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I have a Galaxy S 2, I777 from AT&T. I had been running UnNamed 2.0 for a while. I started messing around with different modem files trying to get my data rate a little higher. When those failed to work, I decided to go back to stock and start from scratch. This is where my trouble begins:
I flashed with ATTGalaxyS2Unroot_SGH-i777.tar using Odin 1.85. I've used that before and all was well. After this flash, I'm stuck in a boot loop. The galaxy s 2 logo just keeps recycling.
I have tried a lot of other items I've found on here in various threads about getting out of a boot loop, but have not been successful. I was able to get to the stock recovery mode, chose to wipe user data and did the "yes I'm sure" option. The phone rebooted and I have not been able to get back to it. When it tries, I get in yellow "deleting cryption meta data" and then the phone reboots.
My last attempt was flashing with i777uckh7-cl503881 full. Odin writes everything, says pass and the phone reboots. After it restarts, it quickly goes through some items:
-- Intalling package...
Finding update package...
Opening update package...
Verifying update package...
Installing update...
Successfuly installed package...
-- Copying media files...
successfully copied meida files (yes, media is misspelled on the screen)
-- Wiping cache...
Formatting /cache...
Cache wipe complete.
--Updating application...
Successfully updated application.
--Appling Multi-CSC...(again yes, applying is mispelled on the screen)
installing Multi-CSC
Can't access to '/system/csc/02U/system/'.
Successfully applied multi-CSC
Rebooting.
then I get the boot loop all over again. I am still able to get to download mode using the volume button, and my jig still boots to download mode too, so I think there's still hope, but I don't know what to do next.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
The "deleting cryption meta data" error has been a particularly difficult one to get out of. I only remember seeing one person solve the problem, and I believe that the solution was to flash the siyah kernel. But you may find more details if you search on "deleting cryption meta data xda" or possibly "deleting cryption meta data siyah" as keywords.
Creepyncrawly:
Thank you for your post. I didn't find anything searching for that, but, I downloaded and flashed siyah kernel and was able to get to a recovery mode.
I am now restoring the nandroid backup that I made (luckily I was smart enough to do that) before I started messing with modems and stuff.
We'll see how this goes
you sir are a life saver. I was able to restore the nand backup and boot into the os again.
creepyncrawly said:
The "deleting cryption meta data" error has been a particularly difficult one to get out of. I only remember seeing one person solve the problem, and I believe that the solution was to flash the siyah kernel. But you may find more details if you search on "deleting cryption meta data xda" or possibly "deleting cryption meta data siyah" as keywords.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think (but I'm not sure), but any custom kernel with CWM should be able to do this... It's only the stock kernel that has a recovery which does anything when device encryption is found.
Entropy512 said:
I think (but I'm not sure), but any custom kernel with CWM should be able to do this... It's only the stock kernel that has a recovery which does anything when device encryption is found.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did not think of that, but it makes sense now. At the time, I figured I would stop and get help before I made it worse. Why I didn't restore to my backup to begin with is beyond me.
Do you think I could return to stock now, or is it more of a "once you have this problem you always have it" type thing? I'm going to leave it as is for now because it seems to be working fine. There may come a day though when I need to return to stock.
For those who are experiencing the "Deleting Cryption Meta Data" problem, creepyncrawly is correct, it is difficult to solve, but the following steps seem to solve it reliably:
Download and install the I777UCKH7-CL503881 Stock Binaries from creepyncrawly's download repository. Use heimdall or odin to load the stock binaries. You may need to load the param.lfs and/or the bootloaders. However, it may work without loading these files (and loading the bootloaders can be in the "danger zone")*.
With the stock binaries installed, the device will be in a boot loop, and entering recovery mode will either indicate that the device is installing CSC (unsuccessfully), or indicate that it is "Deleting Cryption Meta Data". In either case, you will be unable to actually access anything in the recovery.
In order to get to a working recovery, load the SGH-I777_ClockworkMod-Recovery_5.0.2.3. You'll need to untar this file to get to the zImage kernel file*.
