RetroPie forum home
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Popular
    • Home
    • Docs
    • Register
    • Login
    Please do not post a support request without first reading and following the advice in https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

    Backing up SD Card

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Help and Support
    22 Posts 7 Posters 12.7k Views
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • demesauceD
      demesauce Banned
      last edited by demesauce

      Once you get the SD card just how I want it. Shut down retropie, turn it off completely. Pop out the SD card and put it in your Mac/PC (Mac for me). I use the app Pi-Baker, if you have a PC use the equivalent. There is an upfront option to back up the SD card. Select the card and let the program to the wok. Then pop your card back into you pi. If you ever need a backup, burn it from Pi-Baker, or whatever you use.

      Yes, yes, I know there are ways to do it in terminal, but GUI is easier for most, and it makes me feel warm inside....

      TheStrayMongrelT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • Drakaen391D
        Drakaen391
        last edited by

        I actually built a back up program for RetroPie if your interested

        RPi B & RPi 3B OC (Now Raspberry pi 4b 8gb)
        Retropie (Latest Stable)
        PiBox with Wind Tunnel Cooling System

        TheStrayMongrelT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
        • edmaul69E
          edmaul69 @TheStrayMongrel
          last edited by

          @TheStrayMongrel on top of a pi image i ftp in and copy:

          /opt/retropie/ folder
          /home/pi/RetroPie/roms folder
          /etc/emulationstation/es_systems.cfg
          /boot/config.txt
          /boot/cmdline.txt

          To a folder on my computer that i name whatever version of pi i am on. Then if i need to fix something i already have the files and i dont have to reflash my card back to an img that might be outdated and is a pain to do when you dont have access to the sd card.

          TheStrayMongrelT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • TheStrayMongrelT
            TheStrayMongrel @demesauce
            last edited by

            @demesauce Ha, that is exactly what i did do (mac user also)! :) My pi is inside my controls though, and i tend to be tinkering at night and i just know im going to drop the removed SD down the decking at some point or another given how small it is. More after a remote solution... thanks all the same.

            Raspberry Pi 2 B+

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • TheStrayMongrelT
              TheStrayMongrel @Drakaen391
              last edited by

              @Drakaen391 Interested, do tell..? I dare say, given I'm a mac user, that'll hamstring whatever you've got going... but i hope not.

              Raspberry Pi 2 B+

              Drakaen391D 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • TheStrayMongrelT
                TheStrayMongrel @edmaul69
                last edited by

                @edmaul69 Yeah thats a good call. Will have to do that also. Thanks for the heads up.

                Raspberry Pi 2 B+

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                • Drakaen391D
                  Drakaen391 @TheStrayMongrel
                  last edited by

                  @TheStrayMongrel I will have to send the github link when I am back on my PC.

                  The program runs directly on the pi

                  RPi B & RPi 3B OC (Now Raspberry pi 4b 8gb)
                  Retropie (Latest Stable)
                  PiBox with Wind Tunnel Cooling System

                  TheStrayMongrelT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • TheStrayMongrelT
                    TheStrayMongrel @Drakaen391
                    last edited by

                    @Drakaen391 Brilliant, will be keen to check it out. Thanks.

                    Raspberry Pi 2 B+

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • EkstremeE
                      Ekstreme
                      last edited by

                      Ditto. I'm forever re-imaging after a pooch configs :)

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • flopF
                        flop
                        last edited by

                        I extract manually the SD and use a SD reader, then "Win32DiskImager" will make you a fast image of your SD, and too could be used for rewrite the SD (backup :P), aaand, win32 its for windows, obviously XD

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • GtBFilmsG
                          GtBFilms
                          last edited by

                          I have the same problem, the pi is in a picade cabinet, bolted to the back door, so to get the card out I have to unscrew it.

                          A better solution (for me) would be if I could stick a USB Pen drive into one of the pi's usb ports, or even a sd card in an sd card reader, and just dump am image of the sd card straight to that from the pi.

