Database Info

[Q] Unable to factory reset

Yesterday my phone started acting up. All running process crashed and not many was able to start. I had to constantly click "force close". I think this started after I installed the Google+ app, but not sure.
I have tried uninstalling all unnecessary apps, without luck. I then tried wiping to factory settings by using the Android menu, but without any changing. I then tried by holding vol+ and power, going in to recovery and wiping both to factory and app cache. This doesn't change anything either. By googling I can see some suggests to hold vol- and power, to get to a another wiping-functionality but this just boots my Nexus S to normal state - no menu appears.
Has anybody an idea of what I can do?
Edit: more info; if I click "Report" and investigate the message sent to Google, I see that error has something to do with SQLite-relatet classes. Which makes some sense, alot of my changes are reset each time the phone is rebooted. For instance did I miss a call a couple of hours before the phone went crazy - this is shown at each boot in the notification area eventhough I clear the area and/or goes to missed call section

Factory reset via menu does delete all your "custom" apps, so I'd say it's not one of the existing apps causing problems.
The way you describe function after your factory reset sounds like factory reset didn't work properly.
If you feel safe I'd recommend rather flashing 2.3.4 again using either Odin or the OTA zip from Google (requires open bootloader).

I think you're right that factory reset doesn't do what is expected. Once I click it, the phone reboots and shows the Android guy next to an unwrapping package. This lasts only 2 seconds, then it reboots itself again and goes into normal phone mode (where all the app-crashing starts again).
I have not flashed or rooted my phone before, but I will consider this now since my NS is pretty much a brick. Thank you for your swiftly response.
Edit: Shouldn't I get a menu, when I push and hold vol- button, while turning on the device? Right now it just boot as normal.

Before you use odin....try going into rom manager a reflashing clockwork! Ive had that android dude on my screeen but reflashibg via rom manager always fixed it. Try that
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App

Wow my Nexus has totally shut me out.
I cannot use ClockworkMod unfortunately since I am not able to root my phone. It is not detectable via USA (when I use vol+/pwr and connect USB). I am unable to check the USB Debugging option on the phone. Each time I check it, go to home-screen and back to the menu, it has de-selected it again. Also I noticed when I read the info that is sent to Google for all those app-crashes I get, I see SQLiteException and error in an SQLite.java file. So it seems like some database layer is broken.
I read one could copy the ClockWork.img to my phone and use the standard recovery option to flash the img (I think). But when I go into the recovery menu, the file is gone. When I boot the phone again, it has deleted the .img file - eventhough if I copy it to several different folders, they are all gone :-(.
I feel pretty screwed at the moment. How can I else wipe all data?

I'd recommend to check if your device is correctly identified in windows. Missing USB drivers might cause problems. Get the latest drivers and a guide from here.
If you succeed booting into fastboot properly (vol up and power) you can follow this guide. Get the latest cwm recovery.img here.
Last option would be to boot into download mode (vol up + vol down + power + plugging in usb cable) and use Odin from samfirmware.com
--
All options require correctly working USB drivers.

I managed to unlock the bootloader, by quickly turning on USB-debugging (before any processes started to crash) and install the drivers from this post:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=6819751&postcount=4
A reboot later, I got this message:
"System UIDs Inconsistent
UIDs on the system are inconsistent, you need to wipe your data partition or your device will be unstable."
Right below was a button saying "Im feeling lucky" (??)
I installed ClockworkMod using fastboot and tried "Fixing permissions" with no luck. I will try some ROM later on, and hope it will bring my phone back

Normally this error happens when you have a faulty app ruining your system, formating/deleting whole sdcard does usually fix this.

rentaric said:
Normally this error happens when you have a faulty app ruining your system, formating/deleting whole sdcard does usually fix this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can safely mount USB-storage and format the whole bunch?
I been sweating over this stupid issue all day now, all I want is a fac-reset :´(
Edit: "format /sdcard" using CWM didn't do anything

DennisRP said:
I can safely mount USB-storage and format the whole bunch?
I been sweating over this stupid issue all day now, all I want is a fac-reset :´(
Edit: "format /sdcard" using CWM didn't do anything
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See I'm no expert on this whole thing. At this point I'd just flash a whole new system via Odin. Prolly not the smartest or safest option, but that's what I'd do because I don't know better. If that wouldn't fix it either, I'd return the phone on warranty

I was looking at Odin from the start, since nothing else seemed to be working.
So right now I got started on Odin. Followed the .pdf steps and flashed the bootloader at first succesfully. I was asked to remove the battery and re-connect my NS. Began downloading "pda" and "phone", but at around 10% a big fat red "fail" message appeared and now I just see the Google-logo on startup. I still cant flash any roms via fastboot.
Im too tired too right now, been working with this for 14 hours straight. I will look at it tomorrow evening. Thanks for your help rentaric

Weird, you're not the first one who had trouble running Odin using their guide.
Overall it's pretty simple.
Enter download mode. Vol up vol down and power at the same time while plugging in the USB cable. Start Odin, should show a yellow colored box with a port number. Uncheck everything but reset timer and auto reboot. Unzip the correct zip file from samfirmware.com (check if you got i9020 or i9023 and get the universal Odin exe), apply file from the folder accordingly. Bootloader and bootloader. Phone and modem. Pda and pda. Csc can remain empty (will change carrier info in fastboot).
Double check md5 hash to avoid broken files.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

