[Q] Can't backup my /efs folder on GS4 I9505! - Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hello!
I've just decided to start experimenting with custom ROMs on my new GS4, and I've been trying to begin by backing up all the crucial stuff on my stock device.
When it comes to backing up my 'efs', however, nothing works for me at all. I've tried doing it with Terminal Emulator and a bunch of different commands, all of which come up with errors, and I've tried doing it through custom recoveries like CWM and TWRP.
When I try to do it with the custom recoveries, the process ends almost instantly and it's impossible for me to find the backup files anywhere when I connect my phone to my PC - according to the custom recovery menus, the backups also have virtually no filesize.
My phone is currently running stock TouchWiz 4.2.2, it's rooted and I'm also using Nova launcher. In the past I installed PACMAN ROM but returned to stock by re-installing my old stock firmware with Odin.
Any help would be appreciated - I really wanna let loose and keep experimenting with Android!

Squiddo said:
Hello!
I've just decided to start experimenting with custom ROMs on my new GS4, and I've been trying to begin by backing up all the crucial stuff on my stock device.
When it comes to backing up my 'efs', however, nothing works for me at all. I've tried doing it with Terminal Emulator and a bunch of different commands, all of which come up with errors, and I've tried doing it through custom recoveries like CWM and TWRP.
When I try to do it with the custom recoveries, the process ends almost instantly and it's impossible for me to find the backup files anywhere when I connect my phone to my PC - according to the custom recovery menus, the backups also have virtually no filesize.
My phone is currently running stock TouchWiz 4.2.2, it's rooted and I'm also using Nova launcher. In the past I installed PACMAN ROM but returned to stock by re-installing my old stock firmware with Odin.
Any help would be appreciated - I really wanna let loose and keep experimenting with Android!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe this site http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1068193 is helpfull.

Squiddo said:
Hello!
I've just decided to start experimenting with custom ROMs on my new GS4, and I've been trying to begin by backing up all the crucial stuff on my stock device.
When it comes to backing up my 'efs', however, nothing works for me at all. I've tried doing it with Terminal Emulator and a bunch of different commands, all of which come up with errors, and I've tried doing it through custom recoveries like CWM and TWRP.
When I try to do it with the custom recoveries, the process ends almost instantly and it's impossible for me to find the backup files anywhere when I connect my phone to my PC - according to the custom recovery menus, the backups also have virtually no filesize.
My phone is currently running stock TouchWiz 4.2.2, it's rooted and I'm also using Nova launcher. In the past I installed PACMAN ROM but returned to stock by re-installing my old stock firmware with Odin.
Any help would be appreciated - I really wanna let loose and keep experimenting with Android!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I've made some success! I can now see my TWRP efs backup files when I connect my phone to my PC... but they're very small. An entire backup folder is only 50.9KB in size. Is this typical for an EFS backup?

Search for EFS Professional on xda. It's a great application that backs up your EFS folder and stores it on your computer where you can restore it if necessary. Simply download it, make sure you have root and busybox installed, along with the Samsung drivers, when it loads, select backup, choose the i9505 filter, choose the partition block which has EFS on the end, and click backup, job done!
The file you may have backed up might be alright, but I've read about the permissions for the folder not being correct, this application ensures everything is ok.
Sent from my GT-I9505

themadba said:
Search for EFS Professional on xda. It's a great application that backs up your EFS folder and stores it on your computer where you can restore it if necessary. Simply download it, make sure you have root and busybox installed, along with the Samsung drivers, when it loads, select backup, choose the i9505 filter, choose the partition block which has EFS on the end, and click backup, job done!
The file you may have backed up might be alright, but I've read about the permissions for the folder not being correct, this application ensures everything is ok.
Sent from my GT-I9505
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your quick response. I'll give that application a whirl now and see how it works for me. On the side, though, I've noticed that each efs backup I've done with TWRP has a slightly different size (deviation of around 3KB each time). Is this, and the fact that each backup is only ~50KB in size normal?
Thanks again for you time!

Squiddo said:
Thanks for your quick response. I'll give that application a whirl now and see how it works for me. On the side, though, I've noticed that each efs backup I've done with TWRP has a slightly different size (deviation of around 3KB each time). Is this, and the fact that each backup is only ~50KB in size normal?
Edit - my EFS partition is only 36KB, whereas the backup on my i9100 was 135KB. The application said the backup was completed successfully, so I'm happy enough. It must be that small.
Thanks again for you time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll check my backup on my computer now to see what the file size is. As far as I can remember, it may be around that size, and I noticed that the partition is a lot smaller than the i9100 partition.
Sent from my GT-I9505

themadba said:
Search for EFS Professional on xda. It's a great application that backs up your EFS folder and stores it on your computer where you can restore it if necessary. Simply download it, make sure you have root and busybox installed, along with the Samsung drivers, when it loads, select backup, choose the i9505 filter, choose the partition block which has EFS on the end, and click backup, job done!
The file you may have backed up might be alright, but I've read about the permissions for the folder not being correct, this application ensures everything is ok.
Sent from my GT-I9505
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm attempting this method now using EFS Professional 2.0.46 and the instructions here (http://www.galaxys4manual.com/tips-backup-and-restore-efs-folder-in-samsung-android-devices/). I've installed BusyBox and enabled USB debugging, but EFS Professional keeps giving me this error:
"readlink: applet not found. Please install a BusyBox binary that contains the required applet. BusyBox v1.20.2-Stericson is recommended for compatibility."

