hard brick - G Tablet General

hard brick - G Tablet General

is it possible to hard brick the g tab??? i dont think so. has anyone done it?

I think it's almost impossible unless there is a hardware problem. My understanding of the gTab is that the NVFlash software as well as USB control, etc. (everything used for flashing and restoring) is all ROM based, not RAM or drive based, so you can't overwrite it. You'd somehow have to get it into a loop where it doesn't even let you get into NVFlash mode.

It has been done, but you have to corrupt the bootloader. Its pretty tough to do.

Related

[Q] Going back to stock (Different question)

Hello,
I currently do not own a SGS4g, but I know a friend who does.
My friend previously had an iPhone and liked it. Now he wants to explore the customization of Android (due to me flashing so many different ROMs in front of him). He is currently too scared to root and custom rom his phone in case he bricks it.
I know there is the One-Click unbrick, but I was curious if it would work on the SGS4g. According to this it said it works on all Odin3(?) Samsungs and only on "softbricks".
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1153310
So I guess my questions are:
How can I tell if the phone is "hardbricked" and "softbricked?"
Once you flash a custom rom + kernel will you be able to go back to stock i.e. stock radio/kernel/bootloader?
I also found this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1117554&highlight=bible
It provided awesome information but I couldn't find out if there was a stock radio and others backed up online.
I know that these types of questions are asked a lot on these forums. So please bear with me.
Again, I am not familiar with this phone so stuff about Odin and Heimdall are flying over my head. I flashed my custom ROMs on my Motorola Milestone and we didn't have Odin and Heimdall.
Please help, I'm doing this to make a fellow Android User love his phone just a little bit more.
Thank you,
lilhugo

There are odin files that will return you to stock within 10 min, so don't worry about that. Soft bricks are when you don't mount the system properly (among other things) or don't follow the dev's instructions and your rom doesn't load. You will basically stuck at the galaxy s startup screen and can't get past it. This usually happens to everyone at least once and not really considered a big deal. To fix, you need to use odin to flash a rom with the computer. A hard brick usually happens when people mess up with flashing roms that change the boot loaders. There can be other causes but this is the most common reason. You can tell it is hard bricked if the phone wont even power on. This is much more serious than a soft brick. Soft bricks are always recoverable. Hard bricks are not always recoverable, but still possible.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA Premium App

[Q] Flashing Roms Everyday Drawbacks

Hey Guys iam a newbie
can u tell me about problems of flashing roms everyday like its drawbacks to the memory battery Any hardware etc ???
thanks guys

Khixar27 said:
Hey Guys iam a newbie
can u tell me about problems of flashing roms everyday like its drawbacks to the memory battery Any hardware etc ???
thanks guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well from a battery stand-point, every time you flash a ROM, you more then likely will need to re-calibrate the battery so the OS can re-learn what's really going on. To be honest, I spent the first 2 months flashing a new ROM every day and didn't see any drawbacks. Obviously every time you flash a new ROM you run the risk of flashing a bad download/boot looping and/or bricking the phone or if you're restoring data, restoring files that can jam you up. I haven't seen/heard of anyone having problems with hardware just because of flashing ROMs frequently. If that were the case, I'm sure there would be more warnings from the Devs if such a problem was frequent and expected. Curious though, do you suspect something is wrong with your hardware because of flashing?

The process of flashing itself has absolutely not negative impact on your hardware, only the choice of content. As long as you install things that are known to work you can flash all day if you want.

Gizmoe said:
The process of flashing itself has absolutely not negative impact on your hardware, only the choice of content. As long as you install things that are known to work you can flash all day if you want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Technically, eMMC flash ROM has a finite number of write cycles, but for practical purposes, you are correct.

i have no hardware problem
everytime i flashed i formatted so like formatting a hard drives alot of times decreases its life and perfomance so this made me curious ....
btw how does flashing a rom incorrectly causes a brick ??

A bad Rom flash can cause a soft brick either by not wiping correctly or if there are corrupted files in Rom. This is easy to fix as long as you can enter hboot. If your hboot becomes corrupted and your phone won't even boot then you have a hard brick and it may not be fixable. It's a lot harder to create a hard brick but it is possible. Just don't ever mess around with stuff that you do not understand.

