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Instructions for using TWRP recovery. Installing firmware, updates, kernels and other things on an Android device using TWRP Team win recovery project popped up what to do

Instructions for installing TWRP and obtaining root rights via SP Flash Tool.

This instruction implies:

  • That you have the following files:
    • - program for flashing recovery
    • Scatter.txt - to load recovery.img into Flash Tool
    • recovery.img - actually, the image of the custom recovery itself for installation via the Flash Tool (Lenovo P780, Lenovo S820, Lenovo S930 )
  • What do you already have drivers installed for?

Instructions for installing custom recovery:


1. First of all, downloadSuperSU archive and place it on the internal memory of your device. There is no need to unpack this archive, just copy it to the root of your memory, next to other folders and files (no need to hide it in folders)

2. Download the recovery image in .img format for your device and place it in a separate folder on your computer. Be sure to rename the image to recovery.img and nothing else. Download the scatter file (a file in .txt format, usually located in the folder with the factory firmware for the device) and place it in the same folder where you placed recovery.img

The folder name should not contain Cyrillic characters, only Latin characters and numbers. Make sure there are no other files in this folder. Usually, recovery.img and the scatter file are already included in one archive for ease of installation, but if you only have recovery.img, then the scatter file can be taken in the archive with the factory firmware for your device.

3. Unpack the archive with the programFlash Tool and run the file from there Flash_Tool.exe , with administrator rights (right click on the file -> run as administrator). If a warning appears stating that the Scatter file has not been loaded, then simply click OK to continue.

4. in the right corner of the program window. A review window will open, go to the folder where recovery.img is located and selectscatter file (for example MT6592_Android_scatter.txt)

5. Before continuing, make sure that the device is disconnected from the PC. After selecting the scatter file, the recovery file should be loaded in the Flash Tool window, make sure that the checkbox is only opposite the sectionRECOVERY and nowhere else (sometimes the boot.img file is also flashed along with the recovery, in which case it will be provided along with the recovery and will be located in the same folder called boot.img)

6. Next, to put the program into standby mode for connecting a smartphone, press the button Download in the program window (if a warning pops up stating that not all files have been downloaded, click OK to continue anyway). It should look like the screenshot below (for version 5 of Flash Tool and for version 3 of Flash Tool)



7. After clicking the Download button, pick up your device and turn it off completely. If your device has a removable battery, then “twist” it (pull out/insert), then do not turn on the device, but leave it turned off. Connect the switched off device to the computer so that the Flash Tool can start flashing your recovery firmware. Since we are only flashing the recovery partition, the firmware should take a matter of seconds. After the firmware is finished, a window with a green circle will appear (if the firmware does not start, in 99% of cases, this is a problem with the drivers, that is, they are simply not installed)

8. As soon as the firmware is completed, disconnect the device from the PC, but do not rush to turn it on. If the battery is removable, then “perturb” it again, but, again, do not turn on the device

Instructions for obtaining root rights from custom recovery



1. After installing custom recovery, pick up the still turned off phone and boot it immediately into recovery mode. To do this, with the device turned off, hold down the buttonvolume up and power buttonand hold this combination until the device boots into recovery mode (you'll see for yourself). On some devices, to boot into recovery you need to hold down both sound up and sound down and power, for example on Lenovo

2. After you get into the recovery, do the following (for navigation, use the sound buttons like up/down and the power button to select an option, this is if the recovery is not touch-sensitive like TWRP Recovery):

  • If you have installed CWM Recovery:
    • install zip
    • choose zip from sdcard
    • select the SuperSU zip archive that we copied to the device’s memory earlier (sometimes the zip archive for obtaining root rights may be different, that is, not SuperSU, this is usually specified in the topic of obtaining root rights for the device)
    • Yes - Install
    • Reboot System now (in the main recovery menu, select reboot the device)
    If you have installed TWRP Recovery:
    • Install zip
    • Select the SuperSU zip archive, which we copied to the device memory earlier, install it
    • Reboot
    • System


If some other recovery was installed, not TWRP or CWM (the two most common recovery data), but for example PhilZ Thouch Recovery, then look for the zip archive installation item, everything should be intuitive there

