[Q&A] MultiSystem for Android

[hsbadr]

MultiSystem Video Tutorial

Thanks To: @Tomsgt , aka RootJunky

Don't forget to subscribe & like the video to show appreciation of his great effort & time spent in making the video :highfive::good:

 

[BACARDILIMON]

It doesn't matter! I like the ODEXED ROMs for stability & memory while DEODEXED ROMs are great for customizations... So, basicly, I use the stock ODEXED on Stock partition & DEODEXED ROMs for the virtual systems.

Testing tonight

---------- Post added at 02:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:26 PM ----------

Thanks To: @Tomsgt , aka RootJunky

Don't forget to subscribe & like the video to show appreciation of his great effort & time spent in making the video :highfive::good:

You are the man bro

 

[BACARDILIMON]

Ok a doing my sd card now. I will flash phone back with Odin stock and make an image of that. I will boot into the virtual img. Lets say I wanna add a rom b. Will I flash that and then great a virtual rom 2 or should I great a img using the zip file?

 

[Anubis22666]

Thanks To: @Tomsgt , aka RootJunky

The video has answered most of my questions, except perhaps these: 1)How do I find/create an .img file for a virtual ROM other than the stock. (2) Is it possible to have Lollipop ROM as Primary and KitKat as virtual if they are supported by the installed kernel?

May I again thank U for an amazing, amazing tool. It will be a dream come true once the functionality/addon to use AOSP and Touchwiz roms is available.

 

[jt1998]

Video stops too soon and doesn't show you how to add more ROMs. This is imperative to be a MultiSystem.

Sent from my Android 4.4.4 LGV500 on Mahdi 2.9 w RedKernel

 

[BACARDILIMON]

Video stops too soon and doesn't show you how to add more ROMs. This is imperative to be a MultiSystem.

Sent from my Android 4.4.4 LGV500 on Mahdi 2.9 w RedKernel

I just gonna try a few ways and see. As long as my base is good and safe I think u should be ok. Letting my base settle then I will report.

 

[Dhs92]

Uh, whenever I try flashing with FlashFire on a virtual ROM it doesn't actually wipe the system and it just boots back to stock?

 

[hsbadr]

The video has answered most of my questions, except perhaps these: 1)How do I find/create an .img file for a virtual ROM other than the stock. (2) Is it possible to have Lollipop ROM as Primary and KitKat as virtual if they are supported by the installed kernel?

May I again thank U for an amazing, amazing tool. It will be a dream come true once the functionality/addon to use AOSP and Touchwiz roms is available.

1) /MultiSystem/img/system is the directory that includes system IMGs. To add an IMG (say, a dev made hi ROM in IMG format for MultiSystem), copy it to that directory. Actually, some devs have reported that their ROMs works better as a virtual IMG (better performance & some issues disappear).

To create an IMG, click the Create IMG & wait for the LED to turn off. OR, use dd in Terminal Emulator:

su
dd if=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/system of=/MultiSystem/img/system/StockSystem_copy.img

2) Yes, if the kernel supports both, or you've to flash a kernel to boot the other ROM. This was answered several times in the Q&A thread. Future versions of MultiSystem will add kexec support to execute the required kernel for each ROM. This WILL allow ROMs from different bases: AOSP-based ROMs would work fine with manufacturer-based ROMs.

Video stops too soon and doesn't show you how to add more ROMs. This is imperative to be a MultiSystem.

See above! The video clarifies the partitioning & installation where many users were doing it wrong. Another video to walkthrough the functions is planned.

I just gonna try a few ways and see. As long as my base is good and safe I think u should be ok. Letting my base settle then I will report.

Everything is described in the Q&A section, except maybe how to flash toa virtual IMG. I'll add more details in one of the reserved posts ASAP.

Uh, whenever I try flashing with FlashFire on a virtual ROM it doesn't actually wipe the system and it just boots back to stock?

It depends on the updater-script: it should mount the correct system & wipe if needed (just editing two lines in the updated-script). I'll explain this for devs soon.

 

[Anubis22666]

This is it, Note 4 specifics were too quiet until now. Thank U for the explanation and Ur patience. Fingers crossed for the AOSP support (not asking for ET)

 

[jir591]

Thank you Rootjunky for the video. Cleared up a lot of confusion. To install a new ROM from a zip file. "I think" you boot into a virtual ROM (most likely your stock ROM IMG) and then use Flashfire to flash the new ROM zip. So then that IMG file won't be your stock ROM anymore but rather the new ROM that you installed from the zip. The only part I don't understand to how to erase the cache and system on the stock IMG you are currently running before you install the new ROM from the zip?

 

[jt1998]

Thank you Rootjunky for the video. Cleared up a lot of confusion. To install a new ROM from a zip file. "I think" you boot into a virtual ROM (most likely your stock ROM IMG) and then use Flashfire to flash the new ROM zip. So then that IMG file won't be your stock ROM anymore but rather the new ROM that you installed from the zip. The only part I don't understand to how to erase the cache and system on the stock IMG you are currently running before you install the new ROM from the zip?

Still very confusing. Another video would clear it up. Dev said it may be planned.

Sent from my Android 4.4.4 LGV500 on Mahdi 2.9 w RedKernel

 

[Dhs92]

1) /MultiSystem/img/system is the directory that includes system IMGs. To add an IMG (say, a dev made hi ROM in IMG format for MultiSystem), copy it to that directory. Actually, some devs have reported that their ROMs works better as a virtual IMG (better performance & some issues disappear).