With the CWM kernel installed, you should be able to actually enter recovery mode by holding down Volume Up + Volume Down + Power until the Samsung logo appears for a second time. Note: In this version of CWM recovery, the home button is the 'select' button and the power button acts as the back button. This is different than most versions of CWM.
Using the recovery run both clear data/factory rest and format sd card (in mounts and storage).
Finally, install the Siyah Kernel, using either heimdall* or CWM.
At this point, the phone should be restored, and you can re-flash the I777UCKH7-CL503881 stock kernel (on any other compatible kernel).
onecoolpilot said:
Do you think I could return to stock now, or is it more of a "once you have this problem you always have it" type thing? I'm going to leave it as is for now because it seems to be working fine. There may come a day though when I need to return to stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can re-flash any kernel you like.
Thanks everyone who directed me to the steps for solving this problem!
* To load these kernel files, put the phone in ODIN mode by holding down the "Volume Down" button while the phone is connected to USB. Use either the ODIN or Heimdall tool to actually flash the device. See this post for complete instructions on flashing the files.
I've followed these directions multiple times but I can't seem to get past the Rethink Possible screen.
Steps I have taken:
Flashed full binaries
Went back into download mode with no reboot and flashed CWM (listed above)
Went straight into CWM
Wiped Data
Formatted SD
Flashed Siyah via CWM
Rebooted
Saw I was stuck at Rethink Possible
Cussed
I seem to get stuck at the boot screen on ANY Gingerbread rom I flash. I can flash ICS roms and they boot successfully. However, my device has the 0x19 FW bug and I would like to not make it a paperweight.
Red_81 said:
I've followed these directions multiple times but I can't seem to get past the Rethink Possible screen.
Steps I have taken:
Flashed full binaries
Went back into download mode with no reboot and flashed CWM (listed above)
Went straight into CWM
Wiped Data
Formatted SD
Flashed Siyah via CWM
Rebooted
Saw I was stuck at Rethink Possible
Cussed
I seem to get stuck at the boot screen on ANY Gingerbread rom I flash. I can flash ICS roms and they boot successfully. However, my device has the 0x19 FW bug and I would like to not make it a paperweight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this the "Oh crap its stuck in a bootloop I'll sell it cheap on eBay" SGII that you bought on ebay for cheap, or a different phone?
Do you know the history of this phone? Knowing it can help with troubleshooting.
Did you ever see the "Deleting cryption meta data" error message?
As far as having vulnerability to the eMMC firmware bug, you are safe as long as you don't use the buggy kernel, which is pretty much out of the picture by now.
LOL, you read my other post. It is one and the same. The standard story from the seller. "I gave it to my Brother in Law and now it is like this." He stated it did boot properly before. Liquid indicator checks out (haven't pulled the back off to check the full indicator).
I don't get the "Deleting cryption meta data" but I do get the "multi-csc error". Wiping data doesn't seem to take care of that one.
It's really odd because I can flash ICS roms with no problems, but the GB ones stick at the bootscreen every time. Even CM7 stuck there.
I may have to try to rule out hardware damage at this point
OK, so you don't really know exactly what was done to the phone. I wouldn't rule out hardware damage, but I seriously doubt it, at least let's assume that there is some explanation in firmware. Really, the only things that could be wrong:
bootloaders
param.lfs
partitioning
Which stock package did you flash, the one from the return to stock guide (that doesn't have bootloaders, etc.) or the one from the Download Repository that does have bootloaders?
And where exactly is the phone right now firmware wise?
creepyncrawly said:
OK, so you don't really know exactly what was done to the phone. I wouldn't rule out hardware damage, but I seriously doubt it, at least let's assume that there is some explanation in firmware. Really, the only things that could be wrong:
bootloaders
param.lfs
partitioning
Which stock package did you flash, the one from the return to stock guide (that doesn't have bootloaders, etc.) or the one from the Download Repository that does have bootloaders?
And where exactly is the phone right now firmware wise?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The one from the repository with bootloaders. I tried the one without bootloaders first, but it did not fix it.
Currently I flashed over to ShoStock2. However, I'm getting alot of problems on that too (Com.android.phone not responding).
I can try to flash back to stock at any moment because I have no data on the phone.
