Develop Bugs

All back ups gone, wish this had a SD card

OK, so I'm used to phones with external SD cards where backing up was very easy. With the GN its a pain in the ass. After flashing a rom and factory resetting it, CWM can not find my back ups. I can see them with root explorer on the "sdcard" but CWM doesn't. I tried dragging them to /data/media/, but cwm doesn't see them.
I saved the back up to my pc before resetting as well. Where can I put it so CWM sees it?
I have the same problem with Titanium Back up. I backed up all apps and data, but after the wipe they were gone. I saved the back up on my PC but now I don't see a titanium backup folder to drag them too.
I realize this question has been asked before but all my research points me to dead ends.
Any help would be appreciated.
edit: was able to to drag an old backup to CWM, tried to restore and it failed. Phone is now stuck at Google logo :/. Factory resetting it again did not help.

update your CWM.

Zepius said:
update your CWM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't matter, I flashed back to stock and rerooted. How can I avoid this in the future. It seems that if I wipe data I lose my back ups. How can I save my back ups in the future?

Zepius said:
update your CWM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.....

If you just put your backup in data/media/ then CWM might not see it. Mine are in data/media/clockworkmod/backup/

This is why I use TWRP now.
I've had a bad CWM backup/restore operation fail. I think the dev of CWM is losing the ball and TWRP is starting to become the better recovery solution now.

deleted

akira02rex said:
This is why I use TWRP now.
I've had a bad CWM backup/restore operation fail. I think the dev of CWM is losing the ball and TWRP is starting to become the better recovery solution now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never once had any errors or failed operations or issues of any kind since using CWM Recovery. Even with my old phone (which was not technically CWM, but based on it). Its hard for me to blame CWM and say that those issues are NOT user error.

If you go from a 4.1.X ROM to a 4.2.X ROM then you will have this problem because it changes the file structure that android uses. Same would occur on TWR. You just need to move the files to the correct location after the fact.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

pyroemaniac said:
If you go from a 4.1.X ROM to a 4.2.X ROM then you will have this problem because it changes the file structure that android uses. Same would occur on TWR. You just need to move the files to the correct location after the fact.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Problem is that I tried moving the backup from the old location to the new. When I tried to restore, it failed and never was able to boot past the google logo. I had to unroot and flash back to stock. A great feature that I wish CWM had would be to direct it to where we keep the backup and just restore from there. Since the change from 4.1 to 4.2 I have read many people having similar issues.

Do you have cwm making a md5 for your backup? If not hat is the only time I've had trouble restoring. I've switched from 4.2 to 4.1 and vice versa multiple times without problems.
Also are you using cwm touch or non touch?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

Also, like others have said, make sure you are using the latest CWM. You can easily get it by downloading ROM manager and selecting "Flash ClockworkMod Recovery". It will also tell you what version you have and what version is the latest.

Thanks for the help. I'm also having problems with titanium back up. I copied the backup folder before the wipe, I dragged the files back to the titanium back up folder but TB doesn't recognize the back ups.

spillner said:
Thanks for the help. I'm also having problems with titanium back up. I copied the backup folder before the wipe, I dragged the files back to the titanium back up folder but TB doesn't recognize the back ups.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In Titanium Backup, select menu then preferences. Scroll down and select backup folder location. Tap the "detect" button then whole device. It should find it.

Also I'd grab a cheap otg adapter... And a 32gig min flash drive to backup to. I have mine run overnight (otg w/charging port) it's basically like having external just deciding when you need it
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

pyroemaniac said:
If you go from a 4.1.X ROM to a 4.2.X ROM then you will have this problem because it changes the file structure that android uses. Same would occur on TWR. You just need to move the files to the correct location after the fact.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
an up to date version of CWM or TWRP will 'move' (actually rename with the new path) your file system for you so you don't have to do it manually - that's why peeps keep on telling you to update your recovery...

