[DEV][ Expand System Partition To 5GB - MediaPad M3 ]

[surdu_petru]

Hello !

There is a high risk of damaging your device following this tutorial. Try to read everything below and make sure you understand before taking action. No one else is responsible for what you do with your device !​

Lower will find the information needed to change the system partition from 2GB to 5GB - this operation is somewhat useful for installing any version of GApps on your device : Huawei MediaPad M3 8.4 Kirin version ( BTV-DL09; BTV-L0J; BTV-W09 )


Thanks to @accerian for his help, and you can also check out this tutorial for more information !


Download mkfs.ext4 and parted from here : https://forum.xda-developers.com/attachments/parted_gdisk_fdisk_mkfs-ext4-arm-zip.4494671/


Warning : the entire data partition will be deleted following this procedure, make sure you have backed up and saved it to a microsd card

Step I : extended system partition from about 2GB to 5GB ( example for a 32GB device, for 64GB devices the procedure is 99% similar, only one operation differs which will be specified at the appropriate time ) - also this example is for BTV-DL09 which is with LTE capabilities.

- extract "mkfs.ext4" and "parted" from previously download archive and put them into a new created tmp directory
- connect the device to the computer via the USB cable and bring the device into TWRP revovery with this command :
> adb reboot recovery
- copy the two executable files from the computer to the device :
> adb push tmp data/local
> adb shell
# cp -r data/local/tmp/mkfs.ext4 sbin/mkfs.ext4
# chmod 0777 sbin/mkfs.ext4
# cp -r data/local/tmp/parted sbin/parted
# chmod 0777 sbin/parted
- launch the "parted" function as follows :
# parted /dev/block/mmcblk0
- display all properties of all partitions : (I wrote what needs to be displayed as a command before pressing enter, so you just have to type "print" and press enter because (parted) is already displayed as promter ... be careful not to type (parted) twice in the following commands)
(parted) print
- go to line 43, which should be the same for all devices :

43 1174MB 3255MB 2080MB ext2 system msftdata
44 3255MB 3456MB 201MB ext4 cust msftdata
45 3456MB 3490MB 33.6MB ext4 version msftdata
46 3490MB 4127MB 638MB ext2 vendor msftdata
47 4127MB 4329MB 201MB ext4 product msftdata
48 4329MB 4333MB 4194kB hisitest2 msftdata
49 4333MB 31.3GB 26.9GB userdata msftdata

- if line 43 is not identical to this one here, please stop the process by writing quit and enter, I'm waiting for a private message with what is written on line 43 in the case of your device so that I can guide you correctly .
- assuming that all devices have the same system partition ( the same 43 line ) - approximately 2GB, we go to the next steps:
- access the Mount menu in TWRP and uncheck Data, and follow the steps below step by step :
( be very careful, if by mistake you wrote a wrong command in the prompter (parted), this cannot be corrected later, for example if instead of "rm 49" you wrote "rm 40" you can no longer delete 0 to add 9 in place, try to write the commands below as slowly as possible without absolutely the slightest mistake )
(parted) rm 49
(parted) rm 48
(parted) rm 47
(parted) rm 46
(parted) rm 45
(parted) rm 44
(parted) rm 43
(parted) mkpart system ext2 1174 6501
(parted) name 43 system
(parted) set 43 msftdata on
(parted) mkpart cust ext4 6501 6702
(parted) name 44 cust
(parted) set 44 msftdata on
(parted) mkpart version ext4 6702 6736
(parted) name 45 version
(parted) set 45 msftdata on
(parted) mkpart vendor ext2 6736 7374
(parted) name 46 vendor
(parted) set 46 msftdata on
(parted) mkpart product ext4 7374 7575
(parted) name 47 product
(parted) set 47 msftdata on
(parted) mkpart hisitest 7575 7579
(parted) name 48 hisitest2
(parted) set 48 msftdata on
- for devices with 32GB :
(parted) mkpart userdata 7579 31.3GB
- for devices with 64GB :
(parted) mkpart userdata 7579 62.5GB
(parted) name 49 userdata
(parted) set 49 msftdata on
(parted) quit

Step II : activating partitions for reuse :
# mkfs.ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p43
# mkfs.ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p44
# mkfs.ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p45
# mkfs.ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p46
# mkfs.ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p47
# mkfs.ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p49
- go to TWRP -> Wipe -> Advanced Wipe -> select System -> Repair or Change File System -> Change File System -> EXT4 -> Swipe to Change
- go to TWRP -> Wipe -> Advanced Wipe -> select Vendor -> Repair or Change File System -> Change File System -> EXT4 -> Swipe to Change
- go to TWRP -> Wipe -> Format Data -> yes
- reboot device from TWRP to TWRP in order to use data again after formated !
- go to TWRP -> Wipe -> Advanced Wipe -> select Dalvik/ART Cache, Cache, Data, Internal Storage, System, Vendor -> Swipe to wipe
- copy the new updated of LOS 17.1 with system partition of 5GB into your device
- copy any GApps arm64 Android 10 to your device
- Install them like always, enjoy !

