Hi there!
I have a bit of a problem with my T-Mobile S4 and I was wondering if there was anything I could do to remedy the situation. So here is the problem;
Two days ago, I was playing PPSSPP and then I saved the state so I could eat lunch. When I came back to play, I loaded the state and then all of the sudden, my screen jumbled for a split second then went black. I tried to restart my phone, but it would always boot up and then go back to a black screen. I then reinstalled my ROM and was able to use my phone again. Thinking that it was over, I decided to re-flash my kernel. But then, it happened again, only this time, I could kind of turn my screen on but it was all messed up. See photo below. I re-flashed my ROM once more, made a titanium backup of my apps and then proceeded to wipe my whole phone through TWRP, going to wipe -> advanced wipe and then selecting every check box except for external sd and USB otg. Afterward, I re-flashed my ROM once more, booted my phone to make sure it worked then flashed the kernel same thing happened. SoI tried a couple different kernels but they all produced the same results. Just a jumbled screen. What could have went wrong? And is there a chance I can fix it?
ROM used - ParanoidAndroid 3.99 RC2
Kernel used - KT-SGS4
Other Kernels tried - Chronic Kernel, Blue ROM kernel
Anyone ever have this problem?
over16bit said:
Hi there!
I have a bit of a problem with my T-Mobile S4 and I was wondering if there was anything I could do to remedy the situation. So here is the problem;
Two days ago, I was playing PPSSPP and then I saved the state so I could eat lunch. When I came back to play, I loaded the state and then all of the sudden, my screen jumbled for a split second then went black. I tried to restart my phone, but it would always boot up and then go back to a black screen. I then reinstalled my ROM and was able to use my phone again. Thinking that it was over, I decided to re-flash my kernel. But then, it happened again, only this time, I could kind of turn my screen on but it was all messed up. See photo below. I re-flashed my ROM once more, made a titanium backup of my apps and then proceeded to wipe my whole phone through TWRP, going to wipe -> advanced wipe and then selecting every check box except for external sd and USB otg. Afterward, I re-flashed my ROM once more, booted my phone to make sure it worked then flashed the kernel same thing happened. SoI tried a couple different kernels but they all produced the same results. Just a jumbled screen. What could have went wrong? And is there a chance I can fix it?
ROM used - ParanoidAndroid 3.99 RC2
Kernel used - KT-SGS4
Other Kernels tried - Chronic Kernel, Blue ROM kernel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have never heard of this problem. It seems you have tried your best to fix it...
My suggestion is to go back stock and see if the problem is still there. If it is then its a hardware problem.
If its not...re-root and flash a rom and go from there.
Sent from a Insane S4
SICK MADE DEVELOPMENT
alloycowboy said:
I have never heard of this problem. It seems you have tried your best to fix it...
My suggestion is to go back stock and see if the problem is still there. If it is then its a hardware problem.
If its not...re-root and flash a rom and go from there.
Sent from a Insane S4
SICK MADE DEVELOPMENT
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This...but use Odin to go back to stock. Dont' just try to flash a stock ROM.
REALLY reset it hardcore by using Odin to flash the stock firmware package in its entirety.
That's what I was thinking about doing, but I can't download the stock image. The download never completes. I've thus far tried to download from the hotfile mirror and from stockROMs but they're always slow and never complete. What I'd really like is a torrent, but if anyone knows of any other mirror or what might be going wrong, I'd appreciate a point in the right direction.
Thanks!
over16bit said:
That's what I was thinking about doing, but I can't download the stock image. The download never completes. I've thus far tried to download from the hotfile mirror and from stockROMs but they're always slow and never complete. What I'd really like is a torrent, but if anyone knows of any other mirror or what might be going wrong, I'd appreciate a point in the right direction.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to use your pc to DL the firmware....it will fail trying to from your phone.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Flash the 10.16 AOSP 4.3 build of KT's kernel. Any build newer than that is for CM based ROMs compiled AFTER 10.20.
alloycowboy said:
You need to use your pc to DL the firmware....it will fail trying to from your phone.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am trying to download it from my PC. :/
Also, I tried the earlier KT kernel as that was the one I had on hand. Same thing happens.
over16bit said:
I am trying to download it from my PC. :/
Also, I tried the earlier KT kernel as that was the one I had on hand. Same thing happens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like hardware problem. I hope im wrong.
