Hey all,
I have an S4 i337m model. I've installed a custom ROM that is essentially a rooted stock ROM (I do not remember the exact build/version of the ROM). I realize having this info would be useful, but at the moment, I cannot access this info.
While running this ROM, everything was fine. Last week Friday, I attempted to install FoxHound 1.6. Had to play around with the installation options, but I got FoxHound to work. However, I need to get back on my old ROM as I needed some files that were deleted during the FoxHound install. So I wiped my phone, and restored my nandroid backup of my rooted stock ROM. again, everything was fine. No issues.
Here is where the problem is; after restoring my rooted stock ROM, I could boot into the phone and access the files needed. However, when I reboot/shut down phone, upon restarting/powering up, my phone is stuck at the 'Samsung Galaxy S4' logo right after power on. So, I boot into recovery (the latest version of TWRP) and I navigate to 'file manager' to take a look at my storage/files. And this is where I believe the issue to be; I see virtually no files at all. I can see many folders/partitions, but there are virtually no files anywhere (i.e. the system and data partitions are empty). I am assuming this is the reason why my phone doesn't boot past the Samsung Galaxy S4 logo. Now, when this happens, I wipe my phone again and restore my working nandroid backup. Everything works fine. I can get back into Android without issues. Until I reboot/power off my phone. Then this happens all over again.
I believe I may have damaged(?) the partition(s). When I installed FoxHound, I also installed an option during installation titled 'EXT4'. I know linux uses ext2/3/4 partition tables. Did I damage my storage/partition by installing EXT4 from FoxHound? Do I need to repartition my phone via Odin PIT file or something similar? Am I totally wrong with my analysis? Any help/advise/insight would be very welcomed.
Thanks
Additional info
Baseband: I337MVLUAMG1
Build number: JDQ39.I337MVLUAMG1
ROM: Rooted stock ROM 4.2.2 (with some bloatware removed)
While my phone was in the it's 'logo stuck' state, I entered into TWRP and selected the Wipe option, then Format Data. I must select 'Format Data' in order for my phone to work on it's next boot. Manually formatting System, Data, etc... will not allow my phone to boot up at next boot. And, my phone will only work on the next boot. If I power off/restart phone, it will get stuck at the logo again. So my phone is only good for 1 boot up after a wipe.
And, after I restore a working backup and boot into the phone, everything works until next power down/reboot. Once I power down/reboot phone, I must go into recovery since it will not boot into Android. When I get into TWRP, I see that my Internal Storage has 0MB free and I am unable to see any files. I can see folders/partitions, but there is nothing in any folder/partition. My external SD card shows nothing as well. My external SD card however is unaffected as all the data is still there once I get into Android and look around.
Also, I just restored a backup I had before I was having this issue. After restoring and rebooting, the same thing happens. I get stuck at the 'Samsung Galaxy S4' logo.
So I'm guessing there is some partition troubles here. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm scratching my head as to the cause of this problem.
It could be some hardware issues too. I'd Odin back to stock and see if the problem persists. If it does its hardware.
jd1639 said:
It could be some hardware issues too. I'd Odin back to stock and see if the problem persists. If it does its hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought the same thing. I'm downloading the stock ROM now and will give it a try.
One other thing I noticed during my last restore/fix attempt... After I perform a wipe -> Format Data (from TWRP), I notice that it reverts to my rooted stock ROM without me restoring anything. So, after I do a full wipe/format, and reboot my phone immediately after the full wipe/format, my phone will boot into the rooted stock ROM. I thought that wiping/formatting via TWRP totally cleans the internal storage of all data. So how can I be booting into any ROM after a wipe?
Unless I'm mistaken in my thinking and the full wipe/format option in TWRP just reverts back to the stock ROM I had installed prior to installing further custom ROMs?
If you wipe system and data there shouldn't be any rom it would boot. Don't try that though unless you have a nandroid because it shouldn't boot
What version of twrp ate you using?
Do not format data in twrp.
jd1639 said:
If you wipe system and data there shouldn't be any rom it would boot. Don't try that though unless you have a nandroid because it shouldn't boot
What version of twrp ate you using?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear ya... I have several nandroid backups. All work (minus this 'stuck at logo' issue I am having). I am using the newest TWRP version 2.6. It's very strange... after I perform a full wipe, I am able to boot into my rooted stock ROM that I flashed shortly after acquiring the phone. This was a bit over a month ago now. I do not know how this is possible.
xBeerdroiDx said:
Do not format data in twrp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not?
