I'm posting another thread (so I beg your indulgence) branching from this one

iPhone 3G doesn't get past the apple

given that the title there just sounds like a common or garden issue. I don't have any problem putting it into or out of recovery mode - the thing won't start up. I'm thinking something is corrupt in there which stops it from booting. I don't want to do a restore, as it will wipe my photos, etc.

In my research I have seen some quite complex stuff where people have managed to fix corrupt files in the root folders that the phone checks when it boots (and why it flips out when they are buggered). I don't know where to start with that. Most of the jailbreaking advice I've seen assumes that the phone works in the first place, and I'm not trying to jailbreak the phone for jailbreaky reasons - I just want to get access to the files on the phone. I've spoken to my techy acquaintances, and they have limited i knowledge and go from the point of an official wipe, or a regular jailbreak. I don't know how fully complicated a rescue effort like this is.

So I'm still in the market for advice/abuse/ridicule, etc.

Cheers

S