[Q] [HELP] Deleted storage/emulated and now all my photos disappeared

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victorymobile

New member
Jul 3, 2014
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I seem to be having the same problem as this except(android.stackexchange.com/questions/61531/removed-storage-emulated-0-file-and-lost-access-to-all-files) there was never a solution. I tried remaking the folders and restarting the phone but that didn't work.

Can anybody help me out?
 

victorymobile

New member
Jul 3, 2014
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Soooo you wiped internal storage? Pictures are gone... Best bet is to try Disk Digger or some similar app and see if it works.

I was thinking that I only wiped the symlink to the files. I will try to see if it helps. Thanks for the tip.

Also make a backup next time before you do whatever you tried to do as to avoid this situation in the future.

I was going to, except to make a nandroid backup or backup in general using custom recovery I need to go have more than half of my sdcard be free space (since it back it up to the internal sdcard) and I only had like 500-600 MB free :( I know you can move nandroid backups to the computer to free up space, but I do not know if I could backup straight to computer since N5 has no space.
 

jd1639

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Sep 21, 2012
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Minnesota
I was thinking that I only wiped the symlink to the files. I will try to see if it helps. Thanks for the tip.



I was going to, except to make a nandroid backup or backup in general using custom recovery I need to go have more than half of my sdcard be free space (since it back it up to the internal sdcard) and I only had like 500-600 MB free :( I know you can move nandroid backups to the computer to free up space, but I do not know if I could backup straight to computer since N5 has no space.

A nandroid wouldn't have helped. It doesn't backup pictures,etc. Use drop box or something or back them up on your pc frequently.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
 
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Citizen_Snips

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Apr 23, 2012
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A nandroid wouldn't have helped. It doesn't backup pictures,etc. Use drop box or something or back them up on your pc frequently.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app

From my understanding, a nandroid backs up everything on the selected partition. So /system would save your ROM and its settings, etc. Normally on a phone with a SD card it won't back that up, but the N5 only has internal memory. Backing up /data won't save pictures and videos you took?
 
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jd1639

Inactive Recognized Contributor
Sep 21, 2012
16,833
5,404
Minnesota
From my understanding, a nandroid backs up everything on the selected partition. So /system would save your ROM and its settings, etc. Normally on a phone with a SD card it won't back that up, but the N5 only has internal memory. Backing up /data won't save pictures and videos you took?

nope. It just backs up the system partition; data, apps and settings; and boot, kernel

Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
 
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Citizen_Snips

Senior Member
Apr 23, 2012
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Google Pixel Watch 2
That's odd. I could have sworn after I accidentally wiped my internal storage I had my pictures back after restoring a nandroid. Still have them all.

OP, any luck with disk digger? I just deleted a folder of useless memes I made with an app and used disk digger and restored them. This is the one I used

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.defianttech.diskdigger
 
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victorymobile

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Jul 3, 2014
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OP, any luck with disk digger? I just deleted a folder of useless memes I made with an app and used disk digger and restored them. This is the one I used

play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.defianttech.diskdigger

Running it right now! It has found 6876 files and counting, and they seem to be full size! Thank you so much! That app is awesome.

And thanks guys, going to go back up my files after it's done :p

EDIT: Shame the file structure is not preserved
 
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danarama

Senior Member
Aug 22, 2010
31,277
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Oxenhope, West Yorkshire, UK
EDIT: Shame the file structure is not preserved

It's not possible..

You're scanning the drive for actual files on the drive that no longer exist in the filesystem. Think of the file system as a database that tells the OS where the files are. When you delete a file, it doesn't really get deleted. Just the database entry about it.

The files exist whether there is a database entry in the file system or not but if you think about it, unlike files , the folders don't really exist on the disk.. When you create a folder, it doesn't really create a folder on the disk. It just reflects the "location" in the database. Folders don't exist on the disk so they cannot be restored. Restoring the files just adds new entries to the file system. It cannot find the deleted entries and reconnect them with the actual files

Hope this clarifies what you're seeing

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 

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    Soooo you wiped internal storage? Pictures are gone... Best bet is to try Disk Digger or some similar app and see if it works. Also make a backup next time before you do whatever you tried to do as to avoid this situation in the future.
    1
    I was thinking that I only wiped the symlink to the files. I will try to see if it helps. Thanks for the tip.



    I was going to, except to make a nandroid backup or backup in general using custom recovery I need to go have more than half of my sdcard be free space (since it back it up to the internal sdcard) and I only had like 500-600 MB free :( I know you can move nandroid backups to the computer to free up space, but I do not know if I could backup straight to computer since N5 has no space.

    A nandroid wouldn't have helped. It doesn't backup pictures,etc. Use drop box or something or back them up on your pc frequently.

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
    1
    A nandroid wouldn't have helped. It doesn't backup pictures,etc. Use drop box or something or back them up on your pc frequently.

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app

    From my understanding, a nandroid backs up everything on the selected partition. So /system would save your ROM and its settings, etc. Normally on a phone with a SD card it won't back that up, but the N5 only has internal memory. Backing up /data won't save pictures and videos you took?
    1
    From my understanding, a nandroid backs up everything on the selected partition. So /system would save your ROM and its settings, etc. Normally on a phone with a SD card it won't back that up, but the N5 only has internal memory. Backing up /data won't save pictures and videos you took?

    nope. It just backs up the system partition; data, apps and settings; and boot, kernel

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
    1
    That's odd. I could have sworn after I accidentally wiped my internal storage I had my pictures back after restoring a nandroid. Still have them all.

    OP, any luck with disk digger? I just deleted a folder of useless memes I made with an app and used disk digger and restored them. This is the one I used

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.defianttech.diskdigger