Develop Bugs

[Q] T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II soft brick

OK I was trying to flash an unlocked kernal via ODIN last night, something went wrong and now phone is stuck on the phone--!--computer screen. I cannot get past this screen. vol+home+power doesn't do anything but loop to the same screen.
It shows ODIN MODE in red at the top of the screen, but ODIn won't recognize the phone, nor will Kies (not running at the same time). Computer makes USB connected/disconnected sound when I plug and unplug the phone.
I have tried One-Click Unbrick, did not recognize that phone was connected.
Help!!

which model of Galaxy S2 do you have?

T-Mobile SGH-T989

hose902 said:
T-Mobile SGH-T989
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there''s currently nothing to flash this phone
it came out only 2 days ago
DEV are still working on finding root
so, the best suggestion is to take it back to the store and get it exchanged
or wait a few more days/weeks until a flashable release becomes available to fix the mistake

I know, I was hasty and now this. Even when there something available to flash, the device isn't being recognized by ODIN. Any troubleshooting help for this?

When I managed to get my Vibrant into that mode I could pull the battery, hold volume up, put the battery in, press and release power (still holding volume up) and it'd kick back into download mode everytime. Once in download mode I could plug the USB in and a running ODIN would see it pop up. If ODIN wasn't running and USB was already plugged in things wouldn't work right.
I haven't tried ODIN on the GS2 yet (I'll wait for a root ). I did find the vibrant nearly impossible to brick though... trust me I unexpectedly tried quite hard.
You might need the newest ODIN for GS2 support, and possibly newer drivers.

Hey, Hey, Hey...
My Story...
1. I got a TMO Samsung Galaxy S2
2. Tried to root
3. Used Odin to root and install ROM and referenced the following thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1095274
4. Realized phone models are not the same
5. Phone does not boot and nothing comes up on the screen
6. No lights or LED indicators (i.e. charging) HOWEVER....
7. ODIN recognizes the phone when I plug in the phone via USB
8. Tried to load stock rom:http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1321811
9. ODIN gets stuck on <ID:0/005> SetupConnection...
10. I am unable to access SD Card for CWR
11. Next step? Return or exchanges are currently not an option.
Thanks in advance for the assistance!

fix4tv said:
Hey, Hey, Hey...
My Story...
1. I got a TMO Samsung Galaxy S2
2. Tried to root
3. Used Odin to root and install ROM and referenced the following thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1095274
4. Realized phone models are not the same
5. Phone does not boot and nothing comes up on the screen
6. No lights or LED indicators (i.e. charging) HOWEVER....
7. ODIN recognizes the phone when I plug in the phone via USB
8. Tried to load stock rom:http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1321811
9. ODIN gets stuck on <ID:0/005> SetupConnection...
10. I am unable to access SD Card for CWR
11. Next step? Return or exchanges are currently not an option.
Thanks in advance for the assistance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm a bit new to this, but a custom ROM shouldn't affect your recovery mode. Are you sure you are using the correct buttons and methods to boot recovery?
Might want to make a new thread instead of necroing something from when the phone was 2 days old.

I have GT I9100 and done the same thing and got the same result . stuck at setup connection with odin
Please Help

Go into device manager when is plugged in and if it says qhd-usb or something like that its a hard brick. What tipped me off was you said it makes two noises when you plug in. that's a tell tell sign your hard bricked
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

soft bricked my phone (i hope)
i have sgh-t989 (t-mobile) i am running a miui rom. it wont boot it just goes to miui boot up screen. i can go to the download mode but not recovery (how do u do that) but when im in downoad mode Odin dosnt recognize my phone. and my computer says it is an unknown device.
tried new wire, uninstalling re-installing kies, stopped all processes, diff computer tried to boot for a day, let battery out for a day, and a few other things.
please help and thank you.

iamnoone626 said:
i have sgh-t989 (t-mobile) i am running a miui rom. it wont boot it just goes to miui boot up screen. i can go to the download mode but not recovery (how do u do that) but when im in downoad mode Odin dosnt recognize my phone. and my computer says it is an unknown device.
tried new wire, uninstalling re-installing kies, stopped all processes, diff computer tried to boot for a day, let battery out for a day, and a few other things.
please help and thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should try to uninstall then reinstall driver, and try another usb port. In my experience, Odin seems to be picky, it only recognizes your phone if you plug it in the usb port that you used in the first time.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app

Recovery is accessed by holding both vol + and - while starting the phone. Hold them both while pressing the power button, then release the power button when it vibrates, keep holding the vol buttons till you see the recovery screen.

Alarmmy said:
You should try to uninstall then reinstall driver, and try another usb port. In my experience, Odin seems to be picky, it only recognizes your phone if you plug it in the usb port that you used in the first time.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok i have done this through kies is there another way that you can do this?
---------- Post added at 09:34 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:26 AM ----------
nagoshi said:
Recovery is accessed by holding both vol + and - while starting the phone. Hold them both while pressing the power button, then release the power button when it vibrates, keep holding the vol buttons till you see the recovery screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when i do this it only takes me to download mode.

Have a look at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1513359
for a DL link for the USB Drivers
Cheers,
Chris

Sk3tchy said:
Have a look at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1513359
for a DL link for the USB Drivers
Cheers,
Chris
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i tryed this but still odin does not recognize my phone. (no yellow box shows up)

Is it dead?

Hi all,
I tried updating my galaxy s2 with ICS with Odin, but it failed. Now i get nothing but this message: "Firmware upgrade encountered an issue. Please select recovery mode in Kies & try again."
The problem is that neither Kies or Odin will recognize the phone. It will not go into download mode using the traditional method of holding volume down + power. My PC also does not detect the phone.
Is it dead?! I've tried reading, but no one seems to have absolutely no access to their phone. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

As always, uninstall kies then install it again.If you did flash stock ics and you have sd card, put siyah kernel ( as I think it is signed) and almost any rom there, put sd card to phone and try to boot into recovery ( power+home+ vol up) then install siyah, reboot and hold same keys and install the rom you downloaded
Sent from my sgs2 running cm9 using xda app

Mak: Thanks for the suggestions.
I uninstalled and then installed Kies. Neither Kies nor my PC detects the phone. I tried another computer and do not get detection there either.
I cannot get into recovery (volume up + power + home) or into download (vol down + pwr).
I do not have an SD card, unfortunately.
What else can I try?!

Then you need jig to get your phone working again.
Sent from my sgs2 running cm9 using xda app

baktash said:
Hi all,
I tried updating my galaxy s2 with ICS with Odin, but it failed. Now i get nothing but this message: "Firmware upgrade encountered an issue. Please select recovery mode in Kies & try again."
The problem is that neither Kies or Odin will recognize the phone. It will not go into download mode using the traditional method of holding volume down + power. My PC also does not detect the phone.
Is it dead?! I've tried reading, but no one seems to have absolutely no access to their phone. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi
do you used intratech firmwares or from other sources?

so i realized that I tried to flash the wrong fw. my phone is the epic 4g touch for sprint. i tried to put ics on there.
how likely is it that the jig will work? i will order it if it is meant to address the problem i'm having. even with the jig putting my phone into download mode, how can i load anything if my computer will not recognize the phone?
i might have just bricked the phone. how likely is it that the sprint store will try to fix it for me?

Wrong forum. Ask here.
If they notice what you did to it, you'll be paying for it to be fixed. Maybe. You might also be lucky. Jig won't work, nand is borked. Return to service center or JTAG repair.

I think you're right. I'll try to get lucky at the sprint store tomorrow. If no luck, then on to a JTAG'er (any recommendations?).
The link you posted is for epic 4g, not epic 4g touch. I know, confusing. Probably why I'm having this issue to begin with.
Thanks again for the help!

Odia does jtag's and he seems to be pretty good at it
Sent from my sgs2 running cm9 using xda app

Yep Makrilli is right, Odia is a good choice. Or these guys. Haven't used them, but people on XDA have.

I got this message before, too. It happened when I plugged in to the bad cord I had. Odin recognized it until it was in the middle of flashing. Are you sure it won't go back to Odin? Mine did. I'm using it now. I don't think a jtag is what you need, unless you want to give them a really easy one? Good luck!

