Bootloader gone - Samsung Repair - Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi,
I recently sent my Galaxy S II in for repair at Samsung Repair Center.
I flashed trough ODIN and it suddenly stopped without any reason. It was just flashing SBL, so I figured that the bootloader is gone.
My Odin flash count was at 20.
Will Samsung repair this under warranty ?
If not what will be the repair costs ?

Generally speaking, any messing around with custom roms or kernels will void your warranty. Given you didn't get a change to reflash stock or erase the flash count, I'd say you might well be looking at paying for the repair yourself.
Having said that, however, I have also heard some reports of some Samsung repair centres not caring that the phone had been messed with. Sooo...Looks like you're going to have to roll the dice & see what happens. How much the repair costs are will obviously depend on what they end up doing to the phone. This is probably going to vary from country to country.
Have you tried using a jig ?
Nick502 said:
Hi,
I recently sent my Galaxy S II in for repair at Samsung Repair Center.
I flashed trough ODIN and it suddenly stopped without any reason. It was just flashing SBL, so I figured that the bootloader is gone.
My Odin flash count was at 20.
Will Samsung repair this under warranty ?
If not what will be the repair costs ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Let us know how you get on.
I recall some earlier threads where people still got the repair done under warranty, even though the flash count was high.
It wouldn't surprise me if the Sammy techs just flashed newest firmware as a matter of course, without even looking at the problem. That would fix a lot of the faults which resulted in phones being returned without spending a lot of time trying to diagnose for a fix.

killall said:
Let us know how you get on.
I recall some earlier threads where people still got the repair done under warranty, even though the flash count was high.
It wouldn't surprise me if the Sammy techs just flashed newest firmware as a matter of course, without even looking at the problem. That would fix a lot of the faults which resulted in phones being returned without spending a lot of time trying to diagnose for a fix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think they have time to check something like this.
they fix the Problem of the Phone as fast as they can (mostly flash new firmware/bootloader), and the Problem is gone, then they take the next phone.
(Most workers don't care if the warranty is gone, since its more easy for them to just flash the software.)

Got it back,
they repaired it under warrenty with new internal parts
Got it back with XWKI9 Firmware
Now its running CM9

Related

[Q] What does Samsung charge for jtag/boot loader repair?

