Database Users

/extended rom/

how do i get to the extended rom directory? i have a t-mobile mda and have total commander (reg editor) installed. I can't find the /extended rom/ directory and also don't really understand what is or what it is there for. i know this might sound like a remedial question to HTC Wizard experts, but if someone could help me I'd greatly appreciate it. Also, if it matters, I'm running xelecin's custom 2.26 ROM.
Thanks.

You won't see it by browsing.. just type in "/extended_rom" and TC will open it. Don't forget the underscore (_) character..
Gee - my first post!

thanks. i entered "/extended_rom" and it brought me to the directory. now that i know how to find it, what is it exactly there for? What is it's purpose. Also, can you access it from activesync? Thanks again for answering these questions.. i'm a beginner with PPCs, but I'm curious about how they work.
Thanks again.

Use the advanced search feature (under the search option tab) to look within the wizard updating forum for the term "extended rom", and you can start to understand how some of the rom developers utilize it (There are 12 pages of entries). These guys are the real 'wizards' - I could not begin to explain the way they do (I'm too new myself).

Your extended ROM contains all of your customizations. If it is a stock ROM it will have all of your carrier customizations. If you have a cooked Ext ROM it could have lots of things. One of the benefits is that if you have to completely clear out the storage it would re-install all the customizations that were in the ext rom.

barrydavisjr said:
...One of the benefits is that if you have to completely clear out the storage it would re-install all the customizations that were in the ext rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so, in simple terms, if you were doing a hard reset (or clear storage in settings), the extended rom directory retains the files, and installs them if they are .cab files.. am I getting warm? Thanks for the info.

you got it. The carriers put it there so that one wouldn't have to call into tech support if you had to do a hard reset.

ok. i get this now. just a couple more questions..
-Do the .CAB files have to be in the main directory (/extended_rom/) or can they be in any subfolder?
-I was reading somewhere that it's a read-only directory.. is there a way to delete files, if so, can you delete the files one at a time or all once?
-finally, can you access the directory from active sync?
Thanks for all the help. I appreciate it.

As far as I know it is unable to be accessed through Active sync. And yes you can delete them off one by one. I would reccomend reading up on it. Faria has produced a wondrful guide on how to cook your extended ROM. When you delete a cab you also have to change the config settings in the notepad file. I have dabbled a little but Faria's guide will help you more.

!!!WARNING!!! if you delete the files from your ext rom and do a hard reset none of the carrier customizations will be installed.. furthermore.. you will not gain any extra space by deleting the cabs, it is a read only partition.. also with that being said, if you try to delete a file from there or add one you take a great risk of corrupting the ext rom and you will be forced to reflash the rom in order to get them back.

just one more question.. I have xelecin's 2.26 custom rom on my MDA. I'm thinking of switching over to either molski's or faria's latest rom. when i flash those roms, the extended rom from the current rom i'm using gets replaced with the custom rom's extended rom, right? does that make sense? Thanks for putting up with my dumb questions and actually answering them! Oh yeah, when i installed the rom i'm using now it did a CID unlock before flashing, so i assume my phone is still unlocked, right?
Thanks again for all the help. i really appreciate it.

thats right. - you'll get the new extended rom.

Extended Rom Contents
I only install a portion of the T-Mobile customization, which I accomplish by preventing the install of the extended rom. I have copied onto my miniSD the files I want to install, and then I just manually run the cabs from there. (Actually, that would erase them, so I copy them first.)
Then you can experiment with other ROMs, still getting the customizations that you need. Here is my thread on this topic:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=272613
I no longer install MP-Shorcut-MMS1-Voice-CV-TMUS-060404.CAB because that just adds MMS to the Messaging app and a shortcut for making voice tags and I don't use MMS.
By the way, it is really useful to install things like Total Commander, Memmaid, weather programs, RSS readers, Zagat, and so on to the miniSD, because then they don't need to be reinstalled after a hard reset. The only thing I have to do is add the shortcuts back, because shortcuts are erased after a hard reset. These programs will no longer auto-update, since nothing can run automatically from the miniSD, but with memmaid you can create automatic updates if you like.
Your backup program should always run from main memory! Also, programs that affect the today screen should also be run from main memory for increased speed. Pretty much everything else can go on the miniSD.

Automating Program Installs

Hey all,
I have a question.
I have been playing with my 8125 a lot lately and am constantly resetting my device. What I want to know is I have one main machine that I do all my application installs via active sync that way when I hard reset my device I just have to go to add remove programs in active sync and re-check all the programs I want to put back on my phone.
Here is what I want.
I don’t want to have to tell the phone where to install the applications (I want it to default to storage card without any prompts.) and.. I don’t want any confirmation prompts ie: security unsigned, approve this application to be installed, this application was installed properly… etc.. I want to streamline the process so I can just tick the check boxes for my apps, let them download and that’s it. Currently after refreshing I have to spend quite a bit of time clicking “ok” … storage card…. Ok… storage card… ok… I think you get it.
Thanks much!

