Hi,
I plugged my note 4 into the OEM charger and all of a sudden it just goes into a bootloop continuously.
Occasionally it will reach the home screen and reboot again, but more often than not.. it reboot before the Sprint logo comes up.
Was fine before i plugged it in and was trouble free prior to that.
My phone is stock, not rooted.
The fact that it will reboot even at the Note 4 welcome sign is leading me to believe this could be a hardware issue...
Any ideas?
Anybody had the same situation and had luck troubleshooting or fixing this?
Any and all help i much appreciated...
Regards,
asmd.
Can you boot into recovery?
First thing I'd try is to pull battery, boot into stock recovery and wipe cache and try to boot.
If not booting, try wiping cache and dalvik.
You have the option to just take it in for evaluation but you should determine if you have reactivation lock enabled before doing anything else.
Still not booting? Factory reset. But if you have reactivation lock enabled that is not a good idea. It would be better if one of the two above booted the phone.
If reactivation lock is enabled, you need to install the same update the phone is on to prevent factory reset protection from activating. Don't factory reset yet; Odin or taking in for service may be your only option. If it boots, you should be able to open with same unlock method as before.
If you have reactivation lock disabled, you're free to try factory reset or update to latest through KIES. I've heard Samsung Switch may work too. You could also factory reset and update or emergency recover with one of those.
If still not booting, if it just updated, I'd mention that and not the charger you mentioned. It could be corrupt memory due to battery failing or bad update. The eMMC may be failing too.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
samep said:
Can you boot into recovery?
First thing I'd try is to pull battery, boot into stock recovery and wipe cache and try to boot.
If not booting, try wiping cache and dalvik.
You have the option to just take it in for evaluation but you should determine if you have reactivation lock enabled before doing anything else.
Still not booting? Factory reset. But if you have reactivation lock enabled that is not a good idea. It would be better if one of the two above booted the phone.
If reactivation lock is enabled, you need to install the same update the phone is on to prevent factory reset protection from activating. Don't factory reset yet; Odin or taking in for service may be your only option. If it boots, you should be able to open with same unlock method as before.
If you have reactivation lock disabled, you're free to try factory reset or update to latest through KIES. I've heard Samsung Switch may work too. You could also factory reset and update or emergency recover with one of those.
If still not booting, if it just updated, I'd mention that and not the charger you mentioned. It could be corrupt memory due to battery failing or bad update. The eMMC may be failing too.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply...
Ive been messing with it all morning... and if i leave it a lone and it cools, it will last a little longer than when it becomes warm, rebooting quicker and quicker.
i managed to get into recover and did a factory reset and cleared cache.
it has made no difference.
The longest time its gone before rebooting is the lock screen.... and the it reboots again.
as it warms, it eventually wont even get past the Note 4 welcome screen before rebooting.. and then finally freezing and will require a battery pull.
Makes no difference if its on charge or off.
i have a sinking feeling about this.....
Could be terminal but you haven't tried to flash firmware on partitions with Smart Switch, KIES or Odin yet. Right? You can check the phone status while in download mode to verify reactivation lock is disabled.
Try one of those on PC or take it to Sprint to have it flashed again.
If you purchased at Best Buy and they have a Samsung Experience kiosk, they can do that too. Dunno, maybe it doesn't matter if you purchased there or not but they've flashed my phone a couple of times.
I've tried to guide you down the path of least effort to restore your, if possible. There's still some hope of recovery.
Edit: Your battery could be suspect. Let it cool and plug in to make sure it's at least 60% or higher. If the battery is near a year old, I'd suggest fully charging but get a replacement if you frequently discharge it to 15% or lower. Especially if you use fast charging.
But you've most likely discharged it with all that reboot activity and heating up. Kudos to you if you're managing all that and keep a healthy battery. Otherwise, the battery may be contributing to or causing your issues.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
thank you for the help..
reactivation lock is off.
i can't get it to reliably not reboot anywhere in any screen.. only screen that will stay on for any period of time is recovery... but the phone stays cool.
Its not the battery, i have two, and both do the same thing.. the battery does not get warm, area that gets warm is neft to the battery below the sd card slot. (sd card removed).
Frequency of hang/reboot seems to be related to how warm that area gets.
The most i have managed to do is get into my phone past the lockscreen and it will shortly freeze and reboot as it warms up.. it will reboot at the note 4 welcome screen or sprint logo... and repeat... eventually to hang.
Both batteries are charged fully using the external charger. (samsung oem)
Shame, not a scratch on her....
Oh well, on to Ebay for parts/AS IS and time to move on...
Even if doubtful, I'd still take it back to Sprint or place of purchase.
The Note 4 has a bit of history with eMMC failure. It's even happened with updates and Samsung and Sprint is apparently aware of it. A while back I saw that listed as an ongoing carryover of known issues that needed resolution.
I don't have true stats on exchanges but several users here have repeatedly gotten deals on replacement phones, paying a small percentage when they failed- similar to yours.
OTA updates have also been suspect to cause eMMC failure. But honestly, l don't know what causes this: bad hardware or updates? Maybe it's just bad hardware not taking updates well? Nonetheless, I don't know if I've just been lucky or my hardware is stable. Still going strong here with no hint of failure.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
can i still take it back even though its out of warranty?
nearing 2 years now....
asmd6230 said:
can i still take it back even though its out of warranty?
nearing 2 years now....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No promises. Couldn't hurt. If you don't like the answer you get from first Sprint store, try another.
I would mention that bit of history with the updates.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
asmd6230 said:
Hi,
I plugged my note 4 into the OEM charger and all of a sudden it just goes into a bootloop continuously.
Occasionally it will reach the home screen and reboot again, but more often than not.. it reboot before the Sprint logo comes up.
Was fine before i plugged it in and was trouble free prior to that.
My phone is stock, not rooted.
The fact that it will reboot even at the Note 4 welcome sign is leading me to believe this could be a hardware issue...
Any ideas?
Anybody had the same situation and had luck troubleshooting or fixing this?
Any and all help i much appreciated...
