Phone Bricked, does not respond to buttons, charge or Odin - Vibrant Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi,
I tried flashing the phone with Clockwork. Part of the way through the flash it started writing in large letters going off the screen (weird text) then screen turned off, and back on to the installation progress, and then it shut off. No response from anything.
I did a battery pull after 10 mins to try to get the phone into recovery, but the phone does not respond to any combination of keys, battery pulls, and connecting the phone to the PC does nothing. The computer does not see the phone, the USB controller in hardware management does not refresh and show anything when connecting while holding both volume keys, and I have tried everything I could google.
There are no lights on the phone when pressing power, or any combination of recovery keys. Screen is permanently off.
Is there a way to force the phone to boot into any mode to get any recovery?
Thanks for the info.

The T-Mobile Vibrant and the Bell Vibrant are not the same and are quite incompatible actually. Did you flash something for the T-Mobile Vibrant instead? That could be your problem. If so, you'll need to be more careful in making sure it works on the "Bell Vibrant" since most of the stuff here is only tested on the US TMO Vibrant. The big letters are pretty common / normal when flashing a ROM kernel, modem, etc. It would help to know what OS version, ROM name / version you were running before and what filesystem (RFS, EXT2, EXT4). You might also mention what you tried flashing and the version of the Clockwork you were using if you can remember.
Even though you say it doesn't respond to charging, does that mean when you plug it into the "Wall Outlet" as well as the "Computer"? They have been known to produce different results. If you can get it to show the Green battery charge screen, there's a good chance you'll be fine.
Have you seen / read this thread before? - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=848737
Failing that, you might wish to try the USB JIG method to try to see if that will get you into "Download Mode".

I was trying to flash from Stock 2.1 to Axura2259VE. Not sure what File System.
Only tried charging on computer with no response. will try a dedicated usb charger.
I was using the latest version of Clockwork as of today (Updated from app store, Jan 5).
I will put the jig together tonight if possible.
The phone is a GT-I9000M if that helps.

"If your phone screen is always black, that is it does not display the white Galaxy S/Samsung/AT&T logo when you switch it on, then sorry, this jig will not help you."
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=819551
So, the Jig will not work for my situation. Anything else I can do? The phone was bought on classifieds and only bricked when updating.

Yes, that's the proper model # for the Canadian Vibrant. The US Vibrant is T959. I'm not sure Axura2259VE for T959 is compatible with the Bell Vibrant as the developer (Master) only owns a US model AFAIK. Try the dedicated charger that came with the phone plugged into a wall outlet with no extensions in between. Mind you, I've not troubleshooted a Bell Vibrant before so I don't know how it differs.
The Filesystem is RFS when stock, EXT2 if you applied the OCLF lagfix from RyanZA (not recommended) and EXT4 if you're running VooDoo. By asking about the filesystem, I was just wondering whether you had a lag fix installed / in-use before flashing. Does any of this apply to you?

I have installed lag fix following the tutorial from the app store, but it was for the intent of rooting the phone, which was already rooted. nothing else was run in the application unless it runs the lag fix by default. doubtful. I do not think it was applied.
Phone not under warranty because i bought it from classifieds. Hoping to get it fixed myself so will try to assemble the 301k resistance between pins 4 and 5 and try it tonight.
Any other ideas?

I really don't know what else to suggest to you. However, installation of the lagfix was unnecessary to have obtained root access on the phone. Rooting and Lagfixing are separate processes. If it was both rooted and lag fixed then which app from the Market did you use to apply the lagfix? Did you disable the lagfix before flashing?

RyanZA's OCLF 2.0.
I had it installed, never ran the lag fix, so I do not think this is the case here.
Thanks alot for the replies. I will post results tonight.

eugenek5 said:
I was trying to flash from Stock 2.1 to Axura2259VE. Not sure what File System.
Only tried charging on computer with no response. will try a dedicated usb charger.
I was using the latest version of Clockwork as of today (Updated from app store, Jan 5).
I will put the jig together tonight if possible.
The phone is a GT-I9000M if that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The latest Axura flashes the bootloader to your phone. I suspect this is what the problem is and why you are unable to recover from it. I know absolutely nothing about the Bell Vibrant, but flashing a bootloader will affect how you get into recovery/download mode [I THINK]. You could try entering download mode the way U.S. Vibrant owners do, but I'm not sure if it will help. Sorry I don't have any helpful information, just thought I'd note the possible cause for your grief.

Interesting. I hadn't realized that or looked to see if that was the case. That definitely makes sense. Bootloader bricks are the hardest to recover from IMO (if you can at all). At least, in the future the OP should be able to tell if any rom if going to update the bootloader if it contains an "SBL.bin" in the package.

