Is there a way to have two roms available for use? I'd like to check out different ones but I'd rather not have to go through the headache of always redoing my accounts, apps, settings, scenes, etc.
Could this be accomplished using nandroid and just making backups of whatever rom I'm using before flashing a new one. Then vice versa if I wanted to switch back?
that's what I do... just make a current NAND backup, then restore a different backup. Then you can switch back using the same method. I do this like every other day haha
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Hi Guys,
I am running the the latest Axura ROM (2.2.5.7 I believe) and have now purchased the premium versions of the following Apps: ROM Manager, Titanium Back Up & Launcher Pro.
With all this awesome capability, what should I do in the way of a back up to restore my phone if something ever happens? Basically my goal is to be able to go into recovery and restore my phone totally if I FUBAR it.
Please keep in mind I just entered this world as of Sunday starting with Rooting and then ROM flashing : D
Thank you for all your help now and in the past!
From another post I made:
The way I have things set up for backups, and this is just for my personal convenience, is as follows...
I have a stock JFD ODIN rom to flash in case anything goes wrong. (A lot of people here will tell you to flash this whenever flashing a new rom. It is safer, and cleaner to do it this way, but not absolutely necessary)
I make a nandroid of my last stable rom (I only keep one at a time cause the files are huge) and keep a backup of that on my PC.
I backup all my apps and a few other things (call logs, bookmarks, sms) through Titanium backup. If you get the pro version, you can load it up after flashing a new rom and have it automatically restore all your apps in one click (system settings can be dangerous to restore when going from rom to rom, so be careful with those.) I also keep a backup of this on my PC.
I will also occasionally backup both of the sd cards to the PC.
Maybe overkill, but you probably wont ever lose anything forever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I just backed up my ROM through ROM manager... I have another one in there too dated Saturday (when I first flashed) which I assume is my stock vibrant ROM...?
I do have the Pro version of Titanium... how would I back up everything for a one click set-up?...If I did that should I just delete my ROM back up in ROM manager? Trying to avoid unnecessary redundancy and the wasting of precious space on my phone : P
Go into Titanium and click on Backup and restore and than click on menu and then batch and then select backup all user apps. then run batch file. You also have the choice to back up system data as well. I would not recommend deleting any of your backups in Rom Manager. Just backup all of your apps(and system data if you wish) and you are good to go.
Thanks all!
tenbeau said:
I would not recommend deleting any of your backups in Rom Manager.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why is that? Nandroid backups are very large, and if you're playing it safe and making a nandroid each time before flashing a rom, you will run out of space very quickly. You should always keep at least one (for me its my most recent, stable, daily driver), but it certainly is NOT necessary to keep all of them.
I'm thinking of using a custom rom for my P7500 and wanted to know if I would be able to go back to a stock rom if I needed to?
okizen said:
I'm thinking of using a custom rom for my P7500 and wanted to know if I would be able to go back to a stock rom if I needed to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can.
Do a little reading up on going back to stock in this forum. Even though the nessesary stock rom etc are on here, it is always easier to make your own backup and restore from it.
Good luck and happy flashing.
before making any custom changes do a nandroid backup of the whole phone in recovery and then back up your apps and data using Titanium.
Also useful to copy a backup to your PC.
You can flash away and install custom roms, kernels and themes. Most should be fixable by going back to your backup. Having your data etc. backed up to your PC also allows you to re-flash stock and restore the whole system should that be desirable or necessary.
Google backs up your data also if you allow it and you can ensure contacts and calender stuff by synchronization with an online account.
This may sound paranoid, but a thorough backup allows you greater freedom to experiment and play with various custom options up to the point you find the set up you like best.
Thanx for the info guys.
I have installed a few custom ROMs, but i'm a noob when it comes to phones, and every time i switch ROMs i start fresh with apps: redownloading them (about 100 from amazon and google), reconfiguring my home pages, and all games start back at level 1. it takes a long time to do all this, but i assumed that switching ROMs is like switching PCs (you need new drivers, you need to reinstall programs, etc, so you can't just copy A to B).
is there some better way to automate this so that any of the following are true?
