Database Info

Another bricked captivate thread

Alright, after spending hours upon hours researching multiple forums I can firmly say I'm stumped. As an FYI, I change ROM's frequently and have preformed these actions multiple times. So this isnt about me being a noob and doing something incorrect due to lack of knowledge (at least i hope not).
After multiple methods I can not find a single way to get into download mode.
Methods attempted:
1. cards and Battery out
waited up to 30 min with battery out,
battery in
hold volume buttons (tried to do this before the battery goes in as well)
usb plugged in (odin on in background of course)
I have gotten into download mode multiple times using this method, however, doing it now (and multiple variations, including holding only volume up or volume down, tapping power once and a bunch of random things people from various forums 'claim' to work) will result in only one thing; having the battery charging screen pop up and freeze on me. I know it is frozen as the progress timer is stuck at the 12:00 position and doesnt change, even if left there for an hour or two.
If the phone is allowed to power up normally (or i press the power button when trying to go into download mode) the phone will go to the standard ATT screen flash once then show up again and finally go into recovery mode. My research hasnt shown that i can do anything from recovery mode without having access to the internal SD.
upon further research, I came across only one other thread of e=people who had a similar problem, however the OP said he performed the download mode method mentioned above over and over and then it eventually worked. Which doesnt make a whole lot of sense to me, but nonetheless he said he got it within 40 times, I must have done this over 100 times now with the same frozen battery screen result.
I even tried ADB, which is something that was new to me. But after getting ADB to successfully work on the command line, it does not recognize that the phone is connected (my assumption is because in recovery mode, which is the only place i can be with the phone on besides the frozen screen, the internal SD isnt mounted for mass storage). So ADB didnt work either.
I am within my 30 day period, but of course, I would prefer to just fix this thing as opposed to going down to have 'the talk' about bricking my phone with ATT. Has anyone seen this issue? Anyone else have any ideas? Anything I can do from the recovery screen?
Thanks for your help

Adb should work in recovery mode.
Let me know 2 things: your batch #
What ROM you were using when it went out
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

PS don't tell att you modded your phone
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Yea I had the same problem when i bricked my brothers captivate. I did all the 3 button method and i couldnt still go to download mode but i figured another way on how to get there =) thanks to me. But this method only works if your computer recognize your phone like if your stuck on atnt screen or galaxy s screen or even more if its all dark screen, but most importantly is that your computer recognize your phone and you have clockwork recovery. Here is the link of my post.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=842484

@fattire
1. Where do i locate the Batch #
2. It had just finished flashing into Cog 2.3b4. I had flashed to stock (like I normally do) before flashing to Cog. Looking at the screen, everything looked like it went fine and Cog was installed properly. After it finished it started restarting the phone, and this is where I am now.
P.S. Yeah, that goes without saying just so much of a hassle with the ATT people....
P.P.S. I didnt know if this was normal or not, but in recovery mode the computer can see the phone's drive but it (the phones drive) is not mounted so I can not access any of the files on it. From all that I have read ADB is working correctly and have confirmed it in the command line. I have the correct drivers ( and i know they are the right ones bc Ive done this before on the same computer with the same USB port). Odin also recognizes the phone and says it is connected but upon trying to flash to stock or anything else it just hangs, again my assumption is bc the internal SD is not mounted correctly...
@G1
Thank you for your suggestion, unfortunately it appears the phone is not being mounted correctly on my comp to recognize it properly. So your method will not work.
But keep the ideas coming!! Anyone else?

There's a solderless procedure to go in download mode.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=841512

@Silver
I attempted the procedure and it only resulted in the phone booting up to the att screen then going into recovery mode.
After this procedure, performing method 1 to get into download mode does not result in a stalled battery screen, it now goes into recovery mode. Maybe I fried something....
Oh well off to att tomorrow.....

madpuma13 said:
@fattire
1. Where do i locate the Batch #
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Under your battery 100? number

madpuma13 said:
@Silver
I attempted the procedure and it only resulted in the phone booting up to the att screen then going into recovery mode.
After this procedure, performing method 1 to get into download mode does not result in a stalled battery screen, it now goes into recovery mode. Maybe I fried something....
Oh well off to att tomorrow.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can get to recovery mode then your fine well it depends if you have clockwork recovery. Clockwork have an option that will take you to download mode.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

I think Kies just bricked my phone...

