Database Users

[Q] Custom rom installation variants.

Hello!
I have been searching the forums here about custom roms, and so far, I saw two methods of how to install them.
Method1. update.zip
Method2. Backup/Restore or just advanced restore.
(both in xRecovery)
What's the difference?
If the developer of the rom stated do Method1, can we still do Method2?
Will it affect anything?
Thanks.

You cannot do the other method, it´s not possible, because they are completely different .
Method 2"restore" is like you make a backup trougth xrecovery and restore it. You can do a complete restore (recommended) or only system (your data will be not deleted, but in most cases you will have some problems)
Method 1 update.zip is a kind of script.

Fetz Braun said:
You cannot do the other method, it´s not possible, because they are completely different .
Method 2"restore" is like you make a backup trougth xrecovery and restore it. You can do a complete restore (recommended) or only system (your data will be not deleted, but in most cases you will have some problems)
Method 1 update.zip is a kind of script.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that!
So you mean, Method1 is like, if you want to upgrade your rom?
Will doing Method1 erase all data?

It depends on a script. There is a file called update-script in every update and custom zip, you can view it in notepad++. If it contains FORMAT command it will wipe any partition that is named after the command. Most ROMs update zips only wipe system, which is a necessity, since you need to put new system in. Some ROMs, like doixanh's one, also wipe cache to get rid of old ROM's stuff. If there is a format data instruction, all your data and apps are gone.

[SCRIPT][HEIMDALL][CWM] Partition Backup

This is a CWM zip which intended purpose is to make creating heimdall one click roms easier.
It will backup partitions using dd and put them in a folder on your internal SD card labeled partition-backup. You can then use these to create heimdall one-click versions of your own rom.
The partitions backed up are as follows:
Captivate Stock based roms:
/system (/dev/block/stl9)
/dbdata (/dev/block/stl10)
/cache (/dev/block/stl11)
kernel (/dev/block/bml7)
modem (/dev/block/bml12)
param.lfs (/dev/block/stl6)
Captivate MIUI/Cyanogenmod based roms:
/system (/dev/block/mtdblock2)
/datadata (/dev/block/mtdblock6)
/cache (/dev/block/mtdblock3)
/radio (/dev/block/mtdblock5)
kernel (/dev/block/mtdblock0)
recovery (/dev/block/mtdblock1)
modem (/dev/block/mtdblock5)
The data partition is not included.
This is not intended to be a backup for your Captivate, although it could be used as one. Again, it's intended for Heimdall rom creation.
For backups, it is preferable to use CWM. I personally, really like the 5.0.2.6 version by mtcarey as it tars up the data rather than dd's the entire partition which saves a lot of space (like the /data partition for example).
DISCLAIMER: I am in no way to be held responsible for what you do to your device. If you use it, whatever the consequences, they are your responsibility.
Now with that being said, this script doesn't do anything destructive but simply copies the partitions to the internal SD card for later use.
Here are the links:
Captivate Stock based - http://db.tt/tPGn42Pi
MIUI/CyanogenMod based - http://db.tt/rwy5WIel
Let me know if you have any issues with the scripts.

My bad...
10 char

b-eock said:
You have to include data on stock ROM's as it will run the check when it installs on reboot... it will fail because of the missing data partition..., so you might wanna put that into the SCRIPT!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you will only get the error if you re-partition

b-eock said:
You have to include data on stock ROM's as it will run the check when it installs on reboot... it will fail because of the missing data partition..., so you might wanna put that into the SCRIPT!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need /data...

dbdata is the one that gives that error if you re-partition.

Have you given thought to writing a cwm script to backup efs, or adding it to this script?

mrhaley30705 said:
Have you given thought to writing a cwm script to backup efs, or adding it to this script?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could be wrong on this point but as I understand it the IMEI number is contained there so this isn't probably the best idea.
I could add a separate script for it but I will need to confirm that this wouldn't cause issues for people replicating an IMEI number.

I was thinking of using it as a way to backup an efs.

Understood. I'll put one up later today. In the meantime, you can always copy the folder to your sdcard for safe keeping.

backing up of both EFS and Data, would be nice for PERSONAL backups, make a note not to redistribute efs or data in the heimdall one click packages.
any of your passwords/saved information will be in data..... unless you backup data immediately after flashing/pushing apps BUT before android OS setup...
efs is still a DO NOT DISTRIBUTE.

Tried using partition backup and it didn't make the backup file, or i can't find it.

in a folder on your internal SD card labeled partition-backup
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how long did it take? a while? it should if it did something.

No, just a couple of second.
Edit
Mount system first?

