Help SD Card must be re-formatted after hard resetting phone - NEED FILES!

[ImAwesomeAli]

I recently switched service from Sprint to Sprint via Flash Wireless and during the activation process I could not get my phone to access the internet or send/receive texts. After trying various methods to make my data and sms services work I was told the only option was to factory reset my phone.

I moved all my pictures and some apps to the SD card in my Moto X Pure and figured after resetting my phone it would all be available and it would be a seamless process. I was wrong: after resetting the MXPE I was told it could not read the SD card until it was formatted for use with my phone, the problem is that formatting it will get rid of all my files and it should already be compatible with my phone as it was working prior to the reset.

I have also tried accessing the SD card directly through my Win 10 PC but it also says that the card must be formatted to be read.

Please help! I have tried a few "recovery services" that seem to just "scan" the SD card forever and are never able to access the files.

Edit: Where it currently says "factory reset" it used to say "hard reset" but I believe "factory reset" is correct in my situation.

 

[michaelkenward]

It sounds like you have a problem with the SD card. You say you have tried recovery services. Does this include EaseUS MobiSaver for Android - Data Recovery for Android Devices?

 

[ImAwesomeAli]

It sounds like you have a problem with the SD card. You say you have tried recovery services. Does this include EaseUS MobiSaver for Android - Data Recovery for Android Devices?

I used the Windows version and while it was able to find something on the SD card I would have to pay $70 to even see what it is. All the files it was able to find were over the 100MB preview limit.

 

[Spec2nirvash]

Was the SD card encrypted when you moved the files to it? Resetting the phone would render the card contents useless.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Your pictures are safe in Google Photos online unless you turned that option off.

Welcome to the Android Forums ImAwesomeAli!

 

[ImAwesomeAli]

Was the SD card encrypted when you moved the files to it? Resetting the phone would render the card contents useless.

I don't believe it was encrypted unless upon formatting for the first time it is automatically encrypted.

 

[ImAwesomeAli]

Your pictures are safe in Google Photos online unless you turned that option off.

Welcome to the Android Forums ImAwesomeAli!

I did not have google photos set to backup my stuff.

 

[ImAwesomeAli]

Does anyone know of a software that would allow me to view what is on the SD card without re-formatting and extract the files from it?

 

[El Presidente]

Does anyone know of a software that would allow me to view what is on the SD card without re-formatting and extract the files from it?

Try Recuva, it's meant to be pretty reliable and in other threads I've seen people say it's one of the only tools that's worked for them.

 

[mikedt]

Try Recuva, it's meant to be pretty reliable and in other threads I've seen people say it's one of the only tools that's worked for them.

I've used Recuva successfully before now.

 

[ImAwesomeAli]

Yep the card is encrypted because prior to factory resetting my phone I had chosen to use it as internal storage which encrypts it and makes it only accessible on that phone. After resetting my phone the encryption key is gone and now I cannot access the files on the SD card.

This forum helped me figure out the issue but apparently there is no solution:
https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/MOTO-G...tted-SD-card-as-internal-storage/td-p/3471255

If anyone knows how I can "bypass" the encryption/hack into it please let me know. Also is it possible that the encryption key is still in the built in storage of my phone (assuming it hasn't been written over) and can be recovered from there?

 

[mikedt]

Yep the card is encrypted because prior to factory resetting my phone I had chosen to use it as internal storage which encrypts it and makes it only accessible on that phone. After resetting my phone the encryption key is gone and now I cannot access the files on the SD card.

This forum helped me figure out the issue but apparently there is no solution:
https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/MOTO-G...tted-SD-card-as-internal-storage/td-p/3471255

If anyone knows how I can "bypass" the encryption/hack into it please let me know.

I'm pretty sure there is no "bypass" or backdoor in, if there was I'm sure the FBI, NSA, etc. would already have it. And really the only other possible way is brute-force attack, which is basically trying every possible combination until you find the correct one. Do you have a supercomputer and enough time? More details about Android adoptable storage encryption here...
https://source.android.com/devices/storage/adoptable
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SHA-2

Also is it possible that the encryption key is still in the built in storage of my phone (assuming it hasn't been written over) and can be recovered from there?

See about possible security vulnerabilities, which may have already been considered when the encryption was designed. e.g. ensure the encryption key is securely deleted.

When I used Recuva to undelete a friend's photos and videos, that was just on a FAT formatted USB drive.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Now I know why Adoptive storage was not recommended. Even by Google who created it.

I had to try it though... I'm an early adopter.

I bought a new phone and card the next year after trying that.

Reformatting the card on your phone will get your card space back but the data is gone.

I actually have no problems with that. I used a very large card and never removed it.

 

[acejavelin]

Yep the card is encrypted because prior to factory resetting my phone I had chosen to use it as internal storage which encrypts it and makes it only accessible on that phone. After resetting my phone the encryption key is gone and now I cannot access the files on the SD card.

This forum helped me figure out the issue but apparently there is no solution:
https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/MOTO-G...tted-SD-card-as-internal-storage/td-p/3471255

If anyone knows how I can "bypass" the encryption/hack into it please let me know. Also is it possible that the encryption key is still in the built in storage of my phone (assuming it hasn't been written over) and can be recovered from there?

Well, if it was encrypted as internal storage and the factory reset it done, the information to decrypt it is lost... You are not getting it back, $100,000 and a month at a data recovery center will get you nothing. There is no hack or bypass or recovery tool, or anything else to get that information because without the key the information is just random 1's and 0's.

This is 128-bit encryption, even with one of the most power super computers on the planet today at your disposal, to crack it by brute force would take 1 billion billion years, and since that is older we believe the universe itself to be, you can figure out the chances of getting the data back. Not good...

 

[ImAwesomeAli]

Alright guys thanks for the honesty. I guess I have to kiss all my precious memes (and a few actually important files) goodbye. Thanks for all your help.