What?!? I'm suprised a ROM was packaged with the bootloader. To me flashing the bootloader is risky business. I'm not sure there's a way a consumer can recover from a failed bootloader

silow said:
What?!? I'm suprised a ROM was packaged with the bootloader. To me flashing the bootloader is risky business. I'm not sure there's a way a consumer can recover from a failed bootloader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't flashed the new Axura because of the inclusion of the bootloader [SBL.bin] and truth be told I was shocked when I saw it in there.

So you guys are saying that the Jtag way does not work? I am sitting here trying to connect 2x150K resistors to pin 4-5 and it is not doing anything.

eugenek5 said:
So you guys are saying that the Jtag way does not work? I am sitting here trying to connect 2x150K resistors to pin 4-5 and it is not doing anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This method is to help you get into download mode if you are "hardware locked". In your case you have the wrong bootloader on your phone. At this point there is not much you can do yourself. The bootloader will need to be reflashed and as far as I know that's only possible with external equipment rigged into your phone.

I think other people were able to recover from the same incident. they just went to a phone technician(i don't know what do call that) and they just flashed a bootloader to your phone and it wil be flashed back to stock.
hey i'm not sure about this because i have only read about it and i really can't remember where because a lot of bricks already happened here.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Hard brick and fix not working
SO...
My vibrant is bricked, and I have my brother's vibrant to reference. (GT-I9000M)
This is a hard brick, with nothing showing up on the screen.
I have ordered the JIG thinking this would solve the boot issue, but with no luck.
I have tried the following:
- Up/Down - USB - Battery - Release keys
- Up/Down/Power - USB - Battery - Release keys
- JIG - Battery
- Battery - JIG
- USB - Up/Power/Menu - Battery
- USB - Down/Power/Menu - Battery
I have confirmed that the second vibrant that is working fine boots from the JIG successfully. I have also confirmed that the battery is working fine and tested on the other phone.
Cause: Battery pull on unsuccessful flash.
Please help! This phone has been bricked for 2 weeks and I want it back to working. I am out of ideas!

I had my phone hard bricked literally 4 days ago. I called T-Mobile and now I'm typing to you from the new phone. Call and see if the phone is still under warranty. If not then you'll have to pay Samsung themselves to fix the issue for you. I don't know what they'll charge, but I'll assume no more than $60 since its a software issue.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

OuncE718 said:
I had my phone hard bricked literally 4 days ago. I called T-Mobile and now I'm typing to you from the new phone. Call and see if the phone is still under warranty. If not then you'll have to pay Samsung themselves to fix the issue for you. I don't know what they'll charge, but I'll assume no more than $60 since its a software issue.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bought from Classifieds so not sure if it is covered. I have contacted repair places around Toronto.
Any advice would be awesome.

Not sure if there are differences for Download mode but the I9000 forum might be better than the US Vibrant forum.

eugenek5 said:
Bought from Classifieds so not sure if it is covered. I have contacted repair places around Toronto.
Any advice would be awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought mine off craigslist from a private seller. Its worth a try. The most they'll say is no. Just don't say you rooted your phone.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Related

[Q] hardware lock vibrant bricked

Okay, so I installed the hardware unlock update.zip but flashed eugene's unofficial jk2 which removed it. Unfortunately, it is now bricked as well, no voodoo or anything, have no idea what went wrong. Can I send this to tmobile on account that I had a hardware locked phone for replacement in this state?
Have you tried Odin yet? That has saved my ass when I bricked my phone. Vibrants are pretty tough. I'm sure you can fix it without getting a replacement.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Yeah, I had a ROM break recovery, but you're good as long as download mode still works. Give it a shot. My method is to remove the batt, plug in the cable, hold down both volume buttons and pop in the battery.
How can you check to see if your particular Vibrant is hardware locked?
I just bought one (after migrating from the HD2) and I'm trying to wrap my head around all the new flash tools, etc. Android seems much more complicated than Windows Mobile via HSPL.
donalgodon said:
How can you check to see if your particular Vibrant is hardware locked?
I just bought one (after migrating from the HD2) and I'm trying to wrap my head around all the new flash tools, etc. Android seems much more complicated than Windows Mobile via HSPL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hardware locked means the hardware doesn't respond at all. I've never heard of any genuine case of someone getting their Vibrant hardware locked except developers. Even then it is EXTREMELY rare.
Most people end up with their phone going into a bootloop which can be fixed by reflashing a rom in recovery or restoring through Odin.
The rest are "soft bricked" meaning they have no recovery or boot. General this is caused by people flashing non-voodoo roms/kernels on top of a voodoo-enabled kernel or flashing a 2.1 nandroid on a 2.2 rom/kernel. In this case you can still get into download mode (hold both volume buttons then plug in usb cable) and restore through odin.
donalgodon said:
How can you check to see if your particular Vibrant is hardware locked?
I just bought one (after migrating from the HD2) and I'm trying to wrap my head around all the new flash tools, etc. Android seems much more complicated than Windows Mobile via HSPL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hardware locked is referring to vibrants that cannot go into Recovery Mode, or Download using the volume, and power buttons.
To test this, Turn off your phone completely.
Then PRESS AND HOLD BOTH VOLUME KEYS ALONG WITH THE POWER BUTTON
it will boot up, it will give you the normal VIBRANT samsung screen, wait a while, the screen turns black, thats when you SHOULD let go of all buttons, but if you don't no worries, keep holding it, and it'll go back to vibrant and samsung screen and let go this time.
If this doesn't work the first time, then try it a few more times, you may just be doing it wrong and not having the hardware locked.
I had a Vibrant with USB connectivity issues, and when I called t-mobile, I lied and said my phone was unresponsive and would not turn on. They said they would send me a replacement right away, and I got it within 3 days. This was without insurance btw.
Just tell them it won't boot.

