Damn I screwed up. What's needed to fix it? - Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III

I noticed after taking one of the lineage updates I lost root. I tried to reroot with odin and managed to pork my phone quite good. It took me until about now to get it rooted, unlocked and finally TWRP loaded. Recovery was fighting me the most. Refused to install in odin. I finally got a working rom on it so it would boot. Used casual to root and unlock but TWRP failed in that as well. I finally tried a TWRP app (not the official one, I couldn't get that to work) and I may have my phone back now. Waiting to see if my backup is going to work. Welp, it didn't like the restore and I got the ! triangle saying go back to verizon.
While I was looking through my drives I noticed I have a ton of files but don't know exactly what they are. I've had this phone since I pre-ordered it so at one time the files were valid. What files exactly do I need to totally unpork a phone? I have odin 3.07, the VRALEC bootchain, the VRALF one but odin says it's invalid, and a file called combination_I535VRALG1_I535VZWALG1_743127_REV09_user_low_ship. Using them I can get my phone back to seemingly stock.
Is there a better way? Or at least a way to totally start from scratch and hopefully get lineage back on? I know not to take any of the OTAs since they will relock the bootloader. I don't like that it seemed that it was going to automatically install the update but I'll just keep the phone off until I can sort it. I also have a bunch of other files across 3 computers so if there is a file that's needed but isn't posted somewhere there is a chance I might have it already.
I've been searching for the past day and I've found tons of info but some things don't work and some only kinda work. Any help would be much appreciated.

More info: I am on 4.04 so the bootloader should not be locked. The phone is beat up and the USB connector is wonky. Only a few cables will work and I have to make sure it doesn't move or it will disconnect. It does mention that the secureboot is enabled in download.
I've had it rooted, running a stockish rom and managed to get TWRP on it but when I went to restore my lineage backup, it all went to hell.

So I'm now having issues with the bootloader. ON the download screen it says custom binary download yes (5 counts), Current binary samsung official, system status official and secureboot enable. Pretty sure that means casual didn't work. I have root but not bootloader. Is there another option than casual? I've seen ez unlock 1.2 mentioned but the links are dead.
Why am I remembering flashing something in stock recovery? It's been a long, long time since I've gone back this far. I feel like I'm close since I saw the unlocked screen last night but restoring screwed that all up.

This doesn't make sense. I installed TWRP but it still says the same as above leading me to think my bootloader is not unlocked. I don't get the unlocked boot screen either.
How can I install TWRP with a locked bootloader?

Well it's obious that I can get root, install TWRP but for some reason casual will not unlock the bootloader. I can't seem to find the old thread nor any files to just unlock the bootloader. I know somehow I did it last night as I saw the unlocked screen it's just damned if I can do it now. It must have been another file I had at home but don't have here on the laptop.
It's damn frustrating since this time yesterday I had a working phone running nougat and my dumb ass broke it.
I know this forum is a bit dead, as expected for a 5 year old phone but hopefully someone will see this and have some sage like advice.

Turns out It takes almost a week and a mixture of 3-4 guides here. Some Odin, some Casual, some TWRP flashing and luck. FInally I'm back to where I was before I hit the wrong button.

