Database Users

I must have done something wrong...

On stock 2.1 from a brand new phone. Wanting to get a Bionix-V 1.2 rom installed to start with. (unless someone points out a more popular/stable/better rom to start with)
So I thought I was following the guide right but I cant figure out what.
NOOB GUIDE is what I was following. Here is where I think i messed up or got lost.
3 – Rom Manager / Clockwork Recovery
Now that you have your apps, system data & home settings saved, go to the Market to download Rom Manager (there is a paid and a free version, either will work, but I always suggest supporting developers if you can). We are going to use Rom Manager to install an alternate recovery, called Clockwork Recovery. This is what allows you to make a backup of your entire system (called a nandroid backup).
Once you download and install Rom Manager, open it, give it Root Access (Check to always remember if it's not already selected). At the top, click "Flash Clockwork Recovery" and after it has finished click to Reboot Into Recovery.
If this is your first time, you are very likely at the stock vibrant recovery (purple text)... click on Re-install packages. Your phone will reboot and should come back to the Clockwork Recovery (green text).
If at stock, click reinstall packages again (likely worked the first time).
Great, now you have a custom recovery. Scroll down (by using the volume buttons) and select (by using the power button) to backup your system. This will take about 5 minutes to complete. Once done, you have a complete snapshot of your phone that you should always be able to come back to.
I strongly encourage reading Koush's thread, you can find it here.
His installation instructions have more detail:
Installation instructions:
1.Download ROM Manager from the Market.
2.Flash Recovery.
3.Choose Vibrant as your phone.
4.Accept the Superuser prompt.
5.On the very FIRST boot of Clockwork, you may need to manually select "reinstall packages" if Clockwork does not start. You should only ever have to do this once. It will be automatic from then on.
6.Watch the backup go!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing is when I try to reboot into Clockwork it still looks the same, nothing happens when i tell Rom Manager to backup, it just restarts to what looks like the original recovery screen. It looks something like this..
Android system recovery <2e>
Samsung Recovery Utils
- for BML -
Vol Up - up
Vol Down - down
Power - Selec item
Reboot system now
reinstall packages
delete all user data
delete cache data
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since this is my first flash I might just be overly paranoid but if this is not right I dont want to mess up my brand new phone by just plowing ahead without being sure.
Thanks for any help... yet again.

Try selecting reinstall packages. And then again a second time.
Tap volume down then push lock/power to select.

Try reinstalling packages.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

TY, guess I must not have told it to reinstall enough times.

Took me 3x reinstall packages before I actually got into cwm. You will know when you get tehre.

Caliga if you need more help or have questions send me an email I'm PMing u my email address.

OK, so something has gone wrong. At first I thought it was all ok but now the more apps i try to open the more nothing seems to work. Going to try to go back to stock and see if i can start over but I cant seem to get this phone to go to the clockwork recovery menu. Every time i restart the phone and hold the keys it still boots like normal. guess its time for more research.

Had the same issue with my new Vibrant. Look for the 3e recovery fix listed in here. Solved my issues.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

^ he was on eclair (2e), the 3e recovery is not an issue here.

caliga4221 said:
OK, so something has gone wrong. At first I thought it was all ok but now the more apps i try to open the more nothing seems to work. Going to try to go back to stock and see if i can start over but I cant seem to get this phone to go to the clockwork recovery menu. Every time i restart the phone and hold the keys it still boots like normal. guess its time for more research.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apps don't work probably because you did not do a correct wipe when you flashed. Try: Wipe Data/Factory Reset - then Flash the ROM - then Wipe cache - then go to advanced and wipe Devil Cache - then Fix permissions from the same menu, go back and reboot.

roumenjr said:
Apps don't work probably because you did not do a correct wipe when you flashed. Try: Wipe Data/Factory Reset - then Flash the ROM - then Wipe cache - then go to advanced and wipe Devil Cache - then Fix permissions from the same menu, go back and reboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol Devil cache.
Were you able to flash bionix? From CWM You just select install zip from sd, and select your file.

ferhanmm said:
lol Devil cache.
Were you able to flash bionix? From CWM You just select install zip from sd, and select your file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ups, typo........ Dalvik Cache. I'm glad I made you laugh ferhanmm, i'm actually cracking up myself as I type. I must have been thinking of my boss when I posted....or maybe my wife!
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Sorry for delayed response. Towns wifi went down last night and someone just now got around to resetting it.
@ferhanmm: I did get bionix on but it was acting very flaky, system ended up getting stuck in what i thought was a brick but someone in my other thread helped me get it working again and now i have a fully working trigger rom.
Everything is up and going again now I would like to get a theme for it, but really the only thing i dont like is all the green icons. About to do some research and see if I can just replace icons somehow.

[Guide] Making and Restoring a Backup of your Rom/Apps.