HELP!! I flashed my vibrant with update.zip and now it wont even power on!

Today I was trying to learn to flash my vibrant, i was following directions found here on xda and right after I flashed the update.zip file my phone turned off and now it wont come on at all! help! is there anything I can do to get it working again?!
Odin
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk
possible fix
how about you try taking the phone and pulling the plug and taking out the battery
after you do that odin back to stock
First you want to post in q&a. Second as to your phone does it do anything. Does the bottom row of lights come on. Does it boot to any screen? Third have you read the vibrant directory (bible)? Forth have you downloaded odin?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
PM me and I'll try and walk you through.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
The phone doesnt do anything.. it was fine before i flashed the update.zip file. now i put the battery in and power it doesnt turn on at all i dont even see the samsung boot logo.. when i plug the charger in it doesnt even show that its charging.
Sgreaves23 said:
The phone doesnt do anything.. it was fine before i flashed the update.zip file. now i put the battery in and power it doesnt turn on at all i dont even see the samsung boot logo.. when i plug the charger in it doesnt even show that its charging.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check to see if your battery died somehow, but if you can't turn on your device even with a full battery, you have a real bricked phone.
Battery I fine, if I plug the charger in it doesn't charge or show that it's charging. How could this happen just from flashing a file?
Call tmobile and tell them that your phone said it was updating and once it restarted, it never came back on. They will have you check a few things and then send you a replacement for free. In the future be very careful when learning to mod your phone, ask questions when your not sure. This replacement trick will only get you a phone one time.
I was thinking to do that, only that my carrier is simple mobile, they do not offer insurance, sigh, I think I may be out of a phone
where did you get this update.zip?/
What update.zip did you flash?
Sgreaves23 said:
I was thinking to do that, only that my carrier is simple mobile, they do not offer insurance, sigh, I think I may be out of a phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No; it is unlikely that you are out of a phone. Try this method, either buying or making a USB "test jig." (You can make it if you know how to solder.)
http://board.teamwhiskey.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=209
If this does not work, there is another method that is expensive (but less than $500 for a new phone). You will need to find a technician with a "JTAG" test device who has a special bootloader software module from Samsung. The device uses an interface other than USB to access bootloader memory and downloads the bootloader file to the bootloader memory in order to boot the phone into a recovery environment.
The only way that your phone would be completely unrecoverable is if there was a hardware failure at the same time that you were playing around, which is unlikely.
Sgreaves23 said:
Battery I fine, if I plug the charger in it doesn't charge or show that it's charging. How could this happen just from flashing a file?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Dude it's bricked....game over. Call tmobile and just tell them your phone doesn't turn on anymore, don't tell them how it happened, just that it stopped working. They will send you a replacement for free, if you're still under warranty it is. I bricked mine 2 weeks ago and got my replacement the next day. I tried EVERYTHING to get it back to life....but nothing. Sometimes it happens even though you follow all steps, especially if it messed around with your bootloader.
Good luck. It's no ones effen business what you say happened...most likely they do the same.
You shouldn't even be flashing the update.zip... you should be using like OCLF to do it for you. This should help:
http://androidspin.com/2010/08/09/how-to-restore-or-recover-your-samsung-vibrant/
I would STRONLGY suggest to listen what BruceElliott says, read and follow the directions carefully. In 99% cases you can recover just fine. It's very hard to truly brick vibrant...
bobbbb said:
You shouldn't even be flashing the update.zip... you should be using like OCLF to do it for you. This should help:
http://androidspin.com/2010/08/09/how-to-restore-or-recover-your-samsung-vibrant/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've got to be able to get into download mode to do that though. I think that's the problem.
I'd mess around with it for a bit and try all of the tips to get into download mode. I can't believe you'd hard brick it based on what you said. You are positive your battery is okay?
I had the same problem. It would not turn on at all. I called Samsung and they paid to send it back for warrenty repair. It takes 6 business days. They didn't even ask how it happened. I think the number was 800-samsung
Nah, you don't need a Jig just yet
I've ran into that problem MANY TIMES!! The first time it freaked me out too.
Take out the battery, take out the sim card. Leave it for about 5 minutes. Then do these steps:
- plugged the phone in without the battery
- Hold down the 2 volume buttons
- As you're holding those 2 buttons down, insert the batter
- You should be in download mode
- Proceed with Odin
Can you tell us what update.zip you used? Good luck!

