Strange amount of Bricked devices anyone else notice - T-Mobile, Samsung Galaxy SIII

I seen someone mention that
People have been labeling tw roms and aosp roms incorrectly,There have been an unusual amount of brick topics lately, anyone else wondering if we are dealing with standard "flashing" user error, or actual misleading info on certain roms . Many of the most novice to longtime xda members have even been bricking over the stupidist stuff.
This device t999 specifically

bricking this(any) phone by flashing an incorrect rom isnt that easy to be honest... plus the worst that can happen by flashing is usually a softbrick a.k.a bootloop. (unless your an idiot and you flash stuff from a different device)
i mean i may just be way too experienced after 8 years of hacking away at android, but its not simple to brick a phone. its usually caused by lack of attention. for example, most people dont even read the OP of roms threads the whole way. they just download and flash and come back and say "why doesnt this work?"
im also curious how many people actually tried to use ODIN to restore there phone before they proclaimed "hard brick"

ziggy46 said:
i mean i may just be way too experienced after 8 years of hacking away at android, but its not simple to brick a phone.
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Click to collapse
I have literally 4.5 months of experience with Android and I feel the way you do so I think it's largely lack of paying attention or not doing the research and reading first. I've tried multiple ROMs on my phone and I've helped friends learn how to root and understand the process of installing ROMs and no one has had a brick yet.
If you jump out of an airplane without learning how to use your parachute what do you expect ?
The S3 most likely has a high number of bricks because it has a huge user-base - thus even if the proportions are the same as other devices there are more people by number who are trying things without knowing what they're doing and those people are going to end up with bricks.
I've certainly seen times when the ROM was to blame, but it's almost always not a hard brick. That's the chance you take with installing a custom ROM - sometimes there are bugs and stuff happens. If you can't accept that possibility don't flash.

Pennycake said:
I have literally 4.5 months of experience with Android and I feel the way you do so I think it's largely lack of paying attention or not doing the research and reading first. I've tried multiple ROMs on my phone and I've helped friends learn how to root and understand the process of installing ROMs and no one has had a brick yet.
If you jump out of an airplane without learning how to use your parachute what do you expect ?
The S3 most likely has a high number of bricks because it has a huge user-base - thus even if the proportions are the same as other devices there are more people by number who are trying things without knowing what they're doing and those people are going to end up with bricks.
I've certainly seen times when the ROM was to blame, but it's almost always not a hard brick. That's the chance you take with installing a custom ROM - sometimes there are bugs and stuff happens. If you can't accept that possibility don't flash.
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Click to collapse
ahh the userbase! thats a good one thanks for pointing it out. i also believe that users from other variants end up here and flash the incorrect rom by google-ing "roms for s3" and going to the first xda link they see. which may lead to flashing improper roms resulting in the $400 paper weight

999 times out of 1000 it's user error.

DaMn NoObS
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

Yes user error is to blame nobody likes to search or even read for that matter

Reading fixes 99.999% of all common newb problems
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

If anyone hard bricks this device they deserve it. You literally almost have to intentionally try to brick in order to do so.
On another note... I haven't seen many brick threads with ppl that actually broke their devices
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

Most brick threads I've seen lately are either softbricks, boot loops or not bricked at all, just errors from dirty flashing.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

ziggy46 said:
ahh the userbase! thats a good one thanks for pointing it out. i also believe that users from other variants end up here and flash the incorrect rom by google-ing "roms for s3" and going to the first xda link they see. which may lead to flashing improper roms resulting in the $400 paper weight
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 i definitely agree with what you said. my friend searched on google "how to root galaxy s3" attempting to root her AT&T GS3, and almost ended up with a brick (she found an international s3 root method) had she not came and asked me first...phew that was close.

It's just called common sense, not many have it.

