Fully bricked T989 after trying to install villainrom - T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II SGH-T989

Hi all,
I'm hoping I'm posting this in the right place and with the right format.
I have a rooted T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S2 device, and after trying to install Villainrom 3.0.0 (VillainROM-3.0.0-signed.zip) through the Clockworkmod recovery console, it is completely bricked. Installation said it finished successfully, I then chose 'Reboot' through the CWR console, and the device went dead.
It won't turn on, or boot into recovery or download modes. I removed the battery and SIM for 10 minutes, and same results. When connecting the device to the computer, I hear the "Device failed to connect" sound. If I try to press the power button, I hear the "device connected" sound followed immediately by the "device failed to connect" sound. The fact that it is responding at all to the USB cable being connected, is the only hope I have left that I can do something about it. Odin does not show it connected though (I saw in another thread that someone was able to use it despite the device not turning on).
I would appreciate any advice before I try ordering a USB jig and / or visiting a support center and hoping they somehow replace it within warranty by making another story.

Next time you should really be careful when installing ROMs................. Make sure they are supported by your phone............... That's all the advice I can give.
Your only options now is to try a USB jig or sending it to a support center so...

Yup, you need to make sure the ROM you want is supported.. other than our dev section, everything else you will find is for the i9100.
Completely different phone.

I think your only options are jig or warranty
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App

Yeah - this happens when you flash a ROM for a totally different device.
You could try flashing a T989 kernel and see if that helps - but the International SGS2 has a Exynos processor - yours is a Snapdragon - along with some other differences.
You can also try using ODIN to flash a stock tar and ROM back - it's not really bricked - but you'll need to do some reading to hopefully avoid such disastrous results again

I had a previous generic Galaxy S2 and installed roms without a problem. How come the T-mobile is a completely different device? aside from some carrier bloatware, it's basically the same hardware, no? at least everything I read led me to believe that.
How could I use ODIN when the device doesn't respond to any kind of button combo and doesn't go into download or recovery modes? is there a way to force ODIN to recognize a bricked device?

erangalp said:
I had a previous generic Galaxy S2 and installed roms without a problem. How come the T-mobile is a completely different device? aside from some carrier bloatware, it's basically the same hardware, no? at least everything I read led me to believe that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The answer to your question is common knowledge and in fact has already been answered in this thread even. Le sigh.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App

TJBunch1228 said:
The answer to your question is common knowledge and in fact has already been answered in this thread even. Le sigh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate everyone trying to help, but this is not very helpful. Obviously it wasn't common knowledge for me, otherwise this wouldn't have happened - and I did read up a lot about this. And where in this thread does it answer about the difference in hardware?
Please bear in mind that I'm not an android developer, so what seem like common knowledge to you about internal difference in devices is not that obvious.

How many times in these forums does it say don't flash if you don't know what you are doing. If you don't know what you are doing ask questions. Maybe bricking your phone will teach you a lesson.

are you able to go into Download mode with a USB Jig?
(you can always make your own if you can add up enough spare resistor to amount 301k)
if you can then you can try flashing the stock Odin ROMs
erangalp said:
Hi all,
I'm hoping I'm posting this in the right place and with the right format.
I have a rooted T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S2 device, and after trying to install Villainrom 3.0.0 (VillainROM-3.0.0-signed.zip) through the Clockworkmod recovery console, it is completely bricked. Installation said it finished successfully, I then chose 'Reboot' through the CWR console, and the device went dead.
It won't turn on, or boot into recovery or download modes. I removed the battery and SIM for 10 minutes, and same results. When connecting the device to the computer, I hear the "Device failed to connect" sound. If I try to press the power button, I hear the "device connected" sound followed immediately by the "device failed to connect" sound. The fact that it is responding at all to the USB cable being connected, is the only hope I have left that I can do something about it. Odin does not show it connected though (I saw in another thread that someone was able to use it despite the device not turning on).
I would appreciate any advice before I try ordering a USB jig and / or visiting a support center and hoping they somehow replace it within warranty by making another story.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

erangalp said:
I had a previous generic Galaxy S2 and installed roms without a problem. How come the T-mobile is a completely different device? aside from some carrier bloatware, it's basically the same hardware, no? at least everything I read led me to believe that.
How could I use ODIN when the device doesn't respond to any kind of button combo and doesn't go into download or recovery modes? is there a way to force ODIN to recognize a bricked device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm - well let's see... a simple Google search to compare the phones would tell you that it's definitely not the same device. A little more reading might be in order though...
1. different screen sizes
2. different SoC (system-on-chip, i.e. processor)
3. different basebands/radios
4. etc.
All of those combine to a different device.
Now as relating to ODIN - I honestly don't see why you couldn't get into ODIN. A jig might help but I doubt it.

erangalp said:
I had a previous generic Galaxy S2 and installed roms without a problem. How come the T-mobile is a completely different device? aside from some carrier bloatware, it's basically the same hardware, no? at least everything I read led me to believe that.
How could I use ODIN when the device doesn't respond to any kind of button combo and doesn't go into download or recovery modes? is there a way to force ODIN to recognize a bricked device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With very little research....
Galaxy S2 (International) - i9100
Dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, Mali-400MP GPU, Exynos chipset
T-Mobile/Telus Galaxy S2 - T989/D
1.5 GHz Scorpion dual-core processor, Adreno 220 GPU, Qualcomm APQ8060 Snapdragon chipset
This difference in specification should be the FIRST thing keeping you away from flashing a i9100 ROM on a T989...

