How to destroy onboard flash memory?

[rlw999]

I want physically remove or destroy the on-board flash RAM in my phone.

My original Droid stopped working after accidentally smashing it against a table edge while in my pocket (backlight and keyboard lights come on, screen stays black, tried to blindly unlock phone, but it doesn't seem to be responding). Tried a power-X reset, but still nothing on the screen.

I'm going to get it replaced by Asurion (still have the $50 deductable on my plan), but they say I have to return the phone. However, they said it does not have to be in working order.

I have emails, passwords and whatnot on the phone, and I don't want to find out that they refurbed it with a new screen and sent it to someone without wiping it, so I want to destroy the onboard flash memory. What's the best way to do this without totally destroying the phone physically? If they want to re-use components to refurb other phones, I'm fine with that, I just don't want my private data out in the wild.

How hard is it to disassemble the phone, find the flash RAM on the motherboard, and reassemble? I don't mind desoldering the chip(s) from the motherboard or scraping it off.

 

[bberryhill0]

A factory reset should remove your info.

 

[rlw999]

A factory reset should remove your info.

While I'm sure that's true, I think you missed the part of my post where I mentioned that the screen is blank, power-X doesn't work, and the phone is not responding to blindly unlocking it, so it's truly defective.

If you can tell me how to perform a factory reset with a phone that doesn't work, I'm all ears!

 

[johnlgalt]

Get the Android SDK, install.

Connect your phone via USB. make sure it is powered on.

On your computer, open a cmd window and go to the /platform-tools directory inside the Android SDK directory.

type

adb reboot bootloader

This will reboot the phone into the bootloader.

Now you should be able to use RSDLite and flash a stock ROM, erasing everything.

 

[bberryhill0]

Or you could drop the phone into a glass of Coke.

 

[Slug]

I wouldn't advise it, for the simple reason that any sign of internal tampering could give the insurance company an excuse to refuse your claim. Far better imo to contact them, explain your concerns and ask for assurances that any data will be securely wiped.

 

[bberryhill0]

I've had people ask to see my phone then hold it right over their beer glass. If they drop it in the beer isn't that what insurance is for?

I can find replacement phones on craigslist for less than the deductible so insurance seems pointless unless you have the latest greatest and tend to destroy phones.

* Oh, we should address the original question. Is there a screen replacement thread that describes how to take the phone apart?

 

[Sportster]

I'd rather like to see 'how to replace your lousy 256m ram with 1gig'! That's the major problem with this phone,imo. Fix that,it's a great phone....

 

[bberryhill0]

I use Titanium Backup to move apps to SD. I have about 80mb free.

 

[AngryHatter]

Removing the sd card and activating another phone with the number effectively removes that info from your old one.
If something actually survives, the new owner won't have access to the emails etc because the account he uses will not be yours.

 

[PhilosoRaptor]

I'd rather like to see 'how to replace your lousy 256m ram with 1gig'! That's the major problem with this phone,imo. Fix that,it's a great phone....

Hah, indeed. If I could do that somehow, I wouldn't mind holding onto this phone for another year probably. The 256 MBs RAM is this phones Achilles heel. At least the CPU can do 1 GHz+, but that doesn't do much for running multiple services/apps constantly.

 

[johnlgalt]

Removing the sd card and activating another phone with the number effectively removes that info from your old one.
If something actually survives, the new owner won't have access to the emails etc because the account he uses will not be yours.

Huh? I could have sworn that all your app caches are not on the SDCard - a good many of them (and in particular System apps) use internal memory to store info?

Caches, like Contacs sync, MMS, SMS, call log, etc.....

It's why in the beginning we were advising people with ridiculously large numbers of calls in the log and / or SMS to back them up and then delete them out of memory....

Removing the SDCard will not clear those caches - a factory / data reset will.

Since that is not much of an option right now, RSDLite via adb loading the phone into the bootloader will be one.

Hah, indeed. If I could do that somehow, I wouldn't mind holding onto this phone for another year probably. The 256 MBs RAM is this phones Achilles heel. At least the CPU can do 1 GHz+, but that doesn't do much for running multiple services/apps constantly.