I've seen a lot of different reg keys out there that may accomplis this. Is there a way to disable the notifications and pre-set the install path peramaters?

sledwrecker said:
I've seen a lot of different reg keys out there that may accomplis this. Is there a way to disable the notifications and pre-set the install path peramaters?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can do this with WinCE Cab manager

If you really reset your device that often why don't you use SPB BACKUP? A reinstallation of all your apps wouldn't be necessary - just load your backup and you're ready to go!

Ya I did think of that but here is my issue.
the reason I am constantly hard reseting is because I am changing and playing with roms pretty much on a daily basis. I've been cooking my own roms trying to come up with what works best for me and what is closest to RTM. Thus why I am always re-installing apps.
So if I use SPB backup (which I have) it saves system settings and such right? So if I am switching roms all the time will it break my device?
Thanks guys! I'm new to the forum here I just got my first PPC phone a couple weeks ago but I've been an avid windows mobile (smartphone) user for years and have worked on WM platforms as beta tester.
Gotta love this stuff!!!

sledwrecker said:
So if I use SPB backup (which I have) it saves system settings and such right? So if I am switching roms all the time will it break my device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you are exactly right, and so many people seem to miss this... Spb Backup, Sprite Backup, etc are full backups that backup and restore the registry and all. If you restore this from one rom to a different rom you are likely to break something (may not be obvious at first, but you have a very good chance of things being broken inside the registry that you will trip up on at some point).
So yeah, the only way around this (without building your own extended rom and such) is to create a folder (or set of folders) on your SD card with all the cabs, files, and settings that you need for when your flash a new rom. Then run through that to set things up. You can also use ActiveSync to reinstall apps (just check them all and it will put them all back on) but you have to remember which ones (if any) require a reset of your device as that can cause probs with the others that are installing (if all done together).

Yep,
but at least you can import contacts, email and pim data that way quite easy!
Since you continiously flash your device: there will be no other solution but reinstalling your applications again and again. You might want to look around for a CAB extractor and then create your own CABs with all the progs you would like to have in one large CAB ???
One such CAB Installer Creator is: WinCE CAB Manager
Take a closer look at MolskiBiz_DevPack and you will find a utility to extract CAB files. It will be a bit work to add all the registry values to the Installer you're going to create but finally you might save a lot of time since you only run 1 installation instead of xxx ...

This is good, I have been playing with wince cab and it is a solution.
Now I'm going to work on making my extended roms.. will this work? I did a full recover of my apps through active sync just an hour or two ago and it reported total size of all cabs as just over 112megs. That means I'd be flashing a MONSTER rom and would it even be possible?
2gig mini SD card.
thanks

I tried before to add some apps (cab installers) to a personalized extended rom but it never worked the way I wanted it to. You might have seen that you always have to give some inputs when ever you install programs, sometimes you get ask if you really want to install the app, sometimes you need to choose a location. So, if you add CAB installers UNCHANGED to the extended ROM it just won't install because during extended rom installation you have no way of providing that information.

Configurations backup strategy before installing a new ROM

I was wondering what is your backup/restore strategy when changing ROMs.
When I install a freshly cooked ROM, there are 3 stages for installation:
1. Installing the ROM itself which is obvious.
2. Install all personal cabs - with or without UC support.
3. Configure everything to work according to my personal configurations.
The most annoying part is the 3rd, since I have to go through each and every program, and run the process, of configuring all the options. This process always, takes me longer then installing everything.
Is there a way to backup/restore globally all settings?
Amir.

http://www.spritesoftware.com/products/sprite-backup/full-edition

I know that software. Doesn't it's OS migration option is risky?
I remember reading many bad opinions against using that option...
???
Amir.

amir77a said:
I know that software. Doesn't it's OS migration option is risky?
I remember reading many bad opinions against using that option...
???
Amir.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I shouldn't agree more.
There's a lot of confliction and problematic after full restore the backup from the previous ROM to the new ROM.
It's my experiences.
KCJ