It should take a minute or so to complete. Once done, reboot back into the OS and there should be a folder /sdcard/patition-backup/.
Within this folder you should have multiple images all ending in .rfs. Really they would typically end in .img but I had it save the images using an rfs extention to facilitate things with heimdall as that's what it expects.
What version of Android are you running?

MIUI. 1.11.18 w/Neo 17r18.

TRusselo said:
backing up of both EFS and Data, would be nice for PERSONAL backups, make a note not to redistribute efs or data in the heimdall one click packages.
any of your passwords/saved information will be in data..... unless you backup data immediately after flashing/pushing apps BUT before android OS setup...
efs is still a DO NOT DISTRIBUTE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. /data has all your personal data and efs has your IMEI. You don't want to distribute either of these. That is primarily why I left them out of the script. Don't forget you can either copy the entire efs folder or just zip it up and save it somewhere off your phone as a backup. If you are just looking to backup the phone, CWM is much more efficient at backing it up, IMO.

mrhaley30705 said:
MIUI. 1.11.18 w/Neo 17r18.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm... I haven't tested it on either MIUI or Cyanogenmod. They may use a different partioning scheme. Can you please copy/paste the response of typing 'mount' from a shell?
( adb shell, then just simply type 'mount' from there )

How's this

Ok, I see the problem. It appears the MIUI and Cyanogenmod use /dev/block/mtdblock* whereas stock Captivate based roms use /dev/block/mmcblk*.
I'll see about making one for your setup.
Thanks for testing this!

No problem.

Nexus 7 partition table messed up/ broken?

Flashed a rooted stock Android 4.2 ROM, root appeared to be broken so i figured rather than be late for work i'd flash my nandroid backup i did beforehand. Now recovery can't find the backup location, and under any file explorer it appears as '0' which i have to select first to view the files. Because of this CWM can't see the backup folder. HELP

That's because of the 4.2 multi-user feature, it needs to separate files of multiple users somehow, so it just moves all your files to "0" subdirectory. If you add another users, they will have their own folders.
It should be okay to just move /data/media/0/TWRP to /data/media/TWRP, either via TWRP's file manager or via adb shell while in recovery:
Code:
mv /data/media/0/TWRP /data/media/

Tasssadar said:
That's because of the 4.2 multi-user feature, it needs to separate files of multiple users somehow, so it just moves all your files to "0" subdirectory. If you add another users, they will have their own folders.
It should be okay to just move /data/media/0/TWRP to /data/media/TWRP, either via TWRP's file manager or via adb shell while in recovery:
Code:
mv /data/media/0/TWRP /data/media/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your help but I'm using clockworkmod recovery. What do i need to change in that command to suit CWM?

Matty Matt said:
Flashed a rooted stock Android 4.2 ROM, root appeared to be broken so i figured rather than be late for work i'd flash my nandroid backup i did beforehand. Now recovery can't find the backup location, and under any file explorer it appears as '0' which i have to select first to view the files. Because of this CWM can't see the backup folder. HELP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, I thought I was the only one! I thought I had partitioned my card somehow. I basically did the same thing as you. I also am running CWM. Its making Rom flashing almost impossible for me, I can only select & flash files from the SD "O". All my nandroids are on the regular SD selection. Did you ever find you answer Matt.?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[Q] Note 3 System Backup

Background
I do not plan on flashing roms, I have a rooted note 3(900t) with knox at 0x0(want to keep it that way). I do not want to backup APKs or personal information.
Desire
I only want to make a backup of all of my critical system files necessary to do a soft reboot. So that in a worst case scenario I never have to worry about not being able to reset my phone.
Reason
I plan on editing files with a root explorer and using Xposed framework.
Hope this is a little more clear, thanks for the help!

7US said:
I have a rooted note 3 with a knox warranty of 0x0. I would like to make a full backup of any system files that could become corrupted so that I may restore them without tripping the knox. I do not care about backing up Apps(Actually prefer to manually install them as I need them), I have all of my APK files manually backed up. Additionally I want to install Xprivacy and Xposed framework but they always warn to do a full backup. I was playing around with ADB as well but that backup seems to be directed at Apps and Contacts which I don't care about. Would it be safe to just install Xposed framework and Xprivacy and rely on the factory reset? Or is there some method I should use of doing a complete system backup. Also how would I restore that backup? (preferably I would like to have a nice backup/recovery method that I know I can always restore from my computer in case somehow one of my system files get deleted) Thank you for your help. I like to edit my system files and I have no problem using the standard phone reset I am more worried about critical failures really just as a failsafe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
too long.
if i get right from this longe sentences;
u cannot backup knox counter.
u can make nandroid backup from ur system but knox counter will change its value.
:good:

