Creating and Restoring Backups - Complete Guide

[maderschramm]

FIRST STEP AFTER ROOTING - Creating and Restoring Backups - Complete Guide

Quick Note:
Two or three users have had an issue flashing the backup after creating a restore. This seems to be caused by errors in Koush's clockworkmod recovery. That said, using clockworkmod is currently the only way to create a nandroid backup.

As always (and as stated in the forum guidelines) no one is responsible for your phone but you. This is where you should start in the Android Modding world and if you have problems then remember that any time you mess with /system files it can end in tears.

[/warning]

The first thing you should do after you root your phone (as in before doing anything else) is create a backup. This way you have somewhere to return to if you mess something up on your phone.

I read somewhere once that it's like having 999 lives in Contra. So true. So, I'm going to help you do it.

There are three tools you'll probably want. One is absolutely necessary, the other two are just handy to have.

Required:

• Koush's Droid X Bootstrapper

Recommended (search app market, both have free versions):

• Titanium Backup
• Rom Manager

 

[maderschramm]

The Bootstrapper

Koush's Bootstrapper is a tool used to boot into clockworkmod recovery. You can make a custom image of your phone, install roms, etc. all from the recovery menu.


After downloading the .apk above, install it after browsing to the file on your sdcard.


In order to do so you must allow 3rd party sources to install apps. Turn this setting on in:

• Settings -> Applications -> checkmark 'Unknown sources'

Make sure you're rooted, then load up "Droid X Bootstrapper". Press Bootstrap Recovery (it will prompt for superuser access and then say "success"), then Reboot Recovery (it will also ask for superuser access, then reboot your phone).



Your phone will reboot into the clockworkmod recovery area - this is a crucial thing to get used to if you're going to play around with your phone.


Before you do anything else:

• Use the volume buttons to navigate to "Backup and Restore"
• Press the camera button to enter that menu
• Select "Backup" and press the camera button

It will go through the backing up process, it may take a minute or two, don't battery pull or anything dumb like that.


When it's finished creating the backup it will kick you back to the main menu. Highlight "reboot system now" and press the camera button to reboot your phone.


Video Demonstration:
[video=youtube;kSImaHCmhIY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSImaHCmhIY[/video]


You now have a stable backup of your current system saved onto your sdcard. Anything you do - as long as you can get to clockwork recovery - is reversible back to this point.

 

[maderschramm]

Restore Your Backup

To see how the backup feature functions you must first change something in your system: e.g. delete something off your home screen, a widget, anything. Do this now (make it noticeable to you - delete your clock or something).

• Go back to Koush's Boostrapper app
• Click Boostrap Recovery
• Click Reboot Recovery

You're back in clockwork recovery again.

• Navigate to "Backup and Restore"
• Select "Restore" - this is where all your system flashes are kept, you should only have one.
• Navigate to it, press the camera button. It will ask for confirmation
• Select "Yes - Restore"

It will begin restoring your phone. It may take a minute. Once again do not do a battery pull. When it's finished you will be on the main menu. Select "reboot system now". It will boot you back into the operating system; however, now you're back to your flashed system file - you'll see the widget you had previously deleted returned to normal!

Video Demonstration:
[video=youtube;5fuJiGyRL1I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fuJiGyRL1I[/video]


Reboot your phone. It will go right back into your regular interface - no clockwork recovery. The reason for this is in order to boot into the clockworkmod recovery the .apk checks for a minute file that basically tells the phone to redirect to the recovery - on a successful reboot with clockwork (if you have the .apk installed) it will delete this file so you don't boot back into clockwork unless you want to.

Backups are stored on the sdcard in /clockworkmod/backup - you can name them to anything you want in order to help you remember what backup they are (e.g. clean 2.2 or ssx)

 

[maderschramm]

Additional Things...

