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[Q] Trying to create a CW zip with all the apps i want to install automatically

Can some one provide some instructions on how to go about making a CW zip file to flash and install all the apps that is on my phone?
I've seen a few of these floating around in the forum, and wanted to make my own to save time after every ROM flash
Do I just grab all the APK files throw them into a folder and Zip & Sign it?
or do I have to do a Nandroid backup first, then only use the app files from the backup?

I would like to know this too....

Would be nice as well instead of restoring
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Take an existing update.zip type file. Add a folder to it with the full proper path for your apps you want to pre-install (typically this will be /data/app) and put all the apps in that folder. Should look something like this in a windows/mac explorer window:
Code:
META-INF
/com/google/android/updater-script
data
/app/myfirstapp.apk
/app/mysecondapp.apk
Then use a text editor to edit the META-INF/com/google/android/updater-script file to include the commands to copy over your stuff. It would something along the lines of:
Code:
ui_print("Installing New App Files to /data");
package_extract_dir("data", "/data");
Edit out anything in the update template you're working out of that you don't want to happen (ie., format or symlinks, etc).
Repackage the zip file and make sure nothing else got in there by mistake by re-opening it (like those pesky Mac .ds-store files).
You can re-sign it with the android tools, but I don't believe you need to with Clockwork.
I would have a fresh nandroid before testing anything, of course.
You feel this approach is better than just using Titanium to restore apps? You won't get back any app data that isn't stored on the sdcard.

Thanks!
yes, now that makes sense, i recall reading that some where else to add extra APK to the ROMs
so it's the same idea, just without the ROM portion
now i get it

distortedloop said:
Take an existing update.zip type file. Add a folder to it with the full proper path for your apps you want to pre-install (typically this will be /data/app) and put all the apps in that folder. Should look something like this in a windows/mac explorer window:
Code:
META-INF
/com/google/android/updater-script
data
/app/myfirstapp.apk
/app/mysecondapp.apk
Then use a text editor to edit the META-INF/com/google/android/updater-script file to include the commands to copy over your stuff. It would something along the lines of:
Code:
ui_print("Installing New App Files to /data");
package_extract_dir("data", "/data");
Edit out anything in the update template you're working out of that you don't want to happen (ie., format or symlinks, etc).
Repackage the zip file and make sure nothing else got in there by mistake by re-opening it (like those pesky Mac .ds-store files).
You can re-sign it with the android tools, but I don't believe you need to with Clockwork.
I would have a fresh nandroid before testing anything, of course.
You feel this approach is better than just using Titanium to restore apps? You won't get back any app data that isn't stored on the sdcard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya essentially this method is doingan advanced nandroid restore for data only except without the settings.
Sent from my MattedBlues CM7 Nexus S from the XDA Premium app.

kenvan19 said:
Ya essentially this method is doingan advanced nandroid restore for data only except without the settings.
Sent from my MattedBlues CM7 Nexus S from the XDA Premium app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suppose if you want the app data restored as well, you would just need to identify it's location in the /data directory and add it to the /data folder in the update you're making. Seems like most of the app data goes into /data/data.
Just thinking out loud here...
So for a sample app on my phone I have called jefit pro I'd put the following in the update file.
Code:
/data/je.fit.pro-1.apk <---apk itself
/data/data/je.fit.pro <--the folder
/data/data/je.fit.pro/databases/data
/data/data/je.fit.pro/lib
/data/data/je.fit.pro/preferences/preferences.xml
I'd just pull the whole folder for the /data/data/je.fit.pro from the phone via adb.
I'm not sure how useful putting the data back is, since that's not a static set of files on many apps, but for some apps where the data is just some settings or preference files it may be a nice touch.
I don't really see any advantage to this over just use Titanium to restore apps and data, but it should work.
(<<---- this would be the whole folder and its subfolders that I pulled via adb off the phone)

distortedloop said:
I don't really see any advantage to this over just use Titanium to restore apps and data, but it should work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AllGamer, I'm glad you brought this up, while I don't personally have any apps I want to put on the phone in this method, except perhaps titanium itself, I just realized we could of course do the same thing for all those little custom tweaks we put on our phones, like for me I push my personalized ringtones/notification sounds to /system. That's easy enough with adb or rootexplorer, but why not just flash them from a zip while in CW after a wipe or install of a new rom?

