Database Users

Question about rooting and the loss of data

Hi, I have a Nexus 4 and it is not rooted.
I want to root it, the problem:
I have many apps and emails accounts configured and dont want to make the whole procedure again.
I know that, if I root, will loose all my data.
Is there any way to make it like this:
1. backup all my configurations and apps
2. root
3. restore, and all will be working?

Download the ToolKit and do an ADB Backup.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1420351
Follow the guide. First time I used it... I made a few backups with different configs incase I needed to put it on different phones.
Works like a charm

Serious_Beans said:
Download the ToolKit and do an ADB Backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't use a toolkit. Figure it out on how to do it on your own because when something is wrong with your phone a toolkit won't fix your problem because op doesn't know how fast boot flash work
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

If you use ADB BACKUP or a toolkit that uses it, be prepared. Some apps will likely NOT be backed up. See http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=35270239#post35270239
I agrree, though, you're better off if you can do it without using a toolkit.

I use the app DataSync to backup app data to dropbox. Once you have the phone setup again and the apps downloaded you just sync it with your DataSync files in your dropbox account and the data will be restored. I would not try and sync system apps just user apps.
Unfortunately there currently is no way to root without unlocking the bootloader.

[Q] Broken Screen: Nandroid without ADB / No access to CWM backups

Hello everyone, I'm desperately seeking for your help and hope you can give me some advice. So far, I could not relate to any of the similar topics and I'm not sure how to continue.
Problem:
The display of my Nexus 4 is broken and I want to make a nandroid backup before sending it in for repair. The screen still works but the touch function won't. Thus, I am unable to fully start the device since I cannot unlock the phone. My Nexus was rooted with the Nexus 4 Toolkit and runs on CM10. CWM is installed. Operation system of my computer: Win 7 64bit
Privious attemps:
As far as I experienced it, I'm not able to use ADB as I cannot completely start my phone due to the security pattern that I can't bypass since I have no touch function. At least the Toolkit tells me so, that ADB is not possible. Furthermore, it does not allow a backup via fastboot. Hence, I entered recovery mode and did a full backup with CWM, which is supposed to be saved in the folder CWM/backup. However, when accessing my phone via usb, there is not such a subfolder in CWM and I cannot get the backup file on my computer. The file is definitely there, since I can choose it within the restore options of CWM.
Any hints for me? Ist there a possibility for a nandroid backup without ADB? or Can I somehow access the folders of CWM where the backup is saved and transfer it via usb? or Else?
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

Try looking for a folder called clockworkmod and search there it should be in a sub folder labeled backups. Also you can try screencast, I've only heard of it never used it but is supposed view your phone on pc Like a virtual decice
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda app-developers app

adb should work in recovery.
use the command
adb pull /sdcard/

sexun said:
Hence, I entered recovery mode and did a full backup with CWM, which is supposed to be saved in the folder CWM/backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Backups are saved in /data/media/clockworkmod/backup

I've always used /mnt/shell/emulated/clockworkmod/

[Q] Nexus 4 > Old Contacts Import

This may have been covered elsewhere, but I'm having a hard time finding it.
I backed up my old phone contacts with Titanium. I've been using my Nexus 4 with the imported Google contacts, but there are some gaps. I'd normally place the old Titanium Files into the Titanium Folder (via Windows) and restore.
However, I have limited access to the file structure for the Nexus 4.
I've tried work-arounds like Dropbox, etc... but, in all honesty, I wasn't sure what I was doing. The file I managed to pull and restore via dropbox gave me a error in the Nexus that would end process the contact area.. so I defaulted back to the normal contacts Titanium Nexus backup. So.. back to the original setup.
Can anyone tell me how to get an old Titanium file of contacts to merge (ideally) with the Nexus? I could probably just replace it with the old file as well, seeing as the Nexus will auto-add contacts to google (apparently).. so that would be easy enough to update.
Any ideas? The easiest, I think, would be to gain access to the Titanium file under windows.. but I can't find a way to do that. Most of the file structure seems to be locked out/invisible.
I'd appreciate any ideas or help!

cetkat said:
This may have been covered elsewhere, but I'm having a hard time finding it.
I backed up my old phone contacts with Titanium. I've been using my Nexus 4 with the imported Google contacts, but there are some gaps. I'd normally place the old Titanium Files into the Titanium Folder (via Windows) and restore.
However, I have limited access to the file structure for the Nexus 4.
I've tried work-arounds like Dropbox, etc... but, in all honesty, I wasn't sure what I was doing. The file I managed to pull and restore via dropbox gave me a error in the Nexus that would end process the contact area.. so I defaulted back to the normal contacts Titanium Nexus backup. So.. back to the original setup.
Can anyone tell me how to get an old Titanium file of contacts to merge (ideally) with the Nexus? I could probably just replace it with the old file as well, seeing as the Nexus will auto-add contacts to google (apparently).. so that would be easy enough to update.
Any ideas? The easiest, I think, would be to gain access to the Titanium file under windows.. but I can't find a way to do that. Most of the file structure seems to be locked out/invisible.
I'd appreciate any ideas or help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is your old phone model? I'd suggest using a file manager to bring the file to an accessible location on the phone (possibly the root of your usbstorage), then you can copy it to your computer hopefully via usb. It could also be that you need to change the permissions on that file so you can see it on windows. You can access most of the file structure inside usbstorage, where your titanium backup folder should be ideally located.

vorbatello said:
What is your old phone model? I'd suggest using a file manager to bring the file to an accessible location on the phone (possibly the root of your usbstorage), then you can copy it to your computer hopefully via usb. It could also be that you need to change the permissions on that file so you can see it on windows. You can access most of the file structure inside usbstorage, where your titanium backup folder should be ideally located.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The old phone is an HTC Sapphire, but that connects to the computer fine & the titanium file is already saved on the computer.
Ok, I figured out the problem. The file structure for the Nexus won't show up with debugging enabled. Disabling it gets the new MTP protocol to work for me. Any idea if it's supposed to work that way?
Thanks for the help!

cetkat said:
The old phone is an HTC Sapphire, but that connects to the computer fine & the titanium file is already saved on the computer.
Ok, I figured out the problem. The file structure for the Nexus won't show up with debugging enabled. Disabling it gets the new MTP protocol to work for me. Any idea if it's supposed to work that way?
Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm weird...It should work regardless of having debugging enabled or not. If you can access your files without debugging being enabled, then just stick to transferring using MTP. It shouldn't really affect transferring files that much since you still have access to the root of your storage.

Don't restore your contacts that way. It will cause issues as the way HTC stores its contacts are very different then anything you will find here.
Wayne Tech Nexus

zelendel said:
Don't restore your contacts that way. It will cause issues as the way HTC stores its contacts are very different then anything you will find here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the head's up. I figured google-based would be the same. I've already done manual entries for most of them, so I'll stick with that.

Is It Possible to Backup Files When Phone Doesn't Boot?

Hello,
I literally installed the Facebook app from Google Play on my Nexus 4 hours ago and then my phone literally went blank. Eventually my phone was turned off as there was no more battery. I charged it and powered it but it no longer boots (it has been stuck at the X screen for hours). Is it possible to backup my files despite this so I can try to reinstall a custom ROM/unroot my Nexus 4?
I spent some time searching the forums and couldn't find the answer, so any response would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks.

One of the suggestions here might help you as well:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-4/help/access-device-computer-cracked-screen-t2885335
Do let know if it doesn't!

oopsy said:
Hello,
I literally installed the Facebook app from Google Play on my Nexus 4 hours ago and then my phone literally went blank. Eventually my phone was turned off as there was no more battery. I charged it and powered it but it no longer boots (it has been stuck at the X screen for hours). Is it possible to backup my files despite this so I can try to reinstall a custom ROM/unroot my Nexus 4?
I spent some time searching the forums and couldn't find the answer, so any response would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe, it depends if you can boot into recovery and have a custom recovery
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app

SirHat said:
One of the suggestions here might help you as well:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-4/help/access-device-computer-cracked-screen-t2885335
Do let know if it doesn't!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks I'm actually trying something from here.
jd1639 said:
Maybe, it depends if you can boot into recovery and have a custom recovery
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can. I am running on TWRP v2.3.2.3 but I don't think I can access the files through ADB as I did not set it to Development Mode (ever). It seems I can actually back it up through TWRP, but my concern is I don't know how to extract it out of my phone because once I reinstall JB everything will be wiped right?
Once I reinstall a JB version that means everything will be erased. Does anyone how to keep that backup from TWRP if you can't take it out from your phone? It appears my version doesn't seem to have Nandroid.
Also, does anyone know if it's "System" that stores all the contacts/text messages?
I want to backup my Data folder too but I only have 900mb free space left on my phone (I have the 8gb version) and my Data file is about 1.5gb. I don't remember if I have anything valuable in my Data file that I need to recover, so just to be sure, does anyone know if I can explore my "Data" folder to remove content to make it smaller so I can back it up? Thanks.

ADB via recovery should be the way to go then.
Did you try something as an ADB file manager?
See: https://github.com/sole/aafm for example.
This should allow you to copy the files to your PC without having to backing them up first on the device itself.
An alternative way would be to connect to the (ADB) shell, delete some useless files.. like music and stuff you already have (or package music as one archive - download - delete) etc. Till you have enough to package the data directory in one go. If done right the archive should preserve file permissions which is an extra plus I guess.
The way I try to make sure I don't have a problem like this is:
- Letting TitaniumBackup backup all important applications + data every night @ 4 AM when it's charging (while I am sleeping).
- Use FolderSync to sync the new backups to a server I have running. Could also be cloud of course. (Only on Wifi and while charging)
Good luck!

If you can boot into recovery it might be possible to pull data there.
Also, if you know which ROM was installed, you can try just flashing the system partition of respective ROM. It might not fix your issue but might allow you to boot and backup your data prior to completely resetting everything.
I've had something similar once. Tried all kind of solutions via recovery/fastboot/adb and only flashing a clean system image allowed me to recover important data. The phone was unusable still (constant FC's) but it allowed me to establish an adb connection and pull all data I didn't want to lose.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Free mobile app

Problem Solved, didn't follow any of the suggestions. Thanks though.

