extremely extremely stupid question, don't even bother reading....:D - G1 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Has anyone bricked their phone by flashing it too many times? Does anyone know what media the ROM uses and how many times we can burn it?

devsk said:
Has anyone bricked their phone by flashing it too many times? Does anyone know what media the ROM uses and how many times we can burn it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IIRC Samsung rates the flash portion of the MCP at a minimum of 100k writes before a block fails. You shouldn't be concerned about the wear from flashing the /system directory so much as wear from /data directory. However, all modern flash controllers will spread out block usage so its not as if your app that is constantly updating its files will keep writing to the same block. All in all, your phone is likely to die of obsolescence or a mechanical failure before the flash goes bad.

devsk said:
Has anyone bricked their phone by flashing it too many times? Does anyone know what media the ROM uses and how many times we can burn it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am up to close to 100 times already in 2 months, so far, no issues.

Related

My X1 restarts by it self at random times

this started happening randomly about 2 weeks ago now
I've tried 3 different roms, but the problem still exists
it first started happening when i had the eneryrom flashed
but now i believe its not the roms thats causing this, i think its the hardware in my x1 or something, im not sure
what can i do to fix this?
basically my x1 restarts by it self, randomly at random times
maybe every other day, and sometimes even twice in a day
its really weird and not looking good at all
any help is appreciated, i just want to fix this
qritikal said:
this started happening randomly about 2 weeks ago now
I've tried 3 different roms, but the problem still exists
it first started happening when i had the eneryrom flashed
but now i believe its not the roms thats causing this, i think its the hardware in my x1 or something, im not sure
what can i do to fix this?
basically my x1 restarts by it self, randomly at random times
maybe every other day, and sometimes even twice in a day
its really weird and not looking good at all
any help is appreciated, i just want to fix this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you install any kind of softwares or applications? Could be due to an unstable application
Also, does it restart when you are using it or doing something on your phone? or does it just restart while sitting on the table?
If it just restarts when the phone is in your pocket while walking/running (when u r not using it), then it could be possible that your battery is loose.
Check to see if you battery fits perfectly. stick in a folded small piece of paper at one of the bottom side of the battery to tighten the battery if your battery is loose.
Let me know if this is the case.
I would suggest flashing back to stock rom and see if the problem still exists....sd card could be a factor also...
Regards,
WC
haroonazeem638 said:
Did you install any kind of softwares or applications? Could be due to an unstable application
Also, does it restart when you are using it or doing something on your phone? or does it just restart while sitting on the table?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope i didnt install any softwares of applications, i just use the roms how they are
also yes it only restarts when its sitting on the table
haroonazeem638 said:
If it just restarts when the phone is in your pocket while walking/running (when u r not using it), then it could be possible that your battery is loose.
Check to see if you battery fits perfectly. stick in a folded small piece of paper at one of the bottom side of the battery to tighten the battery if your battery is loose.
Let me know if this is the case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i will check my battey, doesnt seem like battery is loose but i will double check, and get back about that
Wild Child said:
I would suggest flashing back to stock rom and see if the problem still exists....sd card could be a factor also...
Regards,
WC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i;ve been using roms for months, it never happened before just recently
its really hectic for me to flash back to stock but if thats the only option i will do it
also if its sd card,,,how could i fix that, should i reformat it or something?
This has happened to me in the past when using an HTC Touch Diamond. I think it has something to do with not wiping the device or doing a hard reset before flashing a new rom. Does it hard reset when the phone restarts?
Zaslav said:
This has happened to me in the past when using an HTC Touch Diamond. I think it has something to do with not wiping the device or doing a hard reset before flashing a new rom. Does it hard reset when the phone restarts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope just a regular restart
i've installed my rom's with the right procedures, including a hard reset its not that
any other solutions please?
I mentioned the flashing back to stock to rule out its not a hardware issue....but a software issue....remove your sd card copy the contents of it to your hard driver....reformat the card....Im not saying this will solve it...but i have seen the sd card becaue of reminants of other flashes mess some things up...
Regards,
WC
qritikal said:
i;ve been using roms for months, it never happened before just recently
its really hectic for me to flash back to stock but if thats the only option i will do it
also if its sd card,,,how could i fix that, should i reformat it or something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
reflash your stock rom.. if your phone is not functioning as normal, then i suggest to check with SE
I would download the ROM and re-flash your phone. Could be possible that the download got corrupted. Wouldn't hurt.
Wild Child said:
I mentioned the flashing back to stock to rule out its not a hardware issue....but a software issue....remove your sd card copy the contents of it to your hard driver....reformat the card....Im not saying this will solve it...but i have seen the sd card becaue of reminants of other flashes mess some things up...
Regards,
WC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i flashed back to the latest stock rom
i thought it was okay at first but still my phone restarts at random time when its laying on the table
i have no clue what to do anymore
i did also reformat the sd card
i dont think i have warranty with SE any more, i dont have my receipts n etc
what can i do? please help
Remove the sd card and see what it does...other then that...your device may be giving up the ghost and may need to be sent to a service center....
Regards,
WC
qritikal said:
i flashed back to the latest stock rom
i thought it was okay at first but still my phone restarts at random time when its laying on the table
i have no clue what to do anymore
i did also reformat the sd card
i dont think i have warranty with SE any more, i dont have my receipts n etc
what can i do? please help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tried everything, im sure there something wrong with the phone
cant do anything about it, but thanks for the help guys

