Need file and folder recovery! Help! App2SD erased everything!

[Android Central Question]

I have most of my apps installed on an external SD card, linked via App2SD. I decided to let the app "clean up" the partition, thinking it would simply remove unused stuff like it had before. The stinking program promptly deleted everything that was on there! Help! How can I get it back? How can I recover everything, with files and folders intact?

 

[mustang7757]

Which phone?

I'll leave a Link to register so you can communicate here as a guest account you can only post questions but can't reply.
https://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=409154

 

[Fail Safe Now]

I thought I was logged in when I posted that. Anyhow: Samsung T217S, running Nougat 7.1, Lineage OS, deadman's release.

 

[mustang7757]

I thought I was logged in when I posted that. Anyhow: Samsung T217S, running Nougat 7.1, Lineage OS, deadman's release.

Hi, so everything was back up through sd card and you lost them?

 

[Fail Safe Now]

Acually, the apps themselves were stored on the SD card, data and all. Linked, with App2SD. They ran from the card instead of internal storage. And then I asked App2SD to clean the partition, which usually would mean that it cleaned up extraneous files that weren't being used in any way. Only this time it delted pretty much everything that was there. Now I want to recover it, preserving the directory structure and everything. Apparently this is easy if you have a PC, and there is plenty of software that can do it. But I only have that tablet and a lousy old Chromebook.

Why in this day and age is there anything smartphone-related that you can only do if you have a PC? It's ridiculous. There has to be a way of doing this, even if no one bothered to make the software.

Failing this, is there any recovery software that can be used to find ALL deleted files, and not just photos or videos or other certain types?

 

[mustang7757]

Acually, the apps themselves were stored on the SD card, data and all. Linked, with App2SD. They ran from the card instead of internal storage. And then I asked App2SD to clean the partition, which usually would mean that it cleaned up extraneous files that weren't being used in any way. Only this time it delted pretty much everything that was there. Now I want to recover it, preserving the directory structure and everything. Apparently this is easy if you have a PC, and there is plenty of software that can do it. But I only have that tablet and a lousy old Chromebook.

Why in this day and age is there anything smartphone-related that you can only do if you have a PC? It's ridiculous. There has to be a way of doing this, even if no one bothered to make the software.

Failing this, is there any recovery software that can be used to find ALL deleted files, and not just photos or videos or other certain types?

It's not recommended to transefer apps to sd card or making it internal storage as it causes freezes,performance issues, just not fast enough read and write speeds . Other thing sd cards are known to fail . Im not aware of any programs that can get back data, maybe other members can chime in .

 

[Fail Safe Now]

When your device only has 4.9 gigs of internal storage, it only makes sense to transfer things to SD. Otherwise I run out of space and I can't install anything else. And for a thing that isn't recommended, there are sure a lot of apps that will let you do it.

 

[mustang7757]

When your device only has 4.9 gigs of internal storage, it only makes sense to transfer things to SD. Otherwise I run out of space and I can't install anything else. And for a thing that isn't recommended, there are sure a lot of apps that will let you do it.

Most andriod phones today don't even allow this action to make sd card internal storage or put some app data there but you try using cloud storage like Google photos/Google drive or similar . If storage big issue should find another device with more storage for your needs , but back to your situation at hand im not aware any program for that so let's see any other members can help you out with getting data back .

 

[Fail Safe Now]

I don't think it makes the card internal storage. The system itself still runs from the actual internal storage. The apps have just been symlinked to the card. That's how I understand it. I could, before this, have taken the card out, and the tablet would have still worked, but a lot of the apps would have been missing. As for cloud storage, it's good for files, but it wouldn't be great for running apps (although things like Puffin are getting us there.) Or do you know a way to have my applications live on the cloud? Not sure how I feel about that, and not sure how well that would work. Seems like the internet wouldn't be fast enough for a lot of things.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Keep in mind that App2SD requires root -- so yes, there are apps out there that let you move apps to the SD card, but they require a fair amount tinkering (and are therefore not intended for the average user), and there certainly isn't a guarantee that it'll be reliable.

Have you tried the methods described here? [Guide] Recovering Deleted Files - Android Forums at AndroidCentral.com

 

[Fail Safe Now]

I looked through the guide. Once again, it assumes that I MUST have a desktop computer, or at least a mac that runs a standard desktop-type OS, in addition to a smart phone, which I don't. I have the phone and I have the Chromebook. (I've considered installing some version of Linux on it the Chromebook, but no one will advise me.) I know that if I had a PC, there are any number of programs that could recover everything, directories and all. But there don't seem to be any programs for Android that will do it.

Do we at least have something that will recover the various data files, even if I have to comb through them to find the right ones? I'd like to at least recover a little of that app data here.

 

[B. Diddy]

Ah, then that might be a problem.:-\ I'm not familiar with any reliable Android apps that can recover data (and I'd be very very suspicious of any that crop up when you do a Google search -- companies like Wondershare and Dr. Fone tend toward the shady side, in my opinion).

Let me ping @Rukbat, who wrote that guide I linked -- maybe he has some other suggestions.

 

[mustang7757]

I don't think it makes the card internal storage. The system itself still runs from the actual internal storage. The apps have just been symlinked to the card. That's how I understand it. I could, before this, have taken the card out, and the tablet would have still worked, but a lot of the apps would have been missing. As for cloud storage, it's good for files, but it wouldn't be great for running apps (although things like Puffin are getting us there.) Or do you know a way to have my applications live on the cloud? Not sure how I feel about that, and not sure how well that would work. Seems like the internet wouldn't be fast enough for a lot of things.

Its best to keep sd card as portable storage ,leave internal storage way it is , if you have lot of documents, pictures, videos that taking storage up the cloud services is best way to go , if its a lot of apps then my suggestion go higher in storage for a phone.

 

[Fail Safe Now]

Well, sure, and I've done that. I just ordered a better tablet that should arrive in the mail soon. But in the meantime, I've had to make do. So linking software has been the difference between "can't do it" and "can do it."
This partition was just apps. All the files are safe on a different partition. But I'd like to not have to reinstall everything all over, although it looks like that's what's going to happen. I'd at least like to rescue my browser bookmarks if I can.

 

[mustang7757]

Well, sure, and I've done that. I just ordered a better tablet that should arrive in the mail soon. But in the meantime, I've had to make do. So linking software has been the difference between "can't do it" and "can do it."
This partition was just apps. All the files are safe on a different partition. But I'd like to not have to reinstall everything all over, although it looks like that's what's going to happen. I'd at least like to rescue my browser bookmarks if I can.

Oh nice , which tablet ? Thats what I mean by cloud services like Google photos/drive make going between devices easy.

 

[Fail Safe Now]

Original Tab S. Still kind of an oldie, but it beats my cheapo Tab any day.

 

[mustang7757]

Original Tab S. Still kind of an oldie, but it beats my cheapo Tab any day.

Sweet , hope you enjoy it

 

[Rukbat]

Apps on the SD aren't saved like normal files, so there's almost no "recovery". Not even PhotoRec, since that would link each piece. Format the SD card, use it for data storage and install whatever apps fit on the tab. That's about the best you can do. (You may have to do a factory reset, since you can't uninstall the apps (they can't be found to uninstall, since they're no longer on the card) and you can't install them (since they're listed as being installed). You might get by, by updating them one at a time (which installs them internally), then uninstalling them.

Then stop moving apps to SD. That's about the best and easiest way of destroying an Android installation.