Firmware Backup for UNrooted phones - Galaxy S I9000 General

Is it possible to backup the entire phone (dont care about the data) on phones that arent rooted?
The apps I've seen (titanium looking best) all require root.
thanks

I am pretty sure that you can through kies for somethings. Also an app called app brain can sync your apps to a web based database so in the event of a factory wipe you restore apps.
Sent from a galaxy far far away.

I have been using Astro file manager to back up my apps. Data though is not saved. No root is required

but what about backing up firmware?
Backing up files no problem.
Backing up apps, Google does that automatically if I'm not mistaken.
The problem I have is closer to the OP's post: I want to root my new phone, but need to back it up ENTIRELY before doing something as awful as rooting it it
Titanium backup (indeed looks like the best) and other similar whole-phone backup apps all need root ! But I need to backup before rooting !
Is there an app we can use to back up an unrooted phone, OR is there a way to use Titanium backup on an unrooted phone?
Using Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro MK16a Android 2.3.3
ps lurk skywalker tell me if you have found a solution since you've posted your question

Not entirely necessary to backup before rooting. If you are just flashing a stock kernel with root, as long as you do it correctly, nothing bad will happen.
I only do a backup before flashing ROMs as I always do a full wipe procedure first. The kernel I currently use has a built in total clean wipe, but I can do it the manual way rather quickly and prefer it.
Edit : I just saw you are using a sony, I know nothing about them, this is a Samsung forum.
Sent from my GT - I9000M running Tornado JVR Gold with Tornado kernel.

Related

Does KA7 Wipe your phone?

I am new to roms, and i know a lot of the custom ones will wipe your phone. I have done updates with Rom Manager but they were samsung updates and now i want to install KA7 (deodexed) to get the latest update, Kies fails for me.
Will KA7 (deodexed) wipe your phone, get rid of the apps or is it an update. I read all 13 pages of the thread but they dont mention it. Most likely everyone knows the answer but me. I cant post there too new
Most devs' that release entire rom suites have the flashable .zip wipe when you install it.
The only non wiping ROM I currently am aware of is Bionix-V which offers updates to those coming from a previous build.
However, with the ease at which backups can be made, wiping is always a safe bet.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Cool, i found the newbie root/rom guide and have been following that, I was just going to plan for the worse and and restore if needed. Wonder why its not sticky??
Already have a rom manager backup, contacts backed up with Tmoblie app, pics off loaded and Titanium backup is backing up my apps and setting right now 69%. So i guess that means i can restore what i need to after flashing. Cant wait to have some fun!
BTW, I may just be paranoid, but I save a copy of my Titanium backup folder on my external sd and then remove it before flashing. It is extremely rare for a ROM flash to wipe your internal sd and even more rare to mess with your external, but it has happened. Better safe than sorry IMO.
Yeah, everything is copied to my laptop!
Flashed completed!
Using Titanium to restore apps, 108 ar, wish i could auto accept all the installs
The pro version of titanium allows one click restore. Well worth the investment.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