Regards,
asmd.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the exact same issue going on with my wives phone. Just started yesterday out of no where rebooting over and over. Never really getting past the Samsung splash screen. She got an update like a week ago, but other than downloading a new app several hours earlier nothing sticks out to why its happening. I was able to once get into safemode, but the phone rebooted a minute into it and typically doesn't even get to the sprint splash screen when I've tried to do it since. It's totally stock and has not been unlocked or rooted. I thought it could be the battery since so many of these boot issues on the Note4 deal with that when googling, but my battery from my working Note4 in her phone does the same thing and her battery in my phone works just fine. I can get into the recovery options menu (volume up + home + power) and I can get into the download area (volume down + home + power) for loading bootloaders and such for long periods of time with no issues. I've cleared the cache with no luck. Haven't tried factory reset yet because I want to try to recover the photos and stuff first. Searching for the issue on google I came across this software (android-recovery.net/android-recovery-mode.html#two) where I was able to use the download area and connect the phone with this app which used its own bootup and it was able to show me all the files on the phone for recovery so we could retrieve them. It wanted $50 to complete the process though and, knowing the advances that everyone here has made on their phones I decided to decline that and search these forums for a way to just access the file directory of my the phone and retrieve my wives stuff prior to factory resetting it. I believe something is wrong with the bootloader of the phone and that is why it cannot get to the android OS to start up, but I could be wrong. Reading various articles made me to believe that if I just were to unlock the phone for rooting that possibly that could fix this issue with the bootloader or at least be able to recover her photos and stuff. I do have insurance on the phone and could get it fixed or replaced, but that would be a $200 deductible I believe and first thing they're going to try is factory resetting the phone which will lose her data we're trying to save.
It almost seems as if I were to get TWRP installed that I'd be able to access the files without the need of loading any ROMs. But I'm not sure if that will work in my case or erase data when I do it. The threads I'm reading aren't clear on that part. I would really be grateful if anyone could help me out with figuring out the easiest way to recover her stuff or get it working. Its been a long time since I've unlocked any phones and they were all iPhones back in the day when they were only on AT&T and I had T-mobile and wanted to it work.
@dsm_gsx97
I would suggest you try Odin and install the same update, if possible. That may be the most likely to retain your data if it's not corrupted.
Unfortunately, I don't think TWRP recovery works for Note 4 to copy data to PC. But if you go with that, know that it will trip Knox and void factory warranty. But if that's not an issue, you could copy data from internal memory to extSdCard to salvage it if it's not corrupt or private.
I know KIES has an emergency firmware recovery mode that may offer to reprogram it. But you may lose your data. Not sure but I think your phone has to booted into system to backup with KIES or Smart Switch?
This thread has the recent available stock tars, Odin and general instructions to get you started.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=63868221
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
samep said:
@dsm_gsx97
I would suggest you try Odin and install the same update, if possible. That may be the most likely to retain your data if it's not corrupted.
Unfortunately, I don't think TWRP recovery works for Note 4 to copy data to PC. But if you go with that, know that it will trip Knox and void factory warranty. But if that's not an issue, you could copy data from internal memory to extSdCard to salvage it if it's not corrupt or private.
I know KIES has an emergency firmware recovery mode that may offer to reprogram it. But you may lose your data. Not sure but I think your phone has to booted into system to backup with KIES or Smart Switch?
This thread has the recent available stock tars, Odin and general instructions to get you started.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=63868221
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much for the quick response. I would rather not void my factory warranty in case I have to use the insurance to replace it so it sounds like TWRP is out which is why I didn't use it yet because I was worried about that. I did try KIES and it said that firmware upgrade and initialization would erase all data. So I ruled out using that too. I did notice while in the recovery menu of her phone that it says she's on N910PVPU1ANIE ...so I put my phone in recovery menu and I'm on N910PVPU4DPH4. Googling her version it looks like hers is very old and mine is fairly new which makes sense because I did the update a few days ago also. I wonder if hers is so old because that's what the other software program put it on to be able to bootload it to recover the files.
Anyways looking at your link I think I'll try oden with one of the more recent TARs after getting her stuff off with that program. Yes I'll just pay the $50 for peace of mind. I really appreciate your advice. Its not easy gathering all the answers without really being involved on this forum so thank you for that thread. None of the TARs listed is the update I have, but that shouldn't matter should it? As long as its a newer one than what it says she has?
dsm_gsx97 said:
Thank you very much for the quick response. I would rather not void my factory warranty in case I have to use the insurance to replace it so it sounds like TWRP is out which is why I didn't use it yet because I was worried about that. I did try KIES and it said that firmware upgrade and initialization would erase all data. So I ruled out using that too. I did notice while in the recovery menu of her phone that it says she's on N910PVPU1ANIE ...so I put my phone in recovery menu and I'm on N910PVPU4DPH4. Googling her version it looks like hers is very old and mine is fairly new which makes sense because I did the update a few days ago also. I wonder if hers is so old because that's what the other software program put it on to be able to bootload it to recover the files.
Anyways looking at your link I think I'll try oden with one of the more recent TARs after getting her stuff off with that program. Yes I'll just pay the $50 for peace of mind. I really appreciate your advice. Its not easy gathering all the answers without really being involved on this forum so thank you for that thread. None of the TARs listed is the update I have, but that shouldn't matter should it? As long as its a newer one than what it says she has?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was it only the OTA update that updated that phone?
NIE is the original-initial release of the Note 4. If OTA tried to update it, it must have failed?
Nonetheless, you should know the history of that phone. I wouldn't install one of those recent updates until you've backed up your data. You may lose your data jumping to a much newer update.
The phone doesn't boot at all? If it does boot, you could run Phone Info for Samsung from Google Play to see what the partitions are actually at. That would help to recover that data if possible to do so. But also KIES could backup data if it boots.
The NIE stock tar is in post #2 of this thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=56853325&postcount=1
If it boots after Odin, your data may be OK. If not, may be corrupted data or partition.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
samep said:
Was it only the OTA update that updated that phone?
NIE is the original-initial release of the Note 4. If OTA tried to update it, it must have failed?
Nonetheless, you should know the history of that phone. I wouldn't install one of those recent updates until you've backed up your data. You may lose your data jumping to a much newer update.
The phone doesn't boot at all? If it does boot, you could run Phone Info for Samsung from Google Play to see what the partitions are actually at. That would help to recover that data if possible to do so. But also KIES could backup data if it boots.
