Database Develop

Nandroid Backup and New Rom/New Version

Quick question, I hope I didn't miss this being answered somewhere else already. I like flashing different roms, and when I find one I like staying up to date with the latest version. However I'm sort of new at this and for a while I was just flashing Cyanogen's Roms, never needed a wipe.
My question is if I do the nandroid Backup + ext install a new rom, then restore that backup, is it taking me back to the previous rom that it was backed up on as well? If this is the case is there a way to pull the certain info and just move it into the new Rom?
The reason I ask is as much as I like doing this, it's somewhat time consuming setting up my shortcuts the way they were before, resetting my Locale (Program) situations, my scoreboard favs so on etc. Any help is greatly appreciated.

try "mybackup pro" from the market...
that will restore custom settings and apps to your new ROM
it may not do everything but its can get ya pretty close

Thanks
freaktractor said:
try "mybackup pro" from the market...
that will restore custom settings and apps to your new ROM
it may not do everything but its can get ya pretty close
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks I'll give that a shot tonight, anything I don't have to redo is an advantage.

[Q] titanium backup

i was really interested in installing a new rom, specifically cognition, and i did, but i figured since i just got my captivate and all my media was on my sd card and i barely installed any apps, i would just skip the titanium backup step. I definitely was able to get the new rom, but i think i may have messed up something big, even flashing back to stock didnt help. I just want to know exactly how important titanium backup is and what it really does other than save a few settings and apps.
If you want me to elaborate on what i messed up just ask

arsenalbreak said:
i was really interested in installing a new rom, specifically cognition, and i did, but i figured since i just got my captivate and all my media was on my sd card and i barely installed any apps, i would just skip the titanium backup step. I definitely was able to get the new rom, but i think i may have messed up something big, even flashing back to stock didnt help. I just want to know exactly how important titanium backup is and what it really does other than save a few settings and apps.
If you want me to elaborate on what i messed up just ask
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are asking for help so don't you think telling what happened is important. Tibu backs up your apps and data. If you use it don't select system data because that will screw stuff up. Its not necessary to use tiny but it is very useful.
This is my Captivate. There are many like it but this one is mine.

Skipping TiBu step should not affect your ROM. It only backs up your installed apps with data, so you do not have to reinstall them one by one manually after you flashed.

ok thats exactly what i wanted to know. thanks for clearing it up guys.

[Q] Nandroid backup

Hi all
Is Nandroid backing up all the apps I've got at that moment? Or it just saves system files?
Like a complete and exact "photo" or are there things that I should do on my own if I mean to recover exactly as it was...
I assume that no wipe is necessary...
Thanks!

What's the truth about Nandroid backup?!
i guess there's no need to open a new topic, because i got kinda the same question
before you guys start to redirect me to the "search" function, i want to assure you that i have been using it, but i have found myself in a very strange situation, one question, two different answers... and because i'm new to the whole root stuff, i want to learn everything correctly before starting to make modifications to my phone
The question is: Nandroid backup, does it also back up the kernel or not?
I mean, if i root and install a custom rom that also comes with a custom kernel, will i be able to use my previous Nandroid backup to restore my phone to the old rom & kernel?
Searching the forums, i have found 2 totally different answers!
Answer 1: Nandroid does not backup the kernel: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=806340
Answer 2: Nandroid does backup the kernel: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=844352
So, please make me and all of us root noobs understand once and for all, does it backup the kernel or not?, will we be able to restore from a custom rom+kernel in case we need to?

and does it backup apps?

OK...As I understand it....
What does Nandroid Backup?
The ROM Itself..Obviously.
All your system settings, emails, SMSes, etc
All the Apps you have installed, so no need for TB
The Kernel you have installed (though there is controversy about this, and to be honest, I have never restored a nandroid backup when I had a different kernel already installed...however it really doesn't matter since kernels are easy to flash)
What does Nandroid NOT backup - This is VERY IMPORTANT
The modem (not a big deal)
The File System setting (A BIG DEAL)
This I think is where the confusion arises concerning the kernel being included in the nandroid backup. For many people the kernel is all about the lagfix. If you have installed a lagfix on your phone via the kernel, say changing the file system to Ext4, and then flash a Nandroid backup that includes a stock kernel or other kernel that does NOT support Ext4, you are in for a world of hurt...and in this case hurt means endless bootloops.
The way you avoid this is, if you need to flash a Nandroid with a kernel that does not support your lagfix...go into recovery, disable whatever lagfix, tell it when it asks that you wish to REBOOT INTO RECOVERY after the change....then flash the nandroid you wish.
This is why it is very important to keep regular nandroid backups, and to wait and see if a ROM/Kernel are stable for you before applying lagfixes or other tweaks.

So, let me see if i got this right, Nandroid does backup up my current kernel along with my rom, but if i apply any changes (lagfix) to my kernel afterwards or change it with a custom one with lagfix, nandroid won't be able to restore it anymore...
so the whole problem here is that nandroid is not able to backup / restore The File System setting, this being the rfs / ext4 transition
If this is the case, it seems that the Nandroid type backup is not as powerful as i thought, you can't really change from one rom to another in just a few clicks, but then again i guess that all the customs roms already come with some type of lagfix and you can make a nandroid restore between them, the problem would be when you want to revert back to a stock kernel, then you'll have to disable the lagfixes or simply flash a stock kernel and then restore the stock nandroid backup
so, i got this right guys?

maranello69 said:
So, let me see if i got this right, Nandroid does backup up my current kernel along with my rom, but if i apply any changes (lagfix) to my kernel afterwards or change it with a custom one with lagfix, nandroid won't be able to restore it anymore...
so the whole problem here is that nandroid is not able to backup / restore The File System setting, this being the rfs / ext4 transition
If this is the case, it seems that the Nandroid type backup is not as powerful as i thought, you can't really change from one rom to another in just a few clicks, but then again i guess that all the customs roms already come with some type of lagfix and you can make a nandroid restore between them, the problem would be when you want to revert back to a stock kernel, then you'll have to disable the lagfixes or simply flash a stock kernel and then restore the stock nandroid backup
so, i got this right guys?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes as I understand it.
You see Nandroid can't convert your file system or change anything, all it can do is flash a disc image onto your phone. If that image can work with your file system, you are golden. If not, it is like flashing a Mac OS image onto a Windows machine....nothing will work right.
However the good news is that most custom kernels support Ext4...so really the only problem comes when you try to flash back to a stock image...or vice versa.

got it then, thanks for your answers
and, if i still got your attention, maybe one more question
i just downloaded a stock firmware from samfirmwares.com, and all i got is a .tar file, can i use it somehow to flash just the kernel from it or i have to flash the whole firmware?
if i flash the whole firmware, will it also change my PHONE and CSC?, because the .tar file must be put just in the PDA section in odin

maranello69 said:
got it then, thanks for your answers
and, if i still got your attention, maybe one more question
i just downloaded a stock firmware from samfirmwares.com, and all i got is a .tar file, can i use it somehow to flash just the kernel from it or i have to flash the whole firmware?
if i flash the whole firmware, will it also change my PHONE and CSC?, because the .tar file must be put just in the PDA section in odin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it will flash the PDA, csc, modem and kernel...the whole shooting match. The single file firmwares are designed like that to avoid mismatches and issues. Once you flash it, flash a kernel that supports cwm (I suggest speedmod or something by CHAINFIRE) via odin, then flash a new csc and modem if you wish from recovery.
Remember that installing a new csc will do a factory reset so do it before reinstalling apps.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App

great stuff man
finally i got enough info and i can start my root & flash procedure, guess i'll also learn a few other tricks along the way, this community is definetly the place to be if you want to learn how to "really use" your device
the whole info about the issues with the Nandroid type backup should be integrated in one of those massive info topics, so the root noobs like me know what they're dealing with

maranello69 said:
great stuff man
finally i got enough info and i can start my root & flash procedure, guess i'll also learn a few other tricks along the way, this community is definetly the place to be if you want to learn how to "really use" your device
the whole info about the issues with the Nandroid type backup should be integrated in one of those massive info topics, so the root noobs like me know what they're dealing with
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App