To create an IMG, click the Create IMG & wait for the LED to turn off. OR, use dd in Terminal Emulator:

su
dd if=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/system of=/MultiSystem/img/system/StockSystem_copy.img

2) Yes, if the kernel supports both, or you've to flash a kernel to boot the other ROM. This was answered several times in the Q&A thread. Future versions of MultiSystem will add kexec support to execute the required kernel for each ROM. This WILL allow ROMs from different bases: AOSP-based ROMs would work fine with manufacturer-based ROMs.



See above! The video clarifies the partitioning & installation where many users were doing it wrong. Another video to walkthrough the functions is planned.



Everything is described in the Q&A section, except maybe how to flash toa virtual IMG. I'll add more details in one of the reserved posts ASAP.



It depends on the updater-script: it should mount the correct system & wipe if needed (just editing two lines in the updated-script). I'll explain this for devs soon.

It shouldn't since I'm wiping in FlashFire

 

[alphaghost13]

Shared Apps

Thanks for this. I'm debating installing this and have a question. As stated all VRs share all apps across each other. Is there a way to prevent this? I would like a VR separate from my daily, IE one for work and one for personal with out shared apps. Or an option to decide which apps are shared.

 

[grampyog]

MS up and running

Well after several installs and wipes I have MS 1.3.1 up and running on an AT&T S4. The redos were quite unnecessary as I apparently had it running properly each time. I have 2 copies of the stock partition up and running ( i.e Stock_1 and Stock_2 ). I am successfully booting into each one and also to STOCK as verified by Terminal Emulator with the command "MultiSystem status". I am getting all of the correct responses.

Now the question - problem . I'm not sure what I am not understanding here. I thought ultimately I could have 2 or 3 or more rom images that I could boot to ( ala Multirom). I will boot to say Stock_1, make some changes to the wallpapers or icon arrangements etc. I will then boot to Stock_2 ( again verified with the status command ) but everything I changed in the first image (Stock_1) has propagated over to the other images.

What step am I missing here or not understanding?

Thanks for an interesting way to breath life back into the S4 ( mine is bootloader locked by the way. damn AT&T slipped that on me )
Ken

 

[iamthedj]

ok so i have everything installed correctly made the img file of stock partition in MS and checked min install in terminal i get the green light at boot but when i hit vol up or even tried vol down for img 2 once i was booted both times check in the terminal and it still said i was on the stock slot and not a virtual loop any help? (unless you cant use the img of the stock rom your running?)

 

[jir591]

Well after several installs and wipes I have MS 1.3.1 up and running on an AT&T S4. The redos were quite unnecessary as I apparently had it running properly each time. I have 2 copies of the stock partition up and running ( i.e Stock_1 and Stock_2 ). I am successfully booting into each one and also to STOCK as verified by Terminal Emulator with the command "MultiSystem status". I am getting all of the correct responses.

Now the question - problem . I'm not sure what I am not understanding here. I thought ultimately I could have 2 or 3 or more rom images that I could boot to ( ala Multirom). I will boot to say Stock_1, make some changes to the wallpapers or icon arrangements etc. I will then boot to Stock_2 ( again verified with the status command ) but everything I changed in the first image (Stock_1) has propagated over to the other images.

What step am I missing here or not understanding?

It's Multi "system" not Multi "ROM". So only system level changes are affected. Not apps, wallpaper, themes, etc. All of the virtual images must be compatible with the same kernel. So no mixing AOSP systems with stock systems.

T

 

[grampyog]

What step am I missing here or not understanding?

It's Multi "system" not Multi "ROM". So only system level changes are affected. Not apps, wallpaper, themes, etc. All of the virtual images must be compatible with the same kernel. So no mixing AOSP systems with stock systems.

T[/QUOTE]

Now after swapping roms for years I find a new term/technology. Without expecting you to be an instructor instead of an innovator can you please give a couple of simple examples of a system change? I am sure once I have the concept of system level changes I can run with it.

At least this is all pretty interesting and gives an old hacker something to tweak with. Thanks again.

 

[grindy24]

PLEASE HELP !!! hung on boot screen

PLEASE HELP ! i had everything install correctly and checked status in terminal emulator and all was good, so i copied stock image to create a virtual image , when i tried to mount virtual image and boot into it, it hangs on boot screen , green led is no longer there and now i get a blue led as it just hangs , ive tried battery pull bit still no joy, any help would be apreciated hsbadr

 

[xxcchhyy]

note 4 know

Hi, first off all thank you for such a good app

But I have a question

Safe flashing that doesn't trip KNOX flag on Samsung devices

Is this true for galaxy note 4? (n910f) Did somebody tested it?

youtube video with instructions says that phone must be rooted (busybox, su command, etc) -> on note 4 root means KNOX flag triggered..

 

[xconwayx]

I am having a heck of a time getting this going. I have read the Q&A, followed the steps from hsbadr, and even watched the video. I get to the point of making a back up img of my device. This is right after I get MultiSystem installed. I verify on the terminal it's installed. Sometimes I see the LED flash and backup. Other times it will not. I have completely started over on the process a couple of times as well. It was taking over an hour to backup my img the second time (first was not big enough in size). I then look and it's a few hundred kb after an hour. I set the time out of the display to 10 minutes as well. Is there any trick to getting this to go?

Edit #1
I entered the following into my adb shell.
su
mount -o remount,rw rootfs
mount -o remount,rw /system
Then I hit Create Virtual IMG and the green LED started going. The phone almost immediately rebooted. Almost came all the way up, rebooted again, and booted up. Now the MultiSystem folder is empty when I view it.