help!
spillner said:
Problem is that I tried moving the backup from the old location to the new. When I tried to restore, it failed and never was able to boot past the google logo. I had to unroot and flash back to stock. A great feature that I wish CWM had would be to direct it to where we keep the backup and just restore from there. Since the change from 4.1 to 4.2 I have read many people having similar issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same exact problem. When I try to move the backup to the main sdcard directory (a 3 gig file) it fails halfway through. No matter if I use adb push or windows/mtp to copy/paste the file.
Any ideas? Please help, I just want to restore my old rom with all my data. I dont care about 4.2 if I dont have my data.
EDIT:
I FIXED IT! This is how I did it. I had backed up my SD card (including clockwork backups) to my computer using adb pull. So I used clockworkmod recovery to format the SD card and /data/media. Then I started up the phone. I used windows to copy the backups to the phone. Now when I went to clockwork and tried to use the restore backup, it worked correctly. I'm now back to my old phone

I have a solution
spillner said:
OK, so I'm used to phones with external SD cards where backing up was very easy. With the GN its a pain in the ass. After flashing a rom and factory resetting it, CWM can not find my back ups. I can see them with root explorer on the "sdcard" but CWM doesn't. I tried dragging them to /data/media/, but cwm doesn't see them.
I saved the back up to my pc before resetting as well. Where can I put it so CWM sees it?
I have the same problem with Titanium Back up. I backed up all apps and data, but after the wipe they were gone. I saved the back up on my PC but now I don't see a titanium backup folder to drag them too.
I realize this question has been asked before but all my research points me to dead ends.
Any help would be appreciated.
edit: was able to to drag an old backup to CWM, tried to restore and it failed. Phone is now stuck at Google logo :/. Factory resetting it again did not help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to solve this problem. Check my post (above this) and the edit! Goodluck!

Reviving this thread
I am reviving this thread because I would like to know if there is any way to preserve CWM backups and Titanium Backup files when wiping data for a new ROM install.
Is it possible to create a symlink using terminal and link to a static directory which could be protected from wiping data? This is granted the shell permits symlinks.
Thoughts?

[Q] Clockworkrecovery no files found

First of all I am a novice when it comes to this sort of thing. I was running Paradigm 2.3.5. Created a clockworkmod backup using version 5.0.x.x (can't remember the exact version). I then wiped data, wiped cache, installed Paradigm 3.1, installed gapps, and booted. Well I decided I wasn't ready to re do everything I have done to my phone and I wanted to go back to my previous backup. I restarted into recovery, but when I attempted a recovery I get no files found. The files are still there if I look through a usb connection. I understand this has something to do with the /0 folder and moving from 4.1 to 4.2 android. I'm not sure what to do here I just want to restore my phone to before all of this mess. I also understand there are other topics on this issue, and I have been looking through them for hours now, but I can't seem to get anything to work. Please help.
Edit: I was able to download a file manager and transfer the clockwork backups into the correct clockwork folder and then restore to my previous rom. I still would like to know if it is possible to flash a new rom without losing all of your files and apps.

ddrawer said:
First of all I am a novice when it comes to this sort of thing. I was running Paradigm 2.3.5. Created a clockworkmod backup using version 5.0.x.x (can't remember the exact version). I then wiped data, wiped cache, installed Paradigm 3.1, installed gapps, and booted. Well I decided I wasn't ready to re do everything I have done to my phone and I wanted to go back to my previous backup. I restarted into recovery, but when I attempted a recovery I get no files found. The files are still there if I look through a usb connection. I understand this has something to do with the /0 folder and moving from 4.1 to 4.2 android. I'm not sure what to do here I just want to restore my phone to before all of this mess. I also understand there are other topics on this issue, and I have been looking through them for hours now, but I can't seem to get anything to work. Please help.
Edit: I was able to download a file manager and transfer the clockwork backups into the correct clockwork folder and then restore to my previous rom. I still would like to know if it is possible to flash a new rom without losing all of your files and apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You shouldn't lose your files if you wipe unless you wipe sdcard (in a custom recovery). You can save data and apps with titaniumbackup.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium HD app

mrgnex said:
You shouldn't lose your files if you wipe unless you wipe sdcard (in a custom recovery). You can save data and apps with titaniumbackup.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I never lost any files they were still on my sdcard, but there was an sdcard\ and an sdcard\0 with duplicate folder except one of the duplicates were empty. So your saying if I do a back up with titaniumbackup then flash a new rom that uses android 4.2.2 or 4.3 I can then restore with titaniumbackup and have all my old data and apps on the new rom?

