[Q] Unbrickable Mod bricked - Fascinate Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

My Fascinate had an unbrickable mod done a few months ago. I tried flashing CM to it, and now it doesn't boot or go into recovery mode. Download mode is ok so far, but only with a jig. Windows and Odin can't see anything. On Linux (Ubuntu physical box not virtual) the 'unbrickable resurrector' (team hummingmod) doesn't find the device. Heimdall only prints a pit file after it first goes into dl mode, then just detects it but fails the loke handshake everytime until it goes into dl mode again. USB drivers were installed (libusb). Almost everything online says that the phone should be recoverable (like from a soft-brick) but the phone's not even getting detected. The place I mailed it to seemed to know what they're doing, but I'm wondering now if the mod was not done perfectly and if that could be causing this weird issue now. This is my main phone, and none of us are getting any younger so let's get some ideas on this asap.
Mainly, I'm wondering how to turn this from a paperweight back into a phone?

I would contact the people that did it and see what they say.

Unreliable repair site?
ndowens said:
I would contact the people that did it and see what they say.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sent the repair place several messages, and they didn't respond. It's Mobile Tech Videos. When I first got the mod done a few months ago, they seemed ok. Now it's like they just don't even want to hear about the possibility of there being an issue with their work. I have friends that fix these locally, and they've also tried getting it to work using different boxes and setups so it doesn't seem like the problem is on my end (not saying it's definitely not, just doesn't seem so). I sent them messages asking whether they've had any similar issues, and if it's possible to rule out the original mod as the issue. Nothing, not a courtesy response. Nothing, like they just decided to ignore the whole issue. I actually left them some good feedback for them (originally), now I'm wondering if someone else will read that and think that this place is a reliable repair shop -- I'd feel guilty for steering them to the wrong place based on feedback that's no longer current. I could understand if they had assisted a customer in using the mod (that I paid them to do) and then that customer just didn't want to do anything, just complain, then yes I could understand that they'd not want to deal with that. But I actually just started by sending a message that there was an issue, and if they've got a workaround. Since I paid them to do this, I thought they'd at least respond. Nothing. So that could make a person wonder if they know that there's an issue with their work and just don't want to say. Personally, I'd say a business owner with integrity should either stand behind their work or issue a refund in good faith. That's the problem is that there's not enough accountability in these issues.
The phone seems pretty well bricked right now, and since A) it's one of the older original androids and B) this no one's responded here with any ideas and C) I don't know any one locally who I can trust to jtag it -- it seems more and more likely that this is a real brick.

Related

[Q] A great problem of problems.. Seriously stumped. Would appreciate any help.

