[Help] Flashing zip files off sdcard

[z3ro-grav1ty]

EDIT: Ok, I've located where my problem is. Basically what happens is when I install the Custom ROM it replaces my 2ndInit bootmenu and CWM and it 'upgrades' them. But because it has 'upgraded' them I can no longer mount sd card. I have to reinstall 2ndInit to 'downgrade' CWM and then I can flash again.

Hi there,

A few weeks back I flashed Paranoid Android onto my phone (latest release), however now I have discovered that in recovery mode, my phone can't read or mount the sdcard, i.e. I can't apply updates.

If I select 'Install zip from sdcard > Choose zip from sdcard' I get:
E:Can't mount /sdcard/

And if I try 'Mounts and storage > mount /sdcard' I get:
Error mounting /sdcard!

I would really appreciate any help on this issue.

Note it was working previously (which is how I installed the ParanoidAndroid ROM) but now my phone can't read the sdcard in recovery. IT CAN READ IT ONCE THE PHONE HAS BOOTED UP.

 

[thekguy]

Try running a chkdsk scan from a Windows machine to check if there's corruption in the filesystem

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[z3ro-grav1ty]

Try running a chkdsk scan from a Windows machine to check if there's corruption in the filesystem

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will do and will post the results, but before I do, would that show anything because the sdcard works fine once the phone has booted up?

 

[thekguy]

Not sure myself, it just eliminates any filesystem corruption as the cause. Also try using another build like quarx to check for this problem

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[z3ro-grav1ty]

Not sure myself, it just eliminates any filesystem corruption as the cause. Also try using another build like quarx to check for this problem

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But I can't flash using recovery, so how would I test Quarx's build? Haven't had time to boot up my windows partition, but I will eventually.

EDIT: Ran fsck on fedora partition (forgot about the command). It came up with this

fsck from util-linux 2.21.2
e2fsck 1.42.3 (14-May-2012)
fsck.ext2: Is a directory while trying to open /media/CDF2-6BE2

The superblock could not be read or does not describe a correct ext2
filesystem.  If the device is valid and it really contains an ext2
filesystem (and not swap or ufs or something else), then the superblock
is corrupt, and you might try running e2fsck with an alternate superblock:
    e2fsck -b 8193 <device>

I've backed up my SDCard and am going to run e2fsck command (will post results) otherwise I'm going to have to reformat it

EDIT 2: Came up with same error. Should I reformat it? As ext3/ext4? What should I do?

 

[thekguy]

My memory card was standard fat32
And I'm no Linux expert but I think you're trying to check for a wrong filesystem, what is your current sdcard format(filesystem)
And I think you should reformat as fat32

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[z3ro-grav1ty]

My memory card was standard fat32
And I'm no Linux expert but I think you're trying to check for a wrong filesystem, what is your current sdcard format(filesystem)
And I think you should reformat as fat32

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/dev/sdb       vfat       7856128   1361952   6494176  18% /media/CDF2-6BE2

Now I've checked fsck again

fsck.vfat /media/CDF2-6BE2/
dosfsck 3.0.12, 29 Oct 2011, FAT32, LFN
Read 512 bytes at 0:Is a directory

 

[thekguy]

Can you try with Windows? And format to fat32

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[z3ro-grav1ty]

Can you try with Windows? And format to fat32

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will do

EDIT:

The type of the file system is RAW.
CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives.

OK, Am backing up now. Will reformat as fat32

 

[z3ro-grav1ty]

Ok... So now I've formatted as fat32, tried again, flashed full sbf, re-rooted phone, installed 2nd-init, flashed Quarx's latest build (before wi-fi experimentation builds) and still I have the problem

 

[z3ro-grav1ty]

Sorry for the triple post

I've located where my problem is. Basically what happens is when I install the Custom ROM it replaces my 2ndInit bootmenu and CWM and it 'upgrades' them. But because it has 'upgraded' them I can no longer mount sd card. I have to reinstall 2ndInit to 'downgrade' CWM and then I can flash again.

Any suggestions on how I might be able to fix this?

 

[thekguy]

Probably there isn't any fix, but you could make zip containing the working recovery, and flash it after every rom flash

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[z3ro-grav1ty]

Probably there isn't any fix, but you could make zip containing the working recovery, and flash it after every rom flash

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If you could show me how to do that, I would so extremely grateful

Aparently there was a similar problem with the Defy running the 'official' CM and the wiki documented a fix here: http://oldwiki.cyanogenmod.org/wiki/Motorola_Defy:_FAQ#SD_Card
Do you think that could possibly work for the Defy+?

