ClockworkMod Recovery

[pchakmak]

Hey all...this is a def a noob question. Im a little confused on what ClockworkMod Recovery is? Is this a nandroid backup?

And finally difference between a nandroid backup and backing up via titanium?

[smalltowngirl13]

Yes, clockwork recovery allows you to make a complete system backup & allows you to restore should something go wrong.

Titanium Backup allows you to make a backup of apps and their data so that you may restore them when switching ROMs - you only want to restore market apps thru tibu as restoring system apps on different ROMs can have adverse effects.

~to powerful to fall into the wrong hands~

[Chizzele]

Clockwork Recovery is a custom recovery system meant to replace your stock recovery. After you install it you can use it to create a nandroid recovery of your phone that you can revert to in case of an issue while flashing a custom rom.

You can install Clockwork recovery after unlocking your bootloader and rooting your phone.

[pchakmak]

Bottom line im doing the clockwork recovery and titanium backup whenver I flash anything on my phone right?

[Chizzele]

You will do a nandroid backup through clockwork recovery every time you flash a new rom. You will use Titanium backup to back up your apps and apps data when you flash a new rom.

[smalltowngirl13]

^^^ what they said...

~to powerful to fall into the wrong hands~

[pchakmak]

Cool. Thanks guys. One more thing...how about when I install themes. I installed one yesterday and just backed up apps + app data. Should I do a nandroid backup then as well?

[CJM]

It never hurts to have too many backups. If you ever wanted to delete the old ones, they are in sd\clockworkmod\backup.

[xliderider]

Since no one has mentioned this, here goes...

A "nandroid" backup is a term from the original alternate recovery SPRecovery from the developer sir psycho (hence the SP). The term nandroid is often used generically now for any full backup of system and user data files in the Android operating system. Kind of like how people always say Bandaid and Kleenex when they are referring to a bandage and a tissue.

Hardcore, or "old timer" Android users swear by SPRecovery, whereas almost everyone else uses ClockworkMod Recovery now. Hope that helps.

[prowler85]

What they all said, plus.....

You would do a nandroid PRIOR to doing anything major with your operating system, such as flashing a new ROM, theme, radios, etc. You don't have to, but when one of them fails and ends up locking up your phone, you'll have to go to your latest backup which could set you way back. My method is kind of like this:

Back up all apps and data using TiBu.
Run a nandroid backup using ROM manager (don't have to use ROM manager, just easier)
Flash ROM/Theme/Radio
Restore all market apps and data using TiBu

I also recommend using an alternate launcher (over stock) if you flash ROMs fairly often. The reason is the launcher is then an app and it's data gets backed up with TiBu. So when you restore apps your screen comes right back to where it was (it can take forever to re-setup homescreens otherwise). I use Go Launcher EX but there are many out there (and some ROMs come with them, but don't know if they restore like Go Launcher does).