distortedloop said:
AllGamer, I'm glad you brought this up, while I don't personally have any apps I want to put on the phone in this method, except perhaps titanium itself, I just realized we could of course do the same thing for all those little custom tweaks we put on our phones, like for me I push my personalized ringtones/notification sounds to /system. That's easy enough with adb or rootexplorer, but why not just flash them from a zip while in CW after a wipe or install of a new rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the idea came up from several places, first Titanium Backup itself offers to create a signed .zip installer for CW
and i've seen other devices forums with people packing up like 100+ apps/tweaks/mods into it to flash after CW is done flashing the new ROM
yes, of course we can use TI, i have TI pro and it's very easy, but Ti is slow.... at restoring 300+ Apps
but everytime i see CW restoring a Zip file or even a full Nandroid backup, it does it so fast and quickly, that i though... hell might as well keep an updated signed .zip wtih all my must have apps, and flash it along right after any new ROM flash (when testing out different Custom ROMs) then i don't need to spend like an hour everytime restoring + configuring the phones
i noticed that Ti works a hell of a lot faster if the apps are already installed, and you only need to restore the data.
and that is the main reason i want to compile a list of all the apps
once they are all installed, then i can use any of the good market utilities that can do mass Apps2SD and i'll be up and running in as quickly as 15min vs. a whole hour waste on a restore/config everytime you change the ROM
using Ti i found most of the System settings can be restored safely without corrupting the new ROM
email
accounts & syncs
bluetooth pairings
wifi
... ah shoot forgot the rest
only do not restore settings for:
launcher,
wireless network (phone company)
android market
and anything that has to do with default settings
probably this weekend i'll dissect the CW zip created by Ti itself, and add more to it

Sounds like a good plan...but you've got 300+ apps if I recall correctly. I imagine that will take a long time to restore either method!
The Titanium update zip is a good place to start. Use the setting to make it a "user" app and it will put it in /data, where you want the rest of your apps as well. You could just dump what you want right into the zip file there in the folder that has titanium's apk itself and not even worry about messing with the updater-script file.

I lost original system app: text messaging app, can anyone email me the backup?

Hi all,
In order to show the SMS's sent timestamp, I replaced the system's messaging app with handcent message. I backup all the following apps with Titanium backup, and uninstall them by Titanium uninstalling function.
Conversations.apk
Messaging.apk
MessageWidget.apk
UniversalInbox.apk
But the Titanium backup failed to restore the system messaging app after experiment. When i want to restore the apps referred ahead, the Titanium frozen.
And I extract all the apps from a ROM, and want to restore them by "Systemapp Remover". The remover show success, and i reboot the phone, but nothing changed. and i found in the systemapp remover interface, all the 4 apps' status were "disabled".
I think a backup from a running Atrix 2 will help my restore all the apps.
so does anybody can backup all the four system apps by "Systemapp remover", zip the SD:\SystemAppBack folder, and email the zipped file to me. and i will try restore them.
Thank you in advanced, i do not want to reflash my phone. Thank you in advanced.
my email : [email protected] or [email protected]

First off, you should never uninstall or delete system apps, you should always freeze them, that way if you have a problem and need them later you can just defrost them.
Second, the core phone apps like messaging and dialer should never be frozen or removed, they are needed even by replacement apps such as Handcent.
Third, you can get those apps from any ROM that still has the stock apps such as SCv6 or better yet the Stock Monster which is in the Themes and Apps section. Just download, then unzip the ROM and go to the /system/app folder. If you get it from a de-odexed ROM just grab the apk files, if you get them from an odexed ROM (such as The Stock Monster) make sure you grab both the apk and the odex files for each app.
Lastly, please research before doing things to anything in the /system folder...messing up something there is a sure fire way to get stuck in a bootloop or softbrick.

lilhaiti said:
First off, you should never uninstall or delete system apps, you should always freeze them, that way if you have a problem and need them later you can just defrost them.
Second, the core phone apps like messaging and dialer should never be frozen or removed, they are needed even by replacement apps such as Handcent.
Third, you can get those apps from any ROM that still has the stock apps such as SCv6 or better yet the Stock Monster which is in the Themes and Apps section. Just download, then unzip the ROM and go to the /system/app folder. If you get it from a de-odexed ROM just grab the apk files, if you get them from an odexed ROM (such as The Stock Monster) make sure you grab both the apk and the odex files for each app.
Lastly, please research before doing things to anything in the /system folder...messing up something there is a sure fire way to get stuck in a bootloop or softbrick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait! The (now defunct) Stock Monster doesn't have those apps... Try Romulus if you are still on stock odexed, or Remus if you are deodexed - they both have most of the stock apps.
Also, you need the classes.dex file in the deodexed apks, so you couldn't just grab the apks only from the Stock Monster anyway if you are deodexed.
In fact, are you odexed or deodexed? I could throw those apps in a CWM recovery zip real quick for you...

