[Q] Backup before root / Root without wipe - Nexus S Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi,
I have a Samsung Nexus S (i9023) with Android 2.3.6 (GRK39F). The bootloader is still locked. I would now like to back up my (application) data to my local machine. I would like NOT to upload my data to Google.
I found out that Titanium Backup requires root, and rooting is usually done by first unlocking the bootloader, thus wiping the data I want to back up. Is there a way to back up my application data (e.g. Browser Bookmarks, Angry Birds savegames, Widgetsoid settings) without already having root, or getting root on 2.3.6 wihtout wiping my data? Or is syncing the data to my Google account the only way to keep them? (If I do, will they be restored correctly if I get a different Nexus S or Nexus Galaxy, root it and then add my account there?)
I could not find any thread about this on 2.3.6, so I'm asking. If there is and I just failed to find it, please just link me to it.
Update: Just found a thread on another board saying that the zergRush exploit works. I'll probably try that one. Can anyone say how (un)safe it is?
Update 2/Answer: Use the ZergRush exploit, see http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1321582. Worked perfectly.
Kind regards,
Jan

Does this work with 4.1?
janspambox said:
Hi,
I have a Samsung Nexus S (i9023) with Android 2.3.6 (GRK39F). The bootloader is still locked. I would now like to back up my (application) data to my local machine. I would like NOT to upload my data to Google.
I found out that Titanium Backup requires root, and rooting is usually done by first unlocking the bootloader, thus wiping the data I want to back up. Is there a way to back up my application data (e.g. Browser Bookmarks, Angry Birds savegames, Widgetsoid settings) without already having root, or getting root on 2.3.6 wihtout wiping my data? Or is syncing the data to my Google account the only way to keep them? (If I do, will they be restored correctly if I get a different Nexus S or Nexus Galaxy, root it and then add my account there?)
I could not find any thread about this on 2.3.6, so I'm asking. If there is and I just failed to find it, please just link me to it.
Update: Just found a thread on another board saying that the zergRush exploit works. I'll probably try that one. Can anyone say how (un)safe it is?
Update 2/Answer: Use the ZergRush exploit, see http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1321582. Worked perfectly.
Kind regards,
Jan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just upgraded from my Nexus S, but I'd love to get my Angry Birds progress off. I'm running Jelly Bean, and now I'm really kicking myself for never rooting my Nexus. I am really struggling to find a root method that works with 4.1 that won't erase the very data I'm trying to migrate off.
Does the method you link to work for 4.1? It seems to have been designed for 2.3.6 and I don't see very many updates since then.

Related

[Q] Unrooted with SuperSU & lost all data

My phone's been rooted ever since i got it and the only reason i was looking into unrooting it is because work email app won't install on a rooted device. i didn't want to return to stock and lock my bootloaders and all that as i really like the rom i'm using, which is Trickdroid 8.1. a lot of searching on the internet and several discussions pointed to using the unroot feature in supersu but i was under the impression that data on the phone would not be lost/deleted. boy was i wrong.
i went ahead to unroot in supersu and it took sometime to remove itself along with superuser app. unrooting seem to have worked as i am now able to install work email app BUT i just noticed all of my data is gone. anyone know what the hell happened?
I know there's not chance for me to get the files back but i'd just like to understand where I went wrong (if not). other than not backing up everything beforehand of course.

Cannot update to JB due to missing Messaging.apk

I rooted on ICS and used Titanium to disable the Moto messaging app in favor the stock ICS app instead. I ignored the 6 mb "security update" that came out a couple of weeks after the phone's release but now that JB is available I'd love to get my phone updated to that.
So I used Voodoo to temporarily disable root and I downloaded both the security update and the JB update to the cache partition on my phone. It's my understanding I need to install the security update first.
Unfortunately, when I go into recovery to install, the process stops when the phone can't verify the signature on system/app/Messaging.apk.
When I go back into Titanium, for some strange reason the original Moto messaging app isn't in the list of apps, even in the uninstalled/disabled section at the bottom of the list. I can't find the damn file anywhere! I must have accidentally deleted it at some point along the line.
Is there either a way to disable the check for the stock app, or would someone be nice enough to provide the stock app in apk or update.zip form? Or any other solution suggestions?
Many thanks!
just download the utility in the development section, go back to stock ics, root, use ota root keeper, take the ota update, restore root
I was hoping I'd be able to fix it without wiping. Guess not eh? Thanks for the thought!
Someone could theoretically upload the stock messaging app for you.. If it doesnt matter that i'm on jellybean i can send it to you...
Well i looked and it is the 4.1.1 version, so i don't think that will work for your needs.. If anyone is on ICS at the moment they can get it for you.
I went ahead with the method suggested with the Razr utilities and surprisingly awesome enough, it didn't wipe. I guess the utilities just rewrite the /system partition so it reset not just messaging but all the bloatware I had removed. It asked if I wanted it to format /data as well. I said no and everything booted and worked fine so I just went ahead with the OTA's no problem. It was a pleasant surprise. Thanks for the help guys!!