-my apps reinstall themselves in a step or two?
-my homepages are reconstructed automatically? i'm guessing this is the least likely, since homepages/launchers/etc probably differ per ROM.
-my game/app data is saved and restored easily? my kids don't want to lose their ice age village
i have titanium backup free, which i have used for complete backups in the event of a phone crash or something, but i don't know about app transfers across ROMs.
thanks for any help. this would save me a ton of time in the future!!
(i'm going from rooted stock to CM10 on my nook tablet, if that matters).
back up your apps onto your sd card with this app
Some launchers (such as apex? not sure) allow you to save your configurations onto sd card and restore them later.
and not sure about game data, but maybe find the folder for the game on the sd card, make a back up and rename it back to previous folder name when you install new rom?
hope i helped
Use utilities like Go Backup or Titanium Backup .
They will help you restore app+data so you are always with current data.
Go Backup helps you restore call log as well
:thumbup:
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using xda app-developers app
assist4tech said:
Use utilities like Go Backup or Titanium Backup .
They will help you restore app+data so you are always with current data.
Go Backup helps you restore call log as well
:thumbup:
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely in favor of the Titanium Backup, 'cos it can also backup/restore wifi passwords, accounts, sms, bluetooth pairings...
Greetings,
I'm loving my GS4 so far and I've gotten it rooted and just wiped data and flashed gruesomewolf_sacs_custom_rom.
My question for ya'll (and forgive me if this is in the wrong place) but how do you handle going quickly and easily between ROMs without brain damage?
What I mean by this is yes I did a Titanium backup and SMS backup before I flashed the new ROM however you still have SO much to restore after you flash a new ROM. I'm the kinda guy who tweaks all my settings, widgets, ringtones and such just the way I like them and I hate when I have to do that all over again. So yes, I am able to restore apps, and some data from the Titanium backups but I still have to go back through and set all my ringtones and all my widgets and settings within certain apps all over again.
That's probably just the name of the game and I need to get used to it if I plan on flashing new ROMs but I'm just wondering what's the easiest way to back the most up and get the most restored?
Thanks for all your input!
I felt the same way as you when I switched ROMs. It was such a pain to reload everything customize it the way you had it before.
My solution was simply use TitaniumBackup prior to flashing the next ROM and Batch backup all the apps and app data that you will want.
TitaniumBackup also has a Batch Restore function. So I just use that function after flashing the ROM. I think it can also restore designated ringtones as long as you back up that system file that contains the ringtone selection. Unfortunately, I'm not sure which one that is.
zilla. said:
I felt the same way as you when I switched ROMs. It was such a pain to reload everything customize it the way you had it before.
My solution was simply use TitaniumBackup prior to flashing the next ROM and Batch backup all the apps and app data that you will want.
TitaniumBackup also has a Batch Restore function. So I just use that function after flashing the ROM. I think it can also restore designated ringtones as long as you back up that system file that contains the ringtone selection. Unfortunately, I'm not sure which one that is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply! Yeah that's kind of what I'm doing, I guess I'll need to explore Titanium Backup a bit more. I'm curious if it actually backs up and can restore system settings as well. It does a pretty decent job of backing up apps + data but I never know if when doing a restore if I should restore the system data as well because it could be different from ROM to ROM.
Thanks for the advice!
One reason why I chose to buy this device (aside from official Google support) is the overwhelmingly large amount of developer enthusiasm for it. And with that enthusiasm comes a lot of custom ROMs.
I haven't had time to test all of them, but I will - and here's a guide I made that'll hopefully make testing different ROMs easier.
Prerequisites
Before continuing with this guide, make sure that you have:
a LOT of free time, depending on how many ROMs you want to test;
unlocked and rooted your device;
downloaded all the ROMs you want to test;
have installed a good recovery - I would recommend the latest version of TWRP;
common sense.
(OPTIONAL) a spare microSD card of at least 8GB. This'll make everything easier, as you won't have to delete stuff in order to fit all your ZIPs and backups.