The NIE stock tar is in post #2 of this thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=56853325&postcount=1
If it boots after Odin, your data may be OK. If not, may be corrupted data or partition.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
She's done plenty of updates over the last few years since we got the phoens. In fact she did that last update a few days before I did. That's why I was confused when I noticed what it said at the top of the bootloader screen for her update version. The phone does not boot at all. Only to the the Samsung splash screen and never gets to the sprint splash screen. It initially would get further, but now doesn't at all. I went ahead and paid for that software and have now backed up all her stuff. Was hoping to fix it without factory resetting the phone. At this point at least I have a backup, but ideally it would save her from losing all her texts and other crap.
dsm_gsx97 said:
She's done plenty of updates over the last few years since we got the phoens. In fact she did that last update a few days before I did. That's why I was confused when I noticed what it said at the top of the bootloader screen for her update version. The phone does not boot at all. Only to the the Samsung splash screen and never gets to the sprint splash screen. It initially would get further, but now doesn't at all. I went ahead and paid for that software and have now backed up all her stuff. Was hoping to fix it without factory resetting the phone. At this point at least I have a backup, but ideally it would save her from losing all her texts and other crap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In that case, try the most recent stock tar in the first thread you were about to try.
Something seems off but trying to flash the original stock tar would be problematic if it was updated beyond Android 5.0
If it doesn't boot, you'll most likely have to factory reset it.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
Note 4 bootloop
just heat main ic little bit with past and check there is no heatup board on boot.and set is ok.tested
Related
Hi folks, long time reader, first time noob answer seeker.
I'm no stranger to rooting, flashing, hacking about and such - I even spend most of my day as a software engineer, and I've finally given up on this one - so here I am (rock me like a hurricane), please be kind.
SM-900T - It was rocking pretty darn well on Jedi Elite which I had flashed over rooted stock 4.3 MI7 - then (probably after one too many XPosed modules) it just kept rebooting randomly. Thinking it was no biggie, I thought I could just reflash to stock and call it a day. Thirteen or so flashes later, I gave up on 4.3 and figured I'd just take the thing up to 4.4.2 NB4 by upgrading everything to 4.4.2 via Kies.
That's when I first ran into the bootloop issue, read a lot about it, and managed to get it up(ish) on stock, rooted, with Philz 6.X... Couldn't flash a ROM to save myself and wound up with another soft brick.
Flash forward to Friday - decided to start from scratch again - attempted to flash stock 4.4.2 from Kies, from Odin, From Heimdall... Nothing seems to be able to get me out of the current state it's in:
Only boots to download mode. Flashes seem to work fine, but on that first reboot where it tries to go to stock recovery to finish up on the device itself, it never gets there - boot loops trying to load recovery no matter how it wants to get there. If I pull the battery and start up (either straight to system or by cancelling out of download mode), it boot loops trying to load system. Boots fine to download mode, where I attempt to flash again with the same results.
Yes, I've tried Odin 3.0.9, 3.0.7, 1.8.5, Heimdall on Mac, Heimdall on Windows, Kies on Mac, Kies on Windows - repartition via PIT and not. Installed, uninstalled, and reinstalled all software and drivers multiple times, tried multiple cables on multiple USB ports.... Most of the time it looks like it's going to be fine (sometimes the flash fails, usually through Kies), but never surivives that first reboot after the flash.
Every answer I've seen says to do the things I've already done or cannot do (flash stock via Odin, pull the battery and boot to stock recovery and do a factory reset - which I'd LOVE to do, but can't). No problem recognizing the sucker on the PC/Mac
Next step: try flashing a N9005 ROM...
Any other thoughts? I do have another N900T that's working but has a blacklisted IMEI, and I've been tempted to swap the IMEIs a last resort (although either I'm too dumb to make it stick, EFS pro says it succeeds in writing the IMEI after I do a EFS format, but it doesn't stick.... Either I'm missing something, or I need a UART cable) - is there a way of swapping just the radio hardware or just the internal storage? OR, is there a way of taking a full system image of my working phone and making an Odin-flashable tar from that?
Failing any of these options, perhaps I'll wait for an Odin-flashable 4.4.3 if such a thing exists - or, hope to get lucky and swap it out at a store praying they don't see I've tripped Knox.
Looks like you've tried almost everything. Take it in and have them swap it.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
Coming from you...
noobtoob said:
Looks like you've tried almost everything. Take it in and have them swap it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming from you (I have read, and am quite thankful for, many of your posts), sounds like that might be the best option, however disconcerting.
bondidave said:
Coming from you (I have read, and am quite thankful for, many of your posts), sounds like that might be the best option, however disconcerting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I do have a few ideas... Got done questions though.
1. Do you have an external SD card?
2. It goes all the way through flash on 4.4 even with heimdall?
3. Is there anything you have left out? Even the smallest detail can help, and by the op you are detail oriented, so I just need to know.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
... is there a way of taking a full system image of my working phone and making an Odin-flashable tar from that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but I don't have the details handy.
All your attempts suggest to me that you might have some damaged hardware which is causing data corruption during transfer. Open the back and take a good look at the USB port. Tighten the screws and try a transfer while firmly holding the cable in place -- don't move it while transferring.
If that doesn't work then let 'noobtoob' walk you through booting with the removable sdcard. Your second N900T will be needed to write the data to the sdcard. If this works then you can 'dd' write stock partitions to an sd card with #2 then 'dd' write them in #1.
If either of those works then unroot and take it in for warrenty exchange.
Frank
bondidave said:
... then (probably after one too many XPosed modules) it just kept rebooting randomly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This also indicates data corruption, and this is what started it all. Since you have tried various cables and computers that leaves the device, probably the USB port.
Frank
probably the USB port.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Swapped the main board with the working phone to rule out the USB port - still no luck.
Definitely interested in trying the boot from external SD, I'll do my own search for it, unless you can quickly provide me with a link - but if it's as easy as it sounds (booting off of an SD in order to be able to send ADB commands to dd copy the partitions from the good phone to SD then from the booted SD back to internal) - I'm happy to give it a shot.
Tempted just to swing by TMO just to see if they'll swap it "under warranty" (despite picking it up from a private sale) - the only way they would notice it's been "tampered" with would be to check the knox counter by attempting to run download mode.
Oh, and yes, it does go all the way through with the flash (at least in Odin - I haven't tried a full flash through heimdall, just boot and recovery, Kies occasionally goes through to the end, but sometimes craps out at the same 57% point at which point the emergency restore screen shows up)
Thanks again guys
bondidave said:
Swapped the main board with the working phone to rule out the USB port - still no luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, but I still think the problem was initially caused by corruption. Maybe the files you have been flashing are corrupt.
