I had something strange happen with the Messaging app, so I may as well list every step I took in case one of them was important.
TL;DR: I backed up "SMS Storage" from stock ROM with Ti Backup then restored it into CM6, but my old messages were still missing. Afterward I backed up and restored CM6 with nandroid and the old messages came back. fix_permissions was used in the middle for unrelated reasons.
I had stock G2 with perma-root and I wanted to try CM6. Without thinking about my apps or their data, I simply did a backup with ROM Manager, wiped and installed CM6. (All in one step. Man, I love ROM Manager!)
When I finally logged into CM6, Android started downloading all the apps I had before. It was then that I realized, "Fuuuuuuuuuck... all my settings and data are gone." I had older backups in Titanium Backup, but I wanted everything to be up to the minute. I also backed up my ADW settings and desktop configuration. Again, what a dream!
I restored my stock ROM backup and used Titanium Backup to backup everything one more time. Then I went through the download, wipe, install process again. It was already downloaded, and ROM Manager was smart enough not to download it again. Nice.
I waited yet again for Android to reinstall all my apps. A couple didn't download right, so I massaged them. I think they had updates with permission changes.
I restored my ADW settings and icons, and launched Titanium Backup. I used the restore screen and the Batch menu option. I clicked on RUN for "Restore All Apps" or whatever, which I knew would prompt me with a giant checkbox list. I unchecked everything and went down the list checking every user app. They were the ones with white text for the most part. If there was a Google system app that I was comfortable restoring, like the data for, say, Goggles, I checked that, too. I didn't check any of the truly system things.
The restore was a success and all my apps functioned beautifully.
I then opened the Messaging app and realized that all my old text messages were missing. Here's where the weirdness more-or-less starts.
I decide to go hunting in Ti Backup to see if I can find the data for the SMS app. I first restored the one with the Messaging app icon, and that managed to restore just my preferences. That made sense afterall, because it was called "[SMS/MMS PREFS] Messaging 2.2.1".
After that I tried restoring the one called "[SMS/MMS/APN] Dialer Storage 2.2.1", thinking that this must be it. No help at all.
I sent a few text messages to one person creating new data.
GPS is broken in CM6, and someone suggested running fix_permissions from the terminal. I did so, and no help with GPS. (But did this maybe fix the SMS data?)
I realized that Swype was missing and someone posted instructions on how to restore it, but you need to be back at stock and pull the files from the stock ROM. (I also could have unzipped the stock rom image, I read later, but anyway...) I restored my old stock backup, ran the ADB commands to pull the files, then restored my CM6 backup I had made just minutes earlier. I use a combination of ADB and Root Explorer to get the files in the right spot and I have Swype again.
I open the first app I can think of to test Swype, and that's Messaging. Bam! All my old messages are back! And my few new ones are now gone!
What's up with that?
elusivebyte said:
I had something strange happen with the Messaging app, so I may as well list every step I took in case one of them was important.
TL;DR: I backed up "SMS Storage" from stock ROM with Ti Backup then restored it into CM6, but my old messages were still missing. Afterward I backed up and restored CM6 with nandroid and the old messages came back. fix_permissions was used in the middle for unrelated reasons.
I had stock G2 with perma-root and I wanted to try CM6. Without thinking about my apps or their data, I simply did a backup with ROM Manager, wiped and installed CM6. (All in one step. Man, I love ROM Manager!)
When I finally logged into CM6, Android started downloading all the apps I had before. It was then that I realized, "Fuuuuuuuuuck... all my settings and data are gone." I had older backups in Titanium Backup, but I wanted everything to be up to the minute. I also backed up my ADW settings and desktop configuration. Again, what a dream!
I restored my stock ROM backup and used Titanium Backup to backup everything one more time. Then I went through the download, wipe, install process again. It was already downloaded, and ROM Manager was smart enough not to download it again. Nice.
I waited yet again for Android to reinstall all my apps. A couple didn't download right, so I massaged them. I think they had updates with permission changes.
