I always hear the warnings "rooting can brick your phone" but I was wondering how many have reported truly "Bricking" their phones trying to root?? I have a new GS2 and naturally a bit reluctant to root since it will void my warranty, but I am not a stranger to modding, I had a LG VU and with the help of guys from the LGVU forum I totally modded that phone to do be either a iPhone, Android or Storm looking/acting phone.. It took replacing system files and so on but I always backed up the originals so after 2 years of modding I was able to get the phone back to it factory state easily... The only "Bricking" resulted with LG VU members was due to having little tech sense or reading instructions on the correct procedures when modding..
That said, I felt the risk with the VU was minimal since I purchased it on ebay so there wasn't a warranty issue and more importantly it would have only cost me $100-150 to replace compared to this $500+ phone
My main reason for rooting is to get rid of the AT&T bloat and increase my battery life, a very knowledgeable member from the AT&T forum is also a Senior member/adviser here at XDA and reported increasing his battery life BIGTIME after rooting and making some changes post root.. TIA
If you do it perfectly, back up things you have to and flash kernels safely and absolutely by-the-book, nothing SHOULD happen. I've bricked an old GalaxyS1 by flashing a kernel but if you be extra careful and only get kernels that have been tested and generally, not f**k around, you'll be safe.
READ, READ, and READ some more. The best way to determine if something is safe or not is to really understand *what* you're doing.
What is "rooting" actually doing to your phone? How is it doing it? Answer that and you'll know if it's safe or not.
Spoiler Alert: If you don't do anything stupid, and aren't unlucky, it's perfectly safe.
its actually kinda hard to brick these phones by just attempting to root it. As long as you stay away from bootloaders, you'll be fine.
Buy a jig and go wild.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
nyydynasty said:
its actually kinda hard to brick these phones by just attempting to root it. As long as you stay away from bootloaders, you'll be fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, the most important thing is:
Do NOT flash anything meant for the I9100. If the package includes bootloaders (many do), it will likely hose your device. Similarly, don't flash the UCKJ1 leak unless designgears has put up a "bootloader-free" version. While it won't brick you, it does eliminate the ability to use a jig to reset your "custom binary count" counter.
Other than that - anything linked to from the first post of a thread in the dev forum should be safe. (although some stuff, such as netchip's kernels, will result in you getting some experience with un-hosing your device with Odin/Heimdall.)
It's next to impossible to brick most Samsung phones, including ours, unless you mess with bootloaders. If you see the files boot.bin or Sbl.bin in a flash package, be VERY wary.
Entropy512 said:
Yup, the most important thing is:
Do NOT flash anything meant for the I9100. If the package includes bootloaders (many do), it will likely hose your device. Similarly, don't flash the UCKJ1 leak unless designgears has put up a "bootloader-free"
It's next to impossible to brick most Samsung phones, including ours, unless you mess with bootloaders. If you see the files boot.bin or Sbl.bin in a flash package, be VERY wary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks guys, not sure what bootloaders are yet but I now know I don't want them lol.. I've got lots of reading to do, I never jump into anything halfcocked.. Can you please tell me how rooting will greatly improve my battery life?? is it the rooting itself or things I can or should adjust or eliminate that helps increase battery life??
ALSO:will it help with the slight lag experienced with Gingerbread??
Captpt said:
thanks guys, not sure what bootloaders are yet but I now know I don't want them lol.. I've got lots of reading to do, I never jump into anything halfcocked.. Can you please tell me how rooting will greatly improve my battery life?? is it the rooting itself or things I can or should adjust or eliminate that helps increase battery life??
ALSO:will it help with the slight lag experienced with Gingerbread??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://androidcommunity.com/android-101-bootloaders-20110527/
info about bootloaders
Captpt said:
thanks guys, not sure what bootloaders are yet but I now know I don't want them lol.. I've got lots of reading to do, I never jump into anything halfcocked.. Can you please tell me how rooting will greatly improve my battery life?? is it the rooting itself or things I can or should adjust or eliminate that helps increase battery life??
ALSO:will it help with the slight lag experienced with Gingerbread??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting itself alone won't do anything.
A more aggressive debloating than what AT&T lets you do likely will.
Can't anything be fixed with Odin?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
seh6183 said:
Can't anything be fixed with Odin?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
anything, like what?
nyydynasty said:
anything, like what?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Literally flashing a rom from another device with a different bootloader. Can't Odin just completely reflash all stock stuff?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
seh6183 said:
Literally flashing a rom from another device with a different bootloader. Can't Odin just completely reflash all stock stuff?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The bootloader is the phone side of download mode. Break it, you break Odin.
Entropy512 said:
The bootloader is the phone side of download mode. Break it, you break Odin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Scary stuff.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
seh6183 said:
Scary stuff.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is along with being all greek at the moment... lots to read and research before doing anything..
As someone who just rooted his sg2 (which I got after getting rid of my iPhone this week), and as someone who had never used an android device previously, rooting was easy as pie.
And by that I mean things will turn out great if you take your time, chose a flavor (research), and follow the recipe (instructions).
I rooted and installed a ROM today. No issues at all. Just don't rush things and be sure to research.
Captpt said:
It is along with being all greek at the moment... lots to read and research before doing anything..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not that hard to actually do the rooting and installing of custom roms. Once you get the hang of it, its nothing. The scary thing is that it becomes so easy that you could easily make a mistake and flash a corrupted bootloader and have a big problem on your hands.
Its almost too easy.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
Related
Okay I was just wondering if I was one of the unlucky ones to instal the leak gingerbread Rom and my tbolt gets brick.. ..... Has anyone figure it out how to Unbrick tbolt ...just wondering.. if is possible. To Unbrick if it was to happened
sent from my rooted tbolt using XDA app
I"m pretty sure it's not possible because the phone resets every three seconds or so.
if there were a solution, it would be posted in the sticky threads in the developers forums.
If it is continuously bootlooping even in recovery, then you are truly fubar. No fix available. No amount of prayer/voodoo/exorcism will raise it from the dead. Donate it to science & send it to jcase. Maybe he can figure out why your phone was affected.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Like sublimaze said, if it bootloops in recovery there is no known fix at this time but you could help everyone out a lot by going to this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1098363
sublimaze said:
If it is continuously bootlooping even in recovery, then you are truly fubar. No fix available. No amount of prayer/voodoo/exorcism will raise it from the dead. Donate it to science & send it to jcase. Maybe he can figure out why your phone was affected.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so this may be a silly question but its not possible to do a battery pull and boot right back into the bootloader? perhaps even keep a stock froyo radio on the root of the sd card incase the worst should happen?
I could have sworn the definition of a brick means it's not recoverable.
If you can recover, then it's technically not a brick.
Dnakaman said:
I could have sworn the definition of a brick means it's not recoverable.
If you can recover, then it's technically not a brick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does, or at least did back in my day...
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
funkybside said:
It does, or at least did back in my day...
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can I get an AMEN!!!!
Dnakaman said:
I could have sworn the definition of a brick means it's not recoverable.
If you can recover, then it's technically not a brick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also thought that was the case. hence the word "brick" but if its still booting, why cant anyone figure out how to fix it?
littleguevara said:
I also thought that was the case. hence the word "brick" but if its still booting, why cant anyone figure out how to fix it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is that the phone reboots every few seconds, apparently not leaving enough time to apply any kind of 'fix'.
There is no fix yet but that thread that was linked to previously would probably be your best bet.
I am by no means new to the rooting world, I have several android phones starting with the moto d1, d2, and an inc. After moving to the thunderbolt I am seeing people are having a lot of issues with rooting and what not else. My question is, is it even safe to root and flash ROMs at this time, or is it better to wait till the issues get worked out?
people who have issues are the ones who do not follow directions.
jmc2543 said:
I am by no means new to the rooting world, I have several android phones starting with the moto d1, d2, and an inc. After moving to the thunderbolt I am seeing people are having a lot of issues with rooting and what not else. My question is, is it even safe to root and flash ROMs at this time, or is it better to wait till the issues get worked out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a rooted thunderbolt myself. I am using synergy's nightly Rom and I love it. My phone runs ten times better. I say go ahead and root. Just make sure you follow directions thoroughly.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
Exactly as stated above
I'm curious... Where did you get the idea a lot of people are having issues with rooting?
I'm referring to the talk of posts dedicated to people with bricked and non bricked phones, like at the top of the dev board.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App
jmc2543 said:
I'm referring to the talk of posts dedicated to people with bricked and non bricked phones, like at the top of the dev board.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
VERY old news... Nobody has conclusively got to the bottom of that issue. It's currently assumed that HTC used an off-spec eMMC chip in some of the earliest devices. Those tended to fail for some reason with the use of the original GB leak radio. I'm not sure why that thread is still stickied. The other thread relating to that was unstickied like 2 months ago.
