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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
Hi
I recently bought a broken Galaxy S2 with a non-working display/screen off a swiss auction portal (smiliar to eBay) for very little money.
The seller stated that the display broke after he dropped it, the rest of the phone should be fine. Effectively, only the LCD is broken, the glass is intact, but the screen doesn't show anything when I try to turn on the phone.
The first few times I tried to turn on the phone, nothing happened, no boot sound or touch buttons glowing. After trying several combinations of pressing buttons (hard reset, soft reset, download mode, recovery etc.) I heard the boot sound and saw the buttons glowing, but only once and I dont know how I exactly managed it to start. But, nevertheless, I can't really see what the phone is doing, if it is booting, if its in download mode, etc.
Does anyone have an idea, what I can/should do to make sure, the phone itself is working and its only the display which is broken? I just don't want to spend over $100 for a new display, if im not sure if the rest works...any suggestions?
Thanks very much for your help guys!
Greetings from Switzerland!
nkb88
How can anyone answer if the phone is going to be worth the cost of a new screen.It could be water damaged or blacklisted,or faulty.
Did you not foresee these things.What did you expect to happen.You must have trusted the seller,but all of a sudden you have doubts.Why didnt the seller replace the screen.
You probably think youve scored,when in fact it could work out more expensive than buying a working phone.
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maybe your an iphone expert
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theunderling said:
How can anyone answer if the phone is going to be worth the cost of a new screen.It could be water damaged or blacklisted,or faulty.
Did you not foresee these things.What did you expect to happen.You must have trusted the seller,but all of a sudden you have doubts.Why didnt the seller replace the screen.
You probably think youve scored,when in fact it could work out more expensive than buying a working phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, the mentioned auction platform is very small and not quite comparable to eBay, maybe it was my fault to make the comparison to eBay. Its much smaller, only people from Switzerland and people much trustworthier than on eBay. I talked to the seller even before I commited my bid on the phone, and he told me he already bought another one and the place, where he first wanted to repair it, told him, it would be more than $200, which wasnt an option for him...
The phone was very cheap, only about $25 - due to the fact that the sellar put it in a wrong category (mobile accessoires but not mobile devices itself) so almost nobody beside me bidded for the auction. There are several other Galaxy S2s with broken displays for sale, which sell at least for $50-70, rather between $100-150.
So to put it straight: I just bid for the phone because its cheap and, if the display is replaced and the phone is fully working again, the potential selling price is much higher than what I payed for the phone and the display together.
Now, I was just wondering, if there is a possibility to tell, if the phone boots normally and to be sure that the display is the only faulty part...
If you know what network it's on, and you can find a way to get it switched on, you can put a compatible sim card into it and call it....if the phone rings (provided the volume is set right) you can assume it's good.........
That is.....assuming there's charge in the battery.......
Sent from my rooted, de bloated, stock JB powered S2 via PhilZ kernel and XDA developers app
Ok I see now.
All you need to do then is to relist the phone on that auction site you said....in the proper area/listing....and you could make a profit without risk.
You could put it in dl mode and see if it is ready to take a flash.Or see if someone could hook up a screen to test,or see if you can borrow one/get sale or return.
And people on here help with tech problems,not get rich quick schemes......LOL
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maybe your an iphone expert
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theunderling said:
Ok I see now.
All you need to do then is to relist the phone on that auction site you said....in the proper area/listing....and you could make a profit without risk.
You could put it in dl mode and see if it is ready to take a flash.Or see if someone could hook up a screen to test,or see if you can borrow one/get sale or return.
And people on here help with tech problems,not get rich quick schemes......LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I could have bought the phone and relisted it in the proper category, you are right on that BUT I acually don't have any interest in making money with this phone, if it is fully working again, I probably will give it to my GF cause her crappy iFone will probalby be moving to the bin soon... You really probably missunderstood me in this case...
But thanks for you help! I'll see this evening if I can put it in download mode...
keithross39 said:
If you know what network it's on, and you can find a way to get it switched on, you can put a compatible sim card into it and call it....if the phone rings (provided the volume is set right) you can assume it's good.........
That is.....assuming there's charge in the battery.......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats also a good idea BUT afaik you need to enter a PIN code before the phone actually connects to the carrier/provider, isn't that correct?
Not necessarily......unless the phone has been set up that way post purchase.....as I said, you need to know what carrier the phone was with before, and simply go and get a sim card (pay as you go) for that carrier and put it in the phone....job done.
