I see options to 'encrypt all data'. However, I have already made backups. If I encrypt everything (and I assume this includes the backups; as I understand it, they are on the external SD), does this render the backups useless, or does CWM have decryption tools builtin? If not, should I erase the backups, as they contain all the data unencrypted? Confused as to how best to manage encryption and backups.
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Samsung Galaxy SII Epic 4G Touch
Syndicated Ice, CWM 5.0.2.6
2GB ext SD
This is a great question.
I have never used the Encryption at all and just did the regular backups on my droid but I'm thinking that you should keep your encrypted backups because unless you want to redo everything from scratch in setting up your system every time, it's a good thing to just keep them and try to back them up on your pc and then go from there.
Once you've backed them up (including your current state of the phone non-encrypted for safety measures), i would try to recover an encrypted file and see how it works... if it does not work for some reason then you can revert back to your UN-encrypted version... let us know how it turns out.
Hope this helped in some way.
Related
So, I have A HUGE problem. Apparently I massively misunderstood how the "superwipe" works, thinking it would erase all my apps, but not my personal files, like the file I had created and named "School", and stored all my papers, notes, and research files in. So, I made my nandroid of stock, and flashed Revolution, expecting that, like on my phones, the backups from MyBackup Pro, and other apps, and my personal files would be left untouched. It seems I was very, very wrong. Now I'm regretting not following my gut instinct and manually wiping to maintain those files, as well as not going the extra redundancy of copying them to my removable micro sd as well. Lesson learned. It boggles my mind more than a little that there isn't a clear explanation right on the front page with the rest of the warnings and disclaimers, that the superwipe would kill all your personal data as well as the necessary files to allow the flash.
That aside, and I know this is a long shot, but is there a way to recover that data? I've already flashed back to my stock nandroid, hoping that would somehow restore it, but no dice. Are there any other options here?
Thanks in advance for any help.
It's a long shot and I'm not sure if this will work on flash memory that has been formatted/overwritten, but you can try to connect your TF to your pc as mass storage device and run software such as http://www.jufsoft.com/badcopy/flash_drive_recovery.asp to retrieve this folder and files. Good luck!
To be fair right under the link it does say " This script will erase and format your data, system and cache partition using EXT4 file-system ---
--- Please note that the content of /data/media folder (internal virtual SD card) will be removed - do backup of necessary files! ---"
But yeah I agree, bigger font and capital letters say something like "THIS WILL DELETE EVERYTHING" would be more easier to understand
AFAIK recovery software won't work on it, due to the file system.
Sent from my customized HTC Desire using TTP
i knew this would be a possibility after encrypting the phone so i made a nandroid beforehand. now, when i tried to make nandroid it just states it cant back up system and errors out with "cant mount /data" . is there a way to do a nandroid within the android OS?
dz2k said:
i knew this would be a possibility after encrypting the phone so i made a nandroid beforehand. now, when i tried to make nandroid it just states it cant back up system and errors out with "cant mount /data" . is there a way to do a nandroid within the android OS?
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Click to collapse
Since the phone boots into CWM and not Android, it cannot read the encrypted data on the phone. I am not aware of any way you can do a nandroid with an encrypted phone. If you are looking to just protect personal data, is encrypting JUST the SDCARD an option that might work for you?
mjb32803 said:
If you are looking to just protect personal data, is encrypting JUST the SDCARD an option that might work for you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would think you'd have to keep an unencrypted external SDCARD to back up to though in this case. If the internal is encrypted i doubt that CWM would be able to use it as a backup source
I believe to date the only option is to unencrypt before going into CWM to do your backup. The other option (not a full backup I know) would be to see if an app such as Titanium backup which can also back up system apps will fit your need.
CWM and nandroid are separate from the OS. The /sdcard partition is encrypted by the OS, and as such, only the OS can access it, including for backup purposes.
i didnt encrypt the external sd card as it only gave the option to encrypt new data. i already had lots of media files on it and its not a big deal. im glad i made a nandroid before encrypting the phone! i want the encryption of the OS more so than anything..lol. not that i have much to hide but still..
ill continue using titanium backup for apps i get. thanks all!
update: online nandroid on the market has given nandroids a life again!
Hi gents. I am trying to restore my phone to a recent clockworkmod recovery backup but several of the latest backups won't restore the downloaded programs of the time, nor do they seem to be restoring the general Android settings. Older backups are working perfectly, however, and I can't think of any significant or unusual changes I made to the system that could stop it working properly. Also, I have been backing up and restoring the same way.
I'm using Revolutionary CWM v4.0.1.4, HTC ICS 4.0.4 (w/ older HBOOT for S-OFF), HTC Desire S.
I find this very strange, and unsettling that clockworkmod's backup may be unreliable. Has anybody experienced this?
Another thing, I have also been backing up the entire SD card data in the later backups (just copying to computer via card reader), thinking it may be best to restore backups with this data, but it seems to not make a difference whether this is done, or the data left as-is, or the card cleared. What's best practice in regard to the Android data that's put on the SD card?
My phone is up the creek. Help!?
i am having the same problem restoring CWM v4.0.1.4 backups on my galaxy s2: older backups restore perfectly and newer backups restore incompletely (some settings and SMSs, but no apps and no contacts).
i believe this is an issue with large nandroid images (containing >10,000 files) being unable to restore properly. this implies the backup itself is intact, luckily.
read this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1154892
to rebuild my phone i started by using unyaffs on my PC to access the files on the CWM nandroid image and restore my contacts, call logs, etc:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1370349
you can find additional file locations listed in this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=969650
i then used appextractor (available in the play store) to manually restore my apps and app data from the CWM nandroid image. some needed to be redownloaded.
it's a schlepp but better than losing everything entirely.
i've read that TWRP is a more reliable way to backup and restore. i'm certainly not using CWM again.
regarding your second question, the data on your internal and external SD card is irrelevant to the function of the OS, but some apps may rely on that data. for example large apps install on the SD card.
Thanks so much for that matey. I searched and searched but hadn't come across the 10,000 files limitation. How annoying!
Anyhoo, before I saw your post I ended up restoring the latest working backup and reinstalled apps, configured things, got the device mostly up to speed.. but there were some sentimental Messages I wanted to restore. I got that unyaffs exe, the 10,000 file fix one, and managed to extract the mmssms.db just fine..
But I soon learnt it seems to be a nightmare to get it back into ICS because the SQLite db is in full-vacuum mode or some such, meaning it is cached and rewritten to help avoid fragmentation or some such. So I overwrite the mmssms.db, set permissions and ownership, reboot, and it's overwritten with the current one. Argh. I tried clearing cache. Tried running SMS backup/restore apps while the 'good' mmssms.db was in place, but they seem to look at the db cache/temp data, not the mmssms.db.
For those facing my situation and want Messages from CWM/nandroid backups in ICS, I found a great tip just posted on one of the threads N-acetyltransferase linked;
RichAP said:
I did this yesterday using Titanium Backup for my SMS/MMS
You need to go into Preferences and check the *Migrate system data [Experimental] option
Then you go to More - Extract from nandroid backup
There it is listed as Dialer Storage
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Click to collapse
I had tried using TiBu to restore Messages from nandroid backup (no success), but Dialer Storage!? How annoying. Anyhoo it's sorted.
Then I quickly found a good alternative recovery and quickly bought the premium version of 4EXT. It's very good, but get this, it actually recovered my latest CWM recovery backup no drama, just like that! Ahh well I didn't need those hours of my life anyway. I've often thought the Desire S's codename Saga is rather apt.
In conclusion, TiBu looks damn good and 4EXT is a ripper. I'd recommend it however the Galaxy S2 support is apparently unconfirmed thus far. Maybe look into it nevertheless.
Thanks for the help dude.
I'm considering encrypting my g900t still running Kitkat 4.4.2. I would like to get a good understanding of what encrypting my device will do to various functions. Some questions I am considering are,
1) how will it affect making a nandroid back and then later restoring that backup?
2) if I make a nandroid before the encryption, and decide to factory reset, will it then be non-encrypted and I can restore the pre-encryption nandroid?
3) If I make a nandroid after the encryption, and factory reset later, can I flash the nandroid and if so do I have to do that after re-encrypting the phone?
4) will I be able to flash a custom ROM after encrypting?
5) I have read that Lollipop and later have improved the slowdown by encryption, so what will I probably see if I encrypt my Kitkat phone?
6) after encryption, is it pretty much transparent to me, in that I can install and uninstall software as I please?
7) what kind of unlock screen will I see after encryption?
8) finally, when I reset my phone, there are directories on the internal SD that don't get backed up by Titanium Backup, and I generally copy those directories to my SD card and then recopy them to internal SD after setting up my phone again. How will encryption affect that process?
Thanks to anyone who will take the time to give me some understanding of these things.
Hello,
I just updated the rom Evolution X 11 on my Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro after using an older version for about half a year.
Now my phone does not boot anymore, its stuck in recovery (TWRP). Also all data seems to be encrypted and TWRP is not asking for a password.
Is there a way to get my phone to boot again or at least backup my data before I do a full wipe?
You should always do a full twrp backup before messing with roms.
The best solution would be to backup the "Data" and "Internal Storage" partitions. Data contains all apps, their appdata and settings, while internal storage contains all of your own files (photos, videos etc.). After you back these up, wipe your phone (system, data, cache, dalvik) and flash the version of evolution x you were using previously. Now restore data and internal storage and your device should be back to normal.
If you get a bootloop while booting after restoring data and internal storage, then wipe the device again and this time flash evolution x, but only restore internal storage. This way, it should boot and you will be able to recover your files, though your apps will be gone.
If you only restore internal storage then it will no doubt boot up and you will have access to your files, but since you'll have already backed up the important stuff (data + internal storage), you might as well try restoring data as well, as there is no harm, and if the phone boots correctly after restoring both partitions, your phone will be as it was before your updated your rom.
This happened a while back to me with my J5, the issue was that I made a full TWRP backup, then began to test other roms. After I was done, I tried to restore my backup, but it would constantly fail. I sat down for a while, confused and sad about how my TWRP backup had failed me. I tried every solution I could think of, eventually this solution I've mentioned in the above paragraph came to my mind. Thank god for putting it into my mind, otherwise I would've lost a lot of stuff (mainly whatsapp chats which werent backed up, and a lot of apps which I took the time to pain-stakingly configure in the best way for my device).
Anyways, enough of my story, hope this helps you out! If it does, message back here and let us know, and also mark my post as the solution if it was able to help you, so that anyone else who stumbles upon this thread can be saved too!
Cheers!
PhotonIce said:
You should always do a full twrp backup before messing with roms.
The best solution would be to backup the "Data" and "Internal Storage" partitions. Data contains all apps, their appdata and settings, while internal storage contains all of your own files (photos, videos etc.). After you back these up, wipe your phone (system, data, cache, dalvik) and flash the version of evolution x you were using previously. Now restore data and internal storage and your device should be back to normal.
If you get a bootloop while booting after restoring data and internal storage, then wipe the device again and this time flash evolution x, but only restore internal storage. This way, it should boot and you will be able to recover your files, though your apps will be gone.
If you only restore internal storage then it will no doubt boot up and you will have access to your files, but since you'll have already backed up the important stuff (data + internal storage), you might as well try restoring data as well, as there is no harm, and if the phone boots correctly after restoring both partitions, your phone will be as it was before your updated your rom.
