<< Full System Backup >> - XPERIA X10 Android Development

hellew,
my status: tec/dev but smartbone noob
my issue: need to be able to fully restore system + installed apps (1st kill all; then get back to current phone/system/apps/settings.. like fresh from vendor)
my thing: X10, Android 1.6
i want to start developing, & therefore 1st need to get root access (1st of all - THX for making this possible + manual!).
logic implication => if i mess/flash 'round, i need to get the phone back into a state, where it's ready to be used (as phone + data).
Obviously, there's 2 ways:
1.) [preferred] Pull a backup-image of all programmable memory (incl. system, installed apps, data, whatever provider settings/data there are..) off the phone.
Restore all of it later, when necessary.
Can anyone kick me to capable tool(s) & maybe tutorial(s), even..? tx!
[no_tard: even a small checklist helps of cause.. if it points straight to X]
2.) Get a full-featured mem-image from phone supplier [SE], and load it onto phone.
Does anyone know if this is possible..?
Does SonyE supply mem-images?
Or is there a bootloader for the phone that can get one, online meby?
Which PC-app is used?
Thanks in advance for the help!
& nice weeknd
[sorry for plain stupidity.
yea, i've already searched 'round quite a bit... but still, not confident enough to wipe..]

---

notebook-sketch
Like said, I'm a smartphone noob myself, and i only have an x10, so i had the time to pull a few things together...
... wish I had this when i started looking a few days ago (list would've been enough, but here's what i found out..)
*** 1stofall THANKS to all the people uncovering these infos and putting word onto the net!!! ***
For most xda-dev locals, there won't be much new information in here - any correction of wrong content is welcome, though.
I'm stuck with this:
want to develop apps for android/x10 (bt,game,...)
=> need to install them on me phone
=> have to flash it, cause my provider-branding prevents installation of any other software than from android market
(can't f$#king publish .hello world. + every test-run over android market!)
=> have to get back to ORIGINAL state of phone (+1,2 helpful apps there)
### Update 100724 ... i recently got updated with R2BA023 OTA in mid. of July, and today received a message, that another update was available (Austria,3).
I clicked the msg, and it told me to do the update over PC (SEUS).
Did that -> ErrorMsg @ end.
Retry -> ErrorMsg @ end.
###BRICK###
=> Downloaded "Flash Tool(can be used to unbrick..)"
=> worked & i could use my phone again (APN-settings still there, baseband 1.0.16, krnl 2.6.29-rel, build R1FA016)
... Since then I'm switching back & forth between brick & basic version, that is included in Flash-Tool natively
... No other flashtool-version out there has worked for me so far. Tried downloading from 'different locations' => all seemed to be same files anyways.
... The method replacing SEUS files does not seem to work either - (integrity check) the files always get replaced again automatically (by SE), before flashing starts.
... Omnius method did not work either (..least amount of testing).
... SIN_Reconstructor decrypting (although too late for me now anyways) cannot even be tried, since SEUS update is required before ... see above (integrity check).
.... Now for some reason, i can't even get the basic flastool version to run anymore (>5 tries, *seufz*)
I'll probably have to go to the provider's booth on monday, and ask them to re-flash it with their branding (if the can?!).
- don't like that fact, => scared to try gain root access in the future -
Noob-Help:
*) brick: just means your phone is useless at the moment.
f.e. if you try to re-program/flash your phone & s.th. goes wrong..
=> Your phone does not start/boot anymore. Instead you see the <!-trangle> on the screen.
In that case your phone is a brick.
*) unbrick: get your phone back working. (get rid of the <!-trangle>)
Again, program/flash a working firmware image-file onto your phone, to get it to start/boot android agian.
*** DEVICE [SE X10]: ***
*) x10a = x10 american (?_rogers)
x10i = x10 international
*) Start phone in SE Flashing Mode:
1.) Turn the phone off
2.) Remove the battery for at least 5 seconds, then re-insert.
3.) Hold the right menu button (back) and insert the USB cable
=> LED is green. The phone waits for msg from BL-client(PC-app) for ~5sec.
=> so quickly press <start/enter> in flash-tool (automatic in SEUS)!
i prefer this method ... (better then plugging USB with back-button pressed)
1.) Remove battery (for min. 5 sec)
2.) Plug USB cable
3.) Press & hold back-button (right button under the display) with right thumb + slide the battery in with fingers underneath the phone.
