Can flash firmware but cannot access Recovery

LeveeWasDry · Jul 22, 2014

I'm new here so please bear with me. I've been reading up on these forums and other places all over the internet. Currently, I'm not sure what the problem is with my device. I can boot into download mode but never in recovery.

First off, I got this phone from someone else and it was bricked when I got it. I've tried flashing and I've got the "Fused 3: Binary 2" when trying to flash different stock files. If I'm correct, this means the last person should have tried to upgrade it to the latest Kitkat firmware. I've been using Odin 3.07, 3.09, and even 1.85 to see if the flash is just bad in one version or the others. However, each version will flash the latest firmware that Sammobile give me just fine (or at least appears so).

I've even tried flashing a pit file (HLTE_USA_VZW_32G.pit) but that really does nothing. If I flash the pit file and then flash the firmware alone 2 time back to back... it will show its attempting to go into recovery ONCE but fail and go into a never ending bootloop. Sometimes after a flash it will even bootloop trying to go into recovery automatically.

I haven't read anyone who has had it happen like this and I'm not sure if I'm in a soft-brick or in a weird hard-brick. Any suggestions?

TechBSwift · Jul 22, 2014

LeveeWasDry said:
I'm new here so please bear with me. I've been reading up on these forums and other places all over the internet. Currently, I'm not sure what the problem is with my device. I can boot into download mode but never in recovery.

First off, I got this phone from someone else and it was bricked when I got it. I've tried flashing and I've got the "Fused 3: Binary 2" when trying to flash different stock files. If I'm correct, this means the last person should have tried to upgrade it to the latest Kitkat firmware. I've been using Odin 3.07, 3.09, and even 1.85 to see if the flash is just bad in one version or the others. However, each version will flash the latest firmware that Sammobile give me just fine (or at least appears so).

I've even tried flashing a pit file (HLTE_USA_VZW_32G.pit) but that really does nothing. If I flash the pit file and then flash the firmware alone 2 time back to back... it will show its attempting to go into recovery ONCE but fail and go into a never ending bootloop. Sometimes after a flash it will even bootloop trying to go into recovery automatically.

I haven't read anyone who has had it happen like this and I'm not sure if I'm in a soft-brick or in a weird hard-brick. Any suggestions?

the fact you can get into download modes shows you're not hard brick. Make sure you are downloading the correct firmware, since I don't know what you were running the safest approach would be to download NC4 Firmware, pit file, and use odin 3.10. Now flash the pit file, then flash the firmware in the PDA/PA spot. Restart you phone, on boot up hold home and I believe the down power button to get into recovery, select factory restore, and restart.

LeftyGR · Jul 22, 2014

Yeah, definitely check which firmware you have. Make sure it's for the N900V. The leaked nc2 came with either missing or broken recovery, so don't odin that. Verify the md5 code after you download both the pit and the tar.md5. I'm pretty sure odin does this, but check just in case.

LeveeWasDry · Jul 23, 2014

LeftyGR said:
Yeah, definitely check which firmware you have. Make sure it's for the N900V. The leaked nc2 came with either missing or broken recovery, so don't odin that. Verify the md5 code after you download both the pit and the tar.md5. I'm pretty sure odin does this, but check just in case.

I'm pretty sure my phone needs N900VVRUCNC4_N900VVZWCNC4_N900VVRUCNC4_HOME.tar because its the only one that successfully flashed in Odin. I have a new theory that may have something to do with it. My phone battery is completely dead so maybe that is a failsafe for recovery mode? I know people say the battery needs to be a certain % charged before doing any flashing. Perhaps its due to the fact it won't boot into recovery proper until the battery is at a certain charge? I sort of think it could be the case.

Since it won't charge due to boot loop... I had to do a bad flash and reproduce the results I got a day ago. I did a bad flash that won't send the device into a bootloop and rather straight into a charge state. I'm going to get the battery to 100% and try a flash with the above firmware again. Perhaps recovery will actually work with the battery at 100%. I will keep update with the results.

LeveeWasDry · Jul 23, 2014

Battery is at 100% now but it still will not boot into recovery. I flash the .pit file and then the firmware file stated above. I try different combinations all to no fix. I'm still stuck in a bootloop.

