Related
Hi - I tried posting this in Development where I thought it should go but I haven't posted at all before so it won't let me.
I've gotten myself into a very messy (and probably stupid) situation with firmware with my I9300 - there's a very real chance I think that it is non-recoverable, but if anyone could give me some advice on what else to try I would be extremely grateful!
My problem:
Galaxy S3 I9300 16gb international won't boot - stuck at Device Name screen.
Won't boot into recovery
Will boot into download mode
Odin connects to device, but trying to flash stock ROM freezes at 'NAND Write Start!' or just FCs ("Odin has stopped working" reported by Windows
Heimdall won't recognise my device (does it even work with the s3? I don't know) so I can't print a PIT or anything
How I got here (over about 4 weeks):
Started with I9300 16gb international version (Grey import from Hong Kong to Australia, booted in French but let me change to English)
Gained root access through CWM touch kernel and Odin
Flashed AOKP Milestone 6 ROM
Used 'Secure Settings' (app) and 'Locale' (app) to set up a lockscreen PIN that enabled and disabled dynamically according to location rules (worked pretty well!)
Decided I wanted to encrypt my device
Clicked through all warnings, followed instructions to set PIN (didn't disable Secure Settings, the app that allowed the lockscreen changes outlined above)
Encryption successful, booted successfully using the PIN set
Lockscreen goes funny - 'quick PIN' option in AOKP (where you don't have to press OK after entering the PIN correctly) stops working
Any PIN at all at this point will unlock my device
Reboot to discover that my original encryption PIN has stopped working
Seriously, I tried it like 20 times including slight variations in case I mistyped, and other PINs that I use in case I misremembered
Rebooted into CWM to try to flash a new ROM
Can't access internal SD due to encryption
Use Galaxy S3 Toolkit to 'download and flash new stock rom, kernel using Odin'
Didn't know which firmware to download so i went with option 5 (GT-I9300_BTU_I9300XXALF2_I9300OXAALF2_I9300XXLF2)
Odin connects sucessfully, flashes device
Device reboots into 'Trouble with firmware upgrade - connect to samsung kies to fix' (or whatever it says)
Download and install Kies (i had the USB drivers for the phone installed previously)
Kies won't recognise my phone on any level for emergency recovery
Decide that the internal SD card encryption is causing the problems, and that maybe I need to repartition
Don't notice all the warnings about repartitioning
Download PIT files for I9300 from somewhere
Try reflashing ROM using one of these PITs (I didn't know any better so I just used GT-I9300_mx_20120329.pit, which in retrospect is probably for a device with different internal storage size)
Phone stopped giving me 'Firmware update problem' screen and started going to the 'GT I9300' booting screen, but never got past that point
Repeat ad infinitum - I've tried flashing several different stock ROMs, using several PITs and am now at the point mentioned above.
Only other information I have really is that on the back cover behind the battery it says 'Model GT-I9300' and 'SSN-I9300GSMH' if those are important.
Other forums seem to indicate that I have a NAND read/write issue, but trying to flash a stock kernel (which was the advice given) results in... 'NAND write start!' freeze :\
Like I said, I have no idea if this is recoverable in any way at this point, but if anyone has any ideas I'd love to hear them!
Thanks
Hi. This probably wont help, but try to use fresh odin download and other pc with new drivers installed without Sam Kies. older versions of odin did not worked with mine s3 and I had green screen while flashing problems when I used my old laptop to flash. Fresh pc with fresh drivers did the trick
dingo dog said:
Hi. This probably wont help, but try to use fresh odin download and other pc with new drivers installed without Sam Kies. older versions of odin did not worked with mine s3 and I had green screen while flashing problems when I used my old laptop to flash. Fresh pc with fresh drivers did the trick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi - Thanks for the tip, but I already tried with my wife's laptop. Should have mentioned in the original post.
Thanks again.
Older versions of Odin do work on SGS3 .
evelopment where I thought it should go but I haven't posted at all before so it won't let me.
Development only posts not Q&A nothing to do with 10 posts .
Two thoughts could be the usual flashed multiple stuff and phone is confused plus wrong PIT file flashed .
Thats just firmware not hardware problem .
Or indeed at some stage Nand is corrupt .
