Hard bricked - Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi guys my mate has hard bricked his s3 is there a way he can un brick this or is it never gonna work again?
many thanks sam

If you can tell us how he bricked it, we might be able to tell you whether it can be fixed or not.

He overwrite the bootloader with a Fw file via odin after following a guide on youtube

Check this. http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/help/gt-i9300-brickedjtag-t1731255

FIX
newman121 said:
He overwrite the bootloader with a Fw file via odin after following a guide on youtube
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First thing is to find and download YOUR "Samsung Service Files" in the Following thread, If you can't find it or don't know it, Send me a PM!
{STOCK] Samsung ODIN Service Files
Then Download this version of ODIN:
Odin3 v3.10.zip
CHARGE the Device to 100% Battery.
Load ODIN as "Administrator"
Please Load the 4 Files in the Matching File Boxes.
Select the Following Checkboxes:
Auto-Reboot
Re-Partition
F. Reset Time
NAND Erase ALL
Phone Bootloader Update
THIS WILL DESTROY ALL THE DATA ON THE DEVICE!!!
SELECT "START" BUTTON IN ODIN!

I empathize you trying to help him but without physical access to the board, after overwriting a bootloader, either primary or secondary, you simply cannot use ODIN as the sbl is the one that holds the instructions for Download mode. No sbl=no data connection for ODIN.
sbl = secondary boot loader

Related

Flashing back to stock, now keep boot looping ;(

So I finally got the phone in download mode and used odin to reflash the phone to stock. Odin say is successful but the phone keep looping on vibrant logo. I tried about 20 times and tried different stock files and odin but same looping.
What is going on? I am lost, and don't know what to do next. Please help:crying:
is this the first time u r using Odin? ........have u downloaded ur files properly?
OK, let's try working from scratch. Considering you've only ever posted three times I'm going to assume you are relatively new to using ODIN. First of all, download these files:
HERE IS ODIN << DOWNLOAD THIS
The PIT FILE << DOWNLOAD THIS
The TAR FILE << DOWNLOAD THIS​
And yes, even if you already have these files on your PC and have ODIN I want you to delete them and replace them with these. Now lets go over the steps of using ODIN. First of all, get into Download mode. You already know how to do this, so I won't go into detail on that. Now load up ODIN on your PC. There should be a yellow box under ID COM, Something like COM 5.
Click the PIT button, Select the PIT file that I provided above.
Click the PDA button, select the TAR file that I provided above.
** Re-partition is checked now in ODIN - THIS IS APPROPRIATE!! **
Click Start. Unless ODIN hangs, you should see a progress bar start soon after. The process takes a few minutes and once completed successfully, you should properly boot up.
As a reference, watch this:
THE VIDEO IS JUST FOR REFERENCE! DO NOT USE THE FILES PROVIDED IN THE VIDEO! USE THE ONE'S I PROVIDED ABOVE! ALSO, EVEN THOUGH THE VIDEO DOESN'T CHECK "RE-PARTITION", CHECK IT.

