SOLVED
See my most recent post in this thread
______________________________________________________________________________________
Firstly, I've spent the last three days scouring XDA and some other forums searching for solutions and trying various options.
The screen on my N4 has cracked and I've lost the use of the bottom half of the touchscreen. This means that I can't unlock my phone.
The phone is insured and will be repaired, but there are photos of my son's first birthday on the internal memory that I don't want to lose. I'm concerned that the phone will be factory reset during a repair or I'll receive a replacement. I'm trying to access the internal memory remotely to backup these files before I send the phone off. The problem is that I hadn't enabled USB debugging before the accident. The phone is completely stock including the bootloader.
So I can access via fastboot but not via adb.
Q1: Can I pull file from the internal memory via fastboot
Q2: Can I enable usb debugging via fastboot
Q3: The phone is set to display as an MTP device in windows but as I can't unlock the screen, none of the files are showing. Is there anyway around this?
Q4: Purely via fastboot, can I unlock the bootloader, install CWM so to use ADB within it and then return to a stock bootloader?
I think they're my options. Any answers to the above or alternatives would be appreciated.
All of the other threads regarding this, the users seem to either already have CWM installed or they're looking to perform a factory reset. I did consider resetting the device via the bootloader in order to bypass the screenlock but I understand that on the N4 this wipes the internal memory as well.
Unlocking the device isn't needed to pull the files from it, just plug it in and get what you need from the internal memory
EddyOS said:
Unlocking the device isn't needed to pull the files from it, just plug it in and get what you need from the internal memory
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On mine if I plug it in it appears as an MTP device but with no files. I then have to unlock the screen and select USB something-or-other from the notificationss bar, then the files appear in windows.
Strange, mine never needs to be unlocked...I'm using Windows 8 Pro btw but it also works fine in work on Vista Business
Only other thing I can think of is the fact I'm unlocked and running a custom ROM, I've never used my N4 stock. It was on CM within 30 mins of receiving the unit!
So over the last week I've managed to solve my problem. I've seen several other people asking for help with no luck so I'm posting this here in the hope that the search function will bring it up.
Firstly, my phone was completely stock running 4.2.2, unrooted, with the locked stock bootloader. USB Debugging WAS NOT enabled. I had pattern lock enabled when I dropped the phone. The screen cracked and the bottom half of the touchscreen was unresponsive.
The phone was insured, but I wanted to backup photos from the device before sending it off for repair/replacement.
HOW I FIXED IT.
Please note, you need at least some part of the screen to be working, specifically, some part of the screen where the pattern lock is.
You only need two pieces of software. The Android SDK and the Nexus 4 Toolkit http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1995688
If you are running 4.2.2 you will need to update the toolkit. I also had the standard issues of installing the USB drivers for the N4. You need to get to a point where is shows up as an ADB device in Windows Device Manager.
As I didn't have USB debuggin enabled I couldn't connect tothe phone via ADB, but if you put it into recovery mode you can use Fastboot. Hold down the power key to turn the device off and turn it on while holding down Vol Down to load up recovery mode.
If you then start the N4 Toolkit, you should see the device listed as a fast boot device.
From within the toolkit unlock your bootloader.
Flash a temporary bootlader, (option 10) as the touchscreeen was broken it has to be CWM.
Once in CWM you can start to use ADB. Open up a DOS command prompt in Windows, go to your SDK/platform tools folder/ to access ADB.exe and you can use the pull command to copy folders to your PC. At this point, instead you can use applications like ADBexplorer or DroidExplorer to do the same thing through a nicer GUI.
If you'd like to still be able to use your phone, although without the touchscreen, you can load an unstable image to get into android and then use ADB to start changing system settings.
Firstly, before exiting CWM, clear the cache. Without doing this the phone jsut hung on the Nexus symbol while loading the image.
in the toolkit go to root/unroot options and select load unstable image(option 4 and then 6). This will fire you up into Android and it should be set up as you left it.
I wanted to enable bluetooth so to use a keyboard (I didn't have a mouse but this is a better option) from the DOS window type the following command
am start -a android.bluetooth.adapter.action.REQUEST_ENABLE
You should eventually get a pop-up on your screen saying that a request has been made to enable bluetooth. Hopefully your screen is working enough to select enable.
Then I use the workaround to disable the sceenlock, found here -> (http://www.addictivetips.com/androi...e-pattern-unlock-on-android-via-adb-commands/) I found method 2 worked for me. I imagine this will be stopped in a future update.
Method 1
adb shell
cd /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases
sqlite3 settings.db
update system set value=0 where name='lock_pattern_autolock';
update system set value=0 where name='lockscreen.lockedoutpermanently';
.quit
Method 2
adb shell rm /data/system/gesture.key
If either of these methods are successful you will be able to unlock the phone with an pattern, hence why you need to be able to touch some part of it.
From then, my bluetooth keyboard was already mated to my phone to I was able the navigate the menus to turn on USB Debugging, turn-off the screen lock and a few other bits and pieces I needed to do.
I then restarted (I was still working within the unstable image) and on reboot, all my changes had al been applied. No screen lock, bluetooth enabled and USB Debugging enabled.
Hopefully this will be of help to those in a similar position. Thanks has to go to the toolkit though which provides all the necessary access to carry this out.
I should probably add, you can use the toolkit to relock the bootlader if you're concerned about that and if you can't click the screen to enable bluetooth or mate a keyboard or mouse, once you have USB Debugging enabled you can use software like Screencast to control you phone's screen from a PC.
So typically, just as I fill my claim to repair my nexus my wife drops her, smashing the screen even more than I did so she has absolutely no use of her screen. I went through the process again and though I'd post it in a more simple fashion.
1. Reset Nexus into recovery mode (power & volume down)
2. Connect to PC via USB. Install the USB driver from the SDK so that it appears as an ADB device
3. Fire up the updated toolkit. You should see the nexus as a fast boot device
4. Unlock bootloader
5. Using option 10 on the toolkit load up CWM on the phone. This gives you ADB access so can you pull files off the device via ADB although I could access the SD card through programs like Droid explorer.
6. If you want to carry on further and get into Android properly, you'll need to wipe the cache from within CWM
7. Reboot and hold down the volume key to get back into recovery
8. In the toolkit select root options (option 4) and load temporary image (6) If it hangs on the google or nexus logo you've not wiped the cache.
9. With this second phone I couldn't access it through droid explorer as it was popping up as an MTP device but I could pull the files via command prompt or through the toolkit
10. If you have any use of the touchscreen at all you can run the following command which will then mean that any touch will unlock the device
adb shell rm /data/system/gesture.key11. You can activate bluetooth via adb if you have a mouse or keyboard available but you will need to be able to press okay on the screen
12. Any changes you make in the unstable android image such as lockscreen, bluetooth, enabling debugging, etc will remain in place when you restart the device.
13. You can relock the bootloader if you wish via the toolkit. You just need to be in recovery mode first.
Hope this simplifies the process
Does unlocking bootloader via toolkit not wipe everything? How are you unlocking bootloader and still able to pull data off?
EDIT: it appears fastboot oem unlock on the Nexus 4 *does not* wipe data!
Carpetboy said:
So typically, just as I fill my claim to repair my nexus my wife drops her, smashing the screen even more than I did so she has absolutely no use of her screen. I went through the process again and though I'd post it in a more simple fashion.
1. Reset Nexus into recovery mode (power & volume down)
2. Connect to PC via USB. Install the USB driver from the SDK so that it appears as an ADB device
3. Fire up the updated toolkit. You should see the nexus as a fast boot device
4. Unlock bootloader
5. Using option 10 on the toolkit load up CWM on the phone. This gives you ADB access so can you pull files off the device via ADB although I could access the SD card through programs like Droid explorer.
6. If you want to carry on further and get into Android properly, you'll need to wipe the cache from within CWM
7. Reboot and hold down the volume key to get back into recovery
8. In the toolkit select root options (option 4) and load temporary image (6) If it hangs on the google or nexus logo you've not wiped the cache.