Related

[Q] [Urgent] May have softbricked my phone, need help

Ok so I'm very new to the whole root business, and I only rooted my phone so I could use my ps3 controller via bluetooth which would then allow me to charge my phone at the same time. Got all that working and I was pretty much done with anything root related. That was two days ago. About an hour ago I decided, hey, why not see what I can do with my phone now that it's rooted. So I download the ROM manager and titanium backup. I found a ROM that I think I've heard people talk about before called Cyanogen Mod and I download the stable version of that and I went into ROM manager and I installed it there, it went through the reboot into recovery and everything. At least I thought it worked. It rebooted and I really didn't see anything different. So I manually went into recovery mode and installed Cyanogen from my sd card and rebooted my phone. However, it didn't reboot. It took me to a screen with a yellow triangle that says Verizon found software it doesn't authorize and I should take my phone to the nearest verizon store. It displays this everytime I try to boot my phone. All I can do is boot into ODIN mode. Please someone help, I'm at a loss as to what I should do.
All I can tell you is that you did not unlock your bootloader. You can fix this, but you're going to
have to do the work. Read about Odin.
Well, I read around and It told me to flash the Jellybean 4.1.2 thing to re-root my device and unlock the bootloader in the process. The heading was, If I rooted my device and forgot to unlock and now am getting a yellow triangle, so that seemed like what I needed. I flashed with odin, it said it passed and it auto rebooted my phone, but it still came up with the triangle.
I never said anything about flashing files with Odin.
I just said to read about it.
That's all I'm going to say...read.
"it" told me not "you" told me. All you said to do was read, so I did. I found something that seemed to be similiar to my problem, so I tried it out. It didn't work, so I put it here for more information, just in case someone has an idea on what might be wrong.
Brontis said:
"it" told me not "you" told me. All you said to do was read, so I did. I found something that seemed to be similiar to my problem, so I tried it out. It didn't work, so I put it here for more information, just in case someone has an idea on what might be wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlock your bootloader! Same thing happened to me.
Try this threadhttp://http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2199042&highlight=system+software&page=2
kmsck5 said:
Unlock your bootloader! Same thing happened to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AS RipRip said...read. Do your homework no matter how long it takes to gain knowledge. I took a month to learn what to do with everything. I'm still learning. If you feel uncomfortable with anything don't mess with your phone.
My intention is to offer hints without just handing the solution to you
I'm not sure if the link I posted is working. If it is you should find help there.
If its not working just google your situation, ie. " system software not authorized..."
RipRip said:
My intention is to offer hints without just handing the solution to you
I'm not sure if the link I posted is working. If it is you should find help there.
If its not working just google your situation, ie. " system software not authorized..."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ditto same here!
Brontis said:
Well, I read around and It told me to flash the Jellybean 4.1.2 thing to re-root my device and unlock the bootloader in the process. The heading was, If I rooted my device and forgot to unlock and now am getting a yellow triangle, so that seemed like what I needed. I flashed with odin, it said it passed and it auto rebooted my phone, but it still came up with the triangle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can tell you are new as you rooted your phone twice and STILL didn't unlock the bootloader. It makes sense to ask us how to unlock the bootloader since that is the problem in the first place. Also it is a stupid idea to take a rooted phone to Verizon as you just voided your warranty by rooting your device which is why you read before altering the software of an expensive device.
jmxc23 said:
I can tell you are new as you rooted your phone twice and STILL didn't unlock the bootloader. It makes sense to ask us how to unlock the bootloader since that is the problem in the first place. Also it is a stupid idea to take a rooted phone to Verizon as you just voided your warranty by rooting your device which is why you read before altering the software of an expensive device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it is pretty obvious that I am new. If all I have to do is unlock my bootloader, then is there somewhere you can point me so I can work on that? I'm just having some trouble figuring out how to unlock it with only being able to boot into ODIN mode.
Brontis said:
Yes, it is pretty obvious that I am new. If all I have to do is unlock my bootloader, then is there somewhere you can point me so I can work on that? I'm just having some trouble figuring out how to unlock it with only being able to boot into ODIN mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
which root method did you use? As all pretty much give you instructions to unlocking the bootloader. If you use the Odin method then you didn't follow the method to the T as you are SUPPOSE flash a file provided that unlocks the bootloader. In one of your posts you said the following "Well, I read around and It told me to flash the Jellybean 4.1.2 thing to re-root my device and unlock the bootloader in the process" That is basically one of the root methods so no I won't point you the right direction as you already found it. Oh and please follow directions carefully.
Look I can tell you are pretty frustrated. So i am going to be a little bit nicer than the guys above. First make sure your phone is fully charged. This is very important. The first link is Odin. load that on your computer. Make due you have Samsung drivers. The 2nd link is to unlock your bootloader. It gets flashed via odin. Make sure you load the file via the PDA button in Odin. After the flash your phone will reboot automatically. This should get u up and running. If it doesn't you will need to follow the instructions for the last 2 links I posted below. This last 2 links flashes stock and shows you how to root and unlock your bootloader. I know the guys above want to u to learn how to do this stuff on your own but many people seem to forget that some people that come in here are not as tech saavy as they are. But be warned. You MUST read ALL instructions to the letter BEFORE starting the process. This is to educate yourself. Remember u need Odin and the Samsung USB drivers installed
Odin: http://goo.gl/ASdXg
Unlock Bootloader: http://open1your1eyes0.cnlson.com/VRALEC.bootchain.tar.md5
Stock 4.1.2: http://hotfile.com/dl/233201455/b70504c/VZW-I535VRBMF1-20130627174111.zip.html
Root + Unlock: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2046439
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4
Well I finally managed to fix it. It was after I read the post above, but it works now. I want to thank everyone who posted in here offering advice.
It may not have been the most sophisticated way to do it, but I basically flashed a stock image of jelly bean 4.1.2 onto my phone, and then factory reset it. It's fine by me that I lost my data, (the only annoying thing is all the game saves) and I'm just glad I'm not going to have to go through the awkward process of explaining how I voided my warranty to my parentals.
Again, thank you all.