I had a similar issue, but kernel(rogue touch kernel) had a bad flash. It would play the boot animation and shut off. I couldn't get into CWM or download mode(they both did boot animation and shut off). I let it sit for two hours(at work and could only try on break). On my second break I repeatedly try download mode and after about 20 tries it opened up download mode. Good luck
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the suggestions on Jtag'ers.
Kill and Atticus: I tried repeatedly to put it into download or recovery mode. It just won't do it. And even if it did, my PC doesn't detect the phone at all. So it would be useless to have the phone in download or recovery modes anyways. The phone won't even charge while connect to the PC.
I haven't made my way out to Sprint yet, but will be doing so in a few hours. I'm betting they're going to send me home with my tail between my legs. I'll then check with Amazon to see if there's some kind of manufacturer's warranty I can take advantage of. Then, Jtag as a last resort.
If anyone has any suggestions, please share. Thanks!

OK. I talked with a Samsung technician (my phone is still in warranty) who said that the phone is acting up. He sent me a UPS label to ship it to Samsung for free repair or replacement. They said it'll take about a week. Hopefully they don't say it's my fault and refuse to repair it. Hope I get lucky.

Hard Bricked MY GS2 Needing help

Hi guys what my phone is currently doing is when ever i plug it into the computer it says disk needs to be formated but it kicks off every 2-3 seconds it does that and it just generates a bunch of format windows on my comp. the phone does not turn on, does not go to into recovery nor does it try to boot tried these steps http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1513359 and more but does nothing except for when i plug the phone into the computer it starts doing what i have described above.
thanks for looking and any information is greatly appreciated.

That sounds like a hard brick for sure. How did it happen? Looks like jtag or warrenty or insurance claim is your only solution.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

What happened to cause this issue did you try to root or flash a rom, phone will not go into recovery or download mode?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app

i had recently updated the recovery because the old one kept acting up and this one did as well like it would take for ever and when i would try to clear the cache it would just be there and do nothing only way was to remove the battery and put it back on but this time i tried to do a format instead of just cache cleaning to get a fresh install but it just never turned back on it had been trying to format for a half hour so i thought that was enough time hmm im wondering how that warranty would go cause the phone is in mint condition.

What did you update it to? And how?
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

Same issue. Tried to Flash jb aokp unofficial rom and rebooted.
Black screen. going to download mode doesn't work. And I get the same result when i plug into computer

Does the phone respond at all to a charger cable?

Same problem HELPPPPP PLEASE
dtddemon said:
Hi guys what my phone is currently doing is when ever i plug it into the computer it says disk needs to be formated but it kicks off every 2-3 seconds it does that and it just generates a bunch of format windows on my comp. the phone does not turn on, does not go to into recovery nor does it try to boot tried these steps http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1513359 and more but does nothing except for when i plug the phone into the computer it starts doing what i have described above.
thanks for looking and any information is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am having an exactly same issue. I can't turn on the phone, cannot connect to ODIN because when I connect it PC, the DISK FORMAT messages keep popping up. seeking for an solution very bad. If anyone, know how please helppp, I will be very appreciated.

If the phone responds to a charging cable in the wall socket I don't believe it is bricked. And you said it does respond to your computer in some way. Have you tried getting it into download mode and flashing a stock rom? When I had a captivate I thought it was hard bricked but I got it into download mode with a usb jig (my particular captivate did not have 3 button combo to download mode) and used Odin to flash a stock rom and went from there.
Sent from my SGH-T989

[Q] Problems with ODIN recognition

So it seems that ODIN can only recognize my phone if the phone is powered on and running but will not recognize it in download mode. I am using the same cables I have used in the past as well as the same computer running Windows 7. Running stock ICS FH13 Unrooted and trying to root but cannot because once I enter download mode, ODIN stops seeing the device. Have tried re installing drivers many times and all USB ports on the computer with different USB cables. Hoping that somebody has a suggestion for getting the phone to be recognized in download mode for me.

ZeusIII said:
So it seems that ODIN can only recognize my phone if the phone is powered on and running but will not recognize it in download mode. I am using the same cables I have used in the past as well as the same computer running Windows 7. Running stock ICS FH13 Unrooted and trying to root but cannot because once I enter download mode, ODIN stops seeing the device. Have tried re installing drivers many times and all USB ports on the computer with different USB cables. Hoping that somebody has a suggestion for getting the phone to be recognized in download mode for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is usb debugging checked
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

Yes debugging is checked.

Some more information. Turns out the phone (originally my friend's) needed to be taken in for service and when he did this he read somewhere about the USB jig to remove the custom binary counter. When he did this he flashed a gingerbread bootloader to use the jig. Only thing is, he didn't ask me for help (I've usually helped him out with this stuff in the past) and I think he flashed an international version of the bootloader. Reason being when I boot the phone it says Samsung Galaxy SII GT-I9100 where it should not have that last part. I remember reading somewhere about this and how it happened to somebody but they had CWM recovery and flashed a special zip. I do not have this option because of the stock recovery and unrooted ROM. Just wondering if there is anything that can be done to reverse this. I can run the phone and use it still but would rather root it and continue the way I have always done with my past phones.

ZeusIII said:
Some more information. Turns out the phone (originally my friend's) needed to be taken in for service and when he did this he read somewhere about the USB jig to remove the custom binary counter. When he did this he flashed a gingerbread bootloader to use the jig. Only thing is, he didn't ask me for help (I've usually helped him out with this stuff in the past) and I think he flashed an international version of the bootloader. Reason being when I boot the phone it says Samsung Galaxy SII GT-I9100 where it should not have that last part. I remember reading somewhere about this and how it happened to somebody but they had CWM recovery and flashed a special zip. I do not have this option because of the stock recovery and unrooted ROM. Just wondering if there is anything that can be done to reverse this. I can run the phone and use it still but would rather root it and continue the way I have always done with my past phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does it have the yellow triangle when you see that? My phone shows that when I have the triangle.

No yellow triangle.

Mine has said gti9100 before. Don't remember what I flashed. Think it was a leak through mobile odin. So you may or may not be screwed...
sent from my BAD A$$ Epic touch

Hoping not but this is stock FH13. Did not flash anything and my computer/ODIN does not recognize my phone being plugged in when in download mode... Hoping someone can chime in here about something they would try or something I might have missed. I think I got all the basic troubleshooting stuff out of the way but if anybody can point something out, great!

Do u put your phone in download mode then hit volume up then connect to usb?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

Yes, I go from full power off with USB unplugged and press and hold the power and vol down keys until I get the warning screen. I then hit vol up to continue and then plug in my phone to the computer.
With further research seems as though I am hosed. In download mode it lists my device as "product name: GT-i9100" where it should say "product name: SPH-D710" Still hoping someone can save me so I'm not stuck on stock but seems as though this device had a international phone's bootloader flashed onto it.

Yes, I go from full power off with USB unplugged and press and hold the power and vol down keys until I get the warning screen. I then hit vol up to continue and then plug in my phone to the computer.<br />
<br />
With further research seems as though I am hosed. In download mode it lists my device as "product name: GT-i9100" where it should say "product name: SPH-D710" Still hoping someone can save me so I'm not stuck on stock but seems as though this device had a international phone's bootloader flashed onto it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats the problem i couldnt help u there but u can try installing the drivers u need
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

You could get Mobile Odin and flash using that. There's a lite option that will let you flash Agat's kernel and then you can go from there.

SAMSUNG epic 4g stuck on boot screen after trying to restore Stock Rom

I was running CM10 but I got a message whenever I got into the Camera App that said "Unfortunately, Gallery has stopped working", after a research in here I found that I wouldn't get that msg again if I installed this "gapps-jb-picasa-20121011-signed" thing.
I did, but when I got into my Camera App, I didn't have the other options like "Image Effects" and all that stuff.
So, what I did was to Restore my phone from my BackUp folder that I've created before installing CM10, but for my surprise I got a msg saying "VolumeError" or something like that and other things that I can't really remember... and as a good Mexican that I am, I ignored it and hit the Reboot System Now..
What happened next almost made me cry...
I was expecting to get in my stock rom without any problems and yadda yadda but... OH SURPRISE!
I got stuck on the boot screen, where it says "Samsung" and the website of it and I didn't freak out... I waited like 5-6 mins and took the battery out. When I turned again, I tried to get in Recovery Mode but the screen just kept turning off and on and saying the exact same thing, the "Samsung" logo and it's website.
I hope you can help me and please answer me. I don't know if I'm 1000000% screwed but I will only wait for the worst. Sorry for my bad english and don't hate me for being mexican
I don't know if I can get into my phone from my PC but whenever I plug my phone in, it just loads it as if it was in Charging Mode
PLEASE HELP ME!
I BEG YOU!

