Data Backup using Fastboot and TWRP on broken phone

Hey there,
so I recently killed my FP2 and before I send it to repair I would like to backup data of the internal storage. I use Linegae and would like to use TWRP but my display is destroyed so I cannot access my phone. I just found out that I’m not able to use adb commands as I’m not able to give it access so my only option is fastboot, isn’t it?
I’ve read that I cannot backup data using fastboot but that I could access TWRP over fastboot is that correct?

I found this Topic:
https://forum.fairphone.com/t/pencil2-recover-backup-user-data-fp-os-and-fp-open-os/20974

But as it’s not for Lineage I don’t know how to help me there…

And I found this one:
https://forum.fairphone.com/t/howto-use-twrp-without-flashing-it-e-g-for-backup/23747

Unfortunately I am not used to Fastboot or anything alike. So far, I’ve only got on really well with TWRP.

Has anyone of you an idea how to help me?
Thanks a lot

There’s probably another option: if there is a fairphone angel near you, you could contact them and ask if they are willing to meet and borrow their working display while you do the backup.

See https://map.fairphone.community/?show=angels

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Thank you for your reply!
I thought about that too but I think it wouldn’t work because my phone has a little knit so all other modules should’nt work probably :slight_smile:

Also I don’t see someone near Luxembourg :confused:

You can boot TWRP via fastboot, you found out how to do that already.

But as long as you didn’t destroy the recovery partition, you can still boot TWRP pressing Vol + while starting the phone.

The real question is: Did you encrypt your phone, meaning you would have to enter a password/PIN/pattern to decrypt data when TWRP starts?

If so, you could try to connect a USB keyboard to the phone with an USB OTG adapter to enter the password/PIN/pattern blindly (pattern of course is tricky, but the dots represent numbers you can enter somehow instead, can’t find it at the moment).

If not … or if you successfully managed to decrypt blindly … just connect the phone to a PC via USB when TWRP was started and transfer the data.

Sorry I don’t see where I found how to do that. I know how to get in TWRP normally but it shouldn’t display it just in my fastboot because the phone isn’t in fastboot mode then.
So I have to get in Fastboot Mode “Vol -” while starting but I don’t know the commands for getting access to TWRP there. :slight_smile:

Oh, sorry, I seem to have gotten something wrong.
Do you want to operate TWRP functions via fastboot? That doesn’t work.

You can do fastboot reboot recovery.
But the result is that the phone is being rebooted into the installed TWRP. That wouldn’t achieve anything, if you could start TWRP normally anyway.

That’s why I more thought in the direction of the topic you found describing how to boot a TWRP image via fastboot without flashing it, which is different … and pretty useful when the installed recovery (e.g. TWRP or the Android stock recovery) is broken.

So still …
Can you start TWRP (in any way)?
Did you encrypt your phone?

Thank you for your detailed reply!
Yes I wanted to operate TWRP via fastboot.
So I cannot check if my phone actually boots to TWRP because the display is broken but it normally does and I’m used to it so I would backup my internal storage there. The problem is just that I cannot operate TWRP because of the broken display… and it’s so broken I can not see anything

My phone is not encrypted and my goal is to backup my internal storage (pictures, music etc. Don’t care about App data) before sending it to the repair centre.

Ok then … connect the phone to a computer via USB and try to start TWRP blindly.
If this works, you should be able to access Internal Storage and SD card (if you have one in the phone) from the computer, so you could transfer the data.

Unfortunately it’s not working.
The phone is constantely rebooting and the red led is blinking when it’s connected to my laptop. When I disconnect it I cannot boot the phone and it doesn’t react in any way. Windows also says it cannot recognize the connected device.
Before, I had a stable connection for a while where Windows recognized my FP2 but but there was nothing insinde the storage folder. That was around the time when I was playing with fastboot. I’m pretty sure I had it in fastboot mode because the display was on all the time showing the same crazy lights. Also Fastboot registered a connected device.
So you say when I would have booted in TWRP during that time Windows could have been able to read the internal storage?
Well, hopefully I will get that chance again.
Cheers

Hopefully, yes.
Perhaps it just needs some charging … if that still works?

Thank you very much for your help! I will focus on that.
Right now I removed the battery to let my phone chill for a time, then I will charge it normaly and after some hours I’ll connect it to my Laptop an 'll see :slight_smile:
Have a good one!

Wow thank you so much man!
It really worked and I’m transfering my data to my laptop right now! You made my day.
Have a great one!

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