After noticing that many members fear to change roms because they will lose their data i decided to make a guide about back up.
Backing up is a very important thing that will save you from so much trouble especially when you want to switch between roms. To make a long story sort it is a very useful tool for us xdacians
I will cover two factors. Firstly, back up of your entire rom with cwm recovery and second, back up of your apps.
Lets’s start with the rom back up.
Requirements
1. A rooted device.
2. Cwm recovery.​
We will make a Nandroid back up. The great thing about a Nandroid backup is that it saves everything about the system on your device. That includes your system data and more importantly, user data. All the apps you have installed, the user data individually saved by these applications, your phone contacts, the accounts tied to the device - every detail will be retained.
A point to note here is that your SD Card data is not backed up. The Nandroid backup itself is created on your SD card. Make sure you have sufficient space.
Instructions
1. Reboot to cwm.
2. Select “back up and restore”.
3. Select “back up”.
4. Wait patiently until its finished.
5. Congrats you have successfully back up your rom.
6. For more safety you can transfer it to your computer. You can find the folder at sd card/clockworkmod/backup.​
Now you can flash a different rom. If you don’t like it and you want to go back to your backed up rom here is how.
Instructions
1. Reboot to recovery.
2. Select “back up and restore”.
3. Select “restore”. (You can choose “advanced restore” then choose the back up for more options, I think the options are pretty self explained…)
4. Select your back up, it will have a name based on the date you made it.
5. Wait patiently until its finished.
6. Congrats you have successfully restored a back up.​If you have bootloop after restoring a back up see post #2.
Ok, that was useful for when you install a rom and then you decide that the previous was better so you want to switch back but what if you want to keep the new one?
Don’t worry you can restore your apps there too, there is no need to install them all from the start.
Titanium backup is the solution.
Lets proceed with the back up of your apps.
Requirements
1. A rooted device.
2. Titanium backup.​
This is a very helpful tool to back up your apps and the user data(game’s progress for example), which make the difference from just installing your desired apps from the start.
A quick way to make back ups with this app is the following.
Instructions
1. Open the app with root rights.
2. Hit the tab on the screen which tells “Backup/Restore”.
3. Now you see all your apps, including your system apps.
4. Tap on one and a window will pop out, hit the “backup!” , as you can see there are other useful options as well.
5. You can do this for every app you want to back up but it is time consuming, don’t worry if you have a large list of apps, hit the menu button of your phone, now select “batch”.
6. You see many options. For a full back up of your app run the option “Backup all user apps”.
7. Done!​For a more detailed look on the app see this from the developer’s site.
So, now you have flash a new rom and you want your apps.
Instructions
1. Install titanium backup.
2. Open it.
3. Scrolling down the list of the “Backup/Restore” tab you can see all your back ups. You can either click on one and hit “restore” then ”App+Data” or you can go to “batch”, “Restore missing apps and data”.
4. Done!​For the system apps its better to restore data only.
Note that titanium backup is the app I prefer, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other.
That’s it, you now have your apps from your previous roms. Enjoy your new rom.
Don’t forget to make backup often.

If you can’t restore a full Nandroid back up (and this happens many times) then here is a simple trick I do for it.
Instructions
1. Install the rom that is the same with your back up. (For example if you want to restore a gingerdx back up and you have bootloop when you restore the full back up, install the clean rom(gingerdx) as you installed it the first time and keep reading…)
2. Reboot to cwm.
3. (Optional) Full wipe. (Including factory reset and wipe dalvik cache)
4. “back up and restore”.
5. “Advanced Restore”.
6. Select the back up you want to restore.
7. Now hit “Restore data”, ”Restore cache”, “Restore sd-ext”
8. Do you remember how was it when you made the back up? Now it’s the same.​
If you have md5 mismatch error when restoring a backup then see this thread by ihtfp69
ihtfp69 said:
I figured I would post this fix here in case anyone else ran into this problem. This is assuming you did not change the folder names and let Clockworkmod create them. I haven't had it happen until today, but it's not a nice message to see when you are trying to do a restore.
Code:
Checking MD5 sums...
MD5 mismatch!
To fix this problem use the code below. Substitute the final folder name for the backup you need to fix.
Code:
adb shell
# cd /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup/2010-06-29.20.22.53
# rm nandroid.md5
# md5sum *img > nandroid.md5
When that finishes, re-run the restore and everything should be fine.
NOTE: As rpearl stated, there could be something really wrong with your nandroid, so use this tutorial as a learning experience and not a fix-all. In my case, everything was fine after restoring. However, that may not always be the case. Do this with caution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for reading.:angel:

Thanks

Add few steps for fixing md5 mismatch error on restoring backups. :thumbup:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=714114
Sent from my E15i using xda app-developers app

cdeox8 said:
Add few steps for fixing md5 mismatch error on restoring backups. :thumbup:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=714114
Sent from my E15i using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure
Edit: Done

If i do CWM recovery, will it recover rom as well? As i only want to restore my app data.

sumitsabhnani said:
If i do CWM recovery, will it recover rom as well? As i only want to restore my app data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can choose the "Advanced Restore" feature to select which ones are you gonna restore :good:

MassStarvation said:
you can choose the "Advanced Restore" feature to select which ones are you gonna restore :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot... it worked fine..
But can we backup data of individual apps? Like if i only want to restore data for whatsapp, can that be done using this or any other app?

sumitsabhnani said:
Thanks a lot... it worked fine..
But can we backup data of individual apps? Like if i only want to restore data for whatsapp, can that be done using this or any other app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use titanium backup
Sent from my X8

Yes, use titanium backup..:thumbup:

Thanks.. will try that then...

Very useful! Thanks

Back to 4.3
Hello. I had JB 4.3 on my xperia z and it was pretty good. I made a backup from recovery and flashed Kitkat, rooted again, but this kitkat is very unstable, it drains the battery too fast, can't open line, many process hang. I want to get back to 4.3, Q: making the restore from recovery would be just like before? as if i didn't flash anything? I also have the Titanium backup. Thanks.

xperia9 said:
Hello. I had JB 4.3 on my xperia z and it was pretty good. I made a backup from recovery and flashed Kitkat, rooted again, but this kitkat is very unstable, it drains the battery too fast, can't open line, many process hang. I want to get back to 4.3, Q: making the restore from recovery would be just like before? as if i didn't flash anything? I also have the Titanium backup. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have taken a full back up and if you do a full restore then it will be like it was when you got the back up, with your data as they were.

stamatis said:
If you have taken a full back up and if you do a full restore then it will be like it was when you got the back up, with your data as they were.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks to stamatis, I kept kitkat waiting the upgrade to 4.4.3 that is supposed to solve the first problems, btw where is the thanks button?