9. With this second phone I couldn't access it through droid explorer as it was popping up as an MTP device but I could pull the files via command prompt or through the toolkit
10. If you have any use of the touchscreen at all you can run the following command which will then mean that any touch will unlock the device
adb shell rm /data/system/gesture.key11. You can activate bluetooth via adb if you have a mouse or keyboard available but you will need to be able to press okay on the screen
12. Any changes you make in the unstable android image such as lockscreen, bluetooth, enabling debugging, etc will remain in place when you restart the device.
13. You can relock the bootloader if you wish via the toolkit. You just need to be in recovery mode first.
Hope this simplifies the process
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please HELP, i can get to step 5...but then, when I try to use ADB via cmd (ie. adb shell), it says "error: device offline". what can it be? I don't know if this is a driver related issue (i've tried the toolkit drivers and the SDK drivers)...i'm desperated, I can't access the phone!!
Thanks in advance
not working for me
i'm in same boat with cracked screen. i can get CWM installed but i cant enabled usb debugging without touching the screen so i cant get adb working. how did you turn on usb debugging without the screen
Thanks for the guide.
Im curious on why youd want to boot an unstable(temporary) image after pulling the files using ADB in CWM recovery. Why not just wipe cache and reboot normally into Android ?
usb debugging without screen?
compsmart said:
i'm in same boat with cracked screen. i can get CWM installed but i cant enabled usb debugging without touching the screen so i cant get adb working. how did you turn on usb debugging without the screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can someone please walk me through how to do this? My screen is completely broken, but I can still turn on/off, I have reason to believe debugging is off because when I connect the phone (a Samsung galaxy sII skyrocket) to my Toshiba laptop via a micro USB, it makes a sound to signal that it's connected. Drives E and F then open up (but are empty) and then disappear. I have no idea what's going on but I absolutely cannot lose all of the data on this phone. Pictures and videos from my old blackberry Torch are on here too, making up about 4 years of my daughter's life that I would lose if I cannot retrieve. Also, I am not super -tech savvy, so if someone could help me I would be forever grateful.
Please!!
:crying:
almost the same issue
I have an Asus memo pad 10 (smart) some of the core apps have been corrupted, (keyboard, UI, launcher etc all the essential stuff) I've been trying to reinstall my UI and launcher from my computer when i found out that USB debugging was disabled. the tablet is basically unusable, i have no way of enabling from the tablet itself. is there a piece of script or something i could run from my PC to enable it?
any help would be greatly appreciated :crying:
bob mc bob said:
I have an Asus memo pad 10 (smart) some of the core apps have been corrupted, (keyboard, UI, launcher etc all the essential stuff) I've been trying to reinstall my UI and launcher from my computer when i found out that USB debugging was disabled. the tablet is basically unusable, i have no way of enabling from the tablet itself. is there a piece of script or something i could run from my PC to enable it?
any help would be greatly appreciated :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My screen became unresponsive a while back. I ended up getting and OTG cable and plugging in a mouse. This allowed me to do everything as if the touchscreen was working. There's also an app called MyMobiler that let me plug in my device over USB and control my screen from my PC. Those two helped me enable USB Debugging, flash a custom ROM, root the phone, backup everything I needed, then restore the phone to stock. I hope this helps.
*Sorry for bumping such an old post*
Thanks for the really useful guide!
Could you or someone just confirm to me that unlocking the bootloader does not factory reset? The reason I'm doing this process is to access my personal data so it's important that I can keep it all.
I ask because at the unlock bootloader stage it implicitly warns me that there'll be a factory reset.
Thanks again!
HikerMan said:
*Sorry for bumping such an old post*
Thanks for the really useful guide!
Could you or someone just confirm to me that unlocking the bootloader does not factory reset? The reason I'm doing this process is to access my personal data so it's important that I can keep it all.
I ask because at the unlock bootloader stage it implicitly warns me that there'll be a factory reset.
Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlocking to bootloader will wipe your device
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
jd1639 said:
Unlocking to bootloader will wipe your device
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In that case, I am confused as to how OP managed to unlock his bootloader. He actually states that the purpose of this was to retrieve data, like me.
Also, in a previous comment in this thread by jw95275, they claim that "it appears fastboot oem unlock on the Nexus 4 *does not* wipe data".
