[Q] Help recovering photos - please - Moto X Q&A

Dear XDA Forum users-
I'm desperate! Short story is my wife cracked her Moto X screen, I tried to repair it with no luck, and she wants the pictures of her 8 year old niece that passed away a week ago! I never backed it up before trying to fix the cracked screen - and now the LCD is also broken. OK I know, I'm in divorce territory here. I need help. And I'm feeling AWFUL! The phone powers up but only vibrates randomly.
I've done a ton of research and it looks like if I had an unlocked bootloader I could install CWM and get the files back. Unfortunately her phone is a Verizon Moto X and cannot be unlocked.
I have been able to put the phone in fastboot mode and fasatboot.exe sees it. I can't get adb.exe to see the phone. I think USB debugging must not be enabled.
Am I completely out of luck? Can one of you save these very precious pictures for me? Please!
Thanks so much

dweebus said:
Dear XDA Forum users-
I'm desperate! Short story is my wife cracked her Moto X screen, I tried to repair it with no luck, and she wants the pictures of her 8 year old niece that passed away a week ago! I never backed it up before trying to fix the cracked screen - and now the LCD is also broken. OK I know, I'm in divorce territory here. I need help. And I'm feeling AWFUL! The phone powers up but only vibrates randomly.
I've done a ton of research and it looks like if I had an unlocked bootloader I could install CWM and get the files back. Unfortunately her phone is a Verizon Moto X and cannot be unlocked.
I have been able to put the phone in fastboot mode and fasatboot.exe sees it. I can't get adb.exe to see the phone. I think USB debugging must not be enabled.
Am I completely out of luck? Can one of you save these very precious pictures for me? Please!
Thanks so much
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The easiest way I can see is to have a cell phone repair shop look at it. I've replaced dozens of motorola lcds and digitizers and many that are also glued together. It should be a simple matter of replacing the entire front of the device. On the downside the replacement part will most likely cost upwards of $100 not counting the time it takes but this seems like your best bet at least from what I know.
Other more experienced members may be able to help recover the files in the state it's in.
Sent from my KFTHWI

Thank you
Wulfpk said:
The easiest way I can see is to have a cell phone repair shop look at it. I've replaced dozens of motorola lcds and digitizers and many that are also glued together. It should be a simple matter of replacing the entire front of the device. On the downside the replacement part will most likely cost upwards of $100 not counting the time it takes but this seems like your best bet at least from what I know.
Other more experienced members may be able to help recover the files in the state it's in.
Sent from my KFTHWI
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I agree, fastest fix is to replace the screen. Unfortunately I have no idea if that will actually fix the problem. You see the device is now just randomly vibrating. I have no idea what that means. It could mean that the device is broken completely - I did after all disassemble it in my effort to replace the cracked screen.
If anyone has a bricked Moto X they would be willing to donate to my cause, I would be most thankful!
If there is any way to confirm the pictures are actually there....that would be helpful. If they could be recovered somehow using fastboot that would be amazing!
Thanks!

Any other ideas?
It seems possible that I can load a recovery image while connected to fastboot and boot into that to get to ADB then pull the root filesystem.
Is that possible? Can anyone confirm please.... still desperate.

Related

Help.. Bricked G1 (HTC Dream)

