Database Users

How do you replace Hardware Locked Vibrants?

I recently found out that my phone is hardware locked. I hear that people are getting theirs replaced because it's a defect. I tried to explain this where I got my phone about a month ago. No dice. They called up T-Mobile and I could not get a new phone. How did everyone get a replacement? Also, did you get brand new ones or refurbs? Thanks.

Just call tmobile directly. Don't tell them you bought it from someone else. Pretend as if you night it from them. I have gotten mine replaced even though I bought it from else where. The key us to sound like you know what you're talking about and to be persistent. You may get a no can do answer but call again and you'll eventually get a rep that erl return it right away cause they don't know what else to do. Btw always say you have already done a factory reset before they try to get you to do it.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

So I say that I already did a factory reset and want a replacement because I can't get into recovery mode?

just call them up and say that you can't do a hard reset and that the phone is defective... go to the tmobile store, they are a dealership and are privately owned, not by tmobile, so most of the time they'll just laugh in your face... CALL them

I wouldn't mention recovery mode. Id mention something like gps not working and you need a phone with gps for your job and that you paid for a phone and it said it had gps when it doesn't work. But still mention that you have done numerous factory resets with no success. They'll send you another. I'm getting my third one and after 3 replacements you get a upgrade to something else or you can continue with your phone.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

creglenn said:
I wouldn't mention recovery mode. Id mention something like gps not working and you need a phone with gps for your job and that you paid for a phone and it said it had gps when it doesn't work. But still mention that you have done numerous factory resets with no success. They'll send you another. I'm getting my third one and after 3 replacements you get a upgrade to something else or you can continue with your phone.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GPS isn't a "hardware" problem, its firmware related. Don't think that would work at all. They'll probably just redirect you to a new firmware update.

How can you tell if your phone is "hardware locked"?

zephiK said:
GPS isn't a "hardware" problem, its firmware related. Don't think that would work at all. They'll probably just redirect you to a new firmware update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah itll work cause I've gotten 2 replacements but saying that. Trust me I'd you get the right repo that doesn't know they will just replace it. Plus after saying you have done a factory reset they have no more troubleshooting steps on their script. Lol! Plus whether its hardware or software related the phone should work as advertised and if it doesn't then that's their fault
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

I called tmo and told them I couldn't get into recovery using the vol up vol dow buttons and I want a replacement. The phone is supposed to be able to do this, therefore it is defective. They agreed and sent me a brand new phone. Recovery works flawlessly.

mentalex2 said:
I called tmo and told them I couldn't get into recovery using the vol up vol dow buttons and I want a replacement. The phone is supposed to be able to do this, therefore it is defective. They agreed and sent me a brand new phone. Recovery works flawlessly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
told you that's all you had to do i did the same... the newer replacement phones that they are now sending out aren't hardware locked anymore, they finally fixed the problem in QC

That is weird. How come the recovery mode thing didn't work the first time? I think they might ask me why I would want to get into recovery mode. What do I say?

What about people who don't have contracts with them? Will they do it if I don't have a contract? That's highly doubtful.

1quickturbosix said:
How can you tell if your phone is "hardware locked"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found out by trying to get into recovery mode. I followed a bunch of different methods and none of them worked.
Also:
So, I say I can't get into recovery mode and they'll agree to send me a new phone? When I send it back, do I do any kind of reset or leave it as is?

Yesterday, I fudged an install of a mod and got a bunch of TwLanuncher errors. My phone is hardware locked and after about an hour, Tmo decided to give me a new one. I simply told them and its true that I cant hard reset the phone. Only problem is that I cant flash back to stock either. Hope this isnt a problem...

Thanks everyone for posting this information, this will be very useful.
Was shipping free or not?

mmalott said:
Yesterday, I fudged an install of a mod and got a bunch of TwLanuncher errors. My phone is hardware locked and after about an hour, Tmo decided to give me a new one. I simply told them and its true that I cant hard reset the phone. Only problem is that I cant flash back to stock either. Hope this isnt a problem...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think T-Mobile will bother to check the contents of your phone. They'll just send it back to Samsung. And if Samsung discovers that your phone has custom firmware, they probably won't care either because the transaction was done already.

burntrat said:
That is weird. How come the recovery mode thing didn't work the first time? I think they might ask me why I would want to get into recovery mode. What do I say?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I want to know. They might ask why we want to enter recovery...