erangalp said:
I appreciate everyone trying to help, but this is not very helpful. Obviously it wasn't common knowledge for me, otherwise this wouldn't have happened - and I did read up a lot about this. And where in this thread does it answer about the difference in hardware?
Please bear in mind that I'm not an android developer, so what seem like common knowledge to you about internal difference in devices is not that obvious.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well - how about this answer given above which does in fact provide the answer for you:
jerdog said:
You could try flashing a T989 kernel and see if that helps - but the International SGS2 has a Exynos processor - yours is a Snapdragon - along with some other differences.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

How can you know what you don't know? I have previously rooted my galaxy S2 and installed various ROMs without a problem. I now have this new T-mobile device since I switched carriers. I could I know that what worked for my previous Galaxy S2 won't work for this one? why should I "be taught a lesson"?
I would really appreciate if someone could give me a helpful answer - I can't use ODIN to flash since I can't boot up the device in any mode. Is there any way to make ODIN recognize a bricked device? the computer does make the USB connected sound for a sec there. Please guys, anything helpful instead of telling me how "should've known", because really, if I could I would. Nobody here ever had a faulty ROM installation?

erangalp said:
I appreciate everyone trying to help, but this is not very helpful. Obviously it wasn't common knowledge for me, otherwise this wouldn't have happened - and I did read up a lot about this. And where in this thread does it answer about the difference in hardware?
Please bear in mind that I'm not an android developer, so what seem like common knowledge to you about internal difference in devices is not that obvious.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jerdog covered the differences in hardware for you. In fact it was exactly above your post explaining that you were unaware of the differences in hardware. 95% of us here are not devs... All you gotta do is read. There are dozens of threads already from folks who have already made your mistake. Read read read. And if you think you've read enough, read more. The difference in processor is one of the most commonly known and discussed things about this phone. Good luck with your phone.
Edit: regarding an actual solution, just try to do a warranty exchange. Play dumb.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App

This thread happens 30 times a day, very annoying. People will never learn
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

TJBunch1228 said:
Edit: regarding an actual solution, just try to do a warranty exchange. Play dumb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, will do that.
Sorry guys, it was an honest mistake. I didn't bother googling it, because I assumed it was the same hardware. Obviously, a sorry mistake, but we're all human. Thanks again to all who tried to help, sorry if annoyed anyone with my problem (and I did search the forum before posting, none of the other threads offered any solutions to my case).
Cheers

If you just assumes it was the same, that basically means you are.clueless and don't even know anything about the phone, in other words, you should not be flashing if you don't know what you are doing
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

Yup, it's unfortunate - people try to flash VR onto their device, then find it's not compatible...
If there's something I can do to the zip to prevent it flashing on these devices, I will gladly do it, but since they bear the SGS2 name, the standard check for "galaxys2" likely won't help us...
If you try the jig, it SHOULD in theory work, if the hardware is fine. But I have no experience of this, it's a case of stabbing blind in the dark

erangalp said:
Thanks, will do that.
Sorry guys, it was an honest mistake. I didn't bother googling it, because I assumed it was the same hardware. Obviously, a sorry mistake, but we're all human. Thanks again to all who tried to help, sorry if annoyed anyone with my problem (and I did search the forum before posting, none of the other threads offered any solutions to my case).
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey - we all make mistakes - and you own up to it - that's a good thing.
I wouldn't personally recommend taking it back for a warranty exchange and playing dumb. If you can go without your device for a few days go on eBay and get a jig. Try that and then flash with ODIN back to stock. It's better than driving up the overall costs for others (trickle-down) for something you did yourself.
My $0.02.

Related

Soft Bricked E4GT (still hope!)

Hey guys, I want to quickly thank all of you who come by and read this and offer me any help, I GREATLY appreciate it!
So my story quickly in a nutshell, I was on Caulkins ics rom, I wanted to flash the new alpha build for CM9, didn't flash back to GB first, tried flashing using clockwork on the ics Caulkins rom, it froze, and now it won't boot up. What happens when I turn it on it;
1. Samsung Galaxy S II - logo appears,
2. ... that is all. It resets every 15-20 seconds or so.
I cannot get into recovery mode using vol up+power button, however I can get into odin mode with vol dwn+power (which I was told because of this there is hope). However! I have tried both the one touch odin 181 EL29 restore/root, and it get's 98% done everytime, but gets stuck when it says writing the "data.img" and it never progresses further from there. I have tried this numerous times with different cables, different usb ports and different computers.
Now when I try the other odin 185 version, I have attached all the appropriate tar files and md5 files in the pda, phone and csc slots, and have tried MANY different files for those and watched several videos from QBKING77 and others dealing with how to restore using odin, but everytime I have flashed with this version of odin, everything works fine and my phone resets and all... but once again... never gets the past the Samsung Galaxy S II logo, and it keeps resetting every like 15-20 seconds.
Does anyone know what I can do? Or is there no hope and should I make a claim with my insurance? I haven't tried a jig yet, but idk if that would really help me out in this case,
any and all thoughts and comments are greatly appreciated,
again, thank you for your time
If nobody else has a better idea for you, this is the site I keep available for if I slip up for some reason.
http://mobiletechvideos.mybigcommerce.com/samsung-epic-4g-touch-jtag-brick-repair/
Good luck.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Not to be a ****, but you realize there are at least a dozen threads about this exact issue right? I know we all make mistakes but you really, really need to read before you flash, and read before you post..
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1525495
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1591199
Those were just on the first page of general. Of course this also comes up dozens of times in every ROM thread. Learn to read people, this is embarrassing. We all felt bad a week into ICS but now there is so much evidence that it's just embarrassing.
If you had taken the time to do a Google search rather than post you would know your phone is hard bricked and cannot be fixed. You can either file a claim with asurion for a hundred bucks if you have insurance (which is the right thing to do) or you can lie and go to Sprint and hope they swap it for you in store. But since that is at best questionable and at worst fraud, you should pay the moron tax and file a claim. Even doing that is ridiculous since you are affecting all of us every time you file a claim that was preventable. Every root related claim is one tiny step closer to the end of claims for root related issues.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...cO2twf8hfSHCA&ved=0CCcQrQIwAA&biw=320&bih=533
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
@abhaxus- there is no need to be so rude. You can point someone in the right direction without sounding so harsh.
VDub2174 said:
@abhaxus- there is no need to be so rude. You can point someone in the right direction without sounding so harsh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I dont think he was harsh he was right on point... He notated links that can be used for reference and yes he is 100% correct. There are numerous links and new threads popping up every day about the same exact issue. Within mostly all ICS threads it shows how to flash different roms... He also started his post as not to be a ****...
Ok people seriously we got to do better when dealing with these ICS roms since we can all start a new post to get the community to help us but we can not read posts where the community has given great advice to be safe.
2OP sorry about what happen to you but most get stuck with the blue light of death. It seems like yours may be trying too boot up. Try sfhubs odin packages and see what happens. Hopefully you can get into download mode. Sorry bout what has already been said but what you did has been posted a million times as something not too do... Please try and be more careful in the future so this stuff wont happen to you again...
Good Luck
If it is getting stuck on data.img, you are screwed. The EMMC memory was corrupted by the ICS-based kernel and custom recovery. By the time ODIN gets to it, it is too late, nothing will write to your /data partition because the EMMC memory is damaged. ODIN, Mobile ODIN, CWM, JTAG will all fail.
Your option is basically to return your phone for replacement, either from Sprint or Samsung.
Thanks guys for all the input, and I know, I didn't wanna waste more space and time starting a new thread and all, but I did search, and did a lot. But everything I found was with people posting that they were still able to get into recovery, but I am not able to. I will check out the links given above, thanks for the help folks

