[Q] Probable softbrick (at least half)

bgbird · Jan 8, 2014

What are my alternatives now?

Previously I was running CleanRom7 – but somehow must taken enough of update to somehow have locked the bootloader:

I’m currently running a “official Samsung” version that is 4.1.2.
I can do the following:
• Flash Root
• Flash a new recovery – used the latest CWM version 2.6.3.1
• Any attempt to either flash the latest ML1 or old CleanRom7 don’t successfully boot.
• At that point I can ODIN back to the 4.1.2 official Samsung version

The download screen looks like this:
Product Name: ICH-I535
Custom Binary Download: Yes (2 count)
Current Binary: Samsung Official
System Status: Official
Qualcom Secureboot: Enable

I’m constantly getting asked by some app if I want to do the OTA upgrade, I have been postponing for 1 hour

Question is given these 2 alternatives, what are the opinions to these two questions:
At this point should I just either ODIN or flash the latest ML1 upgrade and then root?
Or
Stay on 4.1.2?

buhohitr · Jan 8, 2014

bgbird said:
What are my alternatives now?

Previously I was running CleanRom7 – but somehow must taken enough of update to somehow have locked the bootloader:

I’m currently running a “official Samsung” version that is 4.1.2.
I can do the following:
• Flash Root
• Flash a new recovery – used the latest CWM version 2.6.3.1
• Any attempt to either flash the latest ML1 or old CleanRom7 don’t successfully boot.
• At that point I can ODIN back to the 4.1.2 official Samsung version

The download screen looks like this:
Product Name: ICH-I535
Custom Binary Download: Yes (2 count)
Current Binary: Samsung Official
System Status: Official
Qualcom Secureboot: Enable

I’m constantly getting asked by some app if I want to do the OTA upgrade, I have been postponing for 1 hour

Question is given these 2 alternatives, what are the opinions to these two questions:
At this point should I just either ODIN or flash the latest ML1 upgrade and then root?
Or
Stay on 4.1.2?

Ok, The question is, do you still want to flash custom rom/kernel?? If you do and since you're still on 4.1.2 you still can unlock the bootloader and flash custom 4.3 rom (with unlocked bootloader) for the 4.3 experience/look & feel.

bgbird · Jan 8, 2014

More info

buhohitr said:
Ok, The question is, do you still want to flash custom rom/kernel?? If you do and since you're still on 4.1.2 you still can unlock the bootloader and flash custom 4.3 rom (with unlocked bootloader) for the 4.3 experience/look & feel.

I'd like a custom rom - but when I tried to flash the ML4.3 offered on this site - or even tried to reflash my old Cleanrom7 that i still had on my external flash memory that previously worked I couldn't boot.

I flashed VRUCML1_Stock_Root_Deodex (12.31.13 downloaded from the link. MD5 checked OK) this would try to boot - then just go back into recovery (I used the latest version of TWRP and used EZ-Unlock). Of course I wiped the device before I started. I flashed the rom and observed all of the successful messages during the flash. I never caught the really little blue message that flashed at the beginning of the boot cycle before it went black and rebooted to recovery. At that point I wiped again and flashed Cleanrom 7. It flashed, then started the installer that let me pick all sorts of apps. When I tried to boot - it just hung on the Samsung SIII banner that appears shortly after boot. I let it sit there for about an hour before pulling the battery. Then I ODINed back the the 4.1.2 version that I'm running now.

I tried this several times - even going as far as installing CRP recovery - same result.

So I'm about our of ideas...

buhohitr · Jan 8, 2014

bgbird said:
I'd like a custom rom - but when I tried to flash the ML4.3 offered on this site - or even tried to reflash my old Cleanrom7 that i still had on my external flash memory that previously worked I couldn't boot.

I flashed VRUCML1_Stock_Root_Deodex (12.31.13 downloaded from the link. MD5 checked OK) this would try to boot - then just go back into recovery (I used the latest version of TWRP and used EZ-Unlock). Of course I wiped the device before I started. I flashed the rom and observed all of the successful messages during the flash. I never caught the really little blue message that flashed at the beginning of the boot cycle before it went black and rebooted to recovery. At that point I wiped again and flashed Cleanrom 7. It flashed, then started the installer that let me pick all sorts of apps. When I tried to boot - it just hung on the Samsung SIII banner that appears shortly after boot. I let it sit there for about an hour before pulling the battery. Then I ODINed back the the 4.1.2 version that I'm running now.

