Is there an app like Titanium Backup for a non-rooted SNS? Do I really need to backup if I don't root the phone? I would like to backup before I start the playing (sorry for the newbie question but I am a recent convert from i****e 4).
Thanks in advance, Jeff
You can boot into Clockwork Recovery (with fastboot) and do a nandroid backup, all without flashing anything.
If you have no intentions of rooting odds are you don't need a backup app. When you first set up your phone you can check the box that will backup with google and in the event you get a new phone all your apps will be there. Anything you purchase on the market will automatically backup to your account even if you don't check off the box. Welcome to Android, I'm sure you will enjoy your experience.
icandy75 said:
If you have no intentions of rooting odds are you don't need a backup app. When you first set up your phone you can check the box that will backup with google and in the event you get a new phone all your apps will be there. Anything you purchase on the market will automatically backup to your account even if you don't check off the box. Welcome to Android, I'm sure you will enjoy your experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank icandy75 for the quick reply. Is that data (pics, contacts, bookmarks, etc.) and apps if I check the box? Is the backup encrypted or passworded? BTW I am currently using a Samsung Intercept for the last 5 weeks with 2.1 and temporary root so I really like Titanium Backup to wipe data and being able to reverse things. Can the backup to Google do anything like that, I am suspecting not.
P.S. So far the experience has been wonderful even after using iPhones for 3.5 years.
shrivelfig said:
You can boot into Clockwork Recovery (with fastboot) and do a nandroid backup, all without flashing anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick reply. I assume these are not as robust and flexible as Titanium Backup. Is it inevitable that I will really just want to root to get better apps? Sorry but new to the wonderful world of Android. BTW I am only going to use the SNS via WiFi for now.
Thanks for the info., help and advice,
Jeff
jefftab11 said:
Thank icandy75 for the quick reply. Is that data (pics, contacts, bookmarks, etc.) and apps if I check the box? Is the backup encrypted or passworded? BTW I am currently using a Samsung Intercept for the last 5 weeks with 2.1 and temporary root so I really like Titanium Backup to wipe data and being able to reverse things. Can the backup to Google do anything like that, I am suspecting not.
P.S. So far the experience has been wonderful even after using iPhones for 3.5 years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pics are not backed up but you can back those up manually to you computer without root. Contacts are backed up to your Gmail account for easy access. It will also back up your wifi passwords but not your sms. There really is no reason not to root on this phone. It's very easy to do and reversible plus root gives you the ability to use a bunch of apps like TB. If you get into flashing roms I would suggest getting the paid version. It makes it a breeze to switch from one rom to next and gives you a few more options like dropbox sync and the ability to freeze apps.
use mybackup pro for backups if you dont have root.
backs up all sms, mms, android home, system settings, call logs, music playlists, bookmarks, dictionary, call logs, applications (doesnt back up the data/settings inside the app). lol am i missing something?
you can save the backups online or to your sd card
Yeah, My Backup pro is the only other app that I know of that people liked for non-rooted devices.
Clockwork Recovery Backup
I know this thread is about a month old, but...
I have to say, if you want to do any rooting or ROM flashing later the Clockwork Recovery backup is probably the better way to go.
It wasn't said earlier, but if you have adb and fastboot already installed/config'd on Ubuntu (but should be the same commands on Mac OSX - not sure about Win):
Code:
adb reboot-bootloader
fastboot boot <path to recovery file>/recovery-clockwork-herring.img
I already unlocked my bootloader prior to this, so all the data I have has been wiped previously and I reloaded manually.
Vol Down to "backup and restore" and hit power button. First option is Backup. Just hit power button and let it do the backup. This may take a bit of time. The recovery is not perm and will be gone when you reboot.
The backup is stored on your "SD" partition under "clockworkmod/backup/[backup date]"
You should be able to use the same thing to restore at a later time if needed, selecting "restore" instead of the "backup" option.
There is a app on the market called* backup everything*. I've never used it but description says works for non rooted phones.
takkun1946 said:
I know this thread is about a month old, but...
I have to say, if you want to do any rooting or ROM flashing later the Clockwork Recovery backup is probably the better way to go.
It wasn't said earlier, but if you have adb and fastboot already installed/config'd on Ubuntu (but should be the same commands on Mac OSX - not sure about Win):
Code:
adb reboot-bootloader
fastboot boot <path to recovery file>/recovery-clockwork-herring.img
I already unlocked my bootloader prior to this, so all the data I have has been wiped previously and I reloaded manually.
