Encryption and its effect on nandroid restores etc - General Questions and Answers

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.

Related

encrypted phone and lost cwm?!

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?
Click to expand...
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!

[Q] Best use of Titanium Backup

Hi,
I need to do a factory reset (to see if it solves a problem that Asus could not solve) and in anyway I read it's safer to wipe data before sending to factory for repair.. So I'd like to make a full backup before this wipe and before the sending to repair..
I installed free Titanium backup (my tablet is rooted), but I'm confused on what I should do before doing the reset and the tutorials I found on Titanium even confused me more..(if you're aware of a nice tutoriel, link would be welcome, because I found none very explicit on xda and even on the web..)
-first, should I use the Asus tool for backup or Titanium ?
- Should I perform a full backup of apps only or apps+system ? I read that system restore could create issues in case restore is not done on same firmware, and I don't know with which FW my tablet will come back from repair.. so should I use apps+system anyway, or make 2 backups (apps first then system or vice versa ?) I'd prefer to restore my tablet as clsoe as it is today, even if possible with bluetooth pairs and wifi connections..
-Should I backup manually my personal files (videos ,various docs, pictures,..) before using Titanium ? (for instance to save space and make nbackups smaller?) If yes, how do we know which folders are backuped up by Titanium and which are not ?
- My sdcard is already largely used with only a few GB left. Can I ask Titanium to save directly to a PC ? Or should I use another sdcard (but then, what will happen to apps installed on sdcard ?) ?
Thanks a lot for your hints.
Ricorico94
There are several different options for you to choose from but I will share the way I usually back up my tablet. I flash different ROMs frequently and have had to use backups quite a bit.
I usually use Titanium Backup to backup everything but only restore non-system apps and data. You're right that restoring system data can result in problems if restoring to different ROMs, not necessarily firmware. It depends on how much the firmware has changed. Since there might be big enough changes that it might screw everything up then I'd avoid restoring system apps and data. If your tablet is backed up to Google, it will sometimes keep the WiFi and Bluetooth pairings and restore them once you log back into your Google account. Not always though. Also I'm not sure that the free version of Titanium Backup can save any place other than an SD card. The paid version can save to Dropbox and Google Drive.
If you're sending your tablet in for repair, you should move all of your personal files to your computer or SD card, deleting them off the tablet. At least, that's what I'd do.
There is one more option which would make saving a lot easier and that is if you have a custom recovery installed like TWRP or CWM you can create a Nandroid Backup of everything, System, Data and all. With all your pictures, etc the file would be huge but you could move that to your computer and restore it when your tablet comes back. That would keep an exact copy of your system and replace whatever ASUS does to it with what you currently have. If I wanted to keep my tablet as close to how I set it up, this is what I would do. Of course, your tablet has to be rooted and unlocked to do so.
wrynn7 said:
There are several different options for you to choose from but I will share the way I usually back up my tablet. I flash different ROMs frequently and have had to use backups quite a bit.
I usually use Titanium Backup to backup everything but only restore non-system apps and data. You're right that restoring system data can result in problems if restoring to different ROMs, not necessarily firmware. It depends on how much the firmware has changed. Since there might be big enough changes that it might screw everything up then I'd avoid restoring system apps and data. If your tablet is backed up to Google, it will sometimes keep the WiFi and Bluetooth pairings and restore them once you log back into your Google account. Not always though. Also I'm not sure that the free version of Titanium Backup can save any place other than an SD card. The paid version can save to Dropbox and Google Drive.
If you're sending your tablet in for repair, you should move all of your personal files to your computer or SD card, deleting them off the tablet. At least, that's what I'd do.
