hey there- thanks for the suggestion, but i can't get UPK 3.7.exe to work; access is denied no matter how i try to open it. i know a lot of people put a lot of work into all this but that link over at SDX is so convoluted it doesn't make sense. there's reference to PDF guides i can't find or dont exist, and files i download that just don't open. i know a lot of people have successfully used it, but it's a real mess just to make sense of it and get started. my phone stays stuck in that loop even when i try the methods to connect to my computer as shown in a video. at this point, i'm on the brink of deciding i don't need a rooted phone and count myself lucky that i'm getting a free replacement. i would have liked to at least wipe my data before sending the bricked phone back, but nothing seems to be working.
unless there's some coherent guide i can follow with working exe files, i don't see any alternatives. i can either keep pulling my hair out, or cut my losses. much as i'd like to tether with my cell phone, it may just not be worth all this headache. my new phone arrives tomorrow, so if there's no fix by then, i guess i dont need tethering or root. thanks again for trying.