Database Users

[Q] Auto-install APKs at First Boot?

Did some searching on this but it came up blank, so maybe someone has a brilliant idea for this
Almost every other day we are getting new builds for Android. I'm sure many of you are like me and have a set of APKs you install with every build. For example SWYPE.
I would like to know if there is a way, when installing a new build, you can have certain apps auto-installed. This would really save me time.

Can't you just put them in the "AndroidApps" folder that usually comes with every build..?

shadiku said:
Can't you just put them in the "AndroidApps" folder that usually comes with every build..?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wasn't sure if that was the proper way it was done. I tried that once, needless to say it didn't work out to well. Had to eat a hard reset.
Anyways, can anyone confirm that this is the best way to do it, or if you know of another that would be great. Please share!

Yup!
yes, i'm 99.9% sure that this is a way to auto-install apps onto your phone, as i've read this in other threads which say the same thing

I did this myself with darkstone's builds. I just loaded up the android apps folder. On second boot I had issues so I then deleted all those apps through winmo and everything was fine again. Not sure with this folder that everytime you boot it tries to reinstall or not. Would like some clarification on that.

Not worked for me

I would suggest downloading 7zip file manager, then when you download your desired rom then just open it up. Navigate to the data/apps folder and drop your apps in there, when you flash the rom then your personal apps will be flashed and installed as if they came with the rom already.
That's what I do and I have never had an issue.

Or there always is ADB

HypoTurtle said:
Or there always is ADB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there are some adb apk tools that could probably do a batch install

Am i right that after putting those in your folder, after hard reset all those apps that were there will reinstall(those that you wanted, and those you uninstalled)? Or there will be trouble uninstalling as it is part of ROM?
Personally i used one of those App Backup & Restore apps from market. I had to spend 10 minutes pressing "Accept" cause they install by regular way, but it was quite fast anyway.

Marquo said:
Am i right that after putting those in your folder, after hard reset all those apps that were there will reinstall(those that you wanted, and those you uninstalled)? Or there will be trouble uninstalling as it is part of ROM?
Personally i used one of those App Backup & Restore apps from market. I had to spend 10 minutes pressing "Accept" cause they install by regular way, but it was quite fast anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now which folder are you referring to? When I mentioned placing apps, I was talking about putting them into the data/app folder of the rom zip you are flashing so they will be installed on first boot.
As for backing up and restoring apps, I suggest using MyBackup as it does apps plus their associated data as a batch backup/restore. It doesn't require you to accept each one.
Please mybackup will do sms/mms, call logs, browser shortcuts, and so on. Here is the market link for it: MyBackup

chrisrj28 said:
Now which folder are you referring to? When I mentioned placing apps, I was talking about putting them into the data/app folder of the rom zip you are flashing so they will be installed on first boot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got you right, and i thought that as they are part of ROM, they will be saved and restored when hard reseting(even if you uninstalled them on purpose).
Thiss app sounds really nice, i shall try it out.
EDIT
Look what i found when i came to forum by main site of xda: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=23291051
Seems nice.

[Q] Android Noob in dire need of assistance!

....title says it all. Well, almost.
I have a D2 running on Froyo(2.2) and I tried to flash my ROM to Epic 2.7. Now I am pretty sure I did it wrong because my system version still says Version.2.2.20A955.Verizon.en.US.
I have my phone rooted. I have Titanium Backup, I have D2 Bootstrapper from Kouish(sp?) and ROM manager.
Unfortunately this is where my brain ends on this. I am sure there are step by step tutorials on how to do what I want because I have looked at them all, I just can't understand it :-(
I would like to think I am a bit smart and on the tech side but this end of the spectrum is still a gray area for me. My phone is now lagging, buggy, and just not working the way I thought it would.
Can anyone please offer some assistance so I can grasp my mind around how to be a part of this awesomeness that custom ROMS bring?
EDIT: I should also add this. I really want a ROM that is going to give my battery life longevity and have my phone running as smooth and quickly as possible without the dangers of overclocking. Any suggestions that can come along with instructions on how to load the ROMS is very welcome!
Thanks!

Did you do a full backup through clockwork before installing this?
Also, when you flashed the new rom, did you mount the system before hand?

