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The camera on my Galaxy Note 20 Ultra no longer focusses correctly
(probably some grit/dust got in when I had to replace the cover glass).
From a look around the web it seems to be a fairly common problem, and
the solution is to replace the camera module. Although I'll tackle just about any repair job I'm yet to tackle a modern, glued-together, phone.
The "how to" vids make the replacement job look like a bit of a beast,
and also mention compatibility issues with some versions of camera and phone. Now to the questions:
- What's the best way to back-up the camera to a Win10 PC?
- Has anyone here any advice on DIY camera replacement on a Note 20 Ultra?
- If I decide to send it off, what's the safest way to wipe it? (in my
IT days I think we used to overwrite HDDs with 5H and AH) and
- any suggestions for trustworthy repair places?
The camera on my Galaxy Note 20 Ultra no longer focusses correctly
(probably some grit/dust got in when I had to replace the cover glass).
From a look around the web it seems to be a fairly common problem, and
the solution is to replace the camera module. Although I'll tackle just about any repair job I'm yet to tackle a modern, glued-together, phone.
The "how to" vids make the replacement job look like a bit of a beast,
and also mention compatibility issues with some versions of camera and phone. Now to the questions:
- What's the best way to back-up the camera to a Win10 PC?
- Has anyone here any advice on DIY camera replacement on a Note 20 Ultra?
- If I decide to send it off, what's the safest way to wipe it? (in my
IT days I think we used to overwrite HDDs with 5H and AH) and
- any suggestions for trustworthy repair places?
No mail <nomail@aolbin.com> wrote:Sorry TYPO Grrr! I meant, what's the best way to back-up the phone to a
The camera on my Galaxy Note 20 Ultra no longer focusses correctly
(probably some grit/dust got in when I had to replace the cover glass).
From a look around the web it seems to be a fairly common problem, and
the solution is to replace the camera module. Although I'll tackle just
about any repair job I'm yet to tackle a modern, glued-together, phone.
The "how to" vids make the replacement job look like a bit of a beast,
and also mention compatibility issues with some versions of camera and
phone. Now to the questions:
- What's the best way to back-up the camera to a Win10 PC?
It's just a folder of photos. You could plug into a PC, but I've also just plugged in a USB stick, gone into the Files app and then copied all the internal storage to the USB. Photos are in a folder called something like 'Camera/DCIM' or similar.
If the phone takes a microSD card that's another place you can copy things.That's an interesting idea. I'll investigate the temperature needed to
If you're logged into Google then that should back up some apps and
settings, but not all of them. There are ways using 'adb' and other tools
to get deeper backups, although the best backups are taken when the phone is rooted (something you can't do without wiping it first).
- Has anyone here any advice on DIY camera replacement on a Note 20 Ultra?
No, but one thought if you have a 3D printer is to use the heated bed as a temperature controlled hotplate to melt the front glue. You can heat-soak better than the typical hairdryer or heated pillow methods.
can't be read?- If I decide to send it off, what's the safest way to wipe it? (in my
IT days I think we used to overwrite HDDs with 5H and AH) and
Reset to factory settings: on stock Android it's Settings -> System -> Reset options -> Erase all data (factory reset)
It will throw away the encryption keys so the data is unreadable.
Overwriting umpteen times only made sense with 1980s techBut does a factory reset *guarantee* that data (especially banking data)
- any suggestions for trustworthy repair places?
Not really. Depends what's local to you.
Theo
On 28/08/2025 12:21, No mail wrote:Sorry a typo. What you describe is the same with Windows. What I meant
The camera on my Galaxy Note 20 Ultra no longer focusses correctlyI dunno about win10 but on Linux I just plug in the USB and the whole
(probably some grit/dust got in when I had to replace the cover
glass). -aFrom a look around the web it seems to be a fairly common
problem, and the solution is to replace the camera module. Although
I'll tackle just about any repair job I'm yet to tackle a modern,
glued-together, phone. The "how to" vids make the replacement job look
like a bit of a beast, and also mention compatibility issues with some
versions of camera and phone. Now to the questions:
- What's the best way to back-up the camera to a Win10 PC?
phone appears as mounted drive
I just find the DCIM directory and copy or move its contents onto my PC
That's a good point. I suppose I'm a bit paranoid about financial, or- Has anyone here any advice on DIY camera replacement on a Note 20
Ultra?
- If I decide to send it off, what's the safest way to wipe it? (in my
IT days I think we used to overwrite HDDs with 5H and AH) and
- any suggestions for trustworthy repair places?
Most of the high street repair places have all the kit - the actual
camera replacement is not as hard as getting the phone apart in the
first place...
Reset to defaults is possible, but exactly what data is the cause of concern?
And do you need to actually allow [software] access to the phone to
replace a camera?
Talk to a local high street camera repair bod
Sorry TYPO Grrr! I meant, what's the best way to back-up the phone to a >Win10 PC? The aim being to return it to exactly how it is now when it- What's the best way to back-up the camera to a Win10 PC?
It's just a folder of photos. You could plug into a PC, but I've also just >> plugged in a USB stick, gone into the Files app and then copied all the
internal storage to the USB. Photos are in a folder called something like >> 'Camera/DCIM' or similar.
comes back from repair.
Theo wrote:
It's just a folder of photos. You could plug into a PC, but I've also just plugged in a USB stick, gone into the Files app and then copied all the internal storage to the USB. Photos are in a folder called something like 'Camera/DCIM' or similar.Sorry TYPO Grrr! I meant, what's the best way to back-up the phone to a Win10 PC? The aim being to return it to exactly how it is now when it
comes back from repair.
No, but one thought if you have a 3D printer is to use the heated bed as a temperature controlled hotplate to melt the front glue. You can heat-soak better than the typical hairdryer or heated pillow methods.
That's an interesting idea. I'll investigate the temperature needed to
open the phone.
Reset to factory settings: on stock Android it's Settings -> System -> Reset
options -> Erase all data (factory reset)
It will throw away the encryption keys so the data is unreadable. Overwriting umpteen times only made sense with 1980s tech
But does a factory reset *guarantee* that data (especially banking data) can't be read?
Many of these people are replacing the battery so it doesn't matter if it's cooked - perhaps it's worth doing that too if you are already in there? The phone is 5 years old and decent quality replacement batteries are only a tenner:
https://www.replacebase.co.uk/samsung-parts-main/samsung-s-series/samsung-galaxy-s20-ultra
The camera on my Galaxy Note 20 Ultra no longer focusses correctly
(probably some grit/dust got in when I had to replace the cover glass).
From a look around the web it seems to be a fairly common problem, and
the solution is to replace the camera module. Although I'll tackle just about any repair job I'm yet to tackle a modern, glued-together, phone.
The "how to" vids make the replacement job look like a bit of a beast,
and also mention compatibility issues with some versions of camera and phone. Now to the questions:
- What's the best way to back-up the camera to a Win10 PC?
- Has anyone here any advice on DIY camera replacement on a Note 20 Ultra?
- If I decide to send it off, what's the safest way to wipe it? (in my
IT days I think we used to overwrite HDDs with 5H and AH) and
- any suggestions for trustworthy repair places?
OK, my other comments still apply. First go through your apps and get those which will export their settings to a file or the cloud to do so. Then take a copy of the internal storage to USB/SD/PC. Finally sync as much as you
can with the cloud.
Sorry a typo. What you describe is the same with Windows. What I meant
was What's the best way to back-up the phone to a Win10 PC (so
everything can be reinstated)?
On 28/08/2025 16:10, No mail wrote:
Sorry a typo. What you describe is the same with Windows. What I meant
was What's the best way to back-up the phone to a Win10 PC (so
everything can be reinstated)?
If it's an android phone, isn't the whole thing being backed up to your Google drive?-a Or, have you disabled that?
So, if you're not backing it up to Google, what would you do if you
dropped the phone into somewhere irretrievable? And, if you are backing
it up to google, why are you concerned?
No mail <nomail@aolbin.com> wrote:Hmm, Quantum computing might make that not so in the future ...
Theo wrote:
Sorry TYPO Grrr! I meant, what's the best way to back-up the phone to a
It's just a folder of photos. You could plug into a PC, but I've also just >>> plugged in a USB stick, gone into the Files app and then copied all the
internal storage to the USB. Photos are in a folder called something like >>> 'Camera/DCIM' or similar.
Win10 PC? The aim being to return it to exactly how it is now when it
comes back from repair.
OK, my other comments still apply. First go through your apps and get those which will export their settings to a file or the cloud to do so. Then take a copy of the internal storage to USB/SD/PC. Finally sync as much as you
can with the cloud.
It won't be perfect but it'll be the best you can do without being rooted. There are some 'backup' apps which may be able to do a bit more, I haven't tried any non-root ones lately.
No, but one thought if you have a 3D printer is to use the heated bed as a >>> temperature controlled hotplate to melt the front glue. You can heat-soak >>> better than the typical hairdryer or heated pillow methods.
That's an interesting idea. I'll investigate the temperature needed to
open the phone.
It's a balance between well heating the glue and cooking the battery - worth investigating what people recommend.
Many of these people are replacing the battery so it doesn't matter if it's cooked - perhaps it's worth doing that too if you are already in there? The phone is 5 years old and decent quality replacement batteries are only a tenner:
https://www.replacebase.co.uk/samsung-parts-main/samsung-s-series/samsung-galaxy-s20-ultra
(that's where the independent phone shops get their parts from)
Reset to factory settings: on stock Android it's Settings -> System -> Reset
options -> Erase all data (factory reset)
It will throw away the encryption keys so the data is unreadable.
Overwriting umpteen times only made sense with 1980s tech
But does a factory reset *guarantee* that data (especially banking data)
can't be read?
Yes. Without the encryption key the data stored just becomes white noise.
Theo
Thanks for the info (and corrected parts list). I've now discovered >"maintenance mode" and SmartSwitch, which I think will give me the
assurance I want if I wuss-out and decide to get someone else to do it.
Thanks for the info (and corrected parts list). I've now discovered "maintenance mode" and SmartSwitch, which I think will give me the
assurance I want if I wuss-out and decide to get someone else to do it.
On 28/08/2025 22:14, No mail wrote:
Thanks for the info (and corrected parts list). I've now discovered
"maintenance mode" and SmartSwitch, which I think will give me the
assurance I want if I wuss-out and decide to get someone else to do it.
Rememvber: "The cloud" is just *someone else's computer*...
On 29/08/2025 10:38, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 28/08/2025 22:14, No mail wrote:
Thanks for the info (and corrected parts list). I've now discovered
"maintenance mode" and SmartSwitch, which I think will give me the
assurance I want if I wuss-out and decide to get someone else to do it.
Rememvber: "The cloud" is just *someone else's computer*...
.. yes, so when your breaks, or your house burns down, or your phone is stolen, they still have a copy of your data, and most often they will
give it back to you.
.. of course you should have a proper backup as well, but for the 99% of
the population that don't and have no idea how to go about creating one
its a great solution.
Dave--
On 29/08/2025 10:38, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 28/08/2025 22:14, No mail wrote:
Thanks for the info (and corrected parts list). I've now discovered >>>"maintenance mode" and SmartSwitch, which I think will give me the >>>assurance I want if I wuss-out and decide to get someone else to do it.
Rememvber: "The cloud" is just *someone else's computer*...
.. yes, so when your breaks, or your house burns down, or your phone is >stolen, they still have a copy of your data, and most often they will give >it back to you.
.. of course you should have a proper backup as well, but for the 99% of
the population that don't and have no idea how to go about creating one
its a great solution.
Dave
On 29/08/2025 12:09, David Wade wrote:
On 29/08/2025 10:38, The Natural Philosopher wrote:1. If your house burns down 20 year old emails are the least of your problems
On 28/08/2025 22:14, No mail wrote:
Thanks for the info (and corrected parts list). I've now discoveredRememvber: "The cloud" is just *someone else's computer*...