xperia9 said:
Thanks to stamatis, I kept kitkat waiting the upgrade to 4.4.3 that is supposed to solve the first problems, btw where is the thanks button?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem, I hope that with the upgrade your problems will be solved.
As for the thanks button don't worry about it, but for your information, it is in the bottom left, under the poster's info, in every post except from the posts that you have made.

stamatis said:
After noticing that many members fear to change roms because they will lose their data i decided to make a guide about back up.
Backing up is a very important thing that will save you from so much trouble especially when you want to switch between roms. To make a long story sort it is a very useful tool for us xdacians
I will cover two factors. Firstly, back up of your entire rom with cwm recovery and second, back up of your apps.
Lets’s start with the rom back up.
Requirements
1. A rooted device.
2. Cwm recovery.​
We will make a Nandroid back up. The great thing about a Nandroid backup is that it saves everything about the system on your device. That includes your system data and more importantly, user data. All the apps you have installed, the user data individually saved by these applications, your phone contacts, the accounts tied to the device - every detail will be retained.
A point to note here is that your SD Card data is not backed up. The Nandroid backup itself is created on your SD card. Make sure you have sufficient space.
Instructions
1. Reboot to cwm.
2. Select “back up and restore”.
3. Select “back up”.
4. Wait patiently until its finished.
5. Congrats you have successfully back up your rom.
6. For more safety you can transfer it to your computer. You can find the folder at sd card/clockworkmod/backup.​
Now you can flash a different rom. If you don’t like it and you want to go back to your backed up rom here is how.
Instructions
1. Reboot to recovery.
2. Select “back up and restore”.
3. Select “restore”. (You can choose “advanced restore” then choose the back up for more options, I think the options are pretty self explained…)
4. Select your back up, it will have a name based on the date you made it.
5. Wait patiently until its finished.
6. Congrats you have successfully restored a back up.​If you have bootloop after restoring a back up see post #2.
Ok, that was useful for when you install a rom and then you decide that the previous was better so you want to switch back but what if you want to keep the new one?
Don’t worry you can restore your apps there too, there is no need to install them all from the start.
Titanium backup is the solution.
Lets proceed with the back up of your apps.
Requirements
1. A rooted device.
2. Titanium backup.​
This is a very helpful tool to back up your apps and the user data(game’s progress for example), which make the difference from just installing your desired apps from the start.
A quick way to make back ups with this app is the following.
Instructions
1. Open the app with root rights.
2. Hit the tab on the screen which tells “Backup/Restore”.
3. Now you see all your apps, including your system apps.
4. Tap on one and a window will pop out, hit the “backup!” , as you can see there are other useful options as well.
5. You can do this for every app you want to back up but it is time consuming, don’t worry if you have a large list of apps, hit the menu button of your phone, now select “batch”.
6. You see many options. For a full back up of your app run the option “Backup all user apps”.
7. Done!​For a more detailed look on the app see this from the developer’s site.
So, now you have flash a new rom and you want your apps.
Instructions
1. Install titanium backup.
2. Open it.
3. Scrolling down the list of the “Backup/Restore” tab you can see all your back ups. You can either click on one and hit “restore” then ”App+Data” or you can go to “batch”, “Restore missing apps and data”.
4. Done!​For the system apps its better to restore data only.
Note that titanium backup is the app I prefer, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other.
That’s it, you now have your apps from your previous roms. Enjoy your new rom.
Don’t forget to make backup often.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi , I have a samsung note 3 smn900p kitkat 4.4.2 rooted with stock rom and has TWRP Recovery.
and my friend has also samsung note 3 smn900p kitkat 4.4.2 rooted with stock rom and has TWRP Recovery and his rom has another language because it is a custom rom.
and I want to make my mobile to have another language like my friend rom.
so someone told me that I can make a full backup of my friend mobile using TWRP and restore it to my mobile then I will have the same rom like his rom.
my question is I need someone that has try this method and confirm to us that this method is SAFE.
and tell us what should I choose in the TWRP recovery when I make a backup because there are many options that we can choose like system - modem - efs etc.

sobri46 said:
Hi , I have a samsung note 3 smn900p kitkat 4.4.2 rooted with stock rom and has TWRP Recovery.
and my friend has also samsung note 3 smn900p kitkat 4.4.2 rooted with stock rom and has TWRP Recovery and his rom has another language because it is a custom rom.
and I want to make my mobile to have another language like my friend rom.
so someone told me that I can make a full backup of my friend mobile using TWRP and restore it to my mobile then I will have the same rom like his rom.
my question is I need someone that has try this method and confirm to us that this method is SAFE.
and tell us what should I choose in the TWRP recovery when I make a backup because there are many options that we can choose like system - modem - efs etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't advice doing this at all.
Why don't you just flash the rom?

stamatis said:
I wouldn't advice doing this at all.
Why don't you just flash the rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the problem is that this custom rom is not available for download for anyone.
the custom rom is odex rom like the stock but the different is that someone translate this rom manually.
so now I made a full backup of my friend mobile using TWRP, can I make a rom using this backup ?

sobri46 said:
the problem is that this custom rom is not available for download for anyone.
the custom rom is odex rom like the stock but the different is that someone translate this rom manually.
so now I made a full backup of my friend mobile using TWRP, can I make a rom using this backup ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I see...
If it is a stock-based rom then if you are on the same version as of the base, restoring only the system would do the job... I am assuming here that the developer integrated the language to the rom. If he used some other technique you might need to restore data as well. I don't know.
Btw, it might be a good idea to get a second opinion from your device's sub-forum (open a new thread on the Q&A section). There may be specifics that I'm not aware of and I may overlook as I don't own the device.

