Recovering files after a restore

[dgelerin]

I recently had to factory reset my phone.

Among the preparations I took was to move certain files out of the secure folder to make sure they didn't get wiped and were still accessible. These files - both when in and out of the secure folder - were on an SD card.

After the restore, they weren't there. The folder was there, but they weren't in there. Which means I likely didn't actually move them when I thought I did. Part of the restore was upgrading my SD card as well, which means the old card has not been written to since this occurred. I've put the old card back in on a whim to see if the new secure folder could see those files, but, as expected, it couldn't.

Is there any way to get those files? Are they even still there if they were bound to the secure folder that got blown away? I'm still pretty sure I moved them, but they're not there. Is there anything else that might have deleted them in the restore? In retrospect, it was a bad idea and an oversight to leave the card in during the restore, but that's over now and I need to figure this out.

If it matters, the folder itself happens to be a hidden folder in general. I don't know that it matters, but I figured I'd mention it.

This is a Samsung Galaxy J7 running Oreo.

Thanks.

 

[Golfdriver97]

Was the card encrypted before the reset? If it was that might be why it can't see anything.

 

[dgelerin]

Not the card. I can see everything else on the card. I can even get into the hidden folder that the images were in. I just don't see the images. I could've sworn I moved them and double checked, but the only thing I can think of is that they were really still in the secure folder when I reset the phone so, outside the secure folder couldn't see them. When they're in the secure folder, are they still really there but just hidden?

 

[Golfdriver97]

Not the card. I can see everything else on the card. I can even get into the hidden folder that the images were in. I just don't see the images. I could've sworn I moved them and double checked, but the only thing I can think of is that they were really still in the secure folder when I reset the phone so, outside the secure folder couldn't see them. When they're in the secure folder, are they still really there but just hidden?

Going to be honest....I'm not sure. Haven't used any kind of Samsung as a daily driver in so long. I can share this with the other Ambassadors. Maybe one of them can help.

 

[dgelerin]

Thanks! I tried to run an Android recovery program but, since the phone isn't rooted, it wouldn't work.

 

[Golfdriver97]

Thanks! I tried to run an Android recovery program but, since the phone isn't rooted, it wouldn't work.

Aside from checking on a PC, I'm at a loss. Not sure what happened, but I doubt the files will be recoverable. They weren't important were they?

 

[dgelerin]

Somewhat, and mostly irreplaceable, but that's life. I'm running recovery on a PC right now. We'll see what happens.
Thanks!

 

[Golfdriver97]

Somewhat, and mostly irreplaceable, but that's life. I'm running recovery on a PC right now. We'll see what happens.
Thanks!

If the files were pictures, you can set Google photos has unlimited storage for photos backed up from phones.