Database Info

[Q] Remote Desktop's working, but...

What's a good VNC or VNC-like client for the TP2? I've tried a few and all fail. I'm running realVNC server on my home computer, I know the IP and port, have the password set, etc.
· I try to connect with this VNC client and it does nothing (after clicking connect, nothing is running, no screen comes up) - http://www.cs.utah.edu/~midgley/wince/vnc.html
· I try to connect with this other VNC client and it just hangs in the background as a hidden process. No visuals. -
http://sourceforge.net/projects/dotnetvnc/files/
· Additionally I tried a different app instead of VNC, Omnipresence. It's made for the diamond but I was hoping it'd work for me. I ran the server on my PC, installed the cab on my phone, ran the app, and attempted to connect.. I get this lengthy error: "Error while connecting: An error message is available for this exception but cannot be displayed"... blah blah blah blah blah.
Also, the omnipresence zip contains a dll but no instructions on what to do with it. I dunno if it goes on my phone or PC or what. I have .net compact framework version 3.5 (or later) installed on my phone. I have .net framework 4 on my PC.
What will it take to get an exact representation of my desktop showing on my phone screen? Preferably one that doesn't have to be resized to the lowest possible resolution? Ideally one that allows for panning around on the desktop by sliding across the screen (as omnipresence seems to do)?
==========================================================
You don't have to read anymore, but I thought I should share the various bits and pieces I had to figure out to get remote desktop (not VNC but almost as good) running on WM 6.5 (connecting to windows 7)...
1. On the PC, click start, type remote in the search box, and choose the option that says allow remote access to your pc. Of the three options in the middle, choose the one that says allow connections from any version of remote desktop. Note: To change this settings you need to enable windows firewall. You may have made a habit of disabling it (it used to be a nuisance in XP)... to re-enable, click start --> type services.msc in the search box and click on the result. Go to the w's for windows firewall. Double click it, change the startup type to manual and click apply (unless it already is) then click start. OK to close.
2. If you normally login to windows with a blank password, (maybe skip the login process entirely) click start, type gpedit.msc, click the result, navigate to computer config - windows settings - security settings - local policies - security options and find the entry near the top: Limit local use of blank passwords etc. ...double click that and change it to disabled.
3. Not sure if it's strictly necessary, and some may balk at the idea, but you might choose to shut down the firewall once that settings in step one is changed. Same steps, except you click stop instead of start.
4. On the phone, start the client and type in your IP in the first blank. Make sure it's your external IP, i.e. the one you get when you visit this site: http://whatismyip.com . For the user name blank, use your windows user name. If you need to double check it (i.e. you automatically login and forgot) click start on your PC. It'll be at the top right.
5. On the phone, go to settings --> all settings --> connections --> connections and then go to the advanced tab, then select networks --> change both dropdown boxes to your phone's internet connection (in my case, Sprint. Possibly "My ISP" could work?)
6. Here's the dumb part that had me bashing my head against the wall. The phone's connection to the internet needs to be 'goosed' before remote desktop can work. You need to open your web browser and browse to any site. Possibly some other internet-using app would work. Once you load any site, you can exit the browser and finally... FINALLY connect.
7. Fire up remote desktop, change the options to your liking, click connect.

Got it going with some help from ppcgeeks. Also got VNC working. If anyone is having trouble, I recommend reading this post:
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/htc-touch-pro-2/134014-remote-desktop-vnc-guide.html

[Q] [Too many pattern tries] How can I switch on wi-fi?

Like many others, I have become a victim of 'Too many pattern tries' and have got stuck at the lock screen trying to sign in without data connection or wi-fi. Is there any way to get past this without data rewipe. It's really stupid of Google to have a security mechanism that forces you to wipe your data, meaning anyone can just pick up your phone and spam the pattern till it goes to the email screen (which is what happened in my case).
I have a rooted phone with an unlocked bootloader and USB debugging enabled and I also have downloaded Eclipse Android SDK but have no idea how to use it. It would be nice if someone gave me step-wise instructions on switching on my wi-fi through the SDK so that I can connect over the internet and log in.
Of course, any other legit method is also fine, but the 'home button method' doesn't work for my phone (you know, keep pressing the home button). I have tried getting APKs that will help me bypass the lock screen but they dont work.

