire nandroid folder from your SD card to a safe place. You can then copy it back to the SD card if the card is ever damaged, lost or erased.
D. Copy and Flash
You’re rooted, have downloaded a custom ROM, have your system backed up and are now ready to flash your device. This is not nearly as scary as it sounds.
1. Mount your SD card to your PC, and copy the .zip file to the root folder of the card. Don’t unzip the file, and don’t look for a folder called root. The root folder in this case means the base folder, what you will see when you mount your card to a PC or the device.
2. Reboot your phone into recovery.
3. Navigate through the recovery menu and select the flash update option. Depending on your recovery image, the file may need to be named update.zip, or you may be able to select any zip file on your card as long as it’s the correct format. The cooker knows this as well and if the ROM needs to be named update.zip it will be.
4. Apply your choice and wait for your device to tell you it’s finished.
5. Reboot.
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It’s worth noting that many times a new ROM will require that you wipe and factory reset your devices data. While inconvenient, it’s often necessary to get rid of the old data as it may be incompatible. As long as you’re using the cloud for calendar and contacts, they will be re- downloaded and stored back on your device automatically.
Dirty flash and Clean flash
A dirty flash is only wiping cache and davlik then flashing your ROM....
a Clean flash is at LEAST factory reset/data wipe + wiping davlik(factory wipe takes care of /cache also)... Maybe doing a format /system also.
***Odin***
Odin is the ROM Flashing Tool for SAMSUNG smartphones. ROM files flashable with Odin come with .tar extension.
Most of the ROMs you are going to flash with Odin are the official stock Samsung ROMs (or leaked stock ROMs). Custom ROMs are rerely flashable by Odin because they come with .zip extension that Odin does not recognize (it recognizes .tar files).
Custom kernels, however, are sometimes provided in .tar format by their developers (e.g. CF-Root kernels), so that they can be flashed by Odin. When your phone is new and running official firmware you most often cannot flash a custom ROM to it because a Samsung phone often requires a custom recovery and root rights that are included in a custom kernel to be able to flash custom ROMs. That's why Odin often comes in handy in rooting and flashing a custom firmware to your phone because you (often) can flash a custom kernel with it that already includes root and custom recovery and enables you to flash custom firmware (custom ROMs). I use the word "often" very frequently in the previous sentence because every Samsung smartphone is different and requires various procedures for rooting it and flashing custom ROMs (see the section about using Odin below).
If it comes to stock ROMs, the best source of stock (official) Samsung ROM files is located at this excellent website: SamMobile.com/firmwares (link). It requires registration (it's free) and I encourage you to set up an account there because you will most likely use this site several times during your stay at XDA. You will most likely come across 1 .tar or 3 .tar file ROMs there, flashable by Odin. Refer to the Odin flashing guide below for more info.
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****Heimdall****
What is Heimdall?
Heimdall is a cross-platform open-source tool suite used to flash ROMs onto Samsung Galaxy S devices.
How does it work?
Heimdall uses the same protocol as Odin to interact with a device in download mode. USB communication in Heimdall is handled by the popular open-source USB library, libusb-1.0.
Why “Heimdall”?
The flashing software Odin is named after the king of gods in Norse mythology. Loke, the software component on the Galaxy S that provides functionality to flash, may also to be named after an important character in Norse mythology, often translated as Loki. As such I have named my flashing software Heimdall, after the Norse god, and guardian of the Bifrost Bridge.
What platforms does Heimdall run on?
Linux, OS X and Windows (XP, Vista, 7 etc.)
Why use Heimdall when we can use Odin?
Odin is generally unreliable and only runs on Windows systems. Furthermore, Odin is leaked Samsung software that is not freely available or well understood by the community.
Is Heimdall safe?
No matter what method you chose, flashing firmware onto your phone has a lot of potential for disaster. We have tested Heimdall with a variety of phones flashing several different firmware versions resulting in a 100% success rate. As such we believe that Heimdall is generally reliable. However keep in mind, just like any flashing software, Heimdall has the potential to brick your phone if not used correctly.
How do Galaxy S phones get bricked when flashing?
Besides the inherent risks like power outs, accidental removal of the USB cable etc. The Galaxy S appears to be running extremely unreliable USB control software.
A failure to flash does not automatically equate to a bricked phone. However if you're extremely unlucky and the flash fails whilst transferring the primary boot-loader, secondary boot-loader or params.lfs (all quite small) than you've got yourself a paper weight that you're hoping Samsung will replace.
Please be extremely careful mixing files from different firmware releases. Don't do so unless you're certain it will work!
What Galaxy S variants has Heimdall been tested with?
We’ve tested Heimdall with a Galaxy S GT-I9000 (8 GB) from the United Kingdom and Galaxy S GT-I9000 (16 GB) from Australia. We don’t personally have access to any other devices to test with, however users have confirmed Heimdall functions correctly with the AT&T Captivate, Bell Vibrant, Telstra GT-I9000T, Epic 4G and the Galaxy Tab.
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^
CWM Errors and Solutions
ERRORS encountered in CWM Recovery
.
What is CWM Recovery ?
