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Hello all
I think this thread would be highly relevant since we are all in the business of continuous wipes and ROM installs.
I have been using two programs for my backup needs: Titanium Backup and My Backup Pro. I know the two apps are quite different, but ultimately their purpose is the same. I list brief observations about the two:
TItanium BAckup
1) Backs up all right, but stalls on some programs while restoring, restarting Sense. In order to resume, one has to uncheck that program from the restore list
2) Creates a single, unified backup, thus saving disk space. But also, I haven't found a way to restore exactly the apps that I had last - it only restores ALL the apps in its backup history, meaning it is a cumulative history of apps rather than latest snapshot. The options are either 'restore missing apps' or 'restore all apps'. Am I missing something?
3) Closes down everything while backing up - something of a minor irritation
4) Does not restore my Sense desktop fully
5) Some restored programs are prone to errors or missing data
My BAckup Pro:
1) Generally quite slower than TB
2) Backs up everything, allows to restore only the apps I had last installed
3) Restores Sense desktop quite well
4) Sometimes stalls in the process of zipping the backup or unzipping it again. But always picks up from where it left.
It turns out MBP is slightly better. But I'd love others' feedback on this.
I've found TB to be highly advanced in Apps backup area compared to MBP. TB allows app freezing, which virtually allows you to uninstall a nagging system app with an undo option. And with the latest version it even allows uninstalling system apps!!
Bye Bye Teeter, Peep and the like.
Yes, you are right it is more 'advanced'. But for me more important than saving a few MB by removing system apps is getting my whole apps and desktop back undamaged and without errors etc, and in this case I found MBP to be better.
As I mentioned above, Titanium does not offer an easy way to restore the EXACT apps I had before wipe - it either offers 'ALL apps ever backed up' or nothing. Again, that might be my misconception. But as I said, it does stall on too many apps.
talhamid said:
Yes, you are right it is more 'advanced'. But for me more important than saving a few MB by removing system apps is getting my whole apps and desktop back undamaged and without errors etc, and in this case I found MBP to be better.
As I mentioned above, Titanium does not offer an easy way to restore the EXACT apps I had before wipe - it either offers 'ALL apps ever backed up' or nothing. Again, that might be my misconception. But as I said, it does stall on too many apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
will have to agree with u TB is quite annoying stopped using a while ago
the only problem i have with MBP is the contacts and calender restore so i stopped using them
i just log on to my gmail and sync my contacts and calender
and as for app restore, its works great never had any errors and i usually restore with data.
TB does allow single apps to backup or restore.
I have backup and restored single apps many times. U can set it to backup only user apps an optionally add the system ones. You simple press menu->batch->backup user apps then you can go through the list and tick/untick those apps you wish to backup or not.
I have found TB so easy to use for whatever combination of backup restore i feel like doing. Also the scheduled backup is a life saver!
for these reasons i have donated to this app!
Been using the paid version of Titanium since I got my Desire and love it. Have never had a single issue or experienced any of the problems listed...
i always used titanium earlier but since i tried MBP.... i generally uninstall titanium from the custom roms of flash. for me MBP is the best love it
I have paid versions of both TB and MBP, and only have one installed on my phone now.
Which one?
Titanium.
I've not experienced a single one of the issues that the OP mentioned. As has been said previously, even in batch operation you can select/deselect the apps you want to backup or restore.
To the OP: Are you using the paid version of Titanium?
Regards,
Dave
Yes, I am using paid version. I am aware of the option to restore single apps as well. I have been using both for months.
Actually, my problem is this: I have about 167 apps that I am currently using (or pretend to be using anyway!). TBP has a backup of these 167, PLUS many other apps that I backed up earlier but uninstalled. Now when I wipe, and then restore, I have to uncheck the apps I had uninstalled from the restore list. Second problem is, TBU stalls on some apps and reboots Sense, and will continue only if I keep looking at the progress bar, notice which app causes the crash, and uncheck it from restore list.
