Database Users

[Q] Pretty sure I didnt brick my phone, but not sure what to do

Sooooo, I may have bricked it. Any help would be appreciated.
So I got my new sd card and figured i would go ahead and partition for future use, if needed for apps2sd, or any other reason. Instead of going through adb I thought I would save myself some time and just do it from Rom Manager.
Now most of you probably already know what happened. Being as the storage on our devices is called "sdcard" I am humbly assuming that it thought I wanted to partition THAT.
Phone wont boot. Tried factory reset, but no surprise there, it did not work. Can get into download mode and reset menu.
Do I need to flash the factory pda, phone and boot files? Will that work? Where can I get it (preferably without the bloatware and root?????)? Do I need a specific version of odin or will the same one i used for my behold 2 be ok?
Sorry if any of this is stupid, I read these forums cause I want to learn as much as possible about my phone, but have limited experience messing with it. Might try Eugene's froyo just for kicks before I go back to factory. But is this the correct route, or should i just get a replacement?
**** update to issue in post 5

Here look at this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=743875

ElahC said:
Here look at this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=743875
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, makes sense. Download mode does not appear to be working now though, think i got into on accident trying to get to recovery mode.
Is it vol down plus power?

How do you know if you are in download mode? Once when i was in what i thought was download mode it said please wait downloading or something, big yellow characters, and when i hit menu in recovery mode it sent me to a screen with a little mailbox and an arrow coming out of it pointing to a little green android.
Which is dl mode?

ok, i got it into dl mode and when i flashed back to stock it still had a blank screen, like the post above says. But then when I tried to flash Eugene's froyo rom it froze on cach.rfs in odin and the screen on the phone went black. So after about an hour i pulled the plug and tried again, same thing, now when i go to flash back to stock, like previously, it does the same thing, freezing when odin gets to cache.rfs
Also the cell phone goes to a screen that has a cell phone and a computer and the link is broken by an exclamation point. cannot get into recovery mode from there but can get back to download mode.
Any help with all of this?

People have been saying that it could be a problem with your Operating System. Mines is Windows 7 64 - bit and when I use Odin it worked but I have experienced what you have; Odin getting stuck on cache.rfs. You can try on a Windows XP based computer to see if you have any success in that. Also you can possibly be using the wrong Odin. Try the Odin from either : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=734475 , or : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=740558 . When I was using Odin it would get stuck on cache.rfs but I tried a different Odin and it worked fine again. Really hope this helps and sorry for the late response.

cache.fs problem in odin
ElahC said:
People have been saying that it could be a problem with your Operating System. Mines is Windows 7 64 - bit and when I use Odin it worked but I have experienced what you have; Odin getting stuck on cache.rfs. You can try on a Windows XP based computer to see if you have any success in that. Also you can possibly be using the wrong Odin. Try the Odin from either : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=734475 , or : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=740558 . When I was using Odin it would get stuck on cache.rfs but I tried a different Odin and it worked fine again. Really hope this helps and sorry for the late response.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I FOUND A SOLUTION TO THE CACHE.RFS PROBLEM!!
http://www.fractionalphones.com/?p=121

[Q] Soft Bricked: Stuck in "Firmware encountered an issue" Need Help!

Hello,
I am relatively new to this and clearly making some mistakes, from what I have found on these forums I can't see anyone else having the same issues with this device. Any help would be greatly appreciated. So here goes:
I recently tried installing SHOstock's rom, everything appeared successful and the phone began to boot, but hung on the samsung logo with the padlock for 10+ minutes. I tried to reboot, same thing. When booting back into recovery to do a wipe and give it another shot, I was prompted for a password (which I did not set up). So I decided I had probably screwed something up and tried to flash back to stock with Odin. Odin failed, and now all I can get is "Firmware upgrade encountered an issue..." I get this even when trying to enter recovery. I've tried connecting to Kies as well, but no such luck, as it doesn't connect to the device.Currently working on downloading another copy of the stock software to try with Odin again.
Any help is appreciated,
Thanks

What S4 do you have( model#)?
Are you sure you are using the correct firmware?
Are you sure the Kernel and ROM you tried to install were correct for your phone?
Did ODIN recognize your phone or did it fail during / after installation? Was there a specific message?
Re-downloading is good (you said you were doing that now) just to make sure it wasn't a bad download.

scott14719 said:
What S4 do you have( model#)?
Are you sure you are using the correct firmware?
Are you sure the Kernel and ROM you tried to install were correct for your phone?
Did ODIN recognize your phone or did it fail during / after installation? Was there a specific message?
Re-downloading is good (you said you were doing that now) just to make sure it wasn't a bad download.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, thank you for the quick response.
After redownloading from a different source, Odin's flash passed this time, and after a factory reset I am back in. Thank you again for the help.