ClockworkMod Recovery is a custom recovery for many Android devices. It is considered to be the most popular recovery for Android due to its easily-ported nature, and integration with ClockworkMod ROM Manager by Koush(Koushik Dutta). The easiest way to recognize it is by the printed name when it first starts, and the background logo of a gear and hat.
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ERROR STATUS 6
This is usually caused by CR/LF EOL(Windows style End Of Line) in updater-script. Change it to LF EOL(Unix Style EOL) using Linux command: dos2unix updater-script, then re-signing the ZIP, will usually fix this error.
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ERROR STATUS 7
This is usually caused by a corrupt download, or bad file signature. Re-downloading (or re-signing) the ZIP will usually fix this.
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We have been consistently seen and heard people facing error “Status 7″ error while trying to flash or install
custom ROMs or firmware packages on their Android smart phones or tablets with ClockworkMod Recovery. Many
of the users are nowadays facing this problem with CWM Recovery while flashing .zip files of modded or custom
Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) or Jelly Bean (JB) ROMs on their devices. So, you have also downloaded a custom ROM,
placed its .zip file in your phone’s or tablet’s SD card, booted into ClockworkMod Recovery, selected – “install zip
from sdcard” and then chosen the .zip file of the ROM to get it installed on your device. But instead of getting
flashed successfully, if you are facing the issue mentioned below, then just keep reading this article to find out
what’s wrong and fix up the problem :
Finding update package…
Opening update package…
Installing update…
Error in /sdcard/custom-jelly-bean-rom.zip (Status 7)
Installation aborted
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or the following error right after CWM recovery shows –
Installing update…
assert failed: getprop(“ro.product.device”) == “I9103″ || getprop(“ro.build.product”) == “I9103″ || getprop
(“ro.product.board”) == “I9103″
Error in /sdcard/android-4-1-1-ics-rom-latest.zip (status 7)
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So, if you are facing any of these errors while trying to install the desired custom ROM package on your Android
phone or tab, then you may try a various things or steps which may turn out to be the workaround of this
problem. Here are a few tips to get this “Status 7” error fixed in ClockworkMod Recovery and flash the ROM
successfully on your device :
(1) First of all, make sure your device’s bootloader is unlocked. If it is already unlocked but you are still
not able to flash the ROM, then just extract the .zip file of the ROM into a new folder, find the boot.img file from
that directory and flash it up on your phone or tablet via fastboot on your PC.
(2) Make sure that you are having the appropriate Radio or Baseband version installed on your device which is
supported by the custom ROM you are trying to flash. Most of the ROMs requires the latest version of Baseband, so
just update or upgrade your device to the latest Baseband version and then try to install the ROM once again.
(3) Update your device to the supported / latest build of official firmware before trying to install the ROM. You can
do it from – Settings > About Phone / Device > Software Update.
(4) Make sure you are having the supported or required kernel installed on your phone or tab. If it’s not, then flash
a new kernel right away and try to install your custom ROM once again.
(5) Is the ROM which you are trying to flash really works ? Find out whether it is working for other users or not.
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Error Status 0
Well sometimes while flashing some ROMs especially the cooked ones we get Error status 0 in the CWM Recovery
this error is an indicator of Wrong Update Binary.This is usually caused by an incompatible update-binary in edify ZIPs. Replacing it with a compatible one, then re-signing the ZIP, will usually fix this error.
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Partitions
Now it's time for the partitions :good:
Let’s start with a list of standard internal memory partitions on Android phones and tablets. These are:
/boot
/system
/recovery
/data
/cache
/misc
In addition, there are the SD card partitions.
/sdcard
/sd-ext
Note that only /sdcard is found in all Android devices and the rest are present only in select devices. Let’s now take a look at the purpose and contents of each of these partitions.
/boot
This is the partition that enables the phone to boot, as the name suggests. It includes the kernel and the ramdisk. Without this partition, the device will simply not be able to boot. Wiping this partition from recovery should only be done if absolutely required and once done, the device must NOT be rebooted before installing a new one, which can be done by installing a ROM that includes a /boot partition.
/system
This partition basically contains the entire operating system, other than the kernel and the ramdisk. This includes the Android user interface as well as all the system applications that come pre-installed on the device. Wiping this partition will remove Android from the device without rendering it unbootable, and you will still be able to put the phone into recovery or bootloader mode to install a new ROM.
/recovery
The recovery partition can be considered as an alternative boot partition that lets you boot the device into a recovery console for performing advanced recovery and maintenance operations on it. To learn more about this partition and its contents, see the ‘About Android Recovery’ section of our guide to ClockworkMod recovery.
/data
Also called userdata, the data partition contains the user’s data – this is where your contacts, messages, settings and apps that you have installed go. Wiping this partition essentially performs a factory reset on your device, restoring it to the way it was when you first booted it, or the way it was after the last official or custom ROM installation. When you perform a wipe data/factory reset from recovery, it is this partition that you are wiping.
/cache
This is the partition where Android stores frequently accessed data and app components. Wiping the cache doesn’t effect your personal data but simply gets rid of the existing data there, which gets automatically rebuilt as you continue using the device.
/misc
This partition contains miscellaneous system settings in form of on/off switches. These settings may include CID (Carrier or Region ID), USB configuration and certain hardware settings etc. This is an important partition and if it is corrupt or missing, several of the device’s features will will not function normally.