[Q] Does too much flashing of firmware affects hardware?

Yes Guys , any Idea about that? My front Cam hardware got corrupted.
Don't think so, i flashed my milestone 2 more than one hundred times and is still alive.
is hardware defect not related to software flashing, if flashing cause hardware problem's xda would be full of warnings. people here flash devices 1000 times, and dev, flash with apk or rom full of bug's while test and create.
if you really heave a hardware problem the only way is to change it, but maybe just a software problem.
wipe everything and flash a new rom that have no bugs...
Lol! No, your camera hardware is not affected by flashing, lol!
The only thing that may affect the hardware is the big amount of heat produced by flashing and the first optimisation of apps on boot. It degrades battery life. It gets even worse if you are charging your phone at the same time. Other than that, I don't think there are any other dangers.
(If even the battery counts as hardware)
I got my phone from the service center back after the camera issue. I'm not talking about Flashing ROMs. I'm talking about flashing the 5.0.2 firmware via adb.
I think nand have at least 100k writes for life that means you can flash your phone every day for more than 250 years.
I don't think is any different flashing a ROM from recovery or adb
Don't know what happend Buddy , But Still I can't figure ourt why DID IT happend?
Nop !!!
AmolAmrit03 said:
Does too much flashing of firmware affects hardware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The flashing process roughly is nothing but writing files into specific part of the memory. The memory devices now a days can be erased and flashed lot many times. They have writing cycles of about ~10,000. Just have example of your USB drives. How many times do we format them ? how many times do we delete and add files into it ? The memories in our devices are not lot different than these USB drives. Those differ in terms of read/write speeds. So flashing your phone shouldn't affect the hardware..
andromuks said:
The flashing process roughly is nothing but writing files into specific part of the memory. The memory devices now a days can be erased and flashed lot many times. They have writing cycles of about ~10,000. Just have example of your USB drives. How many times do we format them ? how many times do we delete and add files into it ? The memories in our devices are not lot different than these USB drives. Those differ in terms of read/write speeds. So flashing your phone shouldn't affect the hardware..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe because if excessive heat my front camera got damaged.

TWRP, eMMC errors, and a lot of questions...

