Problem with SGSII, maybe brick - Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

A friend of mine came to me today and showed me his SGSII to fix it for him but I`ve never seen this isue, maybe you folks can help. He tried to flash the phone from ODIN and failed, most probably he done it wrong. The only thing the phone does is displaying an icon in the middle of the screen with a phone and a PC and an exclamation point in between them. I can`t get it to enter in download mode (volume down+home+power) and I can`t start it eather. It just stays at that icon. Kies is not recognizing the phone although the drivers are installed. When I pluged the phone for the first time in the PC it automatically instaled 2 drivers and that was it. Is it bricked? I haven`t seen this before.
The phone is an SGS 2 model GT-I9100G, ssn I9100GGSMH.
Has any of you seen this? Can it be repaired? Thanx.

Ok big big certainty this guy has flashed i9100 firmware on a i9100G .
jje

I also find that Odin can see the phone. It`s probably a good thing I guess. But I can`t flash a firmware. It fails. Should I try to flash something else?
It`s still showing the same icon on the screen.
Ok, I`ll find a 9100G firmware and try to flash that, see what happens.

Ok, I`m back it`s not good it still fails at writing the firmware I`ve tried with I9100GXXLB1_I9100GXEFLB1_I9100GXXKL4_HOME.tar.md5 firmware from Samsung site and it`s for I9100G model. Any ideas? Please help. Can I flash a bootloader or something?
Here is the error bellow:
LE. It doesn`t seem to be able to write the nand I guess.

i remember that i faced this proplem before , and i think i flashed a custom kernel , then i was able to go to recovery , and i tried alot of kernels and cant flash any one expect one custom kernel , so try more than one
hope that i helped
sorry for my english

Make sure Kies/any of it's processes aren't running in Windoze task manager, if they are, kill them. Try different USB cables, particularly the one that came with the phone if you're not using it. Try different USB ports (must use a 'powered'/mainboard port). Try different versions of Odin (search for the others). Uninstall Kies, reboot, re-download/reinstall Kies (for the drivers), reboot & try again.
Check/test the download for corruption, Windoze apps like 7Zip, IZarc, WinRar & others will allow you to test the archive you download. If a test shows any files are corrupt/damaged, bad download. Try downloading using a different internet connection if it keeps happening.
Finally, try a different PC.
Could be a case of stuffed up NAND, tho you can still get into DL mode (I presume ?) so you should be able to fix it unless the NAND is scrambled.

I`ve found something, can you confirm? Here: http://ok-interesting.blogspot.com/2012/02/repair-your-bricked-i9100g.html
The icon is just like in that picture. He said it should be flashed a pit file to the phone and repartion check, along with the firmware. But his download link is not working. Can someone give me the corect pit file please?

I did it! Damn I`m happy. You must flash the right pit file toghether with the right firmware of course and not forgething repartition. Pit was: omap4_all_20110627_emmc.pit and firmware was: I9100GXXLB1_I9100GXEFLB1_I9100GXXKL4_HOME.tar.md5
Thas`s it! Phew, that was close.

Flash Siyahs Kernel with Odin and clear data cache dalvik cache and try it again... Very easy xD a friend had the same problem like ur friend
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

Kaffee4Eck said:
Flash Siyahs Kernel with Odin and clear data cache dalvik cache and try it again... Very easy xD a friend had the same problem like ur friend
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Clearly you did not read the whole thread, nor did you read GokhanMoral's thread on his kernel (Siyah).
The borked phone above is an I9100G. Siyah does NOT work with the I9100G.
Besides, the guy already solved his problem, so thankfully he didn't have to potentially use your faulty information.

Yeah, no worry though, I had some experience in the past with SGS but didn't know that a single letter in phone's model could put your ass in another boat. It seems that my friend didn't knew that either. I've warned him for the future not to flash other roms that are not specific for his model, even moded ones. It seems he wanted to flash ICS for his device but clearly there is none available for his model for now, maybe later.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

catanzaro27 said:
Yeah, no worry though, I had some experience in the past with SGS but didn't know that a single letter in phone's model could put your ass in another boat. It seems that my friend didn't knew that either. I've warned him for the future not to flash other roms that are not specific for his model, even moded ones. It seems he wanted to flash ICS for his device but clearly there is none available for his model for now, maybe later.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup. To make it even more confusing, sometimes the letter matters, but doesn't matter.
I9100T (Telstra optimized) and I9100P (NFC enabled) have the same SoC/chipset along with other identical hardware, so they can use I9100 firmware and kernels. But if you flash an I9100 firmware, it will require some work to get them fully functional again.
I9100G cannot use any of the above three, because it has a different SoC/chipset.
There are also numerous other I910x models that I don't know full details on (e.g. I9108, which sounds like it is a close cousin to the I9100G).
To make it even worse, in addition to THAT there are also multiple other models of "Galaxy SII" that have completely DIFFERENT model numbers, like SGH-I777, SGH-I727, SGH-T989, SPH-D710... all with their own firmwares and kernels.
Nice and confusing, eh?