[Q] Please help, S4 Complete Backup (Nandroid) tool/ dicerctions needed

Hey everyone, I'm new to android game, I've been cracking iPhones since 1st gen, decided to challenge myself. I have an S4, rooted, but no CWM installed. I want to save the recovery so if any issues ever occur, I can just flash it and have it covered under warranty, and also to be ble to return to stock wen I sell the phone.
Is there a tool i can use to make a nandroid backup? On my Nexus 7, There is an all-in-one tool and I can make a nandroid straight from my PC. Is there anything similar for the s4? If not, how to I make a nandroid backup? thank you everyone for your help, I appreciate it

Odin back to stock if you ever need to.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app

Dimon1990 said:
Hey everyone, I'm new to android game, I've been cracking iPhones since 1st gen, decided to challenge myself. I have an S4, rooted, but no CWM installed. I want to save the recovery so if any issues ever occur, I can just flash it and have it covered under warranty, and also to be ble to return to stock wen I sell the phone.
Is there a tool i can use to make a nandroid backup? On my Nexus 7, There is an all-in-one tool and I can make a nandroid straight from my PC. Is there anything similar for the s4? If not, how to I make a nandroid backup? thank you everyone for your help, I appreciate it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not entirely sure it's possible to do a nandroid backup without first having a custom recovery. However, it is "always" possible to use the Odin method to return to stock (including stock recovery). Personally, I installed TWRP and immediately did a full nandroid (including system, boot, cache, etc...) and I've frequently found myself restoring pieces of it as I manage to screw up different things. I did return my recovery back to stock once by using the "dd" method to flash the stock recovery.img onto the correct emmc block. There's instructions how to do this exactly on the TWRP homepage (make sure you get the correct phone - block numbers are different for different devices) - but instead of re-flashing TWRP, I pulled the recovery.img from the giant Odin image available here on XDA.
It may also be possible to use "dd" to pull a copy of your existing recovery image as well, but I've never tried it.

Aou said:
I'm not entirely sure it's possible to do a nandroid backup without first having a custom recovery. However, it is "always" possible to use the Odin method to return to stock (including stock recovery). Personally, I installed TWRP and immediately did a full nandroid (including system, boot, cache, etc...) and I've frequently found myself restoring pieces of it as I manage to screw up different things. I did return my recovery back to stock once by using the "dd" method to flash the stock recovery.img onto the correct emmc block. There's instructions how to do this exactly on the TWRP homepage (make sure you get the correct phone - block numbers are different for different devices) - but instead of re-flashing TWRP, I pulled the recovery.img from the giant Odin image available here on XDA.
It may also be possible to use "dd" to pull a copy of your existing recovery image as well, but I've never tried it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! I'll be installing TWRP today, what is Odin if I can ask? I've never heard of any of it from Nexus 7.
Also, If i do a titanium backup, can I easily restore apps with setting and save games while I'm running CM10.1?

Dimon1990 said:
Thank you! I'll be installing TWRP today, what is Odin if I can ask? I've never heard of any of it from Nexus 7.
Also, If i do a titanium backup, can I easily restore apps with setting and save games while I'm running CM10.1?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You better find out what odin is because it's the only way you'll be installing twrp. And don't count on tibu restoring all your apps seamlessly. Never reinstall system apps.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app

jd1639 said:
You better find out what odin is because it's the only way you'll be installing twrp. And don't count on tibu restoring all your apps seamlessly. Never reinstall system apps.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I installed TWRP through GooManager. I looked up ODIN and got general info, hopefully I won't get stuck, but I'm sure I'll find my way around. Thank you so much for your help! I figured that sys apps will just be for stock, but i have a MC4 save that i don't want to lose ::cyclops: it looks like it's CM10.1 time for me!

Dimon1990 said:
Thank you! I'll be installing TWRP today, what is Odin if I can ask? I've never heard of any of it from Nexus 7.
Also, If i do a titanium backup, can I easily restore apps with setting and save games while I'm running CM10.1?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's the thread that explains how to return to stock using Odin. Be prepared for a large download.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2261573
In short, "Odin Mode" is the download mode that's built-in to just about every modern Samsung device, beginning as far back as the Captivate, afaik. Each device has a button combination to enter "download mode" or "odin mode". This special mode sometimes requires specific drivers to connect to your PC. Flashing stock firmware using this method is common, but with an unlocked bootloader, it could be used to flash about anything. It's like a secondary recovery in a sense. It's harder to destroy download mode, but still possible if you mess up the bootloader somehow.
For our device the easiest methods to get to download mode are:
- Hold down the power button until the device force-resets itself. The moment the device turns black, release the power button and begin holding down the Vol-Down button. The device with vibrate once as usual, but then you'll see a screen that you've never seen before (begins with "Warning!!").
- Using any shell, such as ADB Shell or a terminal emulator, give the command "reboot download". This may require root privileges, I'm not sure.
- There's apps for this - haven't tried them yet.
As for Titanium backup - I love this program and have purchased Pro (totally worth it). As others have said, it's a bad idea to backup/restore System apps. Only do so with extreme caution. It is possible to restore only the data from system apps, but again do so with caution.
While Google does its own job at re-installing apps after a factory reset (if you allow it to), it usually doesn't backup data for each app. I have a couple authenticator apps that I backup this way, and it works great for this. I've also managed to keep my copy of Angry Birds Samsung Edition from my Infuse. Other applications that have since disappeared from Google Play are still backed up and get migrated to each new device I purchase.
And for that matter, with almost every User application, you can easily back it up (with data) and restore it on a completely different ROM. When changing major android versions, you sometimes will find apps force-closing on you, requiring that you wipe their data... but I haven't had that problem in a long time.
You'll see some other things that you can backup, like SMS, Access Points, Bluetooth Pairings, etc. .... I recommend only restoring these with caution - especially cross-ROM or cross-device.
Okay, I'm done being long-winded. Good luck, have fun.

