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Recovering data after factory reset

asked 2019-11-14 17:14:02 +0300

Kaur gravatar image

updated 2019-11-14 22:29:32 +0300

First, here are the facts:

The touchscreen of my Jolla stopped working (display is OK but sensitivity to touch is limited). More precisely, two of the bottom 'lines' are dead. Most likely a hardware issue as it also failed the self-check.

At one point I performed a factory reset due to problems with installing a software update. I had my data backed up. At least that was what I thought. It turns out that some recordings made with a third-party app were not included in the backup. Makes sense in retrospect, true but at the moment I must face the situation as it is.

I would like to attempt data recovery (the phone hasn't been used after the reset and has never been encrypted). I found this guide here

It turns out that my phone has recovery shell v 0.1 (only options are reset, reboot, exit). Like I said, the phone itself is barely usable due to the screen problem. All this makes following the guide tricky (if not impossible). Obviously, any unnecessary writes should be avoided so as not to overwrite the data I intend to recover.

Any ideas on how to proceed? Is there any way to gain shell access under such circumstances?

EDIT: I managed to confuse people. I can access the recovery environment (referred to as 'recovery shell' above). What I cannot do is choose the shell option in the recovery environment as the option just isn't there.

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Maybe this Jolla guide can help you?

https://jolla.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/204709607-Jolla-Phone-How-to-use-Recovery-Mode?mobile_site=true

Please look for 'Very Old Sailfish OS version'...

peterleinchen ( 2019-11-14 19:52:42 +0300 )edit

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately it seems that even this guide refers to a recovery environment that already has the shell access option.

Kaur ( 2019-11-14 22:25:05 +0300 )edit

1 Answer

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answered 2019-11-15 00:45:56 +0300

olf gravatar image

updated 2019-11-15 04:17:50 +0300

There is no data of yours left accessible on the phone after a "factory reset".
It actually warns about exactly that!

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No need to shout :) Kindly check the link I gave in my first post.

PS even formatting a drive (unless done right) doesn't wipe the data. If the data is indeed properly overwritten, then yes, recovery becomes impossible.

Kaur ( 2019-11-15 01:07:27 +0300 )edit

Oh, I see, with hardcore forensics.
Good luck!

Though IMO my answer still holds true for 99,9% of the users, who lack the tools and / or skills to perform such an endeavor.

olf ( 2019-11-15 03:30:58 +0300 )edit

So, as this is cleared now :)

Back to the question: where is the shell (option)?

peterleinchen ( 2019-11-15 07:51:08 +0300 )edit

I was expecting to see the shell option in the recovery mode. See here. The shot comes from the text mentioned earlier by peterleinchen, which can be found here. However. I see just reset, reboot, and exit, which can probably be explained by the fact that my recovery mode is a very early v 0.1. The question is what could I do to get shell access and / or make an image of my drive?

Kaur ( 2019-11-15 11:15:14 +0300 )edit
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Asked: 2019-11-14 17:14:02 +0300

Seen: 279 times

Last updated: Nov 15 '19