I did try using the latest version of Heimdall, but it kept crashing at 42% (from what I read that is a known bug)
So the one thing you have not tried is flashing PIT? I wouldn't try that next if it was my phone, however, since it is the area I know the least about. There is not a whole lot of information available about using PIT with the I777 (as in nothing I could find).
The behavior of flashing to ICS and running OK but bootlooping on Gingerbread is new to me.
If you have a jig, does the jig boot the phone to download mode?
The phone should be recoverable. If it was mine, I would start by flashing the full stock package with bootloaders and param.lfs again. Then wipe data/factory reset from 3e recovery. Then flash the Gingerbread Siyah kernel. And then wipe data/factory reset from CWM Recovery.
Actually, I thought I typed that before.
I did flash the PIT file at one point out of desperation.
I have a jig that works beautifully (wipes the counter too) and has been a big help through this whole thing. That tells me I should at least have the correct bootloaders.
Do I need to let it attempt to boot between each flash or just go directly one to the other?
After a little Google, I think your phone has a problem with efs, corrupted or some such. Read this.
creepyncrawly said:
After a little Google, I think your phone has a problem with efs, corrupted or some such. Read this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually found and tried that a few days ago. Never got that error message before. But I flashed the repair anyway. No change.
I did manage to just let the phone run for a while and all the process error messages went away, but the dialer refuses to start. I also noticed I don't think I'm getting any sound out of the earpiece.
I think I'm going to have to take the back off to check for water damage and to make sure they didn't bleach the dot.
I'll attempt to do some more flashing later tonight if the wife lets me.
Under normal circumstances, if you get the multi csc error after flashing back to stock, a wipe data/factory reset will clear it, and it will boot successfully.
creepyncrawly said:
Under normal circumstances, if you get the multi csc error after flashing back to stock, a wipe data/factory reset will clear it, and it will boot successfully.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol. Under normal circumstances indeed. I appreciate all the help so far. I wonder if there is something borked with the chip.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA
Not sure if it helps much since you said you think the correct bootloaders are there but I had the exact same problem as you a couple months back. Like an idiot I flashed the original "one click" ATT ICS leak from Rootzwiki that updated my bootloaders. After this attempting to go back to CM7 resulted in me soft bricking the phone. The ONLY rom that would flash and work was that same ICS one click. Everything else Odin just failed on. Eventually I managed to get the complete stock GB back on it by flashing the full package in creepys guide several times. I gave up on Odin on my pc and had to remove Kies from my Mac so Heimdall would work but it flashed finally and I was saved. If you search through my posts here and find that thread maybe there's something in there that will help cause it sounds like you're having a bootloader issue like I did..
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Tapatalk
Thanks. I'll take a look.
On a side note.... I can't get any sound from the device. I'm thinking now that it might be hardware related.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
Sorry I'm a noob at all of this. Successfully rooted my phone today thanks to Honsoon2000's excellent tutorial and toolkit. Then I went to install Android Revolution, which appeared to go successfully and then after I flashed the kernel the phone wouldn't load and just hangs at the quietly brilliant screen. I followed Honsoon's tutorial to the T (or so I thought) and everything went perfectly until right at the end when I flashed the kernel. I can make it back to the bootloader screen though it says "failed to load usb master mode". I can still make it into fastboot and recovery mode...tried recovery, and the process seemed to go sucessfully, but the phone still wouldn't load after...tried reinstalling ARHD-- it's still on the sd card and the install procedure still goes off without a hitch, but the phone still won't load. I've searched around and tried everything I can, to no avail. Any help would be muchly appreciated, and I apologize in advance for being a noob wasting people's time.
Edit: For example, when I follow the steps outlined in the FAQ it asks me to enter the command 'fastboot flash boot boot.img' , but when I do it says 'error: cannot load boot.img'.
Edit 2: So I put my boot.img file from Android Revolution into the data directory of the rooting toolkit and was able to complete the above flashboot command. I was also able to install the ROM off my SD card...however the phone still hangs on the Quietly Brilliant screen...I can't even power the phone down...whenever I try it just reboots...frustrating...really hoping someone can help me...cheers.