Squiddo said:
I'm attempting this method now using EFS Professional 2.0.46 and the instructions here (http://www.galaxys4manual.com/tips-backup-and-restore-efs-folder-in-samsung-android-devices/). I've installed BusyBox and enabled USB debugging, but EFS Professional keeps giving me this error:
"readlink: applet not found. Please install a BusyBox binary that contains the required applet. BusyBox v1.20.2-Stericson is recommended for compatibility."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download the busybox installer from the play store made by Stericson, open it, give it root access, when the install busybox option comes up, select the version EFS Professional application suggests, then try again.
Also, I did post the file size for my backup but it clearly didn't work, it was only 36KB.
Sent from my GT-I9505

themadba said:
Download the busybox installer from the play store made by Stericson, open it, give it root access, when the install busybox option comes up, select the version EFS Professional application suggests, then try again.
Also, I did post the file size for my backup but it clearly didn't work, it was only 36KB.
Sent from my GT-I9505
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you yet again for your help. I've now got the correct version of BusyBox running and EFS Professional seems to be interfacing with it happily. At this point I realize that the site I linked gives incredibly poor instructions on how to run the EFS Pro program.
I've screencaptured my current situation: http://i.imgur.com/CgHZdiM.png
Do I want to tick only the box with the 'efs' partition name, or do I also want to include the three below it with 'efs' included in the middle of a bunch of other letters and numbers?

Squiddo said:
Thank you yet again for your help. I've now got the correct version of BusyBox running and EFS Professional seems to be interfacing with it happily. At this point I realize that the site I linked gives incredibly poor instructions on how to run the EFS Pro program.
I've screencaptured my current situation: http://i.imgur.com/CgHZdiM.png
Do I want to tick only the box with the 'efs' partition name, or do I also want to include the three below it with 'efs' included in the middle of a bunch of other letters and numbers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See I wasn't sure either, so I've asked on the applications thread on xda here. For the record, I didn't even notice the other three had efs in them, and I only chose the one that has efs at the end. I'll update if any news comes back from the application thread. Also, a simple click of the thanks button is appreciated :thumbup:
Sent from my GT-I9505
---------- Post added at 11:07 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:52 AM ----------
Well it turns out you select all of the partitions and then back up. I've never done this, and I clearly have never been doing this right. Time to make another back up haha.
Sent from my GT-I9505

themadba said:
See I wasn't sure either, so I've asked on the applications thread on xda here. For the record, I didn't even notice the other three had efs in them, and I only chose the one that has efs at the end. I'll update if any news comes back from the application thread. Also, a simple click of the thanks button is appreciated :thumbup:
Sent from my GT-I9505
---------- Post added at 11:07 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:52 AM ----------
Well it turns out you select all of the partitions and then back up. I've never done this, and I clearly have never been doing this right. Time to make another back up haha.
Sent from my GT-I9505
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like we both got something out of this, then! I appreciate your time and input - I was losing my mind over all the obstacles I was running into. Gave you all the thumbs up I could.
Cheers!
EDIT: Oh, wait! Do you mean that you have to select ALL partitions or just those that mention efs in their names?

Squiddo said:
Looks like we both got something out of this, then! I appreciate your time and input - I was losing my mind over all the obstacles I was running into. Gave you all the thumbs up I could.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're very welcome, if you have any other problems, don't hesitate to message me and I'll try my best to help you out, this is a community after all
Edit - all partitions
Sent from my GT-I9505

