WARNING: DO NOT FLASH ANY OTHER GALAXY S VARIANT'S ODIN FILES. YOU WILL BRICK YOUR PHONE!
WARNING: DO NOT FLASH ANY OTHER GALAXY S VARIANT'S ODIN FILES. YOU WILL BRICK YOUR PHONE!
WARNING: DO NOT FLASH ANY OTHER GALAXY S VARIANT'S ODIN FILES. YOU WILL BRICK YOUR PHONE!
If you have installed voodoo before, please follow the instructions here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=804784 before attempting to restore back to stock odin files
ONLY FLASH ONE OF THESE AT A TIME. START WITH THE /SYSTEM ODIN AND WORK YOUR WAY DOWN THE LIST IF NEEDED.
Hey guys, after some reading and bricking one device beyond my repair, i have created a file to restore /system back to stock, with su, superuser and busybox already installed.
THIS SHOULD ONLY BE USED TO RESTORE TO STOCK AFTER A COMPLETE FUBAR! I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT YOU FLASH TO YOUR PHONE!
You need the samsung drivers for windows for this to work. Those can be found on this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=779238
This has been tested and verified. I signed with md5 and odin reads the md5 signature as it should.
Steps:
1. Pull battery from device
2. Open odin on desktop
3. Hold volume down button and plug device into computer
-This will place the device into download mode
4. Verify device shows up in odin
5. Click "PDA" button in odin
6. Select "Stock-i500-VZW-System.tar.md5" from where you downloaded it
7. Click "Start"
8. Enjoy your fixed /system partition!
Download:
Odin: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/458252/Odin Files/Odin3 v1.3.exe
Odin Restore file for /system: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/458252/Odin Files/Stock-i500-VZW-System.tar.md5
Odin Restore file for kernel: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/458252/Odin%20Files/Stock-i500-VZW-Kernel.tar.md5
Odin Restore file for recovery: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/458252/Odin Files/Stock-i500-VZW-Recovery.tar.md5
PIT file for use in Odin Restores: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/458252/Odin Files/Stock-i500-VZW-pit.pit
Big thanks to lilinser / dkcldark; koush; humancyborg, namebrandon, geeknik, and many others that were testing and constantly flashing their phones!
And without ludeboy, well, i wouldnt even be able to get into download mode to fix my phone in the first place
Changelog:
9/17/2010- Updated links, fixed md5 errors on files
9/15/2010: Added an odin restore file for the kernel and recovery now that sources are out. This should be used to restore the kernel if you try flashing another one. To those having problems, reboot into recovery (power off device, hold both volume buttons and power until samsung logo, release power button, recovery should boot) and wipe data and cache.
Tried these steps to a T and get "FAIL" in Odin on three separate attempts.
Imagiohio said:
Tried these steps to a T and get "FAIL" in Odin on three separate attempts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what is the message that you get?
MD5 hash value is invalid
Imagiohio said:
MD5 hash value is invalid
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Edit: BLAH
That did the trick. Thanks very much for the files and the help!
Thanks angel! Was afraid to start experimenting with the Fascinate until an Odin restore was available.
Has any one got this to work, Every time I try odin finishes and passes and then I replace the battery and phone hangs at verizon for a few minutes and then screen goes black and no longer responds. I thought it might be part of the process so i let is sit for 30 min and nothing.
I got this working last night after I screwed up my phone editing the browser.apk file. The whole process took about 2 minutes to complete, however I don't see superuser and it doesn't appear that I have root
pduboise said:
Thanks angel! Was afraid to start experimenting with the Fascinate until an Odin restore was available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did the same thing with Email.apk on day two with the phone trying to get multiple Exchange accounts like just about every other android device (Thanks TW!!! ). I was able to get it replaced but have been afraid to do anything beyond rooting and adding WiFi Tether until I had a way to un-brick.
Thanks angel!!!
For those that say they don't have root, can you please run 'ls /system/xbin' from adb shell and post your results here?
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Thanks so much! Saved my butt, again.
Note to Everyone: Do not attempt to take the Contacts.apk file from another carrier's Galaxy S phone. It will prevent your phone from booting.
Another Note to Everyone: The Fascinate and the Vibrant, for whatever reason, lack the ability to add a unique ringtone to a given contact. The Epic 4G, however, has this option in Edit Contact. Not sure why...
We need to get a mirror up for that. 8k/s... I downloaded it last night at home, and it was a decent speed, but it's dragging here at work.
theicemonkey said:
Thanks so much! Saved my butt, again.
Note to Everyone: Do not attempt to take the Contacts.apk file from another carrier's Galaxy S phone. It will prevent your phone from booting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Add Browser.apk to that list. I'm on device #2, since the ROM wasn't out when I bricked mine.
theicemonkey said:
Note to Everyone: Do not attempt to take the Contacts.apk file from another carrier's Galaxy S phone. It will prevent your phone from booting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm new to Odin (coming from the Sprint Hero). With Odin, you'd still be able to recover even if your phone became unbootable such as the situation you describe, right?
Or maybe a better question: given Odin, are there things you could do to your phone that would NOT be recoverable?
The folder had su and budybox in it. I checked. The superuser.apk was not in the app drawer. I rerooted using adb rage.bin and everything is well again
After running the restore phone would boot past the verizon logo but would not respond and had a black screen. It showed up in adb and the softkeys responded to touch. I did adb reboot recovery and wiped data / factory restore and it rebooted like new. This may be a possible fix for someone experiencing similar issues with this. I am not an expert but it worked for me.
disclaimer: if you try this it is at your own risk what fixed my phone may brick yours, you have been warned
avhokie said:
I'm new to Odin (coming from the Sprint Hero). With Odin, you'd still be able to recover even if your phone became unbootable such as the situation you describe, right?
Or maybe a better question: given Odin, are there things you could do to your phone that would NOT be recoverable?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can tell you that without this my phone would have been unrecoverable and I would have had to go back to Verizon. This restores your /system folder (which includes system apps, boot procedure, animations, etc.) back to stock. Therefore, if the problem preventing your phone from booting was due to a problem in the /system folder, this will fix it.
theicemonkey said:
Thanks so much! Saved my butt, again.
Note to Everyone: Do not attempt to take the Contacts.apk file from another carrier's Galaxy S phone. It will prevent your phone from booting.
Another Note to Everyone: The Fascinate and the Vibrant, for whatever reason, lack the ability to add a unique ringtone to a given contact. The Epic 4G, however, has this option in Edit Contact. Not sure why...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, interesting. I just checked this out, and at first, believed you were right (much to my dismay, as I have a distinctive ring on the number for my employer, for when I'm on-call). However, after playing around a bit, I discovered that contacts that are local to the phone can have the option for selecting a ringtone when being edited. So, for any contacts you need a custom ringtone on, do the following:
1. Create a duplicate contact stored on the phone (orange icon)
2. Link the new contact to the other existing contact
3. Edit the linked contact, and choose the Phone tab at the top
4. Scroll down to see the Ringtone option
erasmogjr said:
After running the restore phone would boot past the verizon logo but would not respond and had a black screen. It showed up in adb and the softkeys responded to touch. I did adb reboot recovery and wiped data / factory restore and it rebooted like new. This may be a possible fix for someone experiencing similar issues with this. I am not an expert but it worked for me.
disclaimer: if you try this it is at your own risk what fixed my phone may brick yours, you have been warned
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this saved my life thanks man
Related
Update:
Well, I tried flashing a GB official ROM (I was on CM9) and Odin got stuck on "NAND write start", and any other ROM I try does the same thing. I now only boot into download mode or a screen that says something along the lines of "Firmware update failed, use Kies recovery mode". Is my phone completely screwed? If so what are my repair options given that I'm in the US and I bought the unlocked international version off of Amazon through a reseller (I believe it was originally a French phone) last July?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So yesterday I got the odd 'Encryption Unsuccessful' error (phone only boots into screen saying: Encryption Unsuccessful, you have to reset...) after my phone ran mysteriously low on battery, rebooting, everything crashing, pulling out the battery and rebooting again.
