Running vi in adb under Windows

Question

Very occasionally, I will want to edit a file, say /system/build.prop or /etc/hosts on my Android device. I find that the easiest way to do it is:

c:\> adb shell
$ su
# vi /etc/hosts

This works fine if I'm using Linux. However, attempting to run vi on my phone when using Windows results in a borked vi screen with strange characters. I'm assuming this is because cmd doesn't support ANSI control characters.

Is there any way to fix this (e.g., a cmd alternative that does the job)?

Answer 1

You can do it with PuTTYTray. It's an improved version of PuTTY which features a number of additional features. One of such feature is Android adb support. To use it:

• Select Adb as Connection type
• Enter -d (for single usb device) or device serial number in the host field
• ???
• PROFIT!!!