Most I have seen are soft breaks and user panics before either: clearing cachy and factory reset or Odin. They just jump straight to I have a break.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

Name of post should be "Strange amount of idiots bricking their phones"
Sent from Flip's S3

ziggy46 said:
bricking this(any) phone by flashing an incorrect rom isnt that easy to be honest... plus the worst that can happen by flashing is usually a softbrick a.k.a bootloop. (unless your an idiot and you flash stuff from a different device)
i mean i may just be way too experienced after 8 years of hacking away at android, but its not simple to brick a phone. its usually caused by lack of attention. for example, most people dont even read the OP of roms threads the whole way. they just download and flash and come back and say "why doesnt this work?"
im also curious how many people actually tried to use ODIN to restore there phone before they proclaimed "hard brick"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow bro 8 years of android hacking? Can I borrow your flux capacitor? First android phone released 10/2008

sbell7105 said:
Wow bro 8 years of android hacking? Can I borrow your flux capacitor? First android phone released 10/2008
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Click to collapse
i over-exaggerated a little its actually only about 5 years... im 16 now and i started when i was 10-11ish

ziggy46 said:
i over-exaggerated a little its actually only about 5 years... im 16 now and i started when i was 10-11ish
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Click to collapse
Aww man 16? does that mean I wasted my flux capacitor reference? Just messing around I figured it was a typo or something I just couldn't resist :laugh:

NoOooOoOObs
ziggy46 said:
bricking this(any) phone by flashing an incorrect rom isnt that easy to be honest... plus the worst that can happen by flashing is usually a softbrick a.k.a bootloop. (unless your an idiot and you flash stuff from a different device).........
im also curious how many people actually tried to use ODIN to restore there phone before they proclaimed "hard brick"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm one. (lol)
Aerowinder said:
999 times out of 1000 it's user error.
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Click to collapse
bfranklin1986 said:
DaMn NoObS
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Click to collapse
Google and XDA Premium have been my friend throughout my past few years with T-Mobile... since the days of my Behold, Memoir, Samsung Galaxy S 4g, and now my SGS3... I've found a great piece of mind in knowing I'm not a complete idiot, nor am I the first to screw something up.
And while I have made a few devices "boot-loop" from time to time, rooting is easy as pie. And if you happen to research before you do any job, you might learn a thing or two. I specifically love the threads (on any forum, not just here) where someone posts "READ CAREFULLY" followed by "DOWNLOAD LINK" and just two or three replies later, there has to be that one r-tard that asks "What do I do? Where's the download link? I'm so confused!". I want to piss in their coffee and break their mug over their face. Literacy is depleting; and there's little we can do about it.
sbell7105 said:
Wow bro 8 years of android hacking? Can I borrow your flux capacitor? First android phone released 10/2008
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Click to collapse
Hilarious!

Things have gotten so much easier. My only brick was a g1 (HTC dream). Things were a lot trickier then. It had an IPL-initial program loader (bootloader) and an SPL-secondary program loader (radio). Some roms required the bootloader from the the HTC magic (mytouch3g). Not all dream radios were compatible with the magic bootloader. So you always flashed a magic compatible radio first then bootloader. One night when it was really late, I was repeating the flash I had already done I my own g1 but on my wife's g1 this time. I accidentally reversed the order and BOOM, hard brick. In that state, the ipl can't hand off to the spl. Only option was hardware jtag that hadn't been discovered yet.
She was pissed.
Sent from my SGH-T999

Remember when I rooted my first (lg optimus v) I thought with a recovery I could flash any Rom...thankfully I have learned otherwise and didn't have to learn by looking like an idiot.I came very close to flashing some random Rom probably from the evo4G
Fortunately laziness actually served me well lol
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

Related

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

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

New To Android, but bricked my phone?

Well i think it is. I rooted my phone last night and installed the beats drivers from the Play Store. Shortly, it froze and went straight to the Samsung logo. I can still go into both recovery and download mode, but what do I do after that? I've heard about Odin....but how do i exactly put the custom roms into my phone, and which ones? And if any one can point me to a guide or tutorial, ill be extremely relieved. I'm new to the website as well as android, so if anyone could please help me out, thanks
When you rooted did you NANDROID backup ? If not go into recovery and clear cache and then go into advanced and wipe delvik cache. reboot
If that fails go back into recovery and do a factory reset and you should be ok.
touchdownadrian said:
Well i think it is. I rooted my phone last night and installed the beats drivers from the Play Store. Shortly, it froze and went straight to the Samsung logo. I can still go into both recovery and download mode, but what do I do after that? I've heard about Odin....but how do i exactly put the custom roms into my phone, and which ones? And if any one can point me to a guide or tutorial, ill be extremely relieved. I'm new to the website as well as android, so if anyone could please help me out, thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1727401
This is why noobs shouldn't be rooting, hell I'm on my 4th android phone and I'm still holding off on rooting it. And I was constantly popping new ROMS on my Vibrant, never bricked any phone
z0phi3l said:
This is why noobs shouldn't be rooting, hell I'm on my 4th android phone and I'm still holding off on rooting it. And I was constantly popping new ROMS on my Vibrant, never bricked any phone
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Click to collapse
I disagree as long as you are willing to learn from the mistake all is good. I had a Samsung Exhibit II and deleted touch wiz launched (I was using go launcher) later I would do a factory reset and well... learned that system files do not get restored when you do a factory reset...oops
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
I agree, we all were NOOBS at some point. That's the one thing I love about XDA is that with patience and the help of the users any noob can learn how to mod their devices. One piece of advice that I can offer is before you do any type of modding is READ and keep on READING. I have bricked the first device I ever rooted because I did not READ the forums as they are meant to be read.
z0phi3l said:
This is why noobs shouldn't be rooting, hell I'm on my 4th android phone and I'm still holding off on rooting it. And I was constantly popping new ROMS on my Vibrant, never bricked any phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, not cool dude..remember that WE were all NOOBS at some point in time, therefore we should support and help one another. As for what to do next, follow "Saldebot's" instructions and you should be fine. Sounds like it's only a soft brick. Just keep reading and learning as much as you can bud.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Thanks guys, it worked. And my bad for not reading alot, im kinda new to this lol
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
not fair
z0phi3l said:
This is why noobs shouldn't be rooting, hell I'm on my 4th android phone and I'm still holding off on rooting it. And I was constantly popping new ROMS on my Vibrant, never bricked any phone
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Click to collapse
Dude the vibrant is bullet proof . Now HTC that's a mother.
:silly:
touchdownadrian said:
Thanks guys, it worked. And my bad for not reading alot, im kinda new to this lol
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not the noobs who shouldn't be rooting... It's the lazy and careless who should stick to stock. If you are careful and diligent, rooting and all the good stuff that comes with it is easy and rewarding.
TheSeanTeam said:
It's not the noobs who shouldn't be rooting... It's the lazy and careless who should stick to stock. If you are careful and diligent, rooting and all the good stuff that comes with it is easy and rewarding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I whole-heartily agree, I was a freshman noob August 1st this year, by August 4th I was flashing like a pro. Left and right, ROMs, Kernels, Modifying system files, you name it. I wanted to streamline my phone and future proof it somewhat by overclocking. I spent 3 days researching and educating myself, finding the best ROMs, weighing pros and cons, and when it came time to flash, I was on my PC all day making sure whatever I did wouldn't brick me. I carefully analyzed and learned about virtually all methods of flashing by watching tons of videos and reading a bunch of tutorials by several sources. I MD5 checksum'd every zip to be flashed on my phone using an app (to ensure download and transfer was successful). I must have verified that the files I was preparing to flash were indeed for my device make and model about a dozen times before ever touching a button. When I went to flash over my first custom Kernel (even though I had already flashed 2 custom ROMs shortly before that), on that last button my hands were literally shaking, I could not afford a second Galaxy S III. Everything went beautifully, all of my careful planning and hours of invested research payed off. I had done everything right and was rewarded with better battery life (about +50% on heavy load and +500% on idle) and performance (+25%).
My girlfriend also has a Galaxy s3 and she wanted the same performance I was getting. I flashed the exact same software to her device I had to mine, no changes.
Total time invested in flash on my device: 36 hours, at least
Total time invested in flash on her device: 1 hour... if that
The bottom line is yes, if you're not willing to put forth the effort and educate yourself first, you probably shouldn't be doing this. There are guides and tutorials out there for noobs and I would recommend you go there first until you know your way around your device. That way at least you have a little experience on your belt before you start doing anything too advanced (I did this when I was rooting my device for the first time).
