[Q] Hard bricked? - Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi,
I read and followed lots of excellent threads on here and successfully rooted my S2. I then flashed it with the Revolution ROM which worked fine, later tried the VK + Siyah which also ran fine.
Today I decided to try WajkIUI but after flashing and rebooting, the phone reset, the button lights came on and then it hung. Now I can't get a thing out of it, no booting, no recovery mode and no sign of it in ODIN.
It sounds completely hard-bricked but I don't really understand how it can be.
Any ideas?
Have tried soft and hard resetting but nothing.
Cheers

Without recovery mode your last best (remote) chance before you send it to Samsung would be a jig.

That's what I was thinking but why would it hard brick if the flash had worked?
And if I send if back to Samsung the warranty will be void anyway won't it?

Unfortunately that one's like asking how long a piece of string is (in other words, who knows ?). If it's a case of the NAND being stuffed as a result of the flash, a JTAG repair may fix it, but you won't know that until/unless you send it to a JTAG repairer.
It may be a hardware issue, cpu might have carked it or something.
Yeah, you've pretty much voided the warranty by putting non-stock firmware on it, but at the end of the day if Samsung can't tell it's been messed with you might get away with a warranty repair/replacement.
You'll only know that if you send it in to them to be looked at. So I guess you've got two choices to consider (not including the remote chance of the jig getting you into download mode).
I guess you could try another battery. Always the possibility it might have died.

Crap. Well, I'll give a jig a go and if that doesn't work then send it back and see what happens.

@ op
did you tried the key press combination to get into download mode? the things you have done has a very less possibility of hard brick.

That's what I thought, but no combination seems to work.

Was the battery full when you flashed?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

Think it was about 96%.

You never know, it might just be a completely knackered battery. If you're planning on getting it fixed come what may, spending 20 bucks or whatever they cost in your country on another battery won't be the waste of money you might initially think.
If it doesn't fix this problem, at least you'll have a 2nd battery when you do get it fixed. I know I've found having a 2nd battery a godsend since I got mine a month ago, has come in really handy on trips where I've been away for more than a day and has meant I haven't had to worry bout bringing a charger along.

Could a battery just die like that? Seems a bit of coincidence.

Dunno. Anything's possible I guess. Yeah you're right, that would be coincidence. Given what you were doing when it died, I'm betting the NAND is shot & it will need to be JTAG'd either by Samsung or someone else.
mraquinn said:
Could a battery just die like that? Seems a bit of coincidence.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Which sucks. That said, according to a site in the UK it costs about £8 plus postage. Have ordered a USB jig just in case, and for £3 it's worth a go.
The really annoying thing is whether to root again if/when I do get it sorted. Am also checking with my network, see if they'll have a go under warranty and I'll forget to mention I was rooting it.
MistahBungle said:
Dunno. Anything's possible I guess. Yeah you're right, that would be coincidence. Given what you were doing when it died, I'm betting the NAND is shot & it will need to be JTAG'd either by Samsung or someone else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

On that note....if I wanted to upgrade to ICS, how would that be done without rooting - ie. would the counter look the same? (Long shot)

Yeah if you're going to get it fixed, chances are you'll end up flashing/rooting it again, so the jig will come in handy.
I guess that's something you'll need to decide when you get it back/get a new one. What happened to you isn't the norm tho. The large majority of flashes go smoothly for most people. But the reality is, every time you do it, you do run that small risk of it barfing for any number of a gazillion reasons (which are normally impossible to discover once it's happened). That's the risk people like us who frequent sites like this take.
Yeah if they/Samsung can't tell what happened to it, you'll possibly get away with it. And the fact you rooted it isn't information you have to volunteer to them by any means As to exactly what you should tell them, that's up to you.
Edit to add - Let us know how you get on once you have it sorted. Always useful to have people's experiences on here to give other people it happens to some kind of idea of how it might go down.
mraquinn said:
Which sucks. That said, according to a site in the UK it costs about £8 plus postage. Have ordered a USB jig just in case, and for £3 it's worth a go.
The really annoying thing is whether to root again if/when I do get it sorted. Am also checking with my network, see if they'll have a go under warranty and I'll forget to mention I was rooting it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Well, according to the boffins online I have to go into a store to see if they can repair it. Hopefully they won't be able to check whether it's been rooted or not instore. In fact, if they can't power it on, I don't see how they could.

Random technical question: how can a software/firmware fault stop the hardware from even starting?
My only reference is building a PC - even if you knacker the BIOS and the harddrive, it will still power on so you can access them to put them right.

mraquinn said:
Random technical question: how can a software/firmware fault stop the hardware from even starting?
My only reference is building a PC - even if you knacker the BIOS and the harddrive, it will still power on so you can access them to put them right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firmware includes the boot sequence and recovery sequence on Android .
power goes to boot on file in effect
Or key combination goes to load recovery or download .
jje

Is that a bit of a flaw, for circumstances just like this?
And, does this mean that the USB jig has no chance of working - or is that the exact reason it might work?
JJEgan said:
Firmware includes the boot sequence and recovery sequence on Android .
power goes to boot on file in effect
Or key combination goes to load recovery or download .
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

i thing jig can solve the problem

Related

[Q] Galaxy GIO (S5660) bricked, I am unsure.

Hello everyone,
Firstly, I did not find a board dedicated to the S5660. So I posted it here.
Today, I tried to backup my current installation of Android to my SD. I used
a guide on androidpolice(dot)com, while searching for "complete android backup" in Google.
My phone had to be rooted, which it was, so I went on to download and install Clockworkmod's ROM Manager. I opened it up, fixed the permissions and made a backup. Before I could make one, I had to pick a phone model. However, these were all very strange types or brands I never even heard of.
I randomly picked one, and my phone NOT being listed should have served as a warning but alas, and the app started backing up. After it was done, it all seemed normal so I pressed "home" to go back to my main screen and pressed the "lock/power" button so my screen would turn off. I put the phone in my pocket.
Exactly 2 minutes later, I pull out my phone and I notice the screen is black, I push the lock/power button: nothing happens. I hold the lock/power button in the expectation that the phone will boot up since it might have been shut down accidentally. Nothing happens.
I remove battery, re-insert battery. I repeat this over a dozen or so times to no avail. I try the download or safe boot key-combinations (volume down + home + power) and nothing helps.
It's as if either all the keys are broken, something went seriously wrong in the interior hardware or hopefully, (the most simple possibility) my battery gave the ghost.
I went to the shop where I bought the Galaxy Gio and told them about the issues I had, they said they were going to send it to a Samsung Service Center for repairs. After I went home and had browsed the Internet for some possible solutions, I returned to the shop to try out several of the tricks that were listed (inserting battery on the exact same time when you press the buttons), nothing worked.
Does this smell to bricking or just a dead battery?
Before any conclusions are made (it sounds like its bricked though)...dead battery?... Did you try charging it?
Theonew said:
Before any conclusions are made (it sounds like its bricked though)...dead battery?... Did you try charging it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It happened while I was at school, I immediately went to the shop and the guy helping me said he had plugged it in for a short while. I guess I believe him since I did not see it but he said the phone did nothing.
But how come a software malfunction can mess up the physical buttons like the power/volume or lock buttons?
Darmvlinder said:
But how come a software malfunction can mess up the physical buttons like the power/volume or lock buttons?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the software of a device is corrupted, then the hardware won't work properly (if at all). Example: you flash a rom for a device with one button and your device has five, then of course the software wouldn't recognize the other buttons (this is just an example of the hardware part cause if you actually did that, your device wouldn't even start). Also, you said that you just randomly chose one made for another device, for future reference: NEVER flash a kernel, rom, etc. not made for your device or atleast not stated to work on your device.
Theonew said:
If the software of a device is corrupted, then the hardware won't work properly (if at all). Example: you flash a rom for a device with one button and your device has five, then of course the software wouldn't recognize the other buttons (this is just an example of the hardware part cause if you actually did that, your device wouldn't even start). Also, you said that you just randomly chose one made for another device, for future reference: NEVER flash a kernel, rom, etc. not made for your device or atleast not stated to work on your device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I figured this when I tried to do the actual backup but it seems I was too stupid to stop the entire process.
I have already given it to the store as they will send the phone to a Samsung Service Center. Do you know how the processes of repairing for such phones work?
Also, if the phone is a total brick, it cannot be recovered whatsoever?
Darmvlinder said:
Yes, I figured this when I tried to do the actual backup but it seems I was too stupid to stop the entire process.
I have already given it to the store as they will send the phone to a Samsung Service Center. Do you know how the processes of repairing for such phones work?
Also, if the phone is a total brick, it cannot be recovered whatsoever?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best thing to do is hope they can't repair it . If they happen to get it to work and find out you rooted it, they will just return it to you the way it is now. I hope you didn't tell the guy how this happened...
P.S. - No, I don't know the process they use to recover something like this. I'm no expert in recovering hard bricks (know a few stuff, but not in this case).
Theonew said:
The best thing to do is hope they can't repair it . If they happen to get it to work and find out you rooted it, they will just return it to you the way it is now. I hope you didn't tell the guy how this happened...
P.S. - No, I don't know the process they use to recover something like this. I'm no expert in recovering hard bricks (know a few stuff, but not in this case).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The guy asked me whether I had ever let the phone come into contact with water or fluids or if I ever let it fall down to the floor, neither of which have happened in the past. I also told him an update through Kies went awry and caused the system to be unstable till the crash of today.
The dude seemed pretty confident in that the warranty would cover. I don't know. I feel like a giant moron, to be honest.
Darmvlinder said:
The guy asked me whether I had ever let the phone come into contact with water or fluids or if I ever let it fall down to the floor, neither of which have happened in the past. I also told him an update through Kies went awry and caused the system to be unstable till the crash of today.
The dude seemed pretty confident in that the warranty would cover. I don't know. I feel like a giant moron, to be honest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another future reference (although you dodged the bullet here): never tell your manufacturer (or whoever is supposed to look after the warranty of your device,etc.) that you rooted (or even tried to root) your device. Well, you just have to hope for the best now .
Theonew said:
Another future reference (although you dodged the bullet here): never tell your manufacturer (or whoever is supposed to look after the warranty of your device,etc.) that you rooted (or even tried to root) your device. Well, you just have to hope for the best now .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just sat through a Live Chat session with Samsung. Even though Google does not oppose rooting, Samsung effectively makes a deal out of it. I told him the same story, that an update through Kies made several things pop up on my phone which I did not understand etc. etc.
I am hoping for the best. But I am befriended with someone working in the store that sold the phone to me. He said most techs won't bother with low-budget smartphones (as in trying to grab you by the balls) and will much rather flash the phone with Samsung stock ROM.