What is the best current way to root & unlock VZW S3?

Guys, I have spent hours rooting and unlocking my S3. Reason it has taken so long is either I don't know what I'm doing or there are so many ways to do it, some may be outdated or something. I'll side with the first reason. But, I do have experience in rooting...kept my OG Droid rooted/overclocked/customized. Did the same with my Thunderbolt. Also rooted my S3 a few months ago after the VZW update that crapped out the radio. When they released the fix, I removed root and installed it. Got the urge for some new stuff and here I am...
Here is what I'm doing:
- Using CausalR795b. Seems quick and easy. Definitely provides root, but I'm not sure about unlocking the bootloader. What is the insecure aboot? Says it's ready to install it, but I can't find out what this is?
- Trying to install TWRP recovery. What is the easiest way to do this? The last time I did it with Goomanager, I got the Verizon Unauthorized Software message at boot.
- Trying to install the latest Hyperdrive ROM. Got it installed once and on reboot, got the VZW Unauthorized message again,
- Using ODIN 3.07 to flash a stock ROM after getting the error message.
Can anyone tell me a link with good directions, start to finish? Or, give me some advice? To me, at least, seems like VZW has made customizing the S3 unnecessarily complicated,
Thanks in advance.
Insecure aboot is the unlocked bootloader. Once you install that you will no longer get the VZW Unauthorized message.
First welcome to the community.
second, this is the wrong section.
third, you have to use D2VZW-CASUAL-R634b release to fully unlock bootloader
omair2005 said:
First welcome to the community.
second, this is the wrong section.
third, you have to use D2VZW-CASUAL-R634b release to fully unlock bootloader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My bad...I did post in the wrong place. Wasn't even thinking about it. Had just spent so long in this subforum trying to find answers, must have lost my bearing.
I really appreciate your help! The older Causal did everything in one try with no hiccups whatsoever. Why isn't anything posted about this noted in the newer Causal thread? It might be in there somewhere and if I would have seen it, hours would have been saved.
Now rocking the newest Hyperdrive and probably going to try a few more ROM's. Thanks again!

