Database Develop

[Q] Creating .img Files for Cooking Custom Rom

Hello:
I'm interested in creating and maintaining a custom rom for the Samsung Galaxy S. I've read a ton of tutorials and guides - on site and off - but I'm unable to get started due to one small problem.
After downloading the base firmware I'd like to use (specifically UGJK3 - firmware for Bell Canada) and opening it, I see a .tar file, and within that I see the following files:
param.lfs, zImage, modem.bin, cache.rfs, factoryfs.rfs.
I've mounted the .rfs files, but I'm still unable to cook the rom due to the absence of the system.img and boot.img files. I'm using the HTC Android kitchen to cook the rom, and it requires these files (or an update.zip file, etc) in order to start cooking.
I've searched far and wide, but I'm unable to find an answer on how to create these two .img files from the stock firmware provided by Samsung.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks.

So, I've done a bit more research and apparently the way Samsung handles their firmware is different than other manufacturers. This leads me to believe that I must convert their rom into a usuable format before attempting to import it in the HTC Kitchen.
However, I'm unsure how to exactly do this.

I'm going to try flashing the stock firmware then performing a nandroid backup, then using that to create my custom rom. It'd be much, much easier if I knew how to just create the .IMG files from the Samsung firmware.
Anyone have an idea on how to do this?

Last bump before I give up.

[Q] Extract sytem.sin

I need some help, I don't seem to be able to extract the sytem.sin, then I get a gZ archive witch I can't open with 7zip, annyone has a method that works? or a ext4 extractor?

extract system.sin from archive, then use flashtool and option sin editor, it will make .ext4 file...and last step use ext2explore-2.1.65 and open ext4 file

ArmaNineTSeven said:
I need some help, I don't seem to be able to extract the sytem.sin, then I get a gZ archive witch I can't open with 7zip, annyone has a method that works? or a ext4 extractor?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
as our friend said, the procedure is that easy, and that was complete, just for making your burdun a bit lighter, this is link for that explorer you need at the last step
wish you luck bro
http://sourceforge.net/projects/ext...xt2explore-2.1.65.zip/download?use_mirror=dfn

hoping to make a stock based rom for LT30p so we can keep the polished stock rom, with maybe some nexus look-a-like xp I'll see

No need for the ext2 explorer.
Once you have dumped the data in flash tool just use that ext4 file as the working file for your Rom in dsixdas kitchen
Sent whilst sat on the toilet.

I put the system.ext4 in the original update folder , but still get this: Ensure there is at least one ROM under the 'original_update' folder!

ArmaNineTSeven said:
I put the system.ext4 in the original update folder , but still get this: Ensure there is at least one ROM under the 'original_update' folder!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make sure you read the instructions in the kitchen OP and post 2
Sony Xperia 2011-12 devices, specifically:
- TX, P, U, Sola
- Active, Arc, Arc S, Mini, Mini Pro, Neo, Neo V, Neo L,
Play, Ray (follow steps below):
- Can only build ROM without boot.img
- If using stock FTF for kitchen:
1) Unzip FTF file, extract the system.sin
2) Dump system image from system.sin w/ Flashtool
(Advanced-> SIN Editor)
3) Rename dumped file to system.img
- OR If using Nandroid backups: Rename system.yaffs2.img to system.img
- Use this system.img in kitchen's original_update folder
- WARNING - If using a ROM made from system.sin (not Nandroid), it
is recommended to flash from the temporary (fastboot) Clockwork
Recovery, rather than the regular Clockwork Recovery, otherwise
device may not boot (possibly because custom recovery files in
system folder are not added to ROM? e.g. recovery.tar).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

[Q] How to unpack userdata.sin?

Hello, guys, i need some help...does someone know how to unpack or extract the files from userdata.sin, located in the FTF? Ive searched all the threads, but with the methods there i can only unpack system.sin...for some reason userdata.sin shows only empty folders when i unpack it...no files inside....which is impossible i think....i guess userdata.sin content the preloaded photos, videos etc....can you please tell me a way i could extract them?

AFAIK this should work, only ever used it on system.sin though.
Use flash tool to dump the data into an .ext file, then use ext2explorer to open the .ext file.
PS, I have already asked the mods to move your QUESTION to the QUESTION AND ANSWER section

Im sorry for posting it in the wrong section, i wondered where to post it. Can you please assist me on how exactly should I do this? Because I used the same method, first extract the sin file using flash tool, than it makes a big ext4 file. After that I was using ext2read, but in the extracted folder there was nothing except emtpy folders. Now I downloaded ext2explore (its the same penguin icon as ext2read), but i cant seem to get it working, it doesnt find any file on my system...?

I have just done it, and it works.
If you are after the preloaded photos and videos you wont get them from FTF, however, I have them so will upload them for you when I get a moment

Ok, so how it works? If you do it that way what do you get in the extracted folder?

http://prntscr.com/45jyx1

So obviously the problem is not in me, i thought im doing something wrong...wondering where those preloaded pics and videos and songs are then...Thank you very much for your attention and time!

