text:
my P8 (Android Lollipop) can't be recognized by my PC (Windows10)
I'm the owner of a Huawei P8. At the beginning the phone was recognized by my PC as a second hard disk but lately I touched something (I don't remember what).
Now, when connected to the PC, the phone is set to charge but it is not seen as a mass storage and neither the computer nor the phone seem to recognize each other. I went through almost all the settings but couldn't find ANYTHING on how to make the computer react to the phone.
USB debugging cannot be used. I would like NOT to have to root the phone or do strange installations – and online the only kind of answer I found was that I have to do a hard reset of the phone. Is it true? Can anybody give me a less traumatic suggestion?

maybe reset to default setting would help

I believe I had the same problem on my Huawei P8. My Windows 10 PC would not recognise the phone, although it would charge it.
The problem was not with the cable or PC - the same cable and PC would work later on, with the only changes made, made to the phone.
I didn't have the same qualms about rooting or 'strange installations', so I rooted using KingRoot then used "SG USB Mass Storage Enabler" on the Play store to toggle the storage mode.
This worked for me, even though SG Mass Storage Enabler is made for Samsung and Sony devices, and hasn't been updated since 14 Nov 2013.
A disadvantage of this method was being unable to uninstall KingRoot. This may be my own fault though, possibly due to me corrupting the KingRoot install by trying to replace it with SuperSU.
This method was the only method I tried that worked. Things that didn't work included trying to backup without root to factory reset (this is data and application dependent on whether you can backup without root), trying to activate USB debugging, ADB, Hisuite and HDB.
If a custom recovery is already present on the phone, then SuperSU could be used to root instead of KingRoot, which is adware at the least, and also seems to prevent itself being removed from outside the app.

there is a solution
from your keyboard *#*#2846579#*#* - kind of hidden menu, then background setting, usb port settings, hi suite mode,
cheers

This code has to be entered in the phone dialer, not just anywhere with the keyboard.  By "hi suite mode" do you mean "high speed mode"?

I don't understand the downvotes, this was exactly what fixed the problem for me. Thank you for the "secret code"!

I have the same problem. Phone is wonderful except for this annoying bug, and I've spent hours searching for a solution: None.
You need to do a hard reset for the phone give you the dialogue where you choose usb connection mode. Oh, and don't choose "nothing" (ever), cuz then you'll have to this over again.
REMEMBER to back up everything on internal memory to your SD-card and remove the SD-card before resetting, or it's content will be deleted! I really wish for a better solution than this, but its the only way for now.
Regards,


text:
Zeki TBDG773B Doesn't Recognize External SD card
I have a Zeki TBDG773B which isn't allowing apps to install because of a lack of space.
Error:

Insufficient storage
This device doesn't have enough space to download "App Name".  Consider deleting apps or content you no longer need and try again.

I believe the build has an issue with recognizing the difference between the internal storage and the external SD card.  Perhaps an issue with mounting the card correctly?
Zeki TBDG773B

"Internal Storage" 849MB Used / 143MB Free (just system apps)
"On SD Card" 2.1MB Used / 4.5GB Free (I believe this is the internal SD
card)
"SD Card" (External) Available 14.91GB

About:

Android Version: 4.4.2
Kernel Version: 3.10.33
Build number: KOT49H.Zeki.20140923.v001

No updates available.
Any suggestions to allow app installations to the external SD card?
Alternatively, any way to make the external card recognized as sdcard0 and the internal card recognized as sdcard1 as it seems the system wants to work with "0"?

What is the format of the sd card?

@programming Easiest way to check that would be?

The error is most likely the card is in not supported format or it is a not supported size (such as some phones only support 32 GB SD cards).
(Windows Version)The way to check the format is to plug it in to a computer then go to File Explorer > Right click on the sd card > Properties Then look at the file system. If the card file system is not NTFS then you have to format it. Go to File Explorer > right click on the sd card > Format on the format screen select file system to NTFS. NOTE:all data on sd card will delete. Leave all setting default except for ntfs format. Then click format.
Plug it into your device and it should mount and work properly. If any thing is unclear just comment.

I'm working on testing this now.

Did it work for you?

Been so long since I needed a PC SD card reader, I'm trying to find one...

source: Stack Exchange

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

sort: votes


text:
Does a phone's battery charge when in download mode?
I bricked my SM-J500G when trying to root the phone. Now I'm trying to install the stock ROM. The problem is that my phone's battery is low, and I have no way to charge it in another phone. Can I put the phone into download mode and charge the battery? Will that work?

It will charge, but you may not have "charge full" indication , so monitor charging so that you don't end up charging once it is full ( batteries do not charge once full but internal temperature goes up, which is  not good for battery life). Charging for 90 minutes should comfortably see you through flashing activities
To understand more about about charging,see BU 409-Charging Li Ion and other linked sources referred

Yes, it works without any doubt. I can say it by my on experience. It happens like your phone is switch off. Here, you can watch it's animation of charging if except this ( low battery ) everything OK.

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/


text:
Maven Pro Screenshot
How do I take a screenshot on a Maven Pro? I have tried pressing the power button and everything on the button bar. I don't know what to do.

Typically on android screenshot is power + volumn down and hold
This person had the same answer: How do I screenshot on my RCA Andriod 4.4.2 10" tablet?

OP said he has tried power button and  every-other button

I was unsure what he meant by button bar...

Also, he never mentioned pressing and holding, which makes a world of difference.


text:
Huawei mediapad t1 7inch
I have a problem with my huawei mediapad t1 7 tablet, online videos on youtube and other video sites take long time to start.other smartphones work well on the same wifi network.my system is kitkat and is up to date.i tried all browsers youtube app works well but sometimes there is start and stop
.please help


text:
Nexus 4 shows up empty on Windows Explorer
I connected my Nexus 4 to my PC via USB.
When I open the device in Windows Explorer, though, it's empty.
I made sure to install an MTP driver.
How can I access the file system of my phone?
Edit: I have not unlocked my phone, because I'm unable to: the screen cracked, and is nonresponsive. Can I get around that?
Edit: So the Nexus 4 actually doesn't support OTG. Do I have another option? Take out the hard drive and put it in a new phone?

Have you unlocked your device (if you have a look screen)? If not, this is why it will show up empty as it's a security feature.

Oh! Please see my edit

If you have a USB OTG cable you can connect a mouse or keyboard to enter the password

Please see my newest edit.

Here are 2 methods to access your phone

Method 1: Android Debug Bridge (ADB)
You will need:Your device, Access to a PC
This method has proved to be the most helpful for users in terms of their feedback after completion. However, this method will only work if you have USB debugging enabled on your Android phone. If you don’t have this option enabled, move on to the second method on the list.
The ADB is used to create a bridge between your PC and your Android device. This bridge can be used to unlock the device and to access your files.
Download the Android SDK package on your PC. You can download it here. Make sure that you download the correct version for your PC. Once downloaded, extract the zip file on your PC.
Download the relevant USB drivers for your phone. You can get the USB drivers for your device from your manufacturer’s website.
Launch the Command Prompt on your PC and change the directory to where the ADB file is located. Type in the following command in Command Prompt.
cd C:/android/platform-tools
Connect your Android phone to your PC using a micro USB cable and enter the following command. If your phone is recognized, you’ll see some numbers in the Command Prompt message.
adb device
Type in the following two commands. You’ll need to type in the second command immediately after the first one. Replace 1234 in the first command with your actual password.
adb shell input text 1234
shell input keyevent 66
If the process is successful, your phone should be unlocked. You can now backup your important files and contacts.

Method 2: USB On the Go Mouse Method
You will need: Your device An OTG adaptor, A USB mouse
If you can’t access USB debugging , you can try
the USB mouse method. This involves connecting your phone to a USB
mouse with an OTG adaptor. Here’s a full list of compatible devices
where you check to see if your device is covered. If not, users have
reported that a USB keyboard can be used to unlock a device locked
behind a passcode when a mouse hasn’t worked, so it’s worth giving the
cable a try.
You can find the adaptor cable online, and it’s reasonably
inexpensive. If it lets you access your device, than it’s definitely
worth the price.
Once connected, the mouse will drain your battery, and some devices,
(such as the Galaxy S3 Mini) will also be unable to charge during the
process, so make sure your battery is sufficiently charged beforehand.
Once you have the wire to hand, the process itself is reasonably easy
to complete.
Connect the micro USB side of the OTG cable in your Android tablet or
phone and plug in the USB mouse in the OTG adapter.
As soon as you connect the mouse, you should see a pointer on your
screen. You can now use the mouse to unlock the pattern or use it to
press the keys of the on-screen keyboard if you have a password lock.

Source

Thank you. I just found this source, too, and tried the Android Debug Bridge. When I enter adb devices, however, I get no devices found. Does that mean I don't have USB debugging enabled?

USB debug mode is something that you would have had to turn on.  Most people (besides developers) would have no reason to enable it so it would not be found.

So the Nexus 4 actually doesn't support OTG. Do I have another option? Take out the hard drive and put it in a new phone?

In most cases the internal storage is on the main board of the phone.  If you have cloud backup turned on (through google or another service) the data on your phone should be available.  If not it would be possible to replace the screen of your phone to access it.


text:
How to move /data from internal storage to external SD card?
Apologies if this question was already asked.
Is it possible to move the /data directory to the external SD card?
I want all apps, app data, downloads and files to be automatically saved to the external SD card, instead of to the internal storage.
Information:
The internal storage is 178 MB, where 157 MB is used by apps. There's no internal SD card and my external SD card has 32 GB.
/sdcard is a symbolic link to /storage/sdcard0 which is the 32 GB external SD card.
The device is rooted and uses CM11/4.4.2.
Tried:

Used Link2SD but could only move the APKs and dalvik. The app data and system apps couldn't be moved. Unfortunately I can't buy the new Link2SD.
Tried FolderMount but it doesn't allow access to /. It only allows access to the SD card.
Couldn't find fstab in /etc or /system/etc
Tried Root External 2 Internal SD but there's no internal SD card, just "internal storage" (shows 178 MB) and "SD card" (shows the 14 GB FAT32 partition on the external 32 GB SD card).

Considered:
su -
cp -r(p?) /data /storage/sdcard0/data
rm -r /data
ls -s /data /storage/sdcard0/data

However, I'm new to modifying Android and don't want to accidentally brick my device. When I tried to copy the data directory as root, it said that some files/directories did not exist.
Does anyone have suggestions?
Thank you for reading.
Edit: @programming Thanks for your help. I can't find the option on the storage page.
The storage page looks like:
Storage (clicking on `:` gives the option "USB computer connection")
Internal storage:
Total space ...
SD card:
Total space: ...
Erase SD card

There are no additonal options, as in: http://teckfront.com/use-external-sd-card-primary-storage-android-4-4-3-phone/
It's a Samsung smartphone with Android 4.4.2 and CM11 rom.

If you want to set your SD card as the default storage device, go to settings > storage, then select default writing disk to SD card. This will make your phone store everything to the SD card by default if possible. Hope it helps!

Hello @programming, thanks for your answer. Unfortunately the "default writing disk" option doesn't appear on Samsung, Android 4.4.2 with CM11. Should I upgrade to CM12/Android 5?

I got a new lg g4 and I can't find it either I don't know why it's not there.

Do you know another way to move /data from internal memory (no internal SD card) to an external SD card? I'd try symlinks, but could potentially corrupting /data lead to a brick?

Back it up before you try symlink

Try AppMgrIII from the Play Store. It doesn't move everything to your MSD, but it moves quite a lot and it's easy and seamless.

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
View disk utilization / activity
Is there a way in android to view the disk usages of apps as they are running?  I currently suspect that one of my applications is writing to the disk a lot which is slowing my phone down.  I am looking for something similar to the windows performance monitor that can show disk reads and writes by programs.

I think the only way to properly answer is https://www.xda-developers.com/check-io-usage-iotop-android/amp/ , it requires root and special kernel build config.

Perfmon, is a paid app that fits that well and is AFAIK the only app that gives these kind of details (closest to Windows performance monitor), for app running in foreground. It creates a floating window to give details about

CPU
Disk I/O
Network I/O

I especially like the CPU capacity usage, which takes into account all the cores present and calculates, "effective usage". This coupled with RAM usage effectively helped me weed out some battery and memory hogging apps
Edit: I was searching for a similar approach using command line but nothing turned up

This doesnt pinpoint the offending app  :(. Simole system monitor shows overall too


text:
Lg g3 open an application?
I just go a new lg g3 today, and I noticed a pop-up saying to look at an app which lists all of the features. Now, I was in the app, but when I edited the app, the one time pop-up disappeared, and I want to open it up again.

I have tried searching in 'my apps' in play store, but it's not there. I manager to find it in 'application manager'

I want to reopen this app, and have been trying for a few hours now. Please help.
Thanks so much,
Ruchir

Smart Tips is part of Smart Bulletin - the permanent screen to the left of the other home screens on the default LG launcher.
It can be turned on/off in home screen settings, accessed either via the app drawer (three dots at the top right) or the settings app.

When you turn on Smart Bulletin, Smart Tips is automatically enabled. Occasionally it will notify you of new tips that are available.


text:
After Rooting my phone, I get a black screen, followed by "[app] has stopped working" for every application, any idea what could be going on?
I just rooted my Samsung Galaxy G4 I9500 today. It was working fine, I even restarted it a few times just to test everything was going nice and dandy. I also installed two apps to see if SuperUser was working properly (busybox and titaniumBackup) and both seemed to work fine.
Now, while trying to make a nandroid backup I entered recovery mode and touched "reboot device now". Afterwords, the device stopped starting properly.
As described in the title, the screen remains black with messages popping up saying something like "[x] app has stopped working". Trying to turn off the device gives me the usual windows (turn off/airplane mode/restart). Also, I can change the volume. Any idea of what could be going on?

It could possibly be owing to a) wrong TWRP version b) Corrupted TWRP c) method of flashing TWRP

You could download the TWRP for your device.  I am ssuming you have the exynos version (recheck your device Phone Info Samsung or any other app which gives you chipset information can help)
Verify MD5
Flash using Odin or dd method. Link above has directions for both. Sometimes, flashing it by other methods doesn't work well with Samsung devices

EDIT: I am glad that you were able to fix with a factory reset using appropriate TWRP.

Now, to restore data from the image created, select Restore> choose location of image >Advanced Restore> data (only-don't check anything else).
Use above method when restoring data to the same ROM from which you took back up NOT across different ROMs or different android versions.
This should help you learn TWRP Guide

I didn't download TWRP or any custom recovery, so I have the factory default "recovery mode" that comes with the Samsung. You think that flashing a TWRP could help? (P.S. thank for the answers :) )

I already have a vague idea of how to install TWRP and how to make a nandroid-backup, but those are not the problem I am currently facing. My problem is that when I turn on my phone, all my applications "close" and the screen remains black, meaning it's not booting correctly. I am not sure exactly what's going on. I just mentioned recovery mode because it happened after I accessed "samsung's stock recovery mode", but I'm not sure if that's related. I am only asking to see if someone has any idea of what could be going wrong or how could I fix it.

Well, I simply downloaded TWRP and did a full factory memory wipe. It deleted all my data and contacts, BUT the important part is that I can use my phone once more, which I compulsorily need on my everyday routine. Most of the information there was useless anyways. (note: I made a backup of my data on a pendrive using TWRP before clearing everything, but I have no idea how to recover it.) All and all, thank you a lot for your comments Beeshyams, they really helped. :)

I had the same problem when I flashed cmw12.1.
I backed up that Rom and when I rebooted I got same message as you.. Everything saying "stopped working!".
Later I noticed that my nadroid backup was on internal storage and I was running out of space.
I deleted that backup and everything went fine.
Move that backup file to external sd card and try rebooting again..
Hope that would fix it :)

Thanks for the answer. Sadly, that's unlikely the case because I have free space (I deleted games like candy crush before entering recovery mode). Besides, I can not access the files in my phone, since after booting the screen becomes black and doesn't load anything.

If you get like "system ui stopped working" or other system apps then what I said may be the case.
If you are using TWRP, it has a file browser. Make sure to have minimum of 500mb internal storage.

Since I am new at this, I used the most basic of chain-root, which only flashes the phone. It doesn't install any recovery tool, like TWRP. Maybe I should try to install it?

Reset your app preferences. To do it Follow these steps.

Goto settings and open apps
On the upper part(different for every phone) look for three lines or dots. Tap on it and reset app preferences.


text:
Cannot send or receive SMS on my Moto G XT 1033 (1st Gen) on Cyanogenmod 13
I cannot send or receive SMS on my Moto G XT 1033 (1st Generation) on Cyanogenmod 13 official build. It's a dual SIM phone and only one SIM is working now. This is th first time I'm rooting and installing a custom ROM. I can receive and make calls but not SMS.  I just flashed CM13 along with GApps.

PLS HELP DEAR FRIENDS..

If you want a usable phone with Cyanogenmod then consider using the latest snapshot instead of a nighty. Cyanogenmod 13 builds are still too early to be able to use on a daily basis, unless you have a nexus device of course.

Try this patch, it is a modem image:

Reboot your phone into bootloader
Extract the contents of this file
Run Fix CM13 Network XT1033.bat

Original post can be found here

This is an "Okay" answer, but could you consider reproducing why this procedure should work from the link in your answer, in case the link dies in the future?


text:
Locked out of tablet!
My niece downloaded an application and she did a pattern, but did not pay attention, and now shes locked out of her device, it will not even turn off can u help please!!

In order for us to help you, we need more information... Is it an App locker? A custom lockscreen? A gallery locker? What is the name of the app? What exactly does it do?

Press and hold the power button, sometimes it takes 10 seconds but it will force shutdown eventually. After that, find what key combo boots it up in recovery mode, and find Wipe data or Factory reset and select it. This will wipe all your data but since you cant get to it anyway it doesnt matter. This will also clear any patterns you have set earlier.


text:
custom ringtones for all contacts
i tried to set custom ringtone via Es File Explorer But Still the default mobile ringtone  , it success when i set custom specific contact , the problem : i want to set custom ringtone for all contacts at one  time , android 4.2.2


text:
Recovering Erased Audio on Android cellphone
Thank you in advance, for any help on this.  A friend was raving about 360 Security to install on my droid cellphone, I thought I'd try it, he uninstalled CM Security, and then installed the 360 Security.
WHAM, when I went to my Sound Recorder app, EVERYTHING was gone!! To clarify this was not downloaded music that was missing, this was my music that I would write and record with the Sound Recorder app installed on my cellphone. I tried the link suggested in the post below for a free trial on Dr.Fone the Wondershare.net/data-recovery/android website, and at step four it quit working, it showed a pic of my phone and the laptop communicating via the USB cable, but nothing came up on my laptop screen, nor cellphone, and the next button would not proceed to the next step. Thank you for any suggestions for recovering my erased sound recorder, data. Hoping it's possible!

Music won't or shouldn't disappear just because you uninstalled an app. But I'd first try this out http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/94119/photos-and-music-from-internal-storage-got-deleted-how-to-recover-them

Noticed that you haven't edited your question staying what all you tried

I edited it by adding that I had tried the free trial on the link above, the Dr. Fone Wondershare.net link. I don't know what else to try, the recordings are just gone. I couldn't get further than step 3, on the recovery website for the free trial, and their customer service online was closed. I am open to more suggestions, and Thank anyone for helping me recover my recordings, and Thank you for your suggestions as well

Try taking your sd card out and using recovery software like recuva on your PC... You may also take it to a professional data recovery store, but they typically charge a lot. Data recovery apps for android also exist but I cannot vouch for any... Spend your money carefully!
[EDIT] POSSIBLE SOLUTION(S):

SOLUTION ONE:
Download ES file explorer (free) on your android phone from Google Play. Search both the internal memory and SD card for the missing files... (Tip: There are plenty of tutorials on YouTube)

SOLUTION TWO:
Take your SD Card out and connect it to your computer with a SD card reader.
Use a data recovery software:
Windows:
Testdisk (FREE) [http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Download ]
Recuva (PAID/FREE) [https://www.piriform.com/recuva ]
GetDataBack (PAID/FREE) [https://www.runtime.org/data-recovery-software.htm ]

SOLUTION THREE:
Use data recovery apps on your phone:
Disk Digger (PAID/FREE) [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.defianttech.diskdigger ]

SOLUTION FOUR:
Take your phone to a Data Recovery Store (CAN BE EXPENSIVE!)

Thank you, Rahul. The reviews look pretty good for the data recovery websites, but I had no success trying this morning. I used the free trial, but nothing happened, the free trial said it would show the files that would be recovered, and then when you purchase, you get them back. Nothing came up on my screen. Thank you, yes, I'd like to get this done as least expensive as possible. My last phone was a Blackberry, and my recordings weren't stored on the SD card, but the phone itself. I'm worried that is the way it is on this phone too. I will look in to recuva and hope it's not to complicated

You're welcome! Recuva can actually be pretty complicated at times... I also recommend looking into GetDataBack, which can be pretty useful. (Hint: there are plenty of cracks for this on file sharing websites, but if anyone asks, I didn't tell you this... ) :-D

Thank you so much, Rahul. A friend of mine had mentioned a Disk Digger app, do you know anything about this? I don't want to try random things that might make the situation worse. The GetDataBack, I looked it up but found it to be a Window's program....am I able to install this on my Android cellphone? Or would I need to install it on my laptop and transfer it? Please advise, I'm so Thankful, I'm not real tech savvy but would be thrilled if I could recover my data on my own, Thank you again!

@Celeste No problem! GetDataBack does require a windows PC. You can use an SD card reader to connect it like a thumb drive and then use it. I cannot personally vouch for DiskDiggger but it seems to have received some very good reviews on Google Play. I personally recommend GetDataBack because I have personally tried it, but you need an SD card reader for that (about USD 5). This ofcourse requires the files to have been stored on the SD card. ALSO, The first thing you should try is using ES file explorer to locate the lost files - This may seem silly but can actually be very helpful!

Thank you, Rahul. I don't know how to go about any of this, but realize I need to just learn. I don't believe the items were stored on my SD card, but again, I wouldn't know. I think I'd like to start with the ES file explorer to locate the lost files, I have Windows 10, on a brand new laptop, and need to go from there, step by step on what to purchase and can start the process. I appreciate your advice, it sounds like the ES file explorer is separate from using the GetDataBack program, any suggestions on the ES file explorer? Do I purchase that program and download it? Thank you again!

@Celeste Hi again! I think I'll just add it all in my answer... Wait a sec.

@Celeste There you go!! Anything else??

Rahul, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!  I am SO Thankful for the time you took to type all of that out, and provide that information to me! I will start with Step ONE, and have the other steps to guide me through, as needed! Thank you SO very much!! I am going to start on that recovery in the morning! I appreciate all your time in putting this together for me!!! I will let you know how it comes out!! Thanks again and again!!

@Celeste This is what StackExchange is for! You can help others too by contributing to any community of your choice from the vast network. You're welcome and best of luck!


text:
Facing some problem with my android mobile
I'm using android 5.1 lollipop, the issue is when i turn my data ON,am not getting instant notifications from few apps like hike,Twitter, Instagram. In the mean time am getting notifications instantly from WhatsApp and Facebook ,I checked my running apps and I found that those applications are not running in my RAM. So someone please help me out.

So if I understand correctly you say that your apps don't run in the background and reload new notifications.
This might be because they are blocked from auto starting. To allow them to auto start go to Setting > Security > Auto-start Management Then allow those apps to auto start. One the top of the screen it should say how muck are allowed and denied auto start.
Also if you are rooted and you have an app like battery doctor that blocks auto start and disable that service. Or any other app that does the same thing.
This will allow you app to start and run in the background and it should reload any new notifications.

Thanks for your help  but there is no option in security menu in my mobile.but there is another option called 'apps with usage access'.so would you please help me out ?

What android version and phone is it

It's lenovo vibe p1m.lollipop 5.1.

Try searching settings for autostart


text:
What does CWM back up?
I made a backup using ClockworkMod Recovery v6.0.4.7d of my Samsung I9305 (it runs a rooted stock Android 4.4.4). I selected "Backup and restore" and then "Backup to /storage/sdcard1". The resulting image was of about 7GB.
Does this backup contain:

The firmware?
My modifications to the firmware such as root, Xposed Framework, installed Xposed modules, etc.?
My installed apps?
App data?
Other data I had stored on the internal SD card?

And finally, is compression utilized?

According to: https://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/ClockWorkMod_Instructions#Making_a_backup

ClockworkMod's backup/restore feature will generally only back up the
  /system, /data, /cache, /sd-ext, and /dalvik-cache areas. Other
  partitions such as /emmc, /sdcard, and /media won't be backed up.
In
  fact, the backed up system will typically be saved to the /sdcard/
  partition in the /clockworkmod/backup/ directory, which, depending on
  your device, may or may not be actually located on a physical
  removable SD card.

According to your question:

The firmware?

Definitely Yes.

My modifications to the firmware such as root, Xposed Framwork, installed Xposed modules, etc?

Definitely Yes.

My installed apps?

Definitely Yes.

App data?

Definitely Yes.

Other data I had stored on the internal SD card?

Definitely NO, /sdcard is not backed up, because of there would be a CWM backup. Read: http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/help/how-to-backup-internal-sdcard-t1999853
Hope it help

To add to other answer, your back up has ALL the information in your back up image as the phone has when you took back up

/system refers to your ROM
/data refers to your data created by apps both that came with phone and user installed apps (/data/data)
/data/cache (the cache) refers to app data stored for quick access
/data/dalvik-cache (the Dalvik cache) refers to storage where optimisation information of your apps is stored
/sd-ext refers to external SD card (all CWMs do not by default save this)

Other partitions mentioned are not backed up. Compression happens if you enable it (IMO, not worth the extra time it takes, given you can always store it in external SD (by choosing it) or pull it to your PC)

Thanks a bunch. Would upvote your answer but my reputation is too low.

There's also the /sdcard or the /flash partitions, which point to the internal memory of the device. My tablet and phone (Android 4.4.2) have an /sdcard mounted, which is the internal memory. My Old Android 2.1 tablet uses /flash instead. Also, for USB-OTG devices, /usb points to the USB external storage.


text:
Why is Android phone shutting down by itself?
Phone is Samsung Infuse 4G with Cyanogenmod 11 (Android 4.4). On a few recent occasions when I check it in the morning, I find that it's powered off. I start it up again, and it shows plenty of battery charge (75% or more). Is there a log or something that I can look at that would explain why it has shut down?

Had the same problem. Solution:
Boot into CWM/TWRP Bootmenu (pressing "Volume up" Key and Power Button) while starting the phone -  and chose to clear "Dalvic Cache and Cache". Both will have no impact on your installed software or data. So it is quite safe to do.
After clearing reboot. The next restart will take a bit longer because these caches have to be rebuilt again. Solved my problem with random shutdowns.
Another possibility could be a dead battery. Especially if charging values change between full loading (100%) and after rebooting (90% or similar) ...

Well, it's well known problem for Samsung phones and tablets:
Read carefully: http://androidforums.com/threads/randomly-turning-off.312084/
One of possible solution (cited from above post):

I found another workaround, turning off sleep mode. Maybe there are
  easier ways to do it, but i did it like this:
(copied the instructions from another forum):

Download and install a free app Load Monitor.
Under its preferences check the following on...
Add Notification, Only notify high load, Auto start, and most importantly Wake Lock.

The wake lock prevents the phone from going into sleep mode, now i'm
  already 24 hours without shutdowns. I also set the update interval to
  2 hours for the Load monitor, so it doesn't bug me often.
The downside must be battery consumption, i assume that the sleep mode
  does save up some juice. But at the moment i'd rather worry for the
  battery than if the phone is on or not. :)
Also, this problem is not limited to galaxy ace.. A little searching
  with google revealed that there is even a class action lawsuit against
  Samsung because of the same problem in Samsung S models.

Hope it Help


text:
Executing a script
I'm new to Android and trying to find the simplest way to run a 2 line script that deletes files from a specific directory.
I Googled the topic and created a file that I called test.sh which has 2 lines:
 #!/system/bin/sh
 delete Android/data/mydir/*.dmp

I copied this file to an Android device and managed to create a shortcut to this file. Now I want to execute this script whenever I click the shortcut but I'm unable to make it work!
I would appreciate any hints to get this going.
Thanks!

Is your device rooted? Does your device have busybox or toybox installed?
Is selinux enabled? If so you need to resolve these things, even after selinux may stop you so you will need to setenforce 0 and for that you need a build of busybox with selinux functions built in.

What do you mean by unable to make it work? Any error? Nothing happens? Have you done chmod 755 test.sh  after copying it to the phone?

You can use my answer for Home screen icon for terminal program? or is there a way to run *.sh file by just touching it in a file manager? to execute the script from a shortcut.  However, is your script working from a shell? If not, then you should mention that in the question. Unless configured otherwise, shell would default to / directory and there is no Android directory at first level of /.

I managed to get the script to work inside the terminal emulator.  I had the path wrong; once I fixed that it worked.  I still am unable to create a shortcut because the launcher on the Android device (not a phone but a set top box) does not permit creating one.  I think I am going to just install Tasker although I was hoping I can find a simpler solution.  Thanks all for your suggestions!

In your script you forgot # , and what is more the command to delete is not delete(as you wrote) but rm, along with at least one option:

-r for recursive
-f for force
-v for verbose

so try
For a single file
#!/system/bin/sh
rm /path/to/file/filename.extension

For a group of files @ location by extension with wildcard:
#!/system/bin/sh
rm /path/to/file/*.extension

A straight up clearing of a directory:
#!/system/bin/sh
rm /path/to/directory-containing-files/*

Alternate to clear that directory of files and directories as well, with verbose to see what's being deleted
#!/system/bin/sh
rm -frv /path/to/file/*

To delete the directory itself
#!/system/bin/sh
rm -fr /kill/that/pesky/directory

You must have root privileges  to modify anything in /system and/or /data folder.
The exception would be /data/local directory which you should be able to access/modify within as peon user.
If selinux is enforcing you will NOT be able to modify anything in /data with the exception of the previously stated exception even if su.
This with the exception of laying out the proper path to sh in your script is not really an android question.
Your normal practices in scripting on a Linux OS should mostly carry over as long as you use the correct path to sh.
You can create that script in regular sdcard storage space and execute by running
su
/sdcard/./yams.sh
I like yams. They're nummy.

