Question about resetting - Nexus 6P Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I'm going to return my nexus 6p, because of display issues and I wanna make sure if everything is deleted completely after a hard reset, so the existing data can not be recovered with data recovery tools. How do I do this?

Zeroothree said:
I'm going to return my nexus 6p, because of display issues and I wanna make sure if everything is deleted completely after a hard reset, so the existing data can not be recovered with data recovery tools. How do I do this?
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Click to collapse
Flash a factory image. Then do a full format of the data partition. There is no way to completely wipe it out without a serious data destruction tool. A bit overkill if you ask me though. Unless you work for the CIA.

Related

[Q] trouble after deleting data/data/com.android.providers.settings

hi guys, would really appreciate your help..
i was trying to fix my nexus 4's problem of unable to sync with google servers so i deleted the data/data/com.android.providers.settings and it indeed fixed the issue.
unfortunatley, after rebooting, i'm now:
- unable to get a lockscreen
- unable to get home button to work
- swipe down settings are gone. and so are notifications
is there another way to restore this other than a factory reset?
l33chpda said:
hi guys, would really appreciate your help..
i was trying to fix my nexus 4's problem of unable to sync with google servers so i deleted the data/data/com.android.providers.settings and it indeed fixed the issue.
unfortunatley, after rebooting, i'm now:
- unable to get a lockscreen
- unable to get home button to work
- swipe down settings are gone. and so are notifications
is there another way to restore this other than a factory reset?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Factory reset wil not help, reflash a factory image or custom rom if you are rooted.
gee2012 said:
Factory reset wil not help, reflash a factory image or custom rom if you are rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He only deleted the data so of course a factory reset will fix it this.
You will probably take ages trying to fix and end up having to wipe anyway. I take it you haven't got a backup of any sort (nandroid/ti backup) etc?
Higgsy said:
He only deleted the data so of course a factory reset will fix it this.
You will probably take ages trying to fix and end up having to wipe anyway. I take it you haven't got a backup of any sort (nandroid/ti backup) etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, my bad. So many users wiping the entire sdcard nowadays that i took it wrong and didn`t read correctly
I thought I did but I searched my PC and couldn't find any previously backed up data. So I guess I've no choice but to factory reset and reinstall my data
Higgsy said:
He only deleted the data so of course a factory reset will fix it this.
You will probably take ages trying to fix and end up having to wipe anyway. I take it you haven't got a backup of any sort (nandroid/ti backup) etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there! I had had the same problem l33chpda had, but the factory reset fix worked just one time only, today i was about to resell my phone so i wanted to factory reset it, after that i've come across with the problem i had that time, again.
Don't know what to do, i have same issues mentioned by l33chpda, cant get into settings, swipe down settings neither, etc; when try to, phone just do nothing or stays one second and goes back home screen.
I have made nandroid (both clockworkmod and TWRP) of the phone when I bought it, but with online nandroid so i don't have any custom recovery installed.
While checking those nandroid backups, I've discovered the deleted folder backup in the clockworkmod nandroid folder.
Could it be possible to paste it back into "\data\data" folder? should that be the fix? Or I'll have to reflash all even though I dont wanna take that risk because is just that, the other things of the phone are intact and work great.
In case of reflashing, could you tell me about any easy tutorial on how to install clockworkmod recovery?
I own an LG G2 D800, KitKat d80020y rooted with stumproot.

[Q] Wipe Data/Factory Reset. What does it entail?