Alot of the people I've seen that did get stuck in that boot loop, which was being called bricked, was resolved by simply flashing a different radio. I heard of some people actually having bricked devices, but not many. I am fairly new to a lot of this, in comparison to many others, but I have never had a problem that wasn't caused by my own stupidity.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
is it safe,its never safe its wether you want your phone to work or not,radios whete never the cause my first bolt bricked on stock out of the box in ten days,just either grow a set or leave it,if life was safe ypy would live in a box
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App
Nothing in life is safe. Even breathing will kill you (eventually)
However, I do think more of the newbies that are cautious than the ones that just jump into thinks without thinking or knowing why they are rooting to begin with. So good for you Mr. OP
You will Never Know
I have not rooted my Thunderbolt (yet) but its not because I am afraid I might brick it .. I prefer to read as much as I can about it before diving in head first. I dont know if its "safe" but I do know the success rate is pretty good from what I have read, if you are not the kind to take short cuts.
I say go for it. Just make sure you do your homework first. Life is too short to live with bloatware.
Hot Carl said:
I have not rooted my Thunderbolt (yet) but its not because I am afraid I might brick it .. I prefer to read as much as I can about it before diving in head first. I dont know if its "safe" but I do know the success rate is pretty good from what I have read, if you are not the kind to take short cuts.
I say go for it. Just make sure you do your homework first. Life is too short to live with bloatware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like that's you're first post here! And I like what it has to say! Welcome to the community. Hope you enjoy it!
Exactly, well put, I've been rooted for a Cpl of months now and only boot looped once through my own stupitity. I flash rom's all the time. Root it!!!!
_Stomp_ said:
Alot of the people I've seen that did get stuck in that boot loop, which was being called bricked, was resolved by simply flashing a different radio. I heard of some people actually having bricked devices, but not many. I am fairly new to a lot of this, in comparison to many others, but I have never had a problem that wasn't caused by my own stupidity.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my HTC ThunderBolt using XDA Premium App
1. I'm a newb.
2. I've tried to research a good amount on my own.
I know that much customization will require root as a starting point. I'm not sure I want to run a custom rom or not yet as there doesn't seem to be much of a benefit at this current time. The overclocking interests me a bit.. because, why not? I guess that's my question. With using Dag's root and overclock, are there any stability issues at all? Other issues I might run in to? I just want to be positive of what I'm doing before I mess anything up. Should I run a backup of some sort or are roots relatively harmless?
Thanks in advance.
If you do a backup before you do anything its dam near impossible to brick your phone.
Make sure you understand what your doing before you do it not just do it because someone said it works.
Rooting releases your phone as it should be.
Just learn and enjoy
Sent from the only smartphone designed by Chuck Norris
kevinjgray88 said:
If you do a backup before you do anything its dam near impossible to brick your phone.
Make sure you understand what your doing before you do it not just do it because someone said it works.
Rooting releases your phone as it should be.
Just learn and enjoy
Sent from the only smartphone designed by Chuck Norris
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not only that, ODIN makes it damn near impossible to brick your phone
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Odin is used in dags method, correct? what's the best way to backup?
Sent from my Samsung Nizzote
edit: everything i'm seeing seems to imply the backup programs can only be installed after root. is there a separate backup i can do before root, or should i needn't worry about backup before rooting?
Overclocking kills battery life. Theres the risk of failing the rooting process too(doubt that will happen...). Flashing also increases flash counter and voiding warranty(go learn how to reset it)
flashing a lot damages internal memory also(you will prolly notice it after 1.5 yrs)
So are we recommending against doing this just for the sake of overclocking? or..
Sorry like you guys said I don't want to do it just to do it, want to be sure I'm doing this for a reason. If nothing else I can remove bloatware after root, right?
Underground_XI said:
flashing a lot damages internal memory also(you will prolly notice it after 1.5 yrs)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is a lot for you?