MBP provides multiple backups, allows me to back up JUST the apps I have installed RIGHT now, and restores them without a problem. it also restores my desktops quite nicely.
when you do a full backup of all the apps and system apps of course sense will crash , because TB shuts sense down to back up the files !
Thats the case with all the running apps, because you can choose
Kill active apps OR Exclude active apps !
You can choose a batch to backup the NEW programs in TB.
its in the list.
Backup All new apps & newer versions
I use the paid version and im very happy with it, it works great.
talhamid said:
Now when I wipe, and then restore, I have to uncheck the apps I had uninstalled from the restore list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't want the backups for the uninstalled apps, why not just use the batch operation to delete them?
Second problem is, TBU stalls on some apps and reboots Sense, and will continue only if I keep looking at the progress bar, notice which app causes the crash, and uncheck it from restore list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never experienced this issue, so I can't comment.
MBP provides multiple backups, allows me to back up JUST the apps I have installed RIGHT now, and restores them without a problem. it also restores my desktops quite nicely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TB backs up your desktop too, if you select the right options.
Does MBP now have something similar to Market Doctor from TB?
Regards,
Dave
The Sense stall comes during RESTORATION not BACKUP, and on certain specific apps.
Secondly, yes I have seen the option, but what about restore. I have 'restore missing apps', 'restore all apps', and 'restore newer apps', none of which exactly matches my requirement.
Also, I know with the 'right options' I can restore the desktop with TB too, but it is restored in a broken way with many widgets missing.
Does MBP now have something similar to Market Doctor from TB?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually yes but I have currently the problem, when restoring all apps with their data, they won't show up in the market until I reinstall one app (does not matter which one) and then you will see all your installed apps in the market. Can anyone confirm this ?
Besides that it won't restore 3rd party widgets at your homescreen but I'm almost using all launcherpro plus widgets and the lpp config will be anyway saved through MBP app backup.
I'm using MBP quite often to restore everything and it's quite impressive imho and definitely well worth its money. Never had a big issue with it except the small ones mentioned above.
Best Regards
How about, "Delete backups of Uninstalled Apps"
I used that after every full backup to make sure when I restore it doesn't restore uninstalled apps.
OK, I didn't notice the 'delete backups of uninstalled apps' - so my bad.
That said, I think MBP does what I need with far fewer clicks. Perhaps this is because it has less features.
One thing I can't get around is the error messages I keep getting with TBU.
Guess will have to keep both
talhamid said:
Also, I know with the 'right options' I can restore the desktop with TB too, but it is restored in a broken way with many widgets missing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suspect that this may be due to the order in which the backups are restored. It's possible that TB restores the Sense homescreen data before some of the apps and widgets that are on the homescreens have been restored, causing the problems you mentioned.
I've no particular interest in testing it because I don't generally feel the need to backup and restore my homescreens, but if you are, I'd suggest trying to restore your apps and then try to restore your homescreen data.
One other great feature of TB is its integration with App Organizer. Using this, you can label your apps and then backup/restore by label. For example, I do play some games on my phone, but due to space restrictions I don't keep them on the phone at all times. Using App Organizer, I label all my games as "Games", and I then in TB I can backup/restore by that label.
Personally, I think TB is a much more flexible tool than MBP, but with that flexibility comes complexity, which means that MBP is probably superior for less technical users.
Regards,
Dave
To be honest i am a Lover of
My Backup Pro,
When i first flashed my phone, i was told by a number of people to use
Titanium
So i got it installed it,
and it come to flashing my rom, i loaded it up,
And was blown away by the number of options,
For me and my honest opinion and what i need it for,
Its far to over complex and does not always perform correctly,
After fafing around for a while i finialy managed to Backup my apps and Data,
And restoring them was a faf, And when i did some Apps didnt load / crash
At this point i never give it the time of day,
I got My Backup on the go and Wow was it easy and fast.
