N95 - can I safely backup/restore

The best way if you can is to synchronise calendar and contacts with Outlook, copy your photos to your PC, do the upgrade, resynch with Outlook to get contacts and calendar back and copy back your photos.

I'm sorry but I'd have to disagree with the above poster, I've updated several times and have recently tested outlook synchronisation.

I would take a belt and braces approach, firstly back up all your contacts to your memory card.

Open contacts, then select options and scroll down to Mark/Unmark then select Mark All. (All contacts are ticked)

Then select options again and copy, then To memory card.

It then copies the contacts to a contacts folder in a folder called "other" on the memory card. There may be a contacts folder on the root of the card but it will be empty.

It uses the vcf format which can be read by windows and outlook but this is where the issue arises and why you should not use outlook.

Sometimes if you use outlook you may lose whole contacts or even certain info or numbers within a given contact. For example if you have a contact with a 1st and last name they are treat differently via the nokia software and windows/outlook I have found. But also say a contact has 3 associated numbers which is not unusual Home, mobile & work. You may find that Outlook can only see 2 of them. It gets worse if you enter numbers on both phone and app. As far as i can gather its related to the description associated with the number and also if the same description is used twice within a contact.

I discovered when transferring contacts to a friends N95 and had to use outlook. And found certain vcfs read in the phone with say 3 numbers but in outlook/windows with 2 and the nokia software with 2 (but a different 2 than the outlook view). When the file was saved with the nokia sw and sent to the phone the 3 numbers remained though with outlook or via windows only 2.

On that basis i would avoid it as a backup solution of choice.

Once you have backed up your contacts to the MC, back up the phone settings, though it's not a good idea to use these to restore from as you are upgrading firmware. You should only restore contacts and calendar. To do this go to the utilities folder then memory select options and back up phone memory. If you are repairing say flashing firmware at the same level then I guess it would be ok to use them. But i tried this once and it was supposed to retore the calendar and didn't.

I would make a full back up of your memory card on your PC too (external to the phone). Make sure that your memory card doesn't have password protection on it either as the PC wont see it. And make sure the memory card is removed (safely-via remove MC option) before updating with a fully charged battery (and connected to mains-just in case).

I would also use the nokia software to back up contacts and calendar and other settings onto the PC before updating. Though as said before after an update only restore the contacts and calendar. Restoring settings can corrupt the phone as they may not be cpmpatible with the newer firmware. You will have to reinstall any apps you had on too of course.

Once updated you can either restore your contacts from the nokia pc suite or the memory card. The calendar only from the nokia software.

Hope this advice helps.

:tongue:

pmjnugent wrote:Hi, i've seen some comments advising never to restore a data backup after a software upgrade.

My phone is on V12 and a i would like to upgrade. i was wondering if there is a safe way to transfer contacts and calendar (& possibly pics). i'm not really worried about messages.

Use PC Suite synchronisation to backup contact/calendar/notes.

Use PC Suite File Transfer to backup any images or sounds stored in internal memory.

Anything stored in your memory card will not be overwritten and does not need backed up.

If you want to backup SMS etc, one way is to change the message store to use Memory Card, which gives you the option to copy all existing messages.
After the upgrade, the default memory store will be "internal Memory. Change it again to use Memory Card and all your old MMS/SMS should appear.

lucid wrote:I'm sorry but I'd have to disagree with the above poster, I've updated several times and have recently tested outlook synchronisation.

I would take a belt and braces approach, firstly back up all your contacts to your memory card.

Open contacts, then select options and scroll down to Mark/Unmark then select Mark All. (All contacts are ticked)

Then select options again and copy, then To memory card.
:

No offence but I totally disagree the above long winded process is neccessary.

I have been using PC Suite Synchronisation via MS Outlook for about 5 years with Nokia Smartphones and thats the easiest and most reliable way to backup contacts, calendar and notes entries.

No offence taken, the purpose of backing up the memory card is 2 fold if you're going to be backing up you might as well do the MC, it may get damaged or the phone lost/stolen. If you want to get a new memory card (maybe larger) you can then transfer all straight to that.