x102x96x said:
too long.
if i get right from this longe sentences;
u cannot backup knox counter.
u can make nandroid backup from ur system but knox counter will change its value.
:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I fixed my original post, hope it is more clear for you.
I know I cannot backup my knox counter, which is why I do not plan on installing CWM.
I am new to the Android operating system and read many threads about different methods of backing up and restoring(CWM/Titanium Backup/etc) but they always seem to be centered around backing up APKs+Contacts or backing up Roms for Rom Flashing.
I am trying to understand what I need to backup to be safe to play around with my system files and Xposed and always be able to restore any damage that I may do.
So far I played around with ADB a little bit and saw some tutorials on how to do full backups through ADB but not for the note 3. Thanks for your help! I plan on experimenting and such on my own but first I want to make sure I have necessary backups to not worry about crippling the OS.
Perhaps a question within my question is.. What type of backup do I need? What files need to be preserved for me to be able to do a system reboot to restore the phone? Is it safe for me to be using Xposed without a backup and playing around with system files? Will the soft reboot restore these files? If not what needs to be backed up, that really is my question.

7US said:
I fixed my original post, hope it is more clear for you.
I know I cannot backup my knox counter, which is why I do not plan on installing CWM.
I am new to the Android operating system and read many threads about different methods of backing up and restoring(CWM/Titanium Backup/etc) but they always seem to be centered around backing up APKs+Contacts or backing up Roms for Rom Flashing.
I am trying to understand what I need to backup to be safe to play around with my system files and Xposed and always be able to restore any damage that I may do.
So far I played around with ADB a little bit and saw some tutorials on how to do full backups through ADB but not for the note 3. Thanks for your help! I plan on experimenting and such on my own but first I want to make sure I have necessary backups to not worry about crippling the OS.
Perhaps a question within my question is.. What type of backup do I need? What files need to be preserved for me to be able to do a system reboot to restore the phone? Is it safe for me to be using Xposed without a backup and playing around with system files? Will the soft reboot restore these files? If not what needs to be backed up, that really is my question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
instead of making backup of ur system files u can download a firmware of ur region!
if something goes wrong when u try to modifying then flash the stock rom.
however u can easily copy a file to another direction and then paste back to original if issue appears.
for example build.prop and etc.
and for ur firmware as i said u can make nandroid backup (thr s lots of tools in play.store for it that not need custom recovery) (if i say correctly!)
:good:

7US said:
Background
I do not plan on flashing roms, I have a rooted note 3(900t) with knox at 0x0(want to keep it that way). I do not want to backup APKs or personal information.
Desire
I only want to make a backup of all of my critical system files necessary to do a soft reboot. So that in a worst case scenario I never have to worry about not being able to reset my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
suggestion:
you could use safestrap.
it is based on the twrp custom recovery but it will not trip knox !
read the thread before using it. you have some more benefits using ss, you will see.
backup the system and data partition and you are safe.
please note that this will never backup the content of your internal storage like your music, videos ond so on.
just dont wipe/format your internal storage from recovery or if you feel you need to, copy the whole content to your pc first.
additional things to backup:
you might want to backup your efs and maybe your pit file too.
easy to find info on this forum.
if you want to read more about backing up via adb, directly to the pc then this thread is for you.
i made a backup of the whole memory block one time, just for the worst case...
basicly, you just need the required files, open 2 cygwin windows and copy and paste(right click) the commands from the first 2 codeboxes from the thread into that windows.
hope this helps

A.N.Droid said:
suggestion:
you could use safestrap.
it is based on the twrp custom recovery but it will not trip knox !
read the thread before using it. you have some more benefits using ss, you will see.
backup the system and data partition and you are safe.
please note that this will never backup the content of your internal storage like your music, videos ond so on.
just dont wipe/format your internal storage from recovery or if you feel you need to, copy the whole content to your pc first.
additional things to backup:
you might want to backup your efs and maybe your pit file too.
easy to find info on this forum.
if you want to read more about backing up via adb, directly to the pc then this thread is for you.
i made a backup of the whole memory block one time, just for the worst case...
basicly, you just need the required files, open 2 cygwin windows and copy and paste(right click) the commands from the first 2 codeboxes from the thread into that windows.
hope this helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very interesting! Reading the 2nd link made me think... could I even recover my files through ADB if I crippled my OS? Don't I need to boot into the device to even get to ADB? Or can I access ADB through the stock boot screen without CWM? Safestrap also looks very tempting. Also do you have a list of the note 3 partitions for me to make ADB backups I have been looking for them on Google and can't find them anywhere the Android file structure is a jungle to me especially how it varies from phone to phone.

