How to recover files from LG G7 ThinQ that won’t boot up

Is your LG G7 ThinQ not booting up and you’re wondering how to get valuable photos from it? Learn What to do in this situation by checking our advice for one of the LG G7 ThinQ users in our community.

Problem: How to recover files from LG G7 ThinQ that won’t boot up

Hello, A couple weeks ago I went to bed with my LG G7 ThinQ phone in the charger (its original charger) and woke up the next morning to see the opening bootup screen flashing. It flashes on/off with the opening screen “LG Life’s Good…. Powered by Android”. I was having issues with the battery holding a charge so bought a new battery thinking it was the problem but the same thing happens. If I remember correctly in what happened is that it was not powered on the next day (which was weird) so I tried to power it on which is when I got the flashing screen. Thinking it was just caught in a reboot loop I popped the battery, waited a bit and put it back in. The battery symbol came up and then it showed it was charging but it quickly went to 3% which was weird even with fast charging.

At this point I tried powering the phone on (thinking it had enough power to boot) and the flashing screen came up again. The same thing happens with the new battery… not the 3% battery charge but the brief moment when I see the battery symbol (gray battery) and then the flashing screen. What is also weird is that this battery symbol and flashing screen come up almost instantly but only when I have it plugged in and I can’t power it off with the power button. If I pop the battery and put it back in and try to power it up the phone does nothing. I tried popping the battery and holding the power button for 30 seconds. (doesn’t work) but I also tried doing a hard reset (power button and volume down button) and this too doesn’t work.

Is it possible the base (where the battery sits) has gone wonky or is this a complete failure of the phone? Is there a way to bypass the battery and try to run straight from AC (maybe the whole battery connection has failed).

My next question is… if this is a complete failure is there a way to get the data off (like you can remove a hard drive from a laptop and connect it to another unit to access the data)? I really don’t care about the phone but would like to get some pics off the phone that I had not yet backed up. Thanks.

Solution:  From the circumstances mentioned above, the problem is most likely due to a motherboard defect or malfunction. To confirm that though, a technician must do some checks and run some tests. The device’s power management components may have failed causing the phone to not charge properly or at all. There are a number of factors why a phone like yours may suddenly have this problem but the most common reason is a power surge while charging. This can occur rarely but it’s also a device killer in almost all cases. Fuses on smartphones can only handle small amount of power outside the normal range in most homes that if a power surge does happen, it almost certainly put the phone out of order.

As an end user, checking for hardware malfunction is usually out of reach because one needs to have training and equipment to do that. What you can do now is to let a professional check the phone for you so you’ll know the real situation. If you’re lucky and there’s no hardware issue at all, a factory reset might be enough to fix it. For reference, here are the steps on how to factory reset your LG G7 ThinQ:

  1. Back up all data on the internal memory before performing a master reset. If not possible, skip this step and proceed to the next one.
  2. Turn off the device.
  3. Press and hold the Power and Volume down buttons.
  4. When the LG logo appears, quickly release and then re-hold the Power button while continuing to hold the Volume down button.
  5. When the ‘Delete all user data (including LG and carrier apps) and reset all settings’ message appears, use the Volume down button to highlight Yes.
  6. Press the Power button to reset the device.

Questions

Is there a way to bypass the battery and try to run straight from AC (maybe the whole battery connection has failed)?

When it comes to smartphones, the way to bypass the battery is by plugging it directly to the wall outlet using the official charging cable and adapter. Some phones can continue working in this setup. See if it works on your LG G7 ThinQ. If it does work, make sure to create a backup of your personal data by moving them to another device wirelessly.

Alternatively, you can try checking if the same setup works if you connect your phone to a powered USB port on a computer. That way, you can keep the phone powered on and at the same time transfer files to your computer.

Is there a way to get the data off (like you can remove a hard drive from a laptop and connect it to another unit to access the data)?

Your phone’s internal storage device is designed to be paired with the motherboard it comes with. For data security, only a specific motherboard can access the content of a specific internal storage device so while it’s not technically impossible to recover files from a working internal storage device, it can be very challenging for an end user like you to make that happen. Even if you manage to physically connect the internal storage device to another compatible motherboard, you still won’t be able to get your files out because said board will be unable to read contents off the drive. So, to answer your question, getting your data off from the storage device with a non-working motherboard is out of the question. You need fix the board problem first in order to recover your images. In your case, you can let an independent technician check the extent of the damage so you’ll know if there’s a chance that it can be fixed. If the motherboard is beyond repair, your files are good as gone.

To prevent losing irreplaceable files in the future, make it a habit of always keeping copies of them in another device or to the cloud.

 


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