Vol Down to "backup and restore" and hit power button. First option is Backup. Just hit power button and let it do the backup. This may take a bit of time. The recovery is not perm and will be gone when you reboot.
The backup is stored on your "SD" partition under "clockworkmod/backup/[backup date]"
You should be able to use the same thing to restore at a later time if needed, selecting "restore" instead of the "backup" option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to clarify commands, specifically for Mac OSX:
(These commands are assuming you've downloaded this file (http://www.mediafire.com/?qoz9f6e8fbx8zs0) and unzipped it to your desktop)
Code:
~/Desktop/adb-fastboot/adb reboot bootloader
Code:
~/Desktop/adb-fastboot/fastboot oem unlock
Code:
~/Desktop/androidsdk/tools/fastboot flash recovery recovery-clockwork-3.0.0.5-crespo.img
Hey guys, I'm rather new to the world of customising Android devices. I just have SO MANY QUESTIONS right now. And I'm sure I'm not the only one, which is why I created this thread to help myself and other people.
Basically, I'll be asking a bunch of questions related to the topic, and this can help other people who are new to all this too.
So, I've got a rooted device. It's on lollipop 5.0, has an unlocked bootloader, TWRP recovery, and Xposed framework.
A few questions to start off with:
1) Can I flash multiple .zip/.img files one after another? Or do I need to always wipe my phone's cache after each flash?
2) Say I wanna update TWRP recovery. Do I have do something before flashing it? CAN I flash a newer version over the previous one?
3) Same question as 2) but for Xposed framework instead.
4) I have Xposed framework installed with some modules running on my phone. Should I disable these modules before updating my Xposed?
5) The latest version of Xposed is v86 as given here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3034811
Can v86 work for lollipop?
6) Similarly, can one download any TWRP version and flash it for their device? Or do each build have a different, specific version of TWRP?
7) Are the latest recovery mods and Xposed frameworks always guaranteed to be stable? Or is it safer to stay on the older ones? Which ones would you recommend?
8) Now, the custom ROMS. What are the necessary things to do before flashing one of these?
9) After flashing a custom ROM, can you flash another on top of it? Or do you have to restore back to your original stock ROM?
10) Does flashing and switching between custom ROMs cause any damage to the phone? Or is there any such potential?
11) Since backing up is a must, I'll ask some about that too. Which would you suggest to be the best backing up method?
12) Does creating a NANDroid backup or a backup from within custom recovery(TWRP in my case) equal to creating a backup of stock ROM?
13) Do I need to copy that backup into PC(to restore later), or will it be safe in my phone's memory after flashing a custom ROM?
I guess that's about it for now. Everyone, please answer if you have done these before. And of course, add your own questions too. This can save a lot of time for a lot of people. I could add more questions in if people request it.
**Answer mentioning the question number for simplicity of searching.
Answers!
1) Can I flash multiple .zip/.img files one after another? Or do I need to always wipe my phone's cache after each flash?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can, but it is more recommended to wipe cache and dalvik cache with each flash.
2) Say I wanna update TWRP recovery. Do I have do something before flashing it? CAN I flash a newer version over the previous one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'll have to wipe dalvik cache and cache and just flash it normally. It might be stuck at 90% but a force reboot fixes it. It is because you are already in recovery. If it is stuck, leave it for 15 mins and come back. This is just to ensure that it really is stuck.
3) Same question as 2) but for Xposed framework instead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, works, except you wont be stuck.
4) I have Xposed framework installed with some modules running on my phone. Should I disable these modules before updating my Xposed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No need
5) The latest version of Xposed is v86 as given here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3034811
Can v86 work for lollipop?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, just flash it via recovery
6) Similarly, can one download any TWRP version and flash it for their device? Or do each build have a different, specific version of TWRP?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Each build is different for each device, so for example, I can't flash a TWRP for s7 edge on my s4.
7) Are the latest recovery mods and Xposed frameworks always guaranteed to be stable? Or is it safer to stay on the older ones? Which ones would you recommend?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In example, xposed and supersu framework and binary lets you choose if you want a stable file or a test one for developers. TWRP and other stuff have (what I know) different versions and as stated, these versions behave different on different device. During testing with my S4, I found that TWRP 2.8.7.0 is the most stable build for my device.
8) Now, the custom ROMS. What are the necessary things to do before flashing one of these?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make a nandroid backup of your whole device and back it up on you computer. Then wipe everything except your external sdcard and either store it on an sdcard or "adb sideload" it.