PSP_Hacker said:
That's what I want to know. They might ask why we want to enter recovery...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Someone correct me if I am wrong here. Simply tell them that you cant hard reset the phone.

I think you guys are over estimating the technical-prowess of the T-Mob reps. They wouldn't know about 'recovery' modes, custom firmwares, or anything. Most of the time, they're gonna take what you say at face value; just go for the easy in. Just say your phone is hardware locked, unable to do factory resets, etc. and play dumb. You don't need to tell them about recoveries or custom roms. Pretend you're a technologically-impotent average consumer fer chrissakes.

Shipping is free unless you want express. But on your second replacement they ship it express for free
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

So odin will not work for neither my computers.. and bricked.

So i accidently bricked my phone trying to update my modwm to the newest froyo one.
Now I keep trying too odin back to stock but it wont work. Ive bricked before and used my laptop and it restored but now it doesnt work on my laptop nor my desktop. They either both say the device is unknown or it connects and when I try to flash it either freezes on file analyses or param.
Im going to go to the sprint store later today and try to get a new one. When I try to turn my phone on i get the little phone arrow computer sign. Do you think if I tell them that my phone froze so I took out the battery and that happened they will believe me? Idk how much of rooting the sprint employees know. Should I deny everything?

You will likely need to tell the tech that you had some bugs (force closes or something) and tried to do a reset through recovery mode and ended up with a non-working phone. Techs will likely know a bit about rooting and roms, especially if they have their own android phone. They also know that rooting and 3rd party roms void your warranty and they are supposed to deny claims where the phone was running 3rd party roms.

Can they tell if I rooted it just by the phone to computer sign? I went to a sprint store earlier and they told me to go to the corperate store because he didnt know what that meant.. Also I bought it from bestbuy so if sprint doesnt cover it would bestbuy?

sasha101 said:
Can they tell if I rooted it just by the phone to computer sign? I went to a sprint store earlier and they told me to go to the corperate store because he didnt know what that meant.. Also I bought it from bestbuy so if sprint doesnt cover it would bestbuy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bestbuy won't cover it. And if you plan on exchanging the phone, you'll have to go to the Sprint Corporate center. I bricked my phone the other day and it was only a $35 exchange for a new Samsung Epic. I only had to wait a day for a new one. They won't give you a new battery or SD card, so make sure to hold on to those.
Sorry about your phone.

If the phone is off can you hold the 1 button on the keyboard and power button and does a yellow downloading screen come on?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

tphillips78 said:
If the phone is off can you hold the 1 button on the keyboard and power button and does a yellow downloading screen come on?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it would matter, truthfully. If the computer doesn't recognize the phone to begin with, putting the phone into download mode won't have any effect.

acer1096xxx said:
I don't think it would matter, truthfully. If the computer doesn't recognize the phone to begin with, putting the phone into download mode won't have any effect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Different usb cable maybe? If sasha101 can get into download mode the phone isn't bricked and there is at least still hope. Maybe re downloading odin and other files as well. Just a thought.
Sent from my rooted Samsung Epic 4Gless device running ViperRom Trinity V3.0.3 using XDA App

I usually have to rotate between the different pits (512, 513, 528, and no pit) before I can get it to succesfully flash, so this is something you can try.

I would definitly try a different cable. I wasn't able to use odin to load 2.1 and in fact I bricked (I think). Tried 2 different cables and tried someone else's pc. NO go. Went back to the best set of directions I had found, redownloaded all the software needed, borrowed my wife's cable and started over. Everything worked like I was told it should. I really believe I had cables. Will try to find a new good one for the next time I try Odin.
Good luck and Marry Christmas.
George MacDonald
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Randyshear on youtube explains this process flawlessly very informative
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Umm.. if its not recognizing your phone you either didn't download the drivers; or they didn't install right. So.. (re)install them..
If this doesn't work its your cable; you'll need a new one.
Also; android isn't bricked until you can't get into download mode anymore.
Just because it doesn't boot doesn't mean its not bricked.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