[Q] Odin Questions

Hello Forum,
I have downloaded ODIN for flashing and recovery, and as of the moment I have the Samsung Galaxy 5 (USA) Model. Now, I have previously flashed and recovered stock with it but I don't know which files do what.
I have a PIT file, a BOOTLOADER, and a PDA file. Could someone give me a depth description of what each one does? I doubt I'm suppose to use all three all the time in case I've bricked my device or flashing.
Thanks in advance.
PIT stands for Partition Information Table. It basically tells odin how big each partition is, how their arranged, etc. It doesn't contain the actual contents of those partitions, just how they're laid out on the drive.
The PDA file is your actual system image, and is usually compressed as a .tar (or tar.md5) file. It will contain a kernel and one or more partition images which contain the actual contents of the partitions that're described in the .PIT file.
To flash with Odin (or Heimdall, for that matter) you need a .pit and one or more partition images. I'm not too sure how you'd use the separate bootloader file in Odin. I'm still something of a n00b at this.
JrixZero said:
Hello Forum,
I have downloaded ODIN for flashing and recovery, and as of the moment I have the Samsung Galaxy 5 (USA) Model. Now, I have previously flashed and recovered stock with it but I don't know which files do what.
I have a PIT file, a BOOTLOADER, and a PDA file. Could someone give me a depth description of what each one does? I doubt I'm suppose to use all three all the time in case I've bricked my device or flashing.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dstarfire said:
To flash with Odin (or Heimdall, for that matter) you need a .pit and one or more partition images. I'm not too sure how you'd use the separate bootloader file in Odin. I'm still something of a n00b at this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You actually don't need a .pit file to flash with odin. All you need is the .PDA file. I believe the .pit file is only for if you want to re-partition the drive as well. Forgot to mention make sure only Auto Reboot and F.Reset Time are checked when flashing in odin with a .pda file or you will brick your device.
Thank you guys for that, I figured more or less what you are saying. I just needed confirmation! :good:
Using Odin to flash the TerraSilent Kernel
I would like to flash TerraSilent Kernel 1.3.5 for Galaxy 4.0 (YP-G1) USA. I have downloaded Odin3 v1.7, and would just like to confirm the steps, as this is the first and only Android device I have and wouldn't like to brick it. (This is the also my initial step to flashing the EtherealRom V2.4 ROM.)
I have the Samsung Drivers installed. That is all I need to use Odin right?
Steps:
Download the TerraSilent_usa-1.3.5.tar file
Put Galaxy Player in download mode (Power Button + down)
Connect the Galaxy Player to the computer
Start Odin
Ensure only Auto Reboot and F.Reset Time are checked.
Select PDA and choose the "TerraSilent_usa-1.3.5.tar" file that I previously downloaded
Then click start.
I have some other questions, I have been reading up the forums and would like to clarify something with the .pit file. Is it only required when you would need to to re-partition the drive? and therefore installing a kernel does NOT require a re-partition of the drive, am I correct?
Which of the following scenarios would REQUIRE a re-partition of the drive (and thus a .pit file when using Odin)?
- Flashing a Full STOCK ROM (with Recovery) for e.g here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1531850
- Flashing a Stock-based ROM such as EtherealRom V2.4 ROM
- Flashing a Recover such as CWM
I'm new to this Android ROM scene so I just trying to get a better understanding of this all.
Thanks in advance.
jonnysdroid said:
I would like to flash TerraSilent Kernel 1.3.5 for Galaxy 4.0 (YP-G1) USA. I have downloaded Odin3 v1.7, and would just like to confirm the steps, as this is the first and only Android device I have and wouldn't like to brick it. (This is the also my initial step to flashing the EtherealRom V2.4 ROM.)
I have the Samsung Drivers installed. That is all I need to use Odin right?
Steps:
Download the TerraSilent_usa-1.3.5.tar file
Put Galaxy Player in download mode (Power Button + down)
Connect the Galaxy Player to the computer
Start Odin
Ensure only Auto Reboot and F.Reset Time are checked.
Select PDA and choose the "TerraSilent_usa-1.3.5.tar" file that I previously downloaded
Then click start.
I have some other questions, I have been reading up the forums and would like to clarify something with the .pit file. Is it only required when you would need to to re-partition the drive? and therefore installing a kernel does NOT require a re-partition of the drive, am I correct?
Which of the following scenarios would REQUIRE a re-partition of the drive (and thus a .pit file when using Odin)?
- Flashing a Full STOCK ROM (with Recovery) for e.g here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1531850
- Flashing a Stock-based ROM such as EtherealRom V2.4 ROM
- Flashing a Recover such as CWM
I'm new to this Android ROM scene so I just trying to get a better understanding of this all.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True all you need is the .tar file to flash. The pit file is usually unneeded when flashing a custom rom. However, make sure you turn on USB debugging first (Settings->Applications->Development-> Check USB debugging) before flashing anything. Sometimes just not having that checked gets you into bootloops and cause problems.
PIT files are used when you get your partition tables messed up. I believe this means you're not able to boot into the device or access download mode anymore (basically for Bricked devices). So you 90% (made up statistic =P but you get the point) of the time when you are flashing back to stock, you just need again the .tar file (unless as I said previous your device is bricked). You almost never need a PIT file to flash a custom rom from stock, and Flashing from CWM only requize a .zip file that's still in the zip form (meaning don't unzip it with winRAR, 7zip, and similiar programs
For more on PIT Files go here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=999097
Remember to hit the thank button if you find this information useful =D

[Q] How to fix soft brick ?