[Q] A few random questions about cwm, backup etc

I have successfully rooted my device using the version 2.0.0 of the toolkit. I think I'm going to donate a few euros to get the latest, the author deserves all the money.
A few questions:
What exactly is CWM? What's the difference between a backup made with titanium backup and a backup made with CWM? Is it enough to backup the system settings or do I need to backup even the apps? I mean the list of installed and purchased apps should be always available on the Google play account, at least I hope so...
Should I download the latest version of CWM (the . IMG file) and flash it with the toolkit or should I use the integrated version that seems to be IN the toolkit?
Thanks in advance for the answers.
A CWM backup will backup everything. If you restore it, your device will be exactly the same as it was when the backup was made.
Titanium backup only backs up apps and their data
But with titanium backup do I need to backup all the or only their data?
Is CWM useful even to install other Roms?
Sorry for the confusion: I'm not an expert.
Clock work mod will backup your entire android build as it is. all data, apps, settings, contacts, messages. etc
Titanium will backup apps and their data only
If you bork your software or try another rom then decide you want to go back, a Cwm backup will take you right back to the exact point you made the backup
Titanium is useful to have when changing roms because after loading a new one you can load your previous apps & data into your new rom whereas Cwm would completely overwrite the rom
In essence they are similar but perform completely different tasks
Sent from my Nexus 7
With titanium I usually just backup all user apps with data (meaning anything you have downloaded that is not part of the rom)
You cannot flash a new rom with titanium. that is what Cwm is for
Cwm deals with the roms
Titanium deals with apps
CWM & Backup
nihil39 said:
I have successfully rooted my device using the version 2.0.0 of the toolkit. I think I'm going to donate a few euros to get the latest, the author deserves all the money.
A few questions:
What exactly is CWM? What's the difference between a backup made with titanium backup and a backup made with CWM? Is it enough to backup the system settings or do I need to backup even the apps? I mean the list of installed and purchased apps should be always available on the Google play account, at least I hope so...
Should I download the latest version of CWM (the . IMG file) and flash it with the toolkit or should I use the integrated version that seems to be IN the toolkit?
Thanks in advance for the answers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CWM is a recovery mod used for Flashing new rom while at the same time gives you handy things to do like, do a NANDROID- Creating a image for ur current rom and all its sys settings with apps and there data. U can also Flash other things like a previously created Update.zip for Titanium Backup, which is helpful after u have flashed a new rom and want all ur previous apps and data back.
A small thing a consider sharing, When Flashing a new ROM, Back up only the apps+data thing and not the System. As ur new ROM will have its own System settings (better to adjust it then than bfore). Now, also Create an update.zip, which a mentioned earlier from TitBckp Menu.
Have Fun.
bagofcrap24 said:
Clock work mod will backup your entire android build as it is. all data, apps, settings, contacts, messages. etc
Titanium will backup apps and their data only
If you bork your software or try another rom then decide you want to go back, a Cwm backup will take you right back to the exact point you made the backup
Titanium is useful to have when changing roms because after loading a new one you can load your previous apps & data into your new rom whereas Cwm would completely overwrite the rom
In essence they are similar but perform completely different tasks
Sent from my Nexus 7
With titanium I usually just backup all user apps with data (meaning anything you have downloaded that is not part of the rom)
You cannot flash a new rom with titanium. that is what Cwm is for
Cwm deals with the roms
Titanium deals with apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.
I still don't get the point of backing up apps. I mean: their settings (and system settings) ok but why backup something that can be downloaded again from google play store? I guess my account keeps record of my installed and (above all) purchased apps (tapatalk only). Am I wrong?
Other question:
I'm using the stock Jelly Bean 4.1.1 rooted and I don't want to mess with cooked roms whatsoever. I rooted the device in order to get USB on the go support and TiBackup.
Will I get updates from google or I will have to manually flash a rooted version of an updated Rom? I think I will have to install CWM at the end, I guess
etgine sandy
nihil39 said:
Thanks.
I still don't get the point of backing up apps. I mean: their settings (and system settings) ok but why backup something that can be downloaded again from google play store? I guess my account keeps record of my installed and (above all) purchased apps (tapatalk only). Am I wrong?
Other question:
I'm using the stock Jelly Bean 4.1.1 rooted and I don't want to mess with cooked roms whatsoever. I rooted the device in order to get USB on the go support and TiBackup.
Will I get updates from google or I will have to manually flash a rooted version of an updated Rom? I think I will have to install CWM at the end, I guess
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please answer at least the last question...
nihil39 said:
Please answer at least the last question...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Edit: If google release an update, you dont have to relock it
Jordanooo said:
If google release an update, i think you will have to relock your bootloader to get it officially.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do not have to lock your bootloader to get an update only reason to lock it is if you have to return it
Sent from my BAKED Nexus
spaceman860 said:
You do not have to lock your bootloader to get an update only reason to lock it is if you have to return it
Sent from my BAKED Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, in my condition (rooted stock rom) will I get the official google updates without doing anything?
You will still get the updates but Cwm will not be able to install them.
You would need the stock recovery to apply ota updates
In reference to your previous question regarding titanium. You could re download the apps from play store after a wipe.
Titanium also restores any preferences you had saved. And in the case of games it will also restore your progress & game saves
Sent from my Nexus 7
Thanks, so there's no point in backing up the whole app, we only need its data and settings.
I haven't installed cwm yet. Did you use the toolkit downloadable from another thread in this forum? If yes, does the toolkit automatically download the latest version of cwm?
I'm not sure with the tooolkits
I have never rated them
It's much wiser to learn to do these things manually as it really doesn't take very much learning and it's always valuable to know what to do in case you bork something
Sent from my Nexus 7
Does cwm also backup sripts like link2sd and 2nd fat32 partition?

