Database Users

Full backup

Now i've got my xda mini S working pretty much as id like, i would like to perform a full backup to my mini SD card incase of a crash which requires a hard reset. It's important that i would be able to restore the system when 'on the road' and possibly away from a pc.
On my dell axim there is a backup to SD card util but i cant see anything similar on the xda mini s. Anyone help/recommend something.
thanks,
malty

You have to use a 3rd parts app. I use SPB backup, works well but there are others.

as i said i need something that can be run from sd without a full install to the pda. This is so i can restore without having to connect to a pc. Any apps that can install and / or run from the pda sd card will do

SPB backup stores the backup as an executable on the SD card that you can run to restore your system, PC not needed.

absolutely ideal thanks mate
will grab that app now
cheers,
malty

Sprite used to be my favorite, but they've let me down lately.
Spb is excellent!

I would like to take advantage of SPB backup but I have heard rumors that it won't restore to the newest Qtek rom properly. Does anyone have any input on this?

seems perfect to me but i guess you dont really know until you need it. Just made a backup .exe and moved a copy to my pc for safe keeping in case the sd card goes down too. My mind is now at rest cheers guys.

fowen said:
I would like to take advantage of SPB backup but I have heard rumors that it won't restore to the newest Qtek rom properly. Does anyone have any input on this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup - I am on the new rom and I have just done a restore..... dont ask me why I had to restore....
.... ok I will tell you .....
.... I had to resore after I upgraded to the latest level of SPB Backup (v1.1.2 build 2050). Strange as this happened to me before when I upgraded. All was fine when I installed the new version from scratch last time. Not gonna try it again this time though, v1.1.1 is good enough. At least I know it works !!

im using 1.1.1 on an o2 xda mini s flashed with the imate rom. Havent had to do a restore yet but am hoping im safe.

I use sunnysoft backup manager and it work well, it can creat .exe backup file so i can easy restore late when my device go down or upgrade new rom.

I too recommend Spb Backup. I would NOT use the Sunnysoft app - it doesn't restore WinCE databases (PIM stuff etc)
I also recommend the article at http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=545&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 for more info.

Menneisyys said:
I too recommend Spb Backup. I would NOT use the Sunnysoft app - it doesn't restore WinCE databases (PIM stuff etc)
I also recommend the article at http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=545&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 for more info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May be i'm stupid but I can back up only PIM (contact...) with sunny on my charmer. Or charmer is not using WinCE?

Asturias said:
Menneisyys said:
I too recommend Spb Backup. I would NOT use the Sunnysoft app - it doesn't restore WinCE databases (PIM stuff etc)
I also recommend the article at http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=545&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 for more info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May be i'm stupid but I can back up only PIM (contact...) with sunny on my charmer. Or charmer is not using WinCE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange it is working with your PPC - which Sunnysoft version are you using?

My version is:
Sunnysoft Backup Manager 3.7 wm5

Backup on TyTN, which software?

I'm looking for a backup solution, so I think I'm going to buy sprite backup. Any advice? Does it work fine with TyTN?

yes, it works with tytn.
I have and works fine for me.
Regards.

I can't find a trial version, does it exist?
If we compar SPB Backup and sprite, pros and cons?

taron said:
I can't find a trial version, does it exist?
If we compar SPB Backup and sprite, pros and cons?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i was looking for a trial version of this as well but unfortunately sprite does not offer anymore trial downloads because some users somehow abuse the trial software......ive read that sprite backup also has an excellent feature where you can restore your backup file even if you have changed or reflashed to a different rom......

Sounds nice, but nobody has a feedback about SPB Backup?

I use SPB backup and found no problems with it at all. I normally make a backup to storage card SPB backup creates the backups as a executable file. Even if I have to do a hard reset on the road I can just double click on the backup exe on the storage card and everything is fine and dandy (not that I ever needed to do a hard reset on the Trion. Just did it a couple of times for testing purposes). I tried a old version of Sprite Backup where there was a expiry period and found it was a bit more complicated as the backup file was not a exe so you needed the original software on the card and even with that the registry settings were wrong on the Hermes. I heard that this isn't a problem and you just change your settings for Sprite Backup to create exe backup files. All in all I think that both programs are about the same. I just got SPB backup as part of the SPB bundle as SBP plus, Diary, Weather, GPRS Monitor worked great on the Trion. Especially when you want to know how much in call charges your making.

Hi ozziede,
Thanks a lot for your great feedback.
One more point: doest SPB backup work fine when you upgrade your ROM version for example? Can you restore easily?

My vote on SPB Backup. No #1 Choice.
Trying is Believing!

I never did a full restore after a rom upgrade. I only upgraded my rom once from german to the english version and I deliberately only did a selective restore as I expected problems moving from a german rom to a english one. Eg names of the program directory is different. I did a restore of my emails and contacts and some files in my documents and that seemed to work fine. I dont see any problem with Spb but someone else can confirm the restor of registry and programs after a rom upgrade.

