Database Users

Flashing a new ROM on rooted Eris and other questions

I know there are tutuorials for this. I found a few and most of them either expect me to fully understand adb shell commands or understand linux, of which I do very little. I have the rooted 2.1 OTA on my Eris currently. I wanted to start trying out other ROMs on the phone. I've done a nandroid backup, but from searching around I read that it doesn't back up apps or user data, to an extent.
1) I get the error message "Run Nandroid +ext via adb!" when trying to backup everything using nandroid + ext. I also get the same message when trying to use a BART backup.
2) What is the difference between the two? (BART and nandroid)
3) What are the adb commands to use these?
4) How can I make a complete "screenshot" of my phone to restore everything back to its current state? Is this what BART/nandroid+ext do? I need to be sure in case I need the phone restored to working status very quickly.
5) Is apps2SD really that useful? I only run like 45 apps.
6) Does overclocking have any downsides? (I know the phone can lock up if you push it too far, so other than this.)
I think that's it. I've softmodded consoles and a few random electronics but phones are a new one. Sorry if half of these have been answered. I haven't been able to find much about this stuff in laymen's terms.

Raikalo said:
I know there are tutuorials for this. I found a few and most of them either expect me to fully understand adb shell commands or understand linux, of which I do very little. I have the rooted 2.1 OTA on my Eris currently. I wanted to start trying out other ROMs on the phone. I've done a nandroid backup, but from searching around I read that it doesn't back up apps or user data, to an extent.
1) I get the error message "Run Nandroid +ext via adb!" when trying to backup everything using nandroid + ext. I also get the same message when trying to use a BART backup.
2) What is the difference between the two? (BART and nandroid)
3) What are the adb commands to use these?
4) How can I make a complete "screenshot" of my phone to restore everything back to its current state? Is this what BART/nandroid+ext do? I need this in case the ROM doesn't work/I screw something up.
5) Is apps2SD really that useful? I only run like 45 apps.
6) Does overclocking have any downsides? (I know the phone can lock up if you push it too far, so other than this.)
I think that's it. I've softmodded consoles and a few random electronics but phones are a new one. Sorry if half of these have been answered. I haven't been able to find much about this stuff in laymen's terms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) if you get that message on restore 99% of the time that means your battery is low.
2) I have no idea what the difference is, but NAND always works great for me.
3) You would need to flash the parts of a NAND Backup via fastboot (correct me if I'm wrong). It's a pain in the ass for the most part.
4) NAND backup and restore makes a "screenshot". It will turn your phone to exactly how it was when u made the backup (make sure you wipe first though )
5) APP2Sd is only if you feel you need it. I use it, but is not required at all. If you have enough free space that why bother, but if not it's good utility to have available.
6) OC is awesome only downside is battery and that is barely their. You can also bork your phone if you set it to high. Some phones can handle over 710 some cannot. The only way you will know for yourself is if you try!
Go for the aloysius rom if you need a or want a new rom to flash

Awesome, thanks. I'll check that ROM out and see if I can get to flashing after work.
1) This isn't when restoring, it's when I'm trying to actually make a backup. Nandroid works fine, but nandroid +ext and BART both give me errors about adb.
Any other suggestions/answers?

Oh, one more question I forgot.
Code:
adb pull data/app desktop
Was using this to pull apps from my phone to the computer. After I did, I couldn't find them on the computer. I assumed they'd go to the desktop, but apparently I was wrong? Where are they?

Raikalo said:
Awesome, thanks. I'll check that ROM out and see if I can get to flashing after work.
1) This isn't when restoring, it's when I'm trying to actually make a backup. Nandroid works fine, but nandroid +ext and BART both give me errors about adb.
Any other suggestions/answers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You only have to do nandroid without the +ext. You only use ext when you have a partition on your sd card (for running apps2sd). Try a plain ole nandroid. As far as bart goes, I've never heard of anybody using it.

is there a way to name the nandroid backups so you know which one is which when you go to restore? or can you only have one at a time?

duscar said:
is there a way to name the nandroid backups so you know which one is which when you go to restore? or can you only have one at a time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can have as many as your sd card will hold. They will be in folder on your sd card called "nandroid" and you can rename however you see fit, just make sure you Do Not put any spaces in the name.

rentjr said:
You can have as many as your sd card will hold. They will be in folder on your sd card called "nandroid" and you can rename however you see fit, just make sure you Do Not put any spaces in the name.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if i rename them there, does it rename them in the restore menu so i know which is which?

duscar said:
if i rename them there, does it rename them in the restore menu so i know which is which?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes
10char

Okay, if a nandroid backup makes a total system image incl. apps and user data, I should be good to go.
Still wondering about how to pull apks and where they go. Any ideas there? See one of my above posts about it.
Also, I need to backup my ENTIRE SD card before a wipe, right?

