[REQUEST] Bootloader Relock - Xperia Z3 Compact Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Like the title says, I´m not skilled enough to do this myself, but I know there are some truly skilled people in this forum, maybe you can deliver.
Why?
Basically because some people would like the option to go back to stock or have the option to get the lastest updates from Sony.
I know that you can go back to stock with Sony Emma, but sometimes they dont always seed the latest SW (for example, theyre seeding .93 when PC Companion is pushin .105), and I believe updating/restoring with PC Companion to Sony stock will give us back DRM so we can tinker some more with stuff like miracast and camera.

The bootloader can be relocked with flashtool, but that doesn't restore the DRM keys. Those are lost forever without a TA-Backup, which unfortunately isn't possible for the Z3C at this time. So if you unlock the bootloader now, you'll permanently disable Miracast and MirrorLink and reduce the camera quality as confirmed by Sony.

daha2002 said:
Like the title says, I´m not skilled enough to do this myself, but I know there are some truly skilled people in this forum, maybe you can deliver.
Why?
Basically because some people would like the option to go back to stock or have the option to get the lastest updates from Sony.
I know that you can go back to stock with Sony Emma, but sometimes they dont always seed the latest SW (for example, theyre seeding .93 when PC Companion is pushin .105), and I believe updating/restoring with PC Companion to Sony stock will give us back DRM so we can tinker some more with stuff like miracast and camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You really didn't have to make a topic for this 'issue', there are so many people waiting for the same thing. If you have unlocked your BL already, your DRM keys are lost forever btw.

Dsteppa said:
You really didn't have to make a topic for this 'issue', there are so many people waiting for the same thing. If you have unlocked your BL already, your DRM keys are lost forever btw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lost forever in the sense that Sony could write software to retrieve and restore them -- since they know the keys <-> IMEI mapping -- but choose not to offer such a service.

marumari said:
Lost forever in the sense that Sony could write software to retrieve and restore them -- since they know the keys <-> IMEI mapping -- but choose not to offer such a service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You expect them to restore your keys after you've had the chance to examine and alter the system from the inside?

DroidZombie said:
You expect them to restore your keys after you've had the chance to examine and alter the system from the inside?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... yes? I'm not exactly sure what "examine and alter" stuff you are concerned about? If it's proprietary and valuable code, then losing the DRM keys cut off access from it to begin with. Otherwise, such a restoration would restore the system to factory defaults and undo all the alterations. Other companies have released tools to reset devices back to factory stock.

Iruwen said:
The bootloader can be relocked with flashtool, but that doesn't restore the DRM keys. Those are lost forever without a TA-Backup, which unfortunately isn't possible for the Z3C at this time. So if you unlock the bootloader now, you'll permanently disable Miracast and MirrorLink and reduce the camera quality as confirmed by Sony.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My understand was that the phone issue was a bug in previous phones and unlocking the z3c doesnt actually hurt the camera
*edit, I see the posts now confirming that the camera is damaged.

you relocking your bootloader has nothing to do with the certainty that the system hasn't been altered. We're talking about DRM and IP properties, things companies like Sony invest into and do everything in their power (including not restoring your DRM keys once you delete them) to preserve from going mainstream (since they actually represent a reason to choose Sony over her competitors, in this case)