rentaric said:
Weird, you're not the first one who had trouble running Odin using their guide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course I did not go to bed, how should I be able to sleep with a broken phone .
The firmware suggested on samfirmware.com for my phone, was 2.3.3 and some other version (my phone was 2.3.4.2/GRJ22 or something similar, I suspect that might be the cause. Also I unchecked everything, that might also have been of importance). The flash will always fail when everything was downloaded - it then said something about "remote" and "Loke" and then fail. But as I mentioned, I had succesfully flashed boot.img (2.3.3) thus no boot occured now. I googled the correct bootloader, used fastboot and was booting succesfully again.
I began looking more into the sdcard, as error-messages was leading me this way. To compress 4 hours of investigations into a few lines, it seems as my PBA is malfunctioning as other xda-members have experinced. Only solution is sending the phone to Samsung for a PBA replacement. I purchased the phone in Bestbuy USA and the danish Samsung partners are not too joyfull about this - I will contact Samsung and hope they can help me.
I experinced the exact same thing as this poor guy - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=993403
Every thing you try to do to /sdcard is worthless.
Formatting (USB/using CWM/using adb shell linux commands) says "Succes" but nothing happens.
Copying files says "Succes" but nothing happens. If I boot phone into CWM, mount usb and upload new rom/apk/whatever and try to do a "install update.zip" it fails with some mounting errors.
Im ready to go cry in a corner - I really want this to be fixable via software, but I probably have to realize that this is a hardware issue.

Apparently Samsung doesn't offer worldwide warranty for cellularphones :´(. God it sucks to pay repair-expenses on a 1 month old mobile.

[Q] botched ROM load, now stuck in recovery hell

I got in a SK4g for my wife intent on upgrading her current phone. I own a 4g myself, and have Rooted/ROM'd it with no issues, we we thought it best to get her the same phone for ease of use/manipulation.
I got the phone in and used superoneclick to root it, then went through the process of putting CWM in place and installing GenericGinger_2.0_SK4G. The process ran smooth as glass (as expected) until it got to reboot. On reboot it hung up on the sidekick screen. After about an hour of waiting I pulled the battery and restarted the machine.
It came back up in recovery mode with the stock recovery (blue) text. Since then I haven't been able to get it to do anything but restart into that recovery screen. Odin doesn't see the phone in download mode and t839-Sidekick4G-UVKG2-One-Click does nothing. It shows it uploading, reboots the phone, and I'm back at the blue text. flashing the bootloaders with One-Click shows success on everything *except* uploading the bootloaders. If I tell it to re-install packages I get a 'cannot validate signature' response. I've tried using android commander to push CWM's recovery file to the phone and get 'permission' denied.
I've done a lot of searching on this site, trying most suggested fixes I've come across with no luck.
what can be done with this phone to get it back in operating condition?
Thanks in advance!

try installing kies odin wouldnt see my phone until i installed it

Kies installed and Odin saw the phone. excellent, thanks!
now, the next issue... lol
I used Odin to push KD1OdinSTOCK onto the phone. it's doing more than it was (going to the initial sidekick screen then dumping to recovery). Now it'll load through the sidekick and samsung splash screens, then reset and do it again. The same thing happens when I tried StockKG2ODIN. I'm using the sk4g.pit that I pulled from this site, could that have anything to do with it/is there another one around that I could try? Anybody have thoughts or ideas on what to do next? I've tried using t839-Sidekick4G-UVKG2-One-Click again, but it nuked the drivers kies put into place and dropped the phone back to what it was doing before.

okay, I did some light reading of this thread here
and followed the directions closely. I also went through sduvick's list of things to do with the following results:
Black screen, no logo.
1. Get into download mode by using VolDown+Touchpad+Power
2. flash full sk4g.tar.md5 as posted.
device will boot through the logo and splash screens, then repeat. note: if I leave the USB cable plugged in on reboot it will go to the battery screen, otherwise it just boot loops.
_________________________________
logo only
1. Download mode
2. Flash full package
device boot loops
_________________________________
Can't flash recovery/boot/sbl
1. Download mode
2. use PIT only, run with repartition checked
3. reboot/reDownload mode
4. run the full image in Odin.
PIT only returns a black screen on the device. running the full image in afterward returns to the boot loop.
_________________________________
Anything else
1. Download mode
2. Full tar.md5 flash in Odin
3. Ask if it doesn't work
okay, so I'm asking...
I'm still able to boot into recovery mode (blue text).
I've noted a bit of strange behavior when trying to boot into download mode. holding vol down + trackball + power does nothing. however, if I plug the phone in while powered down while holding down the trackball it'll boot into download mode, no power or vol down required.

If you can't flash with Odin, you may have a hardware problem.
Judging from your issue with installing Kies, you had a driver problem previously.
Seems that you are bumbling in the dark here. Once again, people need to be better prepared to Odin their devices before they start modding them.
In fact, getting Odin working should be the first thing a person should do with their phone after rooting and installing CWM.
Anyhow, try a different version of Odin. If that doesn't clear up your problem, I suspect some bad blocks in your flash memory are responsible here. It's a dorment issue that would really only be a problem when you flashed the device. If that's the case, you have a new paperweight.
Good luck.

i never could get kd1 to work try kg2
use pit check repartion and place tar file in pda

I don't think the problem is that I can't flash with Odin, but that the device isn't loading the ROM that's flashed. poking around in the filestructure with android commander after a fresh load shows that the system makes it onto the phone.
Speaking of poking around with Android Commander, I've noted that the device is software rooted, but not hardware rooted. the default.class file shows ro.debuggable set at 0 where it should be 1. this is keeping me from just pushing the CWM recovery onto the system and restoring the backup I made before getting into this mess. Anybody want to help me pull/edit/flash the image to change that?
As for a driver issue, that's a good possibility given that the one-click uses a driver set, kies mini uses another, kies has a different one yet and we (as a community) started screwing with the t839's using vibrant drivers. I've got them all. thusfar the only drivers I've found that work with both flavors of Odin I have (1.61 and 1.85) would be those that came with the Kies (thanks for the tip pmp326).
On bumbling in the dark, yes, yes I am. There isn't much of an instruction manual for Odin past what's written here, and 90% of that is 'put your phone in download mode, connect Odin, plug the pit in pit and the tar in PDA make sure only auto-reboot is checked and hit start'. to be honest I haven't had to use the program previously as the stock one-click actually worked on my T839. This new device is being ... difficult.
the dormant bad blocks issue you spoke about, was this something found in new-out-the-box phones? I haven't seen a lot about that in the threads, can you point in at more info, please?
at any rate, it doesn't matter which version of Odin I use, I got the same result from both. I tried using a different cable/different USB port as well. I haven't tried using a different system (yet), but don't want to go through all the trouble of setting up everything on another box. Win7 is finicky enough, trying to get everything operating on Server2k3 would most likely end up a challenge. *lol*
I'll try repartitioning with KG1 when I get back to the house.

Sounds like you are getting far enough to get your device working again to me.
If you can manage to get access to the file system with adb or Android Commander, you may be able to push the rest of the OS files you need directly. This may provide a way to get around your flashing problems.
Try adding the missing files directly with Android Commander.

also i had some troubles a while back while in recovery wipe data and cache turn off phone pull sd card then flash with odin

orange808 said:
Sounds like you are getting far enough to get your device working again to me.
If you can manage to get access to the file system with adb or Android Commander, you may be able to push the rest of the OS files you need directly. This may provide a way to get around your flashing problems.
Try adding the missing files directly with Android Commander.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've gotta pop the debug lock in the default.class to be able to push anything into the system folders with Android Commander. I've found a nice walk-thru to do this, it just requires a little knowledge of c++ and some patience. with any luck I should be able to pull default.class out of its img, edit it and flash that back (most likely with Heimdall since it can do itemized flashing).
pmp326 said:
i never could get kd1 to work try kg2
use pit check repartion and place tar file in pda
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tried it, no joy.
pmp326 said:
also i had some troubles a while back while in recovery wipe data and cache turn off phone pull sd card then flash with odin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tried this, brings me back to the boot loop.

orange808 said:
Sounds like you are getting far enough to get your device working again to me.
If you can manage to get access to the file system with adb or Android Commander, you may be able to push the rest of the OS files you need directly. This may provide a way to get around your flashing problems.
Try adding the missing files directly with Android Commander.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
currently I'm running into issues with getting ADB to push onto the system as the system is claiming it isn't rooted. Is there a way I haven't read about or found to root the phone without getting into the actual O/S (i.e. from the blue recovery screen)?

If you can get in to CWM Recovery you are fine.
If you cannot, just ODIN to stock.
If you cannot do that, or it doesn't boot after that, try a different PC, os, or drivers (x86 os is usually easier then an x64 os).
If it is still no good, buy a new phone on ebay .
Once booted, Root and install CWM first thing.
Once you are in CWM Recovery...
1) Check mounts (everything should be mounted, and therefore read "unmount [...]")
2) Format EVERYTHING one at a time: cache, data, system, sdcard (optional).
(sdcard should be fine, but to be sure you can format it too after backing it up to PC first and restore what you need after)
(you probably don't need to Wipe and Wipe-Dalvik as they should already be gone, but go ahead and do it anyway)
3) Check mounts again!
4) Install a ROM (must reload it to your sdcard first if you formatted your sdcard)
5) Check mounts one final time before rebooting.
That should ALWAYS work.
NOTE: This was said before: "2. flash full sk4g.tar.md5 as posted.", but that doesn't seem right... you should not be flashing a .md5 file... you need to flash the .tar... the .tar.md5 is just a checksum. (right?)

rpmccormick said:
If you can get in to CWM Recovery you are fine.
If you cannot, just ODIN to stock.
If you cannot do that, or it doesn't boot after that, try a different PC, os, or drivers (x86 os is usually easier then an x64 os).
If it is still no good, buy a new phone on ebay .
Once booted, Root and install CWM first thing.
Once you are in CWM Recovery...
1) Check mounts (everything should be mounted, and therefore read "unmount [...]")
2) Format EVERYTHING one at a time: cache, data, system, sdcard (optional).
(sdcard should be fine, but to be sure you can format it too after backing it up to PC first and restore what you need after)
(you probably don't need to Wipe and Wipe-Dalvik as they should already be gone, but go ahead and do it anyway)
3) Check mounts again!
4) Install a ROM (must reload it to your sdcard first if you formatted your sdcard)
5) Check mounts one final time before rebooting.
That should ALWAYS work.
NOTE: This was said before: "2. flash full sk4g.tar.md5 as posted.", but that doesn't seem right... you should not be flashing a .md5 file... you need to flash the .tar... the .tar.md5 is just a checksum. (right?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow... did you even *read* before posting? fail. I mean, thanks for taking the time to write that up and all, but you just repeated everything already said up to this point and included a summary of the ROM for n00bs thread.

Artemis257 said:
Wow... did you even *read* before posting? fail. I mean, thanks for taking the time to write that up and all, but you just repeated everything already said up to this point and included a summary of the ROM for n00bs thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like turtles.

Artemis257 said:
Wow... did you even *read* before posting? fail. I mean, thanks for taking the time to write that up and all, but you just repeated everything already said up to this point and included a summary of the ROM for n00bs thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even the end... I mean, your not trying to odin a "tar.md5" are you?

rpmccormick said:
Even the end... I mean, your not trying to odin a "tar.md5" are you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No....

Sorry man. I've never had to ODIN (this phone). I say check the md5 to make sure you downloaded a good copy, and maybe try a different USB cable. The ADB method seems nutz... if it doesn't boot after a successful ODIN, the phone is probably a paperweight.
Good luck!

Still having Tab2 woes

I have an earlier thread here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2107600 but that is now buried on page 2 and might be missed by new readers. After a disastrous time trying to root my Galaxy Tab 5100 I did manage with the help of people here to flash the recommended stock ROM - however while the tablet goes through its boot sequenece with the aminated Samsung sign - it sticks when it gets to the plain Samsung logo and wont go further.
Odin reported that it installed OK and the tab rebooted as it should but only this far - not sure what I should try next to get my stock Samsung image back and working. One thing I didn't do was to tick repartition because the instructions only said to do this when a certain type of file was included in the package, and it wasn't. Should I have ticked this after all, if so I can try the same thing again if I can force it back into download mode again. (though as the yellow pane still shows in odin when connected I wonder if I can just go ahead anyway)
I have also been looking for rooting software and came across this
http://root-android.org/?version=Tablet&country=Samsung&ios=Galaxy+Tab+2&submit.x=63&submit.y=104
I am wondering if next time (assuming I ever get it working!) I would be better shelling out $30 and getting software to do it all for me - is this any good? has anyone used it or had reports about it? I wish I had seen this before I read "that it was almost impossible to brick the tab 2"
Also I would like to have root access on my S3 as well but wouldn't dream of risking this I don't think now

gbswales said:
I have an earlier thread here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2107600 but that is now buried on page 2 and might be missed by new readers. After a disastrous time trying to root my Galaxy Tab 5100 I did manage with the help of people here to flash the recommended stock ROM - however while the tablet goes through its boot sequenece with the aminated Samsung sign - it sticks when it gets to the plain Samsung logo and wont go further.
Odin reported that it installed OK and the tab rebooted as it should but only this far - not sure what I should try next to get my stock Samsung image back and working. One thing I didn't do was to tick repartition because the instructions only said to do this when a certain type of file was included in the package, and it wasn't. Should I have ticked this after all, if so I can try the same thing again if I can force it back into download mode again. (though as the yellow pane still shows in odin when connected I wonder if I can just go ahead anyway)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried a factory reset from recovery? If you've restored the stock ROM, then all you need to do is the factory reset to get things working again. Don't repartition unless you really need to.
gbswales said:
I have also been looking for rooting software and came across this
http://root-android.org/?version=Tablet&country=Samsung&ios=Galaxy+Tab+2&submit.x=63&submit.y=104
I am wondering if next time (assuming I ever get it working!) I would be better shelling out $30 and getting software to do it all for me - is this any good? has anyone used it or had reports about it? Also I would like to have root access on my S3 as well but wouldn't dream of risking this I don't think now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't see any reason you should spend that kind of money given how easy the CF-AutoRoot is. In fact, that product looks very shady to me. "Root Any Android Device"? Well, there's lots of devices out there that nobody's been able to root, or devices that take a lot of work. I can't believe there's a single app that'll work across every Android device with a single click.

Be careful, which stock ROM have you flashed? I would use this sequence
flash the stock ROM
then immediately
flash CWM recovery, use CWM recovery to wipe the data (wipe data/factory reset).
Then reboot

CWM ?
DigitalMD said:
Be careful, which stock ROM have you flashed? I would use this sequence
flash the stock ROM
then immediately
flash CWM recovery, use CWM recovery to wipe the data (wipe data/factory reset).
Then reboot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I followed one of the posted routes on this forum, downloading from a list of recommended files for each version, and it mentioned nothing about CWM which I know nothing about. I have to say that everyone's definition of "easy" on here - I find complicated and difficult - I know my way around windows but android seems much more complex. The only reason I wanted to have root in the first place was to be able to make a complete image back up that would make it easy to restore my device without having to re-download all my software and set up. I do it with windows all the time. To me "easy" is, download and install something - click go - done! Even getting the device to go into download mode in the first place is a very hit and miss affair (as others say on here too) clearly Samsung don't want you to do this.
The other problem is that while the tablet is in this state it wont turn off, just reboots itself when you do and the screen stays on - so unless you leave it plugged in 24/7 - I start each time with a flat battery that I have to recharge before I can try something else

This is the route I followed
DigitalMD said:
Be careful, which stock ROM have you flashed? I would use this sequence
flash the stock ROM
then immediately
flash CWM recovery, use CWM recovery to wipe the data (wipe data/factory reset).
Then reboot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got this through earlier posts - the only thing I didn't do was to go into recovery and reset in step 2 because this simply wasn't possible - the device was stuck on the error message and no amount of button pressing did anything other than restart to the same screen. By this stage I couldn't even go back to check what version of android I was running - it would have been the latest jelly bean distributed to UK.
I also didn't check re-partition as in 6. because there was no pit file in the download
E. Restore to stock
THIS WILL WIPE YOUR DATA!
4.0.3 for p5100: https://hotfile.com/dl/155804946/76b...XALD9.rar.html
4.0.3 for p5110: http://www.hotfile.com/dl/159635395/...3_PEO.zip.html
4.0.4 for p5100: http://www.hotfile.com/dl/165065733/...1_SER.zip.html
4.0.4 for p5113: http://www.hotfile.com/dl/164415704/...5_XAR.zip.html
4.0.? for p5113: http://69.46.67.99/GT-P3113_XAR_1_20...ldcgx9tzmx.zip
4.0.4 for p3100: http://samsung-updates.com/fw/Samsun...3kdo3qe503.zip (PIT files: 16Gb p3100, 8GB p3100
Note: for more language options for stock ROM's for the tab 10, go here.
1. Unzip the downloaded ROM. If there is a file ending in .pit, skip to step 3
2. Reboot into recovery and select wipe data/factory reset.
3. Reboot into Download Mode.
4. Unzip/unrar the stock firmware
5. click PDA and find the stock file (PDA/PLATFORM file, the largest one).
6. Click PIT and open the .pit file you downloaded if one was included with your ROM. Check Re-Partition in ODIN
7. OPTIONAL: if you want to flash the bootloader and/or csc, you can select them as well. If you don't know what that means, you don't need to do it.
8. Click Start.
9. Enjoy!

Help please - this is where I am at the moment - some SIMPLE help needed please
I tried to install what I thought was the stock ROM - it appeared to install but wouldnt boot past the samsung screen. I now realise (a) that I may not have followed the full correct procedure and (b) may have downloaded the 5110 rom instead of the 5100 rom - silly mistake I know.
However reading all the guides I can find there doesnt seem to be a simple way I can find of restoring the standard un-rooted rom so that I can go back and try again. All of the things I can find seem to included downloading something onto the external card but cant do that as I cannot access it and don't have an external card reader.
What I can do now is
boot into download mode
connect to ODIN and see the yellow block
It will not boot normally past the samsung splash screen
and cannot connect to KIES in any mode (I do have the drivers installed and have connected before)
I also have no idea now what is installed on it because I cant get to the system to see!
Is there an easy way to install a stock samsung rom from this point? I don't mind if data is lost, I have nothing important on there and wouldnt mind re-installing apps as I had accumulated far too many anway - really I just want to get my tablet back the way it was from the factory but with the 4.2 jelly bean installed (though if it went back to an earlier version and I could update in Kies that would be ok too)
Can anyone give me simple instructions for doing this using just ODIN and my computer without involving the external card - please.
After that I will be looking for an equally easy way to root it again
I will credit you with a good answer if you can help -as well as appreciating it.

gbswales said:
I tried to install what I thought was the stock ROM - it appeared to install but wouldnt boot past the samsung screen. I now realise (a) that I may not have followed the full correct procedure and (b) may have downloaded the 5110 rom instead of the 5100 rom - silly mistake I know.
However reading all the guides I can find there doesnt seem to be a simple way I can find of restoring the standard un-rooted rom so that I can go back and try again. All of the things I can find seem to included downloading something onto the external card but cant do that as I cannot access it and don't have an external card reader.
What I can do now is
boot into download mode
connect to ODIN and see the yellow block
It will not boot normally past the samsung splash screen
and cannot connect to KIES in any mode (I do have the drivers installed and have connected before)
I also have no idea now what is installed on it because I cant get to the system to see!
Is there an easy way to install a stock samsung rom from this point? I don't mind if data is lost, I have nothing important on there and wouldnt mind re-installing apps as I had accumulated far too many anway - really I just want to get my tablet back the way it was from the factory but with the 4.2 jelly bean installed (though if it went back to an earlier version and I could update in Kies that would be ok too)
Can anyone give me simple instructions for doing this using just ODIN and my computer without involving the external card - please.
After that I will be looking for an equally easy way to root it again
I will credit you with a good answer if you can help -as well as appreciating it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you need to do is to download the stock ROM for your 5100.
Go to www.samfirmware.com and put "GT-5100" into the search box. You'll see a list of the stock firmware for your device. Pick the appropriate firmware for your country and click "download".
Start up ODIN. Click on the "PDA" button and open the firmware file you downloaded above.
Restart in downloader mode (power and volume up), and connect the tablet to your PC. ODIN should now show the device.
Make sure repartition is not checked, and click on "Start". When it finishes, you now have stock firmware installed.
Power off, then restart in recovery mode. (Hold power and volume down.)
Choose "wipe data/factory reset" by using the volume keys to move the highlight, then pressing the power button to select an entry.
Once it's finished booting, you should be back to normal.

Thanks K1MU for this information which at least looks clear - the only problem I have is when I put in the model etc when I get to country it offers me only 3 choices
UK (BTU) GB (O2) or GB (vodafaone)
My phone was purchased from Amazon and is unlocked so I am worried if these might lock me to a carrier which I wouldn't want
I wonder if BTU is the unlocked one as it doesn't sound like any provider I know - but I am not sure
will post on their forum as well

I think I am getting more and more muddled by the minute (sign of old age I fear) I realise now that I have a p5110 - wifi only and not p5100 3g and wifi.
This means in all probablilty I downloaded the correct rom in the first place. As I had not done the factory reset afterwards so tried that - it appeared to work ok but when I restarted it just played the samsung tune and moving image - then went to "Samsung" and stuck there as it was before.
I am downloading the p5110 wifi only rom from Sam's site - awful download programme they use which doesn't accept paypal even to sign up for faster downloading - I will then try following exactly what you have suggested and keep my fingers crossed

thank you
k1mu said:
What you need to do is to download the stock ROM for your 5100.
Go to www.samfirmware.com and put "GT-5100" into the search box. You'll see a list of the stock firmware for your device. Pick the appropriate firmware for your country and click "download".
Start up ODIN. Click on the "PDA" button and open the firmware file you downloaded above.
Restart in downloader mode (power and volume up), and connect the tablet to your PC. ODIN should now show the device.
Make sure repartition is not checked, and click on "Start". When it finishes, you now have stock firmware installed.
Power off, then restart in recovery mode. (Hold power and volume down.)
Choose "wipe data/factory reset" by using the volume keys to move the highlight, then pressing the power button to select an entry.
Once it's finished booting, you should be back to normal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although I thought it had got nowhere after wipe restore - when I turned it back the next day I arrived at the start up guide - admitedly it was 4.0.3 and in Portugese but after exploring settings and working out what to click i got it back to uk english - it has now connected to kies ok and is currently downloading the latest firmware - thanks partcularly to the last poster and to all others who helped - I will go through and thank you others too,
Point is now - once I have jelly bean can I get root access easily -without installing another custom rom - ahh well tomorrows problem

Questions about 1st time root SM-J700P w/7.1.1

Hello. I've never bothered trying to root a phone before, but getting tired of the forceware apps being a buggy PITA you can't even disable/remove, so thought it was time to root for more control.
However, there are so many old posts, old tut videos, updates to software that might be superseded by newer software by the time you get to the last page, etc. that I'm not actually sure what's what or where to start, so figured I'd ask and hopefully get accurate info from you guys/gals that are more in the loop on the most current methods using the latest software.
Phone in question seems to be a 2015 J700PVPU2BQJ2 software version w/ J700P.03 version hardware updated to 7.1.1 and it's through Virgin. I ONLY want to root the phone, and nothing more, while trying to keep the phone as close to factory image as possible., and prefer using a PC to do it. Thought Auto-Root might be way, but it looks like it's not in use anymore?
Again, I'm new to phone rooting and the lingo, so treat me with kid gloves, thank you.

J727P
Nupid Stoob said:
Hello. I've never bothered trying to root a phone before, but getting tired of the forceware apps being a buggy PITA you can't even disable/remove, so thought it was time to root for more control.
However, there are so many old posts, old tut videos, updates to software that might be superseded by newer software by the time you get to the last page, etc. that I'm not actually sure what's what or where to start, so figured I'd ask and hopefully get accurate info from you guys/gals that are more in the loop on the most current methods using the latest software.
Phone in question seems to be a 2015 J700PVPU2BQJ2 software version w/ J700P.03 version hardware updated to 7.1.1 and it's through Virgin. I ONLY want to root the phone, and nothing more, while trying to keep the phone as close to factory image as possible., and prefer using a PC to do it. Thought Auto-Root might be way, but it looks like it's not in use anymore?
Again, I'm new to phone rooting and the lingo, so treat me with kid gloves, thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok you have an older phone the J700P you can start by downloading odin an twrp recovery an superSU zip you can get twrp from here !https://twrp.me/devices/samsunggalaxyj72015qcomsprint.html
an odin from here
https://mega.nz/#!nYVDXBAC!_cTWbW4_Ow8sZMWcZvO7bVwEEBFlD1DQsB5NeFhj1EY
An just google latest superSU zip to find that !
good luck !
step 1 enable oem in development settings !
step 2 put phone into download mod an flash twrp then boot into twrp recovery an flash superSU zip !

Thank you for the info. I'm presently confused. Here's what I've done:
I ran Odin and flashed with twrp-3.2.1-0-j7ltespr.img.tar. It went through successfully going off odin's message.
Vol. up + home + power. It'll eventually show a yellow triangle with the white trash can guy on it's side stating "No Command". Power + up gets the Android Recovery screen.
At this point, am I supposed to choose the Wipe Data/factory reset option? I see tuts that seem suggest I should already be in the twrp UI or something. I've tried watching vids and looking at a handful of tuts, but either they are the wrong phone, too old, the button combos show something else entirely, etc.
Thanks!

Anyone? Videos show the buttons vol. up + home + power as booting right into twrp recovery gui. For me, it's going into "Android Recovery" screen. Is there an extra step with Odin or something that I missed? Or am I supposed to wipe/boot in the Android Recovery screen and it'll boot the twrp recovery gui? If bricking something I'm not familiar with wasn't a concern, I'd be courageous with it.

I tried the twrp-3.1.1-2-j7ltespr.img.tar and same thing. Odin says it's a success. Phone boots up to normal phone screen. Videos show the person's phone booting right into Twrp recovery. Mine acts like nothing changed. Root checker says unrooted. The Twrp app says unrooted. OEM Unlock and Debugging options in phone are selected, and I have it set for manual updates.
Anyone have an idea what's going on here?

J700P
Nupid Stoob said:
I tried the twrp-3.1.1-2-j7ltespr.img.tar and same thing. Odin says it's a success. Phone boots up to normal phone screen. Videos show the person's phone booting right into Twrp recovery. Mine acts like nothing changed. Root checker says unrooted. The Twrp app says unrooted. OEM Unlock and Debugging options in phone are selected, and I have it set for manual updates.
Anyone have an idea what's going on here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok when flashing twrp with Odin first uncheck auto reboot in options flash twrp pull battery replace battery an boot into twrp an flash superSU zip then reboot system !

Thank you so much Peter! That did the trick THANK YOU :good:
For posterity to anyone else w/limited root knowledge with a SM-J700P Virgin variant running 7.1.1 (and what was most recent factory updates until this point); Flashed the twrp-3.2.1-0-j7ltespr.img.tar again w/o auto reboot in options of Odin, pulled battery once safe (i.e. you get the "Pass" message from Odin confirming everything went as planned) to get out of the downloading screen, replaced battery, booted the recovery (vol up + power + home) and it finally booted into the twrp recovery gui. Selected the "Install" option, then went to where the supersu.zip was stored on the SD (I created a separate "supersu" folder via PC connection for easy locating; internal phone memory card looks to now be unlocked, so can most likely use that if you don't have a SD card). Checked the "reboot once installed option" in the gui box and swiped to install supersu,zip and verified it was rooted via app after phone fully booted back up.
BTW, If anyone gets a hang/crash in Odin immediately after trying to select a twrp tar image in the "AP" box, try downloading the twrp image via PC instead of the through the phone (the legit twrp site that has the repository of past/current .tar), and just put it somewhere like Odin folder on desktop. Somehow, mine were getting corrupted via phone download through the twrp app, and Odin would NOT recognize the file was bad/corrupt when trying to select it via the AP box and hangs instead of giving a warning message. I ran into this earlier on then noticed the file was too small for some reason after viewing it on my PC, hence the Odin hang that needed a task manager kill.

I hate to necro an old thread but I still do not want to create an entire new topic for a single question. If I was to follow this info will it wipe the phone or will it simply root it while keeping all data on the phone? I ask as it is my wife's old phone and she would be pissed if I wiped her apps and everything on accident since she wont be able to remember what she had.
Edit: also when I add the TWRP file to odin it immediately hang/crashes like OP mentions but I am already DLing via pc. any thoughts?

