[Q] Unbrick Galaxy S2 - Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hey there!,
I flashed my SGS2 a while ago with Checkrom, It was kinda unstable, Random shutdowns and stuff...
A week ago, i put my screen off because someone asked me something, When we were done talking, I wanted to turn my screen on again. I found out the phone was off.. I tried to turn it back on again but no luck.. I left out the battery for a while, didn't work either..
I think its bricked. I cant access anything. No download mode, Nothing...
What to do now?
Thanks in advance, Gino

Try a jig & see if that gets you into download mode. If not, possibly a JTAG repair by 3rd party repairer or service centre/Samsung authorised repairer.

Well.. I think i wont try the jig.. Because, If it doens't work. I spent my money for nothing I think ill go to a repairer than
Do you think a jig will work?

Truthfully ? No, the jig probably won't work. They are really cheap (a couple of dollars), but you might have to wait a couple of days -a week for it to arrive in the post if you order it online, whereas you might be able to have it repaired more quickly than that. If it were me, I'd probably try a jig anyways as I have a couple of previous phones to use as spares.
The other issue is whether you get it fixed under warranty or not if you send it to Samsung/an authorised repairer. That will depend on whether whomever fixes it can tell whether it's been messed with (rooted/running non stock firmware), and if they can whether they care or not.
The experience on here that I've seen the past 8-9 mths seems to be 50% of people who can't go back to stock & reset the flash counter seem to still get warranty service and roughly 50% don't & end up paying for the repair. So it's basically the luck of the draw. What you could do is if they end up wanting to charge you for the repair, you could get a quote from them first before they fix it and if it seems too high, maybe consider having it JTAG'd by a 3rd party repairer which might well end up cheaper.
But cross that bridge if you come to it and don't worry about that now. Send it in for repair & cross your fingers they fix it under warranty.
Good luck & I hope they fix it under warranty for you ;-)
lexaniji said:
Well.. I think i wont try the jig.. Because, If it doens't work. I spent my money for nothing I think ill go to a repairer than
Do you think a jig will work?
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Related

Switched off during flash

Hi,
my phone turned off during flashing - low battery.
Now don´t react at all. Is not reacting for any button...
Pls help.
Thx
Charge the battery first or buy a new battery .
jje
plug it into the wall charger for a few hours it will work again you may have to reflash from base again, be careful when flashing on low battery scholboy error
Tapped GS2
iamsloany said:
plug it into the wall charger for a few hours it will work again you may have to reflash from base again, be careful when flashing on low battery scholboy error
Tapped GS2
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Click to collapse
+1
don't flash a rom when you're low on battery, you might brick it for good.
recharge first and reflash when you're battery is full or about 50% (if you cannot wait)
I know I´m stupid do that with low battery but that happened...
sure I charged the battery but also after that is phone no working...
No reacting for any button...
2rady said:
I know I´m stupid do that with low battery but that happened...
sure I charged the battery but also after that is phone no working...
No reacting for any button...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Recovery mode no ??
Download mode ??? no
Next step is buy a USB recovery jig and try to get to download mode .
Fails its pay for a JTag repair cheaper than paying for a service repair .
jjr
To JJEgan: Thank you and yes you´re right.
Recovery mode no
Download mode no
Flashing was in progress. Already few minutes and now phone is without any reaction.
Total death...
Any other solution without USB jig cable?
I think is not so easy buy it in shops and will take time...
Jig will more than likely not work, but worth a try. Apart from that, you need a JTAG repair done by a 3rd party; cheaper option or have Samsung repair it; more expensive option unless they somehow miraculously repair it under warranty.
Unless you know you can get it JTAG repaired & the phone back to you before the jig arrives, you might as well wait for the jig. You never know, it may work.
MistahBungle said:
Jig will more than likely not work, but worth a try. Apart from that, you need a JTAG repair done by a 3rd party; cheaper option or have Samsung repair it; more expensive option unless they somehow miraculously repair it under warranty.
Unless you know you can get it JTAG repaired & the phone back to you before the jig arrives, you might as well wait for the jig. You never know, it may work.
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Click to collapse
not much optimism from you
Warranty I don´t know. Is second hand piece but still under warranty but that´s buyed in Czech Republic but what I found by the core nr. is polish version...
But ok I already ordered jig and will see.
Thanks
Warranty void if custom rom or phone rooted or custom rom counter above zero.
jje
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
I'm being honest with you. The jig has maybe a 5% chance of working. The NAND likely got corrupted when the phone died midway thru the flash.
If I'd said to you (like some people on here would) 'Oh yeah, get a jig, guaranteed to get you into download mode every time !' & the jig ends up not working, how would you feel after you'd got your hopes up ?
The reality is jigs do not work in the vast majority of these situations, and only a JTAG repair (either by a 3rd party or by Samsung) will fix it. Unfortunate, probably. But that's the way these things go.
2rady said:
not much optimism from you
Warranty I don´t know. Is second hand piece but still under warranty but that´s buyed in Czech Republic but what I found by the core nr. is polish version...
But ok I already ordered jig and will see.
Thanks
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pedro.coba said:
permission to listen
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n00b making 10 posts?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2 Beta-2
MistahBungle said:
I'm being honest with you. The jig has maybe a 5% chance of working. The NAND likely got corrupted when the phone died midway thru the flash.
If I'd said to you (like some people on here would) 'Oh yeah, get a jig, guaranteed to get you into download mode every time !' & the jig ends up not working, how would you feel after you'd got your hopes up ?
The reality is jigs do not work in the vast majority of these situations, and only a JTAG repair (either by a 3rd party or by Samsung) will fix it. Unfortunate, probably. But that's the way these things go.
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No definitely I'm glad you write true about my situation. That was just sigh
thx
Yeah I know it sucks when these things happen Did you get a jig yet ? It's still worth a try before you end up paying money to have it fixed.
2rady said:
No definitely I'm glad you write true about my situation. That was just sigh
thx
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Unless you can get hold of a Jig, I just watched a demo of how to make your own one, looks very simple indeed.
galaxys2root.com/galaxy-s2-hacks/how-to-make-a-usb-jig-for-your-galaxy-s2/
not yet. I think end of this week I'll get it
and thanks for the demo