Definitely interested in trying the boot from external SD, I'll do my own search for it, unless you can quickly provide me with a link - but if it's as easy as it sounds (booting off of an SD in order to be able to send ADB commands to dd copy the partitions from the good phone to SD then from the booted SD back to internal) - I'm happy to give it a shot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the thread, it would be good to read the whole thing but if you need to save time begin at this message: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=48685247&postcount=158
I have not tried this procedure yet but @noobtoob was actively involved in it.
Tempted just to swing by TMO just to see if they'll swap it "under warranty" (despite picking it up from a private sale) - the only way they would notice it's been "tampered" with would be to check the knox counter by attempting to run download mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please try the SD-boot first so that we can add that experience to this newly developed procedure.
Oh, and yes, it does go all the way through with the flash (at least in Odin - I haven't tried a full flash through heimdall, just boot and recovery, Kies occasionally goes through to the end, but sometimes craps out at the same 57% point at which point the emergency restore screen shows up)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have probably tried it, but if not, download fresh copies of everything and check the MD5 values.
Frank
Frank Westlake said:
OK, but I still think the problem was initially caused by corruption. Maybe the files you have been flashing are corrupt.
This is the thread, it would be good to read the whole thing but if you need to save time begin at this message: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=48685247&postcount=158
I have not tried this procedure yet but @noobtoob was actively involved in it.
Please try the SD-boot first so that we can add that experience to this newly developed procedure.
You have probably tried it, but if not, download fresh copies of everything and check the MD5 values.
Frank
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was for hard brick method and no one has verified it works on 4.4 KK yet. There is an image in there though. My mediafire shows it was downloaded 11 times, but yet not a single "this works on KitKat" response. Located here you will find the kkunbrick.img. There is still a problem flashing anything through heimdall after updating to the 4.4 bootloader, so there is no way to tell if the phone actually took the recovery. I have had to switch to Odin for everything afterwards, and in personal experience 3.07 works best with my phone.
@bondidave I was thinking skipping the sd-card trick for now, and trying just a few other things first. Do you have a nandroid of any 4.4 ROMS saved anywhere? I was going to say try and flash the stock image. After it gets through flash and tries to boot into recovery, go back directly to download mode. Flash philz or twrp, whatever you need to. Try and perform a recovery boot, wipe everything, and nandroid restore of a 4.4 if you have one.
Also if you have an external find the efs fix zip and have handy on an sd-card, do the same steps above except the nandroid restore. Basically if we can get into a recovery we should be ok. I had a similar issue when it was just booting over and over into download mode and this was how I fixed it. I have never used the efs fix zip, but many others swear by it. I was able to recover fortunately enough.
Last resort try the sd-card boot. I don't necessarily think it will work with this particular case as you do not have the dreaded QHUSB_MODE and your phone is still recognized by the computer(s) you have been using.
As far as making a complete system backup of your current phone, I highly recommend against it, unless you just want to extract information from it and not re-write it. This could definitely cause some system corruption on a new device.
If none of these methods work, then try and have them swap it under warranty.
Frank Westlake said:
You have probably tried it, but if not, download fresh copies of everything and check the MD5 values
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yessirreeebobbyjimmy, tried several copies from several different places - that and Kies is a moron and redownloads it every time anyways.
noobtoob said:
My mediafire shows it was downloaded 11 times, but yet not a single "this works on KitKat" response.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I download these things just to have them handy if something fails.
Do you have a nandroid of any 4.4 ROMS saved anywhere? I was going to say try and flash the stock image. After it gets through flash and tries to boot into recovery, go back directly to download mode. Flash philz or twrp, whatever you need to. Try and perform a recovery boot, wipe everything, and nandroid restore of a 4.4 if you have one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think he got that far into installing 4.4, but I recommend not using anything that was saved after this problem began. If the problem was caused by corruption then the restore will reinstall the corruption.
Last resort try the sd-card boot. I don't necessarily think it will work with this particular case as you do not have the dreaded QHUSB_MODE and your phone is still recognized by the computer(s) you have been using.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the problem is bad USB or other bad hardware causing corruption during transfer then the SD-card boot will get past that, then transferring the rest of the partitions by SD-card will continue to be corruption-free. He could then trade-in the phone.
But you are right -- he should try everything else before the SD-card boot. Because if something else succeeds then maybe the hardware is fine, and if he went immediately to SD-card boot he wouldn't know that.
Frank
Thanks for the advice guys - I'm going to try the backup from my other phone, then the efs fix, then the sd-card boot... I'll report back, wish me luck.
A nandroid previous failure, or a ROM install from external SD card was all I meant.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
I got some answers I was looking for here. Glad I read this thread.
Lorettaa said:
I got some answers I was looking for here. Glad I read this thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad something good came out of my frustration!
Here's a quick update: I've done everything but the boot from SD card with no luck (and actually thought I had hard(er?) bricked it for a while after trying to copy over a few images from the other phone - turns out it needed to stay with the battery out for at least 20 minutes).
Good news - walked into a TMO brick-and-mortar last night, showed the guy my endless bootloop, and a replacement is on its way to my house for an affordable $20 warranty service fee.
At this point, I'm thinking the internal flash memory is just bad - as a software engineer, I'm ok with chalking this one up to a hardware issue (as much as I was hoping that my first post on XDA would result in some new profound solution to a longstanding issue common to a few folks).
Oh well - new Note 3 on it's way, and a new S5 shortly behind it (didn't hold out much hope on TMO hooking me up, so I ordered an S5)... let the battle of the Samsungs begin!
Thanks again to you guys who helped out - and the whole XDA community in general, I am very grateful.
Finally you made it fix and enjoy the battle between your phones
Well, sucks it couldn't be fixed, but glad you got a replacement on the way. It pretty much sounded like the partitions were well over written before we attempted anything, but always worth a shot.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
Yes, but I don't have the details handy.
All your attempts suggest to me that you might have some damaged hardware which is causing data corruption during transfer. Open the back and take a good look at the USB port. Tighten the screws and try a transfer while firmly holding the cable in place -- don't move it while transferring. :good:
Moderators, please forgive me in not in the right place...
Came home from a glorious week of camping and decided to check out some 4.4.4 ROM's on my phone...