3. After installing the zip archive from recovery and booting the device. Find among the installed applications a new one (installed along with a zip archive) called SuperSU. Turn on Wi-Fi on your device and launch this application. If you are prompted to update the binary file, then agree to update in the normal way

4. That's it, after the update you will get a full root

Almost every user of a modern gadget strives to make their device a little better. If we consider Android-based solutions, it will be undeniable that all owners of smartphones or tablets are missing something in their devices. For some, productivity, for others, autonomy. To provide many non-standard functions that are not provided by the device manufacturer, the user or group creates their own firmware. The first step on this path is to install a non-standard or “custom” recovery environment - recovery. Later in the article we will talk about how to install TWRP Recovery via a computer and using other means.

What is custom recovery?

Any Android device, and these are mainly smartphones or tablets, is equipped by the manufacturer with a pre-installed recovery environment, or recovery in other words. This software component makes it possible to reset the device to factory settings, provides tools for updating the firmware, and also solves some diagnostic and configuration tasks.

To launch recovery, most often a special key combination is used on the device when it is turned off. Additionally, entering the recovery environment is often possible using the ADB commands included in the Android SDK.

Why TWRP

It must be noted that manufacturers limit the capabilities of pre-installed recovery. Many experienced users want to make the most of the capabilities of the hardware components, and therefore so-called custom recoveries have appeared, available for installation on a wide range of Android devices. This solution quite seriously expands the possibilities of adding new functions to the firmware and fine-tuning devices.

One of the most popular and functional solutions among custom recovery is TeamWin Recovery (short and commonly used abbreviation - TWRP). Below we will take a closer look at how to install TWRP Recovery on various devices using different tools and tools.

Risks

Before putting into practice the knowledge of how to install TWRP Recovery, you must clearly understand all the risks associated with the procedure of installing and using custom recovery. Theoretically, using a recovery environment other than the one provided by the device manufacturer can lead to the loss of important data, as well as the device malfunctioning and even hardware failure. It is important to remember the need to save the information contained in the device until you install TWRP Recovery on Android. In any case, each action described below is performed by the user at his own peril and risk.

Installation methods for different devices

To install TWRP, you usually use one of several methods:

  • Flashtool is a third-party software designed for updating and “clean” installation of firmware, which can also be used to flash the recovery. Only owners of devices created on the MTK platform should figure out how to install TWRP Recovery via Flashtool. For devices running processors from other manufacturers, the program is useless.
  • Installation using ADB commands - AndroidDebugBridge (from the Android SDK).
  • TWRP Manager is a special utility released by TeamWin.

Installing TWRP via Flash Tool

To carry out the procedure, we will need the Flash Tool itself, the TWRP file in .img format and renamed twrp.img, as well as a special scatter file. All of the above is individual and different for each device model. In order to find the required version of the program and files individual for each device, the easiest way is to go to specialized forums in topics on Android devices.

After all the files have been received, we proceed to follow the instructions on how to install TWRP Recovery via Flashtool:

  1. Initially, you need to unpack the archives with the Flash Tool program, as well as, if necessary, with twrp.img and the scatter file into a separate folder on drive C.
  2. Next, the Flash_Tool.exe file is launched with administrator rights. If a warning appears that the Scatter file is not loaded, it is ignored and the “OK” button is pressed.
  3. Open the main program window. First of all, you need to download the scatter file. This is done using the Scatter-loading button located in the upper corner of the window. In the explorer window that opens, you need to specify the path to the desired file and select it.
  4. Before proceeding, you need to make sure that the device is disconnected from the PC. Next, the checkboxes are removed from all fields, with the exception of the RECOVERY section, and the path to the twrp.img file is indicated in the Location field of the section.
  5. The next step is to switch the utility to standby mode for connecting the device being flashed. To do this, use the “Download” button in the Flash Tool program window.
  6. After clicking on the “Download” button, the switched off device is connected to the USB port. In some cases, it may be necessary to "jerk" the battery.
  7. The recovery firmware will start automatically and will take very little time. The end of the procedure is indicated by the appearance of a small window containing a green circle. You can disconnect the device from the PC.

Installing TWRP using ADB

Let's figure out how to install TWRP Recovery via a computer using ADB commands.

In general, the method consists of sending several special commands to the device via the command line and is probably suitable for more advanced users of PCs and Android devices.

In order for the question of how to install TWRP Recovery via ADB to be resolved successfully, you must first download and, if necessary, unpack the archives, and also install the following:

  • Android SDK;
  • Google USB Driver;
  • TWRP file in .img format and renamed to twrp.img (it must be copied to the device memory).

First, connect the device to USB in the “Debugging via ADB” mode. The command line starts and the following commands are entered into it one by one:

  • cd C:\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools\adb - pressing the Enter key;
  • su - pressing the Enter key;
  • dd if=/sdcard/twrp.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p34 - and pressing the Enter key again.

After all commands are completed, the device is disconnected from the USB port and rebooted.

Conclusion

Thus, even a not very experienced owner of any Android device can figure out the question of how to install TWRP Recovery. It is only important to first familiarize yourself with all the possible consequences and, before starting to manipulate the device, make sure that all subsequent steps are weighed, thought out and correct.

After everything is successful, everyone can install new and different firmware via TWRP Recovery, get root rights, make backup copies of any partition of the device’s memory, and much more.

Initially, the functionality of tablets or smartphones for users is very limited. They often cannot install some programs, change the boot animation, or remove unnecessary built-in applications. There are even gadgets with built-in advertising in the shell itself. To be able to change this (uninstall/install a program, change animation), you must have root rights. They are the ones who open the administrator functionality for the user.

Why do users not have root rights by default?

The average person doesn't need them at all. The built-in user functionality is more than enough for full use of a smartphone or tablet. With root rights you can change system settings, which are difficult to understand.

Therefore, software developers initially grant the user normal rights. And this is done for safety reasons. Without root rights, no virus can particularly harm the user (steal his money, show third-party advertising, etc.). But if the user has root rights, then third-party programs, including viruses, will automatically receive them.

TWRP - what is it?

When a user explores how to modify their device, they have to root it. Hence, he often comes across the term "TWRP firmware". This is a powerful utility that provides the user with many more options than the standard one.

TWRP Recovery allows you to make full backups with the ability to select the necessary elements to save, configure different options more flexibly, use the S-Pen on Galaxy Note devices, install non-standard programs and firmware. And this is not the entire list of possibilities. There are more of them, but it would take a long time to list them all, including minor ones.

How to install TWRP Recovery?

The installation process itself does not require special knowledge and effort, and takes little time. There are even special built-in programs on Android devices for modified recovery, so installing TWRP will not be difficult even for a not very confident user. For example, there is a Toolkit application where the recovery installation functionality is available. But there is also a GooManager program on the Google Play service - it can be installed on any Android gadget. The "Install OpenRecovery Script" function is available in it.

Launch

To launch (or rather get into) TWRP Recovery, you can use different methods:

  1. When you turn on the gadget, you need to press a special key combination. Depending on the phone or tablet model, the combinations will be different. On some phones, recovery is launched when you turn it on and simultaneously press the volume up button. On another device, the power and volume down button are used.
  2. You can also use Titanium Backup or GooManager. There you simply select Recovery mode in the menu item.
  3. Using a computer. To do this, drivers for the gadget and the ADB program must be installed on the PC. After connecting the device to the computer, you need to run the adb rebood recovery command in the command line.

Menu and functions

After starting the recovery, the following buttons (functions) will be available:

  1. Install;
  2. Backup;
  3. Wipe;
  4. Settings;
  5. Advanced;
  6. Reboot;
  7. Restore;
  8. Mount.

These are the main points in the interface. Now let's figure out what all this means in TWRP.

Install - used to install patches, various modifications and new firmware. This is the most commonly used function. Mainly used for installing official and unofficial firmware, changing the theme, etc.

Wipe is a menu for deleting files and cleaning the system. The functions here are practically unlimited. That is, you can clear any part of the memory, or you can completely erase everything and return to factory settings. You can clear a folder, flash drive, internal memory.