So, I've managed to Hard-Brick my SII

I did a stupid, stupid mistake of pulling the USB out as Odin crashed whilst performing the pit file update. Now, my phone won't turn on at all. I mean, AT ALL.
I've done everything I could.
I've ordered a USB Jig from Amazon, which I'm hoping MIGHT do the trick. However, I know "mobiletechvideos" offer their JTAG repair service if the Jig doesn't work.
1. Are they reliable at all? All their reviews are 5stars, like 49 out of 49.
2. I have warranty on this phone, but I've rooted it. Will Samsung bother with my problem or will they not mind/care?
3. Shall I send it to Samsung or shall I send it to Mobile Tech Videos?
Thank you.
Jig might work (tho very unlikely; I'm being honest with you here. But still try it anyway). Cross everything it does.
1) They're members here (I recall seeing posts by the guy who runs it on here months ago), and I've seen one or two people on here who have used them successfully (tho I'm sure there's probably a lot more than that).
2) That's the luck of the draw. Nobody on here can answer that for you. In the 8 mths I've been coming here, for people who haven't been able to go back to stock/reset the flash counter & sent their phone into Samsung/an authorised repairer it seems to be about 50/50. That is, half seemed to have been denied warranty service (which is quite reasonable; messing with the phone does void your warranty) and half have got warranty service because whomever fixed it either didn't care or couldn't tell it had been messed with.
3) Should you send it to Samsung or have it JTAG'd ? Having it JTAG'd will almost certainly be cheaper than having it repaired by Samsung outside warranty. There is always a possibility that it can't be JTAG'd (we've seen people on here who have sent phones to be JTAG'd & for whatever reason it couldn't be done). What you could do is send it to Samsung (play dumb obviously; the less you say the better), and if they say they're not going to fix it under warranty (you've got no comeback on this btw, so don't bother arguing the point), ask them for a quote. If it's cheaper than the JTAG repair, get them to fix it. If it's not, have it JTAG'd.
Essentially, whether or not you get it done under warranty will probably be determined by how messed up the NAND is after you pulled the plug. So yeah, send it in & pray ;-)
MistahBungle said:
Jig might work (tho very unlikely; I'm being honest with you here. But still try it anyway). Cross everything it does.
1) They're members here (I recall seeing posts by the guy who runs it on here months ago), and I've seen one or two people on here who have used them successfully (tho I'm sure there's probably a lot more than that).
2) That's the luck of the draw. Nobody on here can answer that for you. In the 8 mths I've been coming here, for people who haven't been able to go back to stock/reset the flash counter & sent their phone into Samsung/an authorised repairer it seems to be about 50/50. That is, half seemed to have been denied warranty service (which is quite reasonable; messing with the phone does void your warranty) and half have got warranty service because whomever fixed it either didn't care or couldn't tell it had been messed with.
3) Should you send it to Samsung or have it JTAG'd ? Having it JTAG'd will almost certainly be cheaper than having it repaired by Samsung outside warranty. There is always a possibility that it can't be JTAG'd (we've seen people on here who have sent phones to be JTAG'd & for whatever reason it couldn't be done). What you could do is send it to Samsung (play dumb obviously; the less you say the better), and if they say they're not going to fix it under warranty (you've got no comeback on this btw, so don't bother arguing the point), ask them for a quote. If it's cheaper than the JTAG repair, get them to fix it. If it's not, have it JTAG'd.
Essentially, whether or not you get it done under warranty will probably be determined by how messed up the NAND is after you pulled the plug. So yeah, send it in & pray ;-)
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Thank you for that response. Very helpful! According to a currency converter, I'll be looking towards £40 to have it JTAG'd and for them to send it back.
However, I'm not too sure how much it'll cost for me to send it. The SII box isn't that heavy lol.
No probs ;-)