ok, to make it easier to explain, I made a video. Sorry for talking so low.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypQBEARaw9E
I recorded that with my G1, the "broken" G1 is my brothers.
We have a serious problem, we cannot exchange it, we bought it last week and since we bought it has been having problems. We were going to take it to the store and then yesterday morning, it was like that, it was working "fine" at night. The problem is that we took it to the store, and the "dot" behind the battery is red, which "means" it got wet... but it didn't, I'm not going to lie, it didn't get wet my brother has taken care of that phone more than anything, it still has all the plastic protectors, even if the phone was acting really weird...
Ok ok, to the point. It doesn't do anything, as you saw in the video, when you press the power button the buttons flash until I depress it, and then they just stay on. The same happens when I try going into recovery, or bootloader modes, nothing... I decided to leave it like that for a few hours, nothing.
Either the device is bricked, the screen is damaged, or the whole device is screwed.... What do you guys think??
Thanks in advance.
Either the device is bricked, the screen is damaged, or the whole device is screwed.... What do you guys think??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could very well be all 3. Did you guys get this from T-Mobile?
The dot in the battery compartment of my phone is red (well, orange I supposed) and my phone has never been wet and is working fine. I'd argue the case if I were you.
Regards,
Dave
SolemnWishing said:
It could very well be all 3. Did you guys get this from T-Mobile?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes we did get it directly from a (official) T-Mobile store (not a 3rd party retailer).. we went there and they complained about the phone "getting wet"... the phone looks perfect and never gotten wet.
foxmeister said:
The dot in the battery compartment of my phone is red (well, orange I supposed) and my phone has never been wet and is working fine. I'd argue the case if I were you.
Regards,
Dave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am going to argue, I already started arguing by calling tmobile directly but they *****ed about why didnt i take the phone within the 14-day warranty if it was giving me issues and waited for this to happen....... they couldn't do anything, whatever, I'm going to try to take this further because, just like you, I can assure you my phone hasn't gotten wet.
Can you help me an send me a picture of your phone? So I could have some proof, my own phone's dot is white, and some other phones from friends/family are also white...
Thanks!
I've heard stories of that indicator turning red/pink when people have left the phone in the bathroom while showering... supposedly a lot of steam can turn it red.
uansari1 said:
I've heard stories of that indicator turning red/pink when people have left the phone in the bathroom while showering... supposedly a lot of steam can turn it red.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah they told me about this, and I actually *****ed my brother about this but he doesn't do this, I do, and my phone is fine. Anyways, he told me he just leaves the phone charging in the room while he showers...
So I had to get a new one by claiming the insurance ($130 deductible.....) there was no win for me here...... the only thing was that I was able to keep the damaged phone.
I called HTC to try and figure out how much it would be to fix it. The lady that answered the phone said the symptoms were like those of a bad motherboard, and she said it'd cost me around $475 to fix it, wait, what??.....
So, know, idk what to do with this crap. I might try to repair it.
Thanks anyways guys!
crackertc said:
So I had to get a new one by claiming the insurance ($130 deductible.....) there was no win for me here...... the only thing was that I was able to keep the damaged phone.
I called HTC to try and figure out how much it would be to fix it. The lady that answered the phone said the symptoms were like those of a bad motherboard, and she said it'd cost me around $475 to fix it, wait, what??.....
So, know, idk what to do with this crap. I might try to repair it.
Thanks anyways guys!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I need a cooked mainboard for circuit tracing, will result in it being turned into scrap, but should lead to/help in the process of solving the brick problem. PM me if interested.
Thanks.
I will have a true bricked board in a couple of days, the problem is i`m in Santo Domingo, DR, if you pay for the shipping i`ll be glad to Fedex it to you.
P.S. the H. SLP update brick my phone: T-Mobile screen, no response any key combinarion.
PM me
Cuore_alfa said:
I will have a true bricked board in a couple of days, the problem is i`m in Santo Domingo, DR, if you pay for the shipping i`ll be glad to Fedex it to you.
P.S. the H. SLP update brick my phone: T-Mobile screen, no response any key combinarion.
PM me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, right. Tell you what... since I'm volunteering my time to trace the circuit and my phone works perfectly, there is nothing for me to gain out of this, so I'm not the one to be asking for money.
If you can't afford it yourself, might be a community thing, but hold off for a while, there is someone else I've been communicating with privately who may be sending a bricked board, if it works out, then I won't need yours.
Ill volunteer a bricked board
crackertc said:
So I had to get a new one by claiming the insurance ($130 deductible.....) there was no win for me here...... the only thing was that I was able to keep the damaged phone.
I called HTC to try and figure out how much it would be to fix it. The lady that answered the phone said the symptoms were like those of a bad motherboard, and she said it'd cost me around $475 to fix it, wait, what??.....
So, know, idk what to do with this crap. I might try to repair it.
Thanks anyways guys!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Find a broken G1 on eBay or CG and try repairing it yourself. Might run you under $100 to do this and it's probably a great learning experience...not to mention you could end up with another working G1.
uansari1 said:
Find a broken G1 on eBay or CG and try repairing it yourself. Might run you under $100 to do this and it's probably a great learning experience...not to mention you could end up with another working G1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, and yeah I was already looking into one, found one locally with a broken screen this guy might be giving it to me for like 30 bucks so that'd be great. I have the tools and everything, Ive fixed phones, including iPhones, and also HW unlock on iPhones when there was that moment were SW unlock was not possible and I did like 2 HW unlocks... ok too much talk
Thanks anyways to every one, If I can't fix this I'd definately consider sending the MB to lbcoder
My ebay board just arrive! i hope to fix my phone tomorrow.
Shoulda just swap the stickers and got the warranty replacement.

Relocked boot loader after HTC repair

So I've never posted here before but been using the tips and tricks from the MDA all the way through nexus one.
Anyway, last Wednesday night i had a few too many drinks and my phone suffered a cracked LCD.
Sent my phone to HTC and what came back was a COMPLETELY stock, LOCKED boot loader. still my phone, because i marked the phone's internals with my initials before i sent it out. I called HTC and they said my phone still has a warranty.
just an FYI
Anyone else experience this?
What "internals" did you mark? Most likely it's not the same phone.
Could be same phone, different motherboard.
a referb motherboard would make some sense, I just marked the internal battery tray area with some initials.
This may be a silly question, but wouldn't my device #s be different if they changed out the motherboard? everything still matches the original imei and s/n both on the physical placard and in adb...
Let me know if this is a dumb question...
but why would they replace the mobo in response to a cracked AMOLED screen?
blindonejc said:
So I've never posted here before but been using the tips and tricks from the MDA all the way through nexus one.
Anyway, last Wednesday night i had a few too many drinks and my phone suffered a cracked LCD.
Sent my phone to HTC and what came back was a COMPLETELY stock, LOCKED boot loader. still my phone, because i marked the phone's internals with my initials before i sent it out. I called HTC and they said my phone still has a warranty.
just an FYI
Anyone else experience this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my guess is they probubly flash the whole phone back to stock for testing. Its easier to troubleshoot when you eliminate all outside variables. They prob replaced the screen, used a .img file to flash everything back to stock including the SPL, which would account for the relocked bootloader, and tested to make sure the new screen was working correctly. Am i correct in assuming that all your apps and settings were reset too?
blindonejc said:
So I've never posted here before but been using the tips and tricks from the MDA all the way through nexus one.
Anyway, last Wednesday night i had a few too many drinks and my phone suffered a cracked LCD.
Sent my phone to HTC and what came back was a COMPLETELY stock, LOCKED boot loader. still my phone, because i marked the phone's internals with my initials before i sent it out. I called HTC and they said my phone still has a warranty.
just an FYI
Anyone else experience this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your not the first to have a re-locked bootloader. Everyone that sent their phone in for repair gets their bootloader re-locked.
futango said:
Your not the first to have a re-locked bootloader. Everyone that sent their phone in for repair gets their bootloader re-locked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Second this.
I've sent mine in twice now for dust..etc.
Both times the same phone has been returned with a locked bootloader (for about 5 mins) ;-)
Amdathlonuk said:
Second this.
I've sent mine in twice now for dust..etc.
Both times the same phone has been returned with a locked bootloader (for about 5 mins) ;-)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sent my unlocked bootloader back and HTC gave me a replacement for free. They didn't charge me anything. They even deemed it as a "software issue".
so u can send ur phone in for the dust under the screen? Whats the turn around on that. And Id be pissed if they re locked my ****. I dont wanna do all that again. Id have to tell them not to ...lol
My dust isnt bad.. only noticeable when screen the screen is in sleep mode in a well lit place.
HTC has absolutely the best customer service I have ever dealt with...
ogdobber said:
HTC has absolutely the best customer service I have ever dealt with...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you
Hey me too!+++++
Iam a rough kinda guy and thought a gell case would do for protection so i took it to work and didnt even know i dented the back where the sim card is at with a sledge hammer!..bamm SOOOO I cracked the inside of the guts in the phone.. and sent it in for repairs right? I told the HTC tech that I had dust under the screen which I did and told em that the the screen crack from the inside was from constient temp change.... they charge me 130 to fix and I told them to keep the f**cking phone cuz when I had it ,it was all dusty and those bend test and all the videos of it being rugged was **** and was always swichin 3g and ****. so 2 days later I get my phone back .and looks ****in brand new.. the best part is 2 days later after I got it back theres an extra 150 in my account and its from google .130+20 cuz the tech hold fee.. sick uh?
So, if it still somehow the same phone, could it be possible that they simply reflashed something on top of the phone to relock its bootloader?
Meaning it IS possible.
leonnib4 said:
So, if it still somehow the same phone, could it be possible that they simply reflashed something on top of the phone to relock its bootloader?
Meaning it IS possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course it possible. We just don't have the right SPL.

