How Can Rooting Your Phone Alone Permanently Brick It?

ableright · Apr 1, 2014

So I've heard that some people have permanently bricked their phones by rooting them and making mistakes and I just don't understand this. I have rooted mine and it isn't bricked or anything but how is this possible?

Coming from Windows/PC Windows programming and maintenance I've fixed computer that had absolute corrupted hardware from malware or user error. No matter how bad the SOFTWARE is corrupted the computer itself is left undamaged in terms of hardware.

I'm not saying that certain forms of malware can't affect hardware under bizarre circumstances but generally this seems to be an old wives tail. If you rewrite the Master Boot Record on Windows Re flash Firmware and completely format and reinstall Windows it WILL fix even the most complex malware ROOTKITS like tdl4 which installs itself to the MBR (Master Boot Record.)

Why can't you do the same thing on an Android phone? Lets pretend the system gets extremely corrupted from being root what keeps me from removing everything and completely re-installing android? I don't get how you can permanently brick your phone from a software issue alone no matter how corrupted the phone is?

ableright · Apr 3, 2014

ableright said:
So I've heard that some people have permanently bricked their phones by rooting them and making mistakes and I just don't understand this. I have rooted mine and it isn't bricked or anything but how is this possible?

Coming from Windows/PC Windows programming and maintenance I've fixed computer that had absolute corrupted hardware from malware or user error. No matter how bad the SOFTWARE is corrupted the computer itself is left undamaged in terms of hardware.

I'm not saying that certain forms of malware can't affect hardware under bizarre circumstances but generally this seems to be an old wives tail. If you rewrite the Master Boot Record on Windows Re flash Firmware and completely format and reinstall Windows it WILL fix even the most complex malware ROOTKITS like tdl4 which installs itself to the MBR (Master Boot Record.)

Why can't you do the same thing on an Android phone? Lets pretend the system gets extremely corrupted from being root what keeps me from removing everything and completely re-installing android? I don't get how you can permanently brick your phone from a software issue alone no matter how corrupted the phone is?

Nobody has anything to say about this? I'm amazed. I've been reading online that it's hard to permanently brick your phone from rooting alone but some say it's impossible I get different theories everywhere lol?

vanessaem · Apr 3, 2014

ableright said:
Nobody has anything to say about this? I'm amazed. I've been reading online that it's hard to permanently brick your phone from rooting alone but some say it's impossible I get different theories everywhere lol?

Thread moved to Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting.

Perhaps if you post in the correct forum, you would get more responses.

Vaibhav Chauhan · Apr 3, 2014

ableright said:
So I've heard that some people have permanently bricked their phones by rooting them and making mistakes and I just don't understand this. I have rooted mine and it isn't bricked or anything but how is this possible?

Coming from Windows/PC Windows programming and maintenance I've fixed computer that had absolute corrupted hardware from malware or user error. No matter how bad the SOFTWARE is corrupted the computer itself is left undamaged in terms of hardware.

I'm not saying that certain forms of malware can't affect hardware under bizarre circumstances but generally this seems to be an old wives tail. If you rewrite the Master Boot Record on Windows Re flash Firmware and completely format and reinstall Windows it WILL fix even the most complex malware ROOTKITS like tdl4 which installs itself to the MBR (Master Boot Record.)

Why can't you do the same thing on an Android phone? Lets pretend the system gets extremely corrupted from being root what keeps me from removing everything and completely re-installing android? I don't get how you can permanently brick your phone from a software issue alone no matter how corrupted the phone is?

bricked phone can unbrick using reinstall the firmware just like you say in windows

ableright · Apr 3, 2014

Vaibhav Chauhan said:
bricked phone can unbrick using reinstall the firmware just like you say in windows

That's what I was figuring. So basically the entire concept of permanently bricking your phone from rooting alone or messing things up as root is essentially a spooky incorrect nonsense tale spread around the internet?

Vaibhav Chauhan · Apr 4, 2014

ableright said:
That's what I was figuring. So basically the entire concept of permanently bricking your phone from rooting alone or messing things up as root is essentially a spooky incorrect nonsense tale spread around the internet?

rooting is not process of brick your device .it gives access the phone as super user.it just install su bin in system/bin folder

ableright · Apr 4, 2014

Vaibhav Chauhan said:
rooting is not process of brick your device .it gives access the phone as super user.it just install su bin in system/bin folder

No I know that friend (My phone is rooted right now) but what I don't understand is all these people saying things like they accidentally deleted xyz files or programs in root and now their phone is PERMANENTLY BRICKED.

I didn't think it was possible to permanently brick something like a phone from a software issue alone? What keeps them from re-flashing the device?

PhaseBeta · Apr 4, 2014

ableright said:
No I know that friend (My phone is rooted right now) but what I don't understand is all these people saying things like they accidentally deleted xyz files or programs in root and now their phone is PERMANENTLY BRICKED.

I didn't think it was possible to permanently brick something like a phone from a software issue alone? What keeps them from re-flashing the device?