It's not necessary to enter a pin code here in the UK.....I don't know how the mobile operators operare with respect to that in Switzerland though......
Sent from my rooted, de bloated, stock JB powered S2 via PhilZ kernel and XDA developers app
How about if you cant "borrow' a screen,just buy one off eBay from a seller that takes it back with a small restocking fee.
Then hook it up(without fixing it permanently) and see if any problems me/keith mentioned.
Look near the end of this video in this thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=25438587
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maybe your an iphone expert
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Okay, i managed to connect the phone to my computer and it shows up in KIES! *yay*
Unfortunately, KIES shows: "The connected device is locked..."
But, as far as this looks like, the phone is working! Am I right on this?
I dont know much about kies as I dont use it.Maybe its not an unbranded phone and youve put in a different sim its not used to.
Unless someone has a better idea,I think buying the screen under the conditions I said earlier is the way to go.It may only lose you £15 at the worst.
Check the online imei checket first though to see if it throws amything up.
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maybe your an iphone expert
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theunderling said:
I dont know much about kies as I dont use it.Maybe its not an unbranded phone and youve put in a different sim its not used to.
Unless someone has a better idea,I think buying the screen under the conditions I said earlier is the way to go.It may only lose you £15 at the worst.
Check the online imei checket first though to see if it throws amything up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't put in a SIM at all, as it is not neccesary to be able to use the phone.
I will buy a screen anyway, if I can't use it myself, I will give it to a frend who has also got a smashed S2.
Another question: Is it possible to hard reset the phone, without a working screen? Afaik you have to boot into recovery and select the reset from a menu, which is not really possible without having a working display... Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Someone has just posted this utility.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=43448133
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maybe your an iphone expert
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theunderling said:
Someone has just posted this utility.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=43448133
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, but with the phone being locked, i cannot do anything, also not install any apps...
How can I reset the phone without the screen? Or can someone tell me which buttons to press in recovery menu to do a wipe/reset?
Thanks!
That in itself could cause you issues. You have to get the number of and order of presses exactly right otherwise you could end up formatting the system partition (os)
Aaaaand.....you don't know whether you're running 4.0.4 in which case, doing a wipe *may* permanently kill your phone (search emmc brickbug for the why/how)......
Realistically the only option is to obtain a screen......have you thought of taking the phone to an unofficial repairer, explaining the situation and asking for the temporary instore use of a screen? (You could even offer to pay a small fee.....just as a sweetener)
Sent from my rooted, de bloated, stock JB powered S2 via PhilZ kernel and XDA developers app
nkb88 said:
Thanks, but with the phone being locked, i cannot do anything, also not install any apps...
How can I reset the phone without the screen? Or can someone tell me which buttons to press in recovery menu to do a wipe/reset?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That mymobiler didnt look like an app to me.The other thing that was mentioned was an app that needed root.
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maybe your an iphone expert
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keithross39 said:
That in itself could cause you issues. You have to get the number of and order of presses exactly right otherwise you could end up formatting the system partition (os)
Aaaaand.....you don't know whether you're running 4.0.4 in which case, doing a wipe *may* permanently kill your phone (search emmc brickbug for the why/how)......
Realistically the only option is to obtain a screen......have you thought of taking the phone to an unofficial repairer, explaining the situation and asking for the temporary instore use of a screen? (You could even offer to pay a small fee.....just as a sweetener)
Sent from my rooted, de bloated, stock JB powered S2 via PhilZ kernel and XDA developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right - thats really too risky. As I said, i'm going to order a screen now and we'll see how things work out! Thanks for your help! I'll keep this thread updated with my progess.
Cheers! :good:
nkb88 said:
You are right - thats really too risky. As I said, i'm going to order a screen now and we'll see how things work out! Thanks for your help! I'll keep this thread updated with my progess.
Cheers! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got a new screen and everything is working smoothly!
Thanks for your support! :good:
PS: Any recommendable, FAST rom without too much bloatware?
Cheerio!
Lol....not gonna recommend a specific ROM as that's against XDAs rules......but if you want the stability of stock without the bloat, try one of the hybrid ROMs. Look for "samsung based" in the ROM sticky thread.....or do what I've done. ....stay with your stock firmware, but root it and debloat it.......
My Wife says I'm a phone geek.....
I'd have to agree.....
Hello everyone,
first-timer, so I hope I won't screw up!
My Samsung Galaxy SII I9100 is broken. And I don't just mean the screen (which is what I found threads on aplenty on here), I mean really broken.
It won't turn on at all. No Recovery/Download-mode, either. The only reaction it shows at all is when I plug it into a computer via USB, the area around the camera starts heating up slightly. That's it.
The last thing I did with it was visiting facebook when my phone froze up, I turned it off and it didn't start back again. It might have been exposed to a certain high temperature from the sun when I had it in my pocket but it's unlikely it reached any temperature above 40°C/104°F.
I was running the latest Cyanogen Mod 9 for SGSII.
Anyway, this thread is less about trying to find a fix for my phone (though if you can help me with that –*cool) but instead I'd like to know if there's a way to recover the data on my phone. That includes photos and music, possibly contacts, messages and Whatsapp-content.
If there is any way to do that, no matter what, I'd like to hear about it. I'm thinking about sending it in to get it repaired but before I do, I'd like to hear about my other options.
Thank you very much in advance.
Almost zero chance. The fix is replacing the motherboard, which has the internal storage on it. A company that specialises in recovery of data from dead HDD's might (but it's a very remote chance, and expect it to be very expensive if it is possible) be able to help, but you really don't have any options (shoulda/coulda/woulda backed it up).
MistahBungle said:
Almost zero chance. The fix is replacing the motherboard, which has the internal storage on it. A company that specialises in recovery of data from dead HDD's might (but it's a very remote chance) be able to help, but you really don't have any options (shoulda/coulda/woulda backed it up).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Figured as much... I guess I'll cross my fingers when I send the little bastard in for repair/data-recovery.
I did a back-up on a whim some months ago so at least some stuff is saved but I got some new data on it since then, so that would have been nice.
Anyway, thank you very much. I just ordered a USB-jig as a last resort but I'm not having high hopes.
Hi,
Yesterday, all of a sudden my S2 crashed for no reason and I haven't been able to boot it ever since. First, I put out the battery, put it back in and everything seemed to be ok, but when the screen with the Samsung logo came on nothing happened. I tried this a few times, still the same. So I started to search on the internet for soluitons and found out about the 'recovery mode'. I got it into recovery mode and chose 'reboot', and after that my phone totally stopped working...
Now it won't even turn on or anything, when the phone is on the charger there's no sign that it's charging. I've tried another battery but it stays the same. I've got the phone for 2.5 years and never had any problems with it and never rooted or flashed it.
I've searched this forum a bit and I saw some quite simular problems, but because at first I got into download mode I thouigt my case is a bit different. So, is there anything else I can do to help fix this?
Service centre or local mobile repair shop.
MistahBungle said:
Service centre or local mobile repair shop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can try this if nothing works at all in the end if you are going to replace your Motherboard
[link] http://forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/f258/samsung-galaxy-s2-i9100-short-circuit-solution-1537757/[/link]
Be aware to do this thing..
Thanks so far, but can someone tell me how it's possible that these devices just stop working? Never had any problems with it at all.
You guys think an USB jig etc. won't work? I've recently saved all photos/videos.. But I didn't save agenda items/contacts and such, because there was no reason to believe that the phone would crash in near future.
Seriously ? Electronics of all kinds (phones, PC's, whatever) die without warning for all kinds of warnings. Not like electronic components can give you some pop up warning saying 'Oh yeah, BTW, I'm about to bite the dust, you better back your **** up'.
A jig is unlikely to work, but eh, maybe you'll be the 1 in 10,000 cases like this where it will work. So you definitely try one if you can get one.
Saying 'But I didn't save agenda items/contacts and such, because there was no reason to believe that the phone would crash in near future' is beyond ridiculous. If you've got stuff that's really important to you & the loss of that stuff is going to cause you angst, you're a fool if you're not backing it up regularly. Even on a completely stock phone this is a cinch to do (Kies).
MistahBungle said:
Seriously ? Electronics of all kinds (phones, PC's, whatever) die without warning for all kinds of warnings. Not like electronic components can give you some pop up warning saying 'Oh yeah, BTW, I'm about to bite the dust, you better back your **** up'.
A jig is unlikely to work, but eh, maybe you'll be the 1 in 10,000 cases like this where it will work. So you definitely try one if you can get one.
Saying 'But I didn't save agenda items/contacts and such, because there was no reason to believe that the phone would crash in near future' is beyond ridiculous. If you've got stuff that's really important to you & the loss of that stuff is going to cause you angst, you're a fool if you're not backing it up regularly. Even on a completely stock phone this is a cinch to do (Kies).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bro calm down
and tell will that capacitor thing will work ??
