[Q] Best way to switch builds and not loose everything - HD2 Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting and Genera

I am looking at switching builds but dont want to have to reinstall everything post the new build install on my sd card.
What back up system do people recommend, and do any actually allow a full backup/restore that will work?
If not then i will have to reinstall everything, but that seems a really long winded way about switching builds!
Thanks

I save the data .img file from the current build. Then I copy the new Android folder on the root of the mem stick. Then I put the data .img file from the old intall back in the new folder.

The above suggestion doesn't always work. If you're going to a completely different build then it may cause problems.
I use Titanium Backup Pro. It does cost, but not much and allows a full backup and restore of all apps and data.

i just use the free titanium backup to backup all my apps. google sync for contacts and then all i have to do it set up a couple of things like wifi and it work

I used to use the free version, but the last restore I did had nearly 200 apps in it, and you have to click "install" and then "ok" for every app with the free version. The paid one does it without you needing to do anything - that's the only reason I paid for it. (Oh, and it can freeze apps too, which is good for finding out what would happen if you uninstalled an app.)

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Backup question

Hi!
I was a winmo user (samsung omnia) and I flashed the damn thing regularly, I mean like every week. So I had to reinstall everything from scratch. I don't want to be caught in that loop again, so I am asking you if it is possible to backup all my programs, data and settings and then just apply them after the flash.
Thank you very much, proud Legend user!
Backup contacts : hmm, you don't really have to do this, if you save your contacts on Google account, everytime you login to Google account on your phone, Contact list will be auto appear in People, even avatar pictures.
Apps : Use Astro File Manager to backup all apps in your phone, then flash another ROM, go to market to install Astro again, then backup apps from SD card.
Settings : hmm, I'm not sure you should do this, because everyrom is different, restore settings on this ROM to another ROM may damage your android. But you can always try Titanium Backup on Market.
Thanks! I am still wondering if I should flash because froyo is knocking on our doors.
slovenec88 said:
Thanks! I am still wondering if I should flash because froyo is knocking on our doors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah froyo is really close, right after the desire the EVO 4G got its OTA.
So I'm expecting the update within 14days I would say a week but that might be to optimistic.
source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/02/evo-4g-starts-getting-android-2-2-update-over-the-air/
You can def.ly try Titanium Backup to get all your Apps + data backed up. You can also try My back up pro to back up your SMS and MMS along with your call log, Alarm and other application. With my back up pro you can back up to the SD card or online....
Titanium Backup requires root. You can also use MyBackup pro. You can use been root (with more features) or not been root (only backups apps, but not settings, what is not so good)
You can also use ROM Manager (free in the Market) to backup you full ROM and configuration: it will backup everything on SD Card (except your SD card and you can quickly recover old ROMs with full confuration and apps.
So le me get this straight, with rom manager I will be able to back up the entire Rom... cause if something goes wrong and can not update a newer rom, I can always go and choose my previous rom for the recovery screen....
Caifan09 said:
So le me get this straight, with rom manager I will be able to back up the entire Rom... cause if something goes wrong and can not update a newer rom, I can always go and choose my previous rom for the recovery screen....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, and everything will be exactly as in the moment you did de ROM backup. It is like a full hard disk image in a PC.
But, consider this:
With ROM Manager, you can have as many backups as you want and you can recover any one of them. BUT, you need to be able to boot your Legend to be able to launch ROM Manager (because ROM Manager is an application)
So, if you meet problems starting up a new ROM, you will need to load any rooted working ROM to be able to start up and launch ROM Manager (need to be rooted to be able to run ROM Manager).
As far as I know, if you use a ROM with A2SD feature, apps will be stored in the EXT3 partition of the SD card, and those apps WILL NOT BE INCLUDED IN BACKUP. So, if apps stored in the EXT3 partition changed, you will need to recover those apps with Titatium Backup.
There is another way to do a full backup called NANDROID, but I do not like it so much:
power off Legend, push "Back" bottom and Power On, select BOOTLOADER, select RECOVERY, connect USB cable to your PC, run "recovery-windows.bat" from your PC (from the same directory you used to root your Legend) and you will be able to select NANDROID BACKUP.
With NADONDROID BACKUP you can do also a full ROM backup, but you can store and recover only ONE backup/last backup. In addition, you need a PC to be able to run it. So, that is not very nice.
ok i see... thanks for the info....

How do you restore your Settings/Apps after flashing? [UPDATE]