Gizmoe said:
A bad Rom flash can cause a soft brick either by not wiping correctly or if there are corrupted files in Rom. This is easy to fix as long as you can enter hboot. If your hboot becomes corrupted and your phone won't even boot then you have a hard brick and it may not be fixable. It's a lot harder to create a hard brick but it is possible. Just don't ever mess around with stuff that you do not understand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really sure why there is a distinction between a soft brick and a hard brick. I use to think so but really, a "bricked" device is as useful as a brick (not going to insult you because you clearly know that Gizmoe) but just saying there really shouldn't be a distinction between hard and soft bricks. If you can get into HBoot, your device is far from being termed a brick. A bricked device is a bricked device, no matter the prefix which is why I never really liked the terms soft and hard bricks since in my opinion it misinterprets what "brick" really means.

I actually agree with you. A brick should mean a brick and a bad install should just be viewed as a fixable error. Not sure why there are two terms for a brick, as a soft brick is no where near what a brick actually means. I guess we have all just accepted the term soft brick by its rampant use in these forums.

Gizmoe said:
I actually agree with you. A brick should mean a brick and a bad install should just be viewed as a fixable error. Not sure why there are two terms for a brick, as a soft brick is no where near what a brick actually means. I guess we have all just accepted the term soft brick by its rampant use in these forums.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha, agreed. I have a bricked phone on my desk. It's a rather nice paper weight so I guess it's not totally useless like a brick

Why,or how do phones get bricked?

Everybody out there is asking, how to unbrick this, how to unbrick that? Or if you're in the Evo 3D thread, how do I brick my Evo 3D?
What I'd like to know is, why, or how does a phone get bricked? If you have a USB with corrupted files, you can just totally wipe it and start fresh. If there's no hardware troubles, why isn't there a way to just do a wipe of everything and start fresh?
And also, how is it that a phone gets bricked in the first place? I've heard about things with Emmc boot, getting stuck there, wiping bootloader, etc. But I've flashed multiple different bootloaders, and you have to dabble with Emmc boot while getting S-OFF, so why is it impossible to get out of these if you get stuck in them? Isn't it just software holding you back?
Honestly, if you really just wanted, couldn't you just use an ultra powerful magnet to the NAND Memory to ultra wipe everything? I mean phones aren't assembled with bootloaders or any data in them, in a sense they're factory bricked when they're first created... no?
Ah well, I suppose that's all.
Hungry for information,
TBG

Phones get bricked when you go somewhere in the software that you can't get out of,or you edit the software wrongly, so it doesn't work right anymore. Of course,you could always break something,and kill your phone.
Sent from my U8150 using xda app-developers app

But why is it you can't do a total erase and obliterate every trace of memory from the phone and re-write it? I know the on board memory in a phone doesn't come pre programmed with memory...

thebeastglasser said:
But why is it you can't do a total erase and obliterate every trace of memory from the phone and re-write it? I know the on board memory in a phone doesn't come pre programmed with memory...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No but things like the eMMC chip DO come pre-programmed. If you simply wiped every trace of memory from any phone then it would have no idea how to boot up, how to interface to the USB, how to do anything.
Most of the time a 'Bricked' phone is actually caused by someone not reading properly first and not following the instructions correctly, or by thinking they know better than everyone else and can skip a step or take a shortcut.
On the HTC Desire S there was a problem with the eMMC chips 'frying' - normally caused by people who insisted on pulling their batteries after a lock-up and then re-inserting them quickly before the circuitry had discharged fully

The reasons why phones get bricked :
-Because of a nooby brain
-Corrupted ROM that is not Welly built
-Flashing wrong updates, kernels, ROMS...
-Messing up build.prop
.....many numerous other reasons.
You will understand what bricking means only when you brick your beloved phone
That moment is just like a Mini-Heart attack.
Sent from My Premium Calculator HD

No trust me, I semi bricked my old E4G for Sprint as well as my Transformer Prime and was stuck in fastboot with my Evo 3D... trust me, I'm kind of the definition of mini heart attack...
But why can't you get out of a "hard brick?" And what is it that defines a hard brick that makes it so that you can't do anything else?
EDIT: And does abhardbbrock have to be a hardware error? Or can it be a software error?
EDIT2: Although I suppose I already knew it could be a software error... It can happen easily while getting S-OFF on the EVO 3D.