Bricked my phone -_-

I bricked my galaxy note i717 beyond recovery with a regular jig. I've looked into jtag but I haven't found any information whether it's viable for the i717 (i.e. which jtag it's using, which box I would need, where I would need to bring it etc etc.)
So here's my question: Do any of you guys know any more about how to unbrick the phone or details about whether/how to unbrick using jtag?
Maybe I've overlooked something else. Here's how it went down:
I was stupid and tried to flash the phone with firmware for the N7000 because I was overexcited and didn't know that it wasn't an n7000. Now the recovery mode wouldn't let me upgrade (understandable reasons I guess) so I decided to force flash it with odin which also didn't let me upgrade the phone. So I used some method relying on adb. The process took way to long so I unplugged the phone mid-way through it, then replugged it and suddenly the process reported success. So the phone started rebooting just that instead of actually booting up it stayed black. Pressing any of the buttons yields no response - neither vibration nor any screen response. Using the usb jig also yields no response but I'm not entirely sure if there's a jig method that might work - or a key combo that might work - or even a usb method that might work.
Anyway any advice would be highly appreciated.
Did you try return to the store where you boought it? If your phone don't show anything on the screen, there is no way store knows what's going on with your phone unless you tell them the truth
That's exactly what I would do
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA App
if you can get into download mode try reflashing the stock recovery found in the dev section then if you can get that fair try flashing the odin stock rom to see if it will boot
Read his OP. He can't get into the download mode even with a Jig.
I have yet to encounter any one as reckless as OP trying so hard to brick the phone
foxbat121 said:
Read his OP. He can't get into the download mode even with a Jig.
I have yet to encounter any one as reckless as OP trying so hard to brick the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
he never said if he tried with the hardware buttons doesn't mean he cant do it if hes been trying the jig
foxbat121 said:
Read his OP. He can't get into the download mode even with a Jig.
I have yet to encounter any one as reckless as OP trying so hard to brick the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Somebody has to be the guinea pig I guess lol. Glad it wasnt me. LOL Only thing worse is the Will it blend guy or the iFix it tear downs lol.
BLOWNCO said:
he never said if he tried with the hardware buttons doesn't mean he cant do it if hes been trying the jig
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If jig won't work, I'm pretty sure hardware button won't work either. It goes without saying that he probably already tried everything he could find.
edpsx said:
Somebody has to be the guinea pig I guess lol. Glad it wasnt me. LOL Only thing worse is the Will it blend guy or the iFix it tear downs lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not guinea pig. He did couple wrong things in a row (wrong ROM, god know what he is doing with abd and then unplug the phone in the middle of flashing or something). If I'd make a guess, he screwed up the bootloader.
foxbat121 said:
Did you try return to the store where you boought it? If your phone don't show anything on the screen, there is no way store knows what's going on with your phone unless you tell them the truth
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I thought about doing that - worst case scenario they tell me I voided my warranty and give me the phone back and I can still try finding a jtag solution or do i have to face any other consequences including maybe never getting my phone back?
foxbat121 said:
He did couple wrong things in a row (wrong ROM, god know what he is doing with abd and then unplug the phone in the middle of flashing or something). If I'd make a guess, he screwed up the bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's my guess too. I screwed up badly. I would like to blame it on the late hour I did all that but it was just overexcited stupidity -_-
Try your buttons...
Everybody's talking about whether you tried to get into download mode with buttons, but You have not said for sure you tried it.
Hold down down volume button, home button and power button all at the same time. You don't know for sure until you try it.
brojoe11 said:
Everybody's talking about whether you tried to get into download mode with buttons, but You have not said for sure you tried it.
Hold down down volume button, home button and power button all at the same time. You don't know for sure until you try it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry that I wasn't being very clear on this but I have tried and it didn't work. Thanks though.
cilmeron said:
I'm sorry that I wasn't being very clear on this but I have tried and it didn't work. Thanks though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know on some phones that download mode can still be activated even if the screen isn't working properly and displaying it. I know many infuse users ran into problems and were still able to use Odin to flash stock and fix their phone. Try doing the hardware method of getting into download mode, and even though your screen doesn't show anything, it may still connect to Odin and you could try to flash back to stock.
Sent from my SGH-I997 using xda premium
U cant brick these phones.use the hardware buttons to get into download mode.
Take battery out and put it back in.hold power vol down and home for 20sec and then press vol up and plug into ur pc with odin running.u should see something on port section.
If that dont work.hold power and both vol. Buttons for 30 sec. Then press vol.up and plug in usb.hope it works.
mintu123 said:
U cant brick these phones.use the hardware buttons to get into download mode.
Take battery out and put it back in.hold power vol down and home for 20sec and then press vol up and plug into ur pc with odin running.u should see something on port section.
If that dont work.hold power and both vol. Buttons for 30 sec. Then press vol.up and plug in usb.hope it works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, you can brick it to the point of needing JTAG repairs to restore your device. That being said, it's very very very hard to brick it. You have to do something like flash firmware for a completely wrong device and screw up your bootloaders in the process.
cilmeron said:
I bricked my galaxy note i717 beyond recovery with a regular jig. I've looked into jtag but I haven't found any information whether it's viable for the i717 (i.e. which jtag it's using, which box I would need, where I would need to bring it etc etc.)
So here's my question: Do any of you guys know any more about how to unbrick the phone or details about whether/how to unbrick using jtag?
Maybe I've overlooked something else. Here's how it went down:
I was stupid and tried to flash the phone with firmware for the N7000 because I was overexcited and didn't know that it wasn't an n7000. Now the recovery mode wouldn't let me upgrade (understandable reasons I guess) so I decided to force flash it with odin which also didn't let me upgrade the phone. So I used some method relying on adb. The process took way to long so I unplugged the phone mid-way through it, then replugged it and suddenly the process reported success. So the phone started rebooting just that instead of actually booting up it stayed black. Pressing any of the buttons yields no response - neither vibration nor any screen response. Using the usb jig also yields no response but I'm not entirely sure if there's a jig method that might work - or a key combo that might work - or even a usb method that might work.
Anyway any advice would be highly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've read some so my suggestion is this:
First make sure that you have the drivers installed for your phone. Then pull the battery wait for a few seconds. press the down button and then the power to go in download mode and hold them pressed for 20s. Now plug in the USB and press the volume up button. If Odin detects it you're good to go! If not... Well it's worth a shot
My theory is that even though the screen is blank, the hardware still boots properly. Just make sure your battery is somewhat charged. And also plug in the USB AFTER you "boot" in download mode.
Sent from my SGH-I717R using xda premium
I was stupid and tried to flash the phone with firmware for the N7000 because I was overexcited and didn't know that it wasn't an n7000. Now the recovery mode wouldn't let me upgrade (understandable reasons I guess) so I decided to force flash it with odin which also didn't let me upgrade the phone. So I used some method relying on adb. The process took way to long so I unplugged the phone mid-way through it, then replugged it and suddenly the process reported success. So the phone started rebooting just that instead of actually booting up it stayed black. Pressing any of the buttons yields no response - neither vibration nor any screen response. Using the usb jig also yields no response but I'm not entirely sure if there's a jig method that might work - or a key combo that might work - or even a usb method that might work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything here screams 'you should never attempt to modify your device again.'
What is it with all you smart asses telling him he shouldn't have done it??? What, you never made a mistake in your entire life???
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA App
Why don't you find Adam_Outler in the hardware hacking forum? Send your phone to him and he'll hopefully be able to create an unbrickable mod. Not only will you likely have a fixed phone but it will mean volumes for our community.
Note, you will be without a phone for a bit
I did something stupid to my note too so don't feel too bad. **** happens... I returned my note to att with no problem because my screen was permanently black. Wouldn't do anything download mode,cwm nothin.. Flashed gsm kernel from root so beware the way its layed out u won't know its gsm unless you read it extremely careful. I had read the thread three times and only caught it after i read really slowly post-brick.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
ekerbuddyeker said:
What is it with all you smart asses telling him he shouldn't have done it??? What, you never made a mistake in your entire life???
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not that, we've all made mistakes, but it's like this guy went out of his way to try to brick the phone. This isn't like "oh crap, I flashed the wrong radio"
He tried to flash a ROM from a different SoC and every fail-safe wouldn't let him do it. I'm surprised at how well the different programs tried to save his phone, then he actually went ADB and forced it onto his phone and then he unplugs during a flash.
It's like he drove his car without paying attention and hit a fence that prevents you from flying off a cliff, then he kept ramming his car into the fence, then took some C4, blew up the fence, drove off the cliff, then started yelling "help, I fell off the cliff"
N3RD420 said:
I did something stupid to my note too so don't feel too bad. **** happens... I returned my note to att with no problem because my screen was permanently black. Wouldn't do anything download mode,cwm nothin.. Flashed gsm kernel from root so beware the way its layed out u won't know its gsm unless you read it extremely careful. I had read the thread three times and only caught it after i read really slowly post-brick.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm confused, is there a CDMA Note? What do you mean "they won't know it's GSM"?

