Sony Xperia X - Installation stuck on wiping partition
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I have a Sony Xperia X F5121 which I am attempting to install Ubuntu Touch on. I am using the Windows installer on a standard Win10 PC. The phone is updated to Android 8.0, but I haven't updated any particular apps since I don't believe it would matter.
I believe I have prepared the phone properly: developer mode is enabled, USB debugging is enabled, and the bootloader has been unlocked. Whenever I boot the phone normally, it tells me that it has been unlocked and cannot be trusted, then goes through the standard startup sequence and displays a warning over the OS informing me that it will reset to factory defaults. After a few minutes, the Android OS disappears and a large "POWER OFF" button appears.
My process is as follows:
- Run the installer as administrator on my PC.
- Plug in the phone in normal mode.
- Phone is recognized by installer, which gives me the standard reminder that I should enable developer mode and USB debugging and unlock the bootloader if I haven't already.
- I select the OS to install (Ubuntu Touch), the version (16.04 Stable).
- I check both checkboxes, one to enable wiping user data, and the other to enable flashing the bootloader.
I proceed with the installation, and the phone reboots into bootloader mode. I know this works properly because the screen is black and the Experia's status LED shows a blue light on the far right. The installer then says it is erasing the system partition, and this is where it gets stuck. I know that erasing the partition can be slow, but I have left the phone on this step for hours and nothing has changed. The Android OS also hasn't changed or stopped behaving correctly, so I assume no or very few files actually being deleted.
I've tried using every other combination of installer settings, but that has not caused it to behave any differently. I have tried installing onto the device when it has already been booted into the bootloader, but that gets stuck on the "erasing userdata partition" step instead.
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@Badunifil
maybe you could try an older version of installer. How did you manage the software binarie files? You need to tell the installer the correct path.UT since 2012 (also Sailfish)
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Other instruction here ... https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/rom-f5121-wip-ubuntu-touch-for-sony-xperia-x.3958100/
youtube here ... https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lA7l9rcuDiQ
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@Pingu said in Sony Xperia X - Installation stuck on wiping partition:
maybe you could try an older version of installer.
I would not do that, it offers no benefits.
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Download and install TWRP recovery for the Xperia X - here in fastboot. You have to make sure the DATA partition is formatted to EXT4 or Ubuntu Touch won't work. (In the main menu choose WIPE, then advanced, tick the DATA partition box, and choose repair or change file system and select EXT4).
Once done, reboot to system (android) and set it up again. Then try again.
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@MrT10001 said in Sony Xperia X - Installation stuck on wiping partition:
(In the main menu choose WIPE, then advanced, tick the DATA partition box, and choose repair or change file system and select EXT4).
Once done, reboot to system (android) and set it up again. Then try again.In the main menu of what? I was able to follow the steps for the Fastboot Install Method, and use the
adb devicesandfastboot flash recovery twrp.imgcommands, which seemed to succeed, but that hasn't affected the behavior of the device.Just to be thorough, I downloaded the TWRP app via the Play Store, but there's no "WIPE" option in there either. What does TWRP even do, anyway?
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@Badunifil In the main menu of TWRP:
Advanced Wipe choose repair or change file system -image is example - tick DATA only.
Change file system:
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@MrT10001
Thank you very much for the screenshots and detailed explanation. However, the app I have installed on my Xperia does not look like that. I'm sure I installed the correct app.Pardon the low image quality, but taking a photo with my Nexus 5 was the simplest way.
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@Badunifil said in Sony Xperia X - Installation stuck on wiping partition:
the app I have installed on my Xperia does not look like that. I'm sure I installed the correct app.
What you have there looks like the TWRP app, running on Android (or something Android-adjacent). That's not what you need.
What you need is the TWRP recovery, that can be booted separate from any OS. It's a different thing. I know because I made the same mistake. -
Hi @Badunifil,
For your info, please read in the following links:
https://twrp.me/sony/sonyxperiax.html
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/ub-recovery-twrp-v3-7-0-for-xperia-x.3786431/
best regards
Mario
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First of all, thank you all for your help. I would have replied sooner but I was injured near the start of June and my work has been very busy in the meantime so I have not been able to sit down and devote an afternoon to figuring this out.