I restored my ADW settings and icons, and launched Titanium Backup. I used the restore screen and the Batch menu option. I clicked on RUN for "Restore All Apps" or whatever, which I knew would prompt me with a giant checkbox list. I unchecked everything and went down the list checking every user app. They were the ones with white text for the most part. If there was a Google system app that I was comfortable restoring, like the data for, say, Goggles, I checked that, too. I didn't check any of the truly system things.
The restore was a success and all my apps functioned beautifully.
I then opened the Messaging app and realized that all my old text messages were missing. Here's where the weirdness more-or-less starts.
I decide to go hunting in Ti Backup to see if I can find the data for the SMS app. I first restored the one with the Messaging app icon, and that managed to restore just my preferences. That made sense afterall, because it was called "[SMS/MMS PREFS] Messaging 2.2.1".
After that I tried restoring the one called "[SMS/MMS/APN] Dialer Storage 2.2.1", thinking that this must be it. No help at all.
I sent a few text messages to one person creating new data.
GPS is broken in CM6, and someone suggested running fix_permissions from the terminal. I did so, and no help with GPS. (But did this maybe fix the SMS data?)
I realized that Swype was missing and someone posted instructions on how to restore it, but you need to be back at stock and pull the files from the stock ROM. (I also could have unzipped the stock rom image, I read later, but anyway...) I restored my old stock backup, ran the ADB commands to pull the files, then restored my CM6 backup I had made just minutes earlier. I use a combination of ADB and Root Explorer to get the files in the right spot and I have Swype again.
I open the first app I can think of to test Swype, and that's Messaging. Bam! All my old messages are back! And my few new ones are now gone!
What's up with that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a note, if android starts reinstalling all of your apps automatically again, that means that you have "back up data to google servers" checked in settings, which means that it will first reinstall your apps, then restore all of their settings and data.
Related
I realize this is a bit of a noob question but I've tried to flash cm rc1 about 6 times now, and every time I've experienced problems trying to restore my apps and settings.
Every time I tried, I started by doing a nandroid backup and wiping before flashing rc1, and I could boot with no problems. However, the first time I did this, the first thing I did was flash gapps and then waited half an hour for most of my downloaded apps to be restored automatically, but none of my settings or contacts came back.
Tried reflashing rc1 again but this time didn't flash gapps yet, instead went to advanced restore options in nandroid and restored only my data, which did the trick, except when I flashed gapps after I got the error where at setup you're supposed to "touch android to begin" and it doesn't do anything. Thought I'd nearly bricked my phone cause I couldn't exit the screen or get into recovery! Eventually managed to restore azure.
Going to try now restoring from my titanium backups and THEN flashing gapps, so hoping this is the best way to do it.
EDIT: Oh yeah so here's actually the main problem/question: I have most of my apps on sd (froyo apps2sd) and have backups made from titanium and a nandroid backup obviously. I want to have all my current apps and settings restored to the rc so that everything is more or less exactly as it is the way I use it now. Is this possible? Or will titanium restore my apps to internal memory?
Okay, so after restoring from titanium and flashing gapps I STILL don't have half of my apps or any of my contacts! What am I doing wrong??
Is there a series of steps you guys follow when migrating everything from one rom to another?
Make sure to enable App2sd in the Cyanogen Application Settings before running the Titanium restore. Also check Titanium Backups's Settings (press Menu button). There is an option to enforce the same location (SD/Internal). Not sure if it helps though.
I am not running an English version so you might have to search for the options.
Your contacts should be stored on your google Account if you had syncing activated.
Check Settings -> Account & Sync (or something like this) and add your google account if it is not already there. After that click the option to sync contacts.
If your contacts wheren't synced try restoring with Titanium again. The files you are looking for are "com.android.providers.contacts-***.tar.gz" and "com.android.providers.contacts-***.properties" NOT ""com.android.contacts-***."
