Database Users

[Q] Google Nexus 4: photo recovery -safest ROOT possible (pun) 4.4.2

In short, i deleted my photos by accident, and deeply desire to recover them.
Data Recovery programs wont work on my Google Nexus 4, for a combination of reasons. Namely, because it is not a usb mass storage device, it is internal memory, and because the phone has not ever been rooted. If it is possible to recover the photos without rooting the phone, this would be favorable. But i doubt this is possible.
Is there a way to root my phone without causing a "factory wipe/reset"? Perhaps by avoiding unlocking the bootloader?I am not even 100% sure if this can be achieved on 4.4.2. as of now. I am continuing to investigate, but if anyone has the know-how, please let me know.
this forum here, suggests something that might work, but at the end of the forum, it suggests that 4.4.2 is still impossible to root without wiping.
-There are methods of scanning the phone after it has been rooted, but i can't find the right kind of rooting i need.
-There are methods of copying the phone's hard drive -bit-by-bit- to my PC in .RAW format, and then converting this into something that can be mounted like a real drive, which could be scanned and from which photos could be recovered., but this method requires a rooted phone as well
-there is a possibility of trying to mount the phone on a linux OS, and then scan it possibly. but i don't know if this is impossible.
i am reading the basics in the meantime.
LG Google Nexus 4, 4.4.2
Build:KOT49H
kernel:
3.4.0-perf-g2cae413
[email protected] #1
wed Nov20 14:54:28 PST 2013
Desktop PC: Windows 7 Professional 64bit, service pack 1.
Laptop: mac...
you can read more about things i have tried and my other concerns, in greater detail below.
LOTS OF METHODS, LITTLE CLARITY
I just came back from visiting some dear friends in china and purchased an upgraded version of dropbox. Before I uploaded my photos, I accidentally deleted my entire album.
What is the safest and surest attempt for recovery?
1. i need to avoid installing anything on my phone as much as possible - (lest it overwrite the empty areas where the "deleted" photos reside.)
2. i need to keep my phone off as much as humanly possible (lest it overwrite the empty areas where the "deleted" photos reside.)
3. almost without saying - id like to avoid bricking my phone, (lest it destroy my "deleted" photos)
SOFTWARE RECOVERY SECTION
All known software recovery programs won't find any data on my phone because either they are made for scanning mountable drives, USB mass storage devices, or some simply cannot scan the device unless i root my phone (although I am not sure if rooting is directly correlated with successful scanning, or if rooting the phone simply allows me to carry on with other necessary steps prior to "successful scanning"- like allowing me to installing apps that allow me to mount the internal memory as a scannable drive). Enabling USB Debugging, or enabling/disabling MTP is not the same as enabling USB mass storage mode. Seeing the Nexus 4 as "portable Device" under my computer does not mean it is a mounted drive that i can scan with a recover program. No matter what, nothing seems to work with the Google Nexus 4 as it is now.
***I first tried installing the driver's through the ANDROID SDK, by unzipping the contents from the downloaded zip file and by double clicking the .exe file. Double-clicking the .exe file resulted in a cmd dos-style window popping up and immediately disappearing. Perhaps i needed to put the extracted folder on "C:\"?
REGARDLES....later, I have used WugFresh Nexus Root Toolkit v1.8.2 for ensuring proper driver installation for my phone. I have only used this software to install drivers. It walks you through bad-driver uninstallation/clean up, it retrieves the latest drivers, installs them, and then tests their workability for you and lets you know if the drivers were successfully installed.
I have not used Wug's toolkit to root or hack my phone... yet....
Below is a list of software I have used on my Windows machine and my mac. These simply will not work with the phone as it is right now.
Remo
TenorShare
Bycloud android data recovery
Android Data Recovery
Dr. Fone
Recuva
- i havent tried disk digger. but it requires a rooted phone.
SO simple methods will simply not work? Please correct me if I am wrong.
BIT BY BIT CLONE METHOD
This seems to be the most tedious (but thorough) method for actually preparing something that can be truly scanned for photo-recovery. This method seems to create a bit-by-bit copy of the phone to my computer, which can be converted and mounted and then scanned.
However, it requires rooting. Not to mention, it recommends non-destructive rooting. Which leads me to the next section ...
ROOTING section (and its problems)
In the fruitless sections listed above, it always seems to lead towards rooting as a requirement. Most people say you should root your phone when you first get it, because, i suppose rooting is "synonymous" with a wipe/reset. I believe this reset happens as a result of the bootloader being unlocked. According to MY limited understanding, this unlocking process essentially causes a "factory reset" which wipes the phone, and then catastrophically overwrites the precious space where the deleted photos currently reside. this is unacceptable. I imagine, this "reset" is for security reasons.
Most people seem to suggest that you make a back up before you root. This isn't helpful for my situation because we are talking about retrieving deleted data. I cannot make a back-up of deleted data.
Is it really possible to root without wiping the Google Nexus 4?
Is it even profitable to consider rooting a viable option? I don't imagine myself enjoying a rooted phone as much as others on this forum. I would hate to be creating a black hole for malicious software to breed. i am only concerned with data retrieval for this one time in my life. Is rooting the only viable option? If i root, won't that make the previously mentioned software-scanning section (e.g., Dr. fone), more viable than the BIT-BY-BIT section tedious and pointless by comparison?
All in all, I think it most likely that i will need to root my phone and do the bit by bit copy. If a rooting-first-step is the final conclusion, then I am looking for clear and careful advice for my specific phone on how to root it without jeopardizing the deleted photos (e.g., avoiding a "factory reset" from unlocking the bootloader, or perhaps avoiding unlocking the bootloader altogether) and how to hopefully carry on from there. I don't even know if avoiding "unlocking the bootloader" will virtually guarantee a non-destructive root method
Rooting gets crazy because it leads to necessary installations of SuperUser, busybox, kernels, roms, etc... There are so many unfamiliar vague terms for a beginner like me and it is taking tons of time to break through. I am uninterested in keeping my phone rooted, or maintaining a lifestyle with a rooted phone. if we can move expeditiously from point A to B and then back, (get in, get the photos, and get out,) that would be the most awesome plan.
LINUX METHOD?
is there another way to get to the deleted photos?.
I do not know if 'mounting' the phone is akin to 'mounting' a scannable drive. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw2MKGIgyF4
maybe this is another wild goose chase?
IN SUMMARY
1. It would be helpful if there was a root-free photo-recovery software solution that actually works (this is unlikely to be in existence) with an unrooted nexus 4
2. It would be helpful if it is possible to root without destroying my chances of recovering my deleted photos, with the goal of allowing recovery software access (deeper access) to my phone, i.e. disk digger or if necessary... a bit-by-bit copy to my PC.
3. it would be interesting if the nexus 4 can be magically mounted and scanned on the linux operating system
4. It would be MOST HELPFUL if there was a clear consensus on what direction to take, because there is a lot of misinformation out there. One wrong step and i could end up shooting myself in the foot twice (if i inadvertently reset my phone), or three times (if i brick my phone).
5. can the phone be put back to normal (i.e. unroot) after rooting? or does this require that i make a full backup of the phone in its current state? ( i tried using WUGS toolkit to backup my media, but it wont do it unless i unlock the bootloader... back to that problem again )
I'm sorry for sounding like an idiot. I have been at this for a more than a few hours. I sincerely appreciate any help and consideration towards this specific situation in advance, and the hope that this forum has already offered me.

Impossible to root 4.4.2 without unlocking the boot loader and wiping the device.

DrFredPhD said:
Impossible to root 4.4.2 without unlocking the boot loader and wiping the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same problem.... There isn't a solution yet? :crying:

fabrollo said:
Same problem.... There isn't a solution yet? :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, you have to unlock the bootloader and that wipes the device
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using XDA Free mobile app

jd1639 said:
Nope, you have to unlock the bootloader and that wipes the device
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And after i should try to recover all the wiped files with diskdigger for example? Maybe the datas that we was searching will be found?
Thanks... if i must try this way to solve my problem i will bite the bullet...

fabrollo said:
And after i should try to recover all the wiped files with diskdigger for example? Maybe the datas that we was searching will be found?
Thanks... if i must try this way to solve my problem i will bite the bullet...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The chances of recovering anything is very small
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app

My photos have been lost!help me

i have G2 16GB.it is not rooted.how can i recover my photos?i really need them . i have checked many programmes on my computer but they can not recognize my internal storage as a drive

jak-jak said:
i have G2 16GB.it is not rooted.how can i recover my photos?i really need them . i have checked many programmes on my computer but they can not recognize my internal storage as a drive
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please provide more information. How did your photos disappear? Saying they're 'lost' isn't very informative.
To have your internal storage recognised, make sure before connecting your G2 to the PC you go Settings > PC Connection > Set USB connection method and set it to "Media Sync (MTP)". This will set up USB connectivity for transferring images, music, videos and documents.

Unless you give us any extra information about how the files got deleted, there isn't specific help we can give you.
so far what I can tell you:
if files got deleted by mistake... well, its easy then.
I suggest rooting your device - ioroot
Than install Undeleter
Try this and post us the outcome.

d00lz said:
Please provide more information. How did your photos disappear? Saying they're 'lost' isn't very informative.
To have your internal storage recognised, make sure before connecting your G2 to the PC you go Settings > PC Connection > Set USB connection method and set it to "Media Sync (MTP)". This will set up USB connectivity for transferring images, music, videos and documents.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i wanted to copy a file form my phone into my computer.after that i unplug usb and again plug usb. i saw that all of my files are gone .
i can transfer data from phone to PC , but recovery's programe can not detect my device to recovery

paviol said:
Unless you give us any extra information about how the files got deleted, there isn't specific help we can give you.
so far what I can tell you:
if files got deleted by mistake... well, its easy then.
I suggest rooting your device - ioroot
Than install Undeleter
Try this and post us the outcome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it wasn't by mistake,data deleted accidentally with unpluging usb cable .
is there any way instead of rooting?

Two things from my experience. First one has to be sure to select the correct mode for the USB connection and there may well be ".nomedia" files in directories where images are stored which would prevent say Gallery from seeing them.

gospodinwizard said:
Two things from my experience. First one has to be sure to select the correct mode for the USB connection and there may well be ".nomedia" files in directories where images are stored which would prevent say Gallery from seeing them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for example remo programe for recovery can not detect my phone to recovery my images.

If you know some linux knowledge you can use testdisk. But you need to be rooted. DONT INSTALL AND DOWNLOAD ON THE PHONE any recovery programs . Because it overrite your old data. And all datas will be unrecoverable. Ioroot fine works (it just installs su and supersu.apk on system partition so it wont hurt your data.) Here is more info....
more info
If you want to download it as text it is here. from management.
Sorry for bad English..

jak-jak said:
i have G2 16GB.it is not rooted.how can i recover my photos?i really need them . i have checked many programmes on my computer but they can not recognize my internal storage as a drive
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry i couldnt quote for first post so I want to quote for you receving notification.
With this tutorial you will have a img or whatever you want which is including your data partition bytes by bytes. So you probably recover your pics and so other. 2 monts ago i used and all data had recoveried. I think so it will work for you..

makgun said:
Sorry i couldnt quote for first post so I want to quote for you receving notification.
With this tutorial you will have a img or whatever you want which is including your data partition bytes by bytes. So you probably recover your pics and so other. 2 monts ago i used and all data had recoveried. I think so it will work for you..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you mean that there is no way to recover without rooting?
is there any way to get help from pc's recovery programe?

jak-jak said:
i have G2 16GB.it is not rooted.how can i recover my photos?i really need them . i have checked many programmes on my computer but they can not recognize my internal storage as a drive
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just said to you if you root your phone, you will probably recover your files but if you dont have root acces you can recover your some folders maybe it will be hurt. So you need to think which one is important "varranty of the phone or recoverable data". But maybe you recover some folders, not all via usb otg. It wont overwrite your old data so if you dont wanna be root (i really dont understand you why you dont wanna be root ) you must use some app on play store and recover your pics and others.. ))

[Q] ***URGENT Help*** ZTE Libra on Bootloop because of Internal Memory

[Q] ***URGENT Help*** ZTE Libra stuck on BootLoop because of insufficient Internal Memory
Hello there,
I have a very big problem and i need urgent help to Recover All data from an ZTE Libra android phone INTERNAL MEMORY who is stuck in Bootloop after ran out of Internal Memory.
I don't have made any backup of my Data.
I don't want to do Factory Reset yet.
I have tried wipe cache partition that don't work for me.
About phone: ZTE Libra bought on amazon, i think is android 2.2 STOCK ROM installed, NOT rooted, USB debugging NOT activated,I can enter Recovery Mode by pressing Power button + Volume Down + Home Button,I can enter FTM mode (Field Test Mode) - i think its called by pressing Power Button + Volume Up, I can connect it to PC - Windows 7 with USB cable in FTM mode and Wondershare Dr Fone Recovery program recognize it but i am stuck on 2nd Step where it ask me to activate USB Debugging and i am not able to do so, I can connect it to PC - Windows 7 with USB cable while is Turned ON and in Bootloop and My PC list it in My Computer but if i click on it is empty - If i click Properties it shows empty also, but it shows there,
PS. I also contacted ZTE Support directly by email and discussed with them about this, and ask them for a solution. i still wait for answer at the moment as they told me so.
After reading all possible forums since Monday i have found some information who make me think there is possible to find a solution, in the forms of some Exploits/Debugging software made by Developers,etc
I try to achieve the followings:
1. I want to fix the Bootloop or restore back the phone to its normal state so i can use it again.
2. I want to recover Phonebook Contacts from the Phone memory, Notepad Notes from the phone, Whatsapp Data from the Phone memory, Bookmarks if possible from Browser, etc
3. I want to know if i can install ClockworkMod recovery from the sd card and install an factory image or update without losing DATA.
4. I have found a script in this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2138661&nocache=1
Is possible to fix the boot loop by trying to free some space on the internal memory with this script ????
5. Is possible to install stock rom without wiping data or how to update stock rom without wiping my data ????
Here is some info i have found on some other thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5/help/soft-brick-bootloop-stock-recovery-t2806516
" Also search XDA for reactivation lock threads.. some people were claiming that they have found bugs /exploits that may aid you in recovering. You might also be able to dump the data partition from a JTAG interface - but that would be a highly technical, expert level procedure where a misstep could brick your phone.
And as a practical last resort, if nothing else works, try installing a firmware update instead of a full OEM image. That may replace enough system files to fix the boot process and might not delete your user files in the data partition. "
In the last resort i think i reset to factory and then use Wondershare Dr Fone to recover my Data but i have very important Notes and Phone numbers that i want to recover and i want to make sure i can save them.
What happened is:
Monday i was using Whatsapp and after several times getting an error that Whatsapp stop working,and Browser stop working - Internal memory ran Out of Space lt was less than 1 MB just few kb left , i was trying to delete some Voice messages from Whatsapp to create some space because the phone has only 100 MB of Internal Memory and in the last time always tell me it Runs out of Space.
I deleted the voice messages and then i turned OFF the phone in the idea that it will update the memory space and show how much i have left.
When i want to turn ON the phone it got stuck in the Bootloop.
First i did not know what is happening but then i searched on google and found out about this.
Please Help me. I need urgent help from Professionals and Developers, i am willing to pay also to recover my data. Any solutions, there has to exist a solution.
I am waiting for your answer, Thank you so much in advance.

2. i think contacts are saved on your gmail account.
5. when you update stock rom you don't lose anything

Help Anyone ?!
smushyyy said:
2. i think contacts are saved on your gmail account.
5. when you update stock rom you don't lose anything
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you expect me to update stock rom if i don't have more space.
Contacts from Phone are not saved on gmail account
And how i can find an update for this stock rom?!