Do a search on the GNEX Development forum for the current version of CWM. 6.0.4.0 was just posted earlier today.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Sorry to be so annoying with this, and I really appreciate everyones help. To clarify, I just installed CWM 6.0.4.0. If I now make a backup with CWM, clear files/factory reset, clear cache, and flash latest rom, I can then boot and it will be like nothing changed as far as my app configurations and data goes? If not, is there a way to do that? Will titan do that for me?

ddrawer said:
Sorry to be so annoying with this, and I really appreciate everyones help. To clarify, I just installed CWM 6.0.4.0. If I now make a backup with CWM, clear files/factory reset, clear cache, and flash latest rom, I can then boot and it will be like nothing changed as far as my app configurations and data goes? If not, is there a way to do that? Will titan do that for me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Think of CWM as an image bu of your phone. If something messes up when you flash that latest rom, you can restore the bu and all will be back to the way it was pre-flash. TiBU will backup your apps and data, so after you do a clean flash you can restore them. My personal preference for a clean flash is to let the Play Store restore my apps, then use TiBU to restore the data for my user apps. I've found TiBU to be a bit of a crap shoot when it comes to system apps. There's always a bit of work involved with a clean flash, but it's not too much and will usually save some headaches.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

Well this weekend I decided to flash CM 10.2. I backed up to titanium, I backed up to cwm latest version, factory reset, flashed CM 10,2, flashed gapps, booted, play store repopulated my apps. Open titanium backup "no backups found", tell it to detect the backup folder on whole device, no backups found. So I just ran my cwm restore and when I boot I get a whole new error. When I try to browse my files with astro file browser I get "cannot downgrade database from 2 to 1". What is wrong now?
Edit:
I just tried to do another cwm backup because I was going to move around some files through usb, it took forever and then in the end failed because the boot image was messed up. It said something about free space so I deleted all but the most recent cwm backup and then the backup that failed before was able to finish. After doing that I booted again and I was able to browse my files with astro again. So that isn't an issue anymore, but there has got to be something wrong with my file structure that this keeps happening.
I have two 0 folders, is that normal. From root I have storage\sdcard0\0\0 and that contains my data from before I started any of this flashing from 4.1. storage\sdcard0\0 has duplicate folders of storage\sdcard0\0\0 but they are empty. There is also a folder called sdcard in the root folder. So obviously there is a huge mess here. Is there a tool I can run to clean it up, or can someone tell me how the file structure is supposed to be so I can just move things back the the way it should be.
Edit 2:
I ended up copying the files in the deepest 0 folders out to the 0 folder above them then removing the deepest 0 folder. I now have sdcard\0 which only has a clockworkmod folder with a recovery file in it, and storage\sdcard0\0 which when I go into the 0 folder I get routed to sdcard\0. Everything seems to be working fine still. I'm thinking about just combining the sdcard0 with the sdcard and removing the sdcard0 since I'm currently on android 4.1. Then with everything cleaned up I might give it another go.

unable to mount system

I am having a bit of trouble swapping a new rom on my Sprint Galaxy Tab T217S as every time I swipe to flash via TWRP recovery I get the same message in the log.
unable to mount system '/
Any idea as to why that may be. My device is rooted via odin and I do have root access. Im trying to install Goodness T3 or Remedy Rom and both say the same thing.
I follow proper procedure with wiping dalvik cache, cache, system, and data also doing the factory reset.
please help this has me stomped.
thanks in advance

TWRP gives problems mounting often.......not dogging it...i've seen it work, but it has never worked for me personally.
So.....Wipe the system again and restore your backup (hopefully you made one) from TWRP. The reason for the restore is mainly this: different recoveries sometimes dont recognise backups made by other recoveries.
Flash a new recovery, I use Philz Touch 5 CWM. Make you backup. Then follow the regular installation steps.
Flash the ROM and enjoy.

