HELP! Encryption

[sbone]

I decided to activate encryption on my phone, so I plugged it in and set it to work overnight.

I woke up this morning to a clicking noise and the phone asking me for a password to decrypt storage.

The problem is that I never gave it a password, so I don't have a password to decrypt it with.

What can I do?

Have I really just made my brand new phone totally unusable?

[Sam]

Hi and welcome to the community! Since you're new please be sure that you have checked out our Discussion guidelines.

If you forget or are unsure of the numeric PIN or password, you have to reset the phone by performing a factory data reset of the internal memory (device memory and internal storage). You do this by using the repair phone / tablet feature available in the computer software PC Companion or Sony™ Bridge for Mac. Also, you have to erase (format) any external SD card that you have encrypted. All your information will be lost by these actions.

Note! There is no way to access or save the contents on your device or SD card if you have forgotten the PIN or password. All data will be lost when you unencrypt the device by performing the repair phone / tablet procedure (factory data reset).

To unencrypt your Xperia™ device when you do not have the screen lock PIN or password

1. Make a factory data reset by performing a repair phone / tablet procedure using a computer, a USB cable and the computer software PC Companion or Sony™ Bridge for Mac. 
2. If encrypted, erase the SD card. 

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[sbone]

Thanks Sam.

But the problem is that I have forgotten the PIN or password - the encryption process just never asked me for one! It's most upsetting as at best I will lose all my photos, at worse none of this will work.

Also, I can't see in the Sony PC Companion programme where the "repair phone / factory data reset" option is...  It doesn't seem to be under the Support Zone, Xperia Transfer, Backup and Restore, or File Transfer...

Thanks for your (continuing) help.

[Sam]

No problem, please follow these steps to run the repair:

1. Download the PC Companion software from http://www.sonymobile.com/gb/tools/pc-companion/
and install it on your PC.
2. Install and open PC Companion then select Support Zone.
3. Phone Software Update.
4. Start.
5. Repair Phone
6. Continue
7. Accept data removal
8. Next
9. Wait for prepare
10. Select Phone
11. Follow the connection steps

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[pie-man]

Hi, 

same problem here with an X1 Compact: started encryption last night. I set a password, but for my lockscreen, because I had a swipe pattern before. Woke up to a clicking phone which only prompted me to enter a password to decrypt. So I cannot get past that screen, because I have no password for it and the lockscreen password does not work! That I can seemingly try endlessly (albeit sometimes it asks me to wait for 30 secs) is not a great help. 

Installed Sony Bridge for Mac to reset the device. Connected device in "Asking PW" and "Turned off and charging" modes. "No Xperia device connected"!? 

Tried "Repair phone" but can't get past the step of connecting the phone while it is turned off and pressing volume down when connecting per USB: it just does not find it and the next button cannot be pressed.

Come on SONY, please fix this!

Regards