I've been searching for days now, I can't find any mention of the same problem. So I finally thought I should just ask here...
Both my wife and I have an S3 i9300. Mine is 15 months old, my wife has had her S3 for only three months now. Devices are not rooted. On my previous Galaxy S phone I have mucked about a lot with custom ROMs. but this phone works so well I've not found it necessary to interfere.
However, for some time now, the Device Memory of my wife's phone has been almost completely filled up.
Out of 16 Gb she has about 650 Mb left (my older phone still had 6.3 Gb). So with 4.6Gb of System memory and some Cache and Misc., there's over 10 Gb of "stuff" on her phone. In Android 4.3 (previous, 4.2.1(?) wouldn't even calculate it) the Storage tab told us there was almost 10Gb of photos and videos on the phone as can be seen in the attached photo.
In the Gallery it showed a 1000 Picasa pictures. Too round a number so it might be more. My wife threw those out of Picasa on the PC and afterwards closed the sync options on the phone. Then we stopped the gallery, emptied the cache and deleted the data. Now the Picasa pictures are no longer in the Gallery, there's about 60 pics left in there, Can't be more than 200 Mb. But according to the Storage tab there's still 10 Gb of photo's on the phone! Not only is this phone slower than mine, it sometimes even crashes. We rebooted the phone a number of times.
I can't find those files! They're not in either SDcard, not in the level up from there marked "/" in the file manager. As the phone is not rooted and my wife doesn't want it mucked about with, I can't go further than that.
My phone is a year older and I take way more photo's than her and I have 120Mb of 'em on my phone. Other sections of the memory like the System Memory are comparable to mine in size, or way smaller, like she has less than half the number of apps I have.
My wife is an MD, she uses the phone often for patient calls. She is very dependent on it. So she doesn't want me to muck about with it. Doesn't want it rooted. Also she doesn't look forward to doing a factory reset and reinstalling the lot. Especially redoing the homescreens. She has a lot of them, which seems to work for her, but is timecomsuming to redecorate. Then there's re-freezing the apps Google and Samsung seem to deem necessary to have on there that we don't use. Without option to remove. And it might not even work, since factory reset usually leaves your personal stuff (music, documents, photo's, etc) alone.
Does anyone know how to find/remove these files?
You can use the storage manager in either File Manager or ES File Explorer to see exactly which folders take up the most space.
shivadow said:
You can use the storage manager in either File Manager or ES File Explorer to see exactly which folders take up the most space.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!
Is that SD Card Analyst in ES explorer? I'll go take a look.
Double post. Delete won't work? Pressing delete sends me to the edit post window where there is no option to delete.
Yes sd card analyst is another term..
Widdly said:
I've been searching for days now, I can't find any mention of the same problem. So I finally thought I should just ask here...
Both my wife and I have an S3 i9300. Mine is 15 months old, my wife has had her S3 for only three months now. Devices are not rooted. On my previous Galaxy S phone I have mucked about a lot with custom ROMs. but this phone works so well I've not found it necessary to interfere.
However, for some time now, the Device Memory of my wife's phone has been almost completely filled up.
Out of 16 Gb she has about 650 Mb left (my older phone still had 6.3 Gb). So with 4.6Gb of System memory and some Cache and Misc., there's over 10 Gb of "stuff" on her phone. In Android 4.3 (previous, 4.2.1(?) wouldn't even calculate it) the Storage tab told us there was almost 10Gb of photos and videos on the phone as can be seen in the attached photo.
In the Gallery it showed a 1000 Picasa pictures. Too round a number so it might be more. My wife threw those out of Picasa on the PC and afterwards closed the sync options on the phone. Then we stopped the gallery, emptied the cache and deleted the data. Now the Picasa pictures are no longer in the Gallery, there's about 60 pics left in there, Can't be more than 200 Mb. But according to the Storage tab there's still 10 Gb of photo's on the phone! Not only is this phone slower than mine, it sometimes even crashes. We rebooted the phone a number of times.
I can't find those files! They're not in either SDcard, not in the level up from there marked "/" in the file manager. As the phone is not rooted and my wife doesn't want it mucked about with, I can't go further than that.
My phone is a year older and I take way more photo's than her and I have 120Mb of 'em on my phone. Other sections of the memory like the System Memory are comparable to mine in size, or way smaller, like she has less than half the number of apps I have.
My wife is an MD, she uses the phone often for patient calls. She is very dependent on it. So she doesn't want me to muck about with it. Doesn't want it rooted. Also she doesn't look forward to doing a factory reset and reinstalling the lot. Especially redoing the homescreens. She has a lot of them, which seems to work for her, but is timecomsuming to redecorate. Then there's re-freezing the apps Google and Samsung seem to deem necessary to have on there that we don't use. Without option to remove. And it might not even work, since factory reset usually leaves your personal stuff (music, documents, photo's, etc) alone.
Does anyone know how to find/remove these files?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look here :
Go to /data/media
You should see three folders
0
legacy
obb
Leave these three folders alone and MOVE all the other folders (which you will notice are all your missing folders and files) into the 0 folder. The only folders that should be left behind are the 3 mentioned above.
You will need a root browser to do this
SE analyzer crashes every time. No doubt because the card is so full.
I'll try the "0" method, thanks!
/ Data folder shows empty. No files. I have turned "hidden files" on.
The phone isn't rooted...
I love Android and it's come a long way, but apparently it is still messy.
Widdly said:
/ Data folder shows empty. No files. I have turned "hidden files" on.
The phone isn't rooted...
I love Android and it's come a long way, but apparently it is still messy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like I said in my post you need a root browser to see these files The file explore you are using will not see them because you are not rooted:crying: ...Seriously though you need to root your phone to see and move/remove these files there is no other way.
tallman43 said:
Like I said in my post you need a root browser to see these files The file explore you are using will not see them because you are not rooted:crying: ...Seriously though you need to root your phone to see and move/remove these files there is no other way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess so... As much as I love android, it still is rather odd that on google android, with a stock samsung phone, upgraded by samsung ota, I need to root it to clean up a mess probably made with a google service... I'll never go Apple, but this wouldn't happen on an iPhone. Otoh, if it did I'd really be sol. Walled up, bunkered in iOS won't let you do anything.
Well, at least I have an idea where to look now.
Thanks all!
I'll go find a rooted kernel and a stock one to get back.
Widdly said:
I guess so... As much as I love android, it still is rather odd that on google android, with a stock samsung phone, upgraded by samsung ota, I need to root it to clean up a mess probably made with a google service... I'll never go Apple, but this wouldn't happen on an iPhone. Otoh, if it did I'd really be sol. Walled up, bunkered in iOS won't let you do anything.
Well, at least I have an idea where to look now.
Thanks all!
I'll go find a rooted kernel and a stock one to get back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you see wat happened to the ios 7 update? Apple screwed it up. Did you see wat happened to apple maps? Apple screwed it up too. Oh. Ios 7 coppied from windows, android and other mobile phones.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
I actually own an ipad 4. Didn't notice any more discomfort than usual on it after the iOS 7 update. Yes, there was a bug fix or two, but I had no problem.
Neither do I have a large picasa stash so my phone is fine while my wife's exact same phone is gasping for air. But probably my phone has these stray files cluttering the space as well, but since there aren't as many, I don't notice.
Keep running into walls on the iPad, though, cause of the apple prison. It's a magnificent piece of hardware, but apple treats their customers as infants and most of them seem to love it. I guess if you have no qualm with only doing what the prison guards let you...
I have it for the music apps. Music reading apps, remote control of the digital mixer for my monitor mix. Those things aren't available on android or all the apples in my house would be edible.
I especially hate the absence of Swiftkey on iOS. Or anything similar. Apple keyboard is so stupid. Such a waste of fantastic hardware ...no apple fan here.
But consider this: here we have a google os, being completelly filled up with files by a google service called picasa, and the only way to get rid of it is breaking the warranty on a three month old phone. Or shipping it back to the store where my wife will be going without for weeks. She is an MD, needs it for patient calls away from her own office. Being without a phone for weeks is not an option. It's ridiculous.
Widdly said:
I actually own an ipad 4. Didn't notice any more discomfort than usual on it after the iOS 7 update. Yes, there was a bug fix or two, but I had no problem.
Neither do I have a large picasa stash so my phone is fine while my wife's exact same phone is gasping for air. But probably my phone has these stray files cluttering the space as well, but since there aren't as many, I don't notice.
Keep running into walls on the iPad, though, cause of the apple prison. It's a magnificent piece of hardware, but apple treats their customers as infants and most of them seem to love it. I guess if you have no qualm with only doing what the prison guards let you...
I have it for the music apps. Music reading apps, remote control of the digital mixer for my monitor mix. Those things aren't available on android or all the apples in my house would be edible.
I especially hate the absence of Swiftkey on iOS. Or anything similar. Apple keyboard is so stupid. Such a waste of fantastic hardware ...no apple fan here.
But consider this: here we have a google os, being completelly filled up with files by a google service called picasa, and the only way to get rid of it is breaking the warranty on a three month old phone. Or shipping it back to the store where my wife will be going without for weeks. She is an MD, needs it for patient calls away from her own office. Being without a phone for weeks is not an option. It's ridiculous.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Picasa though I have nvr used it, I suppose it works the same way as dropbox? The files dun actually take up place in the phone. And picasa pictures definitely doesn't take up gbs of space.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
I thought so too. But the phone says there's 10gb worth of photos and videos on it and I can't find it.
Picasa is all I can think of with this phone. I'm extremely sure my wife didn't take this much photos in three months or at all. Come to think of it, I can't even imagine she had that much in picasa. We do have pretty large Dropbox accounts, but her account doesn't have much photo's. Mine does. I put our entire photo collection on there in my account which is not shared with hers.
I hope I get some time today to root her phone and finally see what it is. I hope I can undo the rooting damage with CF's triangleaway app.
I thought so too. But the phone says there's 10gb worth of photos and videos on it and I can't find it.
Picasa is all I can think of with this phone. I'm extremely sure my wife didn't take this much photos in three months or at all. Come to think of it, I can't even imagine she had that much in picasa. We do have pretty large Dropbox accounts, but her account doesn't have much photo's. Mine does. I put our entire photo collection on there in my account which is not shared with hers.
I hope I get some time today to root her phone and finally see what it is. I hope I can undo the rooting damage with CF's triangleaway app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I alr said dropbox do not use ur phone memory even though ur dropbox acc is large. I have over 20 gb used. And my phone is not even half full and it is only 16 gb internal no external. Picasa works the same way as dropbox too. The pics is in the server, not ur phone.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
JellyYogurt said:
I alr said dropbox do not use ur phone memory even though ur dropbox acc is large. I have over 20 gb used. And my phone is not even half full and it is only 16 gb internal no external. Picasa works the same way as dropbox too. The pics is in the server, not ur phone.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And I said I believed that too. At least I used to.
But unavoidably there is 10Gb of files on the phone.which the storage says are photos and videos. Storage then puts you through to the gallery, where the greatest number of pics by far were in the picasa folders. It's the only place I can figure out where they could have come from. There's nothing else on the phone! And the DCIM folder is empty.
Apparently there is no way to root it and unroot it again without wiping the phone or setting of some protection or counter.... So, whichever way my wife is faced with needing to reinstall and/or configure all her apps again, which will be another couple of hours. She is about fed up with this on android. She had a sgs1 and an sgs note before, and this is the so-many-est time something is wrong with an android phone. If it happens again I'm going iPhone, she says.
Anyway, ill phone the store tomorrow. I don't want to risk the warranty in case anything more serious happens to it. They better tell me what to do.
Thought I'd let y'all know, a factory reset cleared it all up. Her photos and whatsapp messages and some other stuff are gone, but it isn't a big deal. It's a couple of hours work to get the phone back to where it was. Which is a drag. But the phone is nice and clean again now.
So glad I didn't need to root and flash stuff.
Thanks for all the help and I hope this might help others.
Related
At some point, I got an error that one of my apps couldn't find a file it pointed to. I went to Astro and discovered that "/sdcard" was inaccessible. So, I rebooted, after which it was accessible again, but all the folders I had added were gone without a trace.
How did this happen? When I plug the phone in to my PC, I usually click to "eject" on the PC before disconnecting the cable (although I don't notice any effect on the phone from the eject action). Should I be doing something on the phone instead?
And in any case, do I have to worry about file structure corruption, or is that something that the phone fixes on its own? This aspect of Android is new to me, so any help would be appreciated!
It just happened again!
This started after I installed Go Launcher, but I don't know if that's just a coincidence or not. Right now, I'm not even using it, I installed LauncherPro - and that's my default at the moment.
Does anyone know what's causing me to lose entire folders for no visible reason?
I'm having this same issue. I tried both Gladiatrix and Gingerblur and it's happened once on each so far. After a reboot, my internal SD will just be cleared out. Apps and such are fine, just anything in Sdcard folder.
Is there anything I can do to keep this from happening?
For me, I'm not sure if it happens after a reboot - I have specifically noticed it happen right after unplugging the USB cable. Now, one of the times it might have been after a reboot, I'm just not sure.
If anyone can help shed some light on this, it would be greatly appreciated!
I should also note that some of the folders are still there, but everything in them is gone. The folders that remain seem to be ones created by apps (camera's DCIM, dropbox, titanium backup). Folders I created (music, notifications, ringtones) are gone.
InsaneJester17 said:
I should also note that some of the folders are still there, but everything in them is gone. The folders that remain seem to be ones created by apps (camera's DCIM, dropbox, titanium backup). Folders I created (music, notifications, ringtones) are gone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes! That's it, exactly! All folders created by the system, or apps are still there (I can't vouch for the contents, though, since I never checked what was inside them).
But all the folders I created are gone.