I9100T is sold by several carriers other than Telstra. It essentially has a lower SAR value than the I9100 which makes it better/more suited to use on 850mhz networks.
It is for all intensive purposes exactly the same as the I9100 (no difference in firmware whatsoever), except modems specifically for the I9100T usually (not always/not with all networks/not in all locations) tend to work best with this model (tho you can use I9100 modems with it quite successfully in many instances).

Ah, didn't know that about the T model. The majority of people (that I've noticed, anyways) with this model were on Telstra. Or had to flash a Telstra modem to get decent signal maybe, so I assumed they were on Telstra?

Related

[Q] [HELP] SGS II GT-i9100 won't boot (soft brick?)

Hey guys need some help. I've gone through as much of the forums as possible and still trying to resolve this without having to send it away.
My brother's SGS II has the following symptoms:
-turns on and stays at the SGS II GT-i9100 screen (will not change)
-phone can enter download and recovery modes
-when phone is plugged in to charge the battery symbol will not show that it's charging then continue to the SGS II GT-i9100 screen...then back to the battery icon (and loop)
-attempts to reflash anything will either be successful or fail in ODIN but still results in the 1st issue above.
What should I try next?
Hi,
your searching skills are enormous
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1108499
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1457458
..
wow they are sticked
*edit*
fullwipe - flash via CWM Recovery, thats what i would try
greetz
Are you using pit file when you flash with odin ? could be partition problem so using pit would fix that
Please don't tell people to flash pit files unless you know for absolute certain their problem (which at this stage is vague/undiagnosed; I.E we don't know what the problem is exactly) will be fixed by flashing a pit.
(You should know) flashing a pit can permanently bork a phone if that isn't what's wrong with the phone :-|
Thanks for the sarcasm my friend but when I say i've gone through most of the forum as possible I meant I've tried both those fixes to no avail...thanks anyway though :good:
leechseed said:
Hi,
your searching skills are enormous
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1108499
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1457458
..
wow they are sticked
*edit*
fullwipe - flash via CWM Recovery, thats what i would try
greetz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah right now I haven't gone any pit routes yet. I've gone through both boot/bricked guides and right now it's a wash...hell i'm getting a loop between the battery screen and GT-i9100 screen now.
MistahBungle said:
Please don't tell people to flash pit files unless you know for absolute certain their problem (which at this stage is vague/undiagnosed; I.E we don't know what the problem is exactly) will be fixed by flashing a pit.
(You should know) flashing a pit can permanently bork a phone if that isn't what's wrong with the phone :-|
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK. What we really need to know is exactly what's been done to the phone. Every little detail (important). From before it started acting up till now. Time to interrogate your brother & find out exactly what he's been doing with/to the phone.
The more info we get the better the chance you don't have to blindly flash that recovery package in the 2nd thread Leechseed linked to with the pit file & hope it works without knowing exactly what/why is wrong with the phone.
He was doing an upgrade to the Omega rom I believe (sorry I'm a galaxy 1 guy so I'm not familiar with the s2 roms). It was flashed succesfully but once it rebooted that was all she wrote...phone just sat there at the GT-i9100 screen.
So at this point we've tried the ICS recovery, the ginerbread recovery and the i9100M recovery (that's the version he has). All the 1 file tars will run through successfully but the ones with the multiple files (phone, csc, pda) will hang up in odin on the DATAFS:
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm235/sirknattar/Untitled.jpg
MistahBungle said:
OK. What we really need to know is exactly what's been done to the phone. Every little detail (important). From before it started acting up till now. Time to interrogate your brother & find out exactly what he's been doing with/to the phone.
The more info we get the better the chance you don't have to blindly flash that recovery package in the 2nd thread Leechseed linked to with the pit file & hope it works without knowing exactly what/why is wrong with the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's some details missing somewhere. It just doesn't make sense for a phone to do that upgrading a rom under normal circumstances. So you have two choices essentially given you've already tried the obvious. You could send it in for warranty service, hope they don't care it's been messed with & repair it. Tho there's obviously a better than even chance you will end up paying for it (not unreasonably).
Or I guess you could flash whatever recovery package from that thread with the PIT file & hope that fixes whatever is wrong with it. Obviously if it doesn't that makes it certain you're either sending it to Samsung/an authorised repairer (quite possibly for repair at your expense, unless they don't notice/care), or to a 3rd party repairer (again at your expense; might be cheaper than Samsung if they decide to charge you for the repair).
Given the info you've provided, there's absolutely no clues whatsoever as to what caused it to happen. Unless someone else reads the thread & has other ideas. Might want to hold off on the PIT for a while & see if someone else does have other ideas given that's pretty much a final step.
Doing the .pit and re-partition as we speak and hangs up on the exact spot...DATAFS (data.img). *sigh*
I'm going to try the bootloader option next. I know my bro says he's done it already but I want to be sure. Thanks for your help man.
MistahBungle said:
There's some details missing somewhere. It just doesn't make sense for a phone to do that upgrading a rom under normal circumstances. So you have two choices essentially given you've already tried the obvious. You could send it in for warranty service, hope they don't care it's been messed with & repair it. Tho there's obviously a better than even chance you will end up paying for it (not unreasonably).
Or I guess you could flash whatever recovery package from that thread with the PIT file & hope that fixes whatever is wrong with it. Obviously if it doesn't that makes it certain you're either sending it to Samsung/an authorised repairer (quite possibly for repair at your expense, unless they don't notice/care), or to a 3rd party repairer (again at your expense; might be cheaper than Samsung if they decide to charge you for the repair).
Given the info you've provided, there's absolutely no clues whatsoever as to what caused it to happen. Unless someone else reads the thread & has other ideas. Might want to hold off on the PIT for a while & see if someone else does have other ideas given that's pretty much a final step.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
here's another note...when flashing bootloader it comes up into the recovery screen and says "E: failed to mount /data (unknown error: 0)
trying a format data/system
MistahBungle said:
There's some details missing somewhere. It just doesn't make sense for a phone to do that upgrading a rom under normal circumstances. So you have two choices essentially given you've already tried the obvious. You could send it in for warranty service, hope they don't care it's been messed with & repair it. Tho there's obviously a better than even chance you will end up paying for it (not unreasonably).
Or I guess you could flash whatever recovery package from that thread with the PIT file & hope that fixes whatever is wrong with it. Obviously if it doesn't that makes it certain you're either sending it to Samsung/an authorised repairer (quite possibly for repair at your expense, unless they don't notice/care), or to a 3rd party repairer (again at your expense; might be cheaper than Samsung if they decide to charge you for the repair).
Given the info you've provided, there's absolutely no clues whatsoever as to what caused it to happen. Unless someone else reads the thread & has other ideas. Might want to hold off on the PIT for a while & see if someone else does have other ideas given that's pretty much a final step.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MistahBungle said:
Please don't tell people to flash pit files unless you know for absolute certain their problem (which at this stage is vague/undiagnosed; I.E we don't know what the problem is exactly) will be fixed by flashing a pit.
(You should know) flashing a pit can permanently bork a phone if that isn't what's wrong with the phone :-|
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems I must have been lucky over the last 24 months having flashed 100's of times with Odin and pit file on SGS 1, 2 and 3 and not bricked 1 yet in fact I've never known anyone brick an SGS flashing a rom with pit other phones maybe but not SGS's
yeah i'm comfortable with flashing pit files due to my weekly rom addiciton from my SGS/cappy hahaha
Anyway I may be experiencing that corrupt SD card issue i've been reading about...not sure.
sminky01 said:
Seems I must have been lucky over the last 24 months having flashed 100's of times with Odin and pit file on SGS 1, 2 and 3 and not bricked 1 yet in fact I've never known anyone brick an SGS flashing a rom with pit other phones maybe but not SGS's
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why dont you just try to flash a Stock Rom??
I would try that first - wipe - flash Stock (via CWM)
I always used the ONE file package of Roms and never had any probs..
Why on earth are you re partitioning with Odin? You know Odin isn't build for the S II, and the re-partitioning it does is for the Nexus or something. IE using Odin to re partition an S II royally ****s it. Flashing a PIT might work but why don't you just start at a logical place, before going out and doing a full manual JTAG on your phone with a pair of pliers, some masking tape and a bunsen burner, why don't you do the obvious. Which is update your Odin, uninstall Kies and reinstall it for the Samsung drivers, check the USB etc. something is clearly going wrong during the flash process despite it being "successful". Failing that, take it back to the shop, if your phone isn't a £500 paper weight by the time you read this, just apply for a new one. Make sure you erase any evidence of you messing around with it and return it.
sirknattar said:
He was doing an upgrade to the Omega rom I believe (sorry I'm a galaxy 1 guy so I'm not familiar with the s2 roms). It was flashed succesfully but once it rebooted that was all she wrote...phone just sat there at the GT-i9100 screen.
So at this point we've tried the ICS recovery, the ginerbread recovery and the i9100M recovery (that's the version he has). All the 1 file tars will run through successfully but the ones with the multiple files (phone, csc, pda) will hang up in odin on the DATAFS:
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm235/sirknattar/Untitled.jpg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem might be the Omega rom ??? is it compatible with I9100M series or just the I9100 the M could be the clue to the flash failing same as when Samsung released the I9100G and people who flashed that got screwed up with the incorrect bootloaders since the hardware is different in the I9100 and I9100G same problem might exist with I9100M
Thanks for everyone's help and suggestions. I've got a vague idea of the problem now and it's being sent back to Samsung for warranty (after I clear it with the JIG).
try to do the following.
1-flash any gingerbread CF kernel via odin
2-boot into recovery mode
3- wipe everything under mounts and storage including system partition
4-reboot into download mode
5-try to flash the CM9 Resurrection Edition
hope this helps mate. mine just emmc bricked on me, with the crappy LQ5 samsung firmware and had to RMA the bastard.
check ur pm mate

