Android Data Recovery Disaster

[nathan_moore500]

Hi,

Hopefully someone will be able to help me as just like many others, losing precious images off of there phone is not a nice experience.

Yesterday my Samsung Galaxy S4 pushed an update to Android 5.0 which required approx 1gb of local storage. To free up space for the download, I used the "My Files" application built into the device to move a few folders from the devices 16GB internal storage, to my SanDisk Class 10 64Gb SD card (which has been used in the phone only for over 2 years now, and to date successfully). The Images seemed to move after a few minutes, and the device had sufficient free space to download the update.

After the OS installed, I went to the My Files app again to swap the folders I had moved to my SD card, back to the devices internal storage. However, they are no where to be found.

I have restarted the device multiple times with no reappearance as suggested on some forums. I unmounted the SD and put it into my computer and still cannot find the missing files even when using the card in my PC or Mac.

I hope someone can help me, as the images are very special to me. I have no idea what to do, whether there is any chance of image recovery or not. I just don't understand how simply moving the files has left no trace of them anywhere?

Thank you in advance for anyone that provides answers and help. Its really appreciated!

***Please Note. For approximately 2 weeks, Photos taken on the device's camera app have been saved, but then strangely deleted/disappeared within a hour or so. However, photos taken and saved from 3rd party apps such as Snapchat, save successfully and permanantly. Thought this info was important to provide. Thanks.

 

[shahbaz200]

After moving you checked or saw if they are moved to External SD card?

 

[nathan_moore500]

After moving you checked or saw if they are moved to External SD card?

I do have to admit I did not specifically check that they had moved to the SD card. I did however, check that the directory I was moving them to was definitely correct before clicking move.

Although I cannot be certain as this is only an instinct, but something tells me that this is nothing to do with the update to Lollipop OS. I just have no idea how to go about trying to recover the approx 500 images in the folders.

Even if I had got the directory wrong, the images would be somewhere, either on the device or on the card but they are nowhere to be found? Please help if you can.

 

[shahbaz200]

Well yes, updates doesn't delete stuff as far as I know.

***Please Note. For approximately 2 weeks, Photos taken on the device's camera app have been saved,

Saved? You mean photos that you copied to SD card were saved that were 2 weeks old and rest deleted? If yes see this: The problem with S4 would be that is shows device as media device and doesn't mounts SD card as an storage device so I am not sure if recovery software on PC will work or not. But try "Recuva" app on PC its freeware. If it doesn't shows your SD card, install USB Mount Storage from playstore or use card readers or other phone that mounts it as storage device. Try if it recovers your photo.

If no see this: This is the bad situation. I have Galaxy S3 and I used an app "undeleter" from playstore that worked well but it needs rooted phone. And you don't have rooted phone. If photos are just too important than your phones warranty and future updates you can root it and use apps that are already available both for PC and phone.

 

[nathan_moore500]

Well yes, updates doesn't delete stuff as far as I know.

***Please Note. For approximately 2 weeks, Photos taken on the device's camera app have been saved,

Saved? You mean photos that you copied to SD card were saved that were 2 weeks old and rest deleted? If yes see this: The problem with S4 would be that is shows device as media device and doesn't mounts SD card as an storage device so I am not sure if recovery software on PC will work or not. But try "Recuva" app on PC its freeware. If it doesn't shows your SD card, install USB Mount Storage from playstore or use card readers or other phone that mounts it as storage device. Try if it recovers your photo.

If no see this: This is the bad situation. I have Galaxy S3 and I used an app "undeleter" from playstore that worked well but it needs rooted phone. And you don't have rooted phone. If photos are just too important than your phones warranty and future updates you can root it and use apps that are already available both for PC and phone.

To Clarify what i meant by saved....The images that I have taken in the past fortnight have appeared in my camera roll. I can view them in the Photo Gallery application built into the samsung. However, after anywhere between 5 minuets and an hour, there is no trace of the images that I have taken.

Strangely, sometimes when I try and open the images, the thumbnail appears, but the image is just black when I open it until it eventually just disappears from the gallery and the card. Any ideas?

 

[shahbaz200]

You are getting thumbnails only because there is a hidden ".thumbnails" folder inside DCIM folder. These thumbnails are used as cache for quick loading. Your cache is saved as you didn't moved them. If you want to have look at thumbnails without erasing them then go to my files. Open its menu/settings and tick show hidden files and look for .thumbnails folder inside DCIM

 

[DemiMoore00]

In the handle of android phones, there are lots of reasons to lost your data. On the moment, you can search android data recovery on google. Many data recovery software can recover android data.

 

[RedPugg]

PhotoRec and Android Recovery are great free apps to restore deleted files form Android and SD card.