Already running older version of C-ROM, so backed up and flashed the KK 4.4.4 version. That's where it the wheels came off my bus..
Phone booted so damn slow, then there were hundred's of FC's, rendering the phone unuseable. Rebooted, cleared Dalvik and Cache but same difference. The phone died, the battery would NOT charge! No matter what! Try as I may...NO GO!!! For hours! Feared it was that issue wherein the S3 motherboard dies and the phone has to be replaced by Samsung. Kept trying...finally get the phone to boot into TWRP. Whew!!! Still the phone kept complaining that the battery was dead. WTF?!
Restored the back up I had made...accidentally grabbed another backup from december of last year (Cyanogenmod), so had to recover my C-ROM back instead...RESTORE FAILS! Tried a few times but still failed. Tried to re-flash the latest C-ROM, but STILL fails...everything I'm trying fails.
I read the output and see an error, "Unable to wipe /system" ...found a thread where a user, using TWRP, had the same error with their ROM they were trying to flash. Eventually, the fix was to delete the make_4fs (or whatever it's called) from /sbin directory. Did so and was able to flash my Cyanogen, but could not restore my C-ROM backup. That STILL fails, however, no error in the live output while it's restoring. Just ends up Failing at the end of the restore process. The live logs indicate that it's using the 2fs (or whatever it's called), which was successful in flashing my Cyanogen ROM...why will it not restore my C-ROM back? :crying:
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
kojam said:
Moderators, please forgive me in not in the right place...
Came home from a glorious week of camping and decided to check out some 4.4.4 ROM's on my phone...
Already running older version of C-ROM, so backed up and flashed the KK 4.4.4 version. That's where it the wheels came off my bus..
Phone booted so damn slow, then there were hundred's of FC's, rendering the phone unuseable. Rebooted, cleared Dalvik and Cache but same difference. The phone died, the battery would NOT charge! No matter what! Try as I may...NO GO!!! For hours! Feared it was that issue wherein the S3 motherboard dies and the phone has to be replaced by Samsung. Kept trying...finally get the phone to boot into TWRP. Whew!!! Still the phone kept complaining that the battery was dead. WTF?!
Restored the back up I had made...accidentally grabbed another backup from december of last year (Cyanogenmod), so had to recover my C-ROM back instead...RESTORE FAILS! Tried a few times but still failed. Tried to re-flash the latest C-ROM, but STILL fails...everything I'm trying fails.
I read the output and see an error, "Unable to wipe /system" ...found a thread where a user, using TWRP, had the same error with their ROM they were trying to flash. Eventually, the fix was to delete the make_4fs (or whatever it's called) from /sbin directory. Did so and was able to flash my Cyanogen, but could not restore my C-ROM backup. That STILL fails, however, no error in the live output while it's restoring. Just ends up Failing at the end of the restore process. The live logs indicate that it's using the 2fs (or whatever it's called), which was successful in flashing my Cyanogen ROM...why will it not restore my C-ROM back? :crying:
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried using ODIN to restore back to stock? If you can get the phone up and running, you may be able to restore from your old backups.
Bass_Man25 said:
Have you tried using ODIN to restore back to stock? If you can get the phone up and running, you may be able to restore from your old backups.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks bud.
Oh, I got the phone up and running on the Cyanogen dated dec/2013.
ODIN? Never thought of it. Been such a long time. I do need to get stock on here so I can all the latest official radios etc, then put custom ROMs.
Been such a loooooong time since used ODIN though. Shouldn't be hard to get back on the horse.
Thanks for the suggestion!!!
any idea why this happened? anyone?
as an fyi, I tried to put the lastest SlimROM on but same difference. (i'm really pressed for time always. so I decided this is the quickest thing to try). seems the only thing that will flash is my Cyanogen from December. Strange...
Will have to give ODIN a try if I can ever get the time some day..
Odin shouldn't be a much longer process. Start flash, walk away. When you return 10 minutes to a few hours later, it'll be sitting there waiting for you, all nice and stock!
Anyway, one thing I dont recall seeing you tried is a factory reset. Chances are, that's what caused all your FC. Roms will always take a while on first boot. But all those FC were likely due to incompatible data. Then you may have encountered more data corruption as the system worked overtime trying to resolve all those conflicts.
Its purely a theory, but there's a good chance you will never be able to find exactly what caused all of your issues. Dont lose sleep over it is my best advice! A couple of tips though....
Never wipe/format system! Had you been able to successfully do so, and then nothing would still flash, there would no longer be an o/s to boot into! All roms will format your system partition as the first step in the flash, so there's just no need to do this manually. Most flash failures occur before the flash actually starts, meaning if there's a problem, most times you'll still be able to reboot normally.
Update your firmware. If its been a while since taking an ota or updating via Odin, you're probably on an older firmware build which is known to cause problems with many more recent roms. Most simply will not flash if not updated.
Also, by flashing your up to date firmware in Odin, you will likely fix any corruption which may have occurred on some of those partitions. Good chance you'll be able to flash whatever you want after an Odin firmware update and factory reset.
Hope that helps! Good luck!
DocHoliday77 said:
Odin shouldn't be a much longer process. Start flash, walk away. When you return 10 minutes to a few hours later, it'll be sitting there waiting for you, all nice and stock!
Anyway, one thing I dont recall seeing you tried is a factory reset. Chances are, that's what caused all your FC. Roms will always take a while on first boot. But all those FC were likely due to incompatible data. Then you may have encountered more data corruption as the system worked overtime trying to resolve all those conflicts.
Its purely a theory, but there's a good chance you will never be able to find exactly what caused all of your issues. Dont lose sleep over it is my best advice! A couple of tips though....
Never wipe/format system! Had you been able to successfully do so, and then nothing would still flash, there would no longer be an o/s to boot into! All roms will format your system partition as the first step in the flash, so there's just no need to do this manually. Most flash failures occur before the flash actually starts, meaning if there's a problem, most times you'll still be able to reboot normally.
Update your firmware. If its been a while since taking an ota or updating via Odin, you're probably on an older firmware build which is known to cause problems with many more recent roms. Most simply will not flash if not updated.
Also, by flashing your up to date firmware in Odin, you will likely fix any corruption which may have occurred on some of those partitions. Good chance you'll be able to flash whatever you want after an Odin firmware update and factory reset.
