Notices

What is BackupMenu?
BackupMenu is an application for your N900 which creates an "image" of your OS, which you can later restore, bringing all the programs, settings and configuration to the -exact- way it was when you made the backup. This does not backup your MyDocs or SD card - It backs up -to- those disks.
Unlike the Nokia backup utility, this does not require internet access to restore, and does not download anything during the restore process.
Also, for those who like to tinker, BackupMenu V2 provides an excellent method for reading and writing RootFS images.
Pictures:



Can I use Multiboot with BackupMenu?
Sort of. I do not support it, but I know it's been done with a little bit of custom configuration.
In addition, mido.fayad has produced custom packages with the needed changes located [url=http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=67866]Here[/b]. That's also the place to ask questions and make suggestions about multiboot; I don't use or approve of it(For reasons I've explained in detail elsewhere).

Can I use uBoot with BackupMenu?
Yes, I believe so. It's not integrated into uBoot, per se, but it shouldn't cause any conflicts.

A couple of other users have been working on making an integrated launcher module for uBoot, and there's a tutorial here: http://talk.maemo.org/showpost.php?p=1072789&postcount=915

Can I restore my old BackupMenu images from v0.3x?
No. They are incompatible, and while it would be possible to make a way to flash them, the whole reason I switched to this new method is that I was told by various knowledgable people - like Stskeeps - that restoring images the old way is dangerous and can cause corruption in the NAND. So, no, you are going to have to make -new- images. Sorry.

Can I restore my BackupMenu images through the Nokia Flasher?
Not currently. This is a planned feature, but not in the current version. It -is- possible to convert a BackupMenu image to a Nokia Flasher rootfs image, but it requires a Linux PC with mtd-utils.
Once you have that, the process is as follows(Note, based on this, from Stskeeps:
Note 1:
NOTE: different versions of mtd-utils sometimes make corrupt images. I find "mtd-utils_20090606-1_amd64.deb" worked for me.

Flashing instructions:
Flashing with BackupMenu installed isn't a problem:
1. Power off and unplug your n900
1. Download and ready the flasher - run your command such that it says "Cannot find suitable device - waiting".
3. Plug your n900's usb cable in. The device will now boot, then automatically flash. You do -not- need to press the U key.

Upgrade instructions(for 0.3x):
1. type "sudo gainroot", then "rm /etc/bootmenu.d/BackupMenu.item"
2. follow the install instructions below.

Install instructions:
1. Enable extras-devel
2. Install "backupmenu"
3. Reboot with the keyboard out to display BackupMenu. Reboot with the keyboard IN to -not- display BackupMenu.
4. Backup images will be stored as .tar (or .tar.gz) files inside *drive*/systemBackups/

You can also get the latest here:
http://robbiethe1st.afraid.org/BackupMenu/
Look for the .deb package with the highest version.
Install it by downloading it to your N900, opening up a terminal and:
Latest version: 1.1
Other:
Here's a rootfs image from my N900 with BackupMenu 0.50-3 installed: flashable_rootfs_v0.56-1-20101109.img. This image can be flashed with the Nokia flasher, significantly reducing restore time if you have a "bricked" system.

Password Protection
As of v0.65, BackupMenu has password protection support.
To enable the password lock, run "touch /usr/share/backupmenu/lock-enable.txt" as root. Backupmenu will now ask for your root password.
If you want backupmenu to have a different password, simply add the DES-encrypted password(in the same format as /etc/passwd) to lock-enable.txt. Make sure there is [i]nothing[/b] else in the file; if it's not /exactly/ 13 characters in length it will ignore it.

Notes:
Version 0.56 is the latest -tested, working- version.
Version 0.60 has just been released and -may- have bugs.
Version 0.61 may not launch for some people if /usr/bin/tar is a symlink.
Version 0.62 should work right.
Licence: GPL V3

Suggestions and test results welcome!
Donate link:
-Rob

wow good work bud.

Anyhow, does this V2 works with the v1 backup files? I backed up with v1 and haven't try flashing it yet. So I'm hoping this thing is much safer than previous method and still compatible with v1 back up files.

Let me know.
Maxxi

Updated. Answer: no, and for good reason(read my edit).

Oh ffs!! o.O omg. My beautiful backup!! What can I do to restore it back safely? I got over 1G of apps and customisations!. Also my saved files

I guessed i'm screwed

Well, you can -try- to restore it the old way, but you may end up with an unbootable device that needs a reflash.

Or, you can try to mount the images. The optfs is just a EXT2 image; it can be mounted easily on any linux system with a couple commands(mount -o loopback..... for a start)
The RootFS is a bit harder; I haven't done it myself. But, your customizations should mostly be in the OptFS, so...

where is Angry bird package file stored? I was so closed to finishing it and last night i flashed my device and did a back up. Oh No!!!

Guess I have to start from scratch.

How can multiboot-0.2.5 and backmenu V2 coexist?
Is this possible?

I've actually just got that working this morning.

I've made a patch with the changes required for multiboot (against 0.2.10 rather than 0.2.5, so may need some adjustments). It adds a new ITEM_SCRIPT parameter for the .item files, and stops the multiboot script from unmounting all the filesystems before running the script.

You also need to add a symlink for /bin/evkey in /usr/sbin (or edit the BackupMenu scripts to change the location). You can then add a multiboot entry with a ITEM_SCRIPT line pointing to the BackupMenu script.