Backup. Section for creating system backups. one of the most important points in recovery. The feature allows you to make a complete backup, including application data.

Restore. After the creation process is complete, you can restore the previously created copy in the Restore menu. Moreover, you can restore a copy from the internal memory of the device or flash drive (as well as save Backup to a flash drive or gadget memory). When a backup is detected, the user will be prompted to mark the partitions that need to be restored. You can also delete the copy, rename it, etc.

Mount. This menu provides options for mounting and deleting partitions. You can also perform transactions with them. The functions of mounting and unmounting the system cache partition, internal memory, memory card, and data partition are available.

Settings. Here are the TWRP settings. What does this give? At a minimum, you can enable/disable subscription and checksum checking for different files, ignore errors in file size, etc.

Advanced. Additional functions that allow you to save log files to an external memory card, change partitions on a flash drive, and return normal access rights to applications with root privileges.

Reboot. There are only 3 functions: turn off the device, reboot with login, reboot with login to TWRP. What this is Reboot is intuitively clear to everyone.

The process of installing firmware using TWRP

These menu items are easy to work with. For example, to install any firmware or patch in .zip format you need:

  1. Boot into TWRP.
  2. Select the Install function.
  3. Select the memory where the files will be installed or copied.
  4. Find the required file (which needs to be installed).
  5. We start the installation (to do this you need to drag the slider from the left side of the screen to the right).

It is permissible to select 10 files in a .zip archive at once. All of them will be installed sequentially. After the process is completed, it is advisable to clear the cache.

Now you know what TWRP is and how to use it. But it’s better not to indulge in this functionality unless necessary. It is no coincidence that the developers left the user with normal rights and reliably hid the root. Leave this functionality to people who understand. After all, out of ignorance, you risk returning the phone to factory settings, for example, and then you will not be able to restore important files without a backup.

Those who daily use a tablet or smartphone based on the Android OS often want more functionality than is provided with the purchase. To do this, you need to get root rights (access to administrator rights), install custom firmware, install a different boot animation and much more.

When a user studies information on changing his device, he often comes across a mention of a modified recovery, which is usually called ClockworkMod Recovery or TWRP Recovery. You can find the general concept of mod recovery in other articles, but here we will take a closer look at another well-known type of modified factory menu, namely TWRP Recovery, which was developed by the Teamwin team.

Before we look at the functions of TWRP Recovery in more detail, it should be noted that in comparison with ClockworkMod there are a number of features due to which many users prefer to use TWRP:
- The ability to fully use the touchscreen to control mod recovery functions;
- more flexible configuration of a number of options;
- support for installing multiple zip files at once;
- a detailed menu for selecting what needs to be saved in backup copies;
- the ability to use the S-Pen on Galaxy Note tablets;
- Screen lock and sleep mode using the power button.

User guide for working with TWRP Recovery mod recovery
1. General information about TWRP
2. Installing TWRP Recovery
3. How to get to the TWRP Recovery menu
4. Detailed examination of the main functions in the TWRP Recovery menu
5. Flashing, replacing system files, installing updates, modifications on Android devices using TWRP

What is TWRP Recovery

Let's get acquainted with what TWRP Recovery is.
Compared to the standard factory menu, TWRP Recovery has a much larger number of functions available to the user. Using it, you can save a complete snapshot of the system, install non-standard software, other firmware, replace the OS kernel, restore the system from a backup, and many other options are available. TWRP is written to a special section of the internal memory of the phone or tablet, replacing the factory recovery.
Often, in a number of seemingly hopeless situations, TWRP Recovery can come to the rescue. Despite the fact that the phone may stop booting, it is not uncommon that by using TWRP, you can completely restore the device’s functionality from a backup copy, saving all settings, programs and their settings.

