Database Users

[Q] keep specific system files from deletion during CM ROM update?

I was just wondering if there is some way to keep specific system files from being deleted while flashing a new ROM (at least when not doing a full wipe)?
For example, third party applications like "Theft Aware" or any other app that was manually converted to system app are deleted by the cyanogenmod update script (and of course, need to be re-installed from scratch)- Is there a way to add exclusion criteria or something like that, thus keeping these files between flashing updates of the same ROM?

Solution found
Found a solution for Cyanogenmod rom (I guess it should work in other variants and flavors too)- adding it just in case it is of interest to other users:
Got it from the old/inactive theft aware forum: http://tinyurl.com/d8vjkba
I tried it with other system applications that I have installed manually or converted from user apps- and it works great- saves all the hassle of reinstalling these applications (if you flash lots of nightly builds it's quite a pain in the... )

[ROM] MIUI 2.3.30 (GB 2.3.7) English ROM + TWRP Recovery for Google Nexus One

Please Read Everything Carefully as some info is crucial to getting your old phone functioning well!
Update:::: August 16, 2015 ::::::::::
STAGEFRIGHT BUG:
This bug has been blown way out of proportion and it is not something anyone should be extremely worried about. There are no patches for gingerbread as of yet, and I cannot patch it since I do not have the CM source. However, you can copy from /system/build.prop and open the file in Notepad++ and then search for "stage" and change the "true" to "false" -without quotes. While this is not a fix, it will still offer some protection. Do not download apk files from places you do not trust and you should be ok. For now you can also do the following :
1) In MMS App, Turn off Auto-Retrieve. If your Carrier converts your voice mails to text, you will no longer be getting those. The app will then provide a download button for you to download the message instead. You can simply call your voice mail and listen to the message and download it if you think its important.
2) Remove the stock browser - do not use it to sign into anything.
3) Use Firefox as your default browser. It will be slower but safer. Type about:config > Search for Stagefright > Set stagefright.disabled to True
4) FIREWALL : Use AFWall+ to block Apps making unneeded connections to places you don't trust. It starts in Whitelist mode. Change it Blacklist mode. Be careful, and understand how to use this. LINK https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dev.ukanth.ufirewall&hl=en
6) In an effort to save RAM and unnecessary background Operation, I have included ForceStop Prevent Running. Do not update this past version 0.15. Updates after this do not work well on Gingerbread. Preventing Google Play Store is ok, Play Services is optional (You will lose all sync except Contacts and Calendar but no unnecessary background syncing.[/I]
7) GApps package now Included. It is Stock Gingerbread Gapps with Google Play Store updated to version 5.1.11. Please note that the latest Google Play Store works Fine but it is slower. If you want to block it from Updating, BEFORE connecting to Wifi, IF the APK is called com.android.vending.apk THEN create a new directory in /data/app called com.android.vending-1.apk, so it is always 1 number higher than what is installed. Also, if you do Update, MOVE the update to System parition or you will have 2 copies of it. Then delete its Dalvik cache and reboot
Update :::: June 18, 2015 ::::::::::::::New Goody : Added Modded K9-Email for Gingerbread to list of Software - It is open source, and a good way to check "Hotmail/Outlook" using Imap. Imap functions in Outlook are limited but the program works. I have removed the Ugly K9 dog Icon and replaced it with a real Email icon to make it look more appealing
Updated ::: June 12, 2015 ::::::::::::: New Goody : Attached Adaway for Gingerbread - Disclaimer: I support ads in some apps that do so reasonably, but some apps are out of control with Permissions and blowing up your screen with constant Ads, this behavior is unacceptable so I have included AdAway here. It is the user's Right and choice to do as they please on a carrier/contract free ROM, however it is not my responsibility what you may do with this ROM. This ROM still contains most of the original components of the Original ROM and I may remove outdated functions or add new functions in the future
This is MIUI 2.3.30 Gingerbread version 2.3.7 U.S. English Rom
I have now added various changes to this ROM. No more Security Certificate issues. No more Email / IMAP issues -K9 Mail, Exchange and Google accounts should sync without issues now
Xposed For Gingerbread + Prevent Running + Security Fixes are now attached below for convenience
Partitioning your SDCard is absolutely recommended or you will not have enough Internal Space to have Google Apps - Internal Space should only store Dalvik Cache - Please see details
1) 30 Step Headset Volume Configuration - works great with Volume Limiter
2) Security Certificates updated. Bad and Outdated ones Removed. see GuardianProject. This ROM is more secure. I also highly recommend using Firefox and OperaMini. I have also attached CACERTS.BKS - Remove the .TXT Extension - Already included in the ROM but can be used in other Gingerbread devices!
3) Nexus Pie boot animation
4) Misc changes - Gps locks fast when using GPS apps like Mapfactor Navigator, CPU Sleep works during trackball wake/notify feature, country codes in dialer corrected, Correct APN and Carrier name will show.
Recommended Software
I recommend you download this: Volume Limiter by Captain Neoguri - March 26, 2014
Caution: Nexus One hardware has a bug where upon using this app when adjusting volume outputs in max volume which can be dangerous for your ears, Please do not wear your headset when doing volume adjustments. I recommend a volume of upto 16 in this app for headset max volume.
Recommended : Xposed Framework for Gingerbread :::::: Download Below
Once you install it, Update it, and Install the Following :
1) Fake ID Fix
2) Master Key Multi Fix
3) MasterKeyFix GB
These are all Security Patches for Gingerbread. I have taken the Courtesy to attach them in this thread.