A warning for all rooters

At the risk of showcasing myself as a total moron, I thought I'd share with you my experience of sheer, unadulterated stupidity before anyone else makes the same mistake.
I've been rooting my Android devices for a long, long time without any problem, until now.
I installed a ROM that didn't agree with my N7100 and needed to get my phone back into a working state. Having only Macs at work meant I had to use Heimdall rather than the Windows-friendly Odin. Heimdall isn't quite as easy to get to grips with and couldn't handle the factory images I was throwing at it, so in a desperate attempt to fix this, I inadvertently deleted all of my EFS data...
...and I hadn't taken a backup.
A local 'backstreet' phone shop couldn't fix it, and Vodafone charged me £100 (as I'd invalided the warranty) to replace the motherboard.
So it's not only a silly mistake to make, it's an expensive one, as this 'experienced' rooter discovered
Whatever you do, never, ever delete, re-partition or reformat the EFS partition on your Galaxy Note II!
You have been warned!

danakers said:
At the risk of showcasing myself as a total moron, I thought I'd share with you my experience of sheer, unadulterated stupidity before anyone else makes the same mistake.
I've been rooting my Android devices for a long, long time without any problem, until now.
I installed a ROM that didn't agree with my N7100 and needed to get my phone back into a working state. Having only Macs at work meant I had to use Heimdall rather than the Windows-friendly Odin. Heimdall isn't quite as easy to get to grips with and couldn't handle the factory images I was throwing at it, so in a desperate attempt to fix this, I inadvertently deleted all of my EFS data...
...and I hadn't taken a backup.
A local 'backstreet' phone shop couldn't fix it, and Vodafone charged me £100 (as I'd invalided the warranty) to replace the motherboard.
So it's not only a silly mistake to make, it's an expensive one, as this 'experienced' rooter discovered
Whatever you do, never, ever delete, re-partition or reformat the EFS partition on your Galaxy Note II!
You have been warned!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even though i wouldn't do this, i am sure that if NASA was able to send monkeys into space there ought to a couple left here who would do this
But Thank You.

Bl!GhT said:
Even though i wouldn't do this, i am sure that if NASA was able to send monkeys into space there ought to a couple left here who would do this
But Thank You.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you had insurance you could have claimed on that instead?

DaBountyHunter said:
If you had insurance you could have claimed on that instead?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mmm, not having insurance makes me even dumber!

you should understand the word "use at your own risk", "always made a backup", "this is for advanced-user", and many things before doing something, just a warning wont help I think..

rashid.fairus said:
you should understand the word "use at your own risk", "always made a backup", "this is for advanced-user", and many things before doing something, just a warning wont help I think..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I'm just trying to be helpful by posting this.
I consider myself an advanced user, but even advanced users can make mistakes.

you could have fixed it with this software http://www.softworld.com/windows/communications/telephony/unlock-samsung-home/

jutley said:
you could have fixed it with this software http://www.softworld.com/windows/communications/telephony/unlock-samsung-home/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tested this sw after reading this from your other post
though i have no IMEI issue but tried unlock screen as it is free feature, but it didn't work for me.
apart from this it has caused issue on my device and pc, my play store was unable to download any application untill i factory reset device.
on PC side even after uninstall sw it was giving me some dll error. and had to reset my PC too.

I've seen a lot of efs repair apps, and I don't really see how any of them can possibly work at all. If the efs is deleted, you can't magically return it. That would be the same as having an app recalling a forgotten password without having anything to do with it beforehand.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

adytum said:
I've seen a lot of efs repair apps, and I don't really see how any of them can possibly work at all. If the efs is deleted, you can't magically return it. That would be the same as having an app recalling a forgotten password without having anything to do with it beforehand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it does seem as though screwing up your EFS is a bigger deal than I thought, on account of the fact that the only way they could repair my handset was by replacing the mobo. I tried so many supposed 'fixes' before dropping my handset into the Vodafone store and sadly none of them worked. On the plus side, even though I 'fessed up, the helpful people at Vodafone logged my fault as "device will not reboot" in the hope they didn't spot it was an invalidated warranty job... but they still found out
Anyway, hands up... I'm an idiot!

always backup your EFS folder into external SD card just to be on the safe side

thanks for the advice :good:

Paranoids Glore my efs on my raid server in the cloud on my remote mail server zipped and stored on a flash disk and on my laptop. Uou never know
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app

Step 1. Buy a PC.
Step 2. Enjoy.