/sdcard
This is not a partition on the internal memory of the device but rather the SD card. In terms of usage, this is your storage space to use as you see fit, to store your media, documents, ROMs etc. on it. Wiping it is perfectly safe as long as you backup all the data you require from it, to your computer first. Though several user-installed apps save their data and settings on the SD card and wiping this partition will make you lose all that data.
On devices with both an internal and an external SD card – devices like the Samsung Galaxy S and several tablets – the /sdcard partition is always used to refer to the internal SD card. For the external SD card – if present – an alternative partition is used, which differs from device to device. In case of Samsung Galaxy S series devices, it is /sdcard/sd while in many other devices, it is /sdcard2. Unlike /sdcard, no system or app data whatsoever is stored automatically on this external SD card and everything present on it has been added there by the user. You can safely wipe it after backing up any data from it that you need to save.
/sd-ext
This is not a standard Android partition, but has become popular in the custom ROM scene. It is basically an additional partition on your SD card that acts as the /data partition when used with certain ROMs that have special features called APP2SD+ or data2ext enabled. It is especially useful on devices with little internal memory allotted to the /data partition. Thus, users who want to install more programs than the internal memory allows can make this partition and use it with a custom ROM that supports this feature, to get additional storage for installing their apps. Wiping this partition is essentially the same as wiping the /data partition – you lose your contacts, SMS, market apps and settings.
With this, we conclude our tour of Android partitions. Now whenever you install a ROM or mod that requires you to wipe certain partitions before the installation, you should be in a better position to know what you’re losing and what not and thus, you’ll know what to backup and what not.
You should at least post the source of such a large copy paste post.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
Source? How do you post a source for an article which is compiled from 10+ sites? Plus my own addition?
Started from the bottom
Good job man, this saves me the time to do all this researches.
Keep it up
Best regards
Sifou
Using a Samsung N7100
sos_sifou said:
Good job man, this saves me the time to do all this researches.
Keep it up
Best regards
Sifou
Using a Samsung N7100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DO tell me if you have some suggestions for the thread.
"Thanks button is just to avoid "THANKS" posts in threads. Nothing more than that. Don't ask in signature or post for it and defeat the purpose why it was introduced"
I think that this is a pretty good summary of the basics. I even converted it to epub and stocked it on my e-reader for reference
You can get to the details if you want? Adding some info about flashing softwares like odin and the Linux based one (i don't remember it name)
The different recoveries available and their advantages vs désavantages
How to protect yourself from malicious applications, starting from knowing what are permissions...
Keep it up mate
Best regards
Sifou
Using a Samsung N7100
sos_sifou said:
I think that this is a pretty good summary of the basics. I even converted it to epub and stocked it on my e-reader for reference
You can get to the details if you want? Adding some info about flashing softwares like odin and the Linux based one (i don't remember it name)
The different recoveries available and their advantages vs désavantages
How to protect yourself from malicious applications, starting from knowing what are permissions...
Keep it up mate
Best regards
Sifou
Using a Samsung N7100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heimdall?
"Thanks button is just to avoid "THANKS" posts in threads. Nothing more than that. Don't ask in signature or post for it and defeat the purpose why it was introduced"
Tha TechnoCrat said:
Source? How do you post a source for an article which is compiled from 10+ sites? Plus my own addition?
Started from the bottom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess you have a point, it's just the scientist in me with source-referral-ocd.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
adytum said:
I guess you have a point, it's just the scientist in me with source-referral-ocd.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DO tell me if you have any problems or if you want something to be added.
"Thanks button is just to avoid "THANKS" posts in threads. Nothing more than that. Don't ask in signature or post for it and defeat the purpose why it was introduced"
Thread updated with Odin and Heimdall information.
"Thanks button is just to avoid "THANKS" posts in threads. Nothing more than that. Don't ask in signature or post for it and defeat the purpose why it was introduced"
Tha TechnoCrat said:
Source? How do you post a source for an article which is compiled from 10+ sites? Plus my own addition?
Started from the bottom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By listing ALL the different sources? And obviously crediting yourself with bits you've added.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
You should make the title of the thread more presentable though.
Simone said:
You should make the title of the thread more presentable though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would like some suggestions.
"Thanks button is just to avoid "THANKS" posts in threads. Nothing more than that. Don't ask in signature or post for it and defeat the purpose why it was introduced"
Tha TechnoCrat said:
Would like some suggestions.
"Thanks button is just to avoid "THANKS" posts in threads. Nothing more than that. Don't ask in signature or post for it and defeat the purpose why it was introduced"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should think of your own. That would be the best
Make it more professional looking, though.
Everything else is good.
Guys I have got my Note 2 finally. Will compile some guides for it too.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app
You bought a note 2? Congrats mate !
Best regards
Sifou
Using a Samsung N7100
sos_sifou said:
You bought a note 2? Congrats mate !
Best regards
Sifou
Using a Samsung N7100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks buddy. Get ready for more guides
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app
I recently got into tinkering with my Sprint Galaxy S4 and spent quite some time going through the whole process to get to Cyanogenmod, then back to stock, the reasons which I hope to share with you throughout this tutorial. I went to multiple sources from all over the web to answer all the questions I had, so I'm hoping to gather everything in one place so you can too learn the intricacies of playing with the OS on your phone.