If you can, please do put your solution here so other people with a similar problem can use search and find the solution. Thanks!

SirHat said:
If you can, please do put your solution here so other people with a similar problem can use search and find the solution. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest, I actually didn't. I decided to perform a reset and lose my data (and reinstall my ROM) as I didn't have the patience to experiment and figure it out. I just don't have time for that.

Samsung S4 I9505 no Whatsapp backup possible

Hi,
I can't perform a Whatsapp backup since January this year, regardless if Google Drive Backup is checked, if the Whatsapp app is stored in the local or on sd card memory, automatic backups are being cancelled, too.
After I hit "Backup", the Dialogue "Messages are being backed up" shows up, which closes after 10 sec without any error message.
I tried to contact the WA Support, but they insist that my S4 is rooted (which it isn't, maybe because of the custom ROM I use).
I have flashed my Samsung I9505 in January this year from CM 12.1 to CM 13. At the beginning, the phone ran smoothless except BT. After a while, WiFi stopped working as well. I tried to flash the CM 12.1 backup and radios without any success, just a new mainboard helped. I installed my CM 12.1 backup from January via TWRP from my old mainboard, which ran without any errors on it (after a fullwipe on the new one).
The phone works great, except the WA backup.
WA gets always updated to the current version, I have ~1,2 GB free internal memory, I tried to update to the latest CM 12.1 5.1.1 version from 12/26/2015, perform a backup via 4G, 3G, Wifi, with an without Google Backup checked, cleared the cache and wiped Dalvic Cache, there is no app deactivated.
I use Baseband I9505XXUHOD7 and Kernel: 3.4.107-cyanogenmod-gab9afd6clyde.

Running a custom ROM means you are rooted.
Now, I don't know why whatsapp wouldn't work on a rooted ROM, but if you want to backup you can use titanium backup.

GDReaper said:
Running a custom ROM means you are rooted.
Now, I don't know why whatsapp wouldn't work on a rooted ROM, but if you want to backup you can use titanium backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no root, please check the screenshot below.
Since there is no root, I can't use Titanium Backup, however, it wouldn't be the most practicable way to backup your Whatsapp history every time with Titanium Backup.
Besides that, I don't think this would work if I would like to transfer my history to a new phone on which WA Backup should work as intended as I won't flash the ROM/install root and void the warranty.
WA backup worked perfect with the old logicboard before flashing CM 13.

m_pa said:
There is no root, please check the screenshot below.
Since there is no root, I can't use Titanium Backup, however, it wouldn't be the most practicable way to backup your Whatsapp history every time with Titanium Backup.
Besides that, I don't think this would work if I would like to transfer my history to a new phone on which WA Backup should work as intended as I won't flash the ROM/install root and void the warranty.
WA backup worked perfect with the old logicboard before flashing CM 13.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root has to be activated from developer options.
That is definitely a whatsapp problem if it worked before.

GDReaper said:
Root has to be activated from developer options.
That is definitely a whatsapp problem if it worked before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I haven't even unlocked the developer options until now..
Any idea how to convince WA doing it's job? Anybody with this problem before?

if you really want a backup it makes more sense that you either activate root or flash superSU yourself rather than wait on whatsapp to change their code just for you. they've already told you effectively that they aren't going to do anything for you and don't have to.
backing up the app and data with TiBu and copying the whatsapp folder achieves everything you want and has worked flawlessly for me many many times.

Well guys, got a new phone but the problem persists when trying to restore my history on the new phone and really need your help.
Got root on the old phone and saved the com.whatsapp folder of it with the key file and databases. How can I encrypt the msgstore.db to msgstore.db.crypt8?
I have tried the app Whatcrypt, which creates a msgstore.db.crypt file, as large as msgstore.db, but Whatsapp on the new phone does not recognize it as a backup file.
When using whatcrypt.com and uploading the key and msgstore.db, it tells me "Encryption failed / Incorrect account?"
Also tried Omni-Crypt app. It creates msgstore.crypt, which Whatsapp ignores as well ("searching for Backups" with waiting triangle for hours)
I don't know any other way and I'm literally stuck now

when i mentioned copying the apps folder i was thinking of the one on the root of your internal storage, not the one in Android/data/...
you can paste that onto a new phone and restore the app and data with titanium.

3mel said:
when i mentioned copying the apps folder i was thinking of the one on the root of your internal storage, not the one in Android/data/...
you can paste that onto a new phone and restore the app and data with titanium.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course I can copy the Whatsapp folder on the root of the storage but this folder only contains the wa media files of my old phone since there are no msgstore.db.cryptX files created by Whatsapp.
For TiBa I would need to root the new phone which is a S7 Edge and I would like to avoid this until the warranty has expired. It is not as easy to do repairs by yourself as the S4..

fair enough, have you tried copying both folders over and installing from playstore ? or rather, install the app but don't open it, copy over both folders and then try and see what happens...