Clockwork Recovery yes, mount no. I have no clue how to do that.

enzojrc said:
....title says it all. Well, almost.
I have a D2 running on Froyo(2.2) and I tried to flash my ROM to Epic 2.7. Now I am pretty sure I did it wrong because my system version still says Version.2.2.20A955.Verizon.en.US.
I have my phone rooted. I have Titanium Backup, I have D2 Bootstrapper from Kouish(sp?) and ROM manager.
Unfortunately this is where my brain ends on this. I am sure there are step by step tutorials on how to do what I want because I have looked at them all, I just can't understand it :-(
I would like to think I am a bit smart and on the tech side but this end of the spectrum is still a gray area for me. My phone is now lagging, buggy, and just not working the way I thought it would.
Can anyone please offer some assistance so I can grasp my mind around how to be a part of this awesomeness that custom ROMS bring?
EDIT: I should also add this. I really want a ROM that is going to give my battery life longevity and have my phone running as smooth and quickly as possible without the dangers of overclocking. Any suggestions that can come along with instructions on how to load the ROMS is very welcome!
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/angdroid/
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/epic/
Angdroid has Sticky Posts with instructions. Start there.
Install Instructions are pretty much the basics for installing any rom so far.
Before you get to Install Instructions, well you're probably good since you're in the right place (XDA), but you always want to make sure you have Root, latest SuperUser binary files (just open SuperUser it will check itself), and ROM Manager. Titanium Backup is also good to have for many things.
After you read the Install Instructions move on to the Hacking Guide thread. Check the last post for the image in case you want to use different .apk files to modify the ROM in your own way.
I use Root Explorer (from Market) and it uses SU permissions. Copy .apk files to \\system\apps with Read/Write permissions. Press & hold > Permissions > Make it look like the picture from his thread.
So to recover quickly and get Epic running on your D2 - go straight to http://www.droidforums.net/forum/angdroid/87766-install-instrucions.html
You may be able to skip the wipe data and factory reset - but I'd say if you're phone is running slow from the partial install you've described - do it all. Plus it's good practice for restoring the phone however you choose since you'll probably be doing it more and more. Welcome to the fun.

SWEET!!!! It worked. But now I don't have my contacts saved anymore. Soooooo.....yeah how do I get that info back? lol
...also it saved my Facebook contacts but if I tried to call them it FC back to the home screen. I am running EpicUnleased2.7

enzojrc said:
SWEET!!!! It worked. But now I don't have my contacts saved anymore. Soooooo.....yeah how do I get that info back? lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sign into your google account, it should auto sync your contacts.

whenever installing a theme or mod, you will need to mount the system. This will allow you to have read write access, or in other words, allow you to copy files from your SDCARD to your phone.

theimpaler747 said:
Sign into your google account, it should auto sync your contacts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is going to sound stupid but where do I go to sign in? Sorry this setup looks like D1 and I don't know anything about it lol

under accounts, add a gmail account.

....my gmail accounts stayed but my contacts didn't sync back....crap....I used the backup assistant before I flashed to this ROM but it won't even start when I try to launch it

enzojrc said:
....my gmail accounts stayed but my contacts didn't sync back....crap....I used the backup assistant before I flashed to this ROM but it won't even start when I try to launch it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What happens when you try to use it now?

enzojrc said:
....my gmail accounts stayed but my contacts didn't sync back....crap....I used the backup assistant before I flashed to this ROM but it won't even start when I try to launch it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'll need to install Backup Assistant if you want it to work the old way. I do not recommend using it for contact sync as google is sufficient.
It's not opening because it was purposefully disabled.
I recommend going to verizonwireless.com, sign in to your account, go to My Contacts and EXPORT them as an outlook csv file. Save it on your computer. Go to gmail.com on your computer and sign in to your gmail. Go to Contacts. Now look for IMPORT Contacts. Choose the csv file you saved from verizonwireless.com. After that, make sure google contacts are set to sync on your phone. Finally, wait a minute or two while they show up.
After they are back on your phone, you can go to Contacts. Press your Menu Key. Choose MORE. IMPORT/EXPORT. EXPORT will save a copy of your contacts to your memory card (it's a csv file that can be used if you ever lose them).

....GOT IT! Took a minute but it worked!
Thanks to you guys for all the help! I wouldn't have been able to understand it if you hadn't stepped up!
Next thing I want to learn is themes!...but I will save that debacle for another day...
again thanks a million!

enzojrc said:
....GOT IT! Took a minute but it worked!
Thanks to you guys for all the help! I wouldn't have been able to understand it if you hadn't stepped up!
Next thing I want to learn is themes!...but I will save that debacle for another day...
again thanks a million!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem man

Angry birds saved file.........

Hi,
Does anyone know where angry birds saved file is located? I finished the game & now I have to re-format my sd card.....

