How can I reset my phone?

[b0bl335wa993r]

I got a new phone and I wanted to make a backup/restore point of the clean Stock Android OS before I start using it. Can anyone suggest how can I do it with less hassle.

 

[Rukbat]

The easiest way (but it voids the warranty) is to install CWM or TWRP and do a nandroid backup.

A more difficult way is to root the phone (which also voids the warranty) and use dd to back up all the partitions in the phone's storage (which is pretty much a nandroid backup in a different format).

There's no non-root, non-custom-recovery way of doing it that I can think of. (If you root the phone manually, or find a way to restore the stock recovery, you can reverse any changes you made and restore the phone to complete stock after you make the backup.)

 

[Thom]

It would seem that if you are remaining un-root-ed and you are trying to capture the "out of the box state" so you can return to it ... why bother?

Isn't doing a Factory Data Reset going to return you to the state you are seeking?

... Thom

 

[b0bl335wa993r]

The easiest way (but it voids the warranty) is to install CWM or TWRP and do a nandroid backup.

A more difficult way is to root the phone (which also voids the warranty) and use dd to back up all the partitions in the phone's storage (which is pretty much a nandroid backup in a different format).

There's no non-root, non-custom-recovery way of doing it that I can think of. (If you root the phone manually, or find a way to restore the stock recovery, you can reverse any changes you made and restore the phone to complete stock after you make the backup.)

Sad. Either way I had to root my phone.

It would seem that if you are remaining un-root-ed and you are trying to capture the "out of the box state" so you can return to it ... why bother?

Isn't doing a Factory Data Reset going to return you to the state you are seeking?

... Thom

Yeah I was trying to capture and save the out of box state of my phone incase any thing terrible happens. I read many stories of people who are not able to do the Factory Reset after something goes wrong, so what would be my move if that same thing happens?

 

[RobertB-DC]

I just rooted mine, right out of the box. What is the current state-of-the-art for doing a full backup of a rooted phone? Is it still Titanium Backup?

 

[Thom]

Yeah I was trying to capture and save the out of box state of my phone incase any thing terrible happens. I read many stories of people who are not able to do the Factory Reset after something goes wrong, so what would be my move if that same thing happens?

I am not aware of people with un-root-ed phones that can not do a Factory Data Reset. If you are root-ed you need to take a very different approach.

So ... if un-root-ed ... for some obscure reason you can not do a Factory Data Rest ... they replace the phone. (If they determine it was ever root-ed you may have a problem.)

... Thom

 

[b0bl335wa993r]

I am not aware of people with un-root-ed phones that can not do a Factory Data Reset. If you are root-ed you need to take a very different approach.

So ... if un-root-ed ... for some obscure reason you can not do a Factory Data Rest ... they replace the phone. (If they determine it was ever root-ed you may have a problem.)

... Thom

Do thay replace even after the warranty? Forgive my naiveness, I'm completely new. I had my cousin who is unable to do a Reset after downloading a rogue app.

 

[Thom]

There are two distinctly different environments (and many people don't recognize it) ... root-ed and un-root-ed.

If you are ever root-ed then you are accepting responsibility for what happens from that point forward ... even if you go back to un-root-ed.

There are different answers to your questions depending on which environment you are in.

If you are root-ed or are trying to go in that direction I can move this thread to the All-Things-Root sub-forum where it is discussed.

Full backup ... un-rooted - not possible ... root-ed - Titanum Backup.

... Thom

 

[RobertB-DC]

I guess I can confirm that you can't take the phone back to its pre-rooted condition once you've rooted it. I tried to do that before sending in my defective unit - which I unwisely decided to root right out of the box. I've detailed the process in the "All Things Root" section.

 

[b0bl335wa993r]

I guess I can confirm that you can't take the phone back to its pre-rooted condition once you've rooted it. I tried to do that before sending in my defective unit - which I unwisely decided to root right out of the box. I've detailed the process in the "All Things Root" section.

Yeah I agree on that. There's no way we can claim warranty after rooting it even after un-rooting it.

There are two distinctly different environments (and many people don't recognize it) ... root-ed and un-root-ed.

If you are ever root-ed then you are accepting responsibility for what happens from that point forward ... even if you go back to un-root-ed.

There are different answers to your questions depending on which environment you are in.

If you are root-ed or are trying to go in that direction I can move this thread to the All-Things-Root sub-forum where it is discussed.

Full backup ... un-rooted - not possible ... root-ed - Titanum Backup.

... Thom

Thanks for confirming Thom. I'm looking for that confirmation whether we can back-up the phone including it's kernel like we back up in a windows environment. By the way can you please confirm the restore thing too? I mean like the windows thing, can we create a restore point and restore that state incase I wanted to? (without rooting).

 

[Thom]

One of the reasons people choose to root (violating their warranty) is to allow them to do the total backup. Titanium Backup is the app they use.

For us from the Windows world it seems like a necessity. With the current state of Android, it really isn't needed unless you are into games. Some game app developers put the game status data in an area that cannot be accessed for backup/restore unless you are root-ed.

I am not root-ed on my phone that is activated and under warranty. don't game.

... Thom

 

[b0bl335wa993r]

One of the reasons people choose to root (violating their warranty) is to allow them to do the total backup. Titanium Backup is the app they use.

For us from the Windows world it seems like a necessity. With the current state of Android, it really isn't needed unless you are into games. Some game app developers put the game status data in an area that cannot be accessed for backup/restore unless you are root-ed.

I am not root-ed on my phone that is activated and under warranty. don't game.

... Thom

I'm into games and I wanted to back up the incase of any drastic failure(though it isn not possible un-rooted) but not for accessing the game status data. What happens if I game? Can you please explain your last sentence?

 

[Thom]

Some games store data ... like how war you have progressed or who has the top score ... in a section of memory that can be accessed by an individual app or the system but not another app unless you are root-ed.

What us Windows people have to learn is ... this device you are using is not Windows and it has its own architecture and its own restrictions.

They are holding a very hard line between apps for one simple reason ... there are over a million apps. With that many apps how many developers are involved? Of that group ... if .001% is a jerk ... how many jerks are there?

Staying un-root-ed is how you stay protected. After root-ing you are going to make some dumb mistake and it is going to nail you. It happens to everyone. No one believes it will happen to them ... until it does. (Yes it has happened to me.) That is the reason that the first thing you do after root0ing is to make a total system backup.

... Thom

 

[b0bl335wa993r]

Some games store data ... like how war you have progressed or who has the top score ... in a section of memory that can be accessed by an individual app or the system but not another app unless you are root-ed.

What us Windows people have to learn is ... this device you are using is not Windows and it has its own architecture and its own restrictions.

They are holding a very hard line between apps for one simple reason ... there are over a million apps. With that many apps how many developers are involved? Of that group ... if .001% is a jerk ... how many jerks are there?

Staying un-root-ed is how you stay protected. After root-ing you are going to make some dumb mistake and it is going to nail you. It happens to everyone. No one believes it will happen to them ... until it does. (Yes it has happened to me.) That is the reason that the first thing you do after root0ing is to make a total system backup.

... Thom

Okay I got it, I actually wanted to make a backup incase any app screws my phone and Motorola doesn't service it. Now that I understood it can't be done without rooting it, I can't proceed.