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Hi all
I would like to thank everyone in advance and hopefully someone will be able to guide me to resolve my concern, Bell Samsung Vibrant will not go Pass the Galaxy S logo once powered on.
-Was the Phone ever rooted in the past? No, it's less than 2 weeks old, First ever Android, previous Windows mobile/ Iphone User.
-Did I encounter any error? Yes, Invalid or Damaged internal SD, I believe my main mistake was taking the battery off while the device was left powered on. The device was stuck on a loop cycle then after.
-Did I install any Apps on an External SD card? No, never got a chance to.
- Why not save the hassle and just return/ repair phone from your carrier? Unit bought online from craigslist and was not provided with a receipt, Paid a decent price and confirmed IMEI doesn't have any negative file from carrier at the time of purchase.
- Did I contact Samsung Canada at all? Yes and they won't take any accountability as the carrier must follow their own repair/ return process.
Just a Summary of what was done:
Charged and attached for atleast an hour.
- Tested by plugging it to the Wall charger (Device assumed OFF), the screen goes on a loop cycle from the Galaxy S Logo to a blank black Screen back to the Galaxy S logo and so on.
-Attached and tested ALL USB ports (Windows 7 64 bit) and the screen goes on a loop cycle however this time I get a drained battery logo and a stuck time capsule in the middle of the screen.
Downloaded Samsung softwares: Kies_1.5.1.10074_2_6, Kies_1.5.0.10024_74, Kies_1.5.1.10074_45.
-The device only goes on a loop cycle from a drained battery logo back to a black screen while connected to the USB port. It appears the device is not being detected. No visible partnership between Bell Vibrant device and the Kies drivers.
Desperate to attempt anything, I even tried rooting the device by attempting all possibilities to get it to Recovery mode or Download mode however my best efforts did not avail. Before anything was attempted, I confirmed the device was powered off first before taking the battery out.
-Held down the Up volume button and Power button and released the power button only
-Held down the Down volume button and Power button and released the power button only
-Pressed Up volume, Down volume button and Power button and released the power button only
-Held down the Down volume button, Home button and Power button and released the power button only
-Held down the Down Volume button, Home button and Power button and released the Home(middle) button only
-Held down the UP volume button, Home button and Power button and released the power button only
-Held down the UP volume button, Home button and Power button and released the Home(middle) button only
Also downloaded Update.zip and android-sdk_r06-windows.zip
-extracted and confirmed SDK was installed successfully however my device was not detected. Ran from CMD [unable to enable the USB debugging in Applications]
-confirmed the how to steps taken intended for Bell.
Im still optimistic that I can expect the best possible outcome from this situation or I have to hunt down the individual who sold the device
Please verify if I can attempt an alternative or if took a wrong turn with any of the steps mentioned above.
If you live locally in Toronto [GTA] and would like to take on this challenge, Please PM me..
Feel free to drop your comments as to how this issue can be resolved. Please!
Thanks in advance!
Kind Regards,
mamasboy
Update: 3:00am
Hours later and still no luck!
Any ideas how I can approach Samsung Canada directly and have them deal with the situation?
here is a post here on how you can access using something called ADB ? It can be used apparently where the three button recovery can not be entered. Try looking under three button recovery in the search on the forum. Hope this helps.
How i get into recovery mode is by restarting the phone by holding the power button and continuously tapping all 3 Home +power+ vol up at the same time
And if it works it will go into the recovery mode before the screen changes.
see if you can boot into recovery mode
wiki has instruction to get into recovery mode http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Samsung_Galaxy_S/Vibrant_GT-I9000M
once in recovery mode, try the data wipe option, also the cache wipe option
then reboot back to normal
Tehpriest said:
here is a post here on how you can access using something called ADB ? It can be used apparently where the three button recovery can not be entered. Try looking under three button recovery in the search on the forum. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey,
The SDK was successfully updated. It downloaded all the new patches and required files, the sdk does work however when I get to the point of:
adb device (Hit enter)
list of devices attached (blank entry)
-even attempted other commands but getting error: device not found
NezumiYaro said:
How i get into recovery mode is by restarting the phone by holding the power button and continuously tapping all 3 Home +power+ vol up at the same time
And if it works it will go into the recovery mode before the screen changes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey NezumiYaro,
Thanks for the tip but still no luck
AllGamer said:
see if you can boot into recovery mode
wiki has instruction to get into recovery mode http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Samsung_Galaxy_S/Vibrant_GT-I9000M
once in recovery mode, try the data wipe option, also the cache wipe option
then reboot back to normal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey AllGamer,
Thanks for the help and I checked the link and reviewed and re-attempted but still to no avail..