In the Time messing around with options in Titanium i would have backeup all my Apps and Data, and every settings and contacts SMS and MMS Alarms, well pretty much the whole phone using My Backup,
It was Super easy, no fuss, no messing, it backs up and restores,
Restoring is just as easy, select all, or Deselect ones you dont want to restore, if its Settings or A Couple of Apps,
So after loving it i paid for the Pro Version,
Never looked back
the_rebel said:
I've found TB to be highly advanced in Apps backup area compared to MBP. TB allows app freezing, which virtually allows you to uninstall a nagging system app with an undo option. And with the latest version it even allows uninstalling system apps!!
Bye Bye Teeter, Peep and the like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am trying right now to uninstall Facebook widget and devices is rebooting...
Any suggestion
P.S.: Leedroid 2.0c ROM
I have been using My Backup Pro since day 1 of having an Android phone. But I am so sick of this POS app. Every single time I restore my apps to a newly rommed phone a number of them force close. If I uninstall those and reinstall fresh from market, they then work fine, so I completely blame this app.
I am not referring to widgets, btw
My question is, before I dump this POS and buy Titanium, has anyone experienced similar problems with it?
Thanks
Hi Barsky,
According to your question, I didn't encounter any issues with user apps + data restore.
However, in order to succesfully use all the features of Titanium Backup (reffered as TB) you have to be an aware user.
This means that you either backup everything and make custom restore, or you backup with a proper selection of things and restore everything. What do I mean?
1. You probably don't need to hesitate backuping user apps+user data, that comes pretty straight-forward.
2. You also probably don't need to worry when you upgrade your ROM.
3. The problem arises with rom/system applications and settings when changing (not upgrading) ROM (Froyo/GB, Sense/AOSP etc). What I found quite safe is:
BACKUP:
- backup everything in TB
- use Calls Logs & Backup from the market to backup calls log
- synchronize contacts and calendar with google
RESTORE:
[don't allow google synchronization before restoring calls log if you don't want to have call log with unbound telephone numbers]
- use Titanium Backup to restore Call Logs & Backup application
- use Calls Logs & Backup to restore calls log
- restore selective tasks in TB:
[be aware that restoring Widgets/HTC Sense may cause conflicts]
# Accounts
# Bluetooth Pairings
# HTC Sense (If you use Sense - and I have suspicion this can cause conflicts, but not sure yet)*
# Bookmarks
# SMS/MMS/Apn
# E-mail account settings
# Wi-Fi Access Points
# SMS/MMS Prefs
# ALARMS
- reboot
- enable google synchronization for contacts and calendar (I don't restore contacts with Titanium Backup since: 1. It's not necessary, 2. It causes FC on some migrations)
- restore all user apps+data from TB
Always make nandroid backup along with TB backup. I also advise making nandroid backup after restoring everything mentioned above except HTC Sense and Widgets, and then try to restore those two (if needed).
Obviuos tip - selective restoring can be done by executing 'batch restore' and then selecting from the generated list.
When I got all that, I am happy with TB. I don't expect perfect Backup&Restore tool, since there are too much defragmentation in Android platform.
Hey guys,
I'm about to updated from Mikfroyo 4.4 to 4.5 and I was wondering what things I should back up using Titanium Backup? I would like to keep settings, texts, and application data if possible.
Thanks.
First, I typically will back up everything. System + User apps and data. I do a nandroid as well. The selection comes on restore for me.
For a restore, first I restore all user apps + data (not the one with system data). I will go through the list and look for anything I might not want to keep. For example, moving from Fresh to Myn, I wouldn't restore Fresh Updater. You can use the restore all user apps batch -- it'll give you a screen where you can deselect.
Next, I will selectively restore system data. Again I use the batch mode, but deselect all and opt in what I want. Most of the things you might want to restore will be highlighted in green. For example, I always restore Browser (or Internet, can't remember which it's labeled), as that gets all my bookmarks, cookies, and settings. There's one for SMS in there. There's one for Bluetooth parings and WiFi access points. Rosie settings are usually to restore too, and that will give you your home screen layout.
Thank you very much.