Hope that helps! Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's up, Doc? Sorry for that...
I downloaded Odin this morning. I should have gotten the link from XDA. The site i got it from looked official, however, tons of endless pop-ups after I installed it. Freak!!!
Then found the xda links. Not sure which version to get because i didn't see which one handles the S3. The latest version (3.09) should, no?
As well, where do i get the stock ROM from? Forgive me for all these questions. Been extremely busy with work these past few months. No time to play around with my phone everything. I'm forgetting more than I know.
A full wipe was done. In TWRP, system was check (it's always checked) automatically when wiping to flash a new ROM.
Thanks again!
Everything you need is in my sig. Go to the firmware thread and the stock or root66 firmware listed there us what you flash in odin. Version 3.09 is fine btw.
DocHoliday77 said:
Everything you need is in my sig. Go to the firmware thread and the stock or root66 firmware listed there us what you flash in odin. Version 3.09 is fine btw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!
S.O.S!!!
kojam said:
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Downloaded the rooted firmware from your link and the ODIN (3.09)...
Flashed the firmware (making sure to get the correct one for WIND)...ODIN did it's thing...got a green pass...the phone rebooted...got the Samsung symbol, little swoosh animation, and the accompanying sound effect that goes with the swoosh-thing...THE PHONE NEVER BOOTED UP AN O/S!
Did it at about 11:30 last night, left it, got up this morn, and phone STILL in same status!
Found out that site where I downloaded the firmware had an issue last night. They posted this morn, apologizing to people about a D.O.D attack that may have caused dropped downloads. I downloaded the firmware again this morn, flashed with ODIN, got a pass....SAME THING!!! Phone
Had to quickly pack up my laptop to bring with me to the office. Will try the official, non-rooted firmware to see if I can get it to go.
Problems' that my team went from 12 to 2 people...my partner's off today...and I got a LOUD MOUTH across from me who WILL NOT leave me alone, no matter what I say or do. LOL.
Any suggestions?
In the words of George Costanza:
"I'm BACK, babyyyyyyy!!!!!"
The official firmware worked!
Phone's back online. Thanks for all your help. Will have to see about rooting later...as well, want to see how the battery operates on stock firmware. I've tried EVERYTHING under the sun to preserve batt life and NOTHING worked!!!
Tried EVERY KERNEL noted to be good on battery life, tried TONS of apps that were supposed to help, turned off as much as I could, etc....
batt still not good. I give up. Every diagnostic app says batt is very good. I dunno...
Earplugs! Lol! I definitely feel for you about your work status! Been there!
About the firmware though, if the download had been corrupted, it would've failed the initial check done by Odin. You are probably ok. Dont worry just yet!
If it is hanging up at the Samsung screen, you probably just need to factory reset. Almost always fixes this. (It happens due to incompatible data left from your previous rom)
This will wipe internal sdcard though, so if you haven't backed up yet, the next thing to fo is flash TWRP via Odin. You can then use its built in file manager to copy whst you need first. Or you can then flash an insecure kernel and use adb if you're familiar with that.
The Doc is in!
if the download had been corrupted, it would've failed the initial check done by Odin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's EXACTLY my thought too. That was really perplexing...
I am up again...
Facotry Reset? How do I do that if stuck at the Samsung splash though?
Now that i know the official firmware works, maybe i'll, try again with the rooted firmware, try to factory reset when stuck, and continue to flash TWRP as you described above. Don't mind factory resetting. I've taken everything I need.
Oh!!!!
I noticed that all the apps I had before flashing the firmware are STILL on my phone. I would have thought that they would have been wiped out completely when lord ODIN was doing her thing.
....and battery life is STILL pretty bad...
Phone's been charging...became fully charged...unplugged it..it was down to 84% after only about 30/mins.
Will see how it goes after doing the factory wipe.
Again, how do i do a factory wipe if stuck at the Samsung swoosh after I re-flash the rooted firmware ?
Maybe your battery is dying. it happens. That would explain a big drop from the start.
To factory reset if you're stuck at boot up, turn the phone off, then boot up into recovery. Hold volume up, home and power. After it vibrates, release power only, continue holding the other two until you see recovery booting up.
If stock recovery is installed, choose factory reset.
In TWRP (probably similar in cwm) go to Wipe and choose factory reset there. In TWRP and CWM, factory resetting does not wipe your internal sdcard. Stock recovery will.
And as for Odin, it doesn't actually touch the user data partition, so all your apps and data are preserved. This is great when just upgrading from one build to the next, but is the reason a factory reset is required if coming from a non touchwiz rom.
---------- Post added at 03:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:53 PM ----------
How old is your battery? The S3 is at the age where people who bought it when it was first released will start to notice the battery is beginning to degrade.
You can also get an app called Better Battery Stats here on xda (paid version in the play store). Its the goto utility for investigating problems with battery drain. Run it for a day after a full charge and then check its logs for persistent wakelocks. The app thread should explain its use better than I can, but if you are having trouble you can always post your bbs log here for one of us to look over. (This isnt my strongest area, but there are a few others around that may also be able to help. )
Hello, there.
Get prepared for a lot of bad bad stuff..
So, my Galaxy Nexus was running on a CM-11 Snapshot build, with AOSP kernel. Yesterday, out of the blue, the phone started to get terribly slow and not responsive at all. After a few minutes, it restarted, only to do the same. A couple of minutes maybe, booting up, then get slow and reboot - it did this constantly, and it still does.
I have tried to go into clockworkmod recovery - wiped cache, wiped dalvik cache, wipe user data (factory reset). The phone booted up again, but my apps, etc. were still there! Nothing had happened. I did it a couple of times, but nothing at all.
Then, I have found a .zip file that was still on my memory, with the latest snapshot I had installed. I tried installing it with the install from sd card option, but when it loaded up again, I was still seeing the same apps, background etc.! Nothing had happened and no error message.
Decided to leave the "custom" days behind, I downloaded the stock image for my Gnex. However, since it is a yakjuxw build, I had to flash the yakju option - so not the ideal "stock" package. Using the google installer, I was unable to proceed, since the bootloader number was different than the one that the installer expected, so it exited.
I have found online the amazing Nexus Root Toolkit from WugFresh. I tried to flash it from there, enabling the "force flash" option.