I recommend Google Play Store no later than 5.1.11 as the latest versions seem to have some kind of DPI related bug and will Force close constantly. Google Play Services can however be updated to 7.5.73-034 - I have tested it and it is working perfectly fine
Launcher : I am now recommending Holo Launcher from the Playstore. It saves RAM and it is much more Functional than the Stock launcher. When I have time, I will entirely remove the Stock Launcher and put Holo Launcher in the ROM or until I get permission from its author
Call Blocking Call blocking feature is built into the ROM, however it is like most call blockers which simply hide the blocked call but it still goes through. A solution to this is to use this app. Root Call Blocker : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fahrbot.apps.rootcallblocker.beta&hl=en
It will take about 5 minutes to set up and will allow you to kill a call after 1 ring and it will not go into your voice mail. So the Spam caller will have no idea whether its a dead number or to even bother calling back. Usually "Dead Rings" make the automated telemarketing calls stop because the computer dialer that is making the call keeps getting dead air and it keeps showing in their call logs. So it becomes their problem, you will simply never see the call coming until 1 day you decide to go in your blocker's call log. So if you have a pesky caller, use this app.
Radio / Baseband Software
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Passion_Info
If your 3G does not work, Please check your 3G Network's supported Frequency with your Nexus One 3G Supported Frequency. There were 2 models of this phone released in Canada. This is not due to MIUI and downloading any Radio software will NOT fix this because it is by design.
You need version 5.08.00.04 if you are not using a Korean Nexus One. Download it, then Extract the Radio.img file from the zip.
1) You need to have ADB Fastboot and ADB Enabled on your phone. You can download a small ADB Version here.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2588979
There are also other places to get ADB, But just know there is no need to download Gigantic SDK Kit from Google. You only need the basic ADB with Fastboot.
2) Press Volume Down, Then Press Power and Start your phone in Bootloader Mode. Then select Fastboot. Make sure your phone is now in Fastboot mode, it should say it at the top of all the choices.
3) Go to where you ADB folder is and hit Shift + Right Click = Open Command Window Here.
4) Now Plug your USB cable into your phone and type in Command Prompt this - fastboot devices. You should see your Phone listed. If you do not, go back and check everything.
5) Copy that Radio.img file from the Zip you extracted into your ADB Folder and then type
fastboot flash radio radio.img
It should take about 30 seconds.
Use the instructions here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=698721 to push it to your phone.
Now you are done.
How To Increase Internal Storage using Data2SD. This puts Apps(apk) AND Data onto your SD EXT Partition so you have more free Internal memory on the internal /Data partition
MIUI comes with something called A2SD+ which is turned off by Default.
1) Go into TWRP Recovery. Create EXT-4 Partition. You will lose all data, so before doing this, its a good idea to backup.
Create an EXT partition size you are comfortable with and depending on your needs.
2) SWAP SPACE 0. You do not need it.
When it is done. Your SD Card now has a FAT partition and an EXT Partition. You can reformat your FAT to FAT32 in Windows if you would like and give it a name.
Then get this Script. MAKE SURE YOU READ EVERYTHING in the Following Threads.
This is Ungaze Data2SD Script. Script is now Attached at the bottom of this post
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1378568
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1661892
Get the Data2SD Script and copy it to your SDCard FAT32 partition. Reboot your phone a couple times after flashing MIUI. Wipe Dalvik, Wipe Cache, Then Flash Ungaze D2SD from Recovery.
Follow directions in those threads and you should see an increase in Internal Storage Space in MIUI
You can delete the Contents of /mnt/asec/d2sd/data/app/* and /mnt/asec/d2sd/data/data/* from your Device Root which is "/" after this otherwise you will have 2 copies of the same app. You should only have Dalvik-Cache in this location as it links to your Internal Memory Data partition. Make a backup first to your SD Card incase something goes wrong by copying those APKs, then simply Delete them. Your Device System Partition will have System Apps, Data partition will have Dalvik Cache and your SD Card's EXT Partition will have the rest of the Apps and their Data.
ETC INFO
You will Need ROOT Access for almost everything if you want to make changes so make sure you have SuperUser Access Turned ON in MIUI.
Search for ADAWAY which creates a HOSTS file in your /System/etc Directory, which helps to block ads. I prefer using only open source apps or apps with Ads that do not Annoy.
Use ES File Explorer
And now you can install (or Uninstall) all the Pesky large size Google Apps. I personally stay away from ANY Google App I do not absolutely Need. I remove apps like
Google Search
Google Talk (Hangouts)
and Other Google crap.
MIUI has the basics of what you need. But you can Remove the MIUI Accounts etc because you won't be needing it.
And Anything Pesky that I cannot trust. Make sure you Backup in Recovery first before Uninstalling System Apps.
You can use an app called Disable Service from the PlayStore to disable Individual Services in an app incase you don't want certain services loading up. This should help conserve memory and cpu cycles if needed and also to disable functionalities in Apps that are otherwise impossible to disable. Link Below
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cn.wq.disableservice&hl=en
The idea is to keep it SIMPLE and functional.
Last but not least, Thanks to everyone at XDA for making things like this possible. Without this community, we would not be able to do the things we can to bring enjoyment and functionality to our devices. Thanks to everyone who finds a solution and posts it with details for everyone to understand. I hope this culture keeps growing stronger.
Don't forget to say Thanks
That's it Folks! Bring out your old Nexus One. It will be fast, and serve its purpose as a phone first. And YES, Even your mom will now be able to use it. Enjoy!
ROM DOWNLOAD:
Download MIUI-Android-2.3.30-Gingerbread-NexusOne