This happened a while back to me with my J5, the issue was that I made a full TWRP backup, then began to test other roms. After I was done, I tried to restore my backup, but it would constantly fail. I sat down for a while, confused and sad about how my TWRP backup had failed me. I tried every solution I could think of, eventually this solution I've mentioned in the above paragraph came to my mind. Thank god for putting it into my mind, otherwise I would've lost a lot of stuff (mainly whatsapp chats which werent backed up, and a lot of apps which I took the time to pain-stakingly configure in the best way for my device).
Anyways, enough of my story, hope this helps you out! If it does, message back here and let us know, and also mark my post as the solution if it was able to help you, so that anyone else who stumbles upon this thread can be saved too!
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your help but backing up the data and internal storage doesnt seem possible right now because all the data is encrypted in TWRP...
If you can't backup anything, then wipe system, cache and dalvik, and flash the version of evolutionx you were previously using. Then boot, it should be fine. If it wont boot (give it some time, it will take the time of a fresh install), then this time wipe system+data+cache+dalvik, then flash whichever rom you like and you'll be able to access the files.
You can also try using platform tools and fastboot or adb ( i dont remember exactly which one) to copy the filess from your phone onto your pc.
Sorry if this doesn't apply to your situation, I've never used a phone which has been encrypted, as such I have no experience with them.
PhotonIce said:
If you can't backup anything, then wipe system, cache and dalvik, and flash the version of evolutionx you were previously using. Then boot, it should be fine. If it wont boot (give it some time, it will take the time of a fresh install), then this time wipe system+data+cache+dalvik, then flash whichever rom you like and you'll be able to access the files.
You can also try using platform tools and fastboot or adb ( i dont remember exactly which one) to copy the filess from your phone onto your pc.
Sorry if this doesn't apply to your situation, I've never used a phone which has been encrypted, as such I have no experience with them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds like a good idea. I found the old version on my PC.
Now I just need a way to install it... because twrp cant read the file. I tried with adb sideload but that results in an error for some reason. Flashing Magisk for example with adb sideload is possible.
Edit: Got it to work by using a tool called "Large Address Aware". Now waiting for the results...
PhotonIce said:
If you can't backup anything, then wipe system, cache and dalvik, and flash the version of evolutionx you were previously using. Then boot, it should be fine. If it wont boot (give it some time, it will take the time of a fresh install), then this time wipe system+data+cache+dalvik, then flash whichever rom you like and you'll be able to access the files.
You can also try using platform tools and fastboot or adb ( i dont remember exactly which one) to copy the filess from your phone onto your pc.
Sorry if this doesn't apply to your situation, I've never used a phone which has been encrypted, as such I have no experience with them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This did not help unfortunately... Im still in the same recovery-bootloop and my data is still encrypted.
It's probably still bootlooping as the data partition got modified when you flashed the newer version of evolutionx, and now it will not work with the old one. You can try wiping system+data+cach+dalvik and then flashing any rom of your choice. This will give you access to your internal storage (photos, media etc), but it will remove your apps and their settings. Whatsapp images are stored in the internal storage so you won't need to worry about those.
Again, this is risky, as it may not work (I don't know much about encryption), or you might still not be able to access your files after flashing the new rom. Proceed at your own risk.
PhotonIce said:
It's probably still bootlooping as the data partition got modified when you flashed the newer version of evolutionx, and now it will not work with the old one. You can try wiping system+data+cach+dalvik and then flashing any rom of your choice. This will give you access to your internal storage (photos, media etc), but it will remove your apps and their settings. Whatsapp images are stored in the internal storage so you won't need to worry about those.
Again, this is risky, as it may not work (I don't know much about encryption), or you might still not be able to access your files after flashing the new rom. Proceed at your own risk.
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Click to collapse
Thank you for still helping me out but I already did a full reset yesterday. I did not lose much except for the time setting it all up again.
I still dont really get the point of encrypting all your data if you cant decrypt it even if you know the password...