@Moem said in Sony Xperia X - Installation stuck on wiping partition:
What you need is the TWRP recovery, that can be booted separate from any OS. It's a different thing. I know because I made the same mistake.
Yeah. Not my smartest moment.
@MrT10001 said in Sony Xperia X - Installation stuck on wiping partition:
Download and install TWRP recovery for the Xperia X - here in fastboot. You have to make sure the DATA partition is formatted to EXT4 or Ubuntu Touch won't work. (In the main menu choose WIPE, then advanced, tick the DATA partition box, and choose repair or change file system and select EXT4).
Once done, reboot to system (android) and set it up again. Then try again.
I understand what you meant in this post now. I haven't been able to get the fastboot instructions to work on Windows, so I have moved to my Linux PC (Devuan, which is non-systemd). I have followed the instructions you linked, and the twrp.img file seems to have deployed successfully to my device.
However, after running these commands and holding down the Volume Up button in order to remain in fastboot mode, I'm not sure what to do next.
- If I reboot the device via the command line, it boots to the normal Android OS (but will stay in fastboot mode with a blank screen if I hold down the Volume Up button).
- If I unplug the device and let it boot, it does the same (even if I'm holding down the Volume Up button).
I've read through all the links provided in this thread and I still feel like I'm missing something. Any help would be great.
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@Badunifil Once you have installed TWRP you have to boot into recovery (which is TWRP), don't do fastboot reboot but look at the volume and power key combo to enter recovery. Power off first and then use the key combo to boot to recovery.
If it boots into Android, you need to reflash TWRP as it gets overwritten by Android recovery.
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Hi @Badunifil,
Supplement to the quote from
@MrT10001 said in Sony Xperia X - Installation stuck on wiping partition:
Once you have installed TWRP you have to boot into recovery (which is TWRP), don't do fastboot reboot but look at the volume and power key combo to enter recovery. Power off first and then use the key combo to boot to recovery.
See also, the mentioned key combination, under the title <Recovery mode> in the following link:
Good luck.
Greeting Mario
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@MrT10001
@Mario-CH
Thanks. I was able to boot into the TWRP interface, and I followed the instructions from earlier: Wipe > Advanced > check "Data" > Repair or Change File System > Change File System > EXT4. I swear that these are the only options I chose.After doing this and attempting to reboot into the Android OS to get the device ready for a UT installation, it is stuck in a boot loop. All I see now is a warning screen ("Your device has been unlocked and can't be trusted"), then the SONY splash screen, then a black screen. It repeats indefinitely.
I can still boot the device into the TWRP interface and into fastboot mode, so it's not totally scrambled, but I think I did something to the Android OS to make it unbootable.
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@Badunifil The bootloader is unlocked as you have booted into TWRP, leave it in fastboot and run the UT installer.
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@MrT10001
My Win10 PC does not recognize the device when it is in fastboot mode, so I booted into TWRP and got the installer to recognize it. I began the installation, and the installer rebooted the device into fastboot mode in order to erase the partition.It currently seems to be stuck doing that. I will give it time so that I can be sure what is happening, but I think I may be back at square one with a system partition that won't erase.
Alternatively, I may try setting up a Linux VM with something really compatible like Mint, and try using that to install via the command line.
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@Badunifil You need to have the latest fastboot and ADB drivers installed. I would (and i say that as it has worked every time for me on Linux and Windows) install Android Studio. Once installed, run the installer again. The UT installer should work as it has it's own fastboot and ADB drivers, but I have found not all the time. Installing Android Studio resolved these issues I encountered.
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I have solved the problem by using the UB Ports installer on a VM (Mint hosted on Devuan). Both my Devuan PC and the VM recognized the device during normal and fastboot modes with no trouble, and all I had to do was redirect the USB connection to the VM a few times as the device restarted during installation. My Xperia is now running Ubuntu Touch with zero problems.
If I ever do this in the future, I'll avoid the Windows version of the installer completely. I've used it twice now and both times it has been more hassle than using a Linux version on a compatibility-focused distro like Mint.
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Hi @Badunifil,
I'm glad you made it after all.
The feeling of having made it gives you a closer connection to the new OS.
This might tempt you to donate if you like the UT operating system.
Does it or doesn't it?
Whatever, enjoy your new OS.Greetings Mario
