HELP! Bootloader unresponsive! - Nexus S Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

So, I was trying to flash my NS back to stock from TWRP becuase my power button's broke and I'm sending it in.
Anyways, TWRP crashed during flashing (wow....recovery crashing NOT good), and I cant boot the phone except by plugging it in from being off. However, when I hold vol up and get to bootloader by doing that, the bootloader is completely unresponsive to vol presses, and my comp doesnt see the device.
This is NOT good. But I'm clueless as to how to fix something like a bootloader issue. Anyone?

I would try odin. Search around the Samsung webiste they should have an exe which flashes the phone back to factory default. I've seen one posted around here but it depends which version of the phone you have.

Odin requires very careful use. DO NOT CLEAR YOUR EFS!
It may be your only option though.
If you can jimmy your power button and get into the normal bootloader then follow these steps:
1) install Ubuntu
2) install Android sdk for gb or ics whichever you are using
3) install fastboot (download it from cyanogenmod wiki and copy it to Ubuntu's sbin folder)
4) in bootloader menu, connect USB, then in Ubuntu terminal type fastboot reboot recovery (may be reboot-recovery, can't remember)
You should be able to use your phones capacitive buttons to navigate the menu and install a stock ROM
Sent from above

Yeah. Totally forgot you can do that. Try what he said.

Problem is, fastboot doesn't work. The bootloader is completely unresponsive.
It's like it launches into a crash. I can see the options, but the vol buttons dont do anything. However, those buttons work, otherwise I wouldnt be able to even get THAT far.
I'm trying to get the power button to register a press (it randomly does, but Ive had hours of no luck).
Any other ideas? Why would the bootloader launch into a crash. I wonder if it's because the phone is being turned on via power cable instead of the pwr button, but that seems unlikely.
On a side note, I have my efs backup from when I was using 2.3.7, so I've got it handy if I can ODIN the thing, but I dont know crap about odin.

Read his response again. I don't think you understood what he said. You can initiate those commands through your PC instead of pushing the buttons.

obsanity said:
Read his response again. I don't think you understood what he said. You can initiate those commands through your PC instead of pushing the buttons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I should have elaborated more.
I have tried on both my PC and Mac (via terminal app) to see the device under 'fastboot devices' command. No devices show up, so it's not even seeing the thing. Neither computer sees the device as being hooked up, as far as I can tell.
It'll boot into the unresponsive bootloader when I plug the cable in and hold vol up. At that point, nothing else happens. Doesnt show up on fastboot, etc.

sounds like your power button went. thats the #1 complaint i read about the power button going, the unresponsive volume buttons. my power button is gone to(will register a response every once in a while, on its own. my volume buttons dont register either when in the bootloader. but, i can get them to register. what i do is take the battery cover of, and gently flick the phone with my fingers right near the power button, but on the back of the phone. most the time, the power button will register that i pressed reboot bootloader, but, sometimes it allows me to select up or down with the volume keys. if it reboots bootloader, i just try again. ive got it down to an art since im in the bootloader often, it takes me about 20 seconds to get the volume keys going up or down. at first it would take me 3-5 minutes. i hope that helps.

simms22 said:
sounds like your power button went. thats the #1 complaint i read about the power button going, the unresponsive volume buttons. my power button is gone to(will register a response every once in a while, on its own. my volume buttons dont register either when in the bootloader. but, i can get them to register. what i do is take the battery cover of, and gently flick the phone with my fingers right near the power button, but on the back of the phone. most the time, the power button will register that i pressed reboot bootloader, but, sometimes it allows me to select up or down with the volume keys. if it reboots bootloader, i just try again. ive got it down to an art since im in the bootloader often, it takes me about 20 seconds to get the volume keys going up or down. at first it would take me 3-5 minutes. i hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL simms thanks. I had a feeling you might chime in here since I had msg'd you earlier about my pwr button going out.
The thing that sucks is that I was just restoring it to stock in TWRP and it just locked up for some reason. I knew as soon as it happened that I was in trouble. I'll keep messing with it and see if I can get it to register 'Reboot Bootloader'.
I was actually wondering about that earlier. I figured that if the vol keys didnt work, then the pwr button wouldnt either in this situation. I know mine randomly registers presses, but now it's being a *****.
We'll see......

try going into the bootloader and give it a few smack on the back, see if thatll register and "press" reboot bootloader(since its the first option). the first time i went into the boatloader after my power button went, i thought that i was **** out of luck too. but, it turned out fairly very manageable with some practice. i usually flick it very lightly to get the volume buttons to move up and down, to hard and reboot boorloader registers.