[Q] Can't backup my /efs folder on GS4 I9505!

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

Home and Recents Button not working after device reboot

Hi all, been trying to solve this problem for a while, can't seem to figure it out.
Yesterday, when my phone died and I charged and turned it back on, the recents and home buttons wouldn't work, in addition to my notifications not showing and the quick settings drawer not coming down. This seems to be a problem others have ran into. Here's what I've tried so far:
clearing dalvik cache and regular cache
updating my ROM (I use AICP)
restoring an old backup of AICP
starting my phone in safe mode (all errors persist)
using ADB to attempt to get into the SetupWizardTestActivity as advised here
The error I get from this:
Code:
adb shell am start -n com.google.android.setupwizard/.SetupWizardTestActivity
Starting: Intent { cmp=com.google.android.setupwizard/.SetupWizardTestActivity }
java.lang.SecurityException: Permission Denial: starting Intent { flg=0x10000000 cmp=com.google.android.setupwizard/.SetupWizardTestActivity } from null (pid=12048, uid=2000) not exported from uid 10072
at android.os.Parcel.readException(Parcel.java:1684)
at android.os.Parcel.readException(Parcel.java:1637)
at android.app.ActivityManagerProxy.startActivityAsUser(ActivityManagerNative.java:3160)
at com.android.commands.am.Am.runStart(Am.java:643)
at com.android.commands.am.Am.onRun(Am.java:394)
at com.android.internal.os.BaseCommand.run(BaseCommand.java:51)
at com.android.commands.am.Am.main(Am.java:124)
at com.android.internal.os.RuntimeInit.nativeFinishInit(Native Method)
at com.android.internal.os.RuntimeInit.main(RuntimeInit.java:264)
I also tried switching from my user to a Guest user, but it won't allow me to go into the Users. At this point, I decided to take a backup on my laptop and factory reset, but after plugging my phone into my laptop, I realized I can't change the USB connection type from charging to mass storage (or whatever it is) to access the files on my laptop since I can't see notifications. This lead me to Developer Options, where I get the message "Developer options are not available for this user."
So then I tried to make an activity in Nova for the SetupTestActivity as detailed here, but the closest thing I can find in there is under Settings about activating the cellular service, and when I try to use that I just get "Permission denied" error.
After all of this, I looked into backing up my device via ADB using this command:
Code:
adb backup -apk -shared -all
It tells me to unlock my device to confirm the backup operation, but there is nothing shown on my device indicating a confirmation.
Then I went into my file manager (I use Xplore) and it indicates that my device is not rooted. I don't know how that could've happened, although I have not tried re-rooting it to see if that helps. Any suggestions or do I just have to do a factory reset and lose all my data?

markgnarza said:
... Any suggestions or do I just have to do a factory reset and lose all my data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not use TWRP to create a newer backup? You can also use TWRP's MTP to move anything off the phone you want. Then flash a full Google image with flash-all.bat. You can try it without the -w switch first if you like. I doubt it's a hardware issue, but stranger things have happened, and returning to stock briefly will let you know right away.

v12xke said:
Why not use TWRP to create a newer backup? You can also use TWRP's MTP to move anything off the phone you want. Then flash a full Google image with flash-all.bat. You can try it without the -w switch first if you like. I doubt it's a hardware issue, but stranger things have happened, and returning to stock briefly will let you know right away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ended up uploading my Titanium backups/other files I wanted to keep to Google Drive and factory resetting, but now the setup wizard keeps crashing. Think I'm gonna try a full wipe and flash of AICP again to see if that does it.

markgnarza said:
I ended up uploading my Titanium backups/other files I wanted to keep to Google Drive and factory resetting, but now the setup wizard keeps crashing. Think I'm gonna try a full wipe and flash of AICP again to see if that does it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, hope that works for ya. Nowadays with Google backup for market apps and TiBu for everything else, it doesn't take long (less than one hour) to completely wipe, clean install, and restore everything back the way it was. Especially if you have a good internet connection. I use my Solid Explorer to zip the TiBu folder into a single file and transfer that off to my PC. Try that next time and see if it saves you some time. My TiBu zip files are well over 1GB, so I don't u/l them to the cloud. Curious if you have TWRP why you did not have MTP file transfer from recovery to laptop?

