Using adb backup to recover files in Android I encountered a situation similar to the question:
How can I recover a deleted file on Android?
I have a Sensation XE which is not rooted.
From the previously linked question, is there away that I can achieve step 2 in the highest rated answer using adb backup?

Step 2: Acquire an image of that block device with dd:
dd if=/dev/&lt;blockdevice&gt; of=/sdcard/image bs=4096
No, you can't. dd operates on block-level (it makes a 1:1 copy of the data blocks), while adb backup works on file-level. The two are not compatible.