If you get a permission error, denied etc., then
chmod 755 /path/to/script.sh

and again run as su
You can alternately run
su -c /sdcard/yams.sh

Thank you very much for the details... very helpful for a beginner! Followed all instructions but keep getting Permission denied when I try to run the script even though I did the chmod 755 and also trying against different subdirectories including /data/local!  I will keep at it!

You can use Script options
Has more privileges if you have a rooted phone
You can choose the script via the inbuilt file manager, and can choose various options, as seen
And yes there's no command as delete Use

rm -rf

instead as suggested above
Also if you are trying to delete the data created by an app i.e inside data/data/example.app/DataToDelete
You will need to have Superuser privileges or only that particular app can delete its own data.

Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference. Otherwise, your answer becomes useless in case the link dies. For further hints, please see: How do I write a good answer.

@TamoghnaChowdhury  thanks for the heads up, am new here

See info about referencing. You don't appear to be the owner of that image. Whenever you use a work that helps answer a question, you must reference it and credit the author appropriately.


text:
Amazon Underground APK download location?
I am trying to download a game for my child in the Amazon Underground app store.
The problem is, the Underground app refuses to install under my child's login (it claims to be incompatible with my device!?!).  I can install both the Underground app and the particular app I want to install under my login, but I don't allow my child to know my PIN or use my login as I have other things install I don't want her to mess with.
If I could find the APK before it is installed I figured I could just manually install it under my child's login, but I can't find it!  I have run a file manager and did a search under the entire filesystem (as root, no less!) for all files within the last hour, and did not find any APKs.  Some other answers here and here claim it is stored in /sdcard/Android/data/com.amazon.venezia/cache/ or /sdcard/Android/data/com.amazon.venezia/files/apks.  However, both of those directories are empty after the download is finished.  I am looking when it tells me the download is ready to install, but before I allow it to install, so I know the APK must be around there somewhere.  Where is it?

Look in /data/data/com.amazon.mShop.android/files
I had to use Fx to search my entire device to find the Amazon Video APK.

Thanks, I'll look there when I get home.  I've got Fx too and used it to search but it didn't find the APK but... guess we will see what's there.

You're welcome.  It has moved around.  I used to be about to find them under the Venezia directory.

Looking from the path, I believe you need your device to be rooted to access the internal storage /data/data/... OP didn't mention anything about their device, just a precaution though...

The smaller size apps are located in /data/data/uk.amazon.mShop.android/files/ and are named update....... - you must be root to see/extract these.
The larger size apps or games are located /sdcard/apks/ as they are too big to store in the apps private /data/data directory and are also named update.... - a stock user can see/extract these.
This was correct at time of posting as the location has changed i nthe past, it may well change again.


text:
My Sony Xperia E4g is locked by android device manager and I can't
How do I unlock my phone if I've forgotten the password

Possible duplicate of How to unlock Google Device Manager remote lock?

Possible duplicate of How to unlock device when I forgot my password?

You don't ... Factory reset is the only way I found, after I broke the screen in frustration. Yay.


text:
Where are my AVD's and how do I mount them
This is my first post so apologies if this a stupid question! I have had a quick google but came up with no solution.
I've just created my first avds but cant find where the user data images are stored (my os is ubuntu 14.04).
I would be very grateful if someone can let me where they are. And even more grateful if they could tell me how to mount them.
Thanks for any replies.

you create them by standard Android SDK Manager, console, genymotion, Andorid Studio. Please more details

Check %userdir%.android\avd\ on Windows, and /usr/.android/avd/ on *nix.

For you, try the second one. Also, the userdata images should be under the specific folders referenced by the AVD's .ini/.cfg file under its directory where I mentioned. Mounting them requires a loop device mount. Check online.

To find directory with AVD emulators:
Follow these steps:

Open your home directory
Press Ctrl+H to unhide hidden folders and files.
Choose folder .android

Your AVDs should be in avd folder inside .android folder
To mount any AVD emulator
From: Is there a way to mount Android .img to access the AVD (Android Virtual Device) contents?

You can just mount the device in Linux:
sudo mount -o loop ~/.android/avd/<myvirt>/sdcard.img <destdir>

Hope it help


text:
my phone stopped showing contacts or logs.
First there was just a lag. Then it showed nothing but was able to use the search function to find the right contact in the list. Finally nothing works. Have to go to Google Contacts to find my contact list and type the number manually.

Go into settings then apps, go to all apps on the scroll at top of page, go down until you find the phone icon with call and message log beside it, force stop it, then shut down phone for 2 minutes, not precise but I left mine off this long, then restart, all logs should be back, hope it helps


text:
Wifi doesn't reconnect to known network
My phone fails to connect to wifi networks it has been connected to before.  When this happens, even if I reenter the password it will not connect.  But if I restart the device, it connects to the network without my having to enter the password.  This happens both at work and at home.  It's a Samsung Galaxy Stardust running Android 4.3.

I don't know if this is an answer, but my problem has gone away.  Here's what happened.  I called TracFone tech support about this.  The representative told me to shut the phone off, pull out the battery, and see if the battery had a red sticker on it.  It didn't.  Then she told me to put the battery back, and that the next step would be to do a hard reset.  When I found that doing so would erase my settings and contacts and such, I declined.  So I thought I had wasted my time.  But the wifi problem has not happened since then.  It's certainly not the only time I turned the phone off, so I have to think that taking the battery out for a couple of seconds reset something.

No idea what's causing that, but as a work-around: Try switching to airplane mode and back might be a little more convenient than restarting the device.

@Izzy, it actually takes 3 steps: airplane mode on, airplane mode off, and wifi back on.  Probably quicker than a restart, but more work.

If WiFi was before switching to airplane mode, it should be on after switching airplane mode off. To minimize steps, you could utilize an automation tool like Tasker, to place a shortcut for a task on your homescreen – then it would be a single tap.

@Izzy, yes, you'd think that if wifi was on at the start, it would come back on after airplane mode is turned off, but that's not what I experience when wifi was in the weird on-but-nonfunctional state I've been seeing.

I have something similar with my Nexus 10 with Android 5.1.1, it happens now & then. I looked into About and then Status and saw, that it has received 2 IPv6 addresses, but none for IPv4. Turning wlan off and on again fixes it.


text:
Does SuperUser (from koush) work on 4.4.2?
I've installed update.zip (from download.clockworkmod.com) via the recovery, /system/xbin/su file exists:
$ ls -l /system/xbin/su
-rwsr-sr-x root     root       311872 2015-12-28 00:28 su

But it doesn't work:
shell@lt033g:/ $ su
255|shell@lt033g:/ $ id
uid=2000(shell) gid=2000(shell) groups=1003(graphics),1004(input),1007(log),1011(adb),1015(sdcard_rw),1028(sdcard_r),3001(net_bt_admin),3002(net_bt),3003(inet),3006(net_bw_stats) context=u:r:shell:s0
shell@lt033g:/ $

Why? I'm using Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014, Android 4.4.2
P.S. I can not use SuperSU for some reasons, I can use SuperUser only.

Is it related: https://github.com/koush/Superuser/issues/253 ?

What specifically  is the problem with using SuperSU?

@Firelord license.

I see. Are you fine with compiling your own su binary? The guy here did that from the source available here


text:
What is "systemless root"?
Chainfire (the developer of SuperSU), has come up with a new style of rooting devices on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and above. This is "systemless" root, and is all the rage right now. So, just in case anyone feels curious, I thought there should be some information about "systemless" root here for future reference.
The main question:
What is "systemless" root, exactly?
This question has 2 ancillary questions, which are:

Where is it more applicable over traditional "system-based" root, and how is it different from it?
Is it better than traditional root? If so, how?

A comprehensive answer to the main question along with the ancillary questions will be preferred.

Main Answer:
Systemless root is a rooting method/procedure developed by Chainfire (the developer of the popular root management app SuperSU) which involves a modified boot ramdisk image. The superuser su binary becomes a kernel inclusion instead of existing under /system/xbin/, like in normal system-based root.
Ancillary Answers:

Preference of systemless root over traditional root:
It was initially suggested by Chainfire to be useful for Nexus devices from Marshmallow onwards to prevent rooted users from having to reflash the entire stock system, boot and recovery partitions before undertaking even a minor OTA update, which has since become more important as Google has introduced the policy of pushing out monthly security updates through OTAs, and flashing the entire device every month is tedious at best.
Systemless root eliminates the heavyweight system partition from the flashing equation, allowing the devices with systemless root to be updated just after reflashing stock recovery and boot.
Pros of systemless root over traditional root:

Utility when OTA updating devices as mentioned above.
The modified boot image gets rid of the "Tampered" screen on Android bootup from Marshmallow onwards, if the device has a non-stock partition, most commonly recovery.
No exploits required. Systemless SuperSU can technically be flashed as a boot image through fastboot, although it is normally done by flashing a zip in a custom recovery, which automatically patches the on-device boot image to make the necessary modifications to support systemless root.
It works with an SELinux Enforcing security condition, while traditional root needs SELinux Permissive on Android 5.0 and up.
It unintentionally circumvents Android Pay and Android for Work root restrictions, which work with traditional root.

Cons of systemless root over traditional root:

Quite buggy and is still in BETA stage, although it is being actively developed and is definitely usable (from personal experience). Edit: No longer buggy and the default rooting method on Android 6.0.1 and up when using SuperSU.
Some custom kernels like LeanKernel refuse to work with systemless root as they need traditional root for functioning properly. Edit: Most custom kernels now recommend systemless root, a well-known such kernel being ElementalX.
Some root apps may not work with systemless root as they hard-code the path-to-su in their code, which is only applicable for traditional root.
Not sure if this is actually a con, but systemless root is the only recommended rooting method that will work on Android 6.0.1 and up.

Sources:

XDA-Developers
Nexus 6P Reddit thread (not sure if it's very reliable)

"Systemless" is a horrible term. They should've used "touchless", "modificationless" or anything else.