[Q] Downgrade from 4.2 to 4.1.2

Some apps not working after updated to 4.2, so I'm considering back to 4.1.2.
Though I never done this before since the day I get Nexus 7,
I think use Wug's Nexus Root Toolkit should get it done.
But just for sure:
1. Do I need to unlock/root to flash factory 4.1.2 image? (I think it is not but not so sure)
2. Directory structure seems different from 4.1.2, is it OK just using Toolkit to backup/restore settings?
(Sorry for my English if anything looks impolite)
1) unlock bootloader yes; root no, as you're going to overwrite the system anyways.
Also I'd suggest not using a toolkit, just download the factory image off google's page and run the "flash-all.bat"
2) Use Titanium Backup to backup all app data, wipe after flashing 4.1.2 and then restore apps + data with Titanium again
I just downgraded this morning. All your data will be wiped .. ALL YOUR DATA ... meaning, after I got back to 4.1.2 I was having 13GB of free space on the tablet (out of 13 possible) .
So, if you HAVE a nandroid from the 4.1.2 days, save it to your computer (along with all your files).
If you don't have a 4.1.2 nandroid, at least create now a backup repository with whatever tool you prefer and then save the respective files to PC.
Then, flash the factory image for 4.1.2.
Then copy all your files back to the internal memory, install the backup tool and restore your apps.
The reason behind this is that the update from 4.1.2 to 4.2 has some scripts that are porting the original /data and /sdcard mounts to the new structure used in 4.2
When downgrading, you no longer have scripts to do that for you so the newly installed 4.1.2 will not recognize anything so it will bootloop like crazy (I tried first to restore just the /system ... but all the other data was already affected by the update so was no longer usable).
My thoughts:
If you got the ota, and things messed up, try flashing the 4.2 factory image. That seemed to help me. If you're not rooted already, I would recommend becoming familiar with the adb backup command to backup apps before doing anything else. You have to unlock the boot loader to downgrade or flash the factory 4.2 image, and this will wipe the device.
Once you update either way, definitely take the time to root. You can then use adb restore or titanium backup to restore from the adb backup you made before unlocking.
Just be aware that adb backup doesn't seem to backup all apps, and that titanium backup isn't exactly fast parsing through a big adb backup file.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
step by step?
srry, very nooby questions:
how do i flash my nexus?
where do i find the factory image?
what is the backup tool?
ro_explorer said:
I just downgraded this morning. All your data will be wiped .. ALL YOUR DATA ... meaning, after I got back to 4.1.2 I was having 13GB of free space on the tablet (out of 13 possible) .
So, if you HAVE a nandroid from the 4.1.2 days, save it to your computer (along with all your files).
If you don't have a 4.1.2 nandroid, at least create now a backup repository with whatever tool you prefer and then save the respective files to PC.
Then, flash the factory image for 4.1.2.
Then copy all your files back to the internal memory, install the backup tool and restore your apps.
The reason behind this is that the update from 4.1.2 to 4.2 has some scripts that are porting the original /data and /sdcard mounts to the new structure used in 4.2
When downgrading, you no longer have scripts to do that for you so the newly installed 4.1.2 will not recognize anything so it will bootloop like crazy (I tried first to restore just the /system ... but all the other data was already affected by the update so was no longer usable).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HellcatDroid said:
1) unlock bootloader yes; root no, as you're going to overwrite the system anyways.
Also I'd suggest not using a toolkit, just download the factory image off google's page and run the "flash-all.bat"
2) Use Titanium Backup to backup all app data, wipe after flashing 4.1.2 and then restore apps + data with Titanium again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
restoring my apps with Titanium Backup is unsuccessful , when i first tried a full app+data restore it freezes at 0 percent
and when i tried backuping app the missing apps , it worked but after i rebooted it . It went into a bootloop
Youssef Hossam said:
restoring my apps with Titanium Backup is unsuccessful , when i first tried a full app+data restore it freezes at 0 percent and when i tried backuping app the missing apps , it worked but after i rebooted it . It went into a bootloop
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Assumed you are referring to downgrade from 4.2.1 to 4.1.2 and rooted to run TB, so the basic stock rom is up & running otherwise, correct?
Let's try Plan B instead - go into (Custom) Recovery and wipe dalvik cache first, then reboot. Give it a few minutes to settle and try to do your TB restore WITHOUT data, and see if it works. The /SD and/or /SD/0 directory structures are setup differently on the N7 and trying to retore with your custom settings will just make it more difficult & complicated. If this works, you can then try to selectively restore one or more with data and hopefully without going into endless bootloop again.
