[Q] How to get SMS backup when recovery mode is not accessible?? - Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hello,
My Galaxy s2 is stuck in boot loop, I can see only the GS2 logo.
It went into this situation after holding down power button trying to turn it off.
Tried to remove battery and nothing changed.
Entered recovery mode and did wipe cache and then reboot.
It went past the initial logo, showed samsung animation and then it went back to samsung logo boot loop. It never went to samsung animation again.
From that point on it does not boot to recovery mode, it shows the android robot with the spinning cog for a while and then it goes back to the samsung logo boot loop.
The phone can go to download mode without problem. I have not tried to install a stock firmware through odin, since I would like to get a backup of the sms messages from the phone first. I already have backup of pics, contacts, etc so I dont care about anything else besides the sms.
The phone was running the latest spanish stock JB version
GT-I9100 Galaxy S II
PDA: I9100XWLSD
CSC: I9100FOPLS4
MODEM: I9100XXLS8
Added: 2013-02-03
The only modifications to stock were
. Root when it was running ICS
. CSC change from EUR to FOP (so that it auto upgraded to JB from ICS)
The phone retained root after the auto JB upgrade
Do you know if there a solution to this situation? I am still under warranty so I can take it back to samsung so I would like to avoid installing CWM recovery kernel that would make them immediately reject service due to warranty void.
thank you in advance!

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Yes, you can keep trying to flash a stock firmware in Odin. Click the link in my signature if you're having troubles with the flash failing. Flash the JB version you were on before, that's got the most chance of working with out having to wipe.
Personally, I think you're going to have to get a working recovery and factory reset to be honest.
Sent from a galaxy far, far away

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Hopper8 said:
Yes, you can keep trying to flash a stock firmware in Odin. Click the link in my signature if you're having troubles with the flash failing. Flash the JB version you were on before, that's got the most chance of working with out having to wipe.
Personally, I think you're going to have to get a working recovery and factory reset to be honest.
Sent from a galaxy far, far away
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you for answering, so if I install the same version through Odin, it will not wipe out the current phone contents by default?

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Toliver said:
thank you for answering, so if I install the same version through Odin, it will not wipe out the current phone contents by default?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. A 1-part firmware will not wipe by default. If you flash a 3-part firmware (JB leak, LSJ for instance) that WILL wipe by default.
If you flash something other than the firmware you were on directly before the bootloop, you've got pretty much no chance of getting out of the bootloop without a factory reset. If you flash the same firmware you were on before the bootloop, then there's a chance of getting it to boot up with all your data.
If that (flashing with the same stock ROM) doesn't work, then I'm afraid its down to a factory reset, sorry.

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Hopper8 said:
Correct. A 1-part firmware will not wipe by default. If you flash a 3-part firmware (JB leak, LSJ for instance) that WILL wipe by default.
If you flash something other than the firmware you were on directly before the bootloop, you've got pretty much no chance of getting out of the bootloop without a factory reset. If you flash the same firmware you were on before the bootloop, then there's a chance of getting it to boot up with all your data.
If that (flashing with the same stock ROM) doesn't work, then I'm afraid its down to a factory reset, sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok then, I will give it a try and see how it goes. Another solution that I was thinking about is to try to install CWM through odin (i'm not sure if it's possible though) then boot into CWM and get backup through it. Then if I apply a stock firmware through odin, this would remove CWM and install the stock recovery kernel back, correct?

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Yes, that's possible. You can flash Philz kernel via Odin, it's stock kernel only with root CWM. Other than that its the same. You could do that procedure using his kernel. When you flash stock rom via Odin then yes, you'd get rid of the custom recovery.
Depending on what you want to do (warranty etc) read up about the flash counter and then triangle away.
Sent from a galaxy far, far away

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regarding the 1-part firmware, I downloaded from sammobile the I9100XWLSD_I9100FOPLS4_FOP.zip.
The zip archive contains a tar.md5 file I9100XWLSD_I9100FOPLS4_I9100XXLS8_HOME.tar.md5 and a dll file SS_DL.dll.
So I should use only the tar.md5 in the PDA section of odin, right? should I keep this dll in the same folder as the tar.md5 in case odin needs it?
Also does it make any difference which odin version should I use?
thaks again

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Well I suppose it can't hurt to put it in the same directory, but I don't know if it really does anything. Yes, flash it in the pda section.. Which version? Take your pick. I usually use 3.0.4 but have also used others. Click my signature if you want a zip file with a few versions.
Sent from a galaxy far, far away

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I tried flashing the same rom as it was installed but nothing changed, after the first boot I see the robot with the cog, a thin progress bar filling below it and then it goes to boot loop. No luck getting into recovery, still the same symptom... Besides the sms backup I am thinking about how to recover it, should I try installing 4.0.3 that was the factory default? Any more ideas??
thanks again

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The odin log seems clean though, no error or anything else
<ID:0/007> Added!!
<OSM> Enter CS for MD5..
<OSM> Check MD5.. Do not unplug the cable..
<OSM> Please wait..
<OSM> I9100XWLSD_I9100FOPLS4_I9100XXLS8_HOME.tar.md5 is valid.
<OSM> Checking MD5 finished Sucessfully..
<OSM> Leave CS..
<ID:0/007> Odin v.3 engine (ID:7)..
<ID:0/007> File analysis..
<ID:0/007> SetupConnection..
<ID:0/007> Initialzation..
<ID:0/007> Get PIT for mapping..
<ID:0/007> Firmware update start..
<ID:0/007> cache.img
<ID:0/007> NAND Write Start!!
<ID:0/007> factoryfs.img
<ID:0/007> hidden.img
<ID:0/007> modem.bin
<ID:0/007> boot.bin
<ID:0/007> param.lfs
<ID:0/007> Sbl.bin
<ID:0/007> zImage
<ID:0/007> RQT_CLOSE !!
<ID:0/007> RES OK !!
<ID:0/007> Completed..
<OSM> All threads completed. (succeed 1 / failed 0)
<ID:0/007> Removed!!

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And can you try a factory reset from the stock recovery? You're not on 4.0.4 so it'll be safe.
@gastonw, can you have a look here? I know that I've seen Odin passing but still no boot... I just can't remember how on earth it was fixed. It seems I didn't bookmark it either.
Sent from a galaxy far, far away

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Hopper8 said:
And can you try a factory reset from the stock recovery? You're not on 4.0.4 so it'll be safe.
@gastonw, can you have a look here? I know that I've seen Odin passing but still no boot... I just can't remember how on earth it was fixed. It seems I didn't bookmark it either.
Sent from a galaxy far, far away
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you provide more details on how to do a factory reset from stock recovery? Do you mean to flash 4.0.3 via odin? Or is it some options in odin that would enforce factory reset?

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More details are to search for it mate. It's covered so many times that it's just plain spoonfeeding if I'm to post it.
Sent from a galaxy far, far away

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Eventually I made it work by installing the 4.0.3 EUR via odin. I did not allow it to boot into the OS, as soon as it finished flashing via odin, I rebooted into recovery mode. This time it went in successfully. Then I used the CWM recovery kernel that just runs from the sd (it does not install) and got the full backup. Later on by using nandroid manager I recovered the sms messages + more (apps, etc). Thanks for all the help!