Im considering selling my phone, I have read through the forum and the last answer to my question was posted in 2012, im wondering if there has been an update since then. Is there a way to securely overwrite every section of my phones external and internal memory to shred all files and make them unrecoverable. I understand a factory reset is sufficient but I want a SECURE deletion. Thanks!
Old thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1774402
I would think wiping everything, including internal and then odin to stock would do the trick! If u are going to sell it with the external sd card, then format it too...
Related
Hi All
Firstly, huge apologies if this has been answered already. I have searched a ton of threads and none really explain exactly what I need to know...
Secondly, I am in no way aware of how any coding or development works on the desire or any android device for that matter so my knowledge is only from what I have personally done to my device:
S-ON (dont have the balls to attempt this!)
Currently I am running RCMixHD ver 0.14. This ROM includes a script which (so I understand) activates the data2ext, and creates this within my ext partition. Now I have read a few threads and posts about possible corruption with this, and so I have a question?
Can I simply copy the entire contents of the SD card to my PC, and then in the event of the SD card becoming corrupt, copy it to a different SD card, pop it back in the phone and then carry on?
Also I am considering a bigger SD card than the 4gb one I have, could this method also be used to transfer everything onto the new SD card without wiping and losing every app and photo etc.
Apologies for the semi-noob post, but I want to be clear before I do any potential damage to my phone!
Thanks
Yes and Yes but i dont know if u need S-Off for data2sdext.
But switching to S-Off is not a real problem or really dangerous! Done this on many phones!
lick_the_fish said:
Hi All
Firstly, huge apologies if this has been answered already. I have searched a ton of threads and none really explain exactly what I need to know...
Secondly, I am in no way aware of how any coding or development works on the desire or any android device for that matter so my knowledge is only from what I have personally done to my device:
S-ON (dont have the balls to attempt this!)
Currently I am running RCMixHD ver 0.14. This ROM includes a script which (so I understand) activates the data2ext, and creates this within my ext partition. Now I have read a few threads and posts about possible corruption with this, and so I have a question?
Can I simply copy the entire contents of the SD card to my PC, and then in the event of the SD card becoming corrupt, copy it to a different SD card, pop it back in the phone and then carry on?
Also I am considering a bigger SD card than the 4gb one I have, could this method also be used to transfer everything onto the new SD card without wiping and losing every app and photo etc.
Apologies for the semi-noob post, but I want to be clear before I do any potential damage to my phone!
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once you have all your apps, clockworkmod recovery should backup all your ext partition. If you want an extra backup, boot in recovery and mount sdcard + ext, then do a tar of you ext partition and save it to you sdcard (something like cd /sd-ext tar czvf /sdcard/ext.tgz *)
Your ext partition will then be saved.
I've been searching up and down and can't find what I'm looking for here, so first and foremost a preemptive apology should this thread exist and I was unsuccessful in finding it.
I had a couple of questions, does a FACTORY WIPE restore your SD card to a out of the box experience?
If I format my SD card, will installing a factory RUU restore the original content/data that was on the SD card, as you'd experience with a new phone? (think this is a no, but asking nonetheless.)
I have a bunch of stuff on my SD card and I can't recall what content was on there originally, and what content gets added with many of our rooted apps and just rooting in general. I remove the SD card when i take my phone in for service, seems the techs are getting kinda serious about seeing root related content on the sd card, but I got to thinking about the best method to return my phone to an OOTB experience. Thanks in advance!
Phederico said:
I've been searching up and down and can't find what I'm looking for here, so first and foremost a preemptive apology should this thread exist and I was unsuccessful in finding it.
I had a couple of questions, does a FACTORY WIPE restore your SD card to a out of the box experience?
If I format my SD card, will installing a factory RUU restore the original content/data that was on the SD card, as you'd experience with a new phone? (think this is a no, but asking nonetheless.)
I have a bunch of stuff on my SD card and I can't recall what content was on there originally, and what content gets added with many of our rooted apps and just rooting in general. I remove the SD card when i take my phone in for service, seems the techs are getting kinda serious about seeing root related content on the sd card, but I got to thinking about the best method to return my phone to an OOTB experience. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, a factory wipe does not wipe SD.....and what i do is just plug SD into comp and copy everything to a separate folder, then mess with it to see what it actually needs and find whats useless......and when it comes to the techs, just do the same but wipe SD card after backing it up.