Probably the most obvious case of "hard brick" is when you can't even start the phone, or open the bootloader, which means that there is no way to reverse the situation as you can't get access. Not sure what's the actual reason these things happen though.

thebeastglasser said:
No trust me, I semi bricked my old E4G for Sprint as well as my Transformer Prime and was stuck in fastboot with my Evo 3D... trust me, I'm kind of the definition of mini heart attack...
But why can't you get out of a "hard brick?" And what is it that defines a hard brick that makes it so that you can't do anything else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most of the time a hard brick is the result of a part of memory getting wiped that you don't have access to flash to e.g emmc chip,if it gets damaged you can't just flash it as its preprogrammed
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

zacthespack said:
Most of the time a hard brick is the result of a part of memory getting wiped that you don't have access to flash to e.g emmc chip,if it gets damaged you can't just flash it as its preprogrammed
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ALRIGHT, now that makes sense. Thank you for clarifying. I salute you sir.

Yup, when a device is hard bricked, memory that contains drivers for the boot sequence has been erased or corrupted. Thus, the device quite literally doesn't know how to boot. Data has been erased that can only be manipulated during hardware assembly.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

flashing gapps
DD-Ripper said:
The reasons why phones get bricked :
-Because of a nooby brain
-Corrupted ROM that is not Welly built
-Flashing wrong updates, kernels, ROMS...
-Messing up build.prop
.....many numerous other reasons.
You will understand what bricking means only when you brick your beloved phone
That moment is just like a Mini-Heart attack.
Sent from My Premium Calculator HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if im using goo manager and check for updates,, does that automatically show me the updates for my phone {verizon s3} and my rom or are they for every phone???

Micromax a76
i have successfully changed my recovery , then i booted my phone with custom UI from zip file... it worked ... then i made factory reset ... my phone stucked in boot loop ... i tried to get into my recovery mode but its not working , phone is going in default factory mode which is in chineese i translated it but it consist of option of testing hardware only .... what to do? how can i get into recovery mode ? is there a way to install custom recovery via USB ? micromax A76

AbleAmazing said:
Yup, when a device is hard bricked, memory that contains drivers for the boot sequence has been erased or corrupted. Thus, the device quite literally doesn't know how to boot. Data has been erased that can only be manipulated during hardware assembly.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it was built and programmed this way, probably so people won't root their phone its a win win cause you don't get to change what you get and if you do and **** this up its your fault and you need to buy a new one(from them) cause who will stay without a phone now days?

Welp, my phone got hard bricked for no reason... I just tried to turn it on, but I get nothing but a LED flash... and that's only if it is charging. My phone is a Moto G, and I have had no problems with it until recently... I can't even get the files to show on my chromebook... I am screwed, aren't I?

So... why can't you just change those little parts to working one that are preprogrammed and why aren't phones made like PC??? You do some s*** with OS... just reinstall it

How to repair soft bricked android?
Okay so first of all I will let you know why a phone gets bricked-
>Corrupted Rom
>Some system files got deleted
>Rooting
>Modding
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
MY CASE
I always keep two phones with me like one for my experiments and one as a backup. In this case I'll be talking about my LYF WIND 3 that got bricked.
>Actually I was trying to install TWRP onto that phone but first I had to root it, and due to the upgraded android security, I wasn't able to do via KingoRoot so I tried I-ROOT and it did the job but instead of kingo-superuser I got some ****ty superuser so i tried granting permission to the actual SUPERUSER and while doing so I accidentally double rooted my phone (First with I-ROOT and then with KingoRoot), which was kinda stupid, so it just deleted some system files and my phone wouldn't boot after that. It just got stuck on the boot logo.
>The second time I was trying to replace the boot animation and logo but did something wrong so the same situation arose again.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
CURE
So my phone uses a Qualcomm CPU so i just guessed I'll flash it again.
*After Intense Googling*
I found this software QFIL (Qualcomm Flash Image Loader)
I downloaded this file and the drivers for my device. *Google it you'll find for yours too*
Then I downloaded the Stock Rom for my device *Google it again*
Now I just went over to Flat Build in that software and loaded the firehose file and the rawprogram.0 and Patch.0
Now I had just put my device in Download Mode (Volume Keys and Power Key)
Connected via USB and it detected it and then just clicked on DOWNLOAD
It takes about 5 minutes.
After this your phone gets good as new (Unroot, Full Reset)
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

