Newbie needs help/info - G2 and Desire Z General

I have a T-Mo G2 and want to keep my Froyo image to reinstall later if I cannot get theGingerbread to work right. I want to make an image file that will restore the phone to exactly how it is now. I have tried all kinds of stuff, but am not able to make the "img" file so that I ca do a restore when booting...
Can someone point me to what I need to install to do this, and if possible some directions on what/how to create the "img" or restore file ?
I would be most appreciative, as I had to reverse everything from the OTA of Gingerbread, since too many apps didn't work, ESPECIALLY the GPS!
My current Froyo is a temp-root system.
Thank you all!
Aloha. .

I would do full root via the wiki, and then install 4EXT (the full one that's like $2) - it will keep your old stuff straight

Ditto on previous reply
Root your G2
Backup all your apps with using Titanium backup
Get Clockwork mod ROM manger or 4ext ( I prefer 4ext) and backup your stock rom. You can download new ROM CM7 for first ROM.
If you don't like the ROM you can restore your stock ROM with CWM or 4ext at anytime.

I have a theory that Ti Backup or any backing up of apps is a bad plan. I know you can do it no problem, and that it is a great time saver, but I have a strong feeling that this ultimately results in an unstable phone with mysterious force closes etc.
Even though it's a real pain, I think you are always better off reinstalling your apps from scratch after changing to a new ROM and wiping caches.

WTF? said:
I have a theory that Ti Backup or any backing up of apps is a bad plan. I know you can do it no problem, and that it is a great time saver, but I have a strong feeling that this ultimately results in an unstable phone with mysterious force closes etc.
Even though it's a real pain, I think you are always better off reinstalling your apps from scratch after changing to a new ROM and wiping caches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. I have had zero problems with TB personally.
2. Without it your app data is gone.
3. Triple wipe, takes a few extra minutes and makes a world of a difference.
4. Do not restore system data!
5. Check md5 sums BEFORE doing anything!!!!
6. Make sure you have a recent nandroid backup and you'll be fine either way.
7. triple wipe before flashing anything including nandroids. Preferably with different wipes aka factory reset, superwipe+ ext4, then recovery wipe!
Just my 2 cents, it's saved my a$$ more then a few times...

Related

Why are my Clockworkmod backups unusable?

So, I just rooted my Mytouch 4G a few days ago using the 'Ultimate' guide on this forum. I had root access and I disabled and deleted some stock apps from my phone. I was using LauncherPro instead of the HTC Sense launcher. I made a backup in Clockworkmod recovery immediately after installing Clockworkmod, before I'd made any major changes.
So, I spent the past few days removing and tweaking things. I had my phone working extremely well. But then I realized that I actually wanted an .apk file (the stock visual voicemail app) that I'd already deleted from the phone. It should be in my original backup file, right? So I figured that I'd make a new backup, restore my old backup containing the .apk file, copy the .apk file off of the phone, then restore my recent backup. Well...this didn't work.
When I restored either the original backup or the more recent backup, the phone would boot up and I'd get a message that the System UIDs are inconsistent. The phone would let me make phone calls, but 95% of my apps were missing from the loader. Most of the icons on my home screens were grayed out and would tell me the applications were missing when I tried to click on them.
I tried Fix Permissions in Clockworkmod recovery, but it didn't help. My Android Market app and all of my file manager apps didn't work, so I couldn't reinstall any apps. When I'd wipe all the data on my phone, but only restore the System backup, the Android Market would work and the phone basically returns to stock. But as soon as I restore my Data backup, everything breaks.
At this point, I've already wiped the phone and started over from scratch, but I'm afraid to rely on Clockworkmod/Rom Manager for backups again. Any ideas what went wrong?
did you flash a different kernel? this may be the issue, as I know that for other devices CWM does not restore the kernel.
this happens when your backups/card gets corrupted... it could of been a number of things... changing the name of something to how much you scan the card... hard to say exactly what caused it... If your really worried about it I would suggest making a backup of your backup on your computer just to be safe...
Hmm. Mine does.
mr.tenuki said:
did you flash a different kernel? this may be the issue, as I know that for other devices CWM does not restore the kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my stickie key HTC Glacier using XDA App
I did make a backup of my backup, but it's not like these backups sat on the memory card for months before they got used. I ran the restore within minutes of when I made the last backup. Besides, aren't the backups hashed with md5 and then retested before restoring? So, if the files did get corrupted, I would think Clockworkmod would have notified me, no?
I just wish that after making a backup, there was some way to test it out without taking the chance of trashing my phone.
Regarding using a different kernel, I did not. I did not flash any experimental/downloaded images, these were simple backups and restores of my existing phone data.
mr.tenuki said:
did you flash a different kernel? this may be the issue, as I know that for other devices CWM does not restore the kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is for phones that dont support Nand like the vibrant. HTC phones is a full backup including kernel.
sundayhustler said:
I did make a backup of my backup, but it's not like these backups sat on the memory card for months before they got used. I ran the restore within minutes of when I made the last backup. Besides, aren't the backups hashed with md5 and then retested before restoring? So, if the files did get corrupted, I would think Clockworkmod would have notified me, no?
I just wish that after making a backup, there was some way to test it out without taking the chance of trashing my phone.
Regarding using a different kernel, I did not. I did not flash any experimental/downloaded images, these were simple backups and restores of my existing phone data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your right, CWM does do a md5 check when restoring. I'm sorry, I don't know what could be wrong. I currently have like 5 backups of 4 ROMS and have to restored to just to play around. Did you do apps2sd? This can cause major issues when switching ROM's.
I am also having a problem restoring to my stock rom. how big does my backup file have to be?
I have had this problem before. I think in my case my issue was caused by and incompatible version of CWM. I found that to be safe, I usually make two back ups, one with recovery in 2.5.12 and one with 3.0.0.6.
It was the file. It was only 60mb, apparently I ran out of memory thanks though my other backups work fine and I found the stock rom on a thread.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
oh haha i was about to post.