[Q] AT&T S4 wont turn on. Only vibrates.

Ohh, where to start. Ok so first off let me apologize in advance if this has already
been posted but I’m a noob when it comes top posting in the forums. Been using
them for years to fix my problems just new to posting. Anyway, a few nights ago I
tried to flash the newest version of the T-Mobile AOKP rom (Kit Kat 4.2.2) onto my
AT&T I337 Samsung Galaxy S4 via the latest version of TWRP recovery. After
attempting to flash AOKP, TWRP failed the flash and had an error message that said
something about the phone not being able to flash a T-Mobile rom on an AT&T
phone. I then tried to flash the AOKP rom again and mistakenly flashed the Loki
kernel instead. I was currently running Cyanogenmod 11. After the Loki kernel
attempted to flash, it once again said failed and gave me a message that said
something about me losing root and asking if I wanted to reinstall superuser. I
agreed to reinstall superuser and used the option to reboot my phone once it was
complete. But….once the phone attempted to reboot my screen went black and all
my phone would do is vibrate every two to three seconds with a blank screen. I
pulled the battery, tried to put it in recovery mode, and download mode but nothing
worked at all. It wouldn’t charge, no battery icon, no LED. After messing with it for a
few hours and randomly pushing buttons I finally got it to go into download mode. I
was so happy. I decided I would flash (Odin) a stock firmware that I had already had
and used plenty of times. But…after flashing Odin would say complete and pass but
when my phone would reboot it done the same thing as before. Black screen and
vibrates every two to three seconds wont charge, no battery icon, no LED, still won’t
go into recovery mode but will still go into download mode. I’ve used every version
of Odin, used different USB ports, different USB cords, reflashed the stock at least
20 times now and still nothing. What have I done and how could I fix this issue. :crying:
Ohhh and before I forget, It may be worth mentioning that when I finally got it in
download mode I noticed it said that I had the stock Samsung firmware, where it
usually says custom when rooted.

I'm assuming you're on MDL firmware. If so Odin flash the stock firmware. You can get it at sammobile.com
You're probably hosed though, sounds like you've tried all this.

Doesn't work
jd1639 said:
I'm assuming you're on MDL firmware. If so Odin flash the stock firmware. You can get it at sammobile.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like i said in the post. Odin didnt work. It will say pass every time but doesnt fix anything. Screen still stays black and just vibrates every two to three seconds and still cant access recovery mode.

signature
lukethaduke88 said:
Like i said in the post. Odin didnt work. It will say pass every time but doesnt fix anything. Screen still stays black and just vibrates every two to three seconds and still cant access recovery mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just try whats in my signature

lukethaduke88 said:
Like i said in the post. Odin didnt work. It will say pass every time but doesnt fix anything. Screen still stays black and just vibrates every two to three seconds and still cant access recovery mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so my gs4 does the same thing how did you fix it ?

juggalo1978 said:
so my gs4 does the same thing how did you fix it ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First observation: nothing here says that he fixed it. If he did, which may not have happened, then he obviously didn't tell us.
I wonder if you really have the same issue. Did you read through the OP? Did your phone get where it is by doing the exact same sequence that he did? If not, and you want someone to help, you will need to give a detailed description of everything that led up to the issue you have, from the time the phone was operating normally. It would also be helpful to know what your phone was running before this happened.

