Phone Recovery Stick FAQ
*Do not remove the stick from your computer while the program is running.
General Questions:
How far back can I recover deleted data?
It depends on how much new information has been written to the phone since the data you need to recover was deleted. If you delete a text message and immediately receive another text message, you will likely not be able to recover the old message. However, you may be able to recover a portion of the message if the new text message is shorter, therefore taking up less space than the deleted message.
What types of data can I recover?
You can recover text messages, contacts, call history, and calendar entries from Androids.
How do I update my Phone Recovery Stick?
Your Phone Recovery Stick comes with free updates. To update your Phone Recovery Stick, run the Phone Recovery Stick program, click on the Tools menu and select "Check for updates".
I get an error why trying to update my stick. Why?
If you cannot update your Phone Recovery Stick, follow the directions here.
Does the Phone Recovery Stick run on Macs?
No. The Phone Recovery Stick only runs on Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 based operating systems.
How fast does it work?
Generally, recovery takes 20 minutes per GB of storage space on a phone, however, if there is very little data on the phone, it can take as little as 15 minutes.
How do I return the product?
If you bought it from a retail store, you must contact them regarding their return policy. If the product arrives and is defective and you would like it repaired, please contact Paraben. If you accidentally delete the program on the stick or format the drive, you can send it to Paraben to be reprogrammed as long as you provide return shipping.
How do I check for updates that come out?
Updates do come out from time to time to ensure the most data possible and to support new versions of the phone operating system. Under the Tools menu at the top of the program is an update option. You must be connected to the Internet for it to complete an update.
Does the Phone Recovery Stick recover emails or MMS?
No, Androids do not actually save emails or MMS messages in the backup files used for recovery.
Program and Interface Problems
I start up the Phone Recovery Stick and either the program won’t run, everything is grayed out and I can't click anything, or I plug the Phone Recovery Stick in and there is nothing on it at all. What's wrong?
This can happen when certain files are missing or have been corrupted on the Phone Recovery Stick or the Phone Recovery Stick was formatted. Paraben can reprogram your stick if this happens. Go to http://support.paraben.com and request an RMA number and shipping instructions and we'll replace your product. Be sure to detail if the stick was working and suddenly stopped or if it never worked.
If you are on Windows 7, or Windows Vista, right click on the PhoneRecoveryStick.exe and click on “Run as administrator”. This can fix the problem if you see the Phone Recovery Stick program and it simply won’t run.
Sometimes, USB ports are bad. Try a different port or try it on another computer to be sure.
It worked once, but now the Phone Recovery program will not start up. What happened?
This can be caused by a conflict with Windows. Uninstall Paraben’s Phone Recovery Stick Driver Pack through the Add/Remove wizard in Windows, restart the pc then reinstall the program.
When I try to run a recovery, the Phone Recovery Stick program crashes. What can I do?
This can occur when anti-virus or firewall programs prevent the Phone Recovery Stick from running properly. Disable any anti-virus/spyware/program blocking software and then reinstall the Phone Recovery Stick.
Sometimes, data on the phone is corrupt or there is something on the PC is causing a conflict with the program. You can help us trouble shoot the issue by turning on both logging options under Tools>Options. After the program crashes, you can send in the logs that are located in C:\Users\USERNAME\Logs (Vista, Win 7), C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Logs (Win XP) at http://support.paraben.com. Please provide a brief description of the error and basic information about the PC, such as what OS you are running and what version of the iPhone you have.
Whenever I hit any button or combination of buttons it gives me an error message (either create minidump, or it just closes). What’s wrong?
Something is blocking the Phone Recovery Stick from accessing certain features on Windows. Try right clicking on PhoneRecoveryStick.exe and running as an administrator. If that does not work, try a different USB port, try a different cable, try a different phone if possible, or try a different computer. If that still does not work, go to http://support.paraben.com and submit a support request.
I receive an error saying the workspace is invalid (or something similar). What’s wrong?
Go to tools, then options, and try to point the default location for the cases to your desktop.
Connection and Data Download Problems
For most recovery issues, please try the following. If none of these suggestions work, continue reading the FAQ for more specific answers:
- Make sure the phone is not password locked
- Make sure the phone has a valid SIM card in it
- Make sure the phone is on the home screen of the program
- Make sure the phone is in USB Debugging mode
- Try using a different cable
- Put the phone in airplane mode
- Run PhoneRecovery.exe as administrator
- Try a different USB port
- Try a different computer
- Try a different phone
- Eliminate as many variables as possible so you can see what the problem is
- Restart the phone
It doesn’t show a phone when I click on Start Recovery. What is going on?
The phone is not being detected by the Phone Recovery Stick and most likely not by Windows either. Make sure you have the correct phone drivers installed. By default, most Android phone drivers are installed upon the first use of the Phone Recovery Stick. You can download individual phone drivers from the Supported Models page. Make sure the phone is powered on and plugged into a working USB port on your computer. Try multiple USB ports and a new cable. If nothing you try makes it so your computer can see the phone, you may need to go to http://support.paraben.com and submit a support request.
I was in the middle of a recovery when the connection was lost. What happened?
The most common reason for this is because a phone call or message was received by the phone during the recovery or because the screen lock was activated. Put the phone in "Airplane Mode" and disable the screen lock to prevent this from happening during a recovery.
Finally, a bad cable or defective phone can cause this problem.
Recovered Data Questions
How come it didn’t recovery ANY deleted data?
The two reasons this could happen are there is no recoverable deleted data or we are unable to get deleted data from your phone model. For a current list of phones we can get deleted data from, CLICK HERE.
I completed a recovery but I don't see what I was looking for. What happened?
The phone has a set amount of memory locations that messages can be saved in. For the most part these are taken up by the messages still saved on the phone. If you only see a few “recovered” messages, this is because either the phone is full with other data or the messages have been overwritten. Running the phone through the Phone Recovery Stick multiple times or using another product will not recover any more data than the Phone Recovery Stick has already recovered.
I see multi-media files but can't open them. Why?
To open multimedia files that are recovered with the Phone Recovery stick but not showing correctly, you’ll first need to export them out of the Phone Recovery program to your computer (right-click on the file and select “Export”). After exporting out, they will usually show up as a binary.bin file. To open these files you will need to change the extension from *.bin to either *.amr or *.wav. These are the two most likely formats for Voice Memo’s and Voicemails. If the file still does not open then it is most likely damaged or an incomplete file and cannot be opened.
Some of the recovered pictures aren't showing up. Why?
To view Pictures that do not show correctly in the Phone Recovery stick, you’ll first need to export them out to your computer (right-click on the file and select “Export”). After exporting out, they will usually show up as a binary.bin file. To open and view these files you will need to change the extension from *.bin to either *.jpg or *.png. If this doesn't work, you can try some of the other less common formats that pictures may be saved as such as *.bmp, *.gif, *.tif, *.wmf and *.emf. If the picture does not open correctly by changing to any of these extensions, then the file itself is most likely damaged or corrupted.
How do I save a case file?
Go to file>Save as, and name it something so that you will be able to find it. Not just case 1. It should save as a filename.ds file, meaning you can transfer that file to different computers, and view it there. Also, since it is a .DS file, you can open it with Paraben’s Device Seizure if you own it.
How do I open a case from a recovery I did earlier?
Open up PhoneRecoveryStick.exe, and go to open workspace, and select your case file.
Supported Operating Systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 |