I am currently on CM10.1 and have been considering testing other ROMs for the Nexus 4. All ROM flash guidelines ask that I wipe everything and do a factory reset before I flash the ROM.
My question is does doing a data wipe permanently erase all data on the phone? Including installed apps, app data (game saves, whatapp chat logs, etc), SMS and Contact information, gallery files, wifi passwords, etc. Or is it just some ROM specific data. More importantly, if it is more than just ROM data, is this data gone forever or is it synced with the google cloud and is simply synced over the internet once the phone is setup with the correct google account again? If it is synced, what data is synced? I presume at least contact information is synced with the cloud but what about the rest.
I could find any clear information on what exactly wiping data entailed and what could be the expected unrecoverable losses possible. Also can I just take a backup of the data using some app (Titanium backup?)/nandroid backup and restore the data once the new ROM is installed?
Factory reset will, just as the name states, bring it back to the state is was when you first got it.
So yes, every app and data of it will be lost. This includes contacts, wifi passwords etc.
Your contacts, wifi passwords etc will be synced to the google servers, if you chose to do that when you set up your phone for the first time.
However, it will not wipe your sd card, so all your photos and music will be save.
I'd suggest you make a backup of your WhatsApp history, this way when you re-install it you will be prompted if you want to restore the messages from the backup.
Hope this helped!
EDIT: It is not suggested to restore data from a titanium backup, since this can generate problems.
mumaster20 said:
Factory reset will, just as the name states, bring it back to the state is was when you first got it.
So yes, every app and data of it will be lost. This includes contacts, wifi passwords etc.
Your contacts, wifi passwords etc will be synced to the google servers, if you chose to do that when you set up your phone for the first time.
However, it will not wipe your sd card, so all your photos and music will be save.
I'd suggest you make a backup of your WhatsApp history, this way when you re-install it you will be prompted if you want to restore the messages from the backup.
Hope this helped!
EDIT: It is not suggested to restore data from a titanium backup, since this can generate problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there any difference between delete cache and data and doing a factory reset?
While doing a cache wipe, only files from the Cache partition are being deleted. These files were saved by your phone to use as cache. (Think of it as your browser history. if you wipe that, only certain files will be deleted, while the app itself won't be touched)
While doing a factory reset everything will be wiped, including the cache partition. Excluding the sdcard ofcourse.
mumaster20 said:
Factory reset will, just as the name states, bring it back to the state is was when you first got it.
So yes, every app and data of it will be lost. This includes contacts, wifi passwords etc.
Your contacts, wifi passwords etc will be synced to the google servers, if you chose to do that when you set up your phone for the first time.
However, it will not wipe your sd card, so all your photos and music will be save.
I'd suggest you make a backup of your WhatsApp history, this way when you re-install it you will be prompted if you want to restore the messages from the backup.
Hope this helped!
EDIT: It is not suggested to restore data from a titanium backup, since this can generate problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
one we wiped our rom using any tool, is it possible to load the android os without installing any rom?
madhan116 said:
one we wiped our rom using any tool, is it possible to load the android os without installing any rom?
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Click to collapse
Ooh, old subject haha.
The android OS IS your rom, so to have a full stock android rom, like you had when you first turned on your nexus 4, you need to flash the factory image provided by Google. Link to factory images
If you dont know how to flash these files, efrant has a great guide on how to do this. Link to the guide
thanks for ur info
mumaster20 said:
Ooh, old subject haha.
The android OS IS your rom, so to have a full stock android rom, like you had when you first turned on your nexus 4, you need to flash the factory image provided by Google. Link to factory images
If you dont know how to flash these files, efrant has a great guide on how to do this. Link to the guide
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
first of all my product is not nexus.. its alwinner a10, i have not installed any custom ROM yet. only the stock ROM remains itself in my tablet now in this situation what will be the result of wiping rom??????? ( As i am a newbie this question arises)
madhan116 said:
first of all my product is not nexus.. its alwinner a10, i have not installed any custom ROM yet. only the stock ROM remains itself in my tablet now in this situation what will be the result of wiping rom??????? ( As i am a newbie this question arises)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By wiping rom, did you mean to wipe system off your device? If that is what you meant there, then your device won't boot after that because there is no OS installed. To clear your confusion factory reset only set your device back to the default settings when you buy it. Means it will wipe your downloaded apps, cache, saved data, contacts, messages etc.. Some stock recovery doesn't wipe your internal sd card when you performed factory reset (means all your pics and music are still there) while in some other erases all and you will be left with nothing..just like how you first received the device from store.
Further down, if you flashed any custom rom on your device and you do a factory reset. It won't wipe away the custom rom that you installed, it will only set it back to the rom default settings. To get it back to the stock manufacturer rom, you must flash the official rom released by your device manufacturer. I hope this will clear your confusion.
thanks
arffrhn said:
By wiping rom, did you mean to wipe system off your device? If that is what you meant there, then your device won't boot after that because there is no OS installed. To clear your confusion factory reset only set your device back to the default settings when you buy it. Means it will wipe your downloaded apps, cache, saved data, contacts, messages etc.. Some stock recovery doesn't wipe your internal sd card when you performed factory reset (means all your pics and music are still there) while in some other erases all and you will be left with nothing..just like how you first received the device from store.
Further down, if you flashed any custom rom on your device and you do a factory reset. It won't wipe away the custom rom that you installed, it will only set it back to the rom default settings. To get it back to the stock manufacturer rom, you must flash the official rom released by your device manufacturer. I hope this will clear your confusion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for ur nice reply.. now it has wiped out my confusion
Anyhow now my problem is regarding flash, i dont know whether i could share here so included a link...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2542145&highlight=live+suit+flash+error