XtrGamer said:
Like many others, I have become a victim of 'Too many pattern tries' and have got stuck at the lock screen trying to sign in without data connection or wi-fi. Is there any way to get past this without data rewipe. It's really stupid of Google to have a security mechanism that forces you to wipe your data, meaning anyone can just pick up your phone and spam the pattern till it goes to the email screen (which is what happened in my case).
I have a rooted phone with an unlocked bootloader and USB debugging enabled and I also have downloaded Eclipse Android SDK but have no idea how to use it. It would be nice if someone gave me step-wise instructions on switching on my wi-fi through the SDK so that I can connect over the internet and log in.
Of course, any other legit method is also fine, but the 'home button method' doesn't work for my phone (you know, keep pressing the home button). I have tried getting APKs that will help me bypass the lock screen but they dont work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
open playstore in your pc browser login to gmail you and on the right corner see "device manager" select your device and change the code put new password which is easy to remember .. should be all done

FarrukhQadri said:
open playstore in your pc browser login to gmail you and on the right corner see "device manager" select your device and change the code put new password which is easy to remember .. should be all done
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android Device Manager is not able to pinpoint the location of my phone. Do I need wi-fi for this? The only options I see right now for my phone are to change the name, give it a ring or lock or erase.

I have finally found a way. No root or USB debugging required.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-coXtbKEzYg

good
XtrGamer said:
I have finally found a way. No root or USB debugging required.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-coXtbKEzYg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for sharing

broken android screen, some limited remote access, need data backup

Hi guys
Due to unforeseen consequences during a holiday, a beer bottle got dropped on my phone and it cracked the screen. Now I want to take a backup of my photos before I send for repairs and I will appreciate any help I can get! Here are the details:
Phone: Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
Firmware: Stock Sony Kitkat, non rooted
Screen: Cracked, funny colours cannot see anything on the screen and touch does not work
USB Debugging Mode: Off
Wifi: On
Resources Available: OTG cable, AndroidLost is installed (its for finding your lost phone with a multitude of other useful features as well - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.androidlost), MHL cable ordered online and on the way...
So firstly, I plugged in the phone to my laptop and could not open the Internal Storage as I had a pattern lock set up. But thankfully, using Androidlost I could unlock the phone remotely (it resets and disables the lock). Once it opened I could see that my internal storage was full (around 11 gigs) and I could browse all my files. I didn't have the time to transfer my files at the time so I thought I will do it later and switched everything off. This happened once more when I accessed it from another laptop but again got interrupted and decided to back it up later.
Now strangely, the third time I tried this (and on multiple laptops now), the Internal Storage is only showing 7.5gb of 11gb used, and when I open it most folders are missing and most files are missing from the folders which are present. It may be some weird issue of MTP or MSC mode or something, not sure.
I've ordered an MHL cable so I can plug in to my TV and see if the files are present if I browse through the phone. Its really weird though, wonder how the files disappeared if they have.
I also tried to access my phone through an Ubuntu machine but was not successful in mounting it.
And I also tried to put in an SD card and browse that through a laptop, and I could do that but the internal storage remained the same.
One path I was following - using Android Lost I can open any app on my phone remotely. I can install any app using Google Play store on a browser. I can figure out the LAN IP address through my router/netscan. Is there any app you think I can install to remotely make my phone an FTP server or something so I can browse my files that way? The only problem is I cannot click 'Start' or anything which most such apps require so once the app is launched everything else must be remote-doable.
Thanks for taking out the time to read this!

