Can't decrypt old data - HTC 10 Guides, News, & Discussion

I have a t-mobile htc 10 unlocked bootloader and S-Off . Okay, first I was on Viper rom and decided to S-Off with sunshine. It said to use the S-Off Locked option, which I did. Upon reboot my device was encrypted and I couldnt decrypt it. I did a nandroid backup to my SD card, and formatted my data. No matter what I tried I couldn't get it to decrypt, so I did factory reset and started over. I still have the backup and the default password still doesn't work. Just curious to if I can decrypt it and salvage some of my data on it? I back up somewhat regularly to my SD card, but I forgot a few things. Any help would be very appreciated. Thanks and God bless in advance.

The S-off process clearly says that you should do a factory reset before you S-off. This is because after you s-off, it messes up the decryption keys and your data will no longer be accessable. And that is why you have to wipe data partition after s-off, so new keys are generated.
So AFAIK, there's no way to recover the data.
Though if it's a nandroid backup, there's an option in titanium backup to recover data from nandroid backups. You can try that.

Hello,
Questions belong in Q&A and you already have a duplicate thread there so I'm closing this one.
Cheers,
Sloth

Related

[Q] Encryption and Nandroid Backup/Restore

Hey guys,
If I encrypt my M8, then do a full Nandroid backup to the SDcard, can this backup be restored to any device or is it device-specific?
Also, am I right in assuming that a backup of an encrypted handset can even be restored? If so, how is unencryption performed after the restore?
Just want to clarify as I'm unsure of 'best practice' when making a full backup.
I'd prefer to make encrypted backups and then store the SDcard safely, but if an encrypted backup is in fact device-specific, it almost seems counterproductive.
Anyone?
Just want to know an encrypted phone can be backed up and then restored before actually encrypting my M8!
I don't think you can make a backup if you encrypt your phone. Or even flash any files from recovery. The data will be encrypted and CWM can't access them AFAIK..at least not the HTC encryption.
And backups are not tied to the device as such.
You could make a nand backup with a tool that makes backups while you're booted into Android. Such as Online Nandroid Backup.
Thank you :good:
As mentioned in the initial post I'm using Nandroid Online Backup, so I kind of assumed that as the phone is effectively 'decrypted' whilst I'm booted into the Android, the Nandroid backup would be fully restorable.
But even if that is indeed the case, would the actual backup on the SDCard itself be encrypted data .. or unencrypted due to the decryption which is performed once booted into Android?
My ideal scenario is to have an encrypted M8 + an encrypted SDCard backup. But I assume there would be no way to restore an encrypted SDCard backup .. other than to the original handset/Device ID on which it was first created.
Unless I'm missing something?
westeight said:
Thank you :good:
As mentioned in the initial post I'm using Nandroid Online Backup, so I kind of assumed that as the phone is effectively 'decrypted' whilst I'm booted into the Android, the Nandroid backup would be fully restorable.
But even if that is indeed the case, would the actual backup on the SDCard itself be encrypted data .. or unencrypted due to the decryption which is performed once booted into Android?
My ideal scenario is to have an encrypted M8 + an encrypted SDCard backup. But I assume there would be no way to restore an encrypted SDCard backup .. other than to the original handset/Device ID on which it was first created.
Unless I'm missing something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The backup would be unencrypted if you save it to the SD card. Unless you encrypt the SD card also, which is done separately. Not sure how that would work out though..never tried it You might wanna check the support for the Online Nandroid tool for that info.
As for the restoring backup to devices, since the backup is unencrypted and it's not tied to any device, it would be possible to restore it to other phones or just simply unpack it.
Thanks WarCow :good:
I guess the safest thing is to encrypt, reboot/decrypt, then backup and then bury my SDCard somewhere safe!
westeight said:
Thanks WarCow :good:
I guess the safest thing is to encrypt, reboot/decrypt, then backup and then bury my SDCard somewhere safe!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except that decryption will require factory resetting your phone It's such a hassle. Also keep in mind that encryption will slow the phone down a bit compared to being unencrypted.
WarCow said:
Except that decryption will require factory resetting your phone It's such a hassle. Also keep in mind that encryption will slow the phone down a bit compared to being unencrypted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I have noticed the difference: my personal phone is unencrypted and my work phone is encrypted. Both are M8s and there is a noticeable bootup lag. Performance wise, the difference is minimal and therefore tolerable.
But sadly I don't have a choice with the work phone.
Really just wanted to make sure that any encrypted device can be backup and subsequently restored. Now I'm confident it can, I have no trouble with resetting.
I can upgrade AndroidHD from 10.1 to 10.2 while I'm at it! :victory:

TWRP Restore

So I went to restore a previous ROM and the phone when I go to login is asking for my PIN (as usual). My previous PIN however isn't working. What do I need to do in the future before I make a backup so this doesn't happen again? Thanks.
EDIT: My guess is the data partition being encrypted is causing a problem...it's not a big deal if I don't recover this one but for the future so I know what went wrong?
You'd probably have to format storage in TWRP. Then flash a rom that supports having no encryption
I'm not sure if formatting the restoring a backup with encryption will work, though.
Nosferatu. said:
So I went to restore a previous ROM and the phone when I go to login is asking for my PIN (as usual). My previous PIN however isn't working. What do I need to do in the future before I make a backup so this doesn't happen again? Thanks.
EDIT: My guess is the data partition being encrypted is causing a problem...it's not a big deal if I don't recover this one but for the future so I know what went wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
boot back into twrp recovery- advanced - file manager-data-system-delete the files with the name locksettings.adb and 2 or 3more with locksettings file name
Appreciate it guys!
just data/system/lockscreen.db needs to be deleted. :good:

Replacement phone via Uh-Oh, Can I use NANDROID backup?

I managed to somehow break my 3 week old HTC 10's rear camera glass so I'm going to get it replaced via the "Uh-Oh Protection" since I bought from HTC directly.
I have the Unlocked US edition, but use it on Verizon. When I get my replacement phone, I'll go through the steps to Unlock via HTC dev, run Sunshine for S-OFF and change the CID/MID to Verizon. At that point, can I just flash a NANDROID backup from my old device onto the new one to get my ROM / Apps / etc. back? Will there be any issues since it'll be different hardware? The NANDROID will contain everything I need so I won't need to first apply the VZW RUU right? I think I've done it before on previous HTC hardware but I want to check if it'll work before I try it. Will encryption be an issue?
Sounds good as long as correct firmware is also flashed
drumz0rz said:
I managed to somehow break my 3 week old HTC 10's rear camera glass so I'm going to get it replaced via the "Uh-Oh Protection" since I bought from HTC directly.
I have the Unlocked US edition, but use it on Verizon. When I get my replacement phone, I'll go through the steps to Unlock via HTC dev, run Sunshine for S-OFF and change the CID/MID to Verizon. At that point, can I just flash a NANDROID backup from my old device onto the new one to get my ROM / Apps / etc. back? Will there be any issues since it'll be different hardware? The NANDROID will contain everything I need so I won't need to first apply the VZW RUU right? I think I've done it before on previous HTC hardware but I want to check if it'll work before I try it. Will encryption be an issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see it being any issue.
So I just got my replacement phone. I followed the exact same steps as I did on my original HTC 10 to get s-off and convert to Verizon (used the same files as well). I made a fresh NANADROID backup on the old phone in TWRP, copied it over to the new phone, and restored it. When I reboot I get stuck on the white splash screen. I tried wiping the cache but I can't progress further.
I was really hoping I'd just be able to use the NANDROID so I don't have to go through the arduous process of backing up all of my apps and settings, and copying them over in TiBu, and having to recustomize everything in VenomHub/Xposed.
What am I doing wrong?
drumz0rz said:
So I just got my replacement phone. I followed the exact same steps as I did on my original HTC 10 to get s-off and convert to Verizon (used the same files as well). I made a fresh NANADROID backup on the old phone in TWRP, copied it over to the new phone, and restored it. When I reboot I get stuck on the white splash screen. I tried wiping the cache but I can't progress further.
I was really hoping I'd just be able to use the NANDROID so I don't have to go through the arduous process of backing up all of my apps and settings, and copying them over in TiBu, and having to recustomize everything in VenomHub/Xposed.
What am I doing wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try dirty flashing ROM
How would changing devices between TWRP backup/restore affect encryption?
EDIT: Since TWRP decrypts now, phone encryption would be a moot point in this context.
