I upgraded from the original iPhone to iPhone 4 last February. I had gone through a divorce and did not want all the photos, contacts, texts, from my old life automatically installed on the new iPhone. The complex task of separating all those details was too emotionally daunting at the time, so I put it off for an entire year and built a new life into my new iPhone.
Before proceeding, please know that I'm fairly tech savvy and have been an Apple user since 1989. I KNOW the danger of not backing up and understand that I screwed up. So, please, kindly skip the lecture when offering assistance. I thank you for your understanding!
When I finally connected the new phone to my computer, I was sloppy and hit revert. Enough time passed to do serious damage before I realized my mistake. The year's worth of information was removed from the phone but I quit iTunes and ripped the cord from the computer before it could complete the process and install all the "new" reverted data. Photos on the phone were removed but not all the revert photos were installed. Old notes were removed but not all revert notes installed. It was stopped mid-process.
I researched this forum and elsewhere for ways I could access the "drive" to see if any files remain. I learned that I would need to jailbreak. I proceeded to jailbreak using the only tool I could find for Power PC users, PwnageTool 4.2. The procedure went very smoothly until I stopped it when iTunes stated that it was going to "erase" the phone before installing the new software. I didn't want any more "erasing" until I better understood what was happening.
An iphone forensics site stated that jailbreaking software can be installed in a partition used only by the system and that, when using their million-dollar service, user data is untouched. I am unclear if this is true with all jailbreaking. I am attempting DATA RECOVERY so I need a process of access that does minimal damage, but I'm unclear as to what actually happens and where, when a jailbreak program states via iTunes that it is going to "erase" before installing. I'm thinking that "erase" (which I know usually involves writing zeros) actually means "marking for overwrite" but I may be confusing traditional spinning drives with the memory-like nature of iphone storage.
So, my questions thus far:
1. If I stopped the "revert" process before all data was written, did iTunes really "erase" the old files first or simply mark them for "overwrite"? If I did not allow the full revert process to be completed, could some of the old files still be there yet invisible?
2. Is all Jailbreaking limited to changes in the system partition? Does iTunes actually "erase" every last sector of the drive before installing the new ipsw or only the sector involving the system. Did it simply overwrite the needed sectors, leaving user data sectors intact, if not actually visible?
3. Are there any jailbreak procedures available that does not require iTunes and can be employable on iOS 4.2.1. I discovered Jailbreakme but it states I must "upgrade" my system before it can be used.
4. Is there an easier way or program out there (besides resorting to $2000 data recovery and forensics services which I just can't afford) to just look at the drive for files that:
a. does not require jailbreaking?
b. can be done with a Power PC (my other big problem in this nightmare; can't afford a MacIntel either at this time)?
If I can solve the question of what's really left on the drive and the "erasing" while jailbreaking that may complicate data recovery, then I'll post a new discussion regarding the next steps. I thank you all in advance for your time, expertise, and willingness to help the strangers who come here. Have a great day!
Before proceeding, please know that I'm fairly tech savvy and have been an Apple user since 1989. I KNOW the danger of not backing up and understand that I screwed up. So, please, kindly skip the lecture when offering assistance. I thank you for your understanding!
When I finally connected the new phone to my computer, I was sloppy and hit revert. Enough time passed to do serious damage before I realized my mistake. The year's worth of information was removed from the phone but I quit iTunes and ripped the cord from the computer before it could complete the process and install all the "new" reverted data. Photos on the phone were removed but not all the revert photos were installed. Old notes were removed but not all revert notes installed. It was stopped mid-process.
I researched this forum and elsewhere for ways I could access the "drive" to see if any files remain. I learned that I would need to jailbreak. I proceeded to jailbreak using the only tool I could find for Power PC users, PwnageTool 4.2. The procedure went very smoothly until I stopped it when iTunes stated that it was going to "erase" the phone before installing the new software. I didn't want any more "erasing" until I better understood what was happening.
An iphone forensics site stated that jailbreaking software can be installed in a partition used only by the system and that, when using their million-dollar service, user data is untouched. I am unclear if this is true with all jailbreaking. I am attempting DATA RECOVERY so I need a process of access that does minimal damage, but I'm unclear as to what actually happens and where, when a jailbreak program states via iTunes that it is going to "erase" before installing. I'm thinking that "erase" (which I know usually involves writing zeros) actually means "marking for overwrite" but I may be confusing traditional spinning drives with the memory-like nature of iphone storage.
So, my questions thus far:
1. If I stopped the "revert" process before all data was written, did iTunes really "erase" the old files first or simply mark them for "overwrite"? If I did not allow the full revert process to be completed, could some of the old files still be there yet invisible?
2. Is all Jailbreaking limited to changes in the system partition? Does iTunes actually "erase" every last sector of the drive before installing the new ipsw or only the sector involving the system. Did it simply overwrite the needed sectors, leaving user data sectors intact, if not actually visible?
3. Are there any jailbreak procedures available that does not require iTunes and can be employable on iOS 4.2.1. I discovered Jailbreakme but it states I must "upgrade" my system before it can be used.
4. Is there an easier way or program out there (besides resorting to $2000 data recovery and forensics services which I just can't afford) to just look at the drive for files that:
a. does not require jailbreaking?
b. can be done with a Power PC (my other big problem in this nightmare; can't afford a MacIntel either at this time)?
If I can solve the question of what's really left on the drive and the "erasing" while jailbreaking that may complicate data recovery, then I'll post a new discussion regarding the next steps. I thank you all in advance for your time, expertise, and willingness to help the strangers who come here. Have a great day!