9) After flashing a custom ROM, can you flash another on top of it? Or do you have to restore back to your original stock ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not on top of it, you'll have to do as the answer to question 8, make a backup, wipe everything and then flash. No need to go back to stock ROM and then flash it
10) Does flashing and switching between custom ROMs cause any damage to the phone? Or is there any such potential?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is always the risk of bricking but as far as software, it is always revertable. As long as you have a backup of course.
11) Since backing up is a must, I'll ask some about that too. Which would you suggest to be the best backing up method?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nandroid backup is the best one.
12) Does creating a NANDroid backup or a backup from within custom recovery(TWRP in my case) equal to creating a backup of stock ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It creates a backup of your current state, lets say, you are in Cyanogenmod 13, making a Nandroid backup will backup everything on cyanogenmod so that if you flash another ROM and still want to go back, you'll have everything restored, including app data and apps.
13) Do I need to copy that backup into PC(to restore later), or will it be safe in my phone's memory after flashing a custom ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will take up a lot of space on your device (since it is a backup of your whole device) so it is recommended to copy it to your computer and remove it from the phone. But, as always, make sure you copy the whole "BACKUPS" folder because the folder inside that folder has your device ID and it is required by TWRP to have the folder the exact ID of your phone to prevent anything bad from happening (bricks).
Hope, I answered all the questions as you wanted and if you have a new question, post it here and I'll reply as soon as possible
Hey, thanks a lot for answering. It helps a lot.
A few other questions I have:
14) So if I were to get CM13, and then create a backup of it, and then get another rom, say ASOP, create a backup of that too, and then switch to yet another rom, say Resurrection Remix, create a backup of that too.
Now, is it possible for me to be able to SWITCH between multiple roms, with ALL my data saved individually on each rom perfectly the way I wanted?(of course, wipe cache and data before restoring the backup)
If so, then I could just keep Nandroids of my favorite roms, can keep switching between them, never having to flash and start from scratch ever again!
Sent from my ASUS_T00J using XDA-Developers mobile app
15) Since I don't have otg cable, nor an sd card reader, I'm gonna have to keep the nandroid on my sd. Which means a lot of space is needed.
Can this workaround be possible:
- I use TWRP to backup only system and boot data. I save this on sd card.
- I use Titanium backup to save only user app and data. I save this on PC.
So now, when my device crashes while flashing something, I can restore backup from TWRP(do I clear cache and data before this as well?), and once my system rom is back, I can copy titanium backup via USB and restore it.
Sent from my ASUS_T00J using XDA-Developers mobile app
16) Suppose I flashed CM13, and it's really buggy. Can I switch back to the previous rom whose nandroid I had just by restoring it? Is it really that simple?
Sent from my ASUS_T00J using XDA-Developers mobile app
ShinraTensei04 said:
Hey, thanks a lot for answering. It helps a lot.
A few other questions I have:
14) So if I were to get CM13, and then create a backup of it, and then get another rom, say ASOP, create a backup of that too, and then switch to yet another rom, say Resurrection Remix, create a backup of that too.
Now, is it possible for me to be able to SWITCH between multiple roms, with ALL my data saved individually on each rom perfectly the way I wanted?(of course, wipe cache and data before restoring the backup)
If so, then I could just keep Nandroids of my favorite roms, can keep switching between them, never having to flash and start from scratch ever again!
Sent from my ASUS_T00J using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
14) You can, but you would need tons of space.
Sent using a ks01lte (gt-i9506) running cm 13
---------- Post added at 05:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:56 AM ----------
ShinraTensei04 said:
15) Since I don't have otg cable, nor an sd card reader, I'm gonna have to keep the nandroid on my sd. Which means a lot of space is needed.
Can this workaround be possible:
- I use TWRP to backup only system and boot data. I save this on sd card.
- I use Titanium backup to save only user app and data. I save this on PC.
So now, when my device crashes while flashing something, I can restore backup from TWRP(do I clear cache and data before this as well?), and once my system rom is back, I can copy titanium backup via USB and restore it.
Sent from my ASUS_T00J using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do not have to have an sdcard reader to view your sdcard on your PC. You know how when you make a backup it is stored in /sdcard/TWRP/BACKUPS/CERIALNM/nameofbackup? Well, connect your phone to your pc and move the "backups" folder, then, when you need to restore it, add it to the twrp folder and restore it.
