Database Users

Removing encryption on Galaxy Tab

I encrypted my 10.1 yesterday without thinking all the way though. I found out that I could no longer flash kernels while the tablet is encrypted, since the SD card is not accessible in CWR.
I've tried doing a factory reset on my tab and each time, it boots up like nothing happened. I've also tried removing the pin that I put on it and the option to remove it is grayed out.
Do any of you know of a way to do a full wipe on the 10.1? Or could I reflash it using ODIN?
Thanks in advance.

id like to know this as well

still nothing? im starting to think this is an easy fix that nobody has posted about yet

there has to be something that im missing

try post # 6 in the linked thread, restore with unmodified vanilla version image from second link provided in the post, after booting from fastboot into recovery with clockworkmod recovery img; pushing it into the device sd with adb commandline, check the post for modifications and the link for details.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1161325

whenever i try to reset to factory defaults, it just reboots like nothing happened

re-flash a stock firmware via odin as tar or fastboot/nandroid as img (backup restore)

Ones the tab is encrypted, there's no way to un do it. Unless you do what mughalgxt suggested. Good luck

Thanks guys, I went through some of these steps and found some other good tutorials to get me back up and running. All i wanted was to try the new kernel/bonsai rom out and I'm now able to do that
**** encryption, put a lockscreen password and be done with it.

I'm still struggling with this, as well: off to read some of the linked threads, because even with flashing a stock image with ODIN I'm still not able to recover the device. At least I managed to proceed past the boot loop I WAS in (when attempting to flash from CWM) - but now, I can get to the point where the device prompts me for the decryption key (meaning, it's clearly not yet restored to factory defaults) - but can't get it boot to completion. I also note that I've still got CWM Recovery, not stock.
It seems, at some point, encryption-key be damned, right? Meaning, if I don't care about recovering the contents of the encrypted partition - surely these low-level tools have the ability to simply format the partitions? Perhaps not - at least, not CWM - as attempts to format /data continue to fail.
Off to review the linked threads to try to gain some additional insight.

I ran into this same issue a long while back. As I recall (and it's been a while), you won't be able to wipe from CWM, but you can wipe from Settings / Privacy / Factory Data Reset. I could be wrong, but I know that I didn't have to do any adb pushing or anything with special images.

Hi SacTilt-
Thanks for the reply - and agreed: Had I actively started the effort from a functioning device, I think I could have selected that option.
As it turns out - I ran CWM, rebooted into recovery, and... next thing I knew, I was in boot loop hell.
I've tried flashing a variety of files via ODIN: Some at least allow the device to boot to the point where I get the initial password prompt - which I can provide, and proceed past... but then the device just 'goes blank'.
What I'm looking for is a 'start-from-scratch', no concern for data loss, delete the dang encrypted /data folder already, will ya?... approach.
As I've mentioned, a variety of ODIN files from a myriad of sources haven't seemed to quite do the trick. I feel like I'm missing something obvious - but can't find the right angle to spot it.
Perhaps fastboot might be what I'm looking for?
FWIW: the device was rooted when I started, so I've got full Titanium backups, with which I can restore, once I recover the actual device / OS.
Thanks for any insight.

Hey guys...if anybody finds a solution to this, please let me know...I am stuck with this same damn experimental ROM I've had from day one...it's getting really old. All I want is to get rid of this stupid encryption. Thanks for any help. Tried ODIN flashing, wiping data from security screen, wiping from CMR, etc.

Have you tried formatting the sd? Whenever i had my ns4g i accidentially did the same thing and i wiped the SD and it removed the encryption.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using XDA Premium HD app

forgot restrictions password

I forgot my restrictions password.
Apparently Amazon didn't think this trough and there is no way of resetting
it except by doing a factory reset. I want to avoid this option at all cost.
Q1: Is there a way of either finding my password or resting it with out doing a factory reset?
Q2: After rooting, installing su, TWRP etc, etc. if I now do a factory reset is it going to break my kindle? i.e brick it?
Q3: assuming I do end up doing a factory reset, Will I have to reroot/reinstall all my apps?

Sambena said:
I forgot my restrictions password.
Apparently Amazon didn't think this trough and there is no way of resetting
it except by doing a factory reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are supposed to remember what you set it to.
They do the same thing that most devices that have a secret password do... If you forget it, you reset the device to default. Not sure what you would want them to do.
Keep in mind, Amazon is not expecting you to have anything on your device but the stock ROM, so resetting the device is not that big of a deal.
Q1: Is there a way of either finding my password or resting it with out doing a factory reset?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it was an easy thing to do it wouldn't be very secure.
Did you make a backup with TWRP after you set everthing up BEFORE you set the password? If so, you should be able to restore that.
Perhaps there is some other way... if so, someone will chime in.

Yeah, forgetting my password is dumb on my part.
I have never owned a smartphone or tablet. I was under the assumption that
standard procedure for this kind of thing was some kind of secret question or
the ability to e-mail the password to you.
on the bright side, My wife just remembered the pass. I would still like to know
the answer to those 3 questions though.