Before you begin, make sure that the drivers for the One X+ are installed.
Place the boot image being used on the computer's hard drive.
Boot in to recovery and flash the ROM.
When that is done, boot in to bootloader and connect the phone to the PC via a USB cable.
If the phone isn't in fastboot mode already, use the volume keys to highlight the word "fastboot", then press the power button.
Now, there should be text at the bootloader screen that says "Fastboot USB".
Finally, use the toolkit or command line and flash the kernel with the fastboot command.
This should successfully flash the ROM and the kernel. Make sure you full wipe before flashing a new ROM. If you can't seem to get the new ROM booting, the final choice is to relock the bootloader and run a RUU.
Which phone version you do own? International or AT&T / TELUS?
Did you flashed the correspondant boot.img? Did you cleared the cache? ( fastboot erase cache)
I'm trying to run an RUU but it keeps saying the battery isn't charged enough to flash anything...and this after it's been plugged in all day. Oh dear I think my phone might be done...really sucks :/
Also, it won't let me power the phone down-- every time i try it shuts the phone off briefly and then opens back up to the bootloader screen.
Fixed thanks to sarcasticphoenix. Cheers.
OK so I've tried 3 times to flash a new ROM onto my phone (Android Revolution twice and Eleganzia once) using Honsoon's toolkit...I've followed every instruction to the T as far as I can tell and all 3 times the process has gone perfectly right until the end when I flash the kernel...after that when I reboot the phone it just hangs at the Quietly Brilliant screen. I know how to relock the bootloader, flash the custom rom and get my phone back...but I really want to know what I'm doing wrong so I can install a custom ROM. I know I'm using the right ROM for my phone and am wondering what gives. Being driven crazy here...any ideas what's going wrong here would be helpful. BTW on the last attempt right after I finished and the phone hung I went into the boot loader and followed the instructions in the FAQ for fixing a bootloop...still nothing.
Edit: Solved my problem-- I managed to successfully load eleganzia...the only thing i did differently the last time was flash the kernel BEFORE installing the ROM off the SD card.
jrockwell said:
OK so I've tried 3 times to flash a new ROM onto my phone (Android Revolution twice and Eleganzia once) using Honsoon's toolkit...I've followed every instruction to the T as far as I can tell and all 3 times the process has gone perfectly right until the end when I flash the kernel...after that when I reboot the phone it just hangs at the Quietly Brilliant screen. I know how to relock the bootloader, flash the custom rom and get my phone back...but I really want to know what I'm doing wrong so I can install a custom ROM. I know I'm using the right ROM for my phone and am wondering what gives. Being driven crazy here...any ideas what's going wrong here would be helpful. BTW on the last attempt right after I finished and the phone hung I went into the boot loader and followed the instructions in the FAQ for fixing a bootloop...still nothing.
Edit: Solved my problem-- I managed to successfully load eleganzia...the only thing i did differently the last time was flash the kernel BEFORE installing the ROM off the SD card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's usually what I do first, flash the kernel and then install the zip via recovery
Sent from my HTC One X+ using xda premium
Which kernel are you referring too? Actually there is one or two kernels available but only for the International version, not the AT&T/TELUS which you seem to have.
I strongly suspect that your boot looping was because you didn't flash the boot.img file correctly or not at all. And you don't seem to install the good ROM version for your phone.
Elegancia has two ROM versions one for International and one for AT&T/TELUS users.
ARHD is for International users.
Please read Q12 of the FAQ.
Lucky Thirteen said:
ARHD is for International users.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol...yeah I don`t know how I missed that. I ended up getting elegancia successfully flashed and loaded so all is well. In retrospect this was a good experience because there`s nothing like having to get yourself unforked from a bad situation to gain an understanding of what`s going on. Cheers.
I have a couple questions and since I`m not allowed to post yet in the elegancia thread I'll try in this thread first:
1) An elegancia question: Is there a way (widget) to toggle data roaming on and off in this ROM?
2) Is there a way to tweak settings (transparent pull down, selection of launcher etc.) without wiping and reflashing the ROM?
3) What are people's favorite launcher for that ROM? I tried Atom but it was just a guess because I hadn't heard of any of them. I like it so far but am curious about the others.
