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[Q] How does a custom recovery works?

Ok, so i'm new to all this stuff about custom recoverys and ROMs. How exactly do they work?
Let's say i make a custom recovery image of my current ROM, wich is stock, does it just backup the OS or my personal files (music, photos, apps, etc.) too?
I'm asking this primarly because i want to upgrade my phone, but to do so i have to flash the stock firmware because i've modified some system files. Wich bring to my other question, flashing ROMs wipe user data? i've read some split responses to this, some people say it does some say it doesn't.
And my final question, let's say i made a backup, wiped my phone flashed stock firmware and updated, now how i recover my data from the
backed up ROM, i mean it is a different version, does it have an option to just restore user data?
Thanks in advance, and sorry if these are too much questions.

it'll back up system, data, boot.img and dalvik cache.
your sd partition isn't backed up, but all the stuff on it will be readable by whatever new rom you put on it (unless you wipe EVERYTHING [not a good idea]).
when you're changing roms/etc, you want to place the rom.zip + gapps.zip (and custom kernel.zip if you're going to use one) on your sd partition. you do this because usb storage mostly doesn't work with custom recoveries as of yet on this device meaning once you've wiped, if you don't have a rom on your sd partition you're mildly screwed in that you'd have to reflash everything from a stock image (meaning you will lose root, all your personal files and whatever rom was on the phone - basically everything goes back to stock bar the bootloader).
e: as for restoring all apps data, use something like titanium backup. i always have a backup on my sd partition of all my current apps (plus wifi passwords, accounts info, sms messages etc to save time/effort when restoring after putting a new rom on). i also always set TB to backup all modified/new data every night at about 3am, then upload the backup to google drive so that if i either brick my phone or accidentally wipe everything, at least i can get back to where i left off.

If you forget to place the ROM zip, and have formatted the device, it is not necessary to flash stock. You use adb side load which is present in every recovery.

in that case i need to remember that for future use - i hardly ever use my pc with my phone now as you can pretty much do anything (update recovery etc) on the phone alone.
that, and i'm on windows 8.1 which afaik doesn't play nicely with fastboot or adb.

twist3d0n3 said:
....and i'm on windows 8.1 which afaik doesn't play nicely with fastboot or adb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
....i think this is a rumor. Never ever had any problems on W8.1

^ good to know, thanks

SP Flash Tool Flashable Backup

Hei guys, I own a Chinese handphone. Tweaked it so much, soft bricked it numerous times, but I got the stock rom at my disposal anyway so it doesn't matter much. It's cheap so I can actually do some experiments or tested non Play Store, or even suspicious apps on it.
However, going back and forth to stock then reconfigure everything is rather tedious task to do.
I did installed a CWM recovery and did a full nandroid backup. But it's seem that CWM backup didn't overwrite the old one so when I do a second one it failed, saying I'm out of space? I still got about 2 GB on internal storage, and 8 GB on external storage. It's said my folder (I forgot which, it's /data if I'm not mistaken) don't have space left. This is one funny thing about my phone, it doesn't use the internal storage at all. I cannot move the apps to the internal storage as well, only to the external SD card.
I'm out of space probably also because I move so many app as system. This way when I do a factory reset I got all my updated apps within, without the need to reinstall it.
So, the questions :
Is there any way to make CWM to actually update a backup, instead of creating a new one? Which partition I should wipe from CWM if I want to create an updated backup? It is convenient to do the restore directly from CWM, but I cannot update the backup, with that space problem.
How about creating a full custom ROM flashable image of my phone on which I can save to my PC instead?
How about going on fetching the nandroid backup CWM generated? Is it flashable using SP Tool? But I can't find the files anywhere in my system.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you!

Found some stuffs on CWM backup.
I'll update this thread when I've worked it out.

I'm an idiot. I can actually save the CWM backup into the internal SD. It's visible on any file manager within the folder "clockworkmod".
Sorry I did have experience with CWM, but never use it for backup, only to flash patches.

Question What about backup of MIUI?

Hi all. I have Poco X3 Pro. I would like to test custom rom (propably ArrowOS, Android 12). But i need option to revert(with data/settings) to MIUI if custom roms are not for me. There is solution for this? I remember from older smartphones option in TWRP - full backup, after reflashing to another rom this providing option to restore backuped system.
There is solution like this for X3 Pro?

im looking for it too but still no idea

matibu06 said:
Hi all. I have Poco X3 Pro. I would like to test custom rom (propably ArrowOS, Android 12). But i need option to revert(with data/settings) to MIUI if custom roms are not for me. There is solution for this? I remember from older smartphones option in TWRP - full backup, after reflashing to another rom this providing option to restore backuped system.
There is solution like this for X3 Pro?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is nothing special about MIUI. It is just a ROM, like any other ROM, and you backup and restore the same way as you would do with any other ROM.
Backup
1. Remove ROM lockscreen password/PIN
2. Backup all your personal files in the internal storage to an external storage medium (eg, MicroSD, or USB OTG, or the Cloud)
3. Make sure that you have a flashable zip, on an external storage medium, of the exact MIUI ROM that you are currently running, and want to backup
4. Reboot to recovery, and backup the boot and data partitions to an external storage medium (some recoveries, eg, OrangeFox) let you add your internal storage partition as part of the backup
Restore
1. Boot to recovery
2. Format (not just wipe) data
3. Flash your MIUI ROM's zip file
4. Boot the newly flashed MIUI ROM
5. Do some basic ROM configuration
6. Reboot to recovery
7. Restore your backups of the data and boot partitions (and internal storage, if your recovery enabled you to make a backup of it)
8. Reboot to MIUI ROM, and hope for the best (at this point you might get a black or weird-looking screen - if so, restart the ROM with the hardware power button
9. Restore your backups of your personal files to internal storage (if not already done as part of the restore of your backup).

DarthJabba9 said:
There is nothing special about MIUI. It is just a ROM, like any other ROM, and you backup and restore the same way as you would do with any other ROM.
Backup
1. Remove ROM lockscreen password/PIN
2. Backup all your personal files in the internal storage to an external storage medium (eg, MicroSD, or USB OTG, or the Cloud)
3. Make sure that you have a flashable zip, on an external storage medium, of the exact MIUI ROM that you are currently running, and want to backup
4. Reboot to recovery, and backup the boot and data partitions to an external storage medium (some recoveries, eg, OrangeFox) let you add your internal storage partition as part of the backup
Restore
1. Boot to recovery
2. Format (not just wipe) data
3. Flash your MIUI ROM's zip file
4. Boot the newly flashed MIUI ROM
5. Do some basic ROM configuration
6. Reboot to recovery
7. Restore your backups of the data and boot partitions (and internal storage, if your recovery enabled you to make a backup of it)
8. Reboot to MIUI ROM, and hope for the best (at this point you might get a black or weird-looking screen - if so, restart the ROM with the hardware power button
9. Restore your backups of your personal files to internal storage (if not already done as part of the restore of your backup).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but it still needs twrp. we need fastboot flashable files.

wb1016 said:
... we need fastboot flashable files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why?

DarthJabba9 said:
Why?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
to escape bricked state, to restore without handling integrity checks, and much more.

wb1016 said:
to escape bricked state, to restore without handling integrity checks, and much more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never had any of those problems.

DarthJabba9 said:
I've never had any of those problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i need those so much because i want to keep my storage encrypted. messing with encrypted environment can make partitions non readable easily due to forced checks. thus, users need to keep steps in exact order.
but dumping all partitions (excluding cache) can replace all procedure. using dd, i can restore those without switching boot mode, so checks are not executed at all.
also, it makes hot boot possible. this is really helpful in some cases.
these can reduce risks of testing significantly.

Stuck in recovery after rom update

Hello,
I just updated the rom Evolution X 11 on my Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro after using an older version for about half a year.
Now my phone does not boot anymore, its stuck in recovery (TWRP). Also all data seems to be encrypted and TWRP is not asking for a password.
Is there a way to get my phone to boot again or at least backup my data before I do a full wipe?

You should always do a full twrp backup before messing with roms.
The best solution would be to backup the "Data" and "Internal Storage" partitions. Data contains all apps, their appdata and settings, while internal storage contains all of your own files (photos, videos etc.). After you back these up, wipe your phone (system, data, cache, dalvik) and flash the version of evolution x you were using previously. Now restore data and internal storage and your device should be back to normal.
If you get a bootloop while booting after restoring data and internal storage, then wipe the device again and this time flash evolution x, but only restore internal storage. This way, it should boot and you will be able to recover your files, though your apps will be gone.
If you only restore internal storage then it will no doubt boot up and you will have access to your files, but since you'll have already backed up the important stuff (data + internal storage), you might as well try restoring data as well, as there is no harm, and if the phone boots correctly after restoring both partitions, your phone will be as it was before your updated your rom.
This happened a while back to me with my J5, the issue was that I made a full TWRP backup, then began to test other roms. After I was done, I tried to restore my backup, but it would constantly fail. I sat down for a while, confused and sad about how my TWRP backup had failed me. I tried every solution I could think of, eventually this solution I've mentioned in the above paragraph came to my mind. Thank god for putting it into my mind, otherwise I would've lost a lot of stuff (mainly whatsapp chats which werent backed up, and a lot of apps which I took the time to pain-stakingly configure in the best way for my device).
Anyways, enough of my story, hope this helps you out! If it does, message back here and let us know, and also mark my post as the solution if it was able to help you, so that anyone else who stumbles upon this thread can be saved too!
Cheers!

PhotonIce said:
You should always do a full twrp backup before messing with roms.
The best solution would be to backup the "Data" and "Internal Storage" partitions. Data contains all apps, their appdata and settings, while internal storage contains all of your own files (photos, videos etc.). After you back these up, wipe your phone (system, data, cache, dalvik) and flash the version of evolution x you were using previously. Now restore data and internal storage and your device should be back to normal.
If you get a bootloop while booting after restoring data and internal storage, then wipe the device again and this time flash evolution x, but only restore internal storage. This way, it should boot and you will be able to recover your files, though your apps will be gone.
If you only restore internal storage then it will no doubt boot up and you will have access to your files, but since you'll have already backed up the important stuff (data + internal storage), you might as well try restoring data as well, as there is no harm, and if the phone boots correctly after restoring both partitions, your phone will be as it was before your updated your rom.
This happened a while back to me with my J5, the issue was that I made a full TWRP backup, then began to test other roms. After I was done, I tried to restore my backup, but it would constantly fail. I sat down for a while, confused and sad about how my TWRP backup had failed me. I tried every solution I could think of, eventually this solution I've mentioned in the above paragraph came to my mind. Thank god for putting it into my mind, otherwise I would've lost a lot of stuff (mainly whatsapp chats which werent backed up, and a lot of apps which I took the time to pain-stakingly configure in the best way for my device).
Anyways, enough of my story, hope this helps you out! If it does, message back here and let us know, and also mark my post as the solution if it was able to help you, so that anyone else who stumbles upon this thread can be saved too!
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your help but backing up the data and internal storage doesnt seem possible right now because all the data is encrypted in TWRP...

If you can't backup anything, then wipe system, cache and dalvik, and flash the version of evolutionx you were previously using. Then boot, it should be fine. If it wont boot (give it some time, it will take the time of a fresh install), then this time wipe system+data+cache+dalvik, then flash whichever rom you like and you'll be able to access the files.
You can also try using platform tools and fastboot or adb ( i dont remember exactly which one) to copy the filess from your phone onto your pc.
Sorry if this doesn't apply to your situation, I've never used a phone which has been encrypted, as such I have no experience with them.

PhotonIce said:
If you can't backup anything, then wipe system, cache and dalvik, and flash the version of evolutionx you were previously using. Then boot, it should be fine. If it wont boot (give it some time, it will take the time of a fresh install), then this time wipe system+data+cache+dalvik, then flash whichever rom you like and you'll be able to access the files.
You can also try using platform tools and fastboot or adb ( i dont remember exactly which one) to copy the filess from your phone onto your pc.
Sorry if this doesn't apply to your situation, I've never used a phone which has been encrypted, as such I have no experience with them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds like a good idea. I found the old version on my PC.
Now I just need a way to install it... because twrp cant read the file. I tried with adb sideload but that results in an error for some reason. Flashing Magisk for example with adb sideload is possible.
Edit: Got it to work by using a tool called "Large Address Aware". Now waiting for the results...