Please stop using Titanium Backup to restore system files when you upgrade you ROM! Some system apps and settings are incompatible when newer ROMS. When I do backups I backup my user apps to one folder and system apps in another. This way I can just restore my user apps and their data in a batch restore but with the system files I only restore data to apps with the same version.
I make this thread because n00bs keep restoring everything including their incompatible system files and start to whine about the ROM being slow, apps FCing, and other assorted mishaps. I've already helped 2 n00b friends who had phones stuck in bootloop after doing full restore.
Which program would you suggest?
This is an interesting argument
I use Titanium Backup, I just don't restore system app data to incompatible apps.
I backup using apps + system data option.
In this case, system data refers to data that are related ONLY to apps right?
When I upgrade to gingerbread, you think it will cause problem??
Or, Should I only back up apps?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
[email protected] said:
I backup using apps + system data option.
In this case, system data refers to data that are related ONLY to apps right?
When I upgrade to gingerbread, you think it will cause problem??
Or, Should I only back up apps?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you backup user apps (the ones in white), you will backup the app + its settings and data.
When you backup system data (the ones in green), you are backing up only system settings, like SMS/MMS, Accounts, Calendar, Timezone, Phone logs, Wifi APN, etc.
When you backup system apps (the ones in red), you are backing up ONLY the settings and data for that app, not the app itself. THIS is what Intratech it asking you to NOT backup.
Why? Because the next ROM you install, will most likely have a different system app version than the one you previously had.
Usually:
Different apps == Different settings === problems
Heritz said:
When you backup user apps (the ones in white), you will backup the app + its settings and data.
When you backup system data (the ones in green), you are backing up only system settings, like SMS/MMS, Accounts, Calendar, Timezone, Phone logs, Wifi APN, etc.
When you backup system apps (the ones in red), you are backing up ONLY the settings and data for that app, not the app itself. THIS is what Intratech it asking you to NOT backup.
Why? Because the next ROM you install, will most likely have a different system app version than the one you previously had.
Usually:
Different apps == Different settings === problems
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So restoring the green ones should work fine? Especially the Application Widgets is important for me as it is much work to restore.
How to restore the red ones? Market + Samsung Apps?
If I do minor updates 2.2->2.2.1 is there the same recommendation to only restore user apps/data?
Thanks.
Why would you want to backup market and samsung apps?
I restore things like my APNs, contacts and SMS from system data using Titanium backup. Across a range of ROMs I've never had any issues, although I'm not restoring every bit of system data- just a select few.
Mikulec said:
Why would you want to backup market and samsung apps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is faster to restore app's data than waiting for market to come up with updates and configure all manually.
Does system backup do a backup of new versions of system apps?
rickg99 said:
It is faster to restore app's data than waiting for market to come up with updates and configure all manually.
Does system backup do a backup of new versions of system apps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the market automatically downloads apps when you open it. personally, i do not back up my apps but instead use my internet connection to access the market and sownload all the apps back at one go. Q: Is the same service(auto download downloaded apps) on samsung apps?
Heritz said:
When you backup user apps (the ones in white), you will backup the app + its settings and data.
When you backup system data (the ones in green), you are backing up only system settings, like SMS/MMS, Accounts, Calendar, Timezone, Phone logs, Wifi APN, etc.
When you backup system apps (the ones in red), you are backing up ONLY the settings and data for that app, not the app itself. THIS is what Intratech it asking you to NOT backup.
Why? Because the next ROM you install, will most likely have a different system app version than the one you previously had.
Usually:
Different apps == Different settings === problems
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do backup system data however I'm careful when restoring stuff. I check app version number and if they are different then I don't restore any app data for that.
The market doesn't automatically restore your user apps, that's why I restore those.
The market does auto download those apps that you have downloaded before but are not on your phone.
hello,
I know it's off topic, but can i just ask you a simple question?
when restoring with TB, does screen has to be on all the time?
because for me, when screen goes off, whole process stops and when I turn it back on, it resumes..