Mention :

- if your device is WiFi only, you may have fewer partitions .... the above instructions can be easily adapted from case to case !

The main idea is that we must first find out what position the system partition is in, in this case it was at position 43 which corresponds to /dev/block/mmcblk0p43 - then we need to delete all partitions from userdata to system, and recreate them in the same order !
To calculate the start and end position, it is again very easy : for example the system partition starts from the initial position 1174, which is the same as the end position of the previous partition 42 (42 1160MB 1174MB 14.7MB reserved3 msftdata), and the end position was incremented by 5327 in this case (almost 5GB), resulting in 6501. .. the next partition 44 (cust) will have the starting position 6501, and the end position will be incremented by 201 (i.e. 201MB) as shown on line 44 (44 3255MB 3456MB 201MB ext4 cust msftdata)



Workaround
- if you still made a mistake in the prompter (parted), you can correct it later by following this example:
let's assume that instead of the command
"(parted) rm 49"
you wrote :
"(parted) rm 40"
by mistake... in this case, before pressing the ENTER key to go to the next command, add another digit like this so that partition does not exist, for example :
"(parted) rm 400"
- and press ENTER, in this case you will be asked once again which partition you want to delete, having the possibility to enter 49, the value you had to enter by at the beginning.





If really needed, a concrete example will be added here for WiFi only devices !

 

[numbawon]

Thanks for this guide.

 

[Me,You,and Daigorou]

Thank you surdu_petru.

The internal storage size of BTV-L0J is 16GB, is the above procedure effective?

Is it possible to restore a partition size back to its original size? I sometimes use a dd command as a way to restore from LineageOS to stock ROM. So I need to restore it to its original size before using a dd command.

According to z3DD3r, who created a tool to resize the Nexus 5 system partition, it is recommended that after changing the partition size, TWRP should also be changed.

Because TWRP includes size of system partition. This size should match the size of system partition on device. Otherwise bad things can happen...

Is there any problem without changing TWRP?

I am sorry for asking so many questions. I am cautious about changing the partition size because it is perilous.

 

[surdu_petru]

Thank you surdu_petru.

The internal storage size of BTV-L0J is 16GB, is the above procedure effective?

Is it possible to restore a partition size back to its original size? I sometimes use a dd command as a way to restore from LineageOS to stock ROM. So I need to restore it to its original size before using a dd command.

According to z3DD3r, who created a tool to resize the Nexus 5 system partition, it is recommended that after changing the partition size, TWRP should also be changed.

Is there any problem without changing TWRP?

I am sorry for asking so many questions. I am cautious about changing the partition size because it is perilous.

If you still have 49 partitions, and partition 43 (system) shows that in the above tutorial then the procedure is identical, you just have to put a lower value of the user data partition in the last corresponding line of 16GB!

- for devices with 16GB:
(parted) mkpart userdata 7579 ?? GB

There is no need to change anything, neither TWRP nor the partition to the initial value ... the most important thing is to pay attention to the Start and End position of system partition to make the calculations as accurate as possible !

I can help you if you can send me a screenshot of what the command below displays on your device (from the system down to the last partition):
> adb shell
# parted /dev/block/mmcblk0 print

 

[Me,You,and Daigorou]

If you still have 49 partitions, and partition 43 (system) shows that in the above tutorial then the procedure is identical, you just have to put a lower value of the user data partition in the last corresponding line of 16GB!


There is no need to change anything, neither TWRP nor the partition to the initial value ... the most important thing is to pay attention to the Start and End position of system partition to make the calculations as accurate as possible !

I can help you if you can send me a screenshot of what the command below displays on your device (from the system down to the last partition):
> adb shell
# parted /dev/block/mmcblk0 print

Thank you for your reply.
It is good news that if each partition has the same number it is effective.
I am currently not having trouble with the size of system partitions, so I will give it some more thought.

 

[Herby007]

@surdu_petru - many thanks for this guide, I found it very clear and straightforward. I wasn't sure if you were wanting confirmation that these instructions work with other models of the tablet - if so, I can confirm it works perfectly with my (wifi only, 32GB) BTV-W09.