My phone is a SGH-i896, Samsung Galaxy S Captivate from Rogers,
I am extremely frustrated. My phone isn't rooted. I recently found out my phone was available for a 2.2->2.3 update so I decided to do it.
I downloaded Kies and connected my phone to the computer. Kies picked it up and told me to initiate the update. I did. After a while it told me there was an "error" with the update and I'd have to do an emergency firmware repair... what the hell? I proceeded to do what it asked me to do an emergency repair, but even that failed and it told me to "try again later"...
So, I tried "again later" but this time instead of getting the digger android I when I initiated the recovery mode (Hold volume up+down and connect the USB) I get the "phone-!-computer" screen. Now I'm stuck like this.
I searched around and someone said if you hold volume up+down and then hold power, and then when you see the BSOD, and it flashes, release power and it should boot up in download mode... but when I attempt there it just flashes then goes back to the BSOD.
What are my options to fix the phone aside from going to a service center and most likely having to send it in for repair?
Kies broke my phone. Ugh.

Vinhwut said:
My phone is a SGH-i896, Samsung Galaxy S Captivate from Rogers,
I am extremely frustrated. My phone isn't rooted. I recently found out my phone was available for a 2.2->2.3 update so I decided to do it.
I downloaded Kies and connected my phone to the computer. Kies picked it up and told me to initiate the update. I did. After a while it told me there was an "error" with the update and I'd have to do an emergency firmware repair... what the hell? I proceeded to do what it asked me to do an emergency repair, but even that failed and it told me to "try again later"...
So, I tried "again later" but this time instead of getting the digger android I when I initiated the recovery mode (Hold volume up+down and connect the USB) I get the "phone-!-computer" screen. Now I'm stuck like this.
I searched around and someone said if you hold volume up+down and then hold power, and then when you see the BSOD, and it flashes, release power and it should boot up in download mode... but when I attempt there it just flashes then goes back to the BSOD.
What are my options to fix the phone aside from going to a service center and most likely having to send it in for repair?
Kies broke my phone. Ugh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In your case, try (from a powered-off state) holding Vol+/Vol-, and then plug in your USB cable. That should kick you to download mode. If you still get the phone--!--pc screen, just try flashing from there. As far as ODIN and other programs are concerned, that's download mode.

jmtheiss said:
In your case, try (from a powered-off state) holding Vol+/Vol-, and then plug in your USB cable. That should kick you to download mode. If you still get the phone--!--pc screen, just try flashing from there. As far as ODIN and other programs are concerned, that's download mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doing this still shows the phone--!--pc screen... I've tried tons of combinations and fiddling around with it but nothing works it seems.

Vinhwut said:
Doing this still shows the phone--!--pc screen... I've tried tons of combinations and fiddling around with it but nothing works it seems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just so we can give you clear directions, at the end of this, where do you want to be? On the stock rom, on a custom rom, Froyo, Gingerbread, etc? The steps to do those different things will vary what you need to do.
As a first step in all of those, though, you'll need to use either Heimdall or Odin to flash your phone, and you should have the Samsung drivers downloaded and installed (if you haven't already).

I want to be able to upgrade it to 2.3 more or less. If that's not possible, just to get my phone back in working condition... I'm close to calling Rogers to see what they can do if I can't figure this out on my own.
I guess I'll look up some information on Heimdall/Odin then about flashing (I really have limited knowledge in this area) - will doing any of this void my warranty?