Someone's got to know what this is.
Looks like we are the only two having this issue Haphim, lol.
I've unmounted and formatted my internal SD card from within android. Reloaded everything on it and so far so good. I've rebooted a bunch of times to try and get it to do it again but I can't. Hopefully this fixes it. Will keep you updated.
Just did it again. This time it erased all folders. Again it was after a reboot. Next step is when i get home to sbf back to stock, and either keep it that way or re-root and install custom rom. I'm starting to think it could just be a bad internal sd card.
I bought this phone on ebay. Has anyone ever dealt with trying to get a phone repaired they bought off ebay? Anything i should know?
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
InsaneJester17 said:
Just did it again. This time it erased all folders. Again it was after a reboot. Next step is when i get home to sbf back to stock, and either keep it that way or re-root and install custom rom. I'm starting to think it could just be a bad internal sd card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, my phone is brand new, bought from Amazon - so I'm not sure your source is the cause. If you do some searching, you'll see a number of other people have experienced this as well, so it's not limited to just us.
Perhaps we need to contact Motorola, I don't know.
Yea I might contact motorola soon.
I just noticed, in the /mnt directory, I keep getting new folders with the name "usbdisk_1.x". So far I have 1.0-1.7. Is this normal? could it be part of the issue?
Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
update: I sbf'd back to stock. Left it that way for half a day, rebooting a bunch of times. SDcard never wiped. I just installed greyblur a few hours ago and so far so good with that too. Restarted a bunch and no issues yet. Will keep you updated.
InsaneJester17 said:
update: I sbf'd back to stock. Left it that way for half a day, rebooting a bunch of times. SDcard never wiped. I just installed greyblur a few hours ago and so far so good with that too. Restarted a bunch and no issues yet. Will keep you updated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's great news! But that leaves the question on whether the problem is being caused by one of the other apps you had installed (or maybe even the 1.57 update).
I look forward to seeing how this turns out for you.
I suppose it could have been an app. I've be installing all the apps I use as I go. I decided it would be best to not restore apps using titanium.
I think it's pretty safe to say flashing to stock and starting over fixed this for me. No issues in the past couple days. Rebooting a lot just to be sure. :-D
InsaneJester17 said:
I think it's pretty safe to say flashing to stock and starting over fixed this for me. No issues in the past couple days. Rebooting a lot just to be sure. :-D
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're now running all the same apps you had before?
Only one I don't think I've installed again yet is Angry Birds lol.
Update: Phone wiped SD on me again. She's going back to seller on ebay. Hopefully I can find another one decently cheap.
InsaneJester17 said:
Update: Phone wiped SD on me again. She's going back to seller on ebay. Hopefully I can find another one decently cheap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless Motorola tells you otherwise, I wouldn't bother, because I don't think swapping the phone will get you anywhere. You and I are not the only ones with this issue.
Unless Motorola tells you it's hardware, then either it's a bug on the O/S, or it's a bug with one (or more) of the apps we're using. And in either of the two latter cases, swapping phones won't make a difference.
Since I'm pretty sure I've seen people complain about this issue with *different* models of Android phones, I'm guessing the problem is not hardware.
For what it's worth, I got rid of Go Launcher, and I haven't seen the problem happen since. It's not a guarantee of course, but prior to that, my internal sdcard was getting wiped at least once a day.
I'd recommend troubleshooting this via the half life method. Uninstall half of your apps and see if the problem re-occurs. If enough time passes that you're certain you're in the clear, re-install half of the apps you uninstalled and test again. Keep doing that until you figure out the culprit.
I hope you're wrong, only because I sent mine back and ordered a brand new one. I didn't want to bother trying with Motorola on the first one I bought because I got it on ebay and had a limited window to return it in. If the new one has issues, I'll call them up.
My wife just gave me one of these from Woot as an early anniversary gift this morning. Haven't even fired it up yet, but at least I had the day @ work to start looking up this and that about it...
Can anyone tell me what the plusses of rooting it would be? I have a couple other rooted devices, a Viewsonic gTablet (where it was pretty much a necessity) and a Samsung Exhibit (which had so much bloat on it to get rid of).
I've seen a few people's thoughts on why they rooted their Sony, but they're pretty scattered and some were very specific...
From what I've read here, there's not much bloat on the S tablets, and there's no custom ROMs (at the moment), so I was wondering what root would get the user (aside from the increased control over the device)? I know I could run Titanium Backup and other root-needing apps, but are there any specific apps that really improve this device, but need root? Any other functionality that I'm not thinking of that you only gain with root?
I have no problem rooting it, but I don't want to do it just for the sake of doing it, either, unless it's going to improve things.
Any opinions?
Root is a necessity if you want full read/write rights for your external SD under ICS. This is probably the biggest advantage.
I personally couldn't root (bought used) and it buggs me a bit. If I could I would immediately do it just for the cause above.
All in all: DO IT
Sent from my ICS-powered HTC EVO 3D using xda premium
So I read about that - can you explain that issue a little better? If you have the ICS update on it, you can't write OR read the external SD card? So it's basically useless?
You can read, but not write.
I'll give you detailed information tomorrow, as it is a bit longer ^_^
Sent from my ICS-powered HTC EVO 3D using xda premium
Bought one from Woot, received yesterday afternoon, and took about half a day to get a rooted ICS. I have a rooted SE Xperia Pro, and I like it so much that rooting gives me control over system apps. -- This may only apply to me as I'm about a minimalist for apps. I'm just annoyed with the built-in apps such as meaningless games and other plug-ins. Rooting seems the only way to get rid of them and give me more ram and internal storage space.
The other thing I went for rooting was MarketEnabler. Though it was not that necessary for tablet s.
No, I agree - I hate having stuff I don't want to and will never use installed on my devices.
I opted to root mine after all. Seemed smarter to do it now and not really need it than not do it and not be able to later...
IxBUSTERxI said:
You can read, but not write.
I'll give you detailed information tomorrow, as it is a bit longer ^_^
Sent from my ICS-powered HTC EVO 3D using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait... what??
I'd still be curious to see the full explanation of this... I bought one for my bf who isn't the most technically-inclined person so I'm tempted to skip rooting and just tell him to take the OTA for ICS... up until now I was really starting to take the position that he wouldn't miss anything.
Are you really saying that nothing can write to the SD card? Like if I save a pic in a chat app, it will save it to internal memory? If a take a video with the camera, it won't go to the SD card? Not to be dramatic, but I think my brain just exploded a little...
As an aside, I'm kind of surprised that in the six hours he was using it on and off last night, the device never prompted him to take an OTA. I assumed that if the OTA wasn't forced, at the very least it would be very persistent in reminding him it was available... at least we can delay the rooting (or not) decision a bit.
agent0014 said:
Wait... what??
I'd still be curious to see the full explanation of this... I bought one for my bf who isn't the most technically-inclined person so I'm tempted to skip rooting and just tell him to take the OTA for ICS... up until now I was really starting to take the position that he wouldn't miss anything.