Sent using a ks01lte (gt-i9506) running cm 13
---------- Post added at 06:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:59 AM ----------
ShinraTensei04 said:
15) Since I don't have otg cable, nor an sd card reader, I'm gonna have to keep the nandroid on my sd. Which means a lot of space is needed.
Can this workaround be possible:
- I use TWRP to backup only system and boot data. I save this on sd card.
- I use Titanium backup to save only user app and data. I save this on PC.
So now, when my device crashes while flashing something, I can restore backup from TWRP(do I clear cache and data before this as well?), and once my system rom is back, I can copy titanium backup via USB and restore it.
Sent from my ASUS_T00J using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, on the titanium backup part, not a bad idea... You can then copy the data and system or boot to your pc and bam.
Sent using a ks01lte (gt-i9506) running cm 13
What I meant was: Let's say I bricked my phone. Now, according to you, I place backup on pc. Okay. But now, how do I place this backup onto the sd on my phone when my pc can't even detect the phone(cuz it's dead yo). Doesn't this impose on me to keep the backup in sd(as I don't have reader or otg).
About the titanium, so you're saying I can do that? Backup only user apps+data and restore after restoring only system+boot.
Another question:
16) Can the backup of user apps+data made on, say, 'X' rom, be restored on 'Y' rom via titanium, on condition they are same Android version(suppose 5.0), without ANY chance of incompatibility. More importantly, can it have any chances of leading to a brick/bootloop.
* I read somewhere that if you backed up system apps of 'X' rom, then changed to 'Y' rom, and restored the system apps of 'X' rom onto 'Y' rom, it bricks the phone.(which is why I ask this question)
17) "Backing up 'system' in TWRP is completely different from backing up 'system' on titanium. This is because TWRP backs up entire system with system apps, while titanium only backs up the apps." This is true, right?
Sent from my ASUS_T00J using XDA-Developers mobile app
ShinraTensei04 said:
What I meant was: Let's say I bricked my phone. Now, according to you, I place backup on pc. Okay. But now, how do I place this backup onto the sd on my phone when my pc can't even detect the phone(cuz it's dead yo). Doesn't this impose on me to keep the backup in sd(as I don't have reader or otg).
About the titanium, so you're saying I can do that? Backup only user apps+data and restore after restoring only system+boot.
Another question:
16) Can the backup of user apps+data made on, say, 'X' rom, be restored on 'Y' rom via titanium, on condition they are same Android version(suppose 5.0), without ANY chance of incompatibility. More importantly, can it have any chances of leading to a brick/bootloop.
* I read somewhere that if you backed up system apps of 'X' rom, then changed to 'Y' rom, and restored the system apps of 'X' rom onto 'Y' rom, it bricks the phone.(which is why I ask this question)
17) "Backing up 'system' in TWRP is completely different from backing up 'system' on titanium. This is because TWRP backs up entire system with system apps, while titanium only backs up the apps." This is true, right?
Sent from my ASUS_T00J using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You adb sideload a functioning ROM and once you boot you copy the backup you can flash it via twrp. As for the second question, I have not tested it but it sounds possible.
16) You should not be in a bootloop if you backup like that, the fact that it is even the same android version is making it more likely to work and what I know, you can even switch the backup via phones. I don't use titanium because I always do nandroid backups.
17) Yup, that's true, twrp sees "system as the partition system while titanium sees it as the whole phones software, hence why it is called " system".
Thanks for asking these question and hopefully some day, you can teach others.
RAZERZDAHACKER said:
You adb sideload a functioning ROM and once you boot you copy the backup you can flash it via twrp. As for the second question, I have not tested it but it sounds possible.
16) You should not be in a bootloop if you backup like that, the fact that it is even the same android version is making it more likely to work and what I know, you can even switch the backup via phones. I don't use titanium because I always do nandroid backups.
17) Yup, that's true, twrp sees "system as the partition system while titanium sees it as the whole phones software, hence why it is called " system".
Thanks for asking these question and hopefully some day, you can teach others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hm... so whenever I brick my phone, I MUST adb sideload to a working rom first, and only then restore the backup I made? Even if I already have a backup saved onto the sd card of my bricked phone? Can I not restore that via TWRP instead? I ask this because if I were to adb sideload first, I'd lose root, unlocked bootloader, and yes, TWRP. So, I'd have to get ALL that done again, and only then restore my backup.
18) Does restoring a backup I made(when I had root access, unlocked BL, custom recovery, xposed) RETAIN all that? Meaning after I restore to that backup, I will still have all that.
