which is the best tested backup utility for the WIZARD?

[naughty]

I am planing on a ROM upgrade, I don't want to lose all my settings, so I am looking at a backup utility. I read a lot about sprite backup, is there a TOP list that I can choose from? Share good/bad experience pls.

10x

[meschle]

I have good results with spb backup http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/backup/?en

Creates a executable on the storage card so no need for pc. Other users given good reports.

Problem is with rom upgrade it may not work out as registry settings and other files will not be the same???. Dont know if sprite does the same. You will have to do manual backup of all the relevent files i guess.

[GliTCH82]

I would also recommend SPB backup.

[dimushor]

I would also recommend SPB backup.
me too. it is the best utility for backup.

[Mesias]

I would also recommend SPB backup.

I changed from SPB Backup to Sprite Backup. This one is more versatile. You can better choose what to backup or to restore. Make sure you install on your SD-card, so you can use it after a hard reset.

[dimushor]

I would also recommend SPB backup.

I changed from SPB Backup to Sprite Backup. This one is more versatile. You can better choose what to backup or to restore. Make sure you install on your SD-card, so you can use it after a hard reset.

zou can do the same with SPB backup. and by the way, who needs a serial for spb backup, pm me

[J-Mac]

I've always used Sprite Premium Backup in the past with WM2003/SE devices, and I have had to restore from a backup on many occasions. Never let me down. It creates a self-extracting backup on a storage card, and it also has a PC component that allows backups to your PC when connected via a USB port.

Unfortunately Sprite was without a solution for backing up WM5 devices for quite a while.

So I picked up SPB Backup, as mentioned by many other users here. SPB Backup appears to work fine, at least as far as creating the backups and storing them on my storage card. However I have not yet had to try to restore my device from a backup made with SPB Backup - which is the only real test that can be performed. And I don't feel like wiping out all my data just to test the SPB Backups.

Any backup application can appear to run fine; it's the "put it all back and make everything OK again!" part of any backup program that will make you love it or hate it!

Has anyone here who says that SPB Backup is working great for them ever attempted to restore yet? Not that I don't think that it will...

I would just like to hear that has successfully restored someone's device - it'll make me feel a lot better!

[dimushor]

I've always used Sprite Premium Backup in the past with WM2003/SE devices, and I have had to restore from a backup on many occasions. Never let me down. It creates a self-extracting backup on a storage card, and it also has a PC component that allows backups to your PC when connected via a USB port.

Unfortunately Sprite was without a solution for backing up WM5 devices for quite a while.

So I picked up SPB Backup, as mentioned by many other users here. SPB Backup appears to work fine, at least as far as creating the backups and storing them on my storage card. However I have not yet had to try to restore my device from a backup made with SPB Backup - which is the only real test that can be performed. And I don't feel like wiping out all my data just to test the SPB Backups.

Any backup application can appear to run fine; it's the "put it all back and make everything OK again!" part of any backup program that will make you love it or hate it!

Has anyone here who says that SPB Backup is working great for them ever attempted to restore yet? Not that I don't think that it will...

I would just like to hear that has successfully restored someone's device - it'll make me feel a lot better!

I've restorfed backups many times, as I tested various ROMS for the Wizard. each time i put a new ROM, I perform a backup restore from my card.

[meschle]

I've always used Sprite Premium Backup in the past with WM2003/SE devices, and I have had to restore from a backup on many occasions. Never let me down. It creates a self-extracting backup on a storage card, and it also has a PC component that allows backups to your PC when connected via a USB port.

Unfortunately Sprite was without a solution for backing up WM5 devices for quite a while.

So I picked up SPB Backup, as mentioned by many other users here. SPB Backup appears to work fine, at least as far as creating the backups and storing them on my storage card. However I have not yet had to try to restore my device from a backup made with SPB Backup - which is the only real test that can be performed. And I don't feel like wiping out all my data just to test the SPB Backups.

Any backup application can appear to run fine; it's the "put it all back and make everything OK again!" part of any backup program that will make you love it or hate it!

Has anyone here who says that SPB Backup is working great for them ever attempted to restore yet? Not that I don't think that it will...

I would just like to hear that has successfully restored someone's device - it'll make me feel a lot better!

Yes it has without a hitch!

[J-Mac]

I am planing on a ROM upgrade, I don't want to lose all my settings, so I am looking at a backup utility. I read a lot about sprite backup, is there a TOP list that I can choose from? Share good/bad experience pls.

10x

naughty,

After I posted I re-read your post and realized what you are hoping to do.

A word of advice - don't!

Backups are great for restoring your device after a hard reset - especially those most-hated unexpected hard resets.

But for a ROM upgrade, you really want to start with a completely clean device. Your device most likely has a lot of abandoned registry entries, shortcuts, and general crap that you really don't want cluttering things up after a ROM update. I do a lot of beta testing so I always have a lot of crap left over from continually installing and uninstalling applications.

On any device running WM5 has, to some degree, a problem with uninstalling and/or upgrading programs. It's a Microsoft bug that hasn't been fully corrected yet. So even if you think that you have kept the device clean, it has junk left over from every time you had difficulty uninstalling something.