Related

[Q] Trying to root, cant get into download mode

Im following this here:
http://www.techzek.com/how-to-root-samsung-galaxy-s-blaze-4g-sgh-t769-smartphone/
But the power, vol up and down get it to show the yellow "warning" thing that im supposed to see, but it goes away after like half a second so I cant get into it. What else can I do?
how to get to download mode.
As you press the volume +/- and power button , simultaneously plug the micro usb cable into your phone (this cable should already be attached to your pc). This should do the trick.
Happy rooting.
The instructions in the first post are wrong, and should be updated. You have to have the cable plugged in. In the video for example, he has the phone plugged in the entire time. You're not required to have three hands in order to get it done.
I've had no luck with any of the variations on this method either.
Turn your phone off, hold both volume buttons and with your usb plugged into the computer take the other end and plug it into your phone while continuously holding the volume buttons. It will boot into the caution screen and than you press up to get into download mode.
Sent from my SGH-T769 using XDA Premium App
If none of the above still don't work try this
1. Turn off phone
2. Remove battery
3. Remove sim card
4. Remove SD card
5. Plug in USB from computer
6. Hold volume up + volume down
7. While still holding the volumes insert battery
8. Should now be in download mode
Sent from my SGH-T769 using xda premium
Thank you both for the replies. I've tried both methods several times without success. I'm tired now so I'll quit for the night. I'll try again tomorrow a few more times. If I can't get it to work I'll take it as a sign that I'm not meant to root this phone. I must have tried 30 times today; it gets old.
Update:
I've tried this ten or fifteen more times. I'm finding that the yellow warning message, whatever it is, doesn't appear at all, ever, unless the USB cable is not connected when I put the battery in. If the USB is connected, I get the gray battery icon every time, no matter what else I do.
If I do connect the USB, with the battery out, I immediately feel the device vibrating every second or so, as if reboooting.
I tried removing the SIM and SD cards again. This had no effect.
It's very strange. In that video the entire process looks about as easy as doing a simple battery pull. It's just not working for me. Is it possible that Samsung made some of these phones "root-proof"?
Worst case scenario you will have to buy a Samsung jig.
Sent from my SGH-T769 using XDA Premium App
I had to do it a few times myself.... It did not catch for me the first 3-4 times...
Then it worked. Make sure you are holding down all 3 buttons down tight.
amberSamsung said:
I had to do it a few times myself.... It did not catch for me the first 3-4 times...
Then it worked. Make sure you are holding down all 3 buttons down tight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I've tried it at least 50 times now, with variations, and it's just not happening. I freely admit my ineptness, but holding down buttons is something even I can manage.
By "three buttons", I take it you mean two. I don't have separate volume up/down buttons on my Blaze; just a single rocker button. That's what you mean, right?
I did get as far as the warning screen, but from that screen there is no option for pressing up to go into download mode, so it seems that my warning screen is different from others'.
I guess the next thing is to research "Samsung jig" and figure out whether this is something I can possibly do.
I went through the same thing, I too thought I had to purchase a jig but the method I posted thanks to another member saved me, try again with a modification to step 6
1. Turn off phone
2. Remove battery
3. Remove sim card
4. Remove SD card
5. Plug in USB from computer
6. Hold volume up + volume down + power buttons
7. While still holding the volumes insert battery
8. Should now be in download mode
Sent from my Samsung Blaze using my awesomeness
xArcane1x said:
I went through the same thing, I too thought I had to purchase a jig but the method I posted thanks to another member saved me, try again with a modification to step 6
1. Turn off phone
2. Remove battery
3. Remove sim card
4. Remove SD card
5. Plug in USB from computer
6. Hold volume up + volume down + power buttons
7. While still holding the volumes insert battery
8. Should now be in download mode
Sent from my Samsung Blaze using my awesomeness
