I need to hard brick my Atrix - Atrix 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I've tried searching a bunch (both here and general google) but finding information on purposely frying a phone is really hard. If I've somehow missed something already written, please point me in the right direction.
I own an Atrix in Canada locked to Bell. I need to find a way to brick this phone, fry the power in it, etc...something that'll essentially make it so that the phone permanently doesn't turn on.
For background, I work at Future Shop (for those in the states, it's a subsidiary of best buy) and have the Exchange Plan on my phone since employees are strongly encouraged to get it. I'm going to get the phone swapped, but the LCD under the screen is cracked. The screen itself is fine, so there's no sign of physical damage, but I need the phone to be unable to turn on just in case the store I return it to deems that as not covered (they shouldn't, LCD screens are technically covered, but better safe than sorry).
Help me break my phone!

You should try googling insurance fraud.
Outside of that reversing the polarity, flashing firmware for other phones or licking a dioed while it is on should all get you flying on the fraudalant freeway. I would be wrong to endorse this behavior...so I do not.
sent from a phone using an app

Yea it ain't cool we'll tell on you haha

It is written, but if you can't find it yourself then tough luck...
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium

Drop from great height onto concrete..........create brick...........problem solved!
(Keep hold of the phone when you drop it. May help keep insurance rates down for the rest of us, and will help with the gene pool)

Related

[Q]: Make Resistor Jig or Get Replacement from T-Mobile?

My Vibrant is completely bricked. I turn it on and the picture of the phone, exclamation point, and computer shows up.
I can't enter any mode, recovery or download. I've tried everything already.
Question is, should I attempt to make that resistor jig thing or should I just go to T-Mobile and get a replacement with my warranty? Which one is less of a headache?
Warranty totally its easier
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Alanrocks15 said:
Warranty totally its easier
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay thanks!
I had that image/brick as well, there is a guide in the bible that showed me how to fix it. I would provide the link but I am not at my computer...
Basically pull battery, plug in the USB to the phone and computer, hold volume up and down and power.
Re-insert the battery
When the phone goes black release the power button...
Check the bible, the thread is there...
Hopefully those steps work for you as well.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
I say build the jig. I did, and it was painless. Plus, if you happen to brick again, youve got a damn good chance of saving it. Its a valuable tool to have. Once you get it built, you can have your phone back exactly as it was before within the hour (for me at least), assuming you made a backup at some point.
some people may not want to build a jig?
i did and it was painful since i was new to everything but now it is like moderate
but the warranty will give u a new phone???
does anyone not see the bright side on this?
It's hardware locked too, by the way. So I can't really do anything about it unless I get a replacement or make a jig.
Thanks for the input.
have you tried pulling the battery, holding up and down and then plugging in usb?
mo0se said:
have you tried pulling the battery, holding up and down and then plugging in usb?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I've pretty much tried everything. It's all locked up, software and hardware. I screwed it up pretty bad...
Alanrocks15 said:
some people may not want to build a jig?
i did and it was painful since i was new to everything but now it is like moderate
but the warranty will give u a new phone???
does anyone not see the bright side on this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but theres also a bright side to learning new, useful things.
Also, while I understand it will get him a new phone, the warranty is void once you've rooted your phone. Sure, T-mobile isnt going to take any direct action and just send him a new phone, but the fact of the matter is, they know people do this. This is exactly why you are seeing a lot of new Android phones lately that have measures in place to prevent rooting.
I dont know in what way it was painful for you, but I also had never touched a soldering iron in my life before this, and it really wasn't that hard. Honestly, I feel like if your going to be messing around with your phone to the point that you brick it, you should take some responsibility and learn how to fix it before making someone else pay for it. I had a very similar problem to the OP, and I learned how to fix it myself, and now I feel much better equipped for any issues that may come in the future.
since you asked by posting this thread, my opinion:
you bricked the phone right? yourself; no one else, not t-mobile? Assuming so, make the jig and take responsibility.
all of these people bricking their phone and then using the warranty (not talking about insurance some pay for) are part of the reason phones are the price they are. and they are likely to go up
so do everything you can to fix the phone yourself instead of lying and getting a replacement for free
this is probably not what you want to hear, but you posted on a forum asking for opinions. take responsibility for your own actions as I dont want to pay (end the end we will all pay higher phone prices) for your mistakes
good luck
kboater said:
since you asked by posting this thread, my opinion:
you bricked the phone right? yourself; no one else, not t-mobile? Assuming so, make the jig and take responsibility.
all of these people bricking their phone and then using the warranty (not talking about insurance some pay for) are part of the reason phones are the price they are. and they are likely to go up
so do everything you can to fix the phone yourself instead of lying and getting a replacement for free
this is probably not what you want to hear, but you posted on a forum asking for opinions. take responsibility for your own actions as I dont want to pay (end the end we will all pay higher phone prices) for your mistakes
good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very well said. I think the OP has a sense of responsibility, since he even considered the jig as an option.
I think the lesson is that nothing is free, and we all pay the price in some form or another.
I actually decided to order the jig materials online tonight since I'm not really in a rush to have my phone restored right away. Work seems to be dull, so I probably won't be getting any calls for meetings.
Sounds good man, hope it works out great for you. I was in the same boat, for a different reason. My phone couldnt handle overclocking, froze during a flash, and then I find out my phone is hardware locked. I bought my phone from craigslist though so I didnt even have the option of a warranty replacement.
Either way, now youll have a life-saver if you ever brick it again, and for any other Vibrant you may have down the line.