Solution would be
Try correct PIT file first before a repair centre .
jje
Just wanted to say that I have the same problem, but mine is even more strange. I can boot into the system but I have to disable wifi and mobile data right away otherwise the phone will reboot after a couple of seconds. I see the phone if I connect it to the computer but I can not write or read the files on the phone. But I tried the toolbox and could push an apk to the phone.
CWM works but if I try to wipe or flash another rom it reboots, some stuff works and other just reboots the phone.
Download-mode works and Odin finds the phone but everything I have tried fails. I have tried standard stock firmware, 3 part firmware and PIT but it always hangs on NAND Write.
If anyone has some solution I would be thrilled.
Bananafische said:
I've gotten myself into a very messy (and probably stupid) situation with firmware with my I9300 - there's a very real chance I think that it is non-recoverable
My problem:
[*]Won't boot into recovery
[*]Will boot into download mode
[*]Odin connects to device, but trying to flash stock ROM freezes at 'NAND Write Start!' or just FCs ("Odin has stopped working" reported by Windows
[*]Heimdall won't recognise my device (does it even work with the s3? I don't know) so I can't print a PIT or anything
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It can be solved using Odin if you get the official and correct Stock ROM for your SGS3. And/Or you might have been using the Wrong PIT.
And finally, No idea about heimdall ;p
Try this process: Samsung Galaxy S3 Not Booting? Here’s The Solution You can get detailed instructions here and that .PIT file too.:angel:
theonlyanil said:
It can be solved using Odin if you get the official and correct Stock ROM for your SGS3. And/Or you might have been using the Wrong PIT.
And finally, No idea about heimdall ;p
Try this process: Samsung Galaxy S3 Not Booting? Here’s The Solution You can get detailed instructions here and that .PIT file too.:angel:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It worked!
PIT flash successful, then stock rom restored
I still needed to go in to stock recovery and do a factory reset from there to undo the encryption.
Thanks so much for everyone's help.
I am glad that It worked for you
I am still stuck, I am guessing that if none of the PIT´s work then it is officially bricked?
u didn't try the link posted by me?
theonlyanil said:
u didn't try the link posted by me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it dosen't work ,stop at Get PIT for mapping..
help me
Hy guys Im from Hungary and i would like to flash my i9300 tmobile phone. My question is: can i flash the poland xeo to it or i just have to wait for the official tmobile rom? Thank you!
Where did you got the pit file
Bananafische said:
It worked!
PIT flash successful, then stock rom restored
I still needed to go in to stock recovery and do a factory reset from there to undo the encryption.
Thanks so much for everyone's help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you got the pit file
Hello, the PIT Flash didn't work for me either.
I was CF-rooted while overseas and stupidly forgot to disable auto-updates. The tricky part was that the auto update probably was for a different region as I was in Europe when the brick happened, but I live in Singapore.
Have tried to flash the firmware several times using Odin and even the PIT but all have been unsuccessful. I've been stuck a "Firmware upgrade encountered an issue....".
Have been able to get to the download screen but not the recovery mode.
Any pointers or is my phone rightly bricked?
I fixed my half brick using Android 4.0.4 ICS XXLAF2 stock firmware
My old stuff is still on my sd card, but not usable tho :s
Any tips? cant seem to restore with rom manager. It only fails
Help with encrypted at&t GS3
theonlyanil said:
It can be solved using Odin if you get the official and correct Stock ROM for your SGS3. And/Or you might have been using the Wrong PIT.
And finally, No idea about heimdall ;p
Hey Anil,
I have encrypted at&t samsung gs3 running CM10.1 nightly. For some reason I cannot undo the encryption. I want to use the method described on this link that you posted here to get rid of encryption.
I have downloaded official firmware from sammobile. But the .pit file available on that site is for internation version. I have at&t GS3 so i should be using the .PIT for at&t version. Could you please provide me .PIT for 16GB at&t Samsung galaxy s3, if you have one or you know the link? Ii appreciate your help.
please help me with this man.
-Ravi
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Worked well
The method given by Anil worked fine.
And since my device was encrypted before, it asked me password after installing the firmware by Odin.
So for this I just entered recovery (Sam recovery) and did a factory reset, and the encryption was removed.:good:
Dude don't post ur serial or imie
Bananafische said:
Hi - I tried posting this in Development where I thought it should go but I haven't posted at all before so it won't let me.
I've gotten myself into a very messy (and probably stupid) situation with firmware with my I9300 - there's a very real chance I think that it is non-recoverable, but if anyone could give me some advice on what else to try I would be extremely grateful!
My problem:
Galaxy S3 I9300 16gb international won't boot - stuck at Device Name screen.
Won't boot into recovery
Will boot into download mode
Odin connects to device, but trying to flash stock ROM freezes at 'NAND Write Start!' or just FCs ("Odin has stopped working" reported by Windows
Heimdall won't recognise my device (does it even work with the s3? I don't know) so I can't print a PIT or anything
How I got here (over about 4 weeks):
Started with I9300 16gb international version (Grey import from Hong Kong to Australia, booted in French but let me change to English)
Gained root access through CWM touch kernel and Odin
Flashed AOKP Milestone 6 ROM
Used 'Secure Settings' (app) and 'Locale' (app) to set up a lockscreen PIN that enabled and disabled dynamically according to location rules (worked pretty well!)
Decided I wanted to encrypt my device
Clicked through all warnings, followed instructions to set PIN (didn't disable Secure Settings, the app that allowed the lockscreen changes outlined above)
Encryption successful, booted successfully using the PIN set
Lockscreen goes funny - 'quick PIN' option in AOKP (where you don't have to press OK after entering the PIN correctly) stops working
Any PIN at all at this point will unlock my device
Reboot to discover that my original encryption PIN has stopped working
Seriously, I tried it like 20 times including slight variations in case I mistyped, and other PINs that I use in case I misremembered
Rebooted into CWM to try to flash a new ROM
Can't access internal SD due to encryption
Use Galaxy S3 Toolkit to 'download and flash new stock rom, kernel using Odin'
Didn't know which firmware to download so i went with option 5 (GT-I9300_BTU_I9300XXALF2_I9300OXAALF2_I9300XXLF2)
Odin connects sucessfully, flashes device
Device reboots into 'Trouble with firmware upgrade - connect to samsung kies to fix' (or whatever it says)
Download and install Kies (i had the USB drivers for the phone installed previously)
Kies won't recognise my phone on any level for emergency recovery
Decide that the internal SD card encryption is causing the problems, and that maybe I need to repartition
Don't notice all the warnings about repartitioning
Download PIT files for I9300 from somewhere
Try reflashing ROM using one of these PITs (I didn't know any better so I just used GT-I9300_mx_20120329.pit, which in retrospect is probably for a device with different internal storage size)
Phone stopped giving me 'Firmware update problem' screen and started going to the 'GT I9300' booting screen, but never got past that point
Repeat ad infinitum - I've tried flashing several different stock ROMs, using several PITs and am now at the point mentioned above.
Only other information I have really is that on the back cover behind the battery it says 'Model GT-I9300' and 'SSN-I9300GSMH' if those are important.
Other forums seem to indicate that I have a NAND read/write issue, but trying to flash a stock kernel (which was the advice given) results in... 'NAND write start!' freeze :\
Like I said, I have no idea if this is recoverable in any way at this point, but if anyone has any ideas I'd love to hear them!
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For ur own safety mate
Flashed Xperia's miui rom on S3-i9300
I have flashed Xperia's miui rom on S3-i9300, stack on boot what can i do? I did everything on the video.
xcanpolatx said:
I have flashed Xperia's miui rom on S3-i9300, stack on boot what can i do? I did everything on the video.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before you pay for a repair you can try flashing stock rom via Odin .
Hi everybody,
I've got a friend's I9000M (Vibrant) and needed to upgrade its Froyo OS.
As I'm used to CM9, I started the Full Update Guide as described in the wiki. First I followed [1], by mistake, and flashed a I9000 kernel (hardcore's) into the I9000M using Heimdall (having the phone in Download Mode). It didn't boot up, of course. I was stuck there for a while until I realized that I should have been following [2].
That kernel, cmenard's booted up ok. But then I realized that I needed the CM9 zip in the INTERNAL card (I had it on an external card, as I'm used to other devices). So I had to go back to a stock Froyo ROM.
I looked around for a while and the best I could find was XWJSD (I don't know which firmware revision I had installed before). That kernel booted up OK, seemed to work, so I copied the file to the internal card. Just in case, I tested if it worked as a fallback, so if I screw up I can go back again. WiFi was not working. Everything else seemed ok.
After I flashed cmenard's firmware + CWM, I found that Recovery mode can't mount any partition (only system, no data, no sdcard) [3]. So I'm stuck and can't install CM9 from SDCARD.