Is there an option available in TB where you can set to have screen off while restoring?
cheers
[email protected] said:
hello,
I know it's off topic, but can i just ask you a simple question?
when restoring with TB, does screen has to be on all the time?
because for me, when screen goes off, whole process stops and when I turn it back on, it resumes..
Is there an option available in TB where you can set to have screen off while restoring?
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure - in Settings or Options you can specify exactly this issue "WakeLocks Mode".
Kind regards,
ww
lamacow123 said:
The market does auto download those apps that you have downloaded before but are not on your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never observed that
webwude said:
Sure - in Settings or Options you can specify exactly this issue "WakeLocks Mode".
Kind regards,
ww
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a bug with SGS and WakeLocks commands that TB never sorted and never supported or even gave feedback.
ScreenOn: will hang your screen On unless you reset phone
Keep CPU: screen bug is solved, but scheduled backups won't start in standby. They'll start later when you turn screen on. When screen is off, the will keep running (preferred setting for me)
Disbled: you'll have Keep CPU bug added with the pause of jobs when screen auto Off, as you expierience
To be on topic again, restoring green data is safe. Especially SMS, MMS, calendar and contacts data
For myself i duplicate apps folder on phone in case backup fails .
Root Explorer and copy APP file to sd card and or PC .
Backup fails then it just requires each app installing from the sd card .
jje
I don't think something so painfully obvious needed a thread.
lamacow123 said:
The market does auto download those apps that you have downloaded before but are not on your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not on SGS roms
when you install CM7, it does
Furry Atom said:
I don't think something so painfully obvious needed a thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree because many guys get confused as to what system apps mean. I had this problem after I restored system apps a long time ago. Since then I don't backup my system apps at all but chose individual system apps like Maps, Gmail etc. to back up.
What are you guys using to back up your phones when switching Roms? I want to back up contacts, wifi settings, APPs etc.
If I'm switching ROMs I set them up from scratch again, after doing a Nandroid of the current one
Titanium Backup works really well. It's on the market. Probably on here somewhere also.
Will Titanium restore your screens? Its a bit tiring getting them alls setup and then starting from scratch on my droid incredible I never really set up the phone because I switched Roms so often.
veli69 said:
What are you guys using to back up your phones when switching Roms? I want to back up contacts, wifi settings, APPs etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use google for contacts and wifi settings, apps Titanium Backup
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
veli69 said:
Will Titanium restore your screens? Its a bit tiring getting them alls setup and then starting from scratch on my droid incredible I never really set up the phone because I switched Roms so often.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright, so for backing up your system you're going to want to use CWM and make a NANDROID backup. After you're done with that you will probably want to back up your apps. To back up app as well as data (such as angry birds scores) you will want to use Titanium Backup. Just remember not to restore system data, just apps/app data after flashing your ROM/Kernel.
For contacts (assuming you are on verizon) you had the option to chose where you store your contacts. Those options were either in your Gmail account or in "Backup manger" if you cant figure out where they are you can always make a file with all your contacts and place it on your SD card by going to the People App>menu>import/export>Export to storage.
As far as wifi settings go i am not aware of a way to do so.
And if you wanted to keep the launcher as it is (like where your apps are, folder, widgets, etc.) you will have to be on a custom launcher such as ADW or GoLauncher. This happens because the launcher is an app and when the app data is restored (from titanium backup) the placement of things are exactly how they were when you made the backup!
1) Nandroid. Always nanroid just to be safe - if something breaks, you need to have a working build to fall back on .
2) Contacts - I don't worry about it - they should all be synced with your Google account anyhoo.
3) Wifi settings - should also be synced with your Google account, and will be automatically restored when you set up the new ROM (assuming you tick the "restore data to my device" option in the google account setup screen).
4) Apps - TitaniumBackup for apps and data - not for system data though.
5) Launcher - some launchers will have an option built-in for backing up and restoring your screen layouts, folders, etc. Widgets will rarely be able to be restored no matter what method you use. You can also use Titanium to explicitly back up and restore your launcher's data - if you're still on the stock launcher, filter for System apps and look for an entry that starts out "[DESKTOP] Launcher ..." (it'll be in green) and backup/restore the data for that.