How can I fix a soft brick, if flashing a regular stock rom fails? what should I do?
it it fails flash stock in odin
eventually I did recover my phone. thx anyway.
raied115 said:
eventually I did recover my phone. thx anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For future referance, if it's stock through Kies, use recovery mode in Kies, or you press Vol- Home and power to switch it on, and it should take you to download (Odin) mode, then just flash the rom through the Odin software.
Download the file via Checkfus downloader.
Extract the .zip once (If you download a .tar or .tar.md5 file this step is not required)
Boot into Download mode.
End any Kies process via task manager.
Open Odin.
Connect your phone via USB.
Click the PDA button and add the .tar file.
Make sure re-partition is NOT!!!! clicked.
click start and sit back for a few minutes.
I thought he said "how to soft brick"

[Q] First attempt from 4.1.2 to KK = stuck at yellow triangle

Hello, as you guys have already figured out, I am new to rooting. In trying to use Odin to flash CWM into the S II, the phone will not boot after logo. Even when attempting to boot into recovery mode the phone just loops back to the logo. I think I messed up big time. Thanks for reading.
Your post tells us that you're trying to get a different recovery onto the device; it would be very helpful to know what you flashed.
Recovery on the i777 is packaged with the kernel, so you will gain a custom recovery by flashing an appropriate kernel. I don't think that the recovery can be installed separately on this device.
using desktop Odin to flash anything other than stock firmware will result in tripping the flash counter, and the phone will display the yellow triangle as the initial boot screen. Flashing custom firmware via desktop ODIN does NOT necessarily mean that the device won't boot, which leaves me wondering what you flashed.
What is your goal? It will be easier to direct you once we are properly aware of where you were, and what you are aiming to achieve.
-Cyril
newtype_lex said:
Hello, as you guys have already figured out, I am new to rooting. In trying to use Odin to flash CWM into the S II, the phone will not boot after logo. Even when attempting to boot into recovery mode the phone just loops back to the logo. I think I messed up big time. Thanks for reading.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cyril279 said:
Your post tells us that you're trying to get a different recovery onto the device; it would be very helpful to know what you flashed.
Recovery on the i777 is packaged with the kernel, so you will gain a custom recovery by flashing an appropriate kernel. I don't think that the recovery can be installed separately on this device.
using desktop Odin to flash anything other than stock firmware will result in tripping the flash counter, and the phone will display the yellow triangle as the initial boot screen. Flashing custom firmware via desktop ODIN does NOT necessarily mean that the device won't boot, which leaves me wondering what you flashed.
What is your goal? It will be easier to direct you once we are properly aware of where you were, and what you are aiming to achieve.
-Cyril
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for replying to my post. The first thing I flashed via Odin was the CWM KitKatcompatible tar file and that was when the problem started. Right now I'm trying to get the S II to boot past the logo.
newtype_lex said:
Thanks for replying to my post. The first thing I flashed via Odin was the CWM KitKatcompatible tar file and that was when the problem started. Right now I'm trying to get the S II to boot past the logo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know what version of Android was running on the device before you flashed cwm?
My recommendation is to return to stock.
First, download the stock 4.1.2 Jellybean Full distribution, I777UCMD8 from the Download Repository. It's the next to last item near the bottom. The downloaded file is in seven-zip (.7z) format and you need to extract the contents using an archiving program. The resulting file, which will have a ...tar.md5 extension, is the file you will use in step 7 below. Also download Odin3 v1.85. There is a link near the top of the page in the Repository.
How to use stand-alone Odin3 to flash firmware:
Follow and recheck each of the following steps. Do them in order listed, as some steps are dependent on previous steps. Instructions are for Odin3 v1.85. It should work with any version of Odin, but some details, like color of items, may be different.
1.) Open Odin on the Windows Desktop.
2.) Have the USB cable plugged into USB port on the computer, but *Not* plugged in to the phone.
3.) Shut the phone off.
4.) While holding down the vol+ & vol- keys, plug micro-usb plug into phone.
5.) In Odin, you should get the yellow box under where it says ID:COM with the text 0:[COMx], and in the Message area, <ID:0/00x> Added!! where x is some number, usually 1-8.
6.) In Odin, make sure Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time are checked and all other items are not checked.
7.) Click on the PDA button. Browse to the tar file you want to install and select it so its path appears in the text edit box next to the button.
8.) Make sure the check box next to the PDA button is checked.
9.) Click the Start button.
10.) You should see the green progress bar advancing.
11.) When complete, you will get a PASS (or FAIL if unsuccessful).
[...]
Once you have the phone up and running, Framaroot with the Aragorn exploit is the easiest way to root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let us know how things went.
-Cyril
cyril279 said:
My recommendation is to return to stock.
Let us know how things went.
-Cyril
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
alright I'll let you know how it goes asap
cyril279 said:
My recommendation is to return to stock.
Let us know how things went.
-Cyril
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it turns out that CWM worked for me. So I proceeded to install the 4.4 ROM haha silly me. Thanks for your help though!.

