Develop Bugs

[Q] Phone stuck at "Samsung Galaxy S II" Logo

I'm not new to rooting, I'm coming from the Samsung Epic 4G.. My new Epic Touch 4G is stuck at the Samsung Galaxy II GT-I9100 Logo.. Really annoying. Here's what happened...
I rooted my new Epic touch with this link: http://www.forums.acsyndicate.net/s...lus-Stock-Rooted-BusyBox-CWM5-and-Plus-Tweaks
Everything was working fine.. I then wiped the phone (the usual) and flashed the stable Starburst ROM
I rebooted and started getting an error saying "Sorry! The application Status Bar (processcom.android.systemui) has stopped unexpectedly. Please try again."
The notification bar was not present at all.. Soft reboots started recurring so I tried to restart but it didn't work. I ended up pulling the battery.
I then entered CWM and took a different approach.. I followed some steps from "Weltwon" (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1276320&page=169) and it didn't even get pass the "Logo" screen.. I pulled the battery once again (uh-oh)...
After putting the battery back in, I entered download mode and tried to Odin back to EG30 but it still stalled at the "Logo" screen.
Being that I wasn't coming from another ROM, is it possible that I messed something up when I formatted system in the "mounts and storage" tab?
Hopefully it's not a goner.. Any help would be appreciated.

Here's my Odin log after using the stock kernal pulled tar file..
No pit was added..
<ID:0/003> Added!!
<ID:0/003> Odin v.3 engine (ID:3)..
<ID:0/003> File analysis..
<ID:0/003> SetupConnection..
<ID:0/003> Initialzation..
<ID:0/003> Get PIT for mapping..
<ID:0/003> Firmware update start..
<ID:0/003> zImage
<ID:0/003> NAND Write Start!!
<ID:0/003> RQT_CLOSE !!
<ID:0/003> RES OK !!
<ID:0/003> Removed!!
<ID:0/003> Completed..
<OSM> All threads completed. (succeed 1 / failed 0)

so let me get this straight.. you odin and everything was working properly. then you wanted to flash a custom rom and then you got errors. now you tried to odin again and you get stuck at samsung screen?
have you done this?
- ODIN with a different usb cable, or computer?
- redownload the roms?
ODIn to stock should boot and fix your errors in my expereince..

SocialReject said:
I'm not new to rooting, I'm coming from the Samsung Epic 4G.. My new Epic Touch 4G is stuck at the Samsung Galaxy II GT-I9100 Logo.. Really annoying. Here's what happened...
I rooted my new Epic touch with this link: http://www.forums.acsyndicate.net/s...lus-Stock-Rooted-BusyBox-CWM5-and-Plus-Tweaks
Everything was working fine.. I then wiped the phone (the usual) and flashed the stable Starburst ROM
I rebooted and started getting an error saying "Sorry! The application Status Bar (processcom.android.systemui) has stopped unexpectedly. Please try again."
The notification bar was not present at all.. Soft reboots started recurring so I tried to restart but it didn't work. I ended up pulling the battery.
I then entered CWM and took a different approach.. I followed some steps from "Weltwon" (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1276320&page=169) and it didn't even get pass the "Logo" screen.. I pulled the battery once again (uh-oh)...
After putting the battery back in, I entered download mode and tried to Odin back to EG30 but it still stalled at the "Logo" screen.
Being that I wasn't coming from another ROM, is it possible that I messed something up when I formatted system in the "mounts and storage" tab?
Hopefully it's not a goner.. Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Silly question, but did you actually flash a ROM or just kernels after performing Weltwon's steps? I don't know what he was posting that regarding, but it seemed his instructions asked you to format /system (ie erase your ROM) but never mentioned flashing your new ROM by CWM or by Odin. Perhaps that was just understood in the context he was replying to, but if you didn't do so, you'd have a kernel on your phone but no ROM, meaning you could boot into Recovery, but there would be no ROM to boot into.

sfhub said:
Silly question, but did you actually flash a ROM or just kernels after performing Weltwon's steps? I don't know what he was posting that regarding, but it seemed his instructions asked you to format /system (ie erase your ROM) but never mentioned flashing your new ROM by CWM or by Odin. Perhaps that was just understood in the context he was replying to, but if you didn't do so, you'd have a kernel on your phone but no ROM, meaning you could boot into Recovery, but there would be no ROM to boot into.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I'm gonna just throw it away...
I woke up this morning and tried to boot into recovery and got a black screen sorta like this... "Phone . . Triangle with exclamation mark inside . . Computer"
I go into download mode and it says my Product name is GT-9100 !?
No computer ever recognizes it as a device, it's just a paper-weight now smh

if you cant get into download mode you might be screwed.. if you can tho, i recommend flash the eg30 with root, not just a kernel.. using odin and having it put in the pda slot with just auto reboot checked.. flashing just a kernel won't fix your problems

elliwigy said:
if you cant get into download mode you might be screwed.. if you can tho, i recommend flash the eg30 with root, not just a kernel.. using odin and having it put in the pda slot with just auto reboot checked.. flashing just a kernel won't fix your problems
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can get into download mode but the phone isn't recognized at all, by any of my computers.. My product name says GT-I9100 rather than SPH-D710. weird

hm.. if you can get into download mode try this guid out.. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1282415
Make sure you have correct drivers of course, make sure you try dif usb ports if possible and dif cables if possible.. maybe even a dif. odin

SocialReject said:
I can get into download mode but the phone isn't recognized at all, by any of my computers.. My product name says GT-I9100 rather than SPH-D710. weird
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when you flash a rooted kernel, all our phones say GTI9100....

wase4711 said:
when you flash a rooted kernel, all our phones say GTI9100....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh. Well, I've tried different drivers.. Even reinstalled Kies but the phone won't recognize at all. I'll try some more USB cords.

wase4711 said:
when you flash a rooted kernel, all our phones say GTI9100....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea.. it does say GT I9100 with a exclamation mark in a yellow triangle.. besides that, his phone still isnt booting lol.. all you need is to get your pc to see the phone.. when you open Odin and plug phone in while in download mode, you don't get a COM to light up?? try using different version of Odin.. try restarting your pc etc etc.. try another computer if possible too.. trial and error lol, id keep putting your phone into download mode too.. i had this problem with my OG Epic.. it took a while but I finally got it to read in ODIN

elliwigy said:
Yea.. it does say GT I9100 with a exclamation mark in a yellow triangle.. besides that, his phone still isnt booting lol.. all you need is to get your pc to see the phone.. when you open Odin and plug phone in while in download mode, you don't get a COM to light up?? try using different version of Odin.. try restarting your pc etc etc.. try another computer if possible too.. trial and error lol, id keep putting your phone into download mode too.. i had this problem with my OG Epic.. it took a while but I finally got it to read in ODIN
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Odin can't recognize it because my computer doesn't even recognize it. I plug it in and go to device manager and there's no signs of it. Maybe it's the drivers, idk. I haven't even activated it to Sprint yet so I doubt that they help a "stranger"

Try a USB jig
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S2

I heard usb jig only works if I can't already get into download mode.
Sent from the future.