As a side note, I know there are a lot of people out there worried about doing anything that could potentially brick their device. That is always a real possibility, I'm not going to lie to you, it happens more often than you think. However in just about every case of bricking you'll ever hear about, it's usually someone flashing something they're not suppose to, like a ROM designed for a different make and model of device, or something experimental that wasn't ready yet. Do all your homework (from multiple corroborating sources) before you undergo a flash and as long as you do everything "by the book" (so to speak) and don't rush through things by being lazy, you should be fine. Some even flash nightlies (yeah they're called that for a reason, updated versions of the ROM they currently have) EVERY NIGHT!!! In the end when you have an android device, you have an open source platform at your fingertips and you should take advantage of that, it would be a waste not to. If not, your next device might as well be an iPhone. They're great for noobs and as long as you're ok drinking whatever punch Apple gives you, they're pretty much impossible to brick since you can't do a whole lot with them. Apple will be happy to take your money and stiff you with closed source for it.
lordazoroth said:
I whole-heartily agree, I was a freshman noob August 1st this year, by August 4th I was flashing like a pro. Left and right, ROMs, Kernels, Modifying system files, you name it. I wanted to streamline my phone and future proof it somewhat by overclocking. I spent 3 days researching and educating myself, finding the best ROMs, weighing pros and cons, and when it came time to flash, I was on my PC all day making sure whatever I did wouldn't brick me. I carefully analyzed and learned about virtually all methods of flashing by watching tons of videos and reading a bunch of tutorials by several sources. I MD5 checksum'd every zip to be flashed on my phone using an app (to ensure download and transfer was successful). I must have verified that the files I was preparing to flash were indeed for my device make and model about a dozen times before ever touching a button. When I went to flash over my first custom Kernel (even though I had already flashed 2 custom ROMs shortly before that), on that last button my hands were literally shaking, I could not afford a second Galaxy S III. Everything went beautifully, all of my careful planning and hours of invested research payed off. I had done everything right and was rewarded with better battery life (about +50% on heavy load and +500% on idle) and performance (+25%).
My girlfriend also has a Galaxy s3 and she wanted the same performance I was getting. I flashed the exact same software to her device I had to mine, no changes.
Total time invested in flash on my device: 36 hours, at least
Total time invested in flash on her device: 1 hour... if that
The bottom line is yes, if you're not willing to put forth the effort and educate yourself first, you probably shouldn't be doing this. There are guides and tutorials out there for noobs and I would recommend you go there first until you know your way around your device. That way at least you have a little experience on your belt before you start doing anything too advanced (I did this when I was rooting my device for the first time).
As a side note, I know there are a lot of people out there worried about doing anything that could potentially brick their device. That is always a real possibility, I'm not going to lie to you, it happens more often than you think. However in just about every case of bricking you'll ever hear about, it's usually someone flashing something they're not suppose to, like a ROM designed for a different make and model of device, or something experimental that wasn't ready yet. Do all your homework (from multiple corroborating sources) before you undergo a flash and as long as you do everything "by the book" (so to speak) and don't rush through things by being lazy, you should be fine. Some even flash nightlies (yeah they're called that for a reason, updated versions of the ROM they currently have) EVERY NIGHT!!! In the end when you have an android device, you have an open source platform at your fingertips and you should take advantage of that, it would be a waste not to. If not, your next device might as well be an iPhone. They're great for noobs and as long as you're ok drinking whatever punch Apple gives you, they're pretty much impossible to brick since you can't do a whole lot with them. Apple will be happy to take your money and stiff you with closed source for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. It took me months of researching on my vibrant before flashing my first rom (bionix 1.6 by teamwhiskey). As I progressed, I did brick left and right but I always managed to bring it back to life with my prior knowledge. Now I'm eagerly waiting for my computer to be done downloading the root files and get started.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Cr vibe said:
Dude the vibrant is bullet proof . Now HTC that's a mother.
:silly:
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Click to collapse
Omg I LOVED THE VIBRANT! Restoring it from a brick was a piece of cake
Sent from my SGH-T999
Cr vibe said:
Dude the vibrant is bullet proof . Now HTC that's a mother.
:silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+++++++1 on that.... DAMN talk about headaches....
dmarco said:
Yea, not cool dude..remember that WE were all NOOBS at some point in time, therefore we should support and help one another. As for what to do next, follow "Saldebot's" instructions and you should be fine. Sounds like it's only a soft brick. Just keep reading and learning as much as you can bud.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:good::good:
Yeah one of the only other IMPORTANT thinks i could add would be always do a factory reset before flashing roms.. some people like to flash "dirty" i wouldnt recommend it cause you will ALWAYS have issues maybe not in a hour but guaranteed you will... but knowledge is power dude.. i two read for about 36 hours before rooting my phone.. i rooted my wifes phone days after a rooted mine back in the day it only took like 15 mins.. another thing let phone sit 10 mins before ya play with it... gotta let the cache settle... the ten min wait is well worth it.. ive been doing it that way since the vibrant bro.. happy flashing and welcome..
I read constantly things change hourly like when that new leaked kernels came out for sgs2 and the emmc was trashed never to come back from a brick again. To anyone that cares if you love your phone read more than just the root and flash stuff learn what makes your phone tick from the factory hardware software and added crap from your carrier it all play's a part in the end result. Its as easy as you make it.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
Nabeel10 said:
Omg I LOVED THE VIBRANT! Restoring it from a brick was a piece of cake
Sent from my SGH-T999
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive passed down two vibrants (both rooted) to my sons so they can learn to flash roms and everything else that comes from the joys of root.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

