4.1.2 where are my Gallery photo's?

[Anonymous]

I was visiting my sister when something popped up on the screen and I hit OK without really reading it. Stuck for about 20 minutes I guess while 4.1.2 installed itself.

Everything has changed. I got stuck at some screen asking me to log into my Google Account which I did. The predictive text issues on a 3X4 screen have been documented elsewhere so I won't cover that.

My big issue is accessing my Gallery of photo's, the fact I can't use my camera as it won't allow me to store anything and other apps that pull in profile pics (WeChat) are now not able to do so.

I get the error "Not enough space. Delete unnecessary items, such as down loaded software, pictures, videos, and other documents."

On WeChat I get "No memory card. Profile photos, image, audio, video, album and Moments features are not available now."

The weird thing is if I reboot then for a few minutes I can access my Gallery.

Any ideas?

[Anonymous]

PS: I am using a Galaxy S2

[Anonymous]

Hi,

It sounds like the update either failed during the install or if your internal storage was near the limit perhaps the update has pushed it over the edge, although I'd go with the former.

If you're able to browse the file system (using the standard My Files app) then have a look inside 'sdcard0' and the DCIM folder.  Inside you should see any photographs and videos you've captured.  If the contents are empty then it may suggest the update failed and wiped files too.

If you're concerned about the stability of the phone since the update then it might be good to take a full backup before kicking off a factory reset.  Note: if you're aware of how to perform he wipe/reset via the boot-up sequence (holding keys down) then the phone will keep your personal files (e.g. photos, music, etc) but re-install the OS (worth doing a backup still though!)

Jonty.

[Anonymous]

The photo's are in DCIM when I do a File browse. 

I was coming to the conclusion that a backup then a reset might be the only solution.

I have a 16GB micro SD card which I put most of the transferable apps onto.

I believe my app information is stored within Google so they should re-installed automatically should I do a reset?

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Perhaps something to try first -- wipe the phone's cache.  Granted it may change nothing but you never know and it's generally considered a good step following a major update (in fact some say a full wipe is necessary too).  With your S2 off, press and hold volume up, home and power (together) until you see the robot, when you can let go of all three.  Now you're in system recovery mode.  Use the volume and power keys to wipe the cache partition and then restart.  Note: The factory wipe option here is the one which keeps the contents of your internal disk versus the in-phone one which I think wipes everything.

As for the backup of your data, yes, Google will remember your apps which you've installed which makes restoration easier, but you'll lose any which have been pulled from the store (it can happen).  Personally I use MyPhoneExplore and the Samsung account tool in the phone to get copies of my texts, calls, contacts, files, etc.  It's a bit manual but it's how I like it (and of course if your contacts are on Google then they'll appear automatically).

Try the cache wipe first and maybe you can avoid everything else.

Jonty.

[Anonymous]

Update on my problem - I did a reset using the method stated above. To my surprise my photo's weren't erased. I double checked they weren't stored on my micro SD card which might have explained that.

The problem still persisted so I did a factory reset this time from the menu. Problem still persisted and photo's still existed.

I went to a local O2 shop and the guy said this issue had arisen on some S2 and S4's. He said it needed flashed and the software reinstalled. He advised of two local shops that had the equipment to do this and said he could do it in an hour if he had the equipment. A very helpful bloke.

I went to one of the local shops he mentioned. Guy shook his head and said it would have to be sent away and would take between 5 and 10 days to return. I nodded my head and left as it was obvious this guy either didn't know what he was talking about or lied.

I went to the second shop. Girl there was very helpful, told me about the O2 guru service and booked me in with one of the guys who will hopefully flash my phone and rebuild it.

An alternative was to pay a Carphone Warehouse specialist shop to do the same job but for that service you have to go early in the morning in order to be sure to get one of the tech guys to do the same job, that just wasn't practical for me to do. The guy didn't know the exact price but estimated somewhere between £15 - £25, I would have happily paid that just to get my phone sorted.

So I am booked in on Monday at noon with an O2 guru. I've had my S2 phone for almost 18 months on a 2 year contract and feel it's got bunged up with rubbish so maybe a good idea to get it wiped and refreshed.

Lets hope the O2 guru knows his stuff and doesn't try to fob me off with some tall tales.

[Anonymous]

Hi,

If you used the key-press method to boot the phone into recovery mode and wipe the cache and perform a reset then the device will have re-installed the OS from scratch but NOT touch/wipe the contents of the useable storage area inside.  Using the factory wipe option from within the OS *WILL* do this.  And as for the fault, if you're still getting it then I expect the download got corrupt so the only way is to get it again.

Sounds like you and O2 have it in hand, but just something else to mention... if your device isn't locked to O2 (i.e. bought from someone like Carphone Warehouse) or you've had it unlocked then you can use software called Odin to flash the firmware yourself.  Bar downloading Odin and the firmware it's very straight forward.  If your S2 was bought from O2 and locked still then you could always apply to unlock it and try this manual route, but you've got it in hand so no harm seeing how you get on I guess.

Nearly there I'd say!

Jonty.

[Anonymous]

Can I just ask, is there a reason why you are storing your pictures, etc on the device itself and not the SD card? 

[Anonymous]

The saga continues. I think I need to apologise to the guy who said the phone needed to be sent again.

The O2 Guru said Samsung won't let them flash it so they have to send it away, which is a 5 day wait. Most of that is phone in transit time.

In preparation for sending it away I wanted to get rid of my personal photo's. So after rebooting I started deleting hundreds of photo's. Seems that I can now access my Gallery but photo's don't stay deleted.

The process mention might be worth a go, so how do you apply to be unlocked ?

Maybe I am just wasting my time and should bite the bullit and send the thing away.

Can someone advise wherther the albums marked as picasa are actually on the phone or not as I can't seem to select them for deletion?

[jonsie · Accepted solution]

The Picasa photos are not on the phone, they are synced through your Google account. You can unsync them in account settings on the phone.

There is an unlock form in my signature links, it's free on monthly contract and £15 from the phone's credit on P&G.