Titanium Backup question

[Droid74]

I know that there is an issue sometimes reinstalling apps using TB (specially when switching ROMs). There is an option to install app only with no data within TB. Would I be correct in assuming that would "fix" the TB issue since no app data would be installed with the app.
Thanks.

 

[YankInDaSouth]

Yeah, you are correct ...

 

[Boblank]

I would recommend only backing up user apps with tb. If you only restore user apps, data should be ok to also restore. It is my understanding that restoring system data is what causes issues. I used tb for user apps/data, and my backup for system data

 

[Droid74]

Yeah, you are correct ...

that what i thought...I'm not sure how i kept missing the data part for the last couple months...lol

yeah...i don't use it for any system files.

 

[mwhartman]

Titanium is a very solid and sophisticated app. You might give MyBackUp Pro a look. Same principle but the UI is a little more user friendly, in my opinion.

 

[drod2169]

As the others stated, TB will be fine. Just do not restore any system apps, and most definitely do not restore app data. Game data is fine, I restore angry birds all the time

 

[Abe21599]

As the others stated, TB will be fine. Just do not restore any system apps, and most definitely do not restore app data. Game data is fine, I restore angry birds all the time

agree here

 

[sephtin]

Interesting take. My feedback on titanium:
From the following posts:
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/dr...uplicated-focused-1-8-6-a-50.html#post1012340

My recommendation is simple.. don't ever use titanium if you don't have to...
I've seen it cause so many issues, usually because it restores part of /system, or because it restored apps, and they disagreed with the data or cache that existed for them alredy (*usually* easy data/cache wipe for the app fixes).. duplicate apps, conflicts, .. I'm not going any further...
Lots of people LOVE titanium, but I guess I just don't understand what the obsession is... I mean, it's like a coprophilia fetish or something.. it's disgusting, but some people are just into that I guess... :S
Ok.. bad analogy.. but .. you know what I mean...
Sorry for picking your post specifically to go off on... It's not you, or what you're trying to do, it's the general titanium fetish that I see going around... that I just can't get into... bleh

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/dr...uplicated-focused-1-8-6-a-51.html#post1012571

The FASTEST way.. is titanium backup.
The cleanest way.. is google data sync, and appbrain.

If after flashing a ROM, you connect to WiFi, and then open market, and wait 15-20 minutes (or more if you have a ton of huge apps)... your apps will reinstall through the market, and at some point (if not interrupted by a reboot, or changes to network connections), you'll get a notification that says something like "96 of 96 applications restored".. or .. whatever. The nice thing about this, is the applications are not RESTORED, they are CLEANLY downloaded and re-installed via the market in the background.
I then re-sync with Appbrain, just to make sure I'm not missing anything.
Contacts are all sync'd with Google Contacts (google account sync).

Here's the tricky part... you lose your app data. If you had a high score in a game, or had a very time consuming setup of applications, then you lose that.

For me, I have to put logins into a few apps, re-arrange icons on my home screen, and configure several apps again...OH, and configure 2 or 3 widgets.
My total time spent is about 15-20 minutes configuring apps after switching ROMs.

Total stuff lost by not restoring via titanium:
--Scores and progress in games (well, some games, you can back up angry birds, etc.)
--Text Messages.
--App configuration.

Did I miss anything?

OH, and was previously stated as a concern.. wifi settings.
Don't know how or why.. but unless I factory reset, somehow my phone retains it's memory of my home wifi... which is a HIDDEN SSID... haven't figured that one out.. but meh, it works, so no need for backup there either. :S

I have titanium AND mybackup installed.. I just don't use them. I nandroid after a clean install, then again once I get my stuff set up how I like it.. I think I have like 10 nandroids all saved for testing old versions, or going back, or whatever.... but I probably will only realistically use one or two of them...
HUGE fan of nandroid, not so much of backup apps... (as most can guess...)

Did I miss anything that doesn't get backed up or easily restored?

I mean, to give you an idea... I have a TON of apps.. I usually test apps for myself and others, and sometimes I'm an app whore (which is why you almost never see me chiming in regarding performance stuff.. My performance is likely made abyssmal due to the number of apps I have alone. :S Appbrain says I have 108 apps.. but there are a couple I reinstall from SDCard, as they are no longer on the market... The one time I used titanium to restore my apps, it was a HUGE pain the rear.. AND caused issues... after that, I just let Google's Data Sync do it's thing, and life's been good.