I may have the disabled recovery/download mode Bell batch and it seems the only option out of this is to get the device replaced
I had the same problem...Currently Samsung is 'repairing' my phone. Instead of going through all this trouble, I would rather suggest you to go and exchange it.
If they dont replace the phone for you, just call samsung social hub help desk (1-888-751-4078). They will give you a ticket number and then you can send your phone to samsung via any Bell corporate store.
The samsung social hub guy told me that it would take 5 business day to repair but the person at Bell store told me that it can take 2-6 weeks.
I'm in the same boot as you, altough i'm in a different country.
nevertheless, same sh*t
I did however discovered today that when I start the phone, connected trough usb, I does detect what seems to be a part of the phone, have a look at this image (was done on a XP virtual machine, but my WIN7 does the same.
I get a G: and a H: in the device manager.
But I cannot access those, maybe or maybe not, this might be our only hope, before I send it back.
But I refuse to give up (yet)
Exact same problem you had. Phone would not load past Galaxy S logo. I did not hack or root my phone either. Seems this is becoming a larger issue. Recovery mode was disabled on my phone too. It is now with Bell being sent for repair. I would suggest you do the same, I wasted 3 days trying to get the phone into recovery mode to no avail. If Bell has any in stock they may swap for you. They did not when I took mine in unfortunately.
nalinbhatt said:
I had the same problem...Currently Samsung is 'repairing' my phone. Instead of going through all this trouble, I would rather suggest you to go and exchange it.
If they dont replace the phone for you, just call samsung social hub help desk (1-888-751-4078). They will give you a ticket number and then you can send your phone to samsung via any Bell corporate store.
The samsung social hub guy told me that it would take 5 business day to repair but the person at Bell store told me that it can take 2-6 weeks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow thanks 5 business days is acceptable. I'm currently back on my Windows Mobile device as a back up phone for now. I will definitely give them a call first thing tomorrow morning!
This is what concerns me going down the road. Any of you recall the Samsung Instict? aka Iphone Killer.. "roll eyes" Could it be that Samsung didn't put enough research and development into the Operating System/ Hardware and deployed the Galaxy S series prematurely? One can only ponder...
To be continued...
nalinbhatt said:
I had the same problem...Currently Samsung is 'repairing' my phone. Instead of going through all this trouble, I would rather suggest you to go and exchange it.
If they dont replace the phone for you, just call samsung social hub help desk (1-888-751-4078). They will give you a ticket number and then you can send your phone to samsung via any Bell corporate store.
The samsung social hub guy told me that it would take 5 business day to repair but the person at Bell store told me that it can take 2-6 weeks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
patj3 said:
I'm in the same boot as you, altough i'm in a different country.
nevertheless, same sh*t
I did however discovered today that when I start the phone, connected trough usb, I does detect what seems to be a part of the phone, have a look at this image (was done on a XP virtual machine, but my WIN7 does the same.
I get a G: and a H: in the device manager.
But I cannot access those, maybe or maybe not, this might be our only hope, before I send it back.
But I refuse to give up (yet)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey patj3, it seems you have a better chance than the rest of us. Attempt to delete or uninstall what you highlighted in yellow, unplug device, reboot computer and before you plug the device, Install the latest kies software from Samsung and allow it to fully install. It's missing drivers and is unable to recognize the unit. search "[GUIDE] ADB, Fastboot, and Nandroid for Noobs" here in XDA.
Good luck, I may be throwing the towel as early as tomorrow
xZeDgEx said:
Exact same problem you had. Phone would not load past Galaxy S logo. I did not hack or root my phone either. Seems this is becoming a larger issue. Recovery mode was disabled on my phone too. It is now with Bell being sent for repair. I would suggest you do the same, I wasted 3 days trying to get the phone into recovery mode to no avail. If Bell has any in stock they may swap for you. They did not when I took mine in unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the feedback..
I know, my mind is about to explode!
Unfortunately, I'm pass the 14 days/ 30 minutes requirement for Bell's D.O.A policy and sending the device out for repair is my only option.
Post back and let us know your repair experience with Bell and their turn around time.
Cheers
Just an update..
I went through the regular repair process, it looks like I'm looking at 3-6 weeks.
Regards..
I had the exact same problem except I rooted it and it was after I applied a lag fix but luckily it wasn't even a week before I got the phone so I just brought it in and bell gave me a new one on the spot lol. Hope you can get it repaired.
