FAILED (remote: sparse image size span overflow.) error - Treble-Enabled Device Questions and Answers

Hi. I have a MTK6739 which came with the "GO" version of Android (1GB ram). It came with Oreo, and it is GSI compatible (Arm with A only).
I recently wanted to give some GSI images a try and tried to flash AOSP. I tried to flash the system image using fastboot and also SP Flash Tool (of MTK). Both gave me the same error:
FAILED (remote: sparse image size span overflow.)
After getting this error, i reset my phone and my default system is still there, so nothing is being written to the system partition. I thought maybe treble AOSP images are larger than my phone's system partition but when i checked, the default system img of my phone is actually larger than the GSI images (I have also tried a "go" version of a gsi image with the same outcome).
What is my problem here please?
PS: My bootloader is unlocked.

What version of Android did your phone come with? If it's 8.X, then you have what is called Treble Legacy, which from what I am experiencing is sorta buggy. Do you have TWRP installed? It will help to have it, for a number of reasons. When a flash fails on mine, it typically wont boot the OS but rather just boot into TWRP, which makes it easy to simply kick it back in fastboot or do a wipe of a partition.
My BV5500 is GSI Enabled (Legacy) and even though it supports Treble, images won't load with TWRP even though it has Treble support. What images that do run have to be flashed with fastboot. I did use MTK tools to flash a few partitions again, but for the most part I use TWRP/Fastboot.
Mine also has the same behavoir as yours, you flash a ROM and /system is empty! (Or unchanged) So def a bug somewhere.

Chaos Storm said:
What version of Android did your phone come with? If it's 8.X, then you have what is called Treble Legacy, which from what I am experiencing is sorta buggy. Do you have TWRP installed? It will help to have it, for a number of reasons. When a flash fails on mine, it typically wont boot the OS but rather just boot into TWRP, which makes it easy to simply kick it back in fastboot or do a wipe of a partition.
My BV5500 is GSI Enabled (Legacy) and even though it supports Treble, images won't load with TWRP even though it has Treble support. What images that do run have to be flashed with fastboot. I did use MTK tools to flash a few partitions again, but for the most part I use TWRP/Fastboot.
Mine also has the same behavoir as yours, you flash a ROM and /system is empty! (Or unchanged) So def a bug somewhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine came with Android 8.1. Unfortunately my device doesn't have TWRP. In my situation, the flash fails but the phone still boots to its original OS. So nothing is overwritten. What i didn't do however is that i didn't "wipe" the partition before flashing the gsi image. And why should i anyway? The default flashing software of MTK (SP Flash Tool) doesn't even have a wipe option. It just overwrites to the partition. I never had to wipe the old rom to flash the stock rom before, it happened automatically.
Did you have any success with any of the gsi images that you have tried?

twilightened said:
Mine came with Android 8.1. Unfortunately my device doesn't have TWRP. In my situation, the flash fails but the phone still boots to its original OS. So nothing is overwritten. What i didn't do however is that i didn't "wipe" the partition before flashing the gsi image. And why should i anyway? The default flashing software of MTK (SP Flash Tool) doesn't even have a wipe option. It just overwrites to the partition. I never had to wipe the old rom to flash the stock rom before, it happened automatically.
Did you have any success with any of the gsi images that you have tried?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, XenonHD and AOSP GSI 8.1 Oreo "Go" work. Also, Lineage and RessurectionRemix work but are very slow. This is in part to Gapps.
In the end, I used AOSP GSI 8.1 Oreo "Go", which was designed for 1GB RAM devices, and since it's been tweaked to run on slow hardware, it runs plenty fast.
On my BV5500 I would often have trouble getting a flash to function. Sometimes I would have to use SP Flash to restore stock boot and stock recovery, and then it would boot, complain of corruption, ask me to wipe, then kick me back into fastboot, where I would flash the rom and twrp.
Sometimes when I tried to flash a ROM that had worked previously it would say it finished but the partition would be empty.
As regards to wiping, perhaps its a bug but I found that my chances of flashing were better if the system partition was wiped prior to flashing.
Oh, one more thing: when I flash these ROMS, they all are sparse images and send data in small chunks. At least when done via fastboot. Perhaps try a different ROM or re-download the ROM, it's possible it's corrupt. Worth a shot.

