[EVO 4G Android Development] Persnlmgr:
Backing up

The last few days I've been PMing with a really nice guy, who's new to Evo and Rooting. He's gotten an enormous amount of help from just reading the thread, but PM'd me about a few things, Backup being one of them.

It occurs to me, with the new root exploit being out, there are a lot of new Rooters, and with the popularity of Myn's SYNERGY a lot are in this thread, so I thought I'd post this here:

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Okay, the main reason to root is to be able alter your phone, and that means going below the phone's operating system to the root.

Backup programs (like Titanium) are, by and large, built to backup only the stuff above the root (like apps and their corresponding data). This doesn't do you much good when you're rooted and have jacked the phone below the operating system.

Amon Ra Recovery (and Clockwork, which imo sucks) give you the ability to back up everything right down to the root.

If you flashed the ROM, and any mods, you already know how to get into AR...if the phone's in normal use mode you hold down the power button until the menu comes up, choose Restart/Recovery, and you're there. If the phone's off, you hold the down volume key while pressing the power button and you're there.

Recovery is a rooted phone's best friend, because no matter how badly you screw up, you can always restore it to your last working state, if you've done an AR/nandroid backup.

To back up, go into AR, then the "Wipe" menu. Wipe the cache TWICE and the Dalvik cache TWICE. (This will save you an enormous amount of time and space with the backup, as you don't need to back these caches up...they get rebuilt every time you reboot, anyway, so it'd be redundant). Then return to the main AR Menu, and Backup/Restore.

The very first backup you should do is a WiMax Only backup. You should then store this somewhere on your computer. Each Evo has a distinct WiMax Key, and having that stashed somewhere will save a lot of grief if you ever lose your WiMax key from a bad radio install, a faulty update, something... Uncheck all boxes except Wimax, hit Perform Backup, and let it run. It'll tell you when it's done.

Then, you'll want to make the 2 essential backups you should ALWAYS have before modifying your system: one full, one data/ext only.

In Backup, "X" every box, then choose Perform backup, and watch the little dots congregate for about 3-5 minutes. Having fun yet? (This would take much longer if you didn't clear those caches!) Again, it'll tell you when it's done.

Then, go into Backup again and X only the Data and Ext boxes and hit Perform Backup again. This one should take less time.

I use a lot of Google apps, so I also do the Google Proprietary Files back up each time.

Back out of that menu to the main menu and hit Reboot System Now.

You can now do modifications (mods) to your phone KNOWING no matter how badly you screw them up, you can return to the previous, working-perfectly state you were at before screwing the pooch!!

But you likely will not screw up, especially with Synergy (or Warm), and it's corresponding mods. This developer, Myn, and we Mynions, are a very dedicated bunch. As you've discovered, there's a certain need to be great in this thread, and Myn is the overlord of that. His ROMs, and his attitude, are just so good no-one wants to do anything to jeopardize that.

Okay, you now know how to do a Nandroid back-up, something you should always do before modding the phone, but at least once a week. You can move the old backup files off your SD Card (to your computer) to save room, but ALWAYS keep the most recent full and D/E backups on the card.

Have fun modding!!!

I'll do a Restore "essay" later. It's basically the opposite of Backup, but knowing how to do it, and when to do a full or d/e only is essential.

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Hope you regulars weren't too bored. And I hope this helps a few of the noobs who might not be doing backups, and who definitely should!!

:cool: