Android stock rom boot loop - Can I recover data?

[Fzero]

My S6 Edge has just given up the ghost on me!

It was just in my pocket, so I suspect an automatic update tried to apply and there wasn't enough memory ... or just corrupt via other means.

As a result, it now is stuck in a boot loop, showing the boot up screen but then turning black screen and repeating...

I have about a month or so of photos/videos which I've not backed up, and those are the only things holding me back from trying to do a complete wipe.

I can access the recovery screen still, using the Home/Power/Vol-Up shortcut, and have just done a Wipe Cache Partition, but then on restarting, it still loops.

Anyone know if there is a way to recover data/photos still ... perhaps something with the ADB?


....bloody phones!

 

[Mr_Loon]

This guide might help.

Also consider there may be a physical fault with the power button, from your described symptoms (has your phone ever updated before without any user intervention? Never had a Samsung but all my other android devices let me know an OTA is available then wait for a prompt to install it) this may well be the answer. If so follow this guide.

 

[Fzero]

Nice info, but unfortunately my phone doesn't have a removable back ... you not meant to change the battery on these and no expandable memory ... just a single cover.
I saw >this vid< showing how to take it apart for replacing a screen ... Was hoping the internal memory would be a microSD which I could've removed but doesn't look like it is either.

I don't think the power button is at fault anyway, as it feels right [clicking as should] plus I can boot into the Recovery Mode ok which uses the power button, and then the power button is also the 'select' button within Recovery and it reads those commands ok/

Looks like I might have to attempt a full reset and just lose all my data.
I wish I had backed up recently, but unfortunately all my photos and videos of my daughter enjoying Christmas are only on there ... gutted to lose those

 

[ElPoco]

If the problem is in the user partition, then all you can do to fix it is wipe it.

If the problem is in another partition (system, boot, etc.) you can maybe reflash them. You'll need to have a factory image (I don't know if you can grab the official one, but you might be able to get a stock or modified android that works on your phone from xda-developers) and to be able to enter fastboot mode. (Not sure if Samsung devices have their bootloader locked, but it's likely that they are now, in which case things might be very complicated).

If you can enter fastboot mode you might also be able to dump your user data partition. You could then wipe it to restore your phone and then open if on your computer as a disk image (if it wasn't encrypted).

 

[Fzero]

I can get into Fastboot mode.
Read how that is done, which is the following combo:
Vol Down + Home + Power

That loads a screen which reads:

Warning
A custom OS can cause critical problems in phone and installed applications.

If you want to download a custom OS, press the volume up key.
Otherwise, press the volume down key to cancel.

That's all it says, nothing about being able to dump user data partition unfortunately.

Looks like I might have to bite the bullet, and just try it. Probably losing all my data eh.

I guess I need to first d/l a custom OS and have it on my PC, then when I click the Volume Up key, it'll go through the steps ... and hopefully then let me see it on PC to copy the OS file over to phone?
Can't see how else could get the custom OS onto the phone, as these don't have microSD or anything I can copy it to then run from

 

[Mr_Loon]

but unfortunately all my photos and videos of my daughter enjoying Christmas are only on there ... gutted to lose those

Can you not use this method to save them?

 

[directive0]

Thank you for reminding me I need to backup my phone. Hope you can get your photos back. Losing treasured photos is the worst.

 

[Fzero]

Can you not use this method to save them?

I suspect that if I got hold of a a factory image, when I install it all my data would be wiped.

I found a forensics/data recovery company that reckon they can recover all data even from a phone stuck in a boot load loop like mine, they only charge if they recover, but they charge a fair amount .. just under £200
I am a bit tempted still, it's a lot of cash, but these photos and videos I'm not going to get another chance to take eh.

@directive0 yeah, back it up mate, at least twice

 

[comradekingu]

You can install a new image without wiping data, wiping data is a different option. And even so, atleast with my recovery, wiping media is a different menu still. Go with the stock rom on it.

 

[EvilDragon]

Did you root your ROM? If yes, you can use adb shell, su and mount to mount the partition in recovery mode and copy everything to you MicroSD card.
Maybe your device can even be rooted in recovery mode, if it's not rooted yet.

 

[ElPoco]

If you can enter fastboot mode, you can use the fastboot binary on your computer (you can find it easily on the Internet) to do stuff like flash a partition with an image, or boot a recovery image.
You should be able to find custom recovery images (probably over xda-developers) that will give you access to your files one way or the other. Or maybe just reflashing your system image with a stock one could fix your problems.

 

[Fzero]

@EvilDragon Unfortunately, this is the first Android I've had which I didn't root ... As I got it when they launched and wasn't a decent custom ROM I wanted/
I did enable developer options, as always do, but think I may not have actually enabled debugging mode though, as when I run 'adb devices' I get the return 'no devices', so it's not detecting it.

@comradekingu Ok, I will give that a shot then, and try install the stock image without wiping any data

cheers guys
[doublepost=1454061315,1454060384][/doublepost]@ElPoco I think I might be able to, yes ... I actually left that phone at home today, and brought my old Xperia X10 Mini to work ... which is so awkward to use, so small.
But, when I enter recovery screen, I get these options:

I'm thinking the option 'Apply update from external storage', could be used to flash the phone with a stock image?