Related

Unlock Windows Phone 8

Does someone unlock Windows Phone 8 OS ?
Will someone do it ?
Thanks for info.
Yeah, when they have bootlevel 0 access, maybe it could be done
As I have heard, and understood, the chips are hard-encoded, for every device, so the JB cannot be achieved Will it ever be? Who knows, this is quite a challenge, but I am no optimist.
Hard coded?? Wow those SOBs. They really need to rethink as to why they are not selling as many phones as they would love to.
LOL. 99% of earth's population does not know or care about the "hard coded" chip (it is not hard coded, it is analogical thus it cant be reprogrammed)
Scumbag Microsoft
Just a question on this. So, boot level stuff is not posable because of encryption. So as of now, Custom roms are out, not possable, YET.
With this being known, what most of us would be happy with is a suto Interop unlock. This would allow max unsigned apps and maybe some minor system level apps (think Advanced Config type apps) maybe bosted with a root tools type of app (almost a custom rom but, not). This stuff will all run on the OS, not the boot level. Shouldn't this be possable once someone finds a hole someplace ?
So, full unlock with custom roms will not be possable but, at least we can have a step there to have some fun with out phones till someone actually figures it out (slim chance if it's encrypted)
mcosmin222 said:
LOL. 99% of earth's population does not know or care about the "hard coded" chip (it is not hard coded, it is analogical thus it cant be reprogrammed)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And I agree, becides hobbiests and hackers (and XDA readers ), no one really cares about a unlock, that is about 98% of of the Windows Phone users. That does not mean we (the 2-3%) dont want it...
MSFT clearly does not care about hackers like us. Otherwise they would give us more APIs to program with.
They care about the bad type of hackers.
In WP7 we only had Full Unlock on devices that had a Custom ROM flashed onto it. This does not mean that it is not possible to exploit other loopholes but the NT Kernel is kind of a harder nut to crack than the old CE Kernel powering WP7. Basically you would need a vulnerability in a system App to get your code running. Then that code would have to escape from it's jail and acquire a higher permission level. Then I guess the first step would be to write something to the registry that would allow:
a) to sideload apps (basically what the developer unlock does)
b) to elevate permissions on those sideloaded apps (similar to what the Root Tools were able to do)
We only had two ways ever to get any Unlocks without flashing a CustomROM on WP7. The first was the original ChevronWP7 and the second was Window Break which only worked on certain Samsung devices and was quickly patched. Aside from that everything concentrated on the CustomROM route or on how an Unlock achieved previously could be conserved through system updates (Nodo to Mango).
So it might be quite some time before we even see something like the Interop Unlocks. Even most Android devices were routed by flashing a modified kernel.
It's been a while, has there been ANY progress on a Unlock even if interop or something for Windows Phone 8 ? I have a dev unlock and it limits me to 3 apps but, what I miss the most is apps like Advanced config giving me unlimited options for colors...
I do not believe so.

Still worth to root?

I have a release date Chromecast sitting on my desk, never opened. but I dont have a OTG cable to root it. with all these new apps supporting Chromecast, is it still worth to buy a OTG cable to root it? thanks!
notmilk said:
I have a release date Chromecast sitting on my desk, never opened. but I dont have a OTG cable to root it. with all these new apps supporting Chromecast, is it still worth to buy a OTG cable to root it? thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess it depends what is out there and what you are trying to do. I live outside of the US and rooted mine so I can use a DNS server hack. Who knows, maybe there will be other incentives to do it so still probably a good idea. It is easy to go back to stock if you decide it is not worth it.
jasenko said:
I guess it depends what is out there and what you are trying to do. I live outside of the US and rooted mine so I can use a DNS server hack. Who knows, maybe there will be other incentives to do it so still probably a good idea. It is easy to go back to stock if you decide it is not worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't lose anything if you root but as far as I know there's no stock image or way back to stock but I could be wrong.
wptski said:
You don't lose anything if you root but as far as I know there's no stock image or way back to stock but I could be wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think there is a flashcast mod that allows you to receive Google OTA, pretty much meaning that it will overwrite any mods and get you back to stock.
jasenko said:
I think there is a flashcast mod that allows you to receive Google OTA, pretty much meaning that it will overwrite any mods and get you back to stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a switch to receive the Eureka ROM OTA automatically or not and another use the Eureka ROM or Google whitelist but nothing else.
wptski said:
There is a switch to receive the Eureka ROM OTA automatically or not and another use the Eureka ROM or Google whitelist but nothing else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. Full-stock Google ROM is not posted because it's too easy to make an error - and that particular error would mean losing root with no (current) way to get it back.
tl;dr: Too much danger for people not reading and flashing the wrong one, losing root, then they would whine hard - it's almost as bad as bricking a phone.
In my opinion, any piece of hardware that you own, if you feel confident enough to do so, should be rooted / jailbroken / hacked / cracked open / etc.
Sure, there are a lot of sanctioned apps appearing now that the CC has been thrown wide open, but Google will always have their fingers in the mix. Who knows what some bright developer might stumble onto with a rooted device.