Bricked when returning to stock (No command)

Hey guys,
decided to flash the latest DBT Firmware via Odin to get back to stock completely. (G930FXXU3ESA3)
After flashing the firmware through Odin the phone reboots and then installs an update and erases data (blue background).
After a second reboot I end up with a blue screen and the simple error: "No command".
I can not get into recovery, as I end up with the same error message wether booting into recovery or the system.
I CAN however get into downloadmode and flash twrp, after that I can boot into system but I want to keep the whole system vanilla, without TWRP.
Installing TWRP keeps the device encrypted, no matter what. I can wipe, then install no-verity-encrypt and as soon as I reboot the device is encrypted again.
Ive tried: Different Firmware Version (December 2018), 3 different cables, different odin versions.
Edit: attached an Image of the message that Pops up after about 30sec on the no command screen.

Ok, so your device will take UK Unbranded BTU firmware. You can get it from a few sources and even direct from Samsung servers with Samtool.
Forget all that flashing TWRP and non verify nonsense, if you can get into download mode you can flash firmware, obviously make sure the firmware downloaded is not corrupt etc.
I've used Odin V10 -13 to flash BTU and every version flashed it correctly. Sometimes you do get that "installing update" and then "erasing" but that's fine just leave the phone for a few minutes it should eventually reboot normally.

FLASH No verity.zip
VIA TWRP
https://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4490455&d=1525176288

cooltt said:
Ok, so your device will take UK Unbranded BTU firmware. You can get it from a few sources and even direct from Samsung servers with Samtool.
Forget all that flashing TWRP and non verify nonsense, if you can get into download mode you can flash firmware, obviously make sure the firmware downloaded is not corrupt etc.
I've used Odin V10 -13 to flash BTU and every version flashed it correctly. Sometimes you do get that "installing update" and then "erasing" but that's fine just leave the phone for a few minutes it should eventually reboot normally.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just tried the latest BTU with Odin 3.13.1, same problem. Its reboots into the blue screen, applying system update to about 32% and then switches to "Erasing". After about 1min it reboots, shows "Installing System update" for a second and I end up with "No command" again. And from there on it just constantly reboots into the "No command" screen.
This seems like the same problem. I can not enter stock recovery to wipe though...
Things ive tried so far:
- Different firmware Versions (all oreo since downgrading is impossible)
- Formating with pit files
- Different Odin Versions
- Unplugging and replugging the battery
- Installing TWRP, wiping data and then installing stock recovery through TWRP

Did u try in Odin nand erase and repatition option? If not try it ( make sure u have pit file extracted or downloaded from the net)

Scorpionea said:
Did u try in Odin nand erase and repatition option? If not try it ( make sure u have pit file extracted or downloaded from the net)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did a efs backup through TWRP just in case, then flashed the latest DBT firmware with nand erase -> still the same problem.
I can only guess that this was caused by using a backup from another phone back when Oreo came out, this probably messed something up really badly. Very weird, im kinda lost.

Killuminati91 said:
Just tried the latest BTU with Odin 3.13.1, same problem. Its reboots into the blue screen, applying system update to about 32% and then switches to "Erasing". After about 1min it reboots, shows "Installing System update" for a second and I end up with "No command" again. And from there on it just constantly reboots into the "No command" screen.
This seems like the same problem. I can not enter stock recovery to wipe though...
Things ive tried so far:
- Different firmware Versions (all oreo since downgrading is impossible)
- Formating with pit files
- Different Odin Versions
- Unplugging and replugging the battery
- Installing TWRP, wiping data and then installing stock recovery through TWRP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, from the no command screen do the following.
Hold power until phone switches off, then press power+home+volume up. The phone should now boot into original recovery screen. Select "wipe/factory reset" and then reboot device. Job done.

cooltt said:
Ok, from the no command screen do the following.
Hold power until phone switches off, then press power+home+volume up. The phone should now boot into original recovery screen. Select "wipe/factory reset" and then reboot device. Job done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried that, recovery is simply not working. If I hold vol - + power + home to restart and switch immediatly to vol + I boot into the usual blue screen with No command. I even tried unplugging the battery to shut off the phone and boot into recovery from there but that is not working either. Sorry should have stated that more clearly.
If I flash TWRP however, I can easily boot into TWRP with the recovery button combo.

Killuminati91 said:
Tried that, recovery is simply not working. If I hold vol - + power + home to restart and switch immediatly to vol + I boot into the usual blue screen with No command. I even tried unplugging the battery to shut off the phone and boot into recovery from there but that is not working either. Sorry should have stated that more clearly.
If I flash TWRP however, I can easily boot into TWRP with the recovery button combo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok it's a tricky one so one more thing I would suggest is download and install Samsung smart switch on your PC, place the phone in download mode plug it into lap top and choose emergency software recovery in smart switch
Edit. I just remembered before that try this button combo from the no command screen volume up+volume down+power.

cooltt said:
Ok it's a tricky one so one more thing I would suggest is download and install Samsung smart switch on your PC, place the phone in download mode plug it into lap top and choose emergency software recovery in smart switch
Edit. I just remembered before that try this button combo from the no command screen volume up+volume down+power.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmh. Searched a lot for the version that still supported emergency recovery. (which seems to be 4.0). If I go into download mode, start smartswitch and try to use emergency recovery there is nothing for me to select.
Volume up + down and power gives me the terminal like look which I attached in the first post with all those error messages.

