Backing up entire phone with locked bootloader?
Sorry if this is a superfluous question. Yes, I'm rooted but my bootloader is locked because I've zero confidence I can get my phone repaired in my country(not US!) should anything go wrong. The tech support in my country tend to be really strict and very thorough in checking things out, so any excuses won't fly. I'm aware, btw, that the bootloader controls a set of fuses and unlocking it burns them. Trying to relock the bootloader is only superficial since there's no way a software can solder back or replace those fuses.
Thing is: how do I get about backing up my entire phone(user settings, apps, apps settings, etc.) without unlocking the bootloader? I've been reading on this and that but I'm still unsure if Titanium Pro is as capable as Nandroid. Some people said you can use Titanium Pro but others caution against using it for backing up system settings because it can apparently screw up your phone.
I even read about something called bootstrapping but it seems that any possible apks I could try, are probably long outdated and prone to crashing since they won't have any support for Gingerbread and certain features.
Any advice? Sorry for asking such a dumb question when everyone is happily unlocking their bootloaders. If this can't be done, it's okay. I'll just have to bear with the tedious issue of setting up my phone all over again.
Use titanium backup. Only thing it doesn't backup is the os. Everything else will be saved to the sdcard.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
TiBu will back up your apps, app data, system apps, system data, but is nothing like a nandroid. A nandroid backup will create a full backup from which you can restore your phone to the state it was in when you created the backup.
A TiBu backup will not screw up your phone. The problems arise if you flash a different ROM, and then restore system data from your TiBu backups.
What I would do is backup everything with TiBu, but never restore system data from the backup. I routinely restore app data such as GoSMS, Enhanced Email, games, etc. without problems. I don't restore system apps unless I absolutely have to restore something which is broken, and I never restore system data.
Hope this helps.
Related
I'm running streakdroid 1.9 but I would like to do some experimentation with my streak. If I flash a new rom what will I lose? How do you backup your data so you can flash to your hearts content?
Thanks
if u flash stock roms, they do a factory reset during first start up.
So u end up loosing everything.
However if u flash .zip version of the stock roms using CWM or streak recovery , u will retain almost everything but may loose somethings like root and so on.
Remember stock roms will flash its default recovery everytime it boots up
Ok thanks. Is it wise to do a factory reset anyway?
What tools can I use to backup messages, apps, photos, etc?
I use titanium backup.
If you do a nandroid backup, when you restore it, everything will be just as it was before you flashed another ROM...
As far as using Titanium... it has never worked for me completely, nor has MyBackUp Pro, they cause me more headache than being useful...
I have gotten to the point to when I flash a new ROM, I just manually install everything, I know it sounds like some hassle, but you end up with a much smoother operating phone.
I even do a nandroid backup first, then go into my ROM and manually uninstall everything, so that when I boot up my new ROM and setup my market account, it doesn't try to install everything on its own and bog down my phone at first, I install everything manually in the order I want and set them up as I go.
I know this sounds cumbersome, but I have found it creates a cleaner environment and practically eliminated force closes
That is the way I like to do things also but what about the things that you can't just re-install e.g. sms, application specific data?
Advice
I was having a sim card and constant restart issue after updating to streakroid 2.4.4, and even after flashing dsc, the problem persisted. After I reviewed the steps I had taken I realized that I never did a factory resest (fearing I would forever lose my precious app data, which I did -_-). It turned out that was the fix, after doing the factory reset, my sim card was recognized immediately and a couple of the text I had missed showed up. However, I fixed one fixed problem and developed another.
Even though I restored a MyBackup and Titanium backup I did right before resetting I recovered my several apps without their precious data (setting, notes, bookmarks). I tried doing internal backups within the apps, some conveniently had syncs to a cloud yet I missed doing that with a few apps because I have over 100+ and I use more than half on a regular basis (even if for 5 minutes). All my apps are on my device, which is a good thing but I cant appreciate that given the missing data.
So my advice is:
Use apps that have can automatically backup or sync data -- there are enough apps with similiar utility that you can avoid ones without that function.