[Q/Solved] How Do I Fix Phone After Failing to Follow Flashing Instructions?

UPDATE: I was able to fix my phone by flashing a stock ROM via Odin, which failed, but it wiped out CWM, so I could access the default recovery, it then successfully wipe my cache in seconds. After that, I was able to follow the custom ROM instructions properly and I am now using the custom ROM!
Random Pieces of Information:
Phone: SGH-T989D
SD Card: 8GB
Carrier: Koodo
Backups: CWM v6.0.1 Backup, ROM Toolbox (Version unknown) App & Data Backup
After browsing for a bit, I finally decided to take a shot at flashing a custom ROM to my phone. I decided to try AOKP http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1828728&page=430 I downloaded all the files, and started copying them over, but had to leave for around 30 minutes, when I came back, I got ahead of myself and went straight into flashing the ROM without flashing the rest of the listed things, or wiping the data. Immediately after I started the flash, I realized I had done wrong, but I figured pulling the battery would only be worse, so I left it to finish, then rebooted, hoping for some strange reason, it would be fine. It showed my custom boot animation that I had installed on the Koodo stock ROM via ROM Toolbox (Which hadn't worked until then), but after that it just went black. I waited for ~15 minutes and after that, I pulled the battery since I figured it wasn't going to do anything.
In hopes of recovering, I went back into CWM and went to restore, it went through everything until it hit "Restoring cache...", after waiting for 30 minutes, I pulled the battery and went back into CWM to try and wipe the data, it has now froze on "Formatting /cache...". I have now stopped doing anything to it and came here for help.
I realize that around 90% of the things I did were really stupid, but I'm a very independent person who doesn't like getting help for anyone. Now I've hit the point of desperation, since I definitely don't have the cash for a new phone, not even an old school flip phone.
So, I have turned to this forum, ready to follow instructions to the letter, in hopes of fixing my phone. My primary goal is to get my phone functional without paying a penny, so if that means covering my tracks and making it look like I never did anything to void my warrenty, instructions to do that would be great, so I can get it repaired via Koodo. If it possible to get it back to factory defaults and lose every piece of data I had, that would be wonderful too. All I want is a working phone again, so if someone could guide me by posting instructions on how to fix it, or a link to a thread that would help me, that would be great too.
I found this thread, but I am not familiar with what exactly "SoftBricking" is, and whether my situation is refered as such, so if the linked to thread would apply to me, a quick post saying so would be great too. I just don't want to do anything without someone with some sort of experience to advise me, so I can avoid further failure and damage.
EDIT: I decided to try and see if I could at least get into Download Mode, as described by the SoftBricked guide. So here's what I did:
Removed and inserted battery.
I downloaded the listed drivers, ran them, it told me they were already installed and asked me if I wanted to install them anyway, I said yes, just to be safe.
I then held down Vol+ and Vol- and plugged it in. At first, I saw a large grey battery with a spinning circle in it, and felt a vibration, then it went black. Shortly after, it was a smaller battery icon, that was pure white, it then went black again. Windows said it was installing the driver. After a little bit of waiting, it said it failed to install the driver.
I don't know what to do now.
EDIT2: When I try to power on the device without holding any volume keys, it shows me the picture that tells me my device name, then the Koodo loading screen, then starts the default Samsung Boot Animation, but freezes half way, makes a whining sound, then stops and reboots again.
EDIT3: I booted into ClockwordMod Recovery, and mounted my phone, and I am able to view the files on it via my PC, if that means anything.

Just start over with the flashing instructions.
Since you're on CWM:
Flash the super wipe zip
Flash Rom of choice
Flash cache wipe zip
Reboot and let sit for 10 mins
Reboot and go.
If all else fails, find the thread for how to unroot with Odin. It's in the general section (not a sticky).
Edit: here you go http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1514434
You weren't getting into download mode last time you tried. With your phone off and your battery inserted, hold both volume buttons while plugging in the usb until you see a green android dude.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