PhotonIce said:
If you can't backup anything, then wipe system, cache and dalvik, and flash the version of evolutionx you were previously using. Then boot, it should be fine. If it wont boot (give it some time, it will take the time of a fresh install), then this time wipe system+data+cache+dalvik, then flash whichever rom you like and you'll be able to access the files.
You can also try using platform tools and fastboot or adb ( i dont remember exactly which one) to copy the filess from your phone onto your pc.
Sorry if this doesn't apply to your situation, I've never used a phone which has been encrypted, as such I have no experience with them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This did not help unfortunately... Im still in the same recovery-bootloop and my data is still encrypted.

It's probably still bootlooping as the data partition got modified when you flashed the newer version of evolutionx, and now it will not work with the old one. You can try wiping system+data+cach+dalvik and then flashing any rom of your choice. This will give you access to your internal storage (photos, media etc), but it will remove your apps and their settings. Whatsapp images are stored in the internal storage so you won't need to worry about those.
Again, this is risky, as it may not work (I don't know much about encryption), or you might still not be able to access your files after flashing the new rom. Proceed at your own risk.

PhotonIce said:
It's probably still bootlooping as the data partition got modified when you flashed the newer version of evolutionx, and now it will not work with the old one. You can try wiping system+data+cach+dalvik and then flashing any rom of your choice. This will give you access to your internal storage (photos, media etc), but it will remove your apps and their settings. Whatsapp images are stored in the internal storage so you won't need to worry about those.
Again, this is risky, as it may not work (I don't know much about encryption), or you might still not be able to access your files after flashing the new rom. Proceed at your own risk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for still helping me out but I already did a full reset yesterday. I did not lose much except for the time setting it all up again.
I still dont really get the point of encrypting all your data if you cant decrypt it even if you know the password...

How to make a restore point on android?

Hi everyone. I guess this question, may be can be easy for many of you, or I don't know if is already posted , but please guide me.
I want to perform on android something like to a restore point on windows; I mean, that if I corrupt system or perform a hard reset after that restore point (or backup), I can restore everything (apps and customizations, and i hope, existing root access) exactly to when I did restore point.
I ask you this, because I think my device needs a factory reset to test something, but no matter the result of the test, I would need to waste hours and hours, by restoring everything to how it was before hard reset; so, if there's a tool that could save me those hours, wil be excellent.
So, thanks in advance, and please guide me.

for this you would need root. by stock, android cannot make a backup of your apps and settings. more exactly a twrp backup

Fytdyh said:
for this you would need root. by stock, android cannot make a backup of your apps and settings. more exactly a twrp backup
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I have twrp installed. ¿How I perform and then restore that "restore point"? ¿Is the backup made by twrp very big? I mean, ¿Do I need how much sd card free space to perform a successfully backup?

Only to have mentioned it:
If phone's Android is rooted and USB-Debugging is successfully enabled on it then you can perform a NANDROID backup ( a really full backup ) by means of ADB using Android's dd system command what allows you to store the backup on desktop computer.

xXx yYy said:
Only to have mentioned it:
If phone's Android is rooted and USB-Debugging is successfully enabled on it then you can perform a NANDROID backup ( a really full backup ) by means of ADB using Android's dd system command what allows you to store the backup on desktop computer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But there is a little problem: My usb support (mtp, adb and otg) is not working at all, so i guess my only possible option, is dump the restore point to the sdcard ¿or is there any other option?

Using TWRP to NANDROID backup the phone you can define the storage space where the backup sholuld go to: Internal Storage ( AKA /sdcard) , external Storage ( Memory Card ) or a Pen Drive via OTG cable. If you proceed with the latter 2, make sure to first mount it onto your device via the TWRP Mount option.
In your case backing up to Internal Storage doesn't make sense at all because you can't additionally save it to PC, too, due to lacking ADB support, IMO.
See also here: https://twrp.me/faq/backupexclusions.html