Things to remember
Make sure you know how exactly to restore your device to how it was before following this guide.
You should know what you're doing. One small mistake can lead to your device being completely unusable!
You should know what features you're looking for in a ROM. It's never nice to have gone all the way to flash a different ROM, only to discover that feature X doesn't work. Ask questions in the ROM thread, if you like.
You can always ask help from others, should you have any trouble with your device.
When using custom ROMs (or any customization, for that matter), do NOT ask for ETAs. Our developers are doing their work at their own leisure and during their own time, and they don't get their pay from you.
Ready? Let's get going!
Getting started
A good Android user always backs up before doing anything radical to their phone, and that's precisely what we're going to do. There are three ways to go about this:
The easy way
The easy way is through making a Nandroid backup. This is particularly easy to do in TWRP, as all you need to do is reboot into recovery, press Backup, select the partitions you want to back up and whether to compress them, and start backing up. Simple as that.
Pros: Easy to restore your data once you're finished testing ROMs.
Cons: It's somewhat hard to restore individual pieces of data (such as messages and apps) instead of the whole thing.
The (slightly) more complicated way
This way deals with TitaniumBackup, an absolute must-have app for every Android user out there.
With TitaniumBackup, you can choose to back up individual apps (and even update their individual backups). TB isn't limited to backing up/restoring data, though; it can do so much more - remove bloatware, freeze apps you don't use, make a flashable ZIP out of your backups... the list goes on.
Pros: Finer control over what data gets backed up. Very powerful tool in migrating ROMs.
Cons: Somewhat outdated and intimidating interface; and features are reduced without buying the PRO version.
The Google way
This one is the simplest way of all three, though it only works if you have a) GApps and have signed in to your Google account, b) if you've agreed to let Google back your data up when you first set up your device, and c) if you have Settings > Backup & reset > Back up my data enabled.
Google automatically backs up almost all of your data to its servers, ready to be restored when you do a factory reset/switch to a new phone. A list of all data that are backed up can be seen by going to Settings > Accounts > Google > (your email address).
Notable exceptions to the data backed up are messages, which you have to back up yourself - I recommend SMS Backup & Restore for that.
Now that you have your data backed up, let's get flashing.
Flashing
Put your ROMs/kernels/GApps on your SD card, then reboot to recovery.
1. Wiping / factory resetting
This is why we back up your data in the first place. Different ROMs need different data, and data left over from one ROM can cause another ROM to get stuck in a bootloop.
Tip: If you're using TWRP, try enabling Use rm -rf instead of formatting in Advanced settings. Formatting doesn't really have any perceivable advantages over simply removing the contents of your data partition (unless you somehow corrupted it), and it actually causes higher wear on your storage chip. (Storage doesn't last forever - I've had my old Samsung bricked because I reformatted too much.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In CWM, it's called wipe data/factory reset; in TWRP, it's simply called Wipe. Wipe your data, dalvik-cache, and cache partitions.
2. Flashing the ROM and other addons
In CWM, it's called install zip (from sdcard); in TWRP, it's simply called Install. Browse to your ROM zip and install.
Tip: If you're using TWRP, you can add ZIPs to the ZIP queue in this order: ROM > GApps (if any) > Kernel (if any) > Addons/Patches (if any).
Users of CWM must manually flash each ZIP, in the same order.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3. Finishing up
Now all that's left to do is pray for the best and reboot.
Testing
If you flashed GApps, do NOT let Google restore data yet. We'll do that later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After initial setup completes and your newly-installed ROM settles down, it's time to get testing. It would be helpful if you listed down all the features you need and check/cross them out one by one if they work or not. For example, I need working screen cast and usable video recording, both of which do not work in all the CM-based ROMs I've tested.
Some ROMs, especially sprout4 ROMs, require patches when installing on sprout8 devices in order to provide the most optimal experience. Try flashing those to see if the ROM gets any better for you.
Rinse & repeat?
So, have you decided that this ROM is for you?
Yes, this ROM is awesome! I love it!
