My-Symbian & My-Maemo / My-MeeGo

[koolezt]

What both hellomms and s.t.s say is right. Here's my complete "recipe".

• Make a new folder for each backup.
  (I give the folder a descriptive name that includes the date.)
  
• Avoid other work on the computer and phone during the operation.
  
• Repeat the operation until it reports complete success. I've seen this take up to 4 tries.
  

Breaking one full backup into parts may reduce the extent of repeating.

That answers the original stated question. Now consider that even with the PC-Suite backup sorted, there's a bigger issue to remember: If you've just done a firmware update, backed-up software and settings made by an old version may contain hidden faults, errors or incompatibilities bringing grief to the new system. In that situation, it's best to only restore from the data part of the backup, not software or settings. Of course, you'd then have to re-do software installs and settings. Oh, pain , especially the settings.

You could hedge your bets by these practices:

1. Keep your everyday work on the external stick storage, as far as possible (pics, voice memos, QuickOffice docs and worksheets).
   Note: There seems to be no easy way to put messages and Office notes & tasks on the stick.
   
   
2. Regularly backup Contacts and Calendar to the stick and the entire stick to the computer.
   
3. When updating, make two PC-Suite backups: before and after.
   

This way your data is stored on the stick and backed-up, all separate from the two PC-Suite backups. With a master reset and format internal disk after each of the two PC-Suite backups, you will have the best of all posible worlds.

EDIT: Different storage for messages, QuickOffice documents and Office notes & tasks.

[My-Symbian]

[charly]

Thank's for your tips - I will try them all!!

It's only funny, that SE is not able to make a good backup utility.

charly

[Veron]

Quote:

Keep your everyday work (Notes, pics, docs, worksheets, voice memos, etc.) on the external stick storage.

@koolezt

How do you store NOTES on external stick? This is a great tip!

[koolezt]

How keen of you to spot the Notes problem! I've modified the post accordingly. (Actually, I avoid Notes because the delete works without warning.)

[My-Symbian]

[Veron]

Oh, I wish there is a better way of backing up notes than the pc suite/outlook...

There is a built-in TASK manager just like in CONTACTS and CALENDAR, so i always have backups of these files..

If note manager and message manager are available, then I no longer need pc suite...

Hope SE includes that in the next firmware.

[charly]

Hy Veron!

You can use Projekt instead of notes - I do it this way, because Projekt is also a very good task manager.

charly

[Anagarika]

SMS has no backup on 'SMS Manager' is a pain .. otherwise, as s.t.s indicated, best is to backup to the stick and do setting manual (if needed, write down the steps in a separate Word/TXT and store that in the stick too .. )

s.t.s, if I only do backup for messaging on the PC Suite, will that help? So I only restore the SMS and the rest take from stick?

[charly]

Anagarika wrote:

SMS has no backup on 'SMS Manager' is a pain .. otherwise, as s.t.s indicated, best is to backup to the stick and do setting manual (if needed, write down the steps in a separate Word/TXT and store that in the stick too .. ) s.t.s, if I only do backup for messaging on the PC Suite, will that help? So I only restore the SMS and the rest take from stick?

Hy!

Only to backup/restore the messaging worked fine, as I tried it last week. It is only important, not to backup anything else!

charly

[Anagarika]

Will the Contact backup include the personalized ringtone?

[koolezt]

why not try it and see?

[Anagarika]

I tried once, but not sure what I did wrong, the ringtone not there .. anyone ever tried?

[s.t.s]

I believe not since the ringtone is a reference to an external file and not part of the contact itself, though I don't use this feature and have never tested it.

[Anagarika]

Ok .. I'll give it a try .. though it's painful to re-set again all my colleague using the same (but distinguishable from the unknown caller) ringtone.
Unfortunately there is no group ringtone option available..

BTW, those contacts cannot have - or ( ) to differentiate area code, but if I beam it from my PALM, it retains the -. However, if I ever edit the contact, the - is gone. Do you think I can edit it on the backed up file with Notepad and restore?
Anyway, I'll try the rington and this together .. but please share your idea ..

[Anagarika]

Over the weekend, I give it a try:
* do backup from Contacts
* copy the backup file to PC
* edit all numbers, inserting - where I want it
* copy the file back to M2
* restore the Contacts
I got it sorted out! However, as s.t.s predicted, all ringtones are gone! Although every contacts that have special ringtone is saved into a special folder called personalized ringtone, but the restore didn't bring it back.

I guess I might have to just live with it