Corosus said:
Random Pieces of Information:
Phone: SGH-T989D
SD Card: 8GB
Carrier: Koodo
Backups: CWM v6.0.1 Backup, ROM Toolbox (Version unknown) App & Data Backup
After browsing for a bit, I finally decided to take a shot at flashing a custom ROM to my phone. I decided to try AOKP http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1828728&page=430 I downloaded all the files, and started copying them over, but had to leave for around 30 minutes, when I came back, I got ahead of myself and went straight into flashing the ROM without flashing the rest of the listed things, or wiping the data. Immediately after I started the flash, I realized I had done wrong, but I figured pulling the battery would only be worse, so I left it to finish, then rebooted, hoping for some strange reason, it would be fine. It showed my custom boot animation that I had installed on the Koodo stock ROM via ROM Toolbox (Which hadn't worked until then), but after that it just went black. I waited for ~15 minutes and after that, I pulled the battery since I figured it wasn't going to do anything.
In hopes of recovering, I went back into CWM and went to restore, it went through everything until it hit "Restoring cache...", after waiting for 30 minutes, I pulled the battery and went back into CWM to try and wipe the data, it has now froze on "Formatting /cache...". I have now stopped doing anything to it and came here for help.
I realize that around 90% of the things I did were really stupid, but I'm a very independent person who doesn't like getting help for anyone. Now I've hit the point of desperation, since I definitely don't have the cash for a new phone, not even an old school flip phone.
So, I have turned to this forum, ready to follow instructions to the letter, in hopes of fixing my phone. My primary goal is to get my phone functional without paying a penny, so if that means covering my tracks and making it look like I never did anything to void my warrenty, instructions to do that would be great, so I can get it repaired via Koodo. If it possible to get it back to factory defaults and lose every piece of data I had, that would be wonderful too. All I want is a working phone again, so if someone could guide me by posting instructions on how to fix it, or a link to a thread that would help me, that would be great too.
I found this thread, but I am not familiar with what exactly "SoftBricking" is, and whether my situation is refered as such, so if the linked to thread would apply to me, a quick post saying so would be great too. I just don't want to do anything without someone with some sort of experience to advise me, so I can avoid further failure and damage.
EDIT: I decided to try and see if I could at least get into Download Mode, as described by the SoftBricked guide. So here's what I did:
Removed and inserted battery.
I downloaded the listed drivers, ran them, it told me they were already installed and asked me if I wanted to install them anyway, I said yes, just to be safe.
I then held down Vol+ and Vol- and plugged it in. At first, I saw a large grey battery with a spinning circle in it, and felt a vibration, then it went black. Shortly after, it was a smaller battery icon, that was pure white, it then went black again. Windows said it was installing the driver. After a little bit of waiting, it said it failed to install the driver.
I don't know what to do now.
EDIT2: When I try to power on the device without holding any volume keys, it shows me the picture that tells me my device name, then the Koodo loading screen, then starts the default Samsung Boot Animation, but freezes half way, makes a whining sound, then stops and reboots again.
EDIT3: I booted into ClockwordMod Recovery, and mounted my phone, and I am able to view the files on it via my PC, if that means anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume you didnt flash TDJ super wipe? what you got is a softbrick the linked you have is fine, but i fixed mine by flashing the same recovery you used when you rooted your phone. and then make sure you wipe everything even use supewipe. then restore with nandroid backup. One thing though you sound like you didnt root the phone with your computer as you dont have your proper drivers. check here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1513359 and here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1650908 it may help you. You can also find the odin koodo rom and go all stock. remember when you see the yellow brick on odin it means it recognize your phone
by the way some recoveries seems to hang on me too even the one we use to root. thats why I let rom manager to flash my recovery

How long is DARKSIDE supposed to take? It seems that the loading bar hasn't moved in a really long time. Just like when I was using the built-in CWM wipe, it is freezing on the cache.

Corosus said:
How long is DARKSIDE supposed to take? It seems that the loading bar hasn't moved in a really long time. Just like when I was using the built-in CWM wipe, it is freezing on the cache.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
5mins
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app

After giving up on getting the cache to wipe, since that's clearly not working, I remembered that the first time I got to Download Mode was by holding one volume button and pressing the power button. This worked for me, so I was able to open Odin and try to flash the stock that way, unfortunately, it failed. This is the output:
Code:
<ID:0/005> Added!!
<OSM> Enter CS for MD5..
<OSM> Check MD5.. Do not unplug the cable..
<OSM> Please wait..
<OSM> T989UVLE1_T989TMBLE1_T989UVLE1_HOME.tar.md5 is valid.
<OSM> Checking MD5 finished Sucessfully..
<OSM> Leave CS..
<ID:0/005> Odin v.3 engine (ID:5)..
<ID:0/005> File analysis..
<ID:0/005> SetupConnection..
<ID:0/005> Initialzation..
<ID:0/005> Get PIT for mapping..
<ID:0/005> Firmware update start..
<ID:0/005> boot.img
<ID:0/005> NAND Write Start!!
<ID:0/005> recovery.img
<ID:0/005> system.img.ext4
<ID:0/005> amss.bin
<ID:0/005>
<ID:0/005> Complete(Write) operation failed.
<OSM> All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)

TDJ doesnt take 5 minutes to flash. On the odin side you may have a corrupt file, try downloading it again or just flash the recovery you used to root. and they on recovery wipe everything and restore to a nandroid backup

[Q] Phone seemingly bricked randomly.

Hi all,
I have had my Galaxy Note 2 for about 3 or 4 months now. I rooted it when I got it, but lost root after a while, and didn't bother doing anything about it. So the only time I have played around with any of that stuff is when I first got it.
Now today, after using fine for most of the day, the screen just wouldn't turn on, and then I held down the power button, and it got stuck on the first screen it shows. I held down the power again, and this time the same screen showed up and got stuck, but it looked like the background was static, instead of plain black. Then the third time I tried restarting, the following message came up:
Firmware upgrade encountered an issue. Please select recovery mode in Kies and try again.
So I have a few questions. Is it bricked? Can I get my data off it (mainly concerned about messages, but would like everything if possible)? And how do I fix it?
Obviously I'm pretty new to this stuff, but I did try searching before posting this thread. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Ben

Try flashing stock rom with odin. Should work. Btw we're you on on 4.1.1 or 1.2 ?
Sent from my GT-N7100

Wtf man ?
This some kind of new ****ing syndrome ?
This is the second case...
Can you go into download mode ?
Can you flash anything like stock rom or pit file or recovery rom ?
Can you go into recovery ?
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app

Sorry, I can't be certain which version I had, but I think it was 4.1.2. I know that some of the early Note 2s didn't have the multi-window feature, but mine did, if that helps. I know it's not related to the firmware version, but possibly Samsung released both 4.1.2 and that feature in the same update.
Anyway, will flashing the stock rom keep my data? If not, I assume that's the only option? I found the following thread with instructions on flashing the stock rom:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1896696
I bought the phone from Kogan (an Australian online store), so it is a Hong Kong model. Should I use one of the Hong Kong roms then? Which one (there are 6)? Possibly someone else with a Note 2 from Kogan could help here and with identifying the firmware version?

Look into this thread. ...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2161866
Almost the same issue
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app

UtkarshGupta said:
Wtf man ?
This some kind of new ****ing syndrome ?
This is the second case...
Can you go into download mode ?
Can you flash anything like stock rom or pit file or recovery rom ?
Can you go into recovery ?
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, didn't see your post before. I can go into download mode (it asks if I want to install a custom OS or restart), but trying to go into recovery just restarts to the same error screen. I haven't tried flashing anything yet because I would like to recover my data if possible.
That other thread does look like the same issue. I saw it before, but thought it was a different problem the first time I read it. So if I can't recover my data or flash the stock rom, I should try the USB jig and then warranty? I'll wait to hear back on the data recovery and stock rom questions first.