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

[Q] Sudden death!!

Something very strange, I checked the time on the phone while I was seating on my car, then I came home, and when I sat on my desk the phone was completely off. At first I though it might be an empty battery, so I plugged on the wall charger, but NOTHING happened. I tried the charger on another phone and worked, so the problem was the phone.
Took out the battery, put it back again and tried to enter recovery or download mode, none of them worked. (Even the 4 touch keys don´t light up, exactly like when you try to turn it on without a battery).
I left it charging all the night, and in the next morning, it was all the same.
About the phone
Because of the forum, its obvious that is a sgh-i777 AT&T SGSII. I changed many times of ROM, but I was running a custom one called "Alliance", wich is Touchwiz based and so stable, that I decided to keep it (flashed it maybe 3 months ago).
Regarding the installed apps, I had "RAM Manager", on the "more multitasking" preset, also had "STweaks" on the default profile, a task killer called "Speed Booster", "Next Launcher" and a bunch of games.
About the battery
I went to a store and asked to try a new one, but It didn't worked at all. The guy at the store told me that maybe it was a "Motherboard" (or something like that) issue, so I left the phone there to see if the can fix it, but they didn't have any luck. (I have to admit that it wasn't an official Samsung service center, but a friend's shop, so its probable that they dont know much about this kind of stuff). Besides, if you look closely at the phone, you cant see that the screws were untouched, so it seems that they didnt even try to repair it.
Another important thing is the battery "lifestyle" that I always used with the phone: Usage, from normal to exhaustive during the day and let it charging all night, everyday. I notice some alarming overheating when playin hard games (so hot that I quit playing and put the phone on the floor to make it cooler), this maybe has fried something inside.
I insist in the fact that I dont think that the battery is the problem because It didn't worked with a new one.
Well, the last "strage" thing that may have something to do, is that I plugged the USB cable to a "broken" car charger, causing the car fuse to burn, but I dont know if that could affect the phone somehow. (Notice that this episode ocurred 1 week earlier than the sudden death, so I dont think is a problem...)
So, this is it. Hope you can help me, because I miss my phone quite much (1 week no use...) and I would really love to have it back.
Kind regards,
Francis
P.S.: I took a lot of time writting this, try to be polite and helpful with the answers.
How are you trying to get into download mode?
Sent from my GS4 running CM11 Kandy Kane
In the moment I've tried, I did Vol Down + Power Button
Adb portable in my signature can help reboot you to download mode.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
In fact, it didnt worked, because the phone does not react when plugged, so it is not detected by the pc nor ADb. Nice try anyways
If your phone does not respond to battery, computer, or wall charger then it is what is known as a hard brick.
Your device may have been damaged by the car charger as well.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
@FranAmestoy,
If you are getting absolutely no response from the phone, and nothing you can do has any effect, then try one last thing (if you haven't already). Pull the battery and leave it out. While holding down both volume buttons, plug in the usb cable. The computer will supply the power. This will put a phone into download mode, but if there is no response to this, then at least you know for sure it is not a battery problem.
There is a difference between "hardware failure" and "hard bricked".
Technically speaking, hard bricked means a firmware problem, usually with the primitive bootloader or the primary bootloader. Such a problem can be fixed using equipment and a technique called jtag, by which the damaged bootloaders are reinstalled. This supposes that the hardware is still functioning correctly.
On the other hand, if the phone has damage to the eMMC memory, or some other hardware failure, then the only remedy is to troubleshoot and repair the hardware. This is perhaps what the technician was suggesting when he said it could be a mother board problem.
Judging from your description of the occurence, it doesn't sound like you did anything that would result in a hard brick. But then I don't know if you actually mentioned everything relevant. In order to find out, you would need to get the phone to a competent technician. The guy who owns Mobile Tech videos is highly respected here. If you wish to pursue getting it repaired, I would suggest that you call him and go over the problem with him, find out his prices, see if he thinks it is worth it, etc.