Do a manual backup within your important apps. -- Some apps backup files to locations that may be wiped during update, doesn't have auto backup or the last backup is months old.
Pics, texts, call logs are easily backed up -- Backup programs will explicitly state or ask what to back up in that regard.
Do a nandroid backup -- I believe this only restores rom and apps but someone can correct me.
Caveat
Through all the research done before actually need to restore a backup I missed the fact when restore apps depending on the restore program every app has to be reinstalled individually. If you have more than 25 apps then #$#@!, also for some reason when restoring with titanium if during a batch restore you come across an app if you hit cancel during one of the install prompts because you actually don't want to restore that app the batch will freeze and you'll have to force close titanium and start the restore all over. Go through the list of restore options and choose each app one by one, save yourself the time.
Lastly, to piggy back off what was said before, a factory reset( FR) after updating rom is always recommended but its not always needed. Most roms will update without causing you to lose any data but like I said previously I had sim card issues when I updated without a FR. YMMV
At this point I don't know if this helps the OP but maybe it will benefit someone else who reads this thread.
This guide by _n0p_ tells how to do an upgrade and minimize the re-installation of apps.
Key items:
Use the backup function of any apps that have it
Don't count on restoring data with TB or My Backup
Make a nandroid - just in case
I have found TB and My Backup to be useful for things like browser bookmarks.
The post linked to discussed going from Froyo to Gingerbread but the same techniques apply for moving to any other ROM.
Last time i changed roms, i used the Dell backup utility for evertyhing but the apps, which can be backed up together with their data with QtADB which creates a backup folder on your SD. After installing the new rom, i chose advanced recovery from the Dell Utility and set it to recover everything but the apps, which i recovered with QtADB. However, I also strongly recommend nandroid, in case the steak doesn't boot after the install.
Ok, so I'm a little new to the flashing scene, but I'm getting better with it. I know to always make a backup and to wipe and all that good stuff. Anyway, I haven't exactly gotten the whole restoring apps from backup down yet. Last time I tried it with TI it completely screwed my phone up, and I got to wipe everything and start over. I don't mind the whole 'download everything all over again' game that happens when I flash something and wipe everything. I mean, I've kind of gotten used to it, but from what I understand, there is an easier way. I understand the whole batch thing in TI. Now, when I make a backup, do I want to make a backup of just the apps, or should I do system data too? And if I did do system data, would that get restored as well? Is there a way to restore my screen set ups, or my lockscreen set up? I'm just kind of curious. If there isn't a way, feel free to just say no. I don't mind setting my phone back up each time. It's a chance to find out what works better and what I don't need, but not having to do it would be nice.
always backup all user apps plus system data it doesn't necessarly mean you need to restore all of this but it is good to have. personally when I restore I use missing apps plus system data. you can always check the apps you don't want. I hope that helps you
Sent from my DDD-EVO
Helps a ton. Thank you very much.
What's the best way to restore in titanium backup after flashing to a new ROM?
From an apps perspective, have the phone setup the way I want, apps frozen, etc I thought after flashing, I would be able to restore to that setup, but clearly doing something wrong. I do a batch restore and wind up will old apps, unfrozen apps and basically have to do the whole setup over.
Assuming this is user error, and hoping someone can provide insight. Do you create an update.zip and flash to that?
Thanks.
I don't believe you can save frozen app setups and such. All the update.zip does is allow you to flash titanium backup in recovery so you don't have to download it from market again and is just installed as a system app
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2
pmgreen said:
What's the best way to restore in titanium backup after flashing to a new ROM?
From an apps perspective, have the phone setup the way I want, apps frozen, etc I thought after flashing, I would be able to restore to that setup, but clearly doing something wrong. I do a batch restore and wind up will old apps, unfrozen apps and basically have to do the whole setup over.
Assuming this is user error, and hoping someone can provide insight. Do you create an update.zip and flash to that?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can choose what to restore when you you do that batch restore.
Maybe you are not setting it up right?
Every other night i have TB set to backup new data for selected apps,
New versions of selected apps
System data like messages, call logs, etc...
