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Help My rooted phone just... died?!?

R

rocketman247

Newbie
My Galaxy S5 was rooted, running 4.4.4 for many months without issue. A few days ago I was on my phone. I had not installed any apps recently, although some may have updated. I was on Google Chrome, looking up a list of the scariest movies. I pressed the power button to turn the display off, then a few minutes later, I pressed it again to turn the display back on. The phone was suddenly super slow. I had never seen it like this. I powered down, and tried to restart. I was stuck in an infinite boot loop. I pulled the battery, and tried to let the capacitors die out. Battery went back in, and no change. So I pulled my SD card out and wiped the cache in recovery. Nothing. Then I did a factory reset. That didn't fix it, either. So, because my phone came with 4.4.2, I downloaded it from SamMobile and installed it using Odin 3.09. After this, the phone booted and went into the welcoming setup, but the screen was really dark and pinkish-purple. The funny thing is that the initial splash screen was fine, as was Verizon's. I went through it ( bypassing what I could) and powered down. I then downloaded 4.4.4, which is what I had been running. I flashed it, and this is where it gets weird. After this, the Samsung splash screen looks fine, but everything after that scrolls up, like a VHS out of tracking. Ive even flashed two versions of 5.0, figuring since I can't afford a new phone, I'd risk not being able to root it. But the same thing happens. The last few tries, it actually boots, but the screen scrolls, but where you would click stuff stays the same. As in, if you can guess where the "next" button would be and press it, you advance, even if the visual button is elsewhere. In fact, I can see it is optimizing apps, but the screen scrolls so fast I can barely see the numbers. What do I do?
 
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You mention the Samsung splash screen looks fine, then after that is all wonky.
What about the screens in recovery or download mode? Do those look fine?
 
Mikestony said:
You mention the Samsung splash screen looks fine, then after that is all wonky.
What about the screens in recovery or download mode? Do those look fine?
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Yes, recovery and download mode looked fine, except, the last two times of installing the two latest versions of 5.0. The first one (second to oldest) didn't show a blue progress bar on the phone like normal, but a green one up top. The latest version of 5.0 had the blue progress bar, but it also started scrolling, although much slower. However, I've not seen any discoloration in these menus.
 
And these files are all from Sammobile.com?
And they are for your specific device/carrier yadda yadda yadda?
Sorry if that was a "duh" question, but just want to rule that out;) :)
 
Mikestony said:
And these files are all from Sammobile.com?
And they are for your specific device/carrier yadda yadda yadda?
Sorry if that was a "duh" question, but just want to rule that out;) :)
Click to expand...

I understand that, I've dealt with "experts" before.
My phone is from Verizon, Model number SM-G900V.
All the stock ROMs I downloaded were for this phone.
 
rocketman247 said:
I understand that, I've dealt with "experts" before.
My phone is from Verizon, Model number SM-G900V.
All the stock ROMs I downloaded were for this phone.
Click to expand...
ok, cool;)

rocketman247 said:
BTW, I do not claim to be an "expert". I am a novice, at best.
Click to expand...
Oh, I'm no expert either :( I just like a good challenge.
At first I was thinking that there could be some hardware issue going on, but if the recovery/download mode screens look fine, as does the splash screen, I'm starting now to think software, or corrupted file download.
Hmmm, gonna think about this some more.
Hopefully someone will see this and offer some advice for us:)
 
Mikestony said:
ok, cool;)


Oh, I'm no expert either :( I just like a good challenge.
At first I was thinking that there could be some hardware issue going on, but if the recovery/download mode screens look fine, as does the splash screen, I'm starting now to think software, or corrupted file download.
Hmmm, gonna think about this some more.
Hopefully someone will see this and offer some advice for us:)
Click to expand...

I have had nearly daily app upgrades. The last app I installed was called "Geek". However, I'm starting to suspect my bootloader.
 
Your problem is why I never allow any app to upgrade unless it stops working.

I also don't download a lot of new apps just to "play with them"... not with my only device being the only phone I have available.

It I had a 2nd device, and was content to just use it on WiFi, then I would do some experimenting.
Your problem now is, you don't know if a developer did something really wonky and has overwritten something vital that the phone needed to keep.

I feel for you, but I think you need to somehow, try to get it back to 4.4.2 and make that work before you go any further than that.
____________________________________
2 ea. Verizon Galaxy S5
 
Update:
I downloaded 5.0 and flashed it. Now I'm out of the boot loop, but the screen still scrolls, even in Safe Mode. The initial splash screen is fine, but it starts at the Verizon splash screen and after that. It isn't a constant speed, sometimes faster than others. I got through Initial Setup (which was maddening) and then powered down. I plugged it in, and even the animated charging battery scrolls. What should I do now?
 
Okay, I really need help. I found a Youtube video, stating that by removing the battery and holding the power button for one minute, then letting it rest for five minutes, that would fix display issues. It almost worked! The screen stopped scrolling, but the notification bar at the top was still really buggy, and it would scroll once or twice. So, I removed the battery, held the power button for two minutes. and let it rest for ten minutes. The results were better still, although the notification bar would, for lack of a better word, "phase" down, unaffecting my main display. Also, I tried using Odin to downgrade back to 4.4.2, but I got a failed message twice. I tried downloading the other 4.4.2 file, but it failed Odin's MD5 check, so I quit.
 
Alright, my latest experiment is that I have a rubber band holding the power button down. I will leave it like this overnight. tomorrow morning, I will remove this, and let the phone rest for a while.
 