I am concerned about the conflicting answers so far, so will hold off for an explanation before I do anything. Thanks for the response!
HikerMan said:
In that case, I am confused as to how OP managed to unlock his bootloader. He actually states that the purpose of this was to retrieve data, like me.
Also, in a previous comment in this thread by jw95275, they claim that "it appears fastboot oem unlock on the Nexus 4 *does not* wipe data".
I am concerned about the conflicting answers so far, so will hold off for an explanation before I do anything. Thanks for the response!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should just be able to "fastboot boot recovery.img" and boot CWM and then use ADB. W/O unlocking the BL
npjohnson said:
You should just be able to "fastboot boot recovery.img" and boot CWM and then use ADB. W/O unlocking the BL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This did not work for me. I have a Nexus 4 with a broken digitizer, locked bootloader, and usb debugging disabled. I need to grab some data off.
I've tried `fastboot flash recovery {{recovery .img}}` and `fastboot boot {{recovery .img}}` without unlocking the bootloader first, and via both methods, I get back "FAILED (remote: not supported in locked device)"
So I'm not sure how people are able to get into custom recovery without first unlocking BL/losing all their data. Can someone explain?
jinglejuice said:
This did not work for me. I have a Nexus 4 with a broken digitizer, locked bootloader, and usb debugging disabled. I need to grab some data off.
I've tried `fastboot flash recovery {{recovery .img}}` and `fastboot boot {{recovery .img}}` without unlocking the bootloader first, and via both methods, I get back "FAILED (remote: not supported in locked device)"
So I'm not sure how people are able to get into custom recovery without first unlocking BL/losing all their data. Can someone explain?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On some (few) Motorola devices (not nexus 4), you can fastboot boot without unlocking the BL.
Hi, I have a S4 i9505 with a problem, screen broken and no display at all + usb debugging is disabled.
Phone: Not rooted, original software, usb debugging disabled, no display at all
What I want to achieve: restore all my photos / videos on the phone memory, no sd card
What I have attempted:
installed ADB & fastboot based on instructions from http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2786395
What I need help with:
- When i try to get into recovery mode, i wasn't sure if i am indeed in there since i can't see anything, but in total there's a vibration when i turn on the phone, and another vibration when i release the power up+power+home after pressing them down for about 5 seconds.
- When in command prompt I type adb devices and there was none, and when i type adb shell it says error: device not found
I have ensured all drivers for my phone are installed (even with PdaNetA4180 & UniversalAdbDriverSetup6 from cynanogen) but the error remains. refer to attached image.
I have done extensive search on the forum but still couldn't find any ways to get usb debugging enabled on my crippled phone.
Any step by step guide would really be helpful! Thanks
Ps. Main problem = device not found in adb , usb debugging disabled, screen no display/cracked
What do you want? To recover files? To my knowledge that is not possible.
You would first need to flash a custom recovery for adb to work in recovery.
Then you would need to allow the connection on your device (which you can't do).
Yes I need to recover photos only. Nothing else.
Please kindly guide the steps on how to flash a custom recovery (w/o control of the phone's display or touch)
Thanks.
Your device is shown connected in windows
Why not use the mtp protocol and copy whatever you want
Hi, in the beginning, my phone is locked with a pattern pin.
I read the tutorials and managed to get away with the pattern pin by resetting my phone to factory settings via recovery mode i guess by watching youtube guide.
I didn't knew the photos and all will get deleted off from it, so there's nothing to transfer over when i got MTP working and able to access files inside the phone.
What do you recommend? Would fixing the screen and then using dr fone recovery works? or is there any other way to solve this without getting the phone display fixed? Thanks.
If the photos are deleted by the factory reset then i am sorry to day but you cannot recover them even if you get the screen fixed
bomby481 said:
Hi, in the beginning, my phone is locked with a pattern pin.
I read the tutorials and managed to get away with the pattern pin by resetting my phone to factory settings via recovery mode i guess by watching youtube guide.
I didn't knew the photos and all will get deleted off from it, so there's nothing to transfer over when i got MTP working and able to access files inside the phone.