So,
now that the first usable ROMs for X8 pop up i am wondering: what is the easiest way to import all your settings to a new ROM?
i am thinking of Apps, App-Settings, Sync-Settings (gmail, Roadsync..), SMS, Mails etc etc...
Restoring/Setting this up manually after every installation of a new ROM takes some time.
What is your trick for the lazy people?
How much can be backed up with Titanium Backup? I'm still not sure about this.
What other Apps can you recommend?
update: found a solution at lifehacker today.
Non of them will work when going from ROM to ROM. When you go to a new ROM, you should backup the previous one so you can go back to the default when there is a problems with the Custom ROM.
Basically, you can't transfer apps or anything from one ROM to another. You will have to manually install them yourself, take a list of them and download/install again. I wish it could work but it cant ):
Too bad.
Ok, I cant backup apps this way.
Is there a way or script to automatically install apps (apks) from a folder on sdcard?
Maybe I could use AppBrain to sync apps.
But how about System Settings, Accounts...
Hm, actually come to think of it .. If your phone is rooted (obviously is lol) you can go to Root Explorer or any root application manager, go to System>App and if you can transfer them to your SD card, I use Root Explorer, just select all and zip them, then transfer to SD card .. All the .apk's will be in the zip file. I suppose just install one by one
As for system settings, accounts etc. those can't be backed up .. You'll just have to be updated manually :L Don't be lazy haha
just found this tip from lifehacker using titanium backup. looks pretty convinient.
if someone tries this, please report if you have success.
laureus said:
just found this tip from lifehacker using titanium backup. looks pretty convinient.
if someone tries this, please report if you have success.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use this, for me it's the best way.
Titanium backup can store all your current apps and data settings for theseapps, too.
After flashing your new ROM, install Titanium backup and restore your backuped apps. Works fine.

Ti backup - Android commander ?

Have a few questions I am sure some one can help with. I have been using Ti Backup to backup apps when updating Roms. No problem with the apps and bookmarks. Having trouble figuring out how to save text messages. I have tried saving MMS app and restoring but no prior texts. I have tried restoring just data and no go. What am I missing? What folder are the actual text messages saved in?
I also would like to pre load the ROM with apps before installing, but keep getting errors. Is this a signing issue or just me?
I have just started to use android commander to backup apps. I have tried to reinstall them back into the updated ROM, but also keep getting errors.
I really like Ti Backup, but it really takes a long time to run batch, go through each app, install, and hitting done for each app. May be there is a faster/easier way with Ti Backup.
Any help would be appreciated
Mac
You can make a zip using TB with all your apps which flashers them into /data.
il Duce,
Sorry for being so stupid. Do you mean zipping the backup file that TB uses? I don't see any option for making a zip with TB. Is it in the pro version?
Sorry again for my ignorance
Well I have pro, but I think its in both? Its in menu, more, create update zip. If you dont have that you can do an advanced restore of data with CWM. There are times you wouldn't want to, like going from froyo to ginger or back. Also sense to aosp. Full wipes are generally recommended, but these other things may work for you.
I used the create update.zip earlier today, and I got an error saying that it needed to use Edify. I might have an older version of TiBu, though. I was hoping to get it added to the list of things to flash from the start along with gapps, but no luck. It's not much more work to install the .apk and then batch restore from there, though.
I think switching to Pro allows you to do the batch without having to approve and accept each individual app installation. Not to mention that nice Dropbox storage.
Just use SMS Backup+ to backup SMS and MMS.

[Q] Any quick way to restore apps and settings?

I like to flash different ROMs, sometimes 3 or 4 per week, sometimes 3-4 per day ... I usually come back to a "daily driver" (currently Chroma) after trying new ROMs - but I always have a Nandroid of my daily driver I can return to.
I know that downloading apps and setting them up is the nature of the beast when flashing new ROMs, but is there a quicker way to restore all your apps and settings? I have Titanium Backup (pro) installed and have backed up all my apps I have customized settings for, the rest are just left as default. I also have TWRP manager (pro), but it asks you to individually install each app and is almost quicker to just let Google choose which ones to download and restore all the apps upon setup. I've never used TIBU to restore more than my backed up app settings, does it ask you to install each app as it goes through them too?
Is Titanium the quickest way or is there another way?
Titanium allows you to do batch actions and backup and restore all the apps you want in one go. You don't need to do apps individually.
I tend to let Google do the bulk (now I have a decent internet connection) and then just overwrite the ones with app data specific to me from Titanium after in one go.
400ixl said:
I tend to let Google do the bulk (now I have a decent internet connection) and then just overwrite the ones with app data specific to me from Titanium after in one go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's kind of how I do it now and have for a while.
Thanks for the info on TIBU, I wasn't sure how that worked with a batch restore?

Best way to backup everything before flashing new ROM?

Hi everyone, so I was wondering what was the best way to backup everything, apps, apps' data and system settings before flashing a new ROM or the same but with new base (which usually requires a clean install).
I've been told that the TWRP backup isn't that great because it'll bring over the "junk" from the previous version, and it doesn't really backup photos for instance.
Samsung's SmartSwitch, at least for me, doesn't backup applications at all. I've tried the phone version as well as the computer one, the phone one crashes once it gets to the app part, the computer one finishes but then there are no apps backed up.
I tried Titanium Backup but I don't know exactly which is the best option, should I be backup just apps and data? Or system data as well? If the correct way is both and let's say that the new ROM is "more" debloated", wouldn't I be putting back in the bloatware by backing up system data as well?
As far as system is concerned I just want to backup something like alarms, memo, system settings like brightness and I think that's more or less it.
Thanks a lot to anyone that helps me, I've been making tons of backup recently trying to find the best solution but couldn't.
Personally I use Titanium Backup, including unlimited external AppData (see in Settings). By that I get at least 80% of my apps back with all the settings done. My photos/videos are stored on my SD and backupped via google photos.
Always looking for a better and easier way to do all this, but for the moment that works pretty well. Still takes 1 - 1&1/2 hours to switch rom, restore backups and set up all my apps that could not be backupped completely.

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