Develop Bugs

[HOW TO] /efs Folder backup + Restore NV_DATA.BIN

I’ve compiled a quick guide to instruct how to make a copy of the /efs folder. I’ve found in many threads suggestions about backing up this folder but the methods itself are very general. Most of the times they suggest to “root and copy the folder” with Root Explorer or similar, but usually it’s not that easy or it just doesn't work for everyone (my case).
This guide ASUMES you have read this Excellent Guide by Darkstrikerfirst:
H E R E <-- Make sure to read the ADB Guide.
I recommend doing this with a Mobile just taken out of the box or with any Official ROM of its Service Provider. If you have already Flashed your phone with another ROM but its working fine, then you can use that /efs also.
Why the /efs folder?
This is a very sensitive system folder that contains Phone-specific information such as the IMEI (encrypted in the nv_data.bin), wireless devices MAC addresses, product code (also in the nv_data.bin), and much more. Often users trying to change product codes or trying to unlock the mobile will end up corrupting data in this location.
Why back it up?
Well, let’s resume it saying that backing-up this little folder will keep you away from Samsung service centers.
***WARNING: I take no responsibility to any damage caused by the methods cited and/or written here. Their sole purpose is to back-up data and not to alter in any way the integrity of the original files of the mobile***
Please don’t ask how to recover your IMEI if you have previously messed your SGS without backing up this folder. I’m not familiar with such methods plus it is UNRELATED to this thread.
What you will need:
Rooted SGS to get permissions as a SU (Super User) and perform the backup
I would suggest learning a little about the terminal commands used (in case you are not familiar with them), as it’s better to know what you are doing rather than typing strings like a little chimp without knowing what they are; if you are a little lazy, then you have a good chance bricking your mobile.<- Busybox Commands(or Google them)
Terminal Emulator by Jack Palevich (available from the market) <-Terminal Emulator or use ADB which is included in the SDK Development Tools
IMPORTANT: If getting "error: device not found" under ADB (happened to me under CM7 2.3.4), you need to update your ADB drivers. Go HERE and follow the instructions to download the USB Driver for Windows, Revision 4 (Nexus S Support). Then update the drivers under your Windows Device Manager.
--------------------------------------
Backup commands
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Depending on the type of root, you might have to use “busybox” at the beginning of the sting or just the string:
The standard prompt of terminal (adb) is a $ sign. Once you enter “SU” it will become a # Sign.
***NOTE: Make sure to keep an eye on the screen of your SGS during this process, because it will request SU permissions; else, you will get an error (just if it’s the first time). In Terminal Emulator you will need to reset the app after granting permissions cause it usually freezes***
*Remember: to use ADB you need to enable USB DEBUGGING under Applications/Development in your SGS. Once you are finished with the files, you need to turn it off so you can get the files.
Code:
su
tar zcvf /sdcard/efs-backup.tar.gz /efs or
busybox tar zcvf /sdcard/efs-backup.tar.gz /efs
After this, you will end up with the file efs-backup.tar.gz in your INTERNAL SDCARD, which is a “tarball” or a ZIP of the /efs folder. That file is your backup. You can expand it with Winrar.
In another forum I also saw a recommendation to back up the st13 under /dev/block which can support greatly to recoveryour IMEI in case of a screw-up:
Code:
su
cat /dev/block/stl3 > /sdcard/efs_dev-block-stl3.img or
busybox cat /dev/block/stl3 > /sdcard/efs_dev-block-stl3.img
Same thing, the target is the INTERNAL SDCARD, so go ahead and copy the file.
----------------------------
nv_data.bin - Restore
----------------------------
In case you screwed your IMEI by playing with the nv_data.bin and you are experiencing issues like:
Fake IMEI (usually 004999010640000)
Unable to download apps from the market
Unable to unlock your SIM card using your PIN
Weird apps are downloading automatically from the market
Blinking SIM card icon on the top tray… ETC
You may want to upload your fresh copy of this file back to the phone. Use this commands:
(thanks to Methyldioxide method to recover the product code http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=780509 )
Copy the file from your backup (efs-backup.tar.gz) and paste it in the INTERNAL SDCARD:
Code:
cp /sdcard/nv_data.bin /efs/nv_data.bin
rm -rf /efs/nv_data.bin.md5 OR
busybox rm -rf /efs/nv_data.bin.md5
Reboot your SGS
The md5 hash/signature is removed (rm) as the system will generate a new one.
**Most likely your SIM code won’t work after this and you won’t be able to log into the phone**
Pop off your SIM card, boot your SGS and execute the following commands to change ownership of the file under ADB or Terminal as well:
Code:
su
busybox chown 1001:1001 /efs/nv_data.bin or
chown 1001:1001 /efs/nv_data.bin
Hope this can help anyone with doubts. Cheers!

An alternative to the backup part is to use Root Explorer and zip the whole /efs folder onto your external sd card. (or wherever you want)

How about a method to restore the IMEI if you never had a good back up to begin with ?

Candanga said:
Please don’t ask how to recover your IMEI if you have previously messed your SGS without backing up this folder. I’m not familiar with such methods plus it is UNRELATED to this thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
EarlZ said:
How about a method to restore the IMEI if you never had a good back up to begin with ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you manage to miss that?

