Root Custom ROMs and reinstalling apps

[johnlgalt]

OK, so I have found that the AD Community ROM acts as if it is a brand new phone, never activated, and runs you through the set up of all your settings - and then proceeds to DL all your apps that you had installed previously.

I posted a comment about it at AllDroid - View topic - [Rom] AllDroid Community Beta 0.3 release and got a reply that when someone went back to un-rooted and what not, the OEM ROM did the same thing.

So, this led me to believe that there is some particular setting that allows for this to occur, where the ROM being installed is installed in a certain state so as to make the phone think it has never been activated before.

This being said, I wondered if other ROMs could be tricked into thinking the same thing - and I hit upon an idea- what if, after installing a new ROM, you go into settings and do the factory reset that is there? Since I don't have anything installed except for this custom ROM and SPRecovery and such, I am not really gonna lose anything by doing this, so why no give it a whirl?

Trying this now, will report back in a few. After this test, I am restoring the ADC backup I made and calling it a night....

 

[johnlgalt]

Pfft - that wasn't it.

I really wish I could figure out how to get this accomplished. The folks at AD in the ADC thread are not answering me about it, but if I can figure it out, I am gonna start modifying all ROMs I try just so I can avoid the headache of maintaining a list of apps I want to reinstall on any given ROM....

 

[ericks17]

So does restoring just the data part on the recovery work? I too have been wanting to know a way to restore my apps. I use Astro but that doesn't give u market updates to the restored apps.

 

[johnlgalt]

It has worked in the past, but there has been some discussion about it breaking when doing it with 2.1 ROMs (as in restoring apps installed on a 2.0.1 ROM on a 2.1 ROM)

However, my last ROM was also a 2.1 derivative - so I probably should go ahead and try.... lol

 

[ericks17]

Ya lol. But it does work between 2.0.1 ROMs? I've read posts about it but I have yet to try it. Like if I went from Smoked Glass to Pete's BB 1.1 (2.0.1) or vice versa would it work u think?

 

[johnlgalt]

Maybe - best place to ask would be there.

Fabulous, though, says he uses a manual cp command in terminal to copy his apps from system/data/ to the sdcard from a working ROM, then from the sdcard back to /system/data on a new ROM - so theoretically it should work.

 

[ericks17]

ya other ppl have asked they get no answers lol. Anyway I might have to try that cmd. Have u tried it? Do u know the steps?

 

[johnlgalt]

yes and no - I know he wrote the commands in posts here more than once, but no I haven't tried it myself....

 

[ericks17]

aight im sure i can find them. well thx. do post if u find a method that works on how to restore the apps, it help a lot of ppl lol.

 

[YankeeDudeL]

When I installed the ROM, it recovered only the apps I've paid for or were updates to Verizon-installed apps (Facebook, Maps, etc..). It's gonna be a pain sifting through all these again, however, I've got a better feel of what apps I really even needed in the first place. If I can't remember I had them, I didn't need em!

EDIT: Oh, and I've had to redo my contacts again. Grrr.

 

[ssantan2]

just do a data wipe/factory reset AFTER the ROM is installed, it will wipe the /data folder the rom gets loaded with (which shouldnt be any) and you will have the magic android pop up

 

[YankeeDudeL]

just do a data wipe/factory reset AFTER the ROM is installed, it will wipe the /data folder the rom gets loaded with (which shouldnt be any) and you will have the magic android pop up

Eh, I haven't gotten too far ahead w/ anything, I guess I could give it a shot. Thanks.