Flash again CM10 with wipe data, cache, dalvik
If still stuck
Odin to stock ROM, you can search on google to odin the epic
Sent from my JellyBeer v.4.14 epicmtd (b3)

Questions go in Q&A
Thread moved
Friendly Neighborhood Moderator

Like @dropple said, it seems you stuck "SAMSUNG" and in this case you can't get into recovery so you can't flash CM10 as of now. Go find some tutorials and Odin back to stock via download mode. Then install CWM recovery if you want and do whatever you like. Should get you outta trouble.
Sent from HTC Incredible S @ PACman v21

AndyYan said:
Like @dropple said, it seems you stuck "SAMSUNG" and in this case you can't get into recovery so you can't flash CM10 as of now. Go find some tutorials and Odin back to stock via download mode. Then install CWM recovery if you want and do whatever you like. Should get you outta trouble.
Sent from HTC Incredible S @ PACman v21
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks to Everyone!
I solved this like 2 hrs after all this happened.
I got it by Odin. I couldn't go into Recovery Mode, but I got in Download Mode and do it by Odin.
Sorry, I'm a n00b to all this.
Greetings from México and thanks for all your support.

Here's a weird one for you,
Same thing as OP stated. Device is stuck on logo. Can't get into CWM. Was on People's Rom. Device was lagging really bad. Then the system requested superuser permissions. Yes the system requested. Being as I did not request it, I declined. Shut the device down to see if that would help with the extremely bad lag (i mean BAD lag. Like..........................ok it does something then.......................................................................ok it does something else. 10-20 seconds lag)
Connect device to computer to Odin back to Stock or whatever ROM would have worked, computer recognizes device..... wait for it.......
But in download mode Odin does not see it. Com Port will not illuminate. Tried 3 different cables. Tried 6 different USB ports on computer. Still nothing.
Any ideas, because I'm all out?!?

To the OP:
I would follow the instructions in this video from the part where qbking77 talks about putting the phone in download mode, as you presumably did when you first rooted your phone. Download all the files linked/referenced on the site, especially the Samsung mobile drivers, Odinv3 1.87, CWMRecovery, and the deOxed versions of the stock ROM. In sum:
1) get into recovery mode by holding onto the volume down, camera buttons, and then without letting either of those go, press and hold the power button.
if you get into recovery mode, skip to step 4
2) while your phone is completely off, hold onto the "1" button on the slide out keyboard first, then without letting the 1 button go, press and hold the power button until you're in download mode.
3) flash the version of Clockworkmod
4) once in recovery mode, wipe your phone, clear the cache, and dalvik cache, and then flash the deOxed version of the stock ROM
niteNarmor said:
Here's a weird one for you,
Same thing as OP stated. Device is stuck on logo. Can't get into CWM. Was on People's Rom. Device was lagging really bad. Then the system requested superuser permissions. Yes the system requested. Being as I did not request it, I declined. Shut the device down to see if that would help with the extremely bad lag (i mean BAD lag. Like..........................ok it does something then.......................................................................ok it does something else. 10-20 seconds lag)
Connect device to computer to Odin back to Stock or whatever ROM would have worked, computer recognizes device..... wait for it.......
But in download mode Odin does not see it. Com Port will not illuminate. Tried 3 different cables. Tried 6 different USB ports on computer. Still nothing.
Any ideas, because I'm all out?!?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have the mobile drivers installed on the computer you're trying to connect your phone to?

Yes. The drivers have been installed previously. The computer will see the device as "Samsung SPH-D700 Card USB Device". But Odin3 1.85 will not see it.
EDIT: When I put device into download mode and connect to computer, the computer only sees it as "Gadget Serial".

niteNarmor said:
Yes. The drivers have been installed previously. The computer will see the device as "Samsung SPH-D700 Card USB Device". But Odin3 1.85 will not see it.
EDIT: When I put device into download mode and connect to computer, the computer only sees it as "Gadget Serial".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uninstall and reinstall drivers.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2

Have already done that. But just for laughs, I did do it again with no change.

can you get your D700 into download mode as described above?