So it seems that I can only flash Heimdall-packaged firmwares. I looked around for other alternative ICS / JB ROMs, and the only ones I found weren't Heimdall-packaged. They needed to be installed via Recovery.
So,
1. do these mounting errors mean I fried the internal card? can they be solved?
2. is anyone aware of an ICS / JB ROM packaged in a way Heimdall can upload?
3. do I have a way to know what stock Froyo firmware will work best with this phone?
4. regarding the WiFi issues, does that mean that I need a different firmware or can it be fixed?
Thanks in advanced, any help is much appreciated!
P.S. I looked around the forum but couldn't find answers to these question. If these are asked elsewhere, then I apologize/
-- nachokb
[1] (I can't post outside URLs) the "Samsung Galaxy S: Full Update Fuide" article in CyanogenMod's wiki
[2] (I can't post outside URLs) the "Samsung Vibrant: Full Update Fuide" article in CyanogenMod's wiki
[3] video of CWM Recovery errors: (I can't post outside URLs) Youtube Video ID t2VBt7TsohM
I would ask around the I9000 thread. If you flash any of these ROMs, I think you'll be asking how to fix your friends phone...
Yeah I think toast is right. Even though its called galaxy s vibrant, the i9000m is different than the t959.
sent from the depths of helly bean
Toast6977 said:
I would ask around the I9000 thread. If you flash any of these ROMs, I think you'll be asking how to fix your friends phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wondery why, given that this phone is a I9000M. I flashed a different ROM for a while, but after that I flashed a stock ROM and it worked OK.
Thanks!
Yeah I think toast is right. Even though its called galaxy s vibrant, the i9000m is different than the t959
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the T959 somewhat more resilient to internal card damage?
I doubt it, the phones are nearly identical.
sent from the depths of helly bean
Yeah I think toast is right. Even though its called galaxy s vibrant, the i9000m is different than the t959.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to be sure: this is a Bell I9000M, not a T-Mobile SGH-T959.
I just flashed stock XWJSD. It almost worked. System looks fine. Internal SD Card is fine - NOT toasted :good: (I even could access its previous contents).
Sadly, no WiFi (can't obtain IP address, keeps trying) and SIM locked (!) so no calls and no 3G . So, I'm holding a nice brick in my hands.
I've been trying to flash UGK3G, but I don't know how to flash its 3 files (CSC, PDA, PHONE) with Heimdall, and every forum post or tutorial says something different. Almost giving up here .
Thanks for your answers anyway!
-- nachokb
Hello guys. I will try to describe my issue very short:
My S3 got bricked a couple of days ago where i did a "NAND FLASH" (yes i am stupid, and i dont know why i did it)
I managed to get my S3 up and running with different firmware, pit, modem, boot files. Now its running STOCK official firmware from S3 without root, and without clockwork...
The S3 is completely stock now, but my issue is:
1. I tried 4 different computers: WIndows XP, Windows 7, MAC etc. but none of them recognize my phone when i attached it, and yes the drivers are installed and i have tried different cables
2. The phone is very laggy and reboots without reason
Conclusion. I think there is something missing in the system files but i have tried every firmware (CYANOGEN too,) but the phone seems to have changed. I think there is a system android file that is still corrupt somewhere or the NAND has been affected by zombies
Please guys... i hope you can help me. -
Test the memory, search here in q&a for the app. I'd guess you have damaged the nand, which will require a motherboard replacement.
you can root using exynos abuse apk. it can be downloaded by qr code reader or directly from phone .after rooting you can use mobile odin to flash the stock rom . this requires no cable or connection to a pc. but first check the memory as boomboomer suggests. if it is damaged you might be able to replace with warranty. good luck
Memory test said "Test has passed" so i think the results are OK?
Ashraf: As i told before: I am already running stock firmware. The phone reboots by it self some times
Any other solutions?
Try the memory test from the freezing thread, if that passes then flash the stock rom again, make sure the csc in the rom matches your country and you have the right modem and RIL either included in the rom or flashed afterward.
Test fully before you log into Google or restore/install any apps. Remove the sd card during this testing.
hi
i had same problem.solved.see this post
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2285736
mostafaz said:
hi
i had same problem.solved.see this post
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2285736
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello mostafaz... i dont know how to thank you but you solved my issue! I really really appreciate your help and for the solution!