Related

[Q]TWRP Backup Questions

Rooted 6.2.2, TWRP installed. I ran backup of the stock ROM, before I install a different ROM like CM7 or the ICS that is being developed do I need to copy that backup off the Fire? After the new ROM has been flashed, does that backup stay on the Fire or does the flashing process wipe it out?
Also, after restoring that backup......am I completely at the point when I took the backup? Data, apps, etc should be just as they were when I took the backup?
THANKS
The backup image is stored in TWRD directory with the data and time name. Rename it as your stock Tom for future use.
The contents of the backup as a defualt has ROM and your application if you did not change parameters
Regards
Sent from my GT-S5830 using XDA App
Just remind you that I have got a weird issue that some of my games does show their icons and when I type to them it says something like "Cannot load, restart Go Launcher" ( I use Go Launcher). I found no way to restart my launcher so that I just reinstall them and it's fine.
ammubarak said:
The backup image is stored in TWRD directory with the data and time name. Rename it as your stock Tom for future use.
The contents of the backup as a defualt has ROM and your application if you did not change parameters
Regards
Sent from my GT-S5830 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cruel91 said:
Just remind you that I have got a weird issue that some of my games does show their icons and when I type to them it says something like "Cannot load, restart Go Launcher" ( I use Go Launcher). I found no way to restart my launcher so that I just reinstall them and it's fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the replies, but they don't answer my questions.
ontwowheels said:
Rooted 6.2.2, TWRP installed. I ran backup of the stock ROM, before I install a different ROM like CM7 or the ICS that is being developed do I need to copy that backup off the Fire? After the new ROM has been flashed, does that backup stay on the Fire or does the flashing process wipe it out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The backups go to /sdcard/TWRP/backups/...
Unless you wipe your SDCARD they should not be touched.
You can always, copy them onto your computer if you want... which would be useful if you had to like replace the hardware and wanted to restore it onto the new hardware.
Also, after restoring that backup......am I completely at the point when I took the backup? Data, apps, etc should be just as they were when I took the backup?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on what you backed up (What options you chose).
krelvinaz said:
The backups go to /sdcard/TWRP/backups/...
Unless you wipe your SDCARD they should not be touched.
You can always, copy them onto your computer if you want... which would be useful if you had to like replace the hardware and wanted to restore it onto the new hardware.
Depends on what you backed up (What options you chose).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks....any suggestions on the options? Select all of them I assume? lol
Just like an image taken on a computer, when I restore it, I would want to be at the exact point where the image was taken. System, apps, data, etc.
the answer to ontwowheels question isn't truly answered yet. Like him, i'm rooted, with TWRP, and trying things out. i'd very much like to try MIUI but its not clear if i can completely revert back to stock Kindle [admittedly there are several conveniences i like about but unfortunately it aint a-la-carte unless i foolishly dive in making my own ROM!]. Can someone please provide some guidance as to what must be backed up to restore stock kindle again, just as i left it [settings, preferences, apps, registration with amazon and market, etc] or if that's even possible, or what won't be restored. i'm not a developer and i hesitate to go with trial and error
thank you very much for your patience
mebobbob said:
the answer to ontwowheels question isn't truly answered yet. Like him, i'm rooted, with TWRP, and trying things out. i'd very much like to try MIUI but its not clear if i can completely revert back to stock Kindle [admittedly there are several conveniences i like about but unfortunately it aint a-la-carte unless i foolishly dive in making my own ROM!]. Can someone please provide some guidance as to what must be backed up to restore stock kindle again, just as i left it [settings, preferences, apps, registration with amazon and market, etc] or if that's even possible, or what won't be restored. i'm not a developer and i hesitate to go with trial and error
thank you very much for your patience
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To restore stock just use TWRP to flash the update.zip found on amazon. Once you download it, you will have to rename it to whatever.ZIP instead or whatever.BIN. Once that's done, go to settings on the stock ROM and hit device, then factory reset and you should be good to go