7US said:
Very interesting! Reading the 2nd link made me think... could I even recover my files through ADB if I crippled my OS? Don't I need to boot into the device to even get to ADB? Or can I access ADB through the stock boot screen without CWM? Safestrap also looks very tempting. Also do you have a list of the note 3 partitions for me to make ADB backups I have been looking for them on Google and can't find them anywhere the Android file structure is a jungle to me especially how it varies from phone to phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i´m not sure for the stock recovery but from twrp you can use this adb backup method. i just did it a few days ago.
you must change the path in the commands from /system/xbin to /sbin and no need for su.
it should work from safestrap too but i couldn´t get adb to work, some error message was shown.
for the partitions:
system ,data, efs
and maybe modemst1 and modemst2
theres a full list of partitions and an interesting discussion about this topic on this thread.

[Q] step by step guide from backup to flashing ROM?

I'm a complete beginner when it comes to rooting, flashing and so on. I've been using my Nexus 4 since the day it came out, and have always had it completely stock, never even rooted it or anything. I'm normally not too bad at stuff like this, but I've been googling how to do all of this and been reading some guides on here, and I'm just getting more and more confused.
My goal is to go from Stock Android 5.1.1 to the newest Cyanogenmod nightly, and to keep all my data. Now, how do i go about this?
I'm already stuck at the first step (or at least I think, that's the first step): Creating a backup of my current Stock phone. Apparently I need to create a NANDROID backup first, but I can't do it with a locked bootloader? And if i unlock the bootloader, my data will be wiped? This alone seems completely illogical to me, because how am I going to backup my device then? Is there no simple step by step guide for Nexus devices, that includes EVERYTHING, from backup to the final flashing of the ROM?

This is a good guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2018179

I've seen it and it doesn't answer my question. How do I unlock the bootloader to create a backup, without wiping my device?

jb91 said:
I've seen it and it doesn't answer my question. How do I unlock the bootloader to create a backup, without wiping my device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't unlock the bootloader without wiping the device. The only backup you will be able to make without an unlocked bootloader is copying your sdcard to your pc and use an app like helium to backup your apps and data. Just remember to copy that backup to your pc as well, otherwise it will be wiped.

theminikiller said:
You can't unlock the bootloader without wiping the device. The only backup you will be able to make without an unlocked bootloader is copying your sdcard to your pc and use an app like helium to backup your apps and data. Just remember to copy that backup to your pc as well, otherwise it will be wiped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Do you know this "Nexus Root Toolkit" program? I was able to create a backup file containing all apps with it, as well as extract a file with my contacts data from my Nexus 4. I'm guessing this should also include my SMS / WhatsApp messages and so on?

jb91 said:
Thanks. Do you know this "Nexus Root Toolkit" program? I was able to create a backup file containing all apps with it, as well as extract a file with my contacts data from my Nexus 4. I'm guessing this should also include my SMS / WhatsApp messages and so on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I don't know much about that. You could skim through some of the thread or search to find out if someone else has asked that question and if not ask it there. That would probably be the easiest way to find out.

This is extremely confusing, I have no idea how people can say it is simple to put a custom ROM on a Nexus device. I am absolutely lost trying to back up everything. Is a NANDROID backup just a full backup of the phone? Am I not completely screwed if I can't create this? I have some random app files, extracted from a Root Toolkit, and a contacts file. I don't think that's enough to save my device in case anything goes wrong during flashing?
One of the sticky threads here mentions this right at the beginning:
Before you do anything EVER, you'll always have to backup your stuff, even if you don't feel like it, or your dog died (in which case I'm truly sorry), but, no matter what you're about to do, always have a recent backup sitting around.
There are many ways and things you can and will probably have to backup.
1. Backup your entire phone, by creating a Nandroid Backup.
As you saw in the 'Custom Recovery" picture above, you have a "Backup and Restore" option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But it doesn't make any sense. "Before I do anything", I can't even create the NANDROID backup to begin with, because the bootloader is not unlocked by default, and unlocking it will wipe everything on the device. So I don't get how the first step to put a ROM on a phone is to create a NANDROID backup, because from my understanding, it is not possible to do. Also, my Nexus 4 did not come with a "custom recovery" installed and I have no idea how to put this on there (do i do this before or after the NANDROID backup?). I'm really starting to wonder how anyone actually understands these guides.

