I have been researching the forums for a few weeks now but I have not stumbled across enough threads that would assist me to fully understanding the proper process for restoring via CWM back to a stock ROM (without going back to ODIN to flash it).
Of course this all relates to my Samsung Gio GT-S5660M from Bell in Canada (Pay as you Go). I really only purchased the phone to play with it to learn more. My wife has had the same phone for over a year. Her phone was rooted in order to be none carrier specific so she could use it to replace a phone under contract that was stolen. Other than that, it is stock.
I tried not to post and continue reading but now I am at the point where I need to ask a some specific questions.
First, some background as to what I am trying to do and what I have done so far.
The goal, as I am sure is the case with others, is to test custom ROMs but also be able to restore back to a factory default Samsung based ROM CWM backup at any point in the most convenient fashion.
I would like to perform this process with known working tools on this forum.
To start, I am familiar with the installation of the CWM from phiexz's work http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1421650. I have installed 5.0.2.7 via Flash from Recovery signed_cwm-5.0.2.7-flashablezip-ext4+rfs. After the installation of CWM I performed a backup of the stock rom.
Once that was complete, I began playing with some custom ROMs installing them via CWM off the SD card from zip files.
I learned after installing the custom ROMs that my phone was reformatted to EXT4 file system. This obviously makes it difficult to simply restore back to the stock ROMs original RFS file system easily. I received the obvious errors message (E:format_volume: format_rfs_device failed on /dev/block/stl12 Error while formatting /system!) when trying to restore the original ROM files via nandroid restore within CWM.
I have reviewed the nandroid backups stored on the SD card in the \clockworkmod\backup\appropriate dated file and I can see that the file names include RFS before the .tar extension for the system, data and cache files. From everything I have read this is normal since stock Samsung ROMs (at least FROYO and Gingerbread based ones) are based on the RFS file system as opposed to most custom ROMs which are based on EXT4. I made backups of some of the ROMs I was playing with from within CWM nandroid backup. I did notice those files had ext4 before the .tar extension in the file names. So I believe I am clear in understanding that portion.
I read that the only way to really get back to the RFS file version is to use ODIN to flash back the stock firmware all in one package retrieved from www.sammobile.com for the GT-S5660M for Bell in Canada. That again worked perfectly fine. I again went back into restore mode and re-installed signed_cwm-5.0.2.7-flashablezip-ext4+rfs. Once CWM was installed I tried to restore the original stock ROM backup I had saved originally and it gave me the same error (E:format_volume: format_rfs_device failed on /dev/block/stl12 Error while formatting /system!) even though I know the phone is now back at RFS file system again. Even when I try to perform a backup from CWM of the ODIN installed stock rom it complains stating (Backing up system.... Can't mount /system!.
I of course can reinstall Custom ROMs and restore them just fine after one initial installation and the file system being formatted back to EXT4.
So here are the questions.
1. What is the proper way to restore a stock ROM backup?
2. Is it possible to convert the RFS backup or existing system to EXT4 and have it still operate?
From what I can tell there is custom kernels that support EXT4 that can be injected via ODIN or CWM. Such as CF-ROOT however it is completely confusing to me on how to do that. I tried the ODIN method and that complained. I am not sure what version of CF-ROOT to use. Really I would like to stay with the EXT4 file system and convert the Stock backup to run with a custom ROM if need be. The goal is really just to be able to do it all within CWM and not require a computer other than for transferring files to the SD card as required.
I do not mind using ODIN but I would like to be able to restore with all the settings and changes I made in the stock OS to carry forward so I do not have to do that again.
3. Is there an easier or more reliable method to carry these steps out? Overall I would choose a method that consistently works over convenience.
Any assistance that could be provided would be appreciated.
Thank you in advance for your time in reading and/or hopefully replying to this thread.
Backup with cwm 5.0.2.6 and then when you have ext4 flash stock via odin. Root with stock cwm and then flash cwm 5.0.2.6 and restore.
Sent from my GT-S5660 using Tapatalk
AvrX said:
Backup with cwm 5.0.2.6 and then when you have ext4 flash stock via odin. Root with stock cwm and then flash cwm 5.0.2.6 and restore.
Sent from my GT-S5660 using Tapatalk
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Thank you for the reply AvrX.
Is there any particular reason you are suggesting that I use an older version of cwm (5.0.2.6) over 5.0.2.7? Is it due to your experience with stability between the two versions or support of RFS over EXT4?
Also your procedure is a bit vague to me.
Why would backing up another version of the stock ROM again assist me? Converting the stock ROM to EXT4 and then reflashing stock ROM again with Odin does not really make sense. Does the phone have to be rooted again? I thought once rooted you did not have to root it again.
I believe I am even more confused now.
I am confident these are all noob questions that can be answered by someone out there with S5660 experience. Then maybe this thread can be locked for future reference for everyone.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1449320
The thread above is not in the S5660 area but it seems like a step in the right direction. I just can not figure out what version of CF-Root to install via CWM from the following thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=788108 for the GT-S5560M. I realize the thread is for a different model phone though.
There is the thread for the GT-S5660 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1564629 but I do not see where you download the file for CF-ROOT 3.7. I have signed up for Gio Community forum but my account is not approved yet.
Hence I am still at a loss as to what to do next.
So as you can see I have done research which leads me to believe it is possible but I have no proof it can be done or I just do not fully understand and/or have access/knowledge of the tools to achieve it.
(I have the Canada Model of Galaxy Gio)
1. First use EXT4-only version of CWM
2. You could do a nandroid backup of your EXT4 ROM, the rename then files from .[highlight]EXT4[/highlight].IMG to .[highlight]RFS[/highlight].IMG
3. If you do this, make sure you also edit the [highlight]md5sum[/highlight]
4. Now use RFS+EXT4 version of CWM
5. Replace boot.img in the folder where you saved the backup, with a RFS kernel only! (Stock Kernel) To avoid bricking...
6. Then restore using CWM or nandroid
NOTE:Do with your own risk. I plan to do it myself soon, but be careful...
I've re-read your post a few times and I'm not 100% certain that I get what you're trying to do... Going back to a completely stock, out-of-the-box phone from CWM?
Different builds of CWM are available for the Gio. Some support RFS, others ext4. I'd rather avoid those with dual support as they're not very clear regarding what format they're using for which operation.
Let's clarify the types of ROMs out there, you've got:
-Stock, Samsung releases, RFS, Odin-flashable. Leaked images (such as those from samfirmware et al.) contain the CSC image, "put-together" ones (like my early 5660M stock backup) don't as the files are already integrated.
-Stock-based. Community-made ROMs with varying levels of modification; earlier ones were typically Odin-flashable (with a number of issues due to modem and kernel changes, especially for 5660M and V users), later releases usually CWM-flashable. File system support depends on the kernel used. The Samsung kernel only runs RFS, whereas others such as Phiexz's will run either ext4 or RFS.
-AOSP and derivatives. Community-made, CWM-flashable, ext4 ROMs, such as CM7, 9 and 10, or MIUI.
Recoveries:
-CWM, as previously discussed
-Stock: the Samsung recovery you've overwritten pretty early on if you're a typical XDA poster. It does provide for proper CSC installation when flashing a stock ROM through Odin. Can also do a factory reset and reformat /data and /cache RFS partitions.
In most situations you would want to go back to a stock ROM and kernel, but keep the CWM recovery, that's relatively easy to do with an RFS-compatible CWM and a nandroid backup. Even a non-RFS compatible CWM could be made to work with appropriate images and the (ADB shell) dd command.
But back to the question: going back to a completely stock, out-of-the-box phone from CWM, stock recovery, CSC and all?
I've thought about it for a few minutes, and it might just be possible to do. Neat? Kinda. Worth the trouble? Meh.
It would involve dd-ing RFS-format /system, /data and /cache partitions, boot.img and recovery.img, into place.
The part I'm not sure about is how to go about extracting CSC.rfs in the proper location and issuing a reboot recovery command at the end of the script, which should kick stock recovery into gear and apply CSC.
Maybe one manual reboot to finish the process.
Let us know if that helped,
Darkshado
Thank you for the replies Peteragent5 and Darkshado. Again I really do appreciate your time and your support of those out there interested in learning more about android based devices.
Going back to a completely stock, out-of-the-box phone from CWM?
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Good question Darkshado....let me try to clarify things again. I apologize as I tend to ramble. I would rather give more information than not enough.
Yes that is the goal. Or at least I would like the ability to do that. I understand it is not entirely accurate though as with the installation of CWM it is not really stock.
Let's clarify the types of ROMs out there, you've got:
-Stock, Samsung releases, RFS, Odin-flashable. Leaked images (such as those from samfirmware et al.) contain the CSC image, "put-together" ones (like my early 5660M stock backup) don't as the files are already integrated.
-Stock-based. Community-made ROMs with varying levels of modification; earlier ones were typically Odin-flashable (with a number of issues due to modem and kernel changes, especially for 5660M and V users), later releases usually CWM-flashable. File system support depends on the kernel used. The Samsung kernel only runs RFS, whereas others such as Phiexz's will run either ext4 or RFS.
