Android Devices
From Blue-IT.org Wiki
Contents
Preface
PLEASE BE AWARE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING WHEN YOU PERFORM TASKS MENTIONED IN THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS!
I AM NOT AND WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ERRORS, NON FUNCTIONAL DEVICES, TROUBLE AND HEADAGES.
AGAIN: BE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!
GENERAL TIP's:
- Don't hury up! Take time.
- Read in the internet, whatch videos and be prepared.
- Be carefull. Write down your tasks. Make a plan and do step by step.
- Always make a backup before you proceded. Be patient ;-)
- For mission critical tasks use different methods and tools in parallel. If one fails on recovery, you have a backup.
- Use encryption for your backup data. Use a secure place to store the encryption pass phrases!
Holo Backup
One of the most simpe ways is to use each android phones build in funktionality in conjunction with the android developer kit (adk). The prgram is called
- Simple ADB Backup - http://omegavesko.github.io/SimpleADBBackup
Please refer to the various HowTo's in the web.
Hint: Simple ADB Backup is using the standard Android Backup functionality which does not perform any error checking! See: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/23357/is-there-a-way-to-look-inside-and-modify-an-adb-backup-created-file
Helium Backup or carbon
Root an android device
The procedure to root an android device boils down to a few basic tasks. They can be performed using various tools and operating systems but remain always the same:
- connect your running phone to your pc so you can copy files to it
- enable debug mode
- enable PTP usb mode (not MTP)
- get and download a 'super user script (usually packed in a zip file) and put it on the phone
- boot your android device in download mode (e.g. SII: pressing HOME + VOLUME_DOWN + POWER)
- connect your phone to the pc
- use a flash program like e.g. heimdall (commandline) to flash device with a recovery image
- imediately after that (!!!) boot the android device with the recovery image (e.g. SIII: pressing HOME + VOLUME_UP + POWER)
- load the previously copied super user script (usually a zip file) within the recovery menu
- reboot the android device into graphical mode
- start the newly installed super user app
- enjoy your rooted phone
Sources: Depending on your phone, please use google
Backup with cyanogenmod recovery image
This procedure will backup your rom to an external SD-card in your device using a recovery image. Therefore you have to flash and reboot the device with this image! The SD-card must have an appropriate size!
Install heimdall
sudo apt get install heimdall-flash heimdall-flash-frontend
Download the needed files
- Download a clockwork mod recovery image for your phone ("cmw"-file)
- check the md5sum of the downloaded file !
Test the connection
- good source (GER): http://www.android-hilfe.de/anleitungen-fuer-samsung-galaxy-s3/300528-anleitung-mit-heimdall-unter-linux-recovery-custom-rom-flashen.html
- boot the device in the download mode (e.g. SII: pressing HOME + VOLUME_DOWN + POWER)
- connect your device to the pc
- download the PIT file for your device
heimdall download-pit --output standard.pit
Download the cyanogenmod for your device
- Connect the android device (Debugging mode)
sudo su heimdall flash --RECOVERY recovery-clockwork-X.X.X.X-DEVICE.img --no-reboot
If the flash was successfull:
- disconnect the device and proceed with the next step
Reboot into the recovery image
- boot the device in the download mode (e.g. SII: press HOME + VOLUME_DOWN + POWER)
- follow the backup and restore instructions
Backup your backup
An SD-Card is not a very good choice for storing backups.
- Put the SD-Card out of the phone to your pc and save the file with e.g. rsync (makes md5sums!)
- also backup the cyanogen mod recovery image you used for the bakup
- make a CHANGELOG file
YOU ARE DONE
Apply a custom rom (cyanogenmod)
There are various and very good informations on the wiki of cyanogen mod (here for the samsung galaxy S3). Please use these instructions:
Please inform yourself on how to backup your device in case of a problem BEFORE you proceed!
Cyanogenmod ROM's and recovery images you will get here: