PhotoRec does not list USB-connected phone drive

Using PhotoRec to recover lost data
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mrc101
Posts: 4
Joined: 04 Feb 2017, 21:05

PhotoRec does not list USB-connected phone drive

#1 Post by mrc101 »

My apologies for troubling you.

I accidentally deleted some photos on a Samsung Galaxy S5, but have made sure not to use the phone since (to avoid overwriting the files).

When I connect the phone to my desktop via a USB, I can see all of the phone's folders/files using Windows explorer (obviously excepting the deleted ones).

Activating PhotoRec, it identifies the main hard drive and external drives, but NOT the phone.

Any idea what we are doing wrong?

Many thanks in advance.

Ian.

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cgrenier
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Re: PhotoRec does not list USB-connected phone drive

#2 Post by cgrenier »

Enable USB mass storage (UMS) on your phone before starting PhotoRec.

After you have plugged in the USB cable into your Galaxy S5, touch the notification bar and drag it todown.
Under Notifications, you will see an option ‘Connected as a camera’. Touch this option. Doing so thescreen will prompt you with other available USB options, and you can choose UMS.

mrc101
Posts: 4
Joined: 04 Feb 2017, 21:05

Re: PhotoRec does not list USB-connected phone drive

#3 Post by mrc101 »

Many thanks for the reply.

We had tried this before with no success. However, I did try again just in case.

Dragging down shows "Connected as a media device".

Tapping this shows 4 options:
  • Transferring media files
    Transferring images
    Connecting MIDI devices
    Charging
None of these appear to make any difference (PhotoRec does not identify the phone regardless of option chosen), and there is no "UMS" option. Am I missing something?

.

missgiri
Posts: 2
Joined: 07 Feb 2017, 09:40

Re: PhotoRec does not list USB-connected phone drive

#4 Post by missgiri »

I ended up here for the same problem - I also have a Galaxy S5. I have read that Google removed the UMS from android lollipop for security reasons in a recent software update. Quite a few people are complaining about it and have resorted to rooting their phones and downloading an app that reinstates the original function. However, phone root does void your warranty. Undeterred by this I gave it a go and well... my IT skills aren't what I thought they were. But this is at least one way to make PhotoRec notice your device.

The way I ended up recovering my photos (also music and videos), was by putting my SD card into a USB adapter and plugging it into my PC as an external device. PhotoRec recognised it right away and I was able to salvage everything that was previously lost by a miss-touch. If the images were saved onto your SD card your could attempt to recover them this way.

Hopefully this can help you. :)

mrc101
Posts: 4
Joined: 04 Feb 2017, 21:05

Re: PhotoRec does not list USB-connected phone drive

#5 Post by mrc101 »

Thank-you so much for the reply.

I had been reading about rooting and had the same nervous reaction as yourself. You say you DID do this, then PhotoRec recognised the phone, but STILL went the SD card route. Why was that? - would PhotoRec still not recover the files after the "root"?

We thought of buying an SD card adapter, but we could not remember if photos are saved to SD or somewhere else (my Daughter said this was something "set up" when she purchased it).

After 4 days of non-use with me trying to recover stuff (to no success), she was going crazy. So - she's using it again now and has likely overwritten the photo's.

.

missgiri
Posts: 2
Joined: 07 Feb 2017, 09:40

Re: PhotoRec does not list USB-connected phone drive

#6 Post by missgiri »

I had thought I correctly rooted the phone. But the UMS app wouldn't recognise that my phone was rooted. There are probably many reasons why this failed for me... difference in software (mine being the most recent) and not wanting to re-download a previous version to successfully root my device. In the end I think it is totally safe for you to try. If your phone is no longer under warranty that is - it will not damage your device at all. It is also completely removable. But you will have to take many tedious steps to succeed. Here is the link to instructions for rooting a S5. I vouch that all the downloads are safe and virus free: https://androidmtk.com/root-samsung-galaxy-s5-sm-g900i

You'll see that on the bottom under the "Keep in Mind" section it says that the tutorial is for devices running on Android software 6.0.1 and with a specific build ID. If you do end up trying the root route (lol) then definitely read through this and apply it. You may have more patience than I.

In the end though, because it failed for me I cannot even guarantee you that rooting your phone will make PhotoRec recognise your device. Sorry for this!

Luckily SD card adapters are cheap and no harm will come to it if you decide to run it through the PhotoRec program - even if it is just to check. This might save you the effort of the above tedious route. It definitely was my 'lazy-way' solution. I hope you get back your deleted items!

mrc101
Posts: 4
Joined: 04 Feb 2017, 21:05

Re: PhotoRec does not list USB-connected phone drive

#7 Post by mrc101 »

Thanks again for taking the time to share all this information - very much appreciated.

I'll ask my Daughter to make a trip to the people she bought it from. Hopefully they can tell her if the phone is set up to save photos to the SD card or not. Then she can decide if she wants to buy an SD to USB adapter.

I'll also ask her to see if she can borrow one from one of her friends.

Thanks again SO much for your help.

.

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