If you're willing to spend a bit of effort, you can have your device automatically configure 99.9% of what you want, as part of the customization occuring after flashing.
Look up SASHIMI, which should live on your SD card (or whatever you have which survives a hard reset). It basically install all the CABs, REGs and provisioning XMLs you want, plus runs any Mortscript, all in one big batch, according to certain sequencing rules. It can be configured to launch upon inserting the SD card, or as part of UC (User Customization), or to execute UC as part of itself, or run it manually. Most CABs which require manual intervention can be automated by using clever Mortscripts. The REGs and XMLs take care of configuring apps, games, serial numbers (legal, of course) or even network settings and Manila tweaks.
I now routinely flash a new ROM and leave my device for 30 minutes. I need to check in on it to tap past the WM setup dialogs. With that out of the way:
- all tools, apps and games CABs are installed, many with accompanying REGs for configuration
- WiFi is configured with my most used hotspots
- time is synchronized (assuming WiFi is available during this process)
- 3G is disabled (for better battery life), my data connection is configured but disabled (a la MoDaCo NoData)
- Pocket Outlook is setup with my Exchange account, an initial sync is performed (assuming WiFi is available), and additional mail folders are tagged for syncing
- PPCPimBackup restores my most recent backup of SMSes and call history (I've flashed or hard reset probably 20 times the last 2 months, and don't miss a single SMS/call since the day I bought the HD).
- My Start menu and programs list is neatly sorted into folders (of course this needs rework when I switch between ROM chefs)
- AEButton Plus is setup with my buttons the way I want them.
- SKScheMa is setup with the profile changes I want (GSM/WiFi off, silent and low brightness at night)
The only thing I really miss is to automatically provision a couple of Bluetooth pairings (a headset and 2 PCs). Apparently the encryption keys used for storing these pairings, is renewed on each hard reset. Typically, the first morning after a hard reset, while driving my car, my HD beeps every 1 minute as the car kit attempts to connect, and I'm usually unable to deal with it until I stop the car.
As you can imagine, there's quite a bit of initial manual labour, but I guarantee you that it's worth it.
I recommend that you get the following: Resco Explorer (w/registry addon), Orneta Notepad (or MobilePad). With these, most of the work can be carried out on the phone itself. To figure out the registry settings for a certain program or option, there are two ways:
- manual search, typically fast and has a very high success rate by first visiting HKLM\Software and HKCU\Software, then looking for the vendor or software name.
- registry diff, slow but very accurate, requires PC (for now). Export HKLM+HKCU (using multiple select in Resco regedit) *before* you make the configuration change, and *after* you've made the change. Copy the two reg files to a PC and do a diff (WinMerge should do a good job). Alternatively, you can use a Windows tool like Registry Workshop or CeRegEditor to export the registries, but I think the first way is faster, and you can actually prepare the exports on the move, then do the diffs when you come home.
Some programs store configuration data in files - these *may* be a bit harder to figure out, but they're usually in the installation folder. Once you've set up such a program to your liking, copy its CAB to SASHIMI\Auto\CAB and the configuration file to SASHIMI\Auto\Root\Program Files\<app name>, and the app will be as you want it after the hard reset.
SASHIMI can also back up such files for you, just put the paths into filebackup.ini. Similarly regbackup.ini can perform registry backups that will be automatically restored after a hard reset. You need to run or schedule this backup yourself, though, but both can be performed with one shortcut to SASHIMI.
I'm sorry for making this so long - I'll stop now, and hope this post provides a bit of inspiration to others. I can also help with certain aspects of UC - I'd love to post my custom tools and scripts, they're just not prepared for public consumption yet.

intersting idea.
I tried Sashimi before, but I gave up due to prior needed investment.
I'll might adopt that idea, which seems to be very useful.
Amir.

Sashimi can basically accomplish the same as UC/SDConfig.txt - it just provides a simple UI and conventions that makes setting it up so much easier. I did play with SDConfig.txt (and various tools to automate/ease its maintainability), but quickly found maintaining the file very time consuming and error prone, and practically impossible without using a PC. Sashimi you simply copy to your SD card, and you can run it right away (it won't do anything). Next step is to copy a CAB to Auto\CAB, then run Sashimi, and the CAB will be installed.
Ah well, I hope it proves useful to others!

amir77a said:
I know that software. Doesn't it's OS migration option is risky?
I remember reading many bad opinions against using that option...
???
Amir.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use it without any problem and flash my hd every day should use it correctly :
Overall performance of backups and restores are clearly within my expectations. My backups can range from 4-9 minutes and restores can take a little longer which is worth every minute for a disaster recovery plan. I have yet to try the FTP or TCP/IP backups so I cannot report on those features, but for “geeks-sake” I will look into these when time permits and report on my findings.
Two other interesting features of Sprite Backup are the Restore “Upgrade” (see Figure B PC console screen) feature and the Sprite Explorer tool. The Restore “Upgrade” features allows restoration of a backup to the same device with a different ROM (usually an upgraded ROM) or to a different device entirely. While this is an unpopular move by most device users, it is an interesting and perhaps useful function for those who do not wish to reinstall applications or data after a ROM or device change. The Sprite Explorer tool is reminiscent of Symantec’s Ghost Explorer tool. Sprite Explorer allows browsing of your Sprite Backup EXE files so that you can review the details of the backups and restore individual files to your PC. Sprite Explorer will also identify which version of Sprite Backup was used for the creation of the EXE file. When browsing a password protected EXE backup file, Sprite Explorer will prompt for the correct password before revealing the contents.
fonte: http://www.fuzemobility.com/?p=1805

Thanks.
I made a fresh backup with Sprite, after a new fresh install.
When Dutty will launch his 1.9 ROM , I will try o upgrade with Sprite, otherwise I'll goto sashimi.
Amir.

ugumba said:
I'm sorry for making this so long
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I liked the posting for its longeness... I really made me wanting to have a look at SASHIMI.
However, I am not much into MortScript, yet - would you mind to share your customization files?
I think it would be very helpful for me to have a starting point for my own work...
Thank you,
The Whistler

what about spbbackup2, easiest backup ever, and the files are self extractable so you don't even need to install spbbackup again to restore a rom.

i like the tought of just installing the ONE app.
And when i flash, that this will restore my personal settings, games, and programmas.
going to read up on this!
still, thanxxx!!

ugumba said:
I recommend that you get the following: Resco Explorer (w/registry addon), Orneta Notepad (or MobilePad). With these, most of the work can be carried out on the phone itself. To figure out the registry settings for a certain program or option, there are two ways:
- manual search, typically fast and has a very high success rate by first visiting HKLM\Software and HKCU\Software, then looking for the vendor or software name.
- registry diff, slow but very accurate, requires PC (for now). Export HKLM+HKCU (using multiple select in Resco regedit) *before* you make the configuration change, and *after* you've made the change. Copy the two reg files to a PC and do a diff (WinMerge should do a good job). Alternatively, you can use a Windows tool like Registry Workshop or CeRegEditor to export the registries, but I think the first way is faster, and you can actually prepare the exports on the move, then do the diffs when you come home.
Some programs store configuration data in files - these *may* be a bit harder to figure out, but they're usually in the installation folder. Once you've set up such a program to your liking, copy its CAB to SASHIMI\Auto\CAB and the configuration file to SASHIMI\Auto\Root\Program Files\<app name>, and the app will be as you want it after the hard reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All very helpful so nevermind the long windedness. I've been using Sashimi and I've managed to backup some apps to my satisfaction. I've have been trying to backup CorePlayer settings. I have backed up its regs keys. I have also backed up it's program files folder and reinstalled it manually with no success. What is the configuration file you are referring to that should be copied to SASHIMI\Auto\Root\Program Files\<app name>? Do you mean a file within program files or some other file?

DRTigerlilly said:
what about spbbackup2, easiest backup ever, and the files are self extractable so you don't even need to install spbbackup again to restore a rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SBPBackup backs up the complete registry, so this would be a problem if something has changed from one rom Version to another (as f.e. stated in the first post of the Energy rom´s thread), thus this program would not be ideal for restoring a backup after flashing to a different rom.
Restoring backup´s to the same rom version however, this is what sbpbackup is perfect for.

Cheech1976 said:
SBPBackup backs up the complete registry, so this would be a problem if something has changed from one rom Version to another (as f.e. stated in the first post of the Energy rom´s thread), thus this program would not be ideal for restoring a backup after flashing to a different rom.
Restoring backup´s to the same rom version however, this is what sbpbackup is perfect for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, SPB Backup should only be used emails, contacts etc.
A full backup should only be used if you are trying to restore rom i.e. if something happened to it. It shouldn't be used when swapping between different rom builds as the registry settings/paths would be different

Backup and ROM-Update. How to?

Hello Forum!
I would like to update Leo's ROM (HTC, German Stock-ROM) from 1.43.407.1 to 1.48.407.1. BUT, I don't want to install all programs and tweak my baby again (not to forget all the emails and outlook settings, SMS etc.). Is there a way of doing a backup, which can effectively "survive" a ROM update, or is this simply not possible without coruption? Normally I use Sprite Backup 6.5.5 for my phone backup, but it does not tell me to many things about what will happen if a backup would be applied to the phone after ROM update. By the way. I don't think Sprite Backup will backup the ROM itself but just the other data on the internal memory, does it?
Thank you in advance folks!
Studebaker

hi,
spritebackup is trying to be smart on restore, so you can chose how it should behaive on restoring after romupdate. when i remember it rigth there are 3 or 4 options to choose from when you start a restore, they are listed at there website and in the manual/helpfile.

Hello madbird,
Yes, I noticed that. I just want to make sure that it really does work even after ROM update. What I do not want is problems afterwards. Anybody tried already?
Thanks guys!
Studebaker

I have been using SPB Backup's ROM upgrade mode on my Polaris for restoring of my settings & applications over sequential ROM upgrades.
Apart from some minor issues it really saved me a lot of reconfiguring time.
Naturally I haven't been able to try it on Leo, since custom ROMs can't be flashed yet.