I tried this several times - even going as far as installing CRP recovery - same result.

So I'm about our of ideas...

When you flashed back to 4.1.2 and it's working fine, at this point check to see if your bootloader is unlocked (even unlock tool said unlocked, you need to verify that it's unlocked). If it's not what ever you flash will not work.

bgbird · Jan 8, 2014

buhohitr said:
When you flashed back to 4.1.2 and it's working fine, at this point check to see if your bootloader is unlocked (even unlock tool said unlocked, you need to verify that it's unlocked). If it's not what ever you flash will not work.

I never "flash" back. I have an ODIN image (KIES_HOME_I535VRBMF1_1152558_REV09_user_low_ship.tar.md5 ) that I use. At that point everything is replaced and I'm back to a stock bootloader (at least that's how it looks to me). When I root - then use EZ-Unlock at this point, the bootloader is locked. I suppose that it would be interesting to try to "flash" a 4.1.2 original and see what would happen.

buhohitr · Jan 8, 2014

bgbird said:
I never "flash" back. I have an ODIN image (KIES_HOME_I535VRBMF1_1152558_REV09_user_low_ship.tar.md5 ) that I use. At that point everything is replaced and I'm back to a stock bootloader (at least that's how it looks to me). When I root - then use EZ-Unlock at this point, the bootloader is locked. I suppose that it would be interesting to try to "flash" a 4.1.2 original and see what would happen.

I believe your image is fine. The key I want to point out is make sure your bootloader is unlocked. After you unlock with EZ-Unlock, boot into download mode and verify that the bootloader is actually unlock, before you proceed to flash anything else.

bgbird · Jan 9, 2014

buhohitr said:
I believe your image is fine. The key I want to point out is make sure your bootloader is unlocked. After you unlock with EZ-Unlock, boot into download mode and verify that the bootloader is actually unlock, before you proceed to flash anything else.

OK - I'll try that. What do I look for in download mode that would indicate (or what should I try to do) that would prove that I'm "unlocked"?

buhohitr · Jan 9, 2014

boot into Odin mode (download mode) and you shoud see.

bgbird · Jan 9, 2014

buhohitr said:
boot into Odin mode (download mode) and you shoud see.

I don't see anything about "unlocked"
when i press the down volume, home and power button I start into ODIN mode.
if i press the down arrow the phone will just re-boot

then i press the up arrow to continue into ODIN (download mode) I get:
:
Product Name: ICH-I535
Custom Binary Download: Yes (3 count)
Current Binary: Customl
System Status: Customl
Qualcom Secureboot: Enable

I still don't see anything about the unlocked bootloader

buhohitr · Jan 9, 2014

bgbird said:
I don't see anything about "unlocked"
when i press the down volume, home and power button I start into ODIN mode.
if i press the down arrow the phone will just re-boot

then i press the up arrow to continue into ODIN (download mode) I get:
:
Product Name: ICH-I535
Custom Binary Download: Yes (3 count)
Current Binary: Customl
System Status: Customl
Qualcom Secureboot: Enable

I still don't see anything about the unlocked bootloader

This Qualcom Secureboot: Enable - meaning bootloader is locked

bgbird · Jan 9, 2014

buhohitr said:
This Qualcom Secureboot: Enable - meaning bootloader is locked

Just as a matter of curiosity, EZ-Unlock reports the bootloader to be “unlocked”. Wonder what’s wrong with that?

So pretty much at this point it appears that the only thing that I can do is to ODIN the official 4.3 tar file or stay on the 4.1.2 file that I ODINed previously.

buhohitr · Jan 9, 2014

bgbird said:
Just as a matter of curiosity, EZ-Unlock reports the bootloader to be “unlocked”. Wonder what’s wrong with that?

So pretty much at this point it appears that the only thing that I can do is to ODIN the official 4.3 tar file or stay on the 4.1.2 file that I ODINed previously.

Are you rooted? if not it's not going to work.

bgbird · Jan 9, 2014

buhohitr said:
This Qualcom Secureboot: Enable - meaning bootloader is locked

I am rooted - I'm sure of that...

I'm also running the latest TWRP recovery.

EZ-Unlock still lets me lock and unlock the bootloader.

I'm also thinking of flashing VRLE6.bootloader.zip, rebooting, doing an EZ-Unlock and seeing what happens.

If that doesn't work - I'll have to decide
1. do I f staying where I'm at - running 4.1.2 ?
or
2. Do I give up and take the softbrick tar file and lock everything up ?