It could be great if we had a database with the official PIT/PHONE etc. files :laugh:
Once again: Thank you!:good::good:
you are welcome
glad to hear u solved ur issue.
i wanna try many stock rom and have no fear ready for new problems
I was trying to install the JB update using Odin but I kept getting all kinds of errors (mostly the NAND read write fail) and eventually the *update failed* yellow icon recovery mode. after endless hours of browsing and reading up on the internet, I tried installing the Clockwork recovery which *yaay* worked. so, I went on ahead and got the Slimbean ROM and installed that via Clockwork. installed fine but wouldn't boot, just got stuck at the Slimbean logo. thinking that perhaps the ROM was wrong, I got the CM 10.1 but that got stuck too. where am I getting it wrong?? any help would be really appreciated
P.S
I did not put android debugging on as I thought that since I would be installing stock firmware, that it isnt really needed.
the phone was previously on GB, never rooted or toyed with before,
I have tried deleting dalvik cache/ data wipe and factory reset
& it's the i9001gt variant.
Before we go anywhere, is it actually an i9001? Or i9100?
If it's i9001, then you're in the wrong forum.
If it's an i9100, try flashing hawkerpaul's ROMNuke script, then immediately flash Slim/CM.
Sent from a galaxy far, far away
Still Stuck
Hopper8 said:
Before we go anywhere, is it actually an i9001? Or i9100?
If it's i9001, then you're in the wrong forum.
If it's an i9100, try flashing hawkerpaul's ROMNuke script, then immediately flash Slim/CM.
Sent from a galaxy far, far away
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its the i9100g. thought I'd post here since there's no 19100g help forum. I did try the ROMNuke script for the i9100 as I couldn't find a i9100g version and it seems to flash ok, but am still stuck at logo on both CM and Slim.
one thing I should mention, I used the PIT file that comes with Odin and chose repartition (whew!) at the very beginning of trying to flash the phone before I knew what PIT files are. could that have somehow messed things up?
I'm sorry, but I really don't know much about the i9100g. I don't know if cleaning scripts are compatible, or if that's adversely affected anything. To get the best help, post in the i9100g Q&A. Its stickied at the top of the i9100g android development section.
Sent from a galaxy far, far away
I'm in a bit of a tight situation over here. My mom's phone was having issues, so she wanted me to fix it before I left to visit my grandparents. I found a stock ROM for the phone (GT-i9100 International) and flashed it, but the phone always got stuck on the "Samsung Galaxy SII GT-I9100" boot screen (occasionally it would show the "O2" screen, as it was a ROM for Ireland). I tried a different ROM (can't remember what country it was), and I'm still stuck with the same problem. This time no O2 screen though. I've downloaded my ROMs through sammobile.com and I'm using ODIN v1.83.
The label under the battery reads:
Model: GT-I9100
SSN: -I9100GSMH
What ROM should I use and where can I get it? I found this thread with a link to the ROM for the international version, but Hotfile has been shut down, so I can't download it.
Sorry if I could've found the answer with a few more hours of searching, but I've got less than 24 hours to find a fix and I was hoping that someone else could help me. Thanks a lot!
EDIT: I'm in the U.S., if that matters.
Try AndroidFirmwares.net or Samsung-Updates.com. If it were me in that situation (I.E not my phone), I'd be putting whatever the latest firmware is for the carrier/country.
Any region?
MistahBungle said:
Try AndroidFirmwares.net or Samsung-Updates.com. If it were me in that situation (I.E not my phone), I'd be putting whatever the latest firmware is for the carrier/country.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should any region work to get the phone up and running? I just need to get it back up so that I can root it and flash CM10. Thanks.
Yep absolutely. If your end result is to root the phone & put a custom rom on, use any stock rom you can get your hands on. Though I'd be avoiding 4.0.4, anything other than that should be fine.
MistahBungle said:
Yep absolutely. If your end result is to root the phone & put a custom rom on, use any stock rom you can get your hands on. Though I'd be avoiding 4.0.4, anything other than that should be fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is 4.1.2 OK, or should I go for 4.0.3 or below?
Doesn't matter, take your pick.