Should I root and unlock

I just got this phone and debating if I should root and unlock this phone. I'm a big fan of CM. I traded a friend for this phone. I used to have a gs5 and touchwiz was driving me crazy and that it could not be unlocked. This phone is way better. I have been rooting and unlocking since the days of the htc eris. I'll never buy another Samsung phone again. Sorry for the dumb post.
So do you have a question? Or what's the point behind the post
Yes, you should root and unlock. I have flashed more than a few roms on this pbone, but I have been on stock rooted for a couple months now. Mostly because it has the least amount of issues and most consistent performance. I got it all tweaked up though. IMO HTC did a great job on the stock ROM but to each there own.
And another big plus is that you can easily unroot and relock your phone back to 100% stock state (thankfully we have all the most recent stock ROM ruu's). So really as long as you know what your doing which it sounds like you do, you can only gain by rooting/s-off
No, wait a few weeks first so you know the phone works. You don't want to be those guys that spam issues in rom threads only to find out it's your phone and not the rom.
A rule of thumb I always follow is make sure it runs properly before you start modding. (Cars, phones, computers, etc.)
the real question is why wouldn't you unlock an S-OFF - full control over YOUR device for only $25 AND you can always go back to S-ON. :good:
I tried to unlock the boot loader through HTC Dev with no luck. My boot loader says ***software status*** Modified
***Locked**
He was running the phone on T-Mobile. I was wondering if he had it flashed to T-Mobile to work. Any Ideas!!
Never mind I just used sunshine apk and worked. Thank god
Bootloader still says modified. Only getting temp root, but s off
Droid0351 said:
Bootloader still says modified. Only getting temp root, but s off
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To get permanent root you will need to install a custom recovery and flash the supersu.zip and that will get you full root. You can then get rid of the temp root by uninstalling the apk
I figured it out. Its been awhile since I rooted and s-off. I already fixed the bootloader saying modified. Had to connect it to htcsync and do a repair. Thanks guys. I'm enjoying cm again.

Bootloop on LeTv Le1s (x507) with locked bootloaders and stock ROM

This was the first time i rooted my phone, and i did it with KingRoot on my Le1s, that worked fine and I had a rooted phone, afterwards I read that the KingRoot Root Manager sells your private information, so I changed my root manager to Super SU using a tutorial I found online, my phone was still fine. After i read some more, I decided to try out to flash a custom ROM on my phone, but since I had rooted my phone with KingRoot I realized my bootloaders were not unlocked and I had no custom recovery so I could not flash a custom ROM. I tried for a while to do these things, but i could not manage to download the correct drivers (yes, USB deugging was enabled), to put my phone into fastboot, and unlock the bootloaders etc. I tried to flash a custom recovery to my phone with Flashify, becuase I figured it was worth a try, but obviously it didnt work because my bootloaders were not unlocked. After some time i decided to unroot my phone, and tried to root it properly, with SuperSU's unroot feature and all my root access apps stopped working and so I uninstalled them. I figured that my phone was root-free now and I got my warranty back, but then when I tried to update my OS, when LeTv released their new version (5.5.014S), it said my phone was rooted and I should download a community version. I went to the forums and found the OS version, but I did not update my phone then, as i found the file size too big and decided to download it later (my speed is pretty slow). Now today morning (sunday) I forgot to turn my alarm off and it rang in the morning (6:00 a.m) my phone was working fine then. I turned it off and went back to sleep, when I woke up a few hours later. My phone was powered off and I figured that it had run out of power, so I started to charge it and that is when it went into bootloop.
I cant find any tutorial to fix my phone as the bootloaders are locked and I have the stock ROM and I cant even put my phone into bootloop as I do not have the drivers to do so. I cant go to the service center as I am pretty sure my warranty is voided and to my knowledge I have no way of getting the warranty back.
So I hope my extra long story encompasses everything and i also hope that there is some solution, as I am still unsure as to why my phone went into bootloop in the first place. My best guess is that my phone tried to update the OS after I turned the alarm off or when it powered down, and it did not work. I was extremely sleepy at the time the alarm rung so I am not certain if there was a prompt to update the OS or not.
Also I have learned my lesson about using 1-click root apps, call me noob if you want, but please help me fix my phone.
Get a look on it bro.
http://www.letv.re/topic/725-stock-firmware-8s-14s-of-letv-le1s-x507-sp-flashable-indian-version/
Sent from my Le X507 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Hi,
Buddy. In ur case u can directly go to service centre and tell them that its not switching on. 99% service centre people dont know about rooting and all. There work is to just plug the cable and flash. Because they get profit by flashing. Thats why they wont mess with u unless its a hardware problem. U can go to service centre directly. I have doen this many times. Hope u got what I mean.