Yes I can get into download mode but without Odin recognizing the device (not computer. The computer recognizes the device) there is not much I can do.

niteNarmor said:
Yes I can get into download mode but without Odin recognizing the device (not computer. The computer recognizes the device) there is not much I can do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try to install another version of Odin or getting Odin from a different server.
My phone is fully recovered and now I'm only SuperUser 'cause I don't want any CM by now.
Greetings from Mexico!

I'm using the same version of Odin I used to root the device. Would a different version really help and if so, what version to use?
I actually have a different version of Odin I used for another device and tried that one as well, with no luck.
EDIT: I have now downloaded and tried 4 different Odin programs with no avail. Again, that makes 6 Odin programs, 6 different USB ports, 3 different cables with the same exact results. The computer recognizes device but Odin will not.

niteNarmor said:
I'm using the same version of Odin I used to root the device. Would a different version really help and if so, what version to use?
I actually have a different version of Odin I used for another device and tried that one as well, with no luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had a simular issue when I had two odins on the same computer, for a lark and as I had nothing better to do, tried installing drivers and one version of odin to a vertual machine running vista and checked to see if my computer's vertual machine would reconize and it did, I took it as a sine that at one point I had done something to my computer's main os sometime between rooting my epic 4g and frying it (recovering from a backup from a different parition layout I think, bad times with bootloops and seeing way to much of the samsung logo.) So as I'm not brave enough to run odin on vm I instead removed all of odin from my main os and all of the samsung drivers, then reinstalled rebooted and repluged my epic in, got reconition and reflashed with plesure.
The other issue might be that your computer is reconizing the device and try/failing/hanging and not allowing odin in. Had an issue when my computer was failing to pop up a 'what do I do with this' window and hanging round in the system. A reboot with the internet unpluged strangely solved that for some reason, might be the reboot might be the combo, but I find better connection reconition with my computer when I've fewer things connected.
Don't mind the spelling to much I clean up with my other device.
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using xda app-developers app

One question I noticed that hasn't been asked is when you plug the phone into the computer while the phone is on, is usb debugging checked? If not, check it, and reinstall drivers again.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2

jeffreyjicha said:
One question I noticed that hasn't been asked is when you plug the phone into the computer while the phone is on, is usb debugging checked? If not, check it, and reinstall drivers again.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Phone does not boot past the "Samsung - www.samsung.com" logo. Plus, as with all of my devices, USB debugging is always checked.
Thanks for the suggestion though. Always helps to double check things.
I believe I am going to take it to Sprint tomorrow.
If I can't get into it, they should not be able to get into to it either. If they can't get into it, HELLO WARRANTY....

Perhaps before doing the whole getting found out thing with the return center, perhaps they do know what they're doing, try rolling this link past your eyes?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=773032
I know I've been in your boot problem situation and recovered, it just took persistence and eyenumbing amounts of reading.
Note On the multiple Odin, USB, and driver installation: if you've access to another computer it could be worth wile to run once though on a previously virgin computer, meaning your phone and computers' USB's have never touched. Just do the installation, rebooting, and plugging in exasperatingly meticulous order.
Sent from either my SPH-D700 or myTouch3Gs using XDA app
"it never hurts to help"

Yep tried the "virgin computer" computer as well. The computer sees the device but Odin does not. Com light will not illuminate.

Sounds grim.
So to rap up all the cables, plugs, computer, and software with odin is out of the debug process.
So I did some digging into the past and if your computer is reconizing and odin is not then ADB (android debug bridge) and the sdk are the other option
http://forums.androidcentral.com/epic-4g-rooting-roms-hacks/33427-how-access-your-adb-shell.html
Ran across this and it might just be what you need. Its not quick but it has worked for me in the past.
The other thing that may work is ejecting the sd card and battery before doing anything. Though its likely something you've already tried.
Sent from either my SPH-D700 or myTouch3Gs using XDA app
"it never hurts to help"