[Q] Phone encryption and performance hit

Did anybody try to encrypt the z3compact? Is the performance hit noticeable or negligible?
I'm very fought about encrypting my phone. Would I lose the smartlock feature?
Thanks in advance
I encrypted it, including SD card. There is no visible impact I would say. I think PIN and password is the only unlock option after encryption, the biggest drawback for me is that you can't manage it with Sony Companion after encryption (as Sony did not manage to implement support it seems).
PIN and password are the only options available after encryption and you'll probably lose smartlock.
In KK at least performance was about the same. Though it did reduce my battery life...
i9300usr said:
I was curious to know if this was true with Sony Bridge too (Mac app), and I found this thread on the Sony forums. The Sony mods there insist that this is a choice by Sony to maintain security. Apparently none of them have heard of encrypted backups (à la iPhones). So, possible this will never be implemented.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not that important, ADB backups work and are more complete, only drawback is the time they take
i9300usr said:
I was curious to know if this was true with Sony Bridge too (Mac app), and I found this thread on the Sony forums. The Sony mods there insist that this is a choice by Sony to maintain security. Apparently none of them have heard of encrypted backups (à la iPhones). So, possible this will never be implemented.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i9300usr said:
So, just to make sure I understand you correctly: ADB allows users to make backups of encrypted Sony Xperia phones? Are the backups encrypted or unencrypted? And is the restore process straightforward?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes ADB allows you to make a full encrypted backup of your phone (including apps installation files). The restore process is straightforward as well but it's not as complete as say an iPhone backup. ADB might not be able to access some files, especially ADB might restore all your apps but not your launcher settings, folders, etc...
Even though the backup is encrypted, keep in mind that if you use a four digits code it can be bruteforced in less than 10s so encryption does not mean much in this regard.
difto said:
...Even though the backup is encrypted, keep in mind that if you use a four digits code it can be bruteforced in less than 10s so encryption does not mean much in this regard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is interesting. Are you referring to a code ADB requires or the code used on the phone? I use a pattern on the phone.
scottjb said:
This is interesting. Are you referring to a code ADB requires or the code used on the phone? I use a pattern on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you encrypt your phone you cannot use the pattern anymore. The ADB password is the same as your phone password so either 4 digits or a real password.
difto said:
If you encrypt your phone you cannot use the pattern anymore. The ADB password is the same as your phone password so either 4 digits or a real password.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have my phone encrypted and use a pattern. I was not required to change it to a PIN when I encrypted it.
That's why I asked, I wonder how ABD would handle the pattern.
You can transfert files when the phone is mounted as mass storage and unlocked, that's why Sony isn't consistent. You can also transfert files using a third party ftp server like es file browser.
I encrypted my phone last week. Not really noticed any difference in terms of general performance and battery life. One thing I hate is that if you fail to enter the correct password 10 times your phone gets wiped. I hate this because it just makes it easy for people to troll you and makes a thief's job easier because your essentially getting your phone ready to be sold on and also locking yourself out so it can't be tracked.
Another negative is startup takes forever but, you don't really reboot phones much anyway
i9300usr said:
Sounds like something I might actually use. Thanks for the feedback.
So, this is by default and can't be disabled by the user? Hmm, Apple's iOS at least makes the wipe optional.
So much this. Makes backing up your phone every day a necessity just in case. But then:
a) how many people are actually aware the wipe is mandatory for encrypted phones,
b) how many would be mean-spirited enough to actually do this,
and
c) how can people tell if your phone's encrypted?
I think the likelihood is low, but I guess that depends on the company you keep. But if it's that kind of company, you're probably wise enough to keep the phone in your possession all the time anyway.
Unless you're running 5.1, and have enabled "Device Protection" - if Google have actually implemented it? Did the promised "kill switch" actually make it to our phones?
How useful is the tracking anyway? Do the Police even care? I've read articles where the owners themselves had to retrieve their phones, and that can be a very tricky prospect.
Yup, very infrequently these days.
Well, this is all better than the non-existent encryption on my S3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly, no you can't disable the wipe after 10 failed attempts. Well I'm uni student and you know what some people are like when it comes to trolling! I don't think z3 compact has the device protection. Not mine anyway. The police should track it. Well I've heard they help here in the UK
I think it's better to go without encryption, root with locked bootloader and install Cerberus to system partition, and use a strong lock pattern or password.
No worries of 10 try wipes, more secure lockscreen options, and can still track the phone even after a factory reset (unless they reflash the entire system.)
cschmitt said:
I think it's better to go without encryption, root with locked bootloader and install Cerberus to system partition, and use a strong lock pattern or password.
No worries of 10 try wipes, more secure lockscreen options, and can still track the phone even after a factory reset (unless they reflash the entire system.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think there's a tendency to speak too lightly of rooting. It invalidates warranty, which is a big deal for a US$400–600 phone such as this. Even after the warranty expires, I think it places far too much responsibility on the user to solve any problems that may arise, which can be onerous if the phone actually serves a purpose (as opposed to being merely a prestige item, which I'm sure it frequently is).
Rooting is a nice concept, but it presents real-world problems that can entirely negate any benefits gained; it's not the panacea it purports to be.

safe to say 6.0 won't make it any easier to root? should I wait?