[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

[Q] Best way to change roms?

I've been running PA for a while now, and I was wondering what the best method for swapping Roms is. (What to wipe) and how to do so without losing what is stored on my internal sd card, our currently installed apps.
(As a side question, what are some good roms with pie?)
Nexus 7
Factory reset, which will wipe data (but leaves /data/media intact) and cache. Although generally not necessary, I'd also format /system. Many devs will have their updater script format it as part of the flash, but I have seen a handful that have not. Your apps will be wiped when doing a clean flash- that's just the way it is. You should not be dirty flashing (wiping just cache and dalvik) between roms as it will lead to problems. You can use apps such as Titanium Backup or Rom Toolbox to backup and restore your user apps. Do not restore system apps or data.
Your side question is a quick and easy way to get this thread locked. Go to the dev forum for your device, whether it's tilapia or grouper, and do some reading and test drive a rom or two that piques your interest. There is no substitute for research and forming your own informed opinions.
you should also nandroid backup before you flash anything, that way you have a safe point to restore to if something goes wrong, or you don't like the new rom.
if it's a rom upgrade (not rom switch), you can flash directly over the top at your own risk if the changes are relatively minor and the dev says full wipe not needed. you won't lose any data and it saves having to set everything up again. i've personally never had a problem when flashing an upgrade straight over the top. I always do a nandroid backup beforehand though just in case :good:
and yeh..find a rom you like, not what someone else says is best for them...
If you're flashing 'like-for-like', ie, flashing a ROM upgrade, you can generally 'dirty flash' it over the top - UNLESS THE DEVELOPER STATES OTHERWISE.
The developer of the ROM I use always states 'no wipes needed' when he releases a new version...
-----------
If you're changing ROMs completely, then a factory reset is necessary, otherwise you're likely to have all manner of problems...
So backup your apps using Titanium beforehand...
-----------
You can optionally format /system... but be careful... make definitely sure you have on internal storage, either...
a) A flashable ROM .zip
...or...
b) a NANDROID backup
...or you'll find you have a tablet with no OS... just a custom recovery and the bootloader... although not irresolvable, such a situation is a pain in the arse to fix!
-----------
Above all... before you do anything - MAKE A NANDROID BACKUP - I cannot emphasise this enough. It takes less than 5 minutes. And it is your lifeline back to a functioning Nexus, should anything go wrong.
Good luck...
Rgrds,
Ged.
Still no way to backup multi user data/apps?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