Just backup you data.
One way is to save all of your Android stuff to your PC. Then place it back on the SD card after you reformat.
Another way is to save your data.img before you reformat your SD card.
A third is to use titanium backup from the market (free) and backup that app with data. After you reformat you can restore angry birds with your save data in tact.
Of course, you could always beat it again... it is a game after all.

+1 on the question of the OP
in my case, titanium is not an option, as my Android build incessantly shows the FC message android.process.acore has stopped unexpectedly. I cant use any programss as the pop up keeps showing, but i can access my root via droid explorer. Looks like a file got corrupted. Using mdeejay's Desire HD 3.6 BTW.
Id really hate to lose what 2 straight sleepless nights have merited me LOL
Any help n where to find the angry birds save data? or ANY program data for that amtter...maybe i can take it from there

reorx24 said:
+1 on the question of the OP
in my case, titanium is not an option, as my Android build incessantly shows the FC message android.process.acore has stopped unexpectedly. I cant use any programss as the pop up keeps showing, but i can access my root via droid explorer. Looks like a file got corrupted. Using mdeejay's Desire HD 3.6 BTW.
Id really hate to lose what 2 straight sleepless nights have merited me LOL
Any help n where to find the angry birds save data? or ANY program data for that amtter...maybe i can take it from there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had also once that titanium wouldn't start. It seemed that superuser doesn't worked well. So you can start superuser and see if titanium is added.
Sent from HD2

Look in /data/data/com.rovio.angrybirds, try copying that folder to another android build. But I'd back up your corrupted image before doing anything else, that way you can always restore.

karendar said:
Look in /data/data/com.rovio.angrybirds, try copying that folder to another android build. But I'd back up your corrupted image before doing anything else, that way you can always restore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, this was very helpful. Now I won't lose my progress. Titanium backup didn't work for me.
Sent from my HD2 using XDA App

Ok im into same issue . So did you finally restored your game ? because i'll be wiping out my device soon.

Hi,
I tried both methods when restoring a backup. The folder method works, but after you reinstalled the game. I also had to modify the folder permissions. Otherwise, Titanium backup works very well too but here's what I did:
1. Backup old data from old ROM
2. Boot new fresh ROM.
3. Install Angry Birds from market or manually.
4. Install Titanium Backup if it's not done
5. Click "Got problems"
6. Install the new busybox version
7. Go to restore, look for Angry birds in the list, click it one and click restore to restore data.
This worked perfectly for me.
wahur1 said:
Ok im into same issue . So did you finally restored your game ? because i'll be wiping out my device soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

karendar said:
Look in /data/data/com.rovio.angrybirds, try copying that folder to another android build. But I'd back up your corrupted image before doing anything else, that way you can always restore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm a bit of an Android newbie - so can you tell me what I need to use to copy this folder?
If I look on my PC, the only DATA file I have is data.img
If I go into the Android folder, there is a Data folder... but it only has one folder in it - com.cooliris.media.
I'm very tempted to order a Desire Z in the next few days - and ideally I'd like to copy my Angry Birds progress onto this!

p3eps said:
I'm a bit of an Android newbie - so can you tell me what I need to use to copy this folder?
If I look on my PC, the only DATA file I have is data.img
If I go into the Android folder, there is a Data folder... but it only has one folder in it - com.cooliris.media.
I'm very tempted to order a Desire Z in the next few days - and ideally I'd like to copy my Angry Birds progress onto this!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I suggest getting root explorer. It should let you see the system folders. You should see folders like /sys,/system,/tmp,/proc, etc.
When you see this, go in data/data to get the information. Otherwise, use Titanium Backup as I've mentionned above. Other people have said that My Backup pro works really well too for Angry Birds.

reorx24 said:
+1 on the question of the OP
in my case, titanium is not an option, as my Android build incessantly shows the FC message android.process.acore has stopped unexpectedly. I cant use any programss as the pop up keeps showing, but i can access my root via droid explorer. Looks like a file got corrupted. Using mdeejay's Desire HD 3.6 BTW.
Id really hate to lose what 2 straight sleepless nights have merited me LOL
Any help n where to find the angry birds save data? or ANY program data for that amtter...maybe i can take it from there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the reason you get those errors is from backing up and restoring sys data on a rom with diferent framework.
solution: only backup/restore apps/data

thers no possibility to copy the savefile directly from the sd card to the pc? i mean, when only my sd card is connected to pc.. that way we could just copy the file back after formatting

on a windows pc... lol sure, theres ways...
on a linux box... piece of cake, even for a noob...