EDIT: However if I make a .zip file, would that put my phone in bootloop though? Because whenever I reinstall 2ndInit (v2.3) and it 'downgrades' my CWM/Bootmenu it causes a bootloop where I have to reflash everything. If I make a .zip that I flash after each install would it cause the same problem because it's 'downgrading' from the Bootmenu/CWM of the JB CM10 ROM.

 

[thekguy]

I would've made you one, but unfortunately my computer is not working. I think it should be enough if the boot menu folder is replaced by your working set by a flash after every install

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[z3ro-grav1ty]

I would've made you one, but unfortunately my computer is not working. I think it should be enough if the boot menu folder is replaced by your working set by a flash after every install

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I really appreciate your help! I guess you could perhaps guide me in doing it, or I could wait till you've got a wroking computer.

 

[thekguy]

So, computer just started working, and I made you a zip
Download the zip to your computer and extract the contents[META-INF and system) folders. Add your working bootmenu files inside the system/bootmenu folder you just extracted and delete the pre-existing text file there. Then add both META-INF and system to a zip(not rar!) and try flashing it. Make sure that the file consists of META-INF and system folders within itself. It should work

IF THERE'S A SIGNATURE VERIFICATION ERROR JUST TOGGLE SIGNATURE VERIFICATION WHICH IS PRESENT JUST BEFORE SELECTING THE ZIP FILE TO FLASH VIA RECOVERY

 

[z3ro-grav1ty]

So, computer just started working, and I made you a zip
Download the zip to your computer and extract the contents[META-INF and system) folders. Add your working bootmenu files inside the system/bootmenu folder you just extracted and delete the pre-existing text file there. Then add both META-INF and system to a zip(not rar!) and try flashing it. Make sure that the file consists of META-INF and system folders within itself. It should work

IF THERE'S A SIGNATURE VERIFICATION ERROR JUST TOGGLE SIGNATURE VERIFICATION WHICH IS PRESENT JUST BEFORE SELECTING THE ZIP FILE TO FLASH VIA RECOVERY

Thank you very much, I'll definitely try this out!

EDIT1: First attempt, didn't work

Trying something again...

EDIT2: Second attempt.... Put phone into bootloop :\

EDIT3: Third attempt... Seems like a bootloop again

So basically it changes the Recovery version (not the bootmenu) and puts it into bootloop :\ however I can flash via recovery.

 

[thekguy]

Try copying only recovery folder from inside boot menu
I'll try to make a zip which first deletes the folder to avoid incompatibilities.
BTW can you enter the boot menu when there's boot loop?
And also try fixing permissions

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[z3ro-grav1ty]

Try copying only recovery folder from inside boot menu
I'll try to make a zip which first deletes the folder to avoid incompatibilities.
BTW can you enter the boot menu when there's boot loop?
And also try fixing permissions

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Yeah I can enter bootmenu during bootloop before it starts. I'll retry with the recovery folder only.

EDIT: Wow it worked! Thank you so much I hope you don't mind too much, but if you can modify the recovery slightly that it'd help out a lot and make everything perfect. But I can't thank you enough

I'll upload my working Patch.zip:

If you can do these, that would be amazing: (this is from the working CWM)
1) When I select 'Wipe data/factory reset' it says 'Formatting /data...' and then immediately says 'Formatting /cache...' and when the phone boots up, all my data is there. Now that isn't a problem as such but if I needed to do a clean install that may cause some issues.
2) This isn't a problem, but I was wondering if you could add a printed line whenever I execute the 'Wipe dalvik cache' because it wipes it very fast, but doesn't say anything in the console so I'm not sure if I clicked it or not. Nevertheless when I boot my phone up it says optimising apps which means that it worked.
But yeah only minor things.

Thank you so much

 

[thekguy]

1)I can't modify the recovery, since I'm not really a dev but I can try to make you another zip to wipe data separately
2)Again, that is something coded in the recovery, which I don't know how to alter. Plus, my computer isn't working again(bad ram :banghead: ) so I'm limited to the phone

But are you able at all to wipe data from the custom recovery? Bootmenu? Are both not working?

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