[Q] Root/unroot to exchange phone with tmobile

i posted this in another thread, but its already on page 2 of that forum so id rather get my answer here.
Specs
-i have a vibrant for tmobile.
-rooted.
-phone has to be 2 months old, hardly used. still had stickers on camera.
my questions
-if i use the unroot technique posted earlier, will i have any problems with tmobile and unroot? show any signs?
-does any one have tmobile thats done an exchange under warranty with a rooted/unrooted vibrant??
-i have a dent on the chrome frame around the screen, nothing else...will this effect the warranty?
that dent pissed me off, ive been USING the phone for like 5 days? i havent been on this forum long.
so i wanna use a warranty exchange, say my mms or something is acting silly, and get a new one.
let me know.
Bizumppppp
Bizumppppppppppppppp
lack of response probably is due to having not a F'ing clue what you are asking.
whats wrong with your phone?
why can't you unroot it? Use OCLF in the market if you are having issues.
why would use of the phone (dent) hender warranty for a valid claim... assuming you have one?
If I unroot it, will tmobile accept it and not be voided???
Im asking because my dent is pissing me off and I wanna send it in to tomobile w a lame excuse that my mms is messed up
In one sentence, if I unroot my vibrant, will tmobile void my warranty?
So you dented your phone and are going to report a fake issue in order to get a phone without the dent you put there.
Okay....
Perhaps you should have a real issue so when they get your phone they dont charge you for the one they sent you.
PS, I am not going to help you fraud samsung/tmobile, maybe others will.
Buy a phone case. That should fix it.
If you are going to scam them, then nobody here can change your mind. Same goes for people who brick their phone, and do a warranty exchange. In the long run, it hurts everyone, causes prices to go up, and causes more stringent return policies.
If you go through with your scam, why don't you spend 16 bucks on a t-mobile silicon case for the replacement vibrant, so next time you don't dent your phone.
bye
ps... to answer your question, I think using ODIN with the 512 pit and tar should get you back to stock. Not sure though if they can tell you rooted before, ask someone else.
Would using odin put him back to stock, or would they still know he rooted before?
Unrooting your phone will keep your warranty intact, but that dent (depending how big it is) is not covered with warranty because its physical damage. When they receive your phone they inspect it and you can get charged an out of warranty fee which is near $250-300ish for a vibrant. T-Mobile will not let you dispute this charge either because all the phones are individually inspected.
Also, claiming an issue with the mms is not the best reason for a warranty exchange because mms issues are network related 9 times out of 10.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Im not trying to scam them.
Whatsoever wrong w having a new phone w a dent on it, and just trying to get it replaced???
When I had a blackberry. I told tmobile some issues I had w the phone and thhey had no problem sending me a refurbished phone.
Now, when I try and do the same w the vibrant, im wrong????
Come on now, if u guys dont take advantage of that luxaryy, ESPECIALLY a 500$$ piece of equipment, then ima say ur wrong
I paid good money to get a phone that gets dented in my pocket???
No thank you.
Not to be rude an all, but all I had to do was ignore or answer me.
Ty
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
I would say that returning a phone that works fine because of a dent is wasteful. Buy a case from amazon for a couple of bucks and it'll cover the dent just fine. And if dents and scratches are going to bother you that much then take better care of it.
murdamo305 said:
I paid good money to get a phone that gets dented in my pocket???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you dented it and want another. Ok Capt. Entitlement.
How about treating your things better or taking some responsibility when you don't. I'm well aware it's a $500 piece of equipment and I treat it as such.
When you're old enough to buy a car are you going to take it back to the dealer when you dent it? They'll laugh in your face.
lololol
MY car is older than YOU. lololol
guaranteed
yea, i ****ed up and dented it, cool..... u ****ed up and made her get an abortion, woopty-doo
i dont see whats wrong in what im doing???
i smell hate, and its strong....
if see advantages and opportunities, guess what??? ima take it and run like a crack head.
Root/unroot to exchange phone with tmobile
Just do it and see what happens. Let us know. I had a problem with a phone that the USB plugged in kept intermittently come on. Not good called TMobile has a new phone in three days. But i had a legitimation problem not a scratch or bump.. I don't think TMobile will exchange. Unroot phone then go in sd and delete update or anything that shows Young tried to put a rom on phone. Mer I'de get a cover.
i got my casemate case.
but the day i ordered it, is the day i dented it.
OF COURSE ima get pissed.
like i said, i did it like 5 times with a blackberry curve. not once did they hassle me.
so i dont see why it would be a problem with a phone thats less than a year old.

My friend water damaged my phone

My friend water damaged my phone but it works fine, the battery was the only problem.
However, the liquid indicator of the phone turned white from red, indicating that its water damaged and i heard I lost my warranty because of it.
Is there anyway to restore the 6month warranty that i had by payment or how can my friend compensate me?
Seriously? If he is really your friend, and not some random dude, it should be easy for you guys to sort it out without asking here. Just sayin'... However, in my opinion, if nothing is broken, there is nothing to compensate, plain and simple. A new battery and an apology for clumsiness should do. Having a warranty doesn't mean you'll use it -- if something actually happens in these 6 months, and you need your phone serviced, you may have something to discuss with your friend. And if you live 6 months without incident, who gives a crap whether your phone is under warranty or not...
Unfortunately, there is no way of restoring the warranty on the phone. Some stores (e.g. The Source) provide extended coverage against water damage, however that is limited to a single occurrence, and the phone is usually replaced if it is no longer functioning.
As for your question on compensation- I personally think that if it was an accident that the best thing you can do is to forgive him; accidents happen and holding a grudge will get you nowhere. If it was on purpose? Then once again, there are worse things that could happen, you can decide to forgive him or not to. There's no right answer to your question.
Is he a good friend?
Is his mother good looking?.
"noob ok...lazy noob not ok"
I'm afraid Samsung's warranty doesn't cover idiot friends (they'd go broke if it did). But I know someone who can beat your friend up for $50 if you like ?
Simple solution ......ask yr friend to buy yr phone period
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Re: My friend water damaged my phone,
Try this, http://www.squaretrade.com/
I heard they're pretty good. (not advertising, just trying to help)

[Q] Dead memory, rooted, warranty?

