Make a full backup of the tablet firmware. How to make a full backup of Android

Good afternoon, dear readers. Read the article on how to make a backup on Android without root rights, or with them, what a backup is. Useful programs to help you make a backup copy.

The Android operating system is fraught with a lot of possibilities. The most useful of them is backup. Or backup - this function is also called that. If a failure occurs or you lose your smartphone, you can restore almost all the information. You just need to remember to regularly backup your Android system. How exactly? This article will try to answer this question.

Types of backup

First, let's figure out what exactly is meant by the word “backup”. This is usually the name for copying certain files for their subsequent recovery. You can copy data to the following places:

• microSD card or permanent memory- you copy the data into a separate file or archive, and then move it somewhere else yourself;
• Computer- backup of Android firmware or copying of some third-party files to a PC is usually carried out via a USB cable or via Wi-Fi;
• Cloud services- in some cases, the backup can be automatically uploaded to Dropbox, Google Drive and other similar sites.

What exactly can you copy? This is a more serious question. The operating system itself by default uploads data about your contacts, call logs, messages and much more to Google servers. Usually this is enough for any user.

Third-party applications can copy all kinds of media content. For example, these could be downloaded videos or . In this case, you often specify the folders with the necessary files yourself, so there can be no mistakes - absolutely everything will be copied.

There is also a backup on Android of application settings. It works correctly, however, not on all smartphones. And not all programs allow you to copy their settings. But you need to know about this possibility.

Finally, there is a full backup on Android. This is when the current state of the firmware is copied - completely, from settings to some files hidden from the user. This is done in the most difficult way and often in a special way. And this is required only for those who regularly experiment with their device.

Backup on Android: Do you need root rights?

Some files cannot be copied without . The fact is that the most serious operating system settings are hidden deep in hidden folders. As such, the user does not have access to read them. It is root rights that solve the problem - they provide access to copy absolutely any files.

But most often, no root rights are required. For example, you can back up your messages, contact book, and other aspects of the Android operating system without them. Moreover, this process is often carried out automatically - you may not even know about it.

Backup using the operating system

Android, almost from its first versions, learned to copy user information to Google servers. But at the same time, only basic information is copied - messages, call logs, content of services from the Google Play series, calendar, contacts and documents. If this is enough for you, then get ready to do the following:

1. Go to "Settings".
2. Go to the "Accounts" section.
3. Select Google.
4. In the window that opens, activate the switches next to all the items that you consider necessary. Please note that there is also an “Application Data” item here. But it does not work in the best way - if you reinstall the operating system or some kind of system failure, many programs will still start working from scratch. But all applications will be installed automatically.

Don't forget that you need a Google account for this sync to work. However, without it you can only implement an Android backup to a computer. For other actions, special applications are required, and they need to be downloaded from, where you cannot get there without the appropriate account. Of course, there are all sorts of tricks like downloading programs from third-party resources, but this is a topic for a separate article.

Branded programs for backup on Android

Nowadays, many smartphones come with proprietary shells created by the manufacturer. They can implement additional backup - the data is sent to the device manufacturer’s server. For example, let's look at how to make a backup on Android installed on a Samsung smartphone or tablet:

1. Go to "Settings".
2. Enter the "Cloud and Accounts" section.
3. Click on "Backup and Restore".
4. Select "Backup Settings".
5. Here you can enable automatic backup, which will be uploaded to the server once every 24 hours. Here you can also select the types of information sent to the server. More often than not, Samsung complements Google in this regard. For example, this way you can regularly copy desktop shortcuts, the contents of the Phone application, a list of all installed applications, almost all device parameters and much more.

The best backup programs for Android

Not all people are satisfied with the standard features of the operating system. Some users are looking for information on how to make a backup on Android using special utilities. They seem to trust them more. In addition, such programs allow you to send a backup to your favorite “cloud,” while the operating system only offers servers from Google and some other companies involved in the production of smartphones.

Without root rights, third-party programs do approximately the same thing as Android itself. They are able to copy contacts and messages, but nothing more. But if you give such a program superuser rights, then everything will change. The breadth of its capabilities will increase significantly. The most popular backup applications and tools are the following:

• Titanium Backup;
• SP FlashTools;
• (CWM).