[Q] Factory Reset after root..

Hi,
First, thanks to everyone that contributes to these forums... I've been reading them for a while and didn't need to sign up until now.
I hope my question isn't too noob-ish, but i've looked through the other threads and haven't found a clear answer.
My phone:
Verizon SCH-I535
Android 4.1.2
Baseband and Build: VRBMF1
I'm looking to use the casual 1-click to root. I have no immediate intention to install a custom ROM, but i may down the road. Mostly i need the hot-spot access and I titanium backup access..
The questions are: if I run the 1-click root now, and decide i need to factory reset the phone later...
1) will factory reset be an issue b/c the phone is rooted
2) if not, will the factory reset cause me to lose root
And also
3) Would I run into a problem if I used titanium to restore apps from from my Thunderbolt? it would only be things i really needed to transfer like Google Authenticator and Verisign VIP... and then if that worked, maybe some games like super stickman golf 2. Nothing pre-installed or stuff that can easily be re-configured...
Thanks,
Jay-
When you go to factory reset the phone, make sure you do it in recovery and not from the phone's menu settings.
jalusz said:
Hi,
First, thanks to everyone that contributes to these forums... I've been reading them for a while and didn't need to sign up until now.
I hope my question isn't too noob-ish, but i've looked through the other threads and haven't found a clear answer.
My phone:
Verizon SCH-I535
Android 4.1.2
Baseband and Build: VRBMF1
I'm looking to use the casual 1-click to root. I have no immediate intention to install a custom ROM, but i may down the road. Mostly i need the hot-spot access and I titanium backup access..
The questions are: if I run the 1-click root now, and decide i need to factory reset the phone later...
1) will factory reset be an issue b/c the phone is rooted
2) if not, will the factory reset cause me to lose root
And also
3) Would I run into a problem if I used titanium to restore apps from from my Thunderbolt? it would only be things i really needed to transfer like Google Authenticator and Verisign VIP... and then if that worked, maybe some games like super stickman golf 2. Nothing pre-installed or stuff that can easily be re-configured...
Thanks,
Jay-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) no
2) no
3)no
Just make sure you use recovery like the post above says to factory reset (hold power/home/volume up at the same time)

Bootloader won't unlock (4.1.2, getting ready for custom ROM)