First off, I want to thank the wonderful amount of knowledge and help here at XDA! Not to be impolite to anyone else, but through all my searching, I have yet to find anything like this forum (and I come from a number of forums); but none have had quite the caliber of kind, knowledgeable, and often humorous: people. So thank you all. Also, another disclaimer is that I've only been on Android for about a month and half, so please bear with me as I might (and probably) misuse vernacular and/or might not completely understand some of the technical lingo' (at least the first time through, but I have spent much time here reading through help guides and threads).
Alright, here's the problem: I cannot get a computer to recognize the Vibrant. Installed all the drivers I have found thus far, followed a number of guides from here at xda, and have tried a number of different computers (two Win7 machines, a Vista, and even two XP machines); all of which recognize my personal Vibrant without a hick-up. Here is perhaps the biggest, and main, problem: the computers/odin won't even recognize it in Download Mode. That is what is stumping me..
If you do not care to know about how I got to where I am, please jump to the 'Question:' part.
Here is the back-story:
I bought a used Samsung Vibrant that came with the JI6 build. This was the second vibrant I had purchased as it was for my sister; and for the most part (other than it being horribly slow on the 'stock' build) it was running, and perfectly functioning.
However, I did notice that it was not able to connect it to a computer; usb debugging, mounting sd, and all the guides I found for troubleshooting just didn't seem to do the trick. Still no connection to the pc. I eventually educated myself on Download and Recovery mode, both of which I could execute without really any problems.
But since I wanted to run a faster OS (And I had already successfully flashed my personal Vibrant to Froyo (Build 21VE) (Here)) I decided to flash my sister's vibrant as well. And since I was unable to connect via usb to use odin to flash to the JFD build (per highly suggested here on xda), I used a nandroid image to flash the stock JFD build from Samsung (I can't find the link at the moment, but it was here from the xda forum). All went well, I was on JFD. I then used the above link to flash the Froyo21VE build via clockwordMod; again, it went smoothly. Only one problem persisted at this point: the wifi would not work.
My brother had experienced a similar issue with his Vibrant's wifi a few weeks previous, but had resolved it by flashing a different Froyo build. Naturally I thought I might do the same. This is where things went South.. Perhaps I was multi-tasking too much at the time, or possibly I just wasn't paying attention, but after a quick google search I found this Froyo build here on xda: [ROM] Froyo (RS)JP5 - "K9" [25/11/2010]. Moved it onto the internal sd card; flashed via clockworkMod; and then it froze on its boot-up after installation. Not cool..
Unfortunately, I was not aware that the build was for the Galaxy S i9000 rather than a Vibrant branded Galaxy; once realized though, my gut sank.. As now I am wondering if I completely tanked this Vibrant; or perhaps it had a problem from the bigging in that the usb wasn't connecting?
Question:
First and foremost, is there an 'advanced' way of connecting via usb from a computer, or some other way of doing it? I have tried numerous usb cables (as I've read a couple different people were having success with that) on several different computers (all of which, though, seem to be working perfectly on my personal vibrant, just not this one). Or is there a special driver that allows for just the 'Download Mode' on the Vibrant to communicate to the pc? But from my understanding, it seems as though the 'download mode' is pretty much as basic as you can get, am I correct in that assumption? Additionally, would using the android sdk help at all? (Or again, doesn't it have to be able to be recognized from the computer first?)
And lastly, just in case I thought it wasn't complex, when I had a functioning OS on the Vibrant: when I plugged in the usb, the Vibrant would show that it recognizes the pc; I even could 'mount the sd', but the computer still wouldn't recognize it apart from a few times that it would show it as 'unknown device' and would not seem to load any drivers; and I was having difficulty locating the device in Device Manager. (But that only seemed to work when I had a functioning OS, now that it only can go into ClockworkMod or Download Mode, I have yet for the computer to acknowledge its presence)
Alright, there it is. Please let me know if I missed something, or if more information would be helpful. Again, I want to thank anyone who would be able to help me out, or give suggestions. I really am at a loss for ideas; and the past week of analyzation is hardly showing any signs of improvement.
Thanks for taking the time to read.
EDIT: it occurred to me that I didn't mention that I am unable to load any *.zip files while in ClockworkMod (thus being able to flash a different build). It continually gives a 'No File Found' or Error/Wrong command. I believe that was caused by the i9000 firmware messing up the file system on the Internal_sd, does that seem logical?
Have you installed kies from samsung? I tried installing just the drivers on my win 7 pc and they wouldn't take either. I then downloaded kies and installed and it seemed to properly install the needed drivers.
Sent from my Axura injected voodoo possessed Vibrant.
I believe I have installed it twice now, but I will try again. Thanks for the suggestion, I'm pretty much all ears at this point.
EDIT: Well I installed the Samsung Kies mini Apllication and it did its update thing and now I have v1.0.0.10104_1. Doesn't appear to have helped the drivers out..
Question: would anyone think that this particular Vibrant has a defective usb port? I realize that's a long-shot, as well as I would definitely not like hearing that.. but any thoughts?
shalom24 said:
I believe I have installed it twice now, but I will try again. Thanks for the suggestion, I'm pretty much all ears at this point.
EDIT: Well I installed the Samsung Kies mini Apllication and it did its update thing and now I have v1.0.0.10104_1. Doesn't appear to have helped the drivers out..
Question: would anyone think that this particular Vibrant has a defective usb port? I realize that's a long-shot, as well as I would definitely not like hearing that.. but any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It appears that you have a defective USB port on the phone.
Do you have an access to a Linux box? If a current linux distro cannot see your phone via USB it will confirm the DOA USB port on the Vibrant.
Thanks for the reply lqaddict, although it's somewhat sad to hear.. Forgive my ignorance, but by 'Linux Box' you are referring to a Linux machine, correct? If so, then I do not have access to one. Again, forgive me for not knowing, but would running linux (possibly via a bootable Linux cd) on a computer be equivalent?