Thanks for your time and for sharing this with us... Maybe some of us knows these stuff but in the KK 4.4.4 era, there always is someone who want to use the Sexy Nexy as a fully functional phone and use an eye candy ROM and more user friendly than CM 7.2.
For recovery I recommend 4Ext Recovery
Regards!

Obsy said:
Thanks for your time and for sharing this with us... Maybe some of us knows these stuff but in the KK 4.4.4 era, there always is someone who want to use the Sexy Nexy as a fully functional phone and use an eye candy ROM and more user friendly than CM 7.2.
For recovery I recommend 4Ext Recovery
Regards!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, no problem! Yes 4Ext is a good recovery if you are on Blackrose and change your hboot partitions etc. My Guide is for those who don't want to mess with that and the TWRP Recovery is working flawless. I will mess around with Blackrose to increase internal Memory because one thing I find after bootloader unlock is the initial boot process is what takes the longest! MIUI Itself boots in less than half the time it takes for the intial boot. (Nexus X multi colored Logo with gray colored open lock at the bottom)
I am still not quite sure if the trouble of using Blackrose just to cut down my Cache partition to 50mb is worth the time and trouble because the phone is running fine. And I am also not sure if Blackrose will work with twrp. I will need to read more on this.

Thanks.
I completely agree with this OP. This is best rom you can use on the nexus one, I've played around with all sorts of roms and versions including the most recent KitKat iterations and non of them are smooth in comparison with a solid gingerbread rom. But this rom is particularly good because it still makes the Nexus One feel fresh.

daaac said:
I completely agree with this OP. This is best rom you can use on the nexus one, I've played around with all sorts of roms and versions including the most recent KitKat iterations and non of them are smooth in comparison with a solid gingerbread rom. But this rom is particularly good because it still makes the Nexus One feel fresh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Daaac, you are right. When I pull out this old Phone, people ask me where did I get it? And how nice it looks. When I tell them its over 4 years old, they seem surprised. What google still does not seem to realize is that when it comes to Phones, people look at both the Phone hardware AND its Software that's running on it. Android is terribly ugly and MIUI is the closest you can get to getting some kind of Organized option structure even though it lacks some power user features, it is still better than scrolling through endless Cyanogenmod Gingerbread options. Not the fault of Cyanogenmod, but I blame Google for the terrible User Interface of Android. Google seems to hire Amateurs to design their User Interface and then market it as Simplicity. In my opinion, Apple runs circles around Android when it comes to Fluidity but ofcourse we know why we stick to Android, for things an iOs user can only dream of, specially on older devices. This MIUI ROM comes closest to make your Nexus One a daily usable phone with very few annoyances, however it is stable, never crashes, and looks good.

Thanks for your guide, very nice to read your step by step, good as I didn't update nexus one since 1 year ago and I don't remember all steps.
Thanks!!