Titanium Backup

And these are just the three most popular titles! On Google Play you can find at least a dozen other programs of this kind. For now, let's figure out how Android applications are backed up using Titanium Backup. This is the most popular backup program. It is free to use, although some useful features are only available in the advanced version. However, it is not too expensive; $5.99 is a reasonable price to pay for keeping your information safe.

So, what does Titanium Backup copy? It seems like absolutely everything! If you give the application superuser rights (without them it simply does not work), you will get a bunch of possibilities.

• Firstly, you can regularly copy the settings of all programs and games installed on your device. Moreover, you can even copy their APK files!
• Secondly, you can make a backup of all operating system settings. Absolutely everyone! This means you can experiment without worrying about system files.
• Thirdly, although this does not concern our topic, Titanium Backup allows you to freeze user and system software. This is useful in cases where the device is provided to a child - this way you will be sure that he will definitely not install anything by accident.

How exactly to use Titanium Backup?

Everything is very simple:

1. Install and run Titanium Backup.
2. Give the application superuser rights. The utility may also ask you to change some settings - for example, enable the ability to install programs from unknown sources.
3. Click on the button located in the upper right corner. It shows a piece of paper with a check mark.
4. Here is a list of program features. Select the feature you want and click the Start button next to it. For example, you can select “Make r.k. all user software and system data." In this case, absolutely everything will be copied.

The backup copy will be in the form of a separate file. In the application settings you can specify where exactly to save the backup. The safest way is to save it to a memory card. The PRO version allows you to use Box, Dropbox and Google Drive. You can also set up an automatic backup - it will be created according to a schedule. The paid version of the program can also compress files - in this case, they will take up less space in your cloud storage or on your memory card.

Backup of all Android firmware

And even Titanium Backup does not copy the entire state of the operating system. In this case it simply doesn't make sense. If you experience a system crash and Android won't boot, you won't be able to use the recovery because you won't be able to launch the app itself. Then how to make a backup of Android firmware?

Developers from Google have implemented another method that works using .

Make sure the battery is at least 50% charged before proceeding further. Otherwise, there is minimal risk of the device turning into a “brick”.

Different smartphones and tablets may use different ways to visit the Recovery menu. In any case, you will need to completely turn off the device. Then the following actions are usually performed:

1. You must hold down the volume up button;
2. Next, the power button is pressed.

Some devices use different buttons. For example, Samsung devices can also use the Home button. Please note that all buttons are released after a green robot with an exclamation mark appears on the screen. Otherwise, a normal reboot will occur. Well, in the Recovery Menu you need to find the “Backup and Restore” item. Navigate through the menu using the volume buttons (the touch screen does not work here) and press the appropriate item using the power button. Next, click on “Backup” in the same way. Then all that remains is to wait for the process to complete.

Copying all firmware files can take from five to ten minutes - the exact value depends on the processor power and operating system load.

When the process is complete, click on “Reboot now”. This will reboot the device.

Unfortunately, this method may not work on some smartphones. Almost always, the “Backup and Restore” item is present in the custom Recovery menus. If you have never flashed a device, then you may simply not have this item.

Backup using a computer

Many programs have been written for the Windows and Mac OS X operating systems to receive data from a smartphone. Software developers who regularly test and experiment with portable devices typically use A.D.B.. This is a special program that is used to debug a smartphone or tablet. It has virtually no interface, and all actions are carried out by entering the appropriate commands. But before that, you need to enable USB debugging on your smartphone. This is done as follows:

1. Go to "Settings".
2. If you've never enabled USB debugging, you'll likely need to visit the About Phone section first. Here, click on the “Build number” item several times until you receive a message indicating that you have become a developer.
3. Now go back to the main settings menu and click on the “For Developers” button.
4. Activate the switch next to “USB Debugging”.

When the checkbox is activated, you need to connect the smartphone to the computer and run the ADB program (its exe file). In fact, only with the help of this utility can you create a backup without root. For the most complete backup, enter the following command:

$ adb backup -f "D:\Backup\ADB-2017-08-15.ab" -apk -shared -all -system

If you don’t need APK files, then you don’t have to write the corresponding key. Of course, the path and name of the backup file may be different - we have provided only an example.

