Help Backing up - so where did I go wrong?

[apmcd42]

I have a contract with Orange for an X10 which is used by my son. Because he is a teenager and things happen to phones it is insured. So when last week he dropped the phone damaging it (scratched screen, lost camera shutter button, damage to the casing) I phoned up orange and arranged a replacement, and was told to remember to back it up to the PC before the replacement arrived.

Okay. So the Sony Ericsson web page here told me you don't back it up to the PC, you use a backup app on the phone, but don't use the one on the phone update it from this link m.sonyericsson.com/backup. When I entered that link on the phone (firefox, and I could not get the original browser to run) it did not exist. And yes, I double-checked the URL. Searching further on the website I found something saying don't use the backup app, download the PC software and use that. I can't find that link now. However backing up the phone wasn't an option. At this point (it was past midnight and I wanted to go to bed) I used the version of backup on the phone and it appeared to work. The next day the replacement arrived, I put the SD & SIM cards and the battery into the phone and left it there. My son tells me he had restored the phone but it did not work.

So, apart from not doing the restore myself where did I go wrong? This is bound to happen again. I need to do it right next time. What should I use? I don't really want to root the phone just to back up for the replacement phone (I notice the recommended apps here need a rooted phone). Is there a good "transfer my apps and settings to a new phone" app that I have missed?

Any help will be apreciated.

Andrew

 

[beau420]

I have a contract with Orange for an X10 which is used by my son. Because he is a teenager and things happen to phones it is insured. So when last week he dropped the phone damaging it (scratched screen, lost camera shutter button, damage to the casing) I phoned up orange and arranged a replacement, and was told to remember to back it up to the PC before the replacement arrived.

Okay. So the Sony Ericsson web page here told me you don't back it up to the PC, you use a backup app on the phone, but don't use the one on the phone update it from this link m.sonyericsson.com/backup. When I entered that link on the phone (firefox, and I could not get the original browser to run) it did not exist. And yes, I double-checked the URL. Searching further on the website I found something saying don't use the backup app, download the PC software and use that. I can't find that link now. However backing up the phone wasn't an option. At this point (it was past midnight and I wanted to go to bed) I used the version of backup on the phone and it appeared to work. The next day the replacement arrived, I put the SD & SIM cards and the battery into the phone and left it there. My son tells me he had restored the phone but it did not work.

So, apart from not doing the restore myself where did I go wrong? This is bound to happen again. I need to do it right next time. What should I use? I don't really want to root the phone just to back up for the replacement phone (I notice the recommended apps here need a rooted phone). Is there a good "transfer my apps and settings to a new phone" app that I have missed?

Any help will be apreciated.

Andrew

Without rooting the best way to back everything up is to use Sony Ericsson's built in Backup and Restore...that will backup contacts, calendar and bookmarks and stuff. (if you simply use google backup it will only backup calendar and contacts...not a couple other things)

But none of these backup the apps you have loaded.

For that you need AppBrain. Download their app...type in your gmail credentials and then it will sync all apps. Every app you have loaded it will make note of and will allow you to update those apps and search for new ones.

If you replace your phone, then what you do is, restore backup stuff from Sony/google....then download and install AppBrain and sign in...Sync....boom....loads all your apps too.

Only thing it doesn't backup are things like WIFI passwords and saved game information from loaded apps. In order to save that type of information, as far as I know you need to root your phone and install something like Titanium Backup.