"maintenance mode" and SmartSwitch, which I think will give me the
assurance I want if I wuss-out and decide to get someone else to do it. >>>
.. yes, so when your breaks, or your house burns down, or your phone
is stolen, they still have a copy of your data, and most often they
will give it back to you.
2. If you keep yiur life on a phone, you deserve everything you get
.. of course you should have a proper backup as well, but for the 99%
of the population that don't and have no idea how to go about creating
one its a great solution.
Just don't expect it to be secure
Dave
On 29/08/2025 12:09, David Wade wrote:
On 29/08/2025 10:38, The Natural Philosopher wrote:1. If your house burns down 20 year old emails are the least of your problems
On 28/08/2025 22:14, No mail wrote:
Thanks for the info (and corrected parts list). I've now discoveredRememvber: "The cloud" is just *someone else's computer*...
"maintenance mode" and SmartSwitch, which I think will give me the
assurance I want if I wuss-out and decide to get someone else to do it. >>>
.. yes, so when your breaks, or your house burns down, or your phone
is stolen, they still have a copy of your data, and most often they
will give it back to you.
2. If you keep yiur life on a phone, you deserve everything you get
.. of course you should have a proper backup as well, but for the 99%
of the population that don't and have no idea how to go about creating
one its a great solution.
Just don't expect it to be secure
Dave
On 29/08/2025 in message <108s1oh$1umq4$1@dont-email.me> David Wade wrote:
On 29/08/2025 10:38, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 28/08/2025 22:14, No mail wrote:
Thanks for the info (and corrected parts list). I've now discoveredRememvber: "The cloud" is just *someone else's computer*...
"maintenance mode" and SmartSwitch, which I think will give me the
assurance I want if I wuss-out and decide to get someone else to do it. >>>
.. yes, so when your breaks, or your house burns down, or your phone
is stolen, they still have a copy of your data, and most often they
will give it back to you.
.. of course you should have a proper backup as well, but for the 99%
of the population that don't and have no idea how to go about creating
one its a great solution.
Dave
What data do people keep on a mobile that needs backing up (excluding pictures/videos which I don't use my mobile for)?
On 29/08/2025 12:28, Jeff Gaines wrote:
On 29/08/2025 in message <108s1oh$1umq4$1@dont-email.me> David Wade
wrote:
On 29/08/2025 10:38, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 28/08/2025 22:14, No mail wrote:
Thanks for the info (and corrected parts list). I've now discovered >>>>> "maintenance mode" and SmartSwitch, which I think will give me the
assurance I want if I wuss-out and decide to get someone else to do >>>>> it.
Rememvber: "The cloud" is just *someone else's computer*...
.. yes, so when your breaks, or your house burns down, or your phone
is stolen, they still have a copy of your data, and most often they
will give it back to you.
.. of course you should have a proper backup as well, but for the 99%
of the population that don't and have no idea how to go about
creating one its a great solution.
Dave
What data do people keep on a mobile that needs backing up (excluding
pictures/videos which I don't use my mobile for)?
Many folks now ONLY have a mobile or Tablet, so all their life IS on it.
Mine has a couple of authenticator applications which let me onto web
based apps.
Dave--
On 29/08/2025 12:09, David Wade wrote:
On 29/08/2025 10:38, The Natural Philosopher wrote:1. If your house burns down 20 year old emails are the least of your problems
On 28/08/2025 22:14, No mail wrote:.. yes, so when your breaks, or your house burns down, or your phone
Thanks for the info (and corrected parts list). I've now discovered
"maintenance mode" and SmartSwitch, which I think will give me the
assurance I want if I wuss-out and decide to get someone else to do
it.
Rememvber: "The cloud" is just *someone else's computer*...
is stolen, they still have a copy of your data, and most often they
will give it back to you.
2. If you keep yiur life on a phone, you deserve everything you get
.. of course you should have a proper backup as well, but for the 99%
of the population that don't and have no idea how to go about creating
one its a great solution.
Just don't expect it to be secure