Is DFU Recovery Possible?

[tkurgpõld]

Long story short, my 5s(A1533) is doing some strange things, and I have it in DFU mode, hoping to restore it and get it working a bit longer, until I can afford a replacement. Just wanted to confirm a couple things, though;

Do any of the tools advertised as being able to recover data from a phone in DFU mode actually work? I've tried PhoneRescue(which doesn't recognize that I have iTunes installed, even if I run as admin), Tenorshare ReiBoot(downloads the iTunes driver over and over), Dr.Fone(tells me to take the phone out of DFU mode and boot it up normally, which I can't do of course), and FonePaw(which also doesn't recognize that I have iTunes installed, even if I run as admin).

Is there any sort of tool I can use, like make_noerase_ipsw, that would work for iOS 11.4, which is the only currently signed IPSW for this phone?

And if the answer to both of these is no, is there anything that I can do in terms of getting my photos and such off, or am I wasting my time?

 

[tkurgpõld]

Made a bit of a last ditch effort to get it to boot. It's been in DFU mode since I posted this, so I tried unplugging it from my computer and leaving it overnight in hopes that something might change, but.. nah. Still at a total loss on what to do.

 

[Minho]

If a hardware failure is causing your phone to boot into DFU Mode (most likely), then no software will help, IMHO. You could have the phone looked at by someone who does board-level troubleshooting but if data isn't your primary concern, then it may not be economically viable to spend money on an iPhone 5S.

 

[tkurgpõld]

If a hardware failure is causing your phone to boot into DFU Mode (most likely), then no software will help, IMHO. You could have the phone looked at by someone who does board-level troubleshooting but if data isn't your primary concern, then it may not be economically viable to spend money on an iPhone 5S.

Damn. So there's no way I can get the photos off?

Not sure what you mean by spending money on a 5s if data isn't my primary concern.

 

[Minho]

Damn. So there's no way I can get the photos off?

Not sure what you mean by spending money on a 5s if data isn't my primary concern.

My understanding is that data retention is not the primary issue because either you have a backup or don't care about the data on the phone (you talk about restoring the phone). A micro-soldering repair can cost anywhere from $50 to $100+ depending on where you are and what the problem is. An iPhone 5S has limited re-sale value, again, depending on where you are so it may not make sense to spend that kind of money to repair an ageing phone unless recovering the data is critical.

 

[tkurgpõld]

My understanding is that data retention is not the primary issue because either you have a backup or don't care about the data on the phone (you talk about restoring the phone). A micro-soldering repair can cost anywhere from $50 to $100+ depending on where you are and what the problem is. An iPhone 5S has limited re-sale value, again, depending on where you are so it may not make sense to spend that kind of money to repair an ageing phone unless recovering the data is critical.

Ah, right. Like I said in the OP, I can't afford to buy a new phone at the moment, so I was trying to see if I could get a bit more life out of my 5s, but I don't want to restore it unless there's no chance of getting my photos back. So yes, data retention is the primary issue.

 

[Apple_Robert]

In the future, it would be wise to backup your phone to iCloud on a daily basis, so that you can recover most, if not all your photos, should something happen with your phone. It would also be wise to do daily encrypted backups in iTunes or in an app called iMazing.

 

[tkurgpõld]

In the future, it would be wise to backup your phone to iCloud on a daily basis, so that you can recover most, if not all your photos, should something happen with your phone. It would also be wise to do daily encrypted backups in iTunes or in an app called iMazing.

I'm already aware that I should be keeping backups, and I was keeping backups on my computer, but of course I don't always have the time to do it every day. Mostly, I'm just looking for an answer to the question in the OP.

 

[Minho]

Ah, right. Like I said in the OP, I can't afford to buy a new phone at the moment, so I was trying to see if I could get a bit more life out of my 5s, but I don't want to restore it unless there's no chance of getting my photos back. So yes, data retention is the primary issue.

In that case, you're best bet is to send your device to someone that specializes in iPhone data recovery.

 

[tkurgpõld]

In that case, you're best bet is to send your device to someone that specializes in iPhone data recovery.

Mostly just trying to find an answer to OP, whether it's something I can do.

 

[Minorite]

iMazing can reinstall iOS in DFU and erasing the device is optional, but as Minho mentioned it's most likely hardware and no third-party software will help to save the data. Even if it's heavy iOS corruption and not hardware the only option may be to wipe the device before installing iOS.

 

[tkurgpõld]

iMazing can reinstall iOS in DFU and erasing the device is optional, but as Minho mentioned it's most likely hardware and no third-party software will help to save the data. Even if it's heavy iOS corruption and not hardware the only option may be to wipe the device before installing iOS.

And supposing it's software? I've recovered from things like this before with a restore.

 

[Minorite]

And supposing it's software? I've recovered from things like this before with a restore.

Yes, it's iTunes alternative software that I use. Just metioned it as there is an option to reinstall iOS in DFU without erasing the device. It works OK when everything is normal from my experience but again it won't help in case of hard iOS corruption or hardware. In any case there are no better options as I understand and you can test if the app will pick up your phone with trial first.

Also regarding iTunes, third party software doesn't work well with iTunes from Win Store as it has specific implemetation. If you have it, try installing iTunes from Apple website with the stand-alone isntaller (>64bit installer</>32bit installer<).

 

[chrisbin]

In general, most people may need to choose iPhone DFU mode when willing to downgrade the firmware/version of the iOS running on the device, for which an upgrade to a newer version has damaged your device or caused your apps not to work properly, or wanting to use a custom firmware that is required for a jailbreak or SIM unlock.

Here is a better understand of DFU recovery mode:

http://www.irefone.com/all-about-dfu-mode-on-iphone.html