EarlZ said:
How about a method to restore the IMEI if you never had a good back up to begin with ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
had the feeling you would be here LMAO..

funny thing
the other day i messed up nv_data.bak trying to get my old product code back
the phone would not recognise the sim card
i deleted the whole /efs folder and the phone made a new one
i got my imei but no product code
sim card started working everything looked ok appart from sgs tools reporting nothing as phone !?!
i did restore /efs from a backup i had and then my product code came back
weird though
I was on jpo when all this happened

pele78 said:
had the feeling you would be here LMAO..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess you find it entertaining if people messed up their IMEI, well we all have our kinkiness.

EarlZ said:
I guess you find it entertaining if people messed up their IMEI, well we all have our kinkiness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@EarlZ - I myself was a victim of this, but I managed to make a duplicate of my nv_data.bin as per instructions of the guide that I was following to unlock my SGS.
The only "tip" that I can give you (geez.. Im going against my own disclaimer lol ) is to try to flash it back to JM1 or the earliest release of your mobile. I think I remember to get my IMEI back doing this, but then lost it flashing to a newer ROM. AGAIN, my "research" didn't go past this as I managed to get my IMEI back, reason why I got inspired to throw this little guide.
Hope this can get you started on your IMEI recovery journey.
Cheers mate.

The restore should also be done with tar - in this way you won't lose the permissions on the files.

ingineru said:
The restore should also be done with tar - in this way you won't lose the permissions on the files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just for future reference (in case I need it ) can you give us the full command line?
Thanks

Thanks for the HowTo.
I ended up deleting my nv_data files in order to restore the backup files to get back the orig product code. As far as I can tell, it worked perfectly.
Code:
busybox rm -rf /efs/nv_data.bin
busybox rm -rf /efs/nv_data.bin.md5

In case you really boink your EFS
I wanted to add a small piece to this thread that not really consolidated anywhere I can fine. I toasted my /EFS yesterday - to the point of no cellular unless I was at JF6. I couldn't use tar because I'd get "out of room" errors and "numerical value out of range". I mean I SERIOUSLY borked the /EFS. But then I've been flashing this phone from the day it was available from AT&T.
I used ODIN to restore my /EFS. I have a permanent generic IMEI.
There are several good threads on backup of the /EFS, but not on restoring. If you follow the OP post to backup, here's a good discussion on how to restore.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=882039
What wasn't clear in Da_G's thread is the you don't have to use DD to use ODIN to restore. There's no discussion on using the .img file to restore. That's scattered across a couple of threads and lots of reading. I'm not a linux guy, so I had to figure this out. . . .
Deep in rotohammer's following thread, there is a discussion about using a cat .img file to do create an ODIN .rfs file that allows you to restore from ODIN.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=850359
So here's what I did to restore my /EFS to functional. You MUST have a backup of your functional /EFS using either dd or cat and ADB installed.
On your PC do the following:
c:\Android\tools> adb shell
$ su (you're now on your phones Android command line; watch your home screen on the phone in case Superuser comes up asking for permission)
#
Now we're going to take the efs_folder_backup_stl3.img that you did with the cat file and make it usable by ODIN. Change directory locations to your cat .img location. Mine is on /sdcard/external_sd/.
#cd /sdcard/external_sd/
#busybox cat efs_folder_backup_stl3.img > /sdcard/efs.rfs (this is the key step!!)
# cd /sdcard
# tar -cf efs.tar efs.rfs
# exit
$ exit
Now your back at your PC. Do the following step to get the .tar file off your phone.
c:\Android\tools> adb pull /sdcard/efs.tar
Almost done. Move the efs.tar file to the same direction as ODIN and the follow the last directions in Da_G's thread. I'll post them below for just for clarity.
"Now, get into download mode, open odin, stick efs.tar in PDA slot, and press start. Bam! EFS fixed"
This worked for me, several times. Once you have the /EFS directory in ODIN flashable tar format - you really have to work hard to brick your phone.
Hope this helps!

If I flash back to stock using ODIN, would that also put things back to right ?

@bsc7080xsc
It should. You might have to do a factory reset if the device shows as locked, but otherwise it's worked for me many times.

Hi
backedup my efs folder through this thread in combination with roto.
cellgeek in your post you say : " busybox cat efs_folder_backup_stl3.img > /sdcard/efs.rfs (this is the key step!!)"
But i never made an .img file/folder.
both the dd and cat created an rfs file which i turned to tar.
am i missing a step?
thank you for your little extra guide.

that's a very useful Candanga
several times saved my ass
thanks !