ReeceWyld said:
TWRP gives problems mounting often.......not dogging it...i've seen it work, but it has never worked for me personally.
So.....Wipe the system again and restore your backup (hopefully you made one) from TWRP. The reason for the restore is mainly this: different recoveries sometimes dont recognise backups made by other recoveries.
Flash a new recovery, I use Philz Touch 5 CWM. Make you backup. Then follow the regular installation steps.
Flash the ROM and enjoy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where would i find the Philz Touch i did flash the basic CWM but it seems to require a SD card of which I do not have at the moment.

Either way it would be best to have and sd card to work with, meaning an external since since a full wipe erases everything on the internal so you should try to get one, even if it's a temporary one to store the ROM and backups on.
But this is actually the CWM recovery for 217S http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2514821. I know its still a 7" but the Philz Touch Recovery i have i think is only for the 210 variants, i overlooked that. But this ^^^^^ should work for you.

ReeceWyld said:
Either way it would be best to have and sd card to work with, meaning an external since since a full wipe erases everything on the internal so you should try to get one, even if it's a temporary one to store the ROM and backups on.
But this is actually the CWM recovery for 217S http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2514821. I know its still a 7" but the Philz Touch Recovery i have i think is only for the 210 variants, i overlooked that. But this ^^^^^ should work for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is the one installed a couple hrs ago and it appears the only way to actually install a rom from it is via Sd Card so im going to order one tonight and go from there i guess I don't feel knowlegeable enough to try this from adb

(Q) Advice before installing CM11 or Vanir

Hello there
I want to install CM11 or Vanir nightlies on my friend's T999. His phone is unlocked, as we are in Spain and use a network called Orange. If I install the rom (I prefer installing CM by the installer, as his phone isn't rooted and that would simplify the process) would he lose his network connectivity? I know he probably won't but... Anything can happen. Also, should I go for the installer or the manual way? Do themes for CM work in Vanir nightlies? And what is the EFS folder for? Should I make a Backup of it?
Thanks
P.S: He runs on Official 4.3, he upgraded from OTA. Your help is much appreciated

Yes I'd back up EFS Folder. There's plenty of threads and posts around here. You will need to flash custom Recovery before flashing CM11 or others.

Thank You!
Perseus71 said:
Yes I'd back up EFS Folder. There's plenty of threads and posts around here. You will need to flash custom Recovery before flashing CM11 or others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you Perseus71!
I will backup the EFS folder as you said. Also, should I root and install CWM recovery manually or should I just use the CM Installer App to make things easier and go anywhere from there?

Don't bother Rooting first. Just install CWM either with the app or via Odin. Once CWM is working, flash supersu zip via CWM to Root.

Thanks
Ok, I will do that
I found some kind of tutorial that uses ODIN to install CWM, in a page called Team Android, but it is from 2012 and I don't know if it is outdated/doesn't work.If it doesn't work with UVUENC2, could you please link some kind of tutorial to install CWM and Root? Thanks

That should be good. Try this one as well. Odin hasn't changed much to make it different. Make sure to use Odin Version 3.x or higher.

Odin
Ok I've got Odin 3.09 and the root .tar file. One last question, can I both root and install CWM by using Odin? Will the phone brick or something similar if I install them both by Odin? I found the root method for UVUENC2 and CWM 6.0.4.5 Advanced Edition (Philz Recovery) from a page called trueandroidblogspot(dot)com. It uses the same method as the video you posted in your reply. As always thanks for the help
Also, if I flash the SuperSU.zip file in Chainfire's thread, Can i have root Access just by doing that? I didn't know I could flash it, thanks again

Sounds like too complex round about way to do this.
1. Flash CWM you have via Odin.
2. Flash CM 11 via the CWM of Step 1.
I don't think you need to root beforehand unless you intend to keep Stock Touchwiz. CWM can take a Nandroid without Rooting the current Stock.

Perseus71 said:
Sounds like too complex round about way to do this.
1. Flash CWM you have via Odin.
2. Flash CM 11 via the CWM of Step 1.
I don't think you need to root beforehand unless you intend to keep Stock Touchwiz. CWM can take a Nandroid without Rooting the current Stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I didn't know I could install CWM without Rooting thanks for the help again Can I recover the EFS folder via CWM? If I toy around with the phone's network, I will be in a really BAD situation and wouldn't forgive myself. Also, should I go for CM11 or CM10.2.1? I prefer stability to newer features.