The same problem here also. I did not root it or put anything aftermarket. Only unlocked it with a code. Bestbuy did not want to do anything because it is 4 days pass the 30 day mark, not talking about the 14 days 30 min. I spoke to Samsung support and they told me to go to Bell store and have it sent for repair. I did complain to Samsung that it is unacceptable to have a 34 day use of a device and 2 months for repair. Now I am waiting for the superviser of the tech suppoert to call me by the end of the day today, but no news from hem yet. Tomorrow first thing in the morning I am calling again Samsung to look for the superviser of the superviser.
P.S. Bell did not ask me for an account number of phone number with them. Only took $47.00 in case if there was a water or mechanical domage. It is refundable.
mamasboy32 said:
Thanks for the feedback..
I know, my mind is about to explode!
Unfortunately, I'm pass the 14 days/ 30 minutes requirement for Bell's D.O.A policy and sending the device out for repair is my only option.
Post back and let us know your repair experience with Bell and their turn around time.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats the refund policy. doa is 30 days on the spot replacement as long as it says i9000m on the logo before it gets stuck.
Idan73 said:
thats the refund policy. doa is 30 days on the spot replacement as long as it says i9000m on the logo before it gets stuck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What if they dont have it in stock?
That was case with me,
so i went to another bell corporate store,
they send me away, claiming that only the place you got it from can replace it.
its been now 20 days with the phone, and the guy (bell corporate location) does not have it in stock,
he says he does not know when he can get it.
so i dont know if there is truly a shortage, but that is what they are telling me.
help.
if it makes you feel any better
I've had one on order through my corp plan at work for over a week, usually if quantities are low it will say so on the ordering site, or it will say on backorder, well it didn't, they don't have them, supposed to get a shipment this week, shipment hasn't arrived yet.
this will be my 2nd crack at a Vibrant, the first one was riddled with small yet important issues as well as the GPS didn't work. Hoping for a better one this time, if not I'll try and get a 'Desire Z' down the road.
Neil
I have an Amazon Kindle Fire HD rooted and running the stock 7.6.4 os, i rooted using Bin4ry's (sp) method found on XDA. In an attempt to change the lock screen images i moved the "frame work apk" (not sure of the exact spelling) and frame work obb file and something else that said frame work from the system/app directory to mnt/sdcard/quarantine, a file i created for just this purpose. Noob mistake I left the screen time out on 5 minutes and left. When i came back the screen was off, and some blah blah blah was not responding. I tried to move the file back but the fc window was popping up so often i was having alot of trouble doing this, so (BIG noob mistake here) i rebooted it. Now I'm stuck on the stock "Kindle Fire System Utility" window. Rebooting doesn't work and resetting to factory defaults doesn't work. My question is this;
1. How do I fix the problem using only the stock cord, Amazon approved charger and a laptop i am borrowing off my gf ?
2. How much $ am i going to have to throw at this to fix my problem?
3. If I do have to ship it back to Amazon will the know I rooted and not help?
thank you for any help. I am truly in a bind here.
With a little ingenuity, you can make your own factory cable for free.
soupmagnet said:
With a little ingenuity, you can make your own factory cable for free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no way I can make one. I looked at the xda forum on how to do it and I can't solder, nor do I have a soldering iron.
You will need about 5-15$ then...
Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire HD running CM10.1 Tablet UI using xda-developers app
JeremySwagS said:
There is no way I can make one. I looked at the xda forum on how to do it and I can't solder, nor do I have a soldering iron.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not absolutely imperative that you solder it together. I've seen some of the most janky looking factory cables without solder that have worked just fine.
What about this method?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Methods for Enabling Fastboot Mode
Realistically, there are 3 potential methods of enabling fastboot mode on a working bootloader. There is a 4th method, but it should only be considered as a last ditch effort because the case must be opened for access to the motherboard. Let's cover the first 3 methods...
Factory cable - Using a factory cable is the most straightforward method of enabling fastboot mode on the Kindle Fire and it will work with any bootloader. With the device off, plug the cable into the Kindle Fire, then the computer and the device will boot up directly into fastboot mode. No other user intervention is required.
Temporary fastboot mode - The FireFirefire custom bootloader temporarily enables fastboot mode for a short amount of time. Issuing a fastboot command like...
Code:
fastboot getvar product
to the device during this time will stop the fastboot countdown and enable fastboot mode indefinitely. If the device displays a plain white and orange "kindle fire" logo, the stock bootloader is installed. The stock bootloader does not enable fastboot temporarily, so another method must be used.
Bootmode setting - The Kindle Fire has a bootmode setting that indicates to the bootloader how to proceed in its booting process. One of these bootmodes (4002) will tell the bootloader to enable fastboot mode. The bootmode setting is recognized by all bootloaders, so even the stock bootloader will go into fastboot mode when the bootmode is set to 4002. The only place this feature is likely to be used is from the system software, but there's a catch. The system must be able to provide access to a shell prompt.
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Referred to here. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1668159
While I consider myself a rather advanced android user (I rooted my 1st gen kf w/ twrp and flashed cm10, rooted my gf's nook color w/clockwork mod and flashed cm10 and cm8, and rooted this fire hd no recovery or rom yet) i know only the basics about windows and phrases like...
"The only place this feature is likely to be used is from the system software, but there's a catch. The system must be able to provide access to a shell prompt."
...have me very confused. When I'm trying to enable fastboot am I not using two systems? The windows and the fire. So which system must be able to provide access to a shell prompt? I have been up all night trying to get Android SDK up and running so I have the ability to input, to the fire, fastboot commands. I downloaded the sdk from here.
http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
I am, honestly, flying blind here. I'm not even certain that this is the right program I need. I have been following this guide...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc4z-KYypgY
I like the You Tube video tutorials because they are easier for me to follow, no offence to XDA. I have used XDA extensively in the past, but this is my first "brick" and, honestly, I NEED this kindle to work! I depend on it daily! I believe that once I can get into fastboot I will be okay. I have installed recovery, and roms before, but never even heard of fastboot till yesterday. I just can't afford to wait for a modified cable to come in the mail. I really would like for this to be done by tomorrow morning if it is at all possible.
I would also like to say thank you to everyone that has helped be this far. I truly appreciate it.
-edit-
I'm attempting to use the 3rd option, Bootmode setting.
i have adb and fastboot installed on the computer but i'm stuck at putting the kindle into fastboot mode. i have a command prompt window and i know that fastboot is mode 4002 but have no idea what the command is. i downloaded commands but dont know where they go. ive been up all night working on this and im afraid im going to make a mistake and permanently brick my kindle. can any one help? please?
Those bootmodes and the tutorial you referenced are for the original Kindle Fire. You need to acquire a factory cable.
soupmagnet said:
Those bootmodes and the tutorial you referenced are for the original Kindle Fire. You need to acquire a factory cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
okay. thank you.
I want to try going to my local best buy tomorrow and see if the geek squad there will let me use one of their fastboot cables. But that leads me to more questions.
1. My understanding is that I need to use the fastboot cable ONLY to get my kf hd into fastboot mode then switch to the "stock" cable to do any actual file transfers. Is this true?
2. My understanding is that once in fastboot mode my kindle will stay in that mode until I set it back to normal boot. Am I right?
3. Do I need the fastboot cable to change OUT of fastboot mode and back INTO normal boot mode?
4. Do you think I can do this with a fastboot cable I borrow from the geek squad for like 2 minutes to get into fastboot mode, then go home with kindle in fastboot, install twrp, recovery, os etc. and then boot back into normal boot WITHOUT a fastboot cable, only a stock cable?
Thank you everyone for your help! I am so great full for all this help! I live at a sober house and have been tuning up the androids of fellow residents since I got here and all this wealth of knowledge is helping far more than just me. It is helping everyone else out who lives here. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.
Yes, it would be entirely feasible to do it that way, but you have to remember that the device will not charge in fastboot. Make sure you have a full charge, and get it done as quickly as possible. Rebooting will take the device out of fastboot once you're done. Good luck.
soupmagnet said:
Yes, it would be entirely feasible to do it that way, but you have to remember that the device will not charge in fastboot. Make sure you have a full charge, and get it done as quickly as possible. Rebooting will take the device out of fastboot once you're done. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to have everything ready to go for this trip to best buy tomorrow (today as it's after midnight) because rebooting will take me out of fastboot, so I might not have a lot of time. Can someone please post links for the download of twrp (or something better if it exists), and for a new os? Even the stock amazon would be fine for now. I was on os 7.4.6 before the brick. I honestly don't know what os i want yet. Recommendations would be helpful, with download links hopefully. I had cm10 on my first kindle fire, and it ran great, I can only imagine it would run better on the HD kindle, but I'm open to suggestions.