[Guide] Back up your data before moving to a new rom

Back up your data before moving to a new rom​
This guide is for rooted phones, and all work on my galaxy s2 but should work with most phones.
So you have decided to go for a new rom, but are worried about loosing all your apps, game saves, data, contacts, sms etc.. Well here is my little guide to restoring most of it. (Why only most, well moving to a new rom means that some apps and data are not compatible). We are going to break it down into apps to use and then the process.
Install App Extractor after you have flashed your new rom
Just a note all software that uses access the root of your phone can come with problems, although i have not experienced them my self it can still happen.
Apps
1. Rom Manager
Must have app for any root user. Make backups, flash ROMs, and own your device.
ROM Manager is THE MUST HAVE APP for any Android root user. (Over 3 million downloads and counting!)
(You can back up your rom through recover boot)
2. Titanium Backup root
Titanium Backup is the most powerful backup tool on Android, and then some.
You can backup, restore, freeze (with Pro) your apps + data + Market links. This includes all protected apps & system apps, plus external data on your SD card. You can do 0-click batch & scheduled backups. Backups will operate without closing any apps (with Pro). You can move any app (or app data) to/from the SD card. You can browse any app's data and even query the Market to see detailed information about the app.
3. App Extractor
AppExtractor is a tool which will allow you to restore individual applications, data, SMS, and MMS messages from your ROM Manager backups.
AppExtractor is compatible with ClockworkMod Recovery 5 backups as well as backups created by previous versions of ClockworkMod Recovery.
The process
1. Ok the process. First you will need to backup your whole rom, so go into Rom Manager and click on backup current rom, once it have backed up your rom you phone will reboot. ( Backing up your rom means you can revert back to it if you are not happy with your new rom)
a. You can also do a full rom backup straight from recovery mode (safer), to do this boot into recovery mode (hold - power,home and volume up). Then use the volume buttons to scroll to backup and restore (press power button to select), then click backup, it should start a full back up of your rom for you (2-3 mins to back up), once it has finished click reboot system now. Done - Thanks to MistahBungle for prompting this edit
2. once you have done that go into Titanium Backup and click menu and go into Batch. Then click on Run for Backup all user apps (dont back up system data we will soft that out later), then click run batch operation.
3. You can now flash your new rom, i am not going to tell you how to that.
4. Once your new rom is up and running then it is time to receive all that data, apps, setting, contacts etc.
5. First go to the android market and download Titanium backup and App recovery again
6. now open Titanium Backup and go back into Batch scroll down to restore and click run on restore missing apps with data. ( not all the apps will download as some won't be compatible). There you go most of your apps are now restored with their original data
7. Now go to App Extractor and open that, you will see the choice to restore things like, apps, sms and mms, contacts, wifi etc. Just click which ever you want to restore and then select the correct back up (the one you made with rom manager). You can only restore 5 items a day, and yet again not all you setting and data can be restored because of the different rom types.
8. Enjoy your new rom
If anyone thinks i have missed anything ir has more they would like to add then let me know.
Backing up EFS folder
Ok so backing up your efs folder, i am not expert in this area but everyone should know that this file is very important and rooting and flashing roms could cause it to become corrupt. So the fix trying to keep it as simple as possible like the rest of the guide, you need to download Ktook by Hellcatdroid here is a little somthing from Google Play - Tool for a few functions after rooting. Kernel dump/flash, EFS backup/restore...
/!\ Requires Root /!\
/!\ Works on the >Galaxy S2< and >Galaxy Note< *ONLY* /!\
(i) the "lock pattern bug" is currently being investigated and worked on!
kTool is a small tool originally bundled with Hellcat's Root-Kernel for the Galaxy S2.
It offers a few functions usefull after rooting the device:
- Dump current kernel to /sdcard/zImage
- Flash kernel from /sdcard/zImage
- Backup the phone's EFS (sensitive storage are holding the IMEI and other vital data) as a raw .IMG dump and a .tar archive
- Restoring EFS from the raw .IMG or the .tar backup
- Format EFS (create fresh filesystem for cases where you want to restore seperate files or a .tar backup, but the filesystem is stuck/locked in read-only due to corruption)
- Reboot (normal, directely to recovery or directely to downlaod mode)
If you encounter any problems or issues, or if you have any questions or suggestions, visit the release thread on XDA
Some people don't like this app and some like myself love it, as it says above it will only work on Galaxy S2< and >Galaxy Note, but if you check out the thread it might work for other devices.
Other apps
Backdrop Root - BackDrop Root allows you to backup and restore your applications, data, SMS / MMS messages, Wifi settings, Bluetooth pairings, and more to and from from Dropbox.
Backdrop Root provides a simple and intuitive interface for managing your backups.
The free version of BackDrop Root will let you backup and restore 5 applications / data backups at a time.
Thanks - albsat
Nandroid Browser - Nandroid Browser has a really simple purpose: Extract and use single files from your nandroid backups.
* Browse your nandroid backups
* Save files anywhere
* Send files
* Open Files
Rom Toolbox - ROM Toolbox is the MUST HAVE app for any rooted user. Easily email single apps and files from your nandroid backups or send them to your dropbox or wherever...
ROM Toolbox combines all the great root apps all tied up into one monster app with a beautiful and user-friendly interface. It also adds many more unseen features!
This app requires root permission. For fast and friendly support please email us at [email protected]. We will be glad to help answer your questions and troubleshoot with you.
Some of the extra features in the pro version:
☆ Backup/restore data
☆ Batch operations enabled
☆ Remove ads
☆ Preview boot animations