Vinhwut said:
I want to be able to upgrade it to 2.3 more or less. If that's not possible, just to get my phone back in working condition... I'm close to calling Rogers to see what they can do if I can't figure this out on my own.
I guess I'll look up some information on Heimdall/Odin then about flashing (I really have limited knowledge in this area) - will doing any of this void my warranty?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was hoping that would be your response. Go to this thread. TRusselo whipped up a bunch of Odin one-clicks to get you back to stock Rogers packages, one of which is called "2.3.3 Gingerbread WITH bootloaders" (you can CTRL+F for that exact phrase). That should get you back to a working state.
Just make sure you don't pull out the cable or lose power while you're using it. That would guarantee you'll end up having to send it back.
And technically, it will and won't void your warranty. Flashing anything but stock stuff directly from Rogers probably voids it, but if this works properly, it's going to look exactly the same as if they did it, so you should be fine.

Thanks jm, I'll give this a try and post my results

Good luck. Just make sure to read the directions very carefully - it should be pretty self-explanatory, but it's better to be as safe as possible.

All fixed following jmtheiss' instructions! Thanks plenty!

Glad to hear you are back up and running Vinhwut. And jmtheiss, you provided clear instructions to get him there. That's how help should be given.

Reviving the Samsung Galaxy S 4G

I wanted to share my knowledge and experience from the past 2 days. Most of the help came from guides and posts on this forum so I wanted to give that back.
We were trying to root the SGS4G and because we're noobs we made the mistake of thinking it was a Vibrant. Got a Vibrant ROM and tried to flash it though Odin WITH re-partition checked. Everything we read said if you do either one of these things, you will brick your phone.
Sure enough we bricked the phone. It was trying to boot into the Vibrant ROM but was getting stuck on the word 'Vibrant' and then showing a whole lot of weird colored pixels. We then learned we'd made a massive mistake and that the phone wasn't a Vibrant after all.
We got a stock ROM for SGS4G and started trying to push them through Odin. Faced countless FAILS and freezes and finally it took us to the Recovery Mode and we tried the Restore option. It booted into a crippled SGS4G ROM. When it booted, it vibrated every 10 seconds or so and it had a null IMEI and unknown baseband.
We tried following a guide that wanted to change some text in the nv_data.bin but the numbers we were meant to be editing (0018810?) didn't exist in our nv_data.bin. So that didn't work for us.
In the meantime we tried to flash the stock ROM in Odin but kept getting FAILs and Freezes. With this step we lost even the crippled operating system and couldn't reach anything except the 'phone --!-- computer' screen. Luckily, this acts the same as download mode, so not bricked. We kept trying to push the stock SGS4G stock ROM (Froyo 2.2) several times and failing.
At one point we got a completely black screen, wouldn't turn on. Bricked again. We found this post on RootzWiki and it worked for us that time and brought it back from the black screen to download mode http://rootzwiki.com/topic/1820-how-to-unbrick-your-sgs4g/
Somehow we ended up at this guide here on XDA for fixing the "null/null" IMEI http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1142829
We followed that guide. When you add the PIT file it automatically checks 'Re-Partition' in Odin, we didn't uncheck it. Bricked again. It was stuck on the Samsung logo and when we tried to get to download mode it got stuck on a black screen with the loading circle/lines and 2 computers were giving 'The USB device has malfunctioned' when we plugged it in. The unbrick guide above (RootzWiki) didn't help this time. We tried restarting the computer, let the phone rest without battery for half an hour, held power button for a minute without battery, still nothing.
Finally I accidentally pressed the power button (rather than the volume buttons to get into download mode) and it went to the samsung logo (as expected) and after that I was able to get into download mode. The key to this I think is to keep on trying powering on normally then try download mode over and over and eventually it should get unstuck and the computer should recognize it again.
Once I had it back in download mode, I followed this guide again BUT!!! I made sure to un-check re-partition and I did not check "Phone EFS Clear" (because I had tried that already before it was bricked and wanted to see if a straight ROM would work first). Everything worked perfectly, I got my IMEI and Baseband back, without modifying anything.
I don't know if this was a miracle, or if any of it will work for anyone else, but the moral of the story is don't give up even if you've done the absolute worst possible thing. I don't even think hardbrick exists on this phone after everything we were able to save it from.
Cheers

Hardbricks do exist on this phone but you have to try really hard to do it. A few people have managed it. Way to stick with it and recover your phone. I've done that more times than I can count.

hechoen said:
Hardbricks do exist on this phone but you have to try really hard to do it. A few people have managed it. Way to stick with it and recover your phone. I've done that more times than I can count.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't feel like i really hard bricked it until i saw the USB computer connection error "device pluged in malfunctioned" in more than one PC.
Then i really felt like its a hardware BIOS chipset level problem now but man...