Killuminati91 said:
Hmmh. Searched a lot for the version that still supported emergency recovery. (which seems to be 4.0). If I go into download mode, start smartswitch and try to use emergency recovery there is nothing for me to select.
Volume up + down and power gives me the terminal like look which I attached in the first post with all those error messages.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The EFS partition is corrupt or blank, it's the only logical explanation but the TWRP back up should solve that, without looking at it my self and running some commands i cant help your further.

cooltt said:
The EFS partition is corrupt or blank, it's the only logical explanation but the TWRP back up should solve that, without looking at it my self and running some commands i cant help your further.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TWRP backup was created after I ran into problems though. Ive checked some more things and it seems like the serial number that is displayed (in combination rom and or Z3X) is not the same SN that is printed on the back of the phone. Could this be related? And how would I go about changing it back to the one on the sticker? The IMEI is correct.
Had someone who was more into the whole thing contact me here but when I wanted to "donate" only half of what he was asking he refused to help me.

Killuminati91 said:
TWRP backup was created after I ran into problems though. Ive checked some more things and it seems like the serial number that is displayed (in combination rom and or Z3X) is not the same SN that is printed on the back of the phone. Could this be related? And how would I go about changing it back to the one on the sticker? The IMEI is correct.
Had someone who was more into the whole thing contact me here but when I wanted to "donate" only half of what he was asking he refused to help me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats because he's a scammer. Never donate to get your phone fixed! Donate to Rom developers and things you like but never to get the phone fixed, they're usually lying.
The serial number should be the same ON the phone as displayed IN phone. Tell me the story about the phone, how did you get it? what region? where are you? what firmware was installed? Can you still flash a ROM with TWRP? Can you check OEM unlock?
---------- Post added at 04:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:51 PM ----------
nmnmnmnmnmnmnmnmnm

Pretty sure he was just trying to remote repair for a price, which is not allowed on XDA. Would obviously donated on my own if he actually fixed it.
Bought the phone unlocked directly from a provider (simply - germany - dbt - g930f) back in 2016. Tripped kn0x after a few months, installed a few custom roms until Oreo came out.
This is where I messed up I think: I used a TWRP backup from someone else that he had shared here on XDA, which probably included his /efs too.
Since then I had constant connection problems, weak internet connection, dropped calls and so on.
Broke my screen and then decided to repair it myself. Bought a new frame, screen, battery, usb-port, earpiece and vibrator - managed to assemble all of that.
I can install all latest official firmwares (bootloader 3) through Odin. If I leave it at that I have no recovery and end up with the initially shown screen and "No command".
If i install TWRP from there and simply root with magisk or apply dm-verity-fix I can boot into the stock firmware with everything working.
I can also install ROMs. Just going completely vanilla is not possible anymore. OEM Unlock is checked, USB debugging works.
Edit: What is also astounding: If I flash version DBT-G930FXXS3ERHD-20180918145033 (oldest possible Oreo Version) I can enter recovery and do a factory reset and wipe cache.
If I do that however I am stuck at the Galaxy S7 Logo, not even bootlooping.

Killuminati91 said:
This is where I messed up I think: I used a TWRP backup from someone else that he had shared here on XDA, which probably included his /efs too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
awww.....come on man you should have said this at the start! Of course you can't use someone else's EFS data, it's unique to your handset. Custom Rom's patch some but not all EFS data that's why they work and in your case that's why Stock firmware isn't going too.
Anyway if this is the problem (and i suspect it is) there is only one way to fix it with Octopus box which can write all the important info back onto the EFS. Your IMEI, Serial, Mac address etc. Odin reads the info from the EFS prior to nand write start, if the phone serials don't match it will always fail at some point.
You can install a custom via twrp but it will not work correctly due to EFS data miss match. Octopus box is your answer.

cooltt said:
awww.....come on man you should have said this at the start! Of course you can't use someone else's EFS data, it's unique to your handset. Custom Rom's patch some but not all EFS data that's why they work and in your case that's why Stock firmware isn't going too.
Anyway if this is the problem (and i suspect it is) there is only one way to fix it with Octopus box which can write all the important info back onto the EFS. Your IMEI, Serial, Mac address etc. Odin reads the info from the EFS prior to nand write start, if the phone serials don't match it will always fail at some point.
You can install a custom via twrp but it will not work correctly due to EFS data miss match. Octopus box is your answer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dang it. Thank you! Off to find someone who can do this via remote access or in Berlin.

Same situation right now with my S7. Damn.

Hi everyone. Did you guys find any way to resolve this issue? i have exactly the same issue here.. but in my case i cannot use twrp cuz i never installed it before... the issue happened right after i tried to enter the recovery mode by pressing the buttons...
my wife's galaxy s7 touch screen was acting weird and i tried to get into the recovey mode..which is pretty muh easy to do... but once i tried the no command msg came up and now i have exatly the same case as the guy that opened this thread....also done everything hes done....any clue about this anyone?
id appreciate some help..
thanks in advance
Diego Boffa

Anyone?

I have exactly the same error with "fail to open recovery_cause(No such file or directory)#
My Tablet is now stuck with a blue "android dead" screen saying "No command".
My history to disaster:
- i've recovered a "broken" Samsung Tablet (sm-T585) with corrupted file system via
* Download Mode works -> TWRP install -> Mount option -> use ADB to recreate EFS partition -> re-flash stock image (android 8) with odin
- device works fine
- then i've noticed it can only be used with a certain cell provider (o2)
- then i've tried to flash an older version of the stock rom (android 7) due some problems in Android 8 (often some slow downs while operating)
- this doesn't work, the flash don't start
- therefore nothing should be happend, or?
- then i've can't get anymore in the stock recovery to wipe all data
...therefore the mess began:
* i can't flash TWRP anymore
* i can't flash stock recovery anymore
* i only can get into download mode
* i can only flash a certain rom type successfully (green PASS within odin), but with the final stuck with boot loop, with the mentioned blue screen
* other rom version can't flashed
I hopefully ask you guys here, if anyone can help me?
Any help would be very appreciated ...