ishaang said:
Hi guys
Due to unforeseen consequences during a holiday, a beer bottle got dropped on my phone and it cracked the screen. Now I want to take a backup of my photos before I send for repairs and I will appreciate any help I can get! Here are the details:
Phone: Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
Firmware: Stock Sony Kitkat, non rooted
Screen: Cracked, funny colours cannot see anything on the screen and touch does not work
USB Debugging Mode: Off
Wifi: On
Resources Available: OTG cable, AndroidLost is installed (its for finding your lost phone with a multitude of other useful features as well - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.androidlost), MHL cable ordered online and on the way...
So firstly, I plugged in the phone to my laptop and could not open the Internal Storage as I had a pattern lock set up. But thankfully, using Androidlost I could unlock the phone remotely (it resets and disables the lock). Once it opened I could see that my internal storage was full (around 11 gigs) and I could browse all my files. I didn't have the time to transfer my files at the time so I thought I will do it later and switched everything off. This happened once more when I accessed it from another laptop but again got interrupted and decided to back it up later.
Now strangely, the third time I tried this (and on multiple laptops now), the Internal Storage is only showing 7.5gb of 11gb used, and when I open it most folders are missing and most files are missing from the folders which are present. It may be some weird issue of MTP or MSC mode or something, not sure.
I've ordered an MHL cable so I can plug in to my TV and see if the files are present if I browse through the phone. Its really weird though, wonder how the files disappeared if they have.
I also tried to access my phone through an Ubuntu machine but was not successful in mounting it.
And I also tried to put in an SD card and browse that through a laptop, and I could do that but the internal storage remained the same.
One path I was following - using Android Lost I can open any app on my phone remotely. I can install any app using Google Play store on a browser. I can figure out the LAN IP address through my router/netscan. Is there any app you think I can install to remotely make my phone an FTP server or something so I can browse my files that way? The only problem is I cannot click 'Start' or anything which most such apps require so once the app is launched everything else must be remote-doable.
Thanks for taking out the time to read this!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very lengthy question.
So you want to make your phone an FTP server. I have a great solution for that
Install the legendary ES File Explorer from the Play Store
Select Remote Manager from the option, it will turn on WIFI hotspot and also give a FTP address. Just connect your PC with wifi and enter the addresss in any web browser you want
That's all
Hit thanks if helped

Sushant Rohan said:
Very lengthy question.
So you want to make your phone an FTP server. I have a great solution for that
Install the legendary ES File Explorer from the Play Store
Select Remote Manager from the option, it will turn on WIFI hotspot and also give a FTP address. Just connect your PC with wifi and enter the addresss in any web browser you want
That's all
Hit thanks if helped
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Sushant,
thanks for reading the whole thing and for your suggestion.
I can install ES File Explorer. I can start the app remotely using Android Lost. Problem is, I cannot use my screen so I cannot go to the options and select remote manager.

ishaang said:
Hi Sushant,
thanks for reading the whole thing and for your suggestion.
I can install ES File Explorer. I can start the app remotely using Android Lost. Problem is, I cannot use my screen so I cannot go to the options and select remote manager.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i really really want to help OP but i cant think of the name of the app. its something like vlc, vhc, vcl, the point is. you can control the screen remotly over the same wifi network. i think if you could install the app remotly and install it on your computer, you would be able to unclock it remotly because you can see the screen on your computer.
if i remember the name i will post it for you. good luck OP!

Thank you Phurkus! I think you may be referring to VNC.
I found an app called 'VNC Server' that you can connect to using Real VNC on your computer. But after launching this app, it needs me to tap 'On' before it starts so again, no-go.
I'll search around for an app that uses VNC that doesn't require any set up on the android side besides just being installed and launched. Thanks again!