Hi alteredlikeness,
Thank you so much.
but i used systemapp remover instead of recovering the zip file sent by you. But the same, all the 4 apps restored, but status were "disabled" even if rebooting the phone.
I'm wondering whether there was a file recorded the system files' hashing key? so i restore the file with system app remover always fails.

gjgj said:
Hi alteredlikeness,
Thank you so much.
but i used systemapp remover instead of recovering the zip file sent by you. But the same, all the 4 apps restored, but status were "disabled" even if rebooting the phone.
I'm wondering whether there was a file recorded the system files' hashing key? so i restore the file with system app remover always fails.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no experience with systemapp remover.. did you try to flash the zip through cwm recovery?
My thought is maybe the permissions are not correct.. you can check and change the permissions with root explorer, or use the "fix permissions" option in cwm recovery.
Sent from my phone's mind

alteredlikeness said:
I have no experience with systemapp remover.. did you try to flash the zip through cwm recovery?
My thought is maybe the permissions are not correct.. you can check and change the permissions with root explorer, or use the "fix permissions" option in cwm recovery.
Sent from my phone's mind
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Browse the /system/app/ directory with Root Explorer, all the 8 files permission were correct, and i reboot the phone, but all the apps were still disabled.

Thank all, i had recover all the files from a backup files from the same version. Maybe android will check the system apps' version or MD5 hash.

[Q] Go backup restored problem

I hope it is the right forum to ask.
I've just flashed my GS2 to JB 4.1.2 and Rooted.
Before that I made a mistake and backup my files with Go backup pro.
Now I can't restored because it is not find my backup files on the path..
I have searched in your forum vertically and horizontally and I found some thread about this problem but without a solution.
Could someone please advice me how to restore my files back?
Thank you very much.
Tomer.

tomer_inbar said:
I hope it is the right forum to ask.
I've just flashed my GS2 to JB 4.1.2 and Rooted.
Before that I made a mistake and backup my files with Go backup pro.
Now I can't restored because it is not find my backup files on the path..
I have searched in your forum vertically and horizontally and I found some thread about this problem but without a solution.
Could someone please advice me how to restore my files back?
Thank you very much.
Tomer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also backup my files using Go Backup pro. The backups by default are in external sdcard ( sdcard1). After flashing a rom you reinstall Gobackup Pro from Play Store. Launch the app and you will see the two tabs onscreen : backup tab and restore tab. Just click the restore tab and you see a prompt showing all backup files. Choose the latest files and click restore.

terrynguyen said:
I also backup my files using Go Backup pro. The backups by default are in external sdcard ( sdcard1). After flashing a rom you reinstall Gobackup Pro from Play Store. Launch the app and you will see the two tabs onscreen : backup tab and restore tab. Just click the restore tab and you see a prompt showing all backup files. Choose the latest files and click restore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried it and still I don't have any backups on screen.. :crying:

See which storage has been set as default. ( under settings - storage)
If you backed up to SD and now internal memory is made as default, it won't show the files. (as it searches only internal memory)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
LIFE!
IT'S WHAT YOU MAKE OUT OF IT!

Thank you for your answer.
I did backup on the SD card.
I did check and both shows no backup..

GoBackup doesnt recognize old backup files problem solved!
OK...got something for all of u punks like me out there. After installing new ROM i couldn't restore my backuped upfiles with GoBackup coz app couldn't recognize or find old backup files. I really had some important stuff there and wasn't intending to just give up. I have read many forums but everyone said to just give it up and forget it. Said hell no! So after few days of trying (reinstalling rom,gobackup,deleting caches and god knows what else i have tried) i came a cross of this lame idea . I actually opened GoBackup files on my GoogleDrive(so.... i had backup but app couldn't find it or recognize it to be able to restore it) and checked what i had installed. Made a list and installed all apps i had when i was making backup. Then i installed apps and made backup via gobackup. And here it goes... i copyed old backup files in latest backup directory , renamed old backup files using names from new files. So u get your old backup using file names of latest backup. Now app will recognize your old backup coz u renamed them. App thinks your old backup is actually latest backup. U just go into app and restore your things.
So:
1.Check out your GoBackup directory where u have your backup files (which after rooting app doesn't find or recognize) and make a list of apps u wanna restore
2.Install apps from your list
3.Make new backup of all apps u wanna restore later(old ones u had installed)
4.Now open backed up files that u wanna restore and open latest backup directory and rename old files using names from new backup files.
5.After renaming old backup files, move them into latest backup directory replacing latest backup files with renamed ones.
6.Go to GoBackup app and make restore of latest backup which is actually old one .