If you backed up earlier using Google, do another factory reset and this time, let Google restore your data.
If you used Titanium for backup, you can safely restore your data now.
If you made a Nandroid backup, you technically can restore your backup as-is since most of the ROMs available for sprout are CM-based; but I wouldn't recommend this as this can cause bootloops. Otherwise, you can manually restore your data one-by-one - but this is a time-consuming process.
I'm not quite sure I like this ROM yet.
Well that's okay, just repeat this guide from the start.
Finishing up
Now that you've decided on what ROM to use, you can safely delete your backups and ZIPs - though it would be better to keep them as they might come in handy if your device starts having problems.
Notes
If you're flashing a Marshmallow ROM, don't flash Xposed right after you flash your ROM as this may cause a bootloop.
Never ask for ETAs on ROM threads. That's rude.
That's it for this guide! Happy flashing! :fingers-crossed:
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Awesome post. Enjoyed it!?
aureljared said:
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Sry for digging up this old thread. I was wondering if there is a tutorial for Titanium Backup specifically targeting a switch between custom roms, having different versions of android.
I'm in the midth of moving from cm 13 to lineageos 15 and just tried to backup apps+data in Titanium Backup and restore them and the new system is now somewhat buggy..I'm not sure if the restored backup is the reason for this or not....Maybe there are specific settings to be set..... I mean it's common sense for me not to backup and restore system data but maybe I am missing other important things to be set prior to a backup in Titanium Backup.
trohn_javolta said:
Sry for digging up this old thread. I was wondering if there is a tutorial for Titanium Backup specifically targeting a switch between custom roms, having different versions of android.
I'm in the midth of moving from cm 13 to lineageos 15 and just tried to backup apps+data in Titanium Backup and restore them and the new system is now somewhat buggy..I'm not sure if the restored backup is the reason for this or not....Maybe there are specific settings to be set..... I mean it's common sense for me not to backup and restore system data but maybe I am missing other important things to be set prior to a backup in Titanium Backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's hard to say, some apps might work improperly or refuse to terminate in the background due to a mismatch in the restored data. I only backup/restore game data nowadays, as Google Backup takes care of my contacts, SMS, settings, and customization. No problems encountered so far.
The only setting I change in TiBkp is the compression method, as the default (gzip, I think) produces somewhat large backups. I use bzip2.
If you really need to restore everything, it might help for you to wipe /data and restore apps in TiBkp one by one until you find the culprit.
aureljared said:
It's hard to say, some apps might work improperly or refuse to terminate in the background due to a mismatch in the restored data. I only backup/restore game data nowadays, as Google Backup takes care of my contacts, SMS, settings, and customization. No problems encountered so far.
The only setting I change in TiBkp is the compression method, as the default (gzip, I think) produces somewhat large backups. I use bzip2.
If you really need to restore everything, it might help for you to wipe /data and restore apps in TiBkp one by one until you find the culprit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trying the Google Way was also my thought, unfortunately it does not work for me. I posted this today in the rom I used until now:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=76022005#post76022005
The initial setup was quite some time ago and now I cannot recall what I may have done to insult the google sync service
Thanks for this.
Can I ask something?
If I'm on stock rom and have magisk and modules installed. To switch rom, do I need to uninstall those first?
or when using nandroid backup... is its okey to backup with magisk+module on it?
watatara.102 said:
Can I ask something?
If I'm on stock rom and have magisk and modules installed. To switch rom, do I need to uninstall those first?
or when using nandroid backup... is its okey to backup with magisk+module on it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might want to uninstall your modules first to be safe, but if you're sure they're compatible with the ROM you're switching to, then you might be fine keeping them. As always, backup before trying anything dangerous. :good:
Nandroids are whole-device backups, so if you backup while Magisk is installed, Magisk and your modules will still be there when you restore the backup. If that's what you're aiming for, then go ahead and backup. Just make sure to backup the boot image too, since that's where Magisk is installed.
Sent from my starlte using XDA Labs
Can I install a nandroid backup of a totally different ROM to replace the current ROM I'm using with TWRP?