There is one more option which would make saving a lot easier and that is if you have a custom recovery installed like TWRP or CWM you can create a Nandroid Backup of everything, System, Data and all. With all your pictures, etc the file would be huge but you could move that to your computer and restore it when your tablet comes back. That would keep an exact copy of your system and replace whatever ASUS does to it with what you currently have. If I wanted to keep my tablet as close to how I set it up, this is what I would do. Of course, your tablet has to be rooted and unlocked to do so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Thanks a lot for this advice. Do you know if I can still make 2 separate backups, so that I could use system backup if there's no FW change ?
Regarding the TWRP custom recovery, I understood that since I am already with FW 10.4.4.25 (android 4.1.1) and only rooted, there's no way to install customer recovery. Did I understood properly, or is there a way to downgrade to previous versions first, istall custom and upgrade again back to current FW ?
What do you mean by "tablet backed up to Google" ? I have "save my datas" checked under "backup" menu of parameters, but is there a way to check that there's indeed something in their servers already ?
br,
Ricorico94
You could make as many backups as you wanted. Titanium Backup allows you to restore whatever you want it to so you really only have to make one backup. You can restore everything but the system apps and data or everything. You can even use it to uninstall or freeze what you're not using (as long as it's not an integral part of the FW of course). It's not an all or nothing deal. I would still move all of your personal data to a computer or SD card so nothing happens to it.
My understanding is that installing CWM or TWRP require your device to be unlocked using an app that is provided through the ASUS website. Just being rooted isn't sufficient. If you don't want to unlock your device then you're stuck with using the Titanium Backup method. Just make sure it is saving your apps to an external SD card and not the internal one.
And yes, I was referring to the setting that you already have checked about Google backing up your data. It doesn't always restore everything though so you might have to pair everything again anyway.
ricorico94 said:
Hi,
Thanks a lot for this advice. Do you know if I can still make 2 separate backups, so that I could use system backup if there's no FW change ?
Regarding the TWRP custom recovery, I understood that since I am already with FW 10.4.4.25 (android 4.1.1) and only rooted, there's no way to install customer recovery. Did I understood properly, or is there a way to downgrade to previous versions first, istall custom and upgrade again back to current FW ?
What do you mean by "tablet backed up to Google" ? I have "save my datas" checked under "backup" menu of parameters, but is there a way to check that there's indeed something in their servers already ?
br,
Ricorico94
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it is a good idea to install a custom recovery if you are about to send the tablet to Asus - I assume for a warranty repair. You would have to unlock your bootloader and that negates your warranty. So just forgettaboutit.
Google backs up some of your data: Calendar and contacts mainly, but also all the apps you have downloaded or bought from the Play Store.
But it is much faster to restore apps with Titanium instead of downloading them from the Play Store.
So backup apps and data in TiBu and move the backup to your PC.
I don't quite understand why you want to backup system data. It's always potentially disruptive to mess with system data yourself. And you are on a pretty old rom and bootloader - so you're due for an update anyway.
Pictures, videos etc, I would just move to an external drive/card or your PC.
When you got everything backed up, do a Factory Reset. That will wipe your data partition.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 4
Thanks to both of you for your help!
berndblb said:
I don't think it is a good idea to install a custom recovery if you are about to send the tablet to Asus - I assume for a warranty repair. You would have to unlock your bootloader and that negates your warranty. So just forgettaboutit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right. I was asking this for future, when tablet comes back from repair: at that time, I might want to have a stronger debug/backup using a custom recovery (at least that's what I understood it's very helpful at): I'm soon at warranty end, so I can wait expiration.
It's a good news that the unlock tool of Asus can still be used to allow installation of custom recovery. I'll need to read more on how to do it, etc.
Thanks again !