I'm not sure of what are the pros and cons of either alternative

buhohitr · Jan 9, 2014

bgbird said:
EZ-Unlock still lets me lock and unlock the bootloader. I'm also thinking of flashing VRLE6.bootloader.zip, rebooting, doing an EZ-Unlock and seeing what happens.

If that doesn't work - I'll have to decide
1. do I f staying where I'm at - running 4.1.2 ?
or
2. Do I give up and take the softbrick tar file and lock everything up ?

I'm not sure of what are the pros and cons of either alternative

If you're not rooted, EZ unlock just report false results.
If you like to play with custom rom/kernel, meaning not bug free and become a flashcoholic then stay with 4.1.2
If you want a stable, no headache trouble free then upgrade to 4.3
I upgraded my wife to 4.3 and very happy with the results. Everything just work, performance is very good and smooth, gps locked in seconds...enough said.

bgbird · Jan 9, 2014

buhohitr said:
If you're not rooted, EZ unlock just report false results.
If you like to play with custom rom/kernel, meaning not bug free and become a flashcoholic then stay with 4.1.2
If you want a stable, no headache trouble free then upgrade to 4.3
I upgraded my wife to 4.3 and very happy with the results. Everything just work, performance is very good and smooth, gps locked in seconds...enough said.

Even if I had to stay on 4.1.2 I'd want CleanRom7 at least. I used that since July when it came out. I liked the features and customizations. I'd like to continue to flash - however every time that I try ( and you can see the results earlier in the thread) the phone wouldn't boot. I think that some part of the OTA got on the phone. For a period of time, I was constantly nagged to take the upgrade. I think that my son answered "yes" and some part updated - until stopped Cleanrom.

Anyway I tried to reflash CleanRom as well as the non-locked ML1 item. Each time, Samsung flashes, then the ornamental Samsung SIII graphic just sits there. In a normal boot, that only lasts a second. Maybe I'll try it again and let sit there for an hour or two and see if something changes.

buhohitr · Jan 9, 2014

bgbird said:
Even if I had to stay on 4.1.2 I'd want CleanRom7 at least. I used that since July when it came out. I liked the features and customizations. I'd like to continue to flash - however every time that I try ( and you can see the results earlier in the thread) the phone wouldn't boot. I think that some part of the OTA got on the phone. For a period of time, I was constantly nagged to take the upgrade. I think that my son answered "yes" and some part updated - until stopped Cleanrom.

Anyway I tried to reflash CleanRom as well as the non-locked ML1 item. Each time, Samsung flashes, then the ornamental Samsung SIII graphic just sits there. In a normal boot, that only lasts a second. Maybe I'll try it again and let sit there for an hour or two and see if something changes.

If you are switch from rom to rom, you may have trash residuals. I would wipe cache/dalvik cache/data/system before I flash another rom (clean install), saved me a lot of little issues here and there...

BadUsername · Jan 9, 2014

buhohitr said:
If you are switch from rom to rom, you may have trash residuals. I would wipe cache/dalvik cache/data/system before I flash another rom (clean install), saved me a lot of little issues here and there...

Formatting your internal SD may also be needed, because 4.3 creates a 0/ folder that 4.1 doesn't have.

Alternatively, philz touch recovery has a 0/folder migration that will clear out that folder when switching.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

bgbird · Jan 9, 2014

BadUsername said:
Formatting your internal SD may also be needed, because 4.3 creates a 0/ folder that 4.1 doesn't have.

Alternatively, philz touch recovery has a 0/folder migration that will clear out that folder when switching.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

two questions?
1. Do you have a link for philz touch recovery?
2. If I format the internal SD - will an nandroid backup still work? I thought that that had to back into an identical file structure...

Also I do a factory reset each time that I flash.
I know that I'm root because EZ-Unlock requires it. If root isn't enabled - it terminates. When Root is enabled, SuperSU asks permission to do the unlock

BadUsername · Jan 9, 2014

bgbird said:
two questions?
1. Do you have a link for philz touch recovery?
2. If I format the internal SD - will an nandroid backup still work? I thought that that had to back into an identical file structure...

1.
http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2588639

2. No, The file structure gets completely replaced because a nandroid copies your internal sd card. It'll remake the folder structure.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

landshark68 · Jan 9, 2014

Just a quick question to cover all the bases. Which version of EZ Unlock are you using? Version 1.2 is the only one that actually works to unlock your bootloader.

[Q] Probable softbrick (at least half)

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