Here is a short list of the main features of TWRP Recovery:
- Installation of alternative (custom) firmware, or kernels;
- Installing system updates, patches, making adjustments to the gadget’s functions;
- Creating a full backup of the system or its individual parts (application data, system partition, cache, settings);
- Connection via a USB cable to a computer as a removable storage device;
- Restoring the previous state of the system from a previously saved backup copy (backup);
- Editing partitions on the memory card (creating, formatting, deleting);
- Possibility of resetting to factory settings (Wipe - data/factory reset). You can delete only part of the data instead of completely resetting it to its original state: deleting battery statistics (wipe battery stats), clearing the cache (wipe cache), erasing the Dalvik-cache (wipe Dalvik-cache);
- Use as a terminal to execute commands;
- Ability to work with system files on a tablet or phone.

Installing TWRP Recovery

It doesn't take much effort to install TWRP Recovery on most devices. If you install the GooManager application from Google Play, you can use the “Install OpenRecovery Script” function in its menu.

Many Android gadgets, such as Nexus smartphones and tablets, have specially designed programs, like the Google Nexus 7 Toolkit, which has a function for installing a modified recovery. In addition, using the adb program, you can also install TWRP Recovery.

How to get into TWRP Recovery

In order to enter the modified recovery menu, you can use several methods:
1. By pressing a special combination of buttons when turning on the gadget. The combination may vary for different Android device models. For example, on a number of devices you can get into recovery by holding down the volume up key and the power button at the same time while turning it on.
2. Using a specialized program such as GooManager or Titanium Backup, which allows you to select the “Reboot Recovery” option in your menu to boot into Recovery mode.
3. If the appropriate gadget drivers are installed on the PC and the connection is configured using the ADB program (the so-called ADB shell), then by connecting the USB cable from the computer to the USB device, you can run the command:

adb reboot recovery

Basic functions and menus of TWRP Recovery

After booting your phone or tablet into TWRP Recovery, you will first be taken to the main menu.

This manual discusses the functions and capabilities of TWRP Recovery version 2.3.2, which is the most current at the time of writing. Other versions of TWRP may have a slightly different interface, but the main functionality will remain the same as in the version we are considering.

The appearance of TWRP recovery may also differ slightly, depending on the specific device and the selected theme.
Since TWRP recovery supports touch controls, selecting the desired menu items and navigating through them is very simple - just like when using a gadget normally, you just need to press the item you need with your finger.
If you want to return to the previous menu, then in each submenu there is a return button at the bottom (phone) or top right (tablet) of the display. Also shown at the top is the battery charge percentage and the current time.

Functions of the main menu items:
1. Install

Used to install firmware, patches and modifications.
This is one of the most used features of TWRP Recovery.
Using this option, you can install custom (unofficial), official firmware, programs into the system partition, replace kernels, change bootanimation, themes, and more. Updates are installed from files located anywhere on the device’s memory card, in zip format.
After selecting the required file, a menu opens where you can add the next update. In this way, you can create a queue through which patches will be installed (Add More Zips item). After the necessary files are selected, you need to start flashing the firmware by dragging the slider located at the bottom of the display from the left side to the right.

The Zip Signature verifications feature can enable verification of the digital signature of zip files.
Using the Force MD5 check on all Zips item, you can check installed updates for compliance with MD5 checksums.

2. Wipe Clear and delete data menu

In this section, it is possible to clear the phone’s memory, either by completely returning to the factory settings (Factory Reset), or by choosing to clear only a certain part of it, such as the System partition, cache, or Dalvilú Cache. After applying Factory Reset, the device will return to the state in which it came from the factory.
In addition, it is possible to clear the internal memory (Internal Storage) or external SD card (External Storage), clear the folder where programs installed on external media are stored (android_secure) or reset the battery statistics counter (Wipe Battery Stats).
Similar to other executable functions, you can confirm your choice using the slider that appears at the bottom of the display. You can cancel tasks by tapping the "Back" button.

3.Backup Data or system backup section

This is one of the most important points in a modified recovery. Here you can backup the entire system of your phone or tablet, including application data and device installations - Nandroid Backup.

In this section you can:
- Select the parts of memory that you want to reserve: Data, System, Recovery, Boot, Uboot, Cache, NVram;
- Look at the available amount of memory space (Free Space);
- Disable the creation of checksums in backup files (Skip MD5 generation during backup);
- Activate compression of backup files (Enable Compression);
- Select Use internal storage to save backup data;
- Select an external memory card to save backup files (Use external SD);
- Update information on free memory in sections (Refresh Sizes);
- Set Backup name.
Just as before, you can activate the launch of the functions you have chosen using the slider, after which the progress of the operation will be shown.