S3 Recovered from death

Hello guys. I will try to describe my issue very short:
My S3 got bricked a couple of days ago where i did a "NAND FLASH" (yes i am stupid, and i dont know why i did it)
I managed to get my S3 up and running with different firmware, pit, modem, boot files. Now its running STOCK official firmware from S3 without root, and without clockwork...
The S3 is completely stock now, but my issue is:
1. I tried 4 different computers: WIndows XP, Windows 7, MAC etc. but none of them recognize my phone when i attached it, and yes the drivers are installed and i have tried different cables
2. The phone is very laggy and reboots without reason
Conclusion. I think there is something missing in the system files but i have tried every firmware (CYANOGEN too,) but the phone seems to have changed. I think there is a system android file that is still corrupt somewhere or the NAND has been affected by zombies
Please guys... i hope you can help me. -
Test the memory, search here in q&a for the app. I'd guess you have damaged the nand, which will require a motherboard replacement.
you can root using exynos abuse apk. it can be downloaded by qr code reader or directly from phone .after rooting you can use mobile odin to flash the stock rom . this requires no cable or connection to a pc. but first check the memory as boomboomer suggests. if it is damaged you might be able to replace with warranty. good luck
Memory test said "Test has passed" so i think the results are OK?
Ashraf: As i told before: I am already running stock firmware. The phone reboots by it self some times
Any other solutions?
Try the memory test from the freezing thread, if that passes then flash the stock rom again, make sure the csc in the rom matches your country and you have the right modem and RIL either included in the rom or flashed afterward.
Test fully before you log into Google or restore/install any apps. Remove the sd card during this testing.
hi
i had same problem.solved.see this post
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2285736
mostafaz said:
hi
i had same problem.solved.see this post
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2285736
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello mostafaz... i dont know how to thank you but you solved my issue! I really really appreciate your help and for the solution!
It could be great if we had a database with the official PIT/PHONE etc. files :laugh:
Once again: Thank you!:good::good:
you are welcome
glad to hear u solved ur issue.
i wanna try many stock rom and have no fear ready for new problems