I've searched the forum and haven't found a post with the same issue (or an answer), so I'm starting a new thread. I'll give you my story, then ask my questions. You can skip to the question if you don't care to read the story.
While trying to repair my stock, unmodified T-Mobile Vibrant's hardware lock (3-button recovery and volume +/- & usb download mode did not work, trust me), the phone shut down to reboot after the flash, but didn't restart as it was supposed to. I tried every method I could find on xda to try to get it to show some sort of sign of life when it wouldn't power on; however, it gave me nothing. No lights, no sounds, no haptic feedback, nothing on the screen. A true botched boot loader brick. Being an American product and me living in Canada, I didn't think I could get it repaired under warranty. Shipping it to the Samsung repair centre in Texas for an out of warranty repair would cost more than it's worth, so I found a local repair shop that could jtag it back to life for $50. He wasn't able to fix the root of the problem though, since he said he had to put an i9000 boot loader on it. The first boot screen was for an i9000, with T959 firmware, but I still couldn't get into download mode or recovery using the vol. & power button methods. Unfortunately, I still had to pay the $50 even though it was only half repaired.
Stupid me, I decided to let Kies download and install the update it said was available (T959UVKA6). After the install completed, it went to reboot and never started back up again. My guess is it had a boot.bin and/or sbl.bin and they didn't install properly again. I thought I would see if the repair shop would jtag it again under their repair warranty, but I was told using Kies to update voided that warranty, saying I should have used Odin. I tried the official Kies update route because of my first experience trying to fix the boot loader.
After another attempt of getting support from Samsung, I managed to actually get help from Samsung's Twitter support, who setup a support ticket to have it repaired under warranty "as long as there is no physical damage or internal modifications (i.e. rooting)." The only other catch was that I needed a US address for them to return it to, which I was able to arrange.
Now for my questions: If, by chance, the Samsung tech. finds any traces of it being previously serviced, does anyone know how much they would charge for the jtag and firmware flash (assuming that's what they'll do)? Other than a Titanium Backup folder on the internal sd, there would be no signs of any modifications software wise since it was flashed back to stock 2.1 prior to the Kies update. Would they see the folder or would the internal sd be formatted when they jtag and flash the boot loader for them to get it to turn on?
Sorry for the long post, but the details will cut back on the questions.
I'm not completely sure about what the repair shop did to your phone but I can tell you I have never had anything format or erase my internal SD.
CrazyCharlie said:
I'm not completely sure about what the repair shop did to your phone but I can tell you I have never had anything format or erase my internal SD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All he did was use a jtag to flash an i9000 boot loader (since he couldn't get any T959 boot loaders to work) and T959 firmware. The internal sd was wiped too. I'm not sure if that's a part of the jtag process or if he formatted/repartitioned for a clean install.
My primary concern is what the odds are of having to pay for the repair if I send to to Samsung in attempt to have it covered under warranty. And if they do charge me, how much this type of repair usually costs through them. I'm trying to decide whether to send it to Samsung and risk having to pay them for it to be repaired fully and properly or just pay the $50 at the local repair shop again to have it at least up and running again, even if he can't fix the hardware lock.
Bump
Someone must know how much Samsung charges for a jtag repair.
Seriously, no one knows how much Samsung charges for a boot loader/hardware lock repair?
what repair shop was that nzahorchak, I need to JTAG my captivate back to life, 3 buttom fix killed my bootloader / 2nd bootloader now i am in permablack
thxs
Why would you use Kies to do anything on your phone? It's been known to cause bootloader bricks by many people..
kong_kham said:
what repair shop was that nzahorchak, I need to JTAG my captivate back to life, 3 buttom fix killed my bootloader / 2nd bootloader now i am in permablack
thxs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In Toronto, a shop called Ming Wireless at Dundas and University. I also found one in Markham called Bongo Wireless.
Sdobron said:
Why would you use Kies to do anything on your phone? It's been known to cause bootloader bricks by many people..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In hopes that an official flash would fix the hardware lock and i9000 boot screen since the hacked methods on xda hard bricked it in the first place. I've never had a problem with Kies prior to this incident.
Local shops around here charge anywhere from 60 to 80 bucks.
My phone as well is hard bricked so I ordered a riff box. Just got it today going to jtag my phone after work will let you know how it goes and if its easily done.
Afaik, the only way to fix hardware lock is by flashing a bootloader. I believe a safer way to flash either bootloader is by pulling it from a rom and flashing it with Heimdall.
@Marmal: how much did it cost you for a riff box?
I bought mine for $150. Fixed my phone so I dont really need it any more. Shoot me a offer if your intrested.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Marmle said:
I bought mine for $150. Fixed my phone so I dont really need it any more. Shoot me a offer if your intrested.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an SGS-2 (exynos cpu), and sadly its bricked (no logo, no download mode, no nothing), I'll bring it to the local repair center on monday, lets see what they say. It's under warranty, but it has been rooted, so i give a 50/50 that they fix it for free.
Repair centers should have jtags for the newest phones too, am I right? I hope they don't charge for a motherboard replacement (300+bucks...)
damm u bricked a sgs2!! thats harsh
You should ask conneccion2005, does a pretty good jtag service.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

