Database Users

Restoring deleted photos from non rooted S4

Hello
Two days ago I bought Samsung Galaxy S4 ,, i took some photos from here and there, i wanted to delete one so i deleted the entire folder
I really need those photos
is there a way to restore them back ??
I don't have a backup
and I think my Mobile is non rooted

If your photos were stored on external memory card, you could mount that onto a computer, and try to recover files using any of the widely available file recovery utilities (just search the web, and pick one from a reputable company - I haven't had to use one yet, so can't make a recommendation).
For future, enable auto-backup/upload using dropbox or google plus or any of the other options - that way, your photos get backed up without you having to do anything.

jj14 said:
If your photos were stored on external memory card, you could mount that onto a computer, and try to recover files using any of the widely available file recovery utilities (just search the web, and pick one from a reputable company - I haven't had to use one yet, so can't make a recommendation).
For future, enable auto-backup/upload using dropbox or google plus or any of the other options - that way, your photos get backed up without you having to do anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the reply
excuse me but im newbie in the android systems,, if i root my mobile ,, can i retrieve the photos ??

Nokia N93 said:
thanks for the reply
excuse me but im newbie in the android systems,, if i root my mobile ,, can i retrieve the photos ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting isn't going to make it any easier to recover your photos.

Nokia N93 said:
thanks for the reply
excuse me but im newbie in the android systems,, if i root my mobile ,, can i retrieve the photos ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, but I don't know.
Read - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1994705 - it "may" work. There may be easier solutions - hopefully, other folks will have better news.

[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

[Q] Undelete files/photos on GT-I9500 without root

My friend has accidentally deleted all photos of her little baby, which all photos in the internal memory and the phone is without root as yet.
I have tried to help her but seems cannot figure out the proper way to do so.
Is there any help / guide can be shared to me/us so as to recover those photos?
Appreciate if any help can be provided, thanks a lot~!:fingers-crossed:

ng_tim said:
My friend has accidentally deleted all photos of her little baby, which all photos in the internal memory and the phone is without root as yet.
I have tried to help her but seems cannot figure out the proper way to do so.
Is there any help / guide can be shared to me/us so as to recover those photos?
Appreciate if any help can be provided, thanks a lot~!:fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might search for the key word photo recovery in google play store. However, upon installing such application some of the storage sectors on the internal memory might be overwritten (depends on how full the the internal storage space is).
In case you do not want to do that and have a computer available you can search for the tool photorec (freeware). It's available for various operating systems.
For M$ you need to install the proper usb drivers for the phone (description elsewhere in this forum) and when the phone is recognized you start photorec by following the hints displayed by the program.
For a linux distribution you need the proper adb bridge and some knowledge on how to mount the phones internal memory as a drive and try photorec. As far as I remember some older versions of Android had a recover utility installed that could be used by executing it thru the adb shell.
For Mac I do not know because I don't own one.

Yes, it is possible. see this samsung galaxy data recovery solution which is easy to follow and helped me before.

AIROM cyanogen 12.1 on board. phone is slow. IS there any better OS than this?

Hello
I'm new to android, and basically new to this techie stuff. anyway, my cousin had installed cynogenmod 12.1 on my lenovo A6000, may be its for lenovo K-30T model. coz its showing model number "lenovo K-30T" in "about phone".
And despite the RAM being free for about 300MB, the phone lags.
I want a ROM which is faster. I have come across this OS http://forum.xda-developers.com/lenovo-a6000/development/best-cm12-1-rom-lenovo-a6000-plus-withe-t3288805 . Please tell me if it's better and stable than the current one .
*screenshots
It's obviously cyanogen 12.1, so can I flash some files so that it may become the os I want on my phone? or I have to re do the flashing process? DO I have to roll back to kitkat in order to flash this OS?
If there is any other os, which has all in one good package, Pls suggest.
* fast OS
* I dont play games
* good battery backup
*good UI

vaddadi9953 said:
Hello I want a ROM which is faster. I have come across this os. Please tell me if it's better and stable than the current one .
It's obviously cyanogen 12.1, so can I flash some files so that it may become the os I want on my phone? or I have to re do the flashing process? DO I have to roll back to kitkat in order to flash this OS?
If there is any other os, which has all in one good package, Pls suggest.
* fast OS
* I dont play games
* good battery backup
*good UI
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well if you want a good smooth UI with good battery backup. Try this MIUI ROM.
The UI with CM11 is not that great. But, in performance and battery, its definitely the best ROM for a6000. Here's the link for CM 11. You can surely try these customizations for CM11.
You can flash MIUI directly over your ROM after wiping system, data, dalvik, cache. But for CM11 you'll first have to flash stock KK, and then have to flash CM11, and ofcourse after a complete wipe.
:silly:

sasukay said:
Well if you want a good smooth UI with good battery backup. Try this MIUI ROM.
The UI with CM11 is not that great. But, in performance and battery, its definitely the best ROM for a6000. Here's the link for CM 11. You can surely try these customizations for CM11.
You can flash MIUI directly over your ROM after wiping system, data, dalvik, cache. But for CM11 you'll first have to flash stock KK, and then have to flash CM11, and ofcourse after a complete wipe.
:silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot mate..
and in the CM11's link, in "AMPERE" screenshot, Its again showing "lenovo K30T" as model number. Now Im concerned about that here. I have same model number in my device information . For some reason, I think My cyanogen 12.1 is made for that particular reason and not for Lenovo A6000. Does it make any difference in terms of performance of the device?
PS. how do we post pictures in this forum? Im new to this whole thing Thanks in advance

vaddadi9953 said:
Thanks a lot mate..
and in the CM11's link, in "AMPERE" screenshot, Its again showing "lenovo K30T" as model number. Now Im concerned about that here. I have same model number in my device information . For some reason, I think My cyanogen 12.1 is made for that particular reason and not for Lenovo A6000. Does it make any difference in terms of performance of the device?
PS. how do we post pictures in this forum? Im new to this whole thing Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since Lenovo K-30 has same board as our a6000, so any rom working on K-30 would work on our devices too (yeah with a bit modifications). So, there's no problem in using ROMs showing device as K-30.
And, answer to the second question, you click on the 'paper clip' icon for attachments.
P.S. I too a hard time in the beginning to figure that out.:silly:

sasukay said:
Since Lenovo K-30 has same board as our a6000, so any rom working on K-30 would work on our devices too (yeah with a bit modifications). So, there's no problem in using ROMs showing device as K-30.
And, answer to the second question, you click on the 'paper clip' icon for attachments.
P.S. I too a hard time in the beginning to figure that out.:silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still cant locate paperclip icon man.:crying: can you please screenshot your screen and show me the location? I have memory issues to post :

vaddadi9953 said:
I still cant locate paperclip icon man.:crying: can you please screenshot your screen and show me the location? I have memory issues to post :
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
..............There it is............
You see it now.?:laugh:

sasukay said:
..............There it is............
You see it now.?:laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man, got it now..

sasukay said:
..............There it is............
You see it now.?:laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bro, These are the screenshots of the memory status of my memory on board. Earlier before I had upgraded to lollipop update from lenovo, I had complete 8 GB as internal memory. but as soon as I had updated to that update, the size reduced, and then due to heavy lagging, I chose to root it and put 12.1 in it., then also after number of wipes and erases, still it's stuck at 4.69GB. I don't understand why complete 8GB is not being utilized.
Is there any way to unlock full potential? or did I do any wrong while flashing?
Thanks in advance

vaddadi9953 said:
View attachment 3729139
View attachment 3729140
Bro, These are the screenshots of the memory status of my memory on board. Earlier before I had upgraded to lollipop update from lenovo, I had complete 8 GB as internal memory. but as soon as I had updated to that update, the size reduced, and then due to heavy lagging, I chose to root it and put 12.1 in it., then also after number of wipes and erases, still it's stuck at 4.69GB. I don't understand why complete 8GB is not being utilized.
Is there any way to unlock full potential? or did I do any wrong while flashing?
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You did nothing wrong. What happened is that the data you had in your internal memory has been moved to some other folder and not actually wiped. This had happened to me a few times.
And, I actually has now forgotten what was its path. But, it was among these two for sure.
/mnt/shell/emulated/0/
OR
/data/media/0/
First copy contents of your internal memory on your sd card or pc. Then delete the contents of the above two directories, you'll get your internal memory freed. Then, you can copy back the contents.
And yeah, es file explorer is suggested for this job. Other root explorers will work too.
:silly:

