A custom recovery environment will do the same things as the stock Android recovery. However, it will also have additional features. Custom recoveries often have the ability to create and restore device backups. Flashing this recovery environment onto your device replaces the default, stock recovery environment with a third-party, customized recovery environment. This is a bit like flashing a custom ROM like LegacyRom — but, instead of replacing your device’s Android operating system, it replaces the recovery environment.

A custom recovery can create and restore NANDroid backups - backups of an Android device’s entire file system. Custom recoveries offer a file browser that allows you to easily browse, manage, and restore backups. It also has other advanced features that will be useful if you’re installing and dealing with custom ROMs.

This tutorial will help you install TWRP on your GPD XD Plus device and will allow you to have that extra security.

~Always back up!

Installing a Recovery Image using SP Flash Tool
( Installing TWRP on your GPD XD Plus )

Recovery image is basically saying TWRP. TWRP is a custom recovery that offers many more options than the default Android recovery.

You will need a PC to use this method. It is fast and relatively painless.

Download a copy of CleanROM (SPFlash version) (Get the latest)
Use the SPFlash Guide to install TWRP. Make sure to use the steps that follow to install it properly.
- SP Flash Tool - Basic User Guide ( Use: Flash Firmware files using SP Flash Tool )
  - [ Scatter File Selection ] - Select "CleanROM.txt".
  - [ Flash File Selection ] - Remove all check marks. Only select "recovery".
  - [ Flash method ] - Select "Download only".
Finished.

Booting into Recovery (TWRP)

TWRP is a custom recovery and is installed on its own partition. You are able to boot into TWRP without having to boot the Android OS. This is very useful because you are able to modify or even install a new firmware. In times of need when your GPD XD Plus does not boot up, you often are able to boot into TWRP and perform repairs or restore a previous backup.

GPD XD+ must be powered comepletely off.

Press and hold the Power button.
Right after press and hold VOL+ as well. ( Both Power and VOL+ are pressed )
The LED will blink and stay bright - Let go of the Power button ( Only VOL+ will be pressed )
2 options will come up on the screen - Let go of Vol+.
VOL+ changes the selection and VOL- will enter it. Select [ Recovery Mode ] and press VOL-.
TWRP will boot up.

If you have CleanROM and you have the GPD XD Plus turned on, you can simply bring up the power menu ( by pressing Power button ) and instead of using the option to "Power Off" you can select "Reboot to recovery" and it will reboot and start you up inside TWRP.

Installing a Flash Zip

To "flash" simply means that you are installing the contents of a zip into the RAM memory. You will be modifying the Android OS. Most common zip files are firmware ( install a new firmware ), bootanimation ( new boot ), and just system modifications in general.

Boot into Recovery
Make sure System is NOT read-only
[ Select Storage ] - Tap on "Select Storage" button. Choose where you want to look for your zip and tap "OK". You have the following options:
- Internal Storage
- MicroSD card
- USB OTG - This is when you connect an OTG cable to the usb port and connect a flash drive. This option can be very useful.
[ Select Zip File ] - Use the TWRP file browser to navigate and find your file, then tap it.
There are 2 options that I usually do not use. Select them if you need them :
- [] Zip signature verification - I never use it
- [] Reboot after installation is complete - Use it if you want to save one tap of the screen hehe.
Slide to confirm Flash
Pay attention to the text that is displayed to make sure your flash was succesful.
You can either back up to main menu or choose to use the provided option to reboot the system.
Finished

Wipe

Sometimes you just want to start over. You can do a 'Factory Reset" and it will put the GPD XD Plus back to when you just bought it, or if you have CleanROM it will put it back to how you had it when you first installed it.

Wiping is also useful if you just need to wipe a certain partition like user data or cache/dalvik.