Found an easy solution
1. Connect your phone via cable.
2. Open SD card, locate GOBackup folder and press copy.
3. Go to local memory and press paste.
Now open GOBackup on your device, and its a miracle, all your backup there

Help restoring in TWRP

I've wiped everything in TWRP (factory reset; advanced -> dalvik/system/data/internal/cache; format data), then pushed my backup to /sdcard/. When I go into Restore to reload the backup, it just shows a big gray square with no items. I've tried pushing it to several different locations and restarting TWRP. I finally landed on having the backup folder (named something like 8780a9ypwt98h34) inside the folder called 'TWRP' that TWRP creates upon being booted the first time.
But nothing shows up in the Restore. It's just a big blank square box, where you can tell there should be navigation items like folders and files listed.
Why isn't the backup showing? What do I have to do?

EDIT: just realized TWRP has a file manager. Where do I put the backup (it's a folder named something like 9807a9h9f83fh398). Also, is there a reason that instead Restore listing items like a file manager (like what you see in TWRP when you hit install, or when you go through the TWRP file manager), all it shows is a gray box with no text in/around it?

Hi, I've been using PhilZ recovery for a while but before that I used TWRP and might be able to help if you still need it.
If I'm remembering correctly, TWRP looks for backups in one location and doesn't allow you to navigate to a different directory so it's important to get your backup in just the right spot for it to be recognized.
When I was trying to do exactly what you are, what I found that worked for me was to start by doing a backup before trying to copy the files I actually wanted to restore. Doing that backup to start with allows TWRP to create all the directories it needs to for its static backup location. Once that was done it was easy then to just copy my backup to the proper location.
The directories should be something like this: TWRP > BACKUPS > stringoflettersandnumbers > nameofbackup
Hope this helps.
Nexus 5 / Cataclysm / Franco / PhilZ

chef_christoph said:
Hi, I've been using PhilZ recovery for a while but before that I used TWRP and might be able to help if you still need it.
If I'm remembering correctly, TWRP looks for backups in one location and doesn't allow you to navigate to a different directory so it's important to get your backup in just the right spot for it to be recognized.
When I was trying to do exactly what you are, what I found that worked for me was to start by doing a backup before trying to copy the files I actually wanted to restore. Doing that backup to start with allows TWRP to create all the directories it needs to for its static backup location. Once that was done it was easy then to just copy my backup to the proper location.
The directories should be something like this: TWRP > BACKUPS > stringoflettersandnumbers > nameofbackup
Hope this helps.
Nexus 5 / Cataclysm / Franco / PhilZ
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's brilliant. I will try that.

How to retain a paid copy offf amy app

Hi guys
I so not promote piracy or sharing a paid version of app in free.
This guide is for those who have actually bought tha app and now they have changed their device.
So download es file manager and swipe from left edge. There you will find many options tap on library and a dropdown menu opens up. In that menu you tap on apps and the user appa will own up
Long press on paod apps amd then click on backup.
The backup apps will be stored on the internal sd card in a folder named backup.
NOW WE HAVE THE APP BUT WHAT ABOUT THE DATA AMD SETTINGS OF THE APPS
dont worry i have a solution for that also.
Download titanium backup and busybox.
Imstall both of then amd open busybox amd click on smart install and close it
Open titanium backup and on the top tiles click on backup tile.
Apps will open. Now select thae app which you backuped using es file manager and in the menu opened.in front of you click on backup.
The apps data and settingd will.be stored in a titanium backup folder.
NOW WE HAVE APK.DATA.SETTINGS OF PAID APPS
copy the backup and titamium backup folder on the new device and imstall all es file explorer,busy box,titanium backup.
Setup.busybox as before and imstall the apks from backup folder.
After installing the apk open titanium backup amd goto backup amd click on same app amd click on restore.
After doimg this for all apps you have a full paid app from your previous device to new device.
With all data and settimgs lile before.
This is a guide for those alteady having paid apps.
Do mot use this for piracy.
Peace
i can do any thing except damaging your device. GOD DOES NOT DO THAT

Woah groundbreaking
Sent from my SM-G386T1 using Tapatalk

Why use es file Explorer? Titanium backup can do all the backing up.... Paid and free apps, and data in one step. Then transfer the backup folder to a cloud server or pc..... Done.
:good:

Darth said:
Why use es file Explorer? Titanium backup can do all the backing up.... Paid and free apps, and data in one step. Then transfer the backup folder to a cloud server or pc..... Done.
:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because that would be too easy. I've used Titanium Backup for years and it works great. No need for another app.

If he just said back it up using TiBu there would be no guide for him to make
Sent from my SM-G386T1 using Tapatalk

In my case i use a custom rom made by me and in thatbrom my titanium fails to backup apps
i can do any thing except damaging your device. GOD DOES NOT DO THAT