Let us know how it goes after you odin back to stock
Sent from Insane S4
SICK MADE DEVELOPMENT
Related
So I I've had 2 different recoveries so far that have worked fine.. both came from Rogue though. One was from the 1.5 kernel (Hitman) which installed CWM Touch recovery, the other came with the normal recoveries based off CW 5.0.2.7. They were working fine until I installed Calkulin's Rom(2.8.1). Not sure if they're just incompatible or what, but when I go to recovery it shows the background image of the recovery but none of the options show up. It shows for about half a second and then it goes back to the original boot screen, then to the 2nd screen and turns on. So it basically skips right through the recovery and reboots. Do I need a new Rom or can I fix this? I really like the battery life and visuals of Calkulin's Rom and would love to be able to keep it.
EDIT: One more thing.. Since I installed the ROM, I've been getting market error 492. It doesn't allow me to install anything in the market..
I haven't tried a full wipe yet, so I guess I'll try that and then see how that works with the recovery and Rom..
I did the same thing to my phone this week, and I'm running Blazer, so i'm sure it has nothing to do with either ROM.
Not sure how I caused it but with so many folks running both without this error, I'm guessing that your issue (like mine was) was probably some how self induced.
I flashed back to stock and started over, and things have been working great. Might be worth a shot flashing back, or restore a backup and start fresh.
Haven't seen the market error before. I'm sure someone here has
Good Luck
If you got it off here, could you show me which stock you flashed..?
Everything you need is in the Epic 4G Touch Android Development section
Here is the post I used from Sfhub
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1433101
Watch the videos by Qbking77 They walk you thru everything step by step. (I hear his video intro rif every time I close my eyes now so you've been warned) Makes it super easy.
I would read everything you can and watch the videos before you get in too deep. I've had this phone since December, and just flashed my 1st ROM this week cause I've been reading up, and learning all I could before I jumped in the pool.
Well I've done all this with 2 phones before but I've never had this happen.. normally I just get the Rom and I'm good to go..
I think I must've gone wrong somewhere when I originally rooted through a stock rom.. It already seems to be more respondful.
premo1 said:
I think I must've gone wrong somewhere when I originally rooted through a stock rom.. It already seems to be more respondful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try booting while holding the volume up and power button.
If that does not work, flash recovery from rom manager, and that should get you into recovery to flash whatever kernel/recovery u want.
I've done all that.. None of it works.. I'm currently ODIN'ing Factory Stock Rom with root. Hopefully after that I can redo all of these and eventually end up with a working, corresponding Rom and kernel..
premo1 said:
I've done all that.. None of it works.. I'm currently ODIN'ing Factory Stock Rom with root. Hopefully after that I can redo all of these and eventually end up with a working, corresponding Rom and kernel..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good Luck.
Recovery and market are now working Thank you Adanorm!
Glad your back up and running
I just flashed the newest version of the codename rom (JustLoveCodename-Android-(Alpha1)2.0.0-RC to my epic 4g touch. I also flashed the Google apps pack that comes with it. It seemed nice at first, but then I tried using the market and it just kept telling me there was a server error. I tried re-downloading it from third party sites but nothing was working. So I went to flash back to Calkulins rom. As I got into recovery mode, it seems the phone somehow changed itself to another recovery system (It might've been CWM) instead of the rogue one I had prior from the initial root process. I tried flashing anyway and the a picture of a dead android with his front opened up and a red exclamation popped up. I rebooted the phone to see what would happen. It brought me right back to Code name's rom. I tried it 3 more times yet the same thing happened every time. I also tried a battery pull. It did not work. I am thinking of doing one of two things: I am going to either go through the initial root stages again or I am going to try to delete the Codename rom from my SD card and try flashing another rom (preferably Calkulin). Please tell me if this is the right thing to do or if there is another method of fixing this problem. Thank you for taking time to read this. I really appreciate any help. FYI: My phone is still in working condition, but I am stuck using the Codename rom which I really do not want to use anymore. I just was able to get ES file manager working and i checked my external sd folder, but there is nothing in it. When i look at my storage from system settings, it says i still have the memory on it. So why is ES not displaying it? =( I re-installed rogue cwm and flashed calkulin's rom again and everything is fine. Heed my advice and be wary of the Codename Rom. Editor's, you can delete this thread if you wish. =)
Gzerner said:
I just flashed the newest version of the codename rom (JustLoveCodename-Android-(Alpha1)2.0.0-RC to my epic 4g touch. I also flashed the Google apps pack that comes with it. It seemed nice at first, but then I tried using the market and it just kept telling me there was a server error. I tried re-downloading it from third party sites but nothing was working. So I went to flash back to Calkulins rom. As I got into recovery mode, it seems the phone somehow changed itself to another recovery system (It might've been CWM) instead of the rogue one I had prior from the initial root process. I tried flashing anyway and the a picture of a dead android with his front opened up and a red exclamation popped up. I rebooted the phone to see what would happen. It brought me right back to Code name's rom. I tried it 3 more times yet the same thing happened every time. I also tried a battery pull. It did not work. I am thinking of doing one of two things: I am going to either go through the initial root stages again or I am going to try to delete the Codename rom from my SD card and try flashing another rom (preferably Calkulin). Please tell me if this is the right thing to do or if there is another method of fixing this problem. Thank you for taking time to read this. I really appreciate any help. FYI: My phone is still in working condition, but I am stuck using the Codename rom which I really do not want to use anymore. I just was able to get ES file manager working and i checked my external sd folder, but there is nothing in it. When i look at my storage from system settings, it says i still have the memory on it. So why is ES not displaying it? =( I re-installed rogue cwm and flashed calkulin's rom again and everything is fine. Heed my advice and be wary of the Codename Rom. Editor's, you can delete this thread if you wish. =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
K. The reason you aren't getting to the old version of CWM is because you flashed Codename. Codename is an AOSP ROM which has been known to cause bricks when flashing with Rogue. Because if the bricks the developers opted to but include CWM of any kind in the kernel. What you need to do is find a replacement ROM and download it. Once you've downloaded it you need to flash the EL26 stock CWM (you can find it in the OP of the link below) then use it to flash your new ROM.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=295021
Well you're at it is suggest reading the How Not To Brick Your Phone thread in general.
Good luck!
Codename rom is an AOSP rom so your external SD storage will be under /emmc and not /sdcard/externalsd. That's why it wasn't showing up. Same thing with CM9 and AOKP, not because it doesn't work. Also I wouldn't recommend flashing anything ICS related from rogue recovery, js.
And recoveries changed because with our phones, the recovery is packed into the kernel itself so when you flashed Codename, the recovery changed to the stock recovery included with the roms kernel. Hope that clears it up lol.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
If you want a fresh install, the best way is to Odin the el29 kernal. From there, get into your recovery and wipe and flash away.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
Hello everyone,
been creeping the forums for the past week...new to the android world but i find the idea of customizing your phone in your own unique way was a good enough reason to leave blackberry after using it for 7years. Anyways....onto my real problem here.
(I appolgize in advance if i mess up the terminology. hopefully you can understand me)
I use a phone on wind mobile (SGH-T999V) and from what i know it's been a safe assumption that if the T999 works then the t999v will most likely work.
I was on AOKP build 5 prior to flashing to the CM M2 ROM...used odin to install CWM_Touch 6.0.1.2.tar then did the steps in
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1946701
Edit : I forgot to mention...I can get the screen to go into recovery mode...however, when i press up on the volume key my phone will turn itself off.
and i plugged the phone in again and it decided to be read by my computer.
to install the ROM which worked successfully... however this is where I think i messed up or maybe it has nothing to do with it at all... But my MMS messages did not work so i tried to just play around with some settings and i searched the forums and tried the things that were posted but to no avail. One of the things i did try was to uncheck the privilege unknown applications button and to turn off developers option so USB debugging should be off...or it may have been on...not too sure.
Anyways, so i remembered that I haven't finished the last 2 steps from the "how to flash a rom" in the midst of reinstalling my programs using titanium backup. So i reboot into recovery mode(and this is where i messed up i think) and i wiped my factory data again so after noticing that i did that i went back and restarted the phone and filled in all the information on the welcome screen again. and went back into recovery.
did "wipe cache partition" 3 times AND dalvik cache once then proceeded to install from my sd card the "lk_aosp_jb_tmo-v1.6". After installing i rebooted the device again and i get to see the Samsung Galaxy S3 screen and my screen will go completely black. However, I know it's still on as the battery charging indicator is on and my two buttons around the home button are lit up constantly....out of curiosity i decided to call myself using a land line and the phone is still working (I hope this is good news and that i'm not bricked but teased in a sense i can't fix the screen).
I tried to plug my phone in and it didn't detect it so i reinstalled the drivers and it did detect the phone. I laoded the Samsung Galaxy S3 Toolkit V.2.3.0 in hopes of trying to recover via option 6 "backup and restore your phone" and was hoping to revive it by restoring the nandroid backup however when i typed in my folder the toolkit crashed on me...and now it can't detect my phone as when i try to install the drivers again - the MDA driver seems to fail everytime.
Sorry for the long message...I wanted to be detailed in a sense I don't have to keep giving people more details... your help would be appreciated...Thanks everyone!!
Where'd you get the lk_aosp_jb_tmo_1.6 file from? Never read about it. All you need to do is wipe completely from recovery (data, system, cache...) and install cyanogen and then gapps, reboot.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
You can also just odin back to stock and start over from fresh. If you can still get into cwm then just do what he just stated above.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Where'd you get the lk_aosp_jb_tmo_1.6 file from? Never read about it. All you need to do is wipe completely from recovery (data, system, cache...) and install cyanogen and then gapps, reboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1845836
It was 1.6 as of yesterday when i downloaded it but it looks like it's 1.7 now. That was my original plan however when i boot into recovery i literally have roughly 1second to pick an option before my screen goes blank again. I tried to boot it a few times into recovery trying to "beat" the blank screen but that hasn't worked.
You can also just odin back to stock and start over from fresh. If you can still get into cwm then just do what he just stated above.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah the problem is I can't get back into the cwm as my screen goes blank
I tried to find a link for the stock kernel but the 2-3 that i found all have 404.
Something tells me i just ran into bad luck with the kernel flash. or does it have to do with me doing a wipe/data reset again and perhaps not selecting the debugging options/trusting unknown apps checkbox before running it through again? I'm not sure...just grasping at straws here to why my phone is doing that.
Anyone else have more ideas?? Anything will help...Thanks again!!
Looking like an Odin is your option here. To flash a ROM/kernel, wipe data,system,cache... flash ROM then gapps(optional for which ever ROM you are on) and then kernel. Make sure you're flashing the proper kernel.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
mt3g said:
Looking like an Odin is your option here. To flash a ROM/kernel, wipe data,system,cache... flash ROM then gapps(optional for which ever ROM you are on) and then kernel. Make sure you're flashing the proper kernel.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay - I'll try it tonight when i get home from work. Here's where my lack of knowledge/noob status comes into play. Thanks for the help.
Do i get into Odin via trying to start my phone in download mode? (I tried to hold the power button/down/home) but that's when i get that glimmer of hope before my screen turns blank again when it asks if i want to continue or reboot my phone.
Or do i try to get it running through Samsung Galaxy S3 Toolkit V.2.3 ?? (If that's the case can you tell me which option i should use to get to the appropriate screen? or should i just launch the odin executable file? (however I'm not sure how that would get anything accomplished if my phone doesn't enter download mode...or maybe it's in download mode when i press up on the volume key but the screen is actually blank? Or maybe i don't understand the process 100%)
But lets say hypothetically speaking I manage to get Odin working. Which proper kernel should i be using? I tried looking for the stock kernel but all the links i found 404'ed. Does anyone have one that works? I'm just kind of trying to get my phone working in general...even if it means going back to stock everything. Pointers Anyone?
Thanks!!
Edit: Forgot to mention the fact that I may not be in debugging mode as i tried to turn that off to see if that had anything to do with my inability to send out MMS msg's as i mentioned in my first post... so that might stop me from using Odin no?
Update
Ok well just an update in case it happens to someone else - I pretty much left the phone alone and didn't touch it for 16hrs. Came home from work and it decided to boot up recovery mode so i just wiped data/cache quicker than a little kid wanting to open Christmas presents on Christmas day when they wake up... Needless to say I didn't bother testing the lk 1.6 kernel so i'm not sure if it works with CM10 running a SGH-T999V (Wind Mobile) phone. I'm trying to think of what may have happened and I'm thinking MAYBE it's because i was charging my phone from 20% all the way to about 95 then decided to plug it into my computer ...so maybe an overheat issue?
Anyways. Thanks for everyone's attempt to help. Much appreciated!
Alright, so I am having this weird issue. I thought I found the fix for it several times, however, NO dice.
I've researched for a few hours now, I just don't know if I have over looked it or what. If it has been answered, I apologize.
I looked at the modified recoveries thread for newer s3 devices, but it doesn't seem to fit my area of error.