                          I'd be very interested in other's backup solutions!

                          TheStrayMongrelT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • TheStrayMongrelT
                            TheStrayMongrel @GtBFilms
                            last edited by

                            @GtBFilms said in Backing up SD Card:

                            A better solution (for me) would be if I could stick a USB Pen drive into one of the pi's usb ports, or even a sd card in an sd card reader, and just dump am image of the sd card straight to that from the pi.

                            Yeah that'd be cool. I'd make a port of the side of the control panel for such a thing.

                            Raspberry Pi 2 B+

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • Drakaen391D
                              Drakaen391
                              last edited by

                              The program is at github.com/Drakaen391/rpibu

                              Be sure the read the readme

                              The file is in beta, so please let me know how it works for you guys

                              RPi B & RPi 3B OC (Now Raspberry pi 4b 8gb)
                              Retropie (Latest Stable)
                              PiBox with Wind Tunnel Cooling System

                              GtBFilmsG TheStrayMongrelT 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 1
                              • GtBFilmsG
                                GtBFilms @Drakaen391
                                last edited by

                                @Drakaen391 awesome, thanks! Won't get the chance to try it out for a week or so but will let you know how I get on.

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • TheStrayMongrelT
                                  TheStrayMongrel @Drakaen391
                                  last edited by

                                  Good stuff @Drakaen391 thanks. Can you give me a little more info, does it make a back up image of the SD Card or copy across certain files?

                                  Raspberry Pi 2 B+

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • Drakaen391D
                                    Drakaen391
                                    last edited by

                                    It defaults to back up folders most commonly changed

                                    RPi B & RPi 3B OC (Now Raspberry pi 4b 8gb)
                                    Retropie (Latest Stable)
                                    PiBox with Wind Tunnel Cooling System

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • TheStrayMongrelT
                                      TheStrayMongrel
                                      last edited by

                                      Ah yep gotcha, can see that in the .cfg file.

                                      Cheers

                                      bu_file="etc/emulationstation opt/retropie/ home/pi/RetroPie/roms boot/config.txt boot/cmdline.txt home/pi/retropie/bios"

                                      Raspberry Pi 2 B+

                                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • TheStrayMongrelT
                                        TheStrayMongrel
                                        last edited by

                                        Hmm have i done something wrong? I assume the retropie-Thursday.tgz file is automatically generated? Sorry a bit of a beginner at all this. Thanks

                                        pi@retropie:~/RetroPie/rpibu-master $ sudo bash rpibu.sh
                                        Backing up etc/emulationstation opt/retropie/ home/pi/RetroPie/roms boot/config.txt boot/cmdline.txt home/pi/retropie/bios to home/pi/backup/retropie-Thursday.tgz
                                        Thu 25 Aug 12:26:56 UTC 2016

                                        tar (child): home/pi/backup/retropie-Thursday.tgz: Cannot open: No such file or directory
                                        tar (child): Error is not recoverable: exiting now

                                        Backup finished

                                        Raspberry Pi 2 B+

                                        Drakaen391D 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • Drakaen391D
                                          Drakaen391 @TheStrayMongrel
                                          last edited by

                                          @TheStrayMongrel it didn't as the path doesn't exist...

                                          The folders should exist prior to running the program

                                          RPi B & RPi 3B OC (Now Raspberry pi 4b 8gb)
                                          Retropie (Latest Stable)
                                          PiBox with Wind Tunnel Cooling System

                                          TheStrayMongrelT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • TheStrayMongrelT
                                            TheStrayMongrel @Drakaen391
                                            last edited by

                                            @Drakaen391 Ah yep sorry, didnt fully read that "Backing up.." line. Got it. Thanks

                                            Raspberry Pi 2 B+

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                            • First post
                                              Last post

                                            Contributions to the project are always appreciated, so if you would like to support us with a donation you can do so here.

                                            Hosting provided by Mythic-Beasts. See the Hosting Information page for more information.