Thanks for answering, I'm learning quite a bit. And yeah, I'll make sure to help others with this information too.
ShinraTensei04 said:
Hm... so whenever I brick my phone, I MUST adb sideload to a working rom first, and only then restore the backup I made? Even if I already have a backup saved onto the sd card of my bricked phone? Can I not restore that via TWRP instead? I ask this because if I were to adb sideload first, I'd lose root, unlocked bootloader, and yes, TWRP. So, I'd have to get ALL that done again, and only then restore my backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You won't lose TWRP or unlocked bootloader, but I will try today by making backup of "cache" and flash it via my sdcard as soon as possible.
18) Does restoring a backup I made(when I had root access, unlocked BL, custom recovery, xposed) RETAIN all that? Meaning after I restore to that backup, I will still have all that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, it makes a backup of every little part of the system (if you include cache and dalvik, I don't, but some do).
Thanks for answering, I'm learning quite a bit. And yeah, I'll make sure to help others with this information too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, made a backup of "cache and the flashing went fine, my hypothesis is that you have to make the backup on the sdcard and not on the phone and move it to the sdcard.
RAZERZDAHACKER said:
You won't lose TWRP or unlocked bootloader, but I will try today by making backup of "cache" and flash it via my sdcard as soon as possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, when you adb sideload, you need to flash stock fastboot and recovery .img files(at least for my phone), and the bootloader does in fact get locked again, along with losing root. I know cuz I already have done adb sideloading before. So, doesn't that make flashing backup via sd card and TWRP without sideload the only thing I can do? I'm just trying to keep a backup without losing root, unlocked BL, TWRP, even if I gotta give up some space... Just wanna make sure it's safe to do it like that.
RAZERZDAHACKER said:
Yup, it makes a backup of every little part of the system (if you include cache and dalvik, I don't, but some do).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I only have "System(1125 mb)", "Data(3480 mb)", and "Cache(0 mb)" listed in TWRP. My cache is 0 mb.... nothing to backup on there?
19) Do I have to unlink my linked apps before creating a Nandroid, or will creating one while linked allow me to retain the link even after wiping data and then restoring the Nandroid?
ShinraTensei04 said:
Actually, when you adb sideload, you need to flash stock fastboot and recovery .img files(at least for my phone), and the bootloader does in fact get locked again, along with losing root. I know cuz I already have done adb sideloading before. So, doesn't that make flashing backup via sd card and TWRP without sideload the only thing I can do? I'm just trying to keep a backup without losing root, unlocked BL, TWRP, even if I gotta give up some space... Just wanna make sure it's safe to do it like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You wont lose anything during a complete nandroid backup, and, apparently, some devices loose stuff during adb sideload.
I only have "System(1125 mb)", "Data(3480 mb)", and "Cache(0 mb)" listed in TWRP. My cache is 0 mb.... nothing to backup on there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing....... Yet.
19) Do I have to unlink my linked apps before creating a Nandroid, or will creating one while linked allow me to retain the link even after wiping data and then restoring the Nandroid?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlink? What do you mean? (Not quoting Justin Bieber)
RAZERZDAHACKER said:
Unlink? What do you mean? (Not quoting Justin Bieber)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's this thing you can do where you move your apps from internal storage to sd card COMPLETElY, thereby saving a lot of space on internal memory. It works because a 'link' is created between the app+data(now in sd) back to it's internal location counterpart(where it would have been otherwise). This way, the apps and system think your apps are in internal, but in fact are in sd(you can see that more internal is free by checking space used up via any file manager though).
In order to do this, a second partition on the sd card is to be made with an ext2/ext4 format, and use a linking app( like Apps2sd).
ShinraTensei04 said:
There's this thing you can do where you move your apps from internal storage to sd card COMPLETElY, thereby saving a lot of space on internal memory. It works because a 'link' is created between the app+data(now in sd) back to it's internal location counterpart(where it would have been otherwise). This way, the apps and system think your apps are in internal, but in fact are in sd(you can see that more internal is free by checking space used up via any file manager though).
In order to do this, a second partition on the sd card is to be made with an ext2/ext4 format, and use a linking app( like Apps2sd).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I've used one of those, I first thought the app used the "MV" Unix command but yea you need a sec. Partition to do that on the sdcard, but you don't have to do that on your nandroid backup.