This will be a work in progress for a bit, as I plan on going back to stock and working through the process again to capture everything I had to learn in order to get my phone to where I wanted it.
Hopefully once complete, this guide will help you do that same thing.
Thanks.
PS; I am placing the phrase "<link>" where I will eventually will insert the actual links, but until I leave new status, Google searches will have to do.
OverviewIn general, installing Cyanogenmod (or any other ROM, specific quirks notwithstanding) should consist of the following steps;
Pre-installation setup
Gathering Tools
Installing a custom recovery
Backing up your device
Flashing your custom ROM
Step-by-Step Walkhrough
Pre-installation setup
When installing a custom ROM, or conducting any sort of flashing/recovery/rooting etc, you may mess up your phone somehow. Sometimes this will void your warranty, leave you with a brick, or somehow otherwise go belly up. Before you start doing anything to your phone, you should make sure you understand what you're doing, read through all of the steps, and familiarize yourself with the process. Sometimes you may need to gather additional information, software, tools, etc. Google is your best friend! When you encounter a block, stop what you're doing and investigate what happened, and see what the consensus is on the subject of that error, so you can tread carefully. In the end, this will make you a better tinkerer in general. Also, if you mess your phone up, I'm not responsible for your environment conditions, actions, or mistakes.
With all of that being said, if you're going to blaze forward anyways, welcome to the path of making things do what you want them to do, regardless of what someone said you could or couldn't do with said things! Before you get started, you're probably going to want to gather basic info first;
What do I want out of my custom ROM?
There are many types of ROMs out there; Cyanogenmod is one of the most popular, but millions of people have created or assembled their own favorite OS' for Android devices. This particular ROM offers you more control over your phone. You can install custom apps, use established apps, execute root/admin tasks on your phone, and much more. Custom icons? Custom boot screen? Remove all of the carrier/manufacturer bloatware? All of these and much more are at your disposal.
Where can I find the model for my phone? What Android build do I have?
Before choosing to undertake a particular endeavor, make sure you know what phone you're actually working with. Using the wrong software or tool can brick your phone, or increase the time it takes to finish dramatically since you're going to have to go and find all of the fix information. In some cases, a phone may come with a certain version of Android, or a certain firmware. You should consider what may happen if you upgrade it, maybe you'll find you can't go back!
Do I want to use this phone with service?
This was irritating for me when I first was flashing my phone; I found out that when I called Sprint to switch the phone over from my HTC One, they said they couldn't port the new modded phone onto their network. This required me having to search down the original firmware, which is a hassle in and of itself. I'm sure there are ways to get your phone onto a network that I don't have any knowledge of, but why not save yourself the trouble and make sure you take care of things before starting.
Windows or Linux?
What operating system you are most comfortable with may vary, and your intentions with regards to flashing a custom ROM also will vary; do you just want to get something installed? Do you like to learn? Traditionally most folks will say that if you want the most control over the process, use Linux. It's open-source and gives you the most freedom to do as you wish, and in addition, untold numbers of tools exist for the platform that you have access to for free. Not that there's anything wrong with Windows, but if you want to flash a ROM, chances are you're interested in technology as a whole. Throughout this tutorial, I will do my best to provide options for both OS' where possible. In my case, I'm not interested in this process on a Mac environment, but you'll find most of the concepts here can be mirrored on the Mac OS, you'll just have to search for specifics on your own.
How comfortable am I with things like command lines?
Understanding how to use the command line, as opposed to graphical programs, will enable you to undertake the flashing process with much more control than otherwise allowed. Learning the command line is outside the scope of what I'm trying to teach you, but you can find information all around the web. Search for a cheatsheet for the Windows Command Line, or maybe if you're interested in learning about Linux, you can find information all over the web. With Linux, there can be a bit more variance on command lines as different flavors of Linux use different command lines.One such flavor of Linux is Ubuntu, which comes bundled with bash, a rather common and popular command line shell.
Again, where possible, I will try to provide options between the command line and GUI choices, but I will off the bat recommend that you familiarize yourself somewhat with the command line. You'll be a better person for it.
Gathering tools and info
Before you get started, it's a good idea to ensure that you have everything you're going to need at your disposal before getting started. I will do my best to document whatever I think is necessary to know on each tool/item you need;
Workspace
Sort of a no brainer, I would suggest creating a folder that you can store everything in the flash process, ideally one where you possess admin/root privileges. I will conduct this tutorial as if you were working from a folder titled 'Cyanogenmod.'
Phone Information
For the purposes of this tutorial, I am using the Sprint Samsung Galaxy S4 in black, which has the model number SPH-L720 (I don't think color influences model at all). At the moment, the phone is known as JFLTESPR at http://cyanogenmod.org/ specifically, though much of the process is the same across int'l/US carriers, so the phone also falls under the JFLTE family.
You'll want to have a few other pieces of info on hand as well. Most of these can be found either on the phone physically, or in the "About device" section in the Settings menu.
To get your model number, you can either remove the plastic rear panel, then the battery to find the model number written on the sticker underneath. Otherwise, you can go to Settings > About device > scroll to Model number.