I did a factory reset/data wipe from within CWM, and the phone would boot up normally, but I got no cell service. I checked in settings, and the baseband was listed as 'Unknown' as well as the IMEI. I had a look in the /efs folder and it was empty except for two more empty folders, 'bluetooth' and 'wifi'.
My problem now is that regardless of what I add or remove to /efs, or if I restore it from a backup, it always resets itself after boot to just contain those two empty folders 'bluetooth' and 'wifi', and the baseband and IMEI are still unknown.
Any help would be much appreciated!
AUAnonymous said:
So yesterday I got the odd 'Encryption Unsuccessful' error (phone only boots into screen saying: Encryption Unsuccessful, you have to reset...) after my phone ran mysteriously low on battery, rebooting, everything crashing, pulling out the battery and rebooting again.
I did a factory reset/data wipe from within CWM, and the phone would boot up normally, but I got no cell service. I checked in settings, and the baseband was listed as 'Unknown' as well as the IMEI. I had a look in the /efs folder and it was empty except for two more empty folders, 'bluetooth' and 'wifi'.
My problem now is that regardless of what I add or remove to /efs, or if I restore it from a backup, it always resets itself after boot to just contain those two empty folders 'bluetooth' and 'wifi', and the baseband and IMEI are still unknown.
Any help would be much appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[GUIDE] Recover your IMEI in 9 steps.
(Found in the General section via a Google search...)
ctomgee said:
[GUIDE] Recover your IMEI in 9 steps.
(Found in the General section via a Google search...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh sorry I should have mentioned I've tried that as well as many other efs recovery tools. I can't follow that guide because step 4 is "go to EFS folder using root explorer, and delete 'nv_data.bin', 'nv_data.bin.md5'", but there are no such files automatically generated like it says. Thanks though.
AUAnonymous said:
Oh sorry I should have mentioned I've tried that as well as many other efs recovery tools. I can't follow that guide because step 4 is "go to EFS folder using root explorer, and delete 'nv_data.bin', 'nv_data.bin.md5'", but there are no such files automatically generated like it says. Thanks though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you read the whole thread? Specifically, check out pages 5 & 6.
Well, I tried flashing a GB official ROM (I was on CM9) and Odin got stuck on "NAND write start", and any other ROM I try does the same thing. I now only boot into download mode or a screen that says something along the lines of "Firmware update failed, use Kies recovery mode". Is my phone completely screwed? If so what are my repair options given that I'm in the US and I bought the unlocked international version off of Amazon through a reseller (I believe it was originally a French phone) last July?
AUAnonymous said:
Well, I tried flashing a GB official ROM (I was on CM9) and Odin got stuck on "NAND write start", and any other ROM I try does the same thing. I now only boot into download mode or a screen that says something along the lines of "Firmware update failed, use Kies recovery mode". Is my phone completely screwed? If so what are my repair options given that I'm in the US and I bought the unlocked international version off of Amazon through a reseller (I believe it was originally a French phone) last July?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing you say here convinces me you read what I had to say, and actually read those pages. Because they would have led you to tools you don't mention, that could have helped you.
ctomgee said:
Nothing you say here convinces me you read what I had to say, and actually read those pages. Because they would have led you to tools you don't mention, that could have helped you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trust me I've tried using GSII_Repair, HC-k Tool, EFS Pro, reformatting 'mmcblk0p1' via adb and via an on the phone terminal emulator and doing a bunch of other stuff, and while I really do appreciate your help (no one else has even suggested anything , and it's understandable that you're probably used to dealing with idiots, 11 year olds and people that barely speak English), it seems like my problem goes deeper than simply the efs folder being messed up somehow (which I think the original "Encryption Unsuccessful" error points to as well). At any rate, the problem now is not being able to flash a ROM using Odin, and the more I try the more I'm thinking that I'm basically screwed. And before you ask, I've gone through a lot of this thread already, as well as tried other random purported solutions, but any suggestions are definitely welcome.
AUAnonymous said:
Trust me I've tried using GSII_Repair, HC-k Tool, EFS Pro, reformatting 'mmcblk0p1' via adb and via an on the phone terminal emulator and doing a bunch of other stuff, and while I really do appreciate your help (no one else has even suggested anything , and it's understandable that you're probably used to dealing with idiots, 11 year olds and people that barely speak English), it seems like my problem goes deeper than simply the efs folder being messed up somehow (which I think the original "Encryption Unsuccessful" error points to as well). At any rate, the problem now is not being able to flash a ROM using Odin, and the more I try the more I'm thinking that I'm basically screwed. And before you ask, I've gone through a lot of this thread already, as well as tried other random purported solutions, but any suggestions are definitely welcome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, sorry. Unfortunately, for the most part, I do find myself dealing with the group you describe.
Well if you've done the "fix unflashable" thread already... Hmm. I don't know then. When you say you're not able to flash, what do you mean, exactly?
ctomgee said:
Yeah, sorry. Unfortunately, for the most part, I do find myself dealing with the group you describe.
Well if you've done the "fix unflashable" thread already... Hmm. I don't know then. When you say you're not able to flash, what do you mean, exactly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well everything is fine in Odin until it gets to "NAND write start", which it never gets past (I've left it overnight). I've tried different ROMs, repartitioning, a different USB cable and everything else I could think of but I've really given up all hope now .
If it keeps failing at NAND write, NAND is stuffed. Service centre job. JTAG repair won't fix it & a person who normally does JTAGs won't be able to fix it at all unless they're able to swap out the NAND.
Well thanks for the confirmation at least :/ looks like I might be getting the GSIII seeing as I can get it on contract at the discounted price. The only downside being that I'll have to get a limited data plan and that the $700 I spent on this one go down the drain unless I can repair it...
AUAnonymous said:
Well everything is fine in Odin until it gets to "NAND write start", which it never gets past (I've left it overnight). I've tried different ROMs, repartitioning, a different USB cable and everything else I could think of but I've really given up all hope now .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I had a similar problem with not being able to write a kernel, and ending up with the logo and thebn black screen.
The way I fixed it was to use the Recovery Mode to reflash the rom that I had last working. (in my case it was wannamlites stock ICS). After that I was able to then flash back to my previous Gingerbread Custom rom using CWM's restore function.
Q) You didn't happen to use CWM Touch recovery did you?
*** there is a known issue with CWM touch recovery (which is built on an ICS base) and certain emmc (internal sdcard) firmware id
which could result in the flash being corrupted in a way that can't be fixed outside of the factory.
See http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1648362
By the way, if your phone does boot, can you dial *#1234# and tell me what the H/W is reported as. Mine currently says "unknown"
centuriondan said:
Hi, I had a similar problem with not being able to write a kernel, and ending up with the logo and thebn black screen.
The way I fixed it was to use the Recovery Mode to reflash the rom that I had last working. (in my case it was wannamlites stock ICS). After that I was able to then flash back to my previous Gingerbread Custom rom using CWM's restore function.
Q) You didn't happen to use CWM Touch recovery did you?
*** there is a known issue with CWM touch recovery (which is built on an ICS base) and certain emmc (internal sdcard) firmware id
which could result in the flash being corrupted in a way that can't be fixed outside of the factory.
See http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1648362
By the way, if your phone does boot, can you dial *#1234# and tell me what the H/W is reported as. Mine currently says "unknown"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the advice but unfortunately I can't boot into recovery, only download mode., and I wasn't using CWM touch beforehand. It didn't even break when I was flashing a ROM, just when I was using the phone normally. I'm going to be in Europe in a couple weeks and I'll be able to take it in to a repair center where it's still under warranty. All I need to do is to use a USB Jig to reset the counter back to 0 so they'll work on it.
Have you tried Heimdall:
And I'd suggest reinstalling CM9. I found that when I had issues re-installing the kernel that I had to go back to the last working rom (ICS based) b4 I could downgrade.
The fact that you can't get into recovery indicates that either the primary or secondary bootloader is corrupted. Try flashing them again with the CM9 versions. Use the USB jig to get into download mode everytime you do flashing so that if you trash it further the counter is always zero. Also use the original USB cable with no hubs in between the phone and computer, and remove any other usb devices plugged in too.
BTW What was the result of *#1234* HW version?
i've read through all the posts from this topic. mine situation is slightly different.
I"m able to flash to any ROM. I can jump from gingerbread to ICS or vice versa with Odin.
When i type *#06#, it always show "unknown imei" no matter which firmware i'm on.
when i checked in EFS folder, i only have 2 folders : bluetooth and wifi.
I've tried to copy EFS files from people from this forum and paste into the phone's EFS. As soon as i restart the phone, back to 2 folders in its again.
any solution?
aznboix said:
i've read through all the posts from this topic. mine situation is slightly different.
I"m able to flash to any ROM. I can jump from gingerbread to ICS or vice versa with Odin.
When i type *#06#, it always show "unknown imei" no matter which firmware i'm on.
when i checked in EFS folder, i only have 2 folders : bluetooth and wifi.
I've tried to copy EFS files from people from this forum and paste into the phone's EFS. As soon as i restart the phone, back to 2 folders in its again.
any solution?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=17587351, but I see you claim to have tried this already. If it didn't work, you'll need to take it to service.
BTW, the efs folder from another phone won't help you. IMEI is unique to each phone.
i dont have any files in EFS excepte the two folders that i mentioned above. Can't even start the procedures.
Service centre job, or contact Odia via PM & he might be able to recover it for you (for the cost of a case of beer).
I rooted my S3, changed one file, and am now stuck in the startup screen. I've looked on the forums but I'd like to confirm what my recovery options are.
(1) Since I have no backup*, can I recover from a factory recovery for my model and still keep some of my data, apps and customizations?
It's a N American SIII (Rogers Wireless Samsung SGH-I747M). I can boot successfully into both Odin and CWM Recovery (Clockwork 5.5). BusyBox installed.
*I only did one thing:
renamed framework-res.apk to framework-res.apk2 to test permissions. Errors and crash ensued, then I restarted and here I am.
That apk file is part of a fix which is circulating that corrects a bug in the North American models' battery reporting, which requires replacing the apk with a slightly modified version. I thought trying a file rename was a safe small test, prior to backing up. The name "framework" should have tipped me off probably.
(2) Is factory recovery my best option? I would love to get in and just name the file back. But I can't get in.
(3) Was some automatic backup made that I overlooked? Rooting and the learning curve took so many steps I can't remember myself.
(4) Can I just restore the /system directory perhaps? Or some other advanced or custom restore?
Yep, relative noob here. Hope my question is placed correctly and I haven't missed another post with the answers I need, if not pls advise.
CWM Recovery Flash Zip - Not able to find zip on SD
Some progress here...
Since I think the problem is that I renamed framework-res.apk to framework-res.apk2, and since I had a backup of the original, I found and applied the following:
[GUIDE] How to make a cwm recovery flashable zip
Specifically:
Stuck my saved framework-res.apk into the archive in the correct folder (system/framework)
Renamed from sample.zip to update.zip
Copied update.zip to the root of my micro SD (went to buy one since I didn't have a working one)
Since the Guide didn't specify, I assume that flashing requires booting into CWM Recovery (in my case Clockwork 5.5) and using one of the "install zip from sdcard" options there. But it couldn't find the file. Here are my attempt outcomes:
- apply /sdcard/update.zip:
E: Can't open /sdcard/update.zip
(no such file or directory)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- choose zip from sdcard:
This just shows me the directory structure inside my phone
So how can I flash from a zip on the (external) SD card? I can't connect via USB except maybe with Odin, so I don't think I can put anything on my device.
No luck
Well, attempted the stock restore from Epic and still have a soft bricked phone.
According to the thread, everyone else is reporting success with Epic's version 4, but it's not working for me. Maybe I'm tired after 48 hours of this and I've missed something or am trying something that cannot work. No idea what's wrong.
I even resigned to losing everything (no backup) and starting over. Didn't think I'd have a permanent brick though.
Here is what everybody is raving about. CWM Recovery on all SGS3 LTE Variants
Will try again, just in case.
Any Luck?
I have done something similar...
I've been trying to find the stock boot from Rogers for the last 5 hours.
I can get into recovery mode and the download screen, but that's as far as I can get.
If you figure it out PLEASE let me know!
same boat
i just bricked my Rogers S3 with apparently a wrong ROM.
can't even get into recovery, totally bricked!
Were you able to find any solution?
Gave up and swapped hardware
I wasn't able to fix it. I was stuck between three useless boot options:
Regular boot - splash screen only and a vibration every few minutes
ODIN - showing that I had flashed the ROM 3 times
CWM - Clockworkmod's custom flash install, replacing the stock one
(Search the forums for the key combinations to get into these.)
I took it back to the store and they kindly replaced it. Glad they didn't know the key combinations. When they told me they needed an hour "to look at it" I thought I'd come back to a finger wag and a flat denial. That was a tough hour.
Make a backup, people; actually, I'm completely sure that a backup is enough. I'm still green at this.
snoops609 said:
I've been trying to find the stock boot from Rogers for the last 5 hours.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand that the Rogers Galaxy SIII stock recovery isn't out anywhere. If someone is aware of one, please post a link.
Revived my s3! I flashed the att boot img and that has fixed it. Of course my Odin count is up to 25.
And yes I'm sending this from my s3.
If anyone is still in need I still have the files I flashed with. Just shoot me a pm.
Details pls
snoops609 said:
Revived my s3! I flashed the att boot img and that has fixed it. Of course my Odin count is up to 25.
And yes I'm sending this from my s3.
If anyone is still in need I still have the files I flashed with. Just shoot me a pm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Snoops, do you have a Rogers phone? Just trying to understand what you mean by "att boot img". Lol on the Odin count, I got up to 3 and thought I was badass.
Yes, I'd be interested in the files for future use, especially if you're on Rogers and have the LTE version of the Galaxy S3. Model SGH-I747M.
snoops609 said:
Revived my s3! I flashed the att boot img and that has fixed it. Of course my Odin count is up to 25.
And yes I'm sending this from my s3.
If anyone is still in need I still have the files I flashed with. Just shoot me a pm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
plese bro help me out...im stuck in the same hole..i just installed some font changer software and m:y phone just rebooted ....
Hello.
My SGS2 is softbricked. It hangs during boot, but I can boot into download mode and I can boot into recovery mode.
My phone has only been flashed with OTA method and firmware. Never rooted, never flashed manually.
It starts up showing the animation with some ray of lights surrounding "Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100" logo, then it goes into the centered "SAMSUNG" logo with the corona slightly flashing and here it just continues with this slightly corona-blinking (normally it would here do that a few seconds and then show the home screen). The phone gets quite hot (but not burning hot) after a few seconds and I can turn it of by holding the power button for about 5 seconds (no need to take out the battery).
The situation started by the phone shutting down due to low battery. Then I connected usb (which I though was connected in the other end, but it was not) for charging and I powered up the phone immediately. Not noticing that the usb cable had no power I actually booted the phone with very low battery and no power in the usb cable. Shortly after the home screen showed up with a battery low-message. The phone went off (the hard way I think).
