data recovery on iPhone?

May 11, 2008 2:58 PM

Can you save data from an iPhone, in any manner, once it has entered "recovery" mode and iTunes informs you that you need to restore the phone?

I know that a more technical-minded person wouldn't have let this happen, and I promise I checked out the manual on this. I know I'm a goober for using iTunes; please do not chide me! Here's what happened.

1. I take a bunch of great pictures today, and plug in the iPhone to upload them.

2. It has been a few weeks since I last did so, and iTunes offers me a software upgrade. I say yes.

3. Big mistake.

4. iTunes could not finish installing the software because "an unknown error occurred." It seems as if the connection was physically interrupted, but I don't know how.

5. iTunes then informs me that the phone was in "recovery mode" and I couldn't use iTunes without either restoring or using something called "iBoot."

6. But my pictures! And I don't have iBoot. What the hell is iBoot? My iPhone will not respond.

7. As the computer does not appear to perceive that the iPhone is connected, and a disconnection sound was made, I remove it and turn the phone on and off a few times. Although responding to button commands, the iPhone will only return to a screen showing the cord and an iTunes logo.

8. I hate this piece of shit slow-ass Toshiba oh my God I hate it I hate it.

9. I try Google, and am confused by all the possibilities for the problem and the recovery.

10. I try this question.

Can I retrieve my pictures? Are the data recovery applications I find on Google reputable and useful in this situation? Thank you so much for your help.

posted by Countess Elena to computers & internet (3 comments total)

I don't have an iPhone, but you might try posting in this troubleshooting forum.
posted by sharkfu at 3:55 PM on May 11, 2008

You're pretty much screwed.

During a install/update
The iphone makes a copy of your sensitive data.
It then wipes the phone, installs the upgrades, then copies back your data.

It sounds like it failed after the wipe of the phone.

Call apple - you have applecare with the iphone as you're paying monthly with AT&T. (I think it's two years for free.) There's an 800 number for this.
posted by filmgeek at 4:06 PM on May 11, 2008

I called Apple -- I had been trying to find any alternative to the restore, but finally I did that, because I need my phone. The tech said there was no way to get the pictures, that they were definitely overwritten.

Of course I was perfectly polite on the phone but oh! Flames. On the side of my face. I am so upset about those pictures, it was such a beautiful day, I was going to send them to . . . I am going to turn on the Wii and throw some punches.
posted by Countess Elena at 5:05 PM on May 11, 2008