creepyncrawly said:
First observation: nothing here says that he fixed it. If he did, which may not have happened, then he obviously didn't tell us.
I wonder if you really have the same issue. Did you read through the OP? Did your phone get where it is by doing the exact same sequence that he did? If not, and you want someone to help, you will need to give a detailed description of everything that led up to the issue you have, from the time the phone was operating normally. It would also be helpful to know what your phone was running before this happened.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an i337 and i flashed the AOSP Kt kernel like june or before intern it rebooted and was stock on boot black screen and vibrating trying to turn on or or recovery does the same thing i can get in dl mode and odin says pass nothing stays the same kies wont read it and it dont come up in device manger it is on ether the mdb boot loader or mdl it was running liquid smooth it never got to stock recovery because when it would not boot i tried odin
3.2 ive seem some where it can be fixed with an sd card but i need the debrick image if anyone could help id appreciate it thank you
---------- Post added at 02:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:58 AM ----------
creepyncrawly said:
First observation: nothing here says that he fixed it. If he did, which may not have happened, then he obviously didn't tell us.
I wonder if you really have the same issue. Did you read through the OP? Did your phone get where it is by doing the exact same sequence that he did? If not, and you want someone to help, you will need to give a detailed description of everything that led up to the issue you have, from the time the phone was operating normally. It would also be helpful to know what your phone was running before this happened.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an i337 and i flashed the AOSP Kt kernel intern it rebooted and was stock on boot black screen and vibrating trying to turn on or or recovery does the same thing i can get in dl mode and odin says pass nothing stays the same kies wont read it and it dont come up in device manger it is on ether the mdb boot loader or mdl it was running liquid smooth 3.2 ive seem some where it can be fixed with an sd card but i need the debrick image if anyone could help id appreciate it thank you

[Q] s4 wont boot says samsung custom

hello everyone im stuck, i have at&t sgh-i337 on 4.3 had trouble getting cwm on but figured it out. no custom rom would install after that so i tried safestrap and was trying to install custom rom, it was then stuck in a bootloop showing safestrap is active. tried to revert back to stock and now im where im at now. i cannot get into download mode or even recovery anymore. if i hold any buttons down while booting it just reboots and if i do nothing it will sit on the samsung custom screen with an open lock for ever. any ideas? think i may have completely bricked it somehow
i can get into download mode with usb cable plugged in but odin will not install anything. always says fail. i suspect the 4.3 is the cause but is there anything i can do?

malevole3t said:
hello everyone im stuck, i have at&t sgh-i337 on 4.3 had trouble getting cwm on but figured it out. no custom rom would install after that so i tried safestrap and was trying to install custom rom, it was then stuck in a bootloop showing safestrap is active. tried to revert back to stock and now im where im at now. i cannot get into download mode or even recovery anymore. if i hold any buttons down while booting it just reboots and if i do nothing it will sit on the samsung custom screen with an open lock for ever. any ideas? think i may have completely bricked it somehow
i can get into download mode with usb cable plugged in but odin will not install anything. always says fail. i suspect the 4.3 is the cause but is there anything i can do?[/QUOTE.
You need to Odin back to stock. Here are the tar files
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2621279
Then please read the all in one guide. It has everything you need to root, install Safstrap recovery, and a list of compatible roms for mk2. Be sure to thank the op in the threads. Good luck & post your results.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2616221
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

malevole3t said:
hello everyone im stuck, i have at&t sgh-i337 on 4.3 had trouble getting cwm on but figured it out. no custom rom would install after that so i tried safestrap and was trying to install custom rom, it was then stuck in a bootloop showing safestrap is active. tried to revert back to stock and now im where im at now. i cannot get into download mode or even recovery anymore. if i hold any buttons down while booting it just reboots and if i do nothing it will sit on the samsung custom screen with an open lock for ever. any ideas? think i may have completely bricked it somehow
i can get into download mode with usb cable plugged in but odin will not install anything. always says fail. i suspect the 4.3 is the cause but is there anything i can do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What did you try to flash in Odin? You need the mk2 firmware
Sent from my Nexus 5

just a helpful little tip

so samsung has reps at most best buys that will help you free of charge ( i had to go there when i first started rooting because i softbricked my phone and had no idea what to do and needed it the next day so if you dont feel like waiting or need something done that second or just dont wanna post on here you can always head up there and just tellem your question and theyll try and help you with what you need

