Database Info

[Q] How to save data before ROM upgrade

Hey guys,
so, I have already flashed my ROM from stock to something else. That was a year ago.
But this ROM got old, ICS is out, and I want it.
Is there a way to save all my data? I have some games, that have progress that I dont want to loose.
I have contacts that I dont want to loose. Messages and pictures that I still need.
What is the right procedure for me to upgrade ROM to newer one? I'm upgrading to Fallout v2 if that matters.
Thank you for answers
Regards, Anze

You need to read up about Nandroid backups that you take from recovery (cwm or 4ext) these are extremely useful if you wish to revert the device after you've flashed a new one rom as they take a snapshot of the devices partitions.
You should ensure that you take one of these before flashing a new rom.
I'd recommend that you sync your contacts with google (in the cloud) that way they'll always return to your device following a clean install
Otherwise the best application is titanium backup which enables you to make backups of your applications and there associated data, which is useful to reinstall your applications after a rom upgrade.

You may also wish to restore data with apps together selectively after flashing a new rom due to possible data incompatibilities with versions resulting in FC. If so, within TB you could try PREFERENCES > RESTORATION SETTINGS > MIGRATE SYSTEM DATA or leave out data only restoring the app.

[Q] Partially Restore CWM backup?

Hey Guys!
So I've been around the place for a while, usually passive. I rooted my phone a few months back, and left it at that coz i was too scared of bricking my new phone . But now getting tired of waiting for the official ICS (Not the buggy leak) has got me thinking of getting a custom Rom (cant decide between Victory or Romulus).
I've just installed CMW, and my phones backing up as we speak. My question is this, is it possible to restore a partial backup? Im hoping that once i get the custom rom up and running, i can restore my contacts, texts and apps onto my new rom. I know titanium backup can restore apps but i assume all that is gone once i format before installing the rom, right?
Thanks guys any help appreciated!

fire_fist_ace said:
Hey Guys!
So I've been around the place for a while, usually passive. I rooted my phone a few months back, and left it at that coz i was too scared of bricking my new phone . But now getting tired of waiting for the official ICS (Not the buggy leak) has got me thinking of getting a custom Rom (cant decide between Victory or Romulus).
I've just installed CMW, and my phones backing up as we speak. My question is this, is it possible to restore a partial backup? Im hoping that once i get the custom rom up and running, i can restore my contacts, texts and apps onto my new rom. I know titanium backup can restore apps but i assume all that is gone once i format before installing the rom, right?
Thanks guys any help appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you install any new ROM, you (usually) need to perform a full wipe through CWM including: wipe user data/factory reset, wipe cache, wipe Dalvik, then flash. Now, that will delete ALL of your stuff, contacts, texts, apps, etc. However, if you have access to WiFi, when your ROM flash has completed, you will be prompted to re-enter your Google account and, at which time, your contacts will re-populate (give it some time). Though, be sure you sync with Google's servers prior to your flash, so that any new contacts will be re-added once your account has been added after the flash. Also, if on WiFi, when your account has been entered, go to Google Play Store, and click the "my apps" button, and again after some time (depending on the number of apps you had) they too will re-populate. As far as texts, you could try a text backup app -not too familiar with this, as I don't ever have a need to save any texts- and you should be good. Word of warning: DO NOT use Titanium Backup to restore ANY application data, only the apps themselves. Also, another good alternative to TIB is App Backup & Restore. Hopefully, this clears up any doubts you have with your "stuff" and how to retrieve it after a flash...

Apex used capital letters in "do not restore app data" with good reason. Only a handful of times have I not followed those directions and every time I got weird fc's and an overall more unstable system. It's a shame there isn't a good way to do it but it only leads to heartache. Always keep a solid backup. I keep two. One original and another after a couple days on a new rom so that I'm able to experiment down the line.
I hope you have a good experience with your new system and learn a bit. It gets a little addicting.
Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2

Apex_Strider said:
When you install any new ROM, you (usually) need to perform a full wipe through CWM including: wipe user data/factory reset, wipe cache, wipe Dalvik, then flash. Now, that will delete ALL of your stuff, contacts, texts, apps, etc. However, if you have access to WiFi, when your ROM flash has completed, you will be prompted to re-enter your Google account and, at which time, your contacts will re-populate (give it some time). Though, be sure you sync with Google's servers prior to your flash, so that any new contacts will be re-added once your account has been added after the flash. Also, if on WiFi, when your account has been entered, go to Google Play Store, and click the "my apps" button, and again after some time (depending on the number of apps you had) they too will re-populate. As far as texts, you could try a text backup app -not too familiar with this, as I don't ever have a need to save any texts- and you should be good. Word of warning: DO NOT use Titanium Backup to restore ANY application data, only the apps themselves. Also, another good alternative to TIB is App Backup & Restore. Hopefully, this clears up any doubts you have with your "stuff" and how to retrieve it after a flash...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, once i clear everything and flash, to get back my apps all i have to do is reinstall "App Backup and Restore" then I can restore any saved apps? Because looking at the play store, the list in my apps (Not Installed) is too long, and contains apps that i simply installed to try and immediately removed.
One more thing as well, well actually 2. I was watching a video by mastermind278 on youtube on how to install custom Roms. He installs a rom by selecting restore from cmw recovery, so my question is, does that restore method work for installing most Roms, say for example, the Romulus rom? And finally, are the separate mods installed in the same way?

fire_fist_ace said:
So, once i clear everything and flash, to get back my apps all i have to do is reinstall "App Backup and Restore" then I can restore any saved apps? Because looking at the play store, the list in my apps (Not Installed) is too long, and contains apps that i simply installed to try and immediately removed.
One more thing as well, well actually 2. I was watching a video by mastermind278 on youtube on how to install custom Roms. He installs a rom by selecting restore from cmw recovery, so my question is, does that restore method work for installing most Roms, say for example, the Romulus rom? And finally, are the separate mods installed in the same way?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can 'manually' select which apps you'd like to restore from within this app, so if there are some you'd rather forgo restoring, you can pick and choose.
As far as the flashing method through CWM, you'll just have to read and understand each of the ROM's flashing methods, as some of the GB ROM installs are different (flash or CWM restore). All of which are detailed in the threads for these ROM's. Along with that, any mods you'd like, you'll just need to refer to the install instructions for each...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium

Rooted/Custom Rom'd my AT&T S4, now for some basic a

[Thread in wrong area! Mods please move to AT&T S4 under Q/A!]
I recently rooted/installed CleanROM for my S4, but now I have some basic questions regarding what actually happened in the process and how I could improve it. (First smartphone, first Android).
1. Is flashing the exact equivalent of installing a kernel/ROM/app in a recovery like TeamWin that is zipped in an SD card? All I did was select my zipped file and install--the guide says to use GooManager but I never used it. Also, does updating TWRP, kernel, or ROM (same application/kernel/ROM, but newer version) require that you delete the old ZIP, copy over the new ZIP, then install it? Is there a cleaner method (I feel that since we have to wipe to prevent old files from interfering with new ROM that maybe parts of the old version of a ROM may be redundant or may interfere with the new ROM?
2. Is there a way I can save the phone settings when dealing with one ROM and transferring these settings to another ROM? I really don't want to spend 20 minutes to go through all the settings and change it to my liking every time I install a new ROM.
3. With TWRP I could backup the entire ROM and also be able to install that backup ROM if I don't like the new ROM installed? What does Titanium Backup offer in regards to this aside from backing up app data and the ability freeze/uninstall system apps?
4. Does Titanium Backup leave any residual files? I see other apps designed to uninstall system apps and Titanium Backup seems like an all-in-one jack of all trades.
5. I thought I wiped everything and to me, that sounds like reformatting the entire drive. I only wiped system, boot, and data though (good enough for ROMs, according to what I've read). I was surprised when I saw my videos that I had already backed up to my PC accessible on the phone. Should I just wipe literally everything (I assume it would be cleaner) like cache, preload, EFS, modem, recovery, etc.? Will wiping literally everything be like reformatting my phone (since my phone was not reformatted because my personal videos was still there when I installed my custom ROM? If I were to install completely different ROMs cleanly and wanted to keep my personal files, I would only need to wipe system, data, and boot?
4. Do I have to use CASUAL again to install an updated TWRP?
5. Does backing up a ROM also backup its root? I'm going to assume this is a dumb question and the answer is no. I'm also guessing I have to block OTA updates from AT&T to ensure I keep my root. How would I go about doing this? Also, would my phone be "safe" if I stick to my ROM (no updates or anything) for 4+ years? I'm asking this as an extreme case because I feel like I'm missing out on AT&T security updates that could protect my phone and also I don't think the developer my ROM (CleanROM) will do frequent updates).
6. I had problems with my computer not being able to recognize my phone and my SD card in the phone after I wiped everything and before I installed a ROM. I literally had to take the SD card from the phone and use an SD card reader to transfer my custom ROM/loki then put it back into the phone. Was I missing a driver?
7. What are some must-have apps a newly rooted user would want?
8. I read that you only need 1 EFS backup and you don't need to back it up every time you are going to install a custom ROM. Can I get a confirmation?
9. What does Goo Manager do and would I want it?
10. Is it essential that I keep up to date with news about my custom ROM/phone to ensure my phone is secured?
**Not Root/ROM related--Is swiping an app away from the Recent Apps List (long-press home button) the equivalent of killing an app? I use the Recent Apps List often but I don't want to go about swiping apps away if means it is killing it, since I read that killing apps are bad and actually drains battery life. Also, is there a mod that lets you access the Recent Apps List by long-pressing the menu one? I only see a mod that kills the app if you long-press it.
Thanks. I'm hoping for many responses as I have more questions to ask but not a lot of free time (I will check back on this thread every several hours until there are no more responses on the thread.

I think you are in the wrong forum.

@work said:
I think you are in the wrong forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know, I clicked the edit/delete thread but can't find the delete button. Under reason for editing I told the mods to move it to AT&T S4 under Q/A. I'm new to XDA, what should I do?

otumsel and
just wait,someone will be along and move it.

[Q] Backup/Restore To New ROM

I'm not a big ROM tester and pretty much remain on stock. I do have root, custom recovery and unlocked bootloader on my GS3 (4.1.2 stock).
When you guys switch ROMs and a clean flash is required, what exactly are you all doing to backup and then restore your data?
Are you just backing up "all user apps" with Titanium and then immediately installing Titanium on the new ROM and restoring the backup?
What about system settings? You just run through those one at a time and set them to the way they were? What about custom contact ringtones and other customizations?
Sounds like a lot of work to me, but maybe I'm missing something.
Is there a better way to do this?

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I'm really trying to figure out how you guys are ok with doing a full wipe so frequently.

I am by no means a "constant ROM'er", but I have tried it a few times on a few different devices. Here is generally what I do:
1. Back up apps and data with Titanium Backup. I usually back these up to a folder on my external SD card just to be safe. Even though a factory reset shouldn't erase your backups on your internal memory, I just like to be safe.
2. After flashing a custom ROM I install TB as the very first app. ***HINT: If you have your phone setup to automatically restore apps thru Google, apps will automatically begin to download and install. This can slow down the whole process of restoring your apps and data. To keep this from happening, you can either disable the automatic restore OR don't sign in to google when you first set up the phone (that way google won't know which apps to begin to restore).
3. Run TB's restore apps & data BUT RESTORE SYSTEM APPS/DATA AT YOUR OWN RISK. In most cases from my own experiences and others, system apps and data do NOT restore well after flashing a new ROM.
Again, I am no expert and I simply follow the guides and advice of those much smarter and more experienced than I on these forums. Something I said above could be wrong so please correct me if anyone sees a fallacy.

