Root Data Retrievial After Flashing Fresh ROM.

[PlayfulGod]

How many times have you installed a new ROM and wish they were a easier way to get your phone back to how you had it before you flashed it? Well I have a solution.

Now this, as with anything isn't foolproof, and I take no responsibility for what happens to your phone, so proceed at your own risk .

So first thing you do is gather the ROM, Gapps, and any other files you may need like MetrOFF (for MetroPCS users) and put them on your SDcard. You also will need a BACKUP (NANDROID) of your current ROM and for this guide we will be using CWM.

1. Boot into ClockworkMod Recovery (CWM).
2. Goto backup and restore > backup
3. When that finishes go back to the main menu.
4. Wipe user data/factory reset, confirm.
5. Wipe cache partition, confirm.
6. scroll down to advanced > wipe Davlic cache, confirm.
7. Return to main menu and go to mounts and storage.
8. Format system, confirm.
9. Format boot, confirm. _____data and cache have already been formatted when you wiped them in steps 4 and 5.
10. Install zip from sdcard
11. Choose zip for sdcard and select the ROM zip you placed on your sdcard and confirm.
12. Back to choose zip from sdcard and select the gapps zip and confirm.
13. Back to choose zip from sdcard and select the metroff zip if needed, and confirm.
14. Reboot

Once the phone has booted (maybe even a few times) and you know its working properly, reboot back into recovery.

1. Got to backup and restore.
2. Advanced
3. Advanced Restore.
4. Select the backup you made at step 2., more options will appear.
5. Select the data.img and confirm.
6. When that finishes reboot.

Now you should be real close to how you were before you flashed the new ROM. Please keep in mind if changing platforms from 2.1 to 2.2 or 2.3 and any combination of, this method isnt recommended as they are too many differences between Android platforms and will most like cause conflicts, force closes, and/or bootloops.

NOTE: If you have apps, icons, wallpapers on the sdcard, they all will have to be there after this process to still be there and show up.

NOTE #2: After doing this on my Ascend I still had to re-add my google account. other than that everything has been working great.

I did this whole process earlier with great success on CM7. Hope this may help some of you out there in Androidland.

PG

 

[spyder]

Thanks MUCHO Playful. I'm just curious, I "THOUGHT" that when you resored that, it resorted all the other settings too.

I do clearly understand, don't do it if you have say CM6 and go to CM7

BUT, lets say you go from one build on 7 to a newer one, I think that's where this is comming into play right?

OK, I was under the impression that when you hit "Restore" on that, that it would also restore settings, etc. and lol...other stuff I have no clue?

BUT from reading, it sounds like it should just drop the apps and maybe even the layout?

If I'm understanding that right let me know. My only confusion is "why" restoring the image does not replace everything else? Is is mabye because you flashed the new ROM, all it's doing is cleaning up the rest?

FIRST OF: KUDOS AND THANK YOU for takin' the time to write it up.
Second, just let me know, wanna make sure I understand it correctly.

Lastly, Doesn't it make sense to you to have an option - Up Sync or Down Sync. I think I see what happened to me last time.

SINCE I went to the market and grabbed stuff, then went over to TitBU, it just assumed my most recent plan was backing up what I just got. But really I just wanted to bring down what I had and restore.

I did it again since the post,that time, I did not pass go, just went to TitBU, hit sync, and it pulled everything down.

Anyway, thanks for the info big time. Hope it works for me like that, especially layout and all that stuff.

Take care.
Jeff

 

[xtreemgreen]

How many times have you installed a new ROM and wish they were a easier way to get your phone back to how you had it before you flashed it? Well I have a solution.

Now this, as with anything isn't foolproof, and I take no responsibility for what happens to your phone, so proceed at your own risk .

So first thing you do is gather the ROM, Gapps, and any other files you may need like MetrOFF (for MetroPCS users) and put them on your SDcard. You also will need a BACKUP (NANDROID) of your current ROM and for this guide we will be using CWM.