I have used MTV before and I can say their service was wonderful.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
Now this is what I call "help"
I have to say many thanks to creepyncrawly and Red_81 for giving me the kind of answer that I was looking for.
In a few minutes I will try that USB power method, and see what I get.
Regarding your suggestion, I do very appreciatte your kindness and recomendation of where to take the phone to, but my problem is that I bought the phone in the USA, and I live in Argentina, so its way out of my reach to get what you recommend. Anyway, a few minutes from home there is an official Samsung store, that apparently, offers technical assistance, so I will try luck by going there.
For now, I still say you many thanks and I will keep you informed about what I get.
Kind regards,
Francis
Red_81 said:
If your phone does not respond to battery, computer, or wall charger then it is what is known as a hard brick.
Your device may have been damaged by the car charger as well.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the car charger burned down the phone, how can be possible that it continued working during a week before the dropout? I am not saying that's not the problem, but I dont know if there are any relations with so much time in between...
FranAmestoy said:
In the moment I've tried, I did Vol Down + Power Button
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, USB + both volume keys
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Donwload also didnt work...
As the title reads, I still dont have any luck.
Guess the final call will be to take it to the technical service T_T
Are those things "fixable"? Will be impossible to get a new phone if I cant sell this...
(Now Im missing it a lot...)
FranAmestoy said:
If the car charger burned down the phone, how can be possible that it continued working during a week before the dropout? I am not saying that's not the problem, but I dont know if there are any relations with so much time in between...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. I think it unlikely, but it is possible.
FranAmestoy said:
Are those things "fixable"? Will be impossible to get a new phone if I cant sell this... (Now Im missing it a lot...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hard brick repair with jtag would be around US$50.00 plus shipping. Hardware repair would be at least that much in the US unless you can do it yourself. It may be more economical to replace the phone.
When you go to the Samsung store, ask them if it is still under warranty. The phone can be sent to Samsung for repair if they can not do it at the store. I have no idea what that would cost if it is not under warranty. Here in the US we would ship it off to a Samsung repair shop somewhere after talking to them over the phone. But I've never had to do that so I have no idea.
creepyncrawly said:
Agreed. I think it unlikely, but it is possible.
Hard brick repair with jtag would be around US$50.00 plus shipping. Hardware repair would be at least that much in the US unless you can do it yourself. It may be more economical to replace the phone.
When you go to the Samsung store, ask them if it is still under warranty. The phone can be sent to Samsung for repair if they can not do it at the store. I have no idea what that would cost if it is not under warranty. Here in the US we would ship it off to a Samsung repair shop somewhere after talking to them over the phone. But I've never had to do that so I have no idea.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the ideas, but will be impossible, because I bought the phone through eBay and I dont have the invoice, also the phone is rooted and with a custom ROM (triangle alert appears), so the warranty is "super-voided", no chances at all to get it back to stock (remember he's dead...)
I will cross my fingers to see if the can tell me if the can fix it, and how much would it cost.
My major concern is that the failure became impossible to fix. In that case, what will I do? I just can't offer a dead phone on internet for $2... Obviously I need to make some money from him in order to get a new one... However I still have some faith in the official store
You would likely get more than a few dollars selling it on ebay for parts. The digitizer and other parts are definitely worth something. But of course it's not going to be $200.00. Anyway, good luck. I hope you find it is fixable.