If you look at what they (MobileTech) charge you for return international shipping (this is obviously on top of the cost of the repair; read this carefully), that should give you a bit of a guide as to what it will cost you to post the phone to the US from the UK. So yeah, with the exchange rate nicely in your favour I think you'll find them repairing it will be much cheaper than Samsung repairing it outside warranty.
Good luck, and post your experience back on here when you're done. Will be good for other people in the same situation to have a recent reference/someone who has been in the same situation.
BlurrOVO said:
Thank you for that response. Very helpful! According to a currency converter, I'll be looking towards £40 to have it JTAG'd and for them to send it back.
However, I'm not too sure how much it'll cost for me to send it. The SII box isn't that heavy lol.
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Click to collapse
MistahBungle said:
No probs ;-)
If you look at what they (MobileTech) charge you for return international shipping (this is obviously on top of the cost of the repair; read this carefully), that should give you a bit of a guide as to what it will cost you to post the phone to the US from the UK. So yeah, with the exchange rate nicely in your favour I think you'll find them repairing it will be much cheaper than Samsung repairing it outside warranty.
Good luck, and post your experience back on here when you're done. Will be good for other people in the same situation to have a recent reference/someone who has been in the same situation.
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Click to collapse
I dont think the Jig will work , unless you have a gingerbread OS .. deffo wont work on ICS ive tried it ,, you should have the option to boot the phone in two ways ,, which im sure if you look at the tech side on this site you should get all the help you need ,..,, i dont know how true it actually is but ive been told its near on impossible to hard brick a SGS2 phone .. but do have a good look around to find the solution.
can you charge your phone? i believe i had in the past not been able to boot my phone no matter what i did... until i plugged it in so that the "charging" icon showed up and then I could connect it to my computer usb
Near impossible to hard brick an SGS2 is it ? Then how do you explain the half a dozen or so (on an average week; sometimes more) hard bricks we see here in Q&A ? It can & does happen. It is far from impossible.
The OP knows his options, the jig was suggested as a last resort which is pretty standard on here regardless of anything else. On (very) rare occasions it has been known to get a phone that otherwise can't be made to get into download/recovery modes or boot into download mode. It was made clear to & acknowledged by the OP this was unlikely to work.
The OP has a handle on the situation (this thread was done & sorted a week ago). He understands the phone is only going to be fixed by JTAG. The issue was whether he got Samsung to do it or a 3rd party repairer.
The one thing that has me curious tho; why quote my post ?
RapmasterUk said:
I dont think the Jig will work , unless you have a gingerbread OS .. deffo wont work on ICS ive tried it ,, you should have the option to boot the phone in two ways ,, which im sure if you look at the tech side on this site you should get all the help you need ,..,, i dont know how true it actually is but ive been told its near on impossible to hard brick a SGS2 phone .. but do have a good look around to find the solution.
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Click to collapse
So, first of all, sorry for not replying or anything, I actually hadn't signed on XDA ever since I had my phone bricked.
Good news, I got my SII back today from T-Mobile, fully repaired!
I ordered the Jig, didn't work. So..
I bought the phone off a friend, who had got it on a contract from T-Mobile, so he did me the favour in ringing T-Mobile and inquiring whether the phone was eligible by their repair service, which it was. The phone was sent around the 6-9th of July, (free post, they sent a carrier parcel bag all for free) and it come back today.
So, if anyone manages to hard-brick their phone, you know my method works
I hard bricked my S2 as well (sad times) but all I did was ring my service provider and they fixed it for me. They said the hardware was faulty and fixed it for free!
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium
If I helped you press thanks!

[HELP] My phone just stopped working...

