Can someone please give me a quick run down of /system amd /data?

[Guest JamesKing]

I have a Hero with the latest MCR beta running and Apps2SD. I backed up all my apps with Titanium back up, did a complete wipe, including ext, Dalvik cache, etc, and then loaded the beta.

At which point, all my programs were still on my phone?! I'd lost the settings but they were still there and seemed to function fine.

Their market links were gone, so I restored apps + data using Titanium back up, but the SETTINGS needed re-entering for some programs. So I've ended up very confused?!

I thought if I wiped the ext then I would lose all my programs. But I didn't.

I thought if I restored using Titanium back up, that I'd get the settings back, but this didn't always happen!?

Anyway, I found the whole proces very smooth, I even restored my browser data, and got all my bookmarks back, which is brilliant!

But I just wondered if I'm getting confused. I thought a full wipe, to include ext, would remove my programs?!

Cheers,

James

[Guest MrPadie]

I have a Hero with the latest MCR beta running and Apps2SD. I backed up all my apps with Titanium back up, did a complete wipe, including ext, Dalvik cache, etc, and then loaded the beta.

At which point, all my programs were still on my phone?! I'd lost the settings but they were still there and seemed to function fine.

Their market links were gone, so I restored apps + data using Titanium back up, but the SETTINGS needed re-entering for some programs. So I've ended up very confused?!

I thought if I wiped the ext then I would lose all my programs. But I didn't.

I thought if I restored using Titanium back up, that I'd get the settings back, but this didn't always happen!?

Anyway, I found the whole proces very smooth, I even restored my browser data, and got all my bookmarks back, which is brilliant!

But I just wondered if I'm getting confused. I thought a full wipe, to include ext, would remove my programs?!

Cheers,

James

I take it that you installed your applications before hand on your memory card using Apps2SD, in which case the full wipe would only wipe your phone memory, and not your memory card, where your programs are found. That would mean that when you start your phone with the new ROM, Apps2SD would recognize the programs already on your memory card.

[Guest JamesKing]

I take it that you installed your applications before hand on your memory card using Apps2SD, in which case the full wipe would only wipe your phone memory, and not your memory card, where your programs are found. That would mean that when you start your phone with the new ROM, Apps2SD would recognize the programs already on your memory card.

thanks,

So what does the wipe EXT option do on the amon RA recovery image then?

[Guest deltoro]

Wipe ext *should* remove all apps on the memory card.

[Guest sambartle]

Wipe ext *should* remove all apps on the memory card.

I found the same thing..

I *think* its because wipe EXT doesnt actually format the partitions, it just reparitions.. (I havent checked this but thats what i assume happened)

So if you do it.. and set the partitions the same size.. they arent wiped. I assumed that if I changed the sizes it would notice they needed formatting and do it for me. (again I havent verified this.. just a guess)

Edited January 15, 2010 by sambartle

[Guest kendon]

if you make a nandroid + ext backup from recovery, does it work or does it give you an error message?

also please attach your recovery.log here if you want this to be checked. you need to move it to the sdcard, there is a menu option in recovery menu.

[Guest stevenz]

I found the same thing..

I *think* its because wipe EXT doesnt actually format the partitions, it just reparitions.. (I havent checked this but thats what i assume happened)

So if you do it.. and set the partitions the same size.. they arent wiped. I assumed that if I changed the sizes it would notice they needed formatting and do it for me. (again I havent verified this.. just a guess)

If "Wipe ext" repartitioned the card, then it would also erase everything on the regular FAT32 SD card partition.

I suspect it just does a 'rm -rf /system/sd/' on it. You can also do this yourself from an adb shell after mounting /system/ and /system/sd.

Wipe ext will also fail if you've converted your ext partition to ext4. It'll work with ext2 and ext3 though.

If you repartition the card for whatever reason, it'll wipe it completely.