Google FRP Protection - A Journey Into The Matrix

As always each platform will evolve and have methods to protect users from theft of mobile devices. Google has Factory Reset Protection, and I'd like to share my experiences with this security feature on a Tabe E (SM-T560NU)
Background:
One of my local pawn shops always has deals on broken/locked devices and I know the owner and his son, so I frequently buy items. Some I'm able to fix, others can be bypassed.
About a month ago they had a Samsung Tab E, which I believe I paid $60 for. It was FRP Locked, and based on what I read online, I was sure I could unlock it.
Well, to my dismay I found out it had the latest patches and would not work with the old USB OTG hack.
However, I did find a hack that did give me some interesting results. One hack/triuck is to enable a wifi hotspot on your phone, and connect the FRP Locked device to that hotspot. Just when it is looking for software updates, kill the connection. It will complain it can't connect and will allow you to set the date and continue setup. However, the latest patches will simply restart Setup if you have not verified your Google Account.
However, I discovered that you can manually enable certian subsets of the device to work despite having FRP Lock enabled.
Once I used the WiFi hotspot trick, I created a pattern lock using the Setup Wizard. With this enabled, the Camera icon now shows up on the lock screen which you can use to access a few apps.
I went through the setup wizard one more time to enable my default WiFi connection so all future access wouldn't need the hotspot.
You can take photos then review them, and use the Share This menu action to access other apps. Most apps only allow you to access a specific instance, for example selecting Notes will only let you create a note, you cannot go back and see other notes you created. If you choose to share via Gmail, you can click the button "learn more" and this will allow you to access Google Chrome.
Note, I watched the latest video by rootjunky and tried to long tap the gmail and although it did show me app settings, it would not give me any access to change settings or go into the phone settings itself.
You can even use the file:/// protocal.
If you download an APK, it will download, but you can't open it. If you use file:///sdcard to see the internal SD and try opening an apk you downloaded, it treats it as another instance of download and asks if you want to replace your existing copy.
By browsing to the youtube site it opened the YouTube App, but as the device is FRP locked, any attempt to sign in won't work as the device will want the original account that was used.
OTG does function, as I'm typing this post using the tablet with a USB keyboard. If I plug in a USB flash drive the drive does flash it's LED so I can assume it works. I'm working on finding the mountpoints for OTG and external SD so I can try other actions.
I'm curious if I can access the built in media player, and will try loading the SD card with video files. But if chrome treats all files accessed by the file:/// protocal as downloads that may not work.
So security isn't always 100% as I now have a semi functional tablet which for my most basic needs, works perfectly. But I'm still working on learning more about the sandbox that must be implemented on these apps.
UPDATE: After playing around with the device, I found that if I used Media Share as a share to option, it would pop up and ask if I wanted to update it as it was outdated. This took me of course to the Samsung Apps, not Google Play. At this point I could install ES Explorer and get access to Settings and QuickShortcuts which allowed me to follow RootJunky's guide for disabling FRP. Note that will only work if you have an outdated version of Media Share.
I will post a full guide on this method in a day or so (It's 9:30PM work tomorrow) and we will see how long this bypass works. For those brave enough if you combine rootjunky's method with what I posted here, you should be good.
I so took the red pill.
Chaos Storm

Steps To Disable FRP Lock On SM-T560NU
1.) Have WiFi source that can be disabled quickly (under 1 second)
2.) Connect to wifi and wait for "searching for updates" then kill wifi.
3.) Click next until you are at security setup. Setup a pattern and PIN.
4.) Keep clicking next until setup wizard restarts itself.
5.) Continue setup this time connecting to your normal WiFi
6.) After connected with WiFi, Lock Device.
7.) Hit Home button & Swipe up on Camera and open lock screen camera access.
8.) Take a photo.
9.) Try and open settings for Camera (gear icon in top right)
10.) Hit OK and enter your pattern.
11.) Click the back button to return to the main camera screen.
12.) Tap the photo you took previously (bottom right icon)
13.) Tap the share button and select Gmail.
14.) Skip the intro to gmail. Click "learn more".
15.) Use chrome to visit http://rootjunkysdl.com/files/
16.) Download Apps/com.sika524.android.quickshortcut.apk and Apps/samsung%20bypass%20google%20verify.apk
17.) Wait a moment for files to DL & Tap back button until you are back at the photo you took.
18.) Tap the share button, select quick connect. It will ask to be updated, say yes.
19.) Sign up or sign in to Samsung Apps. Don't update Quick Connect.
20.) Search for ES Explorer & Install
21.) Navigate to downloads folder and open samsung bypass apk.
22.) After warning, click "settings" and enable unknown sources for all apps.
23.) Tap back till you are back at ES Explorer.
22.) Install QuickShortcut APK & open
23.) Search for Google Account Manager
24.) Hit the expand arrow next to the title and you will see available instances each with a description.
25.) Go to "Type E-Mail Password" and click "Try It"
26.) In the top right of the screen click the three dots and select "sign in browser"
27.) Enter the Google account info you want to use and sign in.
28.) Tap back button until you are back at ES Explorer.
29.) Install samsung bypass apk which will open settings.
30.) Factory reset.
You are done!
That wasn't so hard was it?
As always a huge thanks to rootjunky for providing files and being awesome!