So what happens when those unfortunate individuals have a bad SD card from which they can't recover it's data, they proceed to purchase a new card, and pop it into the handset. How does that stock content/architecture get pushed back onto the new SD card?
Phederico said:
So what happens when those unfortunate individuals have a bad SD card from which they can't recover it's data, they proceed to purchase a new card, and pop it into the handset. How does that stock content/architecture get pushed back onto the new SD card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, I believe so
Swyped from my EVO running CyanogenMod 6.1 Nightlies
Yeah you believe so what? Hehehe, sorry It's still clear as mud, and shy of just going ahead and formatting my sd card, and taking the ol' hands on approach, I'd much rather be lazy and someone point me to the definitive answer. Anyone?
Aside from the content which you may have loaded onto the card and want to keep, its ok to format. The operating system will re-install the needed folders onto the card. You could wipe all day long if you choose to and nothing will affect your device. Some folders will re appear instantly while others will appear once you've open the application associated with the folder. Nothing is on the card from the factory anyway. When the EVO was first released the included SD card had HTC Sync installed on it to save you the trouble of downloading it from their site. These cards had issues and needed to be replaced. Other than these early cards, their is no needed software or files on the cards.
Alright, now it's clear to me. Thanks you guys, was more of a sanity check for me got a few things I'm thinking of doing and wanted to start with an OOB experience.
I appreciate it!
Wiped SD Card
On a similar note. I partitioned my card and lost all content. I have yet to figure out a NAND backup but I manually copied everything on the mounted card to a folder on my desktop. However, after the partition a lot of my folders on the card remained empty. It seems everything is working properly now that I copied all the files back to it from my desktop. Any advise on the NAND backup? I'm rooted and NAND unlocked running Nuggy's Unlimited Evo RLS1 Evo 2.2, Radio 2.15.00.11.19, v3.70.651.1, PRI1.90_003, PRL 60675. Thanks
powercoinc
Hello all,
I am receiving a new SD card tomorrow and I'm planning on making a partition on that card to install all my apps on the SD card.
Now I wondered, if you use apps like theft aware ( https://www.theftaware.com ) which I am considering, this does mean that from the moment the thief removes the SD-card, the whole app is gone right?
I read in an old topic that it's not possible to install an app in the phone's real internal memory when you use an external partition, is this still not possible?
The app is factory reset proof etc, only way to remove it is to flash a new ROM, but if removing the SD card also would remove it (in this case), it makes it already less attractive..
If anybody would also happen to have links on guides or more info about the sd-ext process, feel free to add them here, so far I have read http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=SD_card_partitioning and http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1015532&page=164 and http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1175550 but the more info before first trying it the merrier.
Cheers
Just a question I'm throwing out here...
Some people who have updated to official GB either OTA or manual update and get the random boot loop after the installation. The known way to resolve it is to boot into stock recovery and select factory reset/wipe and then reboot. Only problem is many are reporting that they are loosing data on sdcard after doing the factory reset.. Some have said loss of pictures, etc.. others have said apps lost and even a few claim to have had the sdcard wiped completely.
My problem with this is the sdcard has always been considered a "safe place" that factory wipes either with stock recovery & CWM would not touch. Why is this happening all the sudden? Anyone know?
Paul627g said:
Just a question I'm throwing out here...
Some people who have updated to official GB either OTA or manual update and get the random boot loop after the installation. The known way to resolve it is to boot into stock recovery and select factory reset/wipe and then reboot. Only problem is many are reporting that they are loosing data on sdcard after doing the factory reset.. Some have said loss of pictures, etc.. others have said apps lost and even a few claim to have had the sdcard wiped completely.
My problem with this is the sdcard has always been considered a "safe place" that factory wipes either with stock recovery & CWM would not touch. Why is this happening all the sudden? Anyone know?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Paul627g: please read the thread in the attached link, as it goes to the heart of the matter of your query regarding data corruption + resultant 'damaged sd card' ..........i believe that this has happened to numerous folks that updated to EI22 in the past week or so (+ even before that, check the thread.)