[Q] The variables in ROM flashing

Hey all!
Wanting to upgrade my firmware from ICS to Jelly Bean (as a definite noob, though having flashed firmwares before) I opened Odin and added what I considered the correct .tar file from Sammobile in the PDA field. In short, it failed and I thought I had a new brick*. Following Phistacio's guide to fixing an unflashable GSII I've now got my phone back (woohoo!!), but am stupid enough to want to give it another go!
My question really, is what could have gone wrong, and more largely, what are the variable errors that us noobs make when trying to flash? I'm using Odin, but it seems using a CWM (is this the correct term?!) might now be the chosen route to flashing?
I'm rooted, on an unlocked GSII, recently moved from O2 to Everything Everywhere (T-Mob), currently using an O2 issued ICS, stock kernel and tried flashing Jelly Bean from Sammobile.
So what's critical here? Is my carrier relevant? Is it not possible to go from some firmwares to others? Do I need a different kernel for some firmwares? Or is my mistake in thinking it's as straight forward as I'd like, when in fact all the above make a critical difference in which firmware I can flash, and therefore I should stop trying??!
Thanks in advance for any light you can shed!
*I think I was softbricked - could enter download mode but not recovery, flashing would hang on either "Nand write start!!" or Sbl.bin or Cache.img.
my two cents
Hi joelinit,
First of all, should congratulate you on taking the first step of flashing the roms..
Second, good you got an issue while flashing. It helps you understand the intricacies better once you try to solve it yourself.
You need not worry about the brick. Try flashing back to stock rom available from sammobile using Odin(3.04). (United Kingdom (O2) 2013 March 4.1.2 PDA-I9100XWLSD CSC-I9100O2ULS7). Yes carrier is important as Modem file differs based on which carrier you use.
This will fix the recovery and will get you on stock JellyBean.
but it seems using a CWM (is this the correct term?!) might now be the chosen route to flashing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CWM is clockworkmod recovery which provides options for flashing custom roms(CM10, SlimRom, NeatRom etc, there are so many).
So what's critical here? Is my carrier relevant? Is it not possible to go from some firmwares to others? Do I need a different kernel for some firmwares? Or is my mistake in thinking it's as straight forward as I'd like, when in fact all the above make a critical difference in which firmware I can flash, and therefore I should stop trying??!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Searching in sammobile for firmwares you will find different firmwares for different carriers. You can flash a UK firmware for some other country, but might have issues with call reception, 3G connectivity, etc. as the modem files are different.
It is possible to go from some firmwares to others.
Stock Roms come with Stock Kernels. When you flash a ROM, kernel will remain the same.
You need to change kernels if your phone is consuming too much battery, crashes etc. This normally happens after flashing custom roms as the kernel is not capable enough to handle the updates in the rom.
Dont stop trying, you will love your phone, once you start flashing the awesome roms,kernels found in xda.
Cheers,
Maddy
Galaxy S2 || CM10.1 nightly 4.2.2 || Dorimanx 9.24
Most of the above is good advice. ....apart from the kernel bit.......
All custom roms and firmwares come with their own optimised kernels. These kernels get flashed during the rom/firmware flash. You can choose to install a custom kernel after you have flashed your chosen rom/fw. Custom kernels offer more control over your OS. All custom kernels offer cwm or twrp (depending on the kernel) and will root an unrooted phone. Most need to be Odin flashed, but some (PhilZ) can be flashed via stock recovery........
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app
Hey guys! Thanks so much for the friendly replies - I thought I might have got abuse as a noob, possibly asking very repetitve questions!!
So then with my recovered GSII, I decided to give it another blast and, inevitably, it's bricked again! Seems to be the same bahaviour - though instead of hanging on either "Nand write start!!" or Sbl.bin or Cache.img., it's failing on them. And this time, I can't seem to fix it,following Phistacio's guide to fixing an unflashable GSII .
I also tried flashing that firmware you suggested (although as I mentioned, I'm now on T-Mobile, not O2? So also tried T-Mobile's Jelly Bean), though with no success.
To clarify, I've installed Kies, then closed down all Kies processes, started Odin and put the .tar file into the PDA field, left Re-Partition unchecked, with both Auto Reboot and F.Reset Time checked, connected my phone and waited for Odin to recognise it, then pressed Start!
Can you suggest anything obvious that I've done wrong or suggest what I should do next? Thanks so much in advance!
4 things to try.....
Use the original usb cable. ..
Try different usb ports on your pc....
Disable any firewalls......
If you are running windows 7, open odin as an administrator. .....
Oh and a fifth suggestion.....
Try different odin versions...
Edit.....Don't ever flash/select pit
And don't select repartition......
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app
These steps are originally posted by MistahBungle. Follow all these steps, he knows what he's talking about.
*Must run Odin as administrator in Windoze.
*Ensure Kies & it's processes aren't running in Windoze task manager. Kill them if they are.
*Try different USB ports; you must be using a 'powered' or mainboard port.
*Try different USB cables (particularly the cable that came with the phone if you're not using it now)
*Try different versions of Odin (search on here/Google)
*Uninstall Kies, reboot, redownload & reinstall it, reboot, try the flash again.
*Turn off antivirus/antispyware/antimalware.
*Check the rom/kernel you download for corruption. Either check the MD5 sum if you have it (use md5summer or similar), if you don't have the md5 sum or can't check it, programs like 7Zip, IZarc, WinRar, etc will allow you to 'test' the rom file you download. If there are any errors/any of the files fail the test, bad download. Try again/try downloading with a different internet connection if it keeps happening.
*Run Windoze Update.
*And if all these steps fail, try a different PC. And if it won't work first go on a 2nd PC, go thru the above steps on that PC. Still doesn't work ? User error (will be almost impossible to say what given we're not there looking over your shoulder, almost always something very obvious being missed) or borked phone - return to service centre or local mobile shop.
I suspect many cases where people (say) they do all the above & still can't get it to work involve problems with the USB ports on the machines they're using. Something along the lines of the port is unable to maintain a constant connection between PC & phone; if that connection drops for even a millisecond (probably not even long enough to be registered as a broken connection by the PC in the normal way), you end up with a constantly failing flash at best and a bad flash which borks your phone at worst.
Obviously the only way I'd be able to test the theory would be to examine/test a bunch of PC's belonging to people who experience this issue, but I've given this issue a lot of thought over the past 18 mths & it's the best explanation I've got for those instances where people are being completely honest about having tried all the steps over & over and on multiple machines (a very very small % of people, most people either simply don't do every step over & over and say they do, or they forget they've forgotten they did A, B & C but not F) & still find they can't flash successfully (and it isn't a case of the phone being borked).
See how you go with that.
Sent from my GT-I9100: Powered by Dorimanx, running RootBox
Thanks so much for all these useful replies - really was expecting to get fobbed off for my noob questions! What a nice community!
I'll try all the above and report back. I have successfully flashed on this computer before and did manage to restore the phone last time, though perhaps the cable is faulty and slightly intermittent? I'm using the USB port that's connected to the mother board too.
Thanks again...
Quite possible. And impossible to diagnose unless you strip the cable (which is pointless given fixing a $10 cable is a waste of time/effort). Go thru the steps Hopper listed (with multiple PC's if necessary) & definitely try a new cable if you need to. Try to get an original Samsung one if you possibly can; for some reason switching to one magically solves this problem for some people when nothing else seems to work.
joelinit said:
perhaps the cable is faulty and slightly intermittent?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MistahBungle said:
Quite possible. And impossible to diagnose unless you strip the cable (which is pointless given fixing a $10 cable is a waste of time/effort). Go thru the steps Hopper listed (with multiple PC's if necessary) & definitely try a new cable if you need to. Try to get an original Samsung one if you possibly can; for some reason switching to one magically solves this problem for some people when nothing else seems to work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Yeah the cable will be the first thing I'll try changing. It's odd that the flash seems to fail at the same point each time though, kind of implying that it's not an intermitted cable? Unless this particular cable is falling short at those particular functions or something?
Anyway, thanks again - I'm actually kinda enjoying learning about my phone, even though there's the fear it's now a brick!! Fingers crossed that's not the case though...
Well how about that - change the USB cable, and flashes successfully first time round! What a fool! I did also remove the battery/sim for the night and left the sim out during the flash - wonder if that made any difference too?
Thanks so much for all your friendly and helpful replies - I think I'll be sticking around this forum and searching for some custom ROMs to try out!
Happy Wednesdays all...
joelinit said:
Well how about that - change the USB cable, and flashes successfully first time round! What a fool! I did also remove the battery/sim for the night and left the sim out during the flash - wonder if that made any difference too?
Thanks so much for all your friendly and helpful replies - I think I'll be sticking around this forum and searching for some custom ROMs to try out!
Happy Wednesdays all...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good job, glad you got it working keep reading up before you do anything else. The more you read, the better you'll get at all this
Sent from my GT-I9100: Powered by Dorimanx, running RootBox
Hopper8 said:
Good job, glad you got it working keep reading up before you do anything else. The more you read, the better you'll get at all this
Sent from my GT-I9100: Powered by Dorimanx, running RootBox
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will do! Looking forward to exploring new firmwares so will get as clued up as poss! Have now successfully flashed SentinelROM and loving having a "new" phone! Much more exploring to come.
Thanks v.much to all who've helped me in this thread...

