Root [CDMA] Which backup/restore?

[shoffman00]

I rooted via the Revolutionary method and backed up by booting into recovery mode and using the volume/power buttons to navigate into the backup section of clockwork recovery. I then chose to back up my device and it completed successfully.

My question is: Is what I did above enough? I have read that it is a good idea to use Titanium Backup, Nandroid, etc... What is the difference between all of these services?

Also, if anyone knows, did the Clockwork backup also back up the apps which are on my SD card?

Thanks, sorry if this has been asked. Once again I was unable to find a direct answer anywhere else.

 

[wake69]

Ok here's the short answer. Unless you backed up your ext partition, your apps on sd will not be backed up mybackup and a
Titanium backup will backup all your apps regardless where they are. I prefer tb but many like mybackup

 

[falconey]

The clockwork backup saves your apps(and everything else), but it only saves them as 'a moment in time'. So you would only need to use the clockwork back up if you decide in the future you want to go back to that moment in time. Titanium back up allows you to back up your items for use in the future. So if you flash a new rom you could use TB to place all the apps and data back for you. I hope that makes sense.

 

[shoffman00]

Oh okay. I am beginning to understand. So do you think it is even necessary to do the clockwork backup if you have all of your apps backed up in Titanium Backup?

 

[Jackietreehorn]

Oh okay. I am beginning to understand. So do you think it is even necessary to do the clockwork backup if you have all of your apps backed up in Titanium Backup?

Yes, it's always nice to have a nandroid (clockwork mod backup) ready in case you say, flash a new rom and have huge problems with it (or are unable to even boot the phone into Android anymore). You can always boot to recovery, restore that nandroid, and you're back to a working state. I know back on the Evo 4G, a some people lost 4G access too with some ROMs, and without their nandroid (and the wimax keys backed up within), they had an exceedingly hard time (if not impossible) getting 4G to work again.

Think of the Clockwork Mod backup as that "moment in time", like a restore point in Windows. You have it working at that point, and can always return to it, pretty much no matter what happens later on.

You may never have to use it, but better safe than sorry.

 

[ovrrdrive]

The nandroids are much, much more valuable than the Titanium Backups are. TB is just for convenience so you don't have to install everything again. Nandroids can save your ass if you have a problem flashing. I always do a fresh nandroid before I flash everything. I move the last one to the computer for archiving and keep the latest on the sd card so I can just flip back if I don't like, or have a problem with what I just flashed.

Personally I don't like using TB. I just set up wifi first then hit the market and grab everything I like to use and install it fresh. It takes me about 30 minutes from flash to completely set up.

 

[novox77]

great thread, and very good responses from everyone!

In summary: NANDroid backups are for disaster recovery (can't boot into OS) or if you simply want to undo a change made by flashing something. A Titanium/Mybackup backup allows you to quickly get back your apps, data, settings when you start from a new OS/ROM.

 

[blingeorkl]

Something that confused me when I first started rooting is I thought there was a "nandroid backup app" or something of the like. In reality it is just a full backup of everything on your phone's internal memory, including OS files and all your settings made using a recovery program, like Clockwork Mod or TWRP. It also includes things like kernels, wimax keys, etc that can potentially be changed if you were to flash new ones or custom roms. If you were to make a nandroid backup, then delete everything off your phone's internal memory somehow (not SDcard), nandroid could restore it all to exactly that moment when you made the backup.

 

[shoffman00]

Thanks everyone! I understand it very well now. You guys are awesome.

 

[Lurch]

If you make a nandroid backup, it's supposed to save 'everything' but will it save and restore apps that were moved to the sd card even if after the nandroid backup the sd card was formatted? i.e. Make nandroid backup, hard reset, format sd card, then reload the nandroid will you still have use of the apps that you had moved to sd card? Thanks!

 

[wake69]

If you make a nandroid backup, it's supposed to save 'everything' but will it save and restore apps that were moved to the sd card even if after the nandroid backup the sd card was formatted? i.e. Make nandroid backup, hard reset, format sd card, then reload the nandroid will you still have use of the apps that you had moved to sd card? Thanks!

restoring a nandroid you will not recover apps or files on thesdcard unless you use a rom with ext4 support and move the apps there but wiping the sdcard, may lose that aswell. the ext4 partition is the only way i was able to keeps apps after a nandroid. download tb or mybackup and backup apps/data and then restore, re-move to sdcard then you will be back(is another alternative)