That story cracked me up. That is exactly why I spend days reading before I even root my phone. I made the mistake one time on my old G1 and it could not be revived.
Congrats on getting it working. (especially without flooding the q&a with redundant questions that have been described in detail several places )

hani1400 said:
I wanted to share my knowledge and experience from the past 2 days. Most of the help came from guides and posts on this forum so I wanted to give that back.
We were trying to root the SGS4G and because we're noobs we made the mistake of thinking it was a Vibrant. Got a Vibrant ROM and tried to flash it though Odin WITH re-partition checked. Everything we read said if you do either one of these things, you will brick your phone.
Sure enough we bricked the phone. It was trying to boot into the Vibrant ROM but was getting stuck on the word 'Vibrant' and then showing a whole lot of weird colored pixels. We then learned we'd made a massive mistake and that the phone wasn't a Vibrant after all.
We got a stock ROM for SGS4G and started trying to push them through Odin. Faced countless FAILS and freezes and finally it took us to the Recovery Mode and we tried the Restore option. It booted into a crippled SGS4G ROM. When it booted, it vibrated every 10 seconds or so and it had a null IMEI and unknown baseband.
We tried following a guide that wanted to change some text in the nv_data.bin but the numbers we were meant to be editing (0018810?) didn't exist in our nv_data.bin. So that didn't work for us.
In the meantime we tried to flash the stock ROM in Odin but kept getting FAILs and Freezes. With this step we lost even the crippled operating system and couldn't reach anything except the 'phone --!-- computer' screen. Luckily, this acts the same as download mode, so not bricked. We kept trying to push the stock SGS4G stock ROM (Froyo 2.2) several times and failing.
At one point we got a completely black screen, wouldn't turn on. Bricked again. We found this post on RootzWiki and it worked for us that time and brought it back from the black screen to download mode http://rootzwiki.com/topic/1820-how-to-unbrick-your-sgs4g/
Somehow we ended up at this guide here on XDA for fixing the "null/null" IMEI http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1142829
We followed that guide. When you add the PIT file it automatically checks 'Re-Partition' in Odin, we didn't uncheck it. Bricked again. It was stuck on the Samsung logo and when we tried to get to download mode it got stuck on a black screen with the loading circle/lines and 2 computers were giving 'The USB device has malfunctioned' when we plugged it in. The unbrick guide above (RootzWiki) didn't help this time. We tried restarting the computer, let the phone rest without battery for half an hour, held power button for a minute without battery, still nothing.
Finally I accidentally pressed the power button (rather than the volume buttons to get into download mode) and it went to the samsung logo (as expected) and after that I was able to get into download mode. The key to this I think is to keep on trying powering on normally then try download mode over and over and eventually it should get unstuck and the computer should recognize it again.
Once I had it back in download mode, I followed this guide again BUT!!! I made sure to un-check re-partition and I did not check "Phone EFS Clear" (because I had tried that already before it was bricked and wanted to see if a straight ROM would work first). Everything worked perfectly, I got my IMEI and Baseband back, without modifying anything.
I don't know if this was a miracle, or if any of it will work for anyone else, but the moral of the story is don't give up even if you've done the absolute worst possible thing. I don't even think hardbrick exists on this phone after everything we were able to save it from.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wheooooooooowwww,..you just UNBRICKED mine, I know of the Battery pull etc...but the post you referenced
is MAGIC
This was not my first Rom nor Root on this phone, it weirdly happened while doing the GB starter....via ODIN, which i also used before..no clue what went wrong, oh well...
Thank you, thank you "i did"....Yohoooo

Yup i agree i like to read, reread then read as i do. This way i got a pretty good understanding of what I'm doing. Btw i have just started using one click and it is sooooo simple. I love it.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA App

The link for fixing null/null IMEI is not working.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1142829

diavel said:
The link for fixing null/null IMEI is not working.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1142829
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=881162

Im still carrying this phone, stupid baseband unlock for iphone won't come out now I am carrying 2 phones, one as an ipod touch and the galaxy s! Good story, hope it can help others, but I am prepared to jump off of this bandwagon anytime now!

