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Root ROM updates... there has to be an easier way...

El Blacksheep

El Blacksheep

Android Enthusiast
It didn't take me long to realize update.zip installations of ROMs don't always work like they should, meaning the only way to install a ROM is via Nandroid restore. But, that clears all my data with it, meaning I have to re-DL and reconfigure all my app and settings.

But with new ROM versions coming out every day, going through this process of repeat-reconfiguration is starting to become a major hassle.

What options are there for avoiding this headache?
 
if your rom provider offers an update.zip file, you don't loose any settings, and just get the newer version


edit

never mind, reread your statement...
 
Update.zip work just fine. Where did you hear otherwise? I never had a problem with update.zip. also the sholes team is using .tgz format which is better than zip and also doesn't erase your data.
 
When I installed BB 0.7.2 via update.zip, half the features didn't get installed. I had to do a Nandroid install to get them all working. Then yesterday 0.7.3, now today 0.7.4.
 
SirPsychoS' SPRecovery 0.99.2b Recovery now lets you do a Nandroid restore without touching your data. I have upgrades the Smoked Glass ROM a few times already without having to re-do everything.
 
Or you can be like me and redo it all 2 times a day. I don't mind, I have OCD so it keeps me busy re ordering all my stuff.

Yeah, I load different ROMs a lot. :P
 
haha, i dunno, update zip is working well for me, maybe do a really good wipe of your phone back to stock and then redo all this? not sure.
 
radikal said:
haha, i dunno, update zip is working well for me, maybe do a really good wipe of your phone back to stock and then redo all this? not sure.
Click to expand...

Could be.

I've only had one issue with running update.zip's and that was on one bad load of Beauty (8.2).
 
Yeah I doubt update.zip is causing any problems. This is the way Google updates the phones. I did notice that if you run the stock theme patcher and the main rom update that you only get half the apps.
 
i went from BB7.3 to BB7.4 last night using the update.zip in the sprecovery screen. took about 5 minutes or so (maybe even less) and that was it. it kept my home screens just as i left them. everything was pretty much perfect.
 
I've gone from 0.7.1 to 0.7.2 to 0.7.4 using update.zip and I haven't run into any problems on BB's end.

If I have been experiencing any problems, I think SH2 has been the root of them (don't have any hard evidence of this, but I haven't run into any BB-specific problems since rooting and installing). My phone just randomly locked up today while the screen was off (have no idea what happened to cause this) and so I had to pull my battery. I rebooted and got stuck at the red eye (twice) and finally on the third try, which initially didn't seem like it was going to work because I was stuck on the eye for like 2 minutes, it booted up.
 
If your update.zip's aren't installing all the features right, you can try this method:

-Make a nandroid backup of your current, good configuration.
-Install the new ROM via nandroid backup
-Advanced restore your old configuration, selecting only the DATA partition

You should have all the new features of the new ROM while maintaining your apps and settings.

Remember, this only works if the ROM matches your data (i.e. 2.0.1 ROM can only use 2.0.1 DATA partition)
 
its very easy to do the quick install of these roms, even checking all options off in backup it still only takes maybe 15min and i have all back installed and running, like more having it completly wiped and brand new fresh each time then i also can tell if any one app is messing with new rom.
I was hesitant about going nandroid and all but once i did it, the droid is fun all over again to mess with, i flashed twice today! lol flash away all and have fun
I will be doing it again by morning or as soon as the new updated smoked glass is online
really like his work and its a fast smooth droid with his roms
I havent done one update flash yet, each time has been the nandroid way, its so easy
 
I figured out what the issue was quite awhile ago, but I figure it'd be good for the community to share what I learned the hard way:

Installing a new ROM? You need to install via nandroid to get it fully working properly
Updating from an old version of a ROM to a new version of the same ROM? You can use update.zip with no problems.
 
I'm switch from Sholes to 3 different versions of BB and I did not have a problem using update.zip. However, when I first rooted I used the Sholes app and from that point on I just used BB's update.zip. I've never did a Nandroid backup.

Now that I think about it. The second BB ROM update that I did had a problem. Like was quoted earlier, it did not load all the functions of BB. All I had to do though is reload the update.zip file a second time and it worked.
 
El Blacksheep said:
I figured out what the issue was quite awhile ago, but I figure it'd be good for the community to share what I learned the hard way:

Installing a new ROM? You need to install via nandroid to get it fully working properly
Updating from an old version of a ROM to a new version of the same ROM? You can use update.zip with no problems.
Click to expand...
Not trying to sound mean or anything but, aren't you the creator of sweeter home 2? I just kinda figured you would understand how all this stuff works being a dev more than most of us, but i guess we all specialize in certain areas. BTW, i really do like how SW2 is laid out, i have been using home++ for months but i have been playing around a bit with SW2 and may switch sometime. On the subject of the thread, for some reason i thought the update.zip was just to root, and the .tgz or tar files were for updating. I really need to learn how to do all this the manual way because i was the noob who rooted via sholes mod updater and sorta scared to try any other way. Now that the updater is down im sort of stuck trying to update from 2.03 sholes to 2.06 sholes manually and im having issues getting that done.
 
No, I'm not the creator of SH2. I'm merely the creator of a SH2 theme.

And I'm a software developer - for PCs. I have yet to write software for any mobile platforms. On top of that, being a developer doesn't mean I know everything about rooting and custom ROMs :p
 
El Blacksheep said:
No, I'm not the creator of SH2. I'm merely the creator of a SH2 theme.

And I'm a software developer - for PCs. I have yet to write software for any mobile platforms. On top of that, being a developer doesn't mean I know everything about rooting and custom ROMs :p
Click to expand...
I see, for some reason after reading other post i thought you were the creator of sw2, i understand, alot of dev's have no clue how to mess with hardware, im better with hardware and building than i am with software, understood.
 
Fabolous said:
If your update.zip's aren't installing all the features right, you can try this method:

-Make a nandroid backup of your current, good configuration.
-Install the new ROM via nandroid backup
-Advanced restore your old configuration, selecting only the DATA partition

You should have all the new features of the new ROM while maintaining your apps and settings.

Remember, this only works if the ROM matches your data (i.e. 2.0.1 ROM can only use 2.0.1 DATA partition)
Click to expand...

Thank You SIR!!! I don't know why I didn't think to do that. I will do it in the future for sure...
 
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