When you boot after first wipe it asks you for Google account details, then it will pull down your contacts, wifi settings etc. which we want.
But it also starts re-downloading all your Market apps, which we don't want because we've got them in Titanium Backup and we want to restore them with data (save games) and be linked to the Market for updates.
What's the correct way to handle this?
I've created issues before where some apps don't list in 'My apps' in the Market, and don't auto-update unless I search for them at which point it says 'Installed'.
I usually enable airplane mode immediately after the Google account setup, reboot, restore from titanium, reboot, and then turn the radios back on.
ClockworkMod Rom Manager. Its the best tool there is. yu can flash roms by pressing a simple button.
make sure you understand the difference between clockworkmod and titanium backup before you start modding your device. CWM will restore your phone exactly to how it was when you made the backup, everything from your screens, apps, setting, contacts, call and text logs. When you restore with CWM it will erase everything that was done after the backup point. Another thing to keep in mind is that you cant choose to restore specific things in CWM like you can with TB, you have to restore it all in one shot.
TB will restore apps, system apps and data associated with those apps. TB can also be used to backup settings, wifi access points and bluetooth pairings.
So if you get a bootloop or softbrick you have to use CWM. You need to do a factory reset/wipe before you flash a new rom, this is when you would use TB. Use TB to restore the apps, data and settings.
SMSbackup and calllogbackup in the market is also good for backing up or texts and call logs if you want to keep them. google will backup your contacts if you allow google to do this but you can always just save your contacts on your sim card
never ever restore system apps and data.
Especially if it was meant to be a full wipe.
Even then, clean start is always best so wipe and stop reporting bugs if you didn't do a wipe.
s2d4 said:
never ever restore system apps and data.
Especially if it was meant to be a full wipe.
Even then, clean start is always best so wipe and stop reporting bugs if you didn't do a wipe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On that note, some data for system apps can be safely restored - just never do it as a batch process. If I'm going to try restoring any system data, I do another full nandroid first (just in case) and then restore data one at a time.
I'm shocked no one has mentioned this app yet. Appextractor let's you restore things from your nandroid, Obviously some things shouldn't be restored, but many things can be safely restored.
EKnofsky said:
I'm shocked no one has mentioned this app yet. Appextractor let's you restore things from your nandroid, Obviously some things shouldn't be restored, but many things can be safely restored.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only problem I had with app extractor is the amount of SD storage space it uses - and doesn't automatically clean up. My nandroids are already ~2.7GB - I don't really want the whole thing also stored uncompressed. I quickly run out of storage space that way.
Oh, and it's painfully slow.
AppExtractor is useful if there's an important app you forgot to back up in Titanium, but doesn't really make sense to me as your primary restore method.
Isn't the Titanium data wiped when a new ROM is flashed? I assume that before flashing anything, copy the /sdcard directory to another computer?
And after flashing a new ROM, I assume that Ti has to be downloaded first in order to restore the other apps
thereddog said:
Isn't the Titanium data wiped when a new ROM is flashed? I assume that before flashing anything, copy the /sdcard directory to another computer?
And after flashing a new ROM, I assume that Ti has to be downloaded first in order to restore the other apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless you're using the factory recovery, the Titanium data will remain intact. You will have to reinstall Titanium from the market - or use the tool built-in to Titanium to create a flashable *.zip. Just flash that *.zip before you boot your ROM the first time and you'll have Titanium pre-loaded.
use adb! works without root
adb backup [-f ] [-apk|-noapk] [-shared|-noshared] [-all] [-system|-nosystem] []
- write an archive of the device's data to .
If no -f option is supplied then the data is written
to "backup.ab" in the current directory.
(-apk|-noapk enable/disable backup of the .apks themselves
in the archive; the default is noapk.)
(-shared|-noshared enable/disable backup of the device's
shared storage / SD card contents; the default is noshared.)
