On 12/3/23 11:08, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> bad sector <forgetski@_
invalid.net> wrote:
>>
>> After having done next to nothing with my new
>> phone the first backup to USB I did ended up
>> as a 4gb SmartSwitchBackup2 folder tree. I just
>> did a Factory Reset followed by another backup
>> and this one is only 700mb. Is there any reference
>> saying what size a Factory Reset backup should
>> be? I'm at a loss trying to understand this huge
>> difference.
>
> The normal backup includes everything you have selected (read: not
> unselected), which includes all media (photos, videos, music),
> documents, apps, app data, etc., etc.. Just look at the settings in the
> Smart Switch program (assuming with "backup to USB" you mean "backup via
> a USB connection to a (Windows?) computer").
Well I probably selected "All" which I presume
would include all items regardless of whether
they were individually slected; this would not
be the source of any such huge size difference
though.
> The backup after a Factory Reset contains none of this, because it has
> been wiped.
Most likely I only thought that I was still on a
new phone when I did my first backup of 4gb. In
the real world I might already have installed
F-Droid and who knows what else. I'm going to
ask the provider dealer to restore my phone to
exactly what it was when they gave it to me and
I will have my answer.
>> Similarly, what's the difference between doing
>> a Factory Reset or instead of that just a
>> recovery from a previous backup made immediately
>> after such a reset?
>
> It would leave the extra stuff on the phone, i.e. it would *not* be
> wiped.
That is good info, thank you. I had thought more
along the lines of an image file made with dd as
opposed to this which sounds more like a 'copy'
command, the different file sizes should have
been a hint :-)
>> Finally are all the instances of Android OS the
>> same on all android phones? The reason I'm asking
>> is that my Flip5 tells me that it cannot find any
>> external medium so I should plug in an SD card
>> or a USB device even though this phone has no SD
>> card port even (not to mention that all this
>> time it's plugged into and being read by my
>> computer with a path ready to accept the backup).
>
> It said to plug in an SD card *or* a USB device. The "USB device" is
> probably meant to be a USB *storage* device, i.e. a OTG USB memory-stick
> (or a regular USB memory stick via a OTG adapter). The USB connection to
> your computer is not a USB storage device but a USB connection to a
> computer.
>
> When you reply, specify which model phone you have (probably some
> Samsung as you mention Smart Switch).
>
> And in case you discuss the "Flip5", specify its brand, etc..
It's a Samsung Z Flip5G the other model
name being SM-F731W (as shown @ Settings > About phone)