I am rooted and S-Off. I am using the ViperOne custom ROM for my phone.
The end goal is for me to update my firmware, because my phone has an over 10 minutes boot time normally. (Not an exaggeration. I have actually timed it with a timer.) I read that in order to fix this, I should try to update the firmware by going to stock recovery and doing an OTA update.
My TWRP has worked flawlessly for me over the years, but for some reason it won't work anymore. It will hang on the boot screen for over an hour. After that hour, I assumed it's not slowly booting. (As a bit of background, recovery would boot quickly while my phone still had problems with 10 minute boot times).
Another piece of information is that the last time TWRP worked was when I used it to install .zip files from Titanium to get all my apps working. That worked perfectly fine, my apps got updated, and no trouble. I wish I could say what happened between then and now, but from what I can remember, I just used my phone normally, such as using web browsers and games. I don't remember messing with any system files.
I do know that ClockWorkMod recovery DOES work if I flash that, but my nandroids are all on TWRP. I have tried to flash different version of TWRP as well. It doesn't seem to matter which one I flash, my phone reacts exactly the same.
Another thing to note, I'm not sure if it's significant or not, is that when I got into hboot, I get the following message for a split second. I can't read the file names exactly, but I got the extensions. Then I get the normal screen with the vol instructions and choices to go to fastboot, recovery, etc... The message reads:
SD Checking...
Loading [(something).zip]
No Image!
Loading [(something).nbh]
No Image or wrong image!
Loading [(something).zip]
Loading [(something).nbh]
No Image or wrong image!
I hope this is a decent amount of information. I tried to include as much as I could, but if I'm missing any critical details, let me know and I will GREATLY appreciate your help!
have u tried to rewrite the image, download the new TWRP and load it via adb
Bradl79 said:
have u tried to rewrite the image, download the new TWRP and load it via adb
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I did do that. I rewrote different versions of the image and none worked.
Sadly, my solution was to completely wipe my phone. More than the default factory reset.
I'm so it has been solved, but probably not in the most practical way for others with a similar problem.
Battletooth said:
Well, I did do that. I rewrote different versions of the image and none worked.
Sadly, my solution was to completely wipe my phone. More than the default factory reset.
I'm so it has been solved, but probably not in the most practical way for others with a similar problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having the exact same issue. Attempted to install twrp-2.8.6.0-m8.img using adb, but TWRP never loads. I can load prior versions but same results. Going to HBOOT I get a bunch of messages related to 0P6BDIAG.zip, 0P6BIMG.zip
and some .nbh. I think it's looking on my SDCARD for those.
If you're looking to update your firmware, you can use an official RUU to change the firmware of your phone. You can read more about it in this stickied thread in the general forum to see if it fits your needs. If you decide to do this, your phone will be completely stock after the RUU finishes running so use fastboot to flash TWRP (or whichever recovery you prefer).
Regarding the messages you see in hboot, it will always check for those files if you have an external sdcard mounted. If they are present, you will be given the option to flash the update. If not, you will get regular hboot access after the check. It is completely normal and nothing to worry about.
Hi, I rooted my phone using the method that's listed under root info on this forum. Everything went well, and I successfully rooted my phone using TWRP (I checked using an app, I even had the pop up from 'super su' to allow access), however the final step of the video was to install a kernel. I can't link it due to being a new user, but it's called "[Kernel][surnia] Squid Kernel for Moto E LTE (2015)" and it's in the description for the video. I copied the .zip file to my sd card, went into fastboot and recovery and installed it. Afterwards, I was looking through the options, and saw the option to remove the dalvik cache. From my understanding, the dalvik cache is a useless cache space that you can free up for more space, so I deleted it. I then went to the reboot system and hit 'system', as given the other options I assumed that would just be a regular restart. When I opened it back up, I was stuck at the 'warning unlocked bootloader' for a good 10-15 minutes. I went to turn it off by holding down the power button, which turned off the screen momentarily but when I released the button the screen turned back on. I went into fastboot mode successfully and did a factory reset from TWRP, after which my phone went back into the unlock bootloader mode, for which it stayed for a few minutes then went into the normal boot screen (you know, the one with the globe). After that it went back to bootloader, then back to globe, repeated a couple of times, then started up and gave me the default setup process it makes when you first get it. I tried doing a factory reset through the settings, same thing happened again. SuperSU is installed as is TWRP, however my phone isn't recognizing the SIM card and wifi isn't working. I'm considering flashing a stock recovery image however given how badly I've ****ed up so far, I don't want to try anything else without advice. I still plan to root it, however I just won't install the kernel since that's what seemed to mess it up the first time. I did not create a backup image though I suppose it doesnt matter anyways, I had nothing on it after unlocking the bootloader. What I'm asking here is: what do I do to restore my phone?