Ok...thank you for sharing the experience...**** happens even to the brilliandest of minds!... I have a crusial question though... I come from the htc side which I now hate for their crappy support and aftersales policy... I had an evo 3d which after a year of pretty much flawless operation started to have serious issues with the display. I had the warranty running, so htc service repaired it for free, changing the mobo! GOD! What happened next?? I couldnt unlock the bootloader (even with their official way) and root my phone! Such a huge dissapointment! SO, my question to you all guys is, if for some reason I got changed my note2 mobo, will I be able to root it again? Thank you all in advance.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

ciscosec said:
Ok...thank you for sharing the experience...**** happens even to the brilliandest of minds!... I have a crusial question though... I come from the htc side which I now hate for their crappy support and aftersales policy... I had an evo 3d which after a year of pretty much flawless operation started to have serious issues with the display. I had the warranty running, so htc service repaired it for free, changing the mobo! GOD! What happened next?? I couldnt unlock the bootloader (even with their official way) and root my phone! Such a huge dissapointment! SO, my question to you all guys is, if for some reason I got changed my note2 mobo, will I be able to root it again? Thank you all in advance.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yepp .. no problem

That is a sign of SDS. You know what you do, there is no problem at all
Sent from my GT-N7100

Sds? What does this mean?
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

Zanr Zij said:
That is a sign of SDS. You know what you do, there is no problem at all
Sent from my GT-N7100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are you on about? None of this has anything to do with Sds.
Nowadays people get a cold and blame it on Sds.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

danakers said:
At the risk of showcasing myself as a total moron, I thought I'd share with you my experience of sheer, unadulterated stupidity before anyone else makes the same mistake.
I've been rooting my Android devices for a long, long time without any problem, until now.
I installed a ROM that didn't agree with my N7100 and needed to get my phone back into a working state. Having only Macs at work meant I had to use Heimdall rather than the Windows-friendly Odin. Heimdall isn't quite as easy to get to grips with and couldn't handle the factory images I was throwing at it, so in a desperate attempt to fix this, I inadvertently deleted all of my EFS data...
...and I hadn't taken a backup.
A local 'backstreet' phone shop couldn't fix it, and Vodafone charged me £100 (as I'd invalided the warranty) to replace the motherboard.
So it's not only a silly mistake to make, it's an expensive one, as this 'experienced' rooter discovered
Whatever you do, never, ever delete, re-partition or reformat the EFS partition on your Galaxy Note II!
You have been warned!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why didnt u go to the samsung repair centre???? Are u in the UK? ?
Handwritten from my Galaxy Note II

[Q] how to save hard bricked nexus 4??

Hi all, so I went to flash Franco kernel on my n4, and I clicked on nexus 4 kernels, but somehow ended up going to the page with the gnex kernels, and flashed that instead. I didn't realize that till after I bricked my phone when I went on my friends phone and then checked the page. Idk how that happened that I was directed to the gnex kernel page, but I was. So anyway, I hard bricked my phone and wondering if There's any way to save it? It won't even boot up, or go into bootloader mode, or anything. please help?? Thanks!

Try holding volume down and then plugin your usb cable in your pc. Worked for me and mine is still hardbricked! Maybe you can get into fastboot and restore

lowtje said:
Try holding volume down and then plugin your usb cable in your pc. Worked for me and mine is still hardbricked! Maybe you can get into fastboot and restore
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it doesnt even turn on, and i have a mac :/ i have no way to get into fastboot mode

It doesn't turn on? What did you mean? Do you see the Google logo when you press the power button? Try holding volume keys and power to get to fast boot.
Try downloading the drivers from the pdanets software. I think they have a Mac version which will enable you to use fast boot on Mac. Go to Google factory images page and download the nexus 4 image. Unzip it and use flash the boot image by using the fastboot command : fastboot flash boot boot.IMG
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Ieatnoobs said:
It doesn't turn on? What did you mean? Do you see the Google logo when you press the power button? Try holding volume keys and power to get to fast boot.
Try downloading the drivers from the pdanets software. I think they have a Mac version which will enable you to use fast boot on Mac. Go to Google factory images page and download the nexus 4 image. Unzip it and use flash the boot image by using the fastboot command : fastboot flash boot boot.IMG
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
like i mean that no matter how long i hold the power button, the phone doesnt turn on. its just a black screen. no logo, no boot anumation, nothing. i cant even boot into fastboot or recovery, so i cant do any fastboot commands

Maybe the battery is dead? Try charging it?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Melad360 said:
like i mean that no matter how long i hold the power button, the phone doesnt turn on. its just a black screen. no logo, no boot anumation, nothing. i cant even boot into fastboot or recovery, so i cant do any fastboot commands
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Leave it in the charger overnight. And try to use an high amp charger like the ipad one
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

lowtje said:
Leave it in the charger overnight. And try to use an high amp charger like the ipad one
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it was at 95% when i bricked it though, theres no way the battery is dead :/

so i called google about replacing it, they said that they will email the original buyer (my dad) to authorize an exchange, so i might be able to get a new n4

Melad360 said:
so i called google about replacing it, they said that they will email the original buyer (my dad) to authorize an exchange, so i might be able to get a new n4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to sound like an asshole or anything but to be completely honest, I kinda hope Google doesn't replace that phone of your for free. You messed it up by not double checking everything twice before clicking that confirm button when you went to flash a new kernel. You knew that if you messed up your phone is dead. But now Google has to shell out a new phone because YOU messed up, not Google.
Gonna ruin it for people that actually did get a defected device...

Melad360 said:
so i called google about replacing it, they said that they will email the original buyer (my dad) to authorize an exchange, so i might be able to get a new n4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not cool. You need to fix this yourself.
What were you thinking flashing stuff to your phone but not having the ability to use fastboot and other dev tools? If you're going to intentionally gut out the functionality of your phone, have the tools and willingness to deal with problems! This isn't Google's fault, don't leave them with the bill!
Sent from my Nexus 4

waffleman911 said:
Not to sound like an asshole or anything but to be completely honest, I kinda hope Google doesn't replace that phone of your for free. You messed it up by not double checking everything twice before clicking that confirm button when you went to flash a new kernel. You knew that if you messed up your phone is dead. But now Google has to shell out a new phone because YOU messed up, not Google.
Gonna ruin it for people that actually did get a defected device...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how can i double check something that doesnt have a device model on it? it simply says "Franco.kernel nightly r-number.zip", i dont know how i managed to end up on the gnex kernel list, when i specifically clicked on nexus 4 kernels. that was beyond my control, its not like i made a stupid mistake on purpose. i double checked everything, making sure i was on the right xda page, and i downloaded a zip file not an img file, etc, i did everything i could do, yet little things slip

Melad360 said:
how can i double check something that doesnt have a device model on it? it simply says "Franco.kernel nightly r-number.zip", i dont know how i managed to end up on the gnex kernel list, when i specifically clicked on nexus 4 kernels. that was beyond my control, its not like i made a stupid mistake on purpose. i double checked everything, making sure i was on the right xda page, and i downloaded a zip file not an img file, etc, i did everything i could do, yet little things slip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Post the url you click that forwarded you to the gnex page. I'd be willing to bet that it says up top in orange, something along the line of "gnex>android development>gnex kernels"
Did you read the comments of that thread?
When you were in TWRP/CWM, the name of the file didn't hint at either gnex or nexus 4? It should have, if I'm not mistaken. There are always few ways to double check the file you downloaded.

Melad360 said:
how can i double check something that doesnt have a device model on it? it simply says "Franco.kernel nightly r-number.zip", i dont know how i managed to end up on the gnex kernel list, when i specifically clicked on nexus 4 kernels. that was beyond my control, its not like i made a stupid mistake on purpose. i double checked everything, making sure i was on the right xda page, and i downloaded a zip file not an img file, etc, i did everything i could do, yet little things slip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But this is Google's fault?
Sent from my iPad 4

k everyone calm down. I am sure all of us made that stupid mistake someday. None of us are perfect humans. We learn from mistakes. At least thats what we are suppose to do. Anyway, glad it worked out for OP.