Studebaker72 said:
Hello Forum!
I would like to update Leo's ROM (HTC, German Stock-ROM) from 1.43.407.1 to 1.48.407.1. BUT, I don't want to install all programs and tweak my baby again (not to forget all the emails and outlook settings, SMS etc.). Is there a way of doing a backup, which can effectively "survive" a ROM update, or is this simply not possible without coruption? Normally I use Sprite Backup 6.5.5 for my phone backup, but it does not tell me to many things about what will happen if a backup would be applied to the phone after ROM update. By the way. I don't think Sprite Backup will backup the ROM itself but just the other data on the internal memory, does it?
Thank you in advance folks!
Studebaker
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In order to restore and at the same time 100% incorporate all changes introduced by the rom upgrade you need 2 additional procedures (apart from a backup software).
1) Overwrite the new registry over the old registry
2) Overwrite the new double copy files over the old double copy files.
The first Step can be easily done in the following way
After upgrading you install Resco Registry.
You export the entire registry.
You restore the old backup image
Finally you re-import the previously exported reg file.
This will overwrite all keys that were changed during the rom upgrade.
Regarding the second step, let me quickly explain to you what I mean with double copy files.
After hard resetting your device and during the first boot, a customization tool is running in the background that copies some files from the rom (and the windows folder) to the storage memory (and different folders).
If you restore the previous rom image, these files will be overwritten with old versions. You can partially overcome this issue if the double copy files are both found in the same directory (f.e. Opera9.exe and OperaL.exe in Windows folder).
In this case you delete the duplicated file in storage and apart from releasing some mbs of free space you also use the latest version, which always resides in rom. This procedure can not be followed with files and folders that are copied during the customization process from Windows folder to other folders.
In order to overcome this issue and to be able to restore a previous image incorporating at the same time all the changes introduced by the upgrade, we have to find a way and activate the customization tool after completing the restore process. In this way the double copy files will be re-overwritten with the newer ones.
Check also this thread.
Finally another way to rebuild your system without much effort is to setup Sashimi once and then use it to quickly reinstall everything.

Hello Step2p!
Thank you so much for taking some time for that really interesting answer. The registry, yes, I guesses that could be a problem. Please let me comment to your points, because I'm in no way an expert in that:
The first Step can be easily done in the following way:
-After upgrading you install Resco Registry. => OK
-You export the entire registry. => Ahm, OK...
-You restore the old backup image => Yes, because I want to have my tweaked registry from the "old" ROM back.
-Finally you re-import the previously exported reg file. => Ouch. Than my tweaked and modified entries will all be gone. Right?
This will overwrite all keys that were changed during the rom upgrade. => And also all the former ones will be overwriten by new ones??
Did I get that right? After your procedure my old tweaks will be history, just because the new registry that we will have remaining at last will be pure as snow. New and unmodified.
Thanks again,
Studebaker

Studebaker72 said:
Hello Step2p!
Thank you so much for taking some time for that really interesting answer. The registry, yes, I guesses that could be a problem. Please let me comment to your points, because I'm in no way an expert in that:
The first Step can be easily done in the following way:
-After upgrading you install Resco Registry. => OK
-You export the entire registry. => Ahm, OK...
-You restore the old backup image => Yes, because I want to have my tweaked registry from the "old" ROM back.
-Finally you re-import the previously exported reg file. => Ouch. Than my tweaked and modified entries will all be gone. Right?
This will overwrite all keys that were changed during the rom upgrade. => And also all the former ones will be overwriten by new ones??
Did I get that right? After your procedure my old tweaks will be history, just because the new registry that we will have remaining at last will be pure as snow. New and unmodified.
Thanks again,
Studebaker
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you will lose all system registry tweaks (but not 3rd party tweaks). Unfortunately it is almost impossible to have the latest registry without losing these tweaks.
But updating the registry is an important step, because many of the bug fixes are actually registry tweaks that we never find.
In order to overcome this issue you have 2 options
1) Use an application like BsB tweaks which allows you to quickly setup the main registry tweaks
2) Create a reg file (or better a cab file) with all the tweaks that you are doing. After importing the registry you can run it in order to re-overwrite the tweaks.

Oh yes, a cab file sounds great to restore my tweaks! I just have no idea how to do that. How to convert my registry tweaks into a cab file, is there some software available to do the trick? Sorry for my stupid questions, that's like rocket science for me....

WinCe CabManager is very easy to use.
If you find it difficult you can export your keys using Resco Registry and then join the individual keys using a text editor.