[Q] Note won't turn on after Kernel flash didn't work.

I just got a galaxy note for my galaxy nexus last night (traded) and I took it home and install goomanager and downloaded a rom that was "compatible" it saved to the directory that goomanager puts it in so I rebooted into CWMR and cleared cache / data etc then proceeded to install zip from SD Card. it started by saying flashing kernel 4% or whatever and then came back with an error. me being as bright as I am recently...I fixed permissions and rebooted thinking that it would at least let me back into recovery.
I now have a "Dead" note sitting on the floor infinitely "charging" so to speak its just plugged into the wall, Will not boot. Is there a way I can at least get it into Download mode? Hell stick a magnet on it to erase everything even?
I don't need another paper weight..I have an iPhone for that.
Can you boot into download? If so, use Odin to flash the correct kernel.
Can you boot into recovery? If so, flash the correct kernel.
If you can't do either one, your phone is bricked and you will need to send it for a repair. $50 and one week later you will have your phone back with stock 4.0.4 ICS rom. Its called a JTAG service, from www.mobiletechvideos.com. Many note user have gone there, from just this thing.
The jig that works with other phones 99% of the time won't work with the note.
Don't trust CWR. Get your roms from our developers.
Jig 99% Of the time won't work... you made that statistic up. If button combos aren't working it's definitely worth a shot, resistors are super cheap, especially compared to jtag which doesn't sound needed here yet.
And what do you mean. "Don't trust cwr get your roms from the devs here"?
That is a recovery... he didn't download anything with it, he used goomanager.
And even if he downloaded it from here...he would've flashed it in cwm... xda isn't a custom recovery...
So you tried holding the down volume button+ power to get it into download? Flashing a kernel will not remove your recovery/download mode unless you flashed a Rom not made for your device that installed something on said partition(s).
As for the jig...don't know statistics, but I am a one percenter. Worth a shot imo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K-lvaAop2w&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Xparent Gray Tapatalk 2
Volume down and power, then when prompted volume up, for download mode.
And I'm also a "1% er" and my jig isn't homemade. Josh from mobile tech gave me one of his he sells on the site.
As nun said, the combos should work, they are in the bootloaders, flashing a kernel won't effect those unless says kernel is for a different device, then you wouldn't get a single thing outta the device at all, no charging screen, no bootloop. Nothing. Whatsoever.
studacris said:
Volume down and power, then when prompted volume up, for download mode.
And I'm also a "1% er" and my jig isn't homemade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right amigo 99% + 1% = 100%. You and Nunhugger are the only ones who said a jig worked for them. So actually its way higher than 99%. . . But you guys are ninjas. Your phone would probably reboot if you just told it to. I just wanted to kill the eventual jig question early.
And my response about CWR was because it sounded like he used the old app Rom Manager to see what was available. Clearly it was wrong so I told him not to trust it, and put in a plug for our developers.
When an update is released the forum gets slammed with complaints about bad flashes of incorrect kernels, and I have seen several members heal their phone by flashing the correct kernel. I just figured he was not accustomed to the button combos of the note and would get to that eventually. But if it was for the wrong device I wanted him to get his mind around the $50 and week wait.
Sheesh. . . decaf.
Well seeing that I can't Get into either mode and no button combos will work, I am assuming I need the JTAG. I figured an app like GooManager would have at least gave me the right roms for my device. it did say i717 but that could just be my memory playing tricks on me.