1. Boot into ClockworkMod Recovery (CWM).
2. Goto backup and restore > backup
3. When that finishes go back to the main menu.
4. Wipe user data/factory reset, confirm.
5. Wipe cache partition, confirm.
6. scroll down to advanced > wipe Davlic cache, confirm.
7. Return to main menu and go to mounts and storage.
8. Format system, confirm.
9. Format boot, confirm. _____data and cache have already been formatted when you wiped them in steps 1 and 2.<< Shouldnt that be 4 and 5?
10. Install zip from sdcard
11. Choose zip for sdcard and select the ROM zip you placed on your sdcard and confirm.
12. Back to choose zip from sdcard and select the gapps zip and confirm.
13. Back to choose zip from sdcard and select the metroff zip if needed, and confirm.
14. Reboot

Once the phone has booted (maybe even a few times) and you know its working properly, reboot back into recovery.

1. Got to backup and restore.
2. Advances Restore.
3. Select the backup you made at step 2.
4. Select the data.img and confirm.
5. When that finishes reboot.

Now you should be real close to how you were before you flashed the new ROM. Please keep in mind if changing platforms from 2.1 to 2.2 or 2.3 and any combination of, this method isnt recommended as they are too many differences between Android platforms and will most like cause conflicts, force closes, and/or bootloops.

I did this whole process earlier with great success on CM7. Hope this may help some of you out there in Androidland.

PG

Shouldnt it be steps 4 and 5 and not steps 1 and 2? Look in the quote..

 

[PlayfulGod]

Shouldnt it be steps 4 and 5 and not steps 1 and 2? Look in the quote..

yes n thx.

 

[KOLIO]

How many times have you installed a new ROM and wish they were a easier way to get your phone back to how you had it before you flashed it? Well I have a solution.

Now this, as with anything isn't foolproof, and I take no responsibility for what happens to your phone, so proceed at your own risk .

So first thing you do is gather the ROM, Gapps, and any other files you may need like MetrOFF (for MetroPCS users) and put them on your SDcard. You also will need a BACKUP (NANDROID) of your current ROM and for this guide we will be using CWM.

1. Boot into ClockworkMod Recovery (CWM).
2. Goto backup and restore &gt; backup
3. When that finishes go back to the main menu.
4. Wipe user data/factory reset, confirm.
5. Wipe cache partition, confirm.
6. scroll down to advanced &gt; wipe Davlic cache, confirm.
7. Return to main menu and go to mounts and storage.
8. Format system, confirm.
9. Format boot, confirm. _____data and cache have already been formatted when you wiped them in steps 4 and 5.
10. Install zip from sdcard
11. Choose zip for sdcard and select the ROM zip you placed on your sdcard and confirm.
12. Back to choose zip from sdcard and select the gapps zip and confirm.
13. Back to choose zip from sdcard and select the metroff zip if needed, and confirm.
14. Reboot

Once the phone has booted (maybe even a few times) and you know its working properly, reboot back into recovery.

1. Got to backup and restore.
2. Advances Restore.
3. Select the backup you made at step 2.
4. Select the data.img and confirm.
5. When that finishes reboot.

Now you should be real close to how you were before you flashed the new ROM. Please keep in mind if changing platforms from 2.1 to 2.2 or 2.3 and any combination of, this method isnt recommended as they are too many differences between Android platforms and will most like cause conflicts, force closes, and/or bootloops.

I did this whole process earlier with great success on CM7. Hope this may help some of you out there in Androidland.

PG

This looks like 'STICKY' material to me! THANX for the effort,PLAYFUL GOD.

 

[PlayfulGod]

Thanks MUCHO Playful. I'm just curious, I "THOUGHT" that when you resored that, it resorted all the other settings too.

I do clearly understand, don't do it if you have say CM6 and go to CM7

BUT, lets say you go from one build on 7 to a newer one, I think that's where this is comming into play right?

OK, I was under the impression that when you hit "Restore" on that, that it would also restore settings, etc. and lol...other stuff I have no clue?

BUT from reading, it sounds like it should just drop the apps and maybe even the layout?

If I'm understanding that right let me know. My only confusion is "why" restoring the image does not replace everything else? Is is mabye because you flashed the new ROM, all it's doing is cleaning up the rest?

FIRST OF: KUDOS AND THANK YOU for takin' the time to write it up.
Second, just let me know, wanna make sure I understand it correctly.

Lastly, Doesn't it make sense to you to have an option - Up Sync or Down Sync. I think I see what happened to me last time.