Since I purchased it used (through Craigslist about three weeks ago (which he said he had purchased two weeks previous)) do you think I might be able to retrieve the receipt from the original owner and perhaps Samsung would be able to help with some sort of warranty?
Thanks again for your response.
EDIT: Well I am running Live CD of Ubuntu 10.10 on another one of my pc's, however, I'm not quite sure I know how to 'check' to see if usb port is properly functioning (sorry I'm not very familiar with Linux, but I imagine I will become increasingly more accustomed to it in the near future). Any ideas for trying out connectivity on Linux?
shalom24 said:
Thanks for the reply lqaddict, although it's somewhat sad to hear.. Forgive my ignorance, but by 'Linux Box' you are referring to a Linux machine, correct? If so, then I do not have access to one. Again, forgive me for not knowing, but would running linux (possibly via a bootable Linux cd) on a computer be equivalent?
Since I purchased it used (through Craigslist about three weeks ago (which he said he had purchased two weeks previous)) do you think I might be able to retrieve the receipt from the original owner and perhaps Samsung would be able to help with some sort of warranty?
Thanks again for your response.
EDIT: Well I am running Live CD of Ubuntu 10.10 on another one of my pc's, however, I'm not quite sure I know how to 'check' to see if usb port is properly functioning (sorry I'm not very familiar with Linux, but I imagine I will become increasingly more accustomed to it in the near future). Any ideas for trying out connectivity on Linux?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you connect your phone via USB, does a USB connected symbol show up on your phone? Does the battery start charging?
You can issue the following command in the terminal window - should be in Applications->Accessories on Ubuntu (it resembles MS-DOS window under Windows OS)
Code:
lsusb
If the Samsung device shows up the USB port on your phone should be working, if however it is not showing up you might have a bigger problem with your phone
Thanks again lqaddict, I'll give it a try..
EDIT: Alright, to answer your first question: yes when I plugged it in while off, it does give the battery charging icon, as well as it does give juice to the battery.
Additionally, I ran the suggested "lsusb" in the Linux Terminal while the Vibrant was in Download Mode, and I didn't seem to get too much in the way of interest of the Vibrant except this line:
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would that possibly be the Vibrant? Does "Linux Foundation" refer to a Linux device? Then again, I just ran it another time without the Vibrant plugged in, and it yielded the same results.. So, most likely.. dead usb port?? Or perhaps is this just a weird phenomena? Thanks again, for all the suggestions and comments; hopefully I'll be able to one day return the favours to others here on xda.
Sorry, looks like you have a faulty usb port on your phone
Sent from my Nero powered Vibrant
Thanks for helping troubleshoot that, however unfortunate it was to hear... Perhaps one last question though, as I would like to make sure I 'cover my basis', so to speak, would anyone have suggestions as to what to do when I talk to Samsung? Or would anyone know what the procedure is like; I have dealt with a faulty iPone 3gs before and basically all I did was wait for the replacement in the mail, and ship the faulty one in the same packaging. I realize I will need to contact them, but would anyone know what information they might need from me? (as in would it be a problem that I might not have an original receipt? (I contacted the seller about that, and have yet to hear back))
Simply put, while I have had Samsung products in the past (and have been for the most part very satisfied with said products); I would, however, like to make sure I don't mess something up within the warranty process for the Vibrant (at least in consideration that I wasn't the first purchaser; then again, I would hope that they would cover the 'basic' quality issues of their products for at least the normal 90 days.. but what do I know..).
Whatever the case my be, I greatly appreciate the help I've received here; if for nothing else, perhaps it will be useful in someone else's mishaps in their Android journey. Thanks again, and I will be exceedingly grateful for any further suggestions on the matter.
shalom24 said:
Thanks for helping troubleshoot that, however unfortunate it was to hear... Perhaps one last question though, as I would like to make sure I 'cover my basis', so to speak, would anyone have suggestions as to what to do when I talk to Samsung? Or would anyone know what the procedure is like; I have dealt with a faulty iPone 3gs before and basically all I did was wait for the replacement in the mail, and ship the faulty one in the same packaging. I realize I will need to contact them, but would anyone know what information they might need from me? (as in would it be a problem that I might not have an original receipt? (I contacted the seller about that, and have yet to hear back))
Simply put, while I have had Samsung products in the past (and have been for the most part very satisfied with said products); I would, however, like to make sure I don't mess something up within the warranty process for the Vibrant (at least in consideration that I wasn't the first purchaser; then again, I would hope that they would cover the 'basic' quality issues of their products for at least the normal 90 days.. but what do I know..).
Whatever the case my be, I greatly appreciate the help I've received here; if for nothing else, perhaps it will be useful in someone else's mishaps in their Android journey. Thanks again, and I will be exceedingly grateful for any further suggestions on the matter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Contact Samsung what have you got to lose? The phone comes with 1 year manufacturer warranty, and it has been on the market since mid July 2010, so it is not even 6 month old.
Yea, I don't mean to be too non-committal, I just don't want to mess up a warranty; if that makes any sense. And hopefully the ~210 people who have viewed this thread thus far will find a conclusion of the situation somewhat helpful. I'll update this thread once some of the dust settles.. I'm most definitely a fan of xda! Thanks for all the help everyone!
EDIT: Contacted Samsung, and after listening to the 'did you check this list' for about five minutes, I received a free shipping label and they said it was covered by the 'repair warranty'. I'm optimistic that something good will come of it...
EDIT_2:
Well, what do you know, just got the package/phone a little under an hour ago. First of all, compliments to Samsung! Fantastic communication and customer service! I really thought that the Vibrant was unrecoverable and that I would most likely have to pay for a new one; but I was wrong! Opened the sealed package with the original Vibrant (I knew it was mine since I had already but a BestSkinsEver skin on it) and plugged it into the computer at, Wohla!, Odin recognized, Windows/drivers recognized, and I'm up and rolling!
Thank you once again everyone for the comments and helpful input! And know that Samsung rocks! (I won't be going back with apple products anytime soon..)