☆ Customize your status bar by installing battery, 4g/3g/1x, wifi, gps, signal icons.
☆ Advanced app freezer
☆ Remove ads
☆ Unlock Root Browser features
☆ Much More....
1. Rom Manager
Must have app for any root user. Make backups, flash ROMs, and own your device.
ROM Manager is THE MUST HAVE APP for any Android root user. (Over 3 million downloads and counting!)
An app that is known to give problems on CWM rooted SGS2 .
jje
I have used rom manager for many things and never had any problems with it, maybe I am lucky but not heard anything about anyone have problems with it
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
s.d.oconnor said:
I have used rom manager for many things and never had any problems with it, maybe I am lucky but not heard anything about anyone have problems with it
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Search the forum then is all i can say multiple help posts where rom manger has been the root of problems .
jje
JJEgan said:
Search the forum then is all i can say multiple help posts where rom manger has been the root of problems .
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Surely any software that exploites the root of your phone could have problems, although i will make a chasnge to the post adding that you can back up your rom from boot and that all software that uses root access can come with problems.
Everything was going great until I got to the last step, restoring sms(the only thing I cared about) with app extractor. It turned the sreen black and then it went on again, but it didn't do anything else, the sms still were not restored =(
if you ask me titanium back up does the job for it all, and if you want to make sure you get all of your apps back, just backup the apps listed in the data folder in the root of your phone.
And when your on CWM recovery might be better of using CWM manager.
JJEgan said:
An app that is known to give problems on CWM rooted SGS2 .
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^^
+ lots this. Rom Manager *will* cause you problems if you continue to use it/have it installed with CWM. It will either break CW or cause you bootloops.
Use one or the other.
You may get away with it for a while, but when you least expect it (maybe that time you don't do a Nandroid of your last good config when you should have), it will bite you on the arse.
Edit to add - OP, I like the idea of what you're doing. Great to see a n00b having a bash But if you've rooted your phone with CFRoot or are running a kernel with CW, you're much better off using it to do your Nandroid backup than potentially causing problems with Rom Manager, which is popular because it's *easy* (apparently, I never found anything difficult about using CW). If anyone doesn't like/is too lazy to boot directly into recovery to do backups, use the CWM app. Same diff as Rom Manager without all the dramas. Other than this, good job
Great idea. I love these kind of posts no matter what others say. Knowledge sharing makes people, a better one.
My tips, but here you don't save data and use CWM and Backdrop Root aps only:
1) Do a Nandroid back from CWM.
2) Export Contacts as a VCF file. There is a new program recently Backdrop Root that backup sms, contacts, mms, bluetooth, etc in Dropbox. Try it. There is also a nice program called SuperBackup which does a similar thing.
3) Save your Apps through a File Manager as apk and save in external sd, computer or Dropbox.
4) Forget data... Many people use Titanium but I need to buy it.
5) Install new Rom, restore sms+contacts, install apps from beginning.
Apps extractor in conjunction with Nandroidback would had been the best solution, but unfortunately I didn't get a lot of success with this app.
MistahBungle said:
^^
+ lots this. Rom Manager *will* cause you problems if you continue to use it/have it installed with CWM. It will either break CW or cause you bootloops.
Use one or the other.
You may get away with it for a while, but when you least expect it (maybe that time you don't do a Nandroid of your last good config when you should have), it will bite you on the arse.
Edit to add - OP, I like the idea of what you're doing. Great to see a n00b having a bash But if you've rooted your phone with CFRoot or are running a kernel with CW, you're much better off using it to do your Nandroid backup than potentially causing problems with Rom Manager, which is popular because it's *easy* (apparently, I never found anything difficult about using CW). If anyone doesn't like/is too lazy to boot directly into recovery to do backups, use the CWM app. Same diff as Rom Manager without all the dramas. Other than this, good job
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks i have made some changes based on your recomedation
You are restricted to 5 bits of data a day on app recovery, it could also be a compatible issue.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Step 7 says "App recovery", do you mean "App extractor"? Sorry just want to confirm.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Yes I do,
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Wiki: Android ROM Update
Wiki: Android ROM Update
How to restore your apps, data and settings after Android ROM Update using Titanium Backup (TB).
forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/Android_ROM_Update
Cheers
Tom
Sorry but can I ask why that has been put their
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Thanks for this guide, it's great.
Kaiser Z
Happy to help
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
s.d.oconnor said:
Sorry but can I ask why that has been put their
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
s.d.oconnor said:
Could you made this a sticky as you dont have anything like it yet - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1502526
Guide on how to back up and restore your data before moving to a new rom
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You said that you don't have anything like your guide on how to back up and restore. The wiki is just that so I shared it.
Cheers
Tom
Sent from my HTC HD2 using Tapatalk
Thanks for the guide. Does it work on ics? I've heard titanium backup have some issues with it
Enviado desde mi GT-I9100 usando Tapatalk
Angel.CT said:
Thanks for the guide. Does it work on ics? I've heard titanium backup have some issues with it
Enviado desde mi GT-I9100 usando Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should work with ICS, it's only a matter of time before the apps catch up with it and they should run a smooth as they do on GB