Try flashing stock rom.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app

Yes flash stock it should work.
Sent from my GT-N7100

First thing you need is flashing stock ROM, if everything remains fine then you may not lose data, in case bootloop you may need to wipe.

dr.ketan said:
First thing you need is flashing stock ROM, if everything remains fine then you may not lose data, in case bootloop you may need to wipe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, this is what I wanted to know. Now the next question is which stock rom to use. There are heaps listed on this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1896696
But I don't know which to use, or if it matters.

You can use any
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

I just tried flashing a stock rom. I used N7100ZSDMB1.
But it failed in Odin. This is the from the message box in Odin at the end of the operation:
<ID:0/024> Added!!
<OSM> Enter CS for MD5..
<OSM> Check MD5.. Do not unplug the cable..
<OSM> Please wait..
<OSM> N7100ZSDMB1_N7100OZSDMB1_N7100XXDLK7_HOME.tar.md5 is valid.
<OSM> Checking MD5 finished Sucessfully..
<OSM> Leave CS..
<ID:0/024> Odin v.3 engine (ID:24)..
<ID:0/024> File analysis..
<ID:0/024> SetupConnection..
<ID:0/024> Initialzation..
<ID:0/024> Get PIT for mapping..
<ID:0/024> Firmware update start..
<ID:0/024> sboot.bin
<ID:0/024> NAND Write Start!!
<ID:0/024>
<ID:0/024> Complete(Write) operation failed.
<ID:0/024> Added!!
<OSM> All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)
So what should I do from here?
I also noticed that in download mode it shows the following:
Odin Mode
Product Name: GT-N7100
Custom Binary Download: No
Current Binary: Samsung Official
System status: Custom
Does the 'Custom Binary Download: No' mean that I could send it back under warranty as is? Or does 'System status: Custom' mean that they can see it has been rooted?
And is there still a chance of getting my data back, or does this mean it's not going to work?

Try to flash the original rom trough Kies if trough odin fails.
To do this, do the following:
1: Get your phone serial number from under the battery or go to the phone info/status and get it from there.
2: Put your phone into download mode but DO not connect it yet;
3: Open Kies,
4: In Kies, go to Tools and select the third function which is "Firmware Upgrade and initialization",
5:Enter the model number (ie. GT-N7100), hit OK,
6:Enter your serial number, hit OK,
7: You will be provided with the latest rom version for your phone, hit OK,
---(around now, or somewhere between steps 7-8 or 8-9, Kies should initialize and the download the firmware and Kies will act as not responding, DO NOT close it, it's the usual Samsung cheapness happening, soon it will restore itself, usually after 1-2 mins), do not worry about the phone not being connected).
8: Agreement stuff, etc. CONNECT your phone to the pc (while the phone is in dl mode), then the OK button should come out of the grey, thus clickable. Also make sure you agree to the therms otherwise no OK option for ya.
9: Magic is happening, Kies and your Note are doing their "mojo" now,
10: Wait and pray it gonna come alive again!!
In this way you should only upgrade and your actual data sould be save (considering your odin flash failed). If everything works as it should, your phone will be in the same status as it was the last time.
On the other hand, no you can't bring it back as under warranty. For that you need the following:
Odin Mode
Product Name: GT-N7100
Custom Binary Download: No
Current Binary: Samsung Official
System status: Official
Good luck, let us know how far you went

Sounds like Kies will wipe my data. Is that the case? Do I have any options left to get my data off? That is my primary concern if it's at all possible.

No kies will not wipe your data at all. It will just inject the rom into your phone. Wipe is done separately trough the wipe menu. I've done it before and never lost anything, everything from messages, background etc were in place!
Plain and simple answer: if at the moment there is no other way to boot up your phone by any means, consider your data simply GONE. Odin, Kies or any other method that will help you boot your phone up without wiping are the only ways to save anything.
After all, saving your note is your first priority...for the rest...chit happends:S

Sorry, just saw your edit. So it sounds like it could save my data. I found this thread just before:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2088809
which suggested that your data will be wiped.

What I posted above is the exact procedure

Thanks, and sorry for the late replies that make it seem like I am not reading your posts properly. Being a new member I have to wait 5 minutes between posts.
I will try Kies when I get a chance and let you know how it goes. Thanks again.

no worries

I've just gotten around to trying Kies, and got as far as entering my model and S/N, and the next thing I got was this message:
The device can be initialized to its original settings.
All settings and data will be deleted, and the latest
software version will be installed.
Do you want to proceed with the firmware upgrade and
initialization?
It says 'CAN be initialized to its original settings' so does this mean it's just an option? Matzone, have you seen this before when you have used Kies without wiping your data? I also didn't see a separate wipe option (unless this is what you were refering to), so I wonder if I'm using a different version of Kies. I have 2.5.2.13021_10.
matzone said:
After all, saving your note is your first priority...for the rest...chit happends:S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, my Note is easily replaceable (although expensive) but my data cannot be replaced. I'd be surprised if most people don't see it the same as me. I've learnt a lesson though to take regular backups.

can't wipe phone, reboots about 5 seconds into wipe, help?

The title really says it all...I am trying to wipe my phone to put on wicked 9.1 and try some new kernels, but every time I go into recovery and tell it to do a factory reset/wipe, the phone goes on like it is gong to wipe but then about five seconds in, it just reboots. Hours right back into the normal boot procedure and boots up fine like I never told it to wipe.
still pretty new to all of this, I mean I got clockwork recovery on and have learned to flat kernels kitchens and roms, but that's about it. I've never had a problem like this before, but I can't figure out what to do to wipe my phone.
IHave also tried just installing the new room and telling the installer to wipe, but then it just reboots when it gets to that point.
Is there a different way to wipe the phone? I don't want to lose my personal data such s photos calender etc, I understand I'll lost sms longer normal but I back those up so that is ok
Any help for a kind of newbie?
on advance

Also have tried going to Mount/format partition on recovery and manually formatting the data partition...same thing phone just reboots after a couple seconds and acts like I did nothing at all to it
If I was too go to factory reset in the settings menu while the phone is booted up normally what would happen? It scares me cuz it looks like it would kill everything
Oh and I screwed up and accidentally deleted my nandroid backup...yea I'm dumb