Thank you in advance!
EDIT: I should mention that my model is XT1527, and I can't find any stock images for that model.
wlftmoi said:
EDIT: I should mention that my model is XT1527, and I can't find any stock images for that model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock images can be found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-e-2015/general/stocks-firmwares-moto-e-t3113235
If you're in the US and it's a Moto-direct model (not a model sold by carriers), it's XT1527_SURNIA_RETUS_5.1_LPI23.29-18.9_cid9_subsidy-DEFAULT_CFC.xml.zip
xtermmin said:
Stock images can be found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-e-2015/general/stocks-firmwares-moto-e-t3113235
If you're in the US and it's a Moto-direct model (not a model sold by carriers), it's XT1527_SURNIA_RETUS_5.1_LPI23.29-18.9_cid9_subsidy-DEFAULT_CFC.xml.zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm downloading that one right now and I'm going to follow the instructions listed here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/mot...e-restore-moto-e-2015-stock-firmware-t3044936
Thank you!
Sounds to me like you may have flashed a version of squids kernel that is not compatible with your ROM. Make sure the kernel is appropriate for whichever version of Android your ROM is.
And I assume you cleared (rather than "removed") dalvik cache - it is necessary for the device to function, and clearing it after flashing software is generally advised - when cleared it will rebuild itself on the next boot.
Sent from my XT1526 using Tapatalk
I've been using CM13 on my phone for a long while, but it was heavily bugged (my camera kept crashing, I've kept losing cell reception, couldn't receive calls etc), so I finally decided to try another ROM. I've heard good things about ResurrectionRemix ROMs, so I've decided to give it a try. I did factory reset and wiped cache (using CWM 6. something) and flashed RR 7.1 along with the appropriate gapps and rebooted the phone. It's worth noting that I've put the ROM and Gapps zip files on USB stick and connected it to the phone via micro USB cable. It all went smoothly, and the phone booted right up. However, once I got into the startup setting and choosing the language suddenly it just rebooted all on its own. Same thing happened 2 more times, and I got stuck in a bootloop after that.
So I figured I should flash another ROM, and I wanted to give RR 6.0 a try. I've downloaded it and saved it to my USB stick, however, when I tried to flash any zip files from my stick, it just kept randomly unmounting, disrupting the process, giving me "USBdisc0 idle-unmounted" message. Since I don't have an SD card, only thing I could do was push files to my phone, and I've managed to do so via Quick ADB Pusher. This time, flashing went without a hitch, however, I've tried cleaning my phone completely (formatting all the data and system files), and I think I messed it up a bit when I did that, since I didn't flash SuperSU along with ROP and gapps. Again, I got stuck in a bootloop without any signs of the ROM working.
So I decided to flash CM13 again. At least I was sure it was working on my phone, and I figured it was better to have a crappy phone than no phone at all. So I pushed the CM13 file onto the phone and flashed it, but still got stuck in bootloop. I finally remembered about SuperSU and tried to flash it too, but now my phone kept restarting in the middle of the flashing process. I've tried doing the factory reset and cache wipe, but I can't flash any files now without it restarting only few seconds into the process.
I have no idea what's going on, but seems that my phone is doing worse and worse as time moves on. At least I can still boot into recovery and download mode, so (hopefully) something can still be done. As it's probably painfully obvious, I'm not too knowledgeable about this stuff, I'm just following instructions people smarter than me put out, but seems I've messed it up good this time. Am I beyond help?