[Q] A question about my brick

I have combed through these forums and haven't been able to find an answer yet, so please forgive me if I have missed something. So here goes:
If: a) I have updated to JB, and
b) I unlocked my device and
c) I successfully installed TWRP and
d) I managed to brick my device insomuch that ONLY APX mode is available to me when I connect to my PC, is there a solution unbrick my device at this time?
Currently booting my device will only display the first ASUS boot screen and never goes any further.
Many thanks to anybody who can provide some insight.

jeremiah.wells said:
I have combed through these forums and haven't been able to find an answer yet, so please forgive me if I have missed something. So here goes:
If: a) I have updated to JB, and
b) I unlocked my device and
c) I successfully installed TWRP and
d) I managed to brick my device insomuch that ONLY APX mode is available to me when I connect to my PC, is there a solution unbrick my device at this time?
Currently booting my device will only display the first ASUS boot screen and never goes any further.
Many thanks to anybody who can provide some insight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What have you tried in the meantime? Did you install NvFlash before the update to JB? You cannot get to recovery? If you cannot but do have fastboot available, either use TWRP or CWM (which can be flashed via fastboot as well: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1926286 in case your recovery has been borked) and then flash a stock ROM from ASUS from here: http://www.asus.com/Tablet/Transformer_Pad/ASUS_Transformer_Pad_Infinity_TF700T/#download
Take a look here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1938129 as well.

MartyHulskemper said:
What have you tried in the meantime? Did you install NvFlash before the update to JB? You cannot get to recovery? If you cannot but do have fastboot available, either use TWRP or CWM (which can be flashed via fastboot as well: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1926286 in case your recovery has been borked) and then flash a stock ROM from ASUS from here: http://www.asus.com/Tablet/Transformer_Pad/ASUS_Transformer_Pad_Infinity_TF700T/#download
Take a look here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1938129 as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MartyHulskemper, many thanks for your prompt reply. To answer your questions:
1) I have tried (in vain, I now understand) to use nvflash (first using wheelie with a couple configurations) and to no avail
2) I did NOT install nvflash before, as I was excited about rooting and wasn't abreast of all the consequences of updating directly to JB and then unlock and then root with a new device. Unfortunately I had read a post on (another website) that nvflash wasn't working on the TF700T (which I presume was correct at the time it was written) only to now learn that it is.
A note -- fastboot is not available and the only way I can get the device visible to a computer is to put it in APX mode.
This is a classic case of me jumping the gun without fully understanding what's implied with the various updates and root solutions out there. Basically I followed a guide and used a set of files distributed on scottsroms that indeed rooted my device with the TWRP recovery. What I then attempted and (I think what ultimately did my device to its current state) was to attempt to flash CWM. After that flash I couldn't get either recovery to boot and so I attempted a data wipe and was going to reflash with CWM. After that data wipe is when I could not longer boot.
Sorry about the novel but I guess I'm vainly hoping this may trigger and idea from you or a future reader about what my options are. I will look at the link you suggested and go from there.
Again, thank-you for any assistance you may provide.

Can you get into recovery at all when you hold vol down and power? I had the same problem with my infinity when the .18 update came out, i had a freeze and a crash during normal use while the update was either downloading or changing something and when it restarted I couldnt do anything but go into APX. I never unlocked it (mainly because the asus tool wouldnt work) but I had to RMA to get it fixed. If you can at least get to the recovery menu you can try reinstalling the stock rom from an mSD. Otherwise you may have to do the same as me and RMA and hope that they dont tell you tough luck since its unlocked As far as I know the only way to recover the tablet when APX is your only option is with NVFlash, which I never installed because .30 was on my infinity when i bought it.

jeremiah.wells said:
I couldn't get either recovery to boot and so I attempted a data wipe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is the exactly step that bricked many TF700s here (search the forums). "Wipe data" with a broken recovery = bootloader won't do anything else than try to boot the broken recovery.
If you didn't create a blob for wheelie/nvflash before, your only option now is to send it to Asus for a costly "repair" (they claim they have to change the mainboard, I don't know why they don't just use nvflash).