Chaos Storm said:
Yes, XenonHD and AOSP GSI 8.1 Oreo "Go" work. Also, Lineage and RessurectionRemix work but are very slow. This is in part to Gapps.
In the end, I used AOSP GSI 8.1 Oreo "Go", which was designed for 1GB RAM devices, and since it's been tweaked to run on slow hardware, it runs plenty fast.
On my BV5500 I would often have trouble getting a flash to function. Sometimes I would have to use SP Flash to restore stock boot and stock recovery, and then it would boot, complain of corruption, ask me to wipe, then kick me back into fastboot, where I would flash the rom and twrp.
Sometimes when I tried to flash a ROM that had worked previously it would say it finished but the partition would be empty.
As regards to wiping, perhaps its a bug but I found that my chances of flashing were better if the system partition was wiped prior to flashing.
Oh, one more thing: when I flash these ROMS, they all are sparse images and send data in small chunks. At least when done via fastboot. Perhaps try a different ROM or re-download the ROM, it's possible it's corrupt. Worth a shot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. I will try wiping first and flashing after that. Let's see if it is gonna work.
PS: By the way, these images come as img.xz format. I first unpack them and get the img. Am i doing it wrong? Should i just flash the img.xz images?

twilightened said:
Thanks for the reply. I will try wiping first and flashing after that. Let's see if it is gonna work.
PS: By the way, these images come as img.xz format. I first unpack them and get the img. Am i doing it wrong? Should i just flash the img.xz images?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you are doing it correctly. I think they compress them to save bandwidth.

just need to resize that partition

twilightened said:
Hi. I have a MTK6739 which came with the "GO" version of Android (1GB ram). It came with Oreo, and it is GSI compatible (Arm with A only).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which device? Please tell.
I have also Blackview A20 (go).
Flash stock with spflash. Only for stock
Let it reboot. reset. Allow it to reboot once again. Check everything GPS/wifi/bt. Enable ON
Do not connect to Google accounts. not needed.
Enable adb
Charge at least 90% - some devices will NOT flash and silently ignore.
fastboot erase system
fastboot flash system gsi.img
fastboot reboot
If it asks you a password, just type anything. Then it will ask you reset phone. Say OK.
all done
Note always check the sha1sum or md5sum of GSI. Despite having

kusti420 said:
just need to resize that partition
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excuse me, I'm new to this, would you have a tutorial? I have several phones that would help

kusti420 said:
just need to resize that partition
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how can i resize the partition pls?

Related

Please help - near brick!!

Earlier today I tried to reboot my BND-L24 into TWRP, but I got seriously stuck and have been unable to get unstuck ever since.
TWRP will not load. It starts to load and then gets stuck on the splash screen.
I have tried to wipe from (standard) recovery, but that doesn't work either.
I have tried to install several different TWRPs (fastboot seems to be working ok).
If I could just get into TWRP I should be able to restore the System partition. I had previously installed the Morfuz kernel, but I would have to be able to get into TWRP to restore the original kernel.
I'm seriously stuck. Any advice??
Thanks!
I dont understand. What do you mean by "seriously stuck?"
Use these TWRPs....
https://drive.google.com/open?id=18uHjW73Th8iYKIs5m_QgwleMIOjsZd7S
RECOVERY TWRP OREO 3.2.1
the file is automated. http://zipansion.com/2t6QB
https://forum.xda-developers.com/devdb/project/dl/?id=28883
TWRP will not load - it is stuck at the flash screen. I've tried several variants of TWRP and will try yours as well.
I've flashed the first one before without any luck. The second failed with "FAILED (remote: partition length get error). Didn't matter whether I flashed to recover-ramdisk or recovery, same error both ways.
egalambos said:
I've flashed the first one before without any luck. The second failed with "FAILED (remote: partition length get error). Didn't matter whether I flashed to recover-ramdisk or recovery, same error both ways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it is recovery_ramdisk... that is the partition, not "recover-ramdisk" or "recovery"
I finally got into TWRP!!! Progress!!
I thought I had a good System partition backup, but apparently I don't.
How can I use TWRP to install a good System.img file that I do have?
egalambos said:
I finally got into TWRP!!! Progress!!
I thought I had a good System partition backup, but apparently I don't.
How can I use TWRP to install a good System.img file that I do have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you should always use fastboot to flash .img files. at this point, i suggest you wipe internal storage, cache, dalvik and art cache, system, and data. then flash hurupdater and get back to stock.
I did that, except that I left the Data and the internal partition alone and it worked. I'm in the process of re-installing Magisk, etc., but, from what I can see, everything seems to be pretty much back to normal.
Thanks for the help! It was unbelievably frustrating. Can't believe I mixed up a dash with an underscore!
PS Do you have any idea why I was unable to do a System Update before I re-installed TWRP? I believe I was about as stock as stock can be at that point!
egalambos said:
I did that, except that I left the Data and the internal partition alone and it worked. I'm in the process of re-installing Magisk, etc., but, from what I can see, everything seems to be pretty much back to normal.
Thanks for the help! It was unbelievably frustrating. Can't believe I mixed up a dash with an underscore!
PS Do you have any idea why I was unable to do a System Update before I re-installed TWRP? I believe I was about as stock as stock can be at that point!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
probably because the bootloader was unlocked. one way to install updates manually is using firmware finder app, if the update is approved.