sasukay said:
You did nothing wrong. What happened is that the data you had in your internal memory has been moved to some other folder and not actually wiped. This had happened to me a few times.
And, I actually has now forgotten what was its path. But, it was among these two for sure.
/mnt/shell/emulated/0/
OR
/data/media/0/
First copy contents of your internal memory on your sd card or pc. Then delete the contents of the above two directories, you'll get your internal memory freed. Then, you can copy back the contents.
And yeah, es file explorer is suggested for this job. Other root explorers will work too.
:silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tried like this.
ES explorer>dropdown menu from the top left> /(device). and then selected every file and folder inside it> copied it.> went to sd card> created new folder> pasted it> ** task failed**
and then I tied connecting the phone to pc. but cant see the root folder via windows explorer.
Help! :crying:

vaddadi9953 said:
I have tried like this.
ES explorer>dropdown menu from the top left> /(device). and then selected every file and folder inside it> copied it.> went to sd card> created new folder> pasted it> ** task failed**
and then I tied connecting the phone to pc. but cant see the root folder via windows explorer.
Help! :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have to make backup of files in "/0/" only and not of whole root directory

sasukay said:
You have to make backup of files in "/0/" only and not of whole root directory
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, I have taken backup of /0/ .
and I tried going into the path you have said. But in my phone, the path only lasted like this.
"/mnt/shell"/(empty). no emulated folder
and same with the data folder in the root folder. there is no file or folder inside data folder.
Shall i delete these two folders? SHell and Data? just like that?

vaddadi9953 said:
Okay, I have taken backup of /0/ .
and I tried going into the path you have said. But in my phone, the path only lasted like this.
"/mnt/shell"/(empty). no emulated folder
and same with the data folder in the root folder. there is no file or folder inside data folder.
Shall i delete these two folders? SHell and Data? just like that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use es file explorer for that. And first from its options, mount the partitions from Root explorer menu. Check all the partitions. Then you will be able to see the contents of /data/ and /shell/emulated/

Need Christmas Miracle, Trying to Root Encrypted Note 3.0 to Recover Deleted Files

Hello,
Last week 16 Gb of photos and videos (the last 3 years of my life) suddenly disappeared with only the last 6 pics I took in the gallery app. Stupidly I did not back anything up. I realize that the data is still probably on the phone, however to get to this I need to root the phone. The phone is running 5.0 Lollipop and is encrypted because I had to instal mobile iron. for my job. I have tried Kingroot, Kingoroot and several other methods but keep failing. I have not decrypted the phone as I believe this will make the data inaccessible unless there is some way I can get the encryption key off the phone. Any advise of method to use to root or how to extract these files given the current state of the phone would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Sean

dudedudedudedudedude said:
Hello,
Last week 16 Gb of photos and videos (the last 3 years of my life) suddenly disappeared with only the last 6 pics I took in the gallery app. Stupidly I did not back anything up. I realize that the data is still probably on the phone, however to get to this I need to root the phone. The phone is running 5.0 Lollipop and is encrypted because I had to instal mobile iron. for my job. I have tried Kingroot, Kingoroot and several other methods but keep failing. I have not decrypted the phone as I believe this will make the data inaccessible unless there is some way I can get the encryption key off the phone. Any advise of method to use to root or how to extract these files given the current state of the phone would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Sean
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Post a screenshot of file systems,DCIM especially and if using microsd to see where data went.Possibly root is not needed.
Where did the files went?
In case of root i suggest using ODIN software and flashing twrp.tar file. (just in case u havent tried that already).

Cancar96 said:
Post a screenshot of file systems,DCIM especially and if using microsd to see where data went.Possibly root is not needed.
Where did the files went?
In case of root i suggest using ODIN software and flashing twrp.tar file. (just in case u havent tried that already).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not using a microSD
From what I have read the disappearing of photos and videos randomly occurs to some people on the Note 3 and the file data if not overwritten is still present. XDA wont post let me a post a link but there are several threads elsewhere on this issue.
XDA also wont let me attach photos until I have 10 posts. Ill see if I can bump this to do so.

Please don't bump multiple times. Bump once in 24hrs.
Have patience. XDA is a global forum so every member is with various time zones.
Regards
Vatsal,
Forum Moderator.

You must Odin back to 4.4.4 to root.
I would make sure those photos weren't backed up after all. If you just use google+ for example they are backed up by default.
Places to check:
OneDrive, Picasa, gmail, dropbox.