JTAGing thru USB using Heimdall

Has anyone successfully done this??
Link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1220181
I finally hard-bricked my Vibrant, and I'm wondering if this has been accomplished, instead of sending it to a specialist to JTAG it the traditional way!!
Im trying to see if I can resurrect it myself instead of losing it for a week!
And yes I'm aware of the One guy here in the states that does JTAGing, but Id be seriously outa work for a week as my phone is my work/life line, cuz I'm an Independent contractor, so its not about the money Id spend but the time down without a way to work/communicate, I haven't contacted TMO yet and told them it was hosed using the Kies method to upgrade it to Froyo. Wish I never had done that!! Should've known better, didn't see/read any post about the horrors of using Samsungs KIES program until it was too late!!!
I was trying to purge a SH 5.0 install that went bad, I flashed back to stock Eclair. Then went to Froyo, But thats when I developed a problem with boot looping after doing Froyo, so I tried the KIES program to go to "FROYO" and that's when It bricked!!!
Anyways its bricked hard, and I'm wondering if this has actually been done successfully!
And any tips that I might need to get the Heimdall Program to actually detect it thru the USB method, would be awesome! Even though it wont turn on!!
Link to the thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1220181
JTAG isn't a method that can be done through usb. If you had googled jtag, you would have found out that it is a physical port built into the motherboard of our phones. In fact most electronics have a jtag port.
*Joint Test Action Group**(*JTAG*) is the common name for what was later standardized as the*IEEE
1149.1**Standard Test Access Port and Boundary-Scan Architecture*. It was initially devised for testing*printed circuit boards*using*boundary scan and is still widely used for this application.
Today JTAG is also widely used for*IC*debug ports. In the embedded processor market, essentially all modern processors support JTAG when they have enough pins.*Embedded systems*development relies on*debuggers*talking to chips with JTAG to perform operations like*single stepping*and*breakpointing. Digital electronics products such as*cell phones
*or awireless access point
*generally have no other debug or test interfaces.
In order to flash your phone, it will have to be dismantled, and hooked up to the jtag box.
Beware of angry gingerbread man
Adamcooks, I read the entire squabble about this between you and RaverXX
I downloaded your one click as well!!
So can you give me some advice on how to get my phone to even simply turn on, WO the soldering involved using traditional method of JTAGing??? Mine wont power up or show any LED activity, nothing when plugged in or do anything using traditional methods known to work with "SOFTBRICKING"
I mean, it seems my Boot loader is corrupted, or the other file you suggested, when Raver and u were arguing!! If I could even get a faint indication of life from the phone, It could be brought back to DL, but a DL Jig, as well as all the other extensive methods to get it even to power on, let alone go into DL mode isnt working at all, after many, many try's!
Can your one-click program, with the proper BL's for my T959 Vibrant be acknowledged by either yours or Heimdall's Program, so as to even be able to flash this WO, Jtaging it, even if it wont even power up in any way to handshake with my lappy???
BTW, I'm not trying to start another **** storm, after what happened with RaverXX, but it seems some of the people who had the same scenario as I do, were successful, so I'm wondering between the 2 of you, how to approach and try this, I respect both ya'll's work and contributions, but for me the bottom line is to get my phone working once again, short of either#1 JTAGing it, or trying to go thru the painful experience of trying to get TMO to replace it with a new same model, because KIES fubar'd it!!
Anyway I wish you 2 guys could lay out the proper set of instructions as you suggested, along with the proper files or links, for us to try either his method or yours. I think its possible to resurrect these phones, this way short of physical damage, and as such!! IDT you 2 fellas would've put so much effort into this theory, if there wasn't some merit to it!
So I'm all ears and eyes to your suggestion of how to get my phone to even breath again, so I can go back to DL mode, and get her working again!!
But when nothing what so ever happens, no power up, no lights, no nothing occurs, it seems to me its bricked, even though you say a truly bricked phone , has physical hardware damage, which tech is prolly correct, however in this case, mine is software bricked very hard!!!! And for purposes of communication and clarity, Ill stick with bricked, If I knew the MB was fried and or damaged, Id simply order another one, and replace it, and power up the phone, and be done with this ordeal, but my corruption occurred during using the Samsung KIES program, regrettably!!
And I'm fairly certain that either the Boot loader file is corrupted or the file you say creates a black screen usually displaying the Pc-phone logo is done for, so again, should I try the command prompt instructions to fix that, or do I use your one-click, or go to ravers method ?? I asking legitimately, because I know your knowledge in these matters has merit!! Thanks for your reply!!
Unless he changed his account, that was a different Adam in that other thread. I still say try it, cant make things any worse.
Sent from my ZenDroid, meditating on the XDA App
I may give a sharp response sometimes, but an internet squabbler I am not. connextion(sp) has a motherboard cradle that contacts the correct pins to jtag flash, without causing any damage to your phone.
Have you tried the resistance jig? I think that skorpn is the one who makes them ( 301k ohm resistor plug into the usb port can force d/l mode if the bootloaders aren't borked)
these are the last two resorts in ng phone resurrection.
Beware of angry gingerbread man
Ya My mistake Sorry
Ya I got you mixed up with another developer who has a very similar handle, so many apologies, however I wasn't flaming you anyway, shape or form, just apologizing for the mistaken ID
BTW Is the skorp resistance Jig a completely different animal from the DL Jig Tech Mobile sells doing the same result, in other words is it able to bring a phone like mine in the condition it is, into DL mode??? I saw the Skorp design, it just seems to me, its the same thing I already have from Tech Mobiles design. Accomplishing the same thing, but for phones that actually power on in some way shape or form, light off etc!!
Anyway thanks for your input, and effort, I'm still sorting all the info on everybody's suggestions and methods, short of JTaging it!!! Gonna make a move on a procedure here soon, this evening!!

[Q] Hard bricked?