Fire TV 4k not possible to set up

Hello,
i've had this issue with the stock firmware so i thought installing twrp with a prerooted image should do it, but the same issue appears. After the language and network setup, the update (searching for an update) goes wrong. I've got another 2 4k's here and they work, so it's not network related.
Installing twrp and the rooted image was quite easy, nice to see twrp running on these devices.
But does a lineage or another custom rom for the 4k actually exist? I think with a clean rom the error would be gone.
I don't know how to make lineage for this device, i. just know how to install it
I've attached an image, maybe someone has an idea.
Retch_100 said:
Hello,
i've had this issue with the stock firmware so i thought installing twrp with a prerooted image should do it, but the same issue appears. After the language and network setup, the update (searching for an update) goes wrong. I've got another 2 4k's here and they work, so it's not network related.
Installing twrp and the rooted image was quite easy, nice to see twrp running on these devices.
But does a lineage or another custom rom for the 4k actually exist? I think with a clean rom the error would be gone.
I don't know how to make lineage for this device, i. just know how to install it
I've attached an image, maybe someone has an idea.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A Lineage OS rom is still under development and not released yet. Have you tried flashing the stock image (6.2.7.1)? Flash this in recovery, to see if it fixes the update error. You may need to flash Magisk to be rooted again. And this stock image WILL NOT overwrite TWRP. The prerooted roms that are released have Magisk built in so there's nothing different between those and the stock image in which has no root at all. Let me know if you have any questions!
Stock Image for Fire TV Stick 4K: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1LlOFUO8o_8GKm-kQLR9QCMmql2Zyu8W8
Retch_100 said:
Hello,
i've had this issue with the stock firmware so i thought installing twrp with a pre-rooted image should do it, but the same issue appears. After the language and network setup, the update (searching for an update) goes wrong. I've got another 2 4k's here and they work, so it's not network related.
Installing twrp and the rooted image was quite easy, nice to see twrp running on these devices.
But does a lineage or another custom rom for the 4k actually exist? I think with a clean rom the error would be gone.
I don't know how to make lineage for this device, i. just know how to install it
I've attached an image, maybe someone has an idea.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I have seen, the tutorial for flashing the prerooted is really a dirty flash, and certainly from my experience (where I forgot to reset the device before flashing the image) all my apps were still there.
I'm sure you can wipe your system & data partition from TWRP, and then flash the image.
The only problem I can foresee is that the pre-rooted image might not be a full image which would cause your Firestick not to boot.
I suggest you head over to the pre-rooted image thread and ask if it's ok to wipe those partitions and also what the actual commands are.
I'm curious also - just for future reference....
p.s I just found this
https://twrp.me/faq/openrecoveryscript.html
which lists TWRP's commands, Just check first to see if it's safe to wipe those partitions.
Okay, i will install it tomorrow. Is there a Source to the lineage Development? The Stick is unusable for me, so i Would install anything to Pass the error.
@tinybilbo
Good question, i didnt Know Either what to do so i Wiped cache and dalvik and data, but That should be considered as a Dirty Flash thought, i will ask there.
@Skel40
What to Wipe before flashing?
Retch_100 said:
Okay, i will install it tomorrow. Is there a Source to the lineage Development? The Stick is unusable for me, so i Would install anything to Pass the error.
@tinybilbo
Good question, i didnt Know Either what to do so i Wiped cache and dalvik and data, but That should be considered as a Dirty Flash thought, i will ask there.
@Skel40
What to Wipe before flashing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the system partition would be the important one to wipe, data is mostly user data from what I remember.
If Skel40's link is a full image (as the prerooted one i might be), then maybe do all the wipes and try that one 1st..
Normally when I use TWRP I don't dirty flash, and I wipe system,data,dalvik,cache...
Good luck with whatever you try
Retch_100 said:
Hello,
i've had this issue with the stock firmware so i thought installing twrp with a prerooted image should do it, but the same issue appears. After the language and network setup, the update (searching for an update) goes wrong. I've got another 2 4k's here and they work, so it's not network related.
Installing twrp and the rooted image was quite easy, nice to see twrp running on these devices.
But does a lineage or another custom rom for the 4k actually exist? I think with a clean rom the error would be gone.
I don't know how to make lineage for this device, i. just know how to install it
I've attached an image, maybe someone has an idea.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Retch_100 said:
Okay, i will install it tomorrow. Is there a Source to the lineage Development? The Stick is unusable for me, so i Would install anything to Pass the error.
@tinybilbo
Good question, i didnt Know Either what to do so i Wiped cache and dalvik and data, but That should be considered as a Dirty Flash thought, i will ask there.
@Skel40
What to Wipe before flashing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to wipe system, data, dalvik-cache, and cache before flashing. Upon boot up after flashing 6.2.7.1, it skips the updates, I have a backup if needed!
I wiped all Partitions and Flashed the Image, but it searches for backups and the error appears. Could you send me the Backup? @Skel40
Retch_100 said:
I wiped all Partitions and Flashed the Image, but it searches for backups and the error appears. Could you send me the Backup? @Skel40
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You wiped everything (data, system, internal, cache, dalvik). There is nothing else, if you are flashing the full stock upgrade image. The device finds remote, connects to bluetooth, then finds Wifi, connects to wifi. Then the device errors (when checking for an update). Since you bought this device used, i highly suspect the device is blacklisted. Firestick 4k's are on sale for $25 again. I would cut my loses and hope someday for a custom (you can ask for a copy of the buggy one diegocr and Rortiz2 over in the tank 12.1 thread. But it is likely unusable at this time.
Okay thank you @Michajin
What do you think, would be installing TWRP on one of the others and restoring a backup from them onto the broken one help?
Retch_100 said:
Okay thank you @Michajin
What do you think, would be installing TWRP on one of the others and restoring a backup from them onto the broken one help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think so. I believe it is sending its serial number to amazon when it connects to the internet. There used to be a work around that would bypass registration, but i believe that was blocked about a year ago. Maybe someone on here knows a work around since you have access with TWRP (file manager), If it were me, i would find the update files in TWRP and rename or delete them... i think they are in the root/system folder. Since you have a full backup i dont see much risk. If it fails to boot or work, just restore your system from a backup.
The files should be called:
device.software.ota
com.amazon.device.software.ota.override
Michajin said:
I don't think so. I believe it is sending its serial number to amazon when it connects to the internet. There used to be a work around that would bypass registration, but i believe that was blocked about a year ago. Maybe someone on here knows a work around since you have access with TWRP (file manager), If it were me, i would find the update files in TWRP and rename or delete them... i think they are in the root/system folder. Since you have a full backup i dont see much risk. If it fails to boot or work, just restore your system from a backup.
The files should be called:
device.software.ota
com.amazon.device.software.ota.override
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay thanks I will see.
BTW: the Stick does not have any value to me anymore, so bricking it would be okay if I learned something this way
But it'd be better if the Stick could be resurrected to work as a Stick.
Maybe anything of this.
Pass OOBE:
==========
adb push ~/.android/adbkey.pub /data/misc/adb/adb_keys
adb shell settings put secure install_non_market_apps 1
adb shell settings put global adb_enabled 1
adb shell settings put global setup_wizard_has_run 1
adb shell settings put secure user_setup_complete 1
adb shell settings put global device_provisioned 1
pm disable com.amazon.tv.oobe
Your fire stick blacklisted by Amazon.