Thank you VERY much OP, that worked for me

Sorry to revive if this is old;
Why won't rm -rf /efs/nv_data.bin.md5 work in terminal? It gives me an error along the lines of this is a read-only file etc?

geesamsungs said:
Sorry to revive if this is old;
Why won't rm -rf /efs/nv_data.bin.md5 work in terminal? It gives me an error along the lines of this is a read-only file etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try "busybox rm -rf /efs/nv_data.bin.md5"

Thanks that was very useful but I have a problem here.
When I copy my nv_data.bin file to efs directory I can only change the ownership but not the group!
I tried both of this:
su
busybox chown 1001:1001 /efs/nv_data.bin or
chown 1001:1001 /efs/nv_data.bin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and
su
busybox chown radio:radio /efs/nv_data.bin or
chown radio:radio /efs/nv_data.bin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Help needed. Rooting Desire Z

Ok, after using my phone for a while i decided to root it. Since I have the stock Gingerbread rom i followed the guide to downgrade to the stock froyo rom. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1178912
I reached the part Temp-Rooting to Backup However, when i run titanium backup it says Error: Sorry, I could not acquire root privileges. This application will *not* work.
What am I supposed to do? I followed the guide to the letter and everything up till that point was exactly as the guide said.
My phone's details are
Android version 2.3.3
Baseband version 12.56.60.25U_26.10.04.03_M
Kernel version 2.6.35.10-g7b95729
Software number 2.42.415.17
Here is what i did in adb
http://pastebin.com/jkxE55Yh
For some reason, new users are not allowed to post links in their replies. Nipqer, i redid all my steps and did what you told me.
here is the link of all what i did:
http://pastebin.com/Fze9uB33

First, thank you so much for linking a pastebin of what you've done, makes it so much easier to try help.
However I'd really like to see if there was any output after running 'adb shell /data/local/
tmp/fixsu.sh' so if you can get that ouput and post it, would be much appreciated.
You might have to run it from inside shell:
adb shell
cd /data/local/tmp
./fixsu.sh
-Nipqer

Thanks Nipqer and sorry for the late reply.
I did what you told me and this is what i got
C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools>adb shell
adb server is out of date. killing...
* daemon started successfully *
# cd /data/local/tmp
cd /data/local/tmp
# ./fixsu.sh
./fixsu.sh
#
though i don't know if it helps with anything.
I just got confused because in the guide it says to install Titanium backup and backup my data. I have already done a manual backup myself but i figured doing a backup using Titanium backup will not hurt. I have used other programs like Root Checker Basic and it tells me that i don't have proper root access.
Can I just ignore this issue and go ahead with the downgrade? Or will there be some problems?
Thanks again in advance!

Hmm, it should give you root permissions after running fixsu.sh.
The lack of output shows it should've worked.
That part of the guide is entirely optional anyway, so If you already have what you want backed up, go ahead and downgrade.
-Nipqer

Nipqer said:
Hmm, it should give you root permissions after running fixsu.sh.
The lack of output shows it should've worked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well. fixsu.sh returned no error for me, too. But Titanium backup did not get root and trying to call "su", I got I/O error. And looking to dmesg, I seen corrupted file system.
After a bit of research I got the reason: rw remount succeeds, Linux thinks, that data are written to flash, but no data are written for real. Once data leave cache, they are lost and system "returns" to intact state.
I wrote a different fixsu.sh, which does not have this problem, but I am still failing to get root privileges, even with the latest Superuser+su. I got only a pop-up about refused root access. (But "su number_of_any_existing_uid" and then "su" in adb shell says says about permitted access.)
Here is my preliminary fixsu.sh:
Code:
#!/system/bin/sh
chmod 755 /data/local/tmp/busybox
chmod 4755 /data/local/tmp/su
/data/local/tmp/busybox cp -a /system/xbin /data/local/tmp/
mount -o bind /data/local/tmp/xbin /system/xbin
/data/local/tmp/busybox --install -s /system/xbin/
/system/bin/rm /system/xbin/su 2>/dev/null
/data/local/tmp/busybox cp -a /data/local/tmp/su /system/xbin/
/data/local/tmp/busybox cp -a /system/bin /data/local/tmp/
mount -o bind /data/local/tmp/bin /system/bin
/data/local/tmp/busybox cp -a /data/local/tmp/su /system/bin/
# /etc/* changes are needed only for some busybox utils, not for Superuser's su
/data/local/tmp/busybox cp -a /system/etc /data/local/tmp/
mount -o bind /data/local/tmp/etc /system/etc
/data/local/tmp/busybox echo "root::0:0:root:/data/local:/system/bin/sh" > /system/etc/passwd
chmod 0666 /system/etc/passwd
/data/local/tmp/busybox echo "root::0:0:root:/data/local:/system/bin/sh" > /system/etc/passwd
/data/local/tmp/busybox echo "root::0:" > /system/etc/group
chmod 0666 /system/etc/group
# Optional:
ln /data/local/tmp/busybox /data/local/tmp/xbin/busybox
And here is the code to recover "writable" state after reboot:
Code:
#!/system/bin/sh
mount -o bind /data/local/tmp/xbin /system/xbin
mount -o bind /data/local/tmp/bin /system/bin
mount -o bind /data/local/tmp/etc /system/etc

Unfortunately I can't tell you why it won't work. Might just be your partitions are too corrupted or something.
Have you tried a full power cycle (turn phone off, pull battery), it's helped other phones work in the past.
Otherwise I'd say just use adb to pull your entire /data dir, so you have everything saved and can mess round with trying to put it back in later.
-Nipqer

Nipqer said:
Unfortunately I can't tell you why it won't work. Might just be your partitions are too corrupted or something.
Have you tried a full power cycle (turn phone off, pull battery), it's helped other phones work in the past.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried to reboot without battery removal. Partition was "corrupted" before reboot and intact after reboot. I tried to write again. I again got corruption. And ffter reboot it was again byte-equal to the original system.img. It means, that not write actually happens. Linux kernel just assumes that data are written, but they are lost after leaving kernel cache.
Hopefully, Android mount command supports -o bind, so one can bind mount directories from /data and /system is seemingly writable then.
Nipqer said:
Otherwise I'd say just use adb to pull your entire /data dir, so you have everything saved and can mess round with trying to put it back in later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saved all mmcblk0p* before starting my experiments. It should be the most complete way to backup, but it does not easily allow partial restore.