[Q] Hard Brick Sprint GS3

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

Warning: Non-noobs get it wrong too - bricked SGS3

Although I wouldn't term myself a pro at all, I am not a noob when it comes to rooting and installing other ROMs. I have rooted many of my Android phones over the years and have diligently read and re-read posts when it comes to rooting and installing ClockworkMod recovery and other ROMs.
Last week, I made a big boo-boo!
I searched for "Sprint SGS3 alternate ROMs" and found a CNet article (http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/mobile-phones/top-5-samsung-galaxy-s3-custom-roms-50009440/) listing the different ROMs. I downloaded a couple (Hawkish and Energy) and promptly tried to install them. I got some error message in CWM. I then rebooted after cleaning caches, dalvik etc.
My phone wouldn't start at all!!!
I tried all the keypresses to get things working but absolutely nothing. The unit wouldn't turn on even with a separately fully charged battery. I tried to borrow a USB Jig from a user in this post (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1869203) but no-one was able to help. As the phone was my only phone (no landline) I was readying myself to pay the $60 that one of the other sites charged to JTag the unit.
Before I did that, I decided to take it in to Sprint, and told the technician I made a mess up. They didn't ask anything about what I did and took it to the back for about half an hour. They weren't able to do anything as the unit didn't switch on, but said that I could get a replacement for $50.
I did that and a few days later they swapped out the non-working unit for a working one. I was expecting to pay a whole lot more.
I learned the lesson the hard way: even if I search for "Sprint" the results aren't necessarily going to be for my unit. I should have read (and re-read!) the posts a whole lot more clearly about the other ROMs - they were not for the Sprint unit.
I hope my hard lesson will help others be a wee bit more cautious - even if you have been customizing a long time!
This is about the 100th post this month of people flashing roms for other carriers on a Sprint S3. A simple search in the Q&A would have probably alerted you to the facts.
Transmitted with a portable device using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2
I *do* realize that I flashed the wrong ROM. The point of my post was to illuminate that it's not only noobies who get things wrong.
Even though I read what I thought was for Sprint, my presumption got in the way and I didn't realize until it was too late that it was not the ROM in the Sprint section of Http://www.xda-developers.com/ that I thought I was reading about.
I took responsibility for my mistake and paid the money to rectify my error.
I am hoping that my misfortune with be a cautionary tale for others to double (and triple) check.
Just because we've done things successfully many times before doesn't mean we're avert to the same errors as noobies.
IconBoy said:
I *do* realize that I flashed the wrong ROM. The point of my post was to illuminate that it's not only noobies who get things wrong.
Even though I read what I thought was for Sprint, my presumption got in the way and I didn't realize until it was too late that it was not the ROM in the Sprint section of Http://www.xda-developers.com/ that I thought I was reading about.
I took responsibility for my mistake and paid the money to rectify my error.
I am hoping that my misfortune with be a cautionary tale for others to double (and triple) check.
Just because we've done things successfully many times before doesn't mean we're avert to the same errors as noobies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you would've read more carefully you wouldn't have made that mistake... noob! Jk
SPRINT GS3 FAQ
Feel bad but at the same time I dont. You should know a bit better to be sure that you can use that ROM/kernel/zip etc. If you doubt yourself ask in the thread or forum. We all don't know everything there is to rooting and flashing
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/TexasEpic/ThePeoplesROM-KennyGlass123/daniel4653.png
Odexed Blue by Strong Steve + Ktoonz w/ Team Kernelizers tweaks
In the cnet article it had this in the "getting started section"
Just bear in mind that if your S3 handset is not version number I9300 -- and it almost certainly is if you bought it in the UK -- then bad things can happen. So it's worth quickly checking your phone's settings before proceeding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Discuss...
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