Try to download newest firmware from sanmobile.com and flash it with odin. Then root it make backup flash recovery and flash rom that you choose with recovery. There are lots of tutorials here on xda and on youtube. Just remember that flashing stock firmware with odin will delete all of your data so try to back them up somehow (i think that if you boot phone in recovery (twrp) the pc will see it like a pendrive)
Sirius8 said:
...
As it's probably painfully obvious, I'm not too knowledgeable about this stuff, I'm just following instructions people smarter than me put out, but seems I've messed it up good this time. Am I beyond help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TBH you made the mistake many beginners make... Going ahead too fast with insufficient knowledge. But never too late to learn that lesson
Since you are getting more and more confused and your phone seems acting strange I recommend starting from scratch an be analytic about it. This will take just a few minutes more but you can be sure where a problem comes from.
First of all: Take 30 minutes to get acquainted with the basics and read through the first thread in my signature (just do it...)
If you can still get in download mode, get your latest stock rom e.g. from sammobile.com and flash it via ODIN. Run stock for a few minutes to see if everything works correctly (test camera, outgoing/incoming calls, mobile data, wifi, gps etc.). If something does not work STOP HERE and report back.
If all is fine go back to ODIN and install latest TWRP (cwm is seriously outdated, can cause lots of errors). Then boot into TWRP and flash whatever custom rom you like. If you install e.g. LOS 14.1 or RR 7.1.1 make sure you install gapps direcly after you flash the rom (do not reboot in between).
Any questions pop up: Shoot. I'm happy to help.
---------- Post added at 04:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:42 PM ----------
McXred said:
Try to download newest firmware from sanmobile.com and flash it with odin. Then root it make backup flash recovery and flash rom that you choose with recovery. There are lots of tutorials here on xda and on youtube. Just remember that flashing stock firmware with odin will delete all of your data so try to back them up somehow (i think that if you boot phone in recovery (twrp) the pc will see it like a pendrive)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since he already wiped system and data there is no point in a backup of those partitions. Only thing worth saving would be the efs partition.
And you don't need to root stock rom to go further...
If you are unrooted you have to REMOVE the "auto-reboot" checkmark in odin options and then - after the flash of twrp - reboot to recovery (TWRP) manually via holding Power+Home+VolUp for a few seconds.
If you do not uncheck that "auto-reboot" box, an thus allow the unrooted system (stock samsung system) to boot, it will overwrite the new twrp recovery you flashed 2 seconds before...
This is the point where I believe many confusion comes from. If you root first, any recovery you flash will not be overwritten. That is - I think - why many tutorials/tips say you must root stock first before installing a custom rom, which is simply not true.
But you are right that it would help to flash TWRP fist as outlined above, boot into it and make a backup to a microSD card... but of the efs partition (!) as the very first step. Then keep that backup safe and go from there with stock rom, testing for any problems.
So to reiterate the steps I would go:
1) Flash TWRP via odin and boot directly into it
2) Backup efs partition to a microSD card
3) Flash stock rom via ODIN and test
4) Go from there / report baback
Thank you so much for the replies guys, I'm glad there's still hope for my trusty SIII.
Are there any alternatives for sammobile.com though, since it requires premium account for the firmware I need. I've found another mirror on the site mrcrab.net/stockrom/2444.html (mirror 1 leads to sammobile.com, while mirror 2 leads directly to rapidgator), but can I trust it not to mess my phone up further?
Try updato.com for the firmware.
Hawaiihemd said:
If you can still get in download mode, get your latest stock rom e.g. from sammobile.com and flash it via ODIN. Run stock for a few minutes to see if everything works correctly (test camera, outgoing/incoming calls, mobile data, wifi, gps etc.). If something does not work STOP HERE and report back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've manage to flash stock ROM via Odin, however, as soon as the phone booted up it gave me the "low battery" message, even though I think there was plenty of battery left. But I figured the flashing process must have drained it. As I've tried to tap the OK button, the screen just froze and remained frozen for over 5 minutes. I took battery out and reinserted it, since nothing else worked, and got stuck in bootloop again, just as before flashing stock firmware.