utx said:
I saved all mmcblk0p* before starting my experiments. It should be the most complete way to backup, but it does not easily allow partial restore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you saved the data from the partitions, restoring would just be placing the apk in /data/app/ and then placing the data files back into /data/data/ - if you do it this way, you must run fix_permissions whether you saved it with or without preserving the permissions (owner, read/write/execute, et cetera). The app, when you put it on the different rom, will have a different UID (more than likely) than it did before and the data files permissions would be incorrectly set. Running fix_permissions should resolve that issue.
*EDIT*
I may of misunderstood what you meant by saving mmcblk0p*. How did you do this? At first I was thinking you just meant you did a tar backup of each partition, but after re-reading sounds more like you something like
Code:
# dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p# of=/sdcard/mmcblk0p#.img
Is that what you did? If so, are you trying to restore it by the same method?
Code:
# dd if=/sdcard/mmcblk0p#.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p#
If so, I'm not sure that would work properly… You might have to extract the data from it then copy it over to the partition...

I've had that problem after geting temp root. Titanium would say no root premissions. So I redid the steps after reboot...but I found the problem was that if you open titanium back up be for u root it will throw yu that msg so if yu have did that that's why so go back after you root in to applications and force close titanium and then reopen app then it shuld give you root premssions at least it worked for me but I still wasn't able to down grade and another thing are u using the gfree method kus that didn't work for me to get root... I had to use the freevo method to get temp root as gfree kept giving me errors after doing the adb coommands
sent from my Tmobile G2 Rush Vision

And if that dosnt work yu can use sdcard maid to back up your system apps n such or delete them ....
sent from my Tmobile G2 Rush Vision

Setherio said:
If you saved the data from the partitions, restoring would just be placing the apk in /data/app/ and then placing the data files back into /data/data/ - if you do it this way, you must run fix_permissions whether you saved it with or without preserving the permissions (owner, read/write/execute, et cetera). The app, when you put it on the different rom, will have a different UID (more than likely) than it did before and the data files permissions would be incorrectly set. Running fix_permissions should resolve that issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am aware of this problem. But if one returns exactly equal /system as it was there before, the /data will need no change.
Setherio said:
I may of misunderstood what you meant by saving mmcblk0p*. How did you do this? At first I was thinking you just meant you did a tar backup of each partition, but after re-reading sounds more like you something like
Code:
# dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p# of=/sdcard/mmcblk0p#.img
Is that what you did? If so, are you trying to restore it by the same method?
Code:
# dd if=/sdcard/mmcblk0p#.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p#
If so, I'm not sure that would work properly… You might have to extract the data from it then copy it over to the partition...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was just an abbreviation:
Code:
cd /dev/block
for PARTITION in mmcblk0p* ; do
dd if=/dev/block/$PARTITION of=/sdcard/$PARTITION.img
done
I guess, that the most straightforward way to restore that /data would be: First run
Code:
fsck mmcblk0p26.img
(on Linux machine) on that /data image (when you don't have root and custom recovery yet, you cannot backup /data in read-only mode, so the image is corrupted a bit for sure; if the fsck puts something to /lost+found, you can delete it after finishing of the rooting process). Then rename mmcblk0p26.img to userdata.img and add it to the PC10IMG.zip that restores stock system. Otherwise you will again fight with "partition in use" problem when trying to restore.
I did not test this method, as I did not understand the partition layout that deeply before I root. But there is no reason why it would not work.

Hello everybody,
for quite a while i am reading several guide for rooting my desire z (android 2.3.3, not branded, USB debugging activated, Fast boot deactivated). In Germany most of the guides refer to Setherio's guide. So working with the source is as usual the best.
Unfortunately - even after 3 tries, with factory resets, rebooting, removing the battery, etc. - I cannot gain a temporary root. neither titanium backup nor MyBackUp Root gain access for making a backup. So I ended up here. I am not sure, if Sayedamir had the same problem. Nevertheless, I appreciate every help.
This is what I have done so far:
http://pastebin.com/NKD6D7Av
Furthermore, referring to Nipquer's 1st post, I executed fixsu as described with following results:
http://pastebin.com/0EQS0UnF
I am not sure, if I should proceed with the downgrading without having a backup and I guess, when the backup isn't working (lack of temporary root), the downgrading would not work anyway?!

Hi Vince683,
Yes I had exactly the same problem. I too followed Setherio's guide and after 2 attempts I still couldnt get temp root. I ended up not being able to back up any of my apps.
However i suggest you back up your messages and contact as that was the only stuff I could back up. there are alot of apps in the market that do that and i guess they dont need root.
If backing up your app data is that not important you can proceed with the downgrade. It worked in my case. I guess the only nuisance would be that you have to manually install and configure all yours apps again.
Tell us how it goes.

Perfect, it worked. Thank you for encouraging me
And Cyanogenmod 7.2 works fine.