[Q] Is this what's known as "bricked"?

A while ago my phone started to restart itself for no good reason. Then it got worse and it starts randomly resetting itself (factory reset). To solve this issue I tried to do a manual factory reset myself, and the problem persisted.
I can deal with these random restarts, but then one day as it restarts it got stuck at the "Samsung Galaxy S3" screen. I tried to do another factory reset in CWM and clear the cache, but it says "E:\cache\...." isn't mounted. As I investigate further it seems the reason that it can't boot might be because the memory is not mounted I guess?
I can boot into Download mode and CWM perfectly fine, so I decided to try to flash the Stock Recovery and Stock ROM through Odin. Connection between Odin and the phone was set up fine, but then it stopped at this error message "Complete(Write) operation failed." Flashing either stock rom and recovery yields the same error . It simply can't write to the memory it seems.
Now I'm stuck at this start screen. I've heard flashing a PIT file might be able to fix it, but I have no idea what that is.
Is the phone bricked? How do I fix this? Should I use the Rescue Firmware in this post? It would be great if anyone can help me since I have been asking for help on other forums but got absolutely no response...
GT-i9300
If you can boot to download mode you can try to use the rescue firmware. No, it isn't bricked because it still works
Thanks for the response! I'm going to try the rescue firmware, but I see that it says "KOR" on the file name. Is that referring to "Korea"? My phone isn't bought in Korea does that matter? Also what's the CSC thing it's talking about?
Your description matches emmc corruption/failure, so it is a software brick.
Follow the guide for the rescue firmware it doesn't matter about the country or CSC, but make sure you include the pit file.
If that fails to flash then it's time for a new phone.
boomboomer said:
Follow the guide for the rescue firmware it doesn't matter about the country or CSC, but make sure you include the pit file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just downloaded the zip file, but it seems like it doesn't have a pit file inside. So where can I get that file? Thanks again.
DerekL. said:
I just downloaded the zip file, but it seems like it doesn't have a pit file inside. So where can I get that file? Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are two versions in the rescue firmware page 4.1.2 and 4.3 the pit file is in the 4.1.2 version and can be used on both.
Now I tried to flash them with Odin 3.07, it doesn't fail nor success. Instead it got stuck at "Get PIT for mapping.." I read that this might be a driver problem, but I've reinstalled my drivers, and I even tried all the usb ports on my computer. I've terminated Kies' process, but it's still not working!
What should I do to get Odin to write onto the device???
boomboomer said:
Your description matches emmc corruption/failure, so it is a software brick.
Follow the guide for the rescue firmware.
If that fails to flash then it's time for a new phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It won't write for a reason, the emmc chip is damaged.

Categories

Resources