Can Samsung Refurbish a Hard Bricked Device?

Hi There,
I did search around and didn't find a specific answer to this, I did see someone was looking to modify some binary values but no confirmation if it worked. Anyways I have successfully used many roms on my phone and tablet but last night after using CWM and the rom flashed successfully I rebooted the device and then nothing. Blank screen. Nothing happens when I charge. Used the wife's battery fully charged to see if it would help. Tried three-button boot method. All nothing. It's just dead.
Now I'm guessing I must have missed a step somewhere and fully take responsibility for what happened, and would pay for a repair - but can Samsung even repair a device in this state? I talked to an agent on the phone last night and openly told them what happened and asked how much it would be to repair and he said he couldn't give me any information without sending the device in. This is my mistake to get my phone in this state so I don't want to sneak my way into a warranty replacement. Is it worth the wait as Samsung can fix this, or should I just buy a new phone?
Cheers and any information is much appreciated.
www.mobiletechvideos.com
They can repair bricked phones for a very reasonable cost. Samsung may see it and void your warranty. I'd go with Mobiletech. I've heard they do great work on bricked phones.
The above advice is good, assuming your device is truely hard bricked.
However, from your description, it's hard to figure how you bricked it. A true brick usually happens when an attempt to flash a bootloader partition gets interrupted in the middle. There are possibly other ways, but it's not very easy, actually. So, is there absolutely no sign of life? Nothing you can do will even get a flicker of light on the screen? You cannot enter download mode, or recovery mode. You have tried all of these? No point in spending $50 on a jtag repair if you can recover the phone yourself.
I would also be interested in a complete description of the steps that led up to the problem.
I'm a little embarrassed to post this but don't want to waste anyone's time. It is totally bricked but I know why.
I just noticed I downloaded a rom from the i777 forum, and my device is a i727.
Oooops! Guess I'm learning a valuable $50 (plus shipping) lesson.
Thanks for the help, my phone is off Mobile Tech.
Still might not be hard bricked. Mine did this a few weeks ago for no reason. Had been running fine then wouldn't boot one day. Wouldn't boot at all. Could not get into recovery.Nothing. Only thing that worked was connecting through Odin. Had to then flash original Gingerbread. Phone then booted fine. I have since rooted again and I'm now dual-booting SHOstock and Rootbox. Try Odin first.
SPatMobile said:
I'm a little embarrassed to post this but don't want to waste anyone's time. It is totally bricked but I know why.
I just noticed I downloaded a rom from the i777 forum, and my device is a i727.
Oooops! Guess I'm learning a valuable $50 (plus shipping) lesson.
Thanks for the help, my phone is off Mobile Tech.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't really know much about the I727 architecture, but I seriously doubt if your device is hard bricked. You should still be able to get into download mode via the normal procedure (maybe, or if not with a usb jig) for your phone, and then flash a good I727 rom, I believe. There are no bootloaders or partition information, or param files in any of the I777 roms, as far as I know, so there's really not much of anything that can do serious damage.
Try getting in to download mode by With your phone off and unplugged. Enter download mode by pressing and holding the power and volume down buttons and plugging in the USB cable before the lights blink. I don't know it will work on i727 but worth a try..GL
This is a good thread to help you read all you can....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1652398
creepyncrawly said:
I don't really know much about the I727 architecture, but I seriously doubt if your device is hard bricked. You should still be able to get into download mode via the normal procedure (maybe, or if not with a usb jig) for your phone, and then flash a good I727 rom, I believe. There are no bootloaders or partition information, or param files in any of the I777 roms, as far as I know, so there's really not much of anything that can do serious damage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. Well I suppose it is possible I had a legitamite hardware failure completely unrelated to the software issues. I did some searching around for hardware failures instead and found some very similar cases to this.
Exactly what happened. I downloaded the wrong rom, rebooted in cwm, wiped, then flashed the rom. It went successfully and I rebooted from cwm then during boot right after the samsung logo all the lights went off and the screen went black. I left it like this for about 45 mins to an hour and had dinner just in case it was still doing something. The battery was fully charged at the time I started the procedure, and I have tried using the wife's battery to make sure mine wasn't dead. My battery also functions without issues in her phone. I had done this successfully multiple times on my phone before and tablet, and successfully flashed two or three different roms on my wifes phone last night.
I tried every suggestion mentioned, and followed the guide as well. There is no glimar of life. If this is hardware I might be wasting my money with Mobile Tech but I suppose we'll know for sure soon. Phone is shipping off today.
Have you tried a jig?
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda app-developers app
you're doing the right choice, mobile tech is your best bet
OP got his answer. And his device is an i727. Let's let this one die before we attract trolls
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2
Ya good idea
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA
In case anyone was interested it looks like the device was a hardware failure.
"Unfortunately, I was not able to repair your device. The device's onboard EMMC controller was in a non-responsive state. It is advised to try out warranty replacement if possible or to search for a parts device and use it's mainboard for the swap."
*edit - I tried to use the thanks meter for everyone, but thanks for all the help!
Never was really a samsung fan until I got my i777. Blackjack? wth was that? Browsing with opera was off the hook though so the phone grew on me. Now I tried simply flashing a different i777 kernal because ICS constantly freezes and the phone bricks? Sent it to Mobile Tech Videos.... EMMC is in non responsive state for me too wtf Samsung? Had my nexus one twice as long and flashed twice as many times and its still rockin. Now will definitely think twice before going Sammy.
paulfrankie said:
Never was really a samsung fan until I got my i777. Blackjack? wth was that? Browsing with opera was off the hook though so the phone grew on me. Now I tried simply flashing a different i777 kernal because ICS constantly freezes and the phone bricks? Sent it to Mobile Tech Videos.... EMMC is in non responsive state for me too wtf Samsung? Had my nexus one twice as long and flashed twice as many times and its still rockin. Now will definitely think twice before going Sammy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you wipe in ICS's stock recovery before flashing that different kernel? Because there's a well known brickbug with the I777's stock ICS kernel, where if you use it to do anything before you flash custom kernels, it'll mess up your EMMC and brick your phone. If this is what happened to you, I would suggest you do more reading before flashing anything again; different phones operate differently, and even if you're a pro at flashing stuff on a galaxy nexus that doesn't mean squat when it comes to flashing an I777. I don't mean to be harsh or offend you, I just want you to know that reading more is always a good idea, and that there's a chance that it wasn't Samsung's fault you wound up with a bricked device.
He could always try the jig to kick it into download mode. Read up about it. It may save you some money.
HTC = Hate The Consumer
Mobile tech will fix ya but in all seriousness, phones are way different from model to model. As previously stated. Read a lot before doing anything. may Atrix is way different than this phone,.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2