Problems rooting Samsung Galaxy GT-B5510

Hi guys,
I ask for your help after having tried everything was in my possibilities.
I recently bought a Galaxy GT-B1150 and I wanted to root it. I tried everything :
1. Superoneclick
2.Z4root
3.Unlock Root
4.Sgtool
5.to put a .zip folder in the SD and to enter in recovery
It was useless. I have all the possible drivers on my windows 7, although 1,2,3 and 4 didn't work.
1 freezes at #7;
2 just doesn't do anything
4 "smart card error 0x89"
5 I feel idiot, but I seriously can't do the recovery mode. I push power+home+volume up but the best result I achieve is a reboot.
It's been 3 days since I started trying, now I just don't know hat to do.
Thanks for any help!

U've written the model no. incorrectly..got me confused.
Anyway i'll see what i can find.
It's seems like the usual update.zip rooting works. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1431696
U should be able to boot into recovery.

The model is GT-B5510, sorry.
I swear I tried thousands times to boot into recovery, I just can't!
I even watched a video and a picture of the procedure, but it doesn't work. It's so simple that it seems impossible to me to be so dumb. It's three keys pressed simultaneously: that's what I do. I don't really know what to think.

Tell me what exactly happens when u try to enter recovery mode.
What do u see on the screen?

When the phone is off and I press the 3 keys, the phone turns on and the screen view with "samsung galaxy GT-B5510" written on, appears. If I hold them, after few seconds, the "galaxy GT..." text disappear and the phone just reboots. If I release them, the phone starts normally.

Weird.
Try various other key combination if ur bored, there should be one for download mode but it's not useful in this scenario.
I came across a very similar case the other day but on a different phone, he resolved it by rooting with superoneclick(beware of the various versions) .
Maybe googling on the superoneclick error might get u somewhere.
Maybe..maybe the new phones shipped with 2.3.6 have the recovery mode disabled/blocked(seems unlikely) but i've not been able to confirm this.
---------- Post added at 05:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:14 PM ----------
Also, is ur phone Y Pro or Y TXT?
Which country are u frm?

I uploaded the video to show you better.

It's been 3 days since I started trying. I googled everything I could, I tried to resolve every problem with each method.
The only way left is the recovery, so I will try different combinations.
It's Y PRO.
I'm from Italy.
Tried soe combinations...useless. Is there something else I can do?

Well it can be frustrating at times...try holding down the keys like forever, even after it reboots..maybe next time it'll boot into recovery instead of android.
Have u come across any alternate firmwares, either stock or custom that u could flash?
U have no problem entering download mode right?

Well, I'm not very into Android, it's the first time I use it. That means I didn't understand a word of your second sentence.
Ah, I don't even know how to enter in download mode.
Thank you for helping me, really!

Firmwares are the files which u can flash on ur phone which gives u a fully working operating system.
Flashing = Installing
Stock firmware/rom = factory samsung firmwares
custom firmware/rom = 'custom' like cyanogenmod
I don't think there are any custom roms for y pro as of now on xda.
Seems download mode for pro is voldown+home+power
Use this site http://www.sammobile.com/firmware/?page=3 , u'll find all the firmware and guides on how to flash them.
U can also find it here http://www.tsar3000.com/Joomla/inde...0-b5512-galaxyypro&catid=57:how-to&Itemid=104
But i usually use sammobile.com
U can check ur current firmware version in the About Phone or by typing in some code like *1234# (i don't remember exactly)
Take your time, don't rush into it. U'll lose all ur data when u flash firmwares.
U don't have any necessity to change firmwares at this moment, but the more u know the better it is.
I'm still wondering why u can't get into recovery.