They come preloaded on the internal storage and you lose them if you flash a FTF or repair your phone.
I will upload them later tonight and put a link here. PM me if I forget

Mmm so they should be somewhere in system.sin in the FTF? Strange, i cant find them there

No, they are not in FTF.
They come preloaded on the internal storage and if you flash a FTF you lose them.
They are not included in a FTF, that's why you can not find them
I will upload them for you later

Thank you very much...dont worry about them, i have them, i just wanted to check them out on every model of sony, just to see what preloaded files there are.....but obviously they are not in the FTF...very strange, on symbian they could be found on every system flash file...so you mean that after they are produced and installed, they put those files afterwards, and they cant be found anywhere in the flash files

Trouble extracting Z1s FTF for modding

I recently got the Z1s and decided I wanted to lighten it up a bit (coming from an N4, the SYSTEM footprint of the Z1s seems huge). Since the bootloader is locked (thanks, T-Mobile) I was just going to modify the stock ROM. So, I grabbed the newest FTF C6916_14.5.B.0.236_T-mobile_US.ftf, extracted the system.sin with 7-zip, and then extracted that to EXT4 using Flashtool 0.9.18.6. However, the resulting EXT4 can't be read by EXT4 Unpacker.
I also tried downloading and unpacking the FTF with XperiFirm (now built in to Flashtool), but the system.ext4 was still unreadable.
Does anyone have some tips on what I may be doing wrong?

elmerohueso said:
I recently got the Z1s and decided I wanted to lighten it up a bit (coming from an N4, the SYSTEM footprint of the Z1s seems huge). Since the bootloader is locked (thanks, T-Mobile) I was just going to modify the stock ROM. So, I grabbed the newest FTF C6916_14.5.B.0.236_T-mobile_US.ftf, extracted the system.sin with 7-zip, and then extracted that to EXT4 using Flashtool 0.9.18.6. However, the resulting EXT4 can't be read by EXT4 Unpacker.
I also tried downloading and unpacking the FTF with XperiFirm (now built in to Flashtool), but the system.ext4 was still unreadable.
Does anyone have some tips on what I may be doing wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're not doing anything wrong, I've had the same problem back in the days when my Z1 was alive. Anyways, I've found 1 app to extract system back in the days, I don't remember the name but I belive it's still somewhere on my PC/HDD I'll tell you if I find it.
And I don't think it'll be useful for modding the ftf as you can't re-pack it (or at least that was my case back in the days)
Regards,
~J2C

Just2Cause said:
You're not doing anything wrong, I've had the same problem back in the days when my Z1 was alive. Anyways, I've found 1 app to extract system back in the days, I don't remember the name but I belive it's still somewhere on my PC/HDD I'll tell you if I find it.
And I don't think it'll be useful for modding the ftf as you can't re-pack it (or at least that was my case back in the days)
Regards,
~J2C
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, that would be helpful.
I'm actually going to try making a flashable ZIP/ROM rather than repack it as an FTF. I'm just wanting to use the FTF as a source as I don't remember getting a NANDROID of my SYSTEM prior to any modifications.

Use PRFCreator http://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony/tool-prfcreator-easily-create-pre-t2859904 then you can unpack the system.ext4 file.

Thanks for the tips. I found that AccessData's Imager Lite, a tool for reading various disk images, was able to properly read the System.ext4 and export its whole file tree. Now it's on to the next step: seeing if I can make the system dump flashable.

[VE]Problem creating a custom rom

Hello community,
I'm currently trying to modify the stock rom for my GT-I8200n. I didn't find cwm for the S III mini VE, and the version of twrp I found was very buggy. So I need an odin-compatible flash file for my rom. I tried to modify the stock rom by downloading the .tar.md5 from sammobile, unpacked it with winrar and copied the system.img into an ubuntu-VM. After that I created a sys.img (or sys.raw, same problem) out of system.img using the simg2img-file I found somewhere here on xda, mounted sys.img (or sys.raw) and modified it. Then I unmounted it and used img2simg to create my system_new.img. Copied it to my windows system, into the unpacked stock rom folder, renamed it to system.img, overwriting the old system.img and packed everything into a .tar file using ZArc. Now while flashing my ROM, odin works on the system.img for some minutes and then shows a fail.
Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong?
P.S.: I tried simply using simg2img on my stock system.img and then - without mounting and modifying - used img2simg kn the sys.img file. Same problem with odin and I noticed that my new system.img is approximately 50 mb smaller than the stock img, although I didn't modify it.
I hope I described my problem well (I'm not an english native speaker, but did my best to make this text understandable )
Any ideas or hints that could maybe solve this problem are welcome.
Thank you,
Chris

I have the same problem
any solution ?