Different Backup Methods

I was hoping to learn the differences between certain backup methods. The most common i saw is via recovery (in my case twrp), via titanium backup and another via adb command even without root which i saw in one of the threads here in xda.
First, in terms of "backup coverage" how do they compare to one another? Secondly, which among the three would most put ur phone back the way it was before u wipe or factory reset it
I hope you could input your opinions on this and suggestions.
Thanks in advance!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
A backup through recovery is a called a nandroid. This backs up everything on your phone including your ROM, kernel, apps, settings, etc. This will allow you to restore back to the previous state of your phone after doing a full wipe.
Titanium backup only backs up your apps and app data. This is useful when you want to switch ROMs and restore your apps in the new ROM.
Usually when switching ROMs I first use titanium backup, then I create a nandroid backup, and finally I flash the ROM. If I like the ROM I use titanium to restore the apps that I previously backed up, and if I don't like the ROM I restore my nandroid
Sent from my HTC Desire using xda app-developers app
Doing a backup with twrp, cwm or thru adb (nandroid backups) are basically image files of your phone at any given moment in time. If you restore one of these backups your restoring your phone to exactly how it was at that moment in time. Titanium backup and Helium backup just backup cached data at that particular moment in time. Using these apps will only restore the data you specified when you did the backup and nothing else. Say you borked an install of a ROM, Titanium backup would be of no use in getting your phone working again as it only has data and not a system image. You would need the images backed up by twrp to get the phone working again then you could use the titanium backups to restore any newer data saved if say you used an old twrp backup.
whoah! thanks guys! I was supposed to quote you but since both of you really helped me understand it now, this thanks goes to the both of you.
I've hit the thanks button on both you guys.
Thank you very much for explaining this.
One last thing, when using a Titanium backup ( im using the pro version), how do i backup to make sure I cover all that needs to be backed up? There are a lot of options im not sure which to select and what to do. I hope you could enlighten me on this one as well.
Thanks again in advance!
vinz_bangiz said:
whoah! thanks guys! I was supposed to quote you but since both of you really helped me understand it now, this thanks goes to the both of you.
I've hit the thanks button on both you guys.
Thank you very much for explaining this.
One last thing, when using a Titanium backup ( im using the pro version), how do i backup to make sure I cover all that needs to be backed up? There are a lot of options im not sure which to select and what to do. I hope you could enlighten me on this one as well.
Thanks again in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With the pro version u can run a batch backup of all apps.
To do this open the app, press the menu button in the top tight corner, and select Batch.
Then choose Backup all user apps. From there you can select/deselect apps. When you are done choosing the apps that you would like to backup, click on the green check mark in the top right corner to start the backup.
vinz_bangiz said:
whoah! thanks guys! I was supposed to quote you but since both of you really helped me understand it now, this thanks goes to the both of you.
I've hit the thanks button on both you guys.
Thank you very much for explaining this.
One last thing, when using a Titanium backup ( im using the pro version), how do i backup to make sure I cover all that needs to be backed up? There are a lot of options im not sure which to select and what to do. I hope you could enlighten me on this one as well.
Thanks again in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I stopped using Titanium and switched to Helium a while back and can't really remember how Ti works exactly. I do know you should never restore system apps data just user apps data so I don't even bother backing up systems apps. I think with Ti I would just do an initial backup of all user data and apps and then periodically do a backup of newer user data and apps, or something to that effect in the menu. I do like Helium better as its interface is better, never could figure out how to backup or restore sms, call logs and the dictionary using Ti. Helium is much more straight forward and simpler (not as many options) and it does backups on a set schedule to my box account. I'm sure you can do all that with Ti too it was just not a very clean app.
thanks again for the replies..
@ chromium96
i think it is the same as clicking the box with check icon beside the menu, it brings me to the page the same as where you are leading me to but in just one click. Though im not so sure if it is really the same one.
I did a backup now but made a user app + system data.
kzoodroid mentioned not to backup system. Should I really not backup the system? Im quite confused with the terminologies of TI coz it says backup "user apps". Does this only refer to the apps and not the settings or data in my phone? does the backup "system data" refer to the settings and other data on my phone? if I choose only backup "user apps", would this only backup the apps and nothing else?
@ kzoodroid
could you explain further why I should never backup systems apps?
Lastly, is Helium really better than TI? or it depends on user preference?
Thanks again!
there are 2 kind of apps stored in your phone, system apps, only accesible with root privilege, and user apps,
system apps are phone, browser,wallpapers, etc, this are the basic apps to make your phone to work
user apps are all the stuff you, the user, install on your phone
the first one can be found, via file managers on /system/app
user app in /data or in sdcard for apps can use this option
the user app back-up, via Tb or others create a back-up of /data and apps you choose to install
restoring a system app via Tb is dangerous cause if you've switched rom the /system/app can be different, so restoring can cause trouble or misbehavior on your phone
/system/app back.up can be used only if you, before deleting a system app, want to have a copy to restore in future, but only if you still on the same rom
stremax said:
there are 2 kind of apps stored in your phone, system apps, only accesible with root privilege, and user apps,
system apps are phone, browser,wallpapers, etc, this are the basic apps to make your phone to work
user apps are all the stuff you, the user, install on your phone
the first one can be found, via file managers on /system/app
user app in /data or in sdcard for apps can use this option
the user app back-up, via Tb or others create a back-up of /data and apps you choose to install
restoring a system app via Tb is dangerous cause if you've switched rom the /system/app can be different, so restoring can cause trouble or misbehavior on your phone
/system/app back.up can be used only if you, before deleting a system app, want to have a copy to restore in future, but only if you still on the same rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply! kinda getting an idea what you mean.. if I backup the system also, then i put a new rom and it may be different from my current roms system so it might mess it up. so just backup user app and restore this after installing new rom then it would be ok and back to how it was before i installed a new rom? Do i understand it right?
vinz_bangiz said:
Thanks for the reply! kinda getting an idea what you mean.. if I backup the system also, then i put a new rom and it may be different from my current roms system so it might mess it up. so just backup user app and restore this after installing new rom then it would be ok and back to how it was before i installed a new rom? Do i understand it right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
right man,
only back-up user apps and data, if you like you can also back-up call log and messages, I usually do this, so when I flash a new rom I usually restore apps +apps data, messages and call log via Tb
vinz_bangiz said:
another via adb command even without root which i saw in one of the threads here in xda.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found the ADB backup doesn't work as well as the other methods. I found some apps didn't seem to get backed up, and at least one didn't work after restoring (though this could be because I used Titanium Backup to restore the app from the ADB backup file).

[Q] TiBa WiFi Access Points XML backup fails.