Good write up
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app

Aou said:
Here's the thread that explains how to return to stock using Odin. Be prepared for a large download.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2261573
Thank you so much!
In short, "Odin Mode" is the download mode that's built-in to just about every modern Samsung device, beginning as far back as the Captivate, afaik. Each device has a button combination to enter "download mode" or "odin mode". This special mode sometimes requires specific drivers to connect to your PC. Flashing stock firmware using this method is common, but with an unlocked bootloader, it could be used to flash about anything. It's like a secondary recovery in a sense. It's harder to destroy download mode, but still possible if you mess up the bootloader somehow.
For our device the easiest methods to get to download mode are:
- Hold down the power button until the device force-resets itself. The moment the device turns black, release the power button and begin holding down the Vol-Down button. The device with vibrate once as usual, but then you'll see a screen that you've never seen before (begins with "Warning!!").
- Using any shell, such as ADB Shell or a terminal emulator, give the command "reboot download". This may require root privileges, I'm not sure.
- There's apps for this - haven't tried them yet.
As for Titanium backup - I love this program and have purchased Pro (totally worth it). As others have said, it's a bad idea to backup/restore System apps. Only do so with extreme caution. It is possible to restore only the data from system apps, but again do so with caution.
While Google does its own job at re-installing apps after a factory reset (if you allow it to), it usually doesn't backup data for each app. I have a couple authenticator apps that I backup this way, and it works great for this. I've also managed to keep my copy of Angry Birds Samsung Edition from my Infuse. Other applications that have since disappeared from Google Play are still backed up and get migrated to each new device I purchase.
And for that matter, with almost every User application, you can easily back it up (with data) and restore it on a completely different ROM. When changing major android versions, you sometimes will find apps force-closing on you, requiring that you wipe their data... but I haven't had that problem in a long time.
You'll see some other things that you can backup, like SMS, Access Points, Bluetooth Pairings, etc. .... I recommend only restoring these with caution - especially cross-ROM or cross-device.
Okay, I'm done being long-winded. Good luck, have fun.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much!

[Q] Help walk-through post root/unlocked bootloader process

My apologies if this has been covered. I've successfully rooted and unlocked the bootloader. I've tried my best to do a lot of reading including going through item by item in the xda wiki glossary but I'm still a little confused/want clarification before I actually do anything with my phone.
My goals are:
1) To create a full .img backup of my current system so I can always go back to it if needed/worst case scenario
2) Create a list of all my installed apps. Backup a few select apps that contain data within them that does not get backed up in the cloud or appear in a copyable source anywhere when i browse the phone directories (an app called Pattrn specifically that stores favorited background images..)
3) wipe/clear the my current incarnation of kitkat and re-install it 'fresh' (possibly without the bloat?), then reload desired apps.
4) create a backup .img of this new instance.
-----------------
I'm generally pretty quick to learn technical content but I've honestly tried to fully grok the steps for the last two weeks and haven't gotten there/understand enough to be confident to do what I think I need to do.
can take this to PM if anyone has some patience to work with me. Gladly donate to any app you make or paypal a few bucks if you can help walk me through this..
My understanding is that I need to get TWRP or CWM installed in order to get a custom recovery (as opposed to a stock recovery process)---which will allow me to do step 3. But even getting TWRP going I'm confused..
Thanks

water- said:
My apologies if this has been covered. I've successfully rooted and unlocked the bootloader. I've tried my best to do a lot of reading including going through item by item in the xda wiki glossary but I'm still a little confused/want clarification before I actually do anything with my phone.
My understanding is that I need to get TWRP or CWM installed in order to get a custom recovery (as opposed to a stock recovery process)---which will allow me to do step 3. But even getting TWRP going I'm confused..
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can't help with everything..but with custom recovery..the easiest way is download flashify from play store and flash recovery image with itfrom here http://androidhosting.org/Devs/Dhacker29/msm8960/ you have a Razr M on kitkat use this one http://androidhosting.org/Devs/Dhacker29/msm8960/TWRP2710-RAZR_M-KITKAT.img
copy it to sdcard or internal storage...open flashify and select recovery image then choose the downloaded file..flash it and restart

water- said:
My apologies if this has been covered. I've successfully rooted and unlocked the bootloader. I've tried my best to do a lot of reading including going through item by item in the xda wiki glossary but I'm still a little confused/want clarification before I actually do anything with my phone.
My goals are:
1) To create a full .img backup of my current system so I can always go back to it if needed/worst case scenario
2) Create a list of all my installed apps. Backup a few select apps that contain data within them that does not get backed up in the cloud or appear in a copyable source anywhere when i browse the phone directories (an app called Pattrn specifically that stores favorited background images..)
3) wipe/clear the my current incarnation of kitkat and re-install it 'fresh' (possibly without the bloat?), then reload desired apps.
4) create a backup .img of this new instance.
-----------------
I'm generally pretty quick to learn technical content but I've honestly tried to fully grok the steps for the last two weeks and haven't gotten there/understand enough to be confident to do what I think I need to do.
can take this to PM if anyone has some patience to work with me. Gladly donate to any app you make or paypal a few bucks if you can help walk me through this..
My understanding is that I need to get TWRP or CWM installed in order to get a custom recovery (as opposed to a stock recovery process)---which will allow me to do step 3. But even getting TWRP going I'm confused..
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, with TWRP, there is an option to back up your current system, data, and boot image.
So, let's say you make a backup your stock kitkat rom, you can wipe that, install a compatible rom. And if that fails or you do not like it, you can boot back into TWRP and restore the backup you made with the restore option.
I'm not too sure what you are asking about your apps, but with titanium backup, you can backup any app + their current data. For example, lets say you backup your favorite browser and it has everything just the way you want it, you can back it up with titanium backup, flash your rom, and restore it with titanium backup.
Not sure if that was what you were asking with #2, but if you have another question, ask away. I'm on a road trip so I have plenty of time.
Sent from my DROID RAZR M using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