It started out ok.. But when it went to the "system" portion, it took 25 minutes (!) to complete and then in the "user data" portion, it said "write failure".
Still, rebooted and I was still seeing my apps etc. What on earth is happening?
Honestly, I would expect that it would be bricked by now, with all these rom flashes and factory resets. I even tried flashing the stable CM version for it, but still nothing had changed.
Any help would be greeeeatly appreciated.
Yeah im pretty sure your emmc is fried. So you have two options: buy a new phone or a new motherboard. You van check by locking the bootloader if its still unlocked upon reboot your emmc is fried..
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Free mobile app
I runned "fastboot oem lock' from my command line, and I got the status "OK".
Then I pressed "restart bootloader" on my phone, but it still says "lock state - unlocked".
So I suppose, I should let it rest in piece, or change the motherboard?
I think a motherboard is more expensive than a new phone. If it is just let it die. If it isnt you can buy a new motherboard and swap it. But I dont think that is a smart move now. The moto g for example is a awesome phone for (i think) almost the price of a new mobo.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Free mobile app
same problem here
It makes me wonder, I'm having the exact same issue just a couple of days later. Is this the planned obsolescence thing?
withend said:
Hello, there.
Get prepared for a lot of bad bad stuff..
So, my Galaxy Nexus was running on a CM-11 Snapshot build, with AOSP kernel. Yesterday, out of the blue, the phone started to get terribly slow and not responsive at all. After a few minutes, it restarted, only to do the same. A couple of minutes maybe, booting up, then get slow and reboot - it did this constantly, and it still does.
I have tried to go into clockworkmod recovery - wiped cache, wiped dalvik cache, wipe user data (factory reset). The phone booted up again, but my apps, etc. were still there! Nothing had happened. I did it a couple of times, but nothing at all.
Then, I have found a .zip file that was still on my memory, with the latest snapshot I had installed. I tried installing it with the install from sd card option, but when it loaded up again, I was still seeing the same apps, background etc.! Nothing had happened and no error message.
Decided to leave the "custom" days behind, I downloaded the stock image for my Gnex. However, since it is a yakjuxw build, I had to flash the yakju option - so not the ideal "stock" package. Using the google installer, I was unable to proceed, since the bootloader number was different than the one that the installer expected, so it exited.
I have found online the amazing Nexus Root Toolkit from WugFresh. I tried to flash it from there, enabling the "force flash" option.
It started out ok.. But when it went to the "system" portion, it took 25 minutes (!) to complete and then in the "user data" portion, it said "write failure".
Still, rebooted and I was still seeing my apps etc. What on earth is happening?
Honestly, I would expect that it would be bricked by now, with all these rom flashes and factory resets. I even tried flashing the stable CM version for it, but still nothing had changed.
Any help would be greeeeatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google's secret weapon to make us buy the new Nexus 6.
I don't know why that happens though - dual core processor, with this amount of RAM. Tech-specs-wise, GNex has nothing to be jealous about than mid-range smartphones right now.. Unless, the CPU architecture from 2012 is so bad that it can't run properly today's apps.
Hey guys, I have these problems too. Just bought the Galaxy Nexus from a friend for €15 (cracked screen) and from the moment I turn it on, (sometimes at Nexus logo, sometimes on lockscreen.. ) it reebot itself. Again and again.
Unlocked the bootloader by toolkit or manually by fastboot but after the reboot it's locked again, as you said. I've tried Odin too with same results. The strange thing it's that it took time to do things but after the reboot, it's like I haven't done anything. I mean, even if I delete an app, or wipe data from recovery (not custom), when it turns on, it's always the same.
It's like a challenge to me. Anyone can help? I can't just give up >.<
Inviato dal mio Nexus 4
What the hell, just finished answering another thread with same issue (forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-nexus/help/wipe-flash-restarting-help-t2908788). Happened to me last week, very same, never touched the phone, always stock.
What the hell is going on here???
Is there any way to get any log files to determine what the hell is going on?
Mine opens up for a few minutes, maybe 3-4 and it seems to be working well.. It gradually gets unresponsive and ultimately restarts.. So, if there is anything to do during these 3-4 minutes, I would be glad to know..
If you have backed up your sdcard data to your computer, and are prepared to start from scratch (i.e. flashing bootloader and recovery via fastboot, etc.), you can do a full erasure with "fastboot -w" in fastboot mode. This has worked for me in the past to fix data corruption, of which it sounds like you may be a victim. See if that works, but make sure you've backed up your sdcard backups and other data you want to keep first!!!!!!!!
7175 said:
If you have backed up your sdcard data to your computer, and are prepared to start from scratch (i.e. flashing bootloader and recovery via fastboot, etc.), you can do a full erasure with "fastboot -w" in fastboot mode. This has worked for me in the past to fix data corruption, of which it sounds like you may be a victim. See if that works, but make sure you've backed up your sdcard backups and other data you want to keep first!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already tried, uneffective. Everything, no matter how low level (e.g. Odin) has no effect, like the memory is write-protected. I've read elsewhere this means the eMMC is fried, but if you go backwards in this forum you see many ppl had the very same problem in the past few days/weeks. Very strange indeed.
I'm having exactly the same issue, was running CM11 mod too. Could it be a cyanogen fail?
Atreb92 said:
I'm having exactly the same issue, was running CM11 mod too. Could it be a cyanogen fail?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. I've always been on stock.
fabrice79 said:
No. I've always been on stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But could it really be a hardware fail? It's pretty strange tho that multiple device have the same hardware issue in such a short time difference
Atreb92 said:
But could it really be a hardware fail? It's pretty strange tho that multiple device have the same hardware issue in such a short time difference
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I say, but just go backwards and have a look at older post. I subscribed to ~10 posts until 15 Oct then I got tired of browsing backwards...
I'm allready looking at older posts thats why i'm saying it's pretty strange that there is a massive hardware fail for this many devices. If it's a software fail there must be a solution somehow.
Same problem by 31th December...
Yeah, i have the same problem since august 2014. This thread confirmes for me, that my Gnex is really dead. It is sad, it served my very well and i wanted to use it as secondary phone and as mobile hotspot.
Same for me at the beginning of december
This problem I've faced one time and that meant that EMMC is fried, as fellow members said earlier.
If you overwrite the storage and reboot then everything's the same means that you can't write (somehow) thus emmc is dead. Write failure also means that EMMC is dead.