Hello kind and helpful people of XDA.
I am currently looking for some help regarding warranty on my recently diseased Galaxy S2 (SN: i9100GSMH).
Story:
I dropped it on a wooden floor while it was on. The OS kept chugging along, but would only open apps that was already in RAM after the incident.
Noticing trouble, I immediately thought a reboot would fix all my problems. Now it seems the internal memory is dead.
Now I'm trying to make it eligible for warranty, at least by removing the traces of root and unsafe kernel.
I figure that even though I'm sending it in because of a physical defect, they will send it back immediately because of the unsupported firmware.
Symptoms:
I can't enter recovery mode.
I can't boot the OS. It gets stuck on the Siyah kernel logo (big root giveaway, I want it gone).
I can't write to NAND neither through Odin nor Kies (Kies doesn't even connect).
I can enter Download Mode, but of course it shows that I have a custom binary installed. My install count is 1.
Do I have any options? I've heard of some JTAG method that would be able to at least reset the counter (as far as I understand). Is this true?
Regarding the warranty: I am not referring to the standard warranty.
I've paid big cash for a warranty/insurance that covers accidents. My brother dropped his LG Optimus X2 in the toilet, returned it to the exact same store with the exact same type of warranty and got a new one.
With a service like this at hand I really want to try anything to make it eligible for warranty(/insurance).
I have never used my root permissions in any harmful way. I only did it because of the AdFree app, and my favourite ROM DiLiDroid.
I've had great success with rooting and installing various software on my old SE Xperia X1 and HTC Desire (they aren't dead yet, and are my current backup phones),
so I thought it wouldn't hurt with the GS2. Seems I'm paying the price now :crying:
Thank you very much for your time!
If anyone can help me, I'll definitely buy you a beer or a cup of coffee!
Well, an usb jig will reset the binary counter.
About the siyah animaton boot....yakes, if your nand is damaged you'll have to brick it (with a pit file no one is gonna know what the hell you've done with your device).
Then again, have you even tried to make the pc to see the phone? It's worth the try.
Sent from the little guy
Nobody here can do or say anything about any warranty. Anyone claiming the same is lying to you.
If this warranty of yours covers accidents & you had an 'accident', send it in & see what happens. You're not going to get the certainty you're looking for from anyone on an internet forum.
If the phone won't boot, there isn't anything further you can do with it.
I've just read all the little details about my insurance.
It covers liquid damage, screen fractures and other physical accidents one time a year, so I guess I have to give it a whirl in the toilet.
Hopefully that will kill the traces.
The jig sounds like a must have for anyone tinkering with root. Thanks for confirming my theory.
I will definitely crawl the net for one. Special electronics 'equipment' is hard to come by here in Denmark, and I don't think I have the required solder skills to make one myself.
I do find this guide very helpful though: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1604707
This also sounds like the best way to go about this situation, as I can be totally honest about the reason for my phone not working anymore.
Thank you for your time!
If you're gonna flush it, do it right
S2 are hardcore muthaf***ers, they don't die easy. Make sure it doesn't boot after spending 2 days in a bucket of rice.
Sent from the little guy
I realize this as my device has been through some terrible things.
I've ordered a USB Jig, costing about 10$ in total, it should arrive on Wednesday.
If it works I'll be a very happy man as I won't have to lie about the actual defect.:victory:

