What kind of back to do before rooting? - Thunderbolt Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

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.

Related

[Q] What is lost during a ROM change? How to backup phone so I can play with ROMS

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.

How do I backup my rooted phone?

Hi there,
About a month ago I bought an HTC Thunderbolt and somebody helped me root the phone. Since then I have had some family emergency/issues that have caused me to put programming the phone on hold. Now that they have cleared up I am trying to now learn a little bit more about upgrading Rom/Kernel/Radio.
I am running the following:
Android 2.2.1
Baseband version 1.16.00.0223r
Kernel 2.6.32.21_bamf4.4.2....
Build 1.13.605.7Das Bamf 1.5 Remix
Software 1.13.605.7
Can somebody tell me how to backup my phone entirely?
I would like to back it up with the intent:
* Install different kernel/radio/rom and keep the same android apps without reinstalling
each one individually.
or
* Restore the phone to its current state (if I should drop the phone and get a
replacement).
I do have titanium backup pro installed but it has never been used. Is this all I need?
I seem to recall that there is a backup feature on this phone that was discouraged....
Thanks in advance...
Anthony
The key for me is to
Use Nandroid (the backup feature in recovery) for a full image backup. Use Titanium to backup individual applications.
Before restoring nandroid backups, be sure to wipe cache and Dalvik (under advanced in recovery).
Nandroid takes nearly the entire phone back to the point of backup (houses everything you have on your phone's internal memory). Titanium allows backups to be restored on different roms. Some apps and many system apps don't play nicely with Titanium, but most from the market do play nicely with it.
Installing new kernels doesn't require wiping your data. Installing new/updated roms does. Installing themes usually does not, but there are exceptions.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Thank you for the explanation.
When you refer to Nandroid & recovery feature, you are referring to Clockworkmod?
Per your input I updated to Rom Manager PRO and then simply selected "Backup Current ROM". I assume that this covers everything on the phone including radio/kernel/apps....
If there is anything else I need to do, please let me know.
Thanks again...
Yes, CWM is how you want to backup your phone entirely. I would recommend going into recovery and making a backup on your own instead of hitting the "backup my current rom" button in rom manager. The backup you make will be saved in a folder on your SD card named clockworkmod/backup. I always think its a good idea to move your backups to your computer and keep your two or three most recent backups on your sdcard.
As for backing up your apps, you can do a batch backup in titanium and when you load a new rom you will be able restore the app and any data associated with it. As a general rule I would only backup apps that require a lot of setup. Otherwise when you load a new ROM the apps you had previously installed will automatically restore (depending on the ROM). Just a tip, dont backup system apps. Doing so and switching versions, for example froyo to gingerbread, could cause many issues down the road even if they aren't immediately seen.
Lastly, when installing a new ROM you always want to wipe data/factory reset at least twice and wipe cache and dalvik cache twice each as well. If you have any issues dont hesitate to ask there are many people who are willing to help.
Go to ROM Manager, scroll down and select Backup Current ROM.
I use two apps for backing up and restoring installed apps; Titanium Pro and MyBackup Pro. For some reason MBP successfully restores the apps + data that fail using TP. For example, apps installed from the Amazon android market.
I create full backups with both TP and MBP, but when I need to restore ( after a complete data wipe and new Rom flash) I do the following:
1) skip setting up my Google account during the initial setup process that starts after user data has been wiped.
2) Uncheck the box that allows backups to Google's servers
3) After setup is finished, go into settings, privacy and deselect the automated backup options
( If I don't do the previous two steps, then Google starts pushing apps that may have been backed up and/ or apps that I have purchased. I don't want this to happen since I am going to do my own restore with data.)
4) I use TP to restore MBP only
5) I then use MBP to restore the rest of my user apps and data.
Some may disagree with my two backup app process, but it has been more successful for me than using either TP or MBP by themselves.
If something doesn't go right with MBP, I still have the full TP backup to pull from.
I do not bother backing up systems apps just because it seems to cause me too many issues when i attempt the restore. This means i have to redo any system settings, but that isn't a big deal to me.
Some of my favorite apps have backup features of their own. Folder Organizer and Circle Launcher are two of my all time favorites. Both restore nicely when i move to a new Rom.
Occasionally, i copy the TP, MBP, and Clockwork folders from my sdcard to a folder on my laptop just in case.
The above may sound like alot, but it goes pretty quick for me and I flash quite a bit ( at least once or twice a week when the device is new and the Rom cookers are really active).
Another thought, I have used MBP to successfully restore my android home screen settings for sense ( part of MBP's data bu ). My preferred launcher is LauncherPro, which has its own backup and restore function.
Finally, i always do a nandroid backup before wiping and flashing to a new Rom. I also always do the backup right from clockwork mod recovery. I love the Rom Manager app and paid for the premium version quite a while ago, but i prefer to backup, wipe and flash from the recovery screen. Even if i download something that needs to be flashed using Rom Manager, I still reboot into recovery to perform the needed steps.
Hope this helps and if someone has another app backup/ restore routine they use successfully i would love to know the steps. I am open to learning something new.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App