Vince683 said:
Perfect, it worked. Thank you for encouraging me
And Cyanogenmod 7.2 works fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome

[Q] How to delete files/folders from /sdcard?

After rooting my Galaxy Nexus with Wug's Root Toolkit and sim unlocking with the Docomo hack, and then restoring my apps/data (can't recall if I restored from GN Toolkit or Root Toolkit), my camera app was messed up--could snap pix but they didn't save; and video always fc'ed. The solution turns out to be to rename or delete the DCIM folder. I couldn't delete--so I renamed. Now I am trying to delete that DCIM.old folder and contents (eating up 1+G on my storage), but cannot delete either individual files or the folder. I'm sure there is a simple solution, but I can't find it. Help (even with a condescending attitude ) much appreciated!
zzcat

If you use a file explorer, that has it's standard directory at / then all you need to do is navigate to /mnt/sdcard/ then make sure it's mounted as R/W and not R/O, if all that is the way I said it, you shouldn't have problems deleting anything, if so, use the ADB and type:
Code:
adb shell rm /mnt/sdcard/<Folder>
That should then do the trick

You could also try the following Apps:
- Rootexplorer (paid)
- Astro File Manager

familyguy59 said:
If you use a file explorer, that has it's standard directory at / then all you need to do is navigate to /mnt/sdcard/ then make sure it's mounted as R/W and not R/O, if all that is the way I said it, you shouldn't have problems deleting anything, if so, use the ADB and type:
Code:
adb shell rm /mnt/sdcard/<Folder>
That should then do the trick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FamilyGuy, thanks for the suggestion, the problem seems to be bad permissions and I can't figure out how to fix them. Tried the "fix permissions" from recovery, as well as when booted, to no avail.
Typing
adb shell rm -rf /[directory]
gives me "permission denied"
So tried
chmod 666 /sdcard/.../*
but get an "operation not permitted" message.
So I'm really stuck here...

familyguy59 said:
If you use a file explorer, that has it's standard directory at / then all you need to do is navigate to /mnt/sdcard/ then make sure it's mounted as R/W and not R/O, if all that is the way I said it, you shouldn't have problems deleting anything, if so, use the ADB and type:
Code:
adb shell rm /mnt/sdcard/<Folder>
That should then do the trick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Update: solved
boot into recovery mode
mount /data
adb shell
rm, rmdir etc. all work as expected from here, no need to chown or chmod anything
zz

I see you've solved this, but i thought i would throw this in anyway...
The easy way is to delete the files from /data/media
The sdcard directory is a symlink, so go to the true folder and you should have more success...

Sometimes the file ownerships get messed up after a cycle of recovering the OS and restoring files.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1515291&page=2
If you have any other directories/files that you can't modify or delete, then boot into CWM recovery, plug in the USB cable, go into adb shell. Also make sure that /data is mounted in the CWM mounts menu. Then:
cd /data/media
chown -R media_rw.media_rw *
This fixed it for me and others.

cmstlist said:
Sometimes the file ownerships get messed up after a cycle of recovering the OS and restoring files.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1515291&page=2
If you have any other directories/files that you can't modify or delete, then boot into CWM recovery, plug in the USB cable, go into adb shell. Also make sure that /data is mounted in the CWM mounts menu. Then:
cd /data/media
chown -R media_rw.media_rw *
This fixed it for me and others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this and other suggestions--my solution was trial and error, thrashing around in the dark (my unix command line chops are really, really rusty), and these are far more elegant. It's good to understand the underlying problem, your wisdom is appreciated.
Yes, permissions were messed up after rooting and applying a sim unlock hack, wiping and restoring from pre-unlock backup set. I see it so clearly now...

Problem can somebody help me?
Hello. I have a problem with my motorola defy+ running on gb 2.3.6 and is not ROOTED. Still he has an annoyng problem. After installing an aplication (not from the market) i saw that it didn't save data on the sd card. I uninstalled it and after a data factory reset i install apps such as temple run and Brother in Arms 2. At temple run it gave me this mesage
"File Access Problem Caution, unable to write files. This means your game progress can't be saved! Reason: Access to the path "/mnt/sdcard/Android/data/com.imangi.templerun/files/spaceholder.dat" is denied."
Also at Brother in Arms 2 the game didn't save. I rest the phone abouat 7-8 times.I changed the sd card. Note that the card was a 16 gb kingmax class 6 and put the 2 gb card that came with the phone. It all work smoothly. So what is the problem the sd card or the phone's software. Please answer i'm desparate and tired of wasting time.

This thread is about the Samsung Galaxy Nexus which has no external SD and uses a very different storage structure. I'm afraid we can't really help you here. Try the Defy forum.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

zzcat said:
FamilyGuy, thanks for the suggestion, the problem seems to be bad permissions and I can't figure out how to fix them. Tried the "fix permissions" from recovery, as well as when booted, to no avail.
Typing
adb shell rm -rf /[directory]
gives me "permission denied"
So tried
chmod 666 /sdcard/.../*
but get an "operation not permitted" message.
So I'm really stuck here...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before chmod the folder, you needed to be root by entering 'su' after 'adb shell' .
It worked from cwm, because cwm gives root access.
Linux/Android are all about permissions.
Sent from my i9250