After that I of course ensured to charge the phone for a while before I booted it again, but at that time when booting it hung (as described above)
I believe Iread somewhere, that most likely the system filesystem has been corrupted, so just overwriting it (that is flashing like an OS upgrade) I could restore the device just like the phone has just been upgraded. And during normal upgrade my phone is not wiped, so that is what I am expecting would be possible.
From
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1973233
and
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1188615
it sounds like I can flash withour loosing data as long as the new ROM is same (or newer) as the one already on the phone.
So I have downloaded I9100XWLSS_I9100OXXLS9_NEE.zip for my phone it contains a I9100XWLSS_I9100OXXLS9_I9100XXMS2_HOME.tar.md5 file which contains
boot.bin
cache.img
factoryfs.img
hidden.img
modem.bin
param.lfs
Sbl.bin
zImage
From http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1456532 I get the impression that if I flash a .tar.md5 file that contains hidden.img and/or cache.img it will wipe all my data.
So I was wondering if it was possible to just create a tar file without hidden.img and cache.img and flash that, so my data is not wiped.
Any input is appreciated.
jarl-dk said:
My SGS2 is softbricked. It hangs during boot, but I can boot into download mode and I can boot into recovery mode.
From
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1973233
and
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1188615
it sounds like I can flash withour loosing data as long as the new ROM is same (or newer) as the one already on the phone.
So I have downloaded I9100XWLSS_I9100OXXLS9_NEE.zip for my phone it contains a I9100XWLSS_I9100OXXLS9_I9100XXMS2_HOME.tar.md5 file which contains
boot.bin
cache.img
factoryfs.img
hidden.img
modem.bin
param.lfs
Sbl.bin
zImage
From http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1456532 I get the impression that if I flash a .tar.md5 file that contains hidden.img and/or cache.img it will wipe all my data.
So I was wondering if it was possible to just create a tar file without hidden.img and cache.img and flash that, so my data is not wiped.
Any input is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to see someone who has actually read something!! :good:
I suggest you avoid messing with the firmwares for now. Is your phone rooted? How did the bootloop start?
There is no way to avoid factory reset.The only way to solve bootloop is by wiping data.No other way.You can flash a new ROM/firmware,but you will still have to do a factory reset because of old bootloop and new ROM.Sorry.
GamingDj said:
There is no way to avoid factory reset.The only way to solve bootloop is by wiping data.No other way.You can flash a new ROM/firmware,but you will still have to do a factory reset because of old bootloop and new ROM.Sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm afraid I must agree.
@OP: But what you can do is make a nandroid backup before wiping. :good:
immortalneo said:
I'm afraid I must agree.
@OP: But what you can do is make a nandroid backup before wiping. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
good idea neo...and he can extract contacts or notes from nandroid...heard that people did this
immortalneo said:
I'm afraid I must agree.
@OP: But what you can do is make a nandroid backup before wiping. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you give a short summary of how to do this (from the situation I am in),and some usefull links...
Jarl
much uirstaby
immortalneo said:
Good to see someone who has actually read something!! :good:
I suggest you avoid messing with the firmwares for now. Is your phone rooted? How did the bootloop start?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.
I must emphasize it is not a boot loop. It starts up showing the animation with some ray of lights surrounding "Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100" logo, then it goes into the centered "SAMSUNG" logo with the shadow slightly flashing and here it just continues with this slightly shadow-blinking (normally it would here do that a few seconds and then show the home screen). The phone gets quite hot after a efw seconds and I can turn it of by holding the power button for about 5 seconds (no need to take out the battery).
The situation started by the phone shutting down due to low battery. Then I connected usb (which I though was connected in the other end, but it was not) for charging and I powered up the phone immediately. Not noticing that the usb cable had no power I actually booted the phone with very low battery and no power in the usb cable. Shortly after the home screen showed up with a battery low-message. The phone went off (the hard way I think).
After that I of course ensured to charge the phone for a while before I booted it again, but at that time when booting it hung (as described above)
I believe Iread somewhere, that most likely the system filesystem has been corrupted, so just overwriting it (that is flashing like an OS upgrade) I could restore the device just like the phone has just been upgraded. And during normal upgrade my phone is not wiped, so that is what I am expecting would be possible.
Jarl
What firmware were you on? As in 4.1.2, 4.0.3, 4.0.4?
Basically what you need to do is flash a custom kernel via Odin in download mode. Let's take Siyah kernel for example (v5 for ICS. Pick which one is correct for your version, you can download them from gokhanmoral.com). If you're on JB, I suggest philz or apolo kernel. More on that in a sec.
Flash that kernel in Odin. Then, you can back up in CWM recovery. If you're on ICS, then you can factory reset and hopefully boot up. Once you've got your backup & booting, then you can extract data from the backup using titanium backup or CWM recovery.
If you're on JB, then you need to backup the /preload folder. Apolo does it automatically, in philz you need to tick the option before backing up. Same deal once you've backed up, factory reset then boot.
I hope that makes sense to you, I gave you all the info in one big hit. As you've done a lot of reading and attempted to help yourself before posting, I imagine you can make sense of that
Any issues, post up here, but for now, give that a go!
Sent from a galaxy far, far away
Hi.
Thank you for your time.
Hopper8 said:
What firmware were you on? As in 4.1.2, 4.0.3, 4.0.4?
Basically what you need to do is flash a custom kernel via Odin in download mode. Let's take Siyah kernel for example (v5 for ICS. Pick which one is correct for your version, you can download them from gokhanmoral.com). If you're on JB, I suggest philz or apolo kernel. More on that in a sec.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK. I think I need help in two steps:
take a backup
make the phone usable again.
I am not sure exactly what firmware it had reached before the softbrick. It was definitely above 4.0, maybe even 4.1.x Does it matter a lot.
Lets focus on step 1 (taking a backup). I think that is what you are guiding me towards above, right?
So what shall I do when I am not 100% sure of the current firmware version on the phone?
Jarl
jarl-dk said:
Hi.
Thank you for your time.
OK. I think I need help in two steps:
take a backup
make the phone usable again.
I am not sure exactly what firmware it had reached before the softbrick. It was definitely above 4.0, maybe even 4.1.x Does it matter a lot.
Lets focus on step 1 (taking a backup). I think that is what you are guiding me towards above, right?
So what shall I do when I am not 100% sure of the current firmware version on the phone?
Jarl
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct, if you want to keep the data then you need to make a backup. Unfortunately, if you don't know which firmware you were on previously, it's not easy. What I would suggest you do is to go onto YouTube, and look at videos of i9100's (that is what you have right?). You want a video of one with 4.0.3, one of 4.0.4, and one of 4.1.2. They all do look different, although 4.0.4 and 4.0.3 are reasonably similar.
Basically, if you can tell if you were on 4.0.x or 4.1.2 then we can go somewhere Until then, I'm not comfortable to tell you to flash.
Edit: and don't stress. Making the phone useable again is not hard to keep your data as well as make it useable again will take some effort on your part though.
Hopper8 said:
Correct, if you want to keep the data then you need to make a backup. Unfortunately, if you don't know which firmware you were on previously, it's not easy. What I would suggest you do is to go onto YouTube, and look at videos of i9100's (that is what you have right?). You want a video of one with 4.0.3, one of 4.0.4, and one of 4.1.2. They all do look different, although 4.0.4 and 4.0.3 are reasonably similar.
Basically, if you can tell if you were on 4.0.x or 4.1.2 then we can go somewhere Until then, I'm not comfortable to tell you to flash.
Edit: and don't stress. Making the phone useable again is not hard to keep your data as well as make it useable again will take some effort on your part though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will take a look at YouTube... However I do understand booting an incorrect version of Android can be dangerous to my data. However if I make 100% sure that I never boot the flashed android and only boot up in recovery mode to make a nandroid backup. Then it probably doesn't matter which (most likely incorrect) version of android is installed because will not boot it, I will only boot in recovery mode. After having made a nandroid backup I will go to step 2 (make it usable again) and making sure I don't boot up the incorrect android version along the path.
Would that be possible?
Jarl
GamingDj said:
There is no way to avoid factory reset.The only way to solve bootloop is by wiping data.No other way.You can flash a new ROM/firmware,but you will still have to do a factory reset because of old bootloop and new ROM.Sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just made an experiement with my Samsung Galaxy S 5.0 Tablet (YP-G70):
I flashed it with zImage and factoryfs.rfs (using Heimdall and making sure that repartition is not ticked)
In this situation there was no data loss (behaved like a standard OTA update), all contacts and apps still installed.
Why would this not be possible on GT-I9100 without wipe/factory reset. By just flashing the zImage and factoryfs.img from I9100XWLSS_OXXLS9_NEE_Nordic_Android_4.1.2.zip ? Notice I am not in a boot loop situation.
jarl-dk said:
I will take a look at YouTube... However I do understand booting an incorrect version of Android can be dangerous to my data. However if I make 100% sure that I never boot the flashed android and only boot up in recovery mode to make a nandroid backup. Then it probably doesn't matter which (most likely incorrect) version of android is installed because will not boot it, I will only boot in recovery mode. After having made a nandroid backup I will go to step 2 (make it usable again) and making sure I don't boot up the incorrect android version along the path.
Would that be possible?
Jarl
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct in saying that if you don't boot it, but only flash the kernel & immediately flash stock then you're OK. The thing I am unsure of, is making a nandroid whilst using an incompatible kernel.. I really don't know if it will work. My guess says it won't, but I don't know for sure. Can someone come in here? @MistahBungle @andrewwright @immortalneo @gastonw @keithross39
I still think you should try to figure out which version you were on before this, just so that you can have a safe bet of which kernel to flash.
---------- Post added at 09:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:55 PM ----------
jarl-dk said:
I just made an experiemtn with my Samsungs Galaxy S 5.0 Tablet (YP-G70):
I flashed it with zImage and factoryfs.rfs (using Heimdall and making sure that repartition is not ticked)
In this situation there was no data loss (behaved like a standard OTA update), all contacts and apps still installed.
Why would this not be possible on GT-I9100 without wipe/factory reset. By just flashing the zImage and factoryfs.img from I9100XWLSS_OXXLS9_NEE_Nordic_Android_4.1.2.zip ? Notice I am not in a boot loop situation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good thinking. The thing is, on your tablet currently, it boots fine. It's not in the bootlooping scenario. Hence, doing an update which does not wipe will only update to a new version which won't be wiped, and hence will still be bootlooping. Of course you still could flash them (using Heimdall/ Odin, but I've never tried Heimdall personally) but I doubt that you'll boot up by that. It'll likely still get stuck at the boot logo.
Hopper8 said:
You are correct in saying that if you don't boot it, but only flash the kernel & immediately flash stock then you're OK. The thing I am unsure of, is making a nandroid whilst using an incompatible kernel.. I really don't know if it will work. My guess says it won't, but I don't know for sure. Can someone come in here? @MistahBungle @andrewwright @immortalneo @gastonw @keithross39
I still think you should try to figure out which version you were on before this, just so that you can have a safe bet of which kernel to flash.
---------- Post added at 09:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:55 PM ----------
Good thinking. The thing is, on your tablet currently, it boots fine. It's not in the bootlooping scenario. Hence, doing an update which does not wipe will only update to a new version which won't be wiped, and hence will still be bootlooping. Of course you still could flash them (using Heimdall/ Odin, but I've never tried Heimdall personally) but I doubt that you'll boot up by that. It'll likely still get stuck at the boot logo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, so what you are saying is that: I might just flash some of the files (all except cache.img and hidden.img) that will not wipe my phone, but as I understand you, it most likely wont solve my boot problem...
In that case can someone confirm that that flashing the files
boot.bin
factoryfs.img
modem.bin
param.lfs
Sbl.bin
zImage
without
cache.img
hidden.img
will not wipe my phone? Or are there more files that need to go down to the dangerous list?
Jarl
Hopper8 said:
The thing I am unsure of, is making a nandroid whilst using an incompatible kernel.. I really don't know if it will work. My guess says it won't, but I don't know for sure. Can someone come in here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AFAIK, the nandroid backup will go just fine. If the kernel is incompatible, the nandroid would contain the incompatible kernel and would still bootloop after restoring. But since the OP isn't planning to restore the entire nandroid backup, I guess it doesn't matter.
I still suggest flashing the correct kernel to install CWM, just to be safe. Or if he is not on 4.0.4, he could use Philz temporary CWM (which can be flashed in stock recovery). :good:
immortalneo said:
AFAIK, the nandroid backup will go just fine. If the kernel is incompatible, the nandroid would contain the incompatible kernel and would still bootloop after restoring. But since the OP isn't planning to restore the entire nandroid backup, I guess it doesn't matter.
I still suggest flashing the correct kernel to install CWM, just to be safe. Or if he is not on 4.0.4, he could use Philz temporary CWM (which can be flashed in stock recovery). :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh, the thing being that OP doesn't know what version he was previously on before all this :/
Hopper8 said:
Ahh, the thing being that OP doesn't know what version he was previously on before all this :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noticed that..
@OP: tried checking out some screenshots and videos and remembering how your firmware looked like?
A friend of mine gave me his S2 which was bootlooping. I showed him screenshots of the notification tray (and toggle buttons), and he was able to identify it as being GB. The tricky part was finding which version it was. He was sure it was fully stock and bought from Saudi Arabia. So what I did was to look up sammobile.com to see which version of GB was available in Saudi Arabia. And I found out it was 2.3.5! Problem solved. :good:
Hopper8 said:
Correct, if you want to keep the data then you need to make a backup. Unfortunately, if you don't know which firmware you were on previously, it's not easy. What I would suggest you do is to go onto YouTube, and look at videos of i9100's (that is what you have right?). You want a video of one with 4.0.3, one of 4.0.4, and one of 4.1.2. They all do look different, although 4.0.4 and 4.0.3 are reasonably similar.
Basically, if you can tell if you were on 4.0.x or 4.1.2 then we can go somewhere Until then, I'm not comfortable to tell you to flash.
Edit: and don't stress. Making the phone useable again is not hard to keep your data as well as make it useable again will take some effort on your part though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK. I am now pretty confident that I had/has android 4.1.2, because I remember I had features like SmartStay (which is new in 4.1 AFAIK). I also remember that I had the "Mobile Data" toggle button along the other quick state buttons like "GPS", "Sound", "WIFI", "Screen rotate". The "Mobile Data" state button was also new, but I cannot verify that is was nwe in 4.1.2 (maybe it was already in 4.0.x). Do you know of any other features that are nwe in 4.1.2 that can help me verify that is was a 4.1.2?
So from here I am going to install CWM, and reading http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/ClockworkMod_Recovery
I have several options to create a CWM for my phone:
Building according to http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1866545 and http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Build_for_i9100 I run into a dead end "Extract proprietary blobs " (http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Build_for_i9100#Extract_proprietary_blobs). I cannot do this because it requires a working phone.
Method 1A is a dead end because it requires a working phone.
Method 1B I am not 100% sure of. Where should I get this update.zip from?