Hi there, I recently purchased an t710 which I upgraded to 5.1.1. I'm wondering if there is any reason to wait rooting this device and tripping knox. I purchased an extended warranty for accidental etc from squaretrade so I'm not too worried.
What do you think? Also this is the first touch device I ever owned and I've never owned any smart devices other than a blackberry curve 8330. :victory: I am however quite savvy with computers in general. I've strayed from these devices due to high cost and high toss rate.
Couldn't hurt to throw in some app recommendations too! I sure would like to customize a bit more than samsung is allowing me to.
In addition to my original question, what's the best root and image available for my galaxy tab s2 t710 currently? I wasn't quite sure as there are a few. Does flashing one of the images wipe everything?
Also, as I understand it, many knox features have to be paid for with a regular subscription or something and the applications are not fantastic currently. Am I wrong?
Feel free to add anything you think I should know, also app recommendations would be great. Thanks!
Well, I took the plunge anyway, but I didn't do a backup with TWRP, everything is working but I forgot. Besides knox status, I'm assuming there's a way to undo this correct? like factory reset? Or did I screw it up (If I need to that is.)
wirelesskebab said:
Well, I took the plunge anyway, but I didn't do a backup with TWRP, everything is working but I forgot. Besides knox status, I'm assuming there's a way to undo this correct? like factory reset? Or did I screw it up (If I need to that is.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Knox status doesn't totally matter its more for secure environments like corporate or government to know that a device has been compromised.
Samsung and carriers often still warranty devices that have the Knox flag tripped.
To answer your question though, there is no way to undo a Knox flag.
Hey, I said besides knox status lol. I meant since I didn't backup in twrp before flashing root is there still a way to restore default firmware if necessary? Also how do I disable the securitylogger? People have mentioned it on the forums but I can't seem to find how to do that, thanks.
The only adverse effect I have noted so far was having to re-enter my wifi password.
Can anyone recommend a decent busybox? I installed this one https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=stericson.busybox&hl=en but is it the best one truly? The only other root program I have installed is AdAway. Actually, any decent app recommendations would be great, thanks!
wirelesskebab said:
Hey, I said besides knox status lol. I meant since I didn't backup in twrp before flashing root is there still a way to restore default firmware if necessary? Also how do I disable the securitylogger? People have mentioned it on the forums but I can't seem to find how to do that, thanks.
The only adverse effect I have noted so far was having to re-enter my wifi password.
Can anyone recommend a decent busybox? I installed this one https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=stericson.busybox&hl=en but is it the best one truly? The only other root program I have installed is AdAway. Actually, any decent app recommendations would be great, thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For what reason do you need to install busybox? Unless you have a real need for it why install it and cause more issues?
I can't think of a real single time I've ever needed busy box.
Xposed, Root explorer and Titanium backup are the 3 apps I use on every device I have.
auto rotate suddenly stopped working after I rebooted the tablet, I tried doing a factory reset but that hasn't fixed it, it won't go into landscape mode. Any ideas to fix this?
I just rebooted it through TWRP instead of inside the system and that fixed it, why the heck wouldn't a factory reset? anyone ever hear of this issue before?
A slap on the back has been known to fix it.