................ just briefly, from my own experience of having sustained a total loss of my sd card yesterday: my personal theory is that in the repeated action of (1)'mounting Mass Storage from Select USB mode' (2)exchanging files from the sd card to pc / vice versa + (3)'un-mounting Mass Storage from USB device icon' to safely unplug USB cable...the pc is ultimately unable to release the external drive correctly (pc gave me 'error' message AFTER selecting 'safely unplug device from USB' icon EVEN THOUGH pc had just prompted me to safely remove external device from USB.....this immediately sent my epic into a bootloop (with android 'unmount Mass Storage' icon + neverending spinning wheel animation.......................ie, sd card was lost).
....somewhere in the thread it is argued that changing from one system to another, (as in from froyo to gingerbread), that this will cause a basic fault in the ability of the pc to respond to the 'USB connected/mount' prompt that had always operated normally in the past (months or year) of activity w/ same MicroSD Card.........so the question is: was the pc (or SD Card) affected AFTER the upgrade to EI22?
Of course, there is a great deal more being argued about what is causing the data corruption that ultimately damages our microSD Cards ........thanks for posting this very valuable question of great interest/concern to all in this forum.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1075910
To set your mind at ease a little, I flash and test a lot of ROMs and other than my dropbox folder disappearing, have not lost anything on my sd card. But to be safe, back up your card to the computer every now and then. I believe the mount and dismount theory to be sound and have heard a few people having trouble connecting to a computer after going between firmware versions. It is possible they had outdated drivers and that could also add to possible corruption of the data on the card. Removing the phone from a computer without ejecting will definitely cause problems at some point. A flaky cable like the stock ones will wear, cause the phone to disconnect and corrupt the sd card if during a file transfer. So get a good cable like a Blackberry or Palm Pre one, backup your card once in awhile and always eject your phone from the computer.
Thanks to both.. You may recognize me I'm around a bit here not only for my themes but also to answer questions quite frequently. I'm also an adviser at androidcentral.com's forums for the Epic 4g and the question has been asked over there about this because some users have lost sdcard data after doing a factory reset to get out of the boot loop.
So that is my main reason to asking this question. I too have flashed more ROMs/themes, etc than I care to remember and never had an issue with sdcard data loss.
Thanks again. I hope these are some isolated incidents for those affected.
Paul627g
www.androidcentral.com
Paul627g said:
Thanks to both.. You may recognize me I'm around a bit here not only for my themes but also to answer questions quite frequently. I'm also an adviser at androidcentral.com's forums for the Epic 4g and the question has been asked over there about this because some users have lost sdcard data after doing a factory reset to get out of the boot loop.
So that is my main reason to asking this question. I too have flashed more ROMs/themes, etc than I care to remember and never had an issue with sdcard data loss.
Thanks again. I hope these are some isolated incidents for those affected.
Paul627g
www.androidcentral.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hopefully. It may actually be whatever caused the boot loop that caused the loss of data. The sd card may have been failing and caused a bad flash and that was the final nail in it's coffin.
how to recover files from a 'damaged micro sd card'
kennyglass123 said:
Hopefully. It may actually be whatever caused the boot loop that caused the loss of data. The sd card may have been failing and caused a bad flash and that was the final nail in it's coffin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...getting back to the forum after a super busy day, am glad to see kennyglass123 + paul627g on top of things --as is their gracious manner-- + as i sense this to be an important enough issue 4 no one really knows the specific cause, it's variable + always somewhat circumstantial (ie, johncorleone mentioned elsewhere that heat from an overclocked cpu could cause damage as well)...................so, moving forward I simply want to contribute as a brief description, here, how i was able to recover (most) of the files from my 'damaged micro sd card:'
First, when i saw 'damaged sd card / format card' on the phone, when it became possible 4 me to do so, instead of 'formatting' I replaced the damaged card for a new one (pny 16gb sdhc class 10)...booted the phone everything was fine (15.91gb space available)........next:
(1) placed 'damaged' sd card into the reader that came w/ the device, and mounted to pc, selected the drive (followed by confirmation beep 'device detected' sound, then the language: 'd:\ not accessible. The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable' came on the screen..........went to RUN and typed CMD........from new window, I typed Chkdsk d: /r and the PC began reading the contents of the damaged SD card (most of the android zip files etcetera were there, as were a number of files w/ no content) + next i typed 'exit' (no quotations, just the letters) to return to the windows desktop.......OK, so now the only files missing are the pix + video mov's (far as I can remember).
