Phone restored to factory settings by itself while charging!? Can I retrieve my data? - Moto G 2015 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hello everyone!
Yesterday I powered off my Moto G3 and plugged it in to charge. After a few minutes I heard a short vibration, which normally means that the phone powered on by itself and is booting. I then checked the screen; I had to put in the PIN for my SIM card, but afterwards there was no pattern I had to draw in order to unlock the phone (I had one set up before!). After unlocking the screen I can see a blue screen with "Welcome" at the top, a choice of language and a yellow arrow ("next") button in the middle and "Emergency" call button at the bottom. And in the top right hand corner are the usual signal strength and battery icons.
When I press the yellow button, I'm asked to connect to a Wi-Fi network. I haven't proceeded beyond that point, as I don't want to mess up my phone even further. Basically it looks like my Moto G3 returned to factory settings and wants me to set it up for first use.
I then tried to reboot the phone a few times. I always get the standard Motorola "stitching" animation and get booted into the described screen. I also went into recovery mode, but almost every single option booted me into the blue screen and one time I got the "No command" screen. But maybe I did something wrong; I'm certainly no expert when it comes to using the bootloader.
Having described all of that, my questions are: is it possible for the phone to have reverted itself to factory settings? If yes - why and how? I have an SD card with a lot of photos, documents and application data that is very important to me. Is it still possible to retrieve the data that was saved on the device?
I would very much appreciate any help with this problem!
Thank you,
Meletel

You can copy the contents of the SDCARD while in TWRP.
1. Put MicroSD card and copy the contents of Internal Storage to microsd though TWRP File manager
2. Connect your phone to your computer by USB Cable while in TWRP and you can access your phone through MTP

Related

Strange screen turning up when fiddling..

I was installing my invisibleSHIELD last night with my phone turned off, and apparently managed to do something while trying to fiddle it on as the screen turned on with some small amount of data, and it was colored like some color test screen, red blue green and white horizontal areas(or something like that).
So what did I manage to do? Was it dangerous in anyway for the phone? Probably not, but I'd like to know how I did it and what's its purpose =)
This is called the bootloader screen (popularly known as the Tri-colour screen), you got to this screen by starting up the phone with the Volume Down button held.
Not dangerous at all, unless you had a RAPHIMG.nbh file on the root directory of your fat32 formatted storage card
[along with a wrapper] (Having that file in the root and starting up to the bootloader would allow one to initiated a flash)
This mode is used to flash a new rom, radio or spl to the device, either run to it automatically by a Wrapper from your computer or forced by the user. From this screen one can even flash any of those items from a storage card instead of from the computer. (I do this from time to time when I dont have access to a computer with active sync and wish to flash a rom.
Of course, one needs hard spl to flash anything custom.

Encrypt Galaxy Tab 2 7", ICS 4.0.3, CF-Auto-Root?