What do you recommend? Would fixing the screen and then using dr fone recovery works? or is there any other way to solve this without getting the phone display fixed? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your photos are gone and there is no way to get them back.
Long shot as this shouldn't be possible, but I figured I'd try asking here anyways. Is there any way to unlock a 6P that's pin-locked by Android's Device Manager?
The goal is to get the pictures off this phone. It was my brother's phone before he passed away and I've been holding on to it for the past few months - just haven't had the energy to try to deal with it...
-I have access to the gmail account.
-I tried changing the pin through Google's device manager, but since the phone was already locked, the new pin did not take. I get the message on the phone about the new pin, but it doesn't unlock it.
-Developer mode is not enabled (i.e. USB debugging).
-Not rooted or anything like that and most likely has the latest updates (t-mobile). As a matter of fact, the lock screen says that a new system update has been downloaded.
Thanks.
Try putting twrp in your adb folder, boot into fastboot and use "fastboot boot twrp.img"
clappe said:
Long shot as this shouldn't be possible, but I figured I'd try asking here anyways. Is there any way to unlock a 6P that's pin-locked by Android's Device Manager?
The goal is to get the pictures off this phone. It was my brother's phone before he passed away and I've been holding on to it for the past few months - just haven't had the energy to try to deal with it...
-I have access to the gmail account.
-I tried changing the pin through Google's device manager, but since the phone was already locked, the new pin did not take. I get the message on the phone about the new pin, but it doesn't unlock it.
-Developer mode is not enabled.
-Not rooted or anything like that and most likely has the latest updates (t-mobile). As a matter of fact, the lock screen says that a new system update has been downloaded.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only way I can think of is by installing twrp on the phone. The only way it wouldn't work would be if he didn't have USB debugging enabled, which if he didn't then you might be out of luck... I'm so sorry.
Ghstudent said:
The only way I can think of is by installing twrp on the phone. The only way it wouldn't work would be if he didn't have USB debugging enabled, which if he didn't then you might be out of luck... I'm so sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, I am pretty sure USB debugging is not enabled...sorry that's what I meant when I wrote developer mode (I've tinkered with making apps, so I know what it is).
Thanks.
Same situation here and I try to figure a solution for many days.In my opinia the only way to bypass is a modified google account manager ! Could anybody help?
@clappe Just pretty sure? It wasn't mentioned in the OP, so I'll ask. Have you tried to install ADB on your PC and using ADB pull to grab the files from /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera ? That's the directory to the location where the pictures are stored.
Also, to anyone mentioning TWRP. That's a flat out no-go. He stated bootloader was locked. You can't do that unless you unlock the bootloader.
Edit: He didn't say that, I assumed when he wrote not rooted or anything. Can you power cycle the device? Hold power until it shuts off then boot it up again. Do you see a padlock icon under the Google logo right when it starts up or no?
Edit2: Later today (after work, around 10 hours or so) I'll flash my 6P to stock factory images and relock my bootloader. I'll use device manager to pin lock it and pretend I don't know the password. I'll try a few things and see what I can do. Also, you have my condolences. Sorry for your loss.
RoyJ said:
@clappe Just pretty sure? It wasn't mentioned in the OP, so I'll ask. Have you tried to install ADB on your PC and using ADB pull to grab the files from /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera ? That's the directory to the location where the pictures are stored.
Also, to anyone mentioning TWRP. That's a flat out no-go. He stated bootloader was locked. You can't do that unless you unlock the bootloader.
Edit: He didn't say that, I assumed when he wrote not rooted or anything. Can you power cycle the device? Hold power until it shuts off then boot it up again. Do you see a padlock icon under the Google logo right when it starts up or no?
Edit2: Later today (after work, around 10 hours or so) I'll flash my 6P to stock factory images and relock my bootloader. I'll use device manager to pin lock it and pretend I don't know the password. I'll try a few things and see what I can do. Also, you have my condolences. Sorry for your loss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Connecting the device to a Windows 10 PC, it will recognize the 6P, but using Windows Explorer will show no files.
Running 'adb devices' lists no devices.
