[Q] Any chance of recovering mmssms.db from unrooted 4G?

[TedB]

After a severe fall, my Atrix 4G screen is damaged and the digitizer non-functional, though everything else inside still functions correctly, including USB connection and wifi. Not wanting to invest in digitizer repair, I have upgraded to an Atrix 2 where Google sync has restored just about everything except for SMS messages.

My 4G is unrooted and unluckily I had unticked USB debugging only a few weeks ago. Do I have any hope of using a lesser-known path that would allow me to pursue any of four strategies constrained by using only power, volume up and volume down and/or connecting via USB without debug mode:

1. Booting from the SD card and executing a script that can issue a cp /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.telephony/mmssms.db to the SD card?

2. Use a fastboot option which activates the USB in debugging mode, allowing me to connect to my PC and execute an adb.exe pull command?

3. Somehow access the build.prop settings in the /system directory to set persist.service.usb.setting=1 ?

4. Root the phone using the SD card plus power and volume buttons only, later allowing CWM recovery?

It would be nice to recover about 14 months' worth of SMS threads, but not worth replacing the digitizer.

 

[littleemp]

After a severe fall, my Atrix 4G screen is damaged and the digitizer non-functional, though everything else inside still functions correctly, including USB connection and wifi. Not wanting to invest in digitizer repair, I have upgraded to an Atrix 2 where Google sync has restored just about everything except for SMS messages.

My 4G is unrooted and unluckily I had unticked USB debugging only a few weeks ago. Do I have any hope of using a lesser-known path that would allow me to pursue any of four strategies constrained by using only power, volume up and volume down and/or connecting via USB without debug mode:

1. Booting from the SD card and executing a script that can issue a cp /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.telephony/mmssms.db to the SD card?

2. Use a fastboot option which activates the USB in debugging mode, allowing me to connect to my PC and execute an adb.exe pull command?

3. Somehow access the build.prop settings in the /system directory to set persist.service.usb.setting=1 ?

4. Root the phone using the SD card plus power and volume buttons only, later allowing CWM recovery?

It would be nice to recover about 14 months' worth of SMS threads, but not worth replacing the digitizer.

Have you unlocked the bootloader?

Even if you haven't, I think that you can:

1.) unlock the bootloader
2.) Install a custom recovery (CWM)
3.) create a nandroid backup
4.) have someone trusted install said backup on their phone
5.) Make a backup using an app like this:

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.idea.backup.smscontacts&feature=search_result&hl=en

6.) Send you the backup so you can restore it on your new phone.

To be honest, as far as I can tell, your options are kind of limited with no ADB available.

 

[Mgamerz]

Try using the webtop hack. You can do it over adj. And take it to a repair shop... the digitizer is a huge pain to replace with the glue. Earpiece is a pain too.

Sent from my Motorola Atrix 4G using Tapatalk on AT&T, the company that disappoints me so much that I have to use my tapatalk signature to tell everyone

 

[TedB]

Many thanks for your insights. I tried various angles and it seems I can't unlock the bootloader without root, but can't root without USB debugging enabled or without a working digitizer. Likewise, without USB debugging, no ADB and hence no webtop hack.

 

[littleemp]

Many thanks for your insights. I tried various angles and it seems I can't unlock the bootloader without root, but can't root without USB debugging enabled or without a working digitizer. Likewise, without USB debugging, no ADB and hence no webtop hack.

What? You don't need to boot into android AT ALL to unlock the bootloader OR flash a new recovery. The steps I gave you should work assuming the phone works.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1302423

 

[TedB]

Thanks for giving me the extra push, since other research had led me to believe I would be wiping /data upon attempting to unlock bootloader which of course is wrong.

For others' benefit, I followed the detailed steps in your linked post, though installed the Atrix-customized CWM from the thread here:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1204500

and was successfully able to create a nandroid backup.

Since I was only after the mmssms.db file, I installed Nandroid Browser

https://market.android.com/details?id=de.goddchen.android.nandroidbrowser

which allowed me to retrieve that one file.

I still have to find a path to import the old SMSes, since I'm not ready to root the brand-new Atrix 2 during the 30-day exchange period, but I think the hard part is over!