Recovering Chrome Bookmarks via Undeleter Programs (Suggestions?) + Rooting INQUIRY

checkTvisitor · Nov 2, 2019

Ok my friends, this could be a tall order.

What I would like to do is recover my Chrome Bookmarks which I FOOLISHLY overwrote somehow using Super Backup & Restore by MobileIdea Studio. The ui was confusing, instead of checking ALL the menus thoroughly like I usually do, not seeing the STAR for BOOKMARKS in a seperate thing, I go to Apps and Backup Chrome.apk, then launch it, thinking that Im simply reapplying my chrome. It overwrites my Chrome and everything in it. I was meanwhile trying to get my Sync to work on desktop, but it always had a 107 error until AFTER this happens. I had previously had (or so I thought) my bookmarks synced FROM my phone.

I've looked over this guide :
Root LG K20 Plus MP260 / LGMP260 Metro PCS & T Mobile TP260 - Magisk
My concern is that after rooting I be able to still recover stuff from the 'ether' of invisible files that can be remapped to a file. (Mentioned again in the link below.)
Does this way circumvent needing to factory reset everything?
Am I able to do this without "creating an image of the userdata partition"?

I have Undeleter by Fahrbot PRI, but it needs root access to get more than images. This phone, as we know, needs bootloader access?
I would like to know if there are better Undeleter/such programs,
(Perhaps PhotoRec? Suggested in the following link)
https://forums.androidcentral.com/g...pes-data-any-hope-recovering-these-files.html

I dont really know what file types Chrome Bookmarks are on Android, so I would appreciate help on this also.

As of a few days ago I knew zero about any of this whatsoever, so I really want these bookmarks back. I have to try. Sorry this is formatted in such a mess. I might re-organize it.

Rukbat · Nov 2, 2019

Overwriting a file in a phone usually actually overwrites the file, so there's no getting the old one back. File recovery works because when a file is deleted, all that's done is to mark its directory entry "deleted" instead of "active" (and marking the space it used to occupy as being free). The listing for the file is still in the directory, so the recovery app simply finds the entry, marks it "active", finds the first block the file used ... and goes from there, "recovering" the file. The file is never actually "deleted" unless you use a shredder app. Overwriting doesn't usually give you that ease of recovery. (It may. Reinstalling Chrome doesn't necessarily wipe the bookmarks, the new installation just has no links to them. So recovery may work. [But don't pin your hopes on it. It's one of the reasons I usually export my bookmarks regularly - that's a part of backing things up.])

As far as installing Magisk, unless you've already unlocked the bootloader (I do that as soon as I get a new phone), it's going to wipe everything, just like a factory reset.

If you can make an image of the userdata partition, then convert it into a file, PhotoRec can recover everything in that image. (See the instructions in the wiki for recovering from an iPhone. It uses dd to create the image - the same as any *nix-based system, like Android - which you probably don't have on the LG, and you can't install Busybox to get it until the phone is rooted. Vicious circle.)

According to Google, Android Chrome saves its bookmarks in the "Mobile Bookmarks" folder. Then they say:

On your Android phone or tablet, open the Chrome app

.
At the top right, tap More

Bookmarks.
- If your address bar is at the bottom, swipe up on the address bar. Tap Star
  
  .
If you're in a folder, at the top left, tap Back

.
Open each folder and look for your bookmark.