madhan116 said:
thanks for ur nice reply.. now it has wiped out my confusion
Anyhow now my problem is regarding flash, i dont know whether i could share here so included a link...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2542145&highlight=live+suit+flash+error
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome. As for your query, I do not own that particular device so I can't help you with that. Sorry mate..
mumaster20 said:
Factory reset will, just as the name states, bring it back to the state is was when you first got it.
So yes, every app and data of it will be lost. This includes contacts, wifi passwords etc.
Your contacts, wifi passwords etc will be synced to the google servers, if you chose to do that when you set up your phone for the first time.
However, it will not wipe your sd card, so all your photos and music will be save.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am bumping the post instead of openning a new one - because it is the same question.
You wrote that Factory reset will not wipe Photos, Music etc.
Did you mean that if I saved it on external SD? Because in Nexus 4 there is no option to add SD card.
My question:
1. In my nexus 4, when doing factory reset - it erases EVERYTHING include Photos and music. so please help me understand.... cause I am confused. Does it reset everything or not?
2. In nexus 4, where is the option to Wipe data? I see only "Factory reset". In recovery console?
3. Any differences between Factory reset from the settings, to wipe data from Recovery?
thanks!
shakta said:
I am bumping the post instead of openning a new one - because it is the same question.
You wrote that Factory reset will not wipe Photos, Music etc.
Did you mean that if I saved it on external SD? Because in Nexus 4 there is no option to add SD card.
My question:
1. In my nexus 4, when doing factory reset - it erases EVERYTHING include Photos and music. so please help me understand.... cause I am confused. Does it reset everything or not?
2. In nexus 4, where is the option to Wipe data? I see only "Factory reset". In recovery console?
3. Any differences between Factory reset from the settings, to wipe data from Recovery?
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. We do not have external sd in nexus 4. There are 2 types of recoveries; stock and custom. Stock recovery is what you get when flashing factory images while custom recoveries are twrp/cwm. In stock recovery, factory reset delete everything on your device. Everything in your internal as well. It will wipe clean your device. For custom recovery, it won't clear your internal sd storage so your photos/music/docs/backups are intact. It will only delete data partition which stores your downloaded apps. I hope you are clear on that now.
2. Factory reset=wipe data. In every recovery, it's the same.
3. No, it uses the same command so basically there is no difference. Depends on the recovery you use, factory reset on stock recovery deletes everything while on custom recovery sd card is still intact.
The answer that explained everything for me - is that there is a different between wiping data from Stock recovery to wiping from Custom, so now i get what you mean!
Error loading
Hi! I recently use CWM and use wipe data/factory rest but now My HTC Salas not loading till standby screen and get stuck in errors not responding and force close option please guide how to rescue my device?
ansarhassan4 said:
Hi! I recently use CWM and use wipe data/factory rest but now My HTC Salas not loading till standby screen and get stuck in errors not responding and force close option please guide how to rescue my device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would start by opening a new thread in the relevant section of this forum. You are hijacking a thread started well over a year ago and your issue has no relevance to the OP's issue.
Start here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/
Flash rom and keep apps and data
Hi. Is it possible not to factory reset/ wipe data when flashing a newer rom? The reason I am asking is because I want to flash Lollipop on my Note 3 as Samsung keeps forgetting to send it to me OTA or via Kies. But I don't want to lose all apps and data. Thanks in advance.
arffrhn said:
By wiping rom, did you mean to wipe system off your device? If that is what you meant there, then your device won't boot after that because there is no OS installed. To clear your confusion factory reset only set your device back to the default settings when you buy it. Means it will wipe your downloaded apps, cache, saved data, contacts, messages etc.. Some stock recovery doesn't wipe your internal sd card when you performed factory reset (means all your pics and music are still there) while in some other erases all and you will be left with nothing..just like how you first received the device from store.
Further down, if you flashed any custom rom on your device and you do a factory reset. It won't wipe away the custom rom that you installed, it will only set it back to the rom default settings. To get it back to the stock manufacturer rom, you must flash the official rom released by your device manufacturer. I hope this will clear your confusion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey. I have 1 question. I have pictures, music and videos on my Internal Memory, and I don't want to lose it (I didn't back it up anywhere and I don't have an SD card). Will Wipe Data/Factory Reset delete those stuff, or just apps, settings, etc?
I'm using S4 Mini i9192. I also have Philz Touch Recovery.
Shawn.Killer said:
Hey. I have 1 question. I have pictures, music and videos on my Internal Memory, and I don't want to lose it (I didn't back it up anywhere and I don't have an SD card). Will Wipe Data/Factory Reset delete those stuff, or just apps, settings, etc?
I'm using S4 Mini i9192. I also have Philz Touch Recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not used Clockwork recovery for a very long time now so I don't know how it works nowadays. But last I used it, factory reset in cwm (philz is a modified version of cwm) does not result in complete wipe. It will leave out the sd card partition. But like I said, it was very long time ago. Make a backup of them if it is really important. Well, in my opinion, everything needs backup. Even things in your computer needs a backup.
p/s: Try to ask this in S4 thread. Here, we (nexus 4 users) mostly use twrp as cwm is discontinued for quite some time now.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
arffrhn said:
I have not used Clockwork recovery for a very long time now so I don't know how it works nowadays. But last I used it, factory reset in cwm (philz is a modified version of cwm) does not result in complete wipe. It will leave out the sd card partition. But like I said, it was very long time ago. Make a backup of them if it is really important. Well, in my opinion, everything needs backup. Even things in your computer needs a backup.
p/s: Try to ask this in S4 thread. Here, we (nexus 4 users) mostly use twrp as cwm is discontinued for quite some time now.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, but did it delete your internal memory?
Shawn.Killer said:
Thanks, but did it delete your internal memory?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it does not. But that was long before.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

