Database Users

Nandroid and Restores

Hi Guys,
I recently bought my Nexus one this past weekend. I'm coming from a Windows Mobile fan(boy) perspective of many years. Not the hugest linux fan, but at least the base level of Android control is a menu and not "dev cmd etc" command line stuff
I like the Nexus one so far. I tried CompanionLink/gSyncit/Nitrodesk Touchdown/Android-sync(Alpha)/Remember The Milk etc, and they all don't sync Outlook very well..so I'm happy to keep my Winmo phone for its use for that, which is excellent and easier to type imho for that kind of stuff within a windows environment. Kind of like a Palm pilot.
As for Apple. I'm proud to say I've never touched one for years, until yesterday. I *had* to get my father a slidey smartphone as a gift, because they're awesome to see and navigate. Since he's not a big data guy I couldn't justify a nexus one, so a used iphone 3G fit the bill.
Hope i don't have to touch it too much tho!
Anyways, I thought I'd give you guys some history on where I'm coming from as an introduction and seeing as I havent posted on here in a few years.
So..regarding my questions:
*Nandroid backups Question
- A nandroid-ext backup will not occur, and will display the ADB Error if you don't actually have an extended partition on your SD Card, correct?
I was trying to do an Nandroid+ext backup, because noobishly i thought it just meant it would backup everything. It didn't work, and neither did the "plug it in the charger tricks" etc, or check if you have enough sd space. So I figured it was because i didnt actually have an extended SD partition. Stock 4gig micro SD btw.
A NAND backup worked after that.
- How do I check if my SD card has an extended partition btw?
*Sdcard/Nandroid folder Question
Are nandroid backups saved here in a chronological order?
Meaning
/first directory asfldkjsdafjs/
/second directory aslkdfjljds/
First is my stock rom backup?
Second is my Cyanogen backup?
Say I do a third backup (it appears third right)? Will it be my Cyanogen backup *plus* all my added stuff I've done since then? Like widgets, contacts, email account setups?
*ROM Recovery
- So as a noob I'd like to play around a bit. But I'd also like to populate my phone with backgrounds (sd card), contacts, ringtones (sd card), Apps (sd and main mem) etc.
Say I want to move from my current rom (cyanogen 6) to say MUIMUI (sp?) in a week. When I goto Bootloader recovery and select the Muigungui.zip, will it still keep the phone "mine" on restore?
Thanks a lot for your help guys! I hope to join the Nexus One discussions now too after this my first post!

Your Nandroid backups are named by date and time of your backup.
Every backup you make, backups ALL user-accessible partitions on the phone. That includes pretty much EVERYTHING, both system (ROM) and data (everything else). All the rest of your questions have answers logically derived from this statement, please use the required logic.
Your SD card doesn't have anything unless you made it - which is obviously not the case, or previous owner made it - which is also obviously not the case, since you had stock ROM.

Thank you Jack.
I understand better now.
On looking at my sd folder structure, I see:
sdcard/HT096P800012/BCDES-date-4 numbers
Does the HT096P800012 subfolder stay the same, or does nandroid add more HT subfolders in time. (just a curiousity question)
In the 4 numbers part, if I did two backups on 201001103, does the higher number indicate the most latest backup by the logic you describe?
also, some backup folders have nandroid.md5 as a file and some don't. What is that?
Nerdy questions I know. I do thank you for your help?
(PS: If I update my radio with a new one, that doesn't affect my phone proper right?)

The upper folder stays the same - it's the name of your device.
4 numbers are hours and minutes
nandroid.md5 is MD5 sum of the backup, for verification. Not needed for restoring, AFAIK.
Radio doesn't affect your phone in any bad way, as long as it's compatible with your OS (radios for Eclair were different from radios for Froyo), and as long as you're flashing it correctly, without removing the power from the phone when it's in process of flashing.

Thank you so much!

Clockwork Backups

Is there anyway to export the backups created in clockwork? I have a couple of roms setup the way I like and backed up. I want to export them to my computer to clear some room on my sd card but want to make sure I can flash them as needed. Any issues with just cutting and pasting them?

crxin said:
Is there anyway to export the backups created in clockwork? I have a couple of roms setup the way I like and backed up. I want to export them to my computer to clear some room on my sd card but want to make sure I can flash them as needed. Any issues with just cutting and pasting them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never done it, but I don't see why copying them to your Pc would mess things up. I think that would work just fine. I'd do a test run if I were you, but should be fine.
EDIT: and before someone else says it this really belong in Q&A not development.

ok sorry maybe someone could move it for me.