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. I just tried it a couple of times, without success. I have to go out now, but I'll give it another few tries later.
If I have to get a jig, should the Samsung Galaxy S be compatible? I'd think so, but I don't know for sure.
This is a slight variation of what everyone is suggesting...I was also getting vibrations when trying other methods.
Turn off phone
Unplug battery
hold volume rocker, make sure you're holding down both up and down
Insert battery
Hold power button until the warning comes up...only takes a few seconds
I said three buttons, because it seemed (at least to me) that you need to hold sides of the volume button down at the same time. It does not seem to be just a up/down button.
ubizmo said:
I think I've tried it at least 50 times now, with variations, and it's just not happening. I freely admit my ineptness, but holding down buttons is something even I can manage.
By "three buttons", I take it you mean two. I don't have separate volume up/down buttons on my Blaze; just a single rocker button. That's what you mean, right?
I did get as far as the warning screen, but from that screen there is no option for pressing up to go into download mode, so it seems that my warning screen is different from others'.
I guess the next thing is to research "Samsung jig" and figure out whether this is something I can possibly do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
rbeier1221 said:
This is a slight variation of what everyone is suggesting...I was also getting vibrations when trying other methods.
Turn off phone
Unplug battery
hold volume rocker, make sure you're holding down both up and down
Insert battery
Hold power button until the warning comes up...only takes a few seconds
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this suggestion, but it also didn't work.
This method, like some of the others, takes me into what I think is Recovery Mode. I'm not sure, because I don't really know what I'm doing. The message that flashes on the screen isn't really a warning. Doing it this way, i.e., releasing the power button but not the volume button after the phone starts, takes me to a screen that says,
Android system recovery <3e>
at the top. Then there are some options: reboot system now, apply update from sdcard, wipe data/factory reset, wipe cache partititon. I can use the volume button to select an option, and the "OK Key", whatever that is, to select.
Near the bottom of the screen, in yellow, is the text that I couldn't read before:
-- Verifying internal MMC block...
checksum confirmation -> check(0)
Not need checksum confirmation
already executed!!...
# MANUAL MODE #
And that's it. In the background of this screen, grayed out, there's a white triangle with a yellow exclamation mark in it and a little green android.
Is there a way to get from this screen to Download Mode?
adb reboot download
should get ya
shabbypenguin said:
adb reboot download
should get ya
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess it might if I could get ADB to work. So far, no luck; but that's a whole different problem. There are pages upon pages of posts here from people having difficulties getting ADB to work, so it'll take days or weeks to sift through all that and figure out what I'm doing wrong.
I thought the actual rooting process would be fairly simple, and it would only get complicated when trying to install custom ROMS and that sort of thing, which I'm not trying to do. It appears that I was wrong. I think I just don't have the knowledge to do this.
ubizmo said:
I guess it might if I could get ADB to work. So far, no luck; but that's a whole different problem. There are pages upon pages of posts here from people having difficulties getting ADB to work, so it'll take days or weeks to sift through all that and figure out what I'm doing wrong.
I thought the actual rooting process would be fairly simple, and it would only get complicated when trying to install custom ROMS and that sort of thing, which I'm not trying to do. It appears that I was wrong. I think I just don't have the knowledge to do this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make sure you have Kies Air turned on when you try to connect. You can use USB or wireless mode then. I tried and without Kies, it would not connect.
amberSamsung said:
Make sure you have Kies Air turned on when you try to connect. You can use USB or wireless mode then. I tried and without Kies, it would not connect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I should have debugging mode and Kies Air turned on, and then ADB should be able to find the Blaze? I'll try it tomorrow.
Thank you.