The Details:
I've been really curious to try some 4.3 roms. Of course, they are for D2SPR. I get them to flash correctly, after a full wipe. The issue happens right after I set everything up in the phone, and reboot. When I reboot I get hung at the splash screen. I have tried to reflash the rom muliple times only to fall flat on the splash screen again. Now, I don't have an SD Card in the phone, except, I left a TW rom in a folder. I use twrp, forgot to mention that. I rewiped the phone and installed that touchwiz rom, and still it wouldn't allow me to get past splash into that tw rom.
So the only way that I could think of to get out of this hole was to flash the rooted LJ7 tar file I have through ODIN. After getting the S3 into download mode, Odin successfully push LJ7 into my phone. Now again, I had an issue getting it to boot. I read somewhere that when this happens, I need to check the Erase NAND option in Odin. So I tried that out and forced LJ7 back on. After successfully flashing, it boots but gets stuck on the boot animation; the fix to that is booting into stock recovery and wiping once more. Then you are able to get into the OS.
I let the phone sit and take the OTAs till I get from LJ7 to MD4 so I re-root the phone using Odin and Chain Fire's root method. Now I am able to flash the recovery (TWRP) using OpenScript through Goo Manager.
I've only tried flashing Illusion and Carbon's 4.3 rom. The second time I used Carbon's rom. Same results. So I have no Idea what the heck is going on. Can anyone explain this to me better or point me into the direction that I need to go?
Thanks much!
your not the only one that has this problem i have the same thing have tried everything and most of the 4.3 roms same thing. no one on xda seems to know at least i havent gotten any help or responses i have just given u on 4.3. good luck finding any ideas.
Set it up I'm sure you restored some apps and data which may no longer be compatible. Or data which is corrupting the 4.3 rom. Try just flashing the rom setting up your Google account and don't add any apps. See if it does it.
Either way this seems to be a common issue across different devices and 4.3 seems it's part of using roms built on leaks and ports. None are bug free. Very similar to all gb leaks back in the day that would go into bootlooping.
Have a great day!
bbrita said:
your not the only one that has this problem i have the same thing have tried everything and most of the 4.3 roms same thing. no one on xda seems to know at least i havent gotten any help or responses i have just given u on 4.3. good luck finding any ideas.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it's good to know that I'm not the only one, however, it's horrible that it's happening to others. I appreciate you spreading the info!
edfunkycold said:
Set it up I'm sure you restored some apps and data which may no longer be compatible. Or data which is corrupting the 4.3 rom. Try just flashing the rom setting up your Google account and don't add any apps. See if it does it.
Either way this seems to be a common issue across different devices and 4.3 seems it's part of using roms built on leaks and ports. None are bug free. Very similar to all gb leaks back in the day that would go into bootlooping.
Have a great day!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I go to set up, I just install about 15 apps, I don't restore. I just download them fresh. I had a habit of doing that and it just stuck. I don't restore anything with Titanium or and root backup/restore app. Could one of those apps not be updated then that causes the partitions to get locked up, or just corrupt /data in general? If that's whats happening.
I just find it extremely odd that I (maybe others), can't wipe, and then re flash another rom; actually I can, it just gets stuck at the splash and never goes forward, that is what had me confused most. If I had an sd card, and formatted data itself, would that fly?
thanks Ed i have tried this after the first 2 tries . i dont have any problems installing 4.3 its just after rebooting it gets stuck. Like you said there are always bugs Im fine with using other roms for now. Hopefully when an official 4.3 drops problems will go away
Hello everyone,
I really need your help with my wife's Metro PCS Samsung GS4 M919N.
The thing is, we are now living outside the US so I had to unlock her phone. After ordering the unlock codes, I decided to root the phone and use a custom ROM while waiting for the codes.
That is why I found this guide here: androidforums.com/metropcs-galaxy-s4-all-things-root/790899-metropcs-galaxy-s4-all-things-root-guide.html
So while reading the guide, I aimed to have the following accomplished at the end:
Recovery: TWRP
Custom ROM: CyanogenMod 10.2.1
I then started doing the guide for the TWRP recovery by using Odin. I got the message saying that the flashing passed and went ahead to restart to recovery to install CM 10.2.1 as a custom ROM. The thing is that I keep on restarting to the stock recovery not TWRP. So I went to YouTube and found a video showing how to flash TWRP using GooManager. After following that guide, I went to restart to recovery and I successfully got into TWRP.
Now, to achieve my goal, all that's left to do is to flash CyanogenMod 10.2.1 (jfltetmo).