Yes you're right files on the MC will not be overwritten but there are cases on the N95 where after a firmware upgrade the old MC was unreadable after the firmware upgrade, I don't know why but there was some discussion of this on the N95 users forum, and no one was able to get to the bottom of why.

Regarding outlook sync, its not a matter of agreeing or disagreeing. Outlook is a great tool and I've used it for about 11 years. Previously in conjunction with other software such as fone sync and other tools to import/export and sync with outlook. The point is it has limitations and if you use a product it's best to know and understand it's limitations so that if it goes wrong you know and understand why and thus have the ability to fix it.

You may lose contact details or individual numbers within the contact. You may not even know whether this has happened that's the point. The only way of telling is to compare each vcf file in all apps that read them. whether that be the phone itself, windows, outlook or the nokia suite.

The point i was trying to make is that outlook may or may not work 100% and it's great that you use it and are happy but it is not foolproof. And I have explained the reasons why. A vcf file made on the phone or imported with say 3 numbers could be read differently by the alternate apps, depending on the naming protocol of the vcf file and the naming of the individual numbers within that file. Whether that's say Telephone or Telephone (Business). Or duplicate labels. Sometimes there are conflicts. Therefore the 1st time outlook is used numbers may be lost, afterwards you may not notice but then it might be too late.

I recently had to transfer about 500 contacts for a friend many with multiple numbers and tested on outlook and the nokia app, and windows. That's when i discovered the discrepancy with the vcf files.

As said earlier there may not be a problem but unless the OP is willing to check every contact in outlook and it's individual entries they'll never know.

Restoring the vcf files directly from those backed up to the MC before update cannot cause such issues as the same files go straight back on the phone as were there before, (as opposed to being read and altered by outlook then transferred back). If you want to use outlook it would be better to restore the contacts from the MC 1st then sync from Phone to blank outlook, then check each contact for any discrepancies. But if you have no no need for syncing, and only wish to back up and restore then I would avoid outlook as this could introduce a potential problem into the process.

Edit
Yes best way to back up pix and messages is to use the MC as the default store as opposed to the internal phone memory.

lucid wrote: Yes you're right files on the MC will not be overwritten but there are cases on the N95 where after a firmware upgrade the old MC was unreadable after the firmware upgrade, I don't know why but there was some discussion of this on the N95 users forum, and no one was able to get to the bottom of why.

I must have been very lucky, I have never experienced MC corruption after FW upgrading (over about 10 handsets of 5 different Nokia models). Perhaps the best advice is to remove the MC before performing a FW upgrade?

lucid wrote:
Regarding outlook sync, its not a matter of agreeing or disagreeing. Outlook is a great tool and I've used it for about 11 years. Previously in conjunction with other software such as fone sync and other tools to import/export and sync with outlook. The point is it has limitations and if you use a product it's best to know and understand it's limitations so that if it goes wrong you know and understand why and thus have the ability to fix it.

Agreed that no tool is 100% foolproof, but I would hope that users of Outlook also archive their mailbox regularly, so it's impossible to permanently lose anything. Creating VCF files is one additional task which helps, but in my experience it is not required (for me).

😉

I've never had an issue with the MC either, and would always advise removing it before an upgrade. And if backing it up i wouldn't use the nokia software as it can take a very long time. Much quicker to do it external to the phone.

Yes always archive as good practice. The reason I went on about the vcf files is that as far as I'm aware this is what the N95 uses when transferring and syncing with other software. The issue really is that each bit of software reads/creates the vcf files slightly different. Technically nothing wrong with outlook itself and if they all read the file the same way then there wouldn't be an issue.

Even the nokia suite itself has issues, you could have a 3 number contact on the phone that the nokia suite would then only read 2 of the numbers, (though as far as i remember it will transfer the file back integrally, so when its back on the phone its read as 3 numbers again). Outlook may only read 2 also (though possibly not the same 2 numbers- and it may not transfer all 3 back).

Hopefully the OP has enough advice to safely back up without fear of losing data.

:tongue::tongue: