[HOWTO] Backup 99% of changes for restoring/upgrading [Manual SSH]

Connect through SSH to your iPod. Make sure you have a strong, solid connection, auto-lock is set to "Never", and the iPod is plugged in and charging, because this will take more than an hour to transfer all the files.

This is how I backed up most, if not all, of my settings/apps/games/customization while upgrading from 2.0 to 2.0.2. Everything is back exactly the way I had it, all I have to do is reorder my icons back to the way they were, and it'll be like I'm on 2.0 again!


Copy the following folders on your iPod to a secure folder under the name of something you'll remember (I.E. "Backup", "iPod Restore Files", etc):

* First, we'll start off with the most complicated. /Applications. I recommend applying the default theme before backing up. This way, all of the icons will be default, and you can just reapply the theme through Customize/Winterboard after restoring. If you really want to keep your theme, then leave the icons as is and copy the WHOLE /Applications folder. NOTE that this WILL be the default theme if you attempt to apply a defualt one, and you will NOT be able to get backup icons.
...........* If you want the default theme back, apply it and erase all changes made through Winterboard/Customize, and then copy everything but default applications. Skip over App Store, Calculator, DemoApp, Maps, MobileAddressBook, MobileCal, MobileMail, MobileMusicPlayer, MobileNotes, MobileSafari, MobileSlideShow, MobileStore, MobileTimer, Preferences, Stocks, Weather, and YouTube. This will make the overall SSH'ing process much shorter and will save you a lot of hassle.

* /private/var/mobile/Media/DCIM, to back up photos from Safari and screenshots in the camera roll

* If you have ROMs and don't have them backed up on your computer, you might want to backup /private/var/mobile/Media/ROMs

* /private/var/mobile/Documents, if you have it

* /private/var/mobile/Library, for settings

* /private/var/root/Library, for contacts, SMS, etc.

* If you want to backup all of your installed applications on Cydia so that you can get updates as soon as you SSH them back in, /private/var/lib

* For Winterboard themes, /Library/Themes

* /private/var/stash/Wallpaper.xxxxxx, if you want to backup the wallpapers

* If you changed fonts and want to keep them, /System/Library/Fonts




After restoring, Install OpenSSH from Cydia, and put these b*tches back where you found them. The best way to put them back is to go into the folder you copied one directory (I.E. double click the big folder names up there on the PC side of your SSH client) and copy the files/folders inside of them, and then drag them and drop them inside of the new folders that are there after the restore. Your settings, savestates of applications, preferences, themes, etc, will all be back after you copy the files back. Hope this helped for people who want to upgrade, but didn't want to lose everything.


Temporary before iPhone Utilities is released.

Wow, That's a good guide.

I've never seen a post like this written like this one was

Damn. Now isn't that just a fancy. Useful, but utterly bloated.

iPhone Utilities should be out in a short while ^^!!! I can't wait to see what Chris Stroud conjured up...

Don't backup the following:
/usr/bin
/System/Library/CoreServices
/System/Library/Frameworks
/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks

Doing so would be stupid.
/usr/bin includes binaries that are installed by Cydia, and some Apple binaries, so overwriting them is dangerous and useless.
Why would you need to back up CoreServices for a theme..?
Don't back up frameworks of any kind, they change with each version.
Although the changes may be minimal, it's still a really stupid idea.

................................

I use to back up these things in this order. rather then sift through all that crap.

/

Thats it. Backs up everything. Takes about an hour.

But now I use custom FW's "thanks to the dev-team" with every singal app, theme, EVERYTHING. even appstore apps.

Now I just restore with my FW and thats it! No more screwing around. I just sync my music and videos back DONE.

You guy do know you can build your own .bundle? Then just put it in custompackages inside pwnagetool.

I'd like to know the same thing. It would be really useful if we could make firmwares with all our favorite apps just in case a restore is necessary.

http://www.ifans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54538

Its from the old pwnage tool but the consepts the same.

.bundles go in the custompacages folder inside pwnagetool.

Sorry Im not good at giving derections. But if you can grasp the consept then its not to hard.

You can do this for every single thing you want in your FW. The key is making sure the permisions are set right and the ,plst is writen corectly and the file folder maches the derectory of your ipod and the plist must match the file folder. get it?

This works for themes, apps, even little hacks if your good enough. You could maybe even go as far as making a bundle with all your music and what not. Havent tryed that yet though.

when you are putting everything back, what permissions do all of them need to be at?

or is there a way to keep permissions when transferring to your computer? I'm using winscp

Just put them all at 777, no biggie.