I ran OC and honestly I can live with out it. Not worth the battery killing any faster. This thing is fast out of box, rooting and removing bloats will make it faster. Using a superscript takes away any other lag issue that I had with keyboard, touch screen responsiveness etc. My advice, don't OC.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Underground_XI said:
flashing a lot damages internal memory also(you will prolly notice it after 1.5 yrs)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who keeps their phone that long? LOL
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
bbgt2 said:
Who keeps their phone that long? LOL
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. I would get sick of a phone if i had it that long.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
shaolinx said:
...Flashing also increases flash counter and voiding warranty(go learn how to reset it)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. No one to our knowledge has ever actually been denied a warranty claim because of the counter.
Underground_XI said:
flashing a lot damages internal memory also(you will prolly notice it after 1.5 yrs)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely nope. This is just silly.
OP: It's great fun and the best way to unlock the potential of your device. Just make sure you do your research first!
Ok I guess I'll just root and remove bloat and see where that gets me
Sent from my Samsung Nizzote
bbgt2 said:
Who keeps their phone that long? LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL Seriously!! Those of us who tweak the phones this much will want something new well before 18 months! I had my Atrix almost exactly a year before I went to the Note.
Rooted. It's amazing how much easier that was than the equivalent process with Wp7 (getting a student dev account free was a pain in the ass). So I'm pretty sure I have Dag's kernel (pda.tar) uploaded. I want to try out holo's (don't see why not). I thought I could've just substituted his for Dag's initially, but couldn't figure out how. There was only one pda.tar file available and I saved both kernels in the same folder. It's really just the boot.img file that you're flashing, isn't it? I might not know what I'm talking about so rather than continuing if someone could just let me know how to update with holo's.
awerry said:
LOL Seriously!! Those of us who tweak the phones this much will want something new well before 18 months! I had my Atrix almost exactly a year before I went to the Note.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the atrix for like 6 moths and went to the note, and prolly gonna get the galaxy s3 when it comes out
Plexicle said:
Definitely nope. This is just silly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
enlighten yourself http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1189544
Yes you can remove bloat
Sent from the only smartphone designed by Chuck Norris
Underground_XI said:
enlighten yourself http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1189544
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1. Flashing does degrade non-volatile memory over time. Eeproms can't handle being written to over and over and over. Things like USB drives get around this by writting files non-contiguously to random blocks/sectors (and by using other methods), and keeping a table of blocks that have gone bad. So you can write a 1 mb file over and over and it isn't writing it to the first meg on the drive, it is going in pieces all over the place, randomly each time. If it writes a block and that doesn't pass a checksum test, it will write the block again to another area and mark the block as bad so it never writes to it again.
Of course this isn't great for performance on a USB drive, but that is why this IS a problem on something like the OS partition of a phone. There you can't write randomly, you need contiguous files for performance, so each time you flash a new rom you are writing to the same memory space every time. Eventually you wear it out and there is no "bad block" table to help.
---------- Post added at 08:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:55 AM ----------
T__ said:
I agree. I would get sick of a phone if i had it that long.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, I kept my last phone 4 1/2 years because nothing came close in specs until the Note. It was the first phone with a 5" screen, video out, removable keyboard, 8 gb hard drive (back when a 2 gb SD card was "big").
techntrek said:
LOL, I kept my last phone 4 1/2 years because nothing came close in specs until the Note. It was the first phone with a 5" screen, video out, removable keyboard, 8 gb hard drive (back when a 2 gb SD card was "big").
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you referring to the HTC Athena? I loved that device... kept mine a few years, too. That phone was way ahead of its time.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using xda premium
I tired searching for this answer via search bar, but no avail
So I am a recent switcher; been using all iPhones up from the 3G and I made the plunge into buying the Galaxy S III and I %100 love it.
But there is many things I do not understand. First what is flashing the rom and the point of doing so
Roms are custom OS's. since android is an open source platform , devs are able to take the OS and put in their own bells and whistles to make it better. Or to delete the treasure Trove of bloatware put in by manufactures own custom OS's like htc's sense or our own touchwiz
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
T3hBraveBoss said:
I tired searching for this answer via search bar, but no avail
So I am a recent switcher; been using all iPhones up from the 3G and I made the plunge into buying the Galaxy S III and I %100 love it.
But there is many things I do not understand. First what is flashing the rom and the point of doing so
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm a new user like you! Came from a Blackberry and I'm just starting to realize the amount of things you can do on Android. Quite amazing really.