Method 2 is not applicable
And finally:
For Samsung Galaxy S phones: From stock it is easiest to get CWM by flashing a kernel with CWM built-in by using Odin3 1.7 flashing utility. Only some kernels come in a Odin compatible package (.tar file).
So I need to get a kernel with CWM since I could not build one and you are suggesting SiyahKernel S2-v5.0.1 (http://www.gokhanmoral.com/?p=1536), right?
So as I understand it, I flash this kernel and then when entering recovery menu, I will get advanced options like adb shell and nandroid backup.
Correct?
jarl-dk said:
OK. I am now pretty confident that I had/has android 4.1.2, because I remember I had features like SmartStay (which is new in 4.1 AFAIK). I also remember that I had the "Mobile Data" toggle button along the other quick state buttons like "GPS", "Sound", "WIFI", "Screen rotate". The "Mobile Data" state button was also new, but I cannot verify that is was nwe in 4.1.2 (maybe it was already in 4.0.x). Do you know of any other features that are nwe in 4.1.2 that can help me verify that is was a 4.1.2?
So from here I am going to install CWM, and reading http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/ClockworkMod_Recovery
I have several options to create a CWM for my phone:
Building according to http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1866545 and http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Build_for_i777 I run into a dead end "Extract proprietary blobs " (http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Build_for_i777#Extract_proprietary_blobs). I cannot do this because it requires a working phone.
Method 1A is a dead end because it requires a working phone.
Method 1B I am not 100% sure of. Where should I get this update.zip from?
Method 2 is not applicable
And finally:
For Samsung Galaxy S phones: From stock it is easiest to get CWM by flashing a kernel with CWM built-in by using Odin3 1.7 flashing utility. Only some kernels come in a Odin compatible package (.tar file).
So I need to get a kernel with CWM since I could not build one and you are suggesting SiyahKernel S2-v5.0.1 (http://www.gokhanmoral.com/?p=1536), right?
So as I understand it, I flash this kernel and then when entering recovery menu, I will get advanced options like adb shell and nandroid backup.
Correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aha! Now we're getting somewhere To clarify though, you do have an i9100?? Not an i777? You posted links for i777 that's all. If you have something other than i9100 don't flash Siyah.
If you're on 4.1.2 (yes smart stay is 4.1.2, so if you had that, we should be good) then nope, you want Siyah v6.0 beta4 or beta 5, not Siyah v5. Download them from the same place. To flash it in Odin, flash it in the PDA section of Odin, don't check repartition or unplug your phone till it passes (or fails), with no exceptions! If you need more info, google, or click my signature & look at that. Or, go to Q&A and look at the stickied guide there, plenty of options
Yep, once you flash the kernel and get CWM recovery, then you want to backup (nandroid). Then you can factory reset from CWM, and hopefully boot up! Once you're booting then you can set about restoring the data from your backup.
See how you go as always, read up (good job continuing to do that) and post up if you can't find a solution to something. As my signature says, 'reading is easy, fixing is not', so read up then flash away!
Hopper8 said:
Aha! Now we're getting somewhere To clarify though, you do have an i9100?? Not an i777? You posted links for i777 that's all. If you have something other than i9100 don't flash Siyah.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for enlightening me... Yes it is a GT-I9100. I must have picked the wrong variant in the device page. Links are fixed. Thanks.
I can download a zip version of the Siyah kernel, which brings me back to another question. Regarding Method 1B:
Method 1B: you can find and download the update.zip by yourself, place it on the phone in /sdcard/ and boot into recovery using the 3 button method, choose the option "re-install package" TWO TIMES to load into CWM. Once again the update.zip needs to remain on the phone. DO NOT DELETE!
It sounds to me like I can put the Siyah kernel (update.zip) on an external SD card and boot directly from the SD card (without flashing) and then make a nandroid backup which in that case also will also include my original kernel which is currently installed.
Do I understand that method correct?
Otherwise I understand it the way that I cannot expect to get a backup of my current kernel. However I will be able to restore it during "Make the phone useable again" step which include wipe and factory reset, and several system upgrades.
Big problem with my I777 running stock Jellybean...
I deleted the wallpaper file from data\system\users\0 and now my phone will not boot. It powers on and gets to the lock screen, but won't allow me to slide to unlock. The phone isn't entirely unresponsive as the clock still updates every minute. But it won't do anything else.
I have my old wallpaper file handy on the computer, so I can surely copy it back to the phone. Question is: how?? I have USB debugging enabled so ADB is possible, but I have absolutely no idea how to use it. If I boot to system recovery the only option I get for ADB is sideload. I can execute ADB on my computer, it finds the device. But when I try to use the "push" command, ADB responds with "error: closed." I tried to use the "sideload" command (with a dummy file) just to see if ANY ADB command would work. "Sideload" works (the phone reports an error about the file being invalid), so I know the connection is fine.
Help appreciated, thanks. I'm stuck with a ****ty iPhone until this situation is resolved.
You're still on the stock kernel/recovery, so I'm not sure that you have any easy options. It is also relevant to know just how much information you want to recover.
File replacement:
Using desktop ODIN to flash a syiah kernel, then reboot to recovery:
You might then be able to adb-push the necessary item to /system, but this is a hack-approach to a problem better suited by a proper flash. <-- will retain all existing data & customization. Maybe worth a try, but I don't recommend it
Dirty-flash:
Using desktop ODIN to flash a syiah kernel, then reboot to recovery:
You will be able to flash a (custom) samsung-based firmware, which WILL overwrite /system, but will NOT overwrite your /data partition, likely allowing you to boot and properly back-up the stuff you want to keep, or even create a nandroid of the existing setup. <-- Will retain all existing data, will lose /system customisations. I have used this method.
Start-fresh:
Use desktop-Odin to flash the official firmware may be your only other option, which will retain everything in internal memory (photos, downloads, music, nandroid backups), but not messages, or any app data.
-Cyril
Mr. Barker said:
Big problem with my I777 running stock Jellybean...
I deleted the wallpaper file from data\system\users\0 and now my phone will not boot. It powers on and gets to the lock screen, but won't allow me to slide to unlock. The phone isn't entirely unresponsive as the clock still updates every minute. But it won't do anything else.
I have my old wallpaper file handy on the computer, so I can surely copy it back to the phone. Question is: how?? I have USB debugging enabled so ADB is possible, but I have absolutely no idea how to use it. If I boot to system recovery the only option I get for ADB is sideload. I can execute ADB on my computer, it finds the device. But when I try to use the "push" command, ADB responds with "error: closed." I tried to use the "sideload" command (with a dummy file) just to see if ANY ADB command would work. "Sideload" works (the phone reports an error about the file being invalid), so I know the connection is fine.
Help appreciated, thanks. I'm stuck with a ****ty iPhone until this situation is resolved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cyril279 said:
You're still on the stock kernel/recovery, so I'm not sure that you have any easy options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I do have CWM installed, but am curiously (and annoyingly) unable to boot to it now, for whatever reason. It boots to stock recovery instead, every time.
cyril279 said:
Using desktop ODIN to flash a syiah kernel, then reboot to recovery:
You might then be able to adb-push the necessary item to /system, but this is a hack-approach to a problem better suited by a proper flash. <-- maybe worth a try, but I don't recommend it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it's worth a try. I really would prefer to get my phone back working as it was, quickest way possible, because I've done a lot of heavy customization that would take many many hours to have to do over if I flash the official firmware again.
Could you please point me in the right direction of the syiah kernel, and proper instructions as to how to flash it? Would be much appreciated.
If it doesn't work out so hot, I'll try one of the other methods you mentioned. Thanks.
Mr. Barker said:
I think it's worth a try. I really would prefer to get my phone back working as it was, quickest way possible, because I've done a lot of heavy customization that would take many many hours to have to do over if I flash the official firmware again.