ICS Leaks Causing Bricks?! Updated With More Info.(New Link)

http://www.xda-developers.com/android/hard-brick-bug-on-galaxy-s-ii-and-note-leaked-ics-kernels/
Maybe someone who is a little more savvy in this field could take a look?
Here is a very good article and discussion about the issue:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1644364
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
this is kinda scary but so far I never had any problem
We don't even have any kernel source. There is a leaked kernel but that didn't cause any brick in our devices. Also note that the article does not mention sgh t989 or sgh 727 and all its sub variants. If this was the case for us you would see many more "[Q] plz halp I haz brick " threads
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA
Hey guys. I just came over from the Sprint version of this phone (Epic 4G touch), and while I know that this article dosen't say that it pertains to our device specifically, one of the devs over there got in touch with samsung about the issues. You can see their progress here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1644364
For those who don't want to read (and I don't blame you if you don't want to, it's heavy stuff and I needed to have it explained to me), long story short: The memory chips (known as the EMMC) in the phone have their own firmware embedded in them, independent of the ROM, kernel, modem, etc. In that firmware, there's a bug that writes a string of zeros to an area of the firmware itself, kind of a self distrusting thing. It's only for certain revisions of the EMMC firmware, and it's only triggered by a specific low-level wipe function that is commonly used in recoveries (I'm not sure which, one of the partition wipes I think), and it for some reason seems to happen more with an ICS based kernel more than in a GB.
Given the nature of EMMC chips and the fact that multiple devices might share these same physical type of EMMC memory chips, it's hard to say how many different kinds of phones and devices might be affected, but it's safer to assume that we might be, rather than to think that we're safe based on this article alone.
There's no official solution as of yet, as far as I know. Samsung has started to patch their 4.x kernels to work around this specific wipe function, thus avoiding triggering the bug, and I think this is because rewriting the EMMC firmware itself is more risky and perhaps harder to do on a wide scale, but again, I'm not sure of their reasons. But, we do know that they're working to find some way around the bugs, and those who built custom kernels also removed/modified that wipe command to work around this bug with success.
Again, I know this doesn't say that it applies to our phones, but because of what was discovered on the Epic 4G touch, I believe that it *may* apply to many, many Samsung phones and devices, and just to be safe, I figure I should share this with you all.
The solution that we were using for time being was: never, ever do any recovery functions from a ICS based kernel/recovery. Always ODIN a GB based kernel/recovery to do what you need to do, then flash the proper ICS back. Kind of tedious, but it worked and prevented me from ever bricking when a LOT of other people were. Food for thought, everyone
TL;DR: You should probably avoid doing anything in an ICS based recovery/kernel on any Samsung device until we hear from them that they've worked out this bug.
kahm said:
Hey guys. I just came over from the Sprint version of this phone (Epic 4G touch), and while I know that this article dosen't say that it pertains to our device specifically, one of the devs over there got in touch with samsung about the issues. You can see their progress here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1644364
For those who don't want to read (and I don't blame you if you don't want to, it's heavy stuff and I needed to have it explained to me), long story short: The memory chips (known as the EMMC) in the phone have their own firmware embedded in them, independent of the ROM, kernel, modem, etc. In that firmware, there's a bug that writes a string of zeros to an area of the firmware itself, kind of a self distrusting thing. It's only for certain revisions of the EMMC firmware, and it's only triggered by a specific low-level wipe function that is commonly used in recoveries (I'm not sure which, one of the partition wipes I think), and it for some reason seems to happen more with an ICS based kernel more than in a GB.
Given the nature of EMMC chips and the fact that multiple devices might share these same physical type of EMMC memory chips, it's hard to say how many different kinds of phones and devices might be affected, but it's safer to assume that we might be, rather than to think that we're safe based on this article alone.
There's no official solution as of yet, as far as I know. Samsung has started to patch their 4.x kernels to work around this specific wipe function, thus avoiding triggering the bug, and I think this is because rewriting the EMMC firmware itself is more risky and perhaps harder to do on a wide scale, but again, I'm not sure of their reasons. But, we do know that they're working to find some way around the bugs, and those who built custom kernels also removed/modified that wipe command to work around this bug with success.
Again, I know this doesn't say that it applies to our phones, but because of what was discovered on the Epic 4G touch, I believe that it *may* apply to many, many Samsung phones and devices, and just to be safe, I figure I should share this with you all.