Plan C - go to Play Store, then Settings and "All" - you should see all of your Apps and what's installed, etc. - and install from there, it's semi-manual but it works for me 99.8% of the time when it would otherwise freeze within TB, especially true when switching custom Rom & kernels.
I usually manually copy & move back items such as documents, pictures & mp3's, etc. from standalone/usb backup drives or cloud storage back into the device once everything else are up & running properly.
Let us know if this helps & working for you or not.
Thankss !
Letitride said:
Assumed you are referring to downgrade from 4.2.1 to 4.1.2 and rooted to run TB, so the basic stock rom is up & running otherwise, correct?
Let's try Plan B instead - go into (Custom) Recovery and wipe dalvik cache first, then reboot. Give it a few minutes to settle and try to do your TB restore WITHOUT data, and see if it works. The /SD and/or /SD/0 directory structures are setup differently on the N7 and trying to retore with your custom settings will just make it more difficult & complicated. If this works, you can then try to selectively restore one or more with data and hopefully without going into endless bootloop again.
Plan C - go to Play Store, then Settings and "All" - you should see all of your Apps and what's installed, etc. - and install from there, it's semi-manual but it works for me 99.8% of the time when it would otherwise freeze within TB, especially true when switching custom Rom & kernels.
I usually manually copy & move back items such as documents, pictures & mp3's, etc. from standalone/usb backup drives or cloud storage back into the device once everything else are up & running properly.
Let us know if this helps & working for you or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your help , but I think the problem was that there were apps in the backup only compatible with the custom ROM I had and android 4.2.1 xD
I restored the apps one by one , but I think if I deleted the extra custom rom apps , the process would have finished without any problems
Hi fellow people,
i'm a noob just made my xda account like 5 mins ago. I've been trying to search for my problem but I haven't really a found a direct answer. So yesterday I just got my Samsung Galaxy nexus update to 4.2.1. I was really excited until I started having the battery issues, screen lock issues, and overheating problem. I really don't like 4.2.1 and want to downgrade my version back 4.1.2. My carrier is the Mobicility (Canadian). I did not do anything previously with this phone such as rooting it, doing all the funky stuff that will void my warranty. I heard about flashing some google images to get back 4.1.2 but I'm not sure if I need to root or how to like do it through the gnex toolkit that mskip made. As well what if the difference between yakju and maguro? I heard if you flash the wrong image it will brick your phone or something like that. If there is a method without having to root it and lose all my contacts, then I would prefer that a lot.
Thanks,
mleung754
mleung754 said:
Hi fellow people,
i'm a noob just made my xda account like 5 mins ago. I've been trying to search for my problem but I haven't really a found a direct answer. So yesterday I just got my Samsung Galaxy nexus update to 4.2.1. I was really excited until I started having the battery issues, screen lock issues, and overheating problem. I really don't like 4.2.1 and want to downgrade my version back 4.1.2. My carrier is the Mobicility (Canadian). I did not do anything previously with this phone such as rooting it, doing all the funky stuff that will void my warranty. I heard about flashing some google images to get back 4.1.2 but I'm not sure if I need to root or how to like do it through the gnex toolkit that mskip made. As well what if the difference between yakju and maguro? I heard if you flash the wrong image it will brick your phone or something like that. If there is a method without having to root it and lose all my contacts, then I would prefer that a lot.
Thanks,
mleung754
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You dont have to root but you need to UNLOCK the bootloader which will obviously erase all your data(and VOID your warranty). you can find the factory image here https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images . just flash the appropriate image and you should be as good to go.
mleung754 said:
Hi fellow people,
i'm a noob just made my xda account like 5 mins ago. I've been trying to search for my problem but I haven't really a found a direct answer. So yesterday I just got my Samsung Galaxy nexus update to 4.2.1. I was really excited until I started having the battery issues, screen lock issues, and overheating problem. I really don't like 4.2.1 and want to downgrade my version back 4.1.2. My carrier is the Mobicility (Canadian). I did not do anything previously with this phone such as rooting it, doing all the funky stuff that will void my warranty. I heard about flashing some google images to get back 4.1.2 but I'm not sure if I need to root or how to like do it through the gnex toolkit that mskip made. As well what if the difference between yakju and maguro? I heard if you flash the wrong image it will brick your phone or something like that. If there is a method without having to root it and lose all my contacts, then I would prefer that a lot.
Thanks,
mleung754
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mleung754,
You are posting in the wrong forum.
Asus Nexus 7 is not the same thing as a Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
Ignore mmystere68's remarks.