jb91 said:
This is extremely confusing, I have no idea how people can say it is simple to put a custom ROM on a Nexus device. I am absolutely lost trying to back up everything. Is a NANDROID backup just a full backup of the phone? Am I not completely screwed if I can't create this? I have some random app files, extracted from a Root Toolkit, and a contacts file. I don't think that's enough to save my device in case anything goes wrong during flashing?
One of the sticky threads here mentions this right at the beginning:
But it doesn't make any sense. "Before I do anything", I can't even create the NANDROID backup to begin with, because the bootloader is not unlocked by default, and unlocking it will wipe everything on the device. So I don't get how the first step to put a ROM on a phone is to create a NANDROID backup, because from my understanding, it is not possible to do. Also, my Nexus 4 did not come with a "custom recovery" installed and I have no idea how to put this on there (do i do this before or after the NANDROID backup?). I'm really starting to wonder how anyone actually understands these guides.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Following the link to the guide, I see this:
*****
Unlocking the Bootloader:
***NOTE***
This will perform a factory reset on your device. You will lose all applications. Even the data on your SD Card! I'd recommend making a Backup to your computer BEFORE performing this. There is a method for backing your data up, detailed HERE.
For the time being, there is a method available that will allow you to unlock your device (and root it) without losing your data.
For instructions, click HERE. Please note: this is a hack and isn't the "conventional" and "accepted" way of unlocking your bootloader on a nexus device. The wipe requirement is there for your safety, really, and I'm certain this will be patched in the upcoming releases.
*****
But you can always use adb directly from your pc to backup your entire device. How? adb --help
adb backup [-f <file>] [-apk|-noapk] [-obb|-noobb] [-shared|-noshared] [-all] [-system|-nosystem] [<packages...>]
- write an archive of the device's data to <file>.
If no -f option is supplied then the data is written
to "backup.ab" in the current directory.
(-apk|-noapk enable/disable backup of the .apks themselves
in the archive; the default is noapk.)
(-obb|-noobb enable/disable backup of any installed apk expansion
(aka .obb) files associated with each application; the default
is noobb.)
(-shared|-noshared enable/disable backup of the device's
shared storage / SD card contents; the default is noshared.)
(-all means to back up all installed applications)
(-system|-nosystem toggles whether -all automatically includes
system applications; the default is to include system apps)
(<packages...> is the list of applications to be backed up. If
the -all or -shared flags are passed, then the package
list is optional. Applications explicitly given on the
command line will be included even if -nosystem would
ordinarily cause them to be omitted.)

greg17477 said:
But you can always use adb directly from your pc to backup your entire device. How? adb --help
adb backup [-f <file>] [-apk|-noapk] [-obb|-noobb] [-shared|-noshared] [-all] [-system|-nosystem] [<packages...>]
- write an archive of the device's data to <file>.
If no -f option is supplied then the data is written
to "backup.ab" in the current directory.
(-apk|-noapk enable/disable backup of the .apks themselves
in the archive; the default is noapk.)
(-obb|-noobb enable/disable backup of any installed apk expansion
(aka .obb) files associated with each application; the default
is noobb.)
(-shared|-noshared enable/disable backup of the device's
shared storage / SD card contents; the default is noshared.)
(-all means to back up all installed applications)
(-system|-nosystem toggles whether -all automatically includes
system applications; the default is to include system apps)
(<packages...> is the list of applications to be backed up. If
the -all or -shared flags are passed, then the package
list is optional. Applications explicitly given on the
command line will be included even if -nosystem would
ordinarily cause them to be omitted.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is ADB this "Android Studio" that I had to install in the first step of this guide (Android SDK)? If so, I opened it but I have no clue how to get anywhere where i could enter code like this. This is what it looks like: http://i.imgur.com/zhujSKR.png

jb91 said:
Is ADB this "Android Studio" that I had to install in the first step of this guide (Android SDK)? If so, I opened it but I have no clue how to get anywhere where i could enter code like this. This is what it looks like: http://i.imgur.com/zhujSKR.png
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, i can not help you , if you do not know the basic of basics Lots to read up for you.
cheers

Well ok, lets try it another way: i don't understand how to create a full backup, but i did backup some single apps to my PC using Nexus Root Toolkit (they're .ab files), for which i want to keep my data. I also manually backed up my mp3s and pictures / videos. Would i be fine just starting with the actual process (unlocking bootloader, install custom recovery and so on)?
After all, i should have the possibility to revert anything back for these apps at least, and the official Nexus 4 Stock Android files are available at Google. So, there's no real risk, even without a FULL backup of everything, correct?