I don't understand really. The phone seems to be soft-bricked obviously... so there is a way to salvage... I just can't seem to get it to work. Any thoughts on what I can try from here?

mjh68 · Jul 23, 2014

LeveeWasDry said:
Battery is at 100% now but it still will not boot into recovery. I flash the .pit file and then the firmware file stated above. I try different combinations all to no fix. I'm still stuck in a bootloop.

I don't understand really. The phone seems to be soft-bricked obviously... so there is a way to salvage... I just can't seem to get it to work. Any thoughts on what I can try from here?

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2755970

Have you tried this link ? Contains the working recovery to flash.

TechBSwift · Jul 23, 2014

mjh68 said:
http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2755970

Have you tried this link ? Contains the working recovery to flash.

the link provided above will fix your phone. Follow the steps exactly and you will be good to go.

LeveeWasDry · Jul 25, 2014

Since I cannot start my phone, I can't root it under "Steps for Retail Edition" I have to skip straight to step 10 and flashing that files does not work.Unified_KK_Firmware_RE.tar So, am I screwed or what else is there to do?

LeftyGR · Jul 25, 2014

LeveeWasDry said:
Since I cannot start my phone, I can't root it under "Steps for Retail Edition" I have to skip straight to step 10 and flashing that files does not work.Unified_KK_Firmware_RE.tar So, am I screwed or what else is there to do?

The Unified_kk is not the full firmware. It's only the radio, recovery, etc.

But to verify from a previous post, you tried the full firmware for nc4?

When you boot to download mode, in the upper left corner there is some info and codes. What are they on your phone?

LeveeWasDry · Jul 26, 2014

LeftyGR said:
The Unified_kk is not the full firmware. It's only the radio, recovery, etc.

But to verify from a previous post, you tried the full firmware for nc4?

When you boot to download mode, in the upper left corner there is some info and codes. What are they on your phone?

Yes. I've tried the full firmware for NC4 and it just bootloops. This is what the download page tells me.

ODIN MODE
PRODUCT NAME: SM-N900V
CURRENT BINARY: Samsung Official
SYSTEM STATUS: Official
KNOX KERNEL LOCK: 0x0
KNOX WARRANTY VOID: 0x0
QUALCOMM SECUREBOOT: ENABLE (CSB)
RP SWREV: S1, T1, R1, A3, P1
WRITE PROTECTION: Enable
UDC START

LeftyGR · Jul 26, 2014

LeveeWasDry said:
Yes. I've tried the full firmware for NC4 and it just bootloops. This is what the download page tells me.

ODIN MODE
PRODUCT NAME: SM-N900V
CURRENT BINARY: Samsung Official
SYSTEM STATUS: Official
KNOX KERNEL LOCK: 0x0
KNOX WARRANTY VOID: 0x0
QUALCOMM SECUREBOOT: ENABLE (CSB)
RP SWREV: S1, T1, R1, A3, P1
WRITE PROTECTION: Enable
UDC START

Ok. Everything seems right to me. It's definitely not you!

What info did you get from the previous owner? When you bought it did they tell you it was bricked and what they did to brick it?

LeveeWasDry · Jul 27, 2014

LeftyGR said:
Ok. Everything seems right to me. It's definitely not you!

What info did you get from the previous owner? When you bought it did they tell you it was bricked and what they did to brick it?

I was told nothing really. They just told me that it boot looped and it was stuck on the "Firmware Upgrade has Encountered an Issue" screen. It was more so a gamble really. The phone looks impeccable so it seems to be rather new. Maybe the owner had flashed it before and tool the OTA, soft-bricking it... I don't know. I just know that its last flash was 4.4 KK because it wouldn't let me downgrade firmware.

LeftyGR · Jul 27, 2014

I'm not quite sure what else you could look at doing here. You seem to be doing everything right, but not getting the right results.

The following is an option:

Seems to me that the previous owner did something "unofficial" that caused this. If it was something official, it would've easily been accepted as a replacement via warranty situation. But instead, they got rid of it!

---------- Post added at 07:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:26 AM ----------

Actually, there is one more thing you can try. You should never do this because there is too high a risk of bricking if you do something wrong. But you are already pretty bricked, so what else have you got to lose?

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2610757

Go check this out, and nand erase all during the odin flash.

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