Are you really saying that nothing can write to the SD card? Like if I save a pic in a chat app, it will save it to internal memory? If a take a video with the camera, it won't go to the SD card? Not to be dramatic, but I think my brain just exploded a little...
As an aside, I'm kind of surprised that in the six hours he was using it on and off last night, the device never prompted him to take an OTA. I assumed that if the OTA wasn't forced, at the very least it would be very persistent in reminding him it was available... at least we can delay the rooting (or not) decision a bit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Odd that it didn't remind him - mine reminded me constantly (every time I restarted it) and had a little doodad in the notification bar at all times. I finally turned off the update check in the AiO tool just to get it to go away...
agent0014 said:
Are you really saying that nothing can write to the SD card? Like if I save a pic in a chat app, it will save it to internal memory? If a take a video with the camera, it won't go to the SD card? Not to be dramatic, but I think my brain just exploded a little...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To make a long story short, the fine developers of Android 4.0 decided to remove user write permissions for external SD cards. System apps can still write to the cards, but most user apps cannot. Their reason: "Well, we gave you MTP, so you don't need write permissions for external SD cards anymore." An ill made decision and a lame excuse, if you ask me, because the change now causes problems with many user apps. And this problem is not unique to Sony's tablets, it is a problem with nearly every device running Android 4.0.
If your tablet is rooted, Condi's All-in-One tool provides a quick fix for the problem.
Regarding the stock Camera app, when you take a photo or make a video, the resulting file is always saved in /sdcard/DCIM/Camera. The Camera app does not have any setting to change where its files are saved. The default action you would take (i.e., using system apps, not user apps) to move the files is to use the File Transfer app either directly or through the Gallery app (which is opened when you touch one of the thumbnails at the bottom of the camera app's screen).
As the title states I need to know if Logcat can or will show me all recent behaviour and actions? Can it do it if the phone has been flashed back to stock?
I ask because I watched my partners phone going a bit erratic to say the least.
All sorts of things were being opened in front of us with no one touching the phone. Messages were being put to us on the screen, files were deleted, files altered.
Photo's were altered, favourites altered.
Had I not seen this with my own eyes then I would have found it hard to believe, but with personal details, bank details, photo's, addresses etc being on phone and looking compromised I would like to get to the bottom of this quickly and by any means possible.
As much as I know about ROM cards, Nagraedit etc this is a field I know nothing about although a friend told me that it's not normally done to this scale.
If Logcat can't help me could someone give me any suggestions as to how I may track the activity, cause, source etc?
All security apps that have been run find nothing! One app was classed as dodgy and was promptly deleted but there are still some things vanishing. By vanishing I mean we have a look then exit only to see they have been removed. Some time later they seem to be put back in. Some things marked as favourite are unchecked as we look at the screen yet we have touched nothing.
As crazy as it may sound it has happened and I want to eliminate all possibilities as this happened few days after flashing with ROM & kernel.
Failing this then the phone may be sent off for analysis of some sort or sold and replaced.
Thanks in advance and any help would be greatly appreciated.
C'mon guys, 84 views and no offers
Just to update the post, All photo's were deleted from the sd card as well as various other folders and all personal stuff has gone!
Yes there are options available to retrieve them and I have the programs to do but it still doesn't take away the fact the some thieving scrote thinks it's good to play games by installing sh*t on his ROM to hack into phones, then steal whatever they want!.
Feels like we have been burgled!
Three ROMS were flashed in the week leading up to this, therefore that narrows the possibilities.
That and the fact that that a similar thing happened and the person on the other end was showing content from this site.
One ROM already ruled out and behaviour of another is casting doubt due to behaviour of the smiling balloon which seemed to become an app that was being downloaded, then reappear making out it was a recycle bin.
Just hope the trail leads to the clown responsible and not a goose chase
Now, not all developers are crooked or loading their ROM'S with stuff but regardless of who makes it, who praises it, who loves it and swears by it, who kang'd it etc I would strongly urge people to upgrade or buy a phone instead of rooting, popping this ROM and or ROM in.
gtogaz said:
C'mon guys, 84 views and no offers
Just to update the post, All photo's were deleted from the sd card as well as various other folders and all personal stuff has gone!
Yes there are options available to retrieve them and I have the programs to do but it still doesn't take away the fact the some thieving scrote thinks it's good to play games by installing sh*t on his ROM to hack into phones, then steal whatever they want!.
Feels like we have been burgled!
Three ROMS were flashed in the week leading up to this, therefore that narrows the possibilities.
That and the fact that that a similar thing happened and the person on the other end was showing content from this site.
One ROM already ruled out and behaviour of another is casting doubt due to behaviour of the smiling balloon which seemed to become an app that was being downloaded, then reappear making out it was a recycle bin.
Just hope the trail leads to the clown responsible and not a goose chase
Now, not all developers are crooked or loading their ROM'S with stuff but regardless of who makes it, who praises it, who loves it and swears by it, who kang'd it etc I would strongly urge people to upgrade or buy a phone instead of rooting, popping this ROM and or ROM in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I would do is to flash a full stock ROM via Odin. Not an ordinary one, but a 3 part one (you can access it through a link in my signature). We are talking about an i9100 right? Not an i9100M/G etc? That 3- part stock firmware will wipe the device as it flashes. Then, don't install any apps after you've flashed. If nothing happens, great, put all your apps back on and see what happens.
Also, what ROMs have you flashed recently? And where did you download them from? I'd easily be over 50 ROM flashes and have never encountered any issues such as that. So have many thousands of others here on XDA.
And, what on earth do you mean with this bit:
gtogaz said:
That and the fact that that a similar thing happened and the person on the other end was showing content from this site.
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Hi, thanks for the reply.
I used ROM'S from here but think it would be wrong to name them at this point till I get more info. The Mrs has had one or two from other places she now tells me , but there was no inappropriate behaviour before or after these. And any steps I have taken to install for her, I have obtained from XDA. All were Jelly Bean based and either 4.2.2 or 4.3.
Yes it's I9100 although it's I9100P. The variant hasn't had any effect in my opinion and have always flashed to stock then went through the usual steps of erase, wipe, format, mount etc.
There was once some nonsense from another superuser app, well not so much the app but one of the components which started zipping up stuff etc. That was eradicated immediately, and was several weeks prior to this carry on starting. For the life of me I can't remember the name of it but know I had used it before with no trouble whatsoever so did find that odd to say the least..
She had mentioned it before but I thought yeah okay, had I not seen it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed her to be honest.
The content that was being shown from here was like watching someone scanning over a sheet of paper with a handheld scanner, only watching it on the phone. Sorry - can't think of any other way to describe it and the phone was just going to various sections on XDA - all to do with Jelly Bean. The Mrs assumed it was the dev from this other super user app pointing her in the right direction for Jelly Bean etc.
I recognised some of the content as I had in fact read them myself and went to the same pages on comp to show her but was expecting this message will self destruct in 5 seconds to come on screen and Mission Impossible music to start.
The behaviour in the latter stages was outrageous and somewhat audacious, but that's another story.
Just wanna trace it and sort it out and in one sense it's a lesson learned for her lol cos my phone is running just sweet lol.
hey i am new to android and got myself a acer liquid e2 as was told it was a good phone for the price etc, i do find this phone very surprising and i am totally happy with it apart from 1 problem i come across about 20 times a day, "storage space" i have plenty of space on my sd card it is the phone that is the problem, and every day i need to keep clearing my data and cache as it shuts all my emails etc down when the space has run out which is annoying when it is servral times a day, i have apps on my phone which i dont use and dont need but cant delete these, ive been reasearching this now for a few weeks and everything that i have came across says root and delete, its not that simple is it? i would say that i can be quite good at this sort of stuff as ive made quite alot of my stuff to operate the way i want it, but every time i see anything about rooting it always say your phone can be bricked and i cant afford it to be bricked, i need it beleive it or not, anyway this site seems to have alot of very brainy and smart people on it, hence why i joined :good: can anyone help me with this problem, easy and safest way, will be most appreciated, i was just about to go down the kingo app way but decided to do more reasearch on it before hand and that has put me off it as people are saying there is stuff about spy cams and malware etc iplease help thanks. oh i ment to say i manage to turn my developer options on by total mistake and playing around with my phone so i have that on , if that helpsnetwork 3 in uk cheers guys.:cyclops: p.s. i have jelly bean 4.2.2
bazzaboy1 said:
hey i am new to android and got myself a acer liquid e2 as was told it was a good phone for the price etc, i do find this phone very surprising and i am totally happy with it apart from 1 problem i come across about 20 times a day, "storage space" i have plenty of space on my sd card it is the phone that is the problem, and every day i need to keep clearing my data and cache as it shuts all my emails etc down when the space has run out which is annoying when it is servral times a day, i have apps on my phone which i dont use and dont need but cant delete these, ive been reasearching this now for a few weeks and everything that i have came across says root and delete, its not that simple is it? i would say that i can be quite good at this sort of stuff as ive made quite alot of my stuff to operate the way i want it, but every time i see anything about rooting it always say your phone can be bricked and i cant afford it to be bricked, i need it beleive it or not, anyway this site seems to have alot of very brainy and smart people on it, hence why i joined :good: can anyone help me with this problem, easy and safest way, will be most appreciated, i was just about to go down the kingo app way but decided to do more reasearch on it before hand and that has put me off it as people are saying there is stuff about spy cams and malware etc iplease help thanks. oh i ment to say i manage to turn my developer options on by total mistake and playing around with my phone so i have that on , if that helpsnetwork 3 in uk cheers guys.:cyclops:
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Click to collapse
Unfortunately removing the preloaded apps won't help your storage issues at all. Those apps are located in a different part of the system (/system/app) than the apps and data (/data/app + /data/data) that you add. You can (if rooted) move apps to the /system/app partition, but they don't always work or update correctly from there as it requires special permissions to run from there. But there really isn't much to do besides rooting it and doing some modifications to your set up. They don't call em budget phones for nothing.
Options include swapping the internal and external mount points so it reads your external as your main internal storage, creating a partition on your external and using a script to link your /data/app and/or /data/data folders to that partition so it reads as one big space (however big you make that partition), or using an app like Folder Mount to create a link between big folders on the internal to the external (mostly helpful for big game data). All of these require a bit of knowledge, but nothing that some time and reading can't help you with. It is not exactly rocket science. Knowing what update you are on though is important, both so you pick the right rooting method (there are multiple options if not on 4.2.2 yet) as well as, if, worst case happens, you know what version of the software you need to reload. You can find this info under Settings / About Phone. Make note of not just the android version, but the build or system version as well as there can be mini updates to software that changes things but not the actual android version.
As far as Kingo, I've never read anything other than hearsay about any potential malicious activity on their part. The reason you see most people freaking out about it is because when it first was introduced, it was known to send IMEI info back to their servers in China. Kingo never tried to hide the fact, explained their position about why they were doing it (diagnostics), and promptly changed how that was done. Now, by nature of what it is doing (root = gaining admin access to the operating system), it needs to download closed sourced scripts and files to gain this access . They don't want to disclose their sources for 2 reasons: 1) if the manufacturers of the phones that don't want it rooted see how it is done, then it's much easier to patch that on the next update and 2) so other people don't steal their work. Makes sense to me, but some people are concerned about closed sources (even though many apps already installed or that you download are closed source as well). I've used it on quite a few devices and have never had problems. You can uninstall the companion app it installs (it does this for some devices to help gain access through a backdoor) and update the SuperSU app and binary it installs via the Play Store, so don't really see it as an issue.
bazzaboy1 said:
hey i am new to android and got myself a acer liquid e2 as was told it was a good phone for the price etc, i do find this phone very surprising and i am totally happy with it apart from 1 problem i come across about 20 times a day, "storage space" i have plenty of space on my sd card it is the phone that is the problem, and every day i need to keep clearing my data and cache as it shuts all my emails etc down when the space has run out which is annoying when it is servral times a day, i have apps on my phone which i dont use and dont need but cant delete these, ive been reasearching this now for a few weeks and everything that i have came across says root and delete, its not that simple is it? i would say that i can be quite good at this sort of stuff as ive made quite alot of my stuff to operate the way i want it, but every time i see anything about rooting it always say your phone can be bricked and i cant afford it to be bricked, i need it beleive it or not, anyway this site seems to have alot of very brainy and smart people on it, hence why i joined :good: can anyone help me with this problem, easy and safest way, will be most appreciated, i was just about to go down the kingo app way but decided to do more reasearch on it before hand and that has put me off it as people are saying there is stuff about spy cams and malware etc iplease help thanks. oh i ment to say i manage to turn my developer options on by total mistake and playing around with my phone so i have that on , if that helpsnetwork 3 in uk cheers guys.:cyclops: p.s. i have jelly bean 4.2.2
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Click to collapse
es0tericcha0s said:
Unfortunately removing the preloaded apps won't help your storage issues at all. Those apps are located in a different part of the system (/system/app) than the apps and data (/data/app + /data/data) that you add. You can (if rooted) move apps to the /system/app partition, but they don't always work or update correctly from there as it requires special permissions to run from there. But there really isn't much to do besides rooting it and doing some modifications to your set up. They don't call em budget phones for nothing.
Options include swapping the internal and external mount points so it reads your external as your main internal storage, creating a partition on your external and using a script to link your /data/app and/or /data/data folders to that partition so it reads as one big space (however big you make that partition), or using an app like Folder Mount to create a link between big folders on the internal to the external (mostly helpful for big game data). All of these require a bit of knowledge, but nothing that some time and reading can't help you with. It is not exactly rocket science. Knowing what update you are on though is important, both so you pick the right rooting method (there are multiple options if not on 4.2.2 yet) as well as, if, worst case happens, you know what version of the software you need to reload. You can find this info under Settings / About Phone. Make note of not just the android version, but the build or system version as well as there can be mini updates to software that changes things but not the actual android version.
As far as Kingo, I've never read anything other than hearsay about any potential malicious activity on their part. The reason you see most people freaking out about it is because when it first was introduced, it was known to send IMEI info back to their servers in China. Kingo never tried to hide the fact, explained their position about why they were doing it (diagnostics), and promptly changed how that was done. Now, by nature of what it is doing (root = gaining admin access to the operating system), it needs to download closed sourced scripts and files to gain this access . They don't want to disclose their sources for 2 reasons: 1) if the manufacturers of the phones that don't want it rooted see how it is done, then it's much easier to patch that on the next update and 2) so other people don't steal their work. Makes sense to me, but some people are concerned about closed sources (even though many apps already installed or that you download are closed source as well). I've used it on quite a few devices and have never had problems. You can uninstall the companion app it installs (it does this for some devices to help gain access through a backdoor) and update the SuperSU app and binary it installs via the Play Store, so don't really see it as an issue.
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Wow thanks very much, a was not exspecting that reply and so quickly, so thanks , well as i said i am new to the android, and the whole rooting thing makes me nervous as i havent done it before, and i dont want to break my phone, i do know there is always a risk in anything really, but would like to know if possible the best for my phone, i am on jelly bean 4.2.2 and kernel 3.4.5 and is it the build number you need or the custom build version? also i dont know if this is important but i actually dont have wifi and use the usb tethering for my pc to get online, is it still possible to do it this way? cheers
bazzaboy1 said:
Wow thanks very much, a was not exspecting that reply and so quickly, so thanks , well as i said i am new to the android, and the whole rooting thing makes me nervous as i havent done it before, and i dont want to break my phone, i do know there is always a risk in anything really, but would like to know if possible the best for my phone, i am on jelly bean 4.2.2 and kernel 3.4.5 and is it the build number you need or the custom build version? also i dont know if this is important but i actually dont have wifi and use the usb tethering for my pc to get online, is it still possible to do it this way? cheers
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Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2518094
That's a guide with everything you should need to fix the phone if anything were to happen or to just return it to it's original state if wanted / needed. Read through the thread a bit and see where other members were having trouble and the solutions to those. If you get comfortable with that and how it works, then modding your phone becomes much less scary. And once you are rooted, tethering is even better because you can typically hide your activity much more. I don't know if it is a big deal with carriers around where you live, but here, most people have to pay for tethering or make sure to have special plans that typically cost more than ones that don't include it.
es0tericcha0s said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2518094
That's a guide with everything you should need to fix the phone if anything were to happen or to just return it to it's original state if wanted / needed. Read through the thread a bit and see where other members were having trouble and the solutions to those. If you get comfortable with that and how it works, then modding your phone becomes much less scary. And once you are rooted, tethering is even better because you can typically hide your activity much more. I don't know if it is a big deal with carriers around where you live, but here, most people have to pay for tethering or make sure to have special plans that typically cost more than ones that don't include it.
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Click to collapse
Thanks very much!! a will go have a look at the thread just now, really appreciate your help and time, thanks
My wife bought an S7+ from Amazon and it's been fine for a couple of months. She had a popup today which warned that the device would be locked because it was part of a trade in scheme and there was some sort of problem. I assumed some sort of malware but I was working so I didn't do much with it but now the device appears to have locked into a sort of "kiosk mode" where we just get 2 screens:
https://imgur.com/a/Z4N9TLy
All the blurb is plastered with "Samsung Electronics UK" but the domain the email is going to is "tradeinresponse.co.uk" which after some Googling seems to have been linked with some scam stuff in the past.
I've tried safe mode with the same locked screen, plugging the tablet into a PC results in it locking to the first screen.
I can get into recovery and I wanted to try a wipe, but the wife has some drawings on there she's done in Sketchbook that she would like to keep.
I'm a software developer by profession but I work with Windows/.NET and SaaS stuff so I've not got much experience with droid devices (a bit of java here and there in the past, but not so much XP with the OS itself)
So my questions are:
Does anyone know if this is any sort of official thing or is this malware/scam stuff as I suspect?
Is a factory reset likely to resolve the issue?
If I want to factory reset, can I pull files off the devices internal SD via ADB or some other tool before I do it?
Do I have any other options?
Kind of a wind up - I'd just have factory reset it by now to find out but like I said, I don't want to lose any of the wife's data if possible. If she gets anything back I'm going to make sure she sticks it in the cloud.
Any help would be appreciated and thanks in advance!
Always backup critical data redundantly to at least 2 hdds that are physically and electronically isolated from each other and the PC.
Or you will lose data eventually.
Factory reset but you will lose all data. If the drive is encrypted, you likely already have.
Sounds like ransomware. Contact Samsung and do some Google searches. See what you got and if there are any work arounds.
You may need to reload the OS completely if it's a rootkit and running on Android 8 or below.
This could be a nasty little bugger...
If it wasn't present on the device when purchased, your wife either downloaded or installed it. She needs to be more careful!!!
Maybe this will impress that onto her...
Thanks for the advice but I've already googled as much as I can. The domain doesn't go anywhere except a holding page though through reverse lookup it seems there are also other domains on the same host including some legitimate businesses that appear to do Samsung second life schemes for devices.
I've googled the actual lock message but no-one on the net seems to have seen it before.
The wife hasn't installed anything, she got the device a few weeks ago (from Amazon, supposedly new) and did a transfer from her old s6 (that has gone to my daughter) to the s7 using Smart Switch. Since then she's not installed any other applications.
It's not "critical data", per se, it's just drawings she'd like to keep, plus copying stuff onto physically disparate hard drives seems a bit overkill given she can just drop the files into a cloud storage account and have way more redundancy than you/I could ever reproduce by doing manual backups.
I'm posting in an s7 forum about an s7 so it's going to be running Android 10 at the minimum (given that's what the device ships with). Not sure why the comments about Android 8.
Anything she could have installed would have been from the Play store (and I don't believe she installed anything other than what automatically installed from what was on her old s6), plus her apps are from a reputable vendors (Autodesk etc). My son has a tablet and he installs all sorts of crap and hasn't had this issue because the OS prevents stuff like this from happening unless you allow side loading.
Is it possible to install a rootkit from the play store? I didn't think so ..?
So, either it was on there when we got it, it's legit or it's a vulnerability that exists in the OS and we are some of the first people to see it...
You can do what you want but any backup database that requires a password can be lost.
I have close to a dozen backup hdds, there's no way to I can lose my entire database.
At least use 2 OTG flashsticks to completely backup the data but hdds are still preferable.
NEVER encrypt data drives... and verify the backups are complete and readable.
As to how it happened you're going to have to sort that out or suffer the same fate possibly again in the future.
A factory reset seems inevitable at this point.
Afterwards change all passwords.
Malware has always existed on Playstore albeit not much or for long. She may have imported from your daughter's phone.
You got some potentially gigantic problems now.
Personally I would have already gone full nuke by now. It's simply not worth the risks.
In the future hawk the download folder daily for files you didn't authorize. Delete any unknowns without opening. Scrutinize all downloads and installs carefully, always. Scan as needed with Malwarebytes. Online Virustotal can be used to scan smaller files and apks.
There are also maliciously scripted jpegs too that can cause damage to any files in the same folder when opened. Be aware of any changes or strange behavior in the download folder. Vet all downloads before moving into your database.
Use a good brower like Brave and be careful what links you click, in the browser, emails and texts.
I can't even begin to estimate how many websites I backed out of, closed that tab or wiped the browser data over in the last year alone. Better safe than sorry. Zero malware infections in over 1.5 years and that's running on outdated Pie.
Almost all malware, rootkits etc are loaded by the user. Some will self install if the device's security isn't configured correctly or if not spotted on a timely basis. Androids, even ones with out of date OSs are generally very secure unless the user does something stupid... learn or get burned.
blackhawk said:
You can do what you want but any backup database that requires a password can be lost.
I have close to a dozen backup hdds, there's no way to I can lose my entire database.
At least use 2 OTG flashsticks to completely backup the data but hdds are still preferable.
NEVER encrypt data drives... and verify the backups are complete and readable.
As to how it happened you're going to have to sort that out or suffer the same fate possibly again in the future.
A factory reset seems inevitable at this point.
Afterwards change all passwords.
Malware has always existed on Playstore albeit not much or for long. She may have imported from your daughter's phone.
You got some potentially gigantic problems now.
Personally I would have already gone full nuke by now. It's simply not worth the risks.
In the future hawk the download folder daily for files you didn't authorize. Delete any unknowns without opening. Scrutinize all downloads and installs carefully, always. Scan as needed with Malwarebytes. Online Virustotal can be used to scan smaller files and apks.
There are also maliciously scripted jpegs too that can cause damage to any files in the same folder when opened. Be aware of any changes or strange behavior in the download folder. Vet all downloads before moving into your database.
Use a good brower like Brave and be careful what links you click, in the browser, emails and texts.
I can't even begin to estimate how many websites I backed out of, closed that tab or wiped the browser data over in the last year alone. Better safe than sorry. Zero malware infections in over 1.5 years and that's running on outdated Pie.
Almost all malware, rootkits etc are loaded by the user. Some will self install if the device's security isn't configured correctly or if not spotted on a timely basis. Androids, even ones with out of date OSs are generally very secure unless the user does something stupid... learn or get burned.
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Click to collapse
With all due respect we aren't getting anywhere here, I don't want backup advice or malware advice, I want to know the answers to the few small questions I asked about whether this is legit and if I can access the device files or not.
You seem to be convinced it's malware, you also seem to be skim reading my posts which is fine - but I don't think your input is helping me.
I'm not going to use a different "paranoid" browser - chrome is fine, the tablet doesn't have a "security configuration" that is any different from the hundreds of thousands of other S7+ devices out there since it's a tablet and out the box it's ready to go. I'm not checking the downloads folder daily just in case some random malware has somehow "installed itself" onto my device, I'm also not keeping random flash sticks and hard drives lying about - I'll just use that geo redundant pretty solid cloud storage like most of the populace.
Yes you can put malicious content in a JPEG or a JPEG header, but it requires that there's an exploit in the OS or the app opening it (for example hiding a javascript eval in the file metadata); I don't think that's an attack vector on a tablet as far as I know given that she only browses, watches Netflix and draws using her S-pen on the device.
She's not imported "malware" from someone else's phone because if you read my post properly you'd understand that it was HER device that she transferred her data from - one that she's since given to the daughter (who has no issues). If you know how Smart Switch works you'd know that it's an unlikely vector (it just transfers data from application storage and then reinstalls the apps from the play store), plus the fact the original device doesn't have the issue...
Stop telling me to "learn or get burned". This is not a "misuse" problem. The wife is on Android 10, it's a relatively new and secure O/S and she didn't install anything she shouldn't have (she didn't actually install anything at all - it was the stock samsung application and the play store that installed the apps she ALREADY HAD on her previous device). It's not a "learn" scenario. Nothing she did should have caused this - if it is/was an OS exploit or some sort of security issue what could she have done to prevent it? Nothing.
What I have done is:
* Contacted the vendor of the device (we can still send it back if they've sent us a refurbed device instead of new as advertised)
* Sent an email to the address advertised to see what response I get (if they demand money then clearly a scam)
I've checked and the domain in the above shares a host with a company called MTR which happens to be a DCC Group company (one of the groups of companies I actually consult for) so worst case I'll speak to someone from DCC Group and see if they can shed any light.
Seems like it might be legit and quite possibly a mix up.
Do what you will... if you understand the origin of that phrase.
Anything that can't be IDed is considered malware until proven innocent
The fact that you're now completely locked out speaks volumes.
Good practices and backup are your only defenses. They apply to the future not the past... so much for flavors
Personally I think it's already too late for that device's OS load and data.
Of course I could be mistaken.
If you really want the data, take it to a data recovery specialist. They may be able to recover it.
When your at the beginning you can determine how potential data lose will end. When at the end, the outcome has already been predetermined by your actions or lack of.
You are now at the end... likely a dead end.
Been there, done that... actions have consequences.
@Charleh: if I were you, I would back up all important data and do a clean firmware flash with Odin. And a factory reset on top of that, just to be sure. Definitely sounds like you got hit by a scammer.
AnonVendetta said:
@Charleh: if I were you, I would back up all important data and do a clean firmware flash with Odin. And a factory reset on top of that, just to be sure. Definitely sounds like you got hit by a scammer.
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Click to collapse
Like I said there's not really any important data on there, just some drawings the wife would like to keep. Also, I can't backup anything since I can't access the device.
I'll probably just speak to DCC group and see if this company is one of theirs.
If the data is lost we are just talking some drawings the wife has done, there's nothing important on there, she just loses the layers (they are stored as multi page tiffs and sketchbook uses those as layers). She has all the images as flat renders on her cloud storage drive and on Instagram.
Think we just need to invest in some extra cloud storage as the free 15gb that Google give you isn't enough to store what she wants at the moment as the images are tens of megabytes each.
Worst case scenario I factory reset and flash it, best case I get someone at DCC telling me what's what.
The bit that gets me is that there are no ransom demands at this point so I can't be sure what's what. Usually by now with crypto ransom malware you are already being given demands...
We will see.
blackhawk said:
Do what you will... if you understand the origin of that phrase.
Anything that can't be IDed is considered malware until proven innocent
The fact that you're now completely locked out speaks volumes.
Good practices and backup are your only defenses. They apply to the future not the past... so much for flavors
Personally I think it's already too late for that device's OS load and data.
Of course I could be mistaken.
If you really want the data, take it to a data recovery specialist. They may be able to recover it.
