Software update, Opera passwords vanished

[Bandon1]

Hi,

I turned S5 on today and was greeted by a message saying it had downloaded a software for an update, and to click ok to install it, which I did. After installation, I opened Opera browser to go online, all of my bookmarks were still there, but all of the saved passwords for each bookmark had vanished, I assume the only way to get them back is to enter them manually on each site again?

I have a lot of sites in my bookmarks and I don't want to have to go through entering them after each and every update, is there any way to prevent it from deleting passwords, and why did the update delete them anyway?

Also, are the updates completely necessary or is it ok to turn updates off, if so, where do I do that in settings, as I can't see anything about it, thanks.

 

[AZgl1500]

I have espoused on updates previously.

To me, they are more dangerous than they are helpful. Usually they occur because the little kiddie behind the keyboard just had a flash bomb go off in his mind and he wants to give us all the benefits of the very latest 15 bytes worth of coding he entered. All too many times that causes us needless grief. Just like yours did when you lost all of your passwords in Opera. No Thanks!

There is an old, old saying in the computer world. IF IT AIN'T BROKE..... DON'T FIX IT!

That is, when your computer/phone was released from the factory, it was working perfectly.

You suffered through the pains of downloading all the apps you need and getting it configured like you want it.
Once that is done, it is time to "leave it alone".

I have turned Updates OFF. I do not accept updates unless there is a dire need to do so. ie, the current app is a severe security risk. If it is not, leave it alone.

I will accept firmware and OS updates from Samsung AFTER other folks have gone through their travails and "ah shiits" because something screwed up. I wait until it is stable and then I install it.

I may sound like an old fuddy duddy to you, but that is experience talking having been with computers since the day they left Tandy's factory. In fact, before that, I was using a Motorola DevKit and programming a 6802 uProcessor in binary code, two digits at a time with a 2 digit readout.

Oh, that DevKit had 256 bytes of RAM !!! It was the latest and greatest we could get.

 

[AZgl1500]

One more bit of advice.

Back it up,

Back it up,

Back it up,

Back it up,


now go play with it.

 

[Bandon1]

@ AZgl1500, thanks for the reply.

There is an old, old saying in the computer world. IF IT AIN'T BROKE..... DON'T FIX IT!

You're not wrong, I have things on my laptop that haven't had an update in ages and I have Windows updates turned off, but I'm not used to phones, this is the first proper phone I've owned, I last had a basic €20 mobile phone back in 2010 and I haven't owned a mobile phone since then, so Android and smart phones are all new to me, I wasn't actually aware that it would have updates like this.

You suffered through the pains of downloading all the apps you need and getting it configured like you want it. Once that is done, it is time to "leave it alone".

I have my S5 on easy mode and I don't have any apps installed apart from the AVG one I downloaded, all other apps that were on the phone like FlipBoard, ChatOn, DropBox and Chrome etc, I disabled all of those. I'll probably uninstall AVG as well, as I wont be downloading any other apps and that's apparently the main way people get a virus or malware on android phones.

I have turned Updates OFF. I do not accept updates unless there is a dire need to do so. ie, the current app is a severe security risk. If it is not, leave it alone.

Could you point me in the right direction to where I turn updates off, please? I've looked through the settings and can't see where to turn them off.

 

[AZgl1500]

@ AZgl1500, thanks for the reply.

Could you point me in the right direction to where I turn updates off, please? I've looked through the settings and can't see where to turn them off.

/Settings/Security/Security policy updates/Automatic updates
is unchecked
I pull down the notification window once in a while, and if there are updates being offered there, I just hit the 'Clear' button and ignore them.
Some apps have a setting to turn off automatic updates. Not all, but some.