Anyone can help ? I am really need to find a solution ASAP
I am thinking to use that Fix bootloop script, put it on the sd card and delete Whatsapp APP to create free space and hopefully i can gain access again to the phone and then reinstall Whatsapp
Any advice? PLEASE!!!

Help anyone ????????????
PLEASE HELP
I am trying to recover my data and i need some advice whether to use this methods or no
1 method
I have found a BOOT LOOP zip fix script here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2138661 that can delete apps from the phone in order to fix the boot loop. i am thinking to use this to create some space on the phone since my phone is stuck in boot loop because of insufficient internal memory. I am thinking to delete whatsapp and hope to be able to gain access to the phone so i can save my phonebook,notes,etc and then reinstall whatsapp and recover my messages from whatsapp backup. I need to know if this script work with a phone that is not rooted. i already sent message to the person who posted the thread but still no answer. I need advice if this CAN work or no ??????????????????
2 method
I have found on internet information of how to install Clockworkmod recovery, so i downloaded this file " recovery-clockwork-6.0.1.2-blade " that i think work with ZTE Libra too. If i can install this maybe i can find a solution.
I need to know can i install this if my phone is not rooted ??????????????????
Can any of this work ?????????????
I NEED URGENT HELP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think no one has expirience with this problem, you shuold post question somewhere elese, like android general etc.

Hi,i have root my phone.please,what next.
Sent from my Infinix-X551 using XDA Free mobile app

G900P Deleted DCIM Recovery

Hi,
I accidentally deleted about ~7 months of pictures/videos from my phone. I have spent about a week trying to recover them, and am pretty confident my specific questions have not been posted previously (or if they have, they are still unresolved), or I would have found them by now. But I could be wrong! I apologize, please point me to any relevant threads if that is the case. I tried to do my due diligence in reading about forum rules and whatnot as well, but I am so exhausted from the past week of ~interneting~ that I could have missed something. Please correct me!
Anyways, I am pretty confident I was able to image the mmcbkl0 thing using ADB (using this). When I run the .raw file through testdisk I get two partitions that show up as Mac HFS that could not be recovered. I have no idea what is going on there. Photorec finds a bunch of stuff but none of my deleted images. Also, the files it does find I am completely unable to open. I've looked into figuring out how to mount the drive in Ubuntu (running 12.04) but I get rather confused.
I also brought my .raw file over to Windows and tried to use this guide (from xda), but I could only mount the drive with NTFS or FAT32 and I am pretty sure it's supposed to be ext4. Regardless, the Recuva program gets hung on ~analyzing files 20 of 30~ or whatever. I let it run overnight and the "time remaining" estimation just kept going up so I killed it.
I also tried everything on just the userdata partition (mmcblk0p26), but it's unclear if the DCIM data is even on that partition. I get similar unrecovered partitions in testdisk. I tried to follow this guide to figure out where my DCIM was, but I am not familiar enough with terminal commands or adb to figure it out.
I am sure you will need a more specific information in order to help me, but I have consumed so much information on android and linux over the past week that I no longer am sure what is relevant. Please ask and I will answer! My phone is currently off, and when I turn it on to hook it up to the computer it's in airplane mode. I had to download busybox to root it, but other than that not much of the data should have been overwritten.
So, if anyone knows how I might troubleshoot the testdisk stuff (my geometries are wrong maybe?), or knows of other disk analyzing software, or how I could mount the .raw file in Ubuntu to further analyze it, or know anything else about where the internal DCIM memory might be, or just have any suggestions they would all be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

You could try data recovery for android app to get data back. Good luck.

alexclairegreat said:
You could try jihosoft.com/android/android-phone-recovery.html data recovery for android app to get data back. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't find any reliable-looking reviews of this software online. Does anyone know if it's legitimate?

Unrestricted access to my memory card - is that possible?

