Complete Proper Backup

[rajanm1]

Hi I have been looking for a complete proper backup service (preferably free of very cheap) that will completely backup everything on my htc desire 2.2 (emails, SD card, contacts, settings, messages etc.)
On my old nokia all that you had to do was plug in the cable and then click a button and everything would be backed up! you could even restore it to another phone (if say yours was lost or stolen!) which is a brilliant idea and as I thought android was supposed to be a much more advanced bit of kit then surely there is a program out there that can do this?


Thanks!

 

[alostpacket]

(edit:weird I thought you had like one post, sorry for the confusion ...)

As a general rule, complete backup usually isnt free, and free backup usually isnt complete.

However Titanium Backup tends to get recommended here a lot. It has a free version I think and a Pro/root version

There are also various work-arounds for backing up some data yourself. Such as contacts and (at least paid) apps should be backed up by Google automatically. Some settings too, depending on your phone/carrier.

If you have rooted your phone you will have more backup options also. (ie app settings, SMS messages, etc)

 

[rajanm1]

(edit:weird I thought you had like one post, sorry for the confusion ...)

As a general rule, complete backup usually isnt free, and free backup usually isnt complete.

However Titanium Backup tends to get recommended here a lot. It has a free version I think and a Pro/root version

There are also various work-arounds for backing up some data yourself. Such as contacts and (at least paid) apps should be backed up by Google automatically. Some settings too, depending on your phone/carrier.

If you have rooted your phone you will have more backup options also. (ie app settings, SMS messages, etc)

My phone isn't rooted and I would prefer to keep it that way tbh and call me old fashioned but I would like to just use one program if possible (if anyone knows one out there that can do it? )

 

[alostpacket]

Maybe list what you want backed up too

- Emails - are these not backed up on a server? Do you use POP3? Gmail? HTC email app? Generally can be backed up by a free backup program, no root needed

- SMS - Can be backed up by a free backup program, no root needed

- Apps - Automatically backed up by Google (at least the paid ones, sometimes all of them), no root required

- Apps - Backing up all apps for sure requires root

- Apps - you can also backup a "list" of apps with a backup app or Listables or similar, no root required

- App settings and data - requires root to be backed up

- SDcard - could be backed up by a regular app I think, or just plug in USB once in awhile and drag and drop all the contents and/or use something like rsync/synctoy on computer, no root required

- Contacts - Automatically backed up by Gmail (generally), can also be backed up by apps, generally no root required (this does not include facebook contacts and may not include other contacts like twitter, etc -- those may require root)

- Voicemail - ? I'm unsure on this one as I use Google Voice

 

[karandpr]

It will be more like bunch of apps

Email : K-9 mail app for save to SD
contacts : Export as vcard to SD card
Messages : Chomp and Handcent allow message back up to SD card

Titanium Backup is root app which backs up applications and settings to SD card
The pro version allows sync to Dropbox which is will help in case of lost phone.

SD card :Just copy and paste the entire contents on your computer via USB storage
This will be app level backup
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
What you are talking about is sync software.That will be HTC sync for HTC phones.I dont know about it much.

But many people (including myself ) swear by My Phone Explorer .It works fine and syncs nicely .

 

[rajanm1]

Maybe list what you want backed up too

- Emails - are these not backed up on a server? Do you use POP3?
- SMS - Can be backed up by a free backup program, no root needed
- Apps backed up by google (at least the paid ones)
- App settings and data - requires root to be backed up
- SDcard, could be backed up by a regular app I think
- Contacts backed up by Gmail
- Voicemail - ? I'm unsure on this one as I use Google Voice

basically an image of the whole phone so if you loose it all you have to do is hit restore and it would be the same...

Mail - if I send an email via my phone it doesn't show up anywhere else apart from on the phone (hotmail)
SD Card - Photos/Videos etc.
Messages (SMS)
ALL Apps & Settings
Contacts
ALL Phone settings
...


On a side note, I just bought an 8GB SD card and was wondering if there was an easy way to transfer all of the data from my old one (4GB) to the new one? (so i can plug it in and everything would be the same except i would have some more space )

 

[alostpacket]

basically an image of the whole phone so if you loose it all you have to do is hit restore and it would be the same...

There is no "take an image of my phone" like iphone but as karandpr suggested, you could look at HTC Sync.

Install Instructions
HTC Help Center (select phone or scroll down a bit for "download" link)


Anyways some suggestions:


Mail (hotmail) - you should (if you can do this with hotmail) use IMAP on the phone and POP3 or IMAP on you computer so that your computer will auto backup the email. Then just set your computer email client to delete messages from the server after say a month or so.

SD Card - Photos/Videos etc. - Just drag and drop over usb is easiest, or if you know how to use SyncToy or Rsync depending on what kinda computer you have.

Messages (SMS) -- Apps can do this, My Backup Pro, Titanium, etc

ALL Apps & Settings -- Some is backed up by Google automatically, the rest requires root

Contacts - Automatically backed up by Gmail (generally), can also be backed up by apps, generally no root required (this does not include facebook contacts and may not include other contacts like twitter, etc -- those may require root) You will have to test this a bit, since you use hotmail

ALL Phone settings - Most are backed up by Google automatically.


hth

 

[rajanm1]

There is no "take an image of my phone" like iphone but as karandpr suggested, you could look at HTC Sync.

Install Instructions
HTC Help Center (select phone or scroll down a bit for "download" link)


Anyways some suggestions:


Mail (hotmail) - you should (if you can do this with hotmail) use IMAP on the phone and POP3 or IMAP on you computer so that your computer will auto backup the email. Then just set your computer email client to delete messages from the server after say a month or so.

SD Card - Photos/Videos etc. - Just drag and drop over usb is easiest, or if you know how to use SyncToy or Rsync depending on what kinda computer you have.

Messages (SMS) -- Apps can do this, My Backup Pro, Titanium, etc

ALL Apps & Settings -- Some is backed up by Google automatically, the rest requires root

Contacts - Automatically backed up by Gmail (generally), can also be backed up by apps, generally no root required (this does not include facebook contacts and may not include other contacts like twitter, etc -- those may require root) You will have to test this a bit, since you use hotmail

ALL Phone settings - Most are backed up by Google automatically.


hth

Cheers, I understand that tere are loads of programs to backup certain things but was just wondering if there was one which did the whole lot! Just seems a bit silly to me that HTC Hasn't made one and that there isn't even one out there

 

[wayrad]

Sounds like rooting may be what you need. A nandroid gives you a complete image of your system (ROM + ALL apps) and Titanium lets you back up apps and data. So you have a great deal of flexibility in what you restore (for example, you can restore to a prior point ROM-wise, but bring all your data up to date).

 

[UCS]

Probably repeating what everyone else has said but...


Calander, Email, Apps are backed up automatically by Google.

Photos are saved to SD card, if you have Google+ they are uploaded to picassa automatically.

SMS backup - to many programs to chose from. If your using Handcent SMS like 90% of Androiders it has an auto back up feature.


If you want an all in one back up solution give Iphone a go and see how tiring that gets after the first few times you have to plug it into itunes

 

[alostpacket]

Sounds like rooting may be what you need. A nandroid gives you a complete image of your system (ROM + ALL apps) and Titanium lets you back up apps and data. So you have a great deal of flexibility in what you restore (for example, you can restore to a prior point ROM-wise, but bring all your data up to date).

I always forget about nandroid