The solution that we were using for time being was: never, ever do any recovery functions from a ICS based kernel/recovery. Always ODIN a GB based kernel/recovery to do what you need to do, then flash the proper ICS back. Kind of tedious, but it worked and prevented me from ever bricking when a LOT of other people were. Food for thought, everyone
TL;DR: You should probably avoid doing anything in an ICS based recovery/kernel on any Samsung device until we hear from them that they've worked out this bug.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Finally someone with a brain! Thanks for the post
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
Scary stuff indeed, has anyone confirmed that our devices (T989) is affected by this bug?
Back on the original Epic we used Odin to get the next version. I think it was 2.1 to 2.2 roms. I've always wondered how safe it was to revert to GB by flashing after installing ICS
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
[Q] plz halp I haz brick
Disregard. Funny how you figure out your issue just seconds after you post and open yourself up to ridicule.
DOH!
mharmon said:
I seem to have hard-bricked my SGH-T989 phone after flashing task650-aokp-Build-36. I don't know if it's a superbrick, but nothing I can do seems to make any difference. The phone does not seem to respond and does not seem to power off, power on or go into download mode. I have swapped with a known good battery and I know that's not the issue. I've tried using a USB jig and that doesn't help. I've contacted Samsung and I should be shipping it to them Monday.
If anyone has any advice, I'm willing to try anything otherwise I'm going to take my lumps and ship my phone off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pull your battery sd card and sim card out. leave phone sitting with everything pulled for about an hour. put it back together and try again. make sure your battery is charged for sure. it would suck if it was nothing but a dead battery
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using xda premium
Micronads said:
Pull your battery sd card and sim card out. leave phone sitting with everything pulled for about an hour. put it back together and try again. make sure your battery is charged for sure. it would suck if it was nothing but a dead battery
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick response. I've tried pulling the battery, USB jig, etc. and can't get it to power on, off or go into download mode. I know what I did wrong. I made a rookie mistake and flashed a ROM meant for my AT&T I777. I feel stupid for bricking my phone.
mharmon said:
Thanks for the quick response. I've tried pulling the battery, USB jig, etc. and can't get it to power on, off or go into download mode. I know what I did wrong. I made a rookie mistake and flashed a ROM meant for my AT&T I777. I feel stupid for bricking my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you are fizzucked then. Sorry to hear that. That is what sucks about having different phones and flashing stuff. Got to keep track of what is what.
Sent from my Galaxy SII T-mobile using xda premium
Micronads said:
Sounds like you are fizzucked then. Sorry to hear that. That is what sucks about having different phones and flashing stuff. Got to keep track of what is what.
Sent from my Galaxy SII T-mobile using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah sounds dead to me. Send in for warranty. Oh well, stuff happens. Good luck to you!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2
Id rather risk bricking than rock without 4.04
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
Nobody has said it is necessary applicable to this device.
jim93 said:
Nobody has said it is necessary applicable to this device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right, it doesn't say it's applicable to our device. But it also doesn't say our device is one of the safe GS2 variants. As you can see in my signature, I'm also using 4.0.4. And if you read my post history, I recommend it to everyone. I'm just saying that it hasn't been proven safe yet, but there's also no proof its dangerous either.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
ICS has been flashed to these phones probably a half million times by now. If it was causing bricks we would have heard about it.
Sent from the iPhone graveyard.
I've seen like two threads about bricking in this forum in the last two days. How could you say that there's no proof? I'm sorry to say it but I think everyone is being a little too cautiously optimistic. There's no harm in being safe. If you guys actually read about this, you'd realize that its not ICS causing bricks, its any ICS based recovery.
kahm said:
I've seen like two threads about bricking in this forum in the last two days. How could you say that there's no proof? I'm sorry to say it but I think everyone is being a little too cautiously optimistic. There's no harm in being safe. If you guys actually read about this, you'd realize that its not ICS causing bricks, its any ICS based recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, people should know that the listed phones in the OP are Exynos based and T989, i727/r and i717 are Qualcomm based. This has been discussed in the skyrocket forums and some devs have explained that.
Just my 2 cents.
kahm said:
I've seen like two threads about bricking in this forum in the last two days. How could you say that there's no proof? I'm sorry to say it but I think everyone is being a little too cautiously optimistic. There's no harm in being safe. If you guys actually read about this, you'd realize that its not ICS causing bricks, its any ICS based recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The brick in this thread was due to flashing an i777 rom to a t989. Flashing an i777 rom to t989 regardless of OS will brick your phone.
It seems to be all exynos based, but thanks for the heads up, man.