Hi all,
First of all - forgive me if the subject has been up before - I did a bit of searching, but could't really find much about the subject.
I'm generally very pleased with the Mi A1 (my 4th "main" android phone after HTC Desire, SGS3 & OPO) but one thing that is giving me a bit of grief is this thing with access to my sd card, more precisely with copying content to the card by using different apps like root explorer, dropbox, dropsync pro etc.
Two very common actions in my usage are:
- Start an ftp-server on the phone and push new episodes of whatever tv-series I'm watching for the moment from computer to phone
- Open root explorer in my phone and copy stuff from my Dropbox folder to my phone (and back)
Neither of these actions can be done in my A1 (stock Oreo). The phone actually give the appearance of giving me the option to choose the sd-card but when trying to actually transfer something there it get's stuck before finishing or just return an error when trying.
So my question is - to get back to actually having rights to transfer stuff to my SD card without any problems, which of the below options would be the "easiest":
1. Does this work if I downgrade to Nougat?
2. Would rooting be enough if I stay on Oreo?
3. Can I transfer more freely with LOS 15.x?
4. Other options?
I actually found one thread mentioning this as a problem in stock Oreo so I know I'm not alone with the problem.
Thanks in advance,
/gosa

Hi,
Found this when searching Google for solutions this problem.
At the moment my only way of getting files onto the memory card is to download them to the internal storage and then using "Stock" file manager to copy them to the memory card... A bit to many steps if you ask me.
I was thinking that rooting might solve it but haven't gotten around to it yet.

hi
gosa said:
Hi all,
First of all - forgive me if the subject has been up before - I did a bit of searching, but could't really find much about the subject.
I'm generally very pleased with the Mi A1 (my 4th "main" android phone after HTC Desire, SGS3 & OPO) but one thing that is giving me a bit of grief is this thing with access to my sd card, more precisely with copying content to the card by using different apps like root explorer, dropbox, dropsync pro etc.
Two very common actions in my usage are:
- Start an ftp-server on the phone and push new episodes of whatever tv-series I'm watching for the moment from computer to phone
- Open root explorer in my phone and copy stuff from my Dropbox folder to my phone (and back)
Neither of these actions can be done in my A1 (stock Oreo). The phone actually give the appearance of giving me the option to choose the sd-card but when trying to actually transfer something there it get's stuck before finishing or just return an error when trying.
So my question is - to get back to actually having rights to transfer stuff to my SD card without any problems, which of the below options would be the "easiest":
1. Does this work if I downgrade to Nougat?
2. Would rooting be enough if I stay on Oreo?
3. Can I transfer more freely with LOS 15.x?
4. Other options?
I actually found one thread mentioning this as a problem in stock Oreo so I know I'm not alone with the problem.
Thanks in advance,
/gosa
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here one more with the same problem. I have the My A1 in ROM Stock Oreo 8 with root via magisk, and it is tedious and annoying not to be able to write to the external SD. I use ADM, apps for downloads Torrent, Solid Explorer.
Having Root I had the opportunity to try several possible solutions. Here some of them (note: none worked, nor resolved) I expose them in case someone else wants to try, possibly something will work for them.
Root ??????
SDFix: KitKat Writable MicroSD. (Developed by NextApp)
Magisk Modules??????
App Systemizer
ExSDCard Access Enabler
Xposed ??????
Marshmallow SD fix
KitKat SD Card Full Access (Caution: gives many errors in OS)
Handle External Storage
One way to take it with Solid Explore (it's more visual than the Stock Explorer):
* Solid Explorer, to paste or write to SD, always go to Root / mnt / media_RW / SD Card
As I mentioned. None of the above worked for me.
The only way to solve the problem momentarily is to download and use the apps all in the internal memory, with the stock file explorer moving the files to the external SD in a step later.
If someone can give light to this problem or a possible solution I will be very grateful.
*(sorry for my English)

Have you tried binding folder/creating softlink

Could you explain how it is done? Or inform about the subject.

Just got 8.1 and the problem is gone.