Root Market problem?

[RyanB]

This isn't the typical "how do I clear the data?" problem, but something else. When I woke up this morning, I had five updates waiting for me. Four of them wouldn't install, saying "Error: Unknown - 18". I tried both resets, as well as clearing the data, but still the same results. I was able to install other apps OK, app I emailed the developers of the four (fearing that BB was breaking them), and this is what I got back from the one that had so far replied:

I was curious this morning, so I did some research. You're the first person to report "Unknown Error: 18" from the Android Market while installing ST RPG I was able to find a long list of folks running custom ROM having Android Market issues after last Thursday's major Android Market security and feature upgrade. Those of us on the development side were down for several hours while Google rearranged the application distribution infrastructure. I see a increasing number of users of Bugless Beast and other ROMs reporting 18 during the installation of trusted Android Market applications. I know that recent updates of ST RPG have been extremely minor and no substantial changes have been made. Leads me to suspect that the problem is outside of Angry Birds or ST RPG. That said, I just sent out an e-mail to the local Droid Developers list in hopes of finding someone running v0 5 of Bugless Beast so we can track down the bug in the ROM or the ROM's Market application.

Has anyone else had problems updating or installing anything? The four apps I had trouble with were Star Trader RPG, Email Notifier, Tweetdeck, and Easymoney.

 

[RyanB]

I can't even update Appbrain. Am I alone in my experience?

 

[RyanB]

I guess I am alone.

Anyhow, I thought I'd share which suggestion (of the several I came across) worked for me. Each of the "offending" apps were on my SD card. I moved them to the phone, and each one updated OK. I'm at a TOTAL loss to explain it, but I wanted to share this nonetheless.

 

[Liebensaft]

I actually had the same problem. I'm using BB 0.5 at the moment and couldn't install Angry Birds or a theme for Dolphin HD.

 

[RyanB]

Well, are you installing them fresh, or updating existing apps?

 

[Lozer_Kid]

I am having the exact same problem and I have a Sprint HTC Hero :S I already did two hard resets on my phone and my Market still won't work!

 

[RyanB]

Lozer: Are you rooted? Are those updates or fresh installs?

 

[Lozer_Kid]

Lozer: Are you rooted? Are those updates or fresh installs?

I am rooted and are both, updates and fresh installs

 

[RyanB]

In my case, the apps were on my SD card, so I'll offer what little help I can. Are the apps that you're updating stored on the phone or the SD card?

 

[Lozer_Kid]

In my case, the apps were on my SD card, so I'll offer what little help I can. Are the apps that you're updating stored on the phone or the SD card?

They are supposed to be store on my phone. I came to the conclusion that there might be a problem with the Market app itself. I just tried to download some apps on a different phone, an unrooted Samsung Moment, and the apps are not downloading on that phone either :S. It's getting a "download unsuccessfu" message!

 

[RyanB]

Not that I could decode them, but was it the same error message that I listed above? Also, since they weren't on the SD card to begin with, you could check out these threads that I found earlier. They appear to be complex though.

Application Install All-Around Failures - CyanogenMod Forum

Fixing "Unknown reason 18" market error - xda-developers

 

[Lozer_Kid]

No, I haven't gotten any Error # messages. My Moment gets the unsuccessful message and my Hero doesn't get any messages at all! Thanks for the links though I'll try to read them!

 

[BobbyPhoenix]

I'm having issues now. I go to my updates, and see I have five apps to update. I click on one to see what is new, and then click update. It starts to download, but then stops instantly. All five did the same thing. No error message. I tried rebooting, clearing cache, pressing update all, but nothing works. Now when I go to downloads I see my apps as showing free, and that I can install them, but I already have them, and if I select install, it starts, but stops again right away. Very frustrating. I'm not rooted. All stock DHD.

 

[Lozer_Kid]

It sucks, cause my phone doesn't have anything installed now. I can't even get my contacts back because I can't install WaveSecure to retreive from there! Ugh!

 

[RyanB]

@lozer: being rooted, didn't you use titanium backup? It copies itself to your SD card (IIRC) so you wouldn't need the market per se to get stuff back

@Bobby: have you tried clearing the Market DATA?

 

[BobbyPhoenix]

I didn't clear the actual data since I didn't really know if I would lose important stuff. I only cleared the cache. I'll try clearing data.

 

[RyanB]

Think of clearing the data like "resetting" the app portion of the market. All your apps are stored at Google's end, so you won't lose anything by trying it.

 

[pkwjr]

IF you have ROM Manager, scroll down to Fix Permissions and see if that helps.

 

[BobbyPhoenix]

Well I checked one more time before I was going to try the clear data, and now everything works. I was able to update all my apps. Go figure.

 

[RyanB]

Go figure.

I hear ya dude.

 

[RyanB]

OK, as always YMMV. That being said, I've got this thing licked with "Error: Unknown - 18" keeping me from installing and updating apps that are on the SD card. Here goes.

1. There's a folder on your SD card called ".android_secure". From what I could tell, this is where the OS dumps all the necessary parts of the apps that you move from the phone.. it works like an overflow.
2. There is (should be?) a file on it called smdl2tmp1.asec. I have NO idea what purpose it serves, but I can only assume that it corrupted; if you Google the original error message you'll see several references to this file, and removing it via the terminal emulator or via mounting (my preferred method so I can see what I'm doing). I had to wait this long as I figured out this much while I was on vacation.
3. Delete that file.
4. Test it out by downloading an app that installs directly to the SD for you (Angry Birds, the Fast Web Installer for Appbrain, etc). These are the ones that gave me grief, and now they're working like a charm.

I hope this helps others who have the same problem.

 

[downstat]

ended up downloading a terminal emulator, ran the rm /mnt/... in superuser, and it worked for me

thanks!

 

[Lozer_Kid]

@lozer: being rooted, didn't you use titanium backup? It copies itself to your SD card (IIRC) so you wouldn't need the market per se to get stuff back

wouldnt that be the same thing as making a nandroid back up? well, I dont use Titanium back, but I made a back up using Clockworkmode Rom Manager and when I tried to instal the back up, HTC sense just kept foreclosing so I had to reinstall everything

 

[RyanB]

No, I believe there's a difference. AFAIK, nandroid backs up EVERYTHING (ROM, apps, settings, etc) at one time, like a photograph. When restored, everything is thrown back on. Titanium is different in that it's not concerned with the ROM, but it will back up the apps one by one (though it can do the copying all at one time), so when you restore them, you get options that I don't think nandroid offers, like whether or not you would like the settings restored with a given app, or just install it fresh (on a case by case basis).

 

[Picaso86]

I had similar problem. I kept getting errors everytime I was trying to update any apps. well, my solution was moving most of my apps to my "internal memory" and the ones that were really heavy or I didnt use often stayed on my SD card. for now everything is running fine.