Apply update from external storage
Allows you to do exactly what it says and apply an update from an external storage source, more specifically from a memory card.

From a computer you can go online and download the update file onto your PC. Then you can plug your memory card into your computer, copy the update file from your PC onto your SD card (just make sure that the file is not placed in another folder on your memory card or the update won’t work properly, it has to be located in the root directory (the highest folder) on the memory card aka /sdcard/). After the update file is saved onto the SD card you can remove the memory card from the PC, place it into the powered off Android device, boot the device into the Android system recovery and select “apply update from external storage”. This option will tell your Android to search the SD card for the update file, the phone will install the update from your external storage, the phone should reboot or prompt you to manually reboot with the “reboot system now” option.

Once it reboots the update will be installed and you will have successfully updated your phone through the external storage. This can be a handy tool when your Android no longer has access to either a mobile or Wi-Fi internet connection.

sourced: http://www.smartmobilephonesolutions.com/content/android-system-recovery

The Samsung I have does not have any external storage though, but I have seen these things:
http://plugable.com/products/usb2-otgtf
And wonder if that would work, but as the image must reside on the root of the memory card /sdcard/ I'm not sure if these gadgets would still work in that way ... and if the phone would run the image from it?
They're cheap, so could give it a go

 

[ElPoco]

I doubt it will work, and I'm not even sure you'll have this option on the Samsung.

 

[Fzero]

ah really?
Doesn't look like my phone has the option to install an image without wiping the data?
Just my luck.

Guess I will have to ponder on throwing down £200 on salvaging my data with that forensics company first... or just go ahead and do a wipe data/factory reset

 

[EvilDragon]

Okay, with that recovery, we should be able to work.
You can flash try to flash supersu from the SD Card, which would give you root.

If that doesn't work, you need to flash a new recovery image (i.e. CWM) which should be able to do that.

My Droid4 recovery even can mount the partitions as USB storage.

 

[ElPoco]

@Fzero: There's no harm in checking, but since the phone doesn't have a built-in SD Card slot, I doubt their recovery options include flashing from a SD Card.
But I strongly suggest you take a look at using fastboot to boot a recovery image. It's as simple as downloading fastboot, downloading the recovery tool ( for example TWRP ), starting the phone in fastboot, connecting it to the PC via USB and then typing in a command line on the PC
fastboot boot [name of the recovery.img]

You will then have access to more backup and recovery options.

 

[HelenF]

It might be possible to install ClockworkMod using Download Mode, and use that to copy the data off the phone.
https://dottech.org/177480/how-to-install-clockworkmod-recovery-in-galaxy-s6-edge-sm-n915s-tip/
http://www.rootsamsungs6.com/
The second article says you need to enable debugging first, but it seems like every article of this sort says that and it wasn't true for at least one of my Samsung phones. Does debugging even have anything to do with download mode?

The instruction about needing to root before installing ClockworkMod might be wrong too. I just found an article saying that about the S3, I'm pretty sure I didn't do it, and ClockworkMod asked me if I wanted to root afterwards.
[doublepost=1454095747,1454071707][/doublepost]So lots of online articles say ADB is enabled in ClockworkMod (even if it's not enabled in the main OS), but on further investigation, apparently ClockworkMod doesn't have a way to authorize computers, so you actually need to have used ADB in the past on the main OS or it comes up as "unauthorized".

Some people were saying that TWRP recovery can authorize ADB, and can also backup/restore to USB OTG storage.
Again, this article is saying the phone has to be rooted first, but I suspect that only applies to "Method 1" and not "Method 2".
http://www.s6-updates.com/2015/04/twrp-recovery-for-samsung-galaxy-s6-edge.html

 

[Alperoot]

If there is something wrong with your main OS, a basic rooting should work. You should be able to find a lot of guides about rooting, it's very easy with entering to download mode. But I don't know if your firmware supports flashing directly.

 

[Fzero]

Firstly,

I ❤ YOU GUYS VERY MUCH!

Secondly,

My photos are backing up at this very moment, so I'm relieved and happy.

Following your sound advice, I then followed this guide
http://galaxys6root.highonandroid.c...root-galaxy-s6-or-s6-edge-with-twrp-recovery/
Which got me TWRP flashed onto my phone via recovery mode using Odin.

Then was about to use the TWRP 'backup data' option, but I didn't have a USB storage to use at hand and obviously the internal memory wasn't worth doing/
But noticed that I could now see my phone in ADB since getting TWRP on there
adb devices showed my phone in recovery.
Then thought I'd try my luck with adb pull /sdcard/DCIM
It's working!
Slowly but surely, my photos and videos are all being pulled down to my laptop now.

So relieved, so thanks again guys, glad I didn't just go for the wipe and lose it all.

Once all my photos are off, I guess I will then come out of TWRP and into recovery mode again and then select the wipe option, and hope the phone starts afresh

 

[Alperoot]

Glad you are able to get your photos/videos!

Don't worry about the firmware. You are able to get into the recovery menu, it's not hard-bricked. Which means you can install the stock firmware back!
I don't recommend it, though.

If you are able to get your data back, why not install Cyanogenmod? It looks like a decent ROM, but I am afraid that (I guess) it wipes your data.
I recommend it.