Question, how does backing up Apps with programs like Astro and TI or whatever work? Does it just keep you from having to re-download them from the market when you do a full wipe and flash a ROM? If so, does it restore their market link so that they are updateable? Or do they just do app data?
Sorry, I'm confused. I don't normally have much app data, so I just re-download all my apps each time, and was wondering if I was 'doing it wrong'.
And which program is recommended for backups?
I recommend Titanium Backup, but with the caveat that you should do some research to see how it works. It will back up apps, user settings, and even system settings - but that doesn't mean you can just restore them willy-nilly. For instance, if you backup your apps and app settings, then flash a new ROM, then restore those apps and settings, there may be conflicts between the new ROM and the old programs. It's really more of a just-in-case way to back things up. People have also reported that MyBackup works well. I use TI myself.
In fact, please read this article by flipz (he developed the Fresh ROMs).
All it does is basically takes a snapshot of your system. It copies app files and settings databases. Later, you can restore the apps and data (and even things like account settings and scenes if you know what you're looking for) and be back where you were, as long as things work correctly. There are batch operations, but it all still takes a while to be safe and know that you're not restoring things that will break your system.
It's good, but I recommend a complete nandroid backup (ClockworkMod or Amon RA) if you're not jumping around between ROMs. That's really a better "everything" backup method.
Hope that helps.
Related
Dear All
Having a rooted Desire with Froyo and Apps2SD+, i needed to migrate to a bigger 16 GB card. In that (failed) effort I decided to remove all apps and then restore them.
I backed them up via MybAckup Pro and Titanium Backup. Then, after reboot, no backups were detected by TB. I even wrote to the support but no answer. I had to revert to MyBackup Pro which apparently had a mind of its own regarding which apps to restore. Now Google Maps is missing on my phone and neither will it install. Also, com.gapps are closing on me every minute.
I have decided to do a factory reset but it'd be nice if a few questions are answered first:
1) I understand that NANDROID is the best way to back up; however, it doesn't provide me a way to restore apps one by one or in batches. Any solutions?
2) When I do a factory reset, will I end up with a clean phone with root and my current custom ROM, or the phone as it came from Orange?
3) Is there a way to install Google Maps and to remove the gapps errors without factory reset?
4) If I restore from NANDROID after factory reset, will all the errors/instability come back as well?
Thanks
1) Nandroid does an image of your custom phone, like for example Norton Ghost would do. Its like saving the setup/state of the phone at the time you do the backup.
2) A factory reset deletes all user data. You end with your current ROM as it was a clean install, it will not change the ROM you're using. If you're using a custom ROM you will still be with that custom ROM.
3) Can't Google Maps be downloaded from Market? Also you can try to extract the .apk from a ROM and copy it to yours via adb for example. As for the errors I dont really know if they're because data corruption and a reset will fix them or its the apk that isnt working as intended.
4) As I said earlier, doing a Nandroid is doing an image of the current state of the phone. If you do a Nandroid of a phone that has errors and you restore it, the errors wont disapear.
If you want to have a backup of the list of apps you already have you can use AppBrain. Its a little app that syncs your list of apps from the phone into a google account so when you do a full wipe you have only to install that app again and sync with the saved google list of apps. It wont save the data of the aplications but it will save the list of the ones you've installed.
Azureus: That is a most helpful reply, I sincerely appreciate it.
Google maps is not appearing in the market. I tried to sideload it and it still doesn't install. Thanks for the GREAT AppBrain trick.
I would appreciate if you could answer:
1) Which is the best, most stable custom ROM to use with official Froyo+Sense, Apps2SD+ ? I have doubts about stability of current ROM.
2) Which app can enable me to back up apps and then restore them one by one, given that Titanium Backup is not working for me somehow?
1) I personally use OpenDesire and its a non Sense UI ROM, so I dont really know what Sense UI ROM is the best. I've tryed several Sense UI ROMs and two that gave me a good feeling where LeeDrOiD Mod and the official Sense ROM of OpenDesire Team.
2) I've tryed several apps for data backups and the one that I liked most was Titanium Backup... May I ask why isnt working for you? I've tested both the free and donate version and they seem to work pretty well...
Thanks. Will try Leedroid now.
As for titanium, or backs up everything all right but when I try to restore it shows nothing. Don't know why is that
Titanium Backup saves the backups by default in a folder as the same name as the app in your SD. Have you tried deleting all the folder and doing backups again to see if the restore works? You can also go to settings and change the default folder in which it saves the backup to see if its a problem with de folder/SD or its the app.
Ok, so to me this program seems great - backs up pretty much EVERYTHING for me, so that if I flash and wipe a new rom, it restores everything to a usable level. Now my issue is I can't understand what people mean when they say you might as well not wipe at all. If you can't use TB to restore after a wipe, what is the point of using TB at all???