Hey guys i actually used the search button (yay) and this is definitely the most informative one regarding the topic.
However i still have one more question: does it backup files and folders as well? Ie. my Nexus S storage is mainly used up by my videos and music (about 7-10GB) which are in their own folders and not tied to any apps in particular. Hence if it does include those i wouldn't have enough storage space to create a nandroid backup am i right?
Edit: thanks to the search button i didn't realise that i posted on a Galaxy S forum please forgive me, the question should still be relevant to the topic though

frenccw said:
Hey guys i actually used the search button (yay) and this is definitely the most informative one regarding the topic.
However i still have one more question: does it backup files and folders as well? Ie. my Nexus S storage is mainly used up by my videos and music (about 7-10GB) which are in their own folders and not tied to any apps in particular. Hence if it does include those i wouldn't have enough storage space to create a nandroid backup am i right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I understand it, it does save folders and files, so yes if you have large data folders on your internal SD it will make GIGANTIC nandroid backups. You may want to store such files one your external SD.
I know that there is a version of CWM that does not backup /data/media in Nandroid on the Galaxy Tab 10.1...perhaps there is something similar that I don't know about for Galaxy phones. Does anyone know?

Flashing over a rom?

So im wondering, what is the standard practise, or based on your own experiences. What is the best way to flash over an existing rom using CWM? What do you do to prepare the fone for new rom, wipe user data, dalvik cache, before or after flashing. Just trying to get a good idea of how to do it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

going from rom to rom:
put rom.zip on /sdcard/
reboot to recovery
install zip from sdcard
point to rom.zip
flash
reboot
any rom that has been properly done will wipe user data and dalvik cache for you. no need to do it manually

i always flash back to eclair and master clear with odin one click to make sure all files from previous roms are gone then CWM flash new ROM

Pirateghost said:
going from rom to rom:
put rom.zip on /sdcard/
reboot to recovery
install zip from sdcard
point to rom.zip
flash
reboot
any rom that has been properly done will wipe user data and dalvik cache for you. no need to do it manually
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Except I do clear the caches manually, but that's just because I have OCD.

CremeFraiche said:
i always flash back to eclair and master clear with odin one click to make sure all files from previous roms are gone then CWM flash new ROM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lets look at the master clear function shall we?
when you flash to stock...your entire / is stock (RFS, eclair 2.1, /data /system, etc)
essentially, you have just reformatted your root, think of it like formatting your C drive and your sdcard is like a secondary internal drive that contains storage
master clear at this point will only delete items off your /sdcard
roms dont care about your /sdcard, master clear is worthless when you are stock
there was a time where it was necessary to flash to stock to reset the filesystem and then flash the rom. it has not been needed in months, but it continues to get preached as gospel.
even flashing to stock isnt necessary unless you are trying to come from CM7 or MIUI....or if something goes horribly wrong

Thx for info guys, I have flashed a few times and it seemed like now and then my fone must became bogged down and needed to be fully wiped, sound didnt work or lagfix folders bunch of text docs, just seemed cluttered. So if wanted to really clear out junk what would be a good way without having to flash back to stock?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Just flash. If you have a problem then back to stock Ans a MC. I have flashed hundreds of time back to stock once.
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App

Pirateghost said:
lets look at the master clear function shall we?
when you flash to stock...your entire / is stock (RFS, eclair 2.1, /data /system, etc)
essentially, you have just reformatted your root, think of it like formatting your C drive and your sdcard is like a secondary internal drive that contains storage
master clear at this point will only delete items off your /sdcard
roms dont care about your /sdcard, master clear is worthless when you are stock
there was a time where it was necessary to flash to stock to reset the filesystem and then flash the rom. it has not been needed in months, but it continues to get preached as gospel.
even flashing to stock isnt necessary unless you are trying to come from CM7 or MIUI....or if something goes horribly wrong
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would definitely agree. I have also seen people say to disable lagfix before flashing. I have not done that either and never had any problem.