Factory Reset - Complete wipe of memory

Boot into Recovery
Select [ Wipe ] from the main menu.
Swipe for Factory Reset - Caution, You will wipe everything!
Pay attention to the text that is displayed to make sure your reset was succesful.
You can either back up to main menu or choose to use the provided option to reboot the system.
Finished

Format Data - ( You may need this option for installing CleanRom coming from stock )

Boot into Recovery
Select [ Wipe ] from the menu.
Select [ Format Data ]
Type "yes" and then tap the checkmark to confirm.
You can either back up to main menu or choose to use the provided option to reboot the system.
Finished

Backup

The GPD XD Plus and the GPD XD both share one thing in common: The are extremely resilient. TWRP is able to bring back the XD models from bricks and problems. If you keep up with your backups you will never have to worry about having to start over. TWRP also makes it possible to clone your GPD XD Plus onto another unit. This can be useful if you break it and it is unrecoverable. Simply buy a new device and transfer the data.

NOTE:

There is a portion of the GPD XD Plus that will not get backed up by using TWRP. This is not a bug and was not an accident. There is an explanation here : What is EXCLUDED from a TWRP backup?
I will include instructions on how to backup userdata at the end of "Backup" here.

Main Backup

Boot into Recovery
Select [ Backup ] from the main menu.
[ Name the Backup ] - Tap on ( Auto Generate ), under "Name:". Give your backup a name and tap enter.
This is just my advice. Backup names are generated and can get confusing when they start to accumulate. I always name the backup with a desciption of what it is backing up.
( "MyFirstBackup", "PostRetroarchSetup", "MarioTheme" )
[ Select Storage ] - Tap on "Select Storage" button. Choose where you want to save the backup. You have three options:
- Internal Storage
- MicroSD card - This is the most comon place people use to store the backup.
- USB OTG - This is when you connect an OTG cable to the usb port and connect a flash drive. This option can be very useful.
[ Select Partitions ] - Select what partitions you want to backup.
- FULL Backup - Just select all boxes. Make sure to scroll down to see all partitions.
- NVData Backup - When installing CleanROM you may be asked to backup your NVData. If that is all you want to backup' just make sure to select nvdata and nvram and nothing else.
Swipe to Backup
Pay attention to the text that is displayed to make sure your backup was succesful.
You can either back up to main menu or choose to use the provided option to reboot the system.
Finished

Backing up Userdata - ( this is the last bit of data left to make a complete backup )

This is done from inside Android. Boot up and start the GPD XD Plus.
Download MixPlorer. and install it.
Open MixPlorer
Make a folder to store your backup on your MicroSD card
- Tap on the menu icon at the top left. ( 3 horizontal lines )
- Tap on your MicroSD card. ( It will have an ID name - mine is 3B09-10EA )
- Navigate to the place where you want to make a backup of your userdata.
- Create a new item by tapping on the + icon at the top right
- Tap of Folder
- Give the folder a name.
Copy the userdata folder ( Media )
- Tap on the menu icon at the top left. ( 3 horizontal lines )
- Tap on Root
  - Tap on Grant if it asks for super user.
- Tap on data
- Long-press on media
- Tap on copy icon. ( next to recycle/trash bin on the upper right side )
Copy it to your MicroSD card
- Tap on the menu icon at the top left. ( 3 horizontal lines )
- Tap on your MicroSD card. ( It will have an ID name - mine is 3B09-10EA )
- Find the folder you created for the backup
- Tap on the task icon. ( next to magnifying glass icon on the upper right menu )
- Tap on "Copy One folder".
  - If you need to allow access then tap on Allow.
  - If it does not do it the first time then try again. Tap on task icon
  - Tap on "Copy One folder".
Done. You should now have a copy of your userdata on your card.

Make a backup of your backup - (Optional)
Moving the backup to your computer for extra security

Access your Backup
- Internal Storage Backup - This means you backed up to your GPD XD Plus to the internal storage.
  - When your GPD XD Plus is turned on connect a usb cable to your PC and to your device.
  - A window should appear - select "Internal shared storage"
  - Your backup will be inside /TWRP/BACKUPS/0123456789ABCDEF/
- MicroSD Card Backup - This means you backed up to the MicroSD card inside your GPD XD Plus.
  (You could also remove the card from your GPD XD Plus and use an adapter to access it on your computer)
  - When your GPD XD Plus is turned on connect a usb cable to your PC and to your device.
  - A window should appear - select "SDCard"
  - Your backup will be inside /TWRP/BACKUPS/0123456789ABCDEF/
- USB OTG Backup - This means you backed up to your GPD XD Plus to a flash drive using an OTG cable.
  - Plug your flash drive to your computer USB port.
  - Navigate to the flash drive.
  - Your backup will be inside /TWRP/BACKUPS/0123456789ABCDEF/
Copy your backup to your computer - You can right click on the folder containing your backup files and click on copy. Then Navigate to where you want to store your backup and right click, then click on paste. You could also just drag and drop the folder to the location you want to store it.
To save space zip it up.
Finished.