Additional clockwordmod recovery options:

• reboot system now
  • pretty self explanitory, reboots your system back into the operating system
• apply sdcard:update.zip
  • not very useful. applies update.zip from the root of your sdcard.
• wipe data/factory reset
  • deletes all user data (apps, etc.)
• wipe cache partition
  • wipes the cache of your phone
• install zip from sdcard
  • selecting this and then "choose zip from sdcard" opens up a little browser. select any zip on your sdcard and it will install it. useful for romming, themeing, etc.
• backup and restore
  • see above post
• mounts and storage
  • careful in here. you can mount your sdcard which is handy, but don't format anything. I formatted /system once and bricked my DX
• advanced
  • ignore this one

Also, to boot into clockworkmod recovery if you're bootlooping follow these instructions:

1. Plug usb into wall charger.
2. Plug phone into usb w/o the battery in the phone.
3. If it comes up with a battery with a ? in it, unplug and plug it back in.
4. If step 3 worked, you should be in Clockwork.

Rom Manager:

This is a handy tool. You can:

• Name backups before they're created
• Rename old backups
• Restore backups

All from one menu! You do need the bootstrapper for this to work, however.



Titanium Backup:

This app backs up all your apps to your sdcard (and more!). This way if you have to .sbf, install a rom, or restore a backup you can reinstall all your apps quite easily.

To backup your apps:

• Menu key
• Batch
• Backup all user apps

To restore your apps:

• Menu key
• Batch
• Restore all apps with data

Uninstalling The Bootstrapper

It's a little tricky to completely remove the bootstrapper; that said, follow these foolproof instructions to never see clockworkmod recovery again:

1. Uninstall Droid X Bootstrapper
2. Use a root file system explorer (e.g. Root Explorer) to navigate to /system/bin
3. Delete the file "logwrapper"
4. Rename the file "logwrapper.bin" to "logwrapper"
5. Reboot

 

[maderschramm]

Changelog

Changelog:

11/27/2010 02:39a CST - Completed Tutorial
11/28/2010 10:08p CST - Added Booting Into Clockwork Manually
01/01/2011 11:33a CST - Added Uninstall Instructions
01/06/2011 06:32p CST - Mods Reopened Thread and Added Warning

 

[Driodfbdddddddhgvgbf]

ok after i click koush's bootstrap i click it again and i get this DroidXBootstrap /
name age history message
assets/ August 20, 2010 yet another updatezip [koush]
gen/ August 18, 2010 more fixes. [koush]
res/ August 18, 2010 icons and cleanups [koush]
src/ August 18, 2010 icons and cleanups [koush]
.classpath August 18, 2010 icons and cleanups [koush]
.gitignore August 18, 2010 empty project [koush]
.project August 18, 2010 empty project [koush]
AndroidManifest.xml August 30, 2010 1003 [koush]
default.properties August 18, 2010 empty project [koush]


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[maderschramm]

where do you see this message?
if it's while downloading the .apk here:
http://koush.tandtgaming.com//motorola/droidx/DroidXBootstrap.apk

 

[Driodfbdddddddhgvgbf]

yeah i got that but its all in a different lanagauge im talking about this http://koush.tandtgaming.com//motoro...XBootstrap.apk

 

[maderschramm]

I don't understand what you're saying. Click the link in my above post, it will prompt a download. Download the .apk and put it onto your phone. Install it.

 

[Driodfbdddddddhgvgbf]

this link right http://koush.tandtgaming.com//motoro...XBootstrap.apk

 

[maderschramm]

yours is broken, mine isn't

 

[mikey4226]

I'm confused as to why you need the bootstrap program to create/restore backups if Titanium Backup can do the same thing. If I brick my phone, can I not use titanium backup to restore?

 

[maderschramm]

You need Bootstrapper because the bootloader is locked.

It's a highjacked recovery, not an application like titanium.

A nandroid (clockworkmod) recovery is different from what you're thinking of. The nandroid backup backs up your /system, your /apps, everything. Titanium can only backup apps.

If you brick your phone it can be resolved with a nandroid backup. Even if Titanium COULD restore your phone if bricked, you wouldn't be able to boot into the operating system to run it.

That said, unbricking is actually usually done with an sbf flash (as booting into the clockworkmod recovery is problematic at times) and is sometimes the only way to go about restoring the phone.

There's a link in my signature for sbf flashing instructions if you're interested. I'd read it if I were you because (no offense) I see a brick in your future.

 

[mikey4226]

Ahh, that makes sense now. I actually just skimmed through and bookmarked the links in your sig just a little while ago, but after reading so many different threads the past few hours, I started getting everything jumbled up. Thanks for your help.

 

[Tippin]

EDIT-I made a thread so its not cluttered.