When I power on the 6P, first I get the 'Google' text logo, then the colorful 'spinny' android logo, then the 'android' text logo. Then it goes to the usual lock screen (shows the time, background, etc). On this screen are the normal shortcut buttons on the bottom - microphone, padlock, camera. After a few seconds it shows the 'Locked by Android Device Manager' screen, this has a padlock symbol in the middle along with the pin code that I set online through Google's device manager.
Thanks.
Might be worth a shot to try to contact Google. You'll need proof of your identity, and the passing of your brother though. Best of luck. Sorry about your loss.
If you end up not being able to get a rep that can help via email or phone calls; you might have to do a hardmod.
tr4nqui1i7y said:
Might be worth a shot to try to contact Google. You'll need proof of your identity, and the passing of your brother though. Best of luck. Sorry about your loss.
If you end up not being able to get a rep that can help via email or phone calls; you might have to do a hardmod.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hardmod? I did a quick search and the only hardmod I found was to deal with temperature.
Thanks.
RoyJ said:
@clappe Just pretty sure? It wasn't mentioned in the OP, so I'll ask. Have you tried to install ADB on your PC and using ADB pull to grab the files from /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera ? That's the directory to the location where the pictures are stored.
Also, to anyone mentioning TWRP. That's a flat out no-go. He stated bootloader was locked. You can't do that unless you unlock the bootloader.
Edit: He didn't say that, I assumed when he wrote not rooted or anything. Can you power cycle the device? Hold power until it shuts off then boot it up again. Do you see a padlock icon under the Google logo right when it starts up or no?
Edit2: Later today (after work, around 10 hours or so) I'll flash my 6P to stock factory images and relock my bootloader. I'll use device manager to pin lock it and pretend I don't know the password. I'll try a few things and see what I can do. Also, you have my condolences. Sorry for your loss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you have a chance to try it?
Thanks.
Hi everyone!
I broke my S8 screen completely by dropping it (the phone is still working, not know if the touch still works).
I want to recover WhatsApp backup folder and DCIM folder (i had no backup service enabled, nor samsung account, nor google photo or gdrive), so i thought to go ahed through ADB. Anyway adb list no devices until i unlock my phone through pattern code ( i had no facial/retina/fingerprint mode set).
So i thought to proceed through download mode, flash twrp through odin and access adb through twrp. Anyway it looks like i cannot use odin to flash until i trigger on "OEM Unlock" in developer options which i can't do no more cause of the broken screen.
Is there another way to enable OEM Unlock which doesn't require touch input? Or is there any other way to recover my two folders?
A big thanks for everyone who could help
You can use an otg adapter and a mouse and try to replicate your pattern code and after your in just transfer your files. If you happen to have a second cell phone I would suggest you practise a bit on that screen first so you can replicate the exact movements to unlock your phone. Had an issue with my s6 edge and that worked like a charm.
deveauwelle32 said:
If you don't know how to recover data from S8 phone, just use an Android data recovery software, it can help you recover data from an broken Android device, it is really simple to finsih the recovery process. And you can preview and recover the data from your broken phone, so that you don't lose these data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, that's the best thing you can do.
Cristian.CT46 said:
Hi everyone!
I broke my S8 screen completely by dropping it (the phone is still working, not know if the touch still works).
I want to recover WhatsApp backup folder and DCIM folder (i had no backup service enabled, nor samsung account, nor google photo or gdrive), so i thought to go ahed through ADB. Anyway adb list no devices until i unlock my phone through pattern code ( i had no facial/retina/fingerprint mode set).
So i thought to proceed through download mode, flash twrp through odin and access adb through twrp. Anyway it looks like i cannot use odin to flash until i trigger on "OEM Unlock" in developer options which i can't do no more cause of the broken screen.
Is there another way to enable OEM Unlock which doesn't require touch input? Or is there any other way to recover my two folders?
A big thanks for everyone who could help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Log into Samsung Find my mobile. Use your Samsung Account details to log in.
There you will see alot of options that you can perform on your Galaxy S8 remotely.
Use the remotely unlock my device option to unlock your device.
Then connect your phone to the Laptop or PC using data cable and recover the data.
Hope it helps.