Advice on how to recover media files on locked and one rooted stock OnePlus 3T

Hello,
I'm a bit of desperate and I come here to XDA with the hope to find some useful advide. :crying:
I know you probably have read many posts like these, but if you will read mine I hope you will find it different because there are some technical things to be explained (interesting at least for me).
I've lost 99% of my photos and videos taken in July on my phone (64 GB Memory model).
I know I know I should have implemented some sort of backups whatsoever in the cloud or with a home NAS, but unfortunately for me I'm not that kind of guy. The Android built-in backup is also disabled.
What has really happened here I think that probably somehow my daughter has grabbed my phone and has played with it and has deleted about hundreds of photos and videos taken in July. Of her mainly! Never underestimate the damage capabilities of a toddler.
In the meanwhile I've taken lots of photos in August and used a phone a lot and also got the OTA update to Oxygen 4.1.7 / Android 7.1.1
Now I have found that most of July media files are missing!!!!
At the moment there are 25 GB used out of the whole 54 in the Internal Archive Memory as it seen on the Phone Setup.
I have bought DiskDigger Pro for Android but somehow it cannot find the right files all it finds are Whatsapp Images and other files. Does not really find the missing files which I suspect have been somehow deleted.
I think it needs root privileged to dig deeper but I don't understand why, in theory the files should be recoverable on the same partition as the DCIM folder. To my understanding the files should be marked as "deleted" in the same partition as where the DCIM folder is. But there is also this TRIM mechanism on the newer phones flash memories that confuses me.
Q1) Can you please clarify why this and all other media files recovery programs which seem to be a bit serious need root to recover missing media files?
So given as assumption that I need to root, I've read here and there and it seems that sometime ago for OP One that was the possibility to root without unlocking the boot loader. But if I unlock somehow all the data will be wiped. And I fear this will make any further software base recovery method like diskdigger or photorec hopeless even with elevated root privileges.
Q2) Can you confirm that I cannot root without unlocking the bootloader and therefore without wiping the device?
For your information I have also bought tonight a 100 USD root + files recovery package one oneclickroot but the agent promised to refund me after I told her the model of my phone (scary!).
Q3) I know a couple of things in Linux, do you think is it possible without root to create a raw image of the internal phone memory or the proper partitions with a tool such as "dd" ? Then I would process those raw images on a Windows or linux PC with file recovery software.
Q4) Do you think that the wiping caused by the bootloader unlocking will render any possible further diskdigger like solution without hope? Or should I go that way because the wiping is not so deep after all?
I don't know what to think, the fact that the phone is also encrypted makes me fear the worst. Maybe after the wiping it will get re-encrypted over.
Q5) Any advice in general before contacting kroll on track and pay thousands of dollar with the hope to recover?
Thanks a lot for any useful reply! I hope this topic will bring a definitive guide on how to recover files on unrooted oneplus 3t!
I can't answer all your questions here, however I can say with 100% confidence that you cannot root without unlocking bootloader. Some people claim of other methods, but keep away from them.
And there is nothing to be scared of when rooting OnePlus 3T if you follow the correct steps.
Are you sure that your daughter deleted those photos? How can she specifically delete photos taken in July? Do you have Google photos installed?
Aneejian said:
I can't answer all your questions here, however I can say with 100% confidence that you cannot root without unlocking bootloader. Some people claim of other methods, but keep away from them.
And there is nothing to be scared of when rooting OnePlus 3T if you follow the correct steps.
Are you sure that your daughter deleted those photos? How can she specifically delete photos taken in July? Do you have Google photos installed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your answer.
I'm not scared of rooting, as I have rooted other phones in the past. I'm ready to spend 1000USD and maybe even more to recover these media files and therefore I'm not really scared of rooting or bricking the device. What really scares me is that by
unlocking bootloader -> wiping -> rooting -> (new encryption of the filesystem ?)
I will render the deleted missing files completely unrecoverable.
I don't have google photos and I'm not 100% sure that my daughter has deleted the files. Maybe I've done a cut & paste which has not worked correctly on the phone as I've only 1 or 2 days of the beginning of July in my external hard drive. But it's more likely that my daughter has played with the gallery application on the phone.
I don't have a lock gesture or pin and my screen can be unlocked just by sliding, however it seems my phone is encrypted.
This encryption I don't know how it works and how it relates with the bootloader unlocking, if someone have more information I would be glad to hear.
And also I've done some more research and it seems impossible to perform a "dd" command of the partitions without first being superuser / root. ;-(
Regards,
Claudio
Did you try connecting your phone to the pc and use the programm recuva?
I managed to restore my files with it once
I can feel your pain of loosing those valuable moments of your daughter. I feel sorry that I can help you much with this.
In future, I suggest you to use Google photos which can automatically backup all your photos for free.
StarShoot97 said:
Did you try connecting your phone to the pc and use the programm recuva?
