[HOWTO] use e-Recovery to wipe & format data before sideloading/install eOS

chrisrg · May 8, 2021, 2:44pm

This HowTo doesn’t apply to your device if the installation instructions for your device don’t mention a recovery. For example the Fairphone 3.

The e-recovery.img will perform many of the same functions as twrp and is probably a bit easier in some respects for installing the eOS.zip. There are just a few basic steps to carry out:

select Factory Reset, then Format data / factory reset and continue with the formatting process
Return to Home Screen
Select Apply Update, then Apply from ADB

Now turn to your computer and issue the command to sideload the eOS installation zip

adb sideload filename.zip

When installation has finished, return to the main menu, tap Reboot system now

Your phone should now boot into eOS.

Step-by-step, with images

The e-recovery Home Screen. Select Factory reset

Select Format data/factory reset (notice the output appearing at the bottom of the screen)

Then press the arrow at the top of the screen to return to Home Screen

Select Apply Update, then Apply from ADB

The screen should now change and the output at the bottom ask you to send the package from your computer.

On the computer issue command to sideload the eOS installation zip and the phone screen will be mostly blank with just the output at the bottom showing progress.

On the computer the sideloading shows progress as a percentage figure that will stop at 47%. The phone will still be installing though (even though it might feel like nothing is happening sometimes!) and you can expect to see the following screens

Tap Reboot system now to boot into eOS.

Pictures taken and installation carried out on a pair of Sony Xperia XA2’s. A fabulous phone for e!! !

AnotherElk · May 8, 2021, 3:13pm

Not to confuse users of so-called A/B devices, for which the install process works using fastboot and not a recovery (example), this part should read something like …

You’re following the installation instructions for installing eOS mentioning a recovery in the process and you have booted the e-recovery.img that is bundled with the eOS installation.zip.
This HowTo doesn’t apply to your device if the install process for your device doesn’t mention a recovery.

chrisrg · May 8, 2021, 3:34pm

Thanks for the tip. I’ll edit it.
At the risk of getting confusing though…most a/b devices temporarily boot a custom recovery as described in the howto. I think the Fairphone might be in the minority, no?

AnotherElk · May 8, 2021, 3:54pm

Now you’ve written “For example the Fairphone.”
Your HowTo applies to the non-A/B Fairphone 2, while it doesn’t apply to the A/B Fairphone 3 .

Interesting. Do you have an example?

chrisrg · May 8, 2021, 4:22pm

Ahhhh, fluff! Edited it.

Are we crossing wires here? We’re talking installing an os zip on a/b device by booting a custom recovery to sideload the zip.Such as Sony Xperia XA2 and variants, Essential PH-1, Pixel 5 (full name omitted for reasons of decency), Oneplus a/b’s as far as I can tell…

AnotherElk · May 8, 2021, 5:11pm

Hmmm … if those are A/B I got the cause of the different install procedures wrong.
What’s the difference then? Lockable bootloader?
But the Gigaset GS290 gets the fastboot treatment without getting the bootloader locked at the end.
Perhaps it’s just a “whatever works” approach ?

chrisrg · May 8, 2021, 6:13pm

I don’t know what the diffs are. Just looked at the GS290 link, phew, those are very brief install instructions arent they? Great if it works.

Like the way the Fairphone 3 flashes to both slots though.

Anyway, all a little OT.

Grendel · May 10, 2021, 9:38pm

Having just finally restored my OP6 to working “rooted” order with not a little help from your instructions, I can see that we, users of A/B devices, are in the minority compared to all those Samsung people.
But I can see how things should be simpler for OTA updates, and the e-recovery can help in this respect. I might suggest though adding an instruction for how to flash-boot the e-recovery in the first place. For the Fairphone 3 for example I can’t see an image file for that purpose unlike for your bloved Experia XA2

chrisrg · May 10, 2021, 9:47pm

Re-reading my post above I see the confusion. My brief “Like the way the Fairphone 3 flashes to both slots though.” is meant as " I like the way the Fairphone 3 flashes to both slots though."

Fairphone 3 one installs the os just using fastboot commands. Recovery not required for installation and I’m guessing the recovery would be delivered to the device as part of the boot.img.

Well, I put the howto together to specifically help in the situation described in the Scenario at the top of this thread. Whereby a person has booted e-recovery but doesn’t know how to wipe/format etc. I have helped people on a number of occaisons at this point of the process.

I can’t really give the commands to boot the recovery because, as you know, they differ from device to device.

But I’ll edit the title to try and make it more targeted. It’s not my forte coming up with concise, accurate titles!

AnotherElk · May 11, 2021, 5:37am

That’s correct.
Since there’s no recovery partition, the recovery is embedded in the boot partition.

smu44 · May 11, 2021, 5:54am

Just a little side note : I’m wondering if Recovery Screenshot will work with e-Recovery as it does with TWRP ?

chrisrg · May 11, 2021, 2:02pm

Thanks for the link.I looked at this last year but did not have access to windows at the time, plus it looked a tad confusing! Anyway I got to grips with setting up windows with adb etc and had a go, and yes it works quite well. Screenshots in twrp I’ve taken with vol down/pwr buttons; this one you take by running the software on computer and enter a number to take the shot.

Guess I’ll have to replace all the camera shots in the post above at some point.