iPhone4 randomly died, can only restore but iTunes backup a month old - help!

Question

iPhone4 randomly died, can only restore but iTunes backup a month old - help!

Hi all,

First time poster so go easy on me, I'm hoping the community can help me out.

I have an appointment at a Genius Bar in two days with the following as my problem:

"My iPhone4 (on iOS5) stopped working for no reason and wouldn't display anything or respond to any buttons, even with charge remaining. When put on mains power it booted to the 'Slide to setup' screen not my normal Home screen. It then asked to be connected to iTunes, this wasn't possible because as soon as the power was removed it switched off. When attached to a PC with USB instead it only booted as far as the Apple logo and then restarted, in an endless cycle.

When holding the Home button during booting I can get it into 'Recovery Mode' and then the PC/iTunes recognises it but only gives the option to 'Restore'. The problem is my last full backup is from December 10th and I really cannot afford to lose all my changes since then. I have spent hours trawling the web for ideas/answers but cannot get the phone out of 'Recovery Mode' in the hope of not losing my data which is my main concern."

I use my iPhone religiously and the loss of data including my family's Christmas pictures is unthinkable, I accept it's self inflicted by not backing up.

I'm an IT techy by profession and have resurrected so many dead systems of one form or another, but this has truely defeated me.

I'm more than capable of attempting the most technical of fixes but I dont want to do anything irreversable until the Genius has looked at it.

If no luck then I'll have to click 'Restore' - something I'm trying to avoid at all costs!

Thanks in advance for anything people can offer, I really appreciate it.

Chris

iPhone 4, iOS 5

Posted on Jan 3, 2012 9:53 AM

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Answer 1

Rysz

Level 8

44,455 points

Jan 3, 2012 10:03 AM in response to digitallydriven

You did not mention trying a simple Reset:

Press and hold both the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button for at least ten seconds, until the Apple logo appears (ignore the Slide to Power Off that shows up first).

If that does not work, try finding a utility that can accedd the device as an external drive and look around for your files. Don't know what platform you are on, so can't recommend a specific product, but a search of these forums should point you in the right direction.

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Answer 2

Jan 3, 2012 10:42 AM in response to Rysz

Thanks Rysz,

I've done the 'hard reset' many times when on power but the issues remain.

The extended version of that reset, where you hold the Home button as it boots is the only way I can get the iPhone to the 'Recovery mode' while on USB (so iTunes can see it) otherwise it just cycles.

The sort of software you mention is exactly what I need - I run iTunes on Windows Vista if that helps anyone.

Through work I can get hold of most OSs etc should I need an alternative platform to recover with.

Thanks again,

Chris

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Answer 3

Rysz

Level 8

44,455 points

Jan 3, 2012 11:24 AM in response to digitallydriven

If you are on Windows, iExplorer seems to be the most highly regarded utility around here.

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Answer 4

Jan 3, 2012 3:10 PM in response to Rysz

I downloaded and installed iExplorer and it looks exactly what I'm after.

However, even though iTunes sees the iPhone to tell me it's in 'Recovery mode' iExplorer cannot see it.

It also doesn't appear as a device in My Computer - no doubt a symptom of being in 'Recovery Mode'.

Both iExplorer and My Computer do see my wife's working iPhone though.

Thanks for the reply though - any more ideas anyone?

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Answer 5

KiltedTim

Level 10

227,268 points

Jan 3, 2012 3:18 PM in response to digitallydriven

If the phone is in recovery mode, any data that was on it is already gone. You will have to restore.

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Answer 6

Jan 4, 2012 3:30 AM in response to KiltedTim

Perhaps, but there's two things which give me hope.

1) I'm forcing it into 'Recovery mode' by holding Home as it boots, otherwise it cycles - if I could just get past what's causing that maybe it'll boot properly.

2) When on mains power it boots to the 'Slide to setup' screen where all you can do is connect to iTunes (impossible as it can't be on mains power and USBed to a PC at the same time - and switches off if not connected to either) or make an emergency call. When you 'Slide to setup' it remembers my security code and when you goto the emergency call screen it has my wallpaper - so that's two bits of my data still intact.

I know from my IT working experience that just because an OS may be trashed it doesnt mean the underlying file system is too.

The more I search, and I mean hours and hours worth, I suspect the battery - I just hope a Genius can perform a miracle! Until then I'll keep checking this discussion.

Thanks for your reply KiltedTim.

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Answer 7

Jan 10, 2016 10:50 AM in response to digitallydriven

Hi - I realize alot of tme has passed - but were you ever able to save that data on the iphone??

I am in the exact same predicament now and am desperate to not loose my Christmas Photo's.

I have gotten a new phone but really really want to save my pictures. Just wondering if you ever had any luck.

thanks so much

-Sharon

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Answer 8

Jan 10, 2016 10:56 AM in response to sharon from new boston

sharon from new boston wrote:

Hi - I realize alot of tme has passed - but were you ever able to save that data on the iphone??

I am in the exact same predicament now and am desperate to not loose my Christmas Photo's.

I have gotten a new phone but really really want to save my pictures. Just wondering if you ever had any luck.

thanks so much

-Sharon

If you are truly at a similar situation as the OP, then no, your data is already lost. There is no way for the op or anyone in that situation to save what is on the device when that sort of disaster hits. This is why it is vital to keep backups up to date. Once the device fails, recovering what is on it is impossible and your only hope is that you made regular and frequent updated backups beforehand.

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