Get into bootloader

The easiest way to get into boot loader while phone is on. I see a lot of people posting different ways.
Reboot phone, either by pressing and holding the power button until the touch buttons at the bottom flash or just by hitting reboot within your ROM.
When the screen goes black, hold volume down.
No need to press and hold both at the same time unless your phone is powered off.
The advantage being you can do this with just one hand.
Download quckboot. That's the easiest way if you're already rooted.
Sent from my HTC One X
ECEXCURSION said:
Download quckboot. That's the easiest way if you're already rooted.
Sent from my HTC One X
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah but this also works if you cant boot due to bad flash or something!
As this looks to be meant as general FYI, the following should be noted:
1) Many people that can't get into bootloader, is because lots of people instruct to just "hold power and volume down". Which, if taken literally, doesn't actually do anything. You actually have to release the power button (after holding it for a few seconds), while still holding the vol down rocker. which brings us to . . .
2) You have to keep holding vol down until the bootloader screen comes up. Otherwise, if you release it too soon, the phone will just boot normally.
3) If you press the vol down rocker too late, the phone will boot into safe mode. You need to hit it before the HTC boot screen comes up, while the screen is still black.
4) There seem to be a good number of posts by folks that can't properly get into bootloader, and assume its an issue with the phone. But 99.9999% of the time, its just user error (not doing the button sequence properly). Just follow the OP, and the points I've listed above, and you will get into bootloader. If bootloader was messed up in any way (corrupted, overwritten, etc.), the screen would not come on at all. So the problem is not the phone, but almost always user error.
The one exception to this might be an obscure mechanical problem, such as the volume rocker not functioning properly. But this if almost never the case.
redpoint73 said:
As this looks to be meant as general FYI, the following should be noted:
1) Many people that can't get into bootloader, is because lots of people instruct to just "hold power and volume down". Which, if taken literally, doesn't actually do anything. You actually have to release the power button (after holding it for a few seconds), while still holding the vol down rocker. which brings us to . . .
2) You have to keep holding vol down until the bootloader screen comes up. Otherwise, if you release it too soon, the phone will just boot normally.
3) If you press the vol down rocker too late, the phone will boot into safe mode. You need to hit it before the HTC boot screen comes up, while the screen is still black.
4) There seem to be a good number of posts by folks that can't properly get into bootloader, and assume its an issue with the phone. But 99.9999% of the time, its just user error (not doing the button sequence properly). Just follow the OP, and the points I've listed above, and you will get into bootloader. If bootloader was messed up in any way (corrupted, overwritten, etc.), the screen would not come on at all. So the problem is not the phone, but almost always user error.
The one exception to this might be an obscure mechanical problem, such as the volume rocker not functioning properly. But this if almost never the case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only real time you have to hold both down at the same time, is if your phone is already off. Otherwise so long as you press and hold volume when the screen goes black from a reboot, you will get in.
ECEXCURSION said:
Download quckboot. That's the easiest way if you're already rooted.
Sent from my HTC One X
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the best way. Most ROMs have a reboot function built in when you hit the power button
Sent from my Liquid-fied Evita using xda-developers app
Herc08 said:
That's the best way. Most ROMs have a reboot function built in when you hit the power button
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As OP mentioned, this won't help you if you are stuck on the boot screen. Which is one of the more common situations where noobs suddenly realize they don't know how to get into bootloader.
I always just hold down both power and vol down until the capacitive buttons stop flashing then let go of power but still hold vol down until I get into bootloader. Works 100% of the time
Sent from my VENOMized HoxL

[Q] Black screen + vibrate, Titanium Backup crash

Hey guys,
I unlocked my TF700T using the Asus unlock tool, then rooted it with Kingo App.
I opened a terminal on the device and ran "su" to verify that I had root, which worked I did.
I then installed com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup ("Titanium Backup ★ root") and began a full backup, but at 65% my Internet connection dropped (not sure if related, but interesting timing) and the system froze. After 10 minutes at 65% I powered off the device in an attempt to reset.
However, the device now will not start. The screen remains unlit. Charge LED will not light. Holding Power for 6 seconds and holding Power + VolDown result in a short (500ms?) vibrate, but nothing more.
I have not yet tried a paperclip reset, or connecting the dock. I have tried connecting to both USB and power. With USB, Windows 8 detects it as a crashed device (no surprise there) and fails to install a driver.
I suspect I'm hosed, but I'd be interested to learn why.
Any theories or suggestions?
---
Android 4.2.1
Firmware V10.6.1.14.10
Same behavior with dock connected.
After connecting power through the dock, the charge LEDs have both lit.
Ah just re-read and realised you only get a vibration but no screen..... Bummer - not sure what to suggest for that one.
Well, thanks for trying
Sell it for parts, I reckon.
logankoester said:
Well, thanks for trying
Sell it for parts, I reckon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since you don't have much options, you can try these. I think that there were a few users were running into this problem and tried this. Some reported back that it was not working and some did not say anything. So I don't know if it works or not but you could give it a shot.
Try these combinations:
1. Hold the power button + volume up. You will feel the first vibration and keep holding both buttons until you feel the second vibration. As soon as you feel the second vibration, you need to release the volume up button But you must keep holding the power button. You need to hold the power button until you feel the third vibration. The third vibration is when your device is trying to boot up. You may want to try a few times with those sequences above in hope that it will bring up your bootloader.
2. If the above sequences don't work out for you, you can try this second solution. However, you need to hold both power button + volume down this time with those sequences above. Please report back with the outcome, thanks and good luck...:fingers-crossed:

[Q] [Q} Broken Power Button, Phone won't go into Recovery or Download Mode

The power button on my phone recently has stopped working. I need to get it warrantied, but I am running CM 10.2. I need to Odin back to stock, but I can not get into Download Mode or the recovery. When I go into Download mode, the initial screen pops up, the one where you choose to hit up to continue, or down to reboot normally. After I hit up, the screen goes black and nothing happens.
I really need to get back to stock, as Bestbuy are being dicks, and demanding I do a factory reset before they send my phone in.
Anything? I still need help on this.
Pompsy said:
Anything? I still need help on this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has been covered at least 10 times in the past few months we need a sticky. Take your battery out hold your phone so the power button is facing a table or floor and slam that side a few times it should work again (Temporary). You might need to hit it on the surface really hard 10-20 times before it works. Just not to hard or else you might crack the screen. I used a mouse pad to soften the impact. This trick no longer works for me so I ripped the button off. After about a month of doing this I needed to use things that would only hit the button to make it work. About a month after that nothing worked so I just took it off the motherboard and now boot from a off state by plugging into the wall and enter odin mode deny the prompt and it kicks me into a workable state.
ThePagel said:
This has been covered at least 10 times in the past few months we need a sticky. Take your battery out hold your phone so the power button is facing a table or floor and slam that side a few times it should work again (Temporary). You might need to hit it on the surface really hard 10-20 times before it works. Just not to hard or else you might crack the screen. I used a mouse pad to soften the impact. This trick no longer works for me so I ripped the button off. After about a month of doing this I needed to use things that would only hit the button to make it work. About a month after that nothing worked so I just took it off the motherboard and now boot from a off state by plugging into the wall and enter odin mode deny the prompt and it kicks me into a workable state.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can get into the system just fine. When I go into the recovery or download mode, it doesn't stay in that mode. I tried the banging thing, and it made my power button go from intermittently working, to not working at all.
keep doing it until it works. The button is sticking that is why it reboots/stopped working.
Pompsy said:
I can get into the system just fine. When I go into the recovery or download mode, it doesn't stay in that mode. I tried the banging thing, and it made my power button go from intermittently working, to not working at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It sounds like your power button is physically broken, and it is activating intermittently, which is stopping the phone from entering download mode. My only experience with this problem is my own phone but ultimately mine got so bad that I had to rip the button off the motherboard, as ThePagel did. Your symptoms sound the same as mine.
You can try this procedure to get into recovery, which works for me without a power button. You will probably have the same problem you are having now with the phone rebooting on its own before you actually get into recovery, because the power button is activating.
1. Take the battery out of the phone and unplug it from USB power.
2. Plug in USB power.
3. While holding down the volume-down button and the Home button, insert the battery (this is a little tricky).
4. The phone should start and warn you that you are entering Download mode. If you want to use Odin to return to stock, do that now.
5. If you want to get into Recovery instead, press Volume Down to reboot and then *immediately* push and hold Volume Up and Home simultaneously. The phone should reboot into recovery. Mine does.
If that doesn't work, and you can't get a new phone without returning it to stock, then prying the power button off the phone's motherboard may be your only solution.

[Q] Getting to fastboot without a full boot first

Hey guys
This might seem basic. Of course I can use adb or the buttons to get to the bootloader/fastboot. But occasionally when I'm messing with my n5, I do something that forces a reboot, or maybe I accidently hit the wrong key, or don't do the buttons right - now it's booting up, but, as often happens at these times, now you have to wait for the applications to 'optimize'.
That takes a good long while with 200+ apps! I know I can hold the power and force another reboot, but I can never seem to get it to go to the bootloader while forcing a boot by holding the power/vol+/vol- .
Am I missing something, or is there no way to "abort" a boot, and somehow get to fastboot mode ?
On my old phones, I would pull the battery, jumping straight to "power off" mode, then hold the vol and power like usual and be off to the races.
bluenote73 said:
Hey guys
This might seem basic. Of course I can use adb or the buttons to get to the bootloader/fastboot. But occasionally when I'm messing with my n5, I do something that forces a reboot, or maybe I accidently hit the wrong key, or don't do the buttons right - now it's booting up, but, as often happens at these times, now you have to wait for the applications to 'optimize'.
That takes a good long while with 200+ apps! I know I can hold the power and force another reboot, but I can never seem to get it to go to the bootloader while forcing a boot by holding the power/vol+/vol- .
Am I missing something, or is there no way to "abort" a boot, and somehow get to fastboot mode ?
On my old phones, I would pull the battery, jumping straight to "power off" mode, then hold the vol and power like usual and be off to the races.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To force a reboot into fastboot mode, hold Power + Vol down. You can do it whenever you want.
That's ^ the procedure... For me the easiest is to hooks power to force reboot once it vibrates and starts to go black let go of power and hold volume down to get into bootloader.

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