I mean take a look at that link.. people who have dead s2's without even water damage have able to boot up the phone by removing that capacitor...
what do you think ?
No idea, never tried it (and wouldn't). I'd bite the bullet & pay someone to fix my phone properly or buy another one, and I'd also have all my stuff backed up so I can restore it when I get my phone fixed/to my new phone.
Edit - I'm perfectly calm. I refuse to show any empathy/sympathy to stupid people who don't back important data up & then cry when that data is lost.
MistahBungle said:
Seriously ? Electronics of all kinds (phones, PC's, whatever) die without warning for all kinds of warnings. Not like electronic components can give you some pop up warning saying 'Oh yeah, BTW, I'm about to bite the dust, you better back your **** up'.
A jig is unlikely to work, but eh, maybe you'll be the 1 in 10,000 cases like this where it will work. So you definitely try one if you can get one.
Saying 'But I didn't save agenda items/contacts and such, because there was no reason to believe that the phone would crash in near future' is beyond ridiculous. If you've got stuff that's really important to you & the loss of that stuff is going to cause you angst, you're a fool if you're not backing it up regularly. Even on a completely stock phone this is a cinch to do (Kies).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I backed up most of my stuff so calm down please Last backup was like half a year ago so I'm only missing some phone numbers and my agenda. The point is that I would like to know if there's any possibility to save the phone like it was when it crashed? So with messages/settings/apps etc.
akhil17kr said:
and tell will that capacitor thing will work ??
I mean take a look at that link.. people who have dead s2's without even water damage have able to boot up the phone by removing that capacitor...
what do you think ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And what exactly is this?
akhil17kr said:
You can try this if nothing works at all in the end if you are going to replace your Motherboard
forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/f258/samsung-galaxy-s2-i9100-short-circuit-solution-1537757
Be aware to do this thing..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've read this page but I don't completely get it.. Do I have to get new components or something? I think that page is mostly about water damage... or am I wrong?
Ballie1 said:
I backed up most of my stuff so calm down please Last backup was like half a year ago so I'm only missing some phone numbers and my agenda. The point is that I would like to know if there's any possibility to save the phone like it was when it crashed? So with messages/settings/apps etc.
And what exactly is this?
I've read this page but I don't completely get it.. Do I have to get new components or something? I think that page is mostly about water damage... or am I wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes ... about those people who have water damaged their s2's
but some people whose s2's are dead not aby water damaged also saved by this thing..
It says to remove that Capacitor.. and try to turn on phone again...
Its not a guarantee that it'll work... just an last experiment done on Motherboard that may save it...BEFORE REPLACEMENT
akhil17kr said:
yes ... about those people who have water damaged their s2's
but some people whose s2's are dead not aby water damaged also saved by this thing..
It says to remove that Capacitor.. and try to turn on phone again...
Its not a guarantee that it'll work... just an last experiment done on Motherboard that may save it...BEFORE REPLACEMENT
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So just remove this thing and no replacement? Sorry if I'm a bit confused, but everyone is saying something else
Ballie1 said:
So just remove this thing and no replacement? Sorry if I'm a bit confused, but everyone is saying something else
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can try that..if you have finally decided to replace your motherboard at all...
may be it could...
have you gone to the local mobile repair shop ? what they said ??
I'd rather try everything not to have to replace the motherboard. Cause like I said earlier: If there's any possibility to save the phone like it was when it crashed, so with messages/settings/apps etc. it's better offcourse... Or is it when I remove/replace this capacitor all will be lost also?
I'm going to visit the local store this afternoon to see what they have to say about it... But there's no warranty on this phone anymore so I guess fixing will be (too) expensive.
Ballie1 said:
I'd rather try everything not to have to replace the motherboard. Cause like I said earlier: If there's any possibility to save the phone like it was when it crashed, so with messages/settings/apps etc. it's better offcourse... Or is it when I remove/replace this capacitor all will be lost also?
I'm going to visit the local store this afternoon to see what they have to say about it... But there's no warranty on this phone anymore so I guess fixing will be (too) expensive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what did local repair shop owners said then ??
akhil17kr said:
what did local repair shop owners said then ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First went to local mobile phone store, only thing they did was putting the phone on a charger and say: Can't be fixed. Then I went to the repair store and they said that only looking at it what the problem could be would cost €30,-, and they couldn't guarantee that the problem would be solved then so...?