[Q] China i9100 tried to root, stuck starting, kernel prob?

Not my first time to root and install a custom rom on other phone, but this phone isn't treating me well.
So I followed the root guides to root the phone.
Downloaded an insecure kernel for i9100. Although, oddly enough, I bought this phone 2nd hand, and when I went to the "about" part for the kernel look up before tried to root it, the kernel info just contained ICS3.?? (forgot) and the date. There was no four or five letter kernel code like I've been seeing. But according to cnet (one of many rooting tutorials), the kernel version doesn't matter as you can change the kernel anytime, or after rooting in this case.
So I installed Kies to get the Samsung drivers installed. Done.
Restarted phone to download mode (volume down, home, power)
Started Odin 3 v1.83
Phone was recognized. Click the 2 boxes (Auto reboot and F. Rest Time).
Clicked PDA, loaded up an insecure kernel.
Status went through OK, ended up with "Pass!"
Phone automatically restarted.
Now the problem. It restarts, shows the Samsung Galaxy S2 logo with the big triangle underneath it, and thats it. Never leaves this screen. I thought maybe it's a kernel problem, so I tried several different insecure kernels, all with no change. I have no idea how to find what kernel was the original one that came with this phone. Would using Odin with the original secure kernel (or even insecure) solve this problem? Otherwise, what else can I do? My note 2 was stolen so I bought this s2 second hand until I can scrape up enough money for a note 2 again, but the damn thing won't even boot up now. :crying:
How can I get this working again, even to have it stock again I'd be fine (though obviously putting on a custom room with root would be best).
Well you dont seem to mention what you have tried after flashing your kernel?
Have you tried going into download or recovery mode, do they work? If so simply flash another kernel or rom.
Also, I my be wrong but there isnt a China i9100 afaik so you may have flashed incorrect kernel so system isnt booting.
Remove battery and tell/show us what label says.
TheATHEiST said:
Well you dont seem to mention what you have tried after flashing your kernel?
Have you tried going into download or recovery mode, do they work? If so simply flash another kernel or rom.
Also, I my be wrong but there isnt a China i9100 afaik so you may have flashed incorrect kernel so system isnt booting.
Remove battery and tell/show us what label says.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There wasn't much to try, at least as far as my noob self knows about. I tried flashing 6 other kernels I found, merely taking guesses at which might possibly be the Chinese s2 one, I remember from flashing other phones that i had to look for Z or D in the kernel ID. But all of them just led to the same problem of not booting past the logo screen.
Besides just trying to start it up as normal (which doesn't work) and starting it up in download (by holding down vol+home+power), what others ways can I start it up? I don't know how to boot into recovery, and I didn't know I can flash a rom without first rooting it, which I haven't done yet because it's still stuck in start-up.
Searching enough xda threads and just googling seems show a pretty large consensus supporting the existance of a China i9100, plus I see them everywhere (as well as s3, s4, and notes), so I'm 99% sure they are an official and semi-large market for them here (after iPhones unfortunately). But even still, that doesn't help me locate the original kernel.
Under the battery, is says this:
Samsung WCDMA
Model #: GT-I9100
CMIIT ID: 2011CP2751
Do these help? So is any of the steps I did wrong, or can you otherwise point me in the right direction? Appreciate the help.
Don't post your IMEI (or your SN for that matter).
MistahBungle said:
Don't post your IMEI (or your SN for that matter).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip MistahBungle. Edited out.
Hate to say it, but found more help on youtube... Found a guide that walked me through replacing all the files (not just kernel) in Odin that got it back up and running. I'll follow the xda guides again and hopefully it'll work this time... Thanks anyways...

[Q] I9300 stuck in recovery or download (softbrick?)

