i've really only used rom manager in the past, and now with the LTE i'm using Goo manager, and TWRP for a recovery. my question is, for those that want to try a new ROM, what is your procedure for backing up your ROM and apps, etc.? i ask because i flashed to viperROM, and backed it up via TWRP recovery, went to try another ROM out, and then wanted to reflash with the backup i had created, but wasn't sure where to find it to flash back. was it just a matter of not knowing what directory it had been saved into? also, when you make a backup (is it still referred to as nandroid?), do you have to use something like titanium for backup of apps and their data? i take it that's the case but wanted to be sure... maybe i need to do more searching for titanium backup i guess.
edit: just to add that i have used TB root in the past after flashing, only to find that things like some of the games etc. were as if it was a fresh install... no save game data. what's the proper way to ensure that apps are backed up with all of their associated data? or is that something that's more of a case by case/manual thing?
Excuse my nooberance - but I want to test out some different firmwares, roms and kernels.
Once I've installed new firmware, kernels or roms I'd like to be able to easily and quickly restore all my apps and settings. What is the easiest way to do this?
I've CWM installed and have made a backup of my current state - but is it simpler to use something like Titanium Backup as from what I understand the backup I've made with CWM is like a complete image and if I restore that image it will overwirte any other rom, kernel or firmware - but maybe I've misunderstood (quite likely - as there's a lot to learn about Android coming from a long time iOS user).
Thanks in advance.
yes you can use TiBU to restore almost anything. However it is recommended to restore only "user apps and their data". You can backup messages and call logs using samsung account or use "MyBackUp" app for it.
TiBU however is most widely used.
There are guides and tutorials for using Titanium Backup but I'll give a little info to maybe clear things up for you.
A Nandroid backup will indeed backup EVERYTHING like a complete image, so yes if you installed a new ROM or Kernel, and restored the Nandroid backup, this would overwrite and you would be back at square one. Nandroid backups are useful if you are doing modifications to the system like new themes or changes to settings etc, in case it goes wrong you can restore.
Download Titanium Backup (I do recommend getting Pro version).
Backup your USER apps only. NOT THE SYSTEM APPS.
Choose any system apps you do require (maybe)
Then on the new ROM you can just restore all your user apps.. simple..
PM me if you need any more help and I will go into more detail
Does CWM have the capacity to run a restore from a Stock ROM while the ROM in action is Dorian RED PILL? Or would that cause infintely bad issues?
If not possible, I am interested in attempting to develop something that could allow this to take place!
dawgfan12344 said:
Does CWM have the capacity to run a restore from a Stock ROM while the ROM in action is Dorian RED PILL? Or would that cause infintely bad issues?
If not possible, I am interested in attempting to develop something that could allow this to take place!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you want to restore, the previous ROM or apps and data?
premsrj said:
What do you want to restore, the previous ROM or apps and data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was wanting to restore apps/data. I didn't back up my texts before I switched ROMS so I wanted to go back, back up texts then come back to R.P.
Restoring data would only work ok if the roms are very similar: same custom or stock rom base which contains almost the same apps and version. But, restoring stock data to a custom rom will most likely just give you a bootloop.
Titanium backup already has an option to selectively restore apps and data from a nandroid backup, though it doesn't fully work when changing android versions (gb to ics).
It would be great if you could make an alternative to selectively restore apps and/or data from nandroid backups using a UI.
dxppxd said:
Restoring data would only work ok if the roms are very similar: same custom or stock rom base which contains almost the same apps and version. But, restoring stock data to a custom rom will most likely just give you a bootloop.
Titanium backup already has an option to selectively restore apps and data from a nandroid backup, though it doesn't fully work when changing android versions (gb to ics).
It would be great if you could make an alternative to selectively restore apps and/or data from nandroid backups using a UI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ARGH...that's what I was thinking. I'll start looking into an alternative and see what I can come up with.
I have an HTC Sensation with a Sense rom installed. I have a nandroid backup and also titanium backup for the apps.
I want to install CM11 rom, recover some apps with titanium, change to ART and use the rom for a while. And then, make a nandroid of this rom.
My goal is to use both, maybe change weekly.
Will I have any problems switching nandroids, regarding the apps in SDCard? The information saved by each rom will cause problems between them?
Any thoughts on this?
The info and configuration of the apps in SDCard installed in a Sense rom will be affected by a new CM11 ART rom (and switching between nandroids)? Or it only affect the part of the apps that are in system space, therefore, no issues?
up
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?