Before going to sleep it was all good it had %36 battery and i went to sleep when I woke up my phone didn't work I thought it's battery was empty so I tried to charge it but nothing happened it's been 40 minutes but nothing happens even if I plug it to my computer...
Edit: I use rootbox 1.6.
Try charging it overnight/for 3-4 hrs. Then try a new battery. Still no joy ? Try a jig & see if it gets you into download mode. If it does, go back to stock firmware/reset the flash counter & send it in for warranty service. If the jig doesn't work, either send it in & hope Samsung/authorised repairer don't notice/don't care you've been messing with it & fix it under warranty anyway. If they don't, maybe consider a JTAG repair as this may be cheaper than having Samsung fix it if you're paying (assuming it can be JTAG'd, of course)
MistahBungle said:
Try charging it overnight/for 3-4 hrs. Then try a new battery. Still no joy ? Try a jig & see if it gets you into download mode. If it does, go back to stock firmware/reset the flash counter & send it in for warranty service. If the jig doesn't work, either send it in & hope Samsung/authorised repairer don't notice/don't care you've been messing with it & fix it under warranty anyway. If they don't, maybe consider a JTAG repair as this may be cheaper than having Samsung fix it if you're paying (assuming it can be JTAG'd, of course)
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Click to collapse
Thanks but today I gave it to the samsung I hope they can fix it I can pay it would be cheaper than getting a new one anyways...

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

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

I may have bricked my phone

I think I may have bricked my Galaxy S2 I9100 but I'm hoping someone might help.
I was in the middle of flashing DarkyROM_10.2_Resurrection using Odin and accidentally cancelled it.
Now the phone doesn't respond to anything. There's nothing on the screen at all.
It won't switch on and go into Recovery Mode or Download Mode or even get recognised by the PC, whereas before all of these were possible.
I can't tell whether it's charging or not but it was on pretty much full charge before this.
The phone appears to be slightly warm near the rear camera lens when plugged into the computer via USB.
I've tried a recovery via Kies too but after downloading the restore files, the program shuts down.
Odin doesn't recognise the phone's plugged in because I can't get into Recovery Mode.
There's nothing on the phone I need.
Is there anything else I could try?
Thank you.
May have ?
Try a jig even tho it's highly unlikely to work. It's also very unlikely to be JTAG'able, though if you can have someone who does JTAG's take a look at it to determine if JTAG is possible for free, you might as well do that.
Motherboard replacement is the fix in this instance; either new motherboard by Samsung authorised service centre, or a 2nd hand board from a 'donor' phone you swap out yourself/or pay a local mobile repair shop to do it (will be cheaper than paying Samsung to put a new one in).
MistahBungle said:
May have ?
Try a jig even tho it's highly unlikely to work. It's also very unlikely to be JTAG'able, though if you can have someone who does JTAG's take a look at it to determine if JTAG is possible for free, you might as well do that.
Motherboard replacement is the fix in this instance; either new motherboard by Samsung authorised service centre, or a 2nd hand board from a 'donor' phone you swap out yourself/or pay a local mobile repair shop to do it (will be cheaper than paying Samsung to put a new one in).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for that, but I have absolutely no idea what a "jig" or a "JTAG" is.
Google/XDA search is your friend. But as I said, these are unlikely to work/be possible. Take it to a service centre.
MistahBungle said:
Google/XDA search is your friend. But as I said, these are unlikely to work/be possible. Take it to a service centre.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that.
Looks like a JIG will only work if there's something on the screen.
Since I have nothing on the screen, it's unlikely to work.
Precisely.
However, there are really rare cases (like a very small handful over the past two years out of many thousands) where a jig will boot the phone into download mode in these circumstances. And a jig costs a couple of bucks to buy/make, so you might as well try one before you decide to take it to a service centre to have the motherboard replaced/or replace it yourself/or get a new phone. Just don't get your hopes up/realise we're talking about a 0.00001% chance of it working.
MistahBungle said:
Precisely.
However, there are really rare cases (like a very small handful over the past two years out of many thousands) where a jig will boot the phone into download mode in these circumstances. And a jig costs a couple of bucks to buy/make, so you might as well try one before you decide to take it to a service centre to have the motherboard replaced/or replace it yourself/or get a new phone. Just don't get your hopes up/realise we're talking about a 0.00001% chance of it working.
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Click to collapse
You're right - a JIG only costs a couple of quid on Ebay.
I don't know why the damn instructions with the DarkyROM_10.2_Resurrection ROM said to tick the Partition box in Odin. If I hadn't done that, I'm sure the phone would have been OK. Now I have a bricked phone. Thanks DarkyROM !
Only NOW have I found posts which say never to tick the Partition box. Why does Odin include that option anyway?
The option is included in Odin because in some very specific circumstances you may need to flash a PIT. Obviously flashing a rom is not normally one of those circumstances. Definitely try a jig, cross your fingers.
MistahBungle said:
The option is included in Odin because in some very specific circumstances you may need to flash a PIT. Obviously flashing a rom is not normally one of those circumstances. Definitely try a jig, cross your fingers.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for your help MistahBungle.
I may try a JIG, even though the sellers say not to bother if there's only a black screen.

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