There ain't be a Q&A section in these parts.

cstrife999 said:
I've never done it, but I don't see why copying them to your Pc would mess things up. I think that would work just fine. I'd do a test run if I were you, but should be fine.
EDIT: and before someone else says it this really belong in Q&A not development.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To the OP. Yes you can. Just copy the backup onto your computer and you can delete it from your SD card. And if you want it back, just copy it back on. No problems at all

Awesome thanks for the information.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App

Cleaned. In the future, you can all keep your testy comments to yourselves and just PM me to move the thread, which I will almost certainly find and move anyway (like I did this one.) Keep it civil. You just clutter the thread with flaming, which makes it harder for n00bs to find answers, which results in... more threads in the wrong section!
It's the great Circle of Life.

[Q] Will pay for handhold

Delete me

CrisCo71 said:
I'm adept enough and have modded systems before, but I don't really have the time to research all the info...
Basically, I'm offering $$$ to an 'expert' to handhold me via Skype, Google+ or whateva through installing a custom rom/kernel on my tab.
It's an Acer Iconia A500, 8gb.
I downloaded the OTA 4.0.3 update and rooted via Blackthund3r 1-click (with only the default option checked).
So at this point, I have full root and gather that I (at least) need to, in some particular order:
1) Install Clockwork Recovery
2) Backup ROM and/or whatever else
3) Clean install, full wipe, format
4) Install a custom ICS bootloader
5) Install custom ROM/kernel
I'd also like to extend the main partition onto SD (as much as poss... 1 gb?).
I've hit up a few ppl on Craigslist to try getting it done, but out of 4, 3 never got back to me and the 4th claimed there was a 50/50 chance of bricking. For personal reasons, this particular tab is very important to me and taking ANY chance on bricking w/o being able to recover is a deal killer. But with that said, this and other forums make it seem completely stable if done correctly. If any gurus wanna make a few bucks, pls PM me.
Also - I was leaning toward the Lightspeed ROM... anyone have an opinion on this vs. others?
THX!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will do it for free knowledge is free there is always going to be a chance of bricking but not 50/50 just make sure you have a full back up and you cpuid......personally ide go with flex reapers but that's just me pm me if you want help as for the extending the main partition im not sure i know you could soft mod it so you micro SD card become your internal and your default download place on honeycomb...hope this helps

karma
u, sir, rawk

If you have full root then your pretty much done, just go to the market and install Acer recovery tool. There is a topic about in the apps section
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Please use the Q&A Forum for questions &
Read the Forum Rules Ref Posting
Thanks ✟
Moving to Q&A

Restoring deleted photos from non rooted S4

Hello
Two days ago I bought Samsung Galaxy S4 ,, i took some photos from here and there, i wanted to delete one so i deleted the entire folder
I really need those photos
is there a way to restore them back ??
I don't have a backup
and I think my Mobile is non rooted

If your photos were stored on external memory card, you could mount that onto a computer, and try to recover files using any of the widely available file recovery utilities (just search the web, and pick one from a reputable company - I haven't had to use one yet, so can't make a recommendation).
For future, enable auto-backup/upload using dropbox or google plus or any of the other options - that way, your photos get backed up without you having to do anything.

jj14 said:
If your photos were stored on external memory card, you could mount that onto a computer, and try to recover files using any of the widely available file recovery utilities (just search the web, and pick one from a reputable company - I haven't had to use one yet, so can't make a recommendation).
For future, enable auto-backup/upload using dropbox or google plus or any of the other options - that way, your photos get backed up without you having to do anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the reply
excuse me but im newbie in the android systems,, if i root my mobile ,, can i retrieve the photos ??

Nokia N93 said:
thanks for the reply
excuse me but im newbie in the android systems,, if i root my mobile ,, can i retrieve the photos ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting isn't going to make it any easier to recover your photos.

Nokia N93 said:
thanks for the reply
excuse me but im newbie in the android systems,, if i root my mobile ,, can i retrieve the photos ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, but I don't know.
Read - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1994705 - it "may" work. There may be easier solutions - hopefully, other folks will have better news.

New way of sharing ROMs?

Hey.
I have a question that is about sharing ROM's for our Galaxy S4 (GT-I9505). We all knows that the normal way of sharing a new ROM is to wait for a ROM maker / developer to release a new ROM with new modifications and stuffs.
But what i'm thinking on is another way of sharing current ROMs. What this is about is to install the ROM of your choice and theme / modify it like you want it and then take a whole Nandroid (TWRP) backup of the whole ROM and then compress the nandroid backup files you have on the SD card or internal memory into a RAR file and then upload it to a sharing webpage like MEGA, Google Drive or any other good sharing pages.
Now i'm not sure if this is possible / legal to do and if this kind of question is asked before. But would this work to share a ROM this way and then download the nandroid RAR file from others with the same phone as me and unzip it and put it on the SD card or whatever and then run a restore from the TWRP recovery on our phones?
Or is there other things that will make this impossible to do?
I'm sure this have been asked before, but i can't find anything about this by searching, so that's why i'm just making this topic where i'm asking about this.
And i hope this section was the right place to put this kind of question in?
Greetings from Tom-Helge.