Backing up entire phone with locked bootloader?

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.

Backing up pre-HTCDev unlock (adb backup)

Playing around with something today - was attempting to get a process by which there is a non-destructive root method for the EVO family and ran across a stumbling block.
Start with 1 unrooted locked EVO 3D fully updated with enough programs and data to identify that it's mine, set up, etc...
use adb backup -all
wait nearly an hour as the data and apps are backed up at a very low speed, 1.5 gb backup file is created.
destructive HTCDev unlock, wipes the entire thing out
use adb restore backup.ab
wait nearly an hour for the restore which should bring back apps and data, but never does... always crashes HTC Sense or something, occasionally I'll see icons to programs I installed but they'll say the programs aren't there.
So yeah, it appears I have found a way to make the backups fine, but no way to restore them. Does anyone know why that last step works or doesn't work? This is on a completely stock ICS 3D with only 3 programs installed after an RUU, so there's no funky config problems. Just ADB hates restoring HTC
:good: nice
ok, so I've banged my head against this one over and over again... failing to figure out how to force the phone to accept the data back... it's there... just kind of useless.
Have asked Titanium Backup people if they want to help... seems to be their kind of thing.

[Q] Kies Backups?

Hi,
My first post to the forum, long time lurker but now I actually have a question or two.
I have a samsung galaxy s3 (blue, 16GB), it is totally stock, has the XELLA update as well.
Whilst reading the thread regarding dying S3's, it got me thinking about my own S3 and what I'd do if it died.
Of course, I have Kies and MyPhoneExplorer, I use both to do the same task that the old Nokia PC Suite used to do (I've come from Nokia S60 phones).
My concern is, despite backing up via Kies, I read in the above thread, that Kies shouldn't be used for backup as it doesn't do a 'proper' backup.
(I've tested Kies backups myself and didn't spot a problem, but I've never tried to factory reset my phone and then restore everything from Kies)
Given that I do not want to install custom ROMs or root my phone in any way, is Kies suitable for backups or should I be using something more comprehensive?
If I should use something else - what should I use?
Ideally I want software that sits on the PC itself and backs up to my local drive, I don't really want something that sits on the phone unless it's really good.
Ideally, all I want is some useful software that allows me to backup my phone content, SMS/MMS/Contacts/Apps/App Settings/Phone Settings, maybe music and ringtones too. Most other parts (such as calendars/notes) are sync'd from a local Outlook install so these get overwritten upon sync anyway.
Does anyone have any ideas?
A78
Root your phone, install custom recovery and make a nandroid backup. Nothing beats that.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Oomahey said:
Root your phone, install custom recovery and make a nandroid backup. Nothing beats that.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whilst I'm grateful for the suggestion, I don't want to root my phone. Especially as it works perfectly well as-is. I'm happy to keep it as stock, however if you're telling me that the only way to get good, reliable backups of everything with my phone is to root it, then that doesn't bode well.
Why include software with a phone that suggests it can backup the phone, when in-fact it cannot.
i came from Nokia e72 with symbian s60 too. Kies backup is not up to my expectations. And myphoneexplorer is fiddly with its backup function. I was reluctant before rooting my phone, but I'm happy that I did it with cf auto root, it allows me to use titanium backup which is very good.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Kies questions try a a Kies or Samsung forum is what i would do .
No root then XDA does not exist .
jje
I wouldn't worry about it. If you've been lucky enough to get a kies backup, that'll do. I never got that far (and my s3 died)
I can't really root either Would love to. Rooted my desire the second it wasn't my primary phone. Barclays banking and sky go are two apps which don't like rooted phones and I squarely blame them, app-security shouldn't be compromised by root access. Nevermind, so I'm in your shoes too...
While ensuring my wifes (already swapped S3) doesn't lose anymore data if it goes again (hurry up fix).. it got me thinking about what she'd really loose and it's not that much...
Apps (can be re-downloaded). Your kies backup should have got the appdata (I can't be sure of this). Edit: I have successfully backed up many apps data settings without kies by using an 'adb' backup. You just need the Android sdk. Not all apps can be backed up this way (it also allows you to violate settings in their sqlite dbs), better than nothing though.
SMS (can be backed up using many Play Store apps)
Contacts/Chrome bookmarks are all stored by google
