Question Previous Motorola Recovery Software (pre-Lenovo)

[VascoPJ1377]

I have a Motorola Edge G54 (Australia) [yes, I went for a cheap phone option, and am now living to regret it] that, when assessing that I didn't have enough storage space free to install the next version of Android shut down, and essentially bricked itself. It powers on but just flashes, I can get to recovery menu but none of the options there have any success.

Basically I want to recover the phone without erasing everything on it. Search engine results for that since google has destroyed the internet are useless, bing is 1000% microshat a la Windows 11 destroy 75% of the world's technology (how that isn't criminal, oh, right, Americans in America...) and even duckduckgo well, replace the D's with F and add NE to the end... so I haven't been able to come up with anything.

Motorola software fix etc now that the Jokers at Lenovo are in charge is useless, every option basically only provides the option to wipe my phone, so, they can stick that software where the sun doesn't shine.

Somewhere I read that the previous Motorola software used to have an option to repair the software without wiping the phone. So am reaching out to enquire whether that is in fact accurate information, and further to that, whether that software is available to download and restore anywhere online - the Motorola phone maintenance software version pre-Lenovo version. No idea what it was called, and it could all be misinformation.

I'm no Windows tech genius, or android for that matter, but I have a rough idea and know my way around a PC, probably have enough skill and lacking enough knowledge to get myself into trouble.

Any advice about data recovery from the phone appreciated as well. I haven't ever done a back up so that path is not an option for me from here. When I take it to Tech Repair Boffins they say buy a new phone, which isn't really an option at this point, plus I have data on the phone that I'd like to recover, some of it in apps and the like.

Thanks in advance for any advice whatsoever, even if you are the bearer of bad news. Reality can be a cruel mistress at times, not about to hold reality or the truth against anyone for informing me of that! Cheers.

 

[VidJunky]

Welcome to Android Central forums. Not sure if a factory reset would even work at this point, given you do not believe the software installed, but that is likely going to be the overwhelming majority of the advice you'll find.

We can ask @mustang7757 if he's aware of something you might be able to try with ADB or Odin, but I think you need to have USB debugging enabled and there may be other hurdles. I won't try to guess, we'll see what advice mustang might have.

In the meantime, you mention that none of the options in the recovery menu do anything useful. Which of those did you try, and what did the phone do when you tried each option? The only option here that I feel could/should be useful would be, wipe partition cache. This is where system updates go and sometimes things can get buggy if they don't get removed properly.

It sounds like you did some searching before posting here, did you find the software? A quick search turned up Moto's software RSA (rescue & smart assistant), so it seems the software is still out there. I checked and it is compatible with your device and here is what Google says about this software, note that the 4th bullet mentions that a full rescue will result in data loss, so may not be the painless fix you might think. That's if you can do it on a device that is locked.

Yes, Motorola provides PC-based software called Rescue and Smart Assistant (RSA) (also known as "Software Fix") to repair, update, or restore phone software, allowing you to install the latest official firmware or recover from issues by connecting your phone via USB to a Windows computer, but it usually erases data during a full rescue. Users can also check for updates directly on their phone through Settings > System Updates for minor updates over Wi-Fi, but RSA is for more significant fixes or reinstalls.

How the Rescue & Smart Assistant (RSA) Tool Works:

• Download: Get RSA from the official Motorola Support website onto a Windows PC.
• Connect: Use a USB cable to connect your Motorola phone to the PC.
• Rescue Feature: Access the "Rescue" tab in RSA to find and install the correct stock firmware for your device.
• Data Loss: A full rescue process wipes personal data (photos, apps, etc.) but keeps your Google account; you'll need to sign back in.
• For Updates: You can also use it for system updates, but it's often used to fix issues like boot loops or sluggish performance.

Before You Start:

• Backup: Back up your important files before using the Rescue feature.
• Charge: Ensure your phone has at least 60% battery.
• Cable: Use a high-quality USB cable.

Speaking of data loss, do you backup the device regularly? Are you using Moto's or Google's backup options? I ask because I'm trying to assess what you might lose in a factory reset. If you're backing up regularly, it may not be enough of a loss to prevent you from doing what is needed to get your phone working. Limiting loss is kind of the point of backups.

Good luck, let us know what you find.