A CPU that is stock 600 Mhz OC'd to 1000 Mhz (or more) is seriously taxing the CPU, no matter how you look at it. I have a BIONIC - DROID will never be anything like it at all, in terms of space available, memory available, processing power and speed, form factor, etc.

I would have been happy with my DROID too - but now,after I got the BIONIC, there is no way. I had the DROID OC'd to 1100 MHz most times, 1200 at times, and steady 1000 Mhz in the first days of CM7, backed down to 800 in the final days. It can't hang. Even if I kicked up the RAM to 1 GB it will not hang. it will beslower.

You're effectively throwing more RAM at a 3 generation old CPU - I have a Core i7 right now - three generations before that would be around about the Pentium D models....lol. Nope. never get a P-D anywhere near what my Core i7 can do.

 

[AngryHatter]

Huh? I could have sworn that all your app caches are not on the SDCard - a good many of them (and in particular System apps) use internal memory to store info?

Caches, like Contacs sync, MMS, SMS, call log, etc.....

It's why in the beginning we were advising people with ridiculously large numbers of calls in the log and / or SMS to back them up and then delete them out of memory....

Removing the SDCard will not clear those caches - a factory / data reset will.

Since that is not much of an option right now, RSDLite via adb loading the phone into the bootloader will be one.



A CPU that is stock 600 Mhz OC'd to 1000 Mhz (or more) is seriously taxing the CPU, no matter how you look at it. I have a BIONIC - DROID will never be anything like it at all, in terms of space available, memory available, processing power and speed, form factor, etc.

I would have been happy with my DROID too - but now,after I got the BIONIC, there is no way. I had the DROID OC'd to 1100 MHz most times, 1200 at times, and steady 1000 Mhz in the first days of CM7, backed down to 800 in the final days. It can't hang. Even if I kicked up the RAM to 1 GB it will not hang. it will beslower.

You're effectively throwing more RAM at a 3 generation old CPU - I have a Core i7 right now - three generations before that would be around about the Pentium D models....lol. Nope. never get a P-D anywhere near what my Core i7 can do.

I said - that it would EFFECTIVELY make all that inaccessible.

Try it this way...what happens when you receive a replacement phone and slip the old one back into the box?

 

[teddyearp]

Get the Android SDK, install.

Connect your phone via USB. make sure it is powered on.

On your computer, open a cmd window and go to the /platform-tools directory inside the Android SDK directory.

type

adb reboot bootloader

This will reboot the phone into the bootloader.

Now you should be able to use RSDLite and flash a stock ROM, erasing everything.

I'd like to add/elaborate that what John meant to say is to flash one of the leaked .sbf files, returning your A855 to a totally stock state.

 

[SNeitzel]

Get the Android SDK, install.

Connect your phone via USB. make sure it is powered on.

On your computer, open a cmd window and go to the /platform-tools directory inside the Android SDK directory.

type

adb reboot bootloader

This will reboot the phone into the bootloader.

Now you should be able to use RSDLite and flash a stock ROM, erasing everything.

This is your solution.

 

[kdoackamera]

BUMP.

This has been an interesting thread to read.

I have a Motorola Pro+ . Seeing as I have a similar issue and there being no Pro+ section of the forum, I will post here.

As far as android is concerned, I know nothing, I am merely a user of my phone.

One day the screen started going black intermittently, now, it stays black, forever.

Wishing to delete all personal data on the phone, I considered using moto phone portal, deleting all contacts, sms, call logs etc. It has been suggested to me that I can change my password for motoblur/motocast and this will then log the phone out if it ever was turned on again, is this true?

I wish to destroy all data because I also want to send the phone back, I have not had it very long.

I don't know much about rooting, I downloaded android sdk, its like reading chinese to me, I don't know where to start.

I am assuming my phone does not have usb debugging "on" because I have and had never needed to configure that setting before.

I managed to find some software to root the phone, but the phones screen is black, I cannot use the phone to even turn debugging on.

Can someone please help? I am almost tearing my hair out over this.

Help appreciated,

Kdoa.