(-all means to back up all installed applications)
(-system|-nosystem toggles whether -all automatically includes
system applications; the default is to include system apps)
( is the list of applications to be backed up. If
the -all or -shared flags are passed, then the package
list is optional. Applications explicitly given on the
command line will be included even if -nosystem would
ordinarily cause them to be omitted.)
adb restore - restore device contents from the backup archive
example: adb backup -all -system -shared -apk
nitramz said:
use adb! works without root
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this. I had seen adb backup alluded to elsewhere but not a concise post detailing the usage. I'd rather not have to use my computer to handle backups, but it sounds like a pretty cool option.
Try MyBackup PRO. It does exactly what you need. I have used it before and it is good.
Can you nandroid restore for apps & settings on new ROM or new version of same ROM?
Many people (myself included) are "flash-happy" and install new ROMs or ROM updates very frequently. While I love flashing new stuff, I hate the process of getting my phone set up all over again. Titanium Backup is currently my go-to app for backing up apps and restoring them after a flash. Nova Launcher has been super-helpful in keeping my widgets. However, many apps don't work until you open them after a restore (1Weather, Adfree, LightFlow, Lux, etc). So generally, the following is my tedious process for flashing:
1. Assign labels in TiBU to the apps I want to restore and run "backup all apps + data"
2. Wipe Data, Cache, Dalvik, Battery Stats
3. Flash ROM, GApps, Kernel, etc. Fix permissions
4. Install TiBU and then painstakingly restore apps (only non-system), then restore data for those apps.
5. Open each app and configure where necessary
6. Go through all the ROM settings and set them the way I like (nav bar icon size, clock posiiton, battery icon, etc etc etc).
Just the thought of going through this whole process makes me hold off on flashing too often, and I usually end up saving flashes for when I have a big chunk of time. Some people, I've noticed, flash new ROMs like they've got nothing better to do. It makes me wonder... do they have some trick for quickly restoring their phones after each flash? Is there some way to condense or streamline steps 4-6 in my process?
A Nandroid backup saves the System and Data partitions. What info does each partition contain? I realize that each ROM is different and it might be problematic to restore settings of one ROM to another, but what if you're simply upgrading to a newer version of the same ROM? I'm wondering if I can make a nandroid backup of CNA 3.6.6 and then restore only the Data partition after flashing CNA 3.8.0 so that the new ROM is in place but all the apps and settings are restored from the previous setup. If this does work, is it stable and smooth?
Or if I'm completely off about using Nandroid for this purpose, does anyone have any methods for getting back up to speed quickly after flashing new ROMs?
In titanium backup you can go to settings > create update.zip so next time you flash a new rom gapps etc you can install the update.zip as well and have TiBu off the back. If you have the pro key it will be more beneficial to you. You do have to log into you google account if you have the pro key before opening TiBu. I use Paranoid Android and I can backup my rom settings idk how CNA does it. That one you might have to manually do.
Between ROM updates you don't have to wipe data. Just Cache and dalvik.
I have recovered my data partition between wipes before but stopped because everytime I update or flash a new rom I usually go for a new look.
Here is my process between flashing new roms
1. Backup everything in TiBu (I already have the update.zip so I skip that. You only need to do it once or if the app gets updated)
2. Go into recovery wipe data, system, cache, dalvik
3. Install rom, gapps, kernel, TiBu
4. Restart
5. Load up sign into google account
6. Open TiBu and restore everything
Some apps naturally won't restore everything like Adfree for example will put the hosts file in your system for you, when you back that app up your only backing up the settings. When you back it up it only backs up the settings. Dropbox and Skydrive I have to manually sign back in. I never had lightflow so I don't know how that works. Its a little tedious but I usually give a rom a few hours before I actually go through all that.
Hope it helps
If you don't want to have to log in to your Google account before using the full version of Titanium Backup, just use App2Zip to make a flashable zip of TiBu and its Pro key. Then just flash it last, boot, and batch restore the rest of your apps and data.
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