Loads of Questions Regarding my Nexus 4

Hello guys,
Firstly, I have to thank all members of this forum for helping newbies like me to do wonders with our phones.
On topic, I have recently purchased the much coveted Nexus 4. The first thing I did after unboxing it was to unlock and root it.
And up until now I have been quite content using the stock ROM. But, now I want to mix it up a little bit.
Through XDA I have become aware of quite a few ways of modding my phone and generally I do not like to do anything without knowing what I am doing. So, therefore there a number of unanswered questions in my mind, which I hope that you guys can help me out with.
Adsaway
1. I have been using Adsaway ever since I rooted my phone and got to say, its amazing. But, I have been wondering if there is any way by which I could replace "Webpage not found" with something like a plain white color or plain black color. The "webpage not found" notification in place of the ads is quite ugly.
2. Talking about ads, I understand that adsaway only prevents you from receiving the ad instead of blocking the request for the ad. I found this thread on XDA where someone said that you could considerably increase battery life by using Lucky Patcher (no, I do not use this tool for cracking). I want to know how safe this is especially considering that you can mess up your phone using Lucky Patcher. Link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=28929442
Improving Battery Life
Link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2107163
This thread talks about how you can improve your battery life by flashing factory images. I definitely want to try it out. But, if I flash factory images wouldn't I be flashing the custom recovery too? And, does this mean that I have to stay on stock ROMs to improve battery life? I kind of find it a little bit confusing.
Further, he talks about 'kernel'. Being an engineer, I know what a kernel is. But, in the context of android, when flashing ROMs, is the kernel included with the custom ROM? or do you have to install the kernel separately? And, what are the advantages of flashing a custom kernel?
Titanium Backup
1. I know that this tool backs up your phone by basically creating a image file but I have no idea on how to use it to flash custom ROMs. An explanation or a link would be really helpful. If this question has been asked and answered before, sorry for asking it again.
2. Since the Nexus does not come with any desktop software, how do you do a normal backup of your phone? Again, this is a very basic question and I could probably find the answer online so feel free to ignore this question.
Finally, thank you all for being so patient and answering my queries. I hope that this will help other newbies as well.
Hi, I may be able to help with some of your questions.
I'm not sure but the "Webpage not found" error may be a result of the browser you use, or not . Anyway I use the app 'Adaway' with the Chrome beta browser and do not get that error in either the browser or other apps that have ads in them.
The first time I've heard of Lucky Patcher so I cant comment. But I personally wouldn't install it unless it is open source and proven not to be stealing your info. these kind of things are sketchy in my opinion. The thing is with adaway it is changing your Hosts file so any ad request is pointing back to the phone. So its not like you are using data to block the ads. So I can't imagine there is a huge battery savings.
From reading the thread about flashing the stock Image, it seems very hit or miss on getting any results. If you are planning to run a custom rom I wouldn't bother. When installing a rom you will usually be wiping all of that anyway.
Roms come with a kernel built in. The advantages of changing kernels depend on what kernel you install but they usually include options to be able to under or overclock the cpu and gpu. Adjust the voltages of the cpu. Change the cpu and gpu governors and i/o scheduler as well as the readahead value for eMMC. You can adjust color and gamma values for the screen. Adjust the vibration level of the phone. And some kernel developers will add their own tweeks to the governors for improved performance.
Titanium backup actually backs up each app and its associated data on your phone allowing you to restore them after flashing a new rom. You can restore apps themselves after a new rom install from the play store without using something like titanium backup but you will lose any data that is associated with that app. Restoring app data can cause issues though. So it is not recommended to restore any system apps after a rom install although I usually will restore Phone/Messaging storage data and have never had an issue but the possibility is there.
In the process of installing custom roms you will need to install a custom bootloader. Either CWM or TWRP usually. These bootloaders give you the option to do a full system image called a Nandroid. This is what most people use as a backup.
Hope this is some help. I am no expert, this is just what I have learned from experiance here at XDA.
linelock said:
Hi, I may be able to help with some of your questions.
I'm not sure but the "Webpage not found" error may be a result of the browser you use, or not . Anyway I use the app 'Adaway' with the Chrome beta browser and do not get that error in either the browser or other apps that have ads in them.
The first time I've heard of Lucky Patcher so I cant comment. But I personally wouldn't install it unless it is open source and proven not to be stealing your info. these kind of things are sketchy in my opinion. The thing is with adaway it is changing your Hosts file so any ad request is pointing back to the phone. So its not like you are using data to block the ads. So I can't imagine there is a huge battery savings.
From reading the thread about flashing the stock Image, it seems very hit or miss on getting any results. If you are planning to run a custom rom I wouldn't bother. When installing a rom you will usually be wiping all of that anyway.