_that said:
That is the exactly step that bricked many TF700s here (search the forums). "Wipe data" with a broken recovery = bootloader won't do anything else than try to boot the broken recovery.
If you didn't create a blob for wheelie/nvflash before, your only option now is to send it to Asus for a costly "repair" (they claim they have to change the mainboard, I don't know why they don't just use nvflash).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, with only APX available but no NvFlash backup, there's very little to no light at the end of the tunnel. I also wondered why the reports of RMA'd users mention a motherboard change, but I do remember something about unit-specific code being backed up with NvFlash. Although I'd think it strange, it might be that even ASUS cannot revive a bricked 700 without knowing that code, necessitating the new motherboard with a known code. This is only speculation, of course, but it's the only reason I could think of.
@OP: with no fastboot available, you will not be able to follow either Scott's guide or reflash a recovery. I sincerely feel for you, especially since it was enthusiasm that got you into trouble. I know the resultant feeling, and I hate it, for it quells said enthusiasm in the future and make you overly cautious. I wish you a speedy and effective RMA!

jeremiah.wells said:
MartyHulskemper, many thanks for your prompt reply. To answer your questions:
1) I have tried (in vain, I now understand) to use nvflash (first using wheelie with a couple configurations) and to no avail
2) I did NOT install nvflash before, as I was excited about rooting and wasn't abreast of all the consequences of updating directly to JB and then unlock and then root with a new device. Unfortunately I had read a post on (another website) that nvflash wasn't working on the TF700T (which I presume was correct at the time it was written) only to now learn that it is.
A note -- fastboot is not available and the only way I can get the device visible to a computer is to put it in APX mode.
This is a classic case of me jumping the gun without fully understanding what's implied with the various updates and root solutions out there. Basically I followed a guide and used a set of files distributed on scottsroms that indeed rooted my device with the TWRP recovery. What I then attempted and (I think what ultimately did my device to its current state) was to attempt to flash CWM. After that flash I couldn't get either recovery to boot and so I attempted a data wipe and was going to reflash with CWM. After that data wipe is when I could not longer boot.
Sorry about the novel but I guess I'm vainly hoping this may trigger and idea from you or a future reader about what my options are. I will look at the link you suggested and go from there.
Again, thank-you for any assistance you may provide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really feel for you...just bricked a phone last week and it's an awful feeling, like you should have known better. Good luck.
Just out of curiosity, did you use Rom Manager to flash CWM recovery? That's the kiss of death for the TF700.

I feel for you too as this happened to me even without any type of modifications to my recovery or bootloader! As far as RMA and the motherboard change I am not sure whether they recovered my device without an actual change. When i got it back from RMA it was on the same firmware as before (not the most recent at the time) as well as retaining the same SN on my device. Since I got it back though I am unable to use the unlocker tool. I get that network error and a refusal from the asus unlock server that lots of people were having issues with a while back. I am in touch with Asus service now, but asus service is usually a long arduous process! I hope that they dont charge you for the replacement, but seeing as you unlocked its very possible if you have any sort of insurance from your credit card that may be a better route by trying to replace it as a lost or broken unit. My RMA was free (except shipping) but again, no unlock!
best of luck.

MartyHulskemper said:
it might be that even ASUS cannot revive a bricked 700 without knowing that code, necessitating the new motherboard with a known code. This is only speculation, of course, but it's the only reason I could think of.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They must know the device key, because the unlocking process requires it. However it is plausible that service centers have no access to this information.
It's somehow depressing that not knowing 128 secret bits takes away control over our own devices.

_that said:
They must know the device key, because the unlocking process requires it. However it is plausible that service centers have no access to this information.
It's somehow depressing that not knowing 128 secret bits takes away control over our own devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In cases like this, I always hope you get a motivated technician that actually hunts down your serial from that database and helps you out. Guess I'm a bit naive in that regard.
Yeah, those 16 bytes keeping the door shut are a major bummer, as is the fact that NvFlash was not pre-installed anyway...

okantomi said:
I really feel for you...just bricked a phone last week and it's an awful feeling, like you should have known better. Good luck.
Just out of curiosity, did you use Rom Manager to flash CWM recovery? That's the kiss of death for the TF700.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To answer your curiosity, NO... I did not install or use Rom Manager in any way to get to this state.

