Friday, June 3, 2011

Pass Safe Gingerbread update

Upgrading to Gingerbread (Android 2.3) will break the Pass Safe's database. In order to avoid losing all your passwords, you should make a backup of your passwords (Export DB function in Pass Safe - unencrypted to make sure that you will be able to read the passwords after upgrade), upgrade to Gingerbread, reinstall Pass Safe and import the passwords (Import DB function in Pass Safe - make sure to use "Import DB (unencrypted)" if you saved the database unencrypted).

And remember, it's always a good idea to make backups before doing any firmware update, no matter how small!

1.5.1 Update:
Pass Safe (even the free version) will dump the database if it will crash after a system update on the sdcard's root directory, in a file named passsafe_crash_db.dump. If you did not create a backup before the system update, you can use this file to recover your passwords. However, you will need an Android phone which was not updated to Gingerbread in order to read these passwords. Follow these steps to recover your database:

1. After update, try to start Pass Safe. It will create a file named passsafe_crash_db.dump on your sdcard's root directory
2. Rename that file passsafe.dump. Warning - it will override any other file named passsafe.dump on your sdcard's root directory.
3. Find another phone which was not updated to Gingerbread (Android 2.3.3) and insert your sdcard (containing newly renamed file - passsafe.dump) into this phone.
4. Install (or update to the last version) Pass Safe Free.
5. Open Pass Safe Free, press menu button and select "Import Database". Caution - do not select "Import DB (unencrypted).
6. Press menu button again and select "Export DB (unencrypted)". Caution - do not select "Export Database".
7. Remove the sdcard and plug it into your phone (the one updated to Gingerbread).
8. Reinstall Pass Safe on your phone.
9. Open Pass Safe, press menu and select "Import DB (unencrypted)". Caution - do not select "Import Database".

Your passwords should be available now.

18 comments:

  1. So, assuming that someone did not see your warnings, is there a fix?

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  2. This fix doesnt work because there isnt any
    download?

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  3. WTF? I paid for the "unfree version" it crashes and no record of anything? This is crap...

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  4. @ricky
    The application is on Android Market.

    @BuzzMumbo
    Check if the latest version is installed (now it's 1.5.3). If it's crashing, it will save the database (file named passsafe_crash_db.dump) which you can use to recover your passwords.

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  5. so once the upgrade to the phone is done, you cant recover your passwords unless you have another droid phone that hasn't been updated?? i wish i knew this BEFORE the upgrade. any other way to recover passwords?

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  6. @Michael
    It's a good ideea to backup everything before ANY update. If you've exported the database unencrypted before the update, you should be able to import it after the update. If not, you will need another phone.

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  7. Ouch! Tough lesson to learn. Well, I guess since I'm starting over collecting passwords, now's the time to upgrade password keepers to an app that is easier to use. This really sucks!

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  8. how do I access sdcard's root directory

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  9. @royw
    You can use a UDB cable to connect your phone to your PC. When you plugin the usb cord you will get a usb icon at the top of the screen. Put your thumb on the icon and pull down. Click on the icon on the pulled down screen and it will ask if you want to use it as storage.

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  10. I only managed to recover 60% of the passwords that your crappy app trashed.

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  11. This is completely FUCKED UP. An app that is supposed to protect and help you remember your many user names and passwords completely goes away with an upgrade? Thanks a whole fucking bunch people. Who can I kill? Who?

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  12. @ Eclecticity i agree this is fucked up, from now on ill save my passwords the old fashion way by writing them down and storing them somewhere.

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  13. So if I find another phone that does not have the gingerbread update, I guess that I will need to buy another pass-safe for that phone, too. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice...not likely.

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  14. ok..so I recovered my db after the upgrade. I paid for the non-ad version. how do i get rid of the ads in the free version?

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  15. I would think that as much as I used my Pass Safe that I would have gotten some type of notice. All my work passwords were in there. My phone updated on it's own....no notice at all. Either way, I would not have thought, well let me go check the internet and see if any of my apps will crash. I paid for an application that I can no longer use because when I try to open it I get the message about going to this site. So, essentially I am screw out of money and now you say to recover all my passwords I have to insert my sd card into someone else's phone, buy the app again and do your encrypting thing. If my droid is updating on it's own I am thinking that everyone else I know with the pos droids did too. I woke up to this yesterday and didn't realize my pass safe was gone til I got to work today. Grrrr

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  16. You know what could prevent these problems Mr. Developer? The ability to schedule a backup nightly... It really can't be THAT hard to implement all sorts of other apps do it. That will definitely prevent this problem in the future.

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  17. Once you do all the updates and you get (error encrypting:pad block corrupted), then what?

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  18. Interesting information I haven’t been through such information in a long time
    free Samsung Galaxy S4 root

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