Half the time people don't know what rooting is, they just know that they want it to install and show off 'cool' root apps. Attribute it to lack of knowledge, not reading the instructions first or following the instructions religiously or, in case they mess up their phone, not wanting to search for a solution which most likely would already have been posted by someone somewhere.

I've messed up my old Motorola Defy more times than I'd like to admit - so often that I uploded a copy of all the required files on my SD card and on the cloud so that I could access it anywhere - but following the instructions posted online helped me revert to stock with no hassles.

Vaibhav Chauhan · Apr 4, 2014

PhaseBeta said:
Half the time people don't know what rooting is, they just know that they want it to install and show off 'cool' root apps. Attribute it to lack of knowledge, not reading the instructions first or following the instructions religiously or, in case they mess up their phone, not wanting to search for a solution which most likely would already have been posted by someone somewhere.

I've messed up my old Motorola Defy more times than I'd like to admit - so often that I uploded a copy of all the required files on my SD card and on the cloud so that I could access it anywhere - but following the instructions posted online helped me revert to stock with no hassles.

if you delete basic system app you will go to the boot loops but if you got hardbrick during flashing rom then it ia difficult to unbrick your device.it occurs when you remove battery while flashing is running

ableright · Apr 5, 2014

Vaibhav Chauhan said:
if you delete basic system app you will go to the boot loops but if you got hardbrick during flashing rom then it ia difficult to unbrick your device.it occurs when you remove battery while flashing is running

But that's still a software issue correct? Therefore in theory it should be fixable am I right?

neutrondev · Apr 5, 2014

ableright said:
But that's still a software issue correct? Therefore in theory it should be fixable am I right?

It depends. Software needs hardware to work and hardware needs software. It matters what part of software you mess. You get a permanent brick when you are ****ing the bootloader. Then you get your hard brick. Think of the bootloader like the bios of your computer. The bootloader is the boss. If you mess the bootloader you can't enter recovery and so on. So game over. But yeah when rooting you can delete some system files that are checked by the bootloader and get a secure boot fail or a bootloop. If you have the Stock Rom you can flash that if not then you are soft bricked but still can't fix the soft brick.

HIT THANKS if i helped you.

Vaibhav Chauhan · Apr 5, 2014

ableright said:
But that's still a software issue correct? Therefore in theory it should be fixable am I right?

yes it is fixable
it on bricked permanently when device hardware will damage

ableright · Apr 5, 2014

Vaibhav Chauhan said:
yes it is fixable
it on bricked permanently when device hardware will damage

That's what I figured. It seems to a large degree then that these anti rooting people are mostly silly

Vaibhav Chauhan · Apr 6, 2014

ableright said:
That's what I figured. It seems to a large degree then that these anti rooting people are mostly silly

but really you want to brick your phone?
there are also one click brick tool for bricking your phone

ableright · Apr 7, 2014

Vaibhav Chauhan said:
but really you want to brick your phone?
there are also one click brick tool for bricking your phone

No I don't want to brick my phone I was just curious if there was something I didn't know in terms of software somehow causing your phone to permanently brick in a way that couldn't be fixed and it appears from what I've heard from you guys on here that that is not possible and that's a good thing.

Vaibhav Chauhan · Apr 7, 2014

ableright said:
No I don't want to brick my phone I was just curious if there was something I didn't know in terms of software somehow causing your phone to permanently brick in a way that couldn't be fixed and it appears from what I've heard from you guys on here that that is not possible and that's a good thing.

there is one click brick tool available
after using it your device will be just a garbage

ableright · Apr 7, 2014

Vaibhav Chauhan said:
there is one click brick tool available
after using it your device will be just a garbage

So I guess that's my ultimate questions lets even say you use one of these 1 click brick tools there is still no possible way to fix your phone at that point? The hardware of the phone would remain unchanged so essentially it should be impossible to re-install the OS etc. and your phone would work again am I right?

Vaibhav Chauhan · Apr 7, 2014

ableright said:
So I guess that's my ultimate questions lets even say you use one of these 1 click brick tools there is still no possible way to fix your phone at that point? The hardware of the phone would remain unchanged so essentially it should be impossible to re-install the OS etc. and your phone would work again am I right?

i have't try it just read about it on xda
i don't want to brick my phone so i don't know it cause permanent brick or not
but this is the link
http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2701969

ableright · Apr 7, 2014

Vaibhav Chauhan said:
i have't try it just read about it on xda
i don't want to brick my phone so i don't know it cause permanent brick or not
but this is the link
http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2701969

I get your point on that lol I just wish I had a definitive answer on whether or not a software issue alone on android can permanently brick your phone in suck a way that you can't fix it and how scientifically that's possible as I find this interesting!

Vaibhav Chauhan · Apr 8, 2014

ableright said:
I get your point on that lol I just wish I had a definitive answer on whether or not a software issue alone on android can permanently brick your phone in suck a way that you can't fix it and how scientifically that's possible as I find this interesting!

:good:

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