RAZERZDAHACKER said:
Yea I've used one of those, I first thought the app used the "MV" Unix command but yea you need a sec. Partition to do that on the sdcard, but you don't have to do that on your nandroid backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So can I backup linked apps with their links' data saved, so when I install the linking app again, they can be relinked automatically?
Sent from my ASUS_T00J using XDA-Developers mobile app
Thanks for those questions and answers. I posted this before but appearantly in the wrong place. It seems to be quite right here. Thanks to helping people!
Hi XDA experts
I am newly registered in the forum, but experienced in modding (more or less). But I am (for now) strictly a user, not developer.
So far I got along very well, with my beloved Galaxy S4 jfltexx. I got from stock to rooted stock, from there to cm, instantly back to stock, used it for a long time and am just now on cm13 nightly, which is truly awesome!
It is so awesome that I would really like to help other people out, even if they have no idea about this. Meaning I wish to modify other peoples phones for them. However, when it comes to other peoples property I can't really fight my way through technical terms I don't understand anymore, hoping that the outcome will be as I wished. I pretty much know what most of all these technical terms mean, but I don't always understand how they are related to each other. I know, explaining this will take a while, but I would REALLY appreciate it if someone would take the time...
1) The bootloader, can it be replaced? What would be the purpose of that? UNLOCKING does not mean REPLACING, does it??
What do custom ROMs typically consist of? An entire working system? Parts of a working system? Sometimes this sometimes that?
I'm asking the question because I got the impression that some custom ROMs require the user to have a certain (usually stock) ROM in order to flash it. For example, if I had a Galaxy S6 edge running 5.1.1, could I upgrade to noble ROM Marshmallow?
I also have the feeling that the ROM or system or whatever is somewhat seperate from the kernel. What is this relation? Do custom ROMs not always come with a compatible kernel? Is there only one kernel compatible to the rest of the system, or is there a chance to run a system with a kernel not particularly designed for it? How to get a 'wrong' kernel?
Where to get stock ROMs and who provides them? If I wanted to upgrade from Lollipop to Marshmallow, but am rooted and don't get OTA updates, what do I do? Assuming that Nandroids are bound to a single device (e.g. MY phone) who can provide a stock ROM that runs on my device and how does he get it?
Can I run pure Android on any phone, or is it (always?) necessary to adjust it? I understand that my hardware buttons of the S4 would probably not work on pure Android, but the rest?
Is there ANY phone SOLD with open bootloader and root? A phone that actually wants its users to play with the system?
Thanks guys
NoBullsh1t said:
Thanks for those questions and answers. I posted this before but appearantly in the wrong place. It seems to be quite right here. Thanks to helping people!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It happnes alot that people post in wrong section
Hi XDA experts
I am newly registered in the forum, but experienced in modding (more or less). But I am (for now) strictly a user, not developer.
So far I got along very well, with my beloved Galaxy S4 jfltexx. I got from stock to rooted stock, from there to cm, instantly back to stock, used it for a long time and am just now on cm13 nightly, which is truly awesome!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, kinda same, excpet im ks01lte but I moved from stock to rooted stock (5.1.1) then cm13, then stock + xposed 4.4.2 then cm11 and now back to cm13 nightly
It is so awesome that I would really like to help other people out, even if they have no idea about this. Meaning I wish to modify other peoples phones for them. However, when it comes to other peoples property I can't really fight my way through technical terms I don't understand anymore, hoping that the outcome will be as I wished. I pretty much know what most of all these technical terms mean, but I don't always understand how they are related to each other. I know, explaining this will take a while, but I would REALLY appreciate it if someone would take the time...
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1) The bootloader, can it be replaced? What would be the purpose of that? UNLOCKING does not mean REPLACING, does it??
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The bootloader can be replace, however, if you fail here, there is no comming back (you'll need a complete board replacement because the bootloader acts as a BIOS), the purpose of replacing it is various reasons, change of splash screen during boot etc. Some bootloaders are locked to only be able to flash certain ROMs (OEMs do this to not allow people to tinker with their devices) but it is nearly always un-lockable (except for some devices, I own an Acer tablet that has a locked bootloader that cant be un-locked) and no, unlocking it does not mean changing it.
What do custom ROMs typically consist of? An entire working system? Parts of a working system? Sometimes this sometimes that?
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Yea, sometimes this sometimes that, in example, ported marshamllow touchwiz ROMs rely on some files in the stock ROM so the "update" doesn't take up much space.