Found Trial version of SPB Backup
irv777 said:
taron said:
I can't find a trial version, does it exist?
If we compar SPB Backup and sprite, pros and cons?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i was looking for a trial version of this as well but unfortunately sprite does not offer anymore trial downloads because some users somehow abuse the trial software......ive read that sprite backup also has an excellent feature where you can restore your backup file even if you have changed or reflashed to a different rom......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Handango has a trial download for SPB Backup.

Recommend a Reliable Backup Program Please

Hi Everyone,
Which Backup program do you use? Is there one you recommend? All this hacking my Cingular 8525 around has had me hard-reset at least twice within the last week. I need a good and reliable backup program since installing all of my software is taking me over 2.5 hours of time.
Thanks for responding.
ADP

spb backup has never let me down.well worth trying.
sprite also gets good reviews but I've never used it.

read http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=1270&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

I've tried different backup programs with my TyTN.
I found that the only perfect working program is SPB Backup.
I've already restored my data after hard reset with this program (not once) and all is good.

i use spb also, works great

I vote for spb as well.
Although keep in mind that it only does back up system settings and core software installed in device (not sure what exactly), not the whole file system of your PDA. My problem was, I deleted some files and uninstalled some programs after backing up, and after restore they were not there! (just blank icons).
I would love to mirror my whole device on PC hard drive, yet I am not sure about software for this purpose.

how well does spb backup perform when you do a ROM upgrade?

MilanoRex said:
how well does spb backup perform when you do a ROM upgrade?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whatever backup product you use, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT applying a backup from a different ROM version. You're asking for serious trouble.
Simply put, if you update your ROM, you're also plan on reinstalling everything clean from scratch...

mnez said:
I vote for spb as well.
Although keep in mind that it only does back up system settings and core software installed in device (not sure what exactly), not the whole file system of your PDA. My problem was, I deleted some files and uninstalled some programs after backing up, and after restore they were not there! (just blank icons).
I would love to mirror my whole device on PC hard drive, yet I am not sure about software for this purpose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mobile Deployment
Deploy an identical policy based corporate image to all your mobile devices. From the original creators of the industry leading Symantec GhostTM cloning solution, Sprite Clone provides rapid and reliable deployment to multiple mobile devices thereby assuring consistency and cost effectiveness...
http://www.spritesoftware.com/sprite-clone

goestoeleven said:
Whatever backup product you use, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT applying a backup from a different ROM version. You're asking for serious trouble.
Simply put, if you update your ROM, you're also plan on reinstalling everything clean from scratch...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sprite Backup works perfectly with ROM and DEVICE upgrades.. I switched from my Wizard to my Hermes without any problems..

MilanoRex said:
how well does spb backup perform when you do a ROM upgrade?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use Sprite Backup in this case, it'll work unless you try to cross-restore between AKU2.x and AKU3.x. And please DO read my above-linked article; in there, I've also elaborated on this very question.

bobstarina said:
I found that the only perfect working program is SPB Backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange you had problems with the otehr alternates (Sunnysoft Backup, SKTools 3.0, Sprite 5.1). Are you sure you tried the LATEST versions of them? It's only lately that, for example, Sunnysoft Backup received REAL WM5 support.
Also please read the Backup Bible I've linked in above if you need more info on all these questions.

MilanoRex said:
Sprite Backup works perfectly with ROM and DEVICE upgrades.. I switched from my Wizard to my Hermes without any problems..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both of you are correct. Sprite DOES work great in most cases, except for restoring AKU3 content under AKU2 and vice versa.

does restoreing after a ROM upgrade using Sprite also keep your current registry changes as well...or do i have to do all registry hacks all over again...or even after just a hard reset not a ROM upgrade do i still have to enter the reg. edits all over again....

Sprite works well for me

strikeIII said:
does restoreing after a ROM upgrade using Sprite also keep your current registry changes as well...or do i have to do all registry hacks all over again...or even after just a hard reset not a ROM upgrade do i still have to enter the reg. edits all over again....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will restore your registry changes too. Otehrwise, it wouldn't work at all with a lot of third-party apps that also use the Registry to store their stuff / settings.

Does anyone know if Spb backup will back up outlook notes?

Sprite is the only one worth getting since you can restore after a ROM or device change Just make sure you RTFM before you go changing anything as there are things you need to do before hand

Interesting to hear that Sprite Backup works without problems for all of you. On my TyTN, when it wants to reboot before beginning a backup, the TyTN gets stuck at the Windows Mobile screen. Removing/re-inserting the battery usually allows the boot process to finish - but only until the next reboot. After that, all subsequent reboots show that behaviour, no matter if initiated by Sprite Backup or otherwise. And very strangley, after a day or two this phenomenon disappears slowly. A hard reset fixes the problem immediately - at least until I re-install Sprite Backup or restore an (executable) backup I made earlier.
What's even more strange is that this seems to be reproducable, even across different ROM versions. I saw that first with the O2 Germany ROM my Trion came with, and also after I updated to the south-african WWE ROM.
Cheers
Daniel