In the same menu as above, you can also get the Android version, Baseband version, and the Build number. All of these help determine what features are available to you, what Android OS you have if you want to know about specific differences between numbers, what radio type you may have, and so on. Having these handy will let you look things up with a higher degree of accuracy.
Check Your Knowledge, or Are You Listening?
Did you make sure and go find the above information? If you care about your phone's warranty or you know, your freedom to mess with your SPH-L720 as you see fit, you should care enough to make sure you have this info!
Why does it matter? See your Baseband version and or Build number? Check those last 3 letters on there, they represent the firmware version you have installed on your phone. Certain firmwares have certain characteristics, but there are two in particular that you, as someone following this tutorial should care about; Whether or not the firmware comes with the Knox bootloader, and if you want the ability to downgrade/upgrade as you see fit. I also believe that the firmware can affect your hardware in sometimes undesirable ways. If you've recently flashed and your Wifi or radio (interface into the carrier's ecosystem for voice, messaging, and data) isn't working, research about the firmware is usually the first place to start looking.
The Knox bootloader contains a flag that is tripped if you install a custom recovery/bootloader, which doesn't affect any operation on your phone, however this flag, as of this writing, is not un-trippable. That's right, this is how Samsung will know if you've gone all rogue on the device. With this tripped, they can deny you warranty service, force you to pay for repair, and any other number of irritating things. Not knowing what firmware you can cost you dearly.
As to being able to change firmware freely, you can change between the Android 4.2.2 firmwares as you like, but if you move to 4.3, you cannot go back to 4.2.2, and 4.3 includes the Knox bootloader (though you can still move between 4.3 firmwares). Same for the firmware based on 4.4.2; if you move to this firmware, you cannot go back. In addition, as far as I know at the time of writing this, there's only one firmware in the 4.4.2 family.
For reference, here's a list of the firmwares;
MDC - This was the first firmware for the phone and was based on Android 4.2.2, and was pre-Knox bootloader
MDL- Based on Android 4.2.2, and was pre-Knox bootloader
MF9 - Based on Android 4.2.2, and was pre-Knox bootloader
MJA - Based on Android 4.3 and includes the Knox bootloader
MK2 - Based on Android 4.3 and includes the Knox bootloader
NAE - Based on Android 4.4.2 and includes the Knox bootloader
Besides influencing the above characteristics (and whatever other features are available per version), the firmware type also influences what software you might need in some cases. For instance, flashing back to stock requires you to use a firmware with the same 'class' of version, aka 4.2.2, 4.3, or 4.4.2. If you accidentally use the wrong version, you may regret it. Of course, if you're off warranty, or just don't care, you can go about this as you see fit. Just don't come to me if you fail to go learn what you need to know before flashing your phone. With all that being said, you can still install ROMs based on other versions of Android, just not a full flash.
I'm not sure of the correct XDA way to thank someone, but cruise350 provided me with this information directly, so if this helps, kudos goes to him.
Cyanogenmod ROM/OS
You can find everything you need to know (including the direct tutorials) for Cyanogenmod on their site <link>.
From the main page, you can get to the SPH-L720 by going to http://http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/ > Devices > Hit 'show all devices' > enter 'JFLTE' in the search query to get to the landing page for our phone. From that page you can read more about Cyanogen and what you can do with it and our phone together. For now, we can just download the ROM.
Go to the download page at http://download.cyanogenmod.org/, where you'll find a list of devices and their various ROM builds. Since developers around the world are working on Cyanogenmod at any given time, there are many different builds/versions of the ROM. If this is your first time with Cyanogen, you will want to stick with the 'Stable' build. This is considered the latest 'finished' build, or represents the latest release the developers consider complete. The other builds represent ROMs which are nearing completion and moving to Stable (Release Candidate), a build at a particular point in time (Snapshot), builds which were created at a certain point in the development history of Cyanogen (Milestone), the absolute latest and greatest build as it's uploaded (Nightly), or just plain random (Experimental). Some of these builds are more fully featured than others, and others may be missing features, may be buggy, or somehow undesirable to us at this moment. As I said, for now, stick with Stable.
Remember how I mentioned that the SPH-L720 is called JFLTESPR by Cyanogen specifically? That's the download we're searching for. Click Stable under the Type menu, and scroll down to JFLTESPR. At the time I'm writing this, there are 3 versions of Cyanogen available to us; 10.1.3, 10.2.0, and 10.2.1. As a beginner, the differences between versions may be minimal, or minimally noticeable. I'd suggest getting the latest build for now, then futzing around with versioning later in your tinkering career.
In addition to Cyanogenmod, if you look on the installation page at http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Install_CM_for_jflte, under the heading 'Installing CyanogenMod from recovery' (we will get there), they mention the 3rd party app 'GApps,' which provides an interface into the Google ecosystem, so you'll have access to stuff like Gmail, Calendar, and the freakin keyboard! If you find your keyboard constantly failing, remember to go back and make sure you have the correct GApps version based on your Cyanogenmod version. The Cyanogen wiki provides a handy-dandy chart at http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Google_Apps to help you choose what GApps version you need.
Custom Recovery Mod
Cyanogenmod's wiki also provides you with info on what a recovery mod is at http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/All_About_Recovery_Images.