I'm asking the question because I got the impression that some custom ROMs require the user to have a certain (usually stock) ROM in order to flash it. For example, if I had a Galaxy S6 edge running 5.1.1, could I upgrade to noble ROM Marshmallow?
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That is because of the bootloader (again lol), from my experience with the s4, before flashing cm13, I had to go to 5.1.1 because of the bootloader was changed during the OTA, so as stated before, it only allowed a certain type of ROMs to be flashed.
I also have the feeling that the ROM or system or whatever is somewhat seperate from the kernel. What is this relation? Do custom ROMs not always come with a compatible kernel? Is there only one kernel compatible to the rest of the system, or is there a chance to run a system with a kernel not particularly designed for it? How to get a 'wrong' kernel?
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The kernel tells the system what to do, some kernels are specified for battery optimization, so the kernel tells the cpu to slow down and save juice, while some other kernels offer the ability to overclock the device (mostly used on older devices to make it faster, but it drains more juice and can result into app crashing), the kernel, is not separated from the system, in fact, you can't even compile a ROM without a kernel. There is not only one kernel for lets say cm, you can flash another kernel, just make sure it is compatible with your android version. To get a wrong kernel, flash one that isn't for your device or android version.
Where to get stock ROMs and who provides them? If I wanted to upgrade from Lollipop to Marshmallow, but am rooted and don't get OTA updates, what do I do? Assuming that Nandroids are bound to a single device (e.g. MY phone) who can provide a stock ROM that runs on my device and how does he get it?
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Your OEM provides them, samsung has a website called sammobile and uploads all the stock ROMs there. If you want to upgrade, just flash it via recovery or in your case, odin (for samsung phones). To give your backup to someone else, the other person must have the exact same phones, in example, you (jfltexx) can't give it to me (ks01lte), I must have jfltexx and then (assuming you did the backup on twrp) I'd have to change the serial number to my device.
Can I run pure Android on any phone, or is it (always?) necessary to adjust it? I understand that my hardware buttons of the S4 would probably not work on pure Android, but the rest?
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Your hardware buttons will work on pure android (aosp), I don't see why not, you said you are running cm13, that is altered pure android and it works fine, see pure android as cm withou all the features.
Is there ANY phone SOLD with open bootloader and root? A phone that actually wants its users to play with the system?
Thanks guys
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There are a few devices like that, one plus was a company that wanted to do that, it came with root, unlocked bootloader and cyanogenmod running, they separated unfortunatly and evolved to using "oxygen os" and does nor provide a un-locked bootloader but provides a simple tool to root and unlock. I don't know any companies that have unlocket bootloaders because they don't want the average consumer to mess up their device and blame it on the OEM.
"Can I run pure Android on any phone, or is it (always?) necessary to adjust it? I understand that my hardware buttons of the S4 would probably not work on pure Android, but the rest?
Your hardware buttons will work on pure android (aosp), I don't see why not, you said you are running cm13, that is altered pure android and it works fine, see pure android as cm withou all the features."
I mean is there like a website from google where I can dowoad a non device specific aosp and flash that to my S4 to make it run? Wouldn't there be for example drivers missing? Isn't that what I have to be greateful to Cyanogenmod for, making up to date android compatible with older devices?
---------- Post added at 07:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:42 PM ----------
So I can actually make a jfltexx Nandroid and install it on another jfltexx by easily changing the serial number???
NoBullsh1t said:
"Can I run pure Android on any phone, or is it (always?) necessary to adjust it? I understand that my hardware buttons of the S4 would probably not work on pure Android, but the rest?
Your hardware buttons will work on pure android (aosp), I don't see why not, you said you are running cm13, that is altered pure android and it works fine, see pure android as cm withou all the features."
I mean is there like a website from google where I can dowoad a non device specific aosp and flash that to my S4 to make it run? Wouldn't there be for example drivers missing? Isn't that what I have to be greateful to Cyanogenmod for, making up to date android compatible with older devices?
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Yes, be greatful, it is free, open source and full of active devs and memebers. I'm still not sure what you mean, do you mean on-screen navigation bar? Because you can change that in cyanogenmod settings.
---------- Post added at 07:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:42 PM ----------
So I can actually make a jfltexx Nandroid and install it on another jfltexx by easily changing the serial number???
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Click to collapse
Yea, you know how your backup is located in /sdcard/TWRP/BACKUPS/SERIALNO? The device you want to flash it to should make a backup of the tiniest partition (usually cache, it's 5mb) and youll get acces to the serial number, then you just swap it and delete the tiniest partition.