Full Nandroid Backup Solution for LineageOS 17??

I got Lineage 17 w/ Magisk root running now neat and great and I want to perform a full NANDroid Backup.
After some research it seems crucial to have a custom recovery like TWRP for that. There is the online nandroid thing - but I would need CWM or anything like this to restore?!
So my question is
a) is there another custom recovery (compatible with Pixel 3a XL w/ lineage 17 based on android 10) I can install and perform Nandroid backup with?
b) any other solution to perform this backup and restore? I heard there are cmd commands for that as well , but I'm a noobie not so sure to do that.
of course there are several apps out there to backup data.. but I don't trust ''any'' app to get root permission. In F Droid I couldn't find what I was looking for. Suggestion?
thank you for help!
It is unsafe to perform backups while booted into Android, as files may be changed/added/removed while the backup is taking place.
This is why it tends to be a feature of custom recoveries.
Titanium Backup is good. It doesn't support split APKs like YouTube but the data restore works flawlessly. This is an old utility app so you can trust it with root. You can find Titanium Backup on the play store, it is the one with the star and "root required".
If you want to perform full backups of your PHONE you will want TWRP. If you want to perform full backups of your APPS then you will want to use an app like Titanium Backup (however Titanium Backup is not updated for split APKs, like I said above), which will allow you to transfer your backups to a new phone and fully restore all apps & data (as long as both phones have root).
Sure problem is I want to perform a full backup of my phone, but TWRP ist not available. What are my options?
dadu1257 said:
Sure problem is I want to perform a full backup of my phone, but TWRP ist not available. What are my options?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does TWRP for Pixel 3a XL not work for you? All you have to do is download the "twrp-installer-3.4.0-0-bonito.zip", install it as a Magisk module, then direct install Magisk again, then reboot into recovery and you'll have TWRP.
When accepting OTAs, you will want to use the "TWRP A/B retention script" before you install Magisk to the inactive slot. The script is available as part of the Magisk modules repository, so you should be able to install it directly from within Magisk Manager.
TWRP doesnt work for me, see here what user 41rw4lk wrote, too..
Is there a tutorial on how to install twrp as a masgisk module?
Also, how else can I perform a backup img for my phone?
thank you
dadu1257 said:
TWRP doesnt work for me, see here what user 41rw4lk wrote, too..
Is there a tutorial on how to install twrp as a masgisk module?
Also, how else can I perform a backup img for my phone?
thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://puu.sh/GWiul/2611f0cdf4.mp4 - video showing how to install TWRP
Edit: https://puu.sh/GWiAe/6f620419c8.mp4 is more compatible and smaller. same video
.....
LoganDark said:
https://puu.sh/GWiul/2611f0cdf4.mp4 - video showing how to install TWRP
Edit: https://puu.sh/GWiAe/6f620419c8.mp4 is more compatible and smaller. same video
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Benn trying to get this to work for a little bit now and no luck at all....
Let me start by saying i an NOT running LOS so that might be the whole issue...
I have tried with pure stock and stock with ex kernel
Same results for each
1) TWRP loads as the recovery and can be booted into, BUT the rom is now soft bricked and wont boot at all
2) Even when in twrp I cannot flash anything, cannot see sdcard and cannot backup data partition (the data partition shows as 0 space)
Perhaps the LOS kernel or rom adds something thats missing in my two setups?
The sample video is for another phone. My recolection is that twrp and pixels on android 10 or 11 wont work. Lineageos 17.1 is android 10 based. I think it worked on that other phone as it was not a pixel.
Can anyone confirm or deny if this works in any configuration of android 10 or 11 on our phones?
adm1jtg said:
Benn trying to get this to work for a little bit now and no luck at all....
Let me start by saying i an NOT running LOS so that might be the whole issue...
I have tried with pure stock and stock with ex kernel
Same results for each
1) TWRP loads as the recovery and can be booted into, BUT the rom is now soft bricked and wont boot at all
2) Even when in twrp I cannot flash anything, cannot see sdcard and cannot backup data partition (the data partition shows as 0 space)