More info on problem
I tried installing two other ROMs (from androidfirmwares.net), one 4.1.2 and one 2.3.6. The 4.1.2 didn't get me anywhere, but after I flashed 2.3.6 the phone said the assert check failed. GT-i9100 is on the list of what it checked for. (I've never had any luck with the assert checks on any of my Samsung phones: GS Captivate, GSII Skyrocket, or AT&T GSIII. I've always had to remove the check in my update script.) I attached a picture.
EDIT: Since the attachment doesn't seem to be working, here's a Dropbox link.
Pic won't load for me, but it mentions 'recovery error', what exactly are you doing/what's the problem ?
MistahBungle said:
Pic won't load for me, but it mentions 'recovery error', what exactly are you doing/what's the problem ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My process:
Open ODIN v3.09
Plug in the phone, already in download mode.
Click the AP button and load my .tar.md5.
Click Start.
Wait for it to finish, leaving the phone untouched on the table.
I just tried another USB cable, but to no avail. I've also tried unplugging the phone right after it reboots and ODIN says "PASS!", but no luck there either. I just tried another ROM that just finished downloading and it's giving me a similar getprop() error. At the bottom of the output in red it says:
E:Error in /cache/recovery/sec_csc.zip
(Status 7)
Installation aborted.
I don't think there's any way for me to edit the update script, as the tar contains a bunch of filesystem images. Even if it was easy to edit it would ruin the checksum verification.
Check out the picture on Dropbox here.
What are you trying to do in Android recovery ? Given what your stated aim is - get a stock rom on the phone, re-root it, put custom rom on, you shouldn't be using Android (I.E stock) recovery at any stage.
The process should be:-
*Flash stock rom with Odin in download mode (I.E phone off - home/vol down/power, not home/vol up/power)
*Root phone with whatever method
*Flash custom rom with CWRecovery, which you'll get once you root the phone
So....You need to go step by step. Start with flashing the stock rom with Odin, and try to boot the phone normally/make sure that was successful before doing the next two steps. Look for Hopper8's 'Odin troubleshooting' guide if you're having trouble getting a successful Odin flash.
Once you've done that, root the phone & make sure you have CWRecovery working, then flash the custom rom.
The phone boots to the recovery screen after it finishes flashing with ODIN. I put it into download mode, run ODIN, and then it that error screen comes up on the next reboot.
Try flashing the three part firmware linked to in Hopper's thread first (this will wipe the phone). I can't help but think we're missing some info re: what's been done to the phone previously here if the phone is booting into recovery mode after being Odin flashed. It shouldn't do that. After an Odin flash/pass the phone should boot normally, assuming it's not a case of the NAND being corrupted (it probably wouldn't boot into recovery if that was the case/you'd be left with constant bootloop)
I know you've mentioned what's on the sticker on the phone chassis under the battery but are you absolutely 100% sure it's an I9100 ?
MistahBungle said:
I know you've mentioned what's on the sticker on the phone chassis under the battery but are you absolutely 100% sure it's an I9100 ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the top of the download mode screen it says "PRODUCT NAME: GT-i9100". I don't know any other way to tell besides this and the sticker on the back. There are no carrier markings anywhere, and this phone was purchased because it had an FM radio, which only the international version had.
And assuming by "Hopper's thread" you mean this one, I can't because the files are no longer available.
In that case, you're stuck with the other suggestions to try in his thread & continuing to flash stock roms until you get a properly successful flash I.E phone boots/works normally. There might be something really obvious here being missed, but because we're not there with you/don't have the phone in front of us it might be difficult to work out.
It's working!
Yay, I got it to work! I flashed a custom kernel (jeboo), which allowed me to get into CWM. From there I sideloaded CM10 and now it's up and running! Only I still have a problem with internal storage... (That was the problem I was trying to fix originally.) Would the next thing to try to fix that be flashing a PIT file? If so, any tips for doing that?
I'm going to put off trying to fix that problem and do it when I get back. For now it works as a phone, and that's what's most important to her anyway. Thanks for your help MistahBungle.
Solved!
For anyone else who comes across this thread, I was able to solve my problem permanently by flashing a new PIT file. I found the correct PIT files for the GT-i9100 in this XDA thread. It seemed my partitions had become messed up long ago, as the phone had been showing a 2GB /data partition and only a 2GB internal SD card partition (which should've been closer to 12GB) for some time.
I choose a 4GB data partition (since I was running low on /data space last time). Oddly enough, booting the stock ROM after flashing the PIT only showed a 2GB data partition. Once I flashed CM10 it showed as 4GB though.