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

[Q] I call upon the dark powers of the XDA to help me fix my Kindle Fire HDX

Here's my problem XDA Gods:
I've recently made a huge mistake, I was %&$#ing around with roms for the HDX and with Hashcode's Safestrap and had my phone fully rooted with the ADB drivers installed on my pc. I was using the default rom slot to operate(Yes it's stupid, but I have problems working with under 8gb of space and it was working fine.). Through an accidental factory reset I managed to delete my safestrap backup and screw up the current Rom. So I went into safestrap and tried to flash a new rom which suddenly wouldn't flash correctly. So I did advanced wipe and cleared everything and rebooted the device whilst still set to bootup from the default rom slot. My Proceeded to then bootloop the grey kindle logo. In a panic trying to fix it, I did the factory reset by holding the volume and power buttons (Another stupid move in my game of life.). Now when I plug it into a PC it reads the device as MTP USB Device and proceeds to fail installing Drivers that I've already installed. Adb wont recognize the device and I'm currently attempting to reinstall all my drivers.
To Sum It Up:
* My Device Can't Boot Into Safestrap
* My Device Can't Boot Past The Kindle Gray Logo
* My Computers wont recognize the kindle and calls it an MTP USB Device and fails driver installation.
*ADB also rejects my love.
Dear XDA Gods, I pray to thee for divine help and request the speedy help of thy talents. Many goats I will sacrifice for any that will help. I have scoured the Internet looking for a holy answer and have stumbled only upon ADB fixes to which I cannot. Please look upon my request and help me fly through this terrible storm.
From what I understand...
...this is a brick situation. Not to be a debby downer but I found myself in the same situation. I spent countless hours in the XDA forums and beyond, read every Android Cowboy post (who knows his way around this issue), tried a fastboot cable (didn't work), and even looked for a way to JTAG the internal memory - all to no avail. My advice - if you can't get ADB to wreckonize, accept your fate and flaunt your expensive taste in paperweights because, indeed, the stakes of being a tinkerer are high.
zomblitous said:
Here's my problem XDA Gods:
I've recently made a huge mistake, I was %&$#ing around with roms for the HDX and with Hashcode's Safestrap and had my phone fully rooted with the ADB drivers installed on my pc. I was using the default rom slot to operate(Yes it's stupid, but I have problems working with under 8gb of space and it was working fine.). Through an accidental factory reset I managed to delete my safestrap backup and screw up the current Rom. So I went into safestrap and tried to flash a new rom which suddenly wouldn't flash correctly. So I did advanced wipe and cleared everything and rebooted the device whilst still set to bootup from the default rom slot. My Proceeded to then bootloop the grey kindle logo. In a panic trying to fix it, I did the factory reset by holding the volume and power buttons (Another stupid move in my game of life.). Now when I plug it into a PC it reads the device as MTP USB Device and proceeds to fail installing Drivers that I've already installed. Adb wont recognize the device and I'm currently attempting to reinstall all my drivers.
To Sum It Up:
* My Device Can't Boot Into Safestrap
* My Device Can't Boot Past The Kindle Gray Logo
* My Computers wont recognize the kindle and calls it an MTP USB Device and fails driver installation.
*ADB also rejects my love.
Dear XDA Gods, I pray to thee for divine help and request the speedy help of thy talents. Many goats I will sacrifice for any that will help. I have scoured the Internet looking for a holy answer and have stumbled only upon ADB fixes to which I cannot. Please look upon my request and help me fly through this terrible storm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
---------- Post added at 12:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:04 PM ----------
Google "Setting Up Your Kindle Fire Tablet for Testing" there is an article that might help to get ADB up.
This may be helpful to try to get ADB working. Also, a fastboot cable might be worth a try, though I don't think it will work if you don't get ADB working. Did you modify build.prop? Delete any system files?
I am sure that there is a way to restore through QPST:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=49862146
but I lack the skills to complete this process
Thanks
Thanks for the speedey responses guys, I'll try the QTSP method when I have time, but still thanks. Any other help is good to.
Same happened to me also , and i contacted with Amazon Customer Service. I explained whole situation ( that i tried the install gapps and bricked it like you - same way - ) they offered me a replacement. Then they sent me a new Kindle.
If you cant do anything just contact with them and explain everything. They will help im sure about that.
They are the most amazing Customer Service i've ever seen in my life. Just 2 days , i got my new Kindle and sent bricked one back.
Also they sent me a email for return shipping expenses. I used it at UPS and did not paid any money for return shipping.
Aren't they amazing?
Really!?!?
squee9 said:
Same happened to me also , and i contacted with Amazon Customer Service. I explained whole situation ( that i tried the install gapps and bricked it like you - same way - ) they offered me a replacement. Then they sent me a new Kindle.
If you cant do anything just contact with them and explain everything. They will help im sure about that.
They are the most amazing Customer Service i've ever seen in my life. Just 2 days , i got my new Kindle and sent bricked one back.
Also they sent me a email for return shipping expenses. I used it at UPS and did not paid any money for return shipping.
Aren't they amazing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So even after ""breaking the system"" I'll get my money back. I dont have a warranty by the way, and I got it in December. Will that effect anything.
zomblitous said:
So even after ""breaking the system"" I'll get my money back. I dont have a warranty by the way, and I got it in December. Will that effect anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to admit I went through something very similar to you with my first HDX. I wiped the system without fully understanding it and afterwards it was bricked with my computer being unable to recognize it.
I also spent quite a bit of time looking for a solution but ultimately it was far easier talking to Amazon about this and having them send a replacement. Now with my second HDX I didn't make the same mistake twice.
I didn't tell the truth though. I just said that after I powered it on one day it would get stuck on the boot screen and after a troubleshoot run through Amazon offered a replacement.
Good luck.
Fastboot & the system
lawnnewm said:
...this is a brick situation. Not to be a debby downer but I found myself in the same situation. I spent countless hours in the XDA forums and beyond, read every Android Cowboy post (who knows his way around this issue), tried a fastboot cable (didn't work), and even looked for a way to JTAG the internal memory - all to no avail. My advice - if you can't get ADB to wreckonize, accept your fate and flaunt your expensive taste in paperweights because, indeed, the stakes of being a tinkerer are high.
---------- Post added at 12:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:04 PM ----------
Google "Setting Up Your Kindle Fire Tablet for Testing" there is an article that might help to get ADB up.
This may be helpful to try to get ADB working. Also, a fastboot cable might be worth a try, though I don't think it will work if you don't get ADB working. Did you modify build.prop? Delete any system files?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I did the advanced system wipe, I think I may have just wiped off all traces of a rom by formatting the system, I havent touched the build.prop or any file like that, only format. Also I'll grab a fastboot cable off ebay and give tinkering a try,
Thanks
zXiC said:
I have to admit I went through something very similar to you with my first HDX. I wiped the system without fully understanding it and afterwards it was bricked with my computer being unable to recognize it.
I also spent quite a bit of time looking for a solution but ultimately it was far easier talking to Amazon about this and having them send a replacement. Now with my second HDX I didn't make the same mistake twice.
I didn't tell the truth though. I just said that after I powered it on one day it would get stuck on the boot screen and after a troubleshoot run through Amazon offered a replacement.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, best to have a working kindle and bad karma than an expensive paperweight, i'll give a fastboot cable a try first and use this as a last attempt. Thanks, also, when did you get the replacement and did you have a warranty?
zomblitous said:
Well, best to have a working kindle and bad karma than an expensive paperweight, i'll give a fastboot cable a try first and use this as a last attempt. Thanks, also, when did you get the replacement and did you have a warranty?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rubbish. A bad kindle is a temporary thing. Bad karma lasts a lifetime & even if you can work it off, it's on a sliding scale approximately 1000:1.
The worst thing you can do is panic. 99.999% of devices can be recovered. However, you greatly increase your chances of being in that screwed .001% statistically by panicking & doing things like factory resetting or rebooting.
Personally, after sitting down to think about it, I can say I have actually borked my device 23 times. Nearly every three times, it was a different issue, since I was recreating issues to find solutions for others. To this day, I still have my FIRST HDX. I even got the update, the one that nobody can reverse. Guess what? I'm rooted, have SafeStrap & GAPPS still, because I didn't panic.
When you screw something up, you have to walk away. 3 out of 4 times, if you react to an issue without planning & reasoning, you will only make things worse, particularly if you really have no idea what you are doing & how Linux, Android Bootloaders & firmware in general work together. You don't need to know every detail, but a basic understanding at the very least. Listen, I am by no means a developer. I am a butcher hack of a coder, but I am a mechanical engineer & so I approach everything methodically, especially when dealing with something I do not know. Knowing your limits can be the most important thing to know at times & when you have stepped outside of your knowledge base, reacting with a guess rarely goes good. Just ask all the folks leaving Las Vegas casinos without their money. The bottom line is that bad things happen when you panic & let fear take hold. Bad things happen when you think you know more than you do.
What also helps me, is that this is my NEWEST username (you used to be able to have multiple, for different devices, etc), which is from 2006. I am pretty sure my first login was from 2002, maybe early 2003. When I joined I didn't do anything other than lurk, read, ask questions & follow things that interested me in IRC for a year & a half. I never even posted for the first 9 months I was around. I used PM & IRC, then it was only to ask questions to things I could find answers too reading through the earlier posts. Again, there are brand new members that understand & have abilities in technology that far outstrip anything I'll ever comprehend. Just like there were over a decade ago. Find those people & become friends. Follow one of the tutorials on building a basic app or building a rom like CM or AOSP or any of the other open roms from scratch. You'll learn something new, I garuntee it & it will come in handy some day, even if it's just a hobby. Of course things are different at XDA these days. It used to be that EVERY member was here to learn how to do these things for themselves & to share the experience & what was learned. Now, you still have some of those types, but predominantly, you have members that are here just because they want someone else to make a theme, or mod, or fix for them & they have no desire to contribute.