Download goo manager.
Hit menu.
Choose "install open recovery script".
Verify it has identified your device correctly.
Let it download and install TWRP.
Reboot into recovery.
Make backup using TWRP.
???
Profit.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

re: rebooting issue
asaqwert said:
The title really says it all...I am trying to wipe my phone to put on wicked 9.1 and try some new kernels, but every time I go into recovery and tell it to do a factory reset/wipe, the phone goes on like it is gong to wipe but then about five seconds in, it just reboots. Hours right back into the normal boot procedure and boots up fine like I never told it to wipe.
still pretty new to all of this, I mean I got clockwork recovery on and have learned to flat kernels kitchens and roms, but that's about it. I've never had a problem like this before, but I can't figure out what to do to wipe my phone.
IHave also tried just installing the new room and telling the installer to wipe, but then it just reboots when it gets to that point.
Is there a different way to wipe the phone? I don't want to lose my personal data such s photos calender etc, I understand I'll lost sms longer normal but I back those up so that is ok
Any help for a kind of newbie?
on advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is the best and most surest way to get your phone ready to flash the "Wicked 9.1" or any other custom rom.
(You made a good choice of wanting to flash the Wicked 9.1 rom, it's the best custom rom currently available for our phones.)
Since the recovery mode (wipe) is not functioning properly you will need to Odin flash the stock rooted rom
before flashing any of the custom roms.
By doing the following you will NOT loose any pictures, videos or emails
and you will not loose anything which is on the internal or external sdcard.
You will as you said loose sms UNLESS you go to the play store and download sms backup/restore app.
Here is a link for the SMS backup restore app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/...estore&feature=nav_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDNd
If you already have a backup/restore app like Titanium backup I would advise to backup all your apps first.
That way you will be able to restore the backup/restore sms app but you will be able to restore all your other
apps too after flashing the wicked rom.
After you backed up the sms using this app and after you have flashed the wicked rom you will need to
re-download this backup/restore sms app from the play store in order to restore your sms after you have
flashed the wicked rom.
This step by step is the best, most reliable and cleanest way to restore your phone to a stock rooted T999
and will get the phone ready for the new custom wicked rom to be flashed without any further problems.
Here is the step by step guide:
After you have followed these instructions your phone will be in the same condition
as it was the day you purchased it except for the benefit of being rooted.
Download the stock-rooted T999 firmware: http://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=9390169635556426451
After downloading it make a folder on your desktop and unzip the file
using Winzip or 7zip so the .TAR file is in the new folder you just made.
Download ODIN it's required for flashing the stock rooted firmware (a windows app) http://d-h.st/Q14
After it's downloaded extract Odin into the same folder you made containing the T999 TAR file.
Download the stock-rooted Odin flash firmware for the T999 Tmobile Galaxy S3
Run Odin by double clicking the Odin.exe within the same folder as the TAR file you extracted
Turn off your phone and boot into DOWNLOAD MODE (Volume Down + Home + Power Hold until phone powers up, then release and press Volume Up to enter Download Mode)
Once in Download Mode, connect the USB/Charger cable to the phone and plug into the USB port on your computer.
You should now see a COM** port listed toward the top-left of Odin (under ID:COM)
Click on the PDA button in the middle-right area of Odin.
Browse to and select the firmware you downloaded (TAR file)
Make sure Auto-Reboot and F. Reset Time are the only options checked and that PDA is the only other thing checked.
TRIPLE CHECK your settings and that you have selected the correct firmware for your model phone and are using the correct options.
If you are using a laptop, make absolutely sure you are plugged in, or if on battery, that it is charged enough and will not go into sleep mode during flash.
Click Start to begin the flash. This will take a while, so be patient!
Once complete, in the top-left box in Odin, it will say PASS and the phone should have automatically rebooted.
You may unplug the phone and close Odin if you wish.
Wait at least 5-10 minutes for the system to boot the first time and then build its cache! (It may seem to hang during boot, this is normal and you must be patient!!!)
Good Luck!

Didn't work at all...I'm fact, now I can't even boot into recovery it just reboots after a few seconds at the teamwin screen....
Also before I did this last thing with goo manager, I tried fixing permissions and the same thing happened it just reboots a few seconds after telling it to fix permissions in recovery
I'm really worried...I can't even get into recovery and I'm scared I'm gong to have a broken phone here shortly
Even worse my phone is my only internet connection right now

Misterjunky said:
Here is the best and most surest way to get your phone ready to flash the "Wicked 9.1" or any other custom rom.
(You made a good choice of wanting to flash the Wicked 9.1 rom, it's the best custom rom currently available for our phones.)
Since the recovery mode (wipe) is not functioning properly you will need to Odin flash the stock rooted rom
before flashing any of the custom roms.
By doing the following you will NOT loose any pictures, videos or emails
and you will not loose anything which is on the internal or external sdcard.
You will as you said loose sms UNLESS you go to the play store and download sms backup/restore app.
Here is a link for the SMS backup restore app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/...estore&feature=nav_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDNd
After you backed up the sms using this app and after you have flashed the wicked rom you will need to
re-download this backup/restore sms app from the play store in order to restore your sms after you have
flashed the wicked rom.
This step by step is the best, most reliable and cleanest way to restore your phone to a stock rooted T999
and will get the phone ready for the new custom wicked rom to be flashed without any further problems.
Here is the step by step guide:
After you have followed these instructions your phone will be in the same condition
as it was the day you purchased it except for the benefit of being rooted.
Download the stock-rooted T999 firmware: http://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=9390169635556426451
After downloading it make a folder on your desktop and unzip the file
using Winzip or 7zip so the .TAR file is in the new folder you just made.
Download ODIN it's required for flashing the stock rooted firmware (a windows app) http://d-h.st/Q14
After it's downloaded extract Odin into the same folder you made containing the T999 TAR file.
Download the stock-rooted Odin flash firmware for the T999 Tmobile Galaxy S3
Run Odin by double clicking the Odin.exe within the same folder as the TAR file you extracted
Turn off your phone and boot into DOWNLOAD MODE (Volume Down + Home + Power Hold until phone powers up, then release and press Volume Up to enter Download Mode)
Once in Download Mode, connect the USB/Charger cable to the phone and plug into the USB port on your computer.
You should now see a COM** port listed toward the top-left of Odin (under ID:COM)
Click on the PDA button in the middle-right area of Odin.
Browse to and select the firmware you downloaded (TAR file)
Make sure Auto-Reboot and F. Reset Time are the only options checked and that PDA is the only other thing checked.
TRIPLE CHECK your settings and that you have selected the correct firmware for your model phone and are using the correct options.
If you are using a laptop, make absolutely sure you are plugged in, or if on battery, that it is charged enough and will not go into sleep mode during flash.
Click Start to begin the flash. This will take a while, so be patient!
Once complete, in the top-left box in Odin, it will say PASS and the phone should have automatically rebooted.
You may unplug the phone and close Odin if you wish.
Wait at least 5-10 minutes for the system to boot the first time and then build its cache! (It may seem to hang during boot, this is normal and you must be patient!!!)
Good Luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks so much!!! by saying it didn't work at all, i meant the goo manager thing... i am just going to start trying what you've said here now...
thank you SO much, this is what forums should be about... thank you for not telling me to go search or stuff like that, cuz i didn't know what to search for or what i could even try at this point, and i don't want to risk ruining a phone i can't afford to replace!!
thanks again
will update on the results....