I'm no expert, but the idea I get is that custom ROMs are custom OS that give you features and options above and beyond what the stock S3 ROM offers. There are many developers working on their own ROMs, you can check out the developer section for that. :3 But before you even flash a custom ROM you'll have to root your phone.
androidpolice.com/2010/05/01/custom-roms-for-android-explained-and-why-you-want-them/
This link is pretty informative.
Jbluna said:
Roms are custom OS's. since android is an open source platform , devs are able to take the OS and put in their own bells and whistles to make it better. Or to delete the treasure Trove of bloatware put in by manufactures own custom OS's like htc's sense or our own touchwiz
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so is there any roms that increase batter performance, keeping the touchwiz interface but removing all bloatwear apps
Check the development section for your version of the s3. The Roms and descriptions of them are in there
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Android_Monsters said:
Check the development section for your version of the s3. The Roms and descriptions of them are in there
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find it hard to look for roms, they seem very confusing
can you help me? Im on the AT&T section
T3hBraveBoss said:
so is there any roms that increase batter performance, keeping the touchwiz interface but removing all bloatwear apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most ROMs have the option to remove bloatware I think. Even if they do not, once you have rooted your phone and installed Titanium Backup from the Playstore you should be able to remove any unwanted apps.
Omega ROM is a good ROM that keeps the touchwiz interface. It's one of the ROMs that is closest to stock interface. Try googling for that.
xxfreakazoidxx said:
Most ROMs have the option to remove bloatware I think. Even if they do not, once you have rooted your phone and installed Titanium Backup from the Playstore you should be able to remove any unwanted apps.
Omega ROM is a good ROM that keeps the touchwiz interface. It's one of the ROMs that is closest to stock interface. Try googling for that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you find it for me, cant seem to find one for non-international verison
Do not use international roms!
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
T3hBraveBoss said:
can you find it for me, cant seem to find one for non-international verison
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
which carrier is your GS3 on?
edit:nvm i see your on at&t, this is a good stock, bloat free rom
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1755552
for better battery life, i recommend this
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1745516
remember to root your phone first, heres a video on how to root your phone specifically
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQL9fVSisFI
T3hBraveBoss said:
can you find it for me, cant seem to find one for non-international verison
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just check the android development forum for your device.
Looks pretty good, one more question rooting will void my warranty, if I unroot everything will be okay right
Sent from my SGH-I747M using xda app-developers app
I would seriously consider trying to learn more about rooting and the benefits/consequences before you attempt any kind of ROM flashing.
T3hBraveBoss said:
Looks pretty good, one more question rooting will void my warranty, if I unroot everything will be okay right
Sent from my SGH-I747M using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ignore the post above me, Yes it will void your warranty and if you unroot then everything will be alright, look at my reply to you a page back on how to get started and if you ever need to unroot your phone just use this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5laWgJkW3A
Why dont you discuss them, every guide I checked were outdated
Sent from my SGH-I747M using xda app-developers app
If you're a noob don't do anything to your phone, there is a good chance you will brick it.
Just read forums watch some YouTube videos about flashing roms and what not.
Only then once you know the terminology, consequences of a screw up and general feel for things should you attempt to mess with your phone.
There is nothing wrong with stock, if you coming from Iphone first learn your Android inside out.
Don't be one of those asking if they need root, If you don't know what root is or what it does, you don't need it.
Rant over.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
Ghost77 said it best!!
If your a noob, don't try to do something to your phone, if you do not know what you are doing!!
With that said, Samsung phones (except Verizon S3) are the easiest phones to root and flash roms!! Do your homework and do major research before you attempt to do anything. Look at youtube videos and carefully pay attention to what they are doing.
Also because you have a S3, make sure you follow and download the right files and roms for your particular phone. For example, use i9300 roms only for international s3, i710 roms for sprint and so on. If you don't know your model number go to settings - about device - model number.
Finally, like ghost77 said, stock is not bad! Rooting and flashing roms is for those people who want that little more customization and performance improvements. For the average user, they probably won't even notice a difference between a rooted phone with a custom factory rom and a unrooted factory device.
Well I already rooted, I installed setcpu what would be a good speed to optimize battery life but keep good performance overall
Sent from my SGH-I747M using xda app-developers app
Everyone thinks that rooting your phone will void your warranty but if you watch this it states that under the "Magnuson Moss Warranty Act" Title 50 Chap 50 Section 2304 C) Waiver of Standards, it basically states that they have to prove that you did something to damage your device to void your warranty. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YcIHaajda8&feature=g-user-u
Entropy512 has provided assurance that Triangle Away should be the tool of choice for reseting the flash counter on SGH-I777 devices. Please see his post later in this thread.