crazy4android said:
can't help with everything..but with custom recovery..the easiest way is download flashify from play store and flash recovery image with itfrom here [link] you have a Razr M on kitkat use this one.. [link]
copy it to sdcard or internal storage...open flashify and select recovery image then choose the downloaded file..flash it and restart
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you for your fast response, I appreciate it. I can do this--can you just clarify for me to define specifically what 'custom recovery' means?
I might be over-thinking it but I'm still trying to actually understand what custom recovery means-I assume it is in contrast to the current recovery which is still whatever shipped with the phone from verizon/motorola? So the above .img is a kitkat-base recovery (possibly without verizon bloat?)
Thanks

poppers162 said:
Well, with TWRP, there is an option to back up your current system, data, and boot image.
So, let's say you make a backup your stock kitkat rom, you can wipe that, install a compatible rom. And if that fails or you do not like it, you can boot back into TWRP and restore the backup you made with the restore option.
I'm not too sure what you are asking about your apps, but with titanium backup, you can backup any app + their current data. For example, lets say you backup your favorite browser and it has everything just the way you want it, you can back it up with titanium backup, flash your rom, and restore it with titanium backup.
Not sure if that was what you were asking with #2, but if you have another question, ask away. I'm on a road trip so I have plenty of time.
Sent from my DROID RAZR M using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you too for your response!
So yes, I would like to use TWRP for that--make a backup of my current stock rom in all aspects, then start with a fresh instance. Does doing the step the above poster linked basically get TWRP installed as a custom recovery---which then gives me the options to create those backups in the bootloader menu? again sorry for my confusion, I've read the guides and how-to but I'm getting tripped up on some of the lingo/definitions.
On #2 Yes, that is basically what I wanted--I've got titanium backup installed and have backed up a few of these programs to my SD card already. Only have a handful of programs that have any customization that I care to retain.

water- said:
thank you for your fast response, I appreciate it. I can do this--can you just clarify for me to define specifically what 'custom recovery' means?
I might be over-thinking it but I'm still trying to actually understand what custom recovery means-I assume it is in contrast to the current recovery which is still whatever shipped with the phone from verizon/motorola? So the above .img is a kitkat-base recovery (possibly without verizon bloat?)
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can do diff things like poppers162 mentioned you can backup ur entire rom with it...its very easy to flash nd very user friendly to navigate..no the above is a recovery img...you can boot ur phone into it once you flash it..then from there you can backup ur stock rom..and install/flash custom roms with bloat removed..
or another option is just freeze the apps you don't want with titanium backup..its almost as effective as uninstalling

Okay.. I've got TWRP going and creating a backup of my current system onto an external SD card. .. progress.
I've already backed up everything I desired in titanium.
Next up doing a 'clean' start in kitkat--or a slightly improved version. I realize at this point maybe things become more subjective to people's preferences.. I'm not looking to go to CM. I found some stock or a very-nearly-stock version of kitkat I can now 'start' fresh with--the google play edition? or do I need to download "Android 4.4.2 Blur_Version.183.46.10.XT907.Verizon.en.US"? I guess I need some more help at this point. Verizon is my carrier..
Thanks--do appreciate the help! :good:

water- said:
Okay.. I've got TWRP going and creating a backup of my current system onto an external SD card. .. progress.
I've already backed up everything I desired in titanium.
Next up doing a 'clean' start in kitkat--or a slightly improved version. I realize at this point maybe things become more subjective to people's preferences.. I'm not looking to go to CM. I found some stock or a very-nearly-stock version of kitkat I can now 'start' fresh with--the google play edition? or do I need to download "Android 4.4.2 Blur_Version.183.46.10.XT907.Verizon.en.US"? I guess I need some more help at this point. Verizon is my carrier..
Thanks--do appreciate the help! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android 4.4.2 Blur_Version.183.46.10.XT907.Verizon.en.US is complete stock with all the verison bloatware...as for the google play edition..i don't know if theres a flashable rom..the one in the Droid RAZR M Android Development is for fastboot i think..not sure and i myself havent looked into how to fastboot a fxz

water- said:
Okay.. I've got TWRP going and creating a backup of my current system onto an external SD card. .. progress.
I've already backed up everything I desired in titanium.
Next up doing a 'clean' start in kitkat--or a slightly improved version. I realize at this point maybe things become more subjective to people's preferences.. I'm not looking to go to CM. I found some stock or a very-nearly-stock version of kitkat I can now 'start' fresh with--the google play edition? or do I need to download "Android 4.4.2 Blur_Version.183.46.10.XT907.Verizon.en.US"? I guess I need some more help at this point. Verizon is my carrier..
Thanks--do appreciate the help! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's only a handful of roms compatible with the kitkat 3.4 kernel. I, personally, love cm11 test build. It's been going great. I would give it a try. If you don't like it, you have your backup!
Sent from my DROID RAZR M using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Kitstalk ran pretty smoothly minus the speaker phone issues I like it but I've always been a fan of beanstalk... that was a few days ago when I flashed it so it may be fixed now I haven't checked on it...
Sent from my XT907 using xda app-developers app

success..95% or so
wanted to follow up here.. some of the terms finally clicked in my mind to understand the functions of recovery/fastboot/bootloader/flashing..etc. I wonder if there is a flow-chart type diagram available out there--that type of thing would have really helped to understand--being able to visualize where these different aspects interact and where files etc line up with them.
Short version: successfully running GPE rom smoothly and enjoyably on a 'clean' system.
needless to say I used TWRP to backup my system. And Titanium for specific apps. Used rsdlite to flash the GPE rom from the forum here. Then I factor reset the rom, then I think I formatted internal storage space?? --at that juncture I was a little less clear what the specific sequence should have been to 'start fresh'. Should I have factory reset my device before flashing the rom? Or maybe it really doesn't matter.
Thanks for everyone's help. One thing that didn't migrate over through gcloud backups--embedded images in text msging program. relatively small loss though
cheers

Backup Apps?