..........(2) next, to recover pix + video, from the pc desktop i opened ZARecovery (if you do not already have it go to www.z-a-recovery.com and download the free recovery program from that site).
.............(3) from the ZARrecovery main page, selected sd card as device, selected 'next', selected 'root' folder for all files that ZAR was able to detect as recoverable, entered destination folder name (for transfer of recovered pix + video to PC....note: NEVER to sd card itself!), + lastly, selected 'start copying selected files'.........and that was it, closed ZAR + began viewing the content of the recovery folder to get an assessment of what had actually been recovered, and what had been lost.................fortunately 4 me, the loss was minimal, as I tend to create backups (Nandroids, every half year; pic, videos, email attachments = pretty regularly!)
Hope this helps those of you that have been experiencing microSD Card damage (from whatever source).
Nice tutorial sonarchist! You should post that in a thread and ask mods to sticky it! It would help quite a few people out there.
kennyglass123 said:
Nice tutorial sonarchist! You should post that in a thread and ask mods to sticky it! It would help quite a few people out there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
....kennyglass123: have read a few posts regarding this issue sporadically on this forum.................took your advice + posted it as a thread here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1355528
(q: this get me closer to the realm of 'backup evangelist'?)
sonarchist said:
....kennyglass123: have read a few posts regarding this issue sporadically on this forum.................took your advice + posted it as a thread here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1355528
(q: this get me closer to the realm of 'backup evangelist'?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For sure! LOL.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
kennyglass123 said:
Nice tutorial sonarchist! You should post that in a thread and ask mods to sticky it! It would help quite a few people out there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol I saw his thread before I saw this and I was like STICKY THIS lol.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium
I just restarted my phone and all data on micro SD card was gone
I installed Android Revolution HD™ 3.6.7 XE | 4.1.7 Sense 3.5 on my HTC sensation 4g yesterday.
I was sorting through my contacts and did a backup to my micro SD card then deleted all from phone, google and sim. Then I reinstalled the Vcard copy of my contacts from my micro SD, (16gb Lexar), card all good up until this point.
After that I restarted my phone and all my data on my SD card was gone!
I had a backup of Titanium Backup on Dropbox but none of my photos were there.
Is my backup of my original rom going to be on Titanium Backup, or was the only copy going to be on my SD card?
Thanks
I formatted my card a couple of time and there haven't been any more problems.
Hello All,
I just got my note about 1 week (SGH i317M) ago really enjoying it,
but couple question is still a wonder in my head..
i come from an iphone world so all this, is confusing for me
1) Could you root while keeping all your things intact (base band, kernel, build)?
2) Also ive seen couple threads saying that you can't use a micro sd card has an internal drive,
Does my phone has to be rooted to be able to do this?
3) Let say i custom root my phone is there a way back to revert the official samsung firmware if i don't like it
4)how come i don't have multi window on my device is it part of a new android Version right now i'm on 4.1.1?
Thanks
1) Yes. Check out chainfire's auto root in the original android section. It's the best rooting method for beginners.
2) I don't quite understand what you mean. Both FAT32 and Exfat format micro sd work in my note2. However, note2 doesn't allow you to move apps to sd card. There are workarounds that can help with that issue (such as: external to internal swap / Directory bind) but those of course require root. Again, I'm not sure I understood the question correctly.
3) Yes. You just need to flash stock firmware over again or factory reset.
4) You need to update your firmware. Two of my friends who bought note2 didn't get multiwindow out of the box even though it was 4.1.1. They got it once they updated.
What I understand
MohJee said:
2) I don't quite understand what you mean. Both FAT32 and Exfat format micro sd work in my note2. However, note2 doesn't allow you to move apps to sd card. There are workarounds that can help with that issue (such as: external to internal swap / Directory bind) but those of course require root. Again, I'm not sure I understood the question correctly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think he means "Can he use the SD card as an internal drive?". That is the SD card as internal memory.
He comes from iPhone world so he may not be able to frame the question properly.
Well you can always move the apps to the SD card it is a default Android feature.
But it still occupies some internal memory.
However, to partition the SD card and to use a partition as extended drive SD-EXT you need to root I guess.