-AOSP and derivatives. Community-made, CWM-flashable, ext4 ROMs, such as CM7, 9 and 10, or MIUI.
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Well of course I started with the Out-of-Box Stock Samsung/Bell Canada ROM on the phone based on Gingerbread 2.3.4. I rooted it of course. Then I installed CWM that supported both RFS and EXT4. I believe 5.2.0.7 by Phiexz as mentioned in my first post. To be honest, since I am a noob and I wanted to get started so quickly, I cannot honestly remember which version of CWM I used originally. It may have even been px-CWM-v2.zip. Regardless of the version it obviously supported Stock Samsung/Bell Canada RFS based file system and I used that to make the Nandroid based backup within CWM of the existing Stock ROM on the phone.
After that point I thought I would be safe to start playing with Community-made ROMs CWM-flashable installs based on the GT-S5660 although of course I had the GT-S5660M Canadian version. So I went forward and tried [ROM] Enhanced236 - stock 2.3.6 (06.08.2012 update) http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1654317 as I wanted something close to original version of Gingerbread that came Out-of-Box with the phone but was upgraded to fix and issue I had with version 2.3.4 of Gingerbread.
The main drive for doing this was to assist my wife with an issue she has on her Bell GT-S5660M running on the SaskTel telco in SK. There is an issue with her SMS/texting. She always has to turn on/off Settings, Wireless and Network, Mobile Networks, Use Packet Data to get texting to send out. Receiving is fine. It seems to be a known issue when the phone is used with Telus or SaskTel networks in Canada. From what I understand the phone with 2.3.4 of Gingerbread is not affected on the Bell and Rogers network in Canada. It seems to be related to a bug in the phone at the particular Gingerbread version 2.3.4 from what I read. Since Kies did not have an update for the Bell based phone beyond version 2.3.4 I thought it is time to check out custom ROMs. After trying her SIM card with the Enhanced236 - stock 2.3.6 everything worked perfectly on my test phone for texting. So I took a Nandroid backup via CWM of that ROM. Then I tried [DEV] CyanogenMod 9.1 / CyanogenMod 10 by MacławStudios http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1414173 to see what the Jelly Bean hype was about and again made a CWM backup of the ROM to maintain my settings.
I had a friend over and I was showing him what I had learned so far and I was showing all the capabilities of CWM. Then I told him I could even restore back to original factory ROM as well although I had not tried it yet thinking CWM was full proof. I tried it and it failed in front of him. So then I thought...wow...I do not understand as much as I think. That is when I stumbled on the difference between RFS in Stock Samsung ROMs and EXT4 in the Community-made ROMs. Sorry I know that is quite a bit of background information but it helps to show where I am coming from in terms of wanting to accomplish to here.
So I read a bunch and realized that the only way to go back was to flash back to Stock with ODIN. So that at that point I tried your Stock ROM GT-S5660M_MUGKG3_stock_rooted_ROM and the one from sammobile for the GT-5660M from Bell GT-S5660M_BMC_S5660MUGKG3_S5660MUGKG3_S5660MBMCKG3. I thought then I could simply install CWM again (the version that obviously supports RFS and EXT4 5.2.0.7) and then restore the original Stock Nandroid backup I made of the original Out-of-Box ROM. As mentioned in the previous post I saw the rfs in the file names of the back before the .tar extension.
That is when the failures in restoring via CWM occurred noted in the first post (E:format_volume: format_rfs_device failed on /dev/block/stl12 Error while formatting /system!). I thought this would work for sure. That is when I started to think if I could get this all to work I would convert the stock ROM with a custom kernel to running exclusively on EXT4 so that if I ever wanted to go back to 2.3.4 I could do it easier with out having to use ODIN and going back to stock RFS file system. So I guess really I do not want to go back to Stock but the Stock Files in EXT4 formatted form...which I understand would require a custom kernel. Regardless I am not able to restore the original backup so obviously there is something I am missing. That is where I would like to start. I thought as long as I can not get the original backup to restore....then I do not understand enough to continue on the journey. Hence to post requesting assistance.
Can also do a factory reset and reformat /data and /cache RFS partitions.
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Click to collapse
I am not exactly sure what you mean here. Once I flashed the Stock RFS Samsung/Bell Canada ROM back via ODIN in some cases it would not boot. It was in a boot loop stuck on the Samsung logo. I went into normal recovery mode (Not CWM recovery mode since I did not reinstall it yet at that point) and I would perform the Wipe Data and Wipe Cache functions within recovery to get it out of the boot loop. I always made sure the OS fully loaded and functioned before moving to the next step of what I was trying to do. It was at that point I would install CWM again and then find out the original backup I took would not restore with the same error (E:format_volume: format_rfs_device failed on /dev/block/stl12 Error while formatting /system!).
In most situations you would want to go back to a stock ROM and kernel, but keep the CWM recovery, that's relatively easy to do with an RFS-compatible CWM and a nandroid backup. Even a non-RFS compatible CWM could be made to work with appropriate images and the (ADB shell) dd command.
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I read a bit about this but I did not completely understand it. Is there a thread you can point me to in regard to this? Ultimately the goal is just to be able to restore to stock (or stock converted to EXT4 with a custom "close to original" kernel like CF-Root) if and when I want to in the easiest fashion.
But back to the question: going back to a completely stock, out-of-the-box phone from CWM, stock recovery, CSC and all?
I've thought about it for a few minutes, and it might just be possible to do. Neat? Kinda. Worth the trouble? Meh.
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Click to collapse
Yes I can understand that it is a bit of an odd request and not one that many would really be that interested in...but I am simply from the point of view of just seeing if it is possible. Once I get something in my head I want to prove or disprove it is possible. But I need knowledgeable people like you to offer suggestions and share past experience. I do not mind performing the work....I just need some help from time to time. I have been employed in the IT field for over 15 years but I am more of Windows guys.... but I am not afraid to play with anything and learn. Please do not bash me on the Windows/Microsoft thing....it pays the bills.
Again the goal is to keep everything within CWM so that you do not really need to go back to a computer. It might take some work and effort to get there though. I am not sure who else would be interested but it then could be shared with the masses on this forum. Again not sure of the value to everyone.
It would involve dd-ing RFS-format /system, /data and /cache partitions, boot.img and recovery.img, into place
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GREAT!!!...I am game to try it. Again if you have a post of step by step on how to achieve this it would be appreciated. I believe I saw a post of yours when I was performing my research about this but it may not be exact for what we are trying to accomplish here. Perhaps it is though.
The part I'm not sure about is how to go about extracting CSC.rfs in the proper location and issuing a reboot recovery command at the end of the script, which should kick stock recovery into gear and apply CSC.
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Well based on the posts I have read on your dissection of the partitions on the GT-S5660, you are one of the great resources to assist on this. I noticed that the CSC.rfs in not in your GT-S5660M_MUGKG3_stock_rooted_ROM but it was included in the S5660MUGKG3_S5660MUGKG3_S5660MBMCKG3_home from samsmobile. So I am not sure where that version came from if it was leaked or what. I would guess that my original Out-of-Box CSC.rfs has been overwritten by the S5660MUGKG3_S5660MUGKG3_S5660MBMCKG3_home version if there happen to be any differences. My wife's phone is still available so I could still extract the original file from her phone. Maybe that would not help though....I am not really sure what is contained in the CSC.rfs if it is phone, ROM specific...etc.
Anyway regardless I appreciate the time anyone has put in reading or thinking about my post. Again thank you for your time and effort. This is really a great forum full of great information.
ps. How much do I dislike the ReCaptcha spam blocker when trying to post? Very much!!!....you have to hit refresh about 100 times before you can actually make out some words you can type.....FAIL. I see it on numerous sites....really annoying...I like the pattern based ones that you put together way better.
NOTE:Do with your own risk. I plan to do it myself soon, but be careful...
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You first. You seem to have more experience. Ha!!!. Kinda joking but also kinda serious. I guess I am still a noob so I would be leery to try this. I always have the fear of the bricking.
LOL I admire you for your long list of explanations. As well as Darkshado's posts.
Let's backtrack shall we?
The reason it gave you "error while formatting /system" is because CWM doesn't support converting the filesystem back to RFS. At least that's what I know. But for ODIN, you can do this fine. The thing about ODIN, is that it includes the base RFS files and doesn't come with other RFS partitions because it assumes your phone is already RFS
Hmmm I don't know any reason to go back to Stock RFS if you have already converted your partitions into a far more superior filesystem --> EXT4. Darkshado has his own custom ROM that has these specifications
A CF-Root kernel is a kernel that includes root. So when you flash the kernel, it also gives you root and possibly busybox.
Busybox is a series of UNIX tools for Linux and derivatives (Android) to use in the Terminal.
Hehe. It's fine if you're getting paid at IT, or doing IT, dunno which one.. But if you wanna learn more about Android and whatever stuff about it, that's great! It's a nice place to start. Then make your way towards linux.
