Re: Thumbnails, and what creates them.

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.