I've ruined my device....is there anything that can be done?

Even worse, its a MDA Compact V.
Basically, I got the newton rings issue a few months ago and after reading threads on here, tried the duct tape trick which worked a treat....for about a month.
Then the issue came back of the screen not responding, so I continually used the tape to fix the screen. It got to the point where I had done it that many times, I was having to carry a roll of tape around with me, and the front of the front facia began to lift on the left hand side of the phone each time I did it.
It got to the point where I didnt need the tape anymore, I could just use my fingernail to pull the layers apart which would make the screen respond again.
However, recently I noticed a spec of dust under the screen. I put up with it for a while but last week I decided to try and get it out.
I stupidly lifted the layers apart and blew into the phone. This caused the touchscreen to behave very erratically and did not move the dust.
I was a bit tipsy at the time and actually lifted the whole of the front off the phone (thinking I could clean the screen and stick the front back down) but now the phone will not respond to touch no matter what I do.
I was thinking of trying to replace the front parts myself, but as mentioned its a Compact V not a D2, so the shape of the front of the handset is slightly different and I cannot seem to find anywhere that I can order the front facia.
I've got a lock on the phone, so I cant even flash it if I wanted to sell it as 'broken'
Can anyone think of ANYTHING that could help?
Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!
You can flash your phone if you just put the Rom on a storage card and update it from there, and new digitizers are just 4 dollars, so just put a new one in ( or I can do it for you if you pay for the costs) I've replaced my digitizer about 3 times now... and im pretty good at it XD
i really hate to say it. but i think its just time to buy a new phone. I know money may be an issue. i dont have the cash to fork out for new phones either. but if this happened to me. i would do my best to back everything up. then just buy a cheap phone untill i saved up . i have an htc pure right now saving up for an evo 4g. I just upgraded my contract so i will have to pay full price for the evo 4g around $500.00 . unless ya can limp this one along . but from what it sounds like is its about time to bury that one ...
devices messing up does suck, im sorry..
Good Luck
Thanks guys.
Is it possible to flash from the SD card when the device is locked?
maxcherry said:
Thanks guys.
Is it possible to flash from the SD card when the device is locked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it is possible. When flashing from SD you don't have to use your screen in any way. Have a look in the ROM-Threads, u will find the way to flash and some great "how-to"s.
Mar'Cel said:
Yes it is possible. When flashing from SD you don't have to use your screen in any way. Have a look in the ROM-Threads, u will find the way to flash and some great "how-to"s.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Mar'Cel. I notice we both have the same device. Do you know anywhere online where I would be able to order replacement parts?
Thanks again, Max.
maxcherry said:
Thanks Mar'Cel. I notice we both have the same device. Do you know anywhere online where I would be able to order replacement parts?
Thanks again, Max.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe if you search on screen replacement threads they have stated where they were purchsed.
Also, you can use Pocket Controller Pro or My Mobiler to access your screen from your PC.