For any hard reset where you are just reinstalling exactly what you had before the reset, by all means, restore from a backup.

But for a ROM upgrade, I would advise against it.

[naughty]

But for a ROM upgrade, I would advise against it.

I was suspecting something like this..

I will probably delay the ROM upgrade, now that I think I have to re-do my

1. Voice dials
2. GPRS settings (my provider doesn't have wutomatic)
3. MMS settings
4. Email settings.
5. the installed software should be re-installed and configured..

[Claudio]

Does anybody know what files contain the contacts, calender, tasks, notes etc. (The equivalent of the .pst files in Outlook)

[tut00]

i belive at the root level in file explorer, there is a file called PIM. I think that is it. Pretty sure.

[J-Mac]

Does anybody know what files contain the contacts, calender, tasks, notes etc. (The equivalent of the .pst files in Outlook)

You need to be able to view the databases on your device. These are not readily available via the file explorer.

You can see them with some third-party applications, such as SK-Tools amd Mem-Maid.

You cannot view the contents of the DBs except by looking at your contacts, calendar, etc.

Actually I have heard that someone has created or updated an app that does let you view individual items in DBs. Not sure which one offhand, but I'll post back if I find out.

[bdbx18]

I'm with Jmac on this.
I went from 287 to 217 ROM afterwhich I restored my apps with SPB.
The new comm mgr was overlaid, activesync is no longer active nor does it sync and some stuff don't work ne more.

SPB only provides the option to selectively restore PIM, system and ? (something else). It doesn't have the option to restore specific apps.

Tonight when I flash again, I'm going to manually install my stuff again and just use Activesync to get my PIM data.

[meschle]

Does anybody know what files contain the contacts, calender, tasks, notes etc. (The equivalent of the .pst files in Outlook)

Yes pim.vol in the root directory of the device contains all contacts and appts - ;) copy to storage card as backup

[JNGold]

I would also recommend SPB backup.

I changed from SPB Backup to Sprite Backup. This one is more versatile. You can better choose what to backup or to restore. Make sure you install on your SD-card, so you can use it after a hard reset.

zou can do the same with SPB backup. and by the way, who needs a serial for spb backup, pm me

Um, no you can't. You can select specific files and folders to backup but you cannot restore when you are away from your PC. Sprite allows selective restores even on the device itself.

A word of advice - don't!


Most of time I would agree with you. However, with Sprite's restore after upgrade feature, you can safely restore a backup. I have done it several times on pre-WM5 devices and Sprite has updated the current WM5 version to do the same.

[J-Mac]

JNGold,

I understand that Sprite just released 5.1 a day or two ago; that's the version thar is supposed to do this.

Have you tried 5.1 yet to see if it works now?

[dimushor]

I would also recommend SPB backup.

I changed from SPB Backup to Sprite Backup. This one is more versatile. You can better choose what to backup or to restore. Make sure you install on your SD-card, so you can use it after a hard reset.

zou can do the same with SPB backup. and by the way, who needs a serial for spb backup, pm me

Um, no you can't. You can select specific files and folders to backup but you cannot restore when you are away from your PC. Sprite allows selective restores even on the device itself.
How come? I always do restore from my miniSD card.

[chhris]

The new SpriteBackup also allows to create self-installing/self-extracting backups. Works great on my Wizard. I restored backups several times - without any problems.

[JNGold]

I would also recommend SPB backup.

I changed from SPB Backup to Sprite Backup. This one is more versatile. You can better choose what to backup or to restore. Make sure you install on your SD-card, so you can use it after a hard reset.

zou can do the same with SPB backup. and by the way, who needs a serial for spb backup, pm me

Um, no you can't. You can select specific files and folders to backup but you cannot restore when you are away from your PC. Sprite allows selective restores even on the device itself.
How come? I always do restore from my miniSD card.

This is according to Menneisys' from Pocket PC magazine :

As far as Spb Backup is concerned, it has another problem: when you backup, you can include/exclude any file from the backup set. However, the same is not possible when you restore your backup - as opposed to the backup program, there's no Options button on the restoration screen.

The only way to restore just a given set of files (and not all of them), you will need to turn to Spb Backup Unpack, unpack all the files in a backup file onto a desktop PC and transfer the given files to the PDA. This is certainly much more cumbersome than Sprite's approach.

Ok, so are you still able to restore a single file from your PDA?

Jmac,

I have been using 5.1 for some time now. I actually did a full restore not to long ago. It worked just fine. Obviously, I haven't been able to test the rom update/restore option since I already upgraded to AKU2.

[hrb]

Obviously, I haven't been able to test the rom update/restore option since I already upgraded to AKU2.

I have done it, going from Qtek ROM to Dopod ROM.
Worked like a charm (newest 5.1)
Cheers
hrb

[methefool]

Hi guys,
sounds like Sprite 5.1 is the way to go... (it works with the Hurricane / others as well right? )
How or where can I get a copy of this thing?
Thanks!

[iboj007]

I too own Sprite 5.1 and am eager to hear how it works after a ROM upgrade.

I am running the ORIGINAL Qtek 9100 rom from 9/05 and am eager to upgrade to the latest one but will not without a proper restore option across ROM upgrades.

Any feedback would be appreciated.