At any rate, I don't have the time to keep up with all the bootloops & bricks these days. Right now, work is crazy busy & that is what pays the bills, so it takes precedence over everything else. I'll start answering PM's & taking a look at borked devices again when things slow down again, however, I think I could probably recover 8 out of 10 if I had it in my hands & so could you. For those of you unwilling to give up, I suggest you read around other forums, check out some of the qualcomm developer forums & find some of the very talented developers that participate in those communities too. Most of them WILL take the time, not necessarily to fix your problem, but to answer questions & even to teach you a thing or two, if you are sincere about wanting to learn & not just looking for the first sucker to fix whatever problem you have.
GSLEON3 said:
Rubbish. A bad kindle is a temporary thing. Bad karma lasts a lifetime & even if you can work it off, it's on a sliding scale approximately 1000:1.
The worst thing you can do is panic. 99.999% of devices can be recovered. However, you greatly increase your chances of being in that screwed .001% statistically by panicking & doing things like factory resetting or rebooting.
Personally, after sitting down to think about it, I can say I have actually borked my device 23 times. Nearly every three times, it was a different issue, since I was recreating issues to find solutions for others. To this day, I still have my FIRST HDX. I even got the update, the one that nobody can reverse. Guess what? I'm rooted, have SafeStrap & GAPPS still, because I didn't panic.
When you screw something up, you have to walk away. 3 out of 4 times, if you react to an issue without planning & reasoning, you will only make things worse, particularly if you really have no idea what you are doing & how Linux, Android Bootloaders & firmware in general work together. You don't need to know every detail, but a basic understanding at the very least. Listen, I am by no means a developer. I am a butcher hack of a coder, but I am a mechanical engineer & so I approach everything methodically, especially when dealing with something I do not know. Knowing your limits can be the most important thing to know at times & when you have stepped outside of your knowledge base, reacting with a guess rarely goes good. Just ask all the folks leaving Las Vegas casinos without their money. The bottom line is that bad things happen when you panic & let fear take hold. Bad things happen when you think you know more than you do.
What also helps me, is that this is my NEWEST username (you used to be able to have multiple, for different devices, etc), which is from 2006. I am pretty sure my first login was from 2002, maybe early 2003. When I joined I didn't do anything other than lurk, read, ask questions & follow things that interested me in IRC for a year & a half. I never even posted for the first 9 months I was around. I used PM & IRC, then it was only to ask questions to things I could find answers too reading through the earlier posts. Again, there are brand new members that understand & have abilities in technology that far outstrip anything I'll ever comprehend. Just like there were over a decade ago. Find those people & become friends. Follow one of the tutorials on building a basic app or building a rom like CM or AOSP or any of the other open roms from scratch. You'll learn something new, I garuntee it & it will come in handy some day, even if it's just a hobby. Of course things are different at XDA these days. It used to be that EVERY member was here to learn how to do these things for themselves & to share the experience & what was learned. Now, you still have some of those types, but predominantly, you have members that are here just because they want someone else to make a theme, or mod, or fix for them & they have no desire to contribute.
At any rate, I don't have the time to keep up with all the bootloops & bricks these days. Right now, work is crazy busy & that is what pays the bills, so it takes precedence over everything else. I'll start answering PM's & taking a look at borked devices again when things slow down again, however, I think I could probably recover 8 out of 10 if I had it in my hands & so could you. For those of you unwilling to give up, I suggest you read around other forums, check out some of the qualcomm developer forums & find some of the very talented developers that participate in those communities too. Most of them WILL take the time, not necessarily to fix your problem, but to answer questions & even to teach you a thing or two, if you are sincere about wanting to learn & not just looking for the first sucker to fix whatever problem you have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the pep-talk, I haven't even thought about giving up, and I don't really want to just get out the easy lying way. But sadly my problem is one of few and will take time even with the help of power techies. I really only have one option at the moment and that is to continue troubleshooting and ignore everyone who just says that i have acquired a taste in paperweights. And Thanks anyway, means alot when a member takes time just to cheer ya on.
zomblitous said:
Well, best to have a working kindle and bad karma than an expensive paperweight, i'll give a fastboot cable a try first and use this as a last attempt. Thanks, also, when did you get the replacement and did you have a warranty?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Replacement was expediated by Amazon so in two days.
You have a limited warranty for a year. You just have to convince Amazon that your problem falls under that.
Edit: It's admirable to try and fix it yourself but in my opinion it's far too time consuming.
1 year then...
zXiC said:
Replacement was expediated by Amazon so in two days.
You have a limited warranty for a year. You just have to convince Amazon that your problem falls under that.
Edit: It's admirable to try and fix it yourself but in my opinion it's far too time consuming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I have about a year then.