[Q] Hard Brick Sprint GS3

Okay, I have seen many post on hard brick and also seen the many suggestions. Tried all but it seems that I just have to bite the bullet and turn it in to either Sprint or Samsung. I loaded a international rootbox mod and hard bricked my phone. It recognize by my pc by the usb connection and assigning a com port. It dose not load the flash drives though. Odin dose not recognize the usb connection. I tried qubking777 methods(which seem to be used for only soft bricking), tried to put it every mode possible, and even removed the sd/battery then connect to usb. It gets a red led light for about a couple minutes but nothing in trying to flash via Odin. If anyone has anything new that I can try without jig/Jtag would be helpful. I have been claim to be a noobie at this from friend at work and know that the pc world is different from the smartphone world but some of the concepts are the same. That if you think the same way as I do. So please no crazy remarks that is any demeaning ways. I do have some experience with root and mods when I did this HTC EVO original.
Thanks
Its done the only way to fix is JTAG if you don't want to go through Samsung or sprint which would be insurance fraud anyway
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
evo4gnoob said:
Its done the only way to fix is JTAG if you don't want to go through Samsung or sprint which would be insurance fraud anyway
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To my knowledge, none of the Jtag methods worked on the G S III [currently].
teh roxxorz said:
To my knowledge, none of the Jtag methods worked on the G S III [currently].
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've seen people report that they work. Never tried it myself, but thats just my 2 cents
@OP............have you read the numerous stickies, questions, threads, posts about what to flash and what not to flash? kennyglass123 and numerous others have made sticky threads about how to get started, what to do and not do after you root
Cmon dude, even though they may have the same name doesnt mean that software-wise theyre the same
I have an EVO 4G and an EVO shift 4G, but i dont go flashing roms between the two just because theyre similar
When you're doing this kind of system level, you need to know what you're getting yourself into, in the end you couldve just asked in the thread if it works for the sprint s3 or <insert carrier here> s3, and you wouldve gotten a "no"
CNexus said:
I've seen people report that they work. Never tried it myself, but thats just my 2 cents
@OP............have you read the numerous stickies, questions, threads, posts about what to flash and what not to flash? kennyglass123 and numerous others have made sticky threads about how to get started, what to do and not do after you root
Cmon dude, even though they may have the same name doesnt mean that software-wise theyre the same
I have an EVO 4G and an EVO shift 4G, but i dont go flashing roms between the two just because theyre similar
When you're doing this kind of system level, you need to know what you're getting yourself into, in the end you couldve just asked in the thread if it works for the sprint s3 or <insert carrier here> s3, and you wouldve gotten a "no"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The mentioning of me doing things to the EVO and talking about the same thing was saying that I am reading and not jumping into stuff i do not know about when working with the S3. Yes they have different ways of rooting and flashing what not but the technology and concepts are the same. The only thing have jumped into over my head was that I grabbed the international load of rootbox mod because there was no clear indication what mod was what from their website. Once I loaded that and reboot, now I am a bricked. I am just trying to see if there anything that I haven't tried yet. It seems that I have indications that the phone has not gone to far and I can do something. Maybe something that works the with bootloader to get it to a point to clear and flash a restore..
The technology is not the same either
The international version is GSM while the sprint variant is cdma, the international version is quadcore while the sprint one is not
Software wise, the partitions line up, but incorrectly
The boot partition on the sprint variant lines up with the misc partition on the international, and a couple other partitions line up incorrectly as well
teh roxxorz said:
To my knowledge, none of the Jtag methods worked on the G S III [currently].
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mobiletechvideos.com are recommended by a lot of people
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
---------- Post added at 04:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:26 PM ----------
johnboy228 said:
The mentioning of me doing things to the EVO and talking about the same thing was saying that I am reading and not jumping into stuff i do not know about when working with the S3. Yes they have different ways of rooting and flashing what not but the technology and concepts are the same. The only thing have jumped into over my head was that I grabbed the international load of rootbox mod because there was no clear indication what mod was what from their website. Once I loaded that and reboot, now I am a bricked. I am just trying to see if there anything that I haven't tried yet. It seems that I have indications that the phone has not gone to far and I can do something. Maybe something that works the with bootloader to get it to a point to clear and flash a restore..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Phones completely done dude. You can't do anything to recover it without getting it jtagged. You have no boot loader the partition for the kernel on the international S3 is the partition where our boot loader is stored so when you flashed that international rom it wiped your boot loader and wiped other important partitions
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Lol. Another one which found the correct model after hard brick his phone.
Sorry but JTAG is your only option.
Sent from my SPH-L710
csmasn said:
Lol. Another one which found the correct model after hard brick his phone.
Sorry but JTAG is your only option.
Sent from my SPH-L710
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for pointing this out. The OP also gets defensive when it's pointed out. He uses all the wrong stuff but when he breaks it he finds the right section to seek help. :banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:
he claims he is reading and not jumping into things, I guess he skipped over the word INTERNATIONAL as opposed to the one on this section SPRINT.
OP and as you wrote "please no crazy remarks" this and the others are not crazy it's just amazing how you did not find the right section to begin with but had no problem finding it now that you messed it up?
Transmitted with a portable device using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2