I appreciate the reply. That's pretty much what I though. It's still a lot of work to tweak all the system settings back to the way they were. Ringtones, custom contact ringtones, various system settings, etc.

Followup questions about twrp vs twrpless

Hello again good people,
You may remember me asking questions in this forum recently, thank you again for all those who replied.
I'm back again after waiting for the official twrp to be released and reading all the forum posts in the guides section for the threads about twrpless-root (magisk) and the stickied twrp root guide by Funk Wizard. I am still a bit confused about a couple of things though. And still deciding which way is the best for me now that I still have a stock device. Please correct any mistakes I make.
When I root, in case something goes wrong, I cannot do a system settings -> factory reset. (Because it would softbrick?)
Is this where twrp comes in? Or will I still have to flash a stock image regardless, like I would if I go twrpless?
Is it true that I can make, and restore from a backup I make with twrp in case something goes wrong?
Isn't that something I can also do with Titanium Backup?
Twrpless root seems like it's a lot more easy to maintain with OTA's (download from the settings, reinstall magisk on second partition) than a twrp install would (having to connect my device to my pc and going through the steps again every time an OTA gets pushed).
The main reason I'm asking all these questions is because I still find it hard to pinpoint exactly why more experienced people in these forums favor one way or the other, and what exactly the added benefit would be of twrp in my situation. Personally, I want my phone to be more customizable (black theme, adaway, yt vanced and so on) but keep all the functionality. Banking apps, wifi, cellular and everything.
I'm not going to install custom roms. And a little bit of added ease of use with OTA sounds really good to me.
I have read that the systemless magisk twrpless might be the best fit for my needs, but after hearing your advice from my previous questionthread I decided to wait for twrp. Now twrp official is released and I dove into reading just about everything I could find I have doubts if it is something I actually need. In short I just keep swaying without being able to make a decision.
Sorry for the long post, I hope my questions are clear enough, since it's pretty late when I'm typing this. I just want to be thoroughly informed about all of this, I rather post too many questions and root correctly without concerns instead of having to make an SOS post later when my phone has exploded, lol.
And maybe there will be other newlings who can benefit from this information.
Thanks for reading!

Ok lets first address the types of backups.
Type one is system apps and data. This backup saves all apps (apk) and all data that is stored within the app folders. This is a Titanium backup.
Type two is a Nandroid backup. This backup saves your entire phones data including the internal storage, data, apps, pictures, music, cache, settings, passwords, EFS (encrypted file system) and even the Titanium backups backup itself.
Now let me explain what each of these backups are capable of. First we will start with Titanium Backup. If for some reason you brick your phone and lose all of your data. In order to use Titanium Backup you will have to install your operating system, unlock your bootloader, root your phone, install Titanium Backup and merge your data from wherever you have it to your device and install your apps + data one at a time.
Nandroid backup. Same scenario bricking or losing your data. You can simply fastboot the twrp.img once your phone boots into recovery you can merge nandroid backup point TWRP to the restore location and you have your operating system and all of your data back in place as if nothing happened. You will then flash Magisk back to your device then you would install TWRP clear your cache and once you reboot everything is just the way it was when you created the nandroid backup.
Installing an update with TWRP is as simple as downloading the update and flashing both the update and Magisk, clearing cache and rebooting.
Having TWRP would allow you to wipe and reinstall fresh like factory settings or you can restore everything you backed up.
Make Nandroid backups bi-weekly or monthly so you can always have an updated copy of your data.
Titanium backups I have scheduled once a week with 2 max backups. Why 2? If I update an app and my backup runs tomorrow I would be stuck with an app update that may be broken. This way I have the previous weeks backup to reinstall the app and data with.
Whichever you choose always always always keep redundant backups. One on the phone, one on your computer, one on a thumb drive ect ect.