_____________________________________________________________________
**Should I try using CWM instead?
Talabis said:
I hear ya... I have several nandroid backups. All work (minus this 'stuck at logo' issue I am having). I am using the newest TWRP version 2.6. It's very strange... after I perform a full wipe, I am able to boot into my rooted stock ROM that I flashed shortly after acquiring the phone. This was a bit over a month ago now. I do not know how this is possible.
Why not?
_____________________________________________________________________
**Should I try using CWM instead?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use twrp 2.5.0.2 or cwm. The newer twrp has issues.
jd1639 said:
Use twrp 2.5.0.2 or cwm. The newer twrp has issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is TWRP 2.5.0.0 ok to use?
Ok... It's really starting to look like my partition table has been damaged. Every time I flash a new ROM or restore a nandroid backup successfully, and then restart my phone, I get stuck at the S4 logo. Upon starting recovery, my internal storage reads 0MB free. It seems like my partition table is becoming corrupt after a reboot, or it has already been corrupted.
I tried flashing the stock ROM for my phone (I337MVLUAMDJ_I337MOYAAMDJ_I337MVLUAMDJ_HOME.tar is the one I used), but that didn't help at all. After installing this stock ROM, and I go into stock recovery, I get an error: E:failed to mount /data (invalid argument).
This really is looking like a partition problem. Is there some way to re-partition my phone? I remember a PIT file was used to partition my old Galaxy S i9000. Is there a PIT file for the S4 i337m?
I would also like to try CWM but I am having a hard time finding a ODIN flashable version.
I wouldn't mess with a pit file and I haven't seen one anyway. It's sounding more and more like your memory is bad. I'd keep it stock and see if you can get an exchange on the phone under warranty.
Further investigation has lead me to the culprit... sorta. It's my /data partition that is screwing everything up. If I format /data and then reboot, I can get into my phone. But if I reboot again, then my /data partition becomes corrupt and my phone hangs at the S4 logo. And then if I go into recovery, I can see that my internal storage is at 0MB free.
However, after formatting/restoring /data partition and rebooting into android successfully, everything works fine. If I reboot from this point and enter recovery, I am still able to see my /data partition and files. At this point, everything seems to be fine. Once I reboot out of recovery and let the phone boot into Android, I get stuck at the S4 logo and my /data partition screws up/becomes corrupt. It looks like my /data partition is only becoming corrupt after the 1st successful boot into Android. If I enter recovery after the 1st successful android load, I am still able to see all files and partitions. It is only trying to load android after the 1st boot that my /data partition becomes corrupt. Very strange...
So, I can always boot into my phone as long as I format my /data partition prior to loading Android. Anyone experience this before? Any ideas? I realize my memory may be damaged, but I'm leaving that as a last resort possibility since my phone was working fine up until I started installing FoxHound with the EXT4 option as well as installing 1 or 2 of the kernel's FoxHound provides. Namely Adam kernel is the one I tried.
All good... I think/hope
Well, I think I got the problem solved. After toying with this thing all day. It seems like TWRP 2.6 was the problem in some sense. Looks like TWRP 2.6 does not format the /data partition correctly. I had to get restore/install a working ROM, boot into my phone and install ClockworkMod Recovery via ROM Manager. I then used CWM to format /data. Once I did this, and loaded back into my phone, and went through the setup process since /data was formatted, everything was working fine. I just rebooted 5 times and shut down twice and my phone booted back up into android without issue.
So as one user in this thread had mentioned, formatting /data with TWRP 2.6 was the problem.
Hope this helps others avoid a similar issue.
Thanks everyone for all the help. It pointed me in the right direction.
Glad you got it fixed.
I'll be giving these steps a try, having somewhat of the same problem!
i've been having this exact same problem but with TWRP 2.5.0.2 since July. Its been driving me insane and I have not been able to find any one else having this issue until now. I think i might finally try CWM instead as a last measure before I finally give up!
Try TWRP 2.6.3.1 version. It works pretty well even though it's unofficial http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2262996
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I used TWRP to wipe all my partitions under advanced wipe.