Backing up/Cloning

I'm sure that all of you that are programing have had to restore your Phone back to a workable state.. was wondering which app would work to backup/clome my phone to a file that I could restore if things go totally belly up.. any suggestions would be appreciated.. thanks
kobejim

clone = expensive
to clone : spb software house clone software
expensiveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
if you hardrest yocan use to get exactly what u had before
but many backup cheap or free software : try SIP backup (sticky at this forum)
this only gets your contacts, messages, email..etc
but if you hard reset you loose all installed software
good luck
kobejim2 said:
I'm sure that all of you that are programing have had to restore your Phone back to a workable state.. was wondering which app would work to backup/clome my phone to a file that I could restore if things go totally belly up.. any suggestions would be appreciated.. thanks
kobejim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

kobejim2 said:
I'm sure that all of you that are programing have had to restore your Phone back to a workable state.. was wondering which app would work to backup/clome my phone to a file that I could restore if things go totally belly up.. any suggestions would be appreciated.. thanks
kobejim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your best try is to check excellent Backup bible by Menneisyys here. Commercial apps in that field are far superior to freeware/manufacturer issued backup utilities. If you only need PIM data backup then PIM Backup will do its job very well. It is also a good idea to have a dump of your original ROM backed up in case of warranty claims.
However use of backup utilities for migrating from one ROM to another is rather problematic (only Sprite Backup is capable of this and the results vary).

SPB Backup. Great tool, well worth the money.
WB

Because each month a new custom ROM is released, and I can't wait to test them, I use PIM Backup for contacts, messages, email.. and for useful software I want on my PPC, I just make a single CAB with WinCE Cab manager.

Backing up my HD2

Hey all,
I know this is a newbie-ish question but i want to update my HD2 with a new rom and im aware i need to back everything up, my questions are:
1.whats the best program to back up
2. what will backing up actually back up? And what will i loose? i.e contacts/messages/apps etc..
3. any other tips on backing up will be much appreciated.
4. anyone just wanna do it for me 
Thanks in advance.

i Suggest you SPB BackUp; it allows you to backup Everything on your phone, (contacts,messages, registry, etc.. and also the apps (but i'm not sure o.o)
It's not free, but let you a try for a period.
http://spb.com/products/backup/?en
EDIT: if your contacts are connected with their Facebook profile, you lose this relations when restore the agenda o.o'

djchubbs said:
Hey all,
I know this is a newbie-ish question but i want to update my HD2 with a new rom and im aware i need to back everything up, my questions are:
1.whats the best program to back up
2. what will backing up actually back up? And what will i loose? i.e contacts/messages/apps etc..
3. any other tips on backing up will be much appreciated.
4. anyone just wanna do it for me 
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Backing up and restoring anything other than PIM details across a different ROM flash its asking for trouble and its not recommended.
Use Myphone and all sync info will be to hand when needed.
Reinstall as many of your apps as possible to phone mem this will keep the phone running as sweet as possible.

Or 'PIM Backup' from DotFred
I use this one

pa49 said:
Backing up and restoring anything other than PIM details across a different ROM flash its asking for trouble and its not recommended.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
restoring a complete system (ALL data) is fine even after flashing a different rom. When using SPB backup you just have to make sure that you run the restore in "ROM upgrade mode". SPB Backup prompts you to do this automatically when it detects that the rom running isnt the same as the one the backup was created with.

Audio Oblivion said:
restoring a complete system (ALL data) is fine even after flashing a different rom. When using SPB backup you just have to make sure that you run the restore in "ROM upgrade mode". SPB Backup prompts you to do this automatically when it detects that the rom running isnt the same as the one the backup was created with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to disagree, but, Ive seen too many problems happen by doing this. Never seen any by not doing it!!!!!!!!
However, it's all advice and can be taken or not as the reader sees fit.

thanks for the advice guys, one thing, when installing spb backup does it make a difference where i install it? ie device or storage card?

pa49 said:
Sorry to disagree, but, Ive seen too many problems happen by doing this. Never seen any by not doing it!!!!!!!!
However, it's all advice and can be taken or not as the reader sees fit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right to state that you should use caution but i personally have never had an issue when using rom upgrade mode.
I use it all the time! (On all my devices)

djchubbs said:
thanks for the advice guys, one thing, when installing spb backup does it make a difference where i install it? ie device or storage card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesnt make much difference... i always install all of my apps onto the storage card as it saves re-installing them after a hard reset or if you have a new device.
The only items i install to main memory are the ones that are integral to the system ie/ task managers, manila mods etc

I think the best way for a complete backup is sashimi application and its plugin makisu
sashimi is not very simple but, once you've configured it how you want, you can be sure you'll have the same apps, same tweaks, same registry improvements, same email settings, same wifi settings and so on.
So you can change rom whenever you want, without waste time to re-configure and re-install and so on.
sashimi can do also a backup of your personal informations, but for these I recommend PPC-PIMBackup (the easyest and simply the best for these kind of stuff)
There is also a dedicated forum
Give it a try, I use it with satisfaction
greetings