Sambena said:
Q1: Is there a way of either finding my password or resting it with out doing a factory reset?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amazon states that the way to reset (or if you failed more than 4 times) is to do a factory reset.
Ref: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200729330
From the Page:
I forgot my Kindle Fire password.
(Note: This is not your Amazon.com account password.)
After four failed attempts at entering your password, you'll be directed to restore your device to factory default settings. This will delete all content on your Kindle Fire and you'll need to register it again before downloading items from your Amazon account. You can then create a new password for your Kindle Fire.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Q2: After rooting, installing su, TWRP etc, etc. if I now do a factory reset is it going to break my kindle? i.e brick it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really hard to brick the Kindle Fire, even really bad choices by users have been able to be recovered. A factory reset, should just wipe user data.
Q3: assuming I do end up doing a factory reset, Will I have to reroot/reinstall all my apps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A factory reset would loose all of your apps. It shouldn't effect root since it isn't reloading a ROM, just clearing user data.

that makes total sense. I wish Amazon would be more open about these kind of things.
I really wish there system was more like apple. a simple pin before any purchase would be much betfer then disabling wifi.

It works the same way as most other Android devices.

[Q] Lock the phone to prevent factory reset

Now with all this fancy new KNOX security, i try to find some useful aspects of it. Even my old notebook can have a bios lock and without that you cannot turn on the thing and no kind of reset can remove it. Are there similar stuff for the s4? I tried encrypt, and it asked a password during boot, but i was able to wipe all from the recovery. Are there a way to prevent that so basically render a stolen phone a paperweight?
thx
edit: after reset samsungs find my mobile function works, but i dont know if that would work without entering a samsung account?

Not possible. A big flaw imo.
Only sort of a solution is to cook a custom rom with some sort of protection build into it. So that when people wipe or do a factory reset, it still has your settings.

Lennyz1988 said:
Not possible. A big flaw imo.
Only sort of a solution is to cook a custom rom with some sort of protection build into it. So that when people wipe or do a factory reset, it still has your settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that info.
Could you point us in the direction to learn how to cook our own stock based roms in which we have put safety/localisation software with pre programmed settings?
Cheers
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda app-developers app

It seems like avast's anti theft add on to their free anti-virus app has got the feature, though my phone isn't rooted yet so haven't tried.
com.avast.android.mobilesecurity

Does root compromise encryption?

It just occured to me, that despite encrypting my device, I can boot into TWRP recovery and flash things to various partitions without entering a password.
Doesn't that essentially mean that the encryption key must be stored somewhere by TWRP in a clear (unencrypted) form?
If so, doesn't root basically render device encryption meaningless? Sure the average phone thief might not care to crack into it, but it would probably be trivial for anybody with a little technical knowledge and time on their hands. And police probably have a step-by-step process for cracking rooted devices.
Does root compromise encryption?

static416 said:
It just occured to me, that despite encrypting my device, I can boot into TWRP recovery and flash things to various partitions without entering a password.
Doesn't that essentially mean that the encryption key must be stored somewhere by TWRP in a clear (unencrypted) form?
If so, doesn't root basically render device encryption meaningless? Sure the average phone thief might not care to crack into it, but it would probably be trivial for anybody with a little technical knowledge and time on their hands. And police probably have a step-by-step process for cracking rooted devices.
Does root compromise encryption?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To answer your exact question, no, root doesn't compromise encryption. Root and TWRP are two separate things, you can have TWRP without root. However, TWRP does allow access to your data without requiring authorisation.

Doesn't "enable Password on Boot" in Settings/Security, force a password onto TWRP as well?
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

SlimSnoopOS said:
Doesn't "enable Password on Boot" in Settings/Security, force a password onto TWRP as well?
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that's a good point, I don't use that feature as I find it annoying so I forgot about it.

SlimSnoopOS said:
Doesn't "enable Password on Boot" in Settings/Security, force a password onto TWRP as well?
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only way your data is truly encrypted (in my opinion) is doing just that.

Agent said:
The only way your data is truly encrypted (in my opinion) is doing just that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much! This is exactly what I was looking for.
I don't know why it didn't occur to me earlier. I'm glad I don't have to choose between security and usability (root, TWRP, etc).

i was thinking about this today actually, because my phone has no encryption (both system and userdata).
However, with purenexus rom and cerberus if your phone is ON when it's stolen, you can essentially prevent someone from booting into recovery since the normal power menu is not available, and pressing and holding the power button for 10 secs just reboots the phone into OS again which is locked. Also, the USB defaults to charging, so data is inaccessible.
is there a way boot into recovery in a situation such as this?