Perhaps the LOS kernel or rom adds something thats missing in my two setups?
The sample video is for another phone. My recolection is that twrp and pixels on android 10 or 11 wont work. Lineageos 17.1 is android 10 based. I think it worked on that other phone as it was not a pixel.
Can anyone confirm or deny if this works in any configuration of android 10 or 11 on our phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh, that's weird... I apologize, I'm not very good at supporting devices I don't own. I'm not running Lineage either, I'm running stock plus mods.
It's possible that it doesn't work on your phone for whatever reason. There are a couple ways to install TWRP nowadays, check them out maybe? I promise TWRP is what you want for backups.
LoganDark said:
Huh, that's weird... I apologize, I'm not very good at supporting devices I don't own. I'm not running Lineage either, I'm running stock plus mods.
It's possible that it doesn't work on your phone for whatever reason. There are a couple ways to install TWRP nowadays, check them out maybe? I promise TWRP is what you want for backups.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed but twrp simply doesnt work on our phones, or even any pixel 3 or above. It can't read the partitions correctly. Just trying to keep people from soft bricking their phone. Something about andriod 10 and 11 and the phones a/b partition configuration
adm1jtg said:
Agreed but twrp simply doesnt work on our phones, or even any pixel 3 or above. It can't read the partitions correctly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you hear this? I'll admit, I haven't heard about TWRP not working on Pixels, but it's relevant and it would be good to know if I ever help another Pixel user in the future.
adm1jtg said:
Something about andriod 10 and 11 and the phones a/b partition configuration
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's interesting, because my OnePlus 7 Pro runs Android 10 with an A/B configuration and TWRP works just fine. Haven't found a single feature that didn't work. Flashing custom ROMs, changing boot slots, etc. all work fine. So it can't be the A/B configuration.
LoganDark said:
Where did you hear this? I'll admit, I haven't heard about TWRP not working on Pixels, but it's relevant and it would be good to know if I ever help another Pixel user in the future.
That's interesting, because my OnePlus 7 Pro runs Android 10 with an A/B configuration and TWRP works just fine. Haven't found a single feature that didn't work. Flashing custom ROMs, changing boot slots, etc. all work fine. So it can't be the A/B configuration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can read through this:
[CLOSED]TWRP 3.3.1-1 for Pixel 3A XL [OFFICIAL]
Team Win Recovery Project 3.x, or TWRP3 for short, is a custom recovery built with ease of use and customization in mind. Its a fully touch driven user interface no more volume rocker or power buttons to mash. The GUI is also fully XML driven and...
forum.xda-developers.com
And this:
tips for preserving twrp from Pie to Q
hi i'm not an expert so sorry maybe for foolish question but coudn't find a clear answer yet.. i'm still on pie and twrp 3.3.1.1; i'd like to upgade to ten but preserving twrp (maybe upgrading to 3.4.0 if necessary) which are the steps to keep...
forum.xda-developers.com
No method I have tried results in anything but an unusable twrp or a boot loop. Cant even fastboot boot current version. All about dynamic partitions and lzma compression as I guess the partition isnt big enough. But bottom line is I have yet to find anyone including myself who can get twrp to in any way shape or form be usable on our phones for android 10 or newer.
this is what command prompt gives with fastboot boot
Sending 'boot.img' (65536 KB) OKAY [ 1.509s]
Booting FAILED (remote: 'Error verifying the received boot.img: Invalid Parameter')
This is likely due to the kernels I use likely not having lzma. Checking into it.
fastboot: error: Command failed
LoganDark said:
If you want to perform full backups of your PHONE you will want TWRP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure how reliable is that. I just did a backup of Lineage 17 in TWRP, System and Data, restored it a few hours later through OTG and it got stuck on a google boot screen... Now I installed the LOS 17 ROM again (which I had in internal storage) but restored only Data (excl. storage).
It boots up now, but most apps are corrupted - if I open them they crash ('App ... keeps stopping').
I wouldn't count on it. TWRP nandroid backup is very unreliable.