So I have one great Note 4 that runs fine. A second Note 4, given to me appearing to be a paper weight, has been with some effort rescusitated. But no, the eMMC errors have not gone totally.
This "bad" phone, however, is allowing me to fully exercise some of my curiosity. And in the process, no matter what happens, I hope I can get a few more answers about things. I know about the little app that keeps the phone from going to sleep and stablizes it... that works on the phone unless it gets turned off. And then the whole cycle of trying to start it again (the freezer trick, the holding of buttons, the pulling of the battery... sigh).
My latest gambit has been to go into TWRP and reformat /system /data and /cache (the only directories where I'm allowed to do so) to f2fs. In fact, just to really wipe this baby as clean as I possibly could, I reformatted them back to ext4, then back again to f2fs. I then installed a custom rom (the official CM 14.1). It appears to have installed over the top of the f2fs without trouble.
But of course I am freewheeling it here. I do not know very much about what is going on down inside there.
My questions:
1. What "hidden" directories are there that TWRP isn't showing me? Is there any possibility that if I could reformat them (and not destroy the phone) it might help with the eMMC errors? How would I do that if I in fact can?
2. When I reformat the directories from one format to another, am I actually wiping them or not? (I've read long pages about people suggesting that Android phones are terribly hard to actually wipe all data off.)
3. Is there any other possible cause for the eMMC errors than bad physical memory? I understand that bad memory chip *is* one obvious cause... but are there other causes that could in fact kick up an eMMC error that isn't really about the memory chip?
I'll post any other questions if and when I think of them. Worst happens, I mess this phone up so bad it won't reboot at all. I'm not too worried about that.
All thoughts welcome. I can experiment without caring too much.
I have read elsewhere that the problem could be caused by having a micro sd inserted in the phone.
Intensivefire said:
I have read elsewhere that the problem could be caused by having a micro sd inserted in the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I've read that also. Tried all sorts of experiments with and without micro-sd card inserted. Using a Wake Lock app from playstore (set on mid-range) allows the phone to do and be nicely. But shut it off and I have to freeze it for 5 min before it will restart. So... hopefully the Chinese mb card I bought today will actually work. Providing I can in fact open the phone without busting it. (There's some good clues on youtube which is nice.)
shonkin said:
Yes, I've read that also. Tried all sorts of experiments with and without micro-sd card inserted. Using a Wake Lock app from playstore (set on mid-range) allows the phone to do and be nicely. But shut it off and I have to freeze it for 5 min before it will restart. So... hopefully the Chinese mb card I bought today will actually work. Providing I can in fact open the phone without busting it. (There's some good clues on youtube which is nice.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
emmc errors on note 4 is well known hardware failure , its time for you to replace emmc chip or system board
zfk110 said:
emmc errors on note 4 is well known hardware failure , its time for you to replace emmc chip or system board
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I said that in my first post. My point was that it is possible other causes for the error message just might exist. But all that is moot now... I did in fact order a new motherboard. But in the meantime, when I went to dissect the phone according to instructions on youtube, I found out too late that the author of said instructions was fairly clueless as far as a successful end result. The phone is dead, dead, dead. Lucky for me, it wasn't my main Note 4, which is just fine.
Here is a 100% hardware fix for this issue that anyone can do with no tools or specia
Here is a 100% hardware fix for this issue that anyone can do with no tools or special equipment.
It really works. Give it a try. ?
https://youtu.be/jLPHWtb0StI