Following is the original post:
Triangle Away is a potentially good tool for resetting the flash counter.
However, there is a not insignificant risk in using it since it makes modifications within the actual bootloader. Further, while it does work on our phone, the SGH-I777 is not listed under supported devices in the developer Chainfire's original Triangle Away thread.
Chainfire has the following to say in the OP of that thread:
Chainfire said:
THIS IS A DANGEROUS OPERATION AND COULD POTENTIALLY BRICK YOUR DEVICE. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK. A USB JIG IS PREFERRED IF YOU HAVE A WORKING ONE.
( and by brick I mean brick - only a board replacement or a JTAG unit will be able to save you, don't mess with boot(loader) stuff unless you really mean it! )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, please think a little bit before blithely recommending Triangle Away. And please do not intimate that since Triangle Away is available, it should be the first choice. Actually, the first choice for resetting the flash counter and removing the warning boot screen on our phones is a USB jig.
Wow. Thanks for this man I seriously had no idea the risk was that great. I saw the warning before but just assumed it was like most that developers post saying that its not their fault if this bricks your phone or poisons your dog and all that. I'll definitely be changing what I recommend to users regarding this. Cheers!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2
$2 jig from Ebay is definitely the better way to go. Got mine in the closet somewhere if I ever needed it.
I definitely used triangle away on my phone with no problems, and have recommended it before. After reading the op's post, I feel pretty dang lucky I still have a working i777 and hope my recommendation did not hurt anybody else's device. Thanks for posting this and for the warning...
creepyncrawly said:
Actually, the first choice for resetting the flash counter and removing the warning boot screen on our phones is a USB jig.
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Click to collapse
According to this thread, the jig method of resetting the counter was disabled by AT&T on later GB bootloaders and ICS. Unless JB allows for it, the only way to remove the triangle on current roms is to either use Triangle Away or to never increment it in the first place, as per that thread.
As far as that warning goes, any software that interacts with the phone on that low of a level carries the same warning. Every rom, kernel, modem, flashable zip, kernel tweaker, and OC/UV has it. Nothing new here.
Yeah creepy i think is saying this cause some people have posted threads that they've used this app and bricked their devices. I've used it in the past just fine, but haven't in a long while .
Sent from Team Pirate's secret underground base
ugoff said:
...As far as that warning goes, any software that interacts with the phone on that low of a level carries the same warning. Every rom, kernel, modem, flashable zip, kernel tweaker, and OC/UV has it. Nothing new here.
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Click to collapse
I can't agree with this statement. Yes, any firmware that interacts with the phone on a low level, i.e. bootloaders, param.lfs, etc. should include a warning because there is a real risk of hard bricking the phone which can only be recovered with jtag or motherboard replacement. But there is verly little risk of a true hard brick when flashing a kernel, a system partition, or a modem. Since the beginning, there have been no firmware packages in this forum that include bootloaders and other more critical parts of the firmware.
Triangle away is a useful tool, even for our phone, but the point is that it is certainly not the first choice to clear the warning triangle, or reset the flash counter.
ugoff said:
According to this thread, the jig method of resetting the counter was disabled by AT&T on later GB bootloaders and ICS. Unless JB allows for it, the only way to remove the triangle on current roms is to either use Triangle Away or to never increment it in the first place, as per that thread.
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Click to collapse
You are mis-quoting me. As far as I am aware, the only crippled bootloaders were included in the ICS leaks before AT&T released the official ICS. I'm definitely not aware of any I777 phones, new or refurbished, being received with crippled bootloaders.
creepyncrawly said:
You are mis-quoting me. As far as I am aware, the only crippled bootloaders were included in the ICS leaks before AT&T released the official ICS. I'm definitely not aware of any I777 phones, new or refurbished, being received with crippled bootloaders.
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I'm very sure I quoted you quite precisely. I made no mention of the bootloaders that came with the ICS leaks being the culprits. The thread I linked to does mention that, but it also mentions that functionality being removed on the last GB update that AT&T released. I can vouch for that the last official GB bootloaders removed that functionality. I have not had the chance to try it with the official ICS bootloader.