Hi,
I got my hands on an i9300 that the previous owner had broken while trying to do a sim unlock.
I've tried flashing various ROMs and recoveries using Odin (1.85 and 3.07), and also from within the recovery.
I'm not able to determine if the EFS partition is completely intact, but I believe it is.
So far I have tried flashing the rescue firmware (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=30087735&postcount=6), various stock firmwares, resurrection remix, android revolution hd, and a few others.
I have philz recovery installed at the moment, and have tried the latest CWM as well.
I've even tried using kies to do an emergency recovery, but this also failed.
No matter what I do, I'm unable to make the phone boot up.
I do have adb access to it.. Anyone got any suggestions for what else I can try?
In odin mode it *does* display the model number, so from this I believe that it is safe to say that the emmc is still ok.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
Cheers!
Try the latest threepart stock firmware for the region (CSC) the phone originally comes from and flash firmware including PIT file (re-partition is ticked then). This solved my booting problems in such cases.
Edit: maybe also the bootloader is f***ed, does it start up to the Samsung logo or nothing at all?
If nothing at all it might be the bootloader, in this case there is SD-Bootloader-repair-files floating through the net, allowing you to repair bootloader just from your external SDcard - i9300 only.
Benko111 said:
Try the latest threepart stock firmware for the region (CSC) the phone originally comes from and flash firmware including PIT file (re-partition is ticked then). This solved my booting problems in such cases.
Edit: maybe also the bootloader is f***ed, does it start up to the Samsung logo or nothing at all?
If nothing at all it might be the bootloader, in this case there is SD-Bootloader-repair-files floating through the net, allowing you to repair bootloader just from your external SDcard - i9300 only.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll see about getting the latest 3 part stock, though that seems fairly similar to the rescue firmware I linked to - it includes a pit file.
Shall give it another go though
I do get the samsung logo/text, as from a standard boot, and then it launches straight into recovery.
Cheers,
EqUaTe
EqUaTe said:
I'll see about getting the latest 3 part stock, though that seems fairly similar to the rescue firmware I linked to - it includes a pit file.
Shall give it another go though
I do get the samsung logo/text, as from a standard boot, and then it launches straight into recovery.
Cheers,
EqUaTe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so bootloader is fine. This seems to be strange, how can you have ADB access if you can't boot up thus USB debugging's not enabled?
I had a similar disaster lately with Note 3, a real pain in the a** updating to KK. Also the 'firmware encountered blabla...' message, I got this fxed by flashing latest CWM right after the stock firmware flash, then it would finally boot.
Your case is different though since you even do get into recovery. Deep down I'm positive you just need to find the correct PIT resp. 3-part stock ROM.
Benko111 said:
Ok, so bootloader is fine. This seems to be strange, how can you have ADB access if you can't boot up thus USB debugging's not enabled?
I had a similar disaster lately with Note 3, a real pain in the a** updating to KK. Also the 'firmware encountered blabla...' message, I got this fxed by flashing latest CWM right after the stock firmware flash, then it would finally boot.
Your case is different though since you even do get into recovery. Deep down I'm positive you just need to find the correct PIT resp. 3-part stock ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
philz recovery has adb support built in, that's how I've accessed it. I believe CWM used to, but it doesn't seem to anymore.
Do you know which firmwares are likely to have the PIT file separately? I've got one downloading at the moment, but no guarantee it'll have the various files individually. Most of the ones I've come across are AIO files.
EqUaTe said:
philz recovery has adb support built in, that's how I've accessed it. I believe CWM used to, but it doesn't seem to anymore.
Do you know which firmwares are likely to have the PIT file separately? I've got one downloading at the moment, but no guarantee it'll have the various files individually. Most of the ones I've come across are AIO files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright, never used philz 'cause I always loved TWRP, this could be a reason though
Well, they are hard to find indeed. On a quick random search I found this JB ROM:
http://uploaded.net/file/p8e4pasy
Though I must say I always had best results when repairing persistent devices with older firmwares, so I got used to finding the exact
version installed when factory delivered, when issues are fixed updating is no problem.
Have set that file downloading, and have also grabbed TWRP.
Will give it a shot when I get home from work tonight. Cheers for your help so far Sometimes it helps just to have another set of eyes on these things!
Balls.. That link is a passworded zip. Don't suppose you came across the password for it?
EqUaTe said:
Balls.. That link is a passworded zip. Don't suppose you came across the password for it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, found the password.. Extracting a bunch of zips atm, fingers crossed one will help!
Benko111 said:
Alright, never used philz 'cause I always loved TWRP, this could be a reason though
Well, they are hard to find indeed. On a quick random search I found this JB ROM:
http://uploaded.net/file/p8e4pasy
Though I must say I always had best results when repairing persistent devices with older firmwares, so I got used to finding the exact
version installed when factory delivered, when issues are fixed updating is no problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, I've now flashed that 3-part ROM, sadly with no joy - it does the same.
It has made me go back and look at your earlier comments, and made me wonder if the logo we each refer to is the same one, so I'm attaching an image..
I have attached the *.PIT file I used to restore my phone. It is for the 16GB i9300. Remember in ODIN to include the ROM in the /PDA section, and the *.pit file in the section where it asks for it. Have the following boxes checked:
Re-Partition
Auto-Reboot
F. Reset Time.
Phone Bootloader Update
Flash the ROM, and let ODIN do it's thing. DO NOT UNPLUG YOUR DEVICE UNTIL IT IS DONE!! Doing this will completely wipe the phone, and return it to a factory state.
