Database Users

[Q] Bootloop after low-battery auto-shutdown

Hey guys,
So my N7 had gone into this auto-shutdown phase before. But in the past I always managed to fix it. This time however it's different. I get stuck in bootloop.
I've left it on charge for about 1hour+, still bootloop. Reflashed ROM, still bootloop. I'm hoping I don't need to full wipe or restore the factory image to solve it, so I'm hoping there is another solution.
Thanks.

Poor Man's TiBu after bootloop occurs
TU;DBR (Toolkit Users Don't Bother Reading)
Bootloops are generally caused by stuff that lives in the /data partition, not in the /system partition.
So, if you did a dirty flash of the ROM that won't change anything.
If your /data filesystem is healthy (can be mounted by the recovery), make a nandroid backup using TWRP and pull it off the tablet.
The TWRP <partition>.ext.win backup files are just .tar images, so there is always the possibility of recovering your market apps & data with a little bit or learning and effort on your part. But no kidding, it's not for the faint of heart. The basic outline of the idea is to:
- nandroid & get copy off tablet for safety sake
- manually delete everything in /data excepting /data/media, /data/app, and /data/data
- go in to /data/data and manually delete all folders not associated with your market apps ( stuff like com.android.* or com.google.*)
- go into /data/app and delete any .apks which are updates to system apps (gmail, etc) [*1]
- nandroid backup again - call this "nandroid2"
- boot OS and configure minimally.
- boot back into TWRP
- (manually using tar? [**2]) restore the TWRP data backup (data.ext.win) without wiping
- perform "fix permissions" in TWRP
- boot up and profit
Note that "manually" here means using the command line (via adb shell to custom recovery).
If something goes wrong with this procedure, you can always restore the first nandroid backup (the bootlooping condition) and iterate until you get things right. (That right there shows you what freedoms you get by making backups.)
If you read this far you can see that what this process does is very similar to what TiBu does - except you are doing it *after* a boot loop has occurred.
[*1] optional - might not be needed
[**2] it might be possible to just "dirty flash" the data partition from the "nandroid2" backup rather than futzing around with tar at the command line. The reason I wrote this step as shown above is because I wasn't sure if a nandroid restore to /data automatically does a factory reset of /data or whether it will allow "dirty overwrites". Note also that TWRP allows you to selectively backup/restore partitions, so you don't need to involve /system or the boot partition in any of this.
good luck

[Q] re-enable OTA updates Nexus 7

Hi all,
I have a nexus 7 running Android 4.1.2 stock w/ root. Some months ago, I disabled the OTA update notification - but I can't seem to remember how!
I want to now re-enable OTA updates so that I can update to the latest android version, and not lose my installed apps.
I've searched the device for FOTAKill.apk inside /system/app, and its not found
I've also searched for frozen / hidden apps using Titanium Backup Pro... nothing
When I enter Settings -> About Tablet -> System Updates... it says I'm up to date... but I'm not, considering I'm running 4.1.2.
Any help or pointers in re-enabling OTA is appreciated!!

- make a full nandroid backup.
- using fastboot, flash the system.img file from the 4.2.2 factory image to the system partition.
- using your custom recovery, reflash a SuperSU root kit bundle.
- using the custom recovery, wipe cache and dalvik-cache.
If you don't like the result, restore the nandroid backup and proceed in a different fashion. It will probably break things like stickmount and any other changes that you caused in /system.
Note the above method is for use by lazy and sloppy users. A better approach is to make TiBu backups of only your market apps, bite the bullet, and start from scratch with a flash & (new) configuration of a pure stock ROM. In any case, every conceivable procedure should start with making a full nandroid backup and getting it copied to a safe place off the tablet.
I will also say that unless odd problems crop up, the portions of the factory install procedure (using fastboot) that deal with erasure or flashing of the userdata partition should be skipped, as these steps completely wipe your /data storage - including your /sdcard area in /data/media/0 and any CWM/TWRP nandroid backups!
It's not really clear why these steps would be needed unless the /data ext4 filesystem in the userdata partition got corrupted somehow. A more sly approach would be to use the custom recovery's "factory reset" procedure to clean up /data - either before or after flashing the factory ROM - and completely skip anything that touches the userdata partition in the factory install instructions.
good luck

Nandroid Backup

I'll just put this out there for other noobs using twrp. I've never done a nandroid backup before, and I'm currently running twrp v2.6.3.2. When I select backup, it directs me to select which partitions, with boot, system & data already checked. Do I need to check any of the other options (Recovery, Cache, EFS)? TIA.

thestrangebrew said:
I'll just put this out there for other noobs using twrp. I've never done a nandroid backup before, and I'm currently running twrp v2.6.3.2. When I select backup, it directs me to select which partitions, with boot, system & data already checked. Do I need to check any of the other options (Recovery, Cache, EFS)? TIA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
most important is the EFS one, somewhere mentioned it contains your IMEI etc. Backup it, and copy it for safe keeping. Everything else you should be able to recover, but EFS if lost might lead you to a non-usable phone.
Cache not needed.
Recovery well depends, but its just 8-11MB more I would check it as well.
Actually you can back it up all.
The most space will take the SYSTEM and DATA anyways, the rest is few MB's. Let's say SYSTEM is your ROM (system apps etc), and DATA is your config and installed apps. (Not entirely true if you do some modifications but these 2 partitions you need to restore the backup as you had it)
Boot is the kernel. Which might be needed by the specific System if you go custom, again only some MB's.
Just remember that you can even choose what you will recover. So when you change your recovery, kernel etc and you go for restore of some older backup, careful of compatibility in between ROM and KERNEL for example

Awesome thanks for the quick informative info. I figured it wouldn't hurt to just backup everything, but I thought I'd ask just in case I missed something.