v12xke said:
Okay, hope that works for ya. Nowadays with Google backup for market apps and TiBu for everything else, it doesn't take long (less than one hour) to completely wipe, clean install, and restore everything back the way it was. Especially if you have a good internet connection. I use my Solid Explorer to zip the TiBu folder into a single file and transfer that off to my PC. Try that next time and see if it saves you some time. My TiBu zip files are well over 1GB, so I don't u/l them to the cloud. Curious if you have TWRP why you did not have MTP file transfer from recovery to laptop?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It worked! And all my Titanium backups + photos are still intact on my phone? Seems strange to me. I hadn't thought of zipping my TiBu folder, good idea!
As for using TWRP to transfer to laptop, I'm not sure how that process works! I'll look around in TWRP once I'm done restoring everything to see what you mean, good to keep in mind for the future. Thanks for the help!

My honor got the same problem... I know they were working but now they don't.. what should i do??

[Q] How would I create a full backup with ADB?

I assume this is possible. Usually I would do this with TWRP (which you can do), but this method does not require root necessarily.
I want a backup I can restore in case things go sideways.

I managed to do this. Here are the basic instructions.
Have developer options available, select USB debugging. On PC, install minimal adb and fastboot, install essential drivers. Connect phone to PC, select transfer files MTP under USB connected options in notifications. If USB debugging prompt prompts up on phone, check alway allow and ok.
Run cmd.exe as admin and navigate to you ADB install directory. Type "adb root" if rooted or just "adb" if not. ADB should start.
Type adb backup -system -apk -shared -all -f C:\filenameyouchoose.ab
On the phone, type a password for encryption if wanted and touch Back Up My Data.
Presto, now all that's left is to wait. The -apk is to back up apps and -shared is to backup internal SD card data. Change those if you don't want that data backed up.
The command to restore the backup is adb restore C:\filenameyouchoose.ab
Full XDA guide here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-nexus/general/guide-phone-backup-unlock-root-t1420351

Thanks! I'm attempting this procedure for the first time. I am at the place where I am supposed to enter a password to encrypt my backup. The "Back Up My Data" button does nothing. I've tapped all over and around it. The "Do Not Backup" button works just fine and it cancels the operation instantly. My adb session ends. If I tap all over the "Back Up My Data" eventually the operation times out. What could I possibly be doing wrong? Has anyone ever seen this behavior before? (It's super hard to troubleshoot problems with no feedback or error codes.)

I set a desktop backup password in developer options. It still wouldn't go. Then I rebooted and it worked after a fresh boot. Not sure why. I hope that is helpful to someone.

Grep_The_Truth said:
Thanks! I'm attempting this procedure for the first time. I am at the place where I am supposed to enter a password to encrypt my backup. The "Back Up My Data" button does nothing. I've tapped all over and around it. The "Do Not Backup" button works just fine and it cancels the operation instantly. My adb session ends. If I tap all over the "Back Up My Data" eventually the operation times out. What could I possibly be doing wrong? Has anyone ever seen this behavior before? (It's super hard to troubleshoot problems with no feedback or error codes.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, while I was typing out the message, seems you already solved it.
Previous message: I had similar issue when I was trying to install apps using apk(s) files. It turned out to be the app Twilight app which didn't allow me to click install button except cancel: "The prompt for screen overlay detected is presented when an installed application is allowed to Draw over other apps is running in the background" See if your issue has something to do with an app.

Charkatak said:
...It turned out to be the app Twilight app...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brilliant! That was it. Jolly good show, sir!

File size of backup
Just wondering if anyone gets vastly different file sizes when they do a complete backup? The first time i tried this i got a backup file of about 600mb. I did it again with a different file name to the same folder and it was double the size. The third time i tried it was back to the original smaller size. My fear is that this is not a reliable means for complete backup. Is there any way of seeing whats inside this backup?

I have stumbled upon this command and my question is, is this as powerful as a nandroid backup? Since we don't have permanent TWRP (Yet?), I feel really unsafe while messing with the phone (The whole A/B thing which I still need to get used to doesn't help either) and considering the times nandroid backup saved my device I could really use something equally powerful to fall back on.

