Related
one quick question in setting up the upgrade from 1.3d to 1.4:
When using Titanium Backup, I back up all user apps + system apps.
Once upgraded to 1.4 can I restore also system apps, or I can mess something doing this? It's better to restore only user apps?
Thanks
You don't need to use any apps to restore after upgrade. All the apps should still be there if u only did an upgrade without a reformat factory settings
Thanks but if I understand correctly the Dexter's instructions, he recommends to do a Wipe (Factory Reset) before and after installing the ROM. In such a case, I guess that all apps and settings will be lost. And then, it is when I gess I need to restore from a previous backup or otherwise I would need to restore everything manually, app by app.
Even if you don't wipe out you apps and data, it maybe be better if you do a backup in case something goes wrong... Bad things happens when we least expect
OK, but my original question remains:
Once upgraded to 1.4 (and making a wipe) can I restore also system apps by using Titanium Backup, or I can mess something doing this? It's better to restore only user apps?
What system apps that you want to back up with Titanium? I recommend you to check the change log from each of Dexter version to see if any of your system apps is being changed in the new update or not. If it's changed in the new update then don't back up it, otherwise it's safe to do so.
OK, thanks. That's what I did.
Since after installing the ROM, all applications there were the ones coming with the ROM, I didn't restore any existing app, assuming it is already the last and correct version. I was therefore restoring only those missing, and it worked fine. The only problem, I guess, is that by doing this way I didn't restore the app data for those apps coming with the ROM. Not a major problem.
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.
The ROM that I use on my phone pretty much discourages dirty flashing updates [CM10.1 based]. So for the last 10 or so updates, I have clean wiped my HTC Rezound, then restored from a TitaniumBackup.
Except I do it a little different than most people, I think.
First I disabled compression of backups.
Then to restore I go to /sdcard/TitaniumBackup/
and run a bash command:
# for i in *.apk; do pm install "$i"; done
Then I go to TitaniumBackup, and every app is installed but doesn't have my data. So then I batch restore my data for my apps [Pretty much only user apps, except a few system things like SMS, WiFi networks]. But the problem is, recently, TitaniumBackup will quit halfway through a batch restore of "Data only." So I've been manually restoring data 1 by 1 for the apps that I need data to be saved across rom updates.
But then I thought, "Hey, why can't I just backup my /data/data/ folder?" but then I also thought that would probably be like a dirty flash, and I am just wondering if anyone can shed some light on this subject.
Thanks.
mvmacd said:
But then I thought, "Hey, why can't I just backup my /data/data/ folder?" but then I also thought that would probably be like a dirty flash, and I am just wondering if anyone can shed some light on this subject.
Thanks.
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+1
VERY EAGER to learn this as a flash-a-holic.
sigh well I tried restoring the /data/data/ folder from a tar backup, and the apps didn't have my data. [Both my launcher and 1 random game did not have my data, even after rebooting.]
Then I went to install TitaniumBackup from Play to restore my apps the way I do it usually, and then it had an error. It wouldn't install. So I tried wiping data in recovery, and then the setup wizard kept crashing after I completed it. It wouldn't let me launch anything, even Settings would crash.
So now I'm starting all over again. Currently doing a clean flash in recovery. Ugh.
I think the problem might be file permissions.
sifat3d said:
I think the problem might be file permissions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I checked and they seemed to be 751. I checked the other folders in /data and it looked the same.
Swiped from my Nexus 10 using xda-developers app
Restoring those setting from system apps will lead to issues. This is due to the way those settings are restored when changes are made to the programs for those settings.
Restoring with titianium backup is only advised for user apps and data
Wayne Tech Nexus
Hello all,
I just wiped and installed 4.13.651.4 rooted stock odex upgrade from captain throwback's release. Previously coming from 4.13.651.1. I used titanium backup to backup everything from previous installation, then restored everything from that release once upgraded. That screwed a bunch of stuff up because I restored all system and data as well as user apps and data. Wiped that out and reinstalled fresh, this time restoring all user apps and data, and only system data. For whatever reason, bluetooth will not operate. Everything else is fine. I cannot figure out how to reinstall only bluetooth files so that it works properly. So far the steps I've taken were to snag the following files from the 4.13.651.4 installation zip from the system/app folder in the zip:
Bluetooth.apk
Bluetooth.odex
HtcBluetoothLeProfiles.apk
HtcBluetoothLeProfiles.odex
HtcBtWidget.apk
HtcBtWidget.odex
Nfc.apk
Nfc.odex
I unzipped these with root explorer, then copied and pasted them into the ROOT/system/app folder after switching to "Mount R/W" in the system/app folder. Once the new files were in place, I changed permissions on all 6 files to be rw-r--r-- just like all the rest of the files. Rebooted phone, bluetooth still doesn't work. Are there any other files that I would've inadvertently have replaced or modified from the previous 4.13.651.1 files that controls bluetooth operation? I REALLY REALLY REALLY don't want to have to wipe and do over AGAIN!!!