Help with TWRP Restore !

I just got a s5. And I got it succesfully rooted and also got TWRP working on it.
All the data from my previous phone was transfered to the s5.
Now I made some backups with TWRP with the default settings: Partitions boot, system and data.
With the backups in mind I was thinking I could easily restore it to a previous state.
Thinking I backed up all the data and wanted to make it fresh again, I wanted to restore it.
In the menu I chose the restore option with the same settings as the backup: Partitions boot, system and data.
And it gives a message restoring system succesfull.
But when rebooting, it keeps hanging and at the moment of loading the android system every bit of the system keeps 'hanging'
It keeps saying
'Unfortunately touchwiz startup unsuccesfully'
'Unfortunately youtube startup unsuccesfully'
'Unfortunately greenify startup unsuccesfully'
'Unfortunately app whatever startup unsuccesfully'
And so on and so on
Eventually it starts with a black screen with nothing loaded. Complete blackout.
So this backup doesn't work. And I try my second backup.
Unfortunately also the second backup gave these errors.
And also the third backup!
So the backup files seem the right size, it's some gigabytes, and it alway's keeps saying backup/restore succesfully.
But now it fails to restore and boot the backup
The things I tried.
-Trying three different backups
-Wiping cleaning data/dalvik/cache etc etc
-Restoring a part of the backup. First system, then data, then boot, no succes.
So i'm totally lost! Does somebody know how to fix this? Or have some tips to try??

You can't restore system and boot from a different model phone
That would be like trying to flash a ROM for one model phone to another without porting it
If it was an S5 you backed up, was it the exact same model (ie: G900F etc?)
Flash back to stock, then try restoring only DATA
Or use TiBu to restore your apps from the TWRP backup

*Detection* said:
You can't restore system and boot from a different model phone
That would be like trying to flash a ROM for one model phone to another without porting it
If it was an S5 you backed up, was it the exact same model (ie: G900F etc?)
Flash back to stock, then try restoring only DATA
Or use TiBu to restore your apps from the TWRP backup
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply! It was a backup and restore on the same phone. So that is why I thought it was supposed to be a easy restore.
But I found the solution hidden somewhere in one message on XDA:
"Originally Posted by Dr. Fed
Would you happen to know why, when restoring a TW 4.4.2 nandroid using TWRP 2.8.1 or 2.8.4, after running an AOSP lollipop ROM like CM12, the TW ROM boots but then the whole system force-closes? Before restoring the nandroid, I advance wipe system, data, cache, and dalvik. Then I restore the nandroid. It boots, but then some daemon crashes. Then all processes and apps. The screen goes black after a few crashes.
So, what I do is pull out the battery, boot into recovery, advance wipe system, data, cache, dalvik, flash a CM11 ROM, reboot. I let CM11 start up, skip the set-up, then I boot back to TWRP (2.8.1 and now 2.8.4), advanced wipe, restore TW nandroid, and now it works just fine.
It seems like TWRP doesn't fully wipe."

Here the steps for if other people will run into the same problem:
Problem: Android 5 is running, with twrp 2.7 performed a back up = Restoring the backup is difficult because it problably doesn't do a clean wipe somehow.
1. I downloaded a cyanogen 11 rom, a Android 4 version.
2. Installed it with TWRP. Somehow it 'wipes' it more efficiently.
3. From cyanogen 11 back to booting TWRP.
4. In TWRP trying the Android 5 restore.
And Amazingly this worked!! = Celebrate!!

chokolademan said:
Thanks for the reply! It was a backup and restore on the same phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Confused me with this line
chokolademan said:
All the data from my previous phone was transfered to the s5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to see you solved it

How do you go from a custom rom back to OOS?

Love this phone, but using custom roms have been the most frustrating thing with this device. I like testing out multiple roms because you never know which one you will enjoy until you actually use it. But every time I want to go back to OOS, I find myself having to use the MSM tool and start from scratch.
TWRP Nandroid backups are pretty much useless it seems. There are probably over 20 methods here explaining how to backup and restore (don't restore vendor, don't restore system, etc...). I have tried literally every combination and every time I restore, it never works and just loops back to TWRP and leaves me w/an encrypted device. Bring in the MSM.
Flashing the full stock rom usually results in the same thing or no change at all.
Does anybody have a simple straight to the point method of going back to OOS from custom rom? Much appreciated

msmdownloadtool will 100% wipe the phone (backup!!) And return the phone to 100% stock with OxygenOS and even re-lock the bootloader. That's the fastest and easiest way and I've done it a few times.
Edit : just fully read your post and you're familiar with MSM. Just use Google cloud backup in combination with backing up files and using sms backup and restore... There is no way you can keep your data partition from a custom ROM and have it boot or work right on OOS. Even switching custom ROMs without wiping data can cause massive instability, but at least it has a chance at booting.

How to restore,I have no real clue, but to get back to at least a working version of OOS with your internal storage intact..
After you flash OOS and twrp installer, reboot back to twrp.. it will likely be encrypted.. from there go to the wipe menu, then swipe for factory reset.. wipes data, not internal storage.. then boot into OOS.. at that point you can boot back to twrp and flash magisk or whatever else you need to do.
If that fails, you'll lose all data doing this next step, but it will boot.. use the "format data" option in twrp, type yes, then reboot to system. Then you can set it up, download or transfer whatever you want to flash, then reboot to recover and flash away... All without having to use the msm tool