Restore

Now that you have backups it is time to restore.This will return your GPD XD Plus to the exact state it was in when you backed up. If there is an app that corrupted Android or something isnt acting right, you can simpy restore your GPD XD Plus to an earlier state and be done with it.

Note: TWRP always backs up to the same place no matter the storage selection. It will create a folder called TWRP. Your backup will be inside /TWRP/BACKUPS/0123456789ABCDEF/ . If you backed up to your computer, make sure to replace your backup to the right spot. if your backup folder was named MyFirstBackup the path should be : /TWRP /BACKUPS /0123456789ABCDEF /MyFirstBackup.

Boot into Recovery
Make sure System is NOT read-only
Select [ Restore ] from the main menu.
[ Select Storage ] - Tap on "Select Storage" button. Choose the location you saved your backup to. You have three options.
- Internal Storage
- MicroSD card
- USB OTG - This is when you connect an OTG cable to the usb port and connect a flash drive. This option can be very useful.
[ Select Backup Folder ] - Once you select the right storage option, a list of backups will appear. Select the backup you want to restore.
[ Select Partitions ] - Select what partitions you want to restore.
- FULL Restore - Just select all boxes. Make sure to scroll down to see all partitions.
- NVData Restore - When installing CleanROM you may be asked to restore your NVData. If that is all you want to restore' just make sure to select nvdata and nvram and nothing else.
Swipe to Restore
Pay attention to the text that is displayed to make sure your restore was succesful.
You can either back up to main menu or choose to use the provided option to reboot the system.
Finished

Mount

I have played with many Android devices and at time have deleted the entire OS. This means no boot for me! This option will help you mount a MicroSD or a Flash Drive so that you can revive your GPD XD. There may be times that you just forgot to add a file to your SD Card and need to access it using your PC. You simply mount the usb to your PC and modify what you want from the internal memory or the SD Card by using the PC.

Mounting the partitions is pretty straight forward and easy. Just select the box of the partition you want to mount.

If you want to access the XD and your SD Card select the bottom option "Mount USB Storage". Then just connect a USB to your GPD XD and you PC and the drive will show up on your windows drive list.

Reboot

Reboot is easy. In the TWRP menu select "Reboot" and then choose one:

System : This will bring you back to Android and your home screen.
Power Off : Uh this shuts your GPD XD off.
Recovery : This will bring you back to TWRP. Sometimes you may flash a TWRP theme and you want to see it. Just reboot to recovery again.
Bootloader: Yeh dunno why you need to go into bootloader. To be continued.

Making sure System is NOT read-only

When trying to flash a zip or when you want to restore you have to make sure that the system is not set to read-only. This will cause errors or cause the install to not work properly. This option has been pesky in the earlier releases of CleanROM and has to be monitored to make sure it doesn't get toggled on. Use these steps to make sure it is off.

Select [ Mount ] from the main menu.
There will be a check box about mid screen. It will say "[_] Mount system partition read-only". Make sure it is NOT selected.
Tap on the back button to return to main menu and return to whatever instruction you were on.

Troubleshooting

Error - Failure to mount /system ..
1. Make sure that system is not loaded as read-only
2. If that does not work try rebooting into TWRP then trying it again.
  - Back out to Main menu ( use the bottom right arrow to go back.
  - Tap on "Reboot"
  - Tap on "Recovery"
  - Once it boots up then try: Make sure that system is not loaded as read-only again.
  - Then try to finish what you were doing.

Error - Failure to unmount /system ..
- This is normal.Don't worry about this error.

Installed Magisk, but when i go into Android it isn't there
- Most likely you tried to flash the Magisk v18.1 version. Download and try to install Magisk v18. That should install fine.

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TWRP Comprehensive Guide - GPD XD Plus

Installing a Recovery Image using SP Flash Tool ( Installing TWRP on your GPD XD Plus )