I managed to restore my files with it once
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think that recuva can do anything here. I am not allowed to past links here but as explained here
ht*ps://forums.androidcentral.com/ambassador-guides-tips-how-tos/500142-guide-recovering-deleted-files.html
and here
ht*ps://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-nexus/general/guide-internal-memory-data-recovery-yes-t1994705
Recuva can't do anything for internal memory.
But thanks for the hint!
Aneejian said:
I can feel your pain of loosing those valuable moments of your daughter. I feel sorry that I can help you much with this.
In future, I suggest you to use Google photos which can automatically backup all your photos for free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One of the most affordable options I'm considering is this:
1) get another oneplus 3t
2) take some pictures and videos on it
3) delete those pictures and videos
4) root it
5) Install diskdigger to check if he can find anything after the wipe
I feel huge pain, my wife is also kindly pushing me. ^^
The problem ought to be that since this phone is force encrypted per default, unlocking the bootloader will destroy the encryption key for the previous installation won't it? Isn't that they point as to avoid anyone accessing your data by simply doing a factory restore and still keep the data in the internal storage. At least that's what I though, else where's the security of someone steals your phone.
Without that, any recovery software will just see rubbish when trying to recovery anything since it's encrypted.
pitrus- said:
The problem ought to be that since this phone is force encrypted per default, unlocking the bootloader will destroy the encryption key for the previous installation won't it? Isn't that they point as to avoid anyone accessing your data by simply doing a factory restore and still keep the data in the internal storage. At least that's what I though, else where's the security of someone steals your phone.
Without that, any recovery software will just see rubbish when trying to recovery anything since it's encrypted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot, eventually some technical info on xda
If I lose my phone someone can use it and read everything because there is no lock, no pin, no gesture nothing. I would try a remote wipe via google android devices or something like that. Life is too short to unlock your phone every time you look at it even if it is via finger print!
This being said I've read year
ht*ps://source.android.com/security/encryption/full-disk
this paragraph among the others is not clear to me
Upon first boot, the device creates a randomly generated 128-bit master key and then hashes it with a default password and stored salt. The default password is: "default_password" However, the resultant hash is also signed through a TEE (such as TrustZone), which uses a hash of the signature to encrypt the master key.
You can find the default password defined in the Android Open Source Project cryptfs.c file.
When the user sets the PIN/pass or password on the device, only the 128-bit key is re-encrypted and stored. (ie. user PIN/pass/pattern changes do NOT cause re-encryption of userdata.) Note that managed device may be subject to PIN, pattern, or password restrictions.
Does this paragraph give me hope or not?
Thanks a lot for your interest! Sleepless nights go on here.
lallissimo said:
I know I know I should have implemented some sort of backups whatsoever in the cloud or with a home NAS, but unfortunately for me I'm not that kind of guy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a really weak excuse. If the photos were that valuable to you, you should have been backing them up. There really is no excuse. Backup options are available that are effective, free, and require hardly any action on your part (aside form the initial setup - you've done more by disabling the default backup options).
Recovering deleted data is always a hit-or-miss proposition, at best. The longer you have the phone on, the higher the chance those memory sectors will be over-written. May have already happened.
---------- Post added at 10:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:46 AM ----------
lallissimo said:
I'm not really scared of rooting or bricking the device. What really scares me is that by
unlocking bootloader -> wiping -> rooting -> (new encryption of the filesystem ?)
I will render the deleted missing files completely unrecoverable.
I don't have a lock gesture or pin and my screen can be unlocked just by sliding, however it seems my phone is encrypted.
This encryption I don't know how it works and how it relates with the bootloader unlocking, if someone have more information I would be glad to hear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't matter. Unlocking the bootloader wipes all data on the phone by definition, regardless of whether it is encrypted or not. At least that is how it worked on previous Android devices I've owned, that did not have encryption by default. So I'd be willing to bet the same is try on the 3T.
lallissimo said:
I'm not 100% sure that my daughter has deleted the files. Maybe I've done a cut & paste which has not worked correctly on the phone as I've only 1 or 2 days of the beginning of July in my external hard drive. But it's more likely that my daughter has played with the gallery application on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find it a little unlikely your daughter deleted all the photos. I don't see an easy way she could have done that to hundreds of photos, without an improbable number of screen taps. I'd use a good file explorer, and just keep digging. They might just be moved somewhere odd.
redpoint73 said:
This is a really weak excuse. If the photos were that valuable to you, you should have been backing them up. There really is no excuse. Backup options are available that are effective, free, and require hardly any action on your part (aside form the initial setup - you've done more by disabling the default backup options).