Basically, when you receive a stock phone, the recovery/boot mode is limited in scope. As they say, it's mainly for installing manufacturer updates, and not much else of use to us. With a custom recovery, you gain access to many more features and things you can do outside the manufacturer's original intent. In the scope of this tutorial, we are using our custom recovery mod to first back up our phone's data, and second, actually install Cyanogenmod.
Just like the fact that there exists a large number of custom ROMs, so does there exist custom recovery mods. I'm choosing to use ClockWork Recovery Mod (CWRM) because it looks pretty and gets the job done. The specifics of a particular recovery are left up to the curiosity of the reader.
You can download CWRM at http://clockworkmod.com/rommanager; just scroll down to the Sprint GS4 and pick the version that is shown. Again, other versions may exist, but for the intrepid reader who's made it this far, stick with the latest, greatest, and easiest.
USB Cable
"Hurr durr no **** I need a USB cable" you say, but you wouldn't believe how irritating it is to attempt to diagnose a faulty cord issue. Sure, maybe you're the type of person who actually tries the easiest fixes first, this isn't revelatory, but if you're like me, I feel sorry both you and I.
Ensure you have a nice clean, un-kinked and untangled USB to Mini-USB cable on hand, preferably the cable that came with your phone. This will have the best chance of working properly. In addition to a cable, keep in mind that if you're using a USB hub, you may encounter errors. I've not used a powered USB hub in this process, but again, trying to diagnose the USB hub as the point of failure is annoying too. Save yourself the irritation.
Heimdall
Heimdall is a powerful open source program that lets you interface with the file structure of your phone and flash custom firmware, Heimdall was created by Benjamin Dobell of Glass Echidna and was designed specifically for Samsung devices. You can find a list of the phones they test on at the Heimdall page at http://glassechidna.com.au/heimdall/.
Some of you may have heard of Odin, another program used to flash firmware onto Samsung devices. Odin was an internal tool developed by the manufacturer that made it's way into the wild somehow, and can achieve the same effect as Heimdall (more or less), however there are a few reasons I suggest using Heimdall if you have a choice;
Heimdall is open source
You can freely access the code for Heimdall and make changes if you ever needed to, but the fact that the code is transparent and for all to use means an easier time flashing for you. The fact you can use Heimdall on Windows, Linux, and the Mac OS' is just a whole bunch of whipped cream on the flash-cake.
Odin is an internal Samsung tool
This means you don't have a way to go ask the maker of the tool for help, or explanations on how to use it. Samsung will offer customer support for this tool equal to the amount of existence that flash-cake has; none. There is documentation from all the smart people out there who have dug into Odin if you do want to use Odin. Also, it's Windows-only. You might not care about this fact, but if you're a tinkerer, Linux would be nice no?
Support!
In my flashing journey, I've had to troubleshoot a few things as far as Heimdall goes, and many times on some pages, I've seen Benjamin reply to people with information that he and only he can provide as the maker of Heimdall. I don't know him personally or really at all, but at least we can go ask him for support if necessary.
In order to use Heimdall, you just need to unzip the contents of the download into the Cyanogenmod folder, in our case, create a folder titled 'Heimdall' inside of Cyanogenmod.
Android SDK
The Android Software Development Kit (SDK) is the software Google provides for developers to create things in the Android ecosystem. The kit contains the code editor Eclipse, a plethora of support tools and tricks to create the best apps/ROMs/whatever you can think of, as well as interface with your phone in manners beyond ordinary users. There is a lot of stuff in the SDK, but we are specifically interested in the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) tool, which allows you to send data back and forth from your phone.
You can find the SDK at https://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html, but keep in mind you will most likely need admin/root privileges in order to use the SDK (and Heimdall). From that page, you can choose the Android Developer Tools (ADT) bundle, which comes with Eclipse, or you can choose to download an SDK kit without the IDE. For the scope of this tutorial, you only require the SDK. Once downloaded, you can unzip the SDK into the Cyanogenmod folder (the first thing to come out the SDK zip is a folder titled sdk, plus the SDK manager).
Open up the SDK Manager program (if you're on Windows, if running SDKManager.exe briefly shows a command prompt window, then disappears, you can go to sdk > tools > android.bat. This will open the SDKManager for you). The SDK will provide you with a list of packages you can download for various parts of Android development, but the ones we care about are the Android SDK Tools and the Android SDK Platform-tools. Check the box by each one, then hit install packages. The SDK Manager will prompt you for some license agreementing, then install the software for you. I believe that the manager installs the software in the sdk folder that the manager also resides in, so keep this in mind.
Installing a custom recovery
Backing up your device
Flashing your custom ROM
Reserve 1
For more info.
Reserve 2
Just in case.
If you happen to be reading this for the content, can you answer this; should I include the basics such as installation processes and whatnot? Or just skim the basics?
[SIZE=+3]Frequently Asked Questions[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+2]Nvidia Shield Tablet
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]This a short list of frequently asked questions in this device forum and the answers often given as a response. It should serve as a starting point for gathering knowledge and finding solutions to many common problems. Please only post in this thread with feedback on how to improve this document. Do not post "Thank you" type responses. If you have additional questions or require more help, try to find an existing thread or create your own. Do not use this as a general help thread.