Please help me out here. With Titanium Backup everything backs up except my Wifi Access Points XML. If fails every time through running from batch.
Also tried from the menu 'Special Backup' > 'Backup data to XML' and TiBa crashes.
Anyone have any suggestions? I'm rooted with superSU v1.3, Stock recovery, kernel and rom, TiBa pro and up to date. Thanks in advance.
blyndfyre said:
Please help me out here. With Titanium Backup everything backs up except my Wifi Access Points XML. If fails every time through running from batch.
Also tried from the menu 'Special Backup' > 'Backup data to XML' and TiBa crashes.
Anyone have any suggestions? I'm rooted with superSU v1.3, Stock recovery, kernel and rom, TiBa pro and up to date. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't worry too much, TiBu should back it up in binary as well... at least mine does. During a restore it gives you the option to use the XML or Binary backup.
joeybear23 said:
I wouldn't worry too much, TiBu should back it up in binary as well... at least mine does. During a restore it gives you the option to use the XML or Binary backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Is there anyway to confirm a binary backup? Do you possibly know the filename so I can look for it in my backup folder? I have alot of WiFi access points stored so i'd like to not have to ask everyone around town for the passwords again if I can avoid it.
blyndfyre said:
Thanks. Is there anyway to confirm a binary backup? Do you possibly know the filename so I can look for it in my backup folder? I have alot of WiFi access points stored so i'd like to not have to ask everyone around town for the passwords again if I can avoid it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look inside TiBu under the Backup/Restore tab, and scrool down to Wifi Access Points. Your should have one that says XML to the right and one above it that says 101 (or binary)
joeybear23 said:
Look inside TiBu under the Backup/Restore tab, and scrool down to Wifi Access Points. Your should have one that says XML to the right and one above it that says 101 (or binary)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I feel considerably noobish for not noticing that, though I was sorting the list by backup date so it wasn't right above. Thanks for pointing that out.
One more question if you know, will the binary backup restore on custom ROM's and even newer phones in the future? Or is the XML a safer route for such things, in which case I would need to figure out why it's broken. Thanks again.
blyndfyre said:
Well I feel considerably noobish for not noticing that, though I was sorting the list by backup date so it wasn't right about. Thanks for pointing that out.
One more question if you know, will the binary backup restore on custom ROM's and even newer phones in the future? Or is the XML a safer route for such things, in which case I would need to figure out why it's broken. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That I don't know.
However titanium backup has a great support team. Try the developer site.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium
blyndfyre said:
Please help me out here. With Titanium Backup everything backs up except my Wifi Access Points XML. If fails every time through running from batch.
Also tried from the menu 'Special Backup' > 'Backup data to XML' and TiBa crashes.
Anyone have any suggestions? I'm rooted with superSU v1.3, Stock recovery, kernel and rom, TiBa pro and up to date. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too have the same exact issue that you described. I reached out to the support team... no response yet, but I will update this thread if I ever come across a resolution. Please do the same since I'm in the same boat and I would be interested in hearing any updates.
hltnhd said:
I too have the same exact issue that you described. I reached out to the support team... no response yet, but I will update this thread if I ever come across a resolution. Please do the same since I'm in the same boat and I would be interested in hearing any updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having the same problem. Do you guys have any news on this? Thanks a lot in advance!
Unfortunately no news yet. Hoping it will be resolved in next app update. Really would like to have the XML backup.
aiu said:
Having the same problem. Do you guys have any news on this? Thanks a lot in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no news here either... also hoping for a fix in the next update.
I've been having the same problem for a while now. I think it could very well be related to our phone's build.prop because just today, I did a full backup and it finally backed up my wifi access points. It even restored it with no problems..
Note: I made the backup on the 4.2.2 Odexed GE ROM and restored it on the 4.2.2 Deodexed Kangabean ROM.
Sent from my I337~SGS 4 using Xparent Skyblue Tapatalk 2
MikeC4510 said:
I've been having the same problem for a while now. I think it could very well be related to our phone's build.prop because just today, I did a full backup and it finally backed up my wifi access points. It even restored it with no problems..
Note: I made the backup on the 4.2.2 Odexed GE ROM and restored it on the 4.2.2 Deodexed Kangabean ROM.
Sent from my I337~SGS 4 using Xparent Skyblue Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Add me to the list of people getting an Error message when trying to back up the XML version of the Wi-Fi Access Points file. I never like getting error messages, so I hope there is a fix. Would be nice if there were an easy way to tell TiBu to ignore this file.
I am on CleanRom 1.65.
swieder711 said:
Add me to the list of people getting an Error message when trying to back up the XML version of the W-Fi Access Points file. I never like getting error messages, so I hope there is a fix. Would be nice if there were an easy way to tell TiBu to ignore this file.
I am on CleanRom 1.65.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here but I am on Stock with just ROOT and TWRP. I wasn't too concerned about the Error Message but I too hate error messages.
RonH54 said:
Same here but I am on Stock with just ROOT and TWRP. I wasn't too concerned about the Error Message but I too hate error messages.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TiBa is at least backup up WiFi in a binary backup, which is fine as long as you stay on the same device. It may not restore on a different device though, hence why I want the XML to work!
I have the same problem. Currently no solution.
MikeC4510 said:
I've been having the same problem for a while now. I think it could very well be related to our phone's build.prop because just today, I did a full backup and it finally backed up my wifi access points. It even restored it with no problems..
Note: I made the backup on the 4.2.2 Odexed GE ROM and restored it on the 4.2.2 Deodexed Kangabean ROM.
Sent from my I337~SGS 4 using Xparent Skyblue Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mate which version of TB r u using??? I've been searching for this problem but now I'll try what u did.... TB people don't even reply back...
Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk 4 - Hassan K. Malik
HassanM said:
Mate which version of TB r u using??? I've been searching for this problem but now I'll try what u did.... TB people don't even reply back...
Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk 4 - Hassan K. Malik
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was using the latest one at the time of my last post...
Sent from my I337~SGS 4 using Xparent Skyblue Tapatalk 2
MikeC4510 said:
I was using the latest one at the time of my last post...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same XML issue here - surprised TiBu has not fixed it yet...
Anyways, I have been simply backing up the data file itself.
from root: data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf is the file you want. Back that up to your computer or MicroSD and then use it to restore your wifi whenever necessary. Just overwrite the file. Can't remember if reboot is necessary afterwards but I don't think so.
jeffreii said:
Same XML issue here - surprised TiBu has not fixed it yet...
Anyways, I have been simply backing up the data file itself.
from root: data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf is the file you want. Back that up to your computer or MicroSD and then use it to restore your wifi whenever necessary. Just overwrite the file. Can't remember if reboot is necessary afterwards but I don't think so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice very clever. I tried restoring it just for kicks and it worked. I just dropped it in the folder, overwrote it, fixed permissions, then rebooted. Worked great. Nice.
On the other hand, I do hope that the Titanium team does fix this soon. It must have something to do with this device because it worked fine until I switched to the S4 from the S3 and when I moved my backup folder over to my new device it wouldn't restore.
nicholi2789 said:
Nice very clever. I tried restoring it just for kicks and it worked. I just dropped it in the folder, overwrote it, fixed permissions, then rebooted. Worked great. Nice.
On the other hand, I do hope that the Titanium team does fix this soon. It must have something to do with this device because it worked fine until I switched to the S4 from the S3 and when I moved my backup folder over to my new device it wouldn't restore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah...I was expecting the bug to be fixed in the latest update...but when I didn't see it in there, I kind of lost hope for it.
Odd since the Galaxy S4 is kind of a popular Android device you know...lol
Anyways, glad my method worked for you. I never actually bothered fixing permissions and haven't had any issues thus far.