god, im pissed. xD i want to get a new android build but i dont want to loose my angry birds save >.<!
i dun trust titanium backup :3 but seems the solution right now
i dun find the file via file browser in winmo or on pc >.>

karendar said:
Look in /data/data/com.rovio.angrybirds, try copying that folder to another android build. But I'd back up your corrupted image before doing anything else, that way you can always restore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have actually found this folder but where do you copy it too.
I have just changed to another android build but still have the other one on my SD card so i can boot either one of them with the bootloader so i dont know where to put a copy of this folder so that my current android2 folder sees it.
Any ideas?
** figured it out, just used titanium pro backup, worked restoring saved game data no prob

edit: never mind

Please give me saves from version 1.4.2,
do not want to re-take game

isand3r said:
Please give me saves from version 1.4.2,
do not want to re-take game
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i heard there's a hacked version of angry birds wigh all levels opened. just google it, i forgot the website.

i can give you the file if you would like, just pm me, all stars and eggs (besides the 17th golden egg that is glitched!!

t1h5ta3 said:
on a windows pc... lol sure, theres ways...
on a linux box... piece of cake, even for a noob...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how to do that? in windows or in linux, it doesn't matter. anyone knows? thanks

[Q] Nexus 4 > Old Contacts Import

This may have been covered elsewhere, but I'm having a hard time finding it.
I backed up my old phone contacts with Titanium. I've been using my Nexus 4 with the imported Google contacts, but there are some gaps. I'd normally place the old Titanium Files into the Titanium Folder (via Windows) and restore.
However, I have limited access to the file structure for the Nexus 4.
I've tried work-arounds like Dropbox, etc... but, in all honesty, I wasn't sure what I was doing. The file I managed to pull and restore via dropbox gave me a error in the Nexus that would end process the contact area.. so I defaulted back to the normal contacts Titanium Nexus backup. So.. back to the original setup.
Can anyone tell me how to get an old Titanium file of contacts to merge (ideally) with the Nexus? I could probably just replace it with the old file as well, seeing as the Nexus will auto-add contacts to google (apparently).. so that would be easy enough to update.
Any ideas? The easiest, I think, would be to gain access to the Titanium file under windows.. but I can't find a way to do that. Most of the file structure seems to be locked out/invisible.
I'd appreciate any ideas or help!

cetkat said:
This may have been covered elsewhere, but I'm having a hard time finding it.
I backed up my old phone contacts with Titanium. I've been using my Nexus 4 with the imported Google contacts, but there are some gaps. I'd normally place the old Titanium Files into the Titanium Folder (via Windows) and restore.
However, I have limited access to the file structure for the Nexus 4.
I've tried work-arounds like Dropbox, etc... but, in all honesty, I wasn't sure what I was doing. The file I managed to pull and restore via dropbox gave me a error in the Nexus that would end process the contact area.. so I defaulted back to the normal contacts Titanium Nexus backup. So.. back to the original setup.
Can anyone tell me how to get an old Titanium file of contacts to merge (ideally) with the Nexus? I could probably just replace it with the old file as well, seeing as the Nexus will auto-add contacts to google (apparently).. so that would be easy enough to update.
Any ideas? The easiest, I think, would be to gain access to the Titanium file under windows.. but I can't find a way to do that. Most of the file structure seems to be locked out/invisible.
I'd appreciate any ideas or help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is your old phone model? I'd suggest using a file manager to bring the file to an accessible location on the phone (possibly the root of your usbstorage), then you can copy it to your computer hopefully via usb. It could also be that you need to change the permissions on that file so you can see it on windows. You can access most of the file structure inside usbstorage, where your titanium backup folder should be ideally located.

vorbatello said:
What is your old phone model? I'd suggest using a file manager to bring the file to an accessible location on the phone (possibly the root of your usbstorage), then you can copy it to your computer hopefully via usb. It could also be that you need to change the permissions on that file so you can see it on windows. You can access most of the file structure inside usbstorage, where your titanium backup folder should be ideally located.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The old phone is an HTC Sapphire, but that connects to the computer fine & the titanium file is already saved on the computer.
Ok, I figured out the problem. The file structure for the Nexus won't show up with debugging enabled. Disabling it gets the new MTP protocol to work for me. Any idea if it's supposed to work that way?
Thanks for the help!

cetkat said:
The old phone is an HTC Sapphire, but that connects to the computer fine & the titanium file is already saved on the computer.
Ok, I figured out the problem. The file structure for the Nexus won't show up with debugging enabled. Disabling it gets the new MTP protocol to work for me. Any idea if it's supposed to work that way?
Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm weird...It should work regardless of having debugging enabled or not. If you can access your files without debugging being enabled, then just stick to transferring using MTP. It shouldn't really affect transferring files that much since you still have access to the root of your storage.