So...it won't turn on at all? Did you someone flash a bootloader or something?

Maybe JTAG it. Hire somebody who knows how to use that technology and you could get it restored.

Melad360 said:
how can i double check something that doesnt have a device model on it? it simply says "Franco.kernel nightly r-number.zip", i dont know how i managed to end up on the gnex kernel list, when i specifically clicked on nexus 4 kernels. that was beyond my control, its not like i made a stupid mistake on purpose. i double checked everything, making sure i was on the right xda page, and i downloaded a zip file not an img file, etc, i did everything i could do, yet little things slip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Obviously this isn't the case because the links work just fine..
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

I`m calling google to tell them not to give a free phone to that guy! He should be charged every penny for the new phone!

Not to troll the OP, but man I'm seeing these threads all the time now and it's seriously annoying and down right fraudulent!
If you buy a new car, drive it off the lot and wreck it five miles down the road while breaking every traffic law known to man, you can not bring the heap of metal and plastic back to the dealership and demand another.
YOU voided your warranty! YOU flashed third party firmware! YOU improperly flashed third party firmware and bricked your device as a result. Do not blame Google, Franco, or anyone else for YOUR mistake!
Google has no responsibility for your device now, they guarantee that it works from the factory in the condition they sold it in. Once you click 'Yes' in the bootloader to unlock your device, you're on your own should you screw up... That's what that message is telling you!
I, for one, enjoy getting a nice phone at a great price. People like you are the reason carriers and OEMs charge $600+ now! Take responsibility for breaking it... Perhaps next time you should read, then when you think you know enough, read some more!
Spoiled children...
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

JTAG Help?

I've got my RIFFbox, and I've been able to connect to the device just fine. I can send the resurrection to the dead body, but I can't get it to boot to Odin mode still. When connecting to PC, it still shows the QPST download mode (QDL mode). I'm currently trying to flash individual partitions to the device.
Any help or suggestions to get this thing out of QPST mode? :/
Thanks!
I've tried 301k & 619k JIGs also, and several known combinations of keys to boot Odin mode.
UPDATE [7-23-13]:
At this time, I've determined that this device is permanently bricked until I can get my hands on the Kies MF3 Odin package and manually load these files via JTAG. However, even this is not guaranteed to fix it. For the time being, I've replaced the device. I'll hold onto the carcass for a little while longer to see if I can get MF3 to boot on it. If I can, I will use this as a test bed for developers to attempt to unlock bootloaders or develop an MF3 root. Otherwise, I eventually plan to part it out, selling things like the screen, etc.

Aou said:
I've got my RIFFbox, and I've been able to connect to the device just fine. I can send the resurrection to the dead body, but I can't get it to boot to Odin mode still. When connecting to PC, it still shows the QPST download mode (QDL mode). I'm currently trying to flash individual partitions to the device.
Any help or suggestions to get this thing out of QPST mode? :/
Thanks!
I've tried 301k & 619k JIGs also, and several known combinations of keys to boot Odin mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you PM my tech?

TheAxman said:
Did you PM my tech?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup. No reply yet.
Currently flashing the whole 1GB image. Takes forever, so I will let you all know how it goes in a couple hours. I haven't tried flashing the whole MF3 boot chain but it's looking like that's what I will end up needing to try.

Aou said:
Yup. No reply yet.
Currently flashing the whole 1GB image. Takes forever, so I will let you all know how it goes in a couple hours. I haven't tried flashing the whole MF3 boot chain but it's looking like that's what I will end up needing to try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no doubt you will get it straightened out.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda premium

TheAxman said:
I have no doubt you will get it straightened out.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No go on the full 1GB flash. In a last-ditch effort, I threw the MF3 version of SBL2, SBL3, ABOOT, TZ, and RPM at it.
Still boots to QHUSB_DLOAD mode.

This is unbelievably frustrating. No matter what I throw at this thing, it refuses to boot. Also, it seems that the only people that know how to JTAG one of these things are not responding.

Try getting a hold of Josh over at mobile tech videos. I believe he goes by connexion2005 here on XDA.
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Red_81 said:
Try getting a hold of Josh over at mobile tech videos. I believe he goes by connexion2005 here on XDA.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, but he was the first person I tried contacting. Seems to ignore my PMs, or just doesn't have the time?