You are most certainly welcomed Sir! If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask me.
danibus said:
Thanks for your guide, very nice to read your step by step, good as I didn't update nexus one since 1 year ago and I don't remember all steps.
Thanks!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thank you very much for taking the time to cook such a nice ROM for Nexus one. I hadn't installed any custom ROM on my device until some days ago. It is really awesome. Considering that Nexus one is an old device I do not expect to be any update for this ROM, but in case there was one I would appreciate it if you could post the link.

You need to see the first post for that to happen.
miui_nexus1 said:
Thank you very much for taking the time to cook such a nice ROM for Nexus one. I hadn't installed any custom ROM on my device until some days ago. It is really awesome. Considering that Nexus one is an old device I do not expect to be any update for this ROM, but in case there was one I would appreciate it if you could post the link.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thanks for your quick reply. I am well aware of your updates to the ROM. I especially love the Nexus pie and appreciate the security updates.
ocd_amp said:
You need to see the first post for that to happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

More security fixes!! I can't believe my eyes. Thanks a ton!

Hola launcher
I have tried Hola launcher (e.g. with chromatic theme), and its icons are similar to MIUI icons in contrast with Hola launcher (which is similar to latest Android versions).
P.s. I am just testing . I don't know if this launcher will drain the battery fast or not.

That launcher will slow down your system, and constantly try to download ads. It also takes up a LOT of RAM. The idea here to make the device run FAST consuming as little resources as possible. On a fresh boot, my N1 RAM usage is at 95MB, and after 28 Hours, it is 144MB. With other processes that are important Cached. My Dialer starts and makes calls upto 3 seconds faster than my Galaxy 3 on Lollipop.
All this can be achieved by disabling Google Play Services and Google Play Store from starting on boot (unless you have apps that you are always using and depend constantly on them) - I don't use apps that heavily depend on Google Play Services, and if I do, I start the service and the app, then I press the "back" key and exit Google Play Services. - Xposed Framework module attached to prevent Apps from running helps.
Battery life is great, easily lasts 2-3 days with minor screen time / talk time - Heavy usage can last a full day. This is all on a 2010 phone with an old battery. My Nexus One puts most people's dual core modern phones to shame when it comes to speed
miui_nexus1 said:
I have tried Hola launcher (e.g. with chromatic theme), and its icons are similar to MIUI icons in contrast with Hola launcher (which is similar to latest Android versions).
P.s. I am just testing . I don't know if this launcher will drain the battery fast or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

That is fantastic battery life and speed you have!
I have got some questions and appreciate your help (Please forgive my newbie questions and such a long post)
1) When I want to run PHONE and MESSAGING applications on “Holo launcher” it gives this error message: "This activity cannot be launched". Although stock MIUI icons for these applications work fine.
2) I partitioned my memory card using ClockworkMod recovery and I dedicated 2 Gb’s of my 16 Gb class 10 microSD card (I haven’t had any problem with this recovery so far but if you think it may be incompatible with your ROM or cause issues please let me know and I will replace it). After flashing Ungaze Data2SD I see an increase in the internal memory . To be honest I didn’t completely understand the rest of the instructions so I do not know whether I have done it right or not.
"You can delete the Contents of /mnt/asec/d2sd/data/app/* and /mnt/asec/d2sd/data/data/* from your Device Root which is "/" after this otherwise you will have 2 copies of the same app. You should only have Dalvik-Cache in this location as it links to your Internal Memory Data partition. Make a backup first to your SD Card in case something goes wrong by copying those APKs, then simply Delete them. Your Device System Partition will have System Apps, Data partition will have Dalvik Cache and your SD Card's EXT Partition will have the rest of the Apps and their Data."
This is what I did:
I used “adb shell” to access the contents of those two locations and deleted their contents. As I said before I didn’t understand the rest of the instructions and I assumed it has been done correctly!! Then I installed my apps normally but I do not know whether they have been copied to the internal memory or the memory card. (I have downloaded apk’s of all apps I use from "apps.evozi. /apk-downloader/" or "apk4fun" and I have installed them using package manager).
My main question is what do I do after cleaning up those two locations and how do I install the apps so they will be copied to the memory Card’s Ext partition.
You should only have Dalvik-Cache in this location (What location exactly?)
Your Device System Partition will have System Apps (/system?)
Data partition will have Dalvik Cache (/data?)
SD Card's EXT Partition (/sd-ext?) If I am right as I have “adb” installed on my windows, it doesn’t show me the contents of this folder naturally. I have Ubuntu Linux too but “adb” is not installed on it.
Thanks a lot for your time!

1) Remove Holo Launcher icons and drag and drop Phone and Messaging icon from Drawer into the Dock at the bottom.
2) Use TWRP recovery.
3) /Data partition is EXT2 partition on your SDCard. Apps+Data (app data) will be there.
4) /mnt/asec/d2sd will be the "other" data partition (the original data partition) which is where your Dalvik cache will be.
5) Apps will be installed where their manifest suggests - Most apps will be installed to /Data on your EXT and their Dalvik Cache will be on the Internal parition /mnt/asec/d2sd/Dalvik-Cache
6) Use ES File Explorer - give it Root permissions - make sure Superuser permissions is set to On and inside ES Explorer you give Root access R/W - you can view all partions there
7) Use DiskInfo to see all your partitions
miui_nexus1 said:
That is fantastic battery life and speed you have!
I have got some questions and appreciate your help (Please forgive my newbie questions and such a long post)
1) When I want to run PHONE and MESSAGING applications on “Holo launcher” it gives this error message: "This activity cannot be launched". Although stock MIUI icons for these applications work fine.
2) I partitioned my memory card using ClockworkMod recovery and I dedicated 2 Gb’s of my 16 Gb class 10 microSD card (I haven’t had any problem with this recovery so far but if you think it may be incompatible with your ROM or cause issues please let me know and I will replace it). After flashing Ungaze Data2SD I see an increase in the internal memory . To be honest I didn’t completely understand the rest of the instructions so I do not know whether I have done it right or not.
"You can delete the Contents of /mnt/asec/d2sd/data/app/* and /mnt/asec/d2sd/data/data/* from your Device Root which is "/" after this otherwise you will have 2 copies of the same app. You should only have Dalvik-Cache in this location as it links to your Internal Memory Data partition. Make a backup first to your SD Card in case something goes wrong by copying those APKs, then simply Delete them. Your Device System Partition will have System Apps, Data partition will have Dalvik Cache and your SD Card's EXT Partition will have the rest of the Apps and their Data."
This is what I did:
I used “adb shell” to access the contents of those two locations and deleted their contents. As I said before I didn’t understand the rest of the instructions and I assumed it has been done correctly!! Then I installed my apps normally but I do not know whether they have been copied to the internal memory or the memory card. (I have downloaded apk’s of all apps I use from "apps.evozi. /apk-downloader/" or "apk4fun" and I have installed them using package manager).
My main question is what do I do after cleaning up those two locations and how do I install the apps so they will be copied to the memory Card’s Ext partition.
You should only have Dalvik-Cache in this location (What location exactly?)
Your Device System Partition will have System Apps (/system?)
Data partition will have Dalvik Cache (/data?)
SD Card's EXT Partition (/sd-ext?) If I am right as I have “adb” installed on my windows, it doesn’t show me the contents of this folder naturally. I have Ubuntu Linux too but “adb” is not installed on it.
Thanks a lot for your time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thanks a lot for the complete information. Holo launcher and Prevent running are really great. Now only 94 Mb of RAM is used . I expect to have better battery life too. I will report that after some days of using this configuration.

miui_nexus1 said:
Thanks a lot for the complete information. Holo launcher and Prevent running are really great. Now only 94 Mb of RAM is used . I expect to have better battery life too. I will report that after some days of using this configuration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh lord, might be joining the N1 family due to recent corrupt internal data/EMMC failures on the Sensation and One Mini. Hoping to get a daily ROM and stable service from AT&T. Any critical updates/preventions prior to dusting off 2 years of being shelved and lending to 3 people (aka TANK N1).
Excited to see activity and will give this a shot when I get home. Thanks for posting!

Thanks for posting about Stagefright bug. It seems to be a hell of a bug. I have done all of them except the first one. Could you elaborate on how to edit build.prop?
By the way just a small thing: there is an extra "r" in
3) Use Firefox. Type about:config > Search for Stragefright > Set stagefright.disabled to True
Thanks again.

You're welcome. Enjoy!
lfe.zaius said:
Oh lord, might be joining the N1 family due to recent corrupt internal data/EMMC failures on the Sensation and One Mini. Hoping to get a daily ROM and stable service from AT&T. Any critical updates/preventions prior to dusting off 2 years of being shelved and lending to 3 people (aka TANK N1).
Excited to see activity and will give this a shot when I get home. Thanks for posting!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You edit build.prop either right on the phone using a text editor, or if you're like me, do it on the computer with Notepad++. It's a text based file. Oh yes, that was a spelling error. Fixed.
miui_nexus1 said:
Thanks for posting about Stagefright bug. It seems to be a hell of a bug. I have done all of them except the first one. Could you elaborate on how to edit build.prop?
By the way just a small thing: there is an extra "r" in
3) Use Firefox. Type about:config > Search for Stragefright > Set stagefright.disabled to True
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I have opened it using ES file explorer (ES Note editor) on my device but when I want to save it it shows an error:"Error occurred when trying to save the file. It will not be saved.". I have granted Superuser access to ES file explorer but I cannot find a way to give the specified permissions you have mentioned in the post. I would appreciate your help.