Thanks for sharing!

Is this still working?

[Completed] [GUIDE] Recover Data with Broken Screen and USB Debugging Disabled

A friend of mine just dropped her phone and the LCD stopped working (no cracks, tactile was still working), her phone (Oneplus X) was running stock, unrooted and USB Debugging was disabled, so none of the available solutions were useful in this case. I almost lost hope after reading everywhere that there was not much left to be done when USB Debugging was diabled, so I tried a different approach.
There are a bunch of software that claim they can recover data but they all need USB Debugging to be enabled, so this was a big barrier. After a few tries I finally came up with a solution that I think can help anyone facing a similar situation. In my case I did all this blindly tapping on the blank screen, if your screen is more damaged you can use an OTG cable and a mouse or keyboard, you can find more info on this in other threads.
Step 1: Connect to a WiFi Network
First I needed to connect the phone to a wifi network, which I managed creating an unprotected network with a freshly installed DD-WRT router and clicking blindly on the phone. We all have a mental image of where things are located on the phone so this should be easily doable (slide from the top, tap to enable wifi, long press to see list of available networks, tap to select network) and if you are sitting next to the router the unprotected network will appear first in the list. On the router check for connected devices and the IP of the phone. A ping test will confirm that the phone is succesfuly connected to the network.
Step 2: Install AirDroid
Fortunately when I received the phone it had already installed Airdroid, so this made the process a little easier for me. The first time you run Airdroid a couple of extra screens will appear trying to get you to subscribe to access all the extra features so this will make things a little more complicated for those installing for the first time, try to google these images so you know whre to tap. I understand there are other apps with similar functionality but the fact that Airdroid starts with an A is very helpful here because it shows (at least for me) on the first row of your Apps Drawer.
Step 3: Connect to Airdroid
Now it's time to connect to AirDroid, to do this you need a computer connected to the same wifi network that the phone is connected, and since you already know the phone's IP this becomes a process of trial and error. Again, blindly tapping on your phone access the Apps Drawer and start the app placed on the first position (upper left corner under the search bar), in your computer's browser type the phone's IP followed by ":8888" (192.168.1.143:8888 in my case). If you fail to open AirDroid the page will just time out so you go for the app on the second position and reload the page on your browser, then the third and so forth.... once you successfully manage to open AirDroid a page will finally load and you'll hear a notification from your phone (it was the fourth try for me). Now there should be a notification window waiting for your confimation on your phone (google this to see where it is) so it shoud be an easy guess on where to tap. Once you can access your phone via AirDroid, the hard part is over! Now we can download pictures, files, ringtones and other stuff, but if you want to backup contacts there's no tool for this so we need to enable USB Debugging.
Step 4: Enable USB Debugging
With AirDroid running we can now take screenshots of the phone with the hardware buttons and view them using the "Photos" folder in AirDroid, so you open the notification drawer and tap where the "settings wheel" should be, take a screenshot and view it to confirm you succeeded, then scroll all the way down and take another screenshot to se if "Developer Options" are enabled. I'm sure by now you get the idea of the process, after any tap or scroll take a screenshot and view it to confirm your progress, once I got Developer Options enabled I managed to scroll down to USB Debugging and to enable it!
Now with USB Debugging enabled you can use programs like MyPhoneExplorer to backup your contacts to a .csv file or use screen cast apps like Vysor to see your phone's screen on your computer vía USB.