Linux Distros (Distributions):
Ubuntu = Newbies
Debian = Ubuntu based on this
Fedora = Productivity
Linux Mint 12/13 = Ease of Use
Arch Linux =Advanced
BackTrack = Hacking/Cracking
Tails = Security
Bohdi = Speed
SliTaz = Small & For old hardware + Nice UI
(Just giving you tips here, if you do wanna do this )
Be careful if you're dd'ing your data, cache, system, stl, bml, etc..
Because there is a chance of bricking your device. I know dd'ing stl5 has a high chance that you'll brick your device.
The CSC contains all the info about your carrier, and some other stuff... Lol
Yes I hate the 5 minute waiting period to post a reply or thread, and i hate the captcha..
Sent from my BlackBerry PlayBook
Let's backtrack shall we?
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Fine by me.
The reason it gave you "error while formatting /system" is because CWM doesn't support converting the filesystem back to RFS. At least that's what I know. But for ODIN, you can do this fine. The thing about ODIN, is that it includes the base RFS files and doesn't come with other RFS partitions because it assumes your phone is already RFS
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Click to collapse
Okay I understand that. However when I made my first backup via CWM the system was stock with RFS. When I restored back to stock ROM after playing with custom ROMs with EXT4 filesystem, the system was back to RFS right? Therefore how come the original restore would not work when the filesystem of the stock rom was back to RFS. That is where I am struggling. Is there an easy way to confirm you are on RFS vs EXT4 from within CWM? Or does ODIN have the ability to restore the RFS Stock version back to a EXT4 formatted phone. I assumed it converts the system back to RFS during the flashing. Is that an incorrect assumption?
Hmmm I don't know any reason to go back to Stock RFS if you have already converted your partitions into a far more superior filesystem --> EXT4. Darkshado has his own custom ROM that has these specifications
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I guess I have not spent the time to really check out every single Custom ROM. So are you saying Darkshado's ROM is Gingerbread based with EXT4? I agree I would like to stay with EXT4 over all as I understand it is superior and that even Samsung has finally moved to it for its Stock ROMs on newer phones. Really I just want the stock image converted to EXT4 and the ability to restore to that EXT4 based version of the stock ROM via CWM.
A CF-Root kernel is a kernel that includes root. So when you flash the kernel, it also gives you root and possibly busybox.
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Click to collapse
I also understand that CF-Root supports EXT4 and is supposed to be the closest to the original Samsung based kernel.
Hehe. It's fine if you're getting paid at IT, or doing IT, dunno which one.. But if you wanna learn more about Android and whatever stuff about it, that's great! It's a nice place to start. Then make your way towards linux.
Linux Distros (Distributions):
Ubuntu = Newbies
Debian = Ubuntu based on this
Fedora = Productivity
Linux Mint 12/13 = Ease of Use
Arch Linux =Advanced
BackTrack = Hacking/Cracking
Tails = Security
Bohdi = Speed
SliTaz = Small & For old hardware + Nice UI
(Just giving you tips here, if you do wanna do this )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be more clear I am employed in the IT field/profession..however you want to describe it...for the past 15 years. More of a Windows Server Administrator position and previous to that various other positions starting in client support. I have played with Ubuntu before and I have used bootable versions of Knoppix and other linux based distros in the past. I just do not use them enough on a regular basis. It is more of a time issue than anything. Arch Linux looks interesting to me. Perhaps enough to try. I appreciate the tips. Regardless playing with the phone is fun for me for now. I have an iPhone as well but I love the flexibility and NON closed ecosystem that android offers. I guess ultimately both are based on Unix/Linux based OSs.
Be careful if you're dd'ing your data, cache, system, stl, bml, etc..
Because there is a chance of bricking your device. I know dd'ing stl5 has a high chance that you'll brick your device.
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Click to collapse
That is exactly why I am asking for step by step. It is really not worth it to me if the potential of bricking is high. I am interesting in playing and learning but not at the stake of losing the cash I put in to play with the phone.
The CSC contains all the info about your carrier, and some other stuff... Lol
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I figured based on what I read in Darkshado partition mapping post that CSC has the carrier content. Really then that does not seem that important if the carrier is the main part of it to consider it for restoration. Again unless there is other items in there I should be concerned about.
Yes I hate the 5 minute waiting period to post a reply or thread, and i hate the captcha..
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Well that is 2 votes. Moderators please consider another spam deterrent. Ha!!!
AvrX said:
Backup with cwm 5.0.2.6 and then when you have ext4 flash stock via odin. Root with stock cwm and then flash cwm 5.0.2.6 and restore.
Sent from my GT-S5660 using Tapatalk
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Well it appears that CWM 5.0.2.7 may have been one of my issues in getting my original backup to restore.
I loaded CWM 5.0.2.6 from the following thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1493932 and I was able to restore my original backup of the stock ROM with no issues. Thanks again Peteragent5 for putting that great post together.
Also a thank you AvrX for that for the suggestion of going back to 5.02.6. Also Darkshado's guidance of sticking with a CWM that supports one file system or the other.
I downloaded and installed the second version of 5.0.2.6 indicated in the 1st post of the thread named S5660M_cwm-5.0.2.6_feb_26_12.zip. Not sure if that is correct or not Peteragent5 as I not totally understanding the difference between Phiexz & Maclaw Roms and My ROMs in your post. I would assume you are speaking of the Custom ROMS created by Phiexz & Maclaw vs ones created by you? Regardless it would be nice to have a bit greater detail so I am confident in which tool to use in which situation.
So question 1 from my original post in this thread has been solved. Well sort of. Still not clear why 5.0.2.7 supports both RFS and EXT4 but it seems like all the functions for formatting are EXT4 based within it. Although the backup I made within it still shows the rfs prior to the *.tar extension.
Based on my last post I have a few new questions. After performing some more testing (trial by fire/trial and error) with CWM I am not sure that I really understand the support of CWM 5.0.2.7 RFS and EXT4 file system as mentioned in my last post.
Typically before I perform a backup of a ROM (in this case the stock ROM which is RFS filesystem based) I perform the following procedure in CWM regardless of the version of CWM
1. wipe data/factory reset
2. wipe cache partition
3. go to advanced menu
4. Wipe Dalvik Cache
5. Wipe Battery Stats
6. Main Menu -> backup and restore
7. Backup
Questions:
1. Is that the correct procedure? Could some steps be left out or added? What is the safest most reliable way? Should I even use those steps before I perform a backup or are they only really to be used when you are having problems? These are all really the same question presented in different ways.
2. If I am using CWM 5.0.2.7 (supports both RFS and EFS) and I perform the wipe data/factory reset, I see that it is Formatting /data /cache /sd-ext etc on the screen. Also with the wipe cache partition option I see Formatting /cache displayed on the screen. When using these functions in CWM 5.0.2.7 does this format the phone for those partitions from RFS to EXT4?
I am beginning to agree with Darkshado's comment
Different builds of CWM are available for the Gio. Some support RFS, others ext4. I'd rather avoid those with dual support as they're not very clear regarding what format they're using for which operation.
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However if anyone else has done some extensive testing and know the answer to this....then I can move on and stop using tools. I believe that some of the tools are suppose to work and perform a certain operation but do the opposite or not what is claimed or do not explain the functions well enough for me to understand what operation does what. I want to understand....not just do.
The reason I am asking is that when I try to run a restore of an RFS (stock ROM) backup that was preformed in CWM 5.0.2.6 (only RFS supported) or a backup from CWM 5.0.2.7 (supports RFS and EXT4) after performing the above procedures within CWM 5.0.2.7, it always fails with the
dreaded (E:format_volume: format_rfs_device failed on /dev/block/stl12 Error while formatting /system!) error. This is of course after flashing via Odin back to the stock RFS based ROM GT-S5660M_BMC_S5660MUGKG3_S5660MUGKG3_S5660MBMCKG3 from sammobile.com and then entering stock recovery mode and installing CWM 5.0.2.7.
Does CWM 5.0.2.7 change the stock Kernel on my phone to one that supports RFS and EXT4? My assumption is yes but it would be nice to know for sure.
Based on my testing and findings so far I can tell right now that 5.0.2.7 is more EXT4 based then RFS. It will read RFS files and install on an RFS based filesystem (Stock ROM) and it will even make good backups of the RFS system. However it will not restore those RFS backups regardless if they were made in CWM 5.0.2.6 or CWM 5.0.2.7. Now if you flash back to stock ROM again via ODIN and install CWM 5.0.2.6 only RFS supported, you can restore backups of RFS based file systems backups( on a stock ROM system) made in either CWM 5.0.2.6 or CWM 5.0.2.7.
So the verdict is again (finding out the hard way)....DarkShado and AvrX are indeed correct. Use CWM 5.0.2.6 for backups and restores of Stock ROM.
For custom ROMs...which are predominantly EXT4 based now...I guess you need to use 5.0.2.7....but I will use the soley EXT4 based one from now on as the RFS & EXT4 based one I believe is limited. The only thing is if you install the 5.0.2.7 EXT4 only supported version, you will need to use the EXT4 Formatter (installed via CWM) before to make everything work properly before playing with EXT4 based Custom ROMs. Unless EXT4 formatting is built into the installer like it is with enhanced236_06.08.2012.