So you guys want defensively. You getting it. Believe it or not, technology is blending together. I have background in IT field to see the history of it all for almost the last 20 yrs. Yes different manfactor and carriers define these phones but that is the only thing that seperate these from computer is the phone portion. Yes I have been following this fourm for a while which lead me to the rootbox mod page in the first place and known where to paste certain threads. I don't even know why I thought there was some very intelligent people on here that are nothing but very disrespecting when someone is looking for just the slightest information. If any one wants a extra check by there chuck wagon meter, please point me in the right direction. Can't believe that I posted any thing here after seeing this stuff in other post. THANKS EVERYONE!
Johnboy you have to understand we get three or four of these every week from people who do not read and just flash away. They find a rom on the international thread and flash it. Voilà 600 dollar paperweight. Then they do fraud and claim hey don't know why their device doesn't work. Who pays all of us with the continued rise in cost on our device.
It's funny though how every single one of them find their way to the right place and forum when they mess-up their phone. Amazingly!
This is the best place and forum to find the right information about your device. Swallow up a little pride own up to that you made a bone head move, and move on and stick around. You will find lots of support.
If not 'goodnight Johnboy'
Transmitted with a portable device using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2
edfunkycold said:
Johnboy you have to understand we get three or four of these every week from people who do not read and just flash away. They find a rom on the international thread and flash it. Voilà 600 dollar paperweight. Then they do fraud and claim hey don't know why their device doesn't work. Who pays all of us with the continued rise in cost on our device.
It's funny though how every single one of them find their way to the right place and forum when they mess-up their phone. Amazingly!
This is the best place and forum to find the right information about your device. Swallow up a little pride own up to that you made a bone head move, and move on and stick around. You will find lots of support.
If not 'goodnight Johnboy'
Transmitted with a portable device using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This most be copy & pasted in every "flashed wrong/hard brick"
Sent from my SPH-L710
Like my mamma always said. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say nothin! For some reason, i hear it in a southern accent. Even though I'm from upstate NY. These posts will never end. And insurance fraud claims will never end. Either way, the cost of our phones will rise.
ooonimrodooo said:
Like my mamma always said. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say nothin! For some reason, i hear it in a southern accent. Even though I'm from upstate NY. These posts will never end. And insurance fraud claims will never end. Either way, the cost of our phones will rise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya! Sounds like a $600 with a 5 years contract.
Sent from my SPH-L710
edfunkycold said:
Johnboy you have to understand we get three or four of these every week from people who do not read and just flash away. They find a rom on the international thread and flash it. Voilà 600 dollar paperweight. Then they do fraud and claim hey don't know why their device doesn't work. Who pays all of us with the continued rise in cost on our device.
It's funny though how every single one of them find their way to the right place and forum when they mess-up their phone. Amazingly!
This is the best place and forum to find the right information about your device. Swallow up a little pride own up to that you made a bone head move, and move on and stick around. You will find lots of support.
If not 'goodnight Johnboy'
Transmitted with a portable device using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks edfunkycold, I do understand that this get a little redundant. This is not going to get me to swallow on a bone head move. It is determination to find a solution and help find a end this repeated cycle for everyone. Seeing other threads the phone dose respond to get a port assignment and is requesting for a driver install. So that is some of good sign. Everyone keep your eyes and ears open and I will be back with something. lol
Kudos to you Johnboy for powering on to find a solution. Good luck to you.
Friendly Neighborhood Moderator
johnboy228 said:
Thanks edfunkycold, I do understand that this get a little redundant. This is not going to get me to swallow on a bone head move. It is determination to find a solution and help find a end this repeated cycle for everyone. Seeing other threads the phone dose respond to get a port assignment and is requesting for a driver install. So that is some of good sign. Everyone keep your eyes and ears open and I will be back with something. lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to save some time and update your status for you. As you'd see this imformation if you searched...
The drivers its requesting is the "QHSUSB_DLOAD" driver. Its basically a piece of hardware waiting for firmware to be loaded at a factory level. You will not talk to it with any software you currently own, hence the jtag requirement. Spent months hoping to do the same. You won't I promise. If I'm not mistaken even Samsung doesn't fix it in the state its in. I believe they send it to qualcomm, could be mistaken there tho so don't quote me on that. And props to edfunkycold for telling it like it is. Needs to be said and youll probably recieve an infraction now for not holding his hand and telling him it will be okay. Telling people the truth tends to get you in trouble on here.
I know that I am going to get plenty of flack for this but after a week in working this issue. I had given up and turn it in for new. Even after building a jig that did not do anything at all. I know the jig works because it sent the new phone into download mode immediately but it did not reset the flash counter. Sorry for not finding a fix or even had to turn my phone in. In my field it takes breaking something to make sure you never do it again. So now I know not do flash anything for the GS3 I9300 for the the Sprint model.
johnboy228 said:
Thanks edfunkycold, I do understand that this get a little redundant. This is not going to get me to swallow on a bone head move. It is determination to find a solution and help find a end this repeated cycle for everyone. Seeing other threads the phone dose respond to get a port assignment and is requesting for a driver install. So that is some of good sign. Everyone keep your eyes and ears open and I will be back with something. lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Man, you are wasting your time, get the damn thing JTAG, period. If you are looking for a free fix, it AIN'T happening....the international rom hard bricked...period.
BTW, being an IT guy, you should have known to read before applying....you are more knowledgeable than some of the noobs. And by your negative responses, it is for sure a tech reply!
---------- Post added at 10:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:26 AM ----------
IF ANYONE EVER GETS THIS IN DEVICE MANAGER......"QHSUSB_DLOAD"...it is hosed. Pay the 60.00 and get it over with.
And NO a jiig will NOT work!
now hit the THANKS button...heheh