How to know if the MoBo is bricked

Hi!
Sorry for asking again - i had another thread about this subject before thinking this solution to my problem, I think the situation and the question is different, so that0s why I thought, opening a new thread was correct
What happened is that I was enjoying my SGSII with CM 10 and one day it just shut down
I only could enter download mode: When flashing with Odin, Odin would hung and the flashing process never would start.
Finally I tried to flash official 4.0.4 with the repartition option checked.
No download mode no more either....
Needless to say, I got a brick.
Now: Samsung refuses to repair it with the warranty and some online shop says they can repair just the memory module and not all the motherboard: I don't know if the motherboard was broken either.....
The thing is that I wish I knew if the MoBo was the problem before sending the device over to the online shop and getting it back not repaired again... having to pay for the delivery... perhaps for samsung it's easier to just replace all the inside instead of only one compound.... I don't know that....
How can I know if the problem is not the whole motherboard?
Thanks
GFXi0N said:
Hi!
Sorry for asking again - i had another thread about this subject before thinking this solution to my problem, I think the situation and the question is different, so that0s why I thought, opening a new thread was correct
What happened is that I was enjoying my SGSII with CM 10 and one day it just shut down
I only could enter download mode: When flashing with Odin, Odin would hung and the flashing process never would start.
Finally I tried to flash official 4.0.4 with the repartition option checked.
No download mode no more either....
Needless to say, I got a brick.
Now: Samsung refuses to repair it with the warranty and some online shop says they can repair just the memory module and not all the motherboard: I don't know if the motherboard was broken either.....
The thing is that I wish I knew if the MoBo was the problem before sending the device over to the online shop and getting it back not repaired again... having to pay for the delivery... perhaps for samsung it's easier to just replace all the inside instead of only one compound.... I don't know that....
How can I know if the problem is not the whole motherboard?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same problem not caused by cm but just trying to ged rid of jellybean, no boot, no download, no recovery and not charging anymore
i tought i was screwed by odin because this caused the problem ( also ticked repartition ) brought it to a shop that actually repairs damaged screens and after a couple of days got my phone back with still everything on there wat was on my phone before i bricked it.
Had to pay € 45,- so to me next to nothing compared to bying a new phone.
Well, that's a relieve... I mean, if the Motherboard were broken, I wouldn't even get to download mode... it clearly looked like the fash memory failed.... I hope this guys are right and I can get my phone back..
I need to say Samsungś service sucks!!!! Despite of not being covered by warranty, they had my phone, and i quote "LOST" for almost two months....
I'll update as I get the phone repaired....
Thats why it diddent even cross my mind tpo bring it to a samsung service center, it probally takes a lot longer to get the job done and they would for sure replace the mobo and then say it was broken because i flashed it with a custom firmware, like that wil break the device, morons
So to make sure it was done fast and the proper way i took it to flexiphone and sved my selfe the trouble of getting a lot of bull**** an probally a
high amount of money to pay (because of a warranty void) for a repair that never needed to be done in the first place.
Hope your device has the same problem cause i was depressed missing my righthand, but went home with a smile from ear to ear.
OK, got the phone back, took it to a shop and they say it's not responding to JTAG.....
They will try something else, but it does not look well....
if it's not jtagable then mobo replacement is your only chance to see the little guy booting again.
Sent from the little guy
Ok, I've got a bricked MoBo....
How much would it be to get a new one? I guess it won't be less than 200 euro.... or perhaps new phone directly...
I guess It's goodbye..... farewell, SGSII.... :crying:
Mobo is about 150 - 200.
Sent from the little guy
GFXi0N said:
Ok, I've got a bricked MoBo....
How much would it be to get a new one? I guess it won't be less than 200 euro.... or perhaps new phone directly...
I guess It's goodbye..... farewell, SGSII.... :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Orange were selling S2 for about 240 €(or whatever equates to £200) 3 months ago.
Id sell your phone on ebay as you should get at least £100 clear, then that means you could get a brand new phone with warranty for £100 difference, or maybe a good bit less.
Nexus 4 it is!!!