It's really sad, but that's it
In the past few days after flashing alliance v2 i noticed that my phone would freeze then power cycle when I attempted to make or receive a call. Everything else works, I tried a different rom and still having the same issue. Any ideas?
eeeeeeeeek said:
In the past few days after flashing alliance v2 i noticed that my phone would freeze then power cycle when I attempted to make or receive a call. Everything else works, I tried a different rom and still having the same issue. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take a look at posts 2 and 3 of this thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3067828
HELP!!! Need a PIT file for N4
Odd problems that carry past factory reset and ROM flashes require a better flush. And clean install.
samep said:
Take a look at posts 2 and 3 of this thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3067828
HELP!!! Need a PIT file for N4
Odd problems that carry past factory reset and ROM flashes require a better flush. And clean install.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I had already started when I saw that, though the second post on that thread is a little confusing. However I had already odin back, booted up, but didn't wipe it, so instead I hooked it up to samsung kies, and did a full restore from kies. Made a test call, still froze, and crashed. So re rooted and put twrp then did an excessive number of advanced wipes. I even used the repair option to repair system then data. Just flashed vision and waiting on it too boot to see. Should I move further questions to that thread?
eeeeeeeeek said:
So I had already started when I saw that, though the second post on that thread is a little confusing. However I had already odin back, booted up, but didn't wipe it, so instead I hooked it up to samsung kies, and did a full restore from kies. Made a test call, still froze, and crashed. So re rooted and put twrp then did an excessive number of advanced wipes. I even used the repair option to repair system then data. Just flashed vision and waiting on it too boot to see. Should I move further questions to that thread?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd suggest keeping your posts on this thread. Just referred to that to save time.
Try the steps. Ask if not clear. If it sounds too extreme, start with the factory reset, Odin and factory reset again before flashing a deodexed ROM like Alliance. Update with results.
eeeeeeeeek said:
So I had already started when I saw that, though the second post on that thread is a little confusing. However I had already odin back, booted up, but didn't wipe it, so instead I hooked it up to samsung kies, and did a full restore from kies. Made a test call, still froze, and crashed. So re rooted and put twrp then did an excessive number of advanced wipes. I even used the repair option to repair system then data. Just flashed vision and waiting on it too boot to see. Should I move further questions to that thread?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ii did as follows and tried several other ways, same results on factory image, unless I have a bad image, I pulled it off of one of the forums here
Are you powering down prior to Odin of stock tar? Did you use your PC to download the tar? Have you tried doing this without the sdcard? The full wipes are important.
Try the NIE stock tar.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=56853341
samep said:
Are you powering down prior to Odin of stock tar? Did you use your PC to download the tar? Have you tried doing this without the sdcard? The full wipes are important.
Try the NIE stock tar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive wiped everything and formatted data repeatedly......I had a nand backup i forgot about, I'm going to restore that and see. I haven't tried flashing anything without the sd card from recovery, I have removed my SD card for the moment. It does seem like this is the issue, something with the partition. It's of course possible I didn't follow directions properly, though I feel I have. I'll also try NIE if need be. It's very bizzare issue. everything else works fine.
Update: Flashed NK2 stock tar, tried to make a call, same thing, phone freezes and powercycles.
Update 2: I even tried a different dialer, same results. Could a hardware issue cause this?
My suggestion is to try the factory reset, power down, Odin and Dial*##72786# to reprovision the phone; data profile update and try again.
Still fails? Could be hardware failure.
Anyone else?
samep said:
My suggestion is to try the factory reset, power down, Odin and Dial*##72786# to reprovision the phone; data profile update and try again.
Still fails? Could be hardware failure.
Anyone else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive done all of this, even the 72786, tried wifi calling too just to be sure. maybe something with the antennai
Outside of a good suggestion, I'd stay with stock, call Sprint support. If not resolved there, setup a tech appointment.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
I was using Chrome when the phone froze. I restarted it, and now the phone just hangs at the Samsung logo.
I have a completely stock unrooted Sprint SPH-L710. I'm moderately sure the phone is on MD4 since I didn't want Knox. It would be nice if there were a way to double check, though, since I don't remember why it stopped pestering me to upgrade. The phone doesn't boot far enough to get into safe mode, but it will enter recovery and download mode. Clearing the cache in recovery had no effect.
My PC and Kies don't see it when I connect it.
My contacts and photos are mostly backed up, so I'm more worried about salvaging other things, like Chrome bookmarks. My bookmarks aren't synchronized with Google. Apparently root is required to access them, so I never got around to it. It would be nice to recover text messages and gamesaves too. I haven't tried a factory reset yet since that would wipe everything.
What should I do from here? Is it possible to install a custom recovery at this point and use that to backup files?
Or should I try to flash a stock rom from the SD card or Odin? Or will that wipe everything or cause other problems?
I don't have USB debugging activated, so is there anything useful I'd be be able to do with ADB?
Or should I just shrug and go for the factory reset?
Thanks guys.
It's been an educational experience.
Without root or USB debugging enabled, it's apparently impossible to install custom firmware from soft bricked status.
ADB was never even able to see my phone. Not even in recovery or download modes.
Odin is a surprisingly temperamental program. It would see my phone, but not successfully flash until I uninstalled Kies. Rwilco's ROM's and one click flashes were all entirely unsuccessful. It's difficult to find older GS3 ROM's since link rot has claimed nearly all of them. There's about a million skeychy Samsung firmware/update sites, and most of them are worthless.
Heimdall is a little disappointing. You can't just point it at a ROM. You have to track down a Heimdall specific package. I couldn't find a suitable one.
Eventually, I found a sketchy Samsung firmware site that had the MD4 ROM, and it actually flashed in Odin. Then Odin stopped seeing my phone entirely.
So, I ordered a Tmobile Note 4 to use on Ting. It's cheaper, and I like the removable battery and microSD. Just for kicks, I factory reset the S3. To my surprise, the factory reset worked. I guess I should have tried that before I ordered a new phone
In the meantime, I guess I will still try to recover files, demote the S3 to media player/backup phone status, and use the incoming Note 4 as my daily driver.
From here on, I guess it means rooting and monthly backups.
Thanks guys.
When you boot into download mode you'll see your Knox flag if the phone has been upgraded to a Knoxed up firmware. I'm too lazy to check but it looks something like Knox: 0x0 or 0x1.