I Odin'ed the stock kernel, stock rom and TWRP.
I used TWRP to mount the efs partition, and adb pushed my backed up efs.zip into that partition.
I checked using the TWRP file manager that the files and folders are all in the efs partition.
But after a reboot into TWRP, the efs partition would become empty again, as if I never transfered the files.
And off course, my phone is now stuck at the notorious Samsung logo boot loop.
So why did the files delete themselves after every boot? And is there any way to solve my boot-looping issues?
My current partition size:
Boot (10mb)
System (2135mb)
Data (0mb)
Cache (62mb)
Recover (10mb)
EFS (4mb) it is empty, but still has 4mb?
First question is what firmware were you on before all this? Second question is why did you do all this?
If you were not on mf3 firmware get the stock firmware from sammobile.com and flash that in Odin, PDA. Do not check re-root partition. Hopefully that get your phone to work again.
Wooo hooo it works
Ahh I fixed it! Sorry for the troubles.
I'm glad you got it fixed. But don't mess all that stuff you did.
jd1639 said:
I'm glad you got it fixed. But don't mess all that stuff you did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, curiousity definitely killed the cat. This may be my last of my 9 lives.
Would do sufficient research before attempting theses kind of tasks again.
Thank you. I fixed the problem following several other threads in this forum. Vast amount of knowledge here, just a bit too scattered.
I'm trying to restore this Galaxy S5 back to stock but allow me to give some back story.
It was meant to be simple, I have the correct stock recovery files from samfirmware. I load up Odin and begin to flash it as routine. I watch as it goes through all the steps and checks out just fine, but right at the end when it flashes the Modem.bin it fails.
So I attempt to flash a modem file on its on first. Same thing, immediately fails. Saying auth fail in Odin.
Then I flash Philz onto the phone so I can wipe Partition cache and Dalvik to try again. When I was in there, I went to advance > and unmount /Firmware-Modem but all I get is ERROR MOUNTING /FIRMWARE-MODEM
I don't know if it's possible that it's hardware faulty [failing NAND as an example. The phone has some other strange quirks going on with it too]
Any suggestions would be amazing. I don't know where to go from here at all seeing as that seems to be the road block.
My Note 3 crashed earlier on and wouldn't reboot for anything.
I managed to get into the Recovery Menu and wiped the Cache Partition, but no dice.
I have since reset to factory and re-wiped the Cache Partition, but still no dice.
Now all I get is the music when the logo appears and then the Samsung Logo with the sparkles behind it constantly. Nothing else works, and it doesn't move on after half an hour.
I can't force a reset through Kies, and I don't have any idea what to do now.
The device was originally rooted, I can't remember how. Its been an age since it was done.
Any help or advice much appreciated.
Usual answer .
Flash stock rom via Odin .
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-3/general/finally-official-5-0-firmware-galaxy-t3029557
Thanks. Was a bigger job than I imagined.
The update via ODIN kept failing, and it turned out I needed a PIT file.
Managed to flash the firmware (which failed), then unplugged and replugged the phone in and then flashed the PIT file.
I then needed to wipe the Cache Partition and reboot (as the Cache wouldn't mount).
Then I needed to re-wipe all files/factory reset, followed by another Cache Wipe.
Now phone is back up and running and I have the great task of recovering everything. Good job we have cloud backups.
Thanks very much for your advice.
Hi! I have a hlte/SM-N9005 with LineageOS.
Today I tried to turn on encryption, but then I was stuck in a boot loop. I did a full wipe in TWRP and restored everything from the backup I made before (including the modem partition).
My phone boots again (without encryption), but isn't able to detect any SIM card suddenly. Not sure if something went wrong with the restored modem backup?
I tried downloading a Swiss firmware from this link, extracted it, and flashed modem.bin and NON-HLOS.bin via Heimdall - this didn't help either, though. I'm kind of out of ideas now... Any idea what's going wrong?
IMEI correct ??
Phone Status > Status > IMEI information says "IMEI: unknown" :-/ I'm guessing this is supposed to be there, even without a SIM?
Restore your backed up EFS folder .
Restoring the EFS folder from the TWRP backup is what got me into this mess in the first place. There's probably supposed to be a /efs/.nv_data.bin in the backup, but there isn't for whatever reason. I don't have older backups anymore either.