If nothing helps you could always restorer you nandroid backup -> Titanium backup all apps that are NOT moved to SD -> uninstall all apps that are not moved to SD to make some room and move every app on the sd card to your internal storage before running another Titanium backup to have all apps as internal-storage versions. While you are at it you can sync your contacts with your google account and export them to SD for two options to restore them later.
Batch backup system and user apps+data. Then verify that backup to see everything is backed up successfully. For contacts either sync to Google account or you can export your contacts to SD, which I prefer personally. Full wipe, install Titanium, restore. End of story.
Oi rajasetan, can titanium do quiet restore?
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Thanks denisman, I did actually follow all of those steps and still had problems.. titanium didn't restore my contacts and even though they were synced with google for some reason they never came back, so I took your advice and exported my contacts to sd and will try again. Strange that between google sync and full backup and full restore of apps through titanium I still couldn't restore all my previous settings. Doing a nandroid advanced restore of data was the best option, if only I could do so without getting the error when flashing gapps. Maybe I should flash gapps and THEN nandroid restore data?
rajasyaitan said:
Batch backup system and user apps+data. Then verify that backup to see everything is backed up successfully. For contacts either sync to Google account or you can export your contacts to SD, which I prefer personally. Full wipe, install Titanium, restore. End of story.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's how I've been doing it actually, although I don't have the paid version of titanium so I can't verify my backups. Will upgrade to paid version and try that, thanks.
Update:
Okay so this time I flashed gapps first and THEN used nandroid to restore just my data and that did the trick; contacts, settings and apps are all back the way they should be.
New issue though (I seem plagued by these)! Even though I have the exact same stuff installed, I have only 3mb free on internal memory (even after using adb shell to remove carhome, twitter and other system apps I didn't need) when I used to have 40mb free before. Is cm6.1 that much larger than azure or do I have unnecessary copies of files sitting around somewhere I can't see them?
In titanium settings you need to check "force install to same location", then any apps you used to have on your SD card will stay there.
Okay, so after my previous thread here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1080251
I backed up my sms using SMS Backup+ and backed up my SD card. I wiped my phone clean, unlocked the bootloader flashed CM 7.0.3. Didn't like it much. Read somewhere NSCollab looked more like stock and I liked the stock UI.
So installed NSCollab and I liked it. So I setup my wifi and add my google account and expect it to restore my apps but it doesn't. Its been 8 hours now and I don't see any positive chances of apps being restored. Although I have appbrain, it requires me to go to each app individually and click on restore.
Restoring from .apk files I had backup using astro would make the apps not-linked to market, so I won't be notified of their updates (Or am I wrong?).
I missed a little detail here.. When I installed and booted CM 7.0.3, the market started restoring the apps but since I didn't like the UI, I switched off the wifi and flashed NSCollab interrupting the restoring process. But I don't think it would matter.
So the question is, is there any way to force restore my apps and settings from google's servers? Also, is it possible to install apps from .apk files and receive updates from the market?
I've noticed that sometimes I have to go to downloads in the app market and until I do the apps don't automatically restore themselves. Once I go to downloads they all start downloading.
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.
Hey guys. I'm trying to transition from MIUI back to a Sense rom. My problem is, Titanium Backup doesn't seem to want to work with this switch. I'll backup all my apps in MIUI, but when i nandroid restore to my new install, Titanium reports it only has one app available to be restored. What am i missing??
Try to uninstall, reboot and then reinstall TB and see if it sees all the backups it made.
Tried that. It says it's backed up all apps when in MIUI, but as soon as i flip over to my Sense rom it says there aren't any apps to be restored.
Have you tried MyBackup root? IME its a better app and more reliable.
I'll give it a shot. I was just about to give up. This is one of the most frustrating ROM transitions i've ever experienced.
The other thing I was gonna say was to delete all the backups, then make new ones and try again.
Normally, I create a new folder and move all the TB Backups there, just incase I need to restore something from the past
I thought i did that. I wiped out the folder that TB backs up to in Dropbox, but when i tried to restore missing apps on the Sense rom, it restored dozens of old, OLD apps i haven't had installed in months and restored NONE of the new apps i've installed on MIUI. Still not sure how exactly that happened.