If you only need to transfer contacts, messages and other information to your computer, then you can use more understandable programs. For example, an application will allow you to make such a backup on Android MyPhoneExplorer. This computer application has a clear Russian-language interface; it does not ask for any text commands. Therefore, it will not be difficult for you to create a backup copy on your own. We will only say that this program also requires activation of USB debugging.

Summarizing

Now you know what backup is on Android. And from now on you will not have any difficulties creating it. In conclusion, we only note that ordinary people only need to create backup copies in order to then restore the most important information in the event of a smartphone being lost or broken. And for this, the usual synchronization with Google, which we talked about at the very beginning, is enough.

About five years ago, smartphones were exclusively owned by people who needed their functionality. Today, thanks to market development Android devices– Almost everyone has these gadgets. The platform is quite customizable and develops quickly - new major versions are released every year, and throughout the year, manufacturers pamper users with updates to existing OS versions several times. Because of this trend, it is very important to know and be able to make a firmware backup, so that in case of an unsuccessful update or in any other situation, you can quickly rollback to a working system without losing your data and information.
In principle, there are quite a few ways to make a backup, but the most common and convenient is install custom recovery with this function. The most popular alternative recovery options are CWM (ClockworkMod recovery) and TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project). CWM- one of the very first such projects - it is quite minimalistic and is controlled exclusively by “hard buttons” - the volume buttons and the power key. It has only the most necessary functionality (including the backup function). TWRP a more advanced project. It has touch controls and quite a few features, the most useful of which is perhaps the built-in file manager, which will allow you to copy your data from the internal memory to a flash drive if the phone refuses to boot.
Let's take a brief look at each of these two alternative recovery options, consider how to make a backup using them, and show you another way that will allow you to do this directly from a running system. We will also consider options for backing up only certain data (SMS, MMS, etc.)

CWM

ClockworkMod recovery is a modified unofficial recovery, which is produced for almost any more or less popular phone model. Installation is possible either instead of standard recovery or in parallel with it. With it you can set unofficial firmware, create backups, reset user data and format partitions. You can also create separate partitions on a memory card, etc.

To make a backup of the file system of your Android device you need to go into CWM recovery (this procedure may differ slightly on different phones). Then you need to use the volume buttons to go to backup and restore and select either Backup (full backup of the entire system) or Advanced Backup– this will allow you to select the partitions that you want to save (most often these are data and boot), which will allow you to save time and space on the flash drive.

Video about installing ClockworkMod recovery

TWRP

TeamWin recovery is also a modified unofficial recovery, which is available for most Android device models. It allows you to perform many more actions with the device than standard recovery and than CWM, but is less common than the latter. TWRP will allow its users to:

• install unofficial and official firmware;
• install corrections and additions;
• supports connection in ADB mode;
• create backup copies of both the complete firmware and its individual parts;
• format partitions and create them.

To make a backup using TeamWin recovery, you need to go into it, go to the Backup item and make a snapshot of the system, and you can choose which sections of the system you need to save.

Video about installing eamWin recovery

Restoring from a backup

To begin with, for greater safety, you need to transfer the folder with the saved firmware to your computer’s hard drive, write it to an optical disk, upload it to the cloud, etc. In this case, even if you lose the flash drive, you will always have the opportunity to roll back the system to its old state. Then you will need to go into recovery again and select Restore, and then mark the partitions that you do you want to restore(in case of CWM you will need to go to Advanced restore). After waiting for the operation to complete, reboot the device.

Another way to backup a partition

If you are somehow not satisfied with the previous methods, then there is another one that is much less commonly used, but with its help you will definitely preserve all connections and file rights. To implement it you will need a phone withroot rights , on which the terminal emulator is installed.
First, open a terminal emulator and type:
su
After this, a confirmation window for root rights should appear (if you have not already confirmed them before. Then type:
dd if=/dev/block/“block number” of=/sdcard/system.img bs=4096
Where instead of “block number” you should write the number of the section you want to save. To restore the partition, the resulting file will need to be flashed via fastboot, like a regular img image.

