Flash Junkies Beware: Wipe-Flash-Restore All User Data: 17 Minutes!

[Robtao]

Yeah, I just flashed from EB01 SC 292 to ED01 MIUIWiz after full Data, Cache, Dalvik, and voltage double wipes, and restored all my old EB01 user Data and apps over MIUIWiz, all in under 17 minutes.

How? Just followed what the Devs have taught us, plus Nandroid Advanced Restore in CWM.
I have been doing this for every ROM I have flashed since I discovered what a Nandroid backup was.
But this is not just a Nandroid Backup. This is a partial restoration called “Restore data” under “Advanced Restore.” All in CWM recovery.

Here is the method I use:

• Charge to 100% (Here is where I started the timer)
• Boot to Recovery
• Wipe Cache and Dalvik (and Voltage for MIUIWiz) x2
• Make a (clean-wiped) Nandroid backup
• Wipe Data x2
• Flash the new ROM (of your choice) in CWM
• Let it boot
• Boot to Recovery
• Select “backup and restore”
• Select “Advanced Restore”
• Select the Nandroid Backup file you wish to restore from (probably your latest one)

Here is where it gets cool, and less scary…
There is yet another page, with options:

Restore boot
Restore system
Restore data
Restore cache
Restore sd-ext
+++++Go Back+++++

So no sweat yet

• Select “Restore Data”
• Reboot completely
• Turn off phone (here is where I stopped the timer at 16.5 minutes)
• Charge to 100%
• Boot and enjoy.

BAM! All the old user data is back. On top of the new ROM. Except for stuff that no longer applies, like maybe in-ROM launchers that no longer exist.

My ROM flashing evolution path has been:

Stock
Odin DXC DB/DO tar
EC01 DB/D0 (zip i think, can't remember)
Full ED01 (Adrynalyne method, not OTA)
ComROM 1.0 zip
Evil Fascination, all variants in sequence. Zip
EB01 SC 2.9.2 zip (Why? To see if it would work. Because it means restoring ED01 Nandroid data over an EB01 ROM. Without compromising the ROM. (Thanks for the assistance with this, Lttlwing16.)
ED01 MIUIWiz
SC 292 again (from Nandroid Backup)
EF 351 again (from Nandroid Backup)
MIUIWiz reflashed ( to check ED01 to ED01 method performance for any differences)

Seems to work near flawlessly so far. Almost no forced closes, no hiccups, just sweet functionality. Every time so far. And so quick, I sometimes actually have time to use my phone between flashes.


As I said, I have been doing this for just about as long as I have been flashing through CWM. Your backup may overwrite some ROM theme elements, so that is something to think about.
Any other drawbacks? Not that I have found, but…Not completely sure yet, though So… You know the drill…

DO NOT TRY THIS UNLESS YOU ACCEPT FULL RESPONSIBILITY AND ARE PREPARED TO DEAL WITH THE CONSEQUENCES!! YOU MAY LOSE DATA OR FUNCTIONALITY!! YOU MAY EVEN MANAGE TO BRICK THIS THING!

(Please post with any known issues, either theoretical or learned the hard way. Thanks.)

But you just made a complete clean-wiped Nandroid Backup, right? So you can always restore the whole thing. Or worst case, do the Odin recovery method. (or even worse case, Heimdall).

I suspect that there is some reason that this method has not been widely promoted already. It seems unlikely that it has not been experimented with, so maybe someone can help show a newbie the error of his ways. Or we may need someone with a thorough knowledge of Fascinate ROMs to add some warnings, caveats, or guidance around potential problems, etc. But it does seem to work just fine for me, and all of the ROMs I have worked with seem smooth and stable. All my apps always work, and update properly. Unless I get stupid and screw something up.

It does seem that Android should be able to pull this off if sufficient attention is given to file structure and dependencies, and if everything data can be kept where a data only restore would look for files. I suspect that I have been having success because of the good work of all the great ROM builders and developers working to fix the Fascinate, and make our experience all that it is. So if this works for you, they are the ones that really deserve the credit and the thanks. They made it work. I just followed instructions, got curious about Nandroid Advanced Restore, and pushed the right buttons. Oh, and wrote it all down.

 

[Robtao]

I think I want to make post #2 a list of possible issues/solutions. I will try to update if I find other issues, or if others post of known issues/solutions.

1. Lockscreens from MIUIWiz seem to not work. Pattern lockscreen remains from previous user data.
Edit: Not an issue. Disable lockscreens in Settings, then select lockscreen from TSM parts.
2. Gmail forced closes twice at first boot. May have fixed itself, but definitely no more issues after updating app. After another flash, first boot, allowed to process longer, only force closed once. then it was fine.
Edit: After an experimental reflash, without a reinstallation, this FC can come back.
3. ROM builder user preferences will get overwritten by the flasher's user preferences. To be expected.

 

[Sheepdog Elite]

What I've been told is the "restore data" option restores data that's rom specific as well as user data, and can cause lots of background glitches such as that Gmail force close thing.

I've done a lot of "restore all system data" as well with minimal consequences. The timer for you is probably a lot different for different phones/set ups. Mine takes considerably longer, and I think it's because I have TONS of apps, and a relatively large data base of stuff that needs to be resorted after a dalvik wipe. Nice walk through though covers the overall idea without being too cluttered for mid-level flashers.

 

[Robtao]

Thanks. ROM specific could definitely include personal settings applied to something in the old ROM that doesn't exist in the new ROM. I could see how that could be completely harmless, but I am still hoping to gather some more details about what and how things could go wrong.

My thinking is that cleaning the cache and Dalvik before making the backup would mean that when restoring, they would come back blank, and not confuse the new ROM. I am under the impression that something is more likely to go wrong if all that stuff, including user data, is left in there, and it was safer to bring it in later, after the ROM boots up, and give the new ROM a chance to properly recognize and deal with it, rather than trying to work with any data created by the old ROM.

.It sort of appeared like the new ROM worked on the Gmail issue for a couple of minutes and figured it out. Could be wishful thinking. Which is why I looked to see if it needed an update, and it did.

But all feedback is expanding my thinking! Anything else?

 

[Robtao]

Another couple of questions that arise from this are:

1. Does "Data" really mean "User Data"?
2. Also, from the CWM backup process, what is "data data"? It gets backed up right after "data".
3. Another is: Does it make a difference if "Data" is simply left in, and the ROM flashed, or if Data is "cleaned, backed up and wiped, then the ROM flashed, the ROM rebooted, then the "cleaned" Data restored? Does the new ROM benefit from the "cleaning", or the opportunity to boot, and then in any way process the Data when it is brought back?

 

[Sheepdog Elite]

for question 1 I believe that references /data which is user and system data I think.

Not sure what data/data is. I think it's storage for either kernel or radio or some similar base function storage.

 

[gunnermike53]

sheepdog is correct.

 

[eibbed0001]

I just tried this and, while it took about an hour start to finish, my phone seems to be running pretty fast and everything seems to have restored correctly. The android restore may have been faster than a TiBu one would have been and there was no interference of Google attempting to restore on its own. So far so good.

And since the ROM I loaded was the ComRom I also wiped caches after installing the Rom.

 

[Robtao]

Thanks for the feedback. So far it seems like the biggest loss would be anything saved in the new ROM as the builder's "User Preference" which would be overwritten by the flasher's Nandroid saved "User Preferences". For example, I lose the original "ROM" icons which have been placed at the bottom of the MIUI Today screen (launcher) by the TSM team, but they aren't the ones I want there anyway.

So far this has been very educational to me, and I hope worth something to the community.