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Root [Verizon] Hard Bricked - Whoopsie!

J

jn1520

Newbie
Hey Everyone! First of all it felt good to be back in the rooting community. I used to have the original Droid X and loved rooting and playing with different ROMs. Last year, I went to the Dark Side and upgraded to an iPhone 4S (in all honesty, my wife had one and this made taking/sharing pics of our kids more seemless). Was cool for a change, but then I got the itch.

Wirefly had a deal for the Galaxy S3 - $9.99

I pounced...Upon receiving the phone, I immediately got to reading here on how to root, as I wanted the least bloat, yet most stable ROM.

I followed the instructions, downloaded all necessary files, ran ODIN. Upon flashing VRALEC, my phone never reset. Soft brick? No, I WISH - lol

It's a good old paper weight. Won't even power on. Just wanted to share my experience, hoping it adds to the knowledge base here for anyone attempting to root. I'm sure my issue is somewhat isolated and rare, but possible nonetheless.

I'll be exchanging for another brand new S3, hoping second root attempt goes smooth.
 
I like your thread title :p
Can you boot into download mode at all? I know you said it won't power on at all. Do you get an led light when plugged in?

Not sure if you want to try to recover it as you said you will be exchanging it :)
 
Thanks Mike, figured I'd make fun of the situation.

As for my phone, it will not power on at all, not even into download mode. I tried all kinds of button combos, as well as removing the SIM card and battery. Strangely enough, I did notice a solid red battery light only when I plugged in the phone without the battery, but with the SIM card inserted.

This sucker is dead. At least that's the way it seems. Fortunately, I had returned a phone years back to Wirefly and they never questioned anything with regards to the condition. I'm assuming the exchange will be quick and painless. I'll keep you all posted.

Now I just have to hope this was an anomaly.
 
Part of what makes this community great is that insightful, helpful people here lend their time & experience to help those of us in situations like this. I almost refuse to accept that this brand new SG3 is not fix-able with all the info & support on here. Since there is nothing to lose @ this point, why not try powering up with a home-made usb jig . . . This should get the device to @ least power up in some capacity - probably download mode, which will allow you to re-attempt the root process.

How to Make a USB Jig for $2! [Galaxy S2] [Download Mode][Reset Odin Counter] - YouTube

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1402286
 
Thanks Talon! You guys are great and extremely helpful. I spent different parts of today researching and trying various things, short of the USB Jig, which I won't have time to put together with 2 little ones taking my time.

Wirefly offered to just replace my unit, so I figure I'll start fresh.

That said, it was painful to ship that box. Part of me wanted to overcome that bricking by finding a solution. All I know is, I can't wait for the replacement because I'll get right back on the saddle!
 
Yeah, I didn't even think of the usb jig either! And I even bought one just in case!
That's what makes me proud of this community....we all chip in with different ideas:D
 
Glad that the device is being replaced at no cost. Keep us posted . . . & btw . . . When you get the replacement & flash the bootchain in Odin, make sure auto-reboot is cheked. If it isn't, it might get hung again. I know these phones are pricey, & taking a brand new one & hacking into it like that seems risky . . . Kinda like getting a brand new corvette & modding the engine & tranny to get more out of it. . .

Dam . . . I hate it when we get defeated & can't fix it . . . !
 
I hear you Talon - I felt defeated...Hoping next time goes well. I'll keep us posted! Until then, keep on, keep on!
 
My replacement has arrived! I will be taking the plunge again tonight and will keep my homies posted.

One quick question - I bricked during the VRALEC portion of the ODIN instructions. Basically, my device never recovered when it should have rebooted. Are there any known issues with that specific step?

Thanks!
 
jn1520 said:
My replacement has arrived! I will be taking the plunge again tonight and will keep my homies posted.

One quick question - I bricked during the VRALEC portion of the ODIN instructions. Basically, my device never recovered when it should have rebooted. Are there any known issues with that specific step?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

The step 2 of this guide?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2046439

I would just make sure the md5 that is posted there matches your download. :)
 
Done deal! Successfully rooted and now running CM 10.1 Nightlies. Ran into boot loop initially, but another wipe of the cache did the trick. ROM runs smooth, but I am encountering an annoying texting issue where the keyboard won't come up if I first attempt voice dictation.

I'll be messing around with the phone all day getting used to it, so I'll definitely keep you all posted.

In the meantime, is there a thread specifically dedicated to CM 10.1 issues for Galaxy S3 on VZW (or even a general bug/fix thread for that ROM)?

Thanks!
 
jn1520 said:
Done deal! Successfully rooted and now running CM 10.1 Nightlies. Ran into boot loop initially, but another wipe of the cache did the trick. ROM runs smooth, but I am encountering an annoying texting issue where the keyboard won't come up if I first attempt voice dictation.

I'll be messing around with the phone all day getting used to it, so I'll definitely keep you all posted.

In the meantime, is there a thread specifically dedicated to CM 10.1 issues for Galaxy S3 on VZW (or even a general bug/fix thread for that ROM)?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I thought there was a bugtracker site for CM but can't find it atm.
I did find the Q&A thread here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2071252

Hope that helps a little and glad you got your phone rooted:D
 
For the future if you get a hard brick from flashing, it can usually be fixed with a JTAG. It's always nice to know that you have that option in case you don't have any other options.
 
After some careful reconsideration, I am downloading (and will be flashing) CleanROM as stability is the most important "feature" overall. Uh-Oh, I think I have another case of ROM-a-titus....
 
jn1520 said:
After some careful reconsideration, I am downloading (and will be flashing) CleanROM as stability is the most important "feature" overall. Uh-Oh, I think I have another case of ROM-a-titus....
Click to expand...

Nice!! That is what I am running.:D
Seriously considering the CarbonRom myself :p
 
jn1520 said:
Thanks JHawk - I'm not familiar with JTAG, but I'll look into it!
Click to expand...

It is where someone who is proficient with electronics uses a special machine that hooks directly up to the chipset of a device with software that works with the machine in order to reflash the bootloader directly to the device in binary form. Once the bootloader is flashed back to the device, you then have access to fastboot or Odin depending on the device. Most true hard bricks come from either corruption or deletion of the bootloader by either manual error, or a bad flash.
 
Thanks for the description. Can I pick up this device from my local Target? :smokingsomb:

JK! Actually, that's really cool and what I figured. It''s not like the thing is fried like an egg, just a matter of getting the I/0 back in order ;)
 
I hard bricked my phone and sent it to mobiltech videos and they said they tried to fix it via jtag anf couldnt because of the bootloader code being corrupt and Josh doesn't have a way to get in and fix it. What do I do now? Can Samsung fix it or should I sell it to them for parts like they asked me to?
 
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