Hacking PS4.05 REBUILD DATABASE removes all PKGs from main menu. HOW TO REVERSE?

[bobovieri]

Even if he is its useful to know:

System_data/priv/mms

Back up:

app.db
appcont.db

Hey KiiWii I tried to FTP the pkg from their installed directory to no avail.
1- if you browse to the directory of the installed PKGs, which is user/app/CUSA-----, you will see that they have 5 files, not just the pkg there:
a json, a bpm, a bpm backup, a xml and a PKG. The pkg size is NOT the same as the one you use to install it.
2- filezilla doesn't let me download the PKG. I managed to download the rest, the PKG is locked, it tells me "impossible to open app.pkg ion writing".

3 So I FTPed app.db and appcont.db, but they are the NEW app.db AFTER the ps4 has rebuilt the database, so they are not usefull for the old installed PKG.

 

[KiiWii]

Hey KiiWii I tried to FTP the pkg from their installed directory to no avail.
1- if you browse to the directory of the installed PKGs, which is user/app/CUSA-----, you will see that they have 5 files, not just the pkg there:
a json, a bpm, a bpm backup, a xml and a PKG. The pkg size is NOT the same as the one you use to install it.
2- filezilla doesn't let me download the PKG. I managed to download the rest, the PKG is locked, it tells me "impossible to open app.pkg ion writing".

3 So I FTPed app.db and appcont.db, but they are the NEW app.db AFTER the ps4 has rebuilt the database, so they are not usefull for the old installed PKG.

Thanks for testing, it was worth a check, shane it did not work.... wonder why...

I noticed Stooged has an android host for ps4 exploits and one of his payloads is to dump those files as backups in same location they exist.

May come in very handy in future.

 

[bobovieri]

Thanks for testing, it was worth a check, shane it did not work.... wonder why...

I noticed Stooged has an android host for ps4 exploits and one of his payloads is to dump those files as backups in same location they exist.

May come in very handy in future.

I guess, I'm gonna just backup the app.db from now on, that should be my insurance.
Also, I did some further testing: I reinstalled one pkg that is still on the HDD as a "deleted" game.
The ps4 asked me if I wanted to reinstall the pkg, because it knew it was there. I said yes.

Then I checked the difference, from a filezilla search on the / directory(the root of the HDD), between this PKG entries and another "deleted" PKG.
Well, the two search results are a bit different: when a PKG is installed, the ps4 creates a bunch of directories with the CUSA----- name.
You can do the search too on filezilla, I searched for "03745", which is the PKG for last guardian which I reinstalled. The game works, of course, and it asked me if I wanted to continue, of course. Then I searched for 00303. I don't even know what that is.
Anyway, the difference in folders, is that the properly installed pkg have 5 more entries in the "av_contents" folder (which I cannot find on FTP, must be hidden)
and another 5 more entries in the "user/av_contents" folder (which I can browse to). So basically, the PS4 has deleted these folders when it rebuilt the database.
The entries have the same name on both folders, and are:
content_tmp
photo/NPXS20001
thumbnails/photo/NPXS20001
thumbnails/video/NPXS20001
video/NPXS20001

Well, if that's usefull info for somebody that knows how to tell the PS4 to rebuild the lost directories, we could have a solution.

 

[KiiWii]

I have been backing up pkgs just incase, but now backing up the db files is another layer of safety.

I find it strange how the games install to PS4 as app.pkg...

 

[GAMERZEROZ1]

Hey KiiWii I tried to FTP the pkg from their installed directory to no avail.
1- if you browse to the directory of the installed PKGs, which is user/app/CUSA-----, you will see that they have 5 files, not just the pkg there:
a json, a bpm, a bpm backup, a xml and a PKG. The pkg size is NOT the same as the one you use to install it.
2- filezilla doesn't let me download the PKG. I managed to download the rest, the PKG is locked, it tells me "impossible to open app.pkg ion writing".

3 So I FTPed app.db and appcont.db, but they are the NEW app.db AFTER the ps4 has rebuilt the database, so they are not usefull for the old installed PKG.

It worked for me i used filezilla found one of my games app.pkg extracted it with filezilla and tred to install it it did give me an error the first time and then tried again later than it told me the that was already installed do you want to install again i don't know how i got this to work now tring a another game that i lost and it's working i did mesaround in the debug settings i don't know what i tried but it's working.

 

[KiiWii]

It worked for me i used filezilla found one of my games app.pkg extracted it with filezilla and tred to install it it did give me an error the first time and then tried again later than it told me the that was already installed do you want to install again i don't know how i got this to work now tring a another game that i lost and it's working i did mesaround in the debug settings i don't know what i tried but it's working.

Interesting findings

 

[GAMERZEROZ1]

Interesting findings

Yeah Now i'm working on reinstalling things now thank god i thought i was screwed.

 

[GAMERZEROZ1]

I know how i did it you just need to inject ps4-hen-vtx.bin and you can install app.pkg

 

[GAMERZEROZ1]

And it will work.