Morale of the story is again Darkshado is correct in what he was implying....what I am trying to accomplish is "Neat?" "Worth the Trouble"....My answer now...is a "NO".
None of the current versions of CWM "Fully" (read and write) support RFS and EXT4 at the same time and allow you to return to the stock based RFS backup plus play with EXT4 based new Custom ROMs. I know about the EXT4 Formatter....does anyone know of RFS Formatter tool that installable via CWM?
That tool might accomplish what I would like to achieve. Then it really is only a matter of the procedure to follow to make it all work within CWM. Just have to switch between CWM 5.0.2.6 and CWM 5.0.2.7.
Thanks for following the thread and reading my "trial and error" findings. I may perform a summary of my current findings in this post. It would be be a reply to my questions in the first post with the answer to my own questions. However I think I will wait to see if anyone is interested in providing any further comments.
modem issues after flashing anything other than stock
I am facing a similar issue to you TrippleRipple.
Sorry for the lengthy back story..but here it goes;
I am in Saskatchewan on Sasktel and I had originally given this phone to my son flashed with CM9 as a cheap android media and games device...but the screen on my SGS2 broke the other day and my son offered to "rent" his to me to use until my screen replacement comes in. When I put my SIM in the device (unlocked by retrieving code via ADB) it can connect to some providers in the area (Rogers)...but not to my home network of Sasktel. I read in a previous thread here on XDA that there is an issue with the baseband of custom firmware and that you should keep your stock modem for Bell/Telus handsets (Sasktel also falls in that category)....and so..I am trying to completely restore stock FW...to be able to connect to my home network.
Did you/do you have this modem issue as well?
kid___icarus said:
I am facing a similar issue to you TrippleRipple.
Sorry for the lengthy back story..but here it goes;
I am in Saskatchewan on Sasktel and I had originally given this phone to my son flashed with CM9 as a cheap android media and games device...but the screen on my SGS2 broke the other day and my son offered to "rent" his to me to use until my screen replacement comes in. When I put my SIM in the device (unlocked by retrieving code via ADB) it can connect to some providers in the area (Rogers)...but not to my home network of Sasktel. I read in a previous thread here on XDA that there is an issue with the baseband of custom firmware and that you should keep your stock modem for Bell/Telus handsets (Sasktel also falls in that category)....and so..I am trying to completely restore stock FW...to be able to connect to my home network.
Did you/do you have this modem issue as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest, I have only really been playing with the custom ROMs but not really using them with an active SIM. So unfortunately I am not the best point of reference. I do know the stock firmware on sammobile does have the correct baseband in it as I copied down all of the details of the original out of box rom and it was the same once restored with the stock firmware from sammobile via odin. However with the out of box stock rom, there were issues with texting on SaskTel. You might want to try the enhanced236 ROM. That seemed to work fine on SaskTel with texting as well. However you should of course backup what you have now with CWM so that you can restore it back for your son when you get your other phone back.
I have not tried CM9 with the SIM chip...only with enhanced236. I did however play with CM9 and CM10. Sorry I could not have been of more assistance. Good luck.
Related
i currently have the evo 4g and am considering a switch to the epic. i am very familiar with flashing custom roms, splash images etc on the evo, but i know that samsung phones have a different method.
can anyone lay out these differences for me or link me to somewhere that does?
thanks
Honestly I think the epic is a simpler device to root/ flash roms with. Epic does not have the nand locked down so a simple one click root method found in the dev stickies is all that's needed. It roots the phone and installs clockwoek recovery all in one shot. After that you just pick which rom/kernal you want and flash it through clockwork. No need to flash seperate wimax/radio files because they're included in the kernal of whichever rom you choose or kernal you decide to flash. And your done. Clockwork also has backup/ restore options just in case you mess something up. You have the clockwork 2.5 which is the stock file system (RFS) which only a few devs still use and the latest clockwork 3.0.0.5/6 which uses EXT4 file system which increases the overall speed of the phone. This is what most devs are moving too just because of the speed increase. Sorry can't realy link you to any specific threads because of the xda app but hope this helps a bit.
Just a side note, any zips flashed through clockwork (themes,bootanimations,etc) have to be compatible with the system you are using. Like I said before most devs are going the 3.0.0.5/6 route so all zips will be compatible. Reason I say all is because you can also flash 2.5 zips through 3.0.0.5/6. But you can't flash 3.0.0.5./6 compatible zips through 2.5 clockwork. Hope this makes sense. The dev section has both threads stickied at the top so you can decide for yourself. Personally I use 3.0.0.5/6 ext4 with syndicate frozen rom/twilight kernal. Fast and very stable for me.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
so im guessing a wipe is still required in between roms. and is the rom memory ext 4 or is that partitioning the sd card?
drew16 said:
i currently have the evo 4g and am considering a switch to the epic. i am very familiar with flashing custom roms, splash images etc on the evo, but i know that samsung phones have a different method.
can anyone lay out these differences for me or link me to somewhere that does?
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is very similar with one huge exception. ODIN. With HTC devices, everything seems to come with the ROM zip file. With the Epic, if you are up or downgrading android versions, you need to an app called ODIN on your PC. Odin basically allows you to push files to your device via your PC allowing you to revert back to stock or install different modems for different android version (2.1, 2.2 etc)
For instance if you purchase an Epic with 2.1 preloaded and you want to flash a custom built ROM based on the new 2.2.1 release coming out tomorrow, you would have to flash the modem via Odin by putting your phone into "Download mode", plugging your phone into your computer, running Odin, then flash the modem.
After that, you can use a recovery Rom like clockwork to wipe and flash the custom ROM. If you just flashed the ROM without using Odin you would either boot-loop, stay stuck at the Samsung splash-screen, or boot into the Rom with no functioning radios. I have had all of these happen before but fortunately you can do more then just flash modems via ODIN you can restore back to stock making our phones virtually brick proof. Odin really is a pretty kick ass part about having an epic.
drew16 said:
so im guessing a wipe is still required in between roms. and is the rom memory ext 4 or is that partitioning the sd card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depending on what version of Clockwork you flash you phone will either be formatted to EXT4 or stay at RFS. That is the formatting of the NAND chip not the SD CARD. Returning to stock via ODIN wipes the recovery rom and reverts the phone back to RFS.
thanks for the info! im guessing the modem your referring to is essentially the radios... or is it a stock update that must be added before a custom rom?
I have both phones and I think they are about the same really simple to work with if you can flash one the other will be no problem just an extra button to deal with on the epic
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maybe your phone not bricked
that say on cwm, your cwm cant mount everything right?
what cwm you use?
maybe your cwm doesnt support to mount ext4
because on my cm7 build, all partition will be ext4. except sdcard
have you try to format system, data, cache & sd-ext on your cwm?
now, all your partition must be at RFS again
and how you flash stock rom?
from odin? or?
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InMyBedNow said:
People with this phone, DO NOT FLASH CUSTOM ROMS THAT ARE MADE FOR JUST THE GTS5660 NOT THE M Model. I flashed CM7 ported by phiexz (amazing build btw) and when i wanted to flash back to stock, It bricked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to hear about your issue but your assumption that you can't use other versions on an "M" is a little bit of a blanket statement. I've tried almost every release made and posted on xda and other than boot loops on occasion haven't had any lasting issues.
I do flash back to the lightly tweaked stock release by Darkshadow once in a while when starting fresh, which IS a "M" only release, but that's just so I have a clean starting point to upgrade from so I have the right WiFi and CSC already installed.
Heck, in my Odin ROM folder I have 7 different main release branches I liked and continue to follow from version to version. 3 of which I still switch between from week to week as new versions come up.
Like most things you just need to read, be careful, and try to know what your doing first. There will ALWAYS be risk, even with a stock ROM, that something will go wrong and brick your system but if you back things up and do your due diligence and wait until a trusted source posts a release with instructions you can mitigate the risk and get support.
As long as you can use Odin, CWM Recovery, or boot into phone you have a very good chance to fix or roll back. Just don't panic and/or fail to wait long enough for things to finish. Sometimes I've had to wait 5 minutes for a loop screen to reboot itself and complete...at other times pulling the battery was the only way to stop things. At other times a reboot into recovery to wipe all info was needed, including mounting all partitions first.
The only "M" versions I'm even aware of all come from Darkshadow....up to version 8 last time I checked.
So...yes...be careful...but to say you can't use GT-S5660 ROMs on a GT-S5660M isn't correct.
InMyBedNow said:
Yeah, from Odin. I'm pretty sure I was using the CWM from your Cm7 build, I installed it by flashing over my old cwm which was this one http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=16980117&postcount=559. I think i semi-bricked by pulling out the battery during bootloop, I shouldn't have. I'll probably sent it in to Samsung since I reflashed everything stock, even the recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try to use your old cwm, and go to mount & storage
and you should format system. data & partition
and try to flash stock rom again
are u using adb?
can you paste here your log?
use: adb logcat
maybe i can help you
I thought the "rule" was don't flash the modem/radio - i.e. do a multi file Odin update and select nothing for modem/radio.
I took a stock s5660 2.3.5 rom from this forum and flashed my S5660m in this way, and it's fine.
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congratulation man
i'm happy to hear that ^^
Sorry if this is a n00b question that has been answered before but I have been reading a lot about rooting/flashing this phone and I am feeling very intimidated. There is a lot of info out there and almost all of it is different in the details.
I will be purchasing a 5660m tomorrow and want to install arpeggiomod and then unlock.
1. Do I have to root the phone before flashing with arpeggiomod? If so can I root with superoneclick?
2. Do I just follow the V0.9 instructions posted here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1263025 to install arpeggiomod? I flash the zip file using odin right? Do I need to restore factory defaults before flashing?
3. I need to unlock the phone since I want to use it with Rogers. Do I just use the bml5 unlock method?
Thanks a lot.
1. No. Arpeggiomod Rom comes with Root
2. You flash using a Recovery. Backup your Data. You do need to wipe factory defaults before flashing.
3. Yes you can use BML5 Method. Guide Here
Either click on:
EDIT 7 nov 2011: BML5 method guide
or
EDIT 31 aug 2011: Now Supersafe (BML5) method
Both guide works fine.
If this helped please click Thanks!
Peteragent5 said:
1. No. Arpeggiomod Rom comes with Root
2. You flash using a Recovery. Backup your Data. You do need to wipe factory defaults before flashing.
3. Yes you can use BML5 Method. Guide Here
Either click on:
EDIT 7 nov 2011: BML5 method guide
or
EDIT 31 aug 2011: Now Supersafe (BML5) method
Both guide works fine.
If this helped please click Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should I flash arpeggiomod first and then unlock? If not what order of operations do you propose?
Flash first then unlock. But if your phone does not say it's locked
then don't try to unlock it!
Peteragent5 said:
2. You flash using a Recovery. Backup your Data. You do need to wipe factory defaults before flashing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still a bit confused about this step.
So is the following process correct:
1. Format sd card from RFS to ext4 using the ext4 converter on this page http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1263025
2. No need to run the v0.9 Backup and Restore User Data Scripts since I will have no data on the phone.
3. Install px-CWM-v2.zip http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1493932 on this page in recovery mode. Should I use ClockWorkMod 5.0.2.7 ext+rfs (Phiexz) instead since arpeggiomod uses phiexz kernel?
4. Wipe factory defaults
5. Use the 0.9 ROM on this page http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1263025 and flash using the cwm recovery tool.
6. Do i need to wipe factory defaults again after arpeggiomod rom is flashed?
1.correct
2.correct
3.Use ClockWorkMod 5.0.2.7 ext+rfs (Phiexz)
4.Correct
5.Yes
6.Yes
Peteragent5 said:
1.correct
2.correct
3.Use ClockWorkMod 5.0.2.7 ext+rfs (Phiexz)
4.Correct
5.Yes
6.Yes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much.
Can I also say that you are doing a great job and that you should keep up the good work. I know that this compliment may not carry much weight since I am new around here but I come across your helpful posts a lot in other threads and you are doing a bang up job.
Thanks man!
FusiveR said:
Still a bit confused about this step.
So is the following process correct:
1. Format sd card from RFS to ext4 using the ext4 converter on this page http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1263025
2. No need to run the v0.9 Backup and Restore User Data Scripts since I will have no data on the phone.
3. Install px-CWM-v2.zip http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1493932 on this page in recovery mode. Should I use ClockWorkMod 5.0.2.7 ext+rfs (Phiexz) instead since arpeggiomod uses phiexz kernel?
4. Wipe factory defaults
5. Use the 0.9 ROM on this page http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1263025 and flash using the cwm recovery tool.
6. Do i need to wipe factory defaults again after arpeggiomod rom is flashed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome on the board, you'll start getting the hang of things in due time. You're researching a good deal, which is an excellent way to do things.
Let me correct some things from Peteragent5's reply though:
1. Flash the CWM linked from the ArpegGioMod first post with Odin. The one modified by Peteragent5.
The ext4 converter does not touch your MicroSD card at all. It formats the internal /data, /system and /cache partitions to ext4.
If you want an additional ext4 partition on your SD card (often referred to as /sd-ext) to use scripts such as Darktremor Apps2SD or S2E, the Phiexz kernel included with ArpegGioMod 0.9 supports those.
SIM-unlocking requires root to read the BML5 partition. Since ArpegGioMod is already rooted, you might as well do it after you've installed the ROM, this will save you from having to root only to wipe that ROM immediately afterwards. (Or do it from CWM, which is also rooted.)
2. Correct
You only need to wipe once in CWM, either before or after flashing the ROM. In the specific case of a new ArpegGioMod 0.9, CM7 or CM9 installation, the formatting of the user data partitions to ext4 wipes them at the same time. To be honest I don't really know where this whole "wipe twice" thing comes from nor what its based on.
Darkshado said:
Welcome on the board, you'll start getting the hang of things in due time. You're researching a good deal, which is an excellent way to do things.
Let me correct some things from Peteragent5's reply though:
1. Flash the CWM linked from the ArpegGioMod first post with Odin. The one modified by Peteragent5.
The ext4 converter does not touch your MicroSD card at all. It formats the internal /data, /system and /cache partitions to ext4.
If you want an additional ext4 partition on your SD card (often referred to as /sd-ext) to use scripts such as Darktremor Apps2SD or S2E, the Phiexz kernel included with ArpegGioMod 0.9 supports those.
SIM-unlocking requires root to read the BML5 partition. Since ArpegGioMod is already rooted, you might as well do it after you've installed the ROM, this will save you from having to root only to wipe that ROM immediately afterwards. (Or do it from CWM, which is also rooted.)
2. Correct
You only need to wipe once in CWM, either before or after flashing the ROM. In the specific case of a new ArpegGioMod 0.9, CM7 or CM9 installation, the formatting of the user data partitions to ext4 wipes them at the same time. To be honest I don't really know where this whole "wipe twice" thing comes from nor what its based on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for the details.
I see that you have posted detailed instructions for the n00bs in your master arpeggiomod post. Should I follow these? It seems like it because what you wrote above complies with your instructions.
Either. I answered your questions more directly here and figured the first thread post could use some clearer instructions, which I did afterwards.
Complete noobie here. This thread saved my life LOL thanks Shado and Furious. I DID brick my phone, trying to Odin flash a ZIP file (smart one...), but got unbricked just as quickly... it wasnt like this in the PSP Homebrew and CFW days LOL
Just another question for the Droid Gurus: How do I get a2sd up and working on ArpegGio? It seems like a very useful and simple app but I'm having trouble finding specifics... I read somewhere you can only use upto 1gb for apps, not to mention I have Windows 7 so I don't know if I am able to format in ext4... Thanks in advance for anyone who points me in the right direction!!
db416 said:
Complete noobie here. This thread saved my life LOL thanks Shado and Furious. I DID brick my phone, trying to Odin flash a ZIP file (smart one...), but got unbricked just as quickly... it wasnt like this in the PSP Homebrew and CFW days LOL
Just another question for the Droid Gurus: How do I get a2sd up and working on ArpegGio? It seems like a very useful and simple app but I'm having trouble finding specifics... I read somewhere you can only use upto 1gb for apps, not to mention I have Windows 7 so I don't know if I am able to format in ext4... Thanks in advance for anyone who points me in the right direction!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh. It seems like you can just install DT's A2SD right away cause of the kernel right? So just download Dt's A2SD from his Facebook page or somewhere in XDA Forums if you find the latest... Then put in root of SDCard and install from Recovery
I just about asked "where's the thanks button" ... why did it take me so long to convert from Blackberry? I'll never miss BBM... XDA rules and can't wait to stay tuned for future progress
Darkshado said:
1. Flash the CWM linked from the ArpegGioMod first post with Odin. The one modified by Peteragent5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello all.
I've been lurking on the forums for over a week now, reading tons of stuff, and learning all I can about my new Android phone. I'm a "Windows guru" but new to the 'droid scene. I think I'm ready to flash my phone and really start delving into the custom goodness available to us.
I've read almost every post by Darkshado and Peteragent5 about the Gio S5660M, and would like to try out ArpeggioMod until a version of CM is out of development.
My big question is which CWM Recovery do I flash and how. Instructions say to use Peteragent5's modded CWM, but there are 4 versions in this thread. I have a rooted stock phone on the Solo network. Do I use the Odin version, or one of the other ones via Download/Recovery mode? I'm a little paranoid about bricking my phone.
Thank you in advance for any info provided. A huge thank you to Darkshadow and Peteragent5 for their ongoing work for the Canadian Gio!
Usually you're gonna have to start with the Odin version.
A more "unorthodox" method that should also work would involve flashing the recovery.img file directly to bml9 with the dd command on a rooted phone.
