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The Samsung Galaxy S3 is a multi-touch, slate-format smartphone with eye-tracking ability, increased storage, and a wireless charging option.

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How can I recover data from the phone's broken internal hard drive?

So this is the problem: i threw my phone on the ground and stepped on it (my temper is not the best). the screen is shattered at the top, so much that the little bits of glass are falling out so NOW i decided to put the case back on. (i know). When i plug the phone into a computer a prompt will pop up however, when i click on the pop up nothing can be found on the phone. On my mac the photos will be "loading" all day. nothing shows up ultimately.

i don't understand fully what is wrong. my phone still vibrates when i get a call or text and the little circle light at the top blinks as well as the menu and back button ,but i cannot see the actual screen.

Is there any way i can get my data off of this phone? (pictures, messages from within apps, voice recordings, memos, anything? If i get the screen fixed will my data remain on the phone?

i'm at a complete loss and freaking out! please help

Answered! View the answer I have this problem too

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Dre Marie, first off I do recommend anger management classes. Then I suggest that you disassemble your phone. It does not have a hard drive. All your files are stored on some memory modules. Unless you take it apart and check for internal damage, there is no way to get those files off. Use these guides to work on your phone and inspect the logicboard carefully. Hope this helps, good luck

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thank you so much. i believe the issue may lie in the Front Panel Assembly. i hope by replacing it i will be able to again reach my data.

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Also, by messing with the "insides" of my phone, will i erase whatever i have on it? everything that i am trying to access again?

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Possibly, but should not for as long as you follow the guides and mind what you touch .

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Wait, are you saying that taking these steps will reset or erase my phone? I mean are files like the ones im trying to save, saved on the motherboard? So long as i dont mess with the motherboard my files will remain in tact???? Sorry i dont understand

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That is correct. If your only issue is the front display, changing it will not delete your data. Keep your fingers and metal tools of the circuit board so as to not shorten it out. You do still want to visually confirm that nothing else got broken.

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I don't think you can view the phone on the computer unless you input the password? Which would be difficult as the digitiser is probably faulty too.

If you can't access anything on the computer I would do the following:

Use a S3 to hdmi to plug into a tv (amazon or ebay) and see if you get anything, if you do, and if you're lucky, the touch screen might work, so you can see on the tv screen and guess approximately where ro touch the screen.

NOTE: charger must be plugged into the small box also for it to work

once unlocked, quickly plug into the computer, swiping the screen every few seconds to prevent it from locking.

im sure it wont do anything until the code is in, otherwise, any monkey could plug your phone in and take what they want.

hope this helps.

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thank you very much. . are you saying that if i get it plugged into the computer, even though i can't see anything on the screen, the screen pop-ups (buttons or whatever) may work without showing up on the screen? i will look for the cord

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Using the cable will allow you to view the display via the tv/monitor NOT through the pc. This will do 2 things, if the display shows through the monitor/tv it proves it's only the lcd damaged (display wise).

When plugged into the monitor/tv and it works, you can start pressing in your pin code, and as long as you always had the keyboard letters flash up when pressed, this will show on the monitor, so you can thumble your way through the passcode. Once unlocked, quickly plug into the pc before it locks again, and you'll be able to access eberything.

However, if you've broken your digitiser, then you wont wont be able to do this.

Regards

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When you plug it in to computer have you went to the actual device through your computer and not through the pop up when you plug it in? You can access all the files on your phone like a regular USB flash drive.

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i tried to go directly to the device but 1) i can't even find it on my Mac, and 2) when used on a different computer it said that there were no files on it. but this is obviously wrong right?? because i still have a flashing light from my messages and calls and app messages coming through?

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I think it needs to get in the download mode and extract the packages of data. Like some software, FonePaw Broken Android Data Extraction, they all use this method to recover the files from broken Android phone.

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Dre Marie will be eternally grateful.
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