Veid71 said:
so samsung has reps at most best buys that will help you free of charge ( i had to go there when i first started rooting because i softbricked my phone and had no idea what to do and needed it the next day so if you dont feel like waiting or need something done that second or just dont wanna post on here you can always head up there and just tellem your question and theyll try and help you with what you need
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your post. I soft bricked my S5 (bootloop) and will keep this in mind. For now I am at home and want to see if I can figure it myself. I need help to push a working ROM to my device SD card. I found a toolkit on root page http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=64744448&postcount=2
***Is there a tutorial that can help me know how to use the toolkit?

cyberfem said:
Thank you for your post. I soft bricked my S5 (bootloop) and will keep this in mind. For now I am at home and want to see if I can figure it myself. I need help to push a working ROM to my device SD card. I found a toolkit on root page http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=64744448&postcount=2
***Is there a tutorial that can help me know how to use the toolkit?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s5/general/root-method-og5-ok3-t3290370
check that out if you werent previously rooted if you were previously rooted then try this
Use Odin to flash the lollipop kernel you were using. Then go into the stock recovery (hold Home + Vol UP and Power) and clear the cache and reboot. If that doesn't work, go back into the stock recovery, clear cache and select factory reset, then reboot. That should allow MOAR (whatever rom you want i stole this post from one of my other topics about when i softbricked mine) to boot, then you can reinstall SafeStrap Lollipop.

If you're getting any kind of logo screen showing up on boot, you are only "soft" bricked (not "hard" or permanently bricked) and you can fix it easily.
If you're only getting a logo, try what Veid71 said in the post above mine. If that doesn't work, then worst case you just need to flash a factory restore image with Odin and start over.
A word of caution, though: if your firmware version was updated to BOE1, BOG5, BOK3, do NOT flash an earlier factory image or you will brick because after BOD the bootloader was locked and you can't downgrade it.

painiac said:
If you're getting any kind of logo screen showing up on boot, you are only "soft" bricked (not "hard" or permanently bricked) and you can fix it easily.
If you're only getting a logo, try what Veid71 said in the post above mine. If that doesn't work, then worst case you just need to flash a factory restore image with Odin and start over.
A word of caution, though: if your firmware version was updated to BOE1, BOG5, BOK3, do NOT flash an earlier factory image or you will brick because after BOD the bootloader was locked and you can't downgrade it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get the logo screen like it is turning on then it goes to recovery mode options. I can get to Download mode and Odin has a blue port connection but my Win8 and Win7 PCs do not see the device at all, so I cant' flash in Odin. Background - I attempted to root using jrkruse method and got stuck and never rooted. Anyone know a way around this maybe using the external SD card?

cyberfem said:
I get the logo screen like it is turning on then it goes to recovery mode options. I can get to Download mode and Odin has a blue port connection but my Win8 and Win7 PCs do not see the device at all, so I cant' flash in Odin. Background - I attempted to root using jrkruse method and got stuck and never rooted. Anyone know a way around this maybe using the external SD card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When it boots into the recovery mode options, try clearing cache and then reboot. If that doesn't work, do it again, clearing cache and also factory reset. That may allow your phone to boot back up normally.
The SDcard Unbrick method is only needed if your phone cannot boot into Download mode. In this case, it wouldn't help you because your phone is functioning in that regard.
When you have the phone in Download mode, your computer won't show it as a device in "My Computer" because it's not connected as a media device., but software that knows how to look for it can see it. If Odin is lighting up blue in the first ID:COM box, it IS seeing the phone and you will be able to flash to it.
If you're to a point where you need to flash a factory restore image, click the "AP" button in Odin to select it. The image needs to be one that ends with a file extension "tar.md5", or Odin can't see it. If what you've downloaded is a zip archive, the image is inside that and you need to extract it first. Use the image in "step 2" of the root thread

I figured out what went wrong from your response thanks! I had saved the .tar.md5 on the external SD card rather than pc. Now attempting to re-root, .bat sees device but doesn't root.

cyberfem said:
I figured out what went wrong from your response thanks! I had saved the .tar.md5 on the external SD card rather than pc. Now attempting to re-root, .bat sees device but doesn't root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah its really annoying youll have to unplug and plug it back in and x out of the thing like 20 times before it acutually does it