EqUaTe said:
So, I've now flashed that 3-part ROM, sadly with no joy - it does the same.
It has made me go back and look at your earlier comments, and made me wonder if the logo we each refer to is the same one, so I'm attaching an image..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is indeed what I meant. If it was the bootloader it most likely wouldn't do a thing anymore.
But k-semler above this post is absolutely right, I forgot to pay attention to what model size you've got?
Of course PIT is different for 16 or 32GB model.
Just in any case, I attached two PIT from my collection, DBT region for 32GB model, you've got a 16GB one above (use his firmware with that), flash the size according to your model and try once again. Eventually it should work.
If your phone was branded originally, find the original branded firmware and try as well.
That's all I can think of right now.
Benko111 said:
It is indeed what I meant. If it was the bootloader it most likely wouldn't do a thing anymore.
But k-semler above this post is absolutely right, I forgot to pay attention to what model size you've got?
Of course PIT is different for 16 or 32GB model.
Just in any case, I attached two PIT from my collection, DBT region for 32GB model, you've got a 16GB one above (use his firmware with that), flash the size according to your model and try once again. Eventually it should work.
If your phone was branded originally, find the original branded firmware and try as well.
That's all I can think of right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's the 16gig model, will have another go this evening
k-semler said:
I have attached the *.PIT file I used to restore my phone. It is for the 16GB i9300. Remember in ODIN to include the ROM in the /PDA section, and the *.pit file in the section where it asks for it. Have the following boxes checked:
Re-Partition
Auto-Reboot
F. Reset Time.
Phone Bootloader Update
Flash the ROM, and let ODIN do it's thing. DO NOT UNPLUG YOUR DEVICE UNTIL IT IS DONE!! Doing this will completely wipe the phone, and return it to a factory state.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm curious, which version of Odin did you use when you fixed yours?
Interestingly, while I've had it available before, the bootloader update tickbox isn't available on 3.07/3.09 at the moment, stays grayed out..
Going to give 1.85 a whirl
So flashing with 1.85 has resulted in the same thing.. Wondering if it may actually be a 32gb one.. I don't think it is, but at this point I have no idea.. Are there any identifiers that distinguish it on the unit itself? FCC ID, SSN, etc.
Fairly sure it's not a 32gb as it hangs flashing if I use that pit.. Trying another flash at the moment.
So no joy with this so far.. Getting a bit annoying really, tried quite a few combinations now..
Fairly certain at this point it's a 16GB model, using the 16GB PIT I can flash other ROMs, but no joy on actual resurrection of the device.
Odin logs seem fine, with and without a bootloader update.. After the ROM flash, sometimes I get the Android with the spinning polygon for a while with a new progress bar, followed by a further reboot, and then the sick android (little red triangle coming out his chest).
All stock roms have the following text at the bottom (though the actual position varies from rom to rom as some of them have recoveries at much higher res than others):
# MANUAL MODE #
-- Appling Multi-CSC...
Applied the CSC-code : VOD
Successfully applied multi-CSC.
And yes, the typo is on the screen.. Appling.. Really?
Anyway, don't know if that is normal (while I've used other s3's, I can't remember what they showed with stock recovery as I rooted them pretty early on, and never really touched them again).
I can say I'm glad I still had the jig from my s2, as it makes getting into download mode much easier
I've tried several odin versions, different USB ports, different cables.
I can go through and provide details of the various ROMs I have downloaded, the majority of which are stock at the moment, and am happy to grab others if people think they may work..
Cheers,
EqUaTe
That's not nice, still busy with it... I must say, when I read the bit you wrote
After the ROM flash, sometimes I get the Android with the spinning polygon for a while with a new progress bar, followed by a further reboot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought yay, that sounds promising. That is exactly what happens after a successful stock flash. Also
# MANUAL MODE #
-- Appling Multi-CSC...
Applied the CSC-code : VOD
Successfully applied multi-CSC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is absolutely normal (incl. the spelling). The question is why does it not boot into system then? After a (what I consider) successful flash and then in stock recovery, have you tried a factory reset/wipe cache? Please try this urgently.
In my optinion you can stick to Odin 3.09, I could never confirm the reports of different versions working with certain devices, at least not with the new ones. Re-partition is forced and mostly greyed out when a PIT file is flahed with the ROM. Without PIT it should be not greyed out.
Benko111 said:
That's not nice, still busy with it... I must say, when I read the bit you wrote
I thought yay, that sounds promising. That is exactly what happens after a successful stock flash. Also
is absolutely normal (incl. the spelling). The question is why does it not boot into system then? After a (what I consider) successful flash and then in stock recovery, have you tried a factory reset/wipe cache? Please try this urgently.
In my optinion you can stick to Odin 3.09, I could never confirm the reports of different versions working with certain devices, at least not with the new ones. Re-partition is forced and mostly greyed out when a PIT file is flahed with the ROM. Without PIT it should be not greyed out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I figured the spelling was normal, just a little disappointing Also thought it was normal that this appeared, but wasn't sure. Makes sense though.
I have tried a factory reset after pretty much every flash attempt, but will give it another go. Getting to the point where i'm tempted to try and do the sd card recovery, just to see if there is something fundamentally broken at that level.
I'm also downloading the latest ROM for the carrier (Vodafone UK) to see if flashing that here makes any difference..
Well, factory reset and wipe cache don't help. Other ROM won't be donwloaded for a bit, so will have to try it after work. grr.

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