[Q] Broken screen already

So I'm sending in my phone already to get the screen fixed, which broke by some weird accident. But I have unlocked, rooted and all that jazz. I know HTC is going to wipe my phone when they get it, but do you think I'd have any issue because I have modified the recovery? I restored back to the stock rom with nothing installed except SuperSU. I could understand if I had a problem with the hardware in the phone itself, but they should have no reason not to fix my broken screen which has nothing to do with firmware or unlocking. I've already reset the phone myself which has no personal information. I haven't even set up my google account on it.
I think reports have been mixed on whether HTC honors the screen replacement warranty on modded phones (bootloader unlocked, etc). Return the device to as close to stock as possible, and hope for the best is probably all you can do.
One person on here has mentioned that while the "regular" device warranty mentions that modding the phone may void the warranty; the "add-on" screen replacement warranty does not make any mention of this. So that may be an point of argument in your favor.
I will HOPE as hard as I can. Might have to shell out $200 at the local repair shop. It would bother me though if it was rejected and all I want fixed is the screen, they have no buisness messing with my phone other than testing to make sure the screen works.
HTC will fix the screen either way, the warranty question just determines whether they charge you or not. I think the charge is $250 if the warranty is not honored. So not much more than your local shop is going to charge. Plus, I think taking the phone apart is tricky, so I'd probably trust HTC to do it more than a local vendor. I've seen some real hack jobs on the One X (which is polycarbonate not metal, but similarly difficult to disassemble) by random repair shops. Although of course the quality of workmanship by repair shops will vary, and I'm sure there are plenty of good ones out there.
HTC is refusing to replace my screen even though I flashed the stock ATT RUU back on the device. They claim that they can't test the Screen panel after it's been replaced because "security is off" on the device. I called them out on it and they have been going back and forth with the engineering department and repairs and still claim that because the security is off they can't replace the screen because they can't test it. But if I pay $290 they'll replace the main board as well. I even had to agree to try a partial repair and still no.
isn't the diagnostic tool a dialer pad code they enter?
I been on hold for 45minutes now waiting to talk to someone...
absalonprieto said:
HTC is refusing to replace my screen even though I flashed the stock ATT RUU back on the device. They claim that they can't test the Screen panel after it's been replaced because "security is off" on the device. I called them out on it and they have been going back and forth with the engineering department and repairs and still claim that because the security is off they can't replace the screen because they can't test it. But if I pay $290 they'll replace the main board as well. I even had to agree to try a partial repair and still no.
isn't the diagnostic tool a dialer pad code they enter?
I been on hold for 45minutes now waiting to talk to someone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
any update on what happened bro?
i heard that if you tell them the screen was cracked due to physical damage and clearly no software installed on the phone had any impact on the screen cracking they would fix it... im currently on a fuzz not sure what to do, i cracked my screen earlier today =(
Just a word of advice and I know everyone is different but I always wait until my devices are out of warranty before I do any modding. That's just me because I don't have the time to deal with the stuff you're going through. Anyway this is the first devise that I’ve not wanted to start modding right after I got it. Yes, it’s that good IMO.
Good luck I hope you get it resolved without too much expense.
HRodMusic said:
any update on what happened bro?
i heard that if you tell them the screen was cracked due to physical damage and clearly no software installed on the phone had any impact on the screen cracking they would fix it... im currently on a fuzz not sure what to do, i cracked my screen earlier today =(
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
still refused to fix it, they refused to give me a credible answer just that because security was disabled from the device they couldn't do it.
I would say make sure you enable S-Off and are back to an offical Rom, that might improve your chances of getting it partially repaired.
I flat out told them, I didn't like their lack of transparency and would be putting the phone on craigslist and buying any other device that wasn't HTC.
a bit petty but made me feel better.
Just to chime in here and share my experience. My display became messed up either through being damaged internally, or having the data cable come loose, etc. No cracks or any visible external damage at all. Anyway, phone was unlocked, rooted, running a custom ROM, and S-Off. Since the phone was less than six months old I shipped it back to HTC for replacement under warranty. Before I shipped the original I returned it to stock via RUU and re-locked the bootloader, but left it S-Off. HTC has just shipped me back a replacement without any hassle at all. Total cost to me was $19 for expedited shipping. I should point out that other than the ugly display my phone was functional - touch screen and all. But it does seem from my experience that HTC will still honor the warranty on modified devices if the failure is clearly hardware related, as mine was. BTW, I unlocked through HTC, so they could have checked if they wanted to.
I might try resetting security and sending it back again. I did a rather half added job last time. I was worried about the replacement option because that might have generated a charge to my credit card. Did you have to put a credit card on hold?
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
So, I received my phone back yesterday, and couldn't help but notice a huge crack going from top to bottom of the phone. This crack wasn't there before , Originally the screen had been badly scratched. I tried to open a ticket again to replace, and they say that due to "negligent use" (Bootloader unlocked/Security OFF) my phone is now fully out of warranty. I told them this is ridiculous, I'm not asking for a new phone; I just want my screen repaired under HTC Advantage, and need this escalated. Hoping to get a call from a manager today. I'm very unhappy with HTC.
This seems like a magnuson moss act violation. Thoughts?
absalonprieto said:
I might try resetting security and sending it back again. I did a rather half added job last time. I was worried about the replacement option because that might have generated a charge to my credit card. Did you have to put a credit card on hold?
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did not have to put a credit card on hold because I shipped them my device first and have just done without for a week or so. I think you only have to make a credit card deposit if they ship you a device first.
absalonprieto said:
So, I received my phone back yesterday, and couldn't help but notice a huge crack going from top to bottom of the phone. This crack wasn't there before , Originally the screen had been badly scratched. I tried to open a ticket again to replace, and they say that due to "negligent use" (Bootloader unlocked/Security OFF) my phone is now fully out of warranty. I told them this is ridiculous, I'm not asking for a new phone; I just want my screen repaired under HTC Advantage, and need this escalated. Hoping to get a call from a manager today. I'm very unhappy with HTC.
This seems like a magnuson moss act violation. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More discussion about the screen warranty here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2767547&page=14
Of particular interest is Post #139, which says the HTC rep claims S-off prevents access to the video calibration tool (sounds kinda made-up to me). Then later in Post #146, HTC appears to backpedal a bit, and offer the free replacement if the customer agrees to take "full responsibility" if there are issues with the motherboard later.
Thought I was going to have to use HTC Advantage today when I dropped my phone on my hardwood floor. It landed perfect on the screen and made an awful smacking sound. I just sat there in disbelief scared to pick it up. When I did everything was A-OK.
Hope you get this straighten out. Good luck.

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