I still have one Beelink GT1 running in the house, and the past week I re-organized my server adding art/info files and using a different skin, so I formatted the SD card and reinstalled everything, got all the setting, art, colours set up and made a backup with Win32DiskImager.
Formatted the SD card and tested the img file and works great, but, with nothing scraped, the file is 30GB vs the 550MB of the original img file.
I understand that the original is installed, and upon first boot gets decompressed and such but, is there a way to make a backup file compressed as well? Itās quite the size jump.
For my newer box, Iāll use that new backup feature I found when searching the topic. Itāll be espeically handy for YouTubeā¦ that thing and the API stuff is a pain.
First file size is the image of the whole SD card, and second is only installation file image; of course they are different. If you use 16GB SD then itās image would also be 16GB, no matter of the used content sizeā¦
Use ābuilt inā CE Backup of the installed and completely setup system, (save it to a safe place) and then if things go wrong a fresh installation and restoring such (very small) backup file will get fast into business againā¦
Build in backup does not back up other things like entware or download folderā¦ Use cron when logged via ssh
crontab - e
And add this line after modification of place you want your backup to be saved.
15 5 * * * tar cpf /var/media/USB/ā$(date ā+%Y%m%d%H%M%Sā).tarā /storage/
Like you see here whole storage is backed at 5.15 AM to a usb attached to coreelec machineā¦
No idea what any of that is, Iām assuming some kinda Linux thing or something?
I just want my settings saved. Settings for Kodi, the skin, and YouTube setup.
Does the backup include the addons? or just the settings? Like, if I were to format the SD card now, install CoreElec again, do I have to install the skin and YouTube then restore? or just restore and itāll copy over the addons?
Yes, Linux thingy there is backup option in coreelec addon. Go to addons programs coreelec configuration and there you find it. When you backup your config you need to copy this somewhere and copy this back after installing fresh install of coreelec. Then again go to same place and restore from backup simple as that!
@borygo honestly no idea how I missed it. Found it on the new version, same spot as the old. That said, I had a few nights where I was sorting so many files I went to bed at 6-7am so, probably eyes buggy and just missed it.
So install CoreElec, no need to reinstall YouTube or the skin, just restore, reboot, done? Iām good with that.
Not often it happens, but maybe one every year or so one of the two needs cleaned up so much that I just format and start over. This will be good because after a few years Iāll forget what it was that I changed and where.
there is backup option in coreelec addon. Go to addons programs coreelec configuration and there you find it. When you backup your config you need to copy this somewhere and copy this back after installing fresh install of coreelec. Then again go to same place and restore from backup 
simple as that!