also what recovery is the best one currently? would you recommend the one that is installed by GooManager or should i go back to clockwork mod recovery? or the TWRP or whatever is it called?? just don't know enough about what is current... am a single daddy now and can't really afford that much time to muck about with my phone.... basically i take a night every couple of weeks to find out if there is a new ROM or Kernel that i could benefit from but i just can't seem to make/find the time to keep up to date on everything.....
thanks again!

re: flashing
asaqwert said:
also what recovery is the best one currently? would you recommend the one that is installed by GooManager or should i go back to clockwork mod recovery? or the TWRP or whatever is it called?? just don't know enough about what is current... am a single daddy now and can't really afford that much time to muck about with my phone.... basically i take a night every couple of weeks to find out if there is a new ROM or Kernel that i could benefit from but i just can't seem to make/find the time to keep up to date on everything.....
thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have used both CWM and TWRP (goomanager) and TWRP for me is the best.
If I were you I would not mess with any kernels until you get a better understanding
about customizing your phone, flashing, adding mods, what kernels do and why many
people like to change the stock kernels to custom kernels.
I have tried all the custom kernels and I cannot see the purpose of doing so.
With custom kernels you can make the phone respond faster but then you
sacrifice battery life, if you want better battery life you can adjust these kernels
so they use less battery power but then you sacrifice the phone's responsiveness.
I think that the manufacturer of the phone got it just about right with the stock kernel.
A good balance between speed and battery consumption.
Good Luck!

OH MY GOD... what the hell do i do... i'm getting so choked here now...
tried ODIN, wouldn't work... it gave me the following output:
<ID:0/004> Added!!
<OSM> Enter CS for MD5..
<OSM> Check MD5.. Do not unplug the cable..
<OSM> Please wait..
<OSM> root66_TMO_T999UVDLJA.tar.md5 is valid.
<OSM> Checking MD5 finished Sucessfully..
<OSM> Leave CS..
<ID:0/004> Odin v.3 engine (ID:4)..
<ID:0/004> File analysis..
<ID:0/004> SetupConnection..
<ID:0/004> Initialzation..
<ID:0/004> Get PIT for mapping..
<ID:0/004> Firmware update start..
<ID:0/004> aboot.mbn
<ID:0/004> NAND Write Start!!
<ID:0/004> FAIL! (Auth)
<OSM> All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)
what do i do??? it won't let me do anything... i'm just freaking right out now...
whenever it tries to do anything with the data partition it seems to just force reboot.,..
any ideas? please help me here...

re: try this
asaqwert said:
OH MY GOD... what the hell do i do... i'm getting so choked here now...
tried ODIN, wouldn't work... it gave me the following output:
<ID:0/004> Added!!
<OSM> Enter CS for MD5..
<OSM> Check MD5.. Do not unplug the cable..
<OSM> Please wait..
<OSM> root66_TMO_T999UVDLJA.tar.md5 is valid.
<OSM> Checking MD5 finished Sucessfully..
<OSM> Leave CS..
<ID:0/004> Odin v.3 engine (ID:4)..
<ID:0/004> File analysis..
<ID:0/004> SetupConnection..
<ID:0/004> Initialzation..
<ID:0/004> Get PIT for mapping..
<ID:0/004> Firmware update start..
<ID:0/004> aboot.mbn
<ID:0/004> NAND Write Start!!
<ID:0/004> FAIL! (Auth)
<OSM> All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)
what do i do??? it won't let me do anything... i'm just freaking right out now...
whenever it tries to do anything with the data partition it seems to just force reboot.,..
any ideas? please help me here...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this, do the same thing you done before but instead of using the stock rooted firmware
try this one: http://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=9390169635556426424
This is the 100% stock firmware WITHOUT root.
The firmware is identical to what all the T999 phones came with from Samsung.
If this flashes successfully you will need to ROOT the phone before you do anything else.
Right now your phone is in the same condition as it was before trying to flash the stock rooted firmware.
Good Luck.

sorry for the freak out post, i just actually AM freaking out.... when i was mucking about with ODIN i realized i had used it before with the SGS3 toolkit for snapdragon v2.1, so i figured maybe i could try to put a stock rom on that way, well all i could get on was a stock recovery, then i put on a CWM recovery using the toolkit and ODIN, and for whatever reason, that recovery will only read my external SD card and not my internal one, and will only let me flash off that... some how, and thankfully, i had a FreeGS3 7.1 rom on there that i was able to flash, as it wouldn't boot up at all after the failure with ODIN... now i got it booting into FreeGS3 7.1 but it is acting really odd... slower than anything, it's slower than my old HTC maple was, feels like an old phone on froyo or something....
so any other idaes? thanks for the help so far
p.s. about the kernels, i've had pretty good luck up until now with sticking with kernels by some of the really experienced devs, like morphic and faux123, and the biggest reason i want to muck about with them is so that i can undervolt my phone, and get a little longer battery life.... i can deal with a LITTLE bit of a loss of performance, as i rarely do much more than browse the web, text, email, and call on my phone, maybe read the news on the BBC app, and do other stuff like that, but no gaming ever, and don't watch much for video on it either, so i really can't tell the difference in speed too much if i have it set up for slightly better battery life
but at this point, i honestly just want it to work again! i just want to be able to wipe it and start from square one! i don't think i could even bring it back to the store for a warranty because they're going to obviously see that i had a different ROM on it than stock