[Q] gt19300 wifi HARDWARE problems

hi all,
this is my first post here, the noob video did cheer me up alot after the day ive had...
around a month ago, my phone started to have problems connecting to wifi, the problem occurs when making a connection to ANY ROUTER USING ANY KIND OF SECURITY,the phone comes back stating "authentication error", yet when i connect it to my motorola xoom tablet (set to mobile hotspot) the phone connects and functions great!?
now for my question,
samsung have voided my warranty as i flashed the software on the phone (as some asshole at the samsung call centre asked me to do,said the warranty would be ok as long as its the genuine software....what a load of rubbish that turned out to be) i have not rooted it,and they are quoting me in the vacinity of $250 us to fix it (w##kers) ,its a longshot but,can any of tell if this is a firmware problem rather than a hardware problem? it seems to me like its along the lines of firmware, as it works in only the one instance connected to my tablet..i know i did get an update from my phone company and it stopped working shortly after then...theoretically if it is just a firmware issue i could pick up on how to do the jtag trick and try and reload the firmware myself? instead of pay the same jerk who screwed me to fix it in the first place?
have any of you had your phone into samsung for the same problem? though a good search turns up many stories on power save mode etc, no one seems to have the same problem i do...HELP!!!
the other way is i guess to do a pcb swap, but i dont know how many of these are available...
i know nothing about what you all do, i am an electrical engineer with a big background in industrial electronics and computers and the last thing i want to do is spend what little free time i have modding my phone, i dont have anything against anyone who does, its just that valve amps and vinyl do alot more for me than the new stuff does...BUT if i need to do something out of nessecity, then id love to learn a few tricks you gurus could teach me to save my skin, who knows, i might be able to offer you some advice one day!!
after 4 weeks searching and reading this site amoung others,i have tried EVERYTHING software wise to rectify the problem,
samsung are not telling me what exactly the fault is and are using my flashing of the standard software as a scapegoat to say ive tamered with it.
samsung nz are a bunch of scam artists who ill never again trust with a dime of my hard earned cash and thats all i have to say about that....will be taking them to court (new zealand has a consumer rights guarantee system so their warranty does not mean jack but they still refuse to repair it)
thank you in advance for any help you can offer, i am at my wits end and regret stepping into the "smartphone" world!!!
mike
preludefan said:
hi all,
now for my question,
samsung have voided my warranty as i flashed the software on the phone (as some asshole at the samsung call centre asked me to do,said the warranty would be ok as long as its the genuine software....what a load of rubbish that turned out to be)
No root and stock firmware flashed does not void warranty .
Wifi is generally a kernel problem you can try flashing a stock firmware from here or sammobile.com.
As you mention dimes and dollars do you actually have a I9300 ??? as flash I9300 firmware on a non I9300 will brick your phone.
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for your reply,
yes it is definetly a gt19300, i was blown away by the number of variants out there!
so any pointers on how to deal with samsung if they refuse to fix it?
thanks
mike
JJEgan said:
preludefan said:
hi all,
now for my question,
samsung have voided my warranty as i flashed the software on the phone (as some asshole at the samsung call centre asked me to do,said the warranty would be ok as long as its the genuine software....what a load of rubbish that turned out to be)
No root and stock firmware flashed does not void warranty .
Wifi is generally a kernel problem you can try flashing a stock firmware from here or sammobile.com.
As you mention dimes and dollars do you actually have a I9300 ??? as flash I9300 firmware on a non I9300 will brick your phone.
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
preludefan said:
thanks for your reply,
yes it is definetly a gt19300, i was blown away by the number of variants out there!
so any pointers on how to deal with samsung if they refuse to fix it?
thanks
mike
You need to argue the case that the Samsung call centre told you to carry out steps xyz .
Alternative paid for repair then complain to Samsung re call centre .
You can try arguing the EU regulations as referred to on XDA by Adam Outler .
However does any EU legislation have similar in new Zealand .
What firmware and root is on your phone that Samsung said to flash .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
they arent saying anything of the details of the rom, but i flashed a genuine 2 degrees (phone company) software, but they could have changed it themselfs?
i have argued with them to my wits end about the law etc but they are not taking it on board, so im asking for the phone to be returned to me, then ill take them to court...paying to get it done then complaining wont work in a legal sense, as by paying,they see it as though im agreeing to it all...
i do know this however, if i do fix it myself ill post a fix incase it happens to any one else...

[Q] Galaxy SII bricked

Hi everyone!
So, yesterday I picked up my Galaxy S II and tried to unlock it, but the touchscreen didn't work. 5 seconds later, the phone turned off, and it is completely bricked.
I have no access to recovery, download mode, absolutely nothing. It just doesn't turn on, even if the charger is plugged in.
Obviously, my phone was rooted and flashed with the latest JB rom available. Since the phone still has almost one year and a half of warranty left, will they be able to know if the phone was rooted, and the number of Odin flashes?
I flashed my phone via Odin about 15-20 times. Since it bricked so quickly, I couldn't reset the counter and unroot.
So, what do you think?
They probably won't be able to tell, but you can never be 100% certain & nobody here can give you that certainty. Anyone who says they can is lying to you.
Give it to a service centre, say as little as possible & see what happens.
MistahBungle said:
They probably won't be able to tell, but you can never be 100% certain & nobody here can give you that certainty. Anyone who says they can is lying to you.
Give it to a service centre, say as little as possible & see what happens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that it's difficult to be 100% certain, but maybe it has happened to someone and they could share their story
It was clearly some defect on the device, since I got it on late November 2012. It lasted for 8 months, and it used to get quite hot, right below the camera... is that normal on the S2?
Besides, the moment you flash something to your phone/use the phone in a manner excluded by the warranty, having an expectation of warranty service is completely unreasonable.
MistahBungle said:
Besides, the moment you flash something to your phone/use the phone in a manner excluded by the warranty, having an expectation of warranty service is completely unreasonable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that rooting voids the device warranty, but on the other hand, the device failed not because of the rooting process, but because of some faulty hardware.
I know how warranty works, but the brick isn't related to bad use, since the rooting process worked flawlessly.
Anyway, I already delivered the phone at the service centre, now I'll just wait.
Thanks for all the responses
Irrelevant.
The warranty explicitly states if you use the phone in a manner not specified in the warranty (I.E use unauthorised firmware), all bets are off. Whether flashing unauthorised firmware caused the problems or not doesn't matter. If you expect warranty, leave your phone stock.
Mattz94 said:
I know how warranty works, but the brick isn't related to bad use, since the rooting process worked flawlessly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or just be honest....and admit to voiding your warranty and learn from your mistake. I know that is not what you want to hear or you may not hear that to often....
good luck with the service dept....And since there are too many trying to give you fraud instructions...Thread Closed.