When your at the beginning you can determine how potential data lose will end. When at the end, the outcome has already been predetermined by your actions or lack of.
You are now at the end... likely a dead end.
Been there, done that... actions have consequences.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not a big deal mate.
Stop flogging a dead horse, the most annoying thing is just that the device is unusable, regardless of me making backups or signing a pact with the devil or putting candlewax on my nips, it wouldn't have prevented this from happening..
The only reason I haven't tried a factory reset up to now is because if there's a chance I can get the drawings off the device I'd like to try it first before I nuke it.
Stop talking about my lack of actions, it's getting really boring. There's nothing I could do to forsee this happening and not my fault the wife didn't put the drawings on her cloud storage.
Go bother someone else with your multiple flash disk tinfoil hat backup routines (I bet you've got a tape drive in that routine somewhere too), stop trying to be helpful by saying "told you so" after the fact, instead try answering the questions I asked.
@Charleh: The way I see it is this:
The device's data partition/internal storage (where the drawings are stored) are encrypted by default, by Samsung. So, unless you can manage to use a MTP USB connection or ADB to make copies of them, then you're locked out and there's nothing you can do to recover them. Since they're located in an encrypted area, I highly doubt that even a professional data recovery business would be able to get them back. There are certain encryptions out there that even the US govt (NSA/CIA/FBI) can't break.
I'm assuming that you're not a l33t hax0r with uber skills, so unless you can successfully boot into Android again, your recovery chances are almost zero.
Or, maybe this company can help you out. It's worth a shot. But if I were a gambling man, I'd wager a lot of money that you will end up having to clean flash/reset, without being able to recover anything.
In the future, think about making copies of this stuff before bad things occur. As the saying goes, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, sooner or later. I rarely lose access to my data because I'm frequently backing it up.
Good luck!
AnonVendetta said:
@Charleh: The way I see it is this:
The device's data partition/internal storage (where the drawings are stored) are encrypted by default, by Samsung. So, unless you can manage to use a MTP USB connection or ADB to make copies of them, then you're locked out and there's nothing you can do to recover them. Since they're located in an encrypted area, I highly doubt that even a professional data recovery business would be able to get them back. There are certain encryptions out there that even the US govt (NSA/CIA/FBI) can't break.
I'm assuming that you're not a l33t hax0r with uber skills, so unless you can successfully boot into Android again, your recovery chances are almost zero.
Or, maybe this company can help you out. It's worth a shot. But if I were a gambling man, I'd wager a lot of money that you will end up having to clean flash/reset, without being able to recover anything.
In the future, think about making copies of this stuff before bad things occur. As the saying goes, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, sooner or later. I rarely lose access to my data because I'm frequently backing it up.
Good luck!
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Click to collapse
Thanks - that was a helpful answer. I suspected that droid encrypted the data - I was looking at making an ADB connection using Android tools. Might as well give it a try before I nuke.
I can't use MTP as the device auto locks when I plug in a USB cable.
Like I've said a few times it's not a massive issue if I lose the data - I work in IT, I know the importance of backing up important data. I've seen a client lose months worth of data to crypto-ransomware (they cancelled their backup solution a few months before saying they were moving to Azure soon so they didn't need it).
I've explained though, it's not my device and it's up to the wife to put her stuff on her cloud storage if she wants to keep it. She uses Google Drive for her docs etc.
Worst case scenario I complain to Amazon, wife is saying she doesn't remember the screen having a protector/film on it when she opened it and we still have time to return/exchange it since I have a Prime account.
@Charleh: AFAIK, Amazon has a 30 day no questions asked return policy for almost everything. If you're still within that return window, then I guess you just have to decide whether the loss of drawings is worth returning it, assuming all recovery efforts fail. I bought my Tab S7+ new direct from Samsung, I haven't encountered like what you describe. And your edge case is the first one I've seen.
I think it's possible that you bought a refurbished device that was preowned but sold as new. The original buyer didn't finish paying it off, returned it, it's sold to you, you get this message. It's either legitimately locked, or someone has remotely locked it and intends to scam you. Contact that company ASAP.
Another option is to find a local techie/shop that can remove this lock for a fee, preferably without data loss. They make want to see proof of purchase, if they're legit. This would at least give you the ability to use the device again. People used to bring me locked phones/tabs all the time, this is pretty much what I did for side cash. As long as they didn't outright admit they were stolen, I didn't care.
Ok speaking to Samsung support and it's legit - what's happened is that someone's returned the device to the supplier after doing a trade in with it and receiving a new device from Samsung Trade In.
Supplier has refunded us and told us to keep the device until the issue is resolved with Samsung.
Now fighting with Samsung themselves about it. Absolute pisstake.
Basically I have a brick and although Samsung have the capability to unlock the device through Knox they won't do it until a resolution is found with the supplier.
Fun-times. Sent a complaint email to Samsung as they are essentially holding the wife's artwork to ransom because of an issue they have created with the rules of their trade-in program.
I've already received the refund too - sounds like the Amazon reseller is trying to wash their hands of it.
@Charleh: So, they refunded you AND they're going to let you keep the tablet? I'd be quite happy with that.
AnonVendetta said:
@Charleh: So, they refunded you AND they're going to let you keep the tablet? I'd be quite happy with that.
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Depends if the tablet is ever going to be functional again...
Fingers crossed!
Time to reflash, ODIN or do whatever and see if you can and up with his + hers new(sort of) tablets.
Hello, some solution?
Charleh said:
Depends if the tablet is ever going to be functional again...
Fingers crossed!
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How did this end?
corb06 said:
How did this end?
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still ongoing - Amazon is trying to get hold of the original supplier but they've gone dark; I complained to Samsung and they are looking into it, just waiting for a reply.
They took almost a month to get back to me - only did so when I started complaining publicly on all social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram etc) - they don't like it when you do that.
Will update when I know more.
Charleh said:
still ongoing - Amazon is trying to get hold of the original supplier but they've gone dark; I complained to Samsung and they are looking into it, just waiting for a reply.
They took almost a month to get back to me - only did so when I started complaining publicly on all social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram etc) - they don't like it when you do that.
Will update when I know more.
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Sorry to hear it's taking so long. I'd be super pissed. Next time, buy direct from Samsung, you wouldnt have to deal with this ****. Because they wouldnt sell you a used/refurbished device unless it's clearly marked as such, and i'm pretty sure they only sell new devices anyway.
Can you post a link to the seller's Amazon page? They could be a fly-by-night op.
If you cant get your money back or an exchange, just contact your bank/card issuer and do a chargeback. This is a last resort ootion, if nothing else works. Explain the whole situation to them. Chances are, they would force the seller or someone else responsible, to give your money back. The only caveat is that if you wait too long, it might not work. i've inititated chargebacks against sellers who dont respond to support requests, it usually worked in my favor.
Edit: If you go the chargeback route and Amazon is forced to refund your money, they may retaliate by banning your account. it recently happened to a friend. Just so you know.....