Kies can be used to ensure your Internal Memory doesn't contain any photos/music/movies/downloads that you want to keep (copy to sd)
Alot of apps which stored data on the internal storage were manually copied/pasted to an sdcard folder for safe-keeping.
and then there's probably not a whole lot else that you can't configure via system/in-app settings to avoid using internal storage and opt for sdcard/online instead.
I haven't got my phone back yet so I don't know what i've yet lost... don't want to think about it, at least wifeys happy that if hers goes (again) she wont loose much of value.
Edit2: A helpful XDA member detailed the adb (whole system) backup process: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1420351
What I was looking for, was a single application or tool that would backup the entire phone, absolutely everything ideally.
But I suspect I won't be able to do that without rooting the phone, and even then - the backup application itself would probably need to be ON the phone and couldn't necessarily backup to the computer itself (unless I copied the backup from the SD memory to hard disk).
I know the old nokia software did back up pretty much everything and I'm sure Kies backs up pretty much everything, but if my phone were to die or be lost somehow, I want the ability to restore the backup entirely and be back to where I was (or as close as possible), so I don't need to set up apps again or their settings or set the phone settings back up etc.
Is all of that asking too much? (I use an equivalent of Ghost on my PC to back it up, that covers literally everything, just wondering if I can do a similar task with my phone)
arkane78 said:
Is all of that asking too much? (I use an equivalent of Ghost on my PC to back it up, that covers literally everything, just wondering if I can do a similar task with my phone)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1. It does seem like a glaring omission. I've never gotten Kies backup to complete successfully.
What do u want to backup?
Sync contacts with google. Save ur DCIM photos in a new folder named I9300 and music and other stuff from sdcards
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
UncleBeer said:
+1. It does seem like a glaring omission. I've never gotten Kies backup to complete successfully.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I'm now doing is a Kies backup and an ADB backup as documented in a link earlier in this thread.
The Kies backups come in at around 270-290MB each, but the ADB backups come in at around 1GB each, so am wondering if perhaps doing an ADB backup once a month would be a better idea.
At least that way, I'm pretty much covered in the event of device failure or theft
Appreciate you confirming your backup approach. As with any new backup method, of course, it pays to test your restore strategy before you really need it
Good luck and if you do manage to do a test restore, let us know how it goes.
PS: I hadn't mentioned it because it conflicts with your (imo very reasonable) goals, but, the only backup I've ever fully trusted is the nandroid backup(s) I have of my rooted desire That's as close to a 'ghost' image as possible.
arkane78 said:
What I'm now doing is a Kies backup and an ADB backup as documented in a link earlier in this thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hatless said:
Appreciate you confirming your backup approach. As with any new backup method, of course, it pays to test your restore strategy before you really need it
Good luck and if you do manage to do a test restore, let us know how it goes.
PS: I hadn't mentioned it because it conflicts with your (imo very reasonable) goals, but, the only backup I've ever fully trusted is the nandroid backup(s) I have of my rooted desire That's as close to a 'ghost' image as possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So a nandroid backup would literally clone everything as some kind of dump file?
I've told the ADB backup to cover shared storage as well as storing all APKs (excluding system ones), but what strikes me as odd is that my internal memory has used around 1GB and SD memory is around the 600MB mark, yet the backup is only 1GB.
I'm hoping between a monthly of ADB and a weekly Kies, I'll be able to get 90% of my phone back in operation if anything were to happen to it.
It's the same kind of strategy I use on my PCs here at home, except with them I know I can literally take a 'copy' of the entire system, including data.
I know the Kies restore works, but I don't know if the ADB does, I guess I should try it at some stage. Maybe when I do my next Kies backup
Question
I want to know if I back up all my data with kies from s3 (4.1.2) after that i update the phone can i restore the saved data with kies?
So i want to update the phone via odin so i have to do a factory reset and all the wipe,that would delet all my stuff so i saved the data i need,after update can i restore to the phone if the data i saved was from s3 (4.1.2) and the restoring woud go to s3 with 4.3 jellybean?
Thx

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