One of the first things I did on buying my new Galaxy Tab 2 7" (GT-P3100, Wi-Fi and 3G; Spanish market "PHE" identifier, came with ICS 4.0.3, no updates available either through Kies nor OTA) was to encrypt the Device. It worked.
Then I rooted the device with CF-Auto-Root, which had the side effect of performing a factory reset, and as I understand it from a brief conversation with the author of (the excellent!) CF-Auto-Root this was an expected side-effect of the device having been encrypted at the time of applying CF-Auto-Root.
So, the Tab 2 is back to un-encrypted.
Here are the details:
Android 4.0.3
Baseband version 3.0.8-CL448962-user [email protected] #1
Build number IML74K.P3100XWALD2
But now I'm trying to encrypt again (either/both the SD Card and the Device itself) and I'm having no success at all.
On trying to encrypt the SD card, each time it always returns "SD Card Encryption Error" within a few seconds. (And indeed thereafter I always get a Notification about "SD card encryption error" any time the SD card is mounted by the device). If I go back to Settings -> Security -> Encrypt SD card and select to decrypt the card (even though it's not really encrypted), then I can access the SD Card again - no damage was done (and no encryption either).
If I try to encrypt the Device, I get the black background with the large green outline android, and ... nothing. The green android on the black background just stays there. After the normal screen timeout, the screen goes completely blank; I tap the power button, get the usual unlock screen, unlock it, see the green android again ... and, nothing. If I rotate the tablet, the android rotates. If I tap the power switch, I get the silent/ flightmode/ reboot/ turnoff menu. But nothing will get me back to the normal user interface, and it never finishes encrypting (I really think it never starts).
Eventually (after more than a couple of hours) I give up, tap the power switch and select to reboot, and it comes back up fine, but not encrypted.
One of my main reasons for getting the newer device was to have encryption :-/
Is Encryption (Device, and SD Card) supported/ functional when CF-Auto-Root is in use on a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (Android 4.0.3)?
How do I get encryption to work, for both the Device and the SD Card?
Is there a way to get more detailed logging (the Tab is rooted, and I have command line access) and/or to command the encryption from the command line, to see what's really happening?
Thanks!
Hm, I tried encrypting only NEW files on the SD Card now, and that seems to work.
I stored a new file on the SD Card, unmounted the card from the Tab, put the card in a card reader on a desktop computer, and indeed the contents of that file are just "data", not readable. Back in the Tab, the contents are the picture which I'd saved to the card.
But still attempting to encrypt the existing files on the SD Card fails. And still attempting to encrypt the device does nothing (green android appears, but no % complete ever displays, etc, just as I posted before).
One step further with the external SD Card; I copied off all of the data, formatted the card, and then was able to fully encrypt it (and copy back my data).
But the Device itself, I still can't encrypt at all - just the same as before.
No ideas? None? Nobody? Please....?
Thanks,
-Jay
Bump?
sigh
Try the same thing with the device itself.
Do a factory reset.
Not once,twice.
I know u lose all data.
But try it.
And do this without android to start.
Keep press power+vol up.
Get into menu and do factory reset,wipe dalwik...all.
Hope this help.
libove said:
If I try to encrypt the Device, I get the black background with the large green outline android, and ... nothing. The green android on the black background just stays there. After the normal screen timeout, the screen goes completely blank; I tap the power button, get the usual unlock screen, unlock it, see the green android again ... and, nothing. If I rotate the tablet, the android rotates. If I tap the power switch, I get the silent/ flightmode/ reboot/ turnoff menu. But nothing will get me back to the normal user interface, and it never finishes encrypting (I really think it never starts).
Eventually (after more than a couple of hours) I give up, tap the power switch and select to reboot, and it comes back up fine, but not encrypted.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did u solve the problem?
i have the same problem
MasterBrush said:
Did u solve the problem?
i have the same problem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was over a year ago, and I don't even use the device anymore. Sorry, can't help.
I've since then tried a ZTE "Skate Pro" (the Movistar Spain branding of the "Blade III"). Piece of Sh*t phone. Support encryption natively under Android 4.0.4, but if you do encrypt the phone, the performance of the touch screen becomes unreliable, frequently so bad that swiping (including Swyping) actions don't work right, and you end up less moving things on the screen and more, effectively, tapping things you absolutely did not intended to tap. I discarded the ZTE Skate Pro/ Blade III.
Then I tried a Haier W708, dirt cheap; not a powerhouse, but satisfatory.
And a Nexus 5 which kicks *ss all over the place.
I can't help any more with this thread, and any results in this thread would not longer help me, so I'm dropping off the thread now.
Best of luck to all.