Hi, I have my phone rooted, magisk'd, xposed etc etc and with a lot of apps and tweaks done to it.
Is there any way at all I could make a flashable image of it instead of having to make a backup of it in TWRP and then restoring it from there? (The TWRP method has never failed me but I was just curious about whether the question below could be done)
I'd like to be able to have a copy of the entire phone as a backup on the PC so I could then flash the phone back to its current state (if I mess anything up) using SP Flash Tool?
Forgive me if this is a stupid question or a task so complicated that it would just be easier to continue using TWRP.
The reason I ask is if the TWRP backup on the phone gets corrupted somehow then I'd like a copy of the phone so I could restore using that.
MrGRiMv2 said:
Hi, I have my phone rooted, magisk'd, xposed etc etc and with a lot of apps and tweaks done to it.
Is there any way at all I could make a flashable image of it instead of having to make a backup of it in TWRP and then restoring it from there? (The TWRP method has never failed me but I was just curious about whether the question below could be done)
I'd like to be able to have a copy of the entire phone as a backup on the PC so I could then flash the phone back to its current state (if I mess anything up) using SP Flash Tool?
Forgive me if this is a stupid question or a task so complicated that it would just be easier to continue using TWRP.
The reason I ask is if the TWRP backup on the phone gets corrupted somehow then I'd like a copy of the phone so I could restore using that.
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Click to collapse
You can store a copy of your TWRP backup on PC, then, if the backup that is stored on the device gets corrupted, you can use the copy that is stored on PC.
Sent from my SM-S767VL using Tapatalk
I have a copy of it on PC just in case, I thought I remembered reading a thread on here quite a few years back about creating a custom ROM from your existing installation with SPFlashtool or a similar program but it was so long ago that I might have mistaken it for another backup method.
Either way the TWRP backup is still quick enough to recover from and was thinking about the SPFlashtool way as an experiment. Thanks for replying.
You should be able to make partition image backups in TWRP. System, data and boot. Then you can Fastboot flash those partitions back.
I am not familiar with the MTK devices but it must be similar.
You can also use SuperR's kitchen to easily build a ROM from the images.
MrGRiMv2 said:
Hi, I have my phone rooted, magisk'd, xposed etc etc and with a lot of apps and tweaks done to it.
Is there any way at all I could make a flashable image of it instead of having to make a backup of it in TWRP and then restoring it from there? (The TWRP method has never failed me but I was just curious about whether the question below could be done)
I'd like to be able to have a copy of the entire phone as a backup on the PC so I could then flash the phone back to its current state (if I mess anything up) using SP Flash Tool?
Forgive me if this is a stupid question or a task so complicated that it would just be easier to continue using TWRP.
The reason I ask is if the TWRP backup on the phone gets corrupted somehow then I'd like a copy of the phone so I could restore using that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please check if this will help you out, I know it can save app, app data and roms. I used it on my device. Though some apps have problem using the app data which was backed up, most apps worked
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=balti.migrate&hl=en_US
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-migrate-custom-rom-migration-tool-t3862763
gopikrishnanrmg said:
Please check if this will help you out, I know it can save app, app data and roms. I used it on my device. Though some apps have problem using the app data which was backed up, most apps worked
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=balti.migrate&hl=en_US
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-migrate-custom-rom-migration-tool-t3862763
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Click to collapse
That is useless for what they are trying to do. That only backs up and restores user apps and user data, it helps you keep your data when switching ROMs. That doesn't help restore the system if the device gets corrupted.
Sent from my SM-S767VL using Tapatalk
Can't believe nobody on XDA told you about dd in 361 days!
Abstract:
Twrp have constant problem with encrypted data. The goal to achieve is make full backup of encrypted phone, when is unlocked, and be able copy on another same model of phone, and again encrypt it.
Same question here.
Im currently working on this.
Will update soon...
-`chiron` -> lineage-18.1-20210722
1. First try:
Code:
a) adb shell
b) su
c) dd if=/dev/block/by-name/system of=/mnt/sdcard/system.img
d) copied /mnt/sdcard/system.img to windows file system
e) dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/block/by-name/system (after that phone restarted and automaticly went into fastboot)
(adb exited)
f) fastboot flash system system.img
g) Flashed with success, system animation showing, but after longer time phone turning off.
Data looks to dumped correctly, but now question is how to restore it correctly? (i didnt check it well: todo)
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