I have to give you credit Iconboy for taking responsibility and paying for a new phone. Even though you messed up you admitted it. A lot of people that have done the same thing have posted things like "can I throw my phone in a river" or "can I just tell sprint that the OTA broke my phone". Thanks for doing it right.
metalfan78 said:
I have to give you credit Iconboy for taking responsibility and paying for a new phone. Even though you messed up you admitted it. A lot of people that have done the same thing have posted things like "can I throw my phone in a river" or "can I just tell sprint that the OTA broke my phone". Thanks for doing it right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I agree. I don't know why people are bashing him. He maned up and payed for a replacement phone and now he is just letting other people know what can happen.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda premium
I did the same thing with my S3 about a month ago, Was on a flashing frenzy and didn't read enough about the rom i was flashing. After the flash my phone wouldn't do anything at all, just a paperweight. Took it into sprint and paid for a new one. Mistake learned, its part of being human.
musclehead84 said:
Yeah I agree. I don't know why people are bashing him. He maned up and payed for a replacement phone and now he is just letting other people know what can happen.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No one is bashing him, just having some fun at his expense, but you're right, thanks for doing the right thing op!
SPRINT GS3 FAQ
Like others have said, props for owning your mistake. However, the "noob" label applies to you, whether you think so or not. There were so many signs you were walking down the wrong path (including an explicit warning on the very page) the very first being that you were on a .uk website. I'm not posting this about that though, I just don't seem to understand why so many people feel the need to venture away from xda to acquire ROMs, this site if full of great ROMs made by great devs, not sure what more people need to end up flashing things they find on international news sites. Yes, there are other established sites, but usually they overlap with this site. That is to say, if there's something awesome happening somewhere else, you'll hear about it here (with a few exceptions).
Whether I am classified as a "noob" or not ... I have flashed custom ROMs on four or five different Android phones over the years.
The Motorola Photon was one where I thought I had a paperweight (nope...not an int'l ROM that time - Ha! Ha!) but because of XDA, I was able to get it working again after many errors. Decent little phone that one.
My error, my expense, my fault on the SGS3. Thankfully I have a working unit and can put the old EVO in the drawer as a backup - it is sloooow!
IconBoy said:
Whether I am classified as a "noob" or not ... I have flashed custom ROMs on four or five different Android phones over the years.
The Motorola Photon was one where I thought I had a paperweight (nope...not an int'l ROM that time - Ha! Ha!) but because of XDA, I was able to get it working again after many errors. Decent little phone that one.
My error, my expense, my fault on the SGS3. Thankfully I have a working unit and can put the old EVO in the drawer as a backup - it is sloooow!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you got it worked out. Its not easy admitting (and on the internet to say the least) that you had made a mistake even as a seasoned flasher. Its never easy to admit an error, at all
I agree with metalfan above and I applaud you, you made a mistake and you paid for it, lesson learned
Well... Don't re-read is for noobs. Sorry if that hurts you.
Sent from my SPH-L710
IconBoy said:
Whether I am classified as a "noob" or not ... I have flashed custom ROMs on four or five different Android phones over the years.
The Motorola Photon was one where I thought I had a paperweight (nope...not an int'l ROM that time - Ha! Ha!) but because of XDA, I was able to get it working again after many errors. Decent little phone that one.
My error, my expense, my fault on the SGS3. Thankfully I have a working unit and can put the old EVO in the drawer as a backup - it is sloooow!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may not be a "noob" in the technical sense of that term, but as you already know, the mistake you made was an amateurish one. For one, you were on a .uk website, and second, the very article mentions that you have to be mindful of your model number and specifically mentions buying in the UK. There were at least 3 checkpoints in that article that should have prompted further scrutiny on your part. I do commend you for taking responsibility for your actions and for you PSA to be careful about what you flash, and I do understand how you got tripped up. This is probably the first Android phone that was released to multiple carriers worldwide. Also, what I would like to see from devs is a conspicuous message in the OP of their ROM about specifically which carrier/version their ROM is for. Often that is not mentioned.