cmstlist said:
Sometimes the file ownerships get messed up after a cycle of recovering the OS and restoring files.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1515291&page=2
If you have any other directories/files that you can't modify or delete, then boot into CWM recovery, plug in the USB cable, go into adb shell. Also make sure that /data is mounted in the CWM mounts menu. Then:
cd /data/media
chown -R media_rw.media_rw *
This fixed it for me and others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried your theory, and it didn't work, still get the message" unable to change ownership permission denied, in recovery mode.
we are still trying to find a solution, here is the discussion: http://www.slatedroid.com/topic/32434-i-got-my-smartq-t20/page__st__260 on Post # 277

rocketero said:
I tried your theory, and it didn't work, still get the message" unable to change ownership permission denied, in recovery mode.
we are still trying to find a solution, here is the discussion: http://www.slatedroid.com/topic/32434-i-got-my-smartq-t20/page__st__260 on Post # 277
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to hear that. It sounds like the problem you are having is with a completely different device, so I can't really say why this may be occurring - I don't know how your device's file system is structured. This advice is specifically for the Galaxy Nexus. If a version of CWM exists for your smartQme device, I can't speak to whether it works properly and interprets commands the same way ours does.

cmstlist said:
Sorry to hear that. It sounds like the problem you are having is with a completely different device, so I can't really say why this may be occurring - I don't know how your device's file system is structured. This advice is specifically for the Galaxy Nexus. If a version of CWM exists for your smartQme device, I can't speak to whether it works properly and interprets commands the same way ours does.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's a 9.8 inches tablet branded named called "LePanII'. it has ICS now, before we had Honeycomb 3.2.1.
The manufacture of this tablet did such a bad partitioning that the /system partition was left only with merely 4MB of free space in it.

rocketero said:
it's a 9.8 inches tablet branded named called "LePanII'. it has ICS now, before we had Honeycomb 3.2.1.
The manufacture of this tablet did such a bad partitioning that the /system partition was left only with merely 4MB of free space in it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck with your issue. I doubt it's related to the one we were having on the GNex though.

cmstlist said:
Sometimes the file ownerships get messed up after a cycle of recovering the OS and restoring files.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1515291&page=2
If you have any other directories/files that you can't modify or delete, then boot into CWM recovery, plug in the USB cable, go into adb shell. Also make sure that /data is mounted in the CWM mounts menu. Then:
cd /data/media
chown -R media_rw.media_rw *
This fixed it for me and others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry if my question is dumb.
Does this command solve the problem for all the folders and sub-folders in sdcard? Thank you for your help!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

/data/media # chown -R media_rw.media_rw*
BusyBox v1.20.2-jb static (2012-10-25 21:29 +0100) multi-call binary.
Usage: chown [-RhLHP]... OWNER[<.|:>[GROUP]] FILE...
Change the owner and/or group of each FILE to OWNER and/or GROUP
-R Recurse
-h Affect symlinks instead of symlink targets
-L Traverse all symlinks to directories
-H Traverse symlinks on command line only
-P Don't traverse symlinks (default)
I got this after giving the commands from recovery in adb shell.
What does that mean?

Jar3112 said:
/data/media # chown -R media_rw.media_rw*
BusyBox v1.20.2-jb static (2012-10-25 21:29 +0100) multi-call binary.
Usage: chown [-RhLHP]... OWNER[<.|:>[GROUP]] FILE...
Change the owner and/or group of each FILE to OWNER and/or GROUP
-RRecurse
-hAffect symlinks instead of symlink targets
-LTraverse all symlinks to directories
-HTraverse symlinks on command line only
-PDon't traverse symlinks (default)
I got this after giving the commands from recovery in adb shell.
What does that mean?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK solved, I forgot the space before the *!
Worked like a charm!!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

[GUIDE][ROOT] Blu Dash 3.5 d170 - Help with recovery and root

Update: New guide is in post # 122
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=40433602#post40433602
The guide is in post # 98
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=39362805#post39362805
Hello,
I have a Blu Dash 3.5 and would like to install clockworkmod recovery and enable root access, but so far have not found anything. Could you help me?
thank you

I tried using SuperOneClick, Gingerbreak, zroot but all without success.
Anyone have any other option?

_ _

I managed to set up the android SDK on ubuntu but I get permission denied message when trying to copy the files to the /system
I suppose I have to remount the partition in RW to be able to put the files but no idea how to do this.

_ _

fenrixarena said:
Well you can't without it being rooted, right now I just don't care about it anymore it's just a phone, & $30 isn't worth just freeing up some space. No guarantee that will make it run smoother without crashes either, that could just be a result of interface, so a bit of speed don't seem worth it to me, I have my own ringtones with ringdroid so I'm happy.
Everything having to do with extracting the boot.img requires it to be rooted otherwise I know enough about enough crapola already I could make that all spiffy and zabam if I wanted. I would just literally edit all the img files and provide a simple update.zip given I could get signing to work!
unfortunately I get nothing from fastboot at all, not sure it would help though. oem unlock stuff is all I recall about that besides it being a great wau to flash images to the phone
let me know if you make any progress, I'll put in my effort if you do anything at all that intices me to find a path to progress
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
fenrixarena, hope you get to find any progress on rooting this phone. I also agree with you that it is no worth the time or effort with this kind of phone but I think that the challenge is interesting . In my case I have no idea on how you may root it but I am sure it is possible i guess it all in find another compatible boot.img that can be rooted, right?
Regards,

- -

_ _

What is the address of the site that charges $ 30? We can verify that other users would like to do and split the cost ...