I did not include an assert line to check the model of phone reported in my updater scripts, so it shouldn't matter which version you flash. As long as that recovery supports etx4 properly. (Not all do, such as the older builds by Hyriand, which were configured for RFS only.)
In the case of Peteragent's ROMs, his scripts check for the presence of a 5660M and not just a 5660 from the build.prop included in the recovery ramdisk. Hence the need for the modified build prop compared to Phiexz's original builds which report as 5660.
Maelmord said:
My big question is which CWM Recovery do I flash and how. Instructions say to use Peteragent5's modded CWM, but there are 4 versions in this thread. I have a rooted stock phone on the Solo network. Do I use the Odin version, or one of the other ones via Download/Recovery mode? I'm a little paranoid about bricking my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use the "My ROMS" ODIN version. It should be the same as this link http://www.mediafire.com/?uxzesrnfswxxwes but don't use this link forever because if the file gets updated you will be using a deprecated version.
FusiveR said:
Use the "My ROMS" ODIN version. It should be the same as this link (cut due to posting restrictions...) but don't use this link forever because if the file gets updated you will be using a deprecated version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. I have spent most of this day playing with flashing and formatting.
This is the file I used to get CWM installed. From there I used Darkshado's directions from Arpeggiomod. I found that if I run the re-odex script, several apps force close on boot (like the CPU clocker and samsung.singin(?) ) so as long as I don't run that, everything works great.
I then installed darktremor's a2sd after partitioning and formatting my sdcard. When I load dt's A2SDGUI it shows 24MB sd-ext (even though i formatted it to 1GB). When I load Titanium Backup it shows the 1GB /sd-ext but none of my apps got installed there. I'm not done playing with this part yet, lol.
I'm wandering how to remove ADW Launcher, since I prefer GO Launcher, but that's just a preference.
Maelmord said:
I'm wandering how to remove ADW Launcher, since I prefer GO Launcher, but that's just a preference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Install Root Explorer.
2. Go to /system/app
3. Mount filesystem as r/w (in the upper right corner)
4. Delete ADW Launcher (Make sure you still have TouchWizLauncher)
5. Reboot and test.
Maelmord said:
Thank you. I have spent most of this day playing with flashing and formatting.
This is the file I used to get CWM installed. From there I used Darkshado's directions from Arpeggiomod. I found that if I run the re-odex script, several apps force close on boot (like the CPU clocker and samsung.singin(?) ) so as long as I don't run that, everything works great.
I then installed darktremor's a2sd after partitioning and formatting my sdcard. When I load dt's A2SDGUI it shows 24MB sd-ext (even though i formatted it to 1GB). When I load Titanium Backup it shows the 1GB /sd-ext but none of my apps got installed there. I'm not done playing with this part yet, lol.
I'm wandering how to remove ADW Launcher, since I prefer GO Launcher, but that's just a preference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you mind clearing Dalvik cache and then running the re-odexing script? See if that still causes force closes?
I have a few questions... I am coming from using a Nexus One and am intimately familiar with flashing Modems/Kernels/ROMs... modifying framework and other APKs for custom features... and all kinds of other fun stuff. I have been running into videos and such that I am sure their procedure works but I don't really trust that all their information is accurate. Seeing as some people putting up how-to info say I need to install 7-zip to run a self-extractable archive... they obviously don't know what they are talking about... no offense meant to them as it is a very good instructional video... I just do not feel comfortable asking them detailed questions.
With the E4GT I keep seeing people saying that you can brick your phone by flashing between GB and ICS ROMs without wiping and such. Now I would like to get a few things strait. On Nexus One the recovery kernel was held in a different partition than the normal OS. Then there was an initial bootloader that would load either the recovery or the normal OS. Now if you were to shoot yourself in the foot and do something you shouldn't with your normal OS you could always boot to recovery and start from your latest nandroid or just flash w/e you felt like. Is this not how the E4GT works? If you flash a kernel (which I would assume would goto your normal OS's boot partition being seperate from the bootloader and recovery) does it actually "brick" your phone? Do ICS ROMs mess with something in the bootloader or recovery that could prevent you from going back to recovery and reflashing whatever you want?
The permenant bricks are happening with the partitions getting screwed. Even ODINing over a stock tar will fail at that point. Normally with any device we would JTAG and write new partitions.
Only 2 things I know are. The partitions between GB and ICS are different. Our phones recovery is packed into the kernel and since we don't have the source for the ICS kernel yet I would expect their to be issues with CWM repacks on our phone with ICS.
Ive been one of the ones with no issues flashing around in ICS. But I would not dare try to flash a GB rom back. SFHUB's One Click ODIN's are a quick way to flash over an EL29 or prior tar but you can do it the old fashioned way as well.
Read here, On how to avoid
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1525495
xST4T1K said:
Read here, On how to avoid
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1525495
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really appreciate your informational thread. The problem is... I went through all this information as well as some other stuff prior to posting this. While the information is nice it is basically "follow these procedures and things should work according to my experience". What I am looking for is detailed information as to what is causing tons or people (relative to what i saw in the N1 community) mentioning these bricking issues. I am trying to gather and consolidate this information as I can not find it readily available.
RainMotorsports said:
The permenant bricks are happening with the partitions getting screwed. Even ODINing over a stock tar will fail at that point. Normally with any device we would JTAG and write new partitions.
Only 2 things I know are. The partitions between GB and ICS are different. Our phones recovery is packed into the kernel and since we don't have the source for the ICS kernel yet I would expect their to be issues with CWM repacks on our phone with ICS.
Ive been one of the ones with no issues flashing around in ICS. But I would not dare try to flash a GB rom back. SFHUB's One Click ODIN's are a quick way to flash over an EL29 or prior tar but you can do it the old fashioned way as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is more along the lines of what I am looking for. So... from what I gather here:
1. As far as it is known... something having to do with partition allocation information is different between GB and ICS ROMs.
2. E4GT version of Android's recovery is not held seperate from the running OS and is dependent on the Initramfs (and contained within) that is used by the actual running OS.
3. In order to flash back to GB you must use SFHUB's One Click ODIN which uses a known procedure that works. (Why does this work where others methods do not? Possibly, when update script runs from package used in recovery [modified ICS recovery] it has to do with partition information the recovery is expecting is different from actual? ICS kernel source so its exact method of actually executing an update script is unknown?)
Please correct post to correct any information you see here which is incorrect or acknowledge what information you believe to be correct.
EDIT: Correction to 3 as I didn't read post properly and also in response to RainMotorsports post. Also, changed SGS2 in 2 to E4GT
EDIT: Changed "kernel" in 2 to "initramfs" Detailed information about all this can be found in Sfhub's detailed explanation post within this thread which you can find here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=24398615&postcount=13
You can go back to gingerbread as many times as you want, just use the one click odin el29 above. That's the safest and simplest way. I've done it countless times.
Goblinlord said:
2. SGS2 version of Android's recovery is not held seperate from the running OS and is dependent on the kernel (and contained within) that is used by the actual running OS.
3. If you flash to ICS do not flash back to GB??? (though this goes against the information contained in xST4T1K's post)
Please correct post to correct any information you see here which is incorrect or acknowledge what information you believe to be correct.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For 3 as said just use the odin one click. Now everyone recommends using EL26 with CWM for some reason but EL29 works. When going backwards always use the version that wipes the data partition - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1433101 will take you to stock rooted EL29 and you can odin over the kernel with cwm or just use sfhubs auto rooter to gain it.
Its recommended to either use ODIN (or an odin one click) to upgrade an ICS leak or to ODIN back to EL26/29 then flash a rom. It has been possible for some of us to do it from ICS but there have been bricks its just a precaution so do it the right way for now. Mobile ODIN also has some issue but I have done 2 tar leaks using it as well.
As for 2 to the best of my knowledge its just the E4GT. The recovery partition on our phone is unused and recovery is packed into the kernel. Very stable on GB, but we don't have the ICS source and the ICS repacks have some issues. To change or gain recovery all you have to do is flash a kernel.
RainMotorsports said:
For 3 as said just use the odin one click. Now everyone recommends using EL26 with CWM for some reason but EL29 works. When going backwards always use the version that wipes the data partition - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1433101 will take you to stock rooted EL29 and you can odin over the kernel with cwm or just use sfhubs auto rooter to gain it.
Its recommended to either use ODIN (or an odin one click) to upgrade an ICS leak or to ODIN back to EL26/29 then flash a rom. It has been possible for some of us to do it from ICS but there have been bricks its just a precaution so do it the right way for now. Mobile ODIN also has some issue but I have done 2 tar leaks using it as well.
As for 2 to the best of my knowledge its just the E4GT. The recovery partition on our phone is unused and recovery is packed into the kernel. Very stable on GB, but we don't have the ICS source and the ICS repacks have some issues. To change or gain recovery all you have to do is flash a kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perfect ^^... thanks for the information this is exactly the type of information I was looking for.
OP, check PM.