Afternoon, y'all. Let me cut to the chase:
My objective: To install the custom ROM located at this link (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2591895). I don't want to lose my root functionality/benefits by taking the OTA 4.3 update (Titanium, Greenify, etc), but I want to be able to use apps like DashClock which don't work with 4.1.2.
My phone specs:
Model SCH-i535
Android Version 4.1.2
Baseband Version i535VRBMF1
Kernel Version 3.0.31-1152558 ([email protected] #1)
Build Number JZO54K.i535VRBMF1
Hardware version 1535.10
Phone IS ROOTED, and I used the Casual root tool located here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2332825
[*]Apps I am using during this process (specific to root, backup, etc): Titanium Backup Pro (full backup made, including update.zip), ROM Manager, Root Checker, SuperSU
[*]Although I had a ton of frozen bloatware/system apps (all safe, I checked thoroughly before I did this a few months ago), I have unfrozen everything.
Previous experience: Before this S3, I had an HTC Thunderbolt which I successfully rooted and installed a custom ROM onto. So I have *some* experience, but I am no zen master.
Problems I've run into this time around:
Phone is rooted, but I am pretty sure the bootloader is NOT unlocked. Rootchecker confirms that the phone is rooted, and apps that require root access work just fine.
Related to the above point, when I run Casual (as I did just a few minutes ago), this is the log that appears in the window:
-Waiting for device...
Waiting for ADB device connection. When your OS recognizes the device, we will continue. Don't touch anything.
-Device found.
-Pushing exploit...
4298 KB/s (1283460 bytes in 0.291s)
-Pushing root tools...
2990 KB/s (96260 bytes in 0.031s)
4692 KB/s (1867568 bytes in 0.388s)
5424 KB/s (1872015 bytes in 0.336s)
-Rooting phone...
-This may take a few minutes.
Failure.
-installing superuser to system partition
-once root is confirmed you can flash the Insecure aboot
done
-Script Complete
This "FAILURE" is what catches my eye. I can't tell if the phone is "half-rooted" (no unlocked bootloader), or if it's just that Casual sees that my phone is already rooted so it doesn't bother trying to do it again (which is fine, I can understand that point, if it is true).
ClockworkRecovery Mod fails when trying to backup my current ROM (unlocked TouchWiz, no custom ROM installed yet). When I push "Backup Current ROM" in ROM Manager, it reboots the phone (crashes) and puts it into recovery mode, but there's nothing to recover. So my screen goes to the Yellow Triangle of Death screen and gives me a red error message in the top-left corner saying "secure kernel: fail". I had to reboot the phone using Volume Down+Home+Power, and it goes right back to a normal startup. This is what leads me to believe my bootloader is still locked, and I can't find a way to overcome that. I NEVER see the CWM menu to wipe cache, data, etc.
Titanium Backup failed to backup my SMS messages (everything else went fine). It gives me an XML error right away. I used a different app to back them up, which gave me no problems. Not sure if this is related to the larger problem, but I figured it was worth mentioning.
What I'm asking: I'm wanting to make sure that I've got all my bases covered. I know I've done my backups through Titanium Backup correctly, but I do remember that with my Thunderbolt I had to copy down some ID numbers related to the phone so I could sync it after installing a custom ROM (I haven't read any mention of this with the S3, so I'm a bit worried that I'm missing something).
CWM not working correctly is what's throwing me off- I don't want to get my phone stuck in bootloops like before. I want to backup my current setup, clean the cache/data/etc, install the ROM and then restore my apps and data.
I want to avoid resorting to ODIN and putting my phone back to stock (and risk getting the OTA 4.3 update, which I refuse to do) to be able to load this ROM, but if that's what I need to do, then so be it.
Any help, insights, etc would be immensely appreciated! I've read countless threads over the last few months (and especially in the last week), and the fact that there isn't much documentation regarding MF1 when it comes to installing bootchains and ODIN makes me feel like I'm groping in a dark a bit.
Many thanks!
Wow, long post.
Sounds like you're rooted, so download ez unlock v 1.2 to flash the insecure aboot. Then flash the rom after.
You should be good to go after that.
Edit : additionally, I wouldn't restore any apps or data from tibu in this case, going from 4.1.2 to 4.3 changes quite a bit of file structuring and could cause problems.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Thanks for the reply! And yes, sorry for the long post- I opted to be thorough and give all the relevant information up front instead of playing a cat-and-mouse game of having to post repeatedly with information I could've posted at the beginning.
I heard about EZ Unlock but wasn't sure if it was still appropriate to use in this case. Per your instructions, I will sideload the APK and make magic happen from there.
I DID encounter something new just about an hour ago- I used Casual but I got no errors this time. Hopefully that is a sign of good things to come.
And thanks for the heads up about TiBu backups not working well- that right there saved me a LOT of headaches, I'm sure.
This being the case, however, how would I link my device to Verizon/Google if no data is restored at all from the backup, like account information and such? And would I still be able to restore my SMS/call log (they're in an XML file, not in app data)?
Again, many thanks!
DuoDSG said:
Thanks for the reply! And yes, sorry for the long post- I opted to be thorough and give all the relevant information up front instead of playing a cat-and-mouse game of having to post repeatedly with information I could've posted at the beginning.
I heard about EZ Unlock but wasn't sure if it was still appropriate to use in this case. Per your instructions, I will sideload the APK and make magic happen from there.
I DID encounter something new just about an hour ago- I used Casual but I got no errors this time. Hopefully that is a sign of good things to come.
And thanks for the heads up about TiBu backups not working well- that right there saved me a LOT of headaches, I'm sure.
This being the case, however, how would I link my device to Verizon/Google if no data is restored at all from the backup, like account information and such? And would I still be able to restore my SMS/call log (they're in an XML file, not in app data)?
Again, many thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't be sorry for the long post, much better to be detailed and explain as much as you can. Shows you did some research before asking. I wish everyone researched that much before posting.
Ez unlock is great to use in this case, it will brick your phone if you're on 4.3.
You can always restore your contacts from googles database, as far as restoring call logs and sms messages you should be OK. But if you encounter any lag or bugs it could have something to do with that.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
All right, so I followed your instructions. I sideloaded EZ Unlock, which did the trick, and then I went into CWM Recovery, wiped the data, cache and dalvik.
Then I went ahead and loaded the ROM zip from the SD card, and VOILA! Without a hitch. The phone is snappier than EVER and it's just a matter of downloading the apps I want to again from the play store. Even the data speeds--whether on WiFi or 4G--are blazing fast, I never encountered speeds like this, even when I first got my phone stock from Verizon.
I was pleasantly surprised that my phone didn't have an identity crisis (as had happened when I rooted and loaded a custom ROM on my HTC Thunderbolt years ago). Right away it knew my phone number, and my Google account sync was flawless.
So far, extremely impressed. And I can breathe a sigh of relief that I OVERprepared for this instead of missing something crucial (so far! fingers crossed). Before, under 4.1.2, I used a combination of Greenify, freezing unwanted bloatware/system apps and Xposed Framework to get my phone to do incredible things, and I look forward to seeing how everything works under 4.3 without Verizon's slimy tentacles all over my phone again.
I will continue to update the thread as I run into issues or curious info that might be useful to anyone considering going through the same process. Surely my experience and effort can allow someone else to have an easier time than I did!
Thank you again for your help- it may have seemed simple, but the direction and reassurance you gave was all the help I needed to make it happen and not blow up my phone