Before doing that, I decided to make a backup. After using TWRP to do a backup, I proceeded to installing the custom ROM + gapps (wiped with the default settings). Everything was working I think (I handed the phone to my wife so she was he one testing it). After some time, she decided she wants the stock ROM instead so I decided to download the androidforums.com/metropcs-galaxy-s4-all-things-root/783769-rom-recovery-flash-able-stock-m919nuvuamf2-rooted-deodexed-rom.html ROM.
I flashed the newly downloaded ROM + gapps (same file). This time, I couldn't get the gapps to work probably because it was meant for another version. So I decided to just restore from the backup I created earlier.
So, the usual stuff. Wipe. Restore. Restart.
Seems to be going smoothly because my wife was happy to see the old ROM she was used to.
Until the phone started to restart on it's own. (It's pretty much downhill from here on out).
At first I thought it was just a random thing that probably would never happen again. I was wrong as it became more frequent as days went by.
Recently I can't just restart the phone, I would have to remove the battery and then restart it. Now, it's getting really hard to restart the phone. Please help me fix this. I prefer to leave the phone rooted, but if the fix unroots the phone then so be it, anyway my wife prefers the stock ROM so only the unlocking was necessary.
Metro PCS Samsung Galaxy S4 M919N
Recovery:
TWRP 2.6.3.1
ROMs:
Stock Metro PCS
CyanogenMod 10.2.1
Let me know if you need more information from me. Hopefully I can restart the phone so I can give you some version numbers.
Thanks everyone!
I didn't read everything but just wanted to say
VERY GOOD THREAD!
this is how threads should be done. Very descriptive, organized, told us everything you did and asked for help! Good job man! Only negative is it prolly should have gone in Q&A section but irregardless very good thread!
About your issue, I recommend flashing stock Odin tar file to everything back to stock and reroot and start over. Flashing stock will not lock it again it will remain unlocked. But should get you back up and fresh. Just be aware it will erase all your data and all of the internal SD card.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
dokgu said:
Hello everyone,
I really need your help with my wife's Metro PCS Samsung GS4 M919N.
The thing is, we are now living outside the US so I had to unlock her phone. After ordering the unlock codes, I decided to root the phone and use a custom ROM while waiting for the codes.
That is why I found this guide here: androidforums.com/metropcs-galaxy-s4-all-things-root/790899-metropcs-galaxy-s4-all-things-root-guide.html
So while reading the guide, I aimed to have the following accomplished at the end:
Recovery: TWRP
Custom ROM: CyanogenMod 10.2.1
I then started doing the guide for the TWRP recovery by using Odin. I got the message saying that the flashing passed and went ahead to restart to recovery to install CM 10.2.1 as a custom ROM. The thing is that I keep on restarting to the stock recovery not TWRP. So I went to YouTube and found a video showing how to flash TWRP using GooManager. After following that guide, I went to restart to recovery and I successfully got into TWRP.
Now, to achieve my goal, all that's left to do is to flash CyanogenMod 10.2.1 (jfltetmo).
Before doing that, I decided to make a backup. After using TWRP to do a backup, I proceeded to installing the custom ROM + gapps (wiped with the default settings). Everything was working I think (I handed the phone to my wife so she was he one testing it). After some time, she decided she wants the stock ROM instead so I decided to download the androidforums.com/metropcs-galaxy-s4-all-things-root/783769-rom-recovery-flash-able-stock-m919nuvuamf2-rooted-deodexed-rom.html ROM.
I flashed the newly downloaded ROM + gapps (same file). This time, I couldn't get the gapps to work probably because it was meant for another version. So I decided to just restore from the backup I created earlier.
So, the usual stuff. Wipe. Restore. Restart.
Seems to be going smoothly because my wife was happy to see the old ROM she was used to.
Until the phone started to restart on it's own. (It's pretty much downhill from here on out).
At first I thought it was just a random thing that probably would never happen again. I was wrong as it became more frequent as days went by.
Recently I can't just restart the phone, I would have to remove the battery and then restart it. Now, it's getting really hard to restart the phone. Please help me fix this. I prefer to leave the phone rooted, but if the fix unroots the phone then so be it, anyway my wife prefers the stock ROM so only the unlocking was necessary.
Metro PCS Samsung Galaxy S4 M919N
Recovery:
TWRP 2.6.3.1
ROMs:
Stock Metro PCS
CyanogenMod 10.2.1
Let me know if you need more information from me. Hopefully I can restart the phone so I can give you some version numbers.
Thanks everyone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with Elesbb. If the goal is jus tto get back to stock, just do an odin flash of the stock ROM. Be advised if you flash the latest Kit Kay update you will nto be able to go back to Jelly Bean. From your post it seems like you are partial to Jelly Bean. So if that's what you want, but sure you use the stock 4.3 ROM. You can find it around here on XDA somewhere with a quick search to make sure you have the right one.
As Elesbb said, you won't loose the 'sim unlock'. But you will lose root. However you can root the stock ROM just fine.
You might also consider one of the myriad of TouchWiz based custom ROMs. They are look just like TouchWiz that your wife wants, but have a lot of optimizations and options in them. Those should flash just like any ROM. If you still get the reboot issue then do the Odin back to stock, reroot, then flash the custom TW roms.
---------- Post added at 12:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:45 PM ----------
Thread cleaned.
Rather than bashing a ROM or user let's keep on topic and help the OP resolved the problems he's having. Arguing over the virtues of a ROM doesn't help anyone.
Thank you,
Rwilco12
Before posting this thread I sent the aforementioned guide's poster (arocker). He sent me a reply saying not to use gapps as the stock ROM for Metro PCS already comes with Google apps. I'll try his suggestion first and see if the phone still reboots a lot.
If the problem persists, I will try the solutions mentioned here. Thanks a lot!
elesbb said:
I didn't read everything but just wanted to say
VERY GOOD THREAD!
this is how threads should be done. Very descriptive, organized, told us everything you did and asked for help! Good job man! Only negative is it prolly should have gone in Q&A section but irregardless very good thread!
About your issue, I recommend flashing stock Odin tar file to everything back to stock and reroot and start over. Flashing stock will not lock it again it will remain unlocked. But should get you back up and fresh. Just be aware it will erase all your data and all of the internal SD card.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After trying arocker's suggestion to not flash gapps, the phone still reboots. So now, I am going to try your solution guys.
But before I do, I want to make sure that I am on the correct paths/links.
Here's what I found for the following:
ODIN
forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/themes-apps/27-08-2013-odin-3-09-odin-1-85-versions-t2189539
I've had a couple of chances to use ODIN but only using specific functions like flashing a recovery file while the phone is in download mode. I don't however have any experience using ODIN to put the phone back to stock where the phone gets unrooted. Having the phone unrooted is fine by me as I only needed to have the phone unlocked.
Any step-by-step guides for using ODIN for this specific purpose guys? I don't want to mess this up again.
Thanks and sorry for the trouble.
dokgu said:
After trying arocker's suggestion to not flash gapps, the phone still reboots. So now, I am going to try your solution guys.
But before I do, I want to make sure that I am on the correct paths/links.
Here's what I found for the following:
ODIN
forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/themes-apps/27-08-2013-odin-3-09-odin-1-85-versions-t2189539
I've had a couple of chances to use ODIN but only using specific functions like flashing a recovery file while the phone is in download mode. I don't however have any experience using ODIN to put the phone back to stock where the phone gets unrooted. Having the phone unrooted is fine by me as I only needed to have the phone unlocked.
Any step-by-step guides for using ODIN for this specific purpose guys? I don't want to mess this up again.
Thanks and sorry for the trouble.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No trouble at all, check out the stickies in the beginning of threads.
Look for guides similar to this.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2335109
Pp. Good luck.
sent from my bluetooth controlled toaster.
PanchoPlanet said:
No trouble at all, check out the stickies in the beginning of threads.
Look for guides similar to this.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2335109
Pp. Good luck.
sent from my bluetooth controlled toaster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello PanchoPlanet,
Thanks for the link. I went ahead and tried to unroot without Windows (Mobile Odin) as per the instructions on the link. I downloaded everything and went ahead to install the Mobile Odin APK. When I ran it to install the Flash Kernel, the app told me that the device is not supported.
To my understanding the guide is for M919 devices but should work for my wife's device as well (M919N - Metro PCS). I would like to try the guide for using Windows but I'm not really expecting for it to work or I might mess it up more. I'll try to search some more and provide the links where this forum will lead me to. But if you have any ideas, please let me know asap. Thanks!
PanchoPlanet said:
No trouble at all, check out the stickies in the beginning of threads.
Look for guides similar to this.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2335109
Pp. Good luck.
sent from my bluetooth controlled toaster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, here's what I found:
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2446497
It seems like the perfect thread for what I am trying to achieve. Will let you guys know if it is successful. But it will have to wait for tomorrow. Gonna catch some sleep.