You have to delete or move the backup files on your SD card. That's where TB reads them and stores them. Drop box is just a backup... for your backups
Right....so what i did was clear the folder, on drop box, sync from my MIUI build, restored to my Sense build, synced with dropbox(which downloads the files), then restored missing apps. Somehow that process pulled in all my month+ old apps.
Quick Tip for using Titanium Backup
1. Backup "application widgets". Once you restore your launcher, restore this and reboot so that your widgets will work and you don't have to reconfigure your home screen widgets (which would say "problem loading widgets" otherwise).
2. Backup "accounts" to remember the fact that you have "allowed" access to your google account for various apps (mainly google apps and any app that accesses your google account). This is also required to remember your facebook and skype passwords.
3. Backup "LogProvider" for the call log. A lot of people think call logs are backed up by "contacts storage" but they're not.
4. "contact storage" backups your speed dial
5. "dialer storage" backups your SMS/MMS. After you restore you need to reboot for it to take effect.
6. No need to backup "calendar 1.0". Just calendar 1.1. (this backups the setting not the actual content provided that you sync with google)
7. Most settings in Setting cannot be backed up (ie. Voip account, wifi hotspot ssid, ringtones, volume, etc). Simply re-enter them.
8. After upgrading your rom version or migrating to a different rom, before you restore, for "system" apps, make sure you check each one to see if the version has changed. If so, don't restore or you will probably have force-closes down the road. This is especially true if you move to cyanogen or miui, don't restore system apps at all.
9. Generally you don't need to save system apks unless you plan on uninstalling them to experiment instead of freezing.
10. Don't backup/restore "market" settings or you'll lose market links to your apps. In fact after you restore all your user apps you won't see all of them linked in the market even if titanium backup is set up to remember the links. Just use titanium to clear the market user data, restart market and you're ready to go.
11. Titanium backup does not save your default programs. (ie. DEFAULT browser, dialer, and for different file types).
12. Let TB save the settings to sd card. The next time you install TB you won't need to install the "pro" app. It remembers.
13. TB does not remember what apps are frozen. So after a reinstall, you need to refreeze whatever apps you want to freeze.
Other things good to know:
If you migrate to a new rom, although titanium Pro has an option to attempt to restore system apps to be compatible, try only restore user apps just to avoid force closes.
If you have a fixed set of apps you know you want to freeze, create a filter containing these apps. If you install a new rom, you can freeze all of them all at once without having to go through each.
Can you expand on what you mean in point 1.
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Scenario:
I have, say, go launcher or touch wiz as my launcher, I put widgets on my home screen like weather, google search bar and maybe a music player widget. I can use TB to backup my launcher, which would supposedly backup where these widgets are located on your home screen. However after reinstalling the rom, if I restore my launcher without restoring "application widgets", the place where these widgets are supposed to be will show "problem loading widgets". And you would have to remove these problematic widgets and recreate them.
So when you backup your launcher, backup "application widgets" as well. When you restore, restore both of them. And preferably after restoring, reboot before you go back to your launcher
By the way "application widgets" is an actual backupable item in TB (shown in green)
Is this making any sense?
Thanks and yes you are making perfect sense.
Many times I've had to delete then replace widgets from my launcher after restoring using TB so I'm interested in where in TB to find this option.
I'm probably looking right at it but just can't see it. Can you steer my in the right direction in TB?
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Nice to learn new things, especially the widgets, hate having the "problem loading widget" all the time.
Thanks for highlighting these.
Ok found it.
It's an item in the app list called "application widgets" with the TB icon next to it.
Cool thanks never noticed it before.
Great tip.
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Having a Problem
Ok so I am tring to do an Extract from CWM Backup...
Just Flashed Jugg. 2.0 everything is running great!!!
But TBP is just stuck at Restoring 0% on my first program... I have even followed their help page. cleared the market memory... What am i doing wrong please help...