He's pretty busy most Days. His business takes up most of his time.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium

Aou said:
Thank you, but he was the first person I tried contacting. Seems to ignore my PMs, or just doesn't have the time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried contacting @AdamOutler? If I remember from the early Captivate days he worked with Josh to get the JTAG stuff working. He's definitely very knowledgeable when it comes to Samsung hardware.

I'm pretty sure you need a JTAG flash with an up to date firmware. There was someone else who's device refused to boot and he managed to unbrick with software. I take it that this is due to messing with bootloaders and trying to revert? btw... quote or mention usually gets my attention.

Devo7v said:
Have you tried contacting @AdamOutler? If I remember from the early Captivate days he worked with Josh to get the JTAG stuff working. He's definitely very knowledgeable when it comes to Samsung hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... - didn't try - last I knew he didn't accept PMs.
AdamOutler said:
I'm pretty sure you need a JTAG flash with an up to date firmware. There was someone else who's device refused to boot and he managed to unbrick with software. I take it that this is due to messing with bootloaders and trying to revert? btw... quote or mention usually gets my attention.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, this is from flashing MF3 Sbl2 and Sbl3 (without aboot and tz). I've tried flashing the whole MF3 bootchain, and it still doesn't like it. Still boots to QPST mode.
EDIT/ADD:
At this point, I've flashed these:
PGPT (and SGPT) from the 1GB "full dump" provided by riffbox (assuming MDB or MDL - it was released 7/3/13)
PIT from the forums around here somewhere (seems identical to one from dump)
MD5 from dump
(empty area) from dump
apnhlos (aka non-hlos) from MF3
MDM from MF3
sbl1 from AdamOutler's MDB dump
sbl2 from MF3
sbl3 from MF3
aboot from MF3
rpm from MF3
tz from MF3

Yeah, tried it all again, for good measure. Starting to wonder if this thing is completely and utterly bricked? It makes no logical sense. Something is still triggering it to enter QPST mode. Again, I've tried using 301k (and a few other) Ohm resistance JIGs to try booting immediately the flash. Nada. Using the 4.2v power supply from the Riffbox, tried USB power (kinda difficult to flash things solderless when the daughterboard is attached, but possible), tried battery power only... All appear to work fine in Riff, all allow me to read and write any address I want.
I'm about to the point where I'm going to scrap this for parts to help get a new one. :/

Aou said:
Yeah, tried it all again, for good measure. Starting to wonder if this thing is completely and utterly bricked? It makes no logical sense. Something is still triggering it to enter QPST mode. Again, I've tried using 301k (and a few other) Ohm resistance JIGs to try booting immediately the flash. Nada. Using the 4.2v power supply from the Riffbox, tried USB power (kinda difficult to flash things solderless when the daughterboard is attached, but possible), tried battery power only... All appear to work fine in Riff, all allow me to read and write any address I want.
I'm about to the point where I'm going to scrap this for parts to help get a new one. :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could sell for parts for around 300 or so ?

Adam is right, you did get the newest firmware they have online right?
Did Derek get hold of you? I had him busy at work today, he had to load 50+ laptops with win 7, big money involved, I will IM him for you.

@AdamOutler @Aou
same exact thing happened to me i did the same thing with the verizon update and sent it out to josh @ mobiletechvideos.com
just got my device back today and its still Bricked !?!?!?!? either josh and his guys just failed to test it or there is no way to fix these phones
1. this really pisses me off i sent it to the most reputable guy in the buisness and got it back in this condition.
2. for the odd case that its just a complete loss i have one thing to say to samsung, vzw, att....
basically moral of the story is i wouldnt sell your phone for parts to get another wait until i/we hear back from mobiletechvideo then sell you device and never buy a samsung device again as long as it is locked

beanstown106 said:
@AdamOutler @Aou
same exact thing happened to me i did the same thing with the verizon update and sent it out to josh @ mobiletechvideos.com
just got my device back today and its still Bricked !?!?!?!? either josh and his guys just failed to test it or there is no way to fix these phones
1. this really pisses me off i sent it to the most reputable guy in the buisness and got it back in this condition.
2. for the odd case that its just a complete loss i have one thing to say to samsung, vzw, att....
basically moral of the story is i wouldnt sell your phone for parts to get another wait until i/we hear back from mobiletechvideo then sell you device and never buy a samsung device again as long as it is locked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been a diehard Samsung supporter since the GS1 came out. The hardware quality is awesome. Unfortunately, their policies are beginning to become unfriendly for developers. The issue you're having is due 100% to Samsung's desire to lock people out of custom kernels.