Roms come with a kernel built in. The advantages of changing kernels depend on what kernel you install but they usually include options to be able to under or overclock the cpu and gpu. Adjust the voltages of the cpu. Change the cpu and gpu governors and i/o scheduler as well as the readahead value for eMMC. You can adjust color and gamma values for the screen. Adjust the vibration level of the phone. And some kernel developers will add their own tweeks to the governors for improved performance.
Titanium backup actually backs up each app and its associated data on your phone allowing you to restore them after flashing a new rom. You can restore apps themselves after a new rom install from the play store without using something like titanium backup but you will lose any data that is associated with that app. Restoring app data can cause issues though. So it is not recommended to restore any system apps after a rom install although I usually will restore Phone/Messaging storage data and have never had an issue but the possibility is there.
In the process of installing custom roms you will need to install a custom bootloader. Either CWM or TWRP usually. These bootloaders give you the option to do a full system image called a Nandroid. This is what most people use as a backup.
Hope this is some help. I am no expert, this is just what I have learned from experiance here at XDA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, thanks for the comprehensive reply. It answers many of my questions. Firstly, I am going to do away with Lucky Patcher and at this time I do not think I need a custom kernel.
However, after reading your reply I have a fresh set of questions:
1. If restoring apps can cause issues, then what is the alternative if you do not want to lose your app data? Are you saying that once I install the custom ROM, I could restore most apps using Titanium Backup but for system apps (meaning root access apps right?) I should just do a fresh install from the Play Store?
2. I have already flashed CWM during root so 1 plus point for me . From your description, it is my understanding that people will create a Nandroid right before flashing a custom ROM/kernel so that in case anything goes wrong they can just restore back to previous state using the Nandroid image. Again, correct me if I am wrong.
Well and another problem that I forgot to mention in my opening post is with my WiFi:
Many a times, even after connecting to my home wifi network, I cannot access the internet. Then, if I reboot my phone and reconnect to wifi it starts working. Weird, I know. And, no its not a problem with my WiFi network, I verified that.
w1ndhawk said:
Adsaway
1. I have been using Adsaway ever since I rooted my phone and got to say, its amazing. But, I have been wondering if there is any way by which I could replace "Webpage not found" with something like a plain white color or plain black color. The "webpage not found" notification in place of the ads is quite ugly.
2. Talking about ads, I understand that adsaway only prevents you from receiving the ad instead of blocking the request for the ad. I found this thread on XDA where someone said that you could considerably increase battery life by using Lucky Patcher (no, I do not use this tool for cracking). I want to know how safe this is especially considering that you can mess up your phone using Lucky Patcher. Link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=28929442
Improving Battery Life
Link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2107163
This thread talks about how you can improve your battery life by flashing factory images. I definitely want to try it out. But, if I flash factory images wouldn't I be flashing the custom recovery too? And, does this mean that I have to stay on stock ROMs to improve battery life? I kind of find it a little bit confusing.
Further, he talks about 'kernel'. Being an engineer, I know what a kernel is. But, in the context of android, when flashing ROMs, is the kernel included with the custom ROM? or do you have to install the kernel separately? And, what are the advantages of flashing a custom kernel?
Titanium Backup
1. I know that this tool backs up your phone by basically creating a image file but I have no idea on how to use it to flash custom ROMs. An explanation or a link would be really helpful. If this question has been asked and answered before, sorry for asking it again.
2. Since the Nexus does not come with any desktop software, how do you do a normal backup of your phone? Again, this is a very basic question and I could probably find the answer online so feel free to ignore this question.
Finally, thank you all for being so patient and answering my queries. I hope that this will help other newbies as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2. Adsaway blocks ads in apps so they aren't downloaded AFAIK(don't see the Download arrow in status bar) which saves power
3. You don't have to stay on stock after flashing the images. The images touch different partitions that were probably flashed improperly at the factory.
4.Kernels are already inside custom Roms. Custom kernels that are available separate have their own perks though and are from different Devs.
6. For Titanium after you backup you just connect your phone to your pc and it'll be detected. No desktop software is needed, just drap and drop.
By system apps I mean things like android settings. I use TB for stuff like games so I don't have to stay over from the start. when you install TB you will see what is labeled as a system app and what is labeled as a user app.
Exactly, a nandroid is a like a disk image that you can restore.
Sorry I can't help with your wifi issue, I'm not having that problem.
@Ace42
Ok so I guess it should do no harm if I first flash stock images and then over that flash the custom . NM/kernel of my choice. In fact there is a chance it may improve my battery life.
Thanks for clarifying the titanium backup part, it sounds simple enough.
OT:
I managed to solve the webpage not found problem on ad away. All you have to do is enable web server in preferences.
Again, thank you guys.
linelock said:
From reading the thread about flashing the stock Image, it seems very hit or miss on getting any results. If you are planning to run a custom rom I wouldn't bother. When installing a rom you will usually be wiping all of that anyway.