I can then restore them almost perfectly. Opera bookmarks give me fits, but that's about it.
Can someone help me understand when I should use one or the other. Also when is a good time to do it?, before a flash of a custom rom?
I recently performed the bootloader unlock procedure from Adam and after it completed I ran the twrp backup to my sd card. Does that mean I could restore to that backup should verizon send ota and revert the unlock?
Thanks!!!
JRunner01 said:
Can someone help me understand when I should use one or the other. Also when is a good time to do it?, before a flash of a custom rom?
I recently performed the bootloader unlock procedure from Adam and after it completed I ran the twrp backup to my sd card. Does that mean I could restore to that backup should verizon send ota and revert the unlock?
Thanks!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Titanium would be used when you want to backup all of your apps+data, Twrp would be used when you want to back up EVERYTHING apps, messages, pics(on internal sd), basically everything lol. As for verizon sending a ota, I think it's highly unlikely that they can push a ota to our phones now I think the bootloader unlocking and rooting broke all of that. Especially if you run a custom Rom.
Sent from my rooted, and unlocked Vzw note 2 running beans Rom! U mad?
JRunner01 said:
Can someone help me understand when I should use one or the other. Also when is a good time to do it?, before a flash of a custom rom?
I recently performed the bootloader unlock procedure from Adam and after it completed I ran the twrp backup to my sd card. Does that mean I could restore to that backup should verizon send ota and revert the unlock?
Thanks!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Titanium is backing up apps. So lets say you use CleanROM and you want to flash to a newer version cleanly. Use titanium to back up the apps and you will be able to restore them easily on the new rom.
Backing up via TWRP basically means you are backing up EVERYTHING in the rom. So lets use the previous example, uograding from one rom to another. You do a twrp back up and begin to flash the new rom. If anything screws up, you could just restore the twrp back up and everything would go back to normal, back exactly to how your phone was when you made the backup.
Edit: basically a back up in recovery is creating a safe point to come back to if anything goes wrong EVER with your device. There are things that this typenof back up cannot undo however.
Titanium is for apps and that's it. It helps free up space as well as making backups for apps incase on of your apps screws up.
EDIT 2: next time post this type of thing in Q&A and not in general
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda premium
Titanium Backup - Used to back up all of your apps and their data
TWRP - Used to back up the ENTIRE system. Meaning, if anything goes wrong, you can restore a past "save" of your system before the problem.
You can think of it as Titanium Backup would be like copying a MS Word document onto a flash drive and TWRP would be like taking a copy of your entire hard drive.
JRunner01 said:
Can someone help me understand when I should use one or the other. Also when is a good time to do it?, before a flash of a custom rom?
I recently performed the bootloader unlock procedure from Adam and after it completed I ran the twrp backup to my sd card. Does that mean I could restore to that backup should verizon send ota and revert the unlock?
Thanks!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Titanium backup: for backing up apks and their datas, mms and calling history, bookmarks, alarm and wifi settings....i think that's about it. Because your apks keep updating every few days, you should make this backup right before you flash a new rom. Once you retrieve, you don't have to keep this too long.
TWRP backup(aka nandroid): this is just like a saved point when you play a video game. sometimes when you download something, it can alternate other settings and create a mess.....which then may cause your rom to malfunction. At this time, you can flash your nandroid.....it dumps every saved datas, cache, etc etc so that you can go back to your saved point.
Titanium back up- is a app that backs up applications and their data...also has the ability to freeze system apps and create back up .zips of the devices applications.
TWRP back up- is a custom recovery that allows the user to create a back up image... that image will restore the boot image, rom, kernel, data, and cache back to the point of when the back up was created.
It used to be that restoring titanium data from one rom to another was bad. Is this still a recommended no no?
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
Pretty much.
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First thanks to everyone for the replies!!!
Sorry for posting in wrong section.
So I cant use titanium to backup my apps, then to be restored on a custom rom, since I am on what appears to be a stock / rooted rom from Adams unlock procedure? I would have to reinstall them from google / my apps.