How would you wipe any possible malware from your phone?

Hi
I've got a 2nd hand nexus 6p. I would like to be completely sure it has no keylogger, no remote control app (cerberus style), etc.
A factory reset would be enough? What should I do?
Best regards
alojo said:
Hi
I've got a 2nd hand nexus 6p. I would like to be completely sure it has no keylogger, no remote control app (cerberus style), etc.
A factory reset would be enough? What should I do?
Best regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would go to twrp and wipe data, cache, dalvik, and system then reflash the rom and gapps if needed and you will be fine
Flash the latest factory image
When you boot,
If no message displayed a factory reset is sufficient.
If yellow message (unlikely), then you sideload the most recent OTA + factory reset
If orange message then flash factory image. If you need extreme security (against publicly unknown vulnerability), you relock but that will *brick* your device unless the factory flash worked (which you can never be sure of). Don't relock if you are scared of malware.
For maximum security, throw out the phone
Or put it in a Safe! Better yet in a Force Field!
If orange I think you need to delete system and image partition then install rom.
I had virus like issues kept just reflashing would have issues a month later.
So I decided to just delete everything learned how to out the phone into download mode and did fresh install of pure Nexus and gapps runs like new again my battery will last 17 hrs of use now before I was getting barley 12 with little use.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Selling my 6P, but can't seem to fully reset it, nor remove password from TWRP