In the process of installing custom roms you will need to install a custom bootloader. Either CWM or TWRP usually. These bootloaders give you the option to do a full system image called a Nandroid. This is what most people use as a backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These paragraphs are incorrect.
The top one was covered already.
There are no custom bootloaders for the Nexus 4. There are custom recoveries, but a bootloader is by no means a recovery. Do not confuse the two.
w1ndhawk said:
@Ace42
Ok so I guess it should do no harm if I first flash stock images and then over that flash the custom . NM/kernel of my choice. In fact there is a chance it may improve my battery life.
Thanks for clarifying the titanium backup part, it sounds simple enough.
OT:
I managed to solve the webpage not found problem on ad away. All you have to do is enable web server in preferences.
Again, thank you guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No harm at all. After you do the images you can go to whatever custom setup you wanted. It personally increased my battery life and many other users here by varying degrees.
lucky patcher is for using "stolen" apps, patching their licence checks etc. it is frowned upon and can carry many bad things in it.
simms22 said:
lucky patcher is for using "stolen" apps, patching their licence checks etc. it is frowned upon and can carry many bad things in it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, but apparently it does have its uses or so I've heard.
However, what do you mean it can carry many bad things?
I thought I’d give my 2 cents on Titanium Backup…
It doesn’t create an image file of the current state of your phone. That would be a Nandroid backup done via CWM Recovery.
Titanium Backup allows you to backup apps. That means apps installed by the user (user apps) and apps that came baked into the ROM (system apps). As mentioned, it’s not recommended to restore system apps because this often causes weird issues.
When you restore, you can also choose whether to restore the app only or the app plus data. In rare cases, restoring app data causes weird issues.
One of my favorite feature of Titanium Backup is how it allows you to create a zip file of your backup that can be flashed from recovery.
Everybody uses Titanium Backup differently. But here’s how I tend to use it when moving between ROMs.
1. Backup all user apps.
2. Create a zip of the backed up user apps (no app data).
3. Wipe data (factory reset), wipe dalvik cache, flash new ROM.
4. Boot into the newly flashed ROM and go through the initial setup process.
5. Reboot into recovery.
6. Flash the zip created by Titanium Backup.
Sure, I lose all app data, but that just means I guarantee myself a clean slate to start.
ohyeahar said:
I thought I’d give my 2 cents on Titanium Backup…
It doesn’t create an image file of the current state of your phone. That would be a Nandroid backup done via CWM Recovery.
Titanium Backup allows you to backup apps. That means apps installed by the user (user apps) and apps that came baked into the ROM (system apps). As mentioned, it’s not recommended to restore system apps because this often causes weird issues.
When you restore, you can also choose whether to restore the app only or the app plus data. In rare cases, restoring app data causes weird issues.
One of my favorite feature of Titanium Backup is how it allows you to create a zip file of your backup that can be flashed from recovery.
Everybody uses Titanium Backup differently. But here’s how I tend to use it when moving between ROMs.
1. Backup all user apps.
2. Create a zip of the backed up user apps (no app data).
3. Wipe data (factory reset), wipe dalvik cache, flash new ROM.
4. Boot into the newly flashed ROM and go through the initial setup process.
5. Reboot into recovery.
6. Flash the zip created by Titanium Backup.
Sure, I lose all app data, but that just means I guarantee myself a clean slate to start.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey thanks ohyeahar. Going to follow this when flashing my custom ROM.
So ideally, aside from user apps you shouldn't restore anything. However, I would like to save backup and restore my contacts and also app data for the game Subway Surf. How safe is this? And, let us suppose do I face some problems after restoring app data, will just uninstalling and resintalling the application suffice in alleviating the problems?
OT:
Now, that I will be flashing factory image (to try and improve my battery life), I assume I am going to lose my unlock+root. Should I be making a nandroid before doing this in the case of some problem?
Reflashing the system image will remove root yes, but your bootloader will still be unlocked. All you need to do after flashing the new system image is install http://download.chainfire.eu/306/SuperSU/UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.00.zip from CWM (or TWRP).
--You should always have at least one nandroid backup on your phone in case anything goes wrong.
w1ndhawk said:
Hey thanks ohyeahar. Going to follow this when flashing my custom ROM.
So ideally, aside from user apps you shouldn't restore anything. However, I would like to save backup and restore my contacts and also app data for the game Subway Surf. How safe is this? And, let us suppose do I face some problems after restoring app data, will just uninstalling and resintalling the application suffice in alleviating the problems?
OT:
Now, that I will be flashing factory image (to try and improve my battery life), I assume I am going to lose my unlock+root. Should I be making a nandroid before doing this in the case of some problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your contacts shouldn’t require backing up because they should be backed up to your Google account.
If you want to restore app data for certain apps, I would do it one at a time. That way, if problems occur, you at least know which app is the culprit.
If you uninstall and reinstall the problematic app, that would work. Or you can simply just go into the app settings and clear data for that app. That should be sufficient.

[Q] Smooth Rom 4.4

Hi
As you've prob guessed I'm a noob, hence the help.
Ive just recently rooted and unlocked my nexus 7 with wugfresh 1.6.2 and am now looking at putting a custom rom on it.
Ive followed the advice and put titanium backup on and backed up my apps and system data.
Having read the instructions for installing Smooth Rom 4.4, it states 'Please do not restore a 'system' data backup as it would overwritte some important files'
does this mean I cannot restore my apps from titanium backup as I cant restore system data as they where backed up together or is there some other way for me to do it ?
does titanium backup get wiped as well ?
All Help appreciated, this is my first rom install and I dont wanna **** it up.
Robbie_UK said:
All Help appreciated, this is my first rom install and I dont wanna **** it up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The most important thing to do is to make a FULL nandroid backup before you begin.
The 2nd most important thing to do is to get that backup copied someplace else besides the tablet. (PC, USB key, etc) Screw-ups involving accidental erasure of the psuedo- SD card area on the tablet are commonplace with folks that are new to this. It won't do you any good to make a backup if you immediately erase it while fooling around with a custom recovery (or toolkit) that is new to you.
I suggest you learn to make backups using the custom recovery rather than relying on a toolkit.
If you are happy with the tablet in it's current configuration, then a back-up allows you to survive any ****-ups that inevitably follow as you can return back to a known state and proceed again having learned from your mistakes.
FULL NANDROID BACKUPS. COPIED SOMEPLACE SAFE (OFF THE TABLET)
As for TiB, the only thing that is 100% safe is to only restore apps & their data that are NOT pre-installed in whatever ROM you are installing. Note this means not restoring any of the Google gapps as well, as you may have had a different versions of those apps running on your current ROM than on the to-be-installed ROM, whether pre-installed or updated later.
Yeah it's a bit of work restoring apps one by one and re-configuring things. There probably are System apps that can have their data safely restored to the wrong version of the app - but there are absolutely no guarantees that correct operation of the app will follow that.
cheers and good luck

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