Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

Hello there,

Recently I tried to install Java on my N900 and accidentally and because of my stupidity I deleted an /usr/bin file while being root. At that time I thought nothing of it and when I couldn't connect to WiFi I tried to restart my phone because in most of the cases that was a deal. Sadly after I turned it off N900 wouldn't turn on - there is just white background with NOKIA logo and it freezes.

I tried to fallow advices from this post http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=86547 as I really wouldn't like to erase all of the data stored on N900 because I've got a bank account passwords there and nowhere else... But my N900 can't be connected to my laptop when I tired to re-flash it. System doesn't recognize it and can't install drivers.

At this point I need to add that there have been a very long problem with charging my device when turned off. It started normally, but after a yellow light (meaning it was charging) appeared 4 times n900 kind of tried to turn itself on. There appeared this white background with nokia logo, after that a "loading" screen (moving dots) and then it always went off without charging at all. I became frustrated by that and after one time my battery was decharged I thought I lost my phone but I found a solution for that. After a phone wanted to boot up I disconnected a charger and when it was about to go off I plugged it in again and it was charging again.

Now the same thing happens when I try to maintain an usb connection with n900, but here a trick with pluggin on and off won't work. (now, when I deleted /usr/bin I can't even charge it at all, my trick isn't working anymore)

At this point I am desparate because if I lost all of my data from n900 I'm in really, really deep **** and it would take months and a lot of money to repair that damage. Any kind of advice will be more than welcome...

Re: Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

If your data is in MyDocs just reflash (not full flash, just the standard rootfs one). It will fix your /usr/bin and make the phone bootable again. If you kept that data on rootfs... not sure if there is a way to retrieve it unless you installed MyBackupMenu or similar

Re: Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

As above
http://wiki.maemo.org/Reflash
Follow instructions for COMBINED or FIASCO reflashing.

I have not worked out why people still don't store important things on the SD card.
I have everything (Music, Documents, Backups) on a 64GB card it just saves the hassle if a full reflash is required.
There not really expensive and definately worth it.

Re: Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

I kept all of my important information in wallet application :
http://my-maemo.com/software/applica...to=1741&faq=50

And as I said in the first post: I can't maintain an usb connection with a PC. It just tries to boot itself up or if I hold an 'u' key while plugging a cable in there is just nothing, just a windows sound for plugged in and immediately after that plugged off sound...

Re: Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

Try flashing from a linux box, works pretty much always. If you're paranoid contact the app developer, he should give you hints which files to backup after reflash to copy over again after app reinstall on fresh device (assuming app during setup/pin definition generates different files). I highly doubt this app stores things on rootfs, you should be golden

Re: Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

64...gb...card...?

Re: Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

If you are using Windows 7 64-bit, try using the wiki, the USB fix works for all my reflashes.

Re: Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

µSDXC UHS-I from SanDisk ;)

Re: Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

thank you misterc and sixwheeledbeast. you taught me a valuable lesson i will never forget for the rest of my lives.

Re: Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

Just keep in mind highest GB out there is very often totally contrary to what one is looking for. No idea on this cards' random read/writes, but so far lesson has been: Biggest in HD camera recording is also slowest for anything else (10-20 times slower). For backup will be awesome, for storing data that needs quick access often, most likely worst (which is why for ubuntu booting class 2-4 are best)

Re: Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

The above 64GB card seems to work fine for me.
Has two 800MB swaps and the rest data (FAT).
I don't have any random I/O figures tho.

Re: Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

Re: Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

Care to do a stress-test? There are tools/benchmarks to do it, but generating 10000 1kb files and simple >> to them of a single char in random order should help. Random read/writes usually are in orders of 100kb/s, continuous writes for HD recording keep the Mb/s figures from your post.