Yes! said:
I have been using SPB Backup's ROM upgrade mode on my Polaris for restoring of my settings & applications over sequential ROM upgrades.
Apart from some minor issues it really saved me a lot of reconfiguring time.
Naturally I haven't been able to try it on Leo, since custom ROMs can't be flashed yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello Yes!
May I ask what kind of "minor issues" you are refering to?
Thank you!
Studebaker

Studebaker72 said:
Hello Yes!
May I ask what kind of "minor issues" you are refering to?
Thank you!
Studebaker
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, firstly i had some issues with the mail accounts.
After restoring in ROM upgrade mode all mail accounts were available and working. However it seemed like their configuration had not been fully restored.
When i wanted to modify an account (i.e. synch frequency) i had to completely reconfigure the accont, since its configuration wasn't there.
The issue only became noticeable when the account option need to be adjusted.
Secondly i also had the feeling (might be subjective) that the cycle of backing up, upgrading, restoring (in ROM upgrade mode), backing up (from previously restored rom), upgrading, restoring (in ROM upgrade mode) etc....pollutes the image somehow.
I have gone through the cycle for 5 or 6 upgrades without noticeable problems, but i'm not sure how it will behave after more cycles or after a major upgrade.
For so far i've only used ROM upgrade restores on my Polaris but i will try it on my Leo tonight.
I will post my findings here after upgrading.

Thank you, that is very interresting! Sprite Backup is a very powerful tool, no doubt! But to recover every little detail after a ROM update seems too good to be true. The registry scares me, the registry from the 1.48 might not be identical to the 1.43. But the backup will plaster all the old settings over it, can that be OK?? Who knows...

Backup my HD2 for official ROM upgrade

So i've searched the forum for how to backup my phone as i want to install the official 1.6 rom which i got from the HTC site yesterday.
Now, after reading tons of threads i must say i'm still confused. I'm surprised there is not a simple stickied guide for noobs on how to simply backup your phone, upgrade and restore.
I was good at this malarky on symbian but this is like starting over gain, i'm clueless. I know the apps SPB, Sprite & pimbackup as well as microsoft my phone are all options for backing up but i need to get this staright in my nooby nut before i start it. So...
What i want:
1). a programme that will back up my contacts and most importantly my SETTINGS, no one seems to mention backing up the settings
2). then, should i hard reset before the upgrade? hard reset after? both? not at all?
3). I'm not bothered about registry tweaks i can redo the ones i want and i've got all my cabs on my pc ready to re-install.
Sorry if i'm being thick but i want to get this right, i don't want to lose all my settings and have to go through the entire phone to make it mine again..
If the above 3 questions can be simply answered i would be eternaly grateful

The reason backup.restire isn't really mentioned much is that restoring settings after can be a little hit and miss. I hear spb backup can restore settings after a new rom, but also there are several threads where people say the phone fails to boot after the restore and they must hard reset.
The reason is that flashing a new rom is like completely wiping and reinstalling your pc operating system. Its a whole new system, so if you restore for example some registry settings, there is no guarantee that something in the new rom isn't changed from the old one.
Personally, i just re do everything manually. (Flashed a new rom not 30 minutes ago actually, and all i have left to set up is the email accounts. Takes no more than 20 minutes all in to get ot back to how i had it before)
You should hard reset after you flash a new rom. No point doing it before. Do teh flash, let it set itself up, then hard reset, let it set itself up again, start using.
You have cabs and reg tweaks saved, (as do i) so i'd say bite the bullet and do the settings manually.

Hell Jonbaker,
Appreciate you have taken some time to search which is what a lot of new users DON'T do so lets help you out here.
I suggest you do this:
Go to the SPB Mobile website, download a trial version of SPB Backup. When you run it the software backs up the following:
- PIM Data including text messages
- Email
- Documents and files
- System files and settings.
Once you have done this, ie made the backup onto a dedicated sub directory on the SD card on your device, do the following: as a further backup, make a copy of the SPB backup file and transfer it to your PC. This way if anything goes wrong you have 2 copies of this valuable file in 2 different locations.
Next upgrade your ROM from the HTC site, which seems to be your preferred option.
Once the ROM is installed and the phone boots back up ok AND you are happy that there are no problems with the ROM then do the following:
- Use file explorer to navigate to the sub directory on your SD card where you kept the original SPB backup file from before.
- Tap on the file and it will eventually load up. Note that it is a self executable file but it sometimes takes a little while to load up
- This bit is important: once the file is loaded up, walk carefully through the screens until you see the options for Full Restore or Customized Restore
- Choose Cutomized Restore. If you don't you WILL screw up your new installation
- At the next screen you will see that ALL the options are already ticked. Untick System Data . This bit is very important. Leave all other options ticked
- Walk through the rest of the screens then let the software do its thing
- Once done the device will reboot itself and all your data, PIM, emails, etc will have been restored.
Job Done.
By the way, you will have to restore your software packages manually but at least your PIM data is already restored automatically. Afraid there is no other way out if you are changing ROMS.
If you get stuck come back and we can see what we can do. If you take your time and think logically you will be fine.
Cheers
WB
PS: Whatever you do, DO NOT DELETE the SPB Backup file as you may need it again at a later date. Also get into the habit of making regular automated backups which this software allows you to do.
I backup every day, 7 days a week, for peace of mind.
WB

samsamuel said:
You have cabs and reg tweaks saved, (as do i) so i'd say bite the bullet and do the settings manually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mmmm, pain in the arse, i've had this phone a week and i've spent hours and hours learning it and getting it how i want it and now i learn of the new rom and i got to start from scratch again.
After coming from the N96 where an over the air upgrade could be done and not losing a single file or setting without backing up, this is taking a huge step back for me. However, that was the only advantage i could tell you that the n96 has over this phone!
I might try the spb backup, if it fails on my settings i can hard reset no loss yeah?
Thanks for the info again mate, very helpful member

wacky.banana said:
Hell Jonbaker,
Appreciate you have taken some time to search which is what a lot of new users DON'T do so lets help you out here.
I suggest you do this:
Go to the SPB Mobile website, download a trial version of SPB Backup. When you run it the software backs up the following:
- PIM Data including text messages
- Email
- Documents and files
- System files and settings.
Once you have done this, ie made the backup onto a dedicated sub directory on the SD card on your device, do the following: as a further backup, make a copy of the SPB backup file and transfer it to your PC. This way if anything goes wrong you have 2 copies of this valuable file in 2 different locations.
Next upgrade your ROM from the HTC site, which seems to be your preferred option.
Once the ROM is installed and the phone boots back up ok AND you are happy that there are no problems with the ROM then do the following:
- Use file explorer to navigate to the sub directory on your SD card where you kept the original SPB backup file from before.
- Tap on the file and it will eventually load up. Note that it is a self executable file but it sometimes takes a little while to load up
- This bit is important: once the file is loaded up, walk carefully through the screens until you see the options for Full Restore or Customized Restore
- Choose Cutomized Restore. If you don't you WILL screw up your new installation
- At the next screen you will see that ALL the options are already ticked. Untick System Data . This bit is very important. Leave all other options ticked
- Walk through the rest of the screens then let the software do its thing
- Once done the device will reboot itself and all your data, PIM, emails, etc will have been restored.
Job Done.
By the way, you will have to restore your software packages manually but at least your PIM data is already restored automatically. Afraid there is no other way out if you are changing ROMS.
If you get stuck come back and we can see what we can do. If you take your time and think logically you will be fine.
Cheers
WB
PS: Whatever you do, DO NOT DELETE the SPB Backup file as you may need it again at a later date. Also get into the habit of making regular automated backups which this software allows you to do.
I backup every day, 7 days a week, for peace of mind.
WB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent advice, i will try this, i appreciatte you taking the time to write all that out in detail. I shall follow the steps you gave and report back with how i got on
one last thing, at what point should i hard reset? i'm guessing straight after i'm happy the rom has been installed correctly. Then restore?

wacky.banana said:
... - This bit is important: once the file is loaded up, walk carefully through the screens until you see the options for Full Restore or Customized Restore
- Choose Cutomized Restore. If you don't you WILL screw up your new installation
- At the next screen you will see that ALL the options are already ticked. Untick System Data . This bit is very important. Leave all other options ticked
...
By the way, you will have to restore your software packages manually but at least your PIM data is already restored automatically. Afraid there is no other way out if you are changing ROMS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great post WB.
However... your statement i quoted above is not 100% correct. Its sort of dependant upon what ROM you are upgrading to and whether a system restore using SPB Backup will cause problems or not. The only way to tell is to actually try it out!
For info here... i have used SPB Backup for years. Recently though i used SPB Backup to backup my entire system,... applications, registry etc (not PIM data as i use MS Exchange to simply sync).
I then upgraded my ROM from 1.43 stock to 1.66 stock and restored using my backup file.... everything was back... all of my apps and registry tweaks were present and working with no hiccups AT ALL. The restored system was complete and included system integrated stuff like SPB Mobile Shell, S2u2 and even my manila home screen edits and tweaks.
It was then a simple matter of synching with exchange to get my contacts back.
When you run the restore on your newly flashed device... definately do a custom restore and if you are doing system data also, SPB Backup should prompt you with the fact that it has recognised your ROM has changed. You should then run the restore in ROM upgrade mode.

hmmm, system data.. would that mean registry tweaks and installed apps? does that also include settings or is that covered else where in the restore?

jonbaker76 said:
hmmm, system data.. would that mean registry tweaks and installed apps? does that also include settings or is that covered else where in the restore?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
system data is indeed ALL of your apps and registry tweaks.
WB's post will only backup and restore your PIM data.
What i am saying is that you can indeed backup and restore EVERYTHING!
If i were you i would do two backups... one for just your PIM data,... and the other one for PIM AND system data.
Then when you do a full restore with ALL of your apps, settings, registry tweaks (system data) and get any issues... at least you have your PIM data backed up seperately.