[LP][5.X][XPERIA] Debloating script for xperia phones running LP

***LOOKING FOR A ALL-IN-ONE SOLUTION? THAT'S AVAILABLE FOR Z3C USERS ONLY, IF INTERESTED GO HERE***
I guys, I share with you my debloating script for those interested in a higly DEBLOATED LP installation, very slimmed down, battery friendly, faster, with less RAM comsuption etc
Heavily debloated actually means almost 1 gb of system stuff moved to a backup folder (that you can even delete or move to sdcards to get 1gb extra free space in /system) so applying my script you agree to debloat A LOT as I did but take care that you will have a much lighter system and still you will be able to restore very easily anything you want anytime moving stuff back from the backup folder to /system (detailed instructions for that below in this thread).
NOTES
1. as all the stuff object of my debloating script is going to be placed in /system when flashing the pre-rooted FW, it is strongly suggested to apply my script immediately after flashing the pre-rooted LP FW and before rebooting, this way all that stuff will be moved away, and it is like it was never installed (at first boot no optimizations for those apps, means faster first boot etc)
2. as said above, all the bloat is not really deleted but moved to a Backup folder in system (/system/__Backup) so you can restore anything you want very easily. that's the reason you can see /system partition still almost full in spite of my high debloat, but stuff moved to the backup folder is "silent", so for sure it is not affecting the system at all and it is like it is not installed: I use this approach for people who needs to restore something, this way restoring is very very easy and fast. By the way, deleting the whole Backup folder (or moving it to your sdcard) you will then see something like 1.1 gb extra free space in /system!!
3. using different FW as base you may have some more bloat/apks, not present in my FW, that will remain installed. In this case, if you think there is some bloat left that could be removed, please send me a list of all your system apps remained after debloating, so i can check them (you can easily do that via terminal with 'ls /system/app > /sdcard/sysapps.txt' and 'ls /system/priv-app > /sdcard/privapps.txt' and send me the resultant text files)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Procedure for all xperia phones running LP: (like all Z series)
Requirements:
- working recovery
- be on LP already, 5.0.2 or 5.1.1, doesn't matter
Installation:
1. full nandroid backup to eventually go back to previous any time
2. wipe data, cache and dalvik ***
3. flash my debloating script
4. that's all! reboot/enjoy
*** NOTES
You can skip wiping data, so you'll keep all your personal data! But please mind that not wiping data during the installation procedure the debloat will not be 100% effective: in fact, if you don't wipe data, all the sony apps installed in /data/app won't be removed by the script! (to remove them, you'll have to uninstall them manually from settings > apps > downloaded)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RESULT
As said at the top, you'll get a very slimmed down LP FW, battery friendly, very fast, with less RAM comsuption etc
Of course, everything is working great here, I mean all the features I need/use!
In particular, with latest version of my script you are going to delete more than 160 packages in total with all relevant libs/stuff plus all applications automatically installed by Sony :good:
DISCLAIMER
If you apply my script again please take care I did a pretty massive debloat as I don't use a lot of stuff (social apps, small apps, many of the sony "addons"/special settings etc!!) and this is a working config for me, but for others some functionalities will be probably missing, so mind what you do before apply them! (but again you can restore anything anytime, if interested just continue the reading)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
###########################################################################################################
REMOVED STUFF
As said at the beginning, with my script, stuff is not going to be deleted anymore, but moved in /system/__Backup folder. This way you can restore things without the need to download them from my GDrive.
HOW TO RESTORE SOMETHING
PS. of course I also removed from my FW all the stuff that can be easily downloaded from the Play Store (Gmail, etc)
In the hidden field below you will find the restoring instructions you need to follow to restore any package you may want back:
According to what you want to restore, you have to follow two different procedures:
- all the APKs that are inside /system/__Backup/various/etc_custom_apps and /system/__Backup/various/etc_prod_apps are regular APKs that are going to be installed in /data, so you can just run them and then select "install" like a normal APK, easy. You will then see them in Settings > applications > downloaded
- instead, all the things in /system/__Backup/system_app and /system/__Backup/system_priv-app folders can't be normally installed, but must be restored in the correct /system folders with correct permissions. To do this, see the step-by-step instructions below (in the following example, I am going to restore Chrome app in /system/app and Velvet (Google Search) in /system/priv-app, but of course you can restore how many things as you want at the same time)
Code:
- with a root file manager like ES, go to /system/__Backup/system_app and MOVE the whole "Chrome" folder to /system/app
- with a root file manager like ES, go to /system/__Backup/system_priv-app and MOVE the whole "Velvet" folder to /system/priv-app
- reboot
- done
PS. don't copy but MOVE things back, or permissions will get messed up and you are likely to end up in a bootloop!
Many THANKS @ondrejvaroscak and @Puffin617 for some very good advices, @mj084 for some packages descriptions :good:

