System Migration
dArkOSen includes the R36 Backup and Migration Assistant for moving your configuration and game saves to a new dArkOSen installation or another compatible R36 system.
R36 Backup and Migration Assistant — Releases
The Assistant is pre-installed in dArkOSen.
It is designed to make migration between operating-system installations as simple as creating a backup on the old system and restoring it on the new one.
The Backup and Migration Assistant must be run on the system you are migrating from.
If the Assistant is not already installed on that system, copy the Assistant to it and run it there.
Select the backup options you want to preserve.
For a complete migration, a Full Backup is recommended.
A full backup includes:
- EmulationStation configuration
- Themes
- Emulator configuration and settings
- Game saves
- Kodi configuration and settings
The Assistant packages the selected data into a backup ZIP.
After creating the backup:
- Copy the backup ZIP to the new system.
- Place it in:
/roms/backup
- Launch the Backup and Migration Assistant on the new system.
- Select the backup you want to restore.
- Allow the restore process to complete.
The Assistant restores the backed-up settings and data to their original locations on the destination system.
This means that EmulationStation configuration, themes, emulator settings, game saves, and Kodi settings do not need to be manually copied back into their individual directories.
The basic migration process is:
OLD SYSTEM
│
▼
Run Backup and Migration Assistant
│
▼
Create Full Backup
│
▼
Backup ZIP
│
│ copy
▼
/roms/backup
│
▼
NEW SYSTEM
│
▼
Run Backup and Migration Assistant
│
▼
Restore Backup
│
▼
Settings and saves restored
Do not immediately delete or reformat the old system.
After restoring the backup, verify the new installation before considering the migration complete.
At minimum, check:
- EmulationStation settings
- Themes
- Emulator settings
- Several game saves
- Kodi settings
Launch games that contain important saves and confirm that the expected save data is present.
The backup is intended to make migration easier, but it should not be treated as a substitute for verification.
Keep the original system and backup until you have confirmed that everything important has been successfully restored.
Once the new installation has been fully checked, the old system can be repurposed or deleted.
The Backup and Migration Assistant is intended to migrate configuration and user data, not to clone the operating system itself.
The backup contains the selected data from the source system and restores that data to its expected locations on the destination.
dArkOSen is a passion project born out of love for the R36S. If you appreciate what I do and want to support the project you can show that support by buying me a coffee. Proceeds help fund the cost of SD cards and other expenses involved with development.