Streamlining the Flashing Process

[SyrisPuppet]

I've read many of the How To's for Flashing, reflashing, returning to stock, etc. What I'd like to know is how to best streamline the process from fully customized ROM1 to fully customized ROM2. That process usually takes me from several hours to a couple days, if I wipe data. There's gotta be a better way!

How do you do it? What tips can you share?

Example questions to help you provide tips:

Most people use TiBU, but what exactly do you back up, and what do you restore after the flash?
There's a ton of settings (ringtones, dock, notification toggles, etc) that I'd love to have saved somewhere, that I can restore... is this possible?
Do you save all of your ringtones/notifications/alarms to the SD card, so they are always available when flashing a new ROM?

Thank you for any help you can provide!

~syris...

[Ads]

[ronnie8890]

I use tibu thats it.

I backup all my apps. I think I have 69 backed up. When I flash a new rom, I only restore a hand full until I need them.

List~
GoSMSpro
Opera
Tapatalk
Voltage control
Nstools
Plants Vs Zombies
Amazon app store
Screeble
(Launcher if I'm running 1)

Most launchers let you back up settings within them, but TiBu will save your entire layout and settings if you backup your launcher.

Ringtones and such I leave on my sdcard, I have a folder that I made of ringtones I like saved to my sdcard I dump in system/x/x to put them in my notification choice. I haven't done that in awhile so I don't remember exact procedure.

It only takes me about 10 minutes to have my phone set back up after flashing with only the use of TiBu.

[D1L777]

Alright so I'll give you what I do every time that I flash something.

First before flashing I go into TiBu and go to the list of apps and start from the top and go down one by one to each of my
that I have downloaded and back them up. Normally after I download something I go ahead and make a backup before using it and then go through and back up each app that I know I have used since the last time I made a back up. I don't use any custom ringtones but if so I would keep them on the SD card. Anything on the SD card is safe you'll always have it. After a flash I would move them back to the folder they need to be in and leave a copy on the SD card. Making folders on your card that are labeled very good help A LOT. i.e., I have folders labeled ROMs, kernels, recoveries, and in each of those folders is another folder with the contents of each ROM/kernel etc..., all labeled with what they are and if they are for like CM7 or Touchwiz or something. After backing up all the apps and making sure you have any other things on your SD card good to go, if you use a launcher like ADW it has a built in back up from the launcher's settings you can use to save your settings for it. As for widgets and stuff like that, I don't know of a way to save your screens like they were. I just set them back up after a flash.

After doing all that I go into the account settings and untick the sync options under my google account and retick them so I know all my contacts and calendar events are synced.

After backing all of those things up I boot into recovery and go and make a nandroid back up, just in case something bad happens

After that I reboot into recovery, wipe the big 3, and flash my new ROM if choice.

After flashing and everything boots back up I first set up my google account and let all that stuff sync back up. Then I goto the market and download TiBu. Then I go to the list of apps again in TiBu and go down the list and restore the things I need right away. As the days go on I restore apps one by one as I need them because I don't use a lot of the apps on a daily basis. You can also do a batch restore and just restore market apps instead of doing them one by one but I like doing it a little at a time. Then go and download your launcher of choice, restore the settings, and begin setting up your screens again.

After time and doing it over and over you'll get used to doing it fairly quickly. At one point I could wipe and flash a new build on CM7 and have everything set back up in like 30 minutes or less.

Having as much stuff as you can backed up to your SD card helps things along and make it much easier.

This is just my way of doing things and everyone will do it a little differently. You'll find a way that is really use for you and it will become second nature to you


...sent from your local Nexus

[UltraDroid]

That's much the same way as I've always done it with my six android phones, over the years. You hit upon a formula that *works*, and you stay with it.

Thanks for laying it out in plain language, it's a good formula!


-Mike

[SyrisPuppet]

Thank you everyone for your responses!

Lately, I take a screen shot of all my home pages to remember how I organized my most used apps and widgets.

There is always a ton of settings that I don't know how to save... Like the toggles on the notification pane. Any way to save the CM7 settings?

~Tapatalk'd from my Fascinate