[Q] Different backups, superusers, and flashing kernels

Hi all,
I have learned a lot about Android customization in the last week since my Nexus 4 finally arrived at my door, and I have become reasonably comfortable with the processes of flashing ROMs/kernels, and backing up my phone to make sure I have something stable to return to if something happens to go wrong. However, I am still dealing with a few points of confusion that I was hoping someone could clarify for me:
1. I have CWM installed on my phone and I can use it to backup/restore images of my phone for safety. However, I have heard about other methods like Nandroid, Carbon/Helium, and Titanium Backup while browsing the forums, and have tried them only to become confused as to how they are different from using CWM backup. Could someone please explain this to me and clarify which is the best for keeping a backup of my phone stored on my computer?
2. I have noticed that when I "wipe date/factory reset" in CWM, not everything on my phone is wiped. There are still plenty of files left over from previous ROM installs when I browse my phone with Android File Transfer, and obviously the .zip files you need to flash new ROM's/kernels are left too. What exactly is deleted when do a CWM factory reset?
3. Is it necessary to wipe everything when installing a custom kernel? I have CyanogenMod 10.2 installed because it is quick and relatively bloat-free, but allows for enough customization that I can make the my phone feel the way I want it to. I want to give Matr1x/Hells-core a try, but I am tired of factory reseting everything when install a new kernel. Can I get away with just wiping Cache/Dalvik and flashing the new kernels? If not, what is the best way to avoid losing app data between ROM and kernel flashes?
4. What is the difference between the default Android superuser, CWM superuser, and SuperSU? They all seem like the same thing and it makes me nervous installing different ones.
Any information you guys can offer would be great. Thank you so much for your time !
Downloaded7 said:
Hi all,
I have learned a lot about Android customization in the last week since my Nexus 4 finally arrived at my door, and I have become reasonably comfortable with the processes of flashing ROMs/kernels, and backing up my phone to make sure I have something stable to return to if something happens to go wrong. However, I am still dealing with a few points of confusion that I was hoping someone could clarify for me:
1. I have CWM installed on my phone and I can use it to backup/restore images of my phone for safety. However, I have heard about other methods like Nandroid, Carbon/Helium, and Titanium Backup while browsing the forums, and have tried them only to become confused as to how they are different from using CWM backup. Could someone please explain this to me and clarify which is the best for keeping a backup of my phone stored on my computer?
A backup in CWM is the same as a nandroid backup. It basically take a "snapshot" of your ROM and restore it exactly as it was when backing up.
Titanium Backup is an app that backup your apps and app's data. It's recommend you only restore user's apps and data. Let Google restore any system app's data.
2. I have noticed that when I "wipe date/factory reset" in CWM, not everything on my phone is wiped. There are still plenty of files left over from previous ROM installs when I browse my phone with Android File Transfer, and obviously the .zip files you need to flash new ROM's/kernels are left too. What exactly is deleted when do a CWM factory reset?
Wiping data/factory reset only wipe the data. Wiping system will wipe your ROM (system partition) Of course you don't want to wipe all the files such as the ROM you're going to flash.
There's an option to format internal sd, that will wipe EVERYTHING so unless you know how to ADB push files or sideload a ROM, DO NOT touch that.
3. Is it necessary to wipe everything when installing a custom kernel? I have CyanogenMod 10.2 installed because it is quick and relatively bloat-free, but allows for enough customization that I can make the my phone feel the way I want it to. I want to give Matr1x/Hells-core a try, but I am tired of factory reseting everything when install a new kernel. Can I get away with just wiping Cache/Dalvik and flashing the new kernels? If not, what is the best way to avoid losing app data between ROM and kernel flashes?
No, just flash kernel. Some recommend wipe cache and dalvik cache after kernel flash before reboot.
4. What is the difference between the default Android superuser, CWM superuser, and SuperSU? They all seem like the same thing and it makes me nervous installing different ones.
Different app that does the same thing. Usually go with what is recommend by the ROM's dev. I ususally just leave what's included with the ROM.
Any information you guys can offer would be great. Thank you so much for your time !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hope that answer some of your questions. I'm sure I left out some stuffs so hopefully someone else can add to it.:good:

[Q] Backup Question...

I'm wondering if there is any way to basically copy the entire phone.. os and all... and make a rom out of it? I just thought life would be so much simpler if I could do a fresh install of 4.4.2, root, recovery, do all the tweaks/settings and removal of bloatware I don't like and then install all my standard apps *minus games of course* and make it into a rom, I could save myself tons of time by not having to keep rinsing and repeating this long procedure whenever I run into major issues.
If you make a proper backup...then have to restore it, it will restore exactly how you had it at the moment you made the backup.
So....you can
If you say "Please" be sure and hit "Thanks"!!!
btoddweber said:
If you make a proper backup...then have to restore it, it will restore exactly how you had it at the moment you made the backup.
So....you can
If you say "Please" be sure and hit "Thanks"!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used CWM and made a nandroid but it must not back "everything" up, because I had some issues after replacing numerous files and when I ran restore and it rebooted... had window after window popping up telling me "this stopped working and that stopped working"... nonstop... ended up having to do a complete wipe and reinstall.
Thats why I thought there might be a better method like making a rom as I mentioned in my original post.
Then you made your nandroid incorrectly.
Either you didn't select all the partitions (inclusing media) and the SE context.
OR the recovery you used is the issue.
I've created hundreds, if not thousands of nandroids and flash between ROMs/Builds all the time. [well not lately been working 15+hour days]
Take some time and read through the OPs and follow up discussions for the recoveries and ROMs and you'll find the right combo of recover/ROM.
I always make sure my nandroids restore before moving on to another ROM or build. IF they don't then I can rebuild current ROM (since I know exactly what is involved), try another recovery and see if it restores after complete double/triple wipe and install of another ROM base. If that works I'll note the recovery/ROM combo and then move on.
Just my two cents.

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