Help Recover files from Droid 4 with PC -- Screen not working, power is on

[aeroplanezero]

I have a Motorola Droid 4 that was purchased around Feb 2012. I never really had issues, and then within 24 hours it crapped out on me. I thought it was the power button being unresponsive, because sometimes the screen would come on and sometimes it wouldn't throughout the day. It quickly became less responsive, until I couldn't power up the screen at all. For a few tries the haptic feedback for my password worked even though the screen was off. Shortly after that I had 2 different friends try calling and there was no response, though it's possible the battery could have died (but the phone calls rang, rather than going straight to voicemail). As I was sitting in the Verizon store, I was looking through the 2 halves of the phone and it looks like the ribbon cable connecting the screen to the main phone has a tear. The notification light still works so I know it has power.


SO...Yes, I ordered a replacement cable, and am going to have a computer hardware savvy friend try and fix it, but in the mean time I need help accessing the phone through my computer to take hundreds of contacts, pictures and videos off in case he can't repair the phone. No they are not backed up (and yes I should have backed them up). My computer (PC, Windows) recognizes the phone, but won't let me access the phone. It's trying to make me use MotoCast. MotoCast USB wants me to unlock the screen before it recognizes the phone, but I can't. Is there any way around this? My computer shows my phone as follows

 

[Rukbat]

The screen has to be unlocked. That's how the phone works. (Otherwise anyone who gets his hands on your phone could rip out your passwords, etc., with another phone, a cable and 2 minutes of time.)

If your friend can't fix the cable, go to the Verizon repair area (if your store doesn't have one, ask one of the sales reps where the nearest one is) and ask if they can either transfer everything to another phone (if you have one) or a laptop you bring along, or a blank CD you bring along or your cloud account or something. (They have a tool that lets them transfer things from your old phone to your new one when you buy a new phone.) Or they may have a working used screen they can plug into your phone long enough to get all your data off (or a Droid 4 that's so bad it doesn't pay to repair, but the screen still works). (Be prepared to pay something for the work. Not a lot, but something.)

 

[themib]

Try booting phone, with keyboard in different positions, in, partly out, out... may take several tries. Just don't move keyboard while powered on.
If you have usb debugging on, maybe able to pull files with adb.exe