D6616, Possibly the worst phone to mess with! Hard bricked, absolutely lifeless!

I thought everything was fixable with flashtool as long as the bootloader is unlocked.. never been so wrong in my life.
Bought a used xperia z3 6166 t mobile version without knowing its support for custom roms (smh).. steps i did:
1)installed recovery.
2) rooted the device
3) unlocked the bootloader (successfully)
4) i thought i was ready to install custom roms like niaboc79's existenz which consequently I did, the phone did boot after that but was connecting in fastboot and flashboot so
5)using flashtool flash stock latest d6616 firmware and was back to step 1.
read somewhere that I could flash d6603 firmware because both phones have same specs so
6)flash d6603 firmware in order to get existenz working
7)flashtool gave some errors and failed
8)used fastboot to flash kernel
the device stops responding all of a sudden..
9) kept on charge for hours, still got nothing , no vibration, no lights , no hard rest via combination of buttons , nothing by pressing the yellow button inside the flap..
10) pc shows usb not recongnized after a couple of seconds of connecting ..
its been beyond frustrating going through the internet, scrolling through threads after thread but no avail.. people say at least the phone should be recognized by pc in any form other than usb not recongnized .. so I went to a local smartphone repair shop and gave it to him but he isnt too hopeful either.. I already have xperia z1c which i messed with so many times but it always responds to the flashtool.. but buying xperia z3 is literally the worst smartphone experience of my life!
is there any way to make this dead brick work again.. any unorthodox means to rewrite boot to make it jump start? any help is appreciated!
hash054 said:
I thought everything was fixable with flashtool as long as the bootloader is unlocked.. never been so wrong in my life.
Bought a used xperia z3 6166 t mobile version without knowing its support for custom roms (smh).. steps i did:
1)installed recovery.
2) rooted the device
3) unlocked the bootloader (successfully)
4) i thought i was ready to install custom roms like niaboc79's existenz which consequently I did, the phone did boot after that but was connecting in fastboot and flashboot so
5)using flashtool flash stock latest d6616 firmware and was back to step 1.
read somewhere that I could flash d6603 firmware because both phones have same specs so
6)flash d6603 firmware in order to get existenz working
7)flashtool gave some errors and failed
8)used fastboot to flash kernel
the device stops responding all of a sudden..
9) kept on charge for hours, still got nothing , no vibration, no lights , no hard rest via combination of buttons , nothing by pressing the yellow button inside the flap..
10) pc shows usb not recongnized after a couple of seconds of connecting ..
its been beyond frustrating going through the internet, scrolling through threads after thread but no avail.. people say at least the phone should be recognized by pc in any form other than usb not recongnized .. so I went to a local smartphone repair shop and gave it to him but he isnt too hopeful either.. I already have xperia z1c which i messed with so many times but it always responds to the flashtool.. but buying xperia z3 is literally the worst smartphone experience of my life!
is there any way to make this dead brick work again.. any unorthodox means to rewrite boot to make it jump start? any help is appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My sincerest apologize for your misfortune. I have not yet encountered this degree of issues. I am going to keep my bootloader locked I do believe. Just got this phone myself and I really wish I could help you. The TMO version of this phone is definitely the worst one I think given the lack of software support.
However I was wondering what method you followed to install recovery and if you attempted to install exposed.
arikdahn said:
My sincerest apologize for your misfortune. I have not yet encountered this degree of issues. I am going to keep my bootloader locked I do believe. Just got this phone myself and I really wish I could help you. The TMO version of this phone is definitely the worst one I think given the lack of software support.
However I was wondering what method you followed to install recovery and if you attempted to install exposed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
used the XZdualrecovery zip for locked bootloader.. it was fairly simple , did it twice without any problems! then used recovery to install superuser and update it binaries and the phone was rooted.. I didnt installed xposed because i want to upgrade from lollipop.. that I couldnt do! :crying:
May this thread be a warning to people who themselves arent developers but have a little knowledge about custom roms to do their homework before diving into things they cant get out of..