If you take an EFS backup now while you are still on Touchwiz, you can retain it forever. I do believe you can restore it back on CM. If not then you can restore the nandroid of Touchwiz you took and restore that way.
I believe CM 11 is pretty stable as of now. Just make sure to grab their Stable release and not a nightly release.

Perseus71 said:
If you take an EFS backup now while you are still on Touchwiz, you can retain it forever. I do believe you can restore it back on CM. If not then you can restore the nandroid of Touchwiz you took and restore that way.
I believe CM 11 is pretty stable as of now. Just make sure to grab their Stable release and not a nightly release.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will be taking CM11 m3 as d2lte only has nightlies, thanks for all your advice. One last question, will I have a corrupted EFS folder if I upgrade from Jelly Bean 4.3 to Kitkat (CM11) or is it the same thing? I found that the best way for restoring it is to get a root explorer, copy and paste it (overwriting if it exists) and then booting in recovery and wiping data, cache and dalvik cache. Have you tried this method or any other?

So long you don't flash a different Modem, EFS won't be lost. You can update from 4.3 to CM 11 (Not the same. CM11 = 4.4).
Typically I use Terminal Emulator and Run Reboot NVRESTORE to restore corrupted EFS Partition.

Perseus71 said:
So long you don't flash a different Modem, EFS won't be lost. You can update from 4.3 to CM 11 (Not the same. CM11 = 4.4).
Typically I use Terminal Emulator and Run Reboot NVRESTORE to restore corrupted EFS Partition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I think that is all that I need, I thank you for all your help. This is the first time I flash a ROM in a GSM phone, other times it has been on Tablets and damaged cellphones. Really, thank you for all your assistance. I think this thread could be really helpful to noobs like me who are new on flashing ROMS

Upgrade to KitKat via OTA or flash through Odin? Any difference?

Any reason to choose one method over the other?
I'm running rooted stock 4.3 (MK1) on SM-P600 and I've done a nandroid backup in TWRP (which I'm assuming I can restore if I don't like KK).

drdoombot said:
Any reason to choose one method over the other?
I'm running rooted stock 4.3 (MK1) on SM-P600 and I've done a nandroid backup in TWRP (which I'm assuming I can restore if I don't like KK).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Odin is clean install (wipe everything flash a fresh O/S). OTA is upgrade or dirty flash, you still able to keep your setup and all your installed apps. If your phone is running smooth without any issue then OTA should be fine. If you have weird issues, then Odin is recommended. I see you already have TWRP and probably already rooted that means you can not use OTA method and if you use Odin you will wipe out everything including TWRP, root, your setup all the download apps, system/user data and so on. Your phone will be like a new one. This bring us to the point that you will NOT able to restore 4.3 (you will need to reflash TWRP and so on..) and we have mix reports about once you on Kitkat it's not possible to flash back 4.3 due to different bootloader.

buhohitr said:
Odin is clean install (wipe everything flash a fresh O/S). OTA is upgrade or dirty flash, you still able to keep your setup and all your installed apps. If your phone is running smooth without any issue then OTA should be fine. If you have weird issues, then Odin is recommended. I see you already have TWRP and probably already rooted that means you can not use OTA method and if you use Odin you will wipe out everything including TWRP, root, your setup all the download apps, system/user data and so on. Your phone will be like a new one. This bring us to the point that you will NOT able to restore 4.3 (you will need to reflash TWRP and so on..) and we have mix reports about once you on Kitkat it's not possible to flash back 4.3 due to different bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I updated via Odin and it was a dirty flash and everything works fine. I can still create a folder on the external sd and copy a file from the internal sd to the folder that I created on the external sd.
Regards
colin

colint3 said:
I updated via Odin and it was a dirty flash and everything works fine. I can still create a folder on the external sd and copy a file from the internal sd to the folder that I created on the external sd.
Regards
colin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The same for me, but I had to root it again. The root was lost, but everything alse working fine. ( I have sm-p601)