Okay, I'm running out of options. I was able to flash the stock ROM using Odin 3.07. The recovery looks like it came back to the stock recovery as I no longer have TWRP installed. When I install Root Checker, I see that I am no longer rooted. That's good.
But my original problem is still here. The phone reboots a lot. The phone is so unstable that it is barely usable.
I am now going to try one more thing.
I have a Galaxy S4 (I337M) from Rogers Canada (my wife has Metro PCS M919N). Mine got rooted and has CyanogenMod 10.2.1 as a custom ROM. My phone is working perfectly while hers reboots a lot. I was thinking it was because of a faulty battery. So I am doing an experiment by swapping the batteries. So far no reboots have occurred, but I will continue to monitor this.
Any ideas why the battery is kinda messed up?
This thread talks about battery stuff and reboots:
http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/530338/20131216/samsung-galaxy-s4-problems.htm
Batteries can go bad a lot of ways. Extreme temperature, factory defect, phone drops, moisture, etc.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Android_Monsters said:
This thread talks about battery stuff and reboots:
http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/530338/20131216/samsung-galaxy-s4-problems.htm
Batteries can go bad a lot of ways. Extreme temperature, factory defect, phone drops, moisture, etc.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And 100% of the time, they eventually just get old.
dokgu said:
Okay, I'm running out of options. I was able to flash the stock ROM using Odin 3.07. The recovery looks like it came back to the stock recovery as I no longer have TWRP installed. When I install Root Checker, I see that I am no longer rooted. That's good.
But my original problem is still here. The phone reboots a lot. The phone is so unstable that it is barely usable.
I am now going to try one more thing.
I have a Galaxy S4 (I337M) from Rogers Canada (my wife has Metro PCS M919N). Mine got rooted and has CyanogenMod 10.2.1 as a custom ROM. My phone is working perfectly while hers reboots a lot. I was thinking it was because of a faulty battery. So I am doing an experiment by swapping the batteries. So far no reboots have occurred, but I will continue to monitor this.
Any ideas why the battery is kinda messed up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a wierd situation, by swapping batteries you basically performed a battery pull, which acts as a reset, that in it self may have cleared your issue.
Now if battery is bad that could be an unusual problem. Maybe just replacing the battery will be the end of your mystery.
Pp.
sent from my P5113 using TouchPal mind control keyboard. (Beta)
The battery should be brand new as the phone was just recently purchased this April.
Anyways, so far no reboots have happened and any instability has not been shown at all. Everything looks ok, yet.
Anyone know if it is safe to swap batteries? Our phones have different S4 models. I'm not sure what the implications would be. Also what is this battery pull which acts as a reset? We've been pulling the battery a lot of times but the reboot still happens but not when we swapped batteries.
The batteries are all the same. Don't worry about that.
Even if its a new battery if could have just been bad. A manufacturing defect perhaps.
Sent from your phone. You should be more careful where you leave that thing.
dokgu said:
The battery should be brand new as the phone was just recently purchased this April.
Anyways, so far no reboots have happened and any instability has not been shown at all. Everything looks ok, yet.
Anyone know if it is safe to swap batteries? Our phones have different S4 models. I'm not sure what the implications would be. Also what is this battery pull which acts as a reset? We've been pulling the battery a lot of times but the reboot still happens but not when we swapped batteries.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This battery thing is wacky, anyway swapping batteries should not be a problem, it's just an energy storage container. Pulling the battery isn't like powering down the phone or resetting/rebooting ,sometimes devs request a battery pull to get the proper wipe effect that reboots can't provide.
You inadvertently solved your problem by accident. That's a good thing.
Pp.
sent from my P5113 using TouchPal mind control keyboard. (Beta)
PanchoPlanet said:
You inadvertently solved your problem by accident. That's a good thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have quite literally solved the vast majority of my problems this way.
Its a preferred method.
Sent from your phone. You should be more careful where you leave that thing.
Sometimes it's that "total disconnect "of power that kind of gets all the ducks lined up in a row and everything flows in the dynaflow.
Good.
Pp.
sent from my P5113 using TouchPal mind control keyboard. (Beta)
its very important topics and it might seen for every galaxy s4 users.just wonderful topics.
This exact same thing happened on my mother's 6-month old S3. If you're still wondering, you could try putting the old battery and running a CPU stress test app. It should increase the current draw and trigger a shutdown.
EDIT: whoops, sorry to kind of zombie. Didn't check the date.
Sent from my Galaxy S4