Misterjunky said:
Try this, do the same thing you done before but instead of using the stock rooted firmware
try this one: http://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=9390169635556426424
This is the 100% stock firmware WITHOUT root.
The firmware is identical to what all the T999 phones came with from Samsung.
If this flashes successfully you will need to ROOT the phone before you do anything else.
Right now your phone is in the same condition as it was before flashing the stock rooted firmware.
Good Luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
before i do this, i'm just wondering if you have any idea why it might be acting this way? i just feel like i'm going to have the same kind of trouble i just had with this rom, as it was obviously having issues with wiping the data partition and/or another area.... i just don't want to muck about too much and end up with a brick... so any ideas why it is doing this and if there is just simply some sort of command i can use to force it to do a wipe, using ODIN or the toolkit, or something else? if so, i'd need some help getting it right, thats for sure
i also am using my phone to tether my computer, as we don't have internet at home for this month, so i really kind of need to know if something SHOULD work or if it is just a shot in the dark, beause if it is a shot in the dark and it fails and i can't get my phone booted again, then i can't even get on the net to post info and get more help.... i'll be screwed and i just realized that my boss wanted to call me in the morning, i thought he was calling friday morning not tomrw

asaqwert said:
before i do this, i'm just wondering if you have any idea why it might be acting this way? i just feel like i'm going to have the same kind of trouble i just had with this rom, as it was obviously having issues with wiping the data partition and/or another area.... i just don't want to muck about too much and end up with a brick... so any ideas why it is doing this and if there is just simply some sort of command i can use to force it to do a wipe, using ODIN or the toolkit, or something else? if so, i'd need some help getting it right, thats for sure
i also am using my phone to tether my computer, as we don't have internet at home for this month, so i really kind of need to know if something SHOULD work or if it is just a shot in the dark, beause if it is a shot in the dark and it fails and i can't get my phone booted again, then i can't even get on the net to post info and get more help.... i'll be screwed and i just realized that my boss wanted to call me in the morning, i thought he was calling friday morning not tomrw
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only thing I can think of right now is that you tried to flash some custom kernel or rom which
was not compatible with the phone if this is the case then that's what started the problem.
If the above is true then I would try to flash the STOCK kernel without trying to WIPE anything.
Here is the STOCK kernel you can flash in TWRP or CWM: http://dl.xda-developers.com/attach.../51821620/1/4/3/4/1/6/1/T999UVALH2-Kernel.zip
Try flashing this stock kernel first, if it does not help I would go ahead and ODIN flash the un-rooted stock firmware.
As long as you can get into download mode your phone is NOT bricked.
Good luck!

Did you try verifying the checksum?

First, yea checksum is all good
, that kernel won't download it just says error 410 - gone
other links?
,Honestly, I don't feel it is anything to do with the kernel...I think that something has changed some setting to do with the data partition or something
you do a factory reset/ wipe, what exactly does the phone wipe? Can I do this manually with adb or something? If so, how? Sorry to ask for this kind of help but I'm at my wits end, I'm honestly just about to lose it, the other reason I wanted to flash wicked 9.1 is that my phone was getting slow and unusable something was going on with it....I'm honestly almost in tears with this as I can't afford to buy anything right now and I need my phone to work for work, or I can't make ANY money, so right now I'm screwed. I've never had anything even similar to this happen before
Please help me get this back to working....as it is it is unusable and laggy to they point where I can't do much of anything....I'm actually at Tim Horton's on their Wi-Fi with my laptop trying to get it to work because my phone is so messed up

Factory reset wipes your data partition. And I guess some other things. What was it you tried to Odin? Was it stock UVDLJC? Try both Odin versions in my signature, as some people have had issues with the newer one.
I recommend trying that. Because if that doesn't work, my money is on hardware failure.

Aerowinder said:
Factory reset wipes your data partition. And I guess some other things. What was it you tried to Odin? Was it stock UVDLJC? Try both Odin versions in my signature, as some people have had issues with the newer one.
I recommend trying that. Because if that doesn't work, my money is on hardware failure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I'm trying to flash basically anything that might help me be able to wipe my phone so that I can either go back to stock and warranty the phone if there are legit problems with the hardware, or what is more likely is that there is just some file that got corrupted and is forcing the phone to reboot when I try to wipe. In that car I just want to be able to wipe and install wicked 9.1.
Dos anyone have a working link to the stock kernel? The link provided above does not work
And are there any other ideas? I just find it hard to believe that there is a hardware failure when the phone has been working fine, just getting a little laggy, and honestly I just wanted to upgrade to the new wicked Rom....I just find it very hard to imagine that a hardware issue is causing me to not be able to wipe but I can still use the phone normally in every other way
Again, is there a way to manually wipe using adb ro some other program? If so how, and what exactly do I wipe and what do I leave alone? I've managed to copy everything I want to save over from my phone so I should be ok to format whatever I need to
Please help! And thanks again and thanks in advance
Oh and by ghee way Odin will let me flash a new recovery, it is only when I try to flash one of the two stock roms that were linked above that it errors out....I haven't tried anything else with Odin yet, not really sure how
I flash a normal Rom file with Odin? How so?

Aerowinder said:
Factory reset wipes your data partition. And I guess some other things. What was it you tried to Odin? Was it stock UVDLJC? Try both Odin versions in my signature, as some people have had issues with the newer one.
I recommend trying that. Because if that doesn't work, my money is on hardware failure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh and when i go to the link for the older version of odin that is in your sig, it says that it can't find it....any help there?

this is what i got with the Odin 1.85 that i got from your sig... i got it working, was something in my hosts file blocking access to the site... my bad there
<ID:0/005> Added!!
<OSM> Enter CS for MD5..
<OSM> Check MD5.. Do not unplug the cable..
<OSM> Please wait..
<OSM> root66_TMO_T999UVDLJA.tar.md5 is valid.
<OSM> Checking MD5 finished Sucessfully..
<OSM> Leave CS..
<ID:0/005> Odin v.3 engine (ID:5)..
<ID:0/005> File analysis..
<ID:0/005> SetupConnection..
<ID:0/005> Initialzation..
<ID:0/005> Get PIT for mapping..
<ID:0/005> Firmware update start..
<ID:0/005> aboot.mbn
<ID:0/005> NAND Write Start!!
<ID:0/005>
<ID:0/005> Complete(Write) operation failed.
<OSM> All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)
any ideas?
also, on the phone screen itself, it says the following:
ODIN MODE
PRODUCT NAME: SGH-T999V
CUSTOM BINARY DOWNLOAD: Yes (5 Counts)
CURRENT BINARY: Custom
SYSTEM STATUS: Custom
QUALCOMM SECUREBOOT: ENABLE
SECURE CHECK FAIL: aboot
so any ideas what the crap is going on?