[Q] Wife's Vivid decided to die today.

Wife and I got a pair of Vivids in June of 2012, mine is rooted, has CM10 on it, her's is 100% bone stock.
Since this morning, it will not boot. When you go to turn it on, the screen's backlight comes on for 2-3 seconds, then off for a second, and a quick blink of the backlight and nothing. Then it starts a quick (.25-.50 second long) vibrate every 19 seconds. I've tried the battery from mine, same deal.
I'm not eligible for upgrade until June 2014, so if anyone has an ideas on what could be wrong or how to fix it, I'd greatly appreciate it.
If anything, I'd like to be able to get the data off it... pics and videos... for some reason she had no SD card in here and dropbox filled up back in April. Wish she'd told me that happened.
Thanks!
Apparently Vivid charging ports are fragile. Possible that hers has a short? Broken piece lodged in there causing the power to be wonky? I'd take a look with a good magnifying glass. Replacement part on eBay for about $6 if it is broken.
doodaa1 said:
Apparently Vivid charging ports are fragile. Possible that hers has a short? Broken piece lodged in there causing the power to be wonky? I'd take a look with a good magnifying glass. Replacement part on eBay for about $6 if it is broken.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll see what I can find out. The kids have a couple of those toy microscope things, just need to get a battery so the light will work.
I plugged it into the computer without the battery and Windows wanted to install some driver qhsusb_dload? but googling that makes me think the phone is bricked in some way, which is odd because I never messed with hers.
Kenobi6680 said:
I'll see what I can find out. The kids have a couple of those toy microscope things, just need to get a battery so the light will work.
I plugged it into the computer without the battery and Windows wanted to install some driver qhsusb_dload? but googling that makes me think the phone is bricked in some way, which is odd because I never messed with hers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are gonna need JTAGging
Sent from my Vivid 4G using Tapatalk
rignfool said:
You are gonna need JTAGging
Sent from my Vivid 4G using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there a way to definitively determine this? I'd hate to pay someone for this, just to find out it wasn't the problem.
Also, will this retain the data on the phone? I'm really aggravated at myself for not realizing there wasn't a MicroSD card in there, and more aggravated at my wife for not noticing the "Hey dropbox is full" notifications on the phone since APRIL. She's aggravated because all the pics and the video of the kids since April could potentially be gone. Good times for all.
Thanks!
You can try the Unbricking project...
dexter93's thread in development...
You need Linux... And there is no guarantee...
Iirc you only need a live CD... And don't need it installed...
Sent from my Vivid 4G using Tapatalk
The very same thing happened to mine mid summer. Here is the story from my experience. Sent to HTC for repair. They would NOT give an estimate up front. They wanted $210 to repair it. Told them no. Sent it for JTAG service. RIFF box could not talk to it. Replaced the phone.
I would send it for JTAG service. Especially if it is still showing some signs of life. Look on EBAY for jtag servive by nto1566. $25 if he can fix it. Money refunded if he can't. All you are out is postage.
jherbold said:
The very same thing happened to mine mid summer. Here is the story from my experience. Sent to HTC for repair. They would NOT give an estimate up front. They wanted $210 to repair it. Told them no. Sent it for JTAG service. RIFF box could not talk to it. Replaced the phone.
I would send it for JTAG service. Especially if it is still showing some signs of life. Look on EBAY for jtag servive by nto1566. $25 if he can fix it. Money refunded if he can't. All you are out is postage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well hrm... I contacted him via eBay and he says:
Sorry if it was stock rom and suddenly dead, it is hardware issue, not bricked by corrupted boot loader or software issue.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guess I can try the unbricking project thing mentioned earlier in the thread.
Boot on recovery?
Hello friend!
I want to ask if you tried to charge the phone until green LED in upper left corner?, Then if you tried to put it into boot mode by pressing volume down and then press on? if you can load into boot mode, which is a white screen, you can scroll with the volume key down to "Factory Reset" and pressing the button on. Maybe the phone is restarted but surely erase all data are stored.
If you decide to JATG, the same will happen
Decisions, I hope you serve what I recommend, if so please let me know in the post, OK
If you plug it in to charge it either does nothing, or the orange "charging" light will come on for a few seconds and go out.
alosegon said:
Hello friend!
I want to ask if you tried to charge the phone until green LED in upper left corner?, Then if you tried to put it into boot mode by pressing volume down and then press on? if you can load into boot mode, which is a white screen, you can scroll with the volume key down to "Factory Reset" and pressing the button on. Maybe the phone is restarted but surely erase all data are stored.
If you decide to JATG, the same will happen
Decisions, I hope you serve what I recommend, if so please let me know in the post, OK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The qhusb_dload denotes bad things...
You cannot fix that...
Maybe... Just maybe dexter's thread can help... But otherwise... Is JTAG or new phone
Sent from my Vivid 4G using Tapatalk

[Q] help! screen broke, cant get to pictures

Hello,
My wife dropped her phone last night and the screen is dead.
She had no backup through google+ or anything and every photo taken of our 3 month old is inside of the phone.
I took it to a shop who hooked her motherboard into my moto x screen and they said it turned on but it had the android logo with a question mark and said that means it is fried. USB debugging is not turned on. When I plug into PC it is unspecified. Says fastboot ghost S. Motorola drivers are installed.
I have used this forum a lot and brought my tf-101 back from the dead multiple times so I am throwing a hail mary hoping someone on here can help with this issue.
I am in Tempe.
bigredrage said:
Hello,
My wife dropped her phone last night and the screen is dead.
She had no backup through google+ or anything and every photo taken of our 3 month old is inside of the phone.
I took it to a shop who hooked her motherboard into my moto x screen and they said it turned on but it had the android logo with a question mark and said that means it is fried. USB debugging is not turned on. When I plug into PC it is unspecified. Says fastboot ghost S. Motorola drivers are installed.
I have used this forum a lot and brought my tf-101 back from the dead multiple times so I am throwing a hail mary hoping someone on here can help with this issue.
I am in Tempe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the photos are worth it to you, you can buy a replacement screen/digitizer for about $200. Pretty tricky replacement or you'll have to find someone to do it for you.
cam30era said:
If the photos are worth it to you, you can buy a replacement screen/digitizer for about $200. Pretty tricky replacement or you'll have to find someone to do it for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about fix a phone store guys claim that when it was hooked into my screen it was an android with a question mark and motherboard is fried? That is my only hesitation on buying a200 screen
bigredrage said:
What about fix a phone store guys claim that when it was hooked into my screen it was an android with a question mark and motherboard is fried? That is my only hesitation on buying a200 screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a valid concern. But I don't see why dropping phone would cause this.
cam30era said:
That's a valid concern. But I don't see why dropping phone would cause this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't find an android with a question mark online to find out what that error image means?
No way to access hard drive in its current state? Then i could get my images and just replace the phone.
bigredrage said:
I can't find an android with a question mark online to find out what that error image means?
No way to access hard drive in its current state? Then i could get my images and just replace the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know. Hopefully someone else will chime in.
bigredrage said:
I can't find an android with a question mark online to find out what that error image means?
No way to access hard drive in its current state? Then i could get my images and just replace the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps this guide will help. http://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-x-2014/help/recovery-moto-x-2014-broken-screen-t2958092
cam30era said:
Perhaps this guide will help. http://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-x-2014/help/recovery-moto-x-2014-broken-screen-t2958092
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the phone is not rooted, no usb debug enabled, no root, no boot loader

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