Restoring apps with TiBu after updating to a 4.3 rom?

For some reason it doesn't seem to work. When I look at the play store reviews, they say that Titanium Backup doesn't work well restoring apps with 4.3. For me it just hangs at 0%. 4.3 has been out for a while, what have people been using?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
andrewdroid said:
For some reason it doesn't seem to work. When I look at the play store reviews, they say that Titanium Backup doesn't work well restoring apps with 4.3. For me it just hangs at 0%. 4.3 has been out for a while, what have people been using?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, andrewdroid...
Yes, I've just been looking at the reviews you mention, and I must admit, I'm puzzled.
I've been running Jellybean 4.3 (recently updated to build JWR66Y) since the beginning of August, and I've had no problems with restoring apps from Titanium.
I recall, during the first few days of JB 4.3, there where issues with Titanium, and the recommended advice was to change the backup path (where you're backups are stored) as follows...
Go to... Titanium>>Menu>>Backup folder location...
...and navigate (using the back button) to /storage/emulated/legacy/TitaniumBackup ...and select 'Use the current folder'.
And at the time, this worked for me. But subsequent updates to Titanium fixed the problem, and my backup path is now the more technically correct /storage/emulated/0/TitaniumBackup.
Titanium will offer to move the files to the new location, but in the event, nothing actually gets moved, because the locations are actually identical... just different ways of specifying the same location.
So, you could try modifying your backup path location in Titanium settings as outlined above, using either of the two 'paths' I've given. I've just tried both, and in both instances, my backups restored flawlessly.
I've no idea if this will work for you, but I do know there was an issue back in the early part of August, and the 'legacy' path fixed it for me... maybe it might for you.
Hope this helps... and good luck.
Rgrds,
Ged.
Just completed my first root and flashed my tablet to cyanogenmod. I'd like to thank this community for making it so simple. It seemed like a lot of reading but every instruction had a purpose and i understood it more as the process went along. I had no problem throughout the process due to the very detailed instructions here on this forum.
However, I seem to have made one mistake. I used TiBu to backup my apps and data. However, i failed to make the update.zip folder as i didn't think about losing the app when i flashed to the new rom. When i check my device, there is a huge titanium backup folder.
Is there a way i can restore my apps and data from the tibu folder, or did i lose it all by not creating the update.zip folder?
Im afraid to just reinstall TiBu in case it overwrites the old folder.
This is the only problem I had with the whole process and appreciate any help or suggestions.
giusti825 said:
Just completed my first root and flashed my tablet to cyanogenmod. I'd like to thank this community for making it so simple. It seemed like a lot of reading but every instruction had a purpose and i understood it more as the process went along. I had no problem throughout the process due to the very detailed instructions here on this forum.
However, I seem to have made one mistake. I used TiBu to backup my apps and data. However, i failed to make the update.zip folder as i didn't think about losing the app when i flashed to the new rom. When i check my device, there is a huge titanium backup folder.
Is there a way i can restore my apps and data from the tibu folder, or did i lose it all by not creating the update.zip folder?
Im afraid to just reinstall TiBu in case it overwrites the old folder.
This is the only problem I had with the whole process and appreciate any help or suggestions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rename the huge titanium backup folder, install TiBu, delete new folder and rename huge titanium backup folder back to original name.

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