I tried the ADB backup and it took a while and generated a ~10GB file for me, but restoring to a new phone didn't work. No errors or anything, it just went real fast and didn't seem to do anything. I didn't care to try to investigate it because I just needed to get my new phone up and send the broken one back.
I ended up using TWRP from the boot partition (obviously not backing up boot), then installing twrp on boot on the new phone and restoring the system and data, next copying the sdcard contents to the computer using adb pull and adb push onto the new phone, finally flashing the correct boot.img, and I was back up and running on a replacement phone right where I left off on the old one. ...
One caveat is if your old phone is on a different firmware you have to update the new phone to match before all this.

Copy ALL contacts, text, photos and downloads to another Essential

Getting ready to OTA the official 8.1 from Nougat BUT I am paranoid.
I have two PH-1's so I would like to update the never yet used phone to 8.1 THEN copy all contacts, text, photos and downloads into it from my in use PH-1. After that, I would like to factory reset my used PH-1, update it to 8.1 and then copy my stuff back.
Coming from Samsung to Essential, I lost a lot of file downloads - mostly .pdf's, some photos and some contacts. It took a long time to recover not knowing what was missing until I could not find it and some things are still missing!
Thanks in advance for all suggestions!

That's what the cloud is for my friend. Google Contacts, Drive, and Photos.

Used Google last time. Lots did NOT transfer!

If you're rooted, I love Titanium Backup. I've used it for years now. It will backup anything and everything, then just backup your Titanium folder to your PC. I also have tried SMS Backup+ which will backup your texts and MMS to Google. I will restore texts but will NOT restore MMS (yet. maybe one day.) Contacts should always be available on the cloud as long as you have the settings for it set. (You can check what contacts are saved to the cloud by going here: https://contacts.google.com) Also, if you're using Google's built-in backup services, you can check in settings to see when the last successful backup was done (Or check here: https://drive.google.com/drive/backups. If you change any settings you'll have to wait a while for it to sync again. Hope this helps!

Contacts look good but File Backups only have 5 files. Lots missing!

Zargone said:
Contacts look good but File Backups only have 5 files. Lots missing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you mean that Google Drive only shows 5 entries named something like "PH-1 backup"? This should be correct -- it stores the entire backup as one entry. What you'll want to check, most importantly, is the date on the right side of each entry. The most current, which would be done 'today' will have the time, instead of a previous date.
I may be wrong, but to me, it seems like some apps just don't backup their data to Google Drive. I know, for instance, my bank app does not seem to remember my login, but I find that to be more secure.. if someone gains access to my Google account, they cant just restore my bank app and get my login handed directly to them. Another thing I've personally noticed is that when you do a fresh install and during setup it asks if you want to restore, the top option is NOT always the most recent backup. I don't know why this is, but I have accidentally restored an older backup while restoring a fresh install. Maybe that's what happened to you last time when things were missing?
If you want to make absolute sure you get everything in a backup, or don't trust Google to get the job done accurately, I still recommend Titanium (I use this, I'm not affiliated.. I just KNOW it works and it works well). Or, you can use any other 3rd party backup utility that you like.
Hope this helps!
-----EDIT----
If you want to just make a backup to your PC, you can use ADB to do backups.
adb backup [-f <file>] [-apk|-noapk] [-shared|-noshared] [-all] [-system|nosystem] [<packages...>]
I personally don't use adb for backups because I only backup a few select apps, but I would think that running adb backup with the 'nosystem' argument would provide you with a solid backup. I do NOT know all the ins and outs of using ADB so you'll want to research the correct usage to backup what you want, but I just wanted to add this as a backup option.
I also see no reason you couldn't use adb backup to do exactly what you originally asked... that is backup one PH-1 and restore it to another?

The link to the Backups keeps changing to:
https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/my-drive
It shows individual files only, no Backups.

Zargone said:
The link to the Backups keeps changing to:
https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/my-drive
It shows individual files only, no Backups.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm. I don't have my phone right now so I can't look into it further, but is there not an option somewhere within that (in a dropdown menu maybe?) to view Backups? Alternatively, you could try the Desktop version. Click the 3 dots on the right upper corner of Chrome and select the box that says something about desktop version or desktop view.. something like that.
If all else fails, open the link I shared on an actual computer.