Would one arrive at the same stable setup as you if the debloating-part in your guide was omitted?
(I prefer to use Debloater by @gatesjunior to block the apps)

Norup58 said:
Would one arrive at the same stable setup as you if the debloating-part in your guide was omitted?
(I prefer to use Debloater by @gatesjunior to block the apps)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
don't think so. in fact, several people who flashed and installed xposed directly on stock FW, had bootloops. others have problems with play store in deodexed, so I think, at least here and IMHO, best combo is odexed but debloated.
of course you can remove less stuff, that will be also much safer. if and when I post a text list of what I removed, I can maybe highlight dangerous apps that people should be careful with, or add notes for some apps that maybe is not so easy to understand what they are for
EDIT: I always prefer manual things, so I always manually move apps to a temporary location and then delete them

oh man, thanks for this, but i have a lot of problems to visualize what have you did. dropbox isn't working for me on my work's network. Can you make a list of apps? pastebin, tinypaste, hastebin, chop... there are options!

espaciosalter20 said:
oh man, thanks for this, but i have a lot of problems to visualize what have you did. dropbox isn't working for me on my work's network. Can you make a list of apps? pastebin, tinypaste, hastebin, chop... there are options!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
will make a list soon!
EDIT: done! see OP!!

moly82 said:
will make a list soon!
EDIT: done! see OP!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! it's a shame that i already have achieved my 8-post limit for today.

Which app is refer screenshot: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6smtqx57f3mjy68/Screenshot_2015-04-08-15-10-03.png?dl=0
Thank
Hispa

espaciosalter20 said:
Thank you! it's a shame that i already have achieved my 8-post limit for today.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
don't worry mate!
ps. added notes/colours to some pretty dangerous apps to remove.. all others should be pretty self explanatory/safe to delete if you don't use them
hispanico957 said:
Which app is refer screenshot: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6smtqx57f3mjy68/Screenshot_2015-04-08-15-10-03.png?dl=0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
gravity box > lockscreen mods > customizable lockscreen shortcuts!

enabled navbar edits and lost recent buttons... but in homescreen (and only there) I still have it
(the secret is... a modded wallpaper lol )
of course in other apps it is gone ;(

moly82 said:
enabled navbar edits and lost recent buttons... but in homescreen (and only there) I still have it
(the secret is... a modded wallpaper lol )
of course in other apps it is gone ;(
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes also for me no recent in apps... but also at home !?
Hispa

Perfect Bro @moly82 will work on it to launch a FW Debloated stable.

So do we know which app it is that you removed that fixed the xposed issue? I don't buy the "just delete a bunch of stuff and xposed will work", there must be one or a combination of apps that are causing the bootloops.

Avengeme said:
So do we know which app it is that you removed that fixed the xposed issue? I don't buy the "just delete a bunch of stuff and xposed will work", there must be one or a combination of apps that are causing the bootloops.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, you are free to investigate [emoji14]
always when i flash a stock fw i immediately remove a lot of useless (for me) stuff.. this time I had already deleted something like 120 useless apps before flashing xposed and seeing it was working fine.. so that's not so easy for me at this time to understand exactly what is causing bootloops for some people and actually, even if it wouldn't be impossible to find that out, that's not interesting for me so don't see a point in losing extra time in that research sorry (I'm already wasting too much time in debloat operations [emoji14] )

hispanico957 said:
Yes also for me no recent in apps... but also at home !?
Hispa
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah no recents button here as well.. as i said the recent button i have in my homescreen is a trick... a wallpaper with a fake button drawing in background [emoji14]

@moly82: you are the greatest ... finally I got xposed framework without bootloop!! Thank you so much!!

no problem mate glad it was helpful for someone else!
yesterday I added a few more xposed modules, and still no bootloops at all (right now I'm using GB, apm+, youtube adway, youtube background playback, xperia/AOSP NavBar Buttons :good: )
btw did you delete all (or most of the) the apps in my list? and before debloating you had bootloops?
because I immediately debloated and only then I installed xposed, so was wondering if maybe also installing xposed without debloating could be working actually as never tried here this way
in any case, just testing right now some more debloat... would like to increase the debloat list... will update OP if I find it safe and will have no problems after new deletions

gallery app is not working! i tried restoring all the Photo* app ,but still not working

Try to clear Cache and Data from Album App, helped me last time it wont work

you mean sony album? works perfectly here

removed updates and now is working fine

How to install a custom Rom with the small system partition size??