Advice for proving RAZR Maxx is broken?

I've got insurance for my cell phone through my credit card. If it breaks, they'll send me $250 to buy a new one. And my RAZR Maxx is definitely messed up.
The problem is, the problems are intermittent. And for me to make a successful claim, I have to get a technician to look at the phone and write a letter saying it's broken. I had to go through this process a couple of years ago with a Motorola Atrix that was clearly, obviously broken. And the technicians are always like, "what? what do you mean? what good is a letter like that going to do?" No matter how many times I try to explain to them. It's like they think I'm trying to trap them.
Anyway, is there anything short of throwing the phone off the top of my house that I can do to my phone that makes it easy to show to a technician and have him verify there are issues with it? I'd like not to destroy the phone in case my claim is denied. There are other criteria other than just proving phone is broken. And if the claim is denied, I may need to use the phone for a few more months till I can afford to buy a new one.
The phone is rooted. So I can install whatever software that needs the phone to be rooted. And I have asked in the past, rooting the phone does not cancel my insurance. The case is basically the cell phone insurance department doesn't seem very technologically savvy and don't have a lot of clauses you see when cell phone company's are describing cell phone warranties. Then they have other clauses that you would never see in a cell phone warranty.
If you want to know what's wrong with my phone, like occasionally, nothing it can do will it lock onto the GPS satellites, and I'm stuck somewhere trying to navigate my way to some place.. Occasionally it'll pop up on my screen saying "HDMI cable detected" and orient my screen sideways like if the phone were in a dock. It does this even though there's clearly no HDMI cable connected and I have turned HDMI detection off in the settings. Plus, the phone is just god awful slow a lot of times. Trying to use Chrome on the phone, a lot of times it'll hang and eventually I'll get the message "Chrome is not reponding", then I have options like do you want to wait for it, or go ahead and kill it.
levander said:
I've got insurance for my cell phone through my credit card. If it breaks, they'll send me $250 to buy a new one. And my RAZR Maxx is definitely messed up.
The problem is, the problems are intermittent. And for me to make a successful claim, I have to get a technician to look at the phone and write a letter saying it's broken. I had to go through this process a couple of years ago with a Motorola Atrix that was clearly, obviously broken. And the technicians are always like, "what? what do you mean? what good is a letter like that going to do?" No matter how many times I try to explain to them. It's like they think I'm trying to trap them.
Anyway, is there anything short of throwing the phone off the top of my house that I can do to my phone that makes it easy to show to a technician and have him verify there are issues with it? I'd like not to destroy the phone in case my claim is denied. There are other criteria other than just proving phone is broken. And if the claim is denied, I may need to use the phone for a few more months till I can afford to buy a new one.
The phone is rooted. So I can install whatever software that needs the phone to be rooted. And I have asked in the past, rooting the phone does not cancel my insurance. The case is basically the cell phone insurance department doesn't seem very technologically savvy and don't have a lot of clauses you see when cell phone company's are describing cell phone warranties. Then they have other clauses that you would never see in a cell phone warranty.
If you want to know what's wrong with my phone, like occasionally, nothing it can do will it lock onto the GPS satellites, and I'm stuck somewhere trying to navigate my way to some place.. Occasionally it'll pop up on my screen saying "HDMI cable detected" and orient my screen sideways like if the phone were in a dock. It does this even though there's clearly no HDMI cable connected and I have turned HDMI detection off in the settings. Plus, the phone is just god awful slow a lot of times. Trying to use Chrome on the phone, a lot of times it'll hang and eventually I'll get the message "Chrome is not reponding", then I have options like do you want to wait for it, or go ahead and kill it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried returning the phone to bone stock with a stock recovery image and rsd lite? Be fore warned, you will lose root but, you can get it back. Afterwards it will be like a new phone(faster, a lot less buggy and force closes) unless it is truly a hardware issue. I have a motorola xoom that started having serious issues, I went through the whole process, and it was like a completely new tablet when was done, battery life I hadn't seen in over a year, very responsive, it was like I had just unboxed it from the store.
Truthfully the technicians probably DO think you are trying to trap them when you are talking about intermittent problems. Intermittent problems are hard to diagnose with anything unless you can tell them a specific action or pattern of actions that leads up to the problem. I am sure they get a lot of people all the time with "it doesn't work right" claims to try to get money for a new phone.
IMHO it would be worth the shot to see if it legitimately has a goofy problem, or can be easily fixed at home.
Draxin said:
Have you tried returning the phone to bone stock with a stock recovery image and rsd lite?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, thanks Draxin. I've tried restoring to a factory image. And it seems to work okay for a couple of days before small things start back up. A couple of months later, the phone is as flaky as it ever was. It could just be software, that is possible. But it's not like I can go in and fix the software myself or anything. And I think hanging around the internet, looking for tweaks and fixes any more than I already have is really an unreasonable request by the insurance company.
What you say about an easily repeatable pattern, that's what I was hoping to figure out by posting here.
But getting no responses, I think I'm just gonna start my claim and when it gets to the point of proving it's broken, I'm just gonna microwave the phone. Googling all over the Internet that's the only advice people seem to offer.
Basically as it is now, I'm gonna have to pay for a new phone and hope this clumsy phone insurance through my credit card company makes good on my claim. I know I meet the criteria because I've read the policy. It's just the hoops they put you through to prove you meet the criteria that I'm worried about.
levander said:
Yeah, thanks Draxin. I've tried restoring to a factory image. And it seems to work okay for a couple of days before small things start back up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With a full wipe and stock motorola firmware? Or just a factory reset?
Either way wish you the best of luck
Yeah try using rsd to fully restore. I fixed a lot of my problems that way .
Sent from my XT912 using Tapatalk
tydiamond11 said:
Yeah try using rsd to fully restore. I fixed a lot of my problems that way .
Sent from my XT912 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very true. It is funny/sad. Spend some time on a site like this and it seems like everybody knows these things. Talk to your friend or the typical consumer of smartphones and it is foreign to them. They feed into the advertising that the newest and greatest will solve all their problems, not realizing they are falling into the same viscous circle. They will actually disbelieve you, cause... well come on, the phone is two years old! "The guy at my carriers store is surprised my phone still works. Sure he got the job two months ago, won't be there five from now and has no idea what a OTG cable is, or a independently powered usb hub but, still he works there.. so he must know what he is talking about! I am sure it has nothing to do with commission of sales!" (that was facetious, by the way)
I am curious how many people have thought that their smartphone was dying or to old because a factory reset didn't work(not talking about you lavender, I don't know what you have done to fix your device( guess I am semi-hijacking your thread)).
Motorola(or any device manufacturer for that matter) isn't going to tell the typical user that a firmware reflash is required to get a couple more years out of their device when they can sell a user (that won't waste the time to Google)another device. Certainly won't advertise it right next to their latest and greatest device. Really how many people outside of the power users or gamers REQUIRE a quad core processor with 1500-1800 mhz, or 2-3 gb of RAM. When typically, it will end up the same way in a years time, depending on how much they use it.
Porn doesn't require those specs!!!
Draxin said:
Very true. It is funny/sad. Spend some time on a site like this and it seems like everybody knows these things. Talk to your friend or the typical consumer of smartphones and it is foreign to them. They feed into the advertising that the newest and greatest will solve all their problems, not realizing they are falling into the same viscous circle. They will actually disbelieve you, cause... well come on, the phone is two years old! "The guy at my carriers store is surprised my phone still works. Sure he got the job two months ago, won't be there five from now and has no idea what a OTG cable is, or a independently powered usb hub but, still he works there.. so he must know what he is talking about! I am sure it has nothing to do with commission of sales!" (that was facetious, by the way)
I am curious how many people have thought that their smartphone was dying or to old because a factory reset didn't work(not talking about you lavender, I don't know what you have done to fix your device( guess I am semi-hijacking your thread)).
Motorola(or any device manufacturer for that matter) isn't going to tell the typical user that a firmware reflash is required to get a couple more years out of their device when they can sell a user (that won't waste the time to Google)another device. Certainly won't advertise it right next to their latest and greatest device. Really how many people outside of the power users or gamers REQUIRE a quad core processor with 1500-1800 mhz, or 2-3 gb of RAM. When typically, it will end up the same way in a years time, depending on how much they use it.
Porn doesn't require those specs!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right. Just the last part is not really relevant to this form by the way.
Sent from my XT912 using Tapatalk

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