[Q] Bricked phone, black screen and can't get into download mode

Hello!
I really hope you guys can help me. I tried to flash a recovery with Odin, and now my phone won't do anything. Its screen stays black, regardless of whether I try to turn it on, or go to recovery or download mode.
Here's some background as to what I did and what I was trying to do:
I had CheckROM RevoHD V6 with CWM Recovery (v5 I think) on my phone.
I wanted to install Cyanogenmod v 10.1.3-RC2.
I followed this guide: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Install_CM_for_i9100
However I couldn't get Heimdall to work, so I got Odin v3.07.
I used this guide with the supplied PIT file (this may have done me in).
In the attachments you can see the Odin output.
I waited a good 4-5 minutes, but my mobile wasn't restarting or anything, so I disconnected it, but couldn't get it to boot.
And as I've said before, now I only see a black screen, regardless of the buttons I push. I've tried removing and then replacing the battery, but still doesn't work.
I've read that the USB-JIG is the last resort, but that you need to at least have the screen turn on and display a logo for it to work. Is this true, or can I still in my phone's state of brokeness use it?
And if I can use a jig, this one would be a good one to get, right?
Thanks for any help!
Jig has a 0.000000000000000000000001% chance of working, but try it anyway. If you can afford to be without your phone for as long as the jig takes to arrive, try it, but if you want it fixed sooner than later - service centre. You don't flash PIT's. Ever. This is most likely the cause of your busted phone.
Yeah. PIT is the cause of most phone bricks. I don't want to lead somebody to misinformation, but I heard that you use PIT file only for 3-file stock software when you want to start again with clear fully wiped phone. This is the only situation I heard when PIT file is used.
About your problem. You can buy USB JIG. Like the user above has mentioned you have really low chances to get it working. Your last resort in this case is to try and leave the phone on warranty in samsung repair service. Many people suggest that you should say that your phone turned off during update with Samsung KIES software and has never turned on again even though it has been written on your computer screen that installation has completed succesfully. This might help and they will replace motherboard for free. If not buy new phone. Anyway be patient and wait for more answers.
Dammit. Well thanks for the replies and tips. I hope there is someone who has another tip.
The reason I went with the PIT file as well is because I did it the first time around, flashing the first recovery. So I thought it wouldn't harm this time.
No miracle fixes. If the phone won't even bootloop, you've got zero chance of fixing it yourself. It's unlikely to even be JTAG'able. A Samsung service centre certainly wouldn't attempt one given a motherboard replacement is quicker/easier for them to do (not to mention they make a nice profit margin on the labour/parts). Having mentioned motherboards, you could also source a 2nd hand one from a 'donor' phone with a broken screen & either replace it yourself or pay a local mobile repair shop to do it (will be cheaper than paying a service centre to put a new one in).
Also, if you're lucky, service centre may not notice or care that you've been messing with it/you broke it & might fix it under warranty. Tho anyone here who tells you that's a certainty is lying to you. It's a crap shoot, you might get it, you might not. Obviously if you have no warranty that's irrelevant.
Damn. I was afraid of this. I've contacted Samsung support, but I'm pretty sure they won't do anything since I'm 3 months out of guarantee.
And now I'm looking for replacements as well.
Always seems to be the way unfortunately (this kind of thing happening just after warranty expires). If you've had the phone a while (e.g since it was released), yeah, maybe a new phone might not be a bad idea. But still, get the jig, try it, see what happens. Nothing to lose except a couple of bucks for the jig.
Thanks. Will do, since it's only 4€. And it might come in handy if I replace my phone with an S3, S4 or Note 2.
I feel your pain. I did the exact same thing earlier this year. I didn't think I was still covered by the warranty but when I took it in to the service center they fixed it for free even replacing the main board (I think). Your as well to take it in on the off chance their record still show it as under warranty.
Thanks for the support. Unfortunately the service centre is not close to me, so I'm awaiting a reply from Samsung support and hope they allow me to send it to them.
At least I was just smart enough to make a backup of the files before. So nothing lost on that end, I can get all my contacts, messages, etc. back.

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