You can install AppBrain and configure it to Never Update.
=> https://forums.androidcentral.com/e....appspot.swisscodemonkeys.apps&token=wyqAvdxs

 

[Bandon1]

Hi AZgl1500,

/Settings/Security/Security policy updates/Automatic updates
is unchecked

Thanks for that, updates are now unchecked

You can install AppBrain and configure it to Never Update.
=> https://forums.androidcentral.com/e....appspot.swisscodemonkeys.apps&token=LhDcdb90

I've noticed a problem with Play Store, I don't know if it's to do with me disabling something or not, but I had Play Store disabled and then I enabled it again today to look at the app you posted above, Play Store loads and works fine, but when I go to download an app, after clicking install, and then clicking accept, nothing happens, I tried it on a few apps and it's the same each time, does anyone have any idea what's wrong?

 

[Bandon1]

I'm now having further problems, I continued trying to download an app, and then an error message popped up in my notifications, clicking on it takes me back to the app on Play Store and a box opens saying:

Error while retrieving information from server. [RPC:S-7:AEC-0]

Since getting that error, I can't even get to the Play Store to open, all I get when I go there is "No connection, Retry", I've tried clearing caches and data for various apps, removed my Gmail address, re-enetered it, tried changing passwords, removed and enterened a completely new Gmail address, also went to settings >> application manager, clicked the 3 dots and clicked to "Reset app preferences", but Play Store is still not working, very frustrating.

 

[AZgl1500]

I just happened back onto this thread again after have recommended it to a new user.

Play Store has "broken" so many times on my phone that it is a PITA.

Here is how I fix Play Store.

1) make sure you have a backup of your phone before anything goes wrong with it. ie, hopefully before you made any changes to it, or only when it is a good solid working device. Use Kies 3.0 to create this backup.

Each time I install something new, and only after I have used the phone a few days, I create a newer update that contains only the files necessary to fix the phone. ie, that backup does NOT contain pictures. This greatly speeds up making a system backup.

Also, after the backup is created, I go to the folder that contains that backup and I click once on the file name which highlights it. I then do a Control-C to copy that file name. Then I create a text file with that same exact name. In that text file I write down pertinent info that will tell me six months from now what major apps are in this backup, or which new ones I just added. Anything that will jog your noggin when you need to use that backup.


* Kies | SUPPORT | SAMSUNG


Now the fix:

I only select one option at a time, either WiFi which has done the trick for me sometimes, or "Locations Services" which has also fixed it on occasion, or both as the end result.
make darn sure that you have selected a "Restore File" from a date when you Know For A Fact that the phone was working correctly.

 

[AZgl1500]

Now an off-topic note about why backups are so dammed important.

My wife's Dell laptop suddenly stopped working a couple of weeks ago. That happened right after my desktop pc also started giving me a lot of major headaches which still have not been fixed in one instance... Microsoft's ".net" updates have broken Intuit's Quicken bank program for Win7. Quicken will no longer run under Win7 for me, and this is a widely known problem on the internet. I am pissed beyond belief on this.

Now the wife's Dell laptop. I looked at it and it just won't respond quickly to anything. Slow is not a strong enough description of how it was working. I looked at Windows Update and "uh oh", somehow it got left ON automatic. My preference is to "Download but do nothing, just notify me". I only install updates after I check out each update's safety with "Windows Secrets" forum to verify it is a good one.

I spent about six hours messing with that laptop. I finally just pulled out my CDROM for "Macrium Reflect" which is a darn good hard drive imaging program that is still FREE.

I have a special USB hard drive set aside for computer imaging and using that "Last Known" good working copy of her laptop, I told Macrium Reflect to reimage her laptop back to the way it was on Feb 1, 2014.

That took all of 24 minutes. I backed out of the backup program and shut the laptop down. Rebooted it and it was back like it used to be, working like a champ.

I then went into Windows Update and set it to "Never Update, do NOT check updates".

I have strong anti-virus protection and 3 firewalls set up. The 1st firewall is the one in my Internet Router. The 2nd firewall is on the computer itself. The 3rd firewall is in the WiFi router used to provide her laptop with the internet. I have never had my computers compromised using this kind of protection.

Yes, her Dell Laptop does not have the latest and greatest MicroSloth OS updates, but it runs blazingly fast and it works just fine, thank you.

She never surfs anywhere except to DIY links to figure out how to remodel her garden, make a new dress, find a new recipe. She never downloads anything so she is safe from the hackers out there. She doesn't even use email......