@ Audio Oblivion,
I know where you are coming from; however I wanted to ensure that the OP had a 100% safe route back to a new working system hence me posting the intructions the way I did.
No offence to the OP but I gather at the moment that the simpler things are for him the better the end result!
To the OP, take my route (honest, I'm not precious about it) and you will be fine.
WB

ok cool, i have 2 last questions:
1). where do i install spb, i take it on the storage card as it would get removed from the phone memory.
2). What backup setting takes care of the actual phone SETTINGS is that in PIM or system data?
oh and this: one last thing, at what point should i hard reset? i'm guessing straight after i'm happy the rom has been installed correctly. Then restore?

wacky.banana said:
@ Audio Oblivion,
I know where you are coming from; however I wanted to ensure that the OP had a 100% safe route back to a new working system hence me posting the intructions the way I did.
No offence to the OP but I gather at the moment that the simpler things are for him the better the end result!
To the OP, take my route (honest, I'm not precious about it) and you will be fine.
WB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep... im sure he appreciates it and you are 100% correct your method is safe.
Im just expanding his horizons a little ...

I've flashed about 20 times, and each time SPB restored reliably. Worst case scenario if it doesn't work: reinstall everything by hand. Shouldn't take too long.
Suggestion: keep a folder on your SD card of all cabs you'd want reinstalled. Handy regardless of outcome.

ok cool, i have 3 last questions:
1). where do i install spb, i take it on the storage card as it would get removed from the phone memory.
2). What backup setting takes care of the actual phone SETTINGS is that in PIM or system data?
3). At what point should i hard reset? i'm guessing straight after i'm happy the rom has been installed correctly. Then restore?
I'm ready to roll, just need to know the above , many thanks

UncleBeer said:
I've flashed about 20 times, and each time SPB restored reliably. Worst case scenario if it doesn't work: reinstall everything by hand. Shouldn't take too long.
Suggestion: keep a folder on your SD card of all cabs you'd want reinstalled. Handy regardless of outcome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3 rules for anyone with a winmo device:
1. Keep a folder with all of your cabs, reg entries, tweak files etc on your sd card.
2. Backup PIM data (i use MS exchange.. you can use PIM Backup, SPB Backup... whatever...)
3. When you have all of your core apps installed and the phone is completely setup... Do a system data backup (i use SPB Backup).
You can now wipe your device and restore completely within minutes at any given time.

jonbaker76 said:
ok cool, i have 3 last questions:
1). where do i install spb, i take it on the storage card as it would get removed from the phone memory.
2). What backup setting takes care of the actual phone SETTINGS is that in PIM or system data?
3). At what point should i hard reset? i'm guessing straight after i'm happy the rom has been installed correctly. Then restore?
I'm ready to roll, just need to know the above , many thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) card. Pretty sure you don't have a choice.
2) as I said, I do a complete backup and a complete restore, so in my case, the question is moot.
3) right after the new ROM boots completely.

jonbaker76 said:
ok cool, i have 3 last questions:
1). where do i install spb, i take it on the storage card as it would get removed from the phone memory.
2). What backup setting takes care of the actual phone SETTINGS is that in PIM or system data?
3). At what point should i hard reset? i'm guessing straight after i'm happy the rom has been installed correctly. Then restore?
I'm ready to roll, just need to know the above , many thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Install SPB Backup wherever you like... i install all of my apps on SD unless there is a specific reason to install them on device memory (functionality issues etc). The Backup file that SPB creates is a self extracting exe file so you dont need to actually install SPB backup to run it.
2. Depends exactly which settings you are referring to but if you want what i think then the answer is system data.
3. After the rom has installed correctly and you have run through the initial device setup. Hard reset the device and run through device setup once more.

Just to clarify here:
PIM data is contacts, emails, texts and their associated accounts.
System data is EVERYTHING ELSE!

Just thought i might mention in this backup thread that there are certain apps that dont need re-installing on fresh device builds (after rom flash or wipe) if they have already been installed to removal media such as SD cards.
SPB Backup is one of them, Tom Tom is another... there are loads actually... most of my apps dont need re-installing.
The basic rule is... if you can install it to your SD card.... after a rom flash/wipe try to run it straight from the program files folder on your sd card without running the install first. If it works... simply copy a shortcut for it into the windows start menu.

Yeah the settings i'm referring to Audio Oblivion are like ringtones, backlight options etc, so that is system data.
I'm good to go now, big thanks to all that have helped me in this thread
I'm sure other WM noobs will find this thread useful if found

Let us know how you get on. Think logically and DON'T panic.
Worse comes to the worse you can always repeat your steps provided you keep hold of that SPB Backup file like your life depended on it.
WB