There was actually some talk from a few that were using JTAGs to unbrick only to find out that the NAND was fried in a way you would only expect to see from something hit by an EM surge. While odd, it's not impossible and we can only speculate at the changes in 3.0.15 ICS kernels from Samsung vs. the GB ones. I'm no electrical expert so I won't speculate on what would cause it.
I know how the Nexus was coming from a G2/Desire Z a lot of things were very similar. This phone is completely different. So far as I can tell the recovery and kernel share the same space. While you could flash 4EXT as your recovery and never change it but constantly change kernels - you must flash the recovery w/ the kernel on this. Probably has something to do with us having ODIN - that might be taking up residence where the recovery or fastboot would normally reside. I could be completely wrong though. As far as the 7zip thing. I don't know what videos you're talking about specifically but I do know a lot of people tell others to install it just because it's one of the most useful things when modding. Whether it be an apk or an entire rom. This is of course when your speaking about Windows. Linux has its own built-in goodies.
KCRic said:
There was actually some talk from a few that were using JTAGs to unbrick only to find out that the NAND was fried in a way you would only expect to see from something hit by an EM surge. While odd, it's not impossible and we can only speculate at the changes in 3.0.15 ICS kernels from Samsung vs. the GB ones. I'm no electrical expert so I won't speculate on what would cause it.
I know how the Nexus was coming from a G2/Desire Z a lot of things were very similar. This phone is completely different. So far as I can tell the recovery and kernel share the same space. While you could flash 4EXT as your recovery and never change it but constantly change kernels - you must flash the recovery w/ the kernel on this. Probably has something to do with us having ODIN - that might be taking up residence where the recovery or fastboot would normally reside. I could be completely wrong though. As far as the 7zip thing. I don't know what videos you're talking about specifically but I do know a lot of people tell others to install it just because it's one of the most useful things when modding. Whether it be an apk or an entire rom. This is of course when your speaking about Windows. Linux has its own built-in goodies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info KCRic. If you could provide a link for the thread you refer to about the NAND memory being fried it would be great. Also... I completely agree with 7-zip being useful as I have used it now for many many many years... my point was more... the person didn't even know the difference between an self-extracting executable and an archive file.
Please look at the following thread for background on the problem and speculation as to technically why the bricks are happening:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1504808
My theory on to why restoring a gingerbread and is that the fact that on ICS the recovery actually has access/see add'l hidden partitions that the gingerbread recovery does not access or see (example the triangle away tool which needs ics) Most likely when the restore is done the nand gets rewritten to the wrong partitions due to new hidden partitions not accounted for and in a sense overwriting something crucial and ends up in either destroying the partition and bricking the device. I'm no expert on the matter though so take this with a grain of sand.
I am reading from mobile so only skimmed through this. Some questions are probably already answered. Excuse the typos, it is a pain to type long replies on mobile.
The 7zip thing is probably because i package everything as 7zip self-extractors, which on windows means you just double-click on the *-sfx.exe and choose the directory to unpack to. The roms are relatively large so compressing them makes sense and 7zip does a better job compressing and is cross platform. Anyway on platforms other than windows you just treat the -sfx.exe file like a regular 7zip archive and use 7zip or other archive tool to unpack, similar to if zip or rar was used to compress.
Regarding why there are bricks, there are two more prevalent ways of bricking this phone.
1) flashing an intl gs2 factory or leaked rom that includes the intl bootloader. On our phone, the intl bootloader disables the usb port so you can no longer recover using any tool that uses the usb port. If you happen to have custom recovery still on the phone, you can use an update.zip to update your rom, kernel, and modem, but your usb port is still useless.
2) using an ics kernel combined with a custom recovery to wipe, restore, or otherwise do partition operations that affect /data. This is not a deterministic brick in that you can have the same operation work fine many times, but then suddenly have it fail. There were some more deterministic variations of this type of brick involving a temp flashed cwm touch, where wiping/factory reset would very frequently cause the /data brick.
So what is the /data brick? Apparently a change in the ics kernel combined with certain custom recovery operations can cause a hardware failure in the emmc memory for the data partition section. This will cause all future attempts to format, overwrite, restore, the data partition to hang or fail. We know it is a hardware failure because even using jtag to bit blast the proper software fails. Often people don't realize their data partition has bricked right away because they are in the midst of wiping/factory reset or restoring a backup. Then something isn't working right so they go and use odin to get back into a known state, but find odin hangs on the data partition. This may lead them to think odin is not working right or even that odin caused the problem, but in reality, odin is just the messenger that your emmc is screwed. The damage was done earlier. We know that to be the case, because
1) in all instances it was traced back to on operation with an ics kernel and custom recovery
2) this type of brick never existed before the ics kernels (linux 3.0 kernels came out)
3) galaxy note on ics has the same type of emmc brick
4) we know there were changes to the emmc code because different areas of emm are exposed in ics kernels which were not exposed in gb kernels
Your only recourse for this type of brick is to return for replacement, as even jtag fails.
Regarding odin, if you are coming from another platform, it is basically like fastboot in that it is a failsafe type flash using low-level bootloader routines which do not depend on working kernel or rom. Most types of soft brick can be easily addressed by odin. As to why it is safer, it is using low-level bootloader routines so doesn't depend on the ics kernel which we have found to be problematic in certain situations listed above.
Regarding recovery, I also came from a platform where recovery was a separate partition. This made sense to me. Alas, this phone does not use a separate partition for recovery. Instead reckvery is packed into the initramfs of the normal android kernel. if you flash a new kernel, that comes with a new initramfs, and you will get whichever recovery was packed into its initramfs, whether that be stock or custom recovery.
Ironically, there is a separate partition labelled recovery.bin that for some reason is not used. The contents are exactly the same as the kernel, so in the current state it just serves as a backup of the active kernel.
In closing, I would suggest treating this phone as a new platform and don't make assumptions based in past experience. Being android, there are similarities, but there are also important differences/quirks to be aware of which are easily missed if assumptions are made.
RainMotorsports said:
For 3 as said just use the odin one click. Now everyone recommends using EL26 with CWM for some reason but EL29 works. When going backwards always use the version that wipes the data partition - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1433101 will take you to stock rooted EL29 and you can odin over the kernel with cwm or just use sfhubs auto rooter to gain it.
Its recommended to either use ODIN (or an odin one click) to upgrade an ICS leak or to ODIN back to EL26/29 then flash a rom. It has been possible for some of us to do it from ICS but there have been bricks its just a precaution so do it the right way for now. Mobile ODIN also has some issue but I have done 2 tar leaks using it as well.
As for 2 to the best of my knowledge its just the E4GT. The recovery partition on our phone is unused and recovery is packed into the kernel. Very stable on GB, but we don't have the ICS source and the ICS repacks have some issues. To change or gain recovery all you have to do is flash a kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming from the Evo this is all new to me so I am sorry but I just wanted to double check. Right now I am still on eg30 and rooted. It is ok then to just use the odin one click to flash el26/29? Then I have to also flash cwm again correct? Sorry for the noobish questions, just trying to avoid any problems.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Natedog1 said:
Coming from the Evo this is all new to me so I am sorry but I just wanted to double check. Right now I am still on eg30 and rooted. It is ok then to just use the odin one click to flash el26/29? Then I have to also flash cwm again correct? Sorry for the noobish questions, just trying to avoid any problems.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow your on EG30 nice lol.
Yes you can one click or regular odin straight to EL29 if you want. There are one clicks for ICS up to FC24 (No FD02 yet) so if your not going to a custom rom just stock rooted you can use those too.
EL26 - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1416477
EL29 - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1433101
FC24 - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1573752
You can go from EG30 to EL29 using the no data ones and not lose anything. Going to ICS or going backwards you should always use the normal ones that erase your data.
You still need custom recovery to flash a rom. You can use sfhubs autorooter on a rooted install to gain it or odin over a kernel.
RainMotorsports said:
Wow your on EG30 nice lol.
Yes you can one click or regular odin straight to EL29 if you want. There are one clicks for ICS up to FC24 (No FD02 yet) so if your not going to a custom rom just stock rooted you can use those too.
EL26 - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1416477
EL29 - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1433101
FC24 - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1573752
You can go from EG30 to EL29 using the no data ones and not lose anything. Going to ICS or going backwards you should always use the normal ones that erase your data.
You still need custom recovery to flash a rom. You can use sfhubs autorooter on a rooted install to gain it or odin over a kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I just picked up the phone the other day after my evo crapped out. It is like learning a new language going from the evo to this. Modems, odin, triangles.... Trying read as much as I can before doing much. Thanks for your help. I appreciate it a lot.
I am a little apprehensive about flashing an ics rom after reading about all the issues everyone is having. I do miss the hell out of cm but I think I should hold off on flashing that for now. Is it "safe" to flash fc24 one click even though it is ics?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Yes if your going to ICS its as safe as it gets. ODIN is samsungs fastboot. The firmwares are stored on tars. SFHUB packages tars in a one click setup for odin so you dont have to deal with odin itself. Writing a full tar with odin write a whole firmware rather than just the rom or just the modem etc like when using recovery.
The other option is to flash an ICS rom through custom recovery preferably EL26 or EL29.
As far as triangles go if you want to know about those. If you flash a custom kernel or anything else not signed by samsung through ODIN it will show a triangle at boot as well as increase the counter shown in the download mode. This is just there to tell the phone company you have been messing with it.
I have never tripped the triangle myself but a USB jig on older bootloaders or the Triangle away app on ICS will take care of it.
Using ODIN to flash the FC24 + rooted is not a bad place to start *in my opinion* to try out ICS on the E4GT. But there are lessons to this too - please make sure you are using a good quality USB cable (such as the Sammy one), don't flash if your system is at risk of shutting down in the middle (such as a laptop with a sketchy battery and no A/C) and by all means, if it looks like it is hanging... give it time before resorting to unplugging the USB cable. The last part is the modem and takes several minutes, no matter how fast your PC is.
No matter what you decide, good luck and don't be afraid to ask any questions. It is far better to err towards caution and ask for advice than go on our own and risk ending up with a paperweight instead of a phone.
Thanks garwynn i was actually just coming back to add that. Yeah I always recommend to people to flash with a laptop if they have it in case of a power outage.
Thanks for the tips and the advice guys. Much appreciated. Right now the ics roms are pretty much all leaks correct?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
hello, i just got my first android phone so I'm new to this sort of stuff, though I love being able to unlock hidden potential of different devices, so naturally I discovered the ability to root smart phones and all that good stuff.
The model I have is the Samsung Galaxy Gio GT-S5660M. It's running 2.3.4. Gingerbread version.
I've been reading a lot of guides and for the most part rooting and adding additional utilities like flash, etc. seems pretty simple. However, I have not yet been able to find out how to create a back of up of my stock firmware when I bought the phone in case I end up bricking it, or decide I want to return to stock.
I've read many guides that claim to show how to create back ups and recovery points, but I'm still having trouble understanding it.
To be more specific, I would like to create as opposed to download, a back up of the phone in it's current state which is, as I said earlier, stock. I did a factory reset since I had some stuff installed while I was fiddling with it for the first time.
thx
You have to root it before you can back up stock rom so, firstly you root it (you can find guides here on xda)
Then install clockworkmod recovery: warning: DON'T EVER USE ROM MANAGER TO INSTALL CLOCKWORKMOD ON YOUR GIO, IT WILL BRICK YOUR PHONE!! use one of the recoveries found in xda, you will also find guides to install them there.
Then third; backup in clockworkmod using "backup and restore"
Sent from my GT-S5660
iok1 said:
You have to root it before you can back up stock rom so, firstly you root it (you can find guides here on xda)
Then install clockworkmod recovery: warning: DON'T EVER USE ROM MANAGER TO INSTALL CLOCKWORKMOD ON YOUR GIO, IT WILL BRICK YOUR PHONE!! use one of the recoveries found in xda, you will also find guides to install them there.
Then third; backup in clockworkmod using "backup and restore"
Sent from my GT-S5660
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so first of all, what I'm looking for is called a ROM right?
what I don't get though is how come I need to modify the device before creating the backup. Isn't the phone modified at that point? Or is the stock configuration being stored somewhere on the phone that I can't see without clockwork?
You cannot create a backup without the recovery mod CWM Clockwork Recovery Mod. But to install this you need your device rooted (modified so you can modify and view system files)
gfyrdr said:
so first of all, what I'm looking for is called a ROM right?
what I don't get though is how come I need to modify the device before creating the backup. Isn't the phone modified at that point? Or is the stock configuration being stored somewhere on the phone that I can't see without clockwork?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1 - you don't need to search for a rom to backup your stock rom
2 - you need to root your phone in order to be able to backup your rom
3 - you need to install a more advanced recovery (program "similar" to pc BIOS) in order to do a nandroid backup
4 - after you flash that more advanced recovery (aka CWM -> ClockWorkMod), you backup your rom in "backup and restore" menu, backup. It will then store your rom in a folder.
5 - you should strongly consider after that, to install a custom rom made by many of the devs here on XDA in order to have a better experience with your phone...
0M3G4_ said:
1 - you don't need to search for a rom to backup your stock rom
2 - you need to root your phone in order to be able to backup your rom
3 - you need to install a more advanced recovery (program "similar" to pc BIOS) in order to do a nandroid backup
4 - after you flash that more advanced recovery (aka CWM -> ClockWorkMod), you backup your rom in "backup and restore" menu, backup. It will then store your rom in a folder.
5 - you should strongly consider after that, to install a custom rom made by many of the devs here on XDA in order to have a better experience with your phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 That was what I wanted to say
I've already uploaded a stock ROM backup last fall of the same Gingerbread ROM you're running, along with instructions on how to make one yourself or flash mine.
The best advice I can give you is: research, research, and more research.
Good luck,
Darkshado
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA
What software do you recommend to clockworkmod Gio with?
s!mon said:
What software do you recommend to clockworkmod Gio with?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use px-cwm-v2.zip recovery.
You flash it using stock recovery.
thx for the replies. I will give it a try.
Darkshadow, whats the thread's name where you posted the ROM and instructions? I'd like to check that out too.
Also, whats a good rom to consider upgrading to? Something that has the ability to play flash videos.
EDIT:
If I understand correctly, roms are basically whole operating systems that have been customized by the developer. So a rom can be already rooted and have clockwork as well as other custom stuff, and I just need to flash it. The alternative to this is to do everything manualy... root the current OS, add clockwork and whatever else. Correct?
Also, I'm not sure yet if a rooted phone has any extra options on it's own, or if it's only a set up that's sole purpose is to allow other applications to be installed who then will give the user better control over his device.
I've run into a little problem.
I'm following this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=16963172&postcount=1
I've got Odin and the tar downloaded, but when I go into download mode with my phone and connect it to the PC, it says that the device driver was not successfuly installed, and I get no confirmation in Odin that a connection has been made between the phone and the program.
What am I missing?
Thx.
EDIT:
Nevermind, I needed to install Kies. Don't even need to run it. Apparently it has the driver that's needed.
Okay, I've rooted my phone successfully. Now the next step is to install Clockwork and create a back up.
Now that I understand a little bit the way Odin and flashing ROM works, I think it would be better to just download a stock ROM and in case something goes wrong, I can just flash it the way I flashed the rooted one.
(I think I saw a completely stock ROM somewhere for my model but I don't remember where. A link would be appreciated if it exists.)
Correct me if I'm wrong pls.
Also, if I do that, then is there any reason to install Clockwork since I've read that many ppl have issues with installing it and it's riskier than rooting or installing other software.
Right now I think what I'm most interested in is installing Adobe Flash Player 11 or something of the sort that can play flash videos and streams.
^
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=19623732&postcount=1
taken from the sticky
i'm also thinking of installing cwm
looking at the sticky, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20397988&postcount=8
how outdated is this cwm?
I'm using Opera as my browser so from what I've learned, flash doesn't work with it period. Is skyfire a good alternative?
Also, like I said, I don't think I need the clockwork if I can get a clean stock ROM that I can just flash if something goes wrong. As I don't intend to download many apps or add many phone numbers (memorized instead), a backup isn't really needed.
nvmd, i just went ahead and installed the cwm in that link, there's a 5.0.2.7 though if that is even the newest one
now, i cant seem to backup my phone
it says it cannot mount /system
try dolphin browser
anonxlg said:
nvmd, i just went ahead and installed the cwm in that link, there's a 5.0.2.7 though if that is even the newest one
now, i cant seem to backup my phone
it says it cannot mount /system
try dolphin browser
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you pick the ext4 + rfs version?
Sent from my GT-S5660
Clockwork is not riskier than other things you do. Just follow steps and you see no problems.
anonxlg said:
^
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=19623732&postcount=1
i'm also thinking of installing cwm
looking at the sticky, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20397988&postcount=8
how outdated is this cwm?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its an older version, its 5.0.2.7, theres also 5.0.2.8 but these give some problems after installing/wiping, so some people still use the older version.
Hello guys,
I'm new here. I have the same problem as anonxlg. It says can't mount system. I also used the version from the big thread for new users. Can anyone enlighten me on what to do? I've been searching the forum and google, but can't make it work. I feel like a compleet noob now, and I don't feel special about it.
RJ88
Edit: I kept searching, and finally found a working 5.0.2.7 version. First I had another 5.0.2.7 version, but when I tried to install it didn't work. I finally found "signed_cwm-5.0.2.7-flashablezip-ext4+rfs.zip (Flash from Recovery)" on http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1421650 (through google actually. I have to get used to this site), and I'm making my backup now.
thanks RJA88, backup worked
edit/update
i used the cwm linked and backup worked, i tried installing cm9 beta8 (galaxyics), and it would get stuck after samsung bootscreen (it flashes a white pick or soemthing before full back screen)
i tried restoring backup i made, and it didnt work, some mount error again
i reverted back to 5.0.2.6 and did the restore backup again, and this time it goes up the the galaxy gio gt5660m screen and just stop..
note that i do not know what the rfs/ext4 is for for the gio if that is what is causing problems