So let me prose this question to everyone calling him a noob (including our devs) - why don't devs write their install scripts to read the current build.prop to check for the correct model before the wipe & install begins? If this is happening hundreds of times per month, a pretty small amount of scripting could probably stop this from happening 99% of the time.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
rocket321 said:
So let me prose this question to everyone calling him a noob (including our devs) - why don't devs write their install scripts to read the current build.prop to check for the correct model before the wipe & install begins? If this is happening hundreds of times per month, a pretty small amount of scripting could probably stop this from happening 99% of the time.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point. Bad code leads to bad problems. And its actually a very simple line of code in the updater-script that would abort, but increasingly people are dropping that habit and changing to a no-check install
Code:
assert(getprop("ro.product.device")=="DEVICE_NAME" && getprop("ro.product.board")=="DEVICE_NAME")
IconBoy said:
Although I wouldn't term myself a pro at all, I am not a noob when it comes to rooting and installing other ROMs. I have rooted many of my Android phones over the years and have diligently read and re-read posts when it comes to rooting and installing ClockworkMod recovery and other ROMs.
Last week, I made a big boo-boo!
I searched for "Sprint SGS3 alternate ROMs" and found a CNet article (http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/mobile-phones/top-5-samsung-galaxy-s3-custom-roms-50009440/) listing the different ROMs. I downloaded a couple (Hawkish and Energy) and promptly tried to install them. I got some error message in CWM. I then rebooted after cleaning caches, dalvik etc.
My phone wouldn't start at all!!!
I tried all the keypresses to get things working but absolutely nothing. The unit wouldn't turn on even with a separately fully charged battery. I tried to borrow a USB Jig from a user in this post (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1869203) but no-one was able to help. As the phone was my only phone (no landline) I was readying myself to pay the $60 that one of the other sites charged to JTag the unit.
Before I did that, I decided to take it in to Sprint, and told the technician I made a mess up. They didn't ask anything about what I did and took it to the back for about half an hour. They weren't able to do anything as the unit didn't switch on, but said that I could get a replacement for $50.
I did that and a few days later they swapped out the non-working unit for a working one. I was expecting to pay a whole lot more.
I learned the lesson the hard way: even if I search for "Sprint" the results aren't necessarily going to be for my unit. I should have read (and re-read!) the posts a whole lot more clearly about the other ROMs - they were not for the Sprint unit.
I hope my hard lesson will help others be a wee bit more cautious - even if you have been customizing a long time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd say your a noob. Title is wrong. Lol.
.co.uk <----- not even us website.
Did you see "sprint" or d2spr any where? No.
Derp.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
rocket321 said:
So let me prose this question to everyone calling him a noob (including our devs) - why don't devs write their install scripts to read the current build.prop to check for the correct model before the wipe & install begins? If this is happening hundreds of times per month, a pretty small amount of scripting could probably stop this from happening 99% of the time.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about a counter point, if the noobs would read before flashing, it would stop this from happening 100% of the time! If you don't have time to read before trying to mod your device, you shouldn't be doing it in the first place...
Will always wonder why people find the right place just a second after they turn theirs phones into a fully functional brick.
Sent from my SPH-L710

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

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

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