TWRP Question - so confused

Hi all.
Hope someone can help me. When I got my Samsung S8+, I quickly installed TWRP and then rooted it with magisk the same day I received it.
After that I removed a LOT of bloatware and installed hundreds of apps and everything was fine for 6 months.
One day it gave me a weird lock error, because I think I accidentally removed the OEM Unlock and the phone went crazy.
I had no phone for a few days but eventually I managed to flash stock rom and phone went back to normal.
I lost root, but I managed to keep all my data.
Now I want to see if I can get root again. However, all the tutorials to get TWRP require that I wipe my phone.
My questions are:
Can I root my phone without wiping all my data? Is there a chance that my bootloader is unlocked already or did flashing stock rom remove that?
If I have to wipe my data, how can I keep all my apps (and the app data). I have Titan Backup but that needs root to work so I don't see how to save the app data?
Thanks
Here is the query result using your basic question. . .
https://forum.xda-developers.com/search.php?searchid=446156896
nkomp18 said:
Hi all.
Hope someone can help me. When I got my Samsung S8+, I quickly installed TWRP and then rooted it with magisk the same day I received it.
After that I removed a LOT of bloatware and installed hundreds of apps and everything was fine for 6 months.
One day it gave me a weird lock error, because I think I accidentally removed the OEM Unlock and the phone went crazy.
I had no phone for a few days but eventually I managed to flash stock rom and phone went back to normal.
I lost root, but I managed to keep all my data.
Now I want to see if I can get root again. However, all the tutorials to get TWRP require that I wipe my phone.
My questions are:
Can I root my phone without wiping all my data? Is there a chance that my bootloader is unlocked already or did flashing stock rom remove that?
If I have to wipe my data, how can I keep all my apps (and the app data). I have Titan Backup but that needs root to work so I don't see how to save the app data?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Inorder to root, you need twrp and in order to get twrp working you need to wipe everything first.
I don't know if there is the possibility to backup app data without root, however i found this articel.
Just because I'm curious, which apps are important for you to have a local backup? I went through all my apps and didn't found a single app which isn't either naturally stored in the cloud (like whatsapp, FB, Snapchat,..) or has the function to export/backup things like tasker. :fingers-crossed:
Hi Jaannis.
I have a lot of apps that do not store their data in the cloud but locally in the phone. Without being too specific, some of these are notes, some are social apps (connections with hundreds of different people around the world with conversations, pictures and videos) and some are personal collected data.
I managed to migrate all the data the last 5 years using Titan and I think it's silly after managing to save them suddenly to lose them. On the other hand it kind of looks like there is no other way. Without Titan backup working, I will need to lose everything.

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