[Q] Encryption broke my phone

Hi, I got Motorola Moto G, original system, no root. I just encrypted my phone, process most probably finished without problems - I stopped watching the phone on around 90%. Then it restarted, boot animation, "enter your password to decrypt the phone", I type it in, green robo shows for 1 second and then black screen (backlighted) :/ After couple hours nothing changes.
If I type wrong password, phone ofc doesn't accept it. Computer sees device, but I can't access it. When I turn off the phone by pressing POWER for long time, it just resets and goes back to asking for passwod again.
Please help me recover my data...
EDIT
before entering password PC says phone is off, after typing it, PC says it doesn't have drivers (it worked normally before encryption).
I can enter fast boot, but IDK what next. Recovery mode just ends with "NO COMMAND"
I see that probably all users who got this problem have Motorola Moto G too. Mostly people who use CM and tried to encrypt phone too.
I downloaded Android SDK, fastboot.exe tool sees my phone in this state. Not sure if it can be used to do something useful....
adb.exe doesn't see device
bump :crying:
So, I left the phone in black screen step over night. Battery ran out. I tried turning it on/off, entering fast boot mode, but nothing happened, then connected to USB. LED turned on for a while, screen too, showing battery with 0%. But now nothing again. Just black or off, not sure. Can't do literally anything, I tried pressing different keys for minutes and changing USB slot.
EDIT
nevermind, fixed battery problem, Moto G with no power needs normal charger or much longer time on USB
phantom_gopher said:
Cut...
before entering password PC says phone is off, after typing it, PC says it doesn't have drivers (it worked normally before encryption).
I can enter fast boot, but IDK what next. Recovery mode just ends with "NO COMMAND"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dunno if this can help (and sorry for the grammar but i'm not english and i really suck at it), but for me it's normal to see "no command" on the recovery, to see the recovery commands you just need to:
(Token from Customer Help Motorola):
1. Go in fastboot mode.
2. Select the voice "Recovery".
3. Now the phone'll show motorola's logo and then the android bot with the exclamation mark.
So now, you have to press VOL UP for 10-15 seconds. while pressing it, press and release the POWER button.
U should now see the voices in the recovery.
phantom_gopher said:
So, I left the phone in black screen step over night. Battery ran out. I tried turning it on/off, entering fast boot mode, but nothing happened, then connected to USB. LED turned on for a while, screen too, showing battery with 0%. But now nothing again. Just black or off, not sure. Can't do literally anything, I tried pressing different keys for minutes and changing USB slot.
EDIT
nevermind, fixed battery problem, Moto G with no power needs normal charger or much longer time on USB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can get the phone to be recognised try reflash firmware
Sent from my Moto G using XDA Free mobile app
Thanks for replies. Menu in recovery mode lets me wipe all data, so that's last thing I want to do, but I guess I will have too soon :/
About flashing firmware - from what I've read, encrypted data on phone is protected by password and some kind of encryption key/file. Reflhasing would cause permanent lose of that key and thus whole encrypted data.
The only solution I guess is copying that key on PC. Copying encrypted data if possible, and decrypting on PC using some tool, as Android is open source, so it shouldn't be a problem to extract it's decryption mechanism and run it on PC.
OR copying key to PC, reflashing phone, copying back key and praying this time system will start.
Well what's more important I working phone or a few apps??
If you need to get data off the phone maybe using a otg cable and using the file manager in recovery to copy it all over to the USB otg but as far as that I think your gunna have yo count your losses and learn not to encrypt your phone lol....
Sent from my Moto G using XDA Free mobile app
ME TOO!!!
phantom_gopher said:
Hi, I got Motorola Moto G, original system, no root. I just encrypted my phone, process most probably finished without problems - I stopped watching the phone on around 90%. Then it restarted, boot animation, "enter your password to decrypt the phone", I type it in, green robo shows for 1 second and then black screen (backlighted) :/ After couple hours nothing changes.
If I type wrong password, phone ofc doesn't accept it. Computer sees device, but I can't access it. When I turn off the phone by pressing POWER for long time, it just resets and goes back to asking for passwod again.
Please help me recover my data...
EDIT
before entering password PC says phone is off, after typing it, PC says it doesn't have drivers (it worked normally before encryption).
I can enter fast boot, but IDK what next. Recovery mode just ends with "NO COMMAND"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same happened to me...couldn't even do a factory reset. I had to get a new phone. I was so mad!!! Now I have a Sony Xperia phone. I just bought it outright so I wouldn't be stuck in a plan.