Got a question. Mine is rooted but locked, i attempted to install TWRP before unlocking. I can still boot it up but i cant get into recovery. Can i unlock it without a working recovery and just reinstall TWRP? what are my options? Any help would be great.
edit: nevermind, i think i found the answer...
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2

[Q] How is it possible to brick a phone?

I'm kind of expert in the PC/laptop world, but a little rookie in Android and smartphones world. I don't get how a phone can get bricked.
As far as I know, an Android device has internal memory, and a portion of this internal memory is ROM (read-only memory), where the OS/firmware is installed. It's ROM because you don't want to mess around changing things of the OS, because you're not supposed to change things of the OS for the sake of a correct behavior of the phone.
The thing is that if you accidentally mess up something in the OS/firmware, you can, or should be always able to, re-install the OS again and start all over again. I mean, if I delete some Windows files in my PC and completely mess Windows up, I can always turn off the PC, turn it on, go to BIOS menu, boot from a Windows CD and re-install it. No problems at all.
1. So... where's the BIOS in Android? The recovery menu in Android is like the BIOS in Windows?
2. Bricking a phone is like damage the software of the hard disk drive (windows) or is it like mess up the BIOS?
3. Is there any difference between Operative System (android), firmware and ROM?
Well, ROM is memory, a physical drive/electronic device, completely different to a program/software/OS, but I'm referring to the conception you guys usually use (wrong I must say).
4. Why is it said that you flash a firmware, and not you install a firmware? Is it because it's done in a ROM, so it's called then flash?
Thanks!

rambomhtri said:
I'm kind of expert in the PC/laptop world, but a little rookie in Android and smartphones world. I don't get how a phone can get bricked.
As far as I know, an Android device has internal memory, and a portion of this internal memory is ROM (read-only memory), where the OS/firmware is installed. It's ROM because you don't want to mess around changing things of the OS, because you're not supposed to change things of the OS for the sake of a correct behavior of the phone.
The thing is that if you accidentally mess up something in the OS/firmware, you can, or should be always able to, re-install the OS again and start all over again. I mean, if I delete some Windows files in my PC and completely mess Windows up, I can always turn off the PC, turn it on, go to BIOS menu, boot from a Windows CD and re-install it. No problems at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm neither an expert in PCs or Android, so I might just be blowing hot air. I think the difference is that with a PC, it's designed to run Windows, thus Windows (obviously) will work on it (depending on version and processor compatibility). Linux runs because it's designed to run on that hardware. With Android however, everything is manufacturer-specific, and device-specific beyond that. If the firmware and kernel isn't written for that specific device, you'll brick your phone.
1. So... where's the BIOS in Android? The recovery menu in Android is like the BIOS in Windows?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kinda? Maybe? I don't know.
2. Bricking a phone is like damage the software of the hard disk drive (windows) or is it like mess up the BIOS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could come from either. Flashing the wrong recovery (like TWRP for a Galaxy S3 Exynos instead of a Snapdragon model) would brick, and flashing the wrong ROM would brick as well.
3. Is there any difference between Operative System (android), firmware and ROM?
Well, ROM is memory, a physical drive/electronic device, completely different to a program/software/OS, but I'm referring to the conception you guys usually use (wrong I must say).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"ROM", in Android parlance, is indeed the OS. Sometimes also referred to as the firmware. Yes, both are misnomers. The use of "ROM" to refer to the OS I think comes from ROM image, when referring to gaming console emulation, but I could be mistake. "Firmware" typically refers to the programming in an electronic device that doesn't have a proper OS, per se. Like a basic mp3 player, VCR, cable modem, microwave oven, etc. It could be argued that Android is indeed a "firmware", by definition, even though "operating system" is more appropriate. Regardless, "ROM", and "firmware", in the Android world, both mean the OS.
4. Why is it said that you flash a firmware, and not you install a firmware? Is it because it's done in a ROM, so it's called then flash?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing installs, but installing isn't necessarily flashing. "Flashing" is typically done at the recovery level (or through ADB), in the form of zips, tars, and other formats. It isn't incorrect to say that you installed a Gapps package through recovery, or you installed a newer version of TWRP, even though such actions are commonly known as "flashing". However, one wouldn't say that you flashed Clash of Clans through the Play Store, because that's not what you're doing. Flashing can refer to both firmware and software. For example, you can flash apps (like a Gapps package) TWRP batch back-ups, or even individual apps, and these are all software. You can flash nandroid backups or ROMs, and these are operating systems (and software/data). You can also flash proper firmware, such as radios/modems. You can flash kernels. Again, it's not wrong to say you "installed" it, but saying "flashed" is a more appropriate (in the Android community) and specific term.