 

[Sovikos]

I JUST RETITLED AND MADE A NEW THREAD WITH NEWER INFO ON THIS.
IT'S THE REBUILD DATABASE FUNCION ON THE PS4 THAT MOVES THE PKGs IN PURGATORY. SO GO TO THAT THREAD IF YOU WANT TO HELP, THANKS<3<3<3

I just did this on 4.55 as the games have been having trouble loading up at boot or when saving/loading it will sometimes just hang there.

So where is the new thread? Could you link it?

 

[Sovikos]

Also if I reinstall all the games will my HDD say the right size again? I have 2 TB, and it now says I have 300 GB with like 2.71 GB used. So I would say I had around 1.7 TB of games installed. I have them all on my computer and on the USB Hard Drive I used to install them, so if I lose the ones I installed that is fine, but with it going to be like 8 hrs to install all those games and can be a pain in the ass lol. So basically what do I do from here to get my stuff back?

Should I just delete all folders from the /user/app/ folder?? And then just reinstall all the games?

 

[shinichi999]

I just did this on 4.55 as the games have been having trouble loading up at boot or when saving/loading it will sometimes just hang there.

So where is the new thread? Could you link it?

I'm having the same problem. Is there any solution? Where's the other thread?

 

[Sovikos]

I'm having the same problem. Is there any solution? Where's the other thread?

I think this is the thread, and it has just be combined?? Anyways there isn't a solution yet except to just reinstall every game... but I have no idea if that fixes the HDD space? I have over 150 games installed, so there is no way I am going through and hitting "Yes" to overwrite each one. I am just going to try to save the save games and format and start fresh, as I haven't found any answers on if and where I can just delete the old games, and if it will reset the drive size? Then after I format I am going to see if I can FTP the save games back over and they'll work under the same User Name(s) they were played/saved under. If not thats okay, as it was just a few Minecraft games the kids have been playing basically.

Now to prevent this from happening, there is a payload that will backup your Database and then you can FTP over the backup if you ever need to do a rebuild database (or apparently if it happens automatically somehow). Supposedly it works if this has happened, but if you don't have the backup of your database first you are SOL.

 

[fringle]

I did this and the only way I could get my hdd to show the full 2tb after was to reinitialize the entire system and start over. The claim that you can't ftp the games to pc from their install folder on the ps4 and reinstall them is false as that is how I got all my games back afterwards.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Should also add that if you don't want to redownload all your games you have to ftp them to your pc before you reinitialize.

 

[godreborn]

you may not need the save database. if you start the game, then save (so that they're added to the database), transfer over your original saves, then load each save to update the save database... that's my method of restoring saves (don't know about going from a format though). you can also rebuild the database after restoring each save. I think that will work as well.

 

[safailla]

Just throwing my 2cents of curiosity here, I followed through the entire thread and I didn't quite get how to properly install the app.db back into the system. I get using FTP and replacing the files, but for some reason I get an error message that says the Database is corrupted CE-33005-1 and the system then restarts and rebuilds the database again.

I backed up the App.db twice, once through ftp and the other through DB_SG Backup through the Kiiwiis Self host files, luckily minuets before the Database decided it needed to be rebuilt, but now neither seem to work. Everything was working previously on those app.db files so i must be missing a step or proper procedure.

DB_SG Backup did seem to save the the DB_backup and some UserData files. I have tried replacing those through FTP but again no luck. still I may be doing something wrong! wouldn't be the first time Haha!

Do you Gents have any thoughts?

 

[chrisnasah]

same issue happened here, installing pkg crashed decided to rebuild database and all games gone. Hard drive still got them but not recognised as game on PS4.

 

[safailla]

same issue happened here, installing pkg crashed decided to rebuild database and all games gone. Hard drive still got them but not recognised as game on PS4.

Did you manage to save your app.db before hand? still, sorry to hear i know what its like, the 2 steps forward and 5 steps back.

 

[godreborn]

yeah, the app.db will tell you if the games are being read.

 

[safailla]

yeah, the app.db will tell you if the games are being read.

So what does that mean specifically? The app.db I backed up was functioning properly at the time it was backed up. Now when I attempt to FTP it I get a Database Corrupted error and it rebuilds my DB. Are you saying, specifically, that the DB is now corrupted (for sure) and i should simply reinitialize the ps4 and re-download my pkgs?

If thats where I am at then im okay with that, I was just hoping the app.db would be useful in reconnecting my symlinked files.

 

[godreborn]

So what does that mean specifically? The app.db I backed up was functioning properly at the time it was backed up. Now when I attempt to FTP it I get a Database Corrupted error and it rebuilds my DB. Are you saying, specifically, that the DB is now corrupted (for sure) and i should simply reinitialize the ps4 and re-download my pkgs?

If thats where I am at then im okay with that, I was just hoping the app.db would be useful in reconnecting my symlinked files.

unknown. I've only injected my app.db on the vita, so I assume the same is true of the ps4. what I mean to say is to look in the app.db to see if the games are listed in there.