Don't restore your contacts that way. It will cause issues as the way HTC stores its contacts are very different then anything you will find here.
Wayne Tech Nexus

zelendel said:
Don't restore your contacts that way. It will cause issues as the way HTC stores its contacts are very different then anything you will find here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the head's up. I figured google-based would be the same. I've already done manual entries for most of them, so I'll stick with that.

Is It Possible to Backup Files When Phone Doesn't Boot?

Hello,
I literally installed the Facebook app from Google Play on my Nexus 4 hours ago and then my phone literally went blank. Eventually my phone was turned off as there was no more battery. I charged it and powered it but it no longer boots (it has been stuck at the X screen for hours). Is it possible to backup my files despite this so I can try to reinstall a custom ROM/unroot my Nexus 4?
I spent some time searching the forums and couldn't find the answer, so any response would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks.

One of the suggestions here might help you as well:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-4/help/access-device-computer-cracked-screen-t2885335
Do let know if it doesn't!

oopsy said:
Hello,
I literally installed the Facebook app from Google Play on my Nexus 4 hours ago and then my phone literally went blank. Eventually my phone was turned off as there was no more battery. I charged it and powered it but it no longer boots (it has been stuck at the X screen for hours). Is it possible to backup my files despite this so I can try to reinstall a custom ROM/unroot my Nexus 4?
I spent some time searching the forums and couldn't find the answer, so any response would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe, it depends if you can boot into recovery and have a custom recovery
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app

SirHat said:
One of the suggestions here might help you as well:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-4/help/access-device-computer-cracked-screen-t2885335
Do let know if it doesn't!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks I'm actually trying something from here.
jd1639 said:
Maybe, it depends if you can boot into recovery and have a custom recovery
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can. I am running on TWRP v2.3.2.3 but I don't think I can access the files through ADB as I did not set it to Development Mode (ever). It seems I can actually back it up through TWRP, but my concern is I don't know how to extract it out of my phone because once I reinstall JB everything will be wiped right?
Once I reinstall a JB version that means everything will be erased. Does anyone how to keep that backup from TWRP if you can't take it out from your phone? It appears my version doesn't seem to have Nandroid.
Also, does anyone know if it's "System" that stores all the contacts/text messages?
I want to backup my Data folder too but I only have 900mb free space left on my phone (I have the 8gb version) and my Data file is about 1.5gb. I don't remember if I have anything valuable in my Data file that I need to recover, so just to be sure, does anyone know if I can explore my "Data" folder to remove content to make it smaller so I can back it up? Thanks.

ADB via recovery should be the way to go then.
Did you try something as an ADB file manager?
See: https://github.com/sole/aafm for example.
This should allow you to copy the files to your PC without having to backing them up first on the device itself.
An alternative way would be to connect to the (ADB) shell, delete some useless files.. like music and stuff you already have (or package music as one archive - download - delete) etc. Till you have enough to package the data directory in one go. If done right the archive should preserve file permissions which is an extra plus I guess.
The way I try to make sure I don't have a problem like this is:
- Letting TitaniumBackup backup all important applications + data every night @ 4 AM when it's charging (while I am sleeping).
- Use FolderSync to sync the new backups to a server I have running. Could also be cloud of course. (Only on Wifi and while charging)
Good luck!

If you can boot into recovery it might be possible to pull data there.
Also, if you know which ROM was installed, you can try just flashing the system partition of respective ROM. It might not fix your issue but might allow you to boot and backup your data prior to completely resetting everything.
I've had something similar once. Tried all kind of solutions via recovery/fastboot/adb and only flashing a clean system image allowed me to recover important data. The phone was unusable still (constant FC's) but it allowed me to establish an adb connection and pull all data I didn't want to lose.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Free mobile app

Problem Solved, didn't follow any of the suggestions. Thanks though.

If you can, please do put your solution here so other people with a similar problem can use search and find the solution. Thanks!

SirHat said:
If you can, please do put your solution here so other people with a similar problem can use search and find the solution. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest, I actually didn't. I decided to perform a reset and lose my data (and reinstall my ROM) as I didn't have the patience to experiment and figure it out. I just don't have time for that.