 

[surdu_petru]

@surdu_petru - many thanks for this guide, I found it very clear and straightforward. I wasn't sure if you were wanting confirmation that these instructions work with other models of the tablet - if so, I can confirm it works perfectly with my (wifi only, 32GB) BTV-W09.

Thanks for confirmation. I'm not waiting especially confirmation, but it's always better if you can confirm. I'm here to help in case that something goes wrong.

 

[secret.animal]

I'm going for the 3rd time as the first I messed up. Second I did it right but I think I have to switch it up a little as I have the WIFI, and I can't do mkfs.ext4 after doing the parted commands. But I'll keep on it to see if all the partitions are exactly correct. I know 43 is the same as the directions said to make sure. 3rd times the charm. Good luck out there

 

[BlueLife98]

Hey man, things are kinda messed up for me at the moment.
I've followed your steps however my cmd crashed for some reason during the process. Now I can't mount data to start the process again. Using the genuine EMUI Recovery offerd at startup doesn't work because the partitions are messed up and my own recovery points are inaccessible probably due to a currupted ext sd card (you can't make this up )

Do you have any tips on how to regain control? Or are all hopes lost?

I've tried using pro-team multi tool, however their database/website seems to be unavailable at the moment...

Edit: I have it fixed now, using a sd-card I did a force update to stock firmware, that fixed the storage. Had to restart the entire process starting with TWRP installation, device was still unlocked though. Don't be stupid like me and always check your recovery data before and not after you already messed things up

 

[juake]

hey guys,
I somehow messed it up and I'm getting this error message

/data is not present! Failed to mount '/data'

Partitions are formatted:
43 1174MB 6501MB 5327MB ext4 system msftdata 44 6501MB 6702MB 201MB ext4 cust msftdata 45 6702MB 6736MB 33.6MB ext4 version msftdata 46 6736MB 7374MB 638MB ext4 vendor msftdata 47 7374MB 7575MB 201MB ext4 product msftdata 48 7575MB 7579MB 4194kB hisitest2 msftdata 49 7579MB 31.3GB 23.7GB userdata msftdata

Here is an output of "df" command:
~ # df -h Filesystem Size Used Available Use% Mounted on tmpfs 1.8G 184.0K 1.8G 0% /dev tmpfs 1.8G 2.0M 1.8G 0% /tmp /dev/block/mmcblk0p36 232.0M 756.0K 223.6M 0% /cache /dev/block/mmcblk0p46 582.4M 468.0K 563.7M 0% /vendor /dev/block/mmcblk1p1 59.5G 5.0G 54.5G 8% /external_sd
I can't continue with "TWRP -> Wipe"

Any ideas what went wrong?

 

[juake]

Hey man, things are kinda messed up for me at the moment.
I've followed your steps however my cmd crashed for some reason during the process. Now I can't mount data to start the process again. Using the genuine EMUI Recovery offerd at startup doesn't work because the partitions are messed up and my own recovery points are inaccessible probably due to a currupted ext sd card (you can't make this up )

Do you have any tips on how to regain control? Or are all hopes lost?

I've tried using pro-team multi tool, however their database/website seems to be unavailable at the moment...

Edit: I have it fixed now, using a sd-card I did a force update to stock firmware, that fixed the storage. Had to restart the entire process starting with TWRP installation, device was still unlocked though. Don't be stupid like me and always check your recovery data before and not after you already messed things up

hey man, how did you install the stock firmware? tried to install these firmware's but didn't work at all https://firmwarefile.com/huawei-mediapad-m3-btv-dl09

 

[ovar0409]

Well, I also messed up, I followed carefully this guide and did everything until
"- reboot device from TWRP to TWRP in order to use data again after formated !"

but then it does not boot anymore and after a few presses on Power + Vol+ keys I ended in the genuine EMUI Recovery. Should I try that?

 

[ovar0409]

Well, I also messed up, I followed carefully this guide and did everything until
"- reboot device from TWRP to TWRP in order to use data again after formated !"

but then it does not boot anymore and after a few presses on Power + Vol+ keys I ended in the genuine EMUI Recovery. Should I try that?

Does not work: "Getting package info failed" message

 

[surdu_petru]

Does not work: "Getting package info failed" message

try to consult the post number #9 above, it will surely help you!

 

[ovar0409]

try to consult the post number #9 above, it will surely help you!

Yes, I was looking at that post... but first attempt with a downloaded Stock ROM did not work (do not loose your time on https://huaweistockrom.com/huawei-mediapad-m3-btv-w09).
For those in the same situation --> I was finally able to make it via a link on XDA developer

MediaPad M3 UN-BRICK, RESTORE, ROLLBACK and RESCUE for BTV variants.