Saving SMS, MMS and other content

If you want to “move” to a new system, then you will only need to restore old messages and, possibly, some files. The files will remain on your memory card, so you don’t have to worry about this, but text messages will have to be saved manually. There are many free programs on Google Play; to save them, you just have to choose the most convenient one.
It is also worth noting that Android has well-developed functions for saving application data and restoring applications themselves, therefore, you will not need to worry about this operation - the system will do everything for you.

Contacts, notes, photos, video files, application settings - this is not a complete list of information stored on your phone or tablet. Some users are scared to imagine that at some point all this data may be lost - no one is immune from breakdown, damage, or software problems of the phone. Is there a way out? - you ask. There is always a way out! In this article we will look at how to make a backup copy of your Android device, thereby protecting it from data loss.

Google Cloud Service

Google, which is both the owner and developer of the Android operating system, provides a convenient tool for backing up user data to its servers with the ability to synchronize them:

In truth, this will not be a complete copy of the system - not all data can be backed up. For example, messages and applications, unfortunately, we will not copy.

Using programs and a computer

You can also make a backup copy using personal computer software. Let's consider 3 utilities for these purposes.

ADB RUN

ADB RUN is an integral part of the development kit - Android SDK:

As you can see, a window has appeared for setting a password, but it is not necessary to set it, just click on the “Create a backup” button.

Note! For the reverse process - restoring from a backup, in step 5, select Adb Restore.

MyPhoneExplorer

As with the previous program, the phone must be connected to the PC in USB debugging mode:

Note! To restore data, go to Miscellaneous -> Restore from backup.

Samsung Kies

SamsungKies is a shell program that allows your computer to interact with Samsung devices. Important note - The program is designed to work with productsSamsung. For owners of other models of Android devices, this method will not work:

To restore, go to the "Recover data" item.

Via Android device

For users who do not have access to a computer, we will talk about 2 applications that do not require it. Both programs are available in the official Google Play and . We will not consider their installation. All necessary steps are performed on an Android smartphone.

Titaniumbackup

Note! The path on the disk where the backup will be saved is specified in the application settings.

Following the “Backup” section is the “Restore” section, where we can restore the system to the state it was in during the backup.

Rom Manager

The backup procedure is certainly useful for the user, allowing you to protect important data from loss. The presented programs are equally capable of performing this task.

It is worth making a backup before any manipulations with an Android device; a copy can be useful if something goes wrong during the new firmware, or it will allow you to restore all the data on a new device of the same model if the old one is lost.

It must be said that mail and contacts on a device with an Android system are tied to a Google account, which itself will take care of the backup.

You just need to log in to your account on the new device, and access to the data will be open. There are special programs for backing up games and applications, for example, Titanium Backup.

The Android firmware image will be written on the card in a directory with the current date, all files that will be needed during recovery will be placed there. It will look like a folder with files: boot.img, cache.img, data.img, recovery.img, systrm.img.

Preparing to create:

First, you need to root the device. -Secondly, download the ROM Manager program from Google Play.

This universal application can not only create copies, it can also be used to reflash an Android device.

How to make a backup of the Android system:

For a full backup, you will need to install a Recovery Image for this device; ROM Manager will do this; you just need to click a button. Please note that an error may occur when creating a Recovery Image if the device is currently connected to the computer. The USB cable from the device must be disconnected.

Recovery Image contains a bootloader that will allow you to start creating a backup and restoring it using the Nandroid backup utility.

ROM Manager will independently determine which version of RecoveryImage should be installed on a specific device; just click the “Clock work Mod Recovery” button, confirm your choice and wait for the installation to complete.

Now you can proceed directly to the backup. This is a very simple operation, you just need to click on the “Backup Current ROM” button. The device will reboot itself and create a complete copy of the entire system, recording it on an SD card.

After this, the normal boot will take place and the device will continue to operate as normal. For reliability, you can save the system backup folder on your computer or in cloud storage.

How to restore a backup:

Restoring your system from a backup is just as easy. You should click on the “Manage and Restore Backup” button and select from the list of backups the one that you want to use during recovery.

In this you can, if desired, rename or delete folders with backup copies. After rebooting, the device will work with the settings and applications that were backed up.