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/dr...uplicated-focused-1-8-6-a-51.html#post1012758

To make sure Google Data Sync is working.. make sure you put in your google credentials during setup, and make sure the last check option is checked (let google back up whatever..."
Because it's doing it's thing in the background... the only way I know of to verify it's working, is after you've connected to WiFi (makes the dl's go faster), and then open the market.. search for one of the apps that you had installed. If Google Data Sync is doing it's thing, it should say downloading.. basically look like the market is hung up... (It's not, it's just in queue, along with all of hte other apps)... And I believe if you open up the app drawer, and are patient, you'll start seeing your apps filling in fairly quickly...

The other thing I don't trust about titanium.. is how it handles the ID given to the app.
When an application is installed, it's given a UserID/GroupID. (You can see this if you go to /data/data in Root explorer, long press on one of the folders there and select properties.. The app will have permissions for a userid as in "alei.switchpro" has a user listed as "app_121".. so 121 is what I'm referring to.

So... what happens if you backup your stuff.. then when you reinstall next time, an app gets installed before you do your restore, or ...
Anyway, I can easily see there being confusion by apps being restored, rather than installing cleanly, and letting android do what it's supposed to do...
I've heard some people complaining of horribly laggy app drawer opening times, and I just wonder... if restoring apps might be contributing to little things like this... *shrug* (NOT confirmed.. but suspicious)...

I've said it in the past.. I'm paranoid about some stuff... but usually only things I don't yet understand.. ya know?

(BTW, if someone can direct me to a post/thread/anything regarding how this is handled in android.... I would LOVE to better understand the installation mechanism for apps..
As an example of why... Iif I could script to install a .apk via a shell script, it would make life easier to include certain market based applications along with a ROM or patch, or update for example.. Currently, putting apps in /system/app makes them difficult to upgrade via market... as an example.)

I went off a little.. ranted beyond what I usually do.
Worst part, is I don't HATE titanium.. I just hate dealing with the issues it causes people. If you don't have something specific to use it for.. then there just isn't a point in using it...

BTW, Angry Birds restore:
from:
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/drod2169-x/97763-faq-rubix-focused-read-before-posting.html
--How can I save my Angry Birds progress?
Info from: Often imitated, never duplicated! Focused 1.8.6
FYI. Angry birds scores are stored in:
/data/data/com.rovio.angrybirds/files/highscores.lua
Backup that single file and restore and you can save your progress.

 

[hannaxbear]

Does Titanium Backup have any problems restoring system data? What apps are considered system apps? Is MyBackup Pro a better choice then, if you want to back up apps with data and system data?

 

[sephtin]

Does Titanium Backup have any problems restoring system data? What apps are considered system apps? Is MyBackup Pro a better choice then, if you want to back up apps with data and system data?

Backing up on a ROM, and restoring to the SAME ROM, you **should** be safe to use an app like titanium backup to restore system data. When going to a different ROM, it's highly recommended that you don't touch anything within system, or risk making a change that could cause all kinds of issues.

System data and apps, are anything and everything in the /system directory.

As I understand it, MyBackup doesn't do anything with system apps/data/etc. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong here.. but that's what I've been told).

 

[hannaxbear]

Does Titanium Backup have any problems restoring system data? What apps are considered system apps? Is MyBackup Pro a better choice then, if you want to back up apps with data and system data?

Backing up on a ROM, and restoring to the SAME ROM, you **should** be safe to use an app like titanium backup to restore system data. When going to a different ROM, it's highly recommended that you don't touch anything within system, or risk making a change that could cause all kinds of issues.

System data and apps, are anything and everything in the /system directory.

As I understand it, MyBackup doesn't do anything with system apps/data/etc. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong here.. but that's what I've been told).

Do contacts and SMS/MMS stuff count as system data...? I assume system settings count as system data. These are the things I'm most interested in backing up and restoring.

 

[mwhartman]

I believe they both qualify.

 

[sephtin]

Does Titanium Backup have any problems restoring system data? What apps are considered system apps? Is MyBackup Pro a better choice then, if you want to back up apps with data and system data?

Backing up on a ROM, and restoring to the SAME ROM, you **should** be safe to use an app like titanium backup to restore system data. When going to a different ROM, it's highly recommended that you don't touch anything within system, or risk making a change that could cause all kinds of issues.

System data and apps, are anything and everything in the /system directory.

As I understand it, MyBackup doesn't do anything with system apps/data/etc. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong here.. but that's what I've been told).

Do contacts and SMS/MMS stuff count as system data...? I assume system settings count as system data. These are the things I'm most interested in backing up and restoring.

SMS messages are stored in:
/data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db

So.. that would be pulled from /data... not /system

 

[Hugg727]

I just recently rooted and installed TB, I have read that in order to restore all of my apps in the future from TB i need to stop the market downloader. I understand why I need to do this I just dont know where I do this. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Droid-Xer]

Go to settings/apps/all/market and force stop. Its not a must to do this but it will save you some data if you're on a tiered plan.