Is there a way to select parts that are "ok" to restore after a wipe? or is TB pretty much pointless?
Thanks
Read this it will help explain how TB can mess with your ROM.
http://geekfor.me/faq/why-you-shouldnt-be-using/
P_Dub_S said:
Read this it will help explain how TB can mess with your ROM.
http://geekfor.me/faq/why-you-shouldnt-be-using/
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Thanks I read that but his post didn't really make it clear for me:
problem is that when a user makes the backup on one rom/build/version and imports it on another
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What exactly does this mean? I am running CM6 nightlies. Should it be wiped and not restored via TB each time? What about going from RC1 to RC2?
If the situation is such that you can restore via TB, then why not just flash the new one and skip wiping altogether?
Well one nice thing about Cm rom's is you can have google backup all the programs you download from the Market so no need for TB there. Where the problems can lie with TB is the SQLlite database files when restoring your user settings. If something has changed from rom versions and you restore your old sqllite settings and now its missing some information thats needed for the newer version rom it can cause problems like force closes or reboots.
For nightly's I just upgrade without a wipe. If I do have any quirks then I try a wipe which usually fixes whatever quirk I'm having.
P_Dub_S said:
Well one nice thing about Cm rom's is you can have google backup all the programs you download from the Market so no need for TB there. Where the problems can lie with TB is the SQLlite database files when restoring your user settings. If something has changed from rom versions and you restore your old sqllite settings and now its missing some information thats needed for the newer version rom it can cause problems like force closes or reboots.
For nightly's I just upgrade without a wipe. If I do have any quirks then I try a wipe which usually fixes whatever quirk I'm having.
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yeah, I've been skipping the wipe unless there is a quirk.
So basically it sounds like TB is a total waste of time if you are running CM6? Sorry... just hard for me to understand why people love the program so much if there is no real application for it? Or is it just outdated by the backing up with Google?
it's like this - TB allows you to backup apps and settings. You may want to use this in addition to the backup that google provides - what if you find a great app, but its removed from the market? I don't think that the google backup will help you then - it will only restore what's currently in the market (disclaimer - I don't use CM6, so I'm not 100% on that).
The waste of time thing comes into play with people who have issues with a rom, so they re-flash the rom and restore apps and settings with TB. It might have been some of the settings (that were just restored with TB) that were causing the issues in the first place.
fachadick said:
it's like this - TB allows you to backup apps and settings. You may want to use this in addition to the backup that google provides - what if you find a great app, but its removed from the market? I don't think that the google backup will help you then - it will only restore what's currently in the market (disclaimer - I don't use CM6, so I'm not 100% on that).
The waste of time thing comes into play with people who have issues with a rom, so they re-flash the rom and restore apps and settings with TB. It might have been some of the settings (that were just restored with TB) that were causing the issues in the first place.
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^what he said
I LOVE TB but I use it to restore my apps and their data ONLY, I do not use it to restore system data.
I think with tb....when you restore your apps you have the choice to restore the apps with out the user data. Also you can choose to wipe them of data Before you restore.
Powered By CM-6 + Snap
berardi said:
yeah, I've been skipping the wipe unless there is a quirk.
So basically it sounds like TB is a total waste of time if you are running CM6? Sorry... just hard for me to understand why people love the program so much if there is no real application for it? Or is it just outdated by the backing up with Google?
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Unlike Google's backup, TB backs up your /data/data folder, not just the APK's from your market-downloaded applications.
In other words, it backs up your application data, your apps you installed manually/downloaded, and all of your settings, such as Bluetooth name and pairings, WiFi networks (and security settings), etc.
My rule of thumb is, if going from one build to another (ie, Stock to CM6, etc.) then do NOT restore any system settings/apps. Just do a backup of YOUR apps, as-is, move over to the new ROM, restore apps and their settings, then go to the Market and update everything. Simple as that, and you shouldn't get any errors.
fachadick said:
it's like this - TB allows you to backup apps and settings. You may want to use this in addition to the backup that google provides - what if you find a great app, but its removed from the market? I don't think that the google backup will help you then - it will only restore what's currently in the market (disclaimer - I don't use CM6, so I'm not 100% on that).
The waste of time thing comes into play with people who have issues with a rom, so they re-flash the rom and restore apps and settings with TB. It might have been some of the settings (that were just restored with TB) that were causing the issues in the first place.
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Thanks that definitely helps. Market-removed apps seems like a good reason to have it. (I already bought it just trying to determine how to use it anyways)
Ok so is it fair enough to say it has a relatively "niche" market with the addition of market backups? I hate to be a bull in the ChinaShop but it seems like people really tip toe around the idea of TB being outdated by market backups. I get the general idea of what you guys are saying but I'm trying to decide what I want to do in personal practice.
I don't think I've experienced any issues but who knows if I've had less than optimal performance because of restoring previous settings. Are there any "safe" items that can be backed up and restored or is nothing really "safe" they all have entries in sqlite database that might be duplicated?
Thanks again guys for humoring me
I've done a few searches on the forum and several on Google, but I can't seem to find what I'm looking for. I've been running a custom kernel with stock 2.2 for a while now, and the only thing keeping me from flashing another ROM (maybe deodexed stock 2.2? Not sure yet) is all the stuff I have on my phone right now. I guess it's not a lot compared to some of you guys. Around thirty or so apps and widgets from the market, along with all their settings, and all my contacts.
If I nandroid before wiping and flashing, how do I recover just my apps, settings, and contacts? Is that a good idea, or should I go with something like Titanium? Before I back up all that stuff, should I move my apps from my SD card to my phone? Sorry if you guys answer questions like this every day, but I can't find **** with the forum search.
tl;dr - Wanna know how to restore apps/settings after flashing new ROM.
Titanium is the way to go for that. It backs up all your apps, contacts, messages and settings. I never move my apps back to my phone from the SD before a backup and I haven't had any problems.
Ballin. Thanks for the suggestion. So I just go to "Backup all user apps + system data", wipe, flash, reinstall Titanium (?), and run the restore?
Sorta. I run two separate backups, one for user apps and one for system data. I only backup certain things in the system data list so doing the separate backups makes it easier for me to choose what I am and am not backing up. Only gotta do one restore though, and then a reboot.
Alright, cool. I'll give all this a shot. Appreciate the help, bro.
No prob, happy to help.
Heya.
I want to backup my contacts, my SMSs and App Data before doing a super wipe and flashing a new rom. I'd also like to backup my phone settings and apps too, but that probably kinda removes some of the beneficial effects of the wipe.
I've used Titanium Backup to do these things before, but I've been getting more and more FCs that no one else using the rom have reported so I'm thinking my wiping hasn't been fully effective.
What are the best ways to backup these things? I want the backup methods to be easy to do and restore but should leave othing bad behind so I wouldn't get extra FCs.
Best for contacts: Google (?)
Best for SMS: ?
Best for App Data: ?
Thanks alot!
Diffler said:
Heya.
I want to backup my contacts, my SMSs and App Data before doing a super wipe and flashing a new rom. I'd also like to backup my phone settings and apps too, but that probably kinda removes some of the beneficial effects of the wipe.
I've used Titanium Backup to do these things before, but I've been getting more and more FCs that no one else using the rom have reported so I'm thinking my wiping hasn't been fully effective.
What are the best ways to backup these things? I want the backup methods to be easy to do and restore but should leave othing bad behind so I wouldn't get extra FCs.
Best for contacts: Google (?)
Best for SMS: ?
Best for App Data: ?
Thanks alot!
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I use mybackup root and dont have any problems there is a free version on the market to try first.
Hit the thanks if it helped
Ricey
Before flashing a new rom be sure to do backups if you don't want to have problems. But also be aware that some programs may perform different on different ROMs because of kernel, sense ans no-sense roms etc. Some programs I backedup on some roms worked like charm and on some roms they FC, but after uninstall and instal from .apk program works again.
For program and DATA I use Titanium. You can restore only APP, Only DATA or both APP+DATA (which can restore high scores in games or program settings you set).
Titanium backup can also restore screens and system datas like Wi-Fi settings, accounts, SMS messages...... With that system data I found most problems because roms have a different versions of stock programs, and restoring data for facebook old version while backup is made on new version can be a problem. Happened to me. It is best if you restore system data to exact same rom or an updated version of last used rom (my experience).
Contacts you don't have to backup, at least i don't, because they will be pulled back to your phone when you set your google account.
I take screenshots of homescreen and app drawer, just in case that I don't forget something to install.
Full wipe you have to do when you completely moving from one rom to another. If you just upgrading you don't have to full wipe (only if it is necessary, but it will be written on home page of a rom developer). Every rom come with detailed instruction how to install. Some of them have application (.zip) to full wipe and format system. It there is such application you have to use it, if you want FC free DHD.
Hope it helps,
Thanks, looks good. Is it okay to move settings from older rom with older kernel and other things to a newer rom or can these cause force closes? How about app data, I'd like to keep my progress on few games for example, does backuping app data and moving them to a wiped fresh rom cause force closes?
Thanks!
EDIT: Didn't see the last post before this reply, it clears up stuff, thanks!
I'm pretty sure that this hasn't been covered specifically so I'm posting a new thread.