Telus Fascinate Brick

-----------------
---This first post is outdated. My current question is one post below. I've left the content of this post for other noobs to see.
-----------------
Hey folks, sorry to bother you all but all input would be greatly appreciated. I'm rather unfamiliar with android flashing and kernels, and have spent the last 8 hours trying to figure this out to no avail.
Following this (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1238070) (section 5) guide on how to get back to stock gingerbread on my phone (after a few partially failed attempts flashing other roms), I was using Odin, had the .pit 2.2 as well as CI500_VZW_EH03_GB_CM.tar.md5 loaded into the program and left it running. About 20 mins in, the phone stopped progressing and I started to get concerned. After two hours, I powered down the phone and proceeded to reattempt the flash. This is when things got weird. My phone was unable to enter the Download Mode and instead showed Android system recovery when plugged in, or a black screen with a phone and a computer, with arrows between when not plugged in. The weirdest part is that the phone no longer recognized vol+ or the power button when in Android Recovery, and could only vol- to go down the menu, then was stuck at the bottom of the list.
I've searched everywhere on this site, and google to try and come up with a solution.
When pluggin into the computer, I hear a connection sound, but the device is not recognized by Odin. Pressing the running a blind vol+ and vol-, then a vol- to hope Odin recognizes the device, as pointed out in this (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1764022) thread, resulted in nothing. Holding vol- while pluggin in the usb cable, doesn't show the download mode. All of the steps in this (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1026746) thread proved futile, as most of them required download mode anyways.
I'm going to keep searching and keep you posted as things come. Your help as always will be greatly appreciated!
Edit: Things just got weirder... After a few more attempts at making this work, I'm now getting an "Unable to charge non-supported battery. See user manual." With this error, I'm not able to get into Android Recovery anymore. More searching...
Edit 2: AFAIK I'm gonna need a jig. Anyone confirm?
Edit 3: Got a jig, Download Mode working, all is well. Please remove this thread, or leave it for other noob flashers to see.
Hey Folks, its been a while since I last posted in this forum, but I ran into a pretty serious issue earlier this evening. I was attempting to flash CM9 to my T959D and was running into tonnes of trouble. Throughout my attempts I was restoring back to stock rom, kernel and bootloader. During one of these restores, Odin froze in Win 7. Since then I've been unable to detect any form of life from the phone. It simply sits in a black screen. Holding the vol down while booting, blind vol up and down cable inserting, using my Jig and inserting the cable/battery in various orders results in nothing. The most I hear is a device failure to connect sound in Windows with no sign of life in Odin.
What can I do?
Someone posted stating leaving the battery out for multiple days would reset something on the motherboard, allowing me to get into download mode. Though I was hoping to have this resolved tonight. I realize that there aren't many people left with these phones, but I hope someone has a solution to this.
I'm going to be installing ubuntu tonight on an older desktop in a effort to resolve this. Though my experience with it is very limited, and success is unknown.
NOT GOOD... You should wait and see if others have a better solution, but Unbrickable Mod may be your only option.
Posted from my Fascinate using XDA Premium
MultipleMonomials said:
NOT GOOD... You should wait and see if others have a better solution, but Unbrickable Mod may be your only option.
Posted from my Fascinate using XDA Premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats not good to hear. Well, I was snooping around looking for someone who could solder this for me, to no avail. My soldering skills are non existent. The most I fixed was a door bell, and I did a terrible job. I won't be able to get my hands on a soldering iron until tomorrow, is it worth trying?
I have located someone who can do a jtag on this model but have a few questions in regards to this:
Since my bootloader was corrupted, would the jtag service put a new bootloader on?
Would it prevent the same thing from happening again?
Are jtags designed on a per-phone basis?