When the process is complete, you can reboot the gadget using the Reboot System option, or return to the TWRP main menu using the arrow.

4.Restore Menu for restoring parts or the entire system from a previously created backup

This section provides the following options:
- selecting the device’s internal memory as the place where backups will be searched (Use internal storage);
- set an external memory card as a partition where recovery will look for backup (Use external SD).
If you did not change the settings when creating a backup, then by default the names of backup copies are composed of the number and time of creation. Files can be sorted in the following ways:
- in ascending (Sort Ascending) or descending (Sort Descending) order of creation date;
- increasing or decreasing the size of backup copies.

When the required backup is found, the following selection of functions is provided:
- mark those partitions that need to be restored (Data, System, Recovery, Boot, Uboot, Cache, NVram);
- delete this backup copy (Delete Backup);
- give a different name to the selected backup (Rename Backup);
- enable checking of MD5 checksums in backup files.

Start performing the selected operation by confirming your choice using the slider at the bottom of the screen.

5.Mount

Here you can mount and unmount partitions and perform operations on them. When mounted, the data contained on the partition becomes accessible.

This section contains functions:
- Mounting, unmounting the system partition (Mount/Unmount System);
- Mounting, unmounting the cache partition (Mount/Unmount Cache);
- Mounting, unmounting the data partition (Mount/Unmount Data);
- Mounting, unmounting internal memory (Mount/Unmount Internal);
- Mounting, unmounting an external memory card (Mount/Unmount Sdcard);
- Connecting the device to a PC as a drive (Mount USB storage). Here you can connect an SD card to your PC (Use external SD) or the gadget’s built-in memory (Use internal storage).

6.Settings Modified recovery settings

Here you can set the settings that TWRP Recovery will use by default when performing functions:
- Enable/disable verification of the digital signature of installed files (Zip file signature verification);
- Enable/disable checksum checking for any zip files (Force MD5 check for all zips);
- Erasing files instead of formatting during memory clearing (Use rm -rf instead of formatting);
- Ignore image size errors during backup;
- Do not create checksums during backup creation (Skip MD5 generation during backup);
- Select your time zone;
- Return to default TWRP Recovery settings (Restore Defaults).

7. Advanced Additional TWRP options

Here you can:
- Activate saving the operation log file to a memory card (Copy Log to SD);
- Restore access rights to system folders and files, which may be violated by some applications with root privileges, to their original state. Sometimes access rights violations can lead to crashes and freezes of the tablet or phone (Fix Permissions);
- Change partitions on the memory card (create, delete, create swap cache files). Swap is usually used to speed up Android devices. (Partition SD Card).
Here you can run the following commands: Copy (copy a file), Move (move a file), Chmod 755 (set permissions to 755, which is the default for all system files), Chmod (set other permissions), Delete (delete a file), Rename File (rename file);
- Execute a command entered manually in terminal mode (the same as from a PC using the adb Sshell interface) (Terminal Command).

8.Reboot

Using this item you can reboot the device. Available options:
- reboot into the operating mode of the device (System);
- reboot into recovery;
- turn off the tablet or phone (Power Off).

Flashing, replacing system files, installing updates, modifications on Android devices using TWRP

In order to install another firmware or patch, you will need to copy these files in zip format to a memory card or internal memory.

Next we do the following:
1. Boot into TWRP recovery;
2. Select the “Install” function;
3. Select internal (Use internal storage) or external memory (Use external SD), depending on where we copied the files we need.
4. Find and select the file that needs to be installed.
5. If you have an md5 file along with a Zip, then you can activate the check of amounts (Force MD5 check on all Zips), otherwise we do not do this;
6. Start the installation by dragging the slider from left to right.

You can select 10 zip files at once, which will be installed sequentially. Once the process is complete, the installation is complete.
When the process is completed, it is recommended to clear the cache and dalvik cache.