Re: Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

my aim was to get an idea of the performance i may expect from the µSDXC in the N900
(do the tools you refer to run on the N900?)
i guess i could use a dd command with bs=1kb but it wouldn't be random, now, would it?

i have added a 2GB swap partition at the end of the card and reserved most of the space for a ext2 partition for my still to be compiled "local repository" of extras+testing+dev

i guess for swap your kbs size case could apply but otherwise? i don't run an OS on the µSD card, thus...

Re: Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

There was a tool for benchmarking sd cards straight on maemo, can't find it now... What I found was my post after getting much advertised fast random IO samsung class 10:
http://talk.maemo.org/showpost.php?p...&postcount=132

Benchmark on different OS with usb connected or through card reader shouldn't be that far away though.

Re: Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

i'll give the dd with bs=1kb a run for its money next time around, but don't hold your breath, okay?

actually, i also need to put it in the 808 PV and check whether the full resolution pictures save faster on it then on the internal flash (about 5 sec :mad:)
considering the sustained write speed & the 10MB size of a 38 MP jpg, that should go down to about 2 sec :p
unless there is a lot of processing involved :eek:

Re: Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

to be compared with... this
didn't see that post until after i had started the command so that'll have to do for a 1st run

parameters are not the same, but performance seems roughly 50% higher...

Re: Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

Please post exact commands to run, will try with my samsung sdhc which gave me x5 boost some half a year ago vs best at that time. Really hoping sd developments are catching up, booting ubuntu might end up being faster than maemo ;)

Or is it just bonnie++?

Re: Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

hey, don't shoot the messenger, will you?
the command i used is 1st line
on the post i refer to the command is slightly different (lasts over an hr... i had about 10 min)
will get back with later, but might take some time (can't leave the darn thing lying around for an hour not doing anything, now, can i ?!?)

honestly, i think the performances from my 1st post earlier strike me as much more realistic then all that "stat" stuff, but... less "standard" obviously

Re: Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

Know that feel :D Seriously interested though. I do remember a thred on tmo comparing random vs consequential io performance of sd cards with some benchmark tool, but my googlefu fails me totally. While looking into it 300kb/s for random on class 10 was around 1/5th (1/4th maybe?) of what fastest class 2 cards were giving and given huge boost in consequential seemed like the best option. Really hope this improved. Even then people were considering moving swap to sd, if it improves like calculating power, we might soon move to keeping rootfs on sd card and get speed boost out of it (not to mention more rootfs space).

Re: Deleted /usr/bin, can't boot, can't flash, Important data on N900
 

I assume you don't have U-boot installed? (in which case you could still recover your system booting off an sd card).

If /usr/bin is not there, Maemo is not there anymore (in the bootable sense of the word). Meaning your only option is to reflash the rootfs. Meaning you need a working USB port.

You said you've tried flashing following this thread (http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=86547), which I personally find a bit to messy as well as confusing (flashing only kernel will not help *you*, you don't need a new kernel, you need a new / partition).

First things first: which OS are you using? 64-bit Windows is a notorious no-go (although it may work after all). The best recommended OS is a 32-bit Linux.

Try to get a live CD from a suitable distro (Ubuntu should be fine) and then follow the instructions here: http://wiki.maemo.org/Updating_the_tablet_firmware

The above Wiki may be a bit confusing, as it deals with various cases as well as other Maemo devices.

In essence, you need to:
1. remove battery of N900 and wait a minute or two (just for the fun of it)
2. run the following command on the PC, as root:
# flasher-3.5 -F combined.bin -f -R
(where combined.bin is your combined/fiasco firmware image)
3. when it says "suitable usb device not found, waiting,
slide out keyboard, hit "u" and keep it pressed. put battery in:
if it turns on automatically it should start flashing automatically,
if not, use your third hand to turn the N900 on. the flashing should start.

If the flasher doesn't recognize the N900 or the N900 doesn't recognize the flasher, then it will continue booting until it stops/reboots. Try again a couple of times (always removing the battery, etc.).

Try also connecting the USB to different ports of your PC (some ports may be hubbed.)

If nothing works you need to have your USB port repaired.