I managed to make root ...
I found the CWM recovery and stock recovery for Qsmart.
I was very curious if it would work in BLU and ended up installing the CWM with fastboot. It did not work, the screen just stays with the BLU and not access the recovery.
Then I installed stock recovery and did not work ...
But I realized that Windows recognized the device connected and I recognized two units with unsupported format.
then returned to the prompt and saw that the ADB was working. I used the command 'adb shell' and to my surprise was how the cursor #
So without wasting time already put su and busybox in /system/ bin and superuser.apk in /system/app, I changed the permissions and restarted the phone. And the root was working perfectly. :victory:
Only one problem, I do not have the recovery installed.
I wonder how I can help you to make root without losing recovery

>>

I use Windowns 7 Pro x64 bits.
I installed the drivers in the SuperOneClick version 2.3.3.
With the drivers installed could use fastboot and adb command.
Turning on the phone + vol - access mode fastboot / bootloader
It would be good to get root without losing the recovery. Because we need him to compile a clockworkmod recovery.
I used the romdump and got the following files:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5rQL4bfhfPRZXhhZkg1Mkx5SHc/edit?usp=sharing
I used the mkfs.yaffs2 to convert the file system.tar for system.img
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5rQL4bfhfPRMGdaNnQ4b1RwclU/edit?usp=sharing
This system.img would function on another device?

okay, I am having one problem, what did you type for the permissions?
I've got superuser.apk pushed and the su in the /system/bin but when i try to chmod 777 it returns to -r- after I reboot!
Here's howto manually back up now that I have recovery adb root:
cat /proc/mtd
Then just cat (mtd#) > /sdcard/(image.img)
You can restore via fastboot flash

fenrixarena said:
okay, I am having one problem, what did you type for the permissions?
I've got superuser.apk pushed and the su in the /system/bin but when i try to chmod 777 it returns to -r- after I reboot!
Here's howto manually back up now that I have recovery adb root:
cat /proc/mtd
Then just cat (mtd#) > /sdcard/(image.img)
You can restore via fastboot flash
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you get root access in adb shell?
send su to /system/bin with permission 6755.
busybox to /system/bin with permission 755.
and superuser.apk to /system/app with 644.
reboot your phone
then download terminal emulator on your phone and enter the command su
if the cursor change to # worked

erickreisbr said:
you get root access in adb shell?
send su to /system/bin with permission 6755.
busybox to /system/bin with permission 755.
and superuser.apk to /system/app with 644.
reboot your phone
then download terminal emulator on your phone and enter the command su
if the cursor change to # worked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are actually good news... Right on!!! Cheers if you manage to root Blu Dash 3.5 :victory:
Can someone guide me on how I can Root my phone? What adb tools do i need?
Regards

az0ik said:
These are actually good news... Right on!!! Cheers if you manage to root Blu Dash 3.5 :victory:
Can someone guide me on how I can Root my phone? What adb tools do i need?
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can upload the cwm.img & adb I used + fastboot. Not all adb.exe will recognize the phone. Also drivers from qsmart for adb bridge.
1 boot holding vol down + power (about 15 sec.)
Fastboot flash recovery cwm.img
Then turn phone off.
Boot holding vol UP + Power (about 15 sec)
Adb push su /system/bin
Adb push busybox /system/bin
Adb push superuser.apk /system/app
adb shell
~# chmod 6755 /system/bin/su
~# chmod 755 /system/bin/busybox
~# chmod 644 /system/app/superuser.apk
reboot your phone
terminal emulator - su
permission granted
IT WORKED!
---------- Post added at 02:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:00 AM ----------
sorry, tomorrow I will upload a zip with the img i used and so forth all in one zip so you can root with that, unless it's here by someone else by then I gotta work!

fenrixarena said:
I can upload the cwm.img & adb I used + fastboot. Not all adb.exe will recognize the phone. Also drivers from qsmart for adb bridge.
1 boot holding vol down + power (about 15 sec.)
Fastboot flash recovery cwm.img
Then turn phone off.
Boot holding vol UP + Power (about 15 sec)
Adb push su /system/bin
Adb push busybox /system/bin
Adb push superuser.apk /system/app
adb shell
~# chmod 6755 /system/bin/su
~# chmod 755 /system/bin/busybox
~# chmod 644 /system/app/superuser.apk
reboot your phone
terminal emulator - su
permission granted
IT WORKED!
---------- Post added at 02:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:00 AM ----------
sorry, tomorrow I will upload a zip with the img i used and so forth all in one zip so you can root with that, unless it's here by someone else by then I gotta work!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much Fenrixarena!! You are awesome :good::good::good:. I still can believe it, i thought it was a lost hope... I really appreciate for uploading the files I am patient enough to wait another day

Follow the ADB and the recovery I've used.
The drivers installed by SuperOneClick, but have these here:
32 bits - http://www.mediafire.com/?21na032gnzbfza2
64 bits - http://www.mediafire.com/?1hrwo325cb1ej2w

