Bricked S3

[makaiguy]

Several months ago I dropped my Verizon Galaxy S3 on a hardwood floor. Ever since it has refused to boot. I've replaced with an S7 and couldn't be happier.

But now I don't know what to do with the S3. Since I can't boot it, I can't wipe data or do a factory reset. I'm afraid if I just dispose of it some savvy person may be able to resurrect it and have access to all my goodies. And besides, I wouldn't mind having another device I could use in wifi mode as a music player, etc.

When plugged into a charger the red led comes on for a little while then shuts off. After charging overnight, the power button, when held in for plenty of time to normally cause it to boot, does nothing. Trying to go into recovery mode (Home, Volume-up, Power) gets no response.

Having it plugged into the charger when trying this makes no difference. The charger and cable are good, I use them for other devices including the S7 without issue.

I've taken the battery out and let it set for a few minutes before replacing the battery, but this makes no difference.

Any other suggestions?

 

[svim]

Offhand it sounds like the phone is pretty much dead. That red LED coming on and then later off isn't a good sign, plus you can't even get into Recovery Mode. You might want to try tearing it down, but not actually disassembling it, more just opening it up to re-seat various connectors and tighten screws you can access and then see if that restores anything so it will at least boot up again.
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Samsung+Galaxy+S+III+Motherboard+Replacement/12696
But if you're going to just dump it off at a recycler and you're worried some industrious type will try to fix it, you could at least disassemble it into pieces so it's not fixable at all.
In any case, you might want to reset the passwords for things like your email account and other services you're now using on your new S7 that you were using on your S3. Even though that S3 doesn't sound like it can be restored it's a good idea to reset your passwords every so often anyway.

 

[mamalimt]

Sorry to hear about your accident. The above poster seems to have some good insight on the topic. I would certainly try his methods and then one other thing that can be done is taking it to a repair store? Maybe they can offer some suggestion or possibly quote you a price for repairing the device? If you really need it or your files you can always do that. It may be a cost but the cost might just be worth it if you need your S3. GL

 

[makaiguy]

Thanks for the replies, guys.

I kinda figured the S3 is probably toast, but you never know. For a while I thought maybe the screen had just quit functioning but then I recalled the audible tones the Verizon startup makes and I don't get them either.

Guess at this point I don't have a lot to lose by attacking it with a jeweler's screwdriver. Thanks for the disassembly link, it should come in handy.

Seems pretty warm when on charge, don't recall it being that warm before, but it HAS been several months since I've used it so maybe I just don't remember.

Measuring the voltage on the marked battery terminals, it seems to max out about 3.4v no matter how long I charge it, with the battery markings indicating it is a 3.7v battery. Is this low enough to keep it from starting up?