Recovering deleted data is always a hit-or-miss proposition, at best. The longer you have the phone on, the higher the chance those memory sectors will be over-written. May have already happened.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the interest in my thread I really appreciate it.
I know a things or two about backups and I see your point. There is an ancient Chinese proverb saying something like this: Backup is that thing that should have done before.
However, being on xda I'd like to keep the discussion on a technical level if possible.
If you have any information or links on the way the internal memory is managed at physical level I'd like to discuss about it. As far as I know in order to extend the duration of this solid state memories the system makes his best to write on the blocks the least possible. I don't think I have already overwritten all the blocks of the internal memory. We'll see.
It doesn't matter. Unlocking the bootloader wipes all data on the phone by definition, regardless of whether it is encrypted or not. At least that is how it worked on previous Android devices I've owned, that did not have encryption by default. So I'd be willing to bet the same is try on the 3T.
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I'm almost sure that the wiping does not scrape the memory with all 0 and 1. That would take really a lot of time and also that would reduce the duration of the memory.
Take a look here for example
h*tps://www.krollontrack.co.uk/blog//top-tips/what-you-need-to-know-about-androids-factory-reset-function/
so my real enemy here is encryption.
I find it a little unlikely your daughter deleted all the photos. I don't see an easy way she could have done that to hundreds of photos, without an improbable number of screen taps. I'd use a good file explorer, and just keep digging. They might just be moved somewhere odd.
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You could be right, still I need to be root to dig deeper.
lallissimo said:
I'm almost sure that the wiping does not scrape the memory with all 0 and 1. That would take really a lot of time and also that would reduce the duration of the memory.
Take a look here for example
h*tps://www.krollontrack.co.uk/blog//top-tips/what-you-need-to-know-about-androids-factory-reset-function/
so my real enemy here is encryption.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is just wishful thinking. That article sounds really paranoid to me. Whatever method the system is using to "scramble" the data is going to put it out of the realm of the cheap, consumer data retrieval tools (as you've pretty much already experienced). The article states:
A recovery is possible by looking at the data structures from a low-level and using specialist tools to recreate the data into a useable format
We aren't talking about free or $5 Android apps here. We're probably talking about specialist software that costs thousands of dollars. Yes, technically data is almost always retrievable. Law enforcement has tools that can retrieve "ghost" data images even after being overwritten multiple times. But such tools are feasible for consumers from a cost/benefit standpoint.
redpoint73 said:
This is a really weak excuse. If the photos were that valuable to you, you should have been backing them up. There really is no excuse. Backup options are available that are effective, free, and require hardly any action on your part (aside form the initial setup - you've done more by disabling the default backup options).
Recovering deleted data is always a hit-or-miss proposition, at best. The longer you have the phone on, the higher the chance those memory sectors will be over-written. May have already happened.
---------- Post added at 10:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:46 AM ----------
It doesn't matter. Unlocking the bootloader wipes all data on the phone by definition, regardless of whether it is encrypted or not. At least that is how it worked on previous Android devices I've owned, that did not have encryption by default. So I'd be willing to bet the same is try on the 3T.
I find it a little unlikely your daughter deleted all the photos. I don't see an easy way she could have done that to hundreds of photos, without an improbable number of screen taps. I'd use a good file explorer, and just keep digging. They might just be moved somewhere odd.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
redpoint73 said:
This is just wishful thinking. That article sounds really paranoid to me. Whatever method the system is using to "scramble" the data is going to put it out of the realm of the cheap, consumer data retrieval tools (as you've pretty much already experienced). The article states:
A recovery is possible by looking at the data structures from a low-level and using specialist tools to recreate the data into a useable format
We aren't talking about free or $5 Android apps here. We're probably talking about specialist software that costs thousands of dollars. Yes, technically data is almost always retrievable. Law enforcement has tools that can retrieve "ghost" data images even after being overwritten multiple times. But such tools are feasible for consumers from a cost/benefit standpoint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If someone has more technical information about the encryption part I'll gladly look at it.
As far as wiping is concerned I have given a quick look at the source code, so for example here:
https://www.pentestpartners.com/sec...ta-from-wiped-android-devices-a-how-to-guide/
and if this is still what's inside my android phone I'm sure that mkfs.ext4 is nothing to fear when you need to recover data.
Problem for me is encryption, but yest I'm considering expensive solutions too. Just for the sake of the technical satisfaction, of course.

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