Ballie1 said:
First went to local mobile phone store, only thing they did was putting the phone on a charger and say: Can't be fixed. Then I went to the repair store and they said that only looking at it what the problem could be would cost €30,-, and they couldn't guarantee that the problem would be solved then so...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try another shop.... It costs nothing just to check and see..
This friday I will visit a repair store in another town.. See what they have to say about it.
Just for the record: If the USB Jig method works, do I lose my data after all?
I got a USB-Jig and tried to get the phone into download mode, but it didn't work. Are there any other solutions left?
Eh no.
Aight so I have this Samsung Galaxy J7 Max that I've been trying to unlock for more than 2 years now. I of course, don't want to lose the super important data it holds. It got locked out randomly and hasn't been able to take up the pattern I had put on it till date. I'm absolutely sure no one changed its lock screen pattern and its the phone that is unable to recognize the exact same password it had before this happening. I got hold of it today and yet again, started looking for solutions on YouTube and the internet itself. After all of my research, one thing is clear. There is only one way that the pattern lock can be removed in such a condition; by deleting this system folder called gesture.key that lies within the phone itself. I am by no means a nerdy software dev or something but I do have very little knowledge about these workarounds. I used an ADB via a cmd terminal to contact my phone. But it turns out that due to my usb debugging setting not being turned on in my phone, the adb didn't have the required authorization to make any changes to the target. I then got my phone into stock recovery mode and chose the Install through ADB option there. Now when I input the command adb devices, the prompt showed me my device ID, but instead of the "unauthorized" indicator beside it, it now had the indicator "sideload". I had no idea of what had to be done when such happens, so I tried the adb shell > cd data/system > su > rm *.key [taken from an XDA forums thread] commands again. But right on the second step it displayed error this time. I have tried using a key eraser via sd card too, but it just doesn't happen, the sd card folder in the stock mode does not display the contents of the folder.
Now the phone isn't being an obstacle in my life right now, but I really hope there's a way to fix it. Early help would be appreciated. Thank You.
If the data is super important why isn't it redundantly backed up?
Having a set lock screen and storing data on the OS is a sure fire way to lose data, eventually.
Maybe you'll get lucky... is that drive encrypted?
If not it may still be corrupted and unusable.
Don't put yourself in this position again... been there, done that
@blackhawk As I said, this was an absolutely random incident, had never even thought this could've been the case someday. Its not like the phone crashed and then this happened, I turned off my phone's display and the next time I woke it up, the pattern wasn't working anymore. Furthermore, the timed attempts that happen after 5 incorrect tries wasn't existing anymore. Now it could be that someone did get the timed attempts wrong as well [it isn't my own phone]. But I really don't see any other reason to that occurrence.
About the backups, I mean cmon, I was 15 back then, a medico student even more so. I never got my hands around backing up anything. But yes, have been backing up every single bit of data within these two years.
The storage drive shouldn't be encrypted. It was a regular phone bought online that had pdfs, images, recordings and videos stored. The google account was not that of the owner either! It was my uncle's account that was being used ever since he bought it. And since there was never a problem having used his account for quite a while, we never cared to change it to a new google account. Now my uncle's google account itself handles another device, his own phone, exact same model, Galaxy J7 Max. I have tried using his account at the Google Find My Device app to locate and unlock the phone that way [I hope you know it has the three options Ring, Secure and Erase Data]. But it happens so that the Secure phone with password option only for devices that have been lost and don't have a security lock already setup, which wasn't, unfortunately, my case. So that option was greyed out.
For the data corruption, you might be correct. But that phone still does receive SMS texts, calls, whatsapp texts and other notifications. They just don't show up on the lock screen anymore. I honestly had the "Screw the data, I'll erase it anyway" thought yesterday, but during my latest tries, I found the XDA forums website to be quite helpful. Had not it been the damn USB debugging, the solution I approached from this forum would've got the job done in a couple minutes. Again, if the data might've gone corrupted, I will erase the data [I mean I would have to]. But this little glimmer of hope that I experienced yesterday is what is preventing me from doing that. I really hope there is a fix to my situation.
@Chinmay47
a phone can get booted into these modes
Normal ( AKA Android OS )
Recovery
Fastboot
Sideload
EDL
Sideload mode is used to flash OTAs and/or ROMs.