So, I have the S5(Obviously) and I like to play around with which of the ROMS I like best, but my only problem is having to redownload all my Apps. I can backup my contacts and messages easily and restore them, but when I try to backup/restoring my apps, i'm at a loss.
I've tried titanium backup but when I do I move the backups to my External SD Card so they don't get wiped when I flash it with a new ROM, but when I move them back or anything, it just shows nothing. So basically is there something i'm missing or is there another way to backup my apps+appdata so i'm not spending forever trying to redownload some of my apps?
Veru much appreciated and thanks in advance.

Why are you moving your backups? Why not just back them up to your external card?

You are half way there by using titanium backup........
TiBu can make a zip of your backup that can be restored through CWM.......
Done it myself many times.....
http://i.imgur.com/rVnFwJM.jpg

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BUT.......If you choose to include app data in the backup zip, make sure the version of Android you are restoring it to, is the same as the version that was on your device when you made the backup.....
App data is *usually* OS version SPECIFIC......so it could be the case that the restored data won't 'play nice' with your new ROM if it's based on a different OS version......
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

keithross39 said:
BUT.......If you choose to include app data in the backup zip, make sure the version of Android you are restoring it to, is the same as the version that was on your device when you made the backup.....
App data is *usually* OS version SPECIFIC......so it could be the case that the restored data won't 'play nice' with your new ROM if it's based on a different OS version......
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This could work for me, but I don't have the donate version at the moment unfortunately. So is there another way to achieve this?
I didn't know this about android version but that's nice to know. i plan on sticking with Lolipop but i'll be sure to keep this in mind.

Sorry fella......
TiBu is the only app like this I've ever used....it's all I know.....
It was the first root level access app I purchased after rooting my first ever smartphone somewhere way back in the frozen past.....lol
For what it costs it is *the* single most useful app you'll ever buy......
http://i.imgur.com/rVnFwJM.jpg

Agreed, I bought it like 6 years ago, invaluable.

Check this Web page. .....
http://m.alternativeto.net/software/titanium-backup/
Might be something worth trying......
http://i.imgur.com/rVnFwJM.jpg

keithross39 said:
Sorry fella......
TiBu is the only app like this I've ever used....it's all I know.....
It was the first root level access app I purchased after rooting my first ever smartphone somewhere way back in the frozen past.....lol
For what it costs it is *the* single most useful app you'll ever buy......
http://i.imgur.com/rVnFwJM.jpg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't doubt that, and I can probably buy it here next week or so after I gain some funds. SInce it the holidays I kinda went a little overboard on getting gifts. Haha
Ill probably do that though. Thanks for the help.
Just to make sure I got this right, so basically just open TiBu, backup al my aps and such, then run the "Create "update.zip", move it to me external SD card, flash the ROM, and afterwards just re-dl TiBu, and recover it usng the update.zip, correct?
EDIT: Thanks, i'll check out the site.

You don't use TiBu to 'flash' the zip......you use a custom recovery....
I've always used one version or another of CWM, I should think that you can use TWRP instead, but having not used that recovery, I can't say for certain.
http://i.imgur.com/rVnFwJM.jpg

keithross39 said:
You don't use TiBu to 'flash' the zip......you use a custom recovery....
I've always used one version or another of CWM, I should think that you can use TWRP instead, but having not used that recovery, I can't say for certain.
http://i.imgur.com/rVnFwJM.jpg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh no, sorry I knew that you didn't use TiBu to flash the zip. xD Sorry, I use FlashFire for that. Shoulda used more detail or explain better last time.
1. Create the Backup
2. Create the Update.zip
3. Backup whatever else I feel I need to on my phone
4. Move it all to my external SD Card
5. Flash the ROM with FlashFire
6. After new ROM is installed and etc, re-download TiBu
7. Then under one of the recovery options, get all the apps from the Update.zip
8. Restore whatever else I backedup onto my External SD card.
9. ??
10. Profit
(9 and 10, couldn't help myself. xD)

Lol.....
In essence, correct......
Point 7 though......
You don't touch the zip.....no extracting or anything like that necessary.....
Simply boot into (custom CWM or TWRP) recovery (this won't work with stock recovery.....or even CM recovery), locate the update zip and flash like you would a ROM zip......nothing else needed......
Edit.....TiBu will be included in the update zip....
http://i.imgur.com/rVnFwJM.jpg

keithross39 said:
Lol.....
In essence, correct......
Point 7 though......
You don't touch the zip.....no extracting or anything like that necessary.....
Simply boot into (custom CWM or TWRP) recovery (this won't work with stock recovery.....or even CM recovery), locate the update zip and flash like you would a ROM zip......nothing else needed......
Edit.....TiBu will be included in the update zip....
http://i.imgur.com/rVnFwJM.jpg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ooh ok, perfect, makes sense then. Thank you so much for the help.
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Exmix said:
Ooh ok, perfect, makes sense then. Thank you so much for the help.
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my experience the update.zip hasn't worked for me in flashfire, might be better to just back up your apps to external, and then when you reflash it'll all still be there eon your external so long as you don't wipe it, then you boot and restore them in TiBu, that's what I do on my G900A since there's no recovery...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

