[T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide] Blue6IX:
Preparing for backup

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Backup Guide

Yea, that is something that impacts us all. I could get a lot more dev done if I didn't have to have my plan phone set and ready a specific way each shift to be able to do my job the way i'm expected to.

Best bet would be to wait until you had a day or two off, maybe a weekend or something and when you finish with your obligations before that free time starts:

-try to have near to a full battery or a full one waiting.

Installing a new ROM always works better with a full battery on install, so if you can already be at that step you can start right away instead of waiting for it.

-Make a clockworkmod backup of your device as it sits, and copy that backup to a computer somewhere.

-Get all the ROM files you need to re-install it in a folder with that clockworkmod backup you just made. When you go to put the phone back together to go back to work, if the backup doesn't work for some reason you can at least install fresh and go from there.

-On that note, backup all your apps too. If you do end up having to re-install your ROM you are running right now, being able to install all the apps right away again off the sdcard saves a lot of time and hassle.

Make sure to get those apps backed up to a computer too.

-backup all your contacts. Export everything you can to the sdcard, and then copy that to the computer too.

-Make sure you have all the passwords and account names you need for anything you have installed. (Gmail(s) - Games - accounts tied to apps or services you use)

If you do have to reinstall everything, and you use internet services like dropbox or an internet faxing service you don't want to have to track down those logins if you don't type them often. Make sure you check all your apps and write them down ahead of time.

-Lastly, since you are on CM7, use titanium backup to backup everything and copy that also to the folder on the computer. The word backup in the computer industry is synonymous with redundant, and if it's not you're doing it wrong.

The reason why I said to copy all these backups off the phone and onto a computer is because if something catastrophically bad happens to the phone then what?

By catastrophically bad I mean you format the sdcard by mistake on a factory reset while you're playing with different ROMs - what then?

If you do need the device for work, and you are serious about trying to test the errors against being a phone-specific hardware issue or a software issue with the ROM you are using, then jogging your process by putting this all out there might help you get started.

When you get that downtime, you'll know ahead of time so you can prepare, and then when it hits you have an immediate plan of action to put into place to maximise the time you get for testing.

Also, have the ROM you want to put on it ready to go, and if possible alternates to that - so research the 3 software versions available from HTC for the device.

Also become familiar with this process:

Restore to stock

...maybe download all 3 software versions before your free time hits so you have them already. If everything goes sideways you can always use one of them to restore the device.

If you are S-OFF you have nothing to worry about for doing any of the software updates unless you manually re-lock the device, so just don't do that and you'll be fine.

If you are S-ON speak up and i'll lay out your possible headaches along the way and what we know about them if someone else doesn't first.

If you have prepped before the free time hits:

1 - passwords/account info written down and at the computer you'll be using...

2 - all software packages (restore files, roms, anything else...) that you need downloaded and on the computer you'll be using...

3 - all the apps you use backed up and on the computer you'll be using...

4 - any media like pictures and music or anything else backed up to the computer you'll be using...

5 - a full battery or close to ...

...you are still looking at almost an hours worth of backup time to do the clockworkmod backup, titanium backup, transfer them to the computer, and then you might run a little over that time when you test the clockworkmod backup.

( you always test the backup - the only thing worse then not having a backup is having a corrupt one you thought was good )

...which cuts into your time testing the other ROM enough as it is, but if you aren't ready to do it like this it will take significantly longer.

Since you'll know when the time hits getting a majority of the media, pictures and user generated stuff plus most (if not all) of the apps you use backup up the day before helps cut down on a lot, but that hour is still lost to making a way of putting it back together again.

You also need to leave yourself a solid 4 hours to put the machine back to the way it is before you started on the other side. Again, on install, you want to have a full battery so plan for that too.

4 hours gives you enough time to get everything slapped together from a fresh CM7 install and manually doing all your apps and setting up the phone for work, if the CWM backup fails for some reason and you have to start over.

I just want to see everyone have their phones running right, and if it's a hardware issue then you should get it repaired, if it's a software issue then you should seek a solution - but the quickest way to a result, and the one for your issue, is to directly test it yourself.

Since you sounded like you came to that conclusion too, your only issue now is squeezing it into a time slot you can get so don't hesitate if you have questions on the processes involved.

Edit - also:

If you have multiple MicroSD cards you could use for this, then you can save a lot more time.

You could take the one you have in there now out, and put it to the side so that when you installed your work setup again the memory card and all it's stuff is right there.

Then you could take different memory cards and have them pre-made to what you need, so as soon as you are done backups you power off and swap memory cards.

First one you swap in has the PG59IMG.zip restore file (and nothing else) renamed that way and ready to go, so when you power back on to hboot that installs itself and you save the time spent copying that over before you can install it.

When that finishes, you are back to stock and ready to go, and you didn't change any of the info on your work sdcard.

Something to think about, if work stuff is that important that's what i'd do (and what I do myself, so thought to add it)