[Q] DESPERATE HERE: Phone won't boot after soft reset?

A couple of months back I decided to root my device. I did this using the unlocking the bootloader method. As a result, I lost my DRM keys, and I managed to restore DRM function by following the methods detailed here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony/xperia-z1-z2-z3-series-devices-drm-t2930672
I had to download the stock Android 4.4.4 from online, which I flashed my phone with - no problems. Things ran smoothly from then for about a month, and then I realised that my cellular network started to malfunction, and I couldn't access apps like YouTube and Snapchat on the cellular network. This prompted me today to do a "soft reset" of my phone, by holding the power button and volume up button simultaneously for about 3 seconds - under the impression that it would restore my phone settings back to the factory default.
Much to my horror, the worst case scenario happened. When I performed the soft reset, my phone vibrated 3 times and switched off. When I tried to turn it back on, it would show the boot-up screen indicating "SONY", followed by the next screen indicating "powered by android", and then it would show the blue screen with the wavy lines. It stayed on this screen for about 20 minutes. I figured something was wrong, and I tried to soft reset it again, only to be stuck at the blue screen once again. I decided to let it stay that way for 2 more hours, in order to drain the battery. When the battery drained, I turned it back on, and it was still stuck at the blue wavy screen.
I don't know a whole lot about Android phones, and I have no idea why this is happening, but it is causing me an immense amount of frustration - I have invaluable data on that phone, and to lose it would just be devastating. I can't even begin to describe it. I'm using TWRP recovery, and I'm also using TitaniumBackup which is backed up onto my phone's internal storage, and I can't access any of the files on my phone from my computer, because it doesn't recognise my phone.
This has been a long one, thanks for bearing with me. I've got a few questions:
1. What's the problem that's preventing my phone from booting?
2. How do I fix it?
3. If it's unfixable, how can I retrieve my data from my phone?
Really, really hoping someone can help me out on this - I'm completely lost and am desperate here. Thank you in advance!
Can you boot into TWRP's recovery mode using the volume down key?
Just press volume down when you see the green light on your notification led upon powering on your phone
Well something keeps the phone to boot, try to clean cache in recovery, it might help.
But to restore data on internal storage, count it as unpossible.

Pulled sim broke screen? Can't do anything

Heu guys,
So I received a P30 as a gift yesterday, it said it had an update so it downloaded. Then it said it needed to be at 20% to install the update so I just left it until later when I could get to a charger. The thing is, I also didn't have a sim card in it.
I pulled the sim slot with the phone turned on (install pending) , and as soon as I did that I got a new black screen of death, nothing like in any of the videos online.
This one allows me to interact with the screen, however the entire screen stays black except for about 50% of the top (like I can see 50% of the battery icon) notification area. The tiny section of the screen that turns on also looks sorta wonky, like screens often do when they get water damage.
I've been able to turn it off, by guessing where the power buttons were. I *think* I even got it to the hard reset menu, but not being able to see, I can't type on the screen. It does react to the soft reset (power + volume down) but when it turns back on, it won't even show the logos on boot, everything still stays black minus a section of the notification bar.
Is there a way to do a hard reset without being able to interact with the screen at all? Can I do it using my computer somehow?
I know the screen is not broken because I can interact with it. Also on 1 of the 30 soft resets I did, the screen flickered some sort of error message for a quarter of a second, so fast all I could do was see it was text.
I'd just return the phone but it was a friend's old work phone and there is no way to get a replacement.
I recommend you to use Hisuite on a computer, try to connect the phone (I said try because you must select the type of connection on the phone). If the phone connects to Hisuite, use the recovery option to reinstall the default firmware. Good luck!
marselcj said:
I recommend you to use Hisuite on a computer, try to connect the phone (I said try because you must select the type of connection on the phone). If the phone connects to Hisuite, use the recovery option to reinstall the default firmware. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this might be my only option. I was trying to find something just like that. Couldn't figure out if there was a software for it or not. Thanks will try when I get back to a computer tomorrow!

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