Fx

fenrixarena said:
interesting, I got a cwm4s12.img that's larger(4.51) and because of having a 64bit laptop without 32bit support I had to use a smaller ADB (158kb) to be able to recognize the phone and only on regular usb debugging does superoneclick install drivers which was useless since I needed the drivers to work in recovery.
If those files don't work for you I will upload mine
I got my files from foreign thread, and since I download so many versions and custom versions of programs like adb I'm not sure where it came from !!
oh, and he rooted the phone first, I only did it on a more bothersome platform.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the root worked on your phone?
Now we need a recovery. I'm trying to learn how to compile cwm, but it is very complicated.

digix sophix 8" tablet root 840g

hey this took me a few hours, i know a bit about androids and it gave me a hard time... thought i would share:
digix sophix 8" tablet root 840g
1: make sure you install your adb drivers, and your tablet is connected to your pc with usb debug mode on, and install unknown sources on.
2. goto your platform-tools adb dir and copy the attached zip files to that dir..
3. run command prompt navigate to your adb platform-tools dir
4. you could create a script, but i had to do it by hand, run these commands from your dos prompt:
Code:
adb shell mount -o rw,remount /system
adb push superuser.apk /system/app/superuser.apk
adb push su /system/bin/su
adb push su /system/xbin/su
adb shell chmod 7655 /system/bin/su
adb shell chmod 755 /system/bin/busybox
adb shell chmod 644 /system/app/Superuser.apk
adb shell chown root:shell /system/bin/su
adb shell chown root:shell /system/xbin/su
adb shell chown root:shell /system/app/Superuser.apk
adb reboot
i hope that works, cause thats all i should have had to do, and i ended up doing a ton of other things that i didnt need to... i had to re-install google apps, and market cause when i tried to root it i accidentially deleted em somehow....
but that should work.. if not.. you can understand the method of the script, and something can be worked by this im pretty sure!
my neighbor bought this tablet at gamestop.. i rooted it for him.... pissed me off for a while... it would be nice if someone could verify this... thanks!
enjoy!

Can you private message me..i really want to root my new sophix tablet... old methods are not working

does either of your tablets freeze all the time? I tried reflashing and everything went through but it still freezes

deathspankd said:
does either of your tablets freeze all the time? I tried reflashing and everything went through but it still freezes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got mine, and yeah it has frozen up a couple of times. Not all the time, but still annoying. I might return it if it keeps happening.

This is my first time rooting anything.
I have no idea what the first post means past step 1. Can I get some help?

SanguineNoir said:
This is my first time rooting anything.
I have no idea what the first post means past step 1. Can I get some help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've made a batch script that should help you. It automatically pushes Superuser and the SU binary to their proper places, fixes permissions, and reboots the device over ADB.
I haven't tested it on my father's 840G yet, so use it at your own risk, but theoretically everything should work.

jerbear294 said:
I've made a batch script that should help you. It automatically pushes Superuser and the SU binary to their proper places, fixes permissions, and reboots the device over ADB.
I haven't tested it on my father's 840G yet, so use it at your own risk, but theoretically everything should work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey thank you so much.
However, i'm still confused/cautious.
So I got my ADB drivers from adbdriver but when I start the batch it says: Daemon not running, and then Daemon sucessfully started and then nothing. I left it for 15 minutes but nothing happened...what'd I do wrong?

SanguineNoir said:
Hey thank you so much.
However, i'm still confused/cautious.
So I got my ADB drivers from adbdriver but when I start the batch it says: Daemon not running, and then Daemon sucessfully started and then nothing. I left it for 15 minutes but nothing happened...what'd I do wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It didn't recognize the device. How exactly did you install the drivers? It would have proceeded if they were correctly installed.
Go into ADB and type:
Code:
adb devices
If nothing comes up the tablet's not on, not plugged in, or the drivers are incorrectly installed.
Worst case scenario, download TeamViewer and I'll try to help you remotely.

SanguineNoir said:
Hey thank you so much.
However, i'm still confused/cautious.
So I got my ADB drivers from adbdriver but when I start the batch it says: Daemon not running, and then Daemon sucessfully started and then nothing. I left it for 15 minutes but nothing happened...what'd I do wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've linked another version of the batch in my first post in this thread. It's got a command that I believe is causing the issue commented out, as well as a bit more troubleshooting.
Also, there's a thread now that has a 15 second ADB driver installer. If the batch still doesn't work, download it here.

jerbear294 said:
I've linked another version of the batch in my first post in this thread. It's got a command that I believe is causing the issue commented out, as well as a bit more troubleshooting.
Also, there's a thread now that has a 15 second ADB driver installer. If the batch still doesn't work, download it here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it's not showing up. I installed all the drivers correctly.
I'll grab team viewer and we'll just figure it out tomorrow, Reach me on skype at SanguineNoir

SanguineNoir said:
Yeah it's not showing up. I installed all the drivers correctly.
I'll grab team viewer and we'll just figure it out tomorrow, Reach me on skype at SanguineNoir
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would Skype you, but my mic's messed up right now. Once you grab TeamViewer, PM me the computer ID and password and I'll connect to find out what's wrong. Hopefully by then I figure out what's wrong with my mic.

sophix 840G TAB ROOT WORKS!!!!
Baidu root 2.3.9.......rooted mine an then I installed supersu for tablets off play store/ but there are no recoveries or custom ROMs for it