My firmware is GINGERBREAD 2.3.6
I have Kies, so my phone is fully updated: why should I download the firmware?
The download mode doesn't seem to start too.
This whole thing is crazy!!!
Besides, my phone's memory is getting full, so I really need to move everything to the SD (the apps are already there)!

C'mon download mode has to work..else it's almost useless.
Even when updating with kies the phone goes into download mode during the process.
I was just thinking if u could flash to a previous firmware version maybe u could get into recovery..just a thought.
2.3.6 is the android version, u should also see something like B5510ITVLB1 or B5510ITVLF1
As for memory, rooting is the best way to move all the apps to sd...but there are some applications on market which can move certain apps, not all to sd without root.
There is a galaxy y forum here http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1469 maybe the folks there can help u more.

My firmware version is B5510XXKK2.
Installing a previous firmware should be my last chance, since it deletes everything. :'(
I'll try on that forum too.

same problem here
Hello,
I know this is a old threat but I have the same problem and I am from the Netherlands..
I've bought this phone with a screenlock password and the previous owner don't not know him anymore
I cannot enter recovery and downloade mode..
I tried evrything i could think of. The Phone is simlocked. Don't know if that is the problem?

Herukon said:
My firmware version is B5510XXKK2.
Installing a previous firmware should be my last chance, since it deletes everything. :'(
I'll try on that forum too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Press volumen down, then Home, then Power.
In above 5 or 6 seconds you will see the Samsung banner, then release all the keys at the same time.
Almost instantaneously you will see a very different menu, and then finally you have to press (as indicated in the screen) the volume up key.
Now you are in download mode, and you can plug the usb cable to connect the mobile to a computer with Odin and then flash the ROM (for instance).
Cheers.
Javier

Same problem - tried everything - can go into download mode - what next?
Hi, I have the same problem. My phone got blocked because my mother tried the pattern too many times. The phone won't accept my gmail login and password (even though it is correct). I've tried a hard factory reset (volume up, home, off) but it doesn't work. I can get in to download mode by pressing volume down, home and off-button but I have no idea what I need to do next. Any advice anyone?

inndranew
Izzie13 said:
Hi, I have the same problem. My phone got blocked because my mother tried the pattern too many times. The phone won't accept my gmail login and password (even though it is correct). I've tried a hard factory reset (volume up, home, off) but it doesn't work. I can get in to download mode by pressing volume down, home and off-button but I have no idea what I need to do next. Any advice anyone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there.
If you read spanish, you can take some ideas from my site:
https://wiki.legido.com/doku.php?id=android:gt-b5510
Summary:
1. Get a GNU/Linux machine (you can build a Virtual Machine on top of Virtualbox for instance)
2. Get SplitFUS2
https://wiki.legido.com/doku.php?id=android:gt-b5510#splitfus2
3. Download a ROM file:
http://samsung-updates.com/device/?id=GT-B5510
4. Uncompress it and generate the required files:
Example:
./splitfus2 -w -s S6102DXMA2_S6102OLBMA1_S6102DXMA2_HOME.tar.md5
5. Get a Window$ machine
6. Download Odin on this machine:
https://wiki.legido.com/doku.php?id=android:gt-b5510#odin
7. Plug the mobile on download mode to the windows machine through a USB cable
8. Pass the files obtained on step 4 to the Window$ machine
9. Upload new firmware with Odin to the mobile
I hope that this summary helps you.
Javier