SINCE I went to the market and grabbed stuff, then went over to TitBU, it just assumed my most recent plan was backing up what I just got. But really I just wanted to bring down what I had and restore.

I did it again since the post,that time, I did not pass go, just went to TitBU, hit sync, and it pulled everything down.

Anyway, thanks for the info big time. Hope it works for me like that, especially layout and all that stuff.

Take care.
Jeff

yes this is more intend for just that, same platform just upgrading. I've done this with my DX and Ascend and it restore just about everything to like it was. Of course if u had a morphed theme etc those wont be.

If you look in one of your backups made by cwm you will see it has several .img files; data.img, system.img, boot.img, and cache.img.

data is just what you add/do like settings, accounts, email, etc. and apps it seems.

The system.img is just that the system, which is the bulk of the OS. the boot.img is the kernel etc. And the cache.img is the cache, which it nothing but bits n pieces to help makes things load quicker. But on devices like the ascend with limited space, it can slow em down with space gets low.

 

[nuttmeg]

good tut bro, was thinking about making one...btw this needs to be a sticky user friendly!!!!

 

[PlayfulGod]

Thanks everyone. I edited the OP to include a few corrections, stress a few points, and added that on my ascend I had to add my google account.

 

[nuttmeg]

Thanks everyone. I edited the OP to include a few corrections, stress a few points, and added that on my ascend I had to add my google account.

one more thing bro for the peoples who phone can overclock past 710 mhz...it flashes just like gapps, update-kernel-2.6.29-chaosOC_748-signed.zip

 

[Lennatron]

Great guide PlayfulGod. I just used it to flash the lastest build of CM7. It was very convenient to restore all the apps and data so easily.

 

[PlayfulGod]

one more thing bro for the peoples who phone can overclock past 710 mhz...it flashes just like gapps, update-kernel-2.6.29-chaosOC_748-signed.zip

topic is restoring data is why I didnt mention

But yes the oc'd kernel zip can be flashed in this process too. I suggest doing all the others first and making sure it all works and making a backup b4 flashing the kernel tho.

 

[nuttmeg]

topic is restoring data is why I didnt mention

But yes the oc'd kernel zip can be flashed in this process too. I suggest doing all the others first and making sure it all works and making a backup b4 flashing the kernel tho.

aahhh i miss that part...lol...have about 20 tabs open atm!!!

 

[travioso]

Thanks PlayfulGod.. That saved me tons of time jumping from 0509 to 0514.. Awesomeness.. Was up and running in no time..

 

[krazykaigh]

Okay, so the restore has plagued me. Especially when you get a new SD card and then flash and need to restore to have it looking like it used to...

Well, I went from a 4GB SD Class 2 to a 8GB SD Class 6 with an Ext 3 partition. So, how did I get everything on the new card?
Well, with old SD card:
1. I did a nandroid backup
2. I copied entire contents of SD to PC folder
3. Successfully flashed to CM7 5.5.2011 (this was DAYS ago)
With New SD Card - first time:
1. Format with partition
2. Copied everything from PC to new SD card
3. THOUGHT I HAD IT GOING ON...
Then everytime I hit an icon phone reported program not installed...
4. Went to Android Market to check on apps... it showed everything installed!
However, nothing worked...
So... what to do...
5. I did a titanium restore... but that was long and cumbersome, it reinstalled everything...
And then everything did work, but it also restored an old layout for screen and icons... WIERD...

Decided to start again...:
1. Formatted new SD card with partition.
2. Did RomManager Nandroid restore to new SD card. NOT ADVANCED RESTORE
3. Everything worked! Layout was identical to old card!

This worked for changing from old SD to new SD and keeping everything looking and working the same; not for regaining apps after Flash!

 

[PlayfulGod]

Okay, so the restore has plagued me. Especially when you get a new SD card and then flash and need to restore to have it looking like it used to...

Well, I went from a 4GB SD Class 2 to a 8GB SD Class 6 with an Ext 3 partition. So, how did I get everything on the new card?
Well, with old SD card:
1. I did a nandroid backup
2. I copied entire contents of SD to PC folder
3. Successfully flashed to CM7 5.5.2011 (this was DAYS ago)
With New SD Card - first time:
1. Format with partition
2. Copied everything from PC to new SD card
3. THOUGHT I HAD IT GOING ON...
Then everytime I hit an icon phone reported program not installed...
4. Went to Android Market to check on apps... it showed everything installed!
However, nothing worked...
So... what to do...
5. I did a titanium restore... but that was long and cumbersome, it reinstalled everything...
And then everything did work, but it also restored an old layout for screen and icons... WIERD...