rtorresz said:
A friend of mine just dropped her phone and the LCD stopped working (no cracks, tactile was still working), her phone (Oneplus X) was running stock, unrooted and USB Debugging was disabled, so none of the available solutions were useful in this case. I almost lost hope after reading everywhere that there was not much left to be done when USB Debugging was diabled, so I tried a different approach.
There are a bunch of software that claim they can recover data but they all need USB Debugging to be enabled, so this was a big barrier. After a few tries I finally came up with a solution that I think can help anyone facing a similar situation. In my case I did all this blindly tapping on the blank screen, if your screen is more damaged you can use an OTG cable and a mouse or keyboard, you can find more info on this in other threads.
Step 1: Connect to a WiFi Network
First I needed to connect the phone to a wifi network, which I managed creating an unprotected network with a freshly installed DD-WRT router and clicking blindly on the phone. We all have a mental image of where things are located on the phone so this should be easily doable (slide from the top, tap to enable wifi, long press to see list of available networks, tap to select network) and if you are sitting next to the router the unprotected network will appear first in the list. On the router check for connected devices and the IP of the phone. A ping test will confirm that the phone is succesfuly connected to the network.
Step 2: Install AirDroid
Fortunately when I received the phone it had already installed Airdroid, so this made the process a little easier for me. The first time you run Airdroid a couple of extra screens will appear trying to get you to subscribe to access all the extra features so this will make things a little more complicated for those installing for the first time, try to google these images so you know whre to tap. I understand there are other apps with similar functionality but the fact that Airdroid starts with an A is very helpful here because it shows (at least for me) on the first row of your Apps Drawer.
Step 3: Connect to Airdroid
Now it's time to connect to AirDroid, to do this you need a computer connected to the same wifi network that the phone is connected, and since you already know the phone's IP this becomes a process of trial and error. Again, blindly tapping on your phone access the Apps Drawer and start the app placed on the first position (upper left corner under the search bar), in your computer's browser type the phone's IP followed by ":8888" (192.168.1.143:8888 in my case). If you fail to open AirDroid the page will just time out so you go for the app on the second position and reload the page on your browser, then the third and so forth.... once you successfully manage to open AirDroid a page will finally load and you'll hear a notification from your phone (it was the fourth try for me). Now there should be a notification window waiting for your confimation on your phone (google this to see where it is) so it shoud be an easy guess on where to tap. Once you can access your phone via AirDroid, the hard part is over! Now we can download pictures, files, ringtones and other stuff, but if you want to backup contacts there's no tool for this so we need to enable USB Debugging.
Step 4: Enable USB Debugging
With AirDroid running we can now take screenshots of the phone with the hardware buttons and view them using the "Photos" folder in AirDroid, so you open the notification drawer and tap where the "settings wheel" should be, take a screenshot and view it to confirm you succeeded, then scroll all the way down and take another screenshot to se if "Developer Options" are enabled. I'm sure by now you get the idea of the process, after any tap or scroll take a screenshot and view it to confirm your progress, once I got Developer Options enabled I managed to scroll down to USB Debugging and to enable it!
Now with USB Debugging enabled you can use programs like MyPhoneExplorer to backup your contacts to a .csv file or use screen cast apps like Vysor to see your phone's screen on your computer vía USB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Greetings mate,
XDA Assist is for newbies finding their way around XDA Developers.
You may post the guide in Miscellaneous Android Development Forum where people looking for the same could use your help.
Thread closed!
Regards
Vatsal,
Forum Moderator.