[Q][HELP]S3 Hard Bricked after Flashing Illusions

I FIXED IT
Here's the Link to my Guide.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2369125
Okay, So here's what I did.
I flashed the latest Illusions ROM for my S3 and the Slim AIO 7 for 4.2.2 (since Illusions is based out of SLIM, AOKP, PA, CM, ETC). Then TWRP 2.6.0.0 said that SuperSu wasn't installed (what the heck?!?!?) and it prompted me to install su so I was like "What the heck, why not" so I swiped for yes. Then the screen went black for a good 20 minutes. I got worried, did a battery pull and tried to but straight to recovery... no bueno. Same for booting to dl mode. I plugged my phone in to my computer without the battery and the red LED comes on for 10 seconds and then it dies. It prompted windows to install the QHUSB_DL driver and it failed. WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?!?
Is there anything I can do to unbrick it?
Do I have to JTAG/JIG or what? If so, can anyone direct me to it? (Last resort)
I'm on the MD4 bootloader and modem.
I really need to get this phone fixed before I go to basic on the 23rd of July.
Other info: Yes, I already went to the local Sprint store (not to get a replacement. That would be irresponsible of me considering my S3 is built by me from the MoBo on up) to get help on flashing it back to stock.
Jtag is the only way and you need to send it to someone who does that.
Sent from the future via Tapatalk 4
deBricker said:
Okay, So here's what I did.
I flashed the latest Illusions ROM for my S3 and the Slim AIO 7 for 4.2.2 (since Illusions is based out of SLIM, AOKP, PA, CM, ETC). Then TWRP 2.6.0.0 said that SuperSu wasn't installed (what the heck?!?!?) and it prompted me to install su so I was like "What the heck, why not" so I swiped for yes. Then the screen went black for a good 20 minutes. I got worried, did a battery pull and tried to but straight to recovery... no bueno. Same for booting to dl mode. I plugged my phone in to my computer without the battery and the red LED comes on for 10 seconds and then it dies. It prompted windows to install the QHUSB_DL driver and it failed. WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?!?
Is there anything I can do to unbrick it?
Do I have to JTAG/JIG or what? If so, can anyone direct me to it? (Last resort)
I'm on the MD4 bootloader and modem.
I really need to get this phone fixed before I go to basic on the 23rd of July.
Other info: Yes, I already went to the local Sprint store (not to get a replacement. That would be irresponsible of me considering my S3 is built by me from the MoBo on up) to get help on flashing it back to stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I take it that post I linked to in my thread didnt work then?
And FYI
http://mobiletechvideos.mybigcommerce.com/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-jtag-brick-repair/
What was the name of the file for Illusion ROM?
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Notorious said:
What was the name of the file for Illusion ROM?
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FML, I made a noob mistake. Flashed a i9300 Illusion Rom. But I got it from the link on the page. It's Illusion i9300 4.2.2 07132013
billard412 said:
I take it that post I linked to in my thread didnt work then?
And FYI
http://mobiletechvideos.mybigcommerce.com/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-jtag-brick-repair/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Looks like I'm going back to my ogEvo. Won't be able to use that service until after the Navy is done with me. FML. I still can't believe I made a noob mistake. -_____- I have never bricked a phone and this is ironic because i usually de-brick phones... not brick 'em.
Have you looked at this thread
[HOW TO] Unbrick your Sprint phone from flashing an International gsm boot imag
jdelano said:
Have you looked at this thread
[HOW TO] Unbrick your Sprint phone from flashing an International gsm boot imag
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I JUST FIXED IT! LOL. I'm in the middle of Barnes and noble and I just fixed it. I'll put down directions for a HOW TO for my method, but it involves having Linux.
HARD BRICK FIX W/O THE JTAG!
and I'll have to give credit. I finally figured out how to dd that file that was posted by (I don't have his username atm) but yeah! I got it to work. His method needs a little more instruction.
Just booted to DL mode
Yeah, if I may, please don't make a guide thread for that. It will only encourage people to flash international roms.
Sent from my S3 on Sense 5 (you jelly?)
glad to hear you got it working.
CNexus said:
Yeah, if I may, please don't make a guide thread for that. It will only encourage people to flash international roms.
Sent from my S3 on Sense 5 (you jelly?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, well, some people would like the convenience of not having to send their phone off and spending 60 dollars to get it fixed. And there are many ways to hard brick an S3 and I think that this would be a convenient way of fixing their phone.
Mine was a legit mistake. I'm a veteran flasher of ROMs and everyone does slip up.
deBricker said:
Yes, well, some people would like the convenience of not having to send their phone off and spending 60 dollars to get it fixed. And there are many ways to hard brick an S3 and I think that this would be a convenient way of fixing their phone.
Mine was a legit mistake. I'm a veteran flasher of ROMs and everyone does slip up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well if you do something like that, you should own up to it and pay the $60 bucks to get it fixed. International roms don't magically wind up on your flashing queue in recovery.
I obviously can't stop you from posting anything, but just keep that in mind.
Good day.
CNexus said:
Well if you do something like that, you should own up to it and pay the $60 bucks to get it fixed. International roms don't magically wind up on your flashing queue in recovery.
I obviously can't stop you from posting anything, but just keep that in mind.
Good day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, well. I can't exactly do that since I'm in the Navy and I'm going to be gone for the next two months. I prefer to find a method BEFORE paying the 60 dollars to unbrick. Dude, this to help everyone. YES I MADE A MISTAKE. We all do. I understand its frustrating. Even I get frustrated. But why should I pay 60 dollars to have someone else fix my phone when I can fix it myself? I'm not a noob at flashing.
deBricker said:
Yes, well. I can't exactly do that since I'm in the Navy and I'm going to be gone for the next two months. I prefer to find a method BEFORE paying the 60 dollars to unbrick. Dude, this to help everyone. YES I MADE A MISTAKE. We all do. I understand its frustrating. Even I get frustrated. But why should I pay 60 dollars to have someone else fix my phone when I can fix it myself? I'm not a noob at flashing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a fine line we walk... We here at XDA want to be helpful to "noobs," but we also want to express the importance of reading and critical thinking before acting.
This argument came up a month or two ago. There's an easy way to make the ROMs check the phone model prior to flashing. This would be a great way to prevent hard-bricks, as the installation will abort on the wrong device. The issue that arises is two-fold:
1) There are many Devs and not all will implement this device check.
2) People will start getting lazy with their flashing, as it seems "idiot proof."
We are actually seeing this with the newest CM10.1 releases. Despite it being clearly spelled out in installation threads (if they read the last 3-4 pages of the thread), a lot of people are trying to flash them without updating their bootloader. They then get the infamous system 7 error. I was answering threads one after the next with people asking the exact same question about the system 7 error. A simple 5-minute perusal of the forums (or even just the CM thread) would've yielded the results, but people don't want to put in the "hard work."
In the case of hard-bricks and your guide, I don't fully agree with CNexus (it happens from time-to-time, but he's a quality guy and dev). If it works a good percentage of the time, I think it's a valuable tool that can help a lot of people. That being said, one of the "good" things about a hard-brick is that people generally learn their lesson after one. I've seen people here on XDA that hard-bricked their device (due to carelessness), had to get it JTAG-ed, then came back to become advocates for reading the posts/directions thoroughly. It's amazing how $60 and losing your phone for a week will make people a lot more sober about flashing a Rom.
I don't doubt for a minute that having an "easy" fix for hard-bricks will reduce the impact of this lesson.
That being said, I also believe that having this guide is a good thing. My recommendation would be to rewrite the beginning of the guide to include a strong disclaimer about the dangers of flashing a Rom not meant for your device. I understand that you're trying to take the approach of "hey, we are all noobs at times, it's not that big of a deal," but I think it'll reinforce the lazy mentality of a good number of flashers.
Just my two cents. I'm glad you were able to fix your phone and to find a way to boot into download mode from the SD card so you can rewrite the bootloader partition from Odin.