Isn't it AT&T and VZW who are locking it?

TheAxman said:
Adam is right, you did get the newest firmware they have online right?
Did Derek get hold of you? I had him busy at work today, he had to load 50+ laptops with win 7, big money involved, I will IM him for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the latest firmware that I could find - but it's dated 7-3-13 (a week before the MF3 patch). Does Kies have MF3 yet? I might be able to live with MF3 if I were able to retain a custom recovery and therefore root (via injection). It'd mean no custom ROMs until a new "Loki" (or equivalent) is made, or we get these blasted bootloaders unlocked.
beanstown106 said:
@AdamOutler @Aou
same exact thing happened to me i did the same thing with the verizon update and sent it out to josh @ mobiletechvideos.com
just got my device back today and its still Bricked !?!?!?!? either josh and his guys just failed to test it or there is no way to fix these phones
1. this really pisses me off i sent it to the most reputable guy in the buisness and got it back in this condition.
2. for the odd case that its just a complete loss i have one thing to say to samsung, vzw, att....
basically moral of the story is i wouldnt sell your phone for parts to get another wait until i/we hear back from mobiletechvideo then sell you device and never buy a samsung device again as long as it is locked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would REALLY like to hear what the deal was with mobiletechvideos.com & @connexion2005 has to say about our situation here. My plan was to cut my losses on Monday if I am not able to get it fixed this weekend. This is really crazy news for me - Josh is indeed the most reputable JTAG guy in the industry (afaik). For them to send that back still bricked is a really bad sign! (Makes my situation look pretty much hopeless!)
AdamOutler said:
I've been a diehard Samsung supporter since the GS1 came out. The hardware quality is awesome. Unfortunately, their policies are beginning to become unfriendly for developers. The issue you're having is due 100% to Samsung's desire to lock people out of custom kernels.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed, I've had the Infuse, S2, and now the S4. I love Samsung's handsets, and I traditionally loved how much modification you could do to these handsets to customize them. However, with locked bootloaders and such, this is becoming quite the joke - and the joke's on us, it seems.
----------
As an update to my situation, I haven't tried anything new since my last post. Still waiting to find new ideas or hear some suggestions.

beanstown106 said:
@AdamOutler @Aou
just got my device back today and its still Bricked !?!?!?!? either josh and his guys just failed to test it or there is no way to fix these phones
1. this really pisses me off i sent it to the most reputable guy in the buisness and got it back in this condition.
2. for the odd case that its just a complete loss i have one thing to say to samsung, vzw, att....
basically moral of the story is i wouldnt sell your phone for parts to get another wait until i/we hear back from mobiletechvideo then sell you device and never buy a samsung device again as long as it is locked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I screwed up my S4 recently and it was being fixed (hopefully) from MobileTechVideos. Josh is really a good guy and back in my S1 Cappy days I had to send one to him. We chatted on the phone about android stuff quite a bit back then.
So I screwed up the kernel I believe trying to make a kernel splash screen, flashed in recovery and when it rebooted I just got a vibration every 3-5 seconds. Tried Odin MDB and MDL firmware with both always passing. But still same results when it went to reboot.
Now seeing this comment you made has me actually worried now. Have you contacted them about it still being bricked yet? Or did they send it back with refunding the charges since it wouldn't work? Crap it I f'ed it over after only 1 week of having it and it cannot be resurrected. Now I know my situation is different as I have NOT messed with anything from MF3 at all. But if something else is going on inside that MobileTechVideos couldn't fix has me worried.
Also @Adam, I feel the same way about the quality of the Galaxy lines as I have had the S1,S2, S3, and now S4. But I am seeing the writing on the wall with Samsung and ATT showing me this COULD BE my last of them.
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