Do tell...
optimusodd said:
A BRICKED phone is a phone that can't be fixed,no matter how hard you try.In other words,bricking your phone is altering the OS of your device in a way that causes it to become unusable/inoperable.
A BRICKED phone will not be able to Boot/Display any information/Boot into Recovery Mode.And thus your device turns into a very costly BRICK or Paperweight.
I have never seen any BRICKED device but heard about 2-3 cases here on XDA.I guess there are slight chances of getting your phone bricked until you do something HORRIBLY wrong or you do something,you don't have any idea about.
AFAIU,following factors can lead your device to BRICKING.
1.Overwriting the Firmware of the device or System softwares.
2.Interrupting Firmware update process (Half-written firmware ).E.g. Your device loses power during the process/data cable is pulled out during adb or rooting (That's the reason you get notifications or warnings as “Do not power the device off” when performing firmware updates and "Make sure your Battery is charged")
3.Flashing a ROM/MOD/Kernel that's not compatible to specific Device and Carrier.
Hope this helps!!
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That being said,
To my understanding so long as you flash your phones specific Kernel after flashing a carrier-incompatible ROM you will not BRICK. That is the only time I've bricked a device. It was an S3 and after 3 days of research I learned an SD card can be used to bring it back to life by basically flashing your .img onto it, albeit I could never boot the device without it again, though I could take it out afterward.
It was strange... but since using that device as a learning toy I believe that is something I learned from the experience, but correct me if I'm fatally wrong please before I get someone in trouble.

trinathaniel said:
That being said, To my understanding so long as you flash your phones specific Kernel after flashing a carrier-incompatible ROM you will not BRICK. That is the only time I've bricked a device. It was an S3 and after 3 days of research I learned an SD card can be used to bring it back to life by basically flashing your .img onto it, albeit I could never boot the device without it again, though I could take it out afterward. It was strange... but since using that device as a learning toy I believe that is something I learned from the experience, but correct me if I'm fatally wrong please before I get someone in trouble.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Short answer: If you can boot into Fastboot Or Recovery mode,you are not Hard bricked and there is still some hope
The scenerio you are talking about is Soft Brick.In this case your device don't boot but you can still get into Recovery.To fix it you boot into Recovery and restore the backup / flash the system image.You don't need to flash a kernel to make it working.
A hard bricked device won't show any sign of life,you won't be able to boot into Fastboot or Recovery to run Fastboot commands / ADB shell commands / Flash any image or zip.
Hope this helps!!

Plug out your Phone on flash Befor he finish boting

optimusodd said:
Short answer: If you can boot into Fastboot Or Recovery mode,you are not Hard bricked and there is still some hope
The scenerio you are talking about is Soft Brick.In this case your device don't boot but you can still get into Recovery.To fix it you boot into Recovery and restore the backup / flash the system image.You don't need to flash a kernel to make it working.
A hard bricked device won't show any sign of life,you won't be able to boot into Fastboot or Recovery to run Fastboot commands / ADB shell commands / Flash any image or zip.
Hope this helps!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally understand what you're conveying and trust and believe when I say I've had my fair share of both types of Brick. What I mean is.... essentially the Kernel is going to be the defining difference between Hard Bricking vs Soft. For instance, I'm using a Note 5 Sprint (SM-N920P). If I were to flash BlahRom_N920T.zip then try and boot to system it'd definitely Hard Brick me, but if I were to flash an N920P Kernel immediately afterwards THEN boot to system out wouldn't. It might be kind of jacked up and buggy, but that's the determining factor as far as I understand.

Database Info

welcome