Rakuu said:
In my experience the update.zip hasn't worked for me in flashfire, might be better to just back up your apps to external, and then when you reflash it'll all still be there eon your external so long as you don't wipe it, then you boot and restore them in TiBu, that's what I do on my G900A since there's no recovery...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the moment FlashFire is my only option since I don't have a recovery either(Atleast I don't think so? If someone could tell me how to check to see if I do or not would be great)
But i'm gonna try on FlashFire at somepoint when I can get the Pro version of TiBu

Exmix said:
At the moment FlashFire is my only option since I don't have a recovery either(Atleast I don't think so? If someone could tell me how to check to see if I do or not would be great)
But i'm gonna try on FlashFire at somepoint when I can get the Pro version of TiBu
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are currently running a custom ROM, then at the very least you have CM custom recovery....it is relatively easy to flash CWM or TWRP over the top of this, then you can use the newly installed recovery to flash the update zip......no need for Flashfire at all......
http://i.imgur.com/rVnFwJM.jpg
---------- Post added at 03:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:12 AM ----------
To check which recovery you have, simply power the device off, then press and hold power, volume up and home buttons simultaneously until the phone begins to boot. Release all the keys and you'll be in recovery......
The text at the top of the screen will tell you which recovery you have.....
http://i.imgur.com/rVnFwJM.jpg

keithross39 said:
If you are currently running a custom ROM, then at the very least you have CM custom recovery....it is relatively easy to flash CWM or TWRP over the top of this, then you can use the newly installed recovery to flash the update zip......no need for Flashfire at all......
http://i.imgur.com/rVnFwJM.jpg
---------- Post added at 03:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:12 AM ----------
To check which recovery you have, simply power the device off, then press and hold power, volume up and home buttons simultaneously until the phone begins to boot. Release all the keys and you'll be in recovery......
The text at the top of the screen will tell you which recovery you have.....
http://i.imgur.com/rVnFwJM.jpg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah ok. I only ever had to do this on my Nexus 7 tablet and that was Power+Vol Down and when I tried it on this it didn't work and I never really had to need to check, so when I do this I get this:
Code:
Android system recovery <3e>
LRX2IT.G900VVRU2BOG5
Volume up/down to move highlight;
power button to select
reboot system now
apply update from ADP
apply update from external storage
apply update from cache
wipe data/factory reset
wipe cache partition
reboot to bootloader
power down
view recovery logs
# MANUAL MODE #
-- Applying Multi-CSC...
Applied the CDC-code : VZW
Successfully applied multi-CSC.
So I should be able to apply the update.zip from this menu from what im understanding, but which option would I choose? :X I assume the "Apply update from external storage".
Also, thank you again so much for the help, you've made this a tremendous learning experience.

Exmix said:
Ah ok. I only ever had to do this on my Nexus 7 tablet and that was Power+Vol Down and when I tried it on this it didn't work and I never really had to need to check, so when I do this I get this:
Code:
Android system recovery <3e>
LRX2IT.G900VVRU2BOG5
Volume up/down to move highlight;
power button to select
reboot system now
apply update from ADP
apply update from external storage
apply update from cache
wipe data/factory reset
wipe cache partition
reboot to bootloader
power down
view recovery logs
# MANUAL MODE #
-- Applying Multi-CSC...
Applied the CDC-code : VZW
Successfully applied multi-CSC.
So I should be able to apply the update.zip from this menu from what im understanding, but which option would I choose? :X I assume the "Apply update from external storage".
Also, thank you again so much for the help, you've made this a tremendous learning experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey no problem fella......
The text at the top says 3e which means stock recovery.....i'm guessing you are currently running a Samsung firmware....
Unfortunately you cannot flash the update zip from stock recovery.....
It *has* to be a custom recovery which would normally come as part of a custom rom......
Although, a standalone custom recovery can also be flashed on top of a stock firmware......just got to make sure the recovery you flash is compatible with the firmware.....
http://i.imgur.com/rVnFwJM.jpg

keithross39 said:
Hey no problem fella......
The text at the top says 3e which means stock recovery.....i'm guessing you are currently running a Samsung firmware....
Unfortunately you cannot flash the update zip from stock recovery.....
It *has* to be a custom recovery which would normally come as part of a custom rom......
Although, a standalone custom recovery can also be flashed on top of a stock firmware......just got to make sure the recovery you flash is compatible with the firmware.....
http://i.imgur.com/rVnFwJM.jpg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well i'm running the Phoenix ROM. So do you have any links or Tips on how to get a custom recovery onto mine so I can make this possible?
Like I had mentioned I really enjoy trying out new ROMs and wanna try more I just hate having to re-install all my APPs and such. =\
EDIT: I found this link here and it this seems liek it may work since i'm on the G900V version, but I just want a little confirmation on if this can work before I just jump right in. =P

I have a variant of the device that doesn't have a locked bootloader.....so (fortunately for me) I don't have to jump through the same loops as you do in order to modify my device.....
as a result, I'm not familiar with the processes needed for locked bootloader devices, I also cannot state what will or will not work with any certainty......
Having said that, I've been a member on here for some time, and whenever I've seen mention of Safe strap, it's generally been a positive comment.....speaking as someone who hasn't had to work around a locked bootloader, it would seem to be a good option, but if it were me, I'd be looking for some informed confirmation before I used it.......
Sorry I can't be any more help than that, but I really don't want to hand out advice that bricks somebody else's device.......
http://i.imgur.com/rVnFwJM.jpg