hash054 said:
used the XZdualrecovery zip for locked bootloader.. it was fairly simple , did it twice without any problems! then used recovery to install superuser and update it binaries and the phone was rooted.. I didnt installed xposed because i want to upgrade from lollipop.. that I couldnt do! :crying:
May this thread be a warning to people who themselves arent developers but have a little knowledge about custom roms to do their homework before diving into things they cant get out of..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will second the f*** out of this, but I will also add that recovery TYPICALLY protects you from a ton of heartache. Not this time huh? Well, I cannot get Kingroot off my frickin' phone. I think it may have been commandeered by China. The uninstall always fails. So I may be in the same boat as you. Not sure if I can install recovery with it on there or not, but I do know it and SuperSU do not play nicely. I am debating which would be more risky, factory resetting a rooted phone to get rid of kingroot, or attempting to install recovery with this scary AF root manager. What a pain in the ass.
So this is the procedure you followed?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=60507399&postcount=171
arikdahn said:
I will second the f*** out of this, but I will also add that recovery TYPICALLY protects you from a ton of heartache. Not this time huh? Well, I cannot get Kingroot off my frickin' phone. I think it may have been commandeered by China. The uninstall always fails. So I may be in the same boat as you. Not sure if I can install recovery with it on there or not, but I do know it and SuperSU do not play nicely. I am debating which would be more risky, factory resetting a rooted phone to get rid of kingroot, or attempting to install recovery with this scary AF root manager. What a pain in the ass.
So this is the procedure you followed?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=60507399&postcount=171
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No thats the rooting method.. I just simply flashed the recovery from http://nut.xperia-files.com/path/XZDualRecovery/XZDualRecovery_2.8.26 and just installed superuser and updated the binaries..
I did also have a problem with kingroot.. you can download the official ftf firmware for d6616 and just flash it in flashboot through flashtool.. its the only way to get rid of kingroot in my experience .. but I would give you caution to flash nothing else except official firmware through flashtool.. and do it only if you know how to handle it.. as far my experience is concerned, I did get rid of the kingroot this way not once but twice without problem .. its the stuff that followed bricked the phone.. also my bootloader was unlockable so it might have made a difference..maybe
hash054 said:
No thats the rooting method.. I just simply flashed the recovery from http://nut.xperia-files.com/path/XZDualRecovery/XZDualRecovery_2.8.26 and just installed superuser and updated the binaries..
I did also have a problem with kingroot.. you can download the official ftf firmware for d6616 and just flash it in flashboot through flashtool.. its the only way to get rid of kingroot in my experience .. but I would give you caution to flash nothing else except official firmware through flashtool.. and do it only if you know how to handle it.. as far my experience is concerned, I did get rid of the kingroot this way not once but twice without problem .. its the stuff that followed bricked the phone.. also my bootloader was unlockable so it might have made a difference..maybe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I guess I'll be doing that then. Thanks. So how do you flash that file without a recovery?
I do not know how to handle flash tool since I have only heard of it and never used it. It appears I'll be using it to get rid of kingroot. How does one learn how to handle it so's one doesn't go and mess anything up?
My bootloader is also unlockable but I don't wanna screw with all the things that unlocking it does to the phone so I'm leaving it alone. I like those features
Also did you ever try to remove bloat on the stock ROM? Everything I remove via titanium backup just reinstalls immediately after removal.
Sorry for all the questions instead of answers for you. You are one of the few still messing with this device and I appreciate all your help very much. All of the info on this forum is mostly applicable to when the phone came out. This means almost all of it only applies to android 4.4 or it doesn't apply to the T-Mobile variant b/c T-Mobile was less popular when this phone was a flagship and uses Wifi text/calling which requires special planning. That and the fact that the threads are several hundred pages long makes following along impossible and makes this site all but useless for these phones now.

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