Please help!!
Why are you replacing BT system files? Those aren't part of the TB backup, are they? Did BT work before you started restoring things from your previous install? I would suggest only restoring user apps and within that only the user data you really need to keep. Restore data for apps one-by-one, not all at once. Don't restore system data unless you know it's not going to interfere with what is already there. TB is almost too powerful for its own good when it comes to batch backup and restore. You gotta learn what to exclude and what you really want to migrate to a new install.
But mostly start fresh and make sure BT works before you start restoring anything.
SilverZero said:
Why are you replacing BT system files? Those aren't part of the TB backup, are they? Did BT work before you started restoring things from your previous install? I would suggest only restoring user apps and within that only the user data you really need to keep. Restore data for apps one-by-one, not all at once. Don't restore system data unless you know it's not going to interfere with what is already there. TB is almost too powerful for its own good when it comes to batch backup and restore. You gotta learn what to exclude and what you really want to migrate to a new install.
But mostly start fresh and make sure BT works before you start restoring anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It did work before I started messing with stuff. I'm restoring BT system files hoping it would work again. I don't really know what TB backs up when its set up backup everything. After first time I did restore items one by one and that's what screwed up BT in the first place. I figured putting original files back in system folder would fix it, but it didn't. I only restored system data one by one to try not to have to set up my phones settings again including BT pairings. Guess I've got egg on my face now. Any ideas?
whoshodade said:
It did work before I started messing with stuff. I'm restoring BT system files hoping it would work again. I don't really know what TB backs up when its set up backup everything. After first time I did restore items one by one and that's what screwed up BT in the first place. I figured putting original files back in system folder would fix it, but it didn't. I only restored system data one by one to try not to have to set up my phones settings again including BT pairings. Guess I've got egg on my face now. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it was me, I'd do a factory reset or just reinstall the ROM (try dirty flash, if that doesn't work then wipe and start clean), then restore only user apps. In TB you can do a batch restore, but then uncheck apps you don't want to restore. I wouldn't reinstall any data from anything. If you open a user app and it turns out you don't have the data you want, then go in and restore data for just that app.
Restoring system apps and data is asking for trouble, IMHO.
SilverZero said:
If it was me, I'd do a factory reset or just reinstall the ROM (try dirty flash, if that doesn't work then wipe and start clean), then restore only user apps. In TB you can do a batch restore, but then uncheck apps you don't want to restore. I wouldn't reinstall any data from anything. If you open a user app and it turns out you don't have the data you want, then go in and restore data for just that app.
Restoring system apps and data is asking for trouble, IMHO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats what I was trying to avoid.... if there was a way to break it, theres gotta be a way to fix it.
whoshodade said:
Thats what I was trying to avoid.... if there was a way to break it, theres gotta be a way to fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, replace the files you restored or copied over with the originals. My assumption is that the files that are "broken" are the ones that got overwritten when you restored and/or copied into /system from the previous install. They have to be replaced with the original files and data. That would involve extracting them from the original ROM and copying them back into place. I don't know how to go about that. I'd cut my losses and reinstall. If you have a TB backup already, you'll only be out the half-hour it takes to re-flash and restore things. Like I said, you can try a dirty flash, wipe caches only, try a factory reset, etc. I personally would wipe and re-flash clean, because I hate wondering if there are still any ghosts in the machine when I encounter problems like this.
SilverZero said:
Sure, replace the files you restored or copied over with the originals. My assumption is that the files that are "broken" are the ones that got overwritten when you restored and/or copied into /system from the previous install. They have to be replaced with the original files and data. That would involve extracting them from the original ROM and copying them back into place. I don't know how to go about that. I'd cut my losses and reinstall. If you have a TB backup already, you'll only be out the half-hour it takes to re-flash and restore things. Like I said, you can try a dirty flash, wipe caches only, try a factory reset, etc. I personally would wipe and re-flash clean, because I hate wondering if there are still any ghosts in the machine when I encounter problems like this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought i did that... I dont know what other items affect BT
I am having issues on a clean install. Haven't connected to Bluetooth since I got the phone.
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk
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?