@Marc.2377, not really. If you read the answer, you'll realise that it is called "systemless" because it is systemless, i.e., the rooting procedure is not modification-free with respect to everything, only with respect to the /system partition. The /boot is modified, so definitely not modification-less. And what does "touchless" even mean in this context? Please explain why you said what you said, because I disagree with you.

I read your answer, and on second thought, my suggestions were also pretty bad. Sorry. About "touchless", I meant "untouched" (as when you download a bitwise-identical copy of something, like an operating system ISO image), but please disregard that also. I still stand, however, on the affirmation that "systemless" is a horrible name. It seems to imply that the rooting procedure contains no system at all. I'm just being picky, don't take me too seriously :)

Systemless root, developed mainly by Chainfire, is an alternate method to root your phone without altering files in your system. It makes changes in the boot image instead of the system files like init, etc, and hence makes rooting and unrooting theoretically easier. It is an experiment, so I don't think it works perfectly. It also could circumvent Android Pay root restrictions, but Chainfire did not expect that, and says that Android Pay would be patched to push out any such root users too.
For more information about it, check the xda article. The dev also has a forum here.

Adding relevant extracts from the XDA post would improve value of answer. Please consider

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
Setting creation time attribute on exFAT to "atime" from ext4
I have to move files from my internal storage to the SD Card. While cp -p does its job fine to an ext4 formatted card, moving/copying files to exFAT only keeps the file modification time but sets creation to the actual time.
Some of my daily routines on my Windows computer depend on creation time for file sorting etc. To make it even worse, copying from my phone over MTP discards both time-stamps, yielding anything except jpeg's unsortable!
So what I need is just a bit of bash magic which:

Reads the atime* of a file/directory
Copy the file/directory to destination with cp --preserve t
Touch the destination file/dir's ctime with the stored one
Proceed and recurse
???. profit

*Android mounts the storage with noatime/relatime and thus - which I checked myself - atime gives the real creation time here

Linux kernel doesn't maintain the creation time but only the changed time (ctime), modification time (mtime) and access time (atime) and ctime can't be changed easily. So, what is your goal now?

my goal is co "convert" ext4 atime to "creation time" on exFAT

But there is no creation time, only changed time.

yes it has - on Windows. i know what you mean, there is no way to set if from *nix. so, maybe somehow dump all timestamp data to a text file on Android, then parse and feed it to filetouch.exe on Windows?


text:
Not able to flash recovery on my Shield Tablet K1
Important note: I used a Mac whilst doing this.
Also Important: I have the Android 6.0 update installed.
I got a Shield Tablet K1 for Christmas and attempted to root it. However, I'm having a lot of issues with it, and I'm worried I've messed up the recovery part of the tablet.
First, I unlocked the device, and set it up. This worked fine.
I went to flash the tablet with TWRP for the Shield Tablet, which I obtained from here: TWRP Shield Tablet
I used the command "fastboot flash recovery ", and it looked like it had completed.
However, it appears it has not completed.
Booting into Recovery Mode using "adb reboot recovery" brings me to a screen with the android lying on the floor, with a red triangle over him.
Attempting to go into recovery mode using the down volume key & the power button, usually brings me to the Nvidia boot screen, where the brightness increases after a few seconds but then it just sits there until it eventually reboots.
Then, after attempting to reflash the stock recovery.img that I got from here: Shield Open Source Drivers and Images it still gives me the a) red triangle and laying dead android or b) nvidia bootscreen that sits for a long time before rebooting.
I am completely lost. I can't tell why this isn't working - it should by all means be working, yet nothing is flashing.
If anyone can fix this, it will be much appreciated.

The shield's bootloader got overwritten during the Marshmallow OTA, and it is no longer backward-compatible (Lollipop ROM won't boot on this bootloader, and older recoveries neither).
The reason why you can't manage to boot into recovery is because the bootloader is preventing you from doing it.
When using adb reboot recovery, Android has already booted up, and, as a consequence, overwritten the recovery with the stock one. That brings you to the stock "android lying on the floor" recovery.
A developper at XDA made an EXPERIMENTAL Build for the shield tablet and shield tablet k1. (See here). Please use this at your own risk. Also note that Chainfire's SuperSU doesn't work with it.
If you want to root your tablet, you are not forced to do it by recovery. Give a this shot.

It isn't an answer because it doesn't explain why the flash of the recovery image is failing. It says there is no compatible recovery image without quoting any sources.


text:
Emulator not responding. How to troubleshoot?
I  waited a long time to get the home screen in the emulator, but i didn't get it. How to proceed from here?

How long have you waited? Kill the emulator and restart it

No wonder it's slow. Intel HAXM emulator acceleration seems to be turned off. Install the Intel drivers from the SDK Manager to speed things up.

Your AVD RAM size is higher than that of the HAXM's maximum RAM size.

Next time try to use more informative title for your question.

the reason is your haxm is not working is that, that your AVD and HAXM both must be configured to use same amount of memory(not sure if lower memory in avd will work).
you can change HAXM memory by reinstalling it(could not find any better method). during installation you will be asked to enter the desired amount of memory.
and you can change the avd memory from avd manager by clicking on the icon and then editing the avd by clicking the pencil button in the right, then go to advanced settings and you will see the memory option(might need to scroll on lower resolution screen)

Maybe you can try to use an emulator snapshot.To use a snapshot with your device, open the AVD manager from the Android Studio menu by selecting Tools→Android→AVD Manager, edit the AVD by clicking on the Edit symbol, then check the “Store a snapshot for faster startup” option.
This will save a snapshot of what the memory looks like when the device is running. The emulator will be able to restore the memory in this state without booting the device.
Besides, when you create a new virtual device, you can set its CPU type similar to your development machine(e.g. If your machine use a particular type of Intel x86 CPU, then set your virtual device's CPU to x86 architecture). Also, installing HAXM will help accelerate the speed. You can find it on https://software.intel.com/en-us/android/articles/intel-hardware-accelerated-execution-manager.
What's more, you can try to use GenyMotion instead of the original AVD.
Finally, running apps on your real device will offer you a more efficiency way to test the code.
In your case, it seems that your HAXM memory configuration(max 1024MB) cannot fullfill the AVD(1536MB) according to the screenshot. So you could adjust the HAXM max memory configuration by running the HAXM installer again. When the installer prompted to adjust the max memory size, set it to a number bigger than 1536MB, such as 2048MB. Then reload the AVD, the HAXM would run correctly, and the speed will improved efficiently.

use genymotion emulator. It is fast comparing to general emulator. Program execution is fast than general emulator.

Things you can try,

Your AVD RAM size is higher than that of the HAXM's maximum RAM size. You can see in the log that,
emulator: AVD RAM size = 1536
emulator: HAXM max RAM size = 1024
emulator: You might want to adjust your AVD RAM size and/or HAXM configuration to run in fast virt mode.

So you need to adjust and set your virtual device's RAM lesser than that of max HAXM RAM size. I would suggest 512mb or 768mb for your AVD.

The first startup can take a while, especially on a slow machine but otherwise try running the adb logcat command to see the log output. That will help you determine what the problem could be.
Delete the emulator and create a new one
Un-check the 'Snapshot' option and restart your emulator.


text:
How to resolve the issue "SIM card full"?
On my Android 4.2.2 I always get the following notification message after activating my SIM card:

SIM card full
Delete some messages to make room for...

However, when I go to the setting Text messages on SIM card, I receive the following information:

No messages on the SIM card.

Moreover, SMS storage location is set to Phone and should thus not store any messages on my SIM card.
Aside this background, how is it possible that my SIM card is apparently full and how can I resolve the notification message?

What do you mean by "activating my SIM card"? Is not already receiving service from the carrier?

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/nexus/GqwmOj3DKns

Dear @KenSharp, by "activating" I mean the unlocking of my SIM card, e.g. after boot or disabling of the airplane mode.

Dear @programming, unfortunately I cannot upgrade my OS to Android 5. Does this mean that I cannot resolve this error?

I am sure there is a way to fix it with out the upgrade

@programming please let me know if you have any ideas! Thankfully, Robert

Is it maybe somehow possible to block (suppress) this specific Android notification?


text:
how to transfer files to new external sdcard
I have an old 64 GB sdcard and a new 128 GB sdcard, how do I copy over all files from my old card to my new in a way that makes android treat the new card just as the old card.
I tried simply copy-pasting over my DCIM folder, then I put the new sdcard in and rebooted my phone, on startup the phone recreated the /Android folder and all apps had rights to their new folders.
Ways I tried to move the files:
1)

dd old card to disk
dd to new card

after this the card works but is seen as having 64 GB instead of 128 GB
space

use gparted to resize partition

this makes android see the card as having used 64 GB space but with no files or folders

2)

dd old card to disk to disk
dd to new card
use fdisk resize partition

this makes android see the card as having only empty folders, but still used 64 GB space

3)

create 128 GB partition

this I have tried with both FAT32 and exFAT

mount via mtp

Update: I have also tried to copy paste all the files and folders directly to the sdcard from the old card via the cp comand on linux (that was the very first thing I tried... I only tried all the other things because this did not work)

rsync all files and folders to the sdcard

this seems to make android see all the folders and files, but now my apps can't write to their own folders
eg
the problem in all of the above cases is that android eigher a) does not see the file, simply sees the card as a file with 64 GB used space but it cannot see any of the folders, or it does copy it over but the apps does not have 'access' to their own directories eg Android/data/com.bambuna.podcastaddict/files/podcast/ is where my podcasts are, but the app podcastaddict does not have write premissions for the folder.

so in short... how do I copy over all my files from the old sdcard to the new one... or do I have to factory reset my phone and redownload all my apps such that all the folders and appropriate premissions are created by android... which seems to be my only option
additional information

my phone is a unrooted z5 compact

it runs android 5.1

I have access to a Linux and windows computer, but would prefer Linux solutions.
I don't care what file system is on my external SD card.
I am familiar with the command line and would prefer solution listing a few commands I need to copy-paste

As Firelord suggested, rebooting the phone makes android "display" the DCIM folder, so this one can be copied over, however it still seems that the /Android/data/com.company.app/ folders have to be created by the apps themselves, otherwise they cannot write to them, but you can subsequently copy files into these folders
Factory reset and restore from backup did this for me... it is an ugly solution... but at least it works.
I erroneously assumed that file permissions werehidden somewhere on the SD card and therefore tried to find the 'correct way' to copy, but it seems that the folder permission is saved on the internal card, or they are tied to the application in some non-trival way.
I restarted my phone again, and then some of my apps lost permissions to write to their SD card folders?!?!, ie podcastaddict which had downloaded 300 podcasts overnight could not write to sdcard1/Android/data/com.bambuna.podcastaddict/files/podcasts
By deleting and reinstalling podcastadditc it regenerated its folder and it has been working since.