Been working on this for a while now, but can't figure out how to get around it.
The phone is currently runing a custom 8.1.1 ROM and I have TWRP 3.2.0.0 installed.
I've done full wipes and factory resets, but the phone never seems to fully reset. I am fine with losing everything on the phone. I just want it 100% clean so I can sell it, which of course includes getting rid of the password on TWRP so the next user can mess around in there.
I have access to TWRP, the password is mine. But I can't seem to remove it, and every time I wipe and reset the phone it still asks me for my old device password with the owner message present as well.
I have also tried to format data, but it is unable to mount the data partition it seems, which I am guessing is due to encryption.
What's my fastest way to a reset and clean phone? I'm getting desperate here since I'm running out of time.
Edit: Through no change in process of my own, it suddenly completely reset. Now I'm more curious as to why.. Can anyone explain so I can avoid this issue in the future?
for me, the only way is to flash the full factory image from the Google site
First clear data and than flash software

Accidentally wiped encryption keys. Can I re-encrypt and make new ones?

Hey there. While I was installing a Custom ROM, I did something incredibly stupid by factory resetting my phone whilst it was encrypted, thus effectively erasing the encryption keys. I am unable to access my data from things such as TWRP because no password is accepted.
Is there a way to re-encrypt my device with new encryption keys? I understand that I will not be recovering the keys I wiped so I figured if I started with an entirely new encryption, I would be able to create working keys again.
I am completely fine with losing personal data on this device.
Thank you.
JC_6a63 said:
Hey there. While I was installing a Custom ROM, I did something incredibly stupid by factory resetting my phone whilst it was encrypted, thus effectively erasing the encryption keys. I am unable to access my data from things such as TWRP because no password is accepted.
Is there a way to re-encrypt my device with new encryption keys? I understand that I will not be recovering the keys I wiped so I figured if I started with an entirely new encryption, I would be able to create working keys again.
I am completely fine with losing personal data on this device.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty much anytime you find yourself in a pinch like this, the MSM Download Tool here on XDA is the best way to go. Have you tried that?
You can also try an OTG with pen drive. It's not encrypted so TWRP can read and flash files from it. Then clean flash a ROM.
Thank you both for your help. I will try these out later.
JC_6a63 said:
Hey there. While I was installing a Custom ROM, I did something incredibly stupid by factory resetting my phone whilst it was encrypted, thus effectively erasing the encryption keys. I am unable to access my data from things such as TWRP because no password is accepted.
Is there a way to re-encrypt my device with new encryption keys? I understand that I will not be recovering the keys I wiped so I figured if I started with an entirely new encryption, I would be able to create working keys again.
I am completely fine with losing personal data on this device.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try simply to format data
Can I resurrect this thread, because I just did the same, stupid thing?
After a long time on the OB releases, when jumping to tresk I had forgotten the proper procedure so, of course, I ended up not able to access the FS from TWRP. I can see everything fine after I've booted, of course.
@VampireHeart I *had* formatted Data (actually, System, Data, Cache) before flashing so I'm not sure this will help?
@devilrulz4ever the OTG is a nice idea, but what is the proper 'clean' process? I must be getting old...
Thanks!
krakout said:
Can I resurrect this thread, because I just did the same, stupid thing?
After a long time on the OB releases, when jumping to tresk I had forgotten the proper procedure so, of course, I ended up not able to access the FS from TWRP. I can see everything fine after I've booted, of course.
@VampireHeart I *had* formatted Data (actually, System, Data, Cache) before flashing so I'm not sure this will help?
@devilrulz4ever the OTG is a nice idea, but what is the proper 'clean' process? I must be getting old...
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Format data isn't wipe data, you find it at bottom of the screen into clean section, when you tap on that you may enter yes and confirm to make it, are two different thing.

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