How to flash system_ext?

Hey guys and gals!
So I don't wanna keep posting on other ROM threads to be annoying, so I will create a thread of my own. How do one flash the system_ext.img coming from Stock (root) ? I absolutely cannot get any TWRP versions (Chinese or English) to function. I take my passcode off and it's always 0mb. Doesn't matter if I am on a custom ROM or not. It's just something I cannot get to work. ONE time, it seen my storage but it would not flash a ROM. SO how can I flash this image via fastboot?
Global version of OOS. Although, I am currently on EXTENDED. I said Stock because I'll always have a Crash Dump, and need to start over. It's also tiresome to flash YAAP (12-18-20) then use the updater to create the image. Again, some things with this device, I'm getting used to. I'm all for learning and testing everything. I just cannot find a way to flash this image or get TWRP to function.
Have a great day!
So I would suggest you update your fastboot tools, because once you have the partition created assuming you are coming from a rom that has the system ext img it shouldn't be a problem. For example this is what I did, I was on RR remix so twrp chinese was working ( by the way I don't know why it wouldn't work for you if it works for everyone else) from there its just a matter of flashing the zip that contains the img. You can try derp,evox, yaap etc. After that again just flash what ever rom you desire it shouldn't be any issues. Also to keep in mind that a11 with twrp does not work with a pin only with a pattern, even tho I have read you said you have no pin lock. Wouldn't really know why your device would be the case but you can try that out .
lil_kujo said:
So I would suggest you update your fastboot tools, because once you have the partition created assuming you are coming from a rom that has the system ext img it shouldn't be a problem. For example this is what I did, I was on RR remix so twrp chinese was working ( by the way I don't know why it wouldn't work for you if it works for everyone else) from there its just a matter of flashing the zip that contains the img. You can try derp,evox, yaap etc. After that again just flash what ever rom you desire it shouldn't be any issues. Also to keep in mind that a11 with twrp does not work with a pin only with a pattern, even tho I have read you said you have no pin lock. Wouldn't really know why your device would be the case but you can try that out .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the delay. Wish XDA would alert me, better. So Chinese TWRP is working now, on XTEND. I dunno, sometimes it works and sometimes I get 0mb. I think that point, to go onto a ROM WITH that image, should be fine. Since I always had troubles, I'd only fastboot flash to different ROMs. Trust me, for all my time on Android, this device is making me needy and a big newb. I just waiting for that "then don't bother to flash anything and shut up" LOL! BUT then again, I'm not on r/jailbreak. So once the partition is created, I can go to a ROM without that image? Do you know how I can check? Because I would like to just flash Hydrogen but don't wanna jump to stock. I think I can just flash a ROM with it and reboot back to the bootloader without setting up, right?
draymond1987 said:
Sorry for the delay. Wish XDA would alert me, better. So Chinese TWRP is working now, on XTEND. I dunno, sometimes it works and sometimes I get 0mb. I think that point, to go onto a ROM WITH that image, should be fine. Since I always had troubles, I'd only fastboot flash to different ROMs. Trust me, for all my time on Android, this device is making me needy and a big newb. I just waiting for that "then don't bother to flash anything and shut up" LOL! BUT then again, I'm not on r/jailbreak. So once the partition is created, I can go to a ROM without that image? Do you know how I can check? Because I would like to just flash Hydrogen but don't wanna jump to stock. I think I can just flash a ROM with it and reboot back to the bootloader without setting up, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That img will always exist is part of android 11 so it will be the norm. Every rom in the future will have it as seen on some custom roms right now, I flashed the h2os from twrp since I was coming from derp. So I didnt go back to stock. When you flash that img a partition will be created so the space will be available for when you flash another rom. So in the case that for example you were on derp and decided to fastboot flash h2os 11 you will not have issues flashing with fastboot commands the system_ext to both slots. ( By the way you need to specify which slot so I recommend you have a custom rom prior on both slots better if it's a11 rom.) The command fastboot flash system_ext_a system_ext.img and system_ext_b system_ext.img is to be used when doing it with fastboot command from fastbootd. If you decide to go with twrp from any custom rom a11 like the ones mentioned before just flash and right after you flash format data. You will lose twrp since the zip has the new recovery from oneplus. Reboot to recovery and again format data reboot enjoy. If you want to use just regular fastboot method you have to flash every img in the zip like 23 or so don't rememeber in order for it to work. So to make it simple for you. Flash a custom a11 rom with twrp if you are on a custom rom already. To both slots. After reboot and have the rom settle by letting it start to home screen. Save the zip of h2os to the phone reboot to recovery flash h2os zip not don't reboot but in twrp go to wipe format data. Then reboot to recovery again it will reboot to stock recovery format data again reboot and enjoy.
You will still have a custom rom in the other slot and if you want to have the stock on both slots just use the ota system update form stock rom local upgrade
There you go it should be simple and quick it took me like ten minutes to set it up and flash yesterday. By the way despite being a beta I really enjoy h2os 11. Do expect some minor bugs since it's a beta build.
I'll leave a link so you can read about system_ext and android new partition going forward. https://source.android.com/devices/bootloader/partitions
lil_kujo said:
I'll leave a link so you can read about system_ext and android new partition going forward. https://source.android.com/devices/bootloader/partitions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're a wealth of information! Thanks for helping me to understand!
Edit: I tried the installing of two ROMs but I couldn't get it. I tried XTEND and Derp. But I had trouble with Xtend not being able to boot after setting up Derp. I had to wipe data for it to boot. Then lost everything. Bleh.
Can I ask you for your recommendation for an A11 ROM to have on a slot?
draymond1987 said:
You're a wealth of information! Thanks for helping me to understand!
Edit: I tried the installing of two ROMs but I couldn't get it. I tried XTEND and Derp. But I had trouble with Xtend not being able to boot after setting up Derp. I had to wipe data for it to boot. Then lost everything. Bleh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So just to give you some more context, when you have to different rom on each slot is normal you have to format data, one : because they might have different data format , example oneplus only supports ext4 while derp is f2fs. So when flashing derp and the other slot is xtended is expected you will have to format in some occasions it might boot but you will have a buggy experience. So now that you have two custom roms and twrp try flashing h2os and again always format data and format data again in stock recovery since that will change the data format to ext4.
draymond1987 said:
Can I ask you for your recommendation for an A11 ROM to have on a slot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Derp works perfect, that is the one I was coming from.
lil_kujo said:
So just to give you some more context, when you have to different rom on each slot is normal you have to format data, one : because they might have different data format , example oneplus only supports ext4 while derp is f2fs. So when flashing derp and the other slot is xtended is expected you will have to format in some occasions it might boot but you will have a buggy experience. So now that you have to custom roms and twrp try flashing h2os and again always format data and format data again in stock recovery since that will change the data format to ext4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I can have derp AND Hydro running? But like, when I format data, it was a full data wipe. I guess what you're talking about, right? Like I said, both ROMs kinda worked but it force a "fastboot -w". Maybe since I can get TWRP to work, I can wipe data there, and not touch user data?
draymond1987 said:
So I can have derp AND Hydro running? But like, when I format data, it was a full data wipe. I guess what you're talking about, right? Like I said, both ROMs kinda worked but it force a "fastboot -w". Maybe since I can get TWRP to work, I can wipe data there, and not touch user data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On 7t there is no such thing as dual boot you can have of course one rom in one slot and another different slot on the other slot and it would work, also when you fastboot -w you are not erasing the imgs, you are erasing user data. The imgs from the rom will always be there until you change them. There is no way of saving data because of what i mentioned before of the different dat file ext4 and f2fs, when you are on stock it will "make data work for it but not for other roms" because of the decryption issue for one and second because of the format ext4. The only two roms i have tried so far that you can have dual boot are EVO x and Derp because there code is so similar coming from the same dev. SO to answer your question, Yes you can have two different ROMS but the rom that you use for setup that will be the one that will take over, in this case stock will take over data, which means you wont be able to use the other slot till you format data again and get rid of the encryption so that the other rom can use data partition. I know it sounds complicated but it really is very simple.
It is rather simple. I did notice a few people using those ROMs in slots. I mean, it's not a big deal if I can have two ROMs. I do miss the days of dual booting though.
May I ask, and this isn't to make a ROM work with Stock on a slot. Can you convert the file system to F2FS? I stumbled across a ROM that said it was better on this device but I can't find that post.
draymond1987 said:
It is rather simple. I did notice a few people using those ROMs in slots. I mean, it's not a big deal if I can have two ROMs. I do miss the days of dual booting though.
May I ask, and this isn't to make a ROM work with Stock on a slot. Can you convert the file system to F2FS? I stumbled across a ROM that said it was better on this device but I can't find that post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes you can, it depends, if the rom supports it. the fastboot way is way to complicated so twrp is the best option, when you choose wipe you will see a setting that says advanced, from there you choose data and click the option change format or repair then you will see some options. do note that when you change the type it will erase your data. do note that only data will change your system data will still be ext4.
lil_kujo said:
yes you can, it depends, if the rom supports it. the fastboot way is way to complicated so twrp is the best option, when you choose wipe you will see a setting that says advanced, from there you choose data and click the option change format or repair then you will see some options. do note that when you change the type it will erase your data. do note that only data will change your system data will still be ext4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh okay, I think I understand a little better now. Thanks for everything so far!