Recovery mode allows you to perform some ADB actions as e.g. pull userdata, but this reqires ADB ( read: USB debug ) got enabled.
So my guess is you can't recover phone's userdata at your own, this would have to be done by an external service who can pull out phone's internal SD-card and has the forensic tools to read it.
@jwoegerbauer Surprisingly the idea of taking the phone to a forensic service struck me yesternight too. As you mentioned, since I can't recover the phone's data myself, all tips and tweaks on the web should now be struck off of my list of solutions. I'll leave the data to some forensic services then. Let's hope the recovery is worth the hassle. The thread is still open to more suggestions though. Thanks for the replies everyone. Really appreciate it!
Chinmay47 said:
@jwoegerbauer Surprisingly the idea of taking the phone to a forensic service struck me yesternight too. As you mentioned, since I can't recover the phone's data myself, all tips and tweaks on the web should now be struck off of my list of solutions. I'll leave the data to some forensic services then. Let's hope the recovery is worth the hassle. The thread is still open to more suggestions though. Thanks for the replies everyone. Really appreciate it!
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It not a card they can pull. More than likely it's on a BGA chipset, the hardest kind there is to work with.
If they can't access the data on/with the mobo they will have to unsolder the chipset without damaging it then put it into a test jig or another mobo (after pulling that mobo's matching chipset).
If they can access the data on the mobo, not so bad. Otherwise not so good.
Let us know how this plays out for you.
Here's one I found showing you this complex procedure: https://flashfixers.com/recover-data-dead-phone-chip-off-data-recovery/
They may be able to help you, but I have no personal knowledge of this company.
blackhawk said:
If they can't access the data on/with the mobo they will have to unsolder the chipset without damaging it then put it into a test jig or another mobo (after pulling that mobo's matching chipset).
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Actually thought of this idea right after a couple days from the beginning of the problem. Yes its gonna take loads of precision and patience but it does sound doable. Maybe that's what is gonna be the last option for the forensic service too in case, god forbid, they aren't able to do it the "simple" way. Can't say yet, but I'm gonna keep this thread updated with all the developments that take place.
Chinmay47 said:
Actually thought of this idea right after a couple days from the beginning of the problem. Yes its gonna take loads of precision and patience but it does sound doable. Maybe that's what is gonna be the last option for the forensic service too in case, god forbid, they aren't able to do it the "simple" way. Can't say yet, but I'm gonna keep this thread updated with all the developments that take place.
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If they need to remove the chipset the chances of failure increase. Flash memory retension is generally good for 10+ years but it may be damaged in the removal process if so, snake eyes.
Get price quotes up front for the whole process.
Once they got the phone, they got you by the balls. Not saying they aren't trustworthy but feel them out. If it's a couple hundred and you get the data back, you did good.
No idea of the cost though, my guess is $400-1000+ especially if they need to pull the chipset.
That's high risk even if they do it by the book.
If their policy is no data, no charge... expect higher rates to cover their loses.
@blackhawk All of that sounds kinda terrifying if you ask me. Well I mean, there is always a first option that can be tried without any mentions of pull-aparts. Yet I will surely judge the person well before I hand my device in his hands. I would try my level best to not take it to the critical stage, but if it needs be and there is a really high chance of losing my data, I can factory reset my data at home by myself too can't I? Future shall tell I suppose.
If you factory reset it all data will be lost.
It will not be recoverable!
If you want the data you will need to use a service like I showed you. They will need physical access to the phone to recovery the data.
The phone may be scrape afterwards
@blackhawk Sure does look like it would be! But paying to get your phone reset for you is way to harsher than doing it yourself. It is only in case the data is nearly impossible to recover that I'll reset the phone myself.
Chinmay47 said:
@blackhawk Sure does look like it would be! But paying to get your phone reset for you is way to harsher than doing it yourself. It is only in case the data is nearly impossible to recover that I'll reset the phone myself.
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Reset? Most likely destroyed.
Do you really want the data?
blackhawk said:
Reset? Most likely destroyed.
Do you really want the data?
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I actually do though. But well, if it ain't coming back then why wish for it. Yeah the data was really important.
Chinmay47 said:
I actually do though. But well, if it ain't coming back then why wish for it. Yeah the data was really important.
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Call them up and see what they say.
Since it's not physically damaged they may be able to access it none invasively.
blackhawk said:
Call them up and see what they say.
Since it's not physically damaged they may be able to access it none invasively.
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I'll do that and report back ASAP. Thanks for the help sire!