Wow, this has a downvote!  I'm bit surprised. Anyhow, jcr, does your device have OTG support? Although I believe that plainly copying the files from one card into another followed by a reboot should work, I want to see what would happen if you copy the files from one card to another when both are connected and mounted into Android?

@programming good point what i did was "rsync -rtvu --size-only /media/local/Share/microSD/ SD\ Card/", I will try to add a "-a" or is there a better flag to set... I am in the midst of factory resetting my phone to make sure that it is not because android was somehow corupted

@Firelord I don't know it I have OTG support, how would I go about mounting both in android?, I do have MTP support as that was the protocol I used to mount in linux

DCIM folder issue is fixed because mediaserver (indexes multimedia files and images) is run on every reboot. How it did  fix the Android/data/ issue is not sure to me.

No offense, but I have done this many times in my Linux box, all I have ever done is power off the phone insert the original SD card in the computer, make a temp folder in my home directory, open a terminal and cd to the temp folder, then issue the command cp -r /media/.../* (adjust for proper mount point) then remove the card, insert the new one, format it as FAT32 with the same volume name, and then reverse the copy process, then reinsert the new SD card in the phone an boot. Done. It should not be more complicated than that.

I got a real 128 gb card, here I simply copy pasted over my DCIM folder, then I put the new sdcard in and rebooted my phone, on startup the phone recreated the /Android folder and all apps had rights to their new folders.
so my method:

backup and delete all aps that use the SD card
format the sd card
take a photo to generate the DCIM folder
insert SD card in your compuer
delete the /Android folder (it will be regenerated when you insert the card in your phone)
move relevant files to the DCIM folder
insert sdcard in phone
restart phone
reinstall aps from backup
do something that makes them regenerate their folders (ie down load a file, take a picture ect)
restart the phone
for all aps that cannot write to their own folder, delete he app and delete their /Android/data/com.company.app_name folder then go to 8

how come you deleted guide to detect whether the card was fake?

Detecting fake sd-cards is another topic. This is not a forum. One question, one answer. By the way my method below seems to be much easier.  Copy the volume id followed by a straight copy, that’s it.

TLDR

copy the volume id of old card to new card
then copy the whole content of old card to new card (or copy it first to a harddisk and then from the harddisk to the new card, doesn’t make a difference).

Step by step
I used my Fedora linux computer to do this, as it is a Thinkpad with SD-card slot.

First I looked what the volume id of the old sd-card was. I haven’t found a commandline tool for this, yet. So I used (KDE) partitionmanager (as gparted is not supporting extfat). Installed it with
dnf install kde-partitionmanager

Then I inserted the new sd-card and formatted it adding the volume id of the old sd-card. For that I had to install several exfat tools.
dnf install -y fuse-exfat exfat-utils

Then I formated new card with the old volume id (in the example the volume id is 01234567)
mkfs.exfat -i 01234567 /dev/mmcblk0p1

I then tried to copy from old to new sd-card with rsync -aP but astonishingly that didn’t work (data rate was really low (20–40 MB/s) and it seamed that only some files were copied to the new card, I have no idea why that happened, first time to see that, but as I didn’t have time, I didn’t further investigate). Then I just copied it with cp -a, which was at a rate of 100+ MB/s.
cp -a /mnt/oldcard/. /mnt/newcard/

Inserted the new card in the phone, restarted it (didn’t have to, I think). Worked like a charm. Everything worked as before (Antennapod, Osmand, MapsMe, Aard 2 dictionary with offline Wikipedias, photos, etc.). Nothing was missing. But I have a lot more space left on the sd-card now. :-D


text:
How to copy ringtones to Galaxy Ace 2?
Gingerbread on board :-).
I try to customize ringtone, so I copied files to "/system/media/audio/ringtones". Depending on the app, either the copy is forbidden or the copy is ignored.
Next try -- as with Galaxy Ace, I created directory "/mnt/sdcard/media/audio/ringtones" and copied the files there. This worked, however Android does not pick them up when selecting audio for a ringtone.
When I first customized my phone (around 2 years ago) I used the app "Tone Picker" to help the system to select the customized audio, maybe something was changed in the app, I don't know, however this also does not work.
I would prefer to copy somehow the files without need of external application anyway.
So how to do it?

I try to customize ringtone, so I copied files to "/system/media/audio/ringtones". Depending on the app, either the copy is forbidden or the copy is ignored.

It is because system partition is always mounted in read-only mode by Android. To edit anything in that partition you'd have to remount the partition in read-write mode. And in order to remount the system partition you would need root privileges. Once you've them, see the answers for Getting mount's usage suggestion when attempting /system remount or Can't remount /system in rw

I created directory "/mnt/sdcard/media/audio/ringtones" and copied the files there. This worked, however Android does not pick them up when selecting audio for a ringtone.

For some reason unbeknownst to me, if you move sound files into the Ringtones directory you would've to restart the Android in order to see those files as available ringtones through Settings app.
That however, is not the case if you use an app to set the ringtones.

Sure, no problem. :)


text:
WhatsApp chats disappeared after Android Operating System Update
I am having a Moto E XT-1022 (1st generation) 2014 model. In order to update its OS from 4.4.4 to 5.1, I had to make 500MB space available so I deleted all WhatsApp database backup files without copying them elsewhere as I knew from my own experience that WhatsApp had nothing to do with Android OS upgradation process since I had already upgraded the same android from OS 4.4 to 4.4.4 and my old Samsung even before that without losing any of my WhatsApp messages but unfortunately, this time all my chats are gone after OS update.
As I thought, WhatsApp tried to take the backup automatically on 3 AM like any other day, but it's not working either. Now I'm left with a possibly corrupt file msgstore.db.cypt8 (size: 103.62 MB). I read somewhere in here that there is a possibility of mending the corrupt backup and regenerating it afresh if the key can be extracted somehow. So is there any ray of hope for me?
PS: Mine is a non-rooted device.

Hi! Consider [edit]ing your question. Other than the first paragraph and the very last line, the rest of the text is irrelevant to the problem statement.

The only one that can help for this kind of issue is WhatsApp. You may want to contact support@whatsapp.com (Source: https://www.whatsapp.com/contact/) and see what they can help you with.

I just can't afford to lose my three years' important data.

This is the root of your problem. Any important data that you can't afford to lose shouldn't be stored as instant messages, you should have copied over any important data elsewhere.

Thanks, Ryan! But they are not trying to help at all.
By the way, I read moo's post here only (on Stack Exchange) but it was a 2014 post (link given below) dealing with .crypt7 file while mine is .crypt8 extension. Is it likely to work? Can someone improvize on this?
Source: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/66051/corrupted-data-cant-restore-whatsapp-chat-history

Someone please visit the link: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/66051/corrupted-data-cant-restore-whatsapp-chat-history and guide me. Thanks, guys! BTW, how may I contact moo (author of the post)? He was last seen on 14th of Aug.


text:
Nexus 7 (2013) How do I disable Android OS updates?
I want to disable OS updates on my rooted Nexus 7 (2013). Is there a way to stop the tablet from checking for these updates before I create the ROM rather than installing Disable Services or having to uncheck "show notifications" as I've seen in other posts?

Some ROMs have a dedicated system app that does the job of searching for a system update and alert the user. In Settings -> Apps -> All apps, do you see any app with the name (anywhere) 'System' or 'update'?

There is ConfigUpdater and Android System in All Apps. But just to clarify I'm creating my own ROM to flash and I want to be able to disable it from checking for the updates as part of the ROM that I am building.

Read this: http://androidforums.com/threads/nexus-7-how-to-disable-android-updates.896021/

After reading that it shows that I can check the notification box to prevent the notification box from appearing or disable "SystemUpdateService" using different apps.
So if the apps are able to accomplish what I want, there must be a way for me to accomplish this as part of the ROM that I am building.
When the app disables SystemUpdateService what is it actually modifying? Can I make the same changes as the app myself by finding and editing these files manually?


text:
"The device has either stopped responding or has been disconnected" error when copying a large file from Windows
I am trying to copy a large file (11 GB) from Windows using File Explorer, i.e. drag'n'drop to an Android device (Nexus 7, Android 4.4, 32 GB), but I get this error:

Cannot copy item
The device has either stopped responding or has been disconnected.

There is 26 GB available storage on the device. I can copy a small file with no problems. I was able to copy a 4.9 GB file. The device is connected via USB and USB debugging is enabled.
What is the problem?

Doesn't directly tell us, but makes it most likely to be MTP. MTP has its limitations in various circumstances, one of them being "timing out" with large amounts of data transferred. I already mentioned adb push above, which should be more reliable then. You can find more details in our adb tag-wiki. Additionally, our file-transfer tag might be interesting.

This discussion might be helpful: (SOLVED) This device has either stopped responding or has been disconnected.

The simplest way that works for me is to go to Settings > Developer options > Select USB configuration. First, select Audio source while connecting to the computer, then select Media Transfer Protocol (MTP). The device driver will install automatically.

Are you suggesting that selecting "Transferring Files" is wrong!

You might have an unstable MTP connection - Try swapping USB cable/getting rid of the USB hub if any. Performing a system update of your device will probably help, but it's a long shot.

I have had issues myself. When I  got a new cable I  realised the previous one was faulty or the connector was not making contact properly.


text:
Device does not register with Google to access the Play Store
I just got a new BLU studio G and after configuring my google account I can access my gmail, drive and other stuff, except for Play Store and Hangouts. I went to my account settings on the web and in the activity tab I saw my phone listed there, I can also go to the store from the browser (Opera by default, don't know if that helps) and though I can browse it, I cannot install/download anything as it says that I don't have any registered devices.
I have read this article and most of the links it has, tried almost all possible solutions, but resetting to factory settings, and still nothing. Right now am downloading an update of the store app (version 6) and will see if it works.
I even downloaded a VPN  to rule out there was something wrong with that,but nothing changed.
So my questions are: what could be wrong with my configuration and how can I fix it?