Why do custom ROMs have lower quality signal compared to stock?

Hi guys,
I know custom ROMs are made of AOSP. However, it's not very clear to me why do they also have lower quality signal compared to stock ROMs. In the same area where I usually got 4G (not great signal, but still 4G), now I only get 3G.
Is there a reason for this? Aside from "it's not made by the manufacturer". Yeah, I know that, but why exactly isn't the same quality...? What makes it slightly worse?
Also, is there anything can do to improve reception?
arsradu said:
Hi guys,
I know custom ROMs are made of AOSP. However, it's not very clear to me why do they also have lower quality signal compared to stock ROMs. In the same area where I usually got 4G (not great signal, but still 4G), now I only get 3G.
Is there a reason for this? Aside from "it's not made by the manufacturer". Yeah, I know that, but why exactly isn't the same quality...? What makes it slightly worse?
Also, is there anything can do to improve reception?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly what you said: "It's not made by the manufacturer". Proprietary blobs are extracted from the device, creating vendor image while building AOSP and modifying vendor partition it when installing a zip.
I don't think there's anything to improve, until someone makes a kernel or a vendor image.
(flashing original vendor lead to bootloop on my phone, probably because encryption?)
However, you can try downloading stock ROM and flash stock vendor, but make sure to not have your device encrypted (I did not try on a non-encrypted device).
georg3_ said:
Exactly what you said: "It's not made by the manufacturer". Proprietary blobs are extracted from the device, creating vendor image while building AOSP and modifying vendor partition it when installing a zip.
I don't think there's anything to improve, until someone makes a kernel or a vendor image.
(flashing original vendor lead to bootloop on my phone, probably because encryption?)
However, you can try downloading stock ROM and flash stock vendor, but make sure to not have your device encrypted (I did not try on a non-encrypted device).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've noticed this with stock ROMs as well, when they weren't dedicated for that specific region... So...I'm guessing it's probably the same here. AOSP includes some files to make the ROM work...but not dedicated files for each region.
By the way, can you please, guide me how should I do this? It's been a really long time since I've done stuff like this. Android has changed a lot.
I already have the ROM at hand, downloaded via RSA. But it's Android 11, since that's the last ROM that Motorola released for this phone.
So that part is done. What next? )
Also, any idea if this method should also bring back VoLTE and VoWIFI? Or it's not that simple?
arsradu said:
I've noticed this with stock ROMs as well, when they weren't dedicated for that specific region... So...I'm guessing it's probably the same here. AOSP includes some files to make the ROM work...but not dedicated files for each region.
By the way, can you please, guide me how should I do this? It's been a really long time since I've done stuff like this. Android has changed a lot.
I already have the ROM at hand, downloaded via RSA. But it's Android 11, since that's the last ROM that Motorola released for this phone.
So that part is done. What next? )
Also, any idea if this method should also bring back VoLTE and VoWIFI? Or it's not that simple?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
EDIT: Newer OS than vendor shouldn't make a problem.
Newer vendor than OS does.
Extract the ROM, there should be vendor.img in there, and there are 2 methods for this:
1. TWRP method
Install, Install Image, select your vendor image set it to flash as vendor image, and swipe to flash.
2.Fastboot method
Open a terminal/command prompt in the extracted ROM folder, and type
Code:
fastboot flash vendor vendor.img
That should do it.
georg3_ said:
Older OS than vendor shouldn't make a problem.
Older vendor than OS does.
Extract the ROM, there should be vendor.img in there, and there are 2 methods for this:
1. TWRP method
Install, Install Image, select your vendor image set it to flash as vendor image, and swipe to flash.
2.Fastboot method
Open a terminal/command prompt in the extracted ROM folder, and type
Code:
fastboot flash vendor vendor.img
That should do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright. So....I can't use Android 11 vendor, extracted from stock ROM, if I'm currently on PixelExperience based on Android 12, right?
arsradu said:
Alright. So....I can't use Android 11 vendor, extracted from stock ROM, if I'm currently on PixelExperience based on Android 12, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stau bine pe engleza daca e )
I translated it wrong, i meant it would be fine to flash it
Buun. Thank you, kind sir. Will try it then and let you know.
georg3_ said:
Stau bine pe engleza daca e )
I translated it wrong, i meant it would be fine to flash it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm getting bootloop, too...
I tried to flash the rom, flash Disable_Dm-Verity_ForceEncrypt.zip (should disable encryption...unless I'm missing something). But after flashing vendor.img from stock Android 11, I can't boot anymore. I also tried wiping data after that, but no luck.
arsradu said:
I'm getting bootloop, too...
I tried to flash the rom, flash Disable_Dm-Verity_ForceEncrypt.zip (should disable encryption...unless I'm missing something). But after flashing vendor.img from stock Android 11, I can't boot anymore. I also tried wiping data after that, but no luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably not an encryption related issue, guess we can't fix anything.

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