I backed up all my apps and data on a stock rooted Sprint 4.24.651.1, 2.3.3 ROM via TBU Pro. I also performed a backup of my current ROM with ROM Manager. I then installed Team Nocturnal _Shooter_RLS_2.3.(after, of course, all the recommended wipes and resets) When I went to restore my apps and data I wondered if some of the previous app versions (where both ROMs have same apps/diff versions) would hose things up. It did, I think. Maybe all that I needed to do was clear some app caches and reboot. Not sure, I couldn't get any of the HTC widgets to load but I did see in another thread that cache clearing may fix that. But other stuff was goofy after the restore too. It became buggy and horribly slow, so I think that there's more to it than just the HTC stuff. I wonder if something I restored and maybe shouldn't have hosed it up. What I'm wondering is if someone would be so kind as to scan down my app lists and tell me which apps and/or data that are obvious that I shouldn't restore? For example, this new ROM has a different dialer, it makes sense to me that I wouldn't restore that. Same with anything to do with Sense, since this particular ROM I believe has a newer version, but not sure. I am thinking that any time I install a different ROM this will be a consideration but maybe I have the wrong idea about the whole thing. I have attached 30 images captured (incl the Software info screen) of my app list in TBU.
Lastly, I'll add that since making the move to Android from WinMo about a year ago I am very glad I did it. I could not have possibly been able to learn and do the things (rooting, S-off, flashing ROMS) that I have done without XDA! You folks are brainiacs and I greatly admire what you all do. (blatant a**-kissing)Thank you, thank you!
You have to be very careful about what you restore using Titanium when you are moving from one ROM to another. I found this from personal experience (moving from Stock to Synergy RLS1 and then to MikG). There is some good info in the Titanium Backup Wiki.
The part that you need to be careful about is restoring system data that is incompatible with the newer system apps in your new ROM. Your best bet is to only restore the User Apps and their data. You can do this in Titanium by selecting Menu > Batch > Restore missing apps with data.
There is some system data that you can restore without getting into trouble (probably bookmarks, SMS Messages, Sprint Voicemail) but you are going to have to experiment. I restored my missing apps using the batch option and then went to the Backup/Restore screen to look at the System Apps and Data one by one to see if there was anything that I could restore. Sometimes I would restore some data that would cause a problem and I would have to Wipe that data (also in Titanium Backup/Restore screen) and move along. I know at least once I was forced to start fresh and Wipe and reflash the ROM.
gbweller said:
I'm pretty sure that this hasn't been covered specifically so I'm posting a new thread.
I backed up all my apps and data on a stock rooted Sprint 4.24.651.1, 2.3.3 ROM via TBU Pro. I also performed a backup of my current ROM with ROM Manager. I then installed Team Nocturnal _Shooter_RLS_2.3.(after, of course, all the recommended wipes and resets) When I went to restore my apps and data I wondered if some of the previous app versions (where both ROMs have same apps/diff versions) would hose things up. It did, I think. Maybe all that I needed to do was clear some app caches and reboot. Not sure, I couldn't get any of the HTC widgets to load but I did see in another thread that cache clearing may fix that. But other stuff was goofy after the restore too. It became buggy and horribly slow, so I think that there's more to it than just the HTC stuff. I wonder if something I restored and maybe shouldn't have hosed it up. What I'm wondering is if someone would be so kind as to scan down my app lists and tell me which apps and/or data that are obvious that I shouldn't restore? For example, this new ROM has a different dialer, it makes sense to me that I wouldn't restore that. Same with anything to do with Sense, since this particular ROM I believe has a newer version, but not sure. I am thinking that any time I install a different ROM this will be a consideration but maybe I have the wrong idea about the whole thing. I have attached 30 images captured (incl the Software info screen) of my app list in TBU.
Lastly, I'll add that since making the move to Android from WinMo about a year ago I am very glad I did it. I could not have possibly been able to learn and do the things (rooting, S-off, flashing ROMS) that I have done without XDA! You folks are brainiacs and I greatly admire what you all do. (blatant a**-kissing)Thank you, thank you!
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Yeah, I had a feeling that there would be conflicts like that before I even restored. I never thought to read the TBU wiki...thanks for that tip! It looks like I have a lot more homework to do before I flash again. I really have to decide if the time investment is really worth the return. There are so many cool ROMs out there but what a lot of B.S. sorting out what works and what doesn't. It is excruciating to have to read through 50+ posts following a ROM release to find out what you're in for. What would be super-cool is if someone was able to construct a spreadsheet of the most popular ROMs in a column with all of the popular features (4G, Wifi Tether, Mirroring, etc), kernel compatibility, Sense or no Sense, etc in a row at the top, with check marks indicating whether or not the feature works or is baked in. I'd pay to see that. Especially if it were linked to the downloads to the ROMs and kernels.
Thank you very much for the reply!