T-mobile - SGH - T989
ROM: Juggernaut 2.0
Bardouns said:
Ok so I am tring to do an Extract from CWM Backup...
Just Flashed Jugg. 2.0 everything is running great!!!
But TBP is just stuck at Restoring 0% on my first program... I have even followed their help page. cleared the market memory... What am i doing wrong please help...
T-mobile - SGH - T989
ROM: Juggernaut 2.0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you enabled USB debugging and UNKNOWN sources?!
yes on both
---------- Post added at 08:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:16 AM ----------
Ok... Don't know WTF... but its working like lightning now... have no idea... didn't do anything except download google text to voice... weird
Been using it for years and didn't figure out the speeddial backup. Good post. A couple thoughts in general as far as backup strategy.... IMO freezing is better than removing system apps because space is not an issue with the sgs2 like it is with some (older) phones. Swap a lot of roms and sooner or later your are going to either on accident or purpose delete something you shouldn't have and then have to restore. Going down the list and freezing them only takes a minute and is readily reversible with the same end result. If you must be rid of them freeze them first and give it a few days for any oddness to show up. Then uninstall.
Agree on restoring system apps. Always a good way to get odd behavior or fc's and the like. Normally there is no need anyways as the new rom has the same system apps in it and most of the settings can be remembered elsewhere. I do back up system apps though in case I want to grab an apk that isn't in the new rom.
Also IMO its a good idea to copy the entire contents of the internal sd over to the pc after doing a nandroid and ti backup. This way if things go to hell you have everything. The process I use is to do a ti backup and then nandroid in recovery. I mount while still in recovery and copy everything over to a folder on the pc. Now I have all my pics, everything. I use the external sd for music and other items that I know will move from rom to rom so that I don't have to hassle with them. Do this and your covered in every way if you have problems with your ti backup or nandroid. Both can happen sometimes. Also if your phone dies, goes missing etc at least you have a backup as recent as your last rom swap which for us is probably not too long ago. lol I keep the most recent two backups and delete the oldest as I make new ones with each new rom. This only takes a few minutes extra during the rom swap and if you need it you will be glad you have it.
Thank you for tips!
Very helpful. Been using TB for a while now but did not know all the details!
thanx for your efforts...
got some useful tips. I thought I know TB, but I didn't.
Nice write-up!
Any advice on what to do when you try to restore an app and it tells you "problem parsing the package"?
Seam to happen more often with apps that did not come from Android Market or Amazon Appstore...
Very good guide and not just for newbie's.
Thank you.
App Folders i nApp Draw
i cant seem to figure out where the folders in the app draw are actually stored. i tried to do a restore from a previous rom (apps only, widgets ect) but im not sure where to go for app folders, thats if it will even do this for me.
Many Thanks...
...to the OP & others for this thread & the tips in it ;-)
Just rooted yesterday & ran TI backup. Have run it again incorporating the tips in this thread. Very good suggestion to copy the lot over to PC as well.
Also, people should remember to make a copy of their EFS file & keep that somewhere safe off the phone (keep a copy on your external SD card as well).
Everything I've read so far suggests you're royally boned if you trash your EFS, so making a couple of copies & keeping them in various spots (one on the external SD/one on PC) makes sense to me. Hellcat's kTool does a bangup job & is a nice little app to have handy ;-)
Hi everyone. If someone can give me the confirmation about the following:
1. is Titanium backup saving the settings for the backed up app or only the app itself?
2. are social hub, readers hub, game hub, talk, IM, safe to freeze or unistall cos I don't use that?
3. When you freeze the app, is the icon gone or it stays under "menu"?
4. is Email app safe to freeze/uninstall or I need that for using Gmail app?
I'm on stock 2.3.3 + CF-Root-SGS2_XX_OXA_KH1-v4.1-CWM4 for now.
thank you and regards.
Thanks - very helpful to have more information.
3. Backup "LogProvider" for the call log. A lot of people think call logs are backed up by "contacts storage" but they're not.
This was really helpful. Thank you.
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