I received a replacement Uh-Oh phone from HTC. Unlocked bootloader, installed TWRP and S-Offed. Tried using my Nandroid to restore but TWRP would not see it (file names different, based on S/N). I created a small new backup to create the proper file structure and renamed the old Nandroid backup and placed it in the proper directory. Still would not work so I went to my TiBu backup and reset everything back up.
Here's a strange result though - my fingerprint works fine to unlock the phone but somewhere along the line (perhaps my attempt restoring Nandroid) the pattern lock changed. So now I cannot unlock phone using the pattern and cannot change it. I can use fingerprint so it works for now but I would like to reset the pattern lock - any ideas?
stebaile said:
I received a replacement Uh-Oh phone from HTC. Unlocked bootloader, installed TWRP and S-Offed. Tried using my Nandroid to restore but TWRP would not see it (file names different, based on S/N). I created a small new backup to create the proper file structure and renamed the old Nandroid backup and placed it in the proper directory. Still would not work so I went to my TiBu backup and reset everything back up.
Here's a strange result though - my fingerprint works fine to unlock the phone but somewhere along the line (perhaps my attempt restoring Nandroid) the pattern lock changed. So now I cannot unlock phone using the pattern and cannot change it. I can use fingerprint so it works for now but I would like to reset the pattern lock - any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So when you did a restore with TWRP, what was the result? What does "still would not work" mean exactly? What did the log say?
I'll have to dig into the log file but it is my habit to only backup /data. That's what I was trying to restore. I might need to factory reset to get the pin reset I suppose. Was hoping there was a file I could delete to reset the encryption.
Sent from my HTC 10 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Just in case anyone has this issue of losing their pattern lock from a Nandroid restore I found the answer in a different thread. Use a file manager with root access such as Root Explorer, or use TWRP's file manager capability to delete the locksettings.* files in /data/system. Reboot and your device will no longer have a pattern lock. You will need to create a new pattern lock along with new fingerprint unlocks.
stebaile said:
might need to factory reset to get the pin reset I suppose. Was hoping there was a file I could delete to reset the encryption.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Factory reset erases everything, leaving nothing to decrypt.
Your idea of "reset encryption" would make encryption useless if anyone could just remove the lock without the PIN/password.
stebaile said:
Just in case anyone has this issue of losing their pattern lock from a Nandroid restore I found the answer in a different thread. Use a file manager with root access such as Root Explorer, or use TWRP's file manager capability to delete the locksettings.* files in /data/system. Reboot and your device will no longer have a pattern lock. You will need to create a new pattern lock along with new fingerprint unlocks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rolo42 said:
Factory reset erases everything, leaving nothing to decrypt.
Your idea of "reset encryption" would make encryption useless if anyone could just remove the lock without the PIN/password.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Next time just read the TWRP FAQ
http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-10/development/recovery-twrp-touch-recovery-t3358139/page74
10. After I restored my Data backup and boot back to Android, I'm entering the correct PIN/password, but it's telling me the password is wrong. What happened, and how do I fix it?
It appears that sometimes after restoring a backup of Data where security was enabled (such as a PIN or password lock), the device does not recognize the correct password. There are two ways to avoid this issue:
Disable security in Android?*before?*making a backup of data.
After restoring Data, while still in TWRP, use the TWRP File Manager to navigate to /data/system and delete all the locksettings.* files (such as locksettings.db, etc). When you reboot, the password will be gone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maik268 said:
Next time just read the TWRP FAQ
http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-10/development/recovery-twrp-touch-recovery-t3358139/page74
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that referring to unlocking the screen or decrypting the device?
The question was referring to encryption.
When TWRP restores a backup, is it encrypted? (There's a few "it depends" to that question I would think.)