Nougat Update on old Droid Turbo 2

This is a followup to an earlier post in another area and I've been advised I'd be better served to ask it over here in this area of the forum subset...
(Warning: Antique Phone Issues) - Moto Droid Turbo 2 Firmware update(Nougat 7.0)
I have perused the forums here and there seems to be some answers, but I am a noob, so I am trying to clarify some stuff for my own knowledge. I am NOT a developer and know an insignificant amount of info on phone rooting, bootloading, etc. This...
forum.xda-developers.com
I followed the basic steps provided and my PC doesn't see the phone connected to it, even after I've done the steps and uploaded the Motorola drivers, LMSA, etc on the PC. I am just dumb(again) and really don't know wtf I'm doing with this software/phone so before I brick it, I wondered if anyone would be interested in updating the software in my phone for a nominal fee? Common sense tells me that those that do this regularly can probably do this in a matter of a few minutes. If you are local(Indpls, IN), I can bring it to you, but I really don't want to spend a lot of money dicking around with an old phone. I hate to throw away this good(but old) phone, but Is there any interest in something like this? I am really fighting my common sense here and probably should just be getting rid of it and moving on. Thoughts?
88_pacifica said:
This is a followup to an earlier post in another area and I've been advised I'd be better served to ask it over here in this area of the forum subset...
(Warning: Antique Phone Issues) - Moto Droid Turbo 2 Firmware update(Nougat 7.0)
I have perused the forums here and there seems to be some answers, but I am a noob, so I am trying to clarify some stuff for my own knowledge. I am NOT a developer and know an insignificant amount of info on phone rooting, bootloading, etc. This...
forum.xda-developers.com
I followed the basic steps provided and my PC doesn't see the phone connected to it, even after I've done the steps and uploaded the Motorola drivers, LMSA, etc on the PC. I am just dumb(again) and really don't know wtf I'm doing with this software/phone so before I brick it, I wondered if anyone would be interested in updating the software in my phone for a nominal fee? Common sense tells me that those that do this regularly can probably do this in a matter of a few minutes. If you are local(Indpls, IN), I can bring it to you, but I really don't want to spend a lot of money dicking around with an old phone. I hate to throw away this good(but old) phone, but Is there any interest in something like this? I am really fighting my common sense here and probably should just be getting rid of it and moving on. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Windows 10?
might work easier if the Phone is in fastboot mode first.
sd_shadow said:
Windows 10?
might work easier if the Phone is in fastboot mode first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I forgot to udpate on the OS. It's old Windows 7(trying to keep it simple) and I tried to do the fastboot mode mode and it didn't seem to see it even after that. The phone doesnt acknowledge that it is in fast boot mode though when it turns on(does it normally say something?) after doing it. I am positive I'm an idiot and doing it wrong.
I am also wondering if there is possibly something wrong with the motherboard because the phone doesn't advise it is on a 'quick charger'(OEM Motorola cable and power supply) when I plug it in. It seems to charge just fine though. Weird...
88_pacifica said:
Sorry, I forgot to udpate on the OS. It's old Windows 7(trying to keep it simple) and I tried to do the fastboot mode mode and it didn't seem to see it even after that. The phone doesnt acknowledge that it is in fast boot mode though when it turns on(does it normally say something?) after doing it. I am positive I'm an idiot and doing it wrong.
I am also wondering if there is possibly something wrong with the motherboard because the phone doesn't advise it is on a 'quick charger'(OEM Motorola cable and power supply) when I plug it in. It seems to charge just fine though. Weird...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this a Verizon-branded device?
Yes, I did follow the Verizon specific instructions too.
88_pacifica said:
Yes, I did follow the Verizon specific instructions too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you are using this? http://www.motorola.com/VerizonSoftwareUpdateWin
Correct...
88_pacifica said:
Correct...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try the regular LSMA version
Sorry if you have Windows 7 you might as well use
RSD Lite
Will do. Thank you...
DId you try these drivers?
Where can I download the USB drivers for my device?| Motorola Support US
Visit the customer support page to view user guides, FAQs, bluetooth pairing, software downloads, drivers, tutorials and to get repair and contact us information.Where can I download the USB drivers for my device?
mobilesupport.lenovo.com
I am sure that you are a guru at this type of thing(obviously) and could build your own phone with all the knowledge you've gained, but I've been fooling with this phone most of the day and am getting nowhere. I am to the point that I would either dump it or send it to you and let you do your magic. Would you want to piddle around with it? I am just too computer illiterate to make this work apparently.
Don't feel like you have to do this or give any more advice. I'm about tapped out now on jacking with this thing and just have to know my limits. I can fix any car(or truck) as I am a former ASE mechanic, but this damm phone has me beat...

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