I don't think any of that is going to work.

and, once you install a VZW Lollipop OS on the phone, forget about rooting it again.
It is not going to happen............ unless some genius actually takes the time to figure out how to get around the Locked Bootloader that VZW and AT&T are using now.
 
AZgl1500 said:
I don't think any of that is going to work.

and, once you install a VZW Lollipop OS on the phone, forget about rooting it again.
It is not going to happen............ unless some genius actually takes the time to figure out how to get around the Locked Bootloader that VZW and AT&T are using now.
Click to expand...

I understaand, but to save my phone, I will forgo rooting. I just want my phone back.

There are 3 versions of 5.0 for my model number. How do I know which one?
 
Update:
I am currently trying to downgrade, as my experiment yielded intolerable results. I seem to remember the OEM firmware ending in NE9 (the original 4.4.2) , so, I'm gonna try that again. When I rooted, I upgraded to 4.4.4, then used a 4.4.2 kernel to re-root, then restored that kernel. The difference between the times I tried before is that using the "hold the power button down, then let it rest" method allowed me to enter Development Mode, then turn on USB Debugging. Wish me luck!
 
rocketman247 said:
Update:
I am currently trying to downgrade, as my experiment yielded intolerable results. I seem to remember the OEM firmware ending in NE9 (the original 4.4.2) , so, I'm gonna try that again. When I rooted, I upgraded to 4.4.4, then used a 4.4.2 kernel to re-root, then restored that kernel. The difference between the times I tried before is that using the "hold the power button down, then let it rest" method allowed me to enter Development Mode, then turn on USB Debugging. Wish me luck!
Click to expand...

If you have ever been on either Verizon's OE1 or OG5 firmware for Lollipop, Android 5.0, you cannot downgrade. See post #61 of Verizon downgrade to KitKat - Dummies Guide
 
Alright, I'm bumping this again. With my financial situation, I can ill afford a professional looking at my phone. The "hold the power button down, then release it and let it rest" tactic only buys a few minutes before the screen starts scrolling again. Ive tried each of the 5.0 upgrades for my phone. Now, with the lack of improvement, I am repentant of the 5.0 upgrade, I just need my phone back. Am I missing something? Again, the OS seems intact, but the screen scrolls. The virtual buttons on the screen stay in place, though.
 
Update:
I sold plasma today to raise money for a pro to look at my phone. They all said that they had never seen anything like it. They concluded that it must be the display itself. They offered to purchase a display and install it to test. They said if it didn't work, they would box the display for future use and reinstall my old one so I can ship it to Samsung, at no additional charge to me. They hope to be done by tomorrow evening. Cross your fingers!
 
rocketman247 said:
Update:
I sold plasma today to raise money for a pro to look at my phone. They all said that they had never seen anything like it. They concluded that it must be the display itself. They offered to purchase a display and install it to test. They said if it didn't work, they would box the display for future use and reinstall my old one so I can ship it to Samsung, at no additional charge to me. They hope to be done by tomorrow evening. Cross your fingers!
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@rocketman247 I'm in suspense here dude how did it go with your phone
 
SnuggS said:
@rocketman247 I'm in suspense here dude how did it go with your phone
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Sorry about that. Thursday, I went to pick my phone up. They tried a new battery, a new screen and reflashing the firmware. Nothing helped. So, Thursday night, I contacted Samsung support. I was honest and stated the phone had been rooted, and they were a bit upset until I said the phone had been returned to stock with no improvement. I got a repair order and mailed it to Texas mid-day Friday. It should have been delivered by today. If they charge too much, I'll ask for my phone back and buy one off eBay, and keep mine for parts. The way I see it, the screen itself is worth $150
 
rocketman247 said:
Sorry about that. Thursday, I went to pick my phone up. They tried a new battery, a new screen and reflashing the firmware. Nothing helped. So, Thursday night, I contacted Samsung support. I was honest and stated the phone had been rooted, and they were a bit upset until I said the phone had been returned to stock with no improvement. I got a repair order and mailed it to Texas mid-day Friday. It should have been delivered by today. If they charge too much, I'll ask for my phone back and buy one off eBay, and keep mine for parts. The way I see it, the screen itself is worth $150
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Don't do the eBay thing you'll end up with worse than what you have check amazon, next time don't tell them your rooted cause they already know. In fact they might even try to say root was the cause.... I am thinking it was a chip that went bad they should fix it, had it ever been in prolonged sunlight cause can tear down the screen and the phone itself..... [emoji53] keep us posted with what happens next [emoji5] and GOOD LUCK!!!!!!
 
Update:
Samsung hasn't contacted me yet. As per SnuggS suggestion, I looked on Amazon as well. A pet peeve of mine is a scratched screen. That is why mine spent it's whole life in two different Otterbox Defender cases. Just in case Samsung is unreasonable, what keywords should I look for?
 
rocketman247 said:
I'm asking your opinion, my friends. What is the maximum I should pay Samsung? The shop said to "not give it away, the parts are valuable".
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They aren't lying you can have the guys that looked at your phone and break it down and tell you what each part is and you sell them individually, As how much you should pay samsung I have no clue all I know Is if they give a number on the repair it's up to you to go through with it. I have t-mobile and their jump program if l have a issue with my phone I just pay 150 for them to fix it or get a replacement or jump and get a new device then again my phone is paid off only thing stopping me from getting the s6 is my lady [emoji20] being the bill is in her name and I like my manhood intact.
What service do you have, wait I just realized you told Sammie you rooted your phone[emoji79] and they let you send it in to them without a song and dance about you breaking your warranty agreement, now I really need to know how this works out....[emoji6]
 
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