[URGENT] Stuck on "Firmware Upgrade Encountered an Issue"

Hello XDA, haven't been on these forums for a while.

I have a slight issue with a Galaxy SIII I just picked up off a friend.

The S3 goes to this screen every time I try to boot it with the power button:



And I AM able to get to the download mode screen:



I've tried to flash a Stock Rooted Firmware onto the phone using Odin 3.07, and all it does is say it failed.

Another thing to note is that I CAN'T boot into recovery, and that I do not have Clockworkmod installed.

Also, I am not sure if my device is rooted as it was given to me by someone else..

Any help on trying to solve this issue will be much appreciated!! Thank you! ��

EDIT: if you can't see the images for some reason, it is just a photo of the "Firmware Upgrade Encountered an Issue" screen and a photo of the download mode screen.

More info:
ODIN MODE
PRODUCT NAME: SGH-T999
CUSTOM BINARY DOWNLOAD: Yes (4 counts)
CURRENT BINARY: custom
SYSTEM STATUS: official
QUALCOMM SECURE BOOT ENABLE

DocHoliday77 said:

When you try to flash with Odin, what does it say in the message box after it fails?
Also, what firmware are you trying to flash?

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

This is the firmware I am trying to flash: root66_TMO_T999UVDLJA.tar.md5
It's basically a rooted stock ROM for the SIII T-Mobile.

And this is the message I receive when trying to flash:



Please note I have tried to flash other firmwares as well, getting the same message.
One thing that DID work was flashing a custom recovery through odin.

Thanks for the reply!

UPDATE:

I've now gotten the phone to get stuck at the Samsung boot logo (the one where it glows blue) instead of giving me the firmware issue message.

I did this by flashing CWM through odin. In Odin, it said the flash was successful but when I boot into recovery on my phone, it just goes to the stock Samsung recovery.


One thing I did notice was that when I try to factory reset the phone, it gives me a BUNCH of errors in red text.. doesn't seem normal.

Thanks again!

DocHoliday77 said:

Yeah. Im afraid that doesn't sound good. But before getting too negative, try flashing the firmware again, but this time use the PIT file as well. In case the local one on your device is corrupted, use one from our thread in the General section.
http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1848267

Download the correct one for your device. If the link in the op isn't working check my last few posts for a mirror.
Now in Odin do exactly as before, but also click the PIT button and select the file you just downloaded. Then make sure that re-partition is checked. Click start.

If something corrupted your partition layout, theres a chance this will fix it. If it doesn't work, theres a good possibility the memory is going bad....

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Same thing happens this time, same error message. It seemed like the PIT file did not make a difference at all..

BUT! Now, I went into the stock recovery and tried to do a factory reset. NO ERRORS!
And when it began to boot, it made the little ringtone "jingle" and FINALLY BOOTED UP TO THE SETUP SCREEN!!

YOU, MY FRIEND, ARE AMAZING. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

So for all future references: the PIT file may seem to do nothing at all, but once you do a factory reset it will work like a charm.

Once again, thanks! Bought the phone for $20, now I can sell it for around $100, lol.