=> like above, phone waits => quickly start process.
*) Boot into SAFE MODE:
1.) Turn the phone off
2.) Power the phone back on
3.) When it vibrates, press and hold the left menu button until it boots up and says SAFE MODE in the bottom left corner of the screen (=> quite a while!)
*) Service-Menu:
Use this key-combo in the <unlock screen>... (Menu=rightKey, Home=centerKey, Back=leftKey under the display)
menu - back - back - menu - back - menu - menu - back
=> brings up menu with stats, hardware test features, etc.
-> klick service info, then model info ... see if phone is customized (not branded) or not!
*** FIRMWARE/SOFTWARE SETUP [SMARTPHONES]: ***
*) The 3 main sw-parts: (all of them can be programmed/flashed at once)
* Bootloader:
- IPL (Initial Program Load):
- SPL (Second Program Loader):
The SPL, in conjunction with the IPL comprise a device's bootloader.
Aside from bootstrapping Android, the bootloader also fulfills various diagnostic functions. One of these functions is the manipulation of data in the device's internal flash ram. Depending on the SPL installed, the user can apply a signed NBH file, flash nand images, and more. Note that the SPL is installed and operates independently of the Android build that runs atop it. The SPLs are often packaged in the familiar update.zip format and install from the recovery console in the same fashion as other update files.
* Baseband: Firmware for the radio receiver (telephony..).
* krnl/Android: SW layers in Operaing System, drivers & apps.
..then on top of all this, runs your apps (phone, calendar, crap on..)
-> On Smartphones Android is part of the 'Firmware'.
???
Which parts of the firmware are branded? Only krnl/Android, or are there mods/locks in baseband, and/or SPL too?
I believe my SPL is untouched, since my provider's website directly kicks me to SE-update website when clicking their update-button.
Is there a ~known way how to only replace the baseband/OS firmware, yet.
???
*** PROGRAM/FLASH: ***
*) SEUS update method:
[... see section "SE UPDATES" for a description of SEUS.]
If you want to modify/change what's uploaded to your phone..
=> All contents being uploaded are located in the \db\ subfolder of SEUS (at C:\PRG\Sony Ericsson\Update Service\db\).
The <blob_fs> files made available for download all over the internet have to be copied into the \blob_fs\ folder in there.
(..simply find out which file is which by comparing the file-sizes)
Then start the SEUS update process again => (your) modified files will be uploaded to the phone.
???
100724 This method does not seem to work for me, since SEUS always replaces the files i have put into \blob_fs\.
It just deletes the files I have placed there (with same name as files downloaded), and downloads them again, fresh from SE.
Seems like every single file gets a validity-check..?
Is this method working any longer?
I'm using Update_Service_Setup-2.10.7.15 (also got Update_Service_Setup-2.10.6.21, but never tried ... sure it updates immediately!).
=> So does the SIN_Reconstructor method still work ?? ... since the files produced in the (*.bin, *.sign) SEUS' root folder
will also be made, after my 116M and 15M files were re-swapped again by SE.
???
*) go see the xda-dev threads/tutorials:
* Newbies Guide to Rooting X10 and giving you the newest firmware
* [GUIDE] Root your X10 R2BA023 ! { Update 06.07.2010 Nicer Instructions }
If not working, mostly because of:
- Wrong ID-number in file "DeviceID.txt"
- flash tool: quit too early. it's not finished when it says "(Finish)", but it's all done if it says "press key..."
- flash tool: not pressed <enter> quick enough (~ 5sec. time)
* if after step 2 you get the !-triangle again => try to do an online update woth SEUS .. this might get it starting again!
*) Unbrick with flash tool:
If all you get is the !-triangle, use he PC-app "Flash Tool" _XIOFUB (can unbrick X10i with provided files).
Has worked before..! Is the tool from update method mentioned 1 above.
???
Update 100725: Phone = brick for 1 full day now...
Tryed >25 downloads with Flash Tool (different versions), SEUS (original from SE, + mod(downloaded ones, +even fully empty \db\)
NO SUCCESS !!!
Bootloader ok, both tools can end the download process sucessfully.
???
*) After unbrick with flash tool:
* install any newer <decrypted rom> image-file, like advised in the xda-dev tutorials
<Newbies Guide to Rooting X10 and giving you the newest firmware>, or
<[GUIDE] Root your X10 R2BA023 ! { Update 06.07.2010 Nicer Instructions }>
???