Thing is, how do you leave the personal stuff/apps/app settings out & just keep the stuff you want ? (what stuff exactly are you wanting to share in this way? ?) I can't see how you'd do that. I mean, it wouldn't be a huge stretch for someone to put malicious apps in the nandroid. A lot of people don't even look @ Su toasts, they just hit grant without giving it a thought.
I think you need to explain what you're hoping to achieve out of all this a bit better, and why your way would be better/easier/whatever than the current way people do things.
Edit - Also, I think what I'm getting at is, the way things are at the moment, people have complete control over what goes on their phone. You have to flash a rom/kernel/mod/whatever, and you decide what theme you want, what apps/app settings you want. I can't really see the appeal of what you've proposed in the way you've initially explained it at least (though that may change if you explain it a bit more fully).

MistahBungle said:
Thing is, how do you leave the personal stuff/apps/app settings out & just keep the stuff you want ? (what stuff exactly are you wanting to share in this way? ?) I can't see how you'd do that. I mean, it wouldn't be a huge stretch for someone to put malicious apps in the nandroid. A lot of people don't even look @ Su toasts, they just hit grant without giving it a thought.
I think you need to explain what you're hoping to achieve out of all this a bit better, and why your way would be better/easier/whatever than the current way people do things.
Edit - Also, I think what I'm getting at is, the way things are at the moment, people have complete control over what goes on their phone. You have to flash a rom/kernel/mod/whatever, and you decide what theme you want, what apps/app settings you want. I can't really see the appeal of what you've proposed in the way you've initially explained it at least (though that may change if you explain it a bit more fully).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it's a more easier way of getting a themed / modified ROM that already exist that might suit you better and might save you alot of time to configure the ROM.
It's pretty much the same way of making a ROM of your choice as the ROM developers do. The ROM developers choose what they want to have in their ROMs and how they want to theme it. While this is sharing a modified ROM after you have installed that existing ROM on your phone.
The concept would be in the same way as the Themer Beta app is. There you can download preconfigured themes and use them the way they are or change them a little after you have downloaded them.
And as for putting malicious apps into the nandroid backups, it would be easy to find out if someone does that and if this type of sharing would be possible and allowed to do here, then the devs always have the banhammer to bust those who have bad intentions towards others here.
I hope this clears a bit more up on what i'm asking after .
EDIT: As for the personal stuffs on your ROM. The way i'm thinking is to install a ROM of your choice and then only modify / theme it the way you want it and leave out the personal stuffs until later when you have created the nandroid backup. Or you could simply remove the accounts and the personal stuffs from the ROM before you creates a backup to.

Ahhh OK, I'm with you now. Still seems like a really convoluted way of doing things to me though. Some people might like it, but if you're the sort of person who roots/mods your phone for the control you have over it, I'm not seeing how a person would be interested in what you're proposing. The people most interested would be people who are time poor or, more likely, people who are too lazy to set their phone up themselves.

MistahBungle said:
Ahhh OK, I'm with you now. Still seems like a really convoluted way of doing things to me though. Some people might like it, but if you're the sort of person who roots/mods your phone for the control you have over it, I'm not seeing how a person would be interested in what you're proposing. The people most interested would be people who are time poor or, more likely, people who are too lazy to set their phone up themselves.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it will work. The only thing we have to make sure is to not include any apps that cost money to buy. That's very important.
Like now, i can just take a whole nandroid backup of my current OS as it is now. After that i could just remove any apps that's not needed to be included and then remove all of the accounts and stuffs.
When the ROM is like i want it to be, then i can make a new nandroid backup of the ROM i want to share and then just upload it and share it. Then peoples can download that and run a restore from TWRP recovery and install it. After that i can just return to my main ROM that i took a backup of before i started to modify the ROM to be shared.
So if peoples likes the way i have set up my ROM and want to use that, then they will download my nandroid backup.
Ofc, the peoples that downloads my nandroid backup needs to install the other applications they like that's not included in the nandroid backup.
But yeah, it will work, but it really depends on how much interesting this will be to others.
If peoples are intrested in this, then we can make a topic about this and when we share a nandroid backup, then we have to specify what ROM we use, what apps that are included and have several screenshots from how the ROM is looking and so on.