So, in order to reset the counter, you would have to revert to the old bootloaders, which is equally, if not more-so dangerous than using this app. Unless that functionality made it back into the official ICS bootloaders, then my point is moot.
I've used it on my i777 with i9100 bootloaders. Ran it twice actually. No problems so far . *shrug
Sent from my SGH-I777
creepyncrawly said:
You are mis-quoting me. As far as I am aware, the only crippled bootloaders were included in the ICS leaks before AT&T released the official ICS. I'm definitely not aware of any I777 phones, new or refurbished, being received with crippled bootloaders.
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Actually, creepy I recently received a replacement gs2 after my usb port crashed. Upon receiving it, I rooted it, causing the flash counter to go up. When I tried using my jig to change it back to 0, all it did was put my phone into download mode, without erasing the data. I assume this is because when I received my phone is was running ics so att must have changed the bootloaders
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
Waddle said:
Actually, creepy I recently received a replacement gs2 after my usb port crashed. Upon receiving it, I rooted it, causing the flash counter to go up. When I tried using my jig to change it back to 0, all it did was put my phone into download mode, without erasing the data. I assume this is because when I received my phone is was running ics so att must have changed the bootloaders
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
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You can always grab the older boot loaders from the 'Return to stock' sticky in the dev forum and flash em back...
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2
Slavestate said:
You can always grab the older boot loaders from the 'Return to stock' sticky in the dev forum and flash em back...
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
Yes, but that's just as risky as using triangleaway - which means creepys advice concerning a jig being the better option is irrelevant.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda app-developers app
benjamingdelacruz said:
Yes, but that's just as risky as using triangleaway - which means creepys advice concerning a jig being the better option is irrelevant.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
No flashing the stock 2.3.4 bootloaders in theory only gets risky if you're trying to flash it with like 10% battery left. Its not like the bunk kernels from ATT with the brick bug or trying to flash recovery with ROM Manager. Flashing the boot loaders (or any component) with Odin/Mobile Odin carries the same 'simple' risk flashing any firmware does. Follow the directions and you 'technically' shouldn't need to worry.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2
Slavestate said:
No flashing the stock 2.3.4 bootloaders in theory only gets risky if you're trying to flash it with like 10% battery left. Its not like the bunk kernels from ATT with the brick bug or trying to flash recovery with ROM Manager. Flashing the boot loaders (or any component) with Odin/Mobile Odin carries the same 'simple' risk flashing any firmware does. Follow the directions and you 'technically' shouldn't need to worry.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
Doesn't matter. Creepy's argument was that using triangleaway is risky because it involves alterations involving the bootloaders. So using his logic, flashing those bootloaders is likewise risky, and if a jig doesn't work any longer, triangleaway is just as viable an alternative as flashing old bootloaders is.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda app-developers app
@benjamingdelacruz,
Thanks for the info about your phone coming with ICS and a crippled bootloader. That is the first confirmation I have seen of that for the I777. It's not surprising, I guess. The SGS III and other new models also can not be reset with the jig.
As far as the difference between flashing the original secondary bootloader vs using Triangle Away, I guess I mostly agree with you that both are dangerous. The danger with flashing a bootloader is that the power goes off or the cable is unplugged or something else interrupts the flash during the few seconds it takes to actually transfer the bootloader code. With Triangle Away, the program is actually opening and writing to a data register that is controlled by and stored within the secondary bootloader code. I have no idea what could go wrong with that. Maybe more chance for problems than the other. I don't know.
Regardless of all this, I still feel that we should not blithely recommend Triangle Away as the first choice for this phone. And it is especially important that people understand that using Triangle Away is not a normal safe operation.
For anyone not on the new ICS boot loaders, a jig seems the safer solution. Plus, I like grapes. I've never personally had any reason to flash different boot loaders, but glad we got confirmation this is an issue with the new ics ones.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2
Must be hit or miss, the jig worked on the i777 I got as a replacement with ICS already installed.
Sent from my Galaxy S II
Never had problems using it.
Triangle away works right now, and it's free. A jig costs, and I have to wait for it to ship and arrive.
I'll keep using triangle away. If I brick XDA will be first to know..
raduque said:
Triangle away works right now, and it's free. A jig costs, and I have to wait for it to ship and arrive.
I'll keep using triangle away. If I brick XDA will be first to know..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well in all fairness, if u did brick yer phone after knowing the risks and seeing this thread, itd be kinda silly to post yer brick question here.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2