Did not work for me, yet.
???
* goto Settings -> Tel-Info -> Updates -> Start now
*** SE UPDATES: ***
*) SEUS (Update-Service program, by SonyEricsson)
Find SEUS online:
a.) Goto <www.sonyericsson.com>
b.) cklik <Support>
c.) cklik <Software Updates>
d.) cklik <Download here>, under <Install Application> (bottom right)
-> The SEUS PC-app will guide you through the updating process (+start phone in SE flash mode).
* If updating doens't work ... fully charge your battery & keep trying a few more times. (it often really only worked the 2nd, 3rd time..?!)
* The downloaded files for your phone are stored in C:\PRG\Sony Ericsson\Update Service\db\ (that's where the folder \blob_fs\ is stored, too)
(might be wrong, but sometimes deleting all files \db\ & retrying the update with SEUS seemed to help in case of problems).
*) OTA (over the air, no PC-software required)
...got my update to R2BA023 OTA, in July 2010 in Austria (3).
* goto Settings -> Tel-Info -> Updates -> Start now / Keep Updated
*** BACKUP: ***
*) 1 Thing - Do this first!:
For 1 time, make an update with SEUS, then after -> save/backup the whole folder, found in C:\PRG\Sony Ericsson\Update Service\db\ (folder name = some number).
=> Thats something that can be helpful to re-create your current phone-state again later!
*) see xda-dev "[GUIDE] Decrypting your own branded ROM"
(using <SIN_Reconstructor> and <flash-tool>)
"Below is the guide to decrypting ROM which comes from SEUS. By following this guide, you will have your branded ROM decrypted as SIN files and later you can flash back the ROM to X10 with flashtools. So you can root and debrand all you like without worry because later you can flash your branded ROM back to your X10."... read there!
???
As far as I understand it, then you can only flash the (new) files, downloaded from the SE website by SEUS (stored in C:\PRG\Sony Ericsson\Update Service\db\).
What if want to rip an image off my phone, so I can recreate the whole thing 1:1 later.
Is there no ~known way to read out the memory, if it's alreaady possible to write to it?
???
*) Omnius (PC tool) -> click Advanced:
Use "Backup & Restore TA (Trim Area)"
*) get varoius backup tools from android-market:
all of those will backup data only ... see individ. descriptions.
(contacts,etc.; APN settings; list of installed apps, so you can re-install them manually; ... useful stuff too)
*) Obviously: also backup the all sd-card contents; simply while the phone is connected to PC over USB
(..the same way you get your pictures. Just copy all files & folders from sd-card to a backup folder on your PC).
*** PC-TOOLS: ***
*) SEUS ... see section "SE UPDATES"
*) Flash Tool (can unbrick X10i with provided files) _XIOFUB
* works! (1x needed 2 trys to work ... 1st time = the !-triangle)
delivers (in my case):
x10 100724 after unbrick w flashtool:
- baseband 1.0.16
- krnl 2.6.29-rel
- build R1FA016
*) Omnius:
* onmius method:
-> phone.zip goes into "application box".
-> android_xx.zip goes into customization.
*) ADB: is the Android Developer Bridge, a development tool for Android.
[not used myself (yet!), since developing hasn't started]
* [on your smartphone] To be able to use ADB, goto Settings -> Applications -> Development -> Enable USB debugging
* [for the PC] ADB drivers, Xperia X10:
http://rapidshare.com/files/373361083/X10_drivers.zip
(just point to the extraced folder during driver-installation)
*** PROVIDER RELATED: ***
*) APN Settings:
Go to Settings –> Wireless Controls –> Mobile Networks –> Auto Internet settings, to automatically detect your settings.
If this is disabled (for example if you are downloading branded firmware) then click on this Sony Ericsson page which will automatically send you the necessary settings.
http://www.sonyericsson.com/ota/wxhtml/otawizard
*) Backup APN settings before messing/flashing 'round:
* probably shown somewhere in the setting (i can't check right now).
* with <APN BAckup> app from android market.
=> Folder on sdcard: ApnBackupRestore
containing file: apns-<date><#>.xml
...lists all APN settings => so you can enter manually, if anything goes wrong!
I'll try keep this updated for a while...
Hope this will help some people...