Since there is a telus fascinate T959D as well as a verizon fascinate, and both phones are completely different, would I need to make sure the jtag is meant for this phone?
Is there anything I need to be made aware of before doing this that I haven't mentioned?
I've haven't had any experience with JTAG, but I've heard Unbrickable Mod is preferable. If you're looking for someone who can solder, check out your local RC/hobby store. If that fails, check out an electronics store, though it may take some searching to find one.
Posted from my Galaxy Tab with CM10
TheMegosh said:
Thats not good to hear. Well, I was snooping around looking for someone who could solder this for me, to no avail. My soldering skills are non existent. The most I fixed was a door bell, and I did a terrible job. I won't be able to get my hands on a soldering iron until tomorrow, is it worth trying?
I have located someone who can do a jtag on this model but have a few questions in regards to this:
Since my bootloader was corrupted, would the jtag service put a new bootloader on?
Would it prevent the same thing from happening again?
Are jtags designed on a per-phone basis?
Since there is a telus fascinate T959D as well as a verizon fascinate, and both phones are completely different, would I need to make sure the jtag is meant for this phone?
Is there anything I need to be made aware of before doing this that I haven't mentioned?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make sure you use the stock Samsung cable see if you can reinstall the drivers hook it into the computer and hold volume down if you can get any type of signal from the phone your good.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2
---------- Post added at 04:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:24 PM ----------
MultipleMonomials said:
I've haven't had any experience with JTAG, but I've heard Unbrickable Mod is preferable. If you're looking for someone who can solder, check out your local RC/hobby store. If that fails, check out an electronics store, though it may take some searching to find one.
Posted from my Galaxy Tab with CM10
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey no offence but stop telling everyone on the street they need too soljeir there phone with unbrickable mod before they can fix I'm tired of having too calm the person down after you said they have too open up the phone its utter bull****. 1 out of 10 soft bricks you may need it I've been without download mode and fixed mine just fine.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2
An update:
Took my phone in to get the jtag service... He said some of my partitions were corrupted, one of which was the boot layer. He put a new bootloader on, and showed it could be placed back into recovery and download mode, but when I got home the device was even more dead than when I left; no device failed to connect sound in windows, just nothing. I'm taking it back to him in a week after exams to get this resolved. Maybe the battery has reached the end of its life...? I checked it with a volt meter, and it had 3v+ so I really don't know.
Sent using Science!
As bbrad pointed out, there may be other solutions, and my answer could be totally wrong, but if even your bootloader is cooked, Unbrickable Mod may be your only hope. Since UM affects startup code literally hardwired into the chip, it should work as long as the JTAG doesn't interfere.
Posted from my Fascinate using XDA Premium
Another update. So apparently I flashed a bootloader from another phone, which royally screwed up the partition, kernel and mounted drives. The technician managed to get the original bootloader, kernel and rom on the phone and everything is working from stock again.
Why on earth is the 959d Telus version such a pain in the ass to customize?
Is there anyone on here that uses a 959d that can direct me to a proper method to leaving stock? Before this entire situation I had vodoo kernel on, with cwm, but every time I flashed a kernel it would hang on reboot and either sit on a black or white screen. In a lot of cases I would flash in cwm, reboot, then I would be brought back to cwm as if there was no rom on the phone at all, no matter what I formatted and wiped.
When I'm not on my phone I can link all of the guides I've tried that leave me back where I started. So I re flash back to stock using Odin.
At the end of the day, I have to ask, is it really worth it in the end? I've rooted and flashed many roms on other phones but have never run into as many problems as with this fascinate t959d
Sent using Science!

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