Could you please point me in the right direction of the syiah kernel, and proper instructions as to how to flash it? Would be much appreciated.
If it doesn't work out so hot, I'll try one of the other methods you mentioned. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would be glad to provide more detailed information, but I prefer to do so from a desktop computer, and I won't be near one for several days, so this may be a slow process unless one of our peers steps in to help.
In the meantime, you should gather:
-Odin 1.85 or 3.07
-A Siyah s2-v5.x or s2-v6.x .tar.md5 kernel (for the i777 or i9100)
The latter you can find at http://www.gokhanmoral.com
I will outline the process in a later post, explaining the purpose of each step.
Sure, I'm OK waiting a few days. I appreciate the help, I haven't done any flashing in quite some time and don't want to make a mistake, especially with all the important data that's at stake.
Thanks.
File Replacement Method
1) Use desktop Odin to flash Siyah kernel
-Installs a kernel that will allow you to perform a nandroid backup, and MAY allow you to adb push the missing file to the device.
-This WILL change the initial boot screen (can be corrected later, but does not affect the function of the firmware), and will notch the flash counter (simply doesn't matter).
2) Boot to recovery
3) Create nandroid backup
-If things go sideways, you have a snapshot of where you are. If you have to start from scratch, there are apps that can restore Apps, settings, and more, from a backup.
4) Adb push missing file to /data/path_file_belongs
5) Shell chmod XXX the missing file
-to correct file permissions; that 0.xml file has -rw------ on my device, which translates to 600 (I think)
6) Flash appropriate ajk kernel
-for stock jb, use "NoSwap" http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2110542
-custom kernel that will boot stock rooted android.
7) Attempt Reboot into android
-If successful, reboot to recovery and perform another backup.
-If not successful, then we use a different method.
This is the trickier method of the three, but will retain all customization if it works. I have not tried it, and we're assuming that the missing file is actually the problem.
Please be sure that you are comfortable with all of the steps before attempting any of them. I will be able to provide step by step instructions, but not for several days.
Happy flashing,
-Cyril
Well, that was fun. Followed the instructions to a "t" and even learned some things. But, sadly, did not achieve the results I'd hoped for.
I was indeed able to push the wallpaper file over to data\system\users\0 and CHMOD it. But after flashing AJK "NoSwap" the phone shows the "Android is upgrading..." message, with "Starting apps." trying to process. But it doesn't. The little circle swirls a bit, then the screen goes black. The "Starting apps." message appears again, then the screen goes black again. And then it repeats this cycle forever. I eventually got irritated and yanked the battery.
So... *sigh*... what's my next best option?
The Nandroid backup completed successfully? If so, that's great, any APP customization is likely captured in the backup. How well they will restore is a different concern, but we need to get the device booted completely into android first.
Before moving onto the next step, lets reboot to recovery, clear cache and dalvik, and fix permissions. It's a bit of a shot in the dark, but I prefer to exhaust the possibility before abandoning this approach.
@Mr. Barker, You say that you've done a lot of heavy customization. What is the nature of the customization? app related? build.prop tweaks? I'm trying to determine how much might be lost by each of the next recovery methods.
@mrcook, what do you think of an attempt to dirty-flash cooked over a stock setup with corrupt /data?
cyril279 said:
Before moving onto the next step, lets reboot to recovery, clear cache and dalvik, and fix permissions. It's a bit of a shot in the dark, but I prefer to exhaust the possibility before abandoning this approach.
@Mr. Barker, You say that you've done a lot of heavy customization. What is the nature of the customization? app related? build.prop tweaks? I'm trying to determine how much might be lost by each of the next recovery methods.
@mrcook, what do you think of an attempt to dirty-flash cooked over a stock setup with corrupt /data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I say wipe caches and fix permissions first. If that doesn't work format /system, and install a ROM of the same version of android.
After that if it's still not booting suck it up do a full wipe and start from scratch.
Sent from my SGH-S959G
@Mr. Barker
If the cache wipes / permissions fix doesn't help, then our next attempt is:
**this assumes that you were running stock Android 4.1.2 when the trouble began**
get i777UCMD8 cooked v2.2 onto a flashdrive, (or prepare it for sideload)
reboot to recovery
format /system
install cooked v2.2
attempt to boot into android
OK, I'll give it a try, thanks.
Hooray! All's well that ends well. Flashing i777UCMD8 cooked v2.2 got me up & running again, near-same as I had everything before. Just a little work to do to get it right back how I had it. Thanks a million, gents! :victory:
Two questions remain, for the moment:
+ How can I get the "AM/PM" to display on the notification bar? I'm in the US, and prefer to have this for the 12-hour clock. But using this ROM, it is omitted even when time is set to 12-hour clock.
+ How can I restore the default battery charging icon from the stock firmware? The one that comes bundled with this cooked ROM is needlessly flashy.
Mr. Barker said:
Hooray! All's well that ends well. Flashing i777UCMD8 cooked v2.2 got me up & running again, near-same as I had everything before. Just a little work to do to get it right back how I had it. Thanks a million, gents! :victory:
Two questions remain, for the moment:
+ How can I get the "AM/PM" to display on the notification bar? I'm in the US, and prefer to have this for the 12-hour clock. But using this ROM, it is omitted even when time is set to 12-hour clock.
+ How can I restore the black notification pull-down menu? This ROM sets it transparent by default, which doesn't work for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Am/pm is gone forever. I removed because I think it looks better without it. Use the sun. You'll get used to it after a couple days and never miss it.
To change the notification background go to the mods section of the installer, and just install the black notification background.
Sent from my SGH-S959G
mr-cook said:
Am/pm is gone forever. I removed because I think it looks better without it. Use the sun. You'll get used to it after a couple days and never miss it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, no, I was afraid you were going to say that. *sigh*
Unfortunately I will not get used to it, and will miss it. It's the little things that really matter to me, and this is one of them.
Is there absolutely no way I can add it back in? Maybe by editing or replacing a certain file? Or perhaps there's a notification bar replacement that will facilitate this need?
Also, how can I restore the default battery charging icon from the stock firmware? The one that comes bundled with this cooked ROM, I feel, is needlessly flashy.
Other than these two points, I am quite pleased with this ROM. Is it just me or does it run a little quicker than the stock one?
"needlessly flashy"
Simply asking 'how to change the icon' is sufficient, and inherently implies that you prefer something different.
Cooked v2.2 is definitely quicker than stock;
The premise of both cooked and shostock are that they have taken the stock firmware, and stripped it down of unnecessary junk, and run it over a well-optimized kernel for the best touchwiz experience that you could possibly have on this device.
If your firmware desires are different than what cooked v2.2 provides, then I suggest creating a nandroid backup, wiping /system, and giving shostock a try. It's the other touchwiz favorite for the i777, packaged with a different very good kernel, and also runs quicker than stock.
Mr. Barker said:
Oh, no, I was afraid you were going to say that. *sigh*
Unfortunately I will not get used to it, and will miss it. It's the little things that really matter to me, and this is one of them.
Is there absolutely no way I can add it back in? Maybe by editing or replacing a certain file? Or perhaps there's a notification bar replacement that will facilitate this need?
Also, how can I restore the default battery charging icon from the stock firmware? The one that comes bundled with this cooked ROM, I feel, is needlessly flashy.
Other than these two points, I am quite pleased with this ROM. Is it just me or does it run a little quicker than the stock one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To close the loop, now your initial boot screen is a yellow triangle with an exclamation point? It doesn't affect the functionality of the firmware at all, but if you prefer to have the correct initial boot animation, then you'll need to follow an additional procedure.