Decided to start again...:
1. Formatted new SD card with partition.
2. Did RomManager Nandroid restore to new SD card. NOT ADVANCED RESTORE
3. Everything worked! Layout was identical to old card!

This worked for changing from old SD to new SD and keeping everything looking and working the same; not for regaining apps after Flash!

what you did was a restore period. My method restores everything you had b4 that 'you' flash a new ROM. You still have to install gapps.

 

[nuttmeg]

yes without gapps you have no market, no gmail, ect....

 

[PlayfulGod]

yes without gapps you have no market, no gmail, ect....

that n rom manger doesnt have a restore nandroid to sdcard.

 

[nuttmeg]

that n rom manger doesnt have a restore nandroid to sdcard.

yeppers, and rom manager is the best tool for newbie's, isaac really put his foot down once he made it easy to get updates from there...

 

[krazykaigh]

Wow, you guys are really observant; and I was absent minded.

I did install GAPPS right after installing CM7 from zip on SD Card.

Sorry I forgot to mention that!

 

[nuttmeg]

Wow, you guys are really observant; and I was absent minded.

I did install GAPPS right after installing CM7 from zip on SD Card.

Sorry I forgot to mention that!

did you get everything working?

 

[krazykaigh]

did you get everything working?

I did get everything working! And Playful... I did the data.img restore and VOILA! 5.14, Gapps and everything looks just like it did a day ago with it only taking minutes to restore....

I do have to admit, I did my flashing a work and had to leave my phone unattended for periods, and it began restoring the google backed up items... So, I did have alot, not all already on by the time I got around to doing the Advanced Restore. However, the wallpaper and none of the icons were there by "google backup" auto-restore [<- That's a new term (use it!)]

So, I did the Adv. Rstr and I can't even tell I upgraded except RomManager tells me I did.

Now, I am doing a nandroid backup and the flashing the kernel update!

I will keep you all posted!

 

[krazykaigh]

Okay, so I did the kernel update. Phone came on fine... I went to SetCPU to 748... everything froze.. phone rebooted on its own..

Next two boots, phone began... then rebooted on its own... trying on its new high speed kernel, I guess....

SO, finally, it started up and it just sat there... staring at me like... so when are you gonna play with all this... this FIRE! And I did, people, I played with my new fire-fast Ascend... How you may ask?

Well, I stressed tested the hell out of it! AND MY BABY ASCENDED TO THE NEXT LEVEL, handling every stress I could throw at it!

THANK YOU ISAACJ87 and everyone else that posts up here!

FOOTNOTE: My phone is stupid (in a lovable way) it has restarted itself twice since the stress test! So, maybe the overclocking is causing an instability...

 

[krazykaigh]

I love my phone, but I am upset that it now has revealed itself as a "CLOCK ME TO 748 IF YOU WANT, SUCKA" type phone!

I believed myself to have a "above-average" Ascend, but alas, I am going back to Cali... err, I mean 710MHZ!

If anyone knows a work around so that I can blaze let me know... Oddly enough it only seems to freeze when I make SetCPU go to 748MHZ... I may try working it at 729MHZ and see what happens!

I am sitting here at work, just looked at phone and it is back in the new splash screen... rebooting itself.. Again!

See how I bad talk it when it doesn't do just as I want... that's really not fair!
Good Phone!

 

[Gmash]

Seems like a lot of trouble for 38 extra Mhz. Thats not really enough to make a difference...except in your imagination lol.

 

[PlayfulGod]

Seems like a lot of trouble for 38 extra Mhz. Thats not really enough to make a difference...except in your imagination lol.

on this lil phone you would be surprised Gman

But not all ascends can run @748, some cant even run @710. So give 729 a try n see if it works. But never set a cpu setting to set at boot until you have tried and tested it out, or you will end up in a bootloop and then you will have to do a wipe data/factory reset, or reflash.