2x4 said:
i was thinking about this today actually, because my phone has no encryption (both system and userdata).
However, with purenexus rom and cerberus if your phone is ON when it's stolen, you can essentially prevent someone from booting into recovery since the normal power menu is not available, and pressing and holding the power button for 10 secs just reboots the phone into OS again which is locked. Also, the USB defaults to charging, so data is inaccessible.
is there a way boot into recovery in a situation such as this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They can hold Power and volume down to boot right into bootloader (and subsequently recovery) from lockscreen. I did this last night since restoring my TWRP 3.0 backup locked me out of my 5X lol
Edit: just want to be clear, I do not have Cerberus. idk if it blocks the above combo as well

SlimSnoopOS said:
They can hold Power and volume down to boot right into bootloader (and subsequently recovery) from lockscreen. I did this last night since restoring my TWRP 3.0 backup locked me out of my 5X lol
Edit: just want to be clear, I do not have Cerberus. idk if it blocks the above combo as well
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right, that way definitely works. And I'm not sure that it it can block that tbh

2x4 said:
You're right, that way definitely works. And I'm not sure that it it can block that tbh
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keep in mind that when your data is encrypted and a boot password is used, they may can get into the bootloader, but they can not get inside your system. They will have to wipe it to get anything on it that will work.

Agent said:
Keep in mind that when your data is encrypted and a boot password is used, they may can get into the bootloader, but they can not get inside your system. They will have to wipe it to get anything on it that will work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the clarification. Is there any way to get the boot password feature without encrypting my data?

Urgent Ultra power saving issue!

I have disabled the Samsung keyboard...
I use fingerprint for unlocking
Today I used ultra power saving mode, and rebooted my phone.. When it called back on, fingerprint doesn't work first login so you have to type your password, but it seems that my 3rd party keyboard isn't one of the apps allowed, so I cannot unlock my phone!
Trying to turn off ultra power saving mode, or going to settings, requires password!
Any ideas what I can do without wiping the phone?
Not rooted..
Would appreciate any suggestions!

Nice double posting: http://forum.xda-developers.com/s7-edge/help/urgent-issue-t3373461
As for the issue, why the f*ck would you ever disable Samsung keyboard? It literally doesn't use any battery if you don't have it selected as main keyboard. Looks like you're stuck here if you're without root, next time don't ever disable native keyboards on your phone.

I'm on my wife's phone, edited title and it seems to have reposted...
I have to admit that I don't remember disabling Samsung keyboard, but assumed I must have done since it isn't loading.
Normally I root my phones, and would remove anything I don't use, but not sure with this phone
Anyone with anything helpful?

You have to factory reset. Wipe data and start again. Hook it up to the computer and get everything/anything you can
Sent from my SM-G935T using XDA-Developers mobile app

Damn it, oh well, will teach me to hold out for Android pay instead of rooting

Try using a USB keyboard...:fingers-crossed:

Tripledrop said:
Damn it, oh well, will teach me to hold out for Android pay instead of rooting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your issue has nothing to do with either. If USB keyboard isn't an option or didn't work, flash TWRP with ODIN then do a TWRP backup. Factory reset, then you can use some apps to selectively restore desirable data such as SMS/MMS, Telegram, etc., from a TWRP backup file. Can't remember if apps like TWRP manager require root or not for the restore functionality, most likely they do.

Damn that sux

Happened to me. I had to do a full wipe.
I don't know why it happened because i did not disable Sam keyboard although i installed Google keyboard and it was my default one.

lost_ said:
Your issue has nothing to do with either. If USB keyboard isn't an option or didn't work, flash TWRP with ODIN then do a TWRP backup. Factory reset, then you can use some apps to selectively restore desirable data such as SMS/MMS, Telegram, etc., from a TWRP backup file. Can't remember if apps like TWRP manager require root or not for the restore functionality, most likely they do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I realise that didn't cause the issue, but because I didn't root, I haven't got app backups..
No root does indeed mean no restore through twrp
Wiped in the end

Tripledrop said:
No root does indeed mean no restore through twrp(
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For future reference, no, ODIN does not require root. To flash TWRP from ODIN, then boot into TWRP to do a backup, does NOT require a root. It requires an unlocked bootloader which 930F has out of factory. Selectively restoring stuff from TWRP , from inside a booted system (not from TWRP) may or may not require root depending on the restore app or the item being restored.

lost_ said:
For future reference, no, ODIN does not require root. To flash TWRP from ODIN, then boot into TWRP to do a backup, does NOT require a root. It requires an unlocked bootloader which 930F has out of factory. Selectively restoring stuff from TWRP , from inside a booted system (not from TWRP) may or may not require root depending on the restore app or the item being restored.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you can flash TWRP without tripping knox?

No, you're a bridge too far. I didn't say Knox wouldn't get tripped. Go read the TWRP thread.

lost_ said:
No, you're a bridge too far. I didn't say Knox wouldn't get tripped. Go read the TWRP thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A simple no would have done.

Biggenz said:
A simple no would have done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
??
Yeah if Knox is tripped, would just root.. Only not rooted because of Knox, want to use android pay
Frustrating as only phone I've owned where I don't have root, and lost all data when I reset

This just happens to me... Try to get USB otg and use USB keyboard..... Type your password very fast when loading, before ultra power saving mode launch... It's work!

new member & first comment
i know its a late reply, maybe someone benefit from it.
flash TWRP through ODIN, go to file explorer, /data/system/locksettings.db delete that, /data/system/gatekeeper_password.key, delete that too, reboot and ur done.