Help Trouble Accessing Old Tablet

[jennymm]

More than likely it's a paperweight at this point, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. I have an Acer A200 tablet that I received as a gift maybe like 10 years ago give or take. Well, I figure I stopped using it maybe around 2014? It has not been touched since. My mom recently found it and brought it to my house, so my first reaction was to try and log into it. Here is where the problems begin...I had one of those line draw passwords. I locked it up real fast trying to figure it out. So, then it gave me the option to log in via google account, which again I can't do. I've tried every password I can think of...my new one, passwords I consistently used back then, nothing works. And I can't connect it to Wi-Fi of course, so either it's blocking me from using it entirely or I simply cannot guess the right password from back then. Begrudgingly, I went to factory reset it. But it won't even allow me to do that. I get the right screen but as its loading it after starting up the android ups and dies (it shows an android laying down with a red caution triangle). I don't know what else to do. Ideally, I'd like to save the stuff on there because I know it'd be like a time capsule, but I'm also aware that that more than likely isn't going to happen. What are my options here? Can I reset it with my computer? I'm at a loss.

 

[Milo Williamson]

More than likely it's a paperweight at this point, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. I have an Acer A200 tablet that I received as a gift maybe like 10 years ago give or take. Well, I figure I stopped using it maybe around 2014? It has not been touched since. My mom recently found it and brought it to my house, so my first reaction was to try and log into it. Here is where the problems begin...I had one of those line draw passwords. I locked it up real fast trying to figure it out. So, then it gave me the option to log in via google account, which again I can't do. I've tried every password I can think of...my new one, passwords I consistently used back then, nothing works. And I can't connect it to Wi-Fi of course, so either it's blocking me from using it entirely or I simply cannot guess the right password from back then. Begrudgingly, I went to factory reset it. But it won't even allow me to do that. I get the right screen but as its loading it after starting up the android ups and dies (it shows an android laying down with a red caution triangle). I don't know what else to do. Ideally, I'd like to save the stuff on there because I know it'd be like a time capsule, but I'm also aware that that more than likely isn't going to happen. What are my options here? Can I reset it with my computer? I'm at a loss.

There is always an option for google to have them direct text about your secuirty code, and to log in back then, you can do a small factory data reset if things get too hairy, having the apps back up will be a sinctch since they are already back up to your google account.

So you could not allow you to just do do that - Ah the little android symbol with the red triangle, just hit volume down and power, it will blip up a menu, after that do not touch anything,

until you see the menu, and it will show you a second option once you did that over though.

That should bypast any lost pin and log ins as well too.

You can try to use that method, that will be most easiest way I can think of.

 

[jennymm]

There is always an option for google to have them direct text about your secuirty code, and to log in back then, you can do a small factory data reset if things get too hairy, having the apps back up will be a sinctch since they are already back up to your google account.



So you could not allow you to just do do that - Ah the little android symbol with the red triangle, just hit volume down and power, it will blip up a menu, after that do not touch anything,

until you see the menu, and it will show you a second option once you did that over though.



That should bypast any lost pin and log ins as well too.



You can try to use that method, that will be most easiest way I can think of.

I know my current password for my Google, unfortunately I'm guessing because it is not connected to wifi and hasn't been for years, I think that it doesn't recognize it as being correct. As for the reset menu, I tried what you suggested and it didn't work . I can get to the reset screen and it says it's loading but then the dead android pops up on the screen and it bricks up. Nothing works, I only have the option the turn it back off. Honestly it seems as though it's bricked.

 

[svim]

That tablet model does go back 2012 so props to your memory about its origin but yeah, it's always a bummer to forget the password/pattern swipe of an old device.
https://www.gsmarena.com/acer_iconia_tab_a200-4450.php

Do you wish to access any data (i.e. pics, contact info, etc.) that may or may not be stored on it or is it a matter of wanting to reuse it?

If the former, this tablet is definitely still from a time when Android devices still relied upon unencrypted storage media so using what's currently more snake-oil type recovery utilities will probably still work if you can't get past that screen lock. You'll need to install the utility onto a computer, connect the tablet via a USB cable, and (hopefully) be able to extract the data you want.
If the latter however, I'd suggest just putting this tablet into a recycle bin. It's very obsolete from both a software and a hardware aspect. If you do eventually log into your previous user account, the version of the Android operating system has been abandoned for several years and it won't be upgradeable to a more current version, plus any apps that interact with online services will be very out-of-date too. Also, the battery in this tablet will be 11 years old, so it's likely you always need to keep it plugged into its power adapter all the time to use it.

 

[Hadron]

The dead android and red triangle is recovery mode. On some devices you have to press some buttons or button combination from there to get the actual recovery menu (don't ask me why - it's not as if you are going to get into recovery mode by mistake). So try pressing power, volume keys or both together (or of course a web search for the trick to get the recovery menu in that model).

One positive about it being so old is that it won't have factory reset protection, so you won't need to remember the Google login credentials you used with it after a reset, it will just be like a never used before device. As svim says above, you may even be able to recover data deleted from it.

If you used to use ADB (USB debugging) with it and left that enabled you might be able to connect and back up data that way. You wouldn't with a modern tablet: you'd have to have authorised the particular computer you were using beforehands, but old ones were less secure. Of course you won't be able to enable it now if it's not done already, and there is some risk that the software will be so old that adb backup won't work, but if you have used adb with it before it might be worth a try.