Man, I'm real sorry. But the JTAG service has been used by many, and with lots of positive comments. Good luck.
hahah thats okay, I mean its a great phone, definately not worth keeping in a draw collecting dust so I will go with the JTAG service. Thanks Guys!
You still have signs of life, it shows the charging animation, therefore your phone isn't bricked.
Do some searching on making a jig, I personally think it's well worth a try.
You could very well fix your phone for under $10 and have the satisfaction of accomplishing this yourself And have the know how to do it again...
It doesn't have the charging animation. just a dead black screen.
Then why did you say this?:
leveliv said:
I now have a "Dead" note sitting on the floor infinitely "charging" so to speak its just plugged into the wall, Will not boot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's more than a little misleading...
Will not boot...could mean many things.
From a easily fixed bootloop down to a brick.
Saying it was infinitely charging made it sound less severe.
if it weren't for that line, I wouldn't have bothered to tell you to use a jig.
JTAG it is
cris, why do you need to experiment with finding the proper resistance? Why should there be any variability in that circuit? Perhaps that is why some users have used up as many as six usb port replacement parts.
By the way, my 99% statistic is, like my entire post, just my opinion, and strictly a figure of speech. If it were a fact I was quoting I would have included a footnote. Remember those painful things? Do we have to include disclaimers for any figure we use? Sorry to mislead anyone!
I said "dead" because its not necessarily dead because a JTAG thing can fix it..and I said "charging" because to the normal person who didn't know anything was wrong with said device it would look like it was charging. But anyhow. I'm sending the phone out this week. I just don't understand why all the phones can't be as open as the devices straight from google.
You're phone is dead.
JTAG is akin to zombie, the phone needs disassembled and a special rig is needed to hook to the motherboard and flash EVERYTHING back to the nand at the prebootloader level.
The I717 is pretty much just as open as a nexus as far as easily modified and rooted...
No locked bootloader even which nexus have though it's a single line in a terminal to unlock, that step isn't needed on this device.
Only thing that isn't as open is the hardware drivers.
You may have flashed an incompatible kernel for a DIFFERENT device... and that on any phone will brick you.
And ranger not sure if it's the circuits within the phones that vary from device to device, ands seem to require a more specific voltage across those pins to trigger download mode
Or, if It's the resistors that are the variable. They are only rated within a certain +/- tolerance the cheaper ones having a larger margin of error.
And lol yes I am a ninja, but I didn't do anything special to my jig at all, I got mine from mobiletechvideos, funny enough it's worked on 4 captivates, a vibrant, 2 note 1s, and an s3, but didn't work on an s2 I was fixing.
the one I got from Goomanager was probably for the i700 which shouldn't even be able to happen.
They have video proof of them fixing phones with dead black screens from exactly what happened to mine using the JTAG Method. As far as I am concerned this thread can be closed cause I got the answer to my question.
the JTAG rewrites basically everything anyways so it is being sent out later this week. Till then I'll use a blackberry or something...Take care guys hopefully next time you see me post it will be to help someone and not asking for help
You'll be up and running by next weekend. By then, lots of exciting development will be happening on the released rom.
I doubt it, I live in Canada and have to send it to the states. It probably be closer to the weekend. Unless I expedite everything.

[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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