How can I get data/files from a phone with a screen that's not working

[Chakotay667]

Hi.

Here's what happened to the screen. I was sitting in a van/car when my phone fell out of my pants and onto the pavement. It was about a 3 feet fall. At first my phone seemed to be ok. There wasn't any scratches or cracks because it landed flat the screen facing up. But maybe about an hour later a small part of the screen was beginning to become dark. This dark area continued to get bigger after a couple of hours and by the end of the day the screen was completely "blacked out".

And silly me was too ocuppied playing with a guitar I had just bought instead of thinking about backing up or copying my important data from my phone, like pictures and notes etc. So later when I plugged my phone into my computer, I found out that I couldn't access the phones files like I would do on Hardisk taken from i.e. a laptop. When I go to Computer on Windows and look for my phone which is appearing as GT-I9100 as a camera and when I click on it says folder is empty. So I realized that I might not be able to get my data from my phone in case I get a new phone from the dealer.

I'm not very familiar with Android devices but I'm wondering if it's because I have a screen lock password that I can't get to the data on my phone?

Is there a way I can get my data?

PS - I'm thinking this is one those classic examples of, "You should have backed up everything on your phone everyday" scenario. Luckly I have most the pictures on my phone transferred to my computer already.

 

[heelanaya]

Hi.

Here's what happened to the screen. I was sitting in a van/car when my phone fell out of my pants and onto the pavement. It was about a 3 feet fall. At first my phone seemed to be ok. There wasn't any scratches or cracks because it landed flat the screen facing up. But maybe about an hour later a small part of the screen was beginning to become dark. This dark area continued to get bigger after a couple of hours and by the end of the day the screen was completely "blacked out".

And silly me was too ocuppied playing with a guitar I had just bought instead of thinking about backing up or copying my important data from my phone, like pictures and notes etc. So later when I plugged my phone into my computer, I found out that I couldn't access the phones files like I would do on Hardisk taken from i.e. a laptop. When I go to Computer on Windows and look for my phone which is appearing as GT-I9100 as a camera and when I click on it says folder is empty. So I realized that I might not be able to get my data from my phone in case I get a new phone from the dealer.

I'm not very familiar with Android devices but I'm wondering if it's because I have a screen lock password that I can't get to the data on my phone?

Is there a way I can get my data?

PS - I'm thinking this is one those classic examples of, "You should have backed up everything on your phone everyday" scenario. Luckly I have most the pictures on my phone transferred to my computer already.

Have you tried to conect it to your computer and go to the storage on the device? if not try that

 

[B. Diddy]

The OP did say that he tried plugging his phone into the computer, and could only access the camera folder. This is usually the case if the USB connection is set to MTP or PTP (Media Transfer Protocol or Photo Transfer Protocol). Some but not all phones can be selected to act like a hard drive when plugged into a computer (USB Mass Storage), but this has to be selected on the phone if it hasn't defaulted to that setting. So you might be stuck if you can't operate the phone.

I'm not too familiar with Samsung's software, but I think if you install Kies (Samsung's desktop management program) onto your computer and then connect your phone, you might be able to access the full storage. Support page for your phone is here: Galaxy S II - SUPPORT | SAMSUNG

 

[heelanaya]

The OP did say that he tried plugging his phone into the computer, and could only access the camera folder. This is usually the case if the USB connection is set to MTP or PTP (Media Transfer Protocol or Photo Transfer Protocol). Some but not all phones can be selected to act like a hard drive when plugged into a computer (USB Mass Storage), but this has to be selected on the phone if it hasn't defaulted to that setting. So you might be stuck if you can't operate the phone.

I'm not too familiar with Samsung's software, but I think if you install Kies (Samsung's desktop management program) onto your computer and then connect your phone, you might be able to access the full storage. Support page for your phone is here: Galaxy S II - SUPPORT | SAMSUNG

you are correct if installing kies it lets you access his contacts ect