I'm dealing with a potentially dying Android device, possibly due to malware, and I've been getting warnings from Malwarebytes about multiple files, apps, and even system apps being flagged as a Trojan. It's making me question whether these alerts are legitimate or just scare tactics. I need to archive the internal storage of my Motorola e5 Play (running OS 8.0.0) while preserving the timestamps. I can't find any options for 7-Zip in the right-click context menu when trying to compress files or folders. Alternatively, I'm looking for a desktop program that can backup all files and app data, but please note I don't want to install anything on my phone or keep the program cluttering my desktop. Also, I don't have a Google account and prefer not to create one.
2 Answers
Archiving your Android internal storage directly with 7-Zip isn't straightforward because MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) is limiting when connecting your phone to a PC. However, a simple way to back up files is to connect your phone via USB and use the file transfer option. Just be aware that while you can grab files, you might lose original timestamps unless you use a tool like FreeFileSync for that.
For a more comprehensive backup, you might want to use ADB (Android Debug Bridge). It's a command-line tool that can pull files, including app data, from your device. You'll need to enable USB debugging on your phone and follow some steps to set it up, but it works great for things like this! Just follow the steps provided to download the SDK Platform-Tools and run the command to grab your files.
Yeah, ADB is awesome for this! Just ensure your phone has USB debugging enabled first. It's a bit technical, but it's worth it for a complete backup.
Definitely! FreeFileSync can help maintain timestamps while transferring. Just make sure everything is copied, as using MTP can sometimes throw errors. Failing that, you might want to look into ADB for a more reliable solution.