Sirius8 said:
I've manage to flash stock ROM via Odin, however, as soon as the phone booted up it gave me the "low battery" message, even though I think there was plenty of battery left. But I figured the flashing process must have drained it. As I've tried to tap the OK button, the screen just froze and remained frozen for over 5 minutes. I took battery out and reinserted it, since nothing else worked, and got stuck in bootloop again, just as before flashing stock firmware.
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Click to collapse
Try to charge phone without turning it on, when it says its fully charged try to flash it again.
McXred said:
Try to charge phone without turning it on, when it says its fully charged try to flash it again.
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Click to collapse
Good idea. I would also keep it on the charger while booting.
This could be a symptom of a defective battery. So these steps might help.
Looks like you were right guys. I've recharged the battery and tried to flash the stock firmware again, but for some odd reason (it seems like I can't do the same thing twice with this phone ) Odin was giving me grief and couldn't establish proper connection with my phone, even though it recognized it at the beginning of the process. I've tried changing cables and ports, but with no avail.
After I gave that up, I tried booting the phone up anyway, but keeping it plugged in the charger this time. It booted right up, but I expected it to crash and reboot at any moment. So I sped up through the settings a and login processes, but it still worked like a charm. I've checked the camera and everything worked perfectly. So I kept it on charger for a couple of hours, to check if I would have any random crashes, but nothing happened. After I was sure it was stable, I unplugged the charger, and within the second I did that the phone crashed and got stuck in the bootloop again.
I've plugged the charger back in and it booted up just fine. The battery level was 89%, and I left it on charger the whole night (12+ hours). It had 90% when I woke up, it's back at 89% right now.
So, everything points to a faulty battery, but it seems strange to me this happened just as I was flashing another ROM, even though I never had any problems with it before. And even though it wouldn't let me boot, I could use recovery and download mode for as long as I liked, and once I did boot with the charger plugged in, the battery wasn't drained but it was around 90%.
Hawaiihemd said:
TBH you made the mistake many beginners make... Going ahead too fast with insufficient knowledge. But never too late to learn that lesson
Since you are getting more and more confused and your phone seems acting strange I recommend starting from scratch an be analytic about it. This will take just a few minutes more but you can be sure where a problem comes from.
First of all: Take 30 minutes to get acquainted with the basics and read through the first thread in my signature (just do it...)
If you can still get in download mode, get your latest stock rom e.g. from sammobile.com and flash it via ODIN. Run stock for a few minutes to see if everything works correctly (test camera, outgoing/incoming calls, mobile data, wifi, gps etc.). If something does not work STOP HERE and report back.
If all is fine go back to ODIN and install latest TWRP (cwm is seriously outdated, can cause lots of errors). Then boot into TWRP and flash whatever custom rom you like. If you install e.g. LOS 14.1 or RR 7.1.1 make sure you install gapps direcly after you flash the rom (do not reboot in between).
Any questions pop up: Shoot. I'm happy to help.
---------- Post added at 04:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:42 PM ----------
Since he already wiped system and data there is no point in a backup of those partitions. Only thing worth saving would be the efs partition.
And you don't need to root stock rom to go further...
If you are unrooted you have to REMOVE the "auto-reboot" checkmark in odin options and then - after the flash of twrp - reboot to recovery (TWRP) manually via holding Power+Home+VolUp for a few seconds.
If you do not uncheck that "auto-reboot" box, an thus allow the unrooted system (stock samsung system) to boot, it will overwrite the new twrp recovery you flashed 2 seconds before...
This is the point where I believe many confusion comes from. If you root first, any recovery you flash will not be overwritten. That is - I think - why many tutorials/tips say you must root stock first before installing a custom rom, which is simply not true.
But you are right that it would help to flash TWRP fist as outlined above, boot into it and make a backup to a microSD card... but of the efs partition (!) as the very first step. Then keep that backup safe and go from there with stock rom, testing for any problems.
So to reiterate the steps I would go:
1) Flash TWRP via odin and boot directly into it
2) Backup efs partition to a microSD card
3) Flash stock rom via ODIN and test
4) Go from there / report baback
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still on charger, still 90 percent.