Would just like to amend the advice already given with the following:
Pre-flashing:
1. Titanium Backup of apps and data
2. Nandroid backup in case something goes boom.
Post-flashing (assuming success):
TB restore of user apps/data only. NEVER RESTORE SYSTEM FILES.
They may not apply to some people, but I feel those are necessary steps for anyone that actually uses their phone daily.

modest_mandroid said:
Would just like to amend the advice already given with the following:
Pre-flashing:
1. Titanium Backup of apps and data
2. Nandroid backup in case something goes boom.
Post-flashing (assuming success):
TB restore of user apps/data only. NEVER RESTORE SYSTEM FILES.
They may not apply to some people, but I feel those are necessary steps for anyone that actually uses their phone daily.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why not restore system files? Does this apply if coming from flashing back to stock first, or just flashing from one rom to another?
Glad to hear the advice about not flashing back to stock, that's been one of the major reasons I haven't flashed quite as many rom's as I want, too time consuming.........not to say that i'm not flashing a couple rom's a week, but there's just so many options to try

neophile said:
why not restore system files? Does this apply if coming from flashing back to stock first, or just flashing from one rom to another?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Making "search" a standard practice would be very helpful.
Restoring system is known to mess up ROMs in all cases. Though may not be mandatory, but make it a standard practice to flash stock. Takes hardly 10 mins, and helps save big headaches later.

neophile said:
why not restore system files? Does this apply if coming from flashing back to stock first, or just flashing from one rom to another?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Incompatibilities across rom versions, mostly. As the guy above me said, restoring system files tends to mess up a rom because you are overwriting part of it with files from a different rom.
There is one caveat, however. If you're flashing back to a rom you originally performed the backup on, you can safely restore system files. For example, if you were running Cog 4.3 and did a full TB backup, then decided to flash Serendipity 6.3, you would want to restore only your user apps and user data. However, if you decided to flash back to Cog 4.3 at some point, you could do a full TB restore without worrying about incompatibilities.

I agree with everyone else. Flashing over another rom seldom causes issues. I make s nandroid backup of my favorite rom with everything setup the way i like it. then flash away trying different roms. When i am done, i just restore my backup and all is good!

I have done a search, couldn't find the specific answer I needed, hence my asking. Could be I wasn't phrasing the search correctly......but here I am.....
To clarify, what do you dpo to get your system settings back after flashing a new rom? I flashed to serendipty 6.4 last night, as per the advice, I didn't restore system files, just apps and data, but that didn't work so well for me. I lost my data connection, could only use my wifi, and had no contacts, or any sms msgs. I don't know what else was missing, but I then went and restored system files, everything came back as needed, and there seems to be no issue......
How do I get my info setting back, or do I just need to manually re-set everything after flashing? Apart from wireless info, msgs and contacts, what else do you lose by not restoring?
Appreciate your help

havent flashed a new rom in a while and forgot if anything extra was needed when flashing a rom over a rom
thx!

[Q] Making a backup of complete rom for flashing back (MAGLDR)

hi
don't know if this is the correct section, or if i should have posted in the nand development, but i'll try here
i love my current rom, but wanna try something new. so i'm wondering if there's a possibility for me to make a complete backup of the rom (like a dump or so), which i can easily flash back.
magldr 1.13 ist installed, but no clockworkmod or something like that. i read that when flashing clockworkmod recovery your rom will be wiped, and i don't wanna lose my current setup.
i'm aware of titanium backup, but as far as i know it "just" backsup applications, settings, contact, etc., not the whole rom.
do you have any hints for me? that'll be great
thank you very much & have a nice day

ahh sorry friend..
hebbe said:
hi
don't know if this is the correct section, or if i should have posted in the nand development, but i'll try here
i love my current rom, but wanna try something new. so i'm wondering if there's a possibility for me to make a complete backup of the rom (like a dump or so), which i can easily flash back.
magldr 1.13 ist installed, but no clockworkmod or something like that. i read that when flashing clockworkmod recovery your rom will be wiped, and i don't wanna lose my current setup.
i'm aware of titanium backup, but as far as i know it "just" backsup applications, settings, contact, etc., not the whole rom.
do you have any hints for me? that'll be great
thank you very much & have a nice day
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont know if this is possible without Clockwork(Recovery)Mod Im sure somebody here may know something about possibly doing it but, they will probably tell a way where you'd need CWM installed, or you wont get an answer of how for sure to use something by the time you want to change, it's addicting lol