[/SIZE][SIZE=+1]Q1: Which versions are available from Nvidia Shield Tablet
[/SIZE]Wi-Fi and 16GB: wx_na_wf
LTE US and 32GB: wx_na_do
All Bands and 32GB: wx_un_do
sb_na_wf - 2015 Shield Tablet K1 - Might want to list that as one of the models. WiFi 16 GB, no Stylus
wx_un_mo - Although never really released and as far as I am aware, only one OTA ROM exists for the LTE Voice+Data. I even tried flashing it once or twice without ever getting working phone functionality. [SIZE=+1]Q2: Is there a list for all ROMs, Kernels, Apps and Guides?[/SIZE][INDEX] Nvidia Shield Tablet - ROMs, Kernels, MODs, Recoveries, Themes [28 Feb 2016][SIZE=+1]Q3: What does "flashing" my phone mean?
[/SIZE]Flashing a Tablet or phone means to override current ROM and Kernel.[SIZE=+1]Q4: Bootloader.. What is this?[/SIZE]For an easy explanation of what a bootloader is, look HERE.[SIZE=+1]Q5: How do I flash a factory image?
[/SIZE]You can have a look into this thread, to lean how to flash a Marshmallow Factory-Image:
[UNOFFICIAL][Guide] Update Original Shield Tablet to Android M (6.0)[SIZE=+1]Q6: How do I root my device?[/SIZE]Rooting of Nvidia Shield Tablet is very easy:
How to Root Nvidia Tablet on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow)[SIZE=+1]Q7: Can I install an OTA if I'm rooted/unencrypted?
[/SIZE]No, if you rooted your Nvidia Shield or unlocked the bootloader, you are not able to flash updates via OTA, because system has been modified.[SIZE=+1]Q8: How to kill the kill-switch?
[/SIZE]You can have a look into this beatiful guide by @bocdacutu:
Kill the kill switch - "ST - yy"[SIZE=+1]Q9: How can I install CyanogenMod or XPOSED Framework?
[/SIZE][Complete Guide] SHIELD Tablet K1 Root, Custom Rom and Xposed Framework[SIZE=+1]Q10: I'm trying to search for something specific but I'm having trouble. How do I use XDA Search?[/SIZE]XDA Forum Moderator @The_Merovingian has done a nice guide, how to use the search-feature: HERE [SIZE=+1]Q11: What are fastboot and ADB and should I learn how to use them?
[/SIZE]With Fastboot and ADB you can flash the fone. The basic commands are very easy and fast to lean. There are some good guides here on XDA. The most android smartphones and tablets can be only flashed via Fastboot. Only Samsung wants you to use Odin. [SIZE=+1]Q12: What is a factory image?
[/SIZE]The factory images are directly provided by NVIDIA. You can return to the original state of you tablet with these FactoryImages. Look to Question 5 to lean, how to flash it.[SIZE=+1]Q13: What is a toolkit and should I use one?[/SIZE]With a toolkit, you can easily flash your Nvidia Shield. It includes most of ADB and Fastboot Commands, that are used to flash the device.
[TOOL] WinDroid Toolkit | Unlock | Root | Flash | Install | Shield TabletSome other helpful words:
ADB - "Android Debug Bridge" a system that can be accessed using a computer where you can manage the device from. You need the Android SDK to use it.
AOSP - "Android open source project" a project by Google Inc. to give android to developers and manufactures for free.
APK - "Android Package" an Android application
Bloatware - Software or 'apps' that you don't need, but come preinstalled to a device's /system partition, meaning that you cannot remove them unless the device has been rooted. Usually, these are apps are sponsored by a company and included by a carrier for profit
CDMA/GSM - A type of network communication between phones and carriers. GSM phones normally are included with SIM Cards that authorize them onto the network. CDMA have this authorization built in and do not need a sim card.
Custom recovery - A modified version of stock recoveries that allow you to do more things in the recovery mode.
Cyanogenmod (CM) - A free open-source project based on the AOSP. It is a modded version of the Android firmware
Dalvik-Cache - Holds all of the pre-compiled .dex files created from installed apps. These files are static and do not change unless the app is updated.
Deodexed - Where ODEX files are moved into the actual applications modded) version of the Android firmware.
Developer - A man or woman who has created (developed) software.
Firmware - a piece of software to make hardware function correctly. This can refer to Radio Firmware, but is normally used as another name for ROM.
Governor - A system embedded into the kernel to automatically change the current working CPU frequency depending on the workload. It would only go up to what it is overclocked (or underclocked) to, this is called the maximum frequency. It would not drop below the minimum frequency.
KANG - The process of creating a code based of someone else's code.
Kernel - An important part of all operating systems that handles the CPU and other vital components. A modded kernel may be used for overclocking.
Logcat - A logging system built into the ADB
Mod - A modification to a part of the phones software. It is also POSSIBLE to mod the phones hardware but is not recommended.
OTA - "Over the air" a term used to indicate software that was sent to phones directly through the internet to their phones.
Open-source - (not to be confussed with free) A peice of software that is free to edit, use, distribute and share with no charge.
Overclock - To exceed the default maximum CPU speed. This could make a phone more powerful but may cause damage. Although no damaged has been reported so far it could still drain battery life.