Strange Issue

So I noticed on Friday every app (Discord/Signal/Twitter/etc) that used WebViewer was crashing and wouldn't open. I traced it down to the Chrome app and disabled the Chrome app on the phone and everything worked. However, I wasn't able to uninstall or install the latest version of Chrome on the phone, even after re-enabling the app. Not a problem I thought, I'll just Restore from a Titanium backup. However when I did it put the phone into a boot loop. Crap, I'll restore from a Nandroid backup. Nope same thing. So I wiped the System/Dalvik/cache and downloaded the full Rom from OnePlus's website and did a fresh Flash. Same thing. If I try to Format the phone all way it freezes on the data and then goes into a dead android state.
Does anyone have any ideas? Preferably I would like to avoid wiping the phone to zero, but if I have to I have to. If it comes to that, does anyone have a good Rom recommendation for just playing games and taking calls?
DarqAnshin said:
If I try to Format the phone all way it freezes on the data and then goes into a dead android state.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RIP UFS memory
przemcio510 said:
RIP UFS memory
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm... I'm really hoping this is not the case. Do you have any suggestions?
DarqAnshin said:
Hmm... I'm really hoping this is not the case. Do you have any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Suggestions for what?
Unfortunately these signs you described are leading to memory chip failure (sudden death, hang on formatting data).
If you could boot into TWRP, I'd suggest backing data up to your PC, as much as possbile.
You may try your luck with an unbrick tutorial (without or with data wipe).
przemcio510 said:
Suggestions for what?
Unfortunately these signs you described are leading to memory chip failure (sudden death, hang on formatting data).
If you could boot into TWRP, I'd suggest backing data up to your PC, as much as possbile.
You may try your luck with an unbrick tutorial (without or with data wipe).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah TWRP isn't an issue. That I can get into and it is my fault that I should have mentioned that I have already tried the unbrick methods.
I guess I was hoping that it really hadn't fallen to a hardware failure and more along the lines of something I did. I'll be honest in saying that I was really hoping there was a bit of knowldege that I was missing or that somebody would just be like "Nope, I've run into this before. Go in and change this flag from 1 to 0 and do this step you overlooked.".
Either way thank you for your time and responses and many thanks for taking time out to respond back to me.
DarqAnshin said:
Yeah TWRP isn't an issue. That I can get into and it is my fault that I should have mentioned that I have already tried the unbrick methods.
I guess I was hoping that it really hadn't fallen to a hardware failure and more along the lines of something I did. I'll be honest in saying that I was really hoping there was a bit of knowldege that I was missing or that somebody would just be like "Nope, I've run into this before. Go in and change this flag from 1 to 0 and do this step you overlooked.".
Either way thank you for your time and responses and many thanks for taking time out to respond back to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem; sorry for your loss, but you know, that's perversity of inanimate objects. I had similar case with my laptop, when SSD died - poof and data is gone
I had the same on my old phone I just got a new sd 32GB and that was all of my extra Money and less than 2 weeks it broke and had to go back to 8gb
Sent from my A460T using XDA Free mobile app