New Samsung Update for A51 is Bricking phones

Good evening folks. Over the Past week, for some reason, people who downloaded the new Samsung update for A51 have had their phones bricked. FOR SOME REASON, this seems to only be happening here in South Australia. I haven't seen anywhere reporting on this issue other than local news. I have had three A51 phones come into my IT store, all with the same problem.
here is a link to one article talking about it: https://7news.com.au/technology/sam...ng-priceless-photos-vital-contacts--c-9340963
Upon installing the update, their phone will restart then it will not progress past the SAMSUNG logo. I have been able to get each and every phone into recovery mode however I when I try and reboot the phones into bootloader, they simply say "entering fast boot" and then don't progress any further.
Since I have been unable to boot the phone to bootloader I don't have many solutions in front of me, I can either factory reset the phone which has been proven to work, or I can try some alternative method. Simply put, I refuse to take the simple way out and simply factory reset the phone, I don't want my customers to go through the trouble of losing their photos.
The only real option I see is using ADB to install either a new update or new firmware, however, I have had ALOT of trouble finding the necessary software. I have been able to get ADB to detect the devices with a USB connection, so I tried installing some firmware, I found for my device. I didn't trust that this was the correct software, but it couldn't hurt to see if it worked.
Using a515fxxu5gvk6, I was able to find a website where I could download Firmware https://samfw.com/firmware/SM-A515F/TEL I don't believe this to have the correct software but it was the only option I could find that didn't require money or an account.
upon extracting the zip file and typing ADB sideload <file name> it would start the process of installing the software however, it would only install for a single second and then stop working. I would be greeted with the messages: "footer is wrong", "update package took 0.3s", and "signature failed". I believe this means I have either grabbed the wrong software or I have tried installing the software wrong
I really don't know where to find the correct software, and I don't even know if I will be able to update the phone using ADB since I never was able to enable developer tools.
I have already spent quite a few hours on this, and it's starting to drive me insane. I have gone down so many rabbit holes researching different options only to come back up empty-handed. Im lost and really don't know where to turn.
any help would be literally amazing, if someone could even point me in the right direction that's all I need. even if you tell me there is nothing that can be done and I need to factory reset the phone I can at least go to sleep knowing I god damn tried.

Well, one thing you should know is that Samsung doesn't use fastboot to flash software like many other brands. It's unfortunate to say that a lot of the guides you read online are just copy-paste of guides that do use fastboot. Adb doesn't really flash software without elevated permissions afaik.
You can flash firmware using Odin for Samsung devices. There should be plenty of guides online on how to use it, your main goal right now is figuring out how to boot into download mode for Samsung.
What I would do is try to turn the phone off completely if you've been able to boot to recovery. After that, hold both the volume buttons and while you're holding them, connect your phone to a PC. This should force the phone to boot to download mode. Read the screen as it may ask you to press VOL + to proceed.
After that, you can flash the files
AP_XXXX
BL_XXXX
CP_XXXX
HOME_CSC_XXXX (Use HOME_CSC instead of CSC_ so that the phones don't lose any data)
And after that, you should be able to flash firmware

ShaDisNX255 said:
Well, one thing you should know is that Samsung doesn't use fastboot to flash software like many other brands. It's unfortunate to say that a lot of the guides you read online are just copy-paste of guides that do use fastboot. Adb doesn't really flash software without elevated permissions afaik.
You can flash firmware using Odin for Samsung devices. There should be plenty of guides online on how to use it, your main goal right now is figuring out how to boot into download mode for Samsung.
What I would do is try to turn the phone off completely if you've been able to boot to recovery. After that, hold both the volume buttons and while you're holding them, connect your phone to a PC. This should force the phone to boot to download mode. Read the screen as it may ask you to press VOL + to proceed.
After that, you can flash the files
AP_XXXX
BL_XXXX
CP_XXXX
HOME_CSC_XXXX (Use HOME_CSC instead of CSC_ so that the phones don't lose any data)
And after that, you should be able to flash firmware
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for your reply. I have spent the past few hours setting up Odin and installing the firmware.
I have run into another problem, I select all the firmware I wish to install then click start. It loads for two seconds then says "PASS!". However the phone is still stuck in a boot loop
I believe this is because I haven't turned in USB debugging, since I can't get into the phone I can't turn it on even if I want to.
Is there another option?

USB debugging isn't needed when flashing through Odin. You're most likely just missing the Samsung dev drivers. Try and installing them: https://developer.samsung.com/android-usb-driver