[QUESTION] Correct way go backup/restore the Pixel 2?

This is the second time that I have tried to restore a backup from TWRP only to find myself stuck in the bootloader with the "AuthFailed" yellow banner on the bottom. What am I doing wrong? When I created the backup, I had selected every checkbox that I could to back up everything and that is what I restored, but that obviously didn't work. Which are the correct checkmarks to check to get the system to backup/restore correctly without tripping this authentification bootloop?
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!
JGoldz75 said:
This is the second time that I have tried to restore a backup from TWRP only to find myself stuck in the bootloader with the "AuthFailed" yellow banner on the bottom. What am I doing wrong? When I created the backup, I had selected every checkbox that I could to back up everything and that is what I restored, but that obviously didn't work. Which are the correct checkmarks to check to get the system to backup/restore correctly without tripping this authentification bootloop?
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I make my backups I leave the three things that are automatically checked off boot, system and data. I haven't had any problem restoring backups. Hope this helps
Another backup-restore question. All my other phones had sd cards so my backups and titanium backups we're all stored there.
If I wipe and flash a new rom won't I wipe the backup when reformatting? Where should I store the backup?
SS823 said:
Another backup-restore question. All my other phones had sd cards so my backups and titanium backups we're all stored there.
If I wipe and flash a new rom won't I wipe the backup when reformatting? Where should I store the backup?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone has a partition that acts like an SD card and won't be wiped unless you perform a full data erase.
PuffDaddy_d said:
The phone has a partition that acts like an SD card and won't be wiped unless you perform a full data erase.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What if I need to do a full system wipe? I've been backing up and then transferring the folder to Google drive and then uploading the backup when needed. Seems like extra work, I miss the convenience of sd cards, is there a way to partition just backups?
SS823 said:
What if I need to do a full system wipe? I've been backing up and then transferring the folder to Google drive and then uploading the backup when needed. Seems like extra work, I miss the convenience of sd cards, is there a way to partition just backups?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can backup to a computer. If that isn't feasible or you just don't want to do that, you can use a USB flash drive. Plug the drive into the USB B-USB C adapter that came with the phone and then plug it into your phone. I use a USB flash drive for Titanium Backup backups. TWRP backups too. Works great.
The yellow authfailed at bootloader error. I had to deal with that the other day where even an install of the factory image couldn't fix. I had to use dueces script to get my phone working again. I'm not sure what it does that Google's flash_all.bat doesn't.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-2/development/tool-deuces-bootloop-recovery-flashing-t3725778

Stuck in recovery after rom update

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.
Click to expand...
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...

Saving settings and data while updating LineageOS

So I've read that regular LineageOS updates work with "dirty flashes" but the bigger updates (between majoe Android versions) require "clean flash".
Is it possible to somehow save all the system and application settings and data between the big upgrades requiring clean flash?
Thanks and sincerely
heybaybee said:
So I've read that regular LineageOS updates work with "dirty flashes" but the bigger updates (between majoe Android versions) require "clean flash".
Is it possible to somehow save all the system and application settings and data between the big upgrades requiring clean flash?
Thanks and sincerely
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Boot into TWRP, select the Backup option, then select "advanced", select the data partition but do not select any other partition, swipe the slider to start the backup. When the backup finished, move the backup file to external sdcard or PC if you don't have external sdcard.
When you flash your ROM(do not store your ROM and gapps in your internal storage, store it on external, if you, don't have external, store it in your internal but don't wipe your internal when you do your wipes), wipe system, data, cache and dalvik cache then flash your ROM. After the ROM finishes, while still in TWRP, you can either go ahead and restore the data backup that you created or you can reboot into system to let the ROM do its initial load then immediately power off, reboot into TWRP, select Restore, then restore the backup of your data partition and reboot the device. I would let the ROM boot then go back to TWRP and then restore the data.
Thank you sir!
Is there any downside of restoring from backup instead if setting up everything manually?
Are there any downsides of choosing one if the two options proposed by you over the other?
Sincerely
heybaybee said:
Thank you sir!
Is there any downside of restoring from backup instead if setting up everything manually?
Are there any downsides of choosing one if the two options proposed by you over the other?
Sincerely
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) no downside, it restores all settings, apps and app data to exactly what you had before flashing the update.
2) no downsides, it is just that letting the ROM boot first then going back and restoring the backup reduces chances of things being buggy after the update.
I recommend that you boot into TWRP, select Backup and make a full backup of everything except for internal storage. Then, when you flash your ROM then let it boot then go back to TWRP, select Restore, then select "advanced restore" then select only the data partition and none of the others(this will restore only the data partition from the backup and not the others), then swipe the slider to start the restore process then reboot the device.
The reason I say to create a full backup of everything is so that you have a working backup to restore if something goes wrong with the update process. It gives you a restore point to go back to so you can troubleshoot what went wrong then try again. And if everything goes right with the update, you won't need to restore the whole backup, you can just do the advanced restore and restore only the data partition and then you should be where you want to be.
I don't know if this will backup and restore your SMS/MMS text messages, you may need to backup/restore those via one of the SMS backup and restore apps in the PlayStore, there are several that can do this.
Thank you again.
Does this backup work for migration between any custom ROMs let's say from LineageOS to PixelExperience or only between versions of the same ROM like from Lineage 18 to 19?
Is it possible to migrate the same set of settings and data from stock ROM with locked bootloader to a custom ROM?
Sincerely

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