I finally made it to work, I'll be posting what worked for me so it hopefully helps someone facing the same problem.

I manually downloaded the latest (version 6 as of now) of the PlayStore app on my PC and installed it on my device
Then I went to the apps configuration and cleared cache data on all Play services I could find.
Then rebooted my phone and that was it


text:
Can't format microSD card
I am trying to format a microSD card which was previously used in a Windows Phone. Currently the microSD card is in a Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus (GT-S7500) running Android 2.3.6. I have tried erasing the memory from the Settings menu and now I have plugged the USB and givin it a go from Ubuntu.
Every time I try to format (or manually delete) data, every file and directory seem to stay put.
I thought it could be a microSD card corruption problem, but as I type
sudo fsck -a /dev/sdc

The only warning message I get is:
0x41: Dirty bit is set. Fs was not properly unmounted and some data may be corrupt.
Automatically removing dirty bit.

Then I issue the command one more time and the check is fine.
Is there anything I can do to format this microSD card?
Update: Running gparted I get this error:
plain floppy: device "/dev/sdc" busy (Resource temporarily unavailable):
Cannot initialize '::'
mlabel: Cannot initialize drive

From the context (also the one given on the answer), it might be worth trying: sudo cfdisk /dev/sdc, delete the partition, re-create it, and then create the file system anew (which should be possible via the Android device by formatting it). This time it's a "clean partition" then, so nothing should be "locked".

This is due to a bug in fsck.
 # fsck.vfat -v -a -w /dev/sda1

The above command automatically write changes to disk.
The dirty bit is set and cleared in the kernel, when mounting and unmounting a device;
or if its not working try this HDD Low Level Format Tool.This will help you format microSD completely.

Thank you for your answer. Unfortunately all files are still on the microSD card.

Can u please recheck the SD Card whether it is locked or not? And i have updated the Answer.

Thank you for the update. It seems to be locked. I tried to write a new file on the microSD and on the next mount it was gone.  Unfortunately I can't use Windows.


text:
Device uses non-USB charger. Can I still charge it through the USB port?
I got a Polaroid L9H tablet for Christmas, which includes a carrying case with built-in USB keyboard. I assume that it is for this reason that the tablet was designed with a barrel connector for its AC/DC adapter, rather than the micro-USB charging I'd come to associate with all modern portable electronics.
I tried to locate technical specifications for the tablet, but could only find the mini-pamphlet provided by the manufacturer, which says nothing either way about this:
If I plug this device into one of the many USB chargers I have distributed throughout my house, will it:

not charge at all?
charge, but not as rapidly as when using the provided adapter?
maybe charge, but probably also damage the tablet?
drain the battery even faster than being unplugged?
ruin the USB port?
explode?

I would really like to know if I can safely plug this tablet into my other chargers, or if I will be forced to bring the manufacturer's cord wherever I take the tablet.

Why not simply connect it to a PC via USB and see? After all, that's what the USB port is for. Let us know then whether the PC exploded :)

I've seen many older phones and cameras with data only USB connection, i.e. you can use it to transfer files and photos but no recharging.

Being on safe side, my guess is No, you can't charge (no, it won't explode but just won't charge) since

User pamphlet shows only way of charging
The USB port may be data only not charging and data. Yes, those kind of ports do exist and you can read How USB Charging works

Having said that, I don't see any logic for having a port that does not charge. It has a 4500 mAh , which is typical and can be charged through USB
Port. There is no reason to have a "data only" port, unless manufacturer has form factor/manufacturing cost constraints. It is actually "odd" to encounter such ports in present day devices
Edit 1
Looks like my guess was right!
Edit 2
Apologies for quoting the wrong product in support of my answer.Fact is that L9H is not covered in FAQ and as OP pointed out, he is unable to register product so product support seems to be way behind
Yet, Polaroid Support Site lists out user manuals for your device in 16GB and 32 GB version
OP had linked in his question user manual which corresponds to 32GB and dies not show USB charging, and shows only mains charging
User manual of L9H 16 GB shows clearly USB Port being used for charging from power pack in addition to mains charging
Conclusion: OPs model is not supported for USB charging, for reasons mentioned earlier (data only USB Port and user manual not mentioning USB charging as an option)
OP can further reach out to the OEM to get additional clarification if needed, but that may not be warranted

@izzy. Interesting , this is the first time I have  across this type of "non charging port" on a tablet, though remember seeing on some earlier laptop of a colleague..

I've got a Visual Land Prestige Elite 10Q that has two USB ports -- one is for charging only, and has no data connection (as far as I've been able to determine), the other is for the keyboard (and presumably other data devices), and won't accept charging.  Conversely, my previous tablet, a Lenovo (I've forgotten the model number) used Bluetooth for the keyboard and had a conventional (for Android devices) data-and-charge USB port.

I left an answer there.  Not sure how much help it'll be...

That FAQ is for the PMID700, which is not the same model. It also says that the tablet doesn't have access to the Google Play Store (but calls it the "Google Android market"). The LH9 does have the Play Store preloaded on it, so I can't accept that FAQ as an authoritative answer for this device.

Note also that the Polaroid Support site doesn't have an FAQ at all for the L9H tablet, nor firmware, or any other resource than the user guide. It's not even available as a model number to select on the registration form!


text:
USB adapter for sim card
Is it possible to hook up a sim card through a USB adapter, to plug into the micro USB port of my galaxy tab e? I received it as a gift, and there is no sim card slot, WiFi only. If it exists, where would I be able to find one?

Depends upon whether the tablet supports it. Watch out for "UMTS sticks" (at least that's what they are called here), they are intended for exactly this purpose on tablets and laptops. You could simply take your tablet along you and check in your provider's nearest shop to verify before buy.

Yes if you google "usb adapter for sim card" you will find one
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/camera-memory-cards-usb-drives/readers-adapters/abcat0404007.c?id=abcat0404007
you can then use this USB to Micro-USB cable to plug your adapter into the micro usb port on your tablet http://www.amazon.com/amp-USB-Micro-USB-Cable-Ft/dp/B002HMWQE2


text:
Which camera gives more accurate image, the front or the back camera?
My phone is Kyocera Hydro Icon with Android 4.4.2.
I use its back and front cameras to take pictures of my head and face at distances around an arm's length. I found the front camera gives more pleasing pictures than the back one, for example,
the pictures taken by the back one often shows my eyes are proportionally smaller.
Also the front camera seems to produce completely dark pictures when the lighting isn't good, while the back camera can still produce clearer pictures.
Which camera gives more accurate or realistic pictures of my face and head at distances around an arm's length?

That will most likely depend on the device and the hardware used in it (which makes it an Android independent question), and what kind of picture you're taking. Usually, the front camera is "intended for selfies" (video telephony) and such suited for that, while the back camera has a much different main purpose. As said, for selfies it's usually the front camera you should use ;)

Resolution governs quality of pictures

The back camera invariably is of higher resolution and is meant for better quality. Typical resolution is upwards of 10 Megapixels
Front camera is not meant for high resolution and was intended for visiting the image during video chats. With demand for better quality (including "selfies", it is now typically upwards of 2 megapixels and in recent phones 5 or more. Dark images as reported is less for to quality of  camera but more to do with subject focus and lighting conditions

Edit
OPs concern is more about "distortion". To reduce distortion

Take the snap at arms length, picture would be smaller but less distortion
Reduce aspect ratio (if default is higher) to 4:3
Keeping the subject and camera at same level and experiment with aligning your face to the top/bottom edge of photo to see if it reduces distortion
Try an app like Cameringo, which augments photo taking capabilities considerably and adding effects (I use the pro version of this but more for rear camera shots and both trial and pro versions are good). This may also help tackle the rear camera issues faced

Thanks. My question is more about the distortion of different parts of my face/head shape non-proportionally than about resolution. Which one is more realistic in terms of shape when taking pictures at distances around an arm's length, the front camera or back camera?

Interesting question. I found that the back camera does kind of "distort" the face when used for selfies, probably because it was constructed for capturing objects/persons at a longer distance (probably because of the "barreling" effect etc.).  The selfie has less MP but it does show the aspects of the nearby face more correctly IMO. Even concidering the lower photo quality of the selfie camera I would still use it for selfies, back for full body in mirror etc.
As a blogger I first wanted to mount a tiny mirror on the back of the phone so I could use the back camera for selfies because of the higher MP. But I found out that this camera was in fact designed for another purpose. The moment the camera is 1+ metres away from the person, everything looks fine. It's the handheld selfies where the back camera "problem" starts to appear.
My phone is a Huawei Honor 6.

Thanks. When I use the back camera, it seems that I have mouth protrusion problem to such a degree that I am considering to see an orthodontist or a oral surgeon.  Do you think the back camera itself may distort the image around a person's mouth?

I apologize for not noticing this specific reply of yours and getting back to it so late! I do believe that is possible. With the current camera technology of smartphones, I do recommend using the front camera for that type of photos. I hope everything went well!


text:
How to remove google synced data from my phone?
I added my father's Google account in my android phone to help him in some work as his phone wasn't working. Now before I could stop the sync settings, it has synced some contacts in my phone with his data. Can I remove the data from my android phone which has been synced from his account?

If the contacts remain after you removed the account, you should be able to remove them clearing your contacts storage app cache.


text:
Listen to text messages
Can somebody help with how can I listen to text messages on my phone? One of my friend using this same feature now I want to know how it works. Is there any way I can listen to my texts?

Why don't you call or text your friend and ask him/her about it?

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts! I've just added the text-to-speech tag to your question, please check answered questions using this – especially Is there an app that will vocalize (text to speech) a message (SMS)?

It is an accessibility feature found under Settings -> Acessibility -> Text to Speech. Refer @Izzy 's linked question for further details.