Radio Firmware - A type of software that allows correct communication with the radio and the operating system. A newer firmware would normally improve battery life and call quality. The radio firmware only applies to the CDMA/GSM radio.
Radio - (not to be confused with Radio Firmware) A piece of hardware that allows communication. There are 3 main radios in your phone. Bluetooth, WiFi and GSM/CDMA.
ROM -
1. A modified version of the Android operating system operating system.
2. Read Only Memory, a place where information is stored and can not be destroyed, modified or written to.
Stock - An unchanged version of something. Example: I just flashed stock sense.
Underclock - To change your phones maximum frequency to LOWER than the default to attempt to extend the phones lifespan and battery.
WIP - "Work In Progress"
Zipalligned - An archive alignment tool that provides important optimization to Android application (.apk) files. The purpose is to ensure that all uncompressed data starts with a particular alignment relative to the start of the file. Specifically, it causes all uncompressed data within the .apk, such as images or raw files, to be aligned on 4-byte boundaries. This allows all portions to be accessed directly with mmap() even if they contain binary data with alignment restrictions. The benefit is a reduction in the amount of RAM consumed when running the application.
INTL - International
Odex - Files that are collections of parts of an application that are optimized before booting. Doing so speeds up the boot process, as it preloads part of an application.
Recovery Mode - A special environment that you can boot into for troubleshooting and upgrading purposes
Thanks to @benjamingwynn for the glossary of terms
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Q1:
sb_na_wf? - 2015 Shield Tablet K1 - Might want to list that as one of the models. WiFi 16 GB, no Stylus
wx_un_mo? - Although never really released and as far as I am aware, only one OTA ROM exists for the LTE Voice+Data. I even tried flashing it once or twice without ever getting working phone functionality.
@zarish
THANKS. Added.
I have seen allot of about vendor images in rom threads and Q&A
I figured allot of people dont even know what a vendor image is well its where the proprietary binaries sit now on their own partition called the vendor.img
they used to sit in /system but now have their own partition much like the bootloader and modems do. its use is to house the device specific files etc.
This was done for a multitude of reasons including legal/licensing issues .
heres a really good discussion on it i found very informative
https://plus.google.com/+JeanBaptisteQueru/posts/akHWypRNEn3
PS: you dont have to flash the newest vendor every time you flash a ROM :good::highfive:
on most devices you can flash it from twrp 3.0.0-1 and above by going where you normally do to flash a zip and selecting flash image and choosing vendor
Dreamlogix said:
I have seen allot of about vendor images in rom threads and Q&A
I figured allot of people dont even know what a vendor image is well its where the proprietary binaries sit now on their own partition called the vendor.img
they used to sit in /system but now have their own partition much like the bootloader and modems do. its use is to house the device specific files etc.
This was done for a multitude of reasons including legal/licensing issues .
heres a really good discussion on it i found very informative
https://plus.google.com/+JeanBaptisteQueru/posts/akHWypRNEn3
PS: you dont have to flash the newest vendor every time you flash a ROM :good::highfive:
on most devices you can flash it from twrp 3.0.0-1 and above by going where you normally do to flash a zip and selecting flash image and choosing vendor
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont know why,but I cant open that link..error 404
Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk
"A step forward for the Android Open Source world
There's a hidden gem in Nexus 9, which was announced by a short sentence in the middle of a reply in a long mailing-list thread:
"No proprietary binaries are needed for Volantis. The proprietary vendor binaries are on a separate 'vendor' partition."
Until now, in Android devices, the proprietary device-specific files that live underneath Android itself were stored in the same /system partition as the Android files.
This made sense from the point of view of software architecture, but it had a major drawback in the Open Source world: in order to distribute a functional system image of Android, it was necessary to also distribute those proprietary device-specific files, since those files were aggregated into the same distribution medium.
Starting with Nexus S, those files had been somewhat available, with two caveats: not all files were available for all devices, and the files that were available were controlled by licenses that allowed the most common use cases but didn't give the same freedom that can be expected for Open Source components.
On Nexus 9, things are different: those proprietary device-specific files are stored in a separate partition. As a result, it is now practical to distribute functional versions of the Android system without having to distribute or copy those proprietary files. Therefore it becomes possible to enjoy the freedoms associated with Open Source in a broader range of situations, including (e.g.) commercial distribution.
While Android has always been distributed under Open Source licenses (i.e. in the world of lawyers), this brings it closer to the spirit of the Free Software definition in the real world (i.e. in the world of hackers).
This makes me happy, as this is the conclusion of a task that had been started 3 1/2 years ago with Galaxy Nexus, and in which I had been closely involved when I worked on AOSP. Chances are, this is probably also the last aspect of Android to get released in which I've been closely involved while at Google."
Maybe you can help me?
I tried flashing vendor.img from 5.11 after I upgraded to Marshmallow because SMS/MMS stopped working on my N9 LTE after the update. It still doesn't work on N either. Anyway, doing this restored my SMS/MMS but screwed up some other things making the tablet unreliable. Should I have wiped cache etc when I did this? Would it even help?
So I'm guessing the radio is now in vendor.img? Can I/should I extract and use that?
Last question, what are the advantages to updating the vendor.img in later updates? Does anything important get changed in it that might affect system performance (other than me SMS problem) like battery drain, or device efficiency?