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Subject: Re: Thumbnails, and what creates them.
Date: Wed, 6 Nov 2024 13:24:00 +0000
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On 2024-11-06 11:13, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> 
>    Note that I referred to the *Windows* 'Smart Switch' program, not the
> *Android* app (which I *also* covered later).
> 
>    The Windows 'Smart Switch' program (obviously) *does* back up to your
> computer and creates files on your disk which you can (try to) access by
> other 'normal' utilities.  IIRC, Smart Switch creates both regular files
> and ZIP archives. For the ZIP archives you might need something like
> 7-Zip, because when I used this quite some time ago, the built-in
> Windows unzipper could not handle the format which Smart Switch used.
> 
>    But to be [f|F]rank, Samsung tries to 'hide' the Windows 'Smart
> Switch' program, because I couldn't find it on their main Smart Switch
> page (<https://www.samsung.com/us/smart-switch/>). But a quick Google
> :-) search on "samsung smart switch for windows" shows it's still there:
> 
> 'Downloading Smart Switch on my PC'
> Last Update date : Apr 17. 2024
> <https://www.samsung.com/au/support/mobile-devices/downloading-smart-switch-on-pc/>

Thanks for that.  Like you, I couldn't find it on the Samsung site. 
I've downloaded and installed it from your link, and backed up the WiFi 
settings to a PC  -  encouragingly, I was given the specificity to 
choose to back up only those settings.  However, looking at the backed 
up files, although I can open the zips in 7-zip, the data itself is 
encrypted, despite there being an option to encrypt which I noted and 
specifically left unselected.  I suspect that it's encrypted because the 
original file from the phone was just backed up as is, and that was 
encrypted on the phone :-(

 From which I predict that most probably it will also be encrypted using 
the micro SD card that is due to arrive early this evening :-(

>>>     AFAIR, Google's 'Back up data' also backs up Wi-Fi settings to your
>>> Google Drive. As both your Samsung tablet and your Google phone have
>>> Google backup and restore, that's a possible path of transfer.
>>
>> I tend to avoid using Google services because of their reputation for
>> data harvesting, which in the past has included WiFi information as part
>> of Streetview, but perhaps if the SD option fails, then I might try that
>> next.

Perhaps this is what I should try next ...

>>>     Samsung has its 'Smart Switch' Android app to transfer stuff from
>>> Samsung to Samsung and from non-Samsung to Samsung, i.e for
>>> re-installing a new device with the stuff from an old device. So you may
>>> want to check if Google has a similar app to transfer stuff from a
>>> non-Google (i.e. Samsung in your case) device to a Google device.
>>
>> Yes, as we are agreed, it only works if a Samsung is the destination
>> phone, another example of deliberately crippling software.
> 
>    Well, you might critcize Samsung, but at least *they* provide software
> to import your stuff from a non-Samsung phone

Yeahbut, if they can provide the option in one direction, they can 
provide it in the other direction with minimal or no extra effort or 
cost, so why not do it?  Their decision not to do so cripples their 
software unnecessarily, but creates a disincentive to move away from 
Samsung, so, effectively, it's just another shady lock-in mechanism.

> while Google doesn't do
> that for their phones. (Or *does* Google have such software? Your
> non-response to my suggestion implies they don't.)

I bought my Pixel 8a at the same time as Andy Burns bought his, and at 
the time we conferred and shared notes in uk.telecom.mobile.  His 
experience was very different from mine because his old phone was newer 
than my Samsung, and was running an Android version equal or later than 
10, whereas mine is on 7.  When we first switched on our phones, we were 
both offered a chance to copy everything from an old phone, and this 
worked for him because of his later Android version, but I was sent to a 
website explaining that my device was too old, hence my problems since 
in copying my data.  I tried various copying apps, but they all fucked 
up in some way or another, so in the end I just copied the data via my 
PC, which gave much better results than anything else that I'd tried 
and, AFAIAA so far at least, the WiFi data is the only thing of 
importance that I haven't been able to copy.

>> Thanks for your helpful suggestions.
> 
>    You're very welcome. With Android backup/resstore/transfer, we need
> all the help we can get! :-(

And thanks again for the link above.

-- 

Fake news kills!

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