Hi all.
Dug an original 2012 nexus 7 (16GB) out of the drawer to see if it could be refreshed a bit and brought back in to some sort of use.
I've put Lineage 14.1 on it and rooted with the nexus toolkit but I had to install the pico Gapps as there is only 689mb of system space. I've trawled the internet looking for a solution on how to make the system partition slightly bigger to accomodate a larger rom and all i came up with was using "Parted" to try and resize the partitions. I've tried everything but i can't get a reading from mmcblk0. Keeps telling me that there's no such file or words to that effect. I know it's there because i can see it. I'm clearly doing something wrong in adb. I see Roms for CRDroid that combined with Gapps pico are too big to fit on. They've been made so there's obviously a way to get them on there that i'm missing.
Would anybody be willing to give me a guide on how to get the system partition bigger?
Thanks very much

There is no possibility to re-orgainize partition sizes for the Nexus 7. The only idea which could work in my opinion: create an image file on the /data partition, move the content from e.g. /system/apps there and bind mount the image file to /system/apps
Unfortunately this new concept needs to be supported by your custom recovery, too, otherwise you would not be able to install any app. Long story, short answer: much work to be done and it's not really needed as you can download almost all Gapps from the playstore and then these apps will be installed on the /data partition.
Btw. custom ROMs occupying too much space on /system probably should try to reduce the number of supported languages / features or renounce on pre-compilation of the build-in apps. First startup will take longer but on the other side you gain some additional space ... Just a hint.

Try google "nvflash" for Nexus 7. Attention! This is a low-level utility, if used improperly and there are no backups, RESTORE THE DEVICE WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE!!!
I strongly do not recommend this, the risk of turning the tablet into a brick is very large.
Instead, you can use root file explorer to remove unnecessary system applications and files (for example, media - boot animation, sounds, etc.) to free space.

gmikhail said:
Try google "nvflash" for Nexus 7. Attention! This is a low-level utility, if used improperly and there are no backups, RESTORE THE DEVICE WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE!!!
I strongly do not recommend this, the risk of turning the tablet into a brick is very large.
Instead, you can use root file explorer to remove unnecessary system applications and files (for example, media - boot animation, sounds, etc.) to free space.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi.
Spent the last hour or so trying to decipher what nvflash actually was. I think the penny has dropped. You wern't recommending it as a way to get more space. You were potentially recommending it as a failsafe so i could mess about with the partitions without bricking it????
Anyway, thanks very much. I think i'll just have a look at uninstalling some of the non required files to free up the space. I assume the best way would be to install the ROM of choice, go in and uninstall stuff and hopefully if enough space has been created, be able to flash gapps?

@blueplasticsoulman probably you would like to have a look at Magic GApps 2017.11.9, they are implementing more or less the solution I pointed out in my other post. I didn't try yet, but sounds promising to me.

AndDiSa said:
@blueplasticsoulman probably you would like to have a look at Magic GApps 2017.11.9, they are implementing more or less the solution I pointed out in my other post. I didn't try yet, but sounds promising to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that. I did get the problem sorted by installing the rom and then removing things that wern't required such as stock email, telephone functions (not sure why they are in the rom anyway) gallery and some wallpapers. That created enough space to then be able to install pico gapps. Runs quite nice on CRdroid although it probably wont get used as we all have newer tablets. Still, nice to know it runs good after 6 years. :good:

Project Mainline: Don't You Think Updates Will Take Way Too Much Space on older devices?

Project Mainline consists of modularising system components in updatable packages, APEX files. Updating uses a versioning system where new APEX files are presented to the user as "Google Play System Updates". These files are updated in much the same way as APKs. That also means that when there is an update these get stored in /data (userdata partition), as per the explanation in the official Android documentation:
The new APEX is stored in /data and, similar to APKs, the newly installed version shadows the version already present in the built-in partition. But unlike APKs, the newly installed version of the APEX is only activated after reboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As a consequence, these updates do not survive a factory reset and serve more as a stopgap in-between full OTA system updates (which of course do persist after reset).
Another consequence is that all these APEX file updates in /data take a lot of space. In addition to system apps (APKs) being updated and taking space on /data, now whole parts of the OS are being modularised and its updates replicated in /data, leaving increasingly lower space in the userdata partition, the further Project Mainline gets. For newer devices with plenty of space that's not a problem, but on XDA we also like to extend the usable life of older devices, which may therefore not benefit from having their system components "APEXed".
In sum, what I would like to know from anyone interested in this discussion, and especially experienced Android users or developers is this:
"For older or low end devices with lower storage capacity, are you going to discourage users from using Google Play Services or at least from updating the system using the APEX updating scheme?"