What Gets Erased by Unlocking Bootloader

Hi,
I want to unlock the bootloader on my HTC 10. Yeah, I am going to root, but this is a bootloader question. I need to know what gets erased when one unlocks the bootloader. In particular:
1. Does the ROM get erased?
2. Do the apps get erased?
3. Does the backup of the stock ROM (needed for factor reset) get erased.
I understand that app data gets erased. If the ROM gets erased, the phone is going to be inoperable until I install another ROM. Eventually, I want to root, but I would like to have the option of continuing to run the stock Nougat.
Thanks,
Ndmand
The DATA partition gets erased... Basically it performs a factory reset on the phone as a security measure to make sure someone else isn't unlocking the device to install malware so it does a quick factory reset so any potential customer information is erased.
I believe an app is removed so OTA fails when they do a system check and that app comes up missing. That last part might be an old method since now they might just do a hash check.
1. No
2. If you got them from the Playstore, Yes
3.Phones don't have a stock backup. Unless you make it, but that required you to be unlocked in the first place.
Thanks Tachi,
This helps a lot and gives me a comfort level with unlocking. I was afraid I would lose the ROM and be forced to install a custom ROM, which I might do later anyway.
Thank You,
Ndmand
Technically, nothing gets erased when you unlock the bootloader; however, unlocking the bootloader changes the decryption key used to decrypt the /data partition. As a result, you have to factory reset the phone as /data becomes unreadable. The ROM itself is in the /system partition, which is not encrypted and remains readable.
MehStrongBadMeh said:
Technically, nothing gets erased when you unlock the bootloader; however, unlocking the bootloader changes the decryption key used to decrypt the /data partition. As a result, you have to factory reset the phone as /data becomes unreadable. The ROM itself is in the /system partition, which is not encrypted and remains readable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, that explains it even more. I guess that I should stop worrying now. :good:

Bootloop at green HTC Boot Animation after trying to restore TWRP

Hello,
sorry if this has been mentioned anywhere before, but I wasn't able to find something similar.
So I know why way around with my old Nexus 5 in things backing up the phone with Titanium or TWRP, but since it's wifi module died on me I switchted to the HTC 10, which is kinda intimidating to me when it comes to updating to new OS or backing up. With the NExus 5 it was a walk in the park for me.
First, I don't really understand the concept of S-On and S-Off. Don't know if this is related to my problem, just wanted to mention it.
My HTC 10 is rooted, bootloader unlocked, S-On and runs on 7.0 2.41.401.41.
TWRP is the latest available version.
Before I rooted the phone I made a backup of the stock system image etc like explained in one of those "how to root the htc 10" tutorials (no writing allowed).
To root I had to allow writing onto the system partition of course.
Now, I made an TWRP backup. I backed up everything that was available in TWRP. Userdata, cache, system etc.
Few weeks ago I ran into some problems (I though I did, turned out Google App is just weird) and wanted to restore my TWRP backup.
So I did. Went to TWRP and restored the backup from my SD card.
Got no error messages during the process, but when I wanted to boot up the phone the green HTC boot animation did its thing and then froze at the HTC logo, which would result in a bootloop after ~10 minutes of waiting.
Could force the phone to go into bootloader and from there into TWRP, but that's the best I could do.
Also removed SD and SIM card trays, but that didnt do anything.
Had to factory reset and then do a backup via Titanium backup, which is better than nothing but still a pain in the a** because some things just have to be set up manually, which took me quite a while. I honestly don't want do that again anytime soon
Does anyone have an idea what could went wrong or what I did wrong during the backing up and restoring process?
Except for that, I tried to understand how to update to an upcoming version of the OS when the phone is rooted with S-On and how I could keep my userdata? On the Nexus 5 I just manually installed everything via adb except userdata.img and only had to re-root the phone afterwards. I am afraid this isn't possible with the HTC 10, am I right?
The HTC 10 forces encryption and that has broken TWRP restore for me if I try to switch between ROMs. If I switch ROMs then I have to do a full wipe / format. The one time I tried to go back to my original OS I had a similar issue and I ended up flashing the full RUU to get back to stock.
The only time I am able to restore in TWRP is if I'm returning to the same ROM that I am currently running. Even then I usually just restore the data.

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