How I Upgraded from Kodi v16.1 with MQ7 to Kodi v17 with MQ7 and Saved my Settings
First off, I do not know if this will work for everyone, I run android multiple boxes (2gb/8gb & 3gb/32gb all using android 5.1). I do not use any "builds", I only install the add-ons I want. For me. it makes for a much cleaner, faster experience. (No offense builders, I admire what you do). I use most of the major add-ons, I use the ROM Collection browser with 3000+ games and my boxes are connected to a PC via SMB on my network that hosts my movies, music, TV Shows, etc (hard copies), I also host some of the Kodi data (like thumbnails) or addon data for streaming shows, downloading, etc. on the PC.
I spent quite a few days setting up MQ7 in Kodi 16 to get everything just the way I wanted it, and I sure didn't want to do it again to upgrade to Kodi 17. So I tried what Kodi suggests how to upgrade Kodi to v17 (see my earlier post) and it didn't work. Well, the upgrade of Kodi worked and it did preserve my settings, but I was never able to get MQ7 for 17 to install. I am not sure if it was an addon, old setting files, don't know.
So, these were the steps I took to upgrade them from v16 to v17, both using MQ7 in a few hours.
1. Make a full backup of Kodi v16.1. I use a shared folder on a PC on my network. I use ES File Explorer and simply copy the Kodi directories to the PC using ES, navigate the following:
Local> Internal Storage> Android> data> org.xbmc.kodi> files> kodi (Internal Storage may be different on your device, might be SDcard0, emulated storage or something). Copy the following directories to a safe place:
.smb (you may not have this folder, you will also must have 'Show Hidden Files turned ON in ES Files Explorer to see this folder)
addons
media
system
temp
userdata
You now have a complete backup of your Kodi v16.1
2. Make sure you made a backup of Kodi 16.1, make sure you made a backup (if anything fails, you can put things back quickly)
3. Un-install Kodi v16 from android device
4. Install Kodi 17, I downloaded the APK, I am sure the play store will work fine, but never tried it.
5. Start Kodi 17. This will build you new directories on the android device, let it do any updates, if any, then exit Kodi.
6. Follow the instructions on installing MQ7
http://www.xbmcbrasil.net/thread-3392.html
If you have done everything right, you should have a fresh install of Kodi v17 using the modded MQ7 skin.
Now comes the fun part:
6. Start ES File Explorer, make sure you have "Show hidden files turned ON" and navigate to your kodi backup, where ever you had saved it, then go into the 'userdata' directory, then into 'addon_data'. Find each directory of the addons that you were using in v16.1 that you want in Kodi 17. For example, if you were using Trakt, copy all the directories that pertain to that addon, they could be called something like 'plugin.video.(the addon name) or it could be 'script.(addon name)', it may have a couple folders, etc. Copy these to the matching folder on your android device.
DO NOT copy any 'skin.whatever' folders.
DO NOT copy the 'skin.aeonmq7' folder.
Now navigate back to your backup copy of the 'userdata' folder. Copy the following files to the matching folder on your android device:
sources.xml
RssFeeds.xml (only if you were using your own RSS feeds in v16.1)
profiles.xml (only if you were using profiles in v16.1)
favourites.xml
advancedsetting.xml (only if you have one, also you will have to edit it later if using video cache changes, see kodis furums for the change in v17)
http://kodi.wiki/view/HOW-TO:Modify_the_video_cache
You will also need to copy the following folders ONLY if you used them in v16.1:
keymaps (if you have modded keymapping)
playlists (only if you used custom playlists in v16)
profiles (only if you used profiles in v16)
library (only if you used the library folder in v16)
Finished with most of the tricky stuff.
Okay, fire up kodi, all of your sources from v16.1 will now be there, navigate to each repo and install your favourite addons. (since you copied all of your 'user data' over, your addons will be configured just as they were in v16.1!!!) I would suggest NOT testing them just yet, get them all installed and then exit Kodi.
Okay, one more file copy, using ES, navigate back to your backup 'userdata' folder, then into the 'addon_data' folder, then into the 'skin.aeonmq7' folder, copy the settings.xml to the matching folder on your android device.
Start up Kodi, it should look almost like your old kodi v16 & MQ7. Now in Kodi 17 and MQ7, go to Settings, drop down into 'Skin Settings', make one change in here (I went to MENU BAR, then turned back on the MQ7 Menu Bar), back out to the main menu, shutdown Kodi. Make sure to do this, it saves the MQ7's settings.xml file.
Re-open and then scan in all your libraries for your movies, tv shows, music, etc. This worked for me and saved me a couple days work if would have had to start from scratch, I have been running for over 48hrs now and not had one single crash yet. In my opinion so far is v17 is running noticeably faster. I am not sure if I would have upgraded to 17 all from scratch again, that was alot of work....hahaha., but by doing it this, it was well worth it to me.
Hope this might help some one else with similar issues and thanks to everyone that takes their time to post here and help me and the folks that do all the work on the various projects.
. If I do it by myself on an update it will be changed back again.