My twrp backup would be useful if the custom rom I soon load goes bad any I need to get back to a good state, right?
Also as on reply said, no worries from ota since we are rooted and unlocked? You all agree?
JRunner01 said:
First thanks to everyone for the replies!!!
Sorry for posting in wrong section.
So I cant use titanium to backup my apps, then to be restored on a custom rom, since I am on what appears to be a stock / rooted rom from Adams unlock procedure? I would have to reinstall them from google / my apps.
My twrp backup would be useful if the custom rom I soon load goes bad any I need to get back to a good state, right?
Also as on reply said, no worries from ota since we are rooted and unlocked? You all agree?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes you can use titanium to back up your apps and restore them on a custom rom...just restore the apps without data. you have the rest correct.
I always restore my user apps with data, I just don't do system apps.
pool_shark said:
I always restore my user apps with data, I just don't do system apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
great...but when switching between aosp and touchwiz this can cause apps to force close. the op said "custom rom" so i provided a blanket statement covering all bases.
droidstyle said:
great...but when switching between aosp and touchwiz this can cause apps to force close. the op said "custom rom" so i provided a blanket statement covering all bases.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I restored all of my apps user that I used on JBSourcery from my Nexus to my Note II.
I think the main problem some people have with restoring their apps is that they're restoring system apps not just user apps. Sometimes what was a user app on one ROM is a system app on another.
pool_shark said:
I restored all of my apps user that I used on JBSourcery from my Nexus to my Note II.
I think the main problem some people have with restoring their apps is that they're restoring system apps not just user apps. Sometimes what was a user app on one ROM is a system app on another.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that folks get into trouble because of what you posted in your last sentence. This is exactly why I do not recommend it because a new user 99% of the time wont know that. So I simply do not suggest it...now somebody more experienced like yourself is a different story.
pool_shark said:
I restored all of my apps user that I used on JBSourcery from my Nexus to my Note II.
I think the main problem some people have with restoring their apps is that they're restoring system apps not just user apps. Sometimes what was a user app on one ROM is a system app on another.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disagree.
It won't always happen, but problems can and will happen restoring user data. I have seen it a million times and logcat shows it too. When there is a database conflict (the logcat shows this), the app force closes, and the only fix is to clear data for that app, which undoes what you restored. Might as well forgo the irritation and not restore it the first time.
adrynalyne said:
Disagree.
It won't always happen, but problems can and will happen restoring user data. I have seen it a million times and logcat shows it too. When there is a database conflict (the logcat shows this), the app force closes, and the only fix is to clear data for that app, which undoes what you restored. Might as well forgo the irritation and not restore it the first time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has yet to happen to me.
The only time it came close was with better terminal emulator pro. I restored using titanium and it refused to work. Downloaded it from the play store, it worked fine. Then restored over that using titanium and it worked fine.
Anyone have any advice on creating the .zip? Is it even a possibility in TWRP? I used CWR for the longest and am a n00b with TWP. There are only 2 options when creating the update.zip: Edify (Android 1.6+, ClockworkMod 3+) and Amend (Android 1.5, ClockworkMod 2). So which is needed to flash in TWRP?
I'm not interested in creating a .zip of all my apps, just a .zip I can flash in recovery after clean wipe/flashing a new ROM. TIA guys
So I get the fundumental difference between utilizing the 2 methods of backing up but what I don't understand is that if TWRP backup is like taking a snapshot or image of EVERYTHING, why is my backup folder created from a TWRP backup such a small size (2.4GB) when everything on my phone equals way more than that? Is it compressed? I don't remember selecting that option.
airbus318 said:
So I get the fundumental difference between utilizing the 2 methods of backing up but what I don't understand is that if TWRP backup is like taking a snapshot or image of EVERYTHING, why is my backup folder created from a TWRP backup such a small size (2.4GB) when everything on my phone equals way more than that? Is it compressed? I don't remember selecting that option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It only gets /system, /data, and kernel if you don't change the options. It's not getting everything on SD card or internal storage unless you specify that option.
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!