Here is a collection of files for the BTV-W09, BTV-DL09 and BTV-L0j. They are somewhat organized and contain firmware, board software, roll back packages with instructions and a poor quality un-edited video of how to flash with IDT successfully...

forum.xda-developers.com

and I downloaded the ROM via the first link:

BTV-W09C100B308CUSTC100D001_Firmware_7.0.0_r1_EMUI5.0_05013XKP [Easy-Firmware.com].rar

drive.google.com

--> BTV-W09C100B308CUSTC100D001_Firmware_7.0.0_r1_EMUI5.0_05013XKP [Easy-Firmware.com].rar
Extraction was done via the EF extractor. It's explained.
In that rar, there is a Word doc from Huawei describing how to perform a Force Upgrade.
After extracting SDupdate_Package.tar I simply copied the dbload folder on the SDCard
That was it.
I will now check again the partitions.... and maybe re-try the procedure.

Mine were exactly the same, except that ALL were Ext4, no idea why...

43 1174MB 3255MB 2080MB ext4 system msftdata
44 3255MB 3456MB 201MB ext4 cust msftdata
45 3456MB 3490MB 33.6MB ext4 version msftdata
46 3490MB 4127MB 638MB ext4 vendor msftdata
47 4127MB 4329MB 201MB ext4 product msftdata
48 4329MB 4333MB 4194kB hisitest2 msftdata
49 4333MB 31.3GB 26.9GB userdata msftdata

 

[ovar0409]

I'm now back at the same step. Here is what I get with parted print command:

43 1174MB 3255MB 2080MB ext4 system msftdata
44 3255MB 3456MB 201MB ext4 cust msftdata
45 3456MB 3490MB 33.6MB ext4 version msftdata
46 3490MB 4127MB 638MB ext4 vendor msftdata
47 4127MB 4329MB 201MB ext4 product msftdata
48 4329MB 4333MB 4194kB hisitest2 msftdata
49 4333MB 31.3GB 26.9GB userdata msftdata

What should I do, can someone give hints? Why it didn't work for me first time?

 

[surdu_petru]

I'm now back at the same step. Here is what I get with parted print command:

43 1174MB 3255MB 2080MB ext4 system msftdata
44 3255MB 3456MB 201MB ext4 cust msftdata
45 3456MB 3490MB 33.6MB ext4 version msftdata
46 3490MB 4127MB 638MB ext4 vendor msftdata
47 4127MB 4329MB 201MB ext4 product msftdata
48 4329MB 4333MB 4194kB hisitest2 msftdata
49 4333MB 31.3GB 26.9GB userdata msftdata

What should I do, can someone give hints? Why it didn't work for me first time?

the first time it may not have worked because (for unknown reasons) the data was not correctly accessed by TWRP... it rarely happens that when you access TWRP you have an error message in red specifying that the data can't be mount ... so before starting any operation in TWRP, make sure that you have the same display as the one in the attached picture below (if /date appears in red here announcing an error - you must perform a device restart operation from TWRP to TWRP until this error disappears - it usually disappears from the first reboot)

I think that now you can proceed to the next steps (it doesn't matter much if you only have ext4 or ext2 for some partitions)

 

[ovar0409]

well, indeed it seems to be related.... But event after a reboot, I always get those kind of messages:

"Failed to mount /data"
"Failed to mount /3rdmodem"

In the menu "Mount", it mentions "Internal Storage (0 MB)"
I cannot select data to mount it

I will search the web.... :-(

 

[ovar0409]

I think TWRP 3.1.1-1 does not support Ext4 and thus can not mount data.
After changing it to Ext2, I don't see the error, only for "3rdmodem"

Go to Advance Wipe.
Select Data Change File System.
Go to Change File System.
Select Ext2 and swipe to confirm.

But now what should I do? I guess I can boot anymore to stock ROM ...

 

[ovar0409]

btw, I have a Mediapad M3 BTV-W09 Wifi only, so I'm wondering which LineageOs image I should use if I'm able to extend Sytem Partition to 5Gb ?

Cfr https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...3-8-4-update-2023-08-12.4198965/post-88204955

<<<<
For devices with 2Gb System partition : LineageOS-17.1-BTV_2023-02-25.zip md5 : e9b79f588dd7be85e4a9773f9468b7d5

For devices with 5Gb System partition : LineageOS-17.1-BTV_2023-02-25.zip md5 : fef80bebb7fc3e2f4bca259a5a41c269

Boot image for Wi-Fi only devices : boot_w09_ten_2023-02-25.img md5 : 2d23b58d7aed7ea9b7b8b66410a32edf
>>>>