So do you have a t999 or a t999v?
You can access the proper t999v firmware from my signature.

[Q] Stock S3 stuck on boot cycle, can't access recovery mode, and odin fails

Hi a few days ago my phone was restarted and it got stuck on the samsung galaxy s3 screen. It is a t-mobile sgh-t999 model. It will boot into download mode but not recovery. After trying Kies to no result. I have deleted it from my pc and attempted to recover by flashing the stock rom using odin. I've tried that many times and always fails as well.
I have reinstalled s3 drivers. Made sure Kies is completely gone. I have downloaded the stock rom and three versions of Odin 3.04 3.07 and 3.09 and I get the same results. A write failure. Does anyone have any ideas how to proceed?
One observation I've noticed is that the bar underneath the Android in Download mode never appears. Which leads me to think that it never starts the process of taking the firmware.
Any ideas what to do next?

What is the error message?

Having same trouble

hi Serio22
NAND Write Start!!
FAIL!
Complete(write) operation failed.

serio22 said:
What is the error message?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Serio22
NAND Write Start!!
FAIL!
Complete(write) operation failed.

Same exact issue on my sgh-t999
This morning it restarted itself (plugged into charger all night) and stuck at Samsung Galaxy SIII on screen. Recovery doesn't work and it will go into download mode. I am downloading the stock firmware from (sammobile firmwares SGH-T999) and will try installing with Odin tomorrow.
I will likely fail like you guys. I have taken such good care of the phone, never drop it, not a scratch on the screen...and this randomly happens in the middle of the night.
Please update!

Same exact issue on my SGH-T999 which makes me wonder that this is some software update issue that has possibly impacted many phones at this time.
In my case, it also restarted by itself this morning and got stuck at Samsung Galaxy SIII on screen. I started from figuring out if it was a hardware issue but the phone seems OK physically (i.e. the power button is not stuck, etc.). Recovery doesn't work and it will go into download mode like indicated by others above. I tried downloading the stock firmware SGH-T999 from Sammobile (actually a couple of different versions and tried installing via Odin 3.-07 many times but always failed with the error message above or
<ID:0/008> SetupConnection..
<ID:0/008> Complete(Write) operation failed.
I also tried installing non-stock recovery files (TWRP, trying CWM at the moment) and that worked but without success in changing anything in the initial issue.

Sounds like they are sending bad firmware bricking our phones over night. Sorry I've found no solution yet.
whattheschmidt said:
Same exact issue on my sgh-t999
This morning it restarted itself (plugged into charger all night) and stuck at Samsung Galaxy SIII on screen. Recovery doesn't work and it will go into download mode. I am downloading the stock firmware from (sammobile firmwares SGH-T999) and will try installing with Odin tomorrow.
I will likely fail like you guys. I have taken such good care of the phone, never drop it, not a scratch on the screen...and this randomly happens in the middle of the night.
Please update!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Just an observation. I too was only getting the
"Complete (Write) operation failed." message at first.
After trying to flash the stock rom via Odin multiple times, I now get
"NAND Write Start!!"
"FAIL!"
Hope I didn't make it worse.
MarcinT said:
Same exact issue on my SGH-T999 which makes me wonder that this is some software update issue that has possibly impacted many phones at this time.
In my case, it also restarted by itself this morning and got stuck at Samsung Galaxy SIII on screen. I started from figuring out if it was a hardware issue but the phone seems OK physically (i.e. the power button is not stuck, etc.). Recovery doesn't work and it will go into download mode like indicated by others above. I tried downloading the stock firmware SGH-T999 from Sammobile (actually a couple of different versions and tried installing via Odin 3.-07 many times but always failed with the error message above or
<ID:0/008> SetupConnection..
<ID:0/008> Complete(Write) operation failed.
I also tried installing non-stock recovery files (TWRP, trying CWM at the moment) and that worked but without success in changing anything in the initial issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

SGH -t999 Pit File
Does anyone have any idea if flashing the stock rom with the T999 pit file in Odin possibly fix this problem? I've been reading about it, but can't really determine if this is the next step to troubleshoot this problem.

Write start and immediate fail in my case as well.
Keep looking into this and updating thread. I already ordered a new phone because of this but will want to fix this phone to sell it if not just sell the new one and stick with this longer...

I tried updating to the newest version of ROM using Kies but that did not work, either. Sometimes the phone cannot be recognized by Windows and sometimes Kies says it is "connecting" with the phone. When I tried updating, Kies did not see the phone, so maybe it had a negative impact on the download. I am going to uninstall the drivers and install them again just before connecting the phone to Kies and try updating again. This stuff is really time consuming.
I could not find a good CWM recovery file to flash via Odin so I did not try that. The interesting thing is that successfully flashing TWRP recovery file did not do anything - I still cannot get into recovery mode. Then I tried flashing stock recovery file again - and got the FAIL! message from Odin.

I've seen other threads talking about this issue, but don't remember if it was ever fixed. Have you guys tried different cables or computers?

I've tried a different cable (non-stock) but that did not help at all. I can try a different computer and will report here.

No update on fixing the phone...I tried everything I could on my end really. I think I will have to look at sending it in to Samsung?
I bought a used S5 on ebay. Much faster and nicer...liking it quite a bit. Samsungs update to break my phone and buy a newer Samsung worked I guess.

Daughter's SIII crashed also, her phone was bootlooping. Since her volume button doesn't work, I used a jig to put into D/L mode. Flashed T999LUVUBOH1_T999LTMBBOH1_T999LUVUBOH1_HOME.tar.md5 from Sammobile and ODIN said it passed. The phone will not go passed the "T-Mobile 4G LTE" screen. I've tried several times, always passes, always gets stuck.
Daughter doesn't mind, she's been using the Note II that I didn't want to part with after getting myself the Note 5

When flashing the stock rom with Odin, do not check anything except f.reset time. After flashing, and seeing the word reset in the status window, remove USB cable, remove battery, replace battery, boot into recovery, assuming the volume up me home button work, no perform a factory wipe.
The volume up and down button don't work?