Question Help malware

So I have some malware on my S21 ultra reinstalled the factory operating system and this thing whatever it is is still taking screenshots and just doing weird things. Like what is the next step here thanks in advance
MECHMILLER said:
So I have some malware on my S21 ultra reinstalled the factory operating system and this thing whatever it is is still taking screenshots and just doing weird things. Like what is the next step here thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to give more details bud. We are not mediums here.
Which version of the phone do you have? Where did you buy it? Rooted, non-rooted? What weird things, other than taking screenshots? How exactly do you understand that it is taking screenshots, does it give you a notification or do they just appear in the gallery? How often does it happen, is it random or does it also happen when you do certain tasks?
If you need help with such a potentially complicated issue, you need to give as many details as possible so people can help you without guessing everything.
On Android 9 and above it's almost impossible to have an embedded rootkit that a factory reset won't kill. On 8 and below it is.
So it's something you installed (including updates), or that's living in your data or one of the factory installed apps. Fun times
MECHMILLER said:
So I have some malware on my S21 ultra reinstalled the factory operating system and this thing whatever it is is still taking screenshots and just doing weird things. Like what is the next step here thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best solution for this is to ODIN reset.
MECHMILLER said:
So I have some malware on my S21 ultra reinstalled the factory operating system and this thing whatever it is is still taking screenshots and just doing weird things. Like what is the next step here thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not enough information to offer any intelligent solution. Please elaborate further. With every single, minute detail. We'd all be happy to help.
Download your factory ROM and flash the phone using Odin
Download Odin 3.13.1 - Samsung Odin download with ROM Flashing Tool
Odin download. Download Samsung odin 3.13.1, latest Samsung ROM Flashing Tool for android - Samsung odin download
odindownload.com
arf8 said:
Download your factory ROM and flash the phone using Odin
Download Odin 3.13.1 - Samsung Odin download with ROM Flashing Tool
Odin download. Download Samsung odin 3.13.1, latest Samsung ROM Flashing Tool for android - Samsung odin download
odindownload.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's complete overkill. More than likely a factory reset is all that's needed... and greater care when downloading.
Pre-Pie OS's are susceptible to rootkits that can breached protected partitions but not the more modern Android versions if I remember correctly.
This is an example of one that requires a reflash to totally wipe it from the phone:
Redirect Notice
I disagree, tot overkill at all if its a persistent malware. Plus if you want peace of mind it is about as simple of a process as loading the factory ROM. Why take a risk?
OP hasn't checked into this thread after the initial message. Maybe the issue has been solved.
I think we can stop trying to break our heads until he/she reappears and joins the conversation.
enigmaamit said:
OP hasn't checked into this thread after the initial message. Maybe the issue has been solved.
I think we can stop trying to break our heads until he/she reappears and joins the conversation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or the rootkit has infiltrated all the OP's devices and data drives
Be prepared and never sync all your backup copies at the same time, stagger the syncing to help avoid the possibility of all copies being compromised.
This unlikely but it's a wild, wild world.
blackhawk said:
That's complete overkill. More than likely a factory reset is all that's needed... and greater care when downloading.
Pre-Pie OS's are susceptible to rootkits that can breached protected partitions but not the more modern Android versions if I remember correctly.
This is an example of one that requires a reflash to totally wipe it from the phone:
Redirect Notice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I typed that original post I was using the phone and the keyboard kept screwing up and I was exhausted. I have factory reset the phone. The strange things that were happening like when I'd hit my recent apps tab at the bottom, if open say Ebay app then Chrome. I'd hit the recent and it would show gallery and settings. Since the factory reset it has still been taking screenshots. I've only had this phone about 20 days and got it at bestbuy. It's over the 15 day period to just take it back but hadn't been incredibly long so I guess we will see what they say. I dont do alot of app downloading or visit a bunch of websites and so on so I have no clue how this happened. Here's the real kicker, this stuff is also happening on my wife's phone (a11) I am honestly thinking about throwing the a11 in the trash and trying to get this one replaced. It's so damn frustrating it's caused arguments because I'm the one who will spend time learning how to do stuff with this. Like how to use everything the phone is capable of and can look in the settings and see that the "tracking device" in the settings that can UNLOCK YOUR PHONE, ACCESS YOUR CONTACTS" is the find my phone app that you installed from Samsung. So of course I am a "hacker" and really know nothing about this crap. And she's the person who will download every survey and shopping app she can find. So this is where I am with it idk what else to do.
MECHMILLER said:
When I typed that original post I was using the phone and the keyboard kept screwing up and I was exhausted. I have factory reset the phone. The strange things that were happening like when I'd hit my recent apps tab at the bottom, if open say Ebay app then Chrome. I'd hit the recent and it would show gallery and settings. Since the factory reset it has still been taking screenshots. I've only had this phone about 20 days and got it at bestbuy. It's over the 15 day period to just take it back but hadn't been incredibly long so I guess we will see what they say. I dont do alot of app downloading or visit a bunch of websites and so on so I have no clue how this happened. Here's the real kicker, this stuff is also happening on my wife's phone (a11) I am honestly thinking about throwing the a11 in the trash and trying to get this one replaced. It's so damn frustrating it's caused arguments because I'm the one who will spend time learning how to do stuff with this. Like how to use everything the phone is capable of and can look in the settings and see that the "tracking device" in the settings that can UNLOCK YOUR PHONE, ACCESS YOUR CONTACTS" is the find my phone app that you installed from Samsung. So of course I am a "hacker" and really know nothing about this crap. And she's the person who will download every survey and shopping app she can find. So this is where I am with it idk what else to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try something bud, in the settings there is the palm swipe capture option. When you find it try and disable it and see if the issue persists. If your phone has no virus, it might have some issue with the gestures or the screen and it might be getting mistaken that you are trying to make a screenshot.
And regarding your wife, you gotta sit her down, smash on the table with your hand so you can get her attention for a bit, and show her some videos about security and the risks involved with ignorant behaviors in the digital world.
Good luck.
babyboy3265 said:
Try something bud, in the settings there is the palm swipe capture option. When you find it try and disable it and see if the issue persists. If your phone has no virus, it might have some issue with the gestures or the screen and it might be getting mistaken that you are trying to make a screenshot.
And regarding your wife, you gotta sit her down, smash on the table with your hand so you can get her attention for a bit, and show her some videos about security and the risks involved with ignorant behaviors in the digital world.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the palm swipe off. She reset hers and says it's still doing "weird stuff" but this has been such an extreme issue with us that I can't and won't touch her phone. Because even with her sitting there watching me if I'm going through **** too fast for her to see exactly what's happening it's like I'm asked to slow down and I try to... Then she's will be like well what's this and start touching **** on the screen and u lost where I was in the first place because I then have to explain something that was just there.. Like if I'm in running processes and it's like WHATS THAT. And it will be a system operation that she read somewhere is "a concern for vulnerability" and doesn't understand that it doesn't mean that because that's there that it's a problem.. It's there normally and it is possible that's a way for security to be compromised.. Hopefully you can see the pattern I'm going in..... I am pretty good with this stuff for a power user. I know what oden is.. I know what a ROM is and stuff but I have never actually loaded my own ROM on a phone. And the fact that I sort of understand some of this is working to a huge disadvantage because it's like.. Well you know how to do this stuff so no wonder she's concerned.. When in fact I don't know how to do this stuff.. I made (foolishly) the comment when I was showing a process used by find my phone to her and my sister... The fact that I just showed you this process running that your asking me about you're just viewing it in a different place shows that if I wanted to track you I'd do it and you'd be too stupid to ever find out... And it was just frustration.. I meant Id just look at your Google history or something along that mannor.. Anyways I'm gonna be heading to bestbuy to see what they say.. As far as her phone is concerned I'd rather just spend the 200 bucks and throw it in the trash. I can't do that with the s21 so this is where I am with all this. I wad actually told by my family not to worry about it.. So what if someone steals your bank info it will be fraud and you won't be responsible for it anyway.. So just forget about it and use it....and here I am
This isn't rocket science... or a soap opera
Do a factory reset then change your Google account password.
Don't load anything until it's verified to be functioning ok*.
Then be careful what you load.
*If that fails reflash the firmware.
arf8 said:
I disagree, tot overkill at all if its a persistent malware. Plus if you want peace of mind it is about as simple of a process as loading the factory ROM. Why take a risk?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am ready to do this if needed. I know this isn't a major thing to do but I've never actually done it and don't know where to get my factory ROM for this on my carrier and all of that good stuff. And do I need a computer to do this with oden or can that be done completely on the phone. I am not worried about anything on here I CA. Re-download apps and photos and stuff are backed up ill just start over
blackhawk said:
Or the rootkit has infiltrated all the OP's devices and data drives
Be prepared and never sync all your backup copies at the same time, stagger the syncing to help avoid the possibility of all copies being compromised.
This unlikely but it's a wild, wild world.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plot twist: the malware actually created the OP
SomeXGhost said:
Plot twist: the malware actually created the OP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that's sounds about right... we're getting played.
SomeXGhost said:
Plot twist: the malware actually created the OP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel the same way.
blackhawk said:
Yeah that's sounds about right... we're getting played.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I feel like I've been created by malware with all the problems this had actually caused me.
MECHMILLER said:
Here's the real kicker, this stuff is also happening on my wife's phone (a11) I am honestly thinking about throwing the a11 in the trash and trying to get this one replaced.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if this is for real I'd say your problems are far bigger than just yours and your wife's phones. I'd be looking at everything in your house, computers, routers, your amazon Alexa and every cloud drive you own.
3mel said:
if this is for real I'd say your problems are far bigger than just yours and your wife's phones. I'd be looking at everything in your house, computers, routers, your amazon Alexa and every cloud drive you own.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't forget the smart appliances.
My bets on the fridge... you know the cold, silent type.

Categories

Resources