@TamoghnaChowdhury the linked question is rather discussing specific apps for that (yeah, I'd VTC – but as it's locked one cannot even flag it), so maybe you want to answer with some more details? (I've just rephrased the question to avoid off-topic VTC, so your answer would perfectly fit the OP's intention :)

This mentions the apps in @Izzy's linked question.
If you have Android, use the following apps:

SMS Reader
DriveSafe.ly®

Source: Listen to text messages

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! This post may answer the question, but if any apps are mentioned, it is standard practice to link to their websites/hosts at least once in the post per app.

The text-to-speech feature mentioned might not be app-specific (refer to @Izzy's linked question for help on that). It probably is an Android system feature enabled.
The Android system feature mentioned is the accessibility setting of text-to-speech (or TTS for short). It is better referred to in-system as Talkback, and the app is automatically updated through Google Play as it is provided by Google. Your OEM may provide either Google TTS or Pico TTS, or both. Google TTS is of higher voice quality compared to Pico TTS.
As to enabling Talkback so that (every text you can touch on the screen, including) your SMSes can be read out by your phone (although that could be a security liability), I'll detail the standard method.
To turn on TalkBack, follow these steps:

Navigate to Settings → Accessibility.
Follow the steps for your version of Android. Learn how to check your Android version.

Android 4.1 and above: Select TalkBack and slide the TalkBack switch to the on position.
Android 4.0: Select TalkBack and slide the TalkBack switch to the on position.
Next, go back to the previous screen and turn on Explore by touch.
Android 3.2 and earlier: Select the Accessibility checkbox, then select the TalkBack checkbox.

The confirmation screen displays a list of permissions that allow TalkBack to provide useful spoken feedback. To confirm that you allow these actions and to begin using TalkBack, touch OK.
Now, in your messages app, tap on the message and it will be read out to you.
Note:
TalkBack will read out anything you tap on-screen, as long as it has text associated with it. Beware!
For further details on Talkback, check out Google's official product support page for Android Accessibility here.
READ THIS LAST:
This is not without side effects. TalkBack will read out everything on your screen you touch if it can be acted on or has text in it, including notifications. Also, it will read out stuff like "colon p" for :p emoji and will read out all the characters in a web address. It will even tell you what you have touched, and let you act with a double-tap or move on to the next element without triggering anything.
Quoting from this Android Central article @Izzy mentioned:

TalkBack isn't something you'll want to use unless you need it. Frankly, it's darn near impossible to use when you can see what it is telling you you're seeing, and you can't help but tap and try to do things before it is ready.

Now, TalkBack can be specifically enabled for just the messaging app(s) through usage of an automation app like Tasker or Macrodroid.
With credits to @Izzy, these should help you out with configuring Tasker for this purpose, as you need it:

Read SMS while in Car Dock
Youtube Tasker Tutorial: read and respond to text messages
Find more here... ;)

References:

http://developer.android.com/design/patterns/accessibility.html
https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/6006564?hl=en


text:
Android OS background data usage
Recently set up 2 Android smart phones for my sons earlier this month (around Dec 12th, 2015). On one of the phones, Android OS is showing a HUGE spike in background data usage. From Dec 12th until Dec 25th, Android OS used maybe 233MB of data. However from December 25th until 3 days later (December 28th - Yesterday) it suddenly used 4.30 GB of data!!! WTH?!?!
The family mobile data plan for each line is 6GB through T-Mobile. He was no where near the limit prior to Christmas. Suddenly POOF... over 4GB of mobile data used by the OS. WHY?? What happened? Did his phone get hacked? I have Kaspersky Internet Security installed on the phone since it was set up.. no alarms showing an issue. So what changed in the past 3 days??
The few apps installed barely account for any data usage. Yet Android OS is hogging it all. Is something lurking under that moniker?  Not happy one bit. See attached images for reference.

First thing coming to my mind are OTA updates – but 4 GB would be far to much for those, even if it were full updates. Still, you could check that. OTOH, those screenshots seem to be from an LG phone running something before Kitkat (4.1/4.2 would be my guess), which makes a sudden OTA quite unlikely. Maybe you could [edit] your question and add brand/model of your device as well as Android version running?

The same thing happened to me.
While setting up Android there's an option for backing up all data to Google. It might be enabled on one of your sons phone.
Goto settings ->backup & restore
Make sure "back up device data" is not checked.
I did the same and it worked.


text:
Downgrade Galaxy Ace to stock rom without Odin
I' install the CM7.2 on it using the CWM v5.0.2.6 Well now I'd like to retun to stock rom I found that I cannot connect my phone to the computer(I have a damaged micro usb on the phone) to use Odin Well is there any way to return to stock rom without odin, by using the SD card? Thank's

Did you make nandroid backup of stock ROM after installing CWM? Or do you have recovery flashable stock ROM zip?

I downloded the original firmware for my ace; but I dont have any backups


text:
My phone is not connecting to the cell network (No Service)
I have an Android KitKat based phone. For over a week the phone is getting poor (at times) or no reception but the WiFi and bluetooth is working.
There is a cross near where the range is shown and I get "No Service" in the notification.
This screenshot summarizes my situation:

Here is a list of things I tried to do, but did not solve the problem:

Get a new duplicate sim card.
Use a working SIM card from a different service provider.
Switch to 2G mode and back.
Reset my phone.
Completely flash the stock ROM again.
Flash several modems from XDA.

Edit: Even if it is a hardware issue, is it possible to get some debug information? Like for example, somewhere in the kernel logs, it should be possible to know for sure what is happening, right? What and were to look for this information?
Edit2: Device is Lenovo P780, ROW (not chinese) per OP clarification

Rooted? Radio logs might help:adb logcat -b radio -v time -d > logcat_radio.log possibly kernel logs would also help. From a root shell: dmesg > dmesg.txt

@beeshyams When I flash, there are many different partitions listed. (Eg: PRELOADER, MBR, EBR,1 RECOVERY etc.) Which one of this would contain the modem? The IMEI is correct. Will IMEI be lost when I flash a new modem?

@beeshyams Sorry I forgot about it. It is a Lenovo P780, ROW (not chinese) with baseband version P780.V24

Back up your phone and try flashing modems from here http://forum.xda-developers.com/lenovo-p780/general/how-modems-t2757923,

This supports possible modern issue http://forum.xda-developers.com/lenovo-p780/development/p780-row-s226-flash-flashtool-t2909202/page4

This seems to be latest ROM for your device but you did not mention full details of your device (package details), so please recheck http://www.needrom.com/download/p780-android-4-4-2/

@beeshyams What do you mean by recheck? Did you mean 'reflash'? I tried the three modems and a few others specified in XDA and there is no difference. What do you mean by package details? I flashed S228 and installed TWRP.

Ok..so that possibility ruled out.

Sniffing in the dark here, but try wiping partition cache? I don't know if it makes a difference if you've reset your phone but you can try.

Reset Your android
just search for recovery mode buttons combination in google for your android
then choose wipe data/cache in that option


text:
format and install new OS to get rid of viruses
I have an android phone (my uncle's) that is full of viruses that display adds and reinstall themselves I'm guessing
there is no important/needed data on the phone
I tried factory reset, after used Dr Web to find viruses, and to root the phone (Kingo ROOT) in order to be able to remove some of them, 2 files identified by drweb couldn't be removed even though the phone was rooted because they were system files (priv-app/baseservice.apk and another one), I renamed them instead.
all this ^ didn't helped completely, they appear again somehow, so would like to format and clean install a new OS
is there a easy way to do that ?
my guess is I need some program on my pc (windows7) for this and connect the phone using usb and run some commands
the device is a fake galaxy S6, Android 5.0.2 kernel version 3.10.61

fake galaxy S6 That is probably the problem.

what does "fake" mean in this context?  pirated ROM?  branded but built in some shadowy factory?

@thufir it was a s6 lookalike,  but with much lesser hardware, and root apps malware

Firstly, some background

Anti Virus. Android devices are not susceptible to viruses as Windows machines are. To understand more see this Is an antivirus really needed for Android?. So, installing anti virus is not helping any, unless it scans for malware also
Malware. Malware in Android devices works by losing itself into /system ,i.e., behaving as if it is a system app. Factory Reset does not change anything in /system partition, so it does not help. You could try installing apps suggested here to check for malware Some program is showing ads on my desktop... How can I catch it?. You could read this for tell-tale symtoms of malware

Second, if you have a malware that can't be removed, only thing to do is to flash a new OS or stock OS a you rightly thought. This is going to be a challenge as getting reliable OS may be a challenge and you would need to search in various ROM forums of you can locate one that works on your device.You would find flashing instructions provided with ROM.
Important Note
Any ROM that works on Samsung S6 (Original) won't work on your device and may cause your device to be bricked. Be sure to flash a ROM meant for your device. Please read these to understand

Can I install a ROM made for a different device?:
Feasibility of flashing a ROM (meant for original device) on a re-branded device

Is it tough to flash a new ROM? Not really, if you take your time in understanding the instructions IMO, finding a ROM from a reliable source is the biggest challenge. My search (not very thorough) didn't lead me to any source

Are you sure about Factory Reset does not change anything in /system partition? I always thought it resets the system partition to what it was before, but you might be right

Absolutely sure. That is how malware becomes a nuisance . You can read on factory reset tag here to understand more

FACTORY reset only deletes user installed apps and data. Hence it is often confused with re flashing original ROM. Factory reset didn't flash original ROM again

Things you can do:

Downgrade to your stock ROM and install a good antivirus and run a complete device scan because some of them are powerful enough to remove viruses from system files in priveledged user mode.
Install Ubuntu Touch instead of android as shown in this guide. The guide is actually primarily for nexus devices but you can make it work for Galaxy S6 by finding the stock ROM yourself and other stuff for the S6 yourself instead of following the links given in the guide which are for nexus devices.
If that doesn't work and you are unable to install Ubuntu touch for some reason try this.

thnx, I actually did the first step and it helped a bit, but the viruses keep coming back, I installed top 3 antiviruses and rooted the device, so the antivirus could remove them, but it didn't help completely

I've fixed the phone by rooting it and uninstalling a bunch of system apps (anything that felt suspicious, google helped) ,
apparently the phone had malware apps preinstalled (root apps),
I also removed the sms app by accident, but it's ok, the owner doesn't use sms