Q: Is TWRP the only backup option? - Moto G Power Questions & Answers

I have two new Moto G Power (XT2041-4) phones - one is mine and one is the wife's. The bootloaders are unlocked and both are running RPMS31.Q1_54_13_6 stock and are rooted. I don't plan on messing with custom ROMs.
I have Titanium Backup installed and use it to backup/restore at the application level. Typically, my next step without hesitation would be to install TWRP. For my past phones (HTC, Samsung, and LG), my usage of TWRP was limited to fully backing up the phone to the external SD card and restoring (when necessary). This has saved my bacon more times than I'd like to count.
Being new to Motorola devices, I've been reading through the G Power subforums and I've come across several threads that state that backup via TWRP is (or may be) unreliable. Yikes.
So, my questions...
Can TWRP be depended on for backing up and restoring this phone?
Are there other backup options (apps or alternate recoveries) available that can essentially "snapshot" or take an image of the phone?
Thanks for any guidance/advice.

Related

[Q] Backup Factory ROM G Tablet

How do I creat a backup my factory Rom on my G Tablet Before Modification?
New to Android Systems.
Not afraid to mdoifiy systems. Been hacking Windows & Apple systems for years.
Looking to learn Android and symbian systems...
Unless I have not been extensive enough in my searching (possible), I was not able to find a 'how to' on backing up the g-tab right out of the box. Many of the articles/how-to's/rants say to backup, backup, backup! I was unable to find out how to. I saw on the video posted by ehunyadi, Installing Clockworkmod and TnT Lite 4.20 on Viewsonic gTablet, it shows the option to restore/backup in clockwork. Am I correct in assuming that once you select this, you will have the option to select 'backup' and as long as you have an SD card in, it will back up the files into that card? Will using a flash drive/external drive in the USB port work as well?
Backing up is nothing new to me, just never used an android I don't want to get this step wrong or else I am screwed on the rest lol. Again, sorry if this is stated in one of the sticky notes.
tposey and tpoland,
Two resources:
1. People who install ClockWorkMod (CWM) .8 can use that to make a
backup at the recovery level.
2. Many people with G-Tablets use "Titanium Backup" which is proven
to work well and have many advantages.
I heard of other programs, but the above two have been enough for me.
Rev
P. S. -- Not a backup, but if your G-Tablet gets messed up, "NVFlash"
is the way to restore to an original image.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=861950
But this is NOT a backup, rather a start-over! Careful.
Thanks rev. Ill look up Titanium Backup and how-to guides for that.
The combination of clockwork and titanium is the best. Clockwork makes a backup of everything. Rom, settings, data, apps, so you can flash back to a stable setup. Titanium backs up apps, app data and user data so that at any time you can recover those. Its most helpful when flashing new roms. You can wipe data/cash and install a new rom and then you only have to install titanium again and use it to restore your apps and data. Very handy when moving between roms. You can also set it up to do auto backup your apps and data so if your tab decides to randomly sh!t the bed your pretty well covered as you can mount internal storage to your PC in recover and pull your titanium backup folder off before any serious reformat.
Hope that helps

What kind of back to do before rooting?

I am new to sim card rooting. On my EVO you had to backup the Wimax partition and keys before flashing. UnRevoked method likes to wipe them. Will a android backup be sufficient before wiping and flashing?
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Well not sure what you mean by "android backup"; do you mean "nandroid" (which you can't do until after rooting) or some other app.
I rooted mine last night and didn't bother with any backup before hand (can't do a very good backup without root anyways).
All I did was make sure that the couple of apps on the phone that I have that DON'T keep their data on the /sdcard by default were exported or synced to their cloud services for them (like my Jefit Pro gym log app).
The other thing that might save you restoring some settings and will make app restore much less painful is to go through the setup app again and say yes to letting Google back up your stuff to the cloud; assuming you didn't do that already.
The current root method takes quite a few steps and reboots, and wipes your phone (but not your sdcard contents). It was a bit more tedious/time-consuming than rooting my Nexus S or prior phones, but with the Nexus S not only do you get your phone's internal memory wiped, but the entire sdcard gets wiped too. I was pleasantly surprised to find mine hadn't been with this process.
response
Yes I meant Nandroid backup, phone changed it to android. Did the first root method for the evo via ADB and did a nandroid before flashing custom and experimental roms. Apps I am not concerned about because of googles backup process and titanium backup. On Sprints network they had a Wimax partition that held your wimax keys and radio setup. when flashing new roms or even during the initial root process some folks would end up losing their wimax keys and 4g was gone. A Nandroid backup would save the partition and you restore it. You cant do that until you get into Clockwork recovery. Some folks, especially using the Unrevoked method would lose that partition during root and lose wimax/4g connection forever, or until they got a new phone. I am assuming that the LTE access info is stored on the SIM card but want to verify.

[REF][NEW-USER] A guide to switching between ROMs

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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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?

How do you back up your Nexus9?

Over the course of the last two years I have flashed the *expletive deleted* out of my Nine and gone through the set up countless times, because I wanted to, and mostly with childlike enthusiasm. Sometimes, like today, it's because I have to. I seem to fail more often than not restoring from TWRP, and recently sometimes with flashfire free version. I never seem to have a problem "testing" the backups after creation, without any major changes they restore without issue. My problems seem to arise after flashing a new rom or preview and then trying to revert back to my previous restores. More often than not these fail on me and I find myself , like today, looking at the set up screen.
What ways (free) work best to save/restore roms, and what the hell am I doing wrong with my back ups? I have a basic grasp of ADB/fastboot. But it appears I have just enough info to be dangerous.
I blame the Vendor partition...
I've not had any problems with TWRP and restoring. I will add, however, that I don't backup the vendor partition. I have had problems with that before. I don't seen any real need to back up the vendor partition, though, so I just exclude that. I keep copies of the vendor image for the ROM that I flash. If I need to restore a backup, I restore it and then flash the original vendor image for that ROM version again.
I don't back up at all any more now that Google is able to reinstall all your apps when performing a fresh install. Just install the rom, choose the restore and let Google do its thing whilst I crack on with other things.
I've had several issues with TWRP backups on 6.x and 7.x, so now I use FF over ADB to make a "NORMAL" backup to my PC. I also use TiBu for apps and store a zip file of the complete TiBu folder on my PC.

Backup with TWRP

Hi. I hope this is the proper place to post this. I've been away from playing with phones for almost 5 years (Couldn't even remember my password here!) due to being very busy with my business. So I feel like a total noob again!
I have successfully unlocked the bootloader and rooted my Oneplus Nord N10 5g using TWRP and Magisk. Now, before I go any further I want to take a Nandroid backup. Do they still even call it that?
In the unlocking and rooting process there were dire warnings about not formatting certain partitions. I would have to refer back to my notes to see which ones but that is irrelevant to my question right now.
I boot to TWRP, go to backup and I have the following options: Metadata, Boot, Recovery, Data, Modem, EFS, and Super. Is it safe to backup and restore all of these? I have no intentions at this time of installing a custom kernel, eventually some different rom's maybe. I'm just looking for a complete backup where I can restore the entire phone in the event of a total fail.
Thanks, and it's great to be back playing with phones again!
So it seems a lot changed with Android 11. The partition Super is now a partition that contains other partitions if I read correctly. If I include all partitions in the backup, would it be safe to restore them all? Or is the Super partition the container for all the other ones? And if so, is that what I need to backup for a full nandroid backup? Really need to figure this out before I flash any other rom's to it.

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