Summary:
Nandroid-backup desired setup
Flash official stock-firmware to the device via Desktop-Odin (clears the warning)
Root & recovery via Framaroot/Mobile-Odin (a method that does NOT trip the custom-flash monitor)
Restore nandroid to return to the established custom setup
Procedure:
gather onto internal memory, or micro-sd:
-Framaroot
-Mobile Odin APK
-Mobile Odin flash kernel for i777
-Boot.img (extracted from your chosen firmware.zip)
boot to recovery
perform nandroid backup
^^ this MUST complete successfully
perform factory reset
boot to download mode
flash official UCMD8 using Desktop ODIN
^^ clears the custom-flash warning
install and use framaroot
^^ uses an exploit to establish and manage root access
install mobile Odin and the mobile Odin flash-kernel
^^ the method that will NOT trip the custom-flash monitor
flash the boot.img via Mobile Odin
^^ flashes the kernel and recovery of the firmware that you are going to restore
boot to recovery
restore nandroid backup
enjoy
-Cyril
If I am going to be restoring the nandroid backup, must I install & use the very same firmware that was installed when I made the backup? Or could I, say, simply flash the stock firmware and be done with it? (i.e. not use mobile odin to install a custom firmware afterwards) My point is, are nandroid backups firmware-specific?
If I opt to go the custom firmware route, how do I go about getting the boot.img file? Simply rename zimage, or ???
Before all this I've never flashed anything but stock firmware, and never had to create nor restore nandroid backups. So most of this is all new to me. But I enjoy the learning process.
Mr. Barker said:
If I am going to be restoring the nandroid backup, must I install & use the very same firmware that was installed when I made the backup?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Different custom firmwares may be structured differently, so for the lowest likelihood of compatibility issues, nandroid backups should be considered firmware specific.
Edit: As Mentioned below, a CWM nandroid will restore the entire backed-up firmware installation, which can be done over ANY firmware.
If the goal is to keep your App data across different firmwares, then a Titanium backup restoration may be what you're after. /Edit
Mr. Barker said:
[...]could I, say, simply flash the stock firmware and be done with it? (i.e. not use mobile odin to install a custom firmware afterwards)[...]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think that the stock recovery allows to restore nandroid backups at all. The restrictive nature of the stock recovery is one of the more practical reasons to root the device & use a custom kernel.
Mr. Barker said:
If I opt to go the custom firmware route, how do I go about getting the boot.img file? Simply rename zimage, or ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mobile Odin will flash a zImage, no need to rename it. I didn't check to see that shostock or cooked use a zImage instead of boot.img.
cyril279 said:
Different custom firmwares may be structured differently, so for the lowest likelihood of compatibility issues, nandroid backups should be considered firmware specific.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
?? I thought that because a nandroid copied (backup) and then formatted/recopied the 5 partitions (restore), that it didn't matter what firmware you had installed?
This firmware is the unmodified Lollipop (Android 5.0) firmware downloaded through Samsung Kies. In case you need a copy of the firmware so that you don't have to keep downloading it through Kies, I'm providing you with a copy via the link below. It's odin flashable. Use the "AP" or "PDA" button to flash it onto your phone.
1. Download the stock Android 5.0 ROM (Lollipop) - Sprint N900P ONLY! - androidfilehost.com/?fid=24391638059060029
2. Download the official Samsung Kies. - samsung.com/in/support/usefulsoftware/KIES/
3. Download Odin 3 or later. - samsungodindownload.com/download/
4. Open Samsung Kies, and connect your phone. Wait for it to install the needed drivers.
5. Open Odin and make sure that it says it's "Added!"
6. Click the "AP" button and open the downloaded ROM.
7. Wait for it to finish verifying the checksum.
8. Make sure that "Auto Reboot" and "F. Reset Time" are the only boxes checked. (The default)
9. Click "Start" and wait for it to go. (Sometimes it gets stuck when it says "Setup Connection" and then you need to unplug your phone and restart Odin. - BE CAREFUL! Make sure it really is stuck or you'll brick your phone!)
10. [Optional] Flash TWRP (twrp.me) or CWM. (clockworkmod.com) TWRP is more free than CWM in the sense that the CWM ROM Manager has a payware version. If you're feeling generous towards those who spend countless hours each day for fun and to make your life a bit easier, throw them a few bucks. Both are freely available.
WARNING: Odin can brick your phone if you don't know what you're doing. If you break it, just buy another $800 device. I'm providing these instructions and the ROM without any warranty. You do with them what you feel is best.
That this is a zip file, it is not seen my Odin.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! You helped me save what I thought was a dead phone with this!
Is there a mod to change the launcher to 5x4
mac01843 said:
That this is a zip file, it is not seen my Odin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure if you've figured it out yet but you'll have to extract the .tar file from the zip, then Odin will be able to see it, the .tar file that is.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. This totally saved my bacon after a moron at the Sprint Store (and perhaps me for letting him look at it) replaced the SIM and then said that there was nothing they could do for the phone since it had been rooted.. now I have a way to reactivate the phone before switching back to a decent ROM.
This worked like a charm!
Anyone have a mirror?
I get a 404.
Also, will this upgrade my baseband from OC5 to OK2? I am having issues with CM12.1 nightly where I am not getting LTE and I was hoping upgrading the baseband could help. A bit of a noob here so any sort of suggestion would be helpful.
can I keep it unlock?
Can I keep my KITKAT 4.4.2 NOTE 3 Sprint unlocked after updating this stock firmware? I'm newbie and English is not my mother tongue.
Yes you can!
Anyone? On CM as well and would looove to have an Odin flashable Stock ROM
tusker559 said:
I get a 404.
Also, will this upgrade my baseband from OC5 to OK2? I am having issues with CM12.1 nightly where I am not getting LTE and I was hoping upgrading the baseband could help. A bit of a noob here so any sort of suggestion would be helpful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or maybe point me (us) in the direction of finding something similar?
Anyone else getting invalid MD5 checks in ODIN with this one? Does anyone have an valid download link? Trying to switch back to Stock so I can pull the 6.0 OTA and fix my GPS issues.
Edit:Georgia Mirror is valid
So I used the process, flashed over to stock and had the phone boot up to the Updating 292 Apps then rebooted and now it's sitting on the yellow Sprint boot screen. Blue LED fading in and out with the screen going brighter for a second with a light vibrate at the same time. Has been like that for several minutes now and not sure if I should try to flash again or what. Anyone have any advice?
iletumi said:
So I used the process, flashed over to stock and had the phone boot up to the Updating 292 Apps then rebooted and now it's sitting on the yellow Sprint boot screen. Blue LED fading in and out with the screen going brighter for a second with a light vibrate at the same time. Has been like that for several minutes now and not sure if I should try to flash again or what. Anyone have any advice?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. Been waiting about 10 minutes now watching the Sprint screen do the exact same thing.. Giving it another 10 or 15 minutes just to make sure then I guess I'll try again?
Update #1: Tried again and still stuck. I'm at a loss. Pissed at myself for not having a backup since my SD card went down. Anyone with any guidance would save me.
Update #2: Pulled battery. Rebooted into stock recovery and did a factory reset. Phone booted up. Crisis averted.
how did you access the georgia mirror?
404 error on file link.
Nevermind. Tried again and it downloaded.
misterkatanga said:
Same here. Been waiting about 10 minutes now watching the Sprint screen do the exact same thing.. Giving it another 10 or 15 minutes just to make sure then I guess I'll try again?
Update #1: Tried again and still stuck. I'm at a loss. Pissed at myself for not having a backup since my SD card went down. Anyone with any guidance would save me.
Update #2: Pulled battery. Rebooted into stock recovery and did a factory reset. Phone booted up. Crisis averted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Factory reset and it works now! Thank u!!!!