----UPDATE-----
I went to Best Buy and even the "geek squad" had no idea what a fastboot cable was, so I'm ordering one from Amazon. On the plus side it comes with a free OTG cord. On the down side it will take 4 - 14 business days to get here!
JeremySwagS said:
----UPDATE-----
I went to Best Buy and even the "geek squad" had no idea what a fastboot cable was, so I'm ordering one from Amazon. On the plus side it comes with a free OTG cord. On the down side it will take 4 - 14 business days to get here!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you be willing to provide a link to the factory cable you are considering purchasing from Amazon?
I've only seen a handful of sources that provide actual factory cables and Amazon isn't one of them.
soupmagnet said:
Would you be willing to provide a link to the factory cable you are considering purchasing from Amazon?
I've only seen a handful of sources that provide actual factory cables and Amazon isn't one of them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BPDH4G4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2MQXQQFSEPIZC
Here, I haven't ordered it yet.
Factory cable.
If you're in UK - I got one 'next day' off e-bay. £4.99 free post. I see they're £3.99 now! My luck
In the body of their ad it says £6.99 internationally posted.
Sorry no link - I'm too 'young'
Good luck. Bill.
Billion123 said:
If you're in UK - I got one 'next day' off e-bay. £4.99 free post. I see they're £3.99 now! My luck
In the body of their ad it says £6.99 internationally posted.
Sorry no link - I'm too 'young'
Good luck. Bill.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, I'm in the states. (but i do love Dr. Who)
------UPDATE------
I ordered the fastboot cable today. I believe I have all the software to finish unbricking my kfhd, although any help (and download links) would be appreciated.
Question.
From what I gather, to restore a kindle fire hd from a "bricked" state, it is important for it to have as near a full charge as possible.
1. If my kindle can't be seen or recognized by a computer, hence the need for a "fastboot" cable, will it charge when plugged into a wall outlet?
2. How do I know when it's charged as the normal battery "indicator" is absent from the kindle fire system utility screen?
3. Is there an risk of "over charging" my kindle? Since my OS has been broken do I need to worry about possibly dangerous power distribution that would normally be held in check by a functional OS? Or does the stock boot loader handle this basic task?
JeremySwagS said:
Question.
From what I gather, to restore a kindle fire hd from a "bricked" state, it is important for it to have as near a full charge as possible.
1. If my kindle can't be rear or recognized by a computer, hence the need for a "fastboot" cable, will it charge when plugged into a wall outlet?
2. How do I know when it's charged as the normal battery "indicator" is absent from the kindle fire system utility screen?
3. Is there an risk of "over charging" my kindle? Since my OS has been broken do I need to worry about possibly dangerous power distribution that would normally be held in check by a functional OS? Or does the stock boot loader handle this basic task?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm a bit of a noob myself, have no soldering skills, and KFHD7 has been the device with the ugliest bricks I've seen (just ask the first one sitting in my closet, smashed it out of frustration). Anyhow, I made my own factory cable using a Samsung USB which is rumored to be the best used, and a Trisonic $2 soldering tool from the "99 Cents" store (I live in NYC) and guess what!? Following a YouTube video, I made it. It was so easy I still remember how to make another one without a YouTube video or the need to look at the one I have. If I can do it, you can as well. I recommend finding a Samsung USB as they're good for the job and the plastic housing the micro USB side is easy to remove, going to your local "cheap objects" dealer or a hardware store that carries cheap stuff to find this Trisonic soldering iron, and making it yourself. Its pretty simple. And just in case, mini plus and minus head screw drivers to steal a small wire out of another electronic to connect the two pins with, ideally a child's toy with a speaker.
And to answer your question, when I bricked my current one while installing TWRP and a second bootloader (which BTW this is the second KFHD7 I own), the charge indicator wouldn't appear, screen would stay black, and the battery by the time I put it to charge after the brick was around 20%. When I finally recovered it the next day, battery was at 99% (meaning it did charge, lost 1% while recovering). As far as I've seen on both my KFHD7s no overcharging, I guess that's recognized by some other section of the device. Thats why the Kindle Fire logo still shows up.
Tampering with ANYTHING on stock KFHD7 as far as I've seen is an invitation to get bricked. My last one got bricked by simply rooting it believe it or not. It would turn off and on fine, but one day I let the battery die, recharged it and no go. So I would recommend installing the second bootloader and TWRP recovery, then flashing a Kindle OS based ROM or jellybean like mine. But focus on this issue first. Keep us updated I'll be following.
Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire HD using xda app-developers app
This app prevents a thief from turning your phone off from the (pin/password protected) lockscreen:
Smart Lockscreen Protector
This is a security app that discretely takes pictures, sends gps co-ordinates and more. It costs $3 but that's nothing in comparison to your OPO and it's a lifetime subscription unlike other security apps. It also has some neat options if you are rooted such as remaining installed on the phone even after a factory reset.
Cerberus anti theft
Used Cerberus for years..Absolutely love it
Thanks for the links. Luckily have installed Cerberus.
CM account
Instead of installing Cerberus you can easily register in your One a CyanogenMod account and use the CM website.
ThommmF said:
Instead of installing Cerberus you can easily register in your One a CyanogenMod account and use the CM website.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cerberus has more features than a Cyanogenmod account or Android Device Manager
Cerberus is best for now, especially with root making it hard to remove. However please remember to remove your device from Cerberus account after you sell the phone.
Could we not just use the android device manager provided by Google?
That allows us to lock, Erase, and Track the phone.
Syke21 said:
This app prevents a thief from turning your phone off from the (pin/password protected) lockscreen:
This is a security app that discretely takes pictures, sends gps co-ordinates and more. It costs $3 but that's nothing in comparison to your OPO and it's a lifetime subscription unlike other security apps. It also has some neat options if you are rooted such as remaining installed on the phone even after a factory reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Airdroid is good too. I'll be using cerberus though.
What if turn off the phone, reboot into fastboot / factory reset to wipe the phone. Is Cerberus able to protect the bootloader and recovery mode?
soralz said:
What if turn off the phone, reboot into fastboot / factory reset to wipe the phone. Is Cerberus able to protect the bootloader and recovery mode?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you install it via custom recovery, it survives factory resets but not rom flashes
sayeef said:
If you install it via custom recovery, it survives factory resets but not rom flashes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nvm found it https://www.cerberusapp.com/download.php
sayeef said:
If you install it via custom recovery, it survives factory resets but not rom flashes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. Most thieves aren't smart, but most phone shops ARE smart. So keep in mind it's not just the dumb idiot stealing your phone. They typically collaborate with pawn shops and phone shops who have more expertise. Wiping /system will get rid of that APK in no time. And with the system images out for the OPO, its very easy to do a factory ROM flash.
Finally, I'd like to say that the first app regarding blocking the power off prompt from the power screen is useless. You can block the power button, but the firmware of phones now allows for long holding of power button to power off. So even if your system is frozen, a 10 second long hold will render that app useless.
Cerberus on the other hand is useful. I got my lost Nexus 5 back using Android Device Manager.
I havent tried this lockscreen app but would holding the power and volume down bypass the lockscreen protector...
gd6noob said:
I havent tried this lockscreen app but would holding the power and volume down bypass the lockscreen protector...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it would..
savahu said:
Yes it would..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. Those are firmware level programmed commands. This is why the app is quite pointless.
Sent from my One using Tapatalk
dmo580 said:
Exactly. Most thieves aren't smart, but most phone shops ARE smart. So keep in mind it's not just the dumb idiot stealing your phone. They typically collaborate with pawn shops and phone shops who have more expertise. Wiping /system will get rid of that APK in no time. And with the system images out for the OPO, its very easy to do a factory ROM flash.
Finally, I'd like to say that the first app regarding blocking the power off prompt from the power screen is useless. You can block the power button, but the firmware of phones now allows for long holding of power button to power off. So even if your system is frozen, a 10 second long hold will render that app useless.
Cerberus on the other hand is useful. I got my lost Nexus 5 back using Android Device Manager.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The lockscreen protection isn't useless as the ten second hold will only soft reset the phone not turn it off.
Cerberus is definitly a must-have for this kind of protection, never really used it for now
Cerberus is still miles ahead of CM account or Android device management.
As for example, with Cerberus, you can install it via recovery and hide it from app list, and then have it record video/sound/pictures when certain things are done such as a wrong pin entry for example, and it will send this data over 3g.
Well worth the small price.
ThommmF said:
Instead of installing Cerberus you can easily register in your One a CyanogenMod account and use the CM website.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
will that still locate it if it's wiped and a new ROM installed?
and to the other, thanks for the info about cerberus. wasn't aware of that. i like the fact that it can still be used after a factory reset if i'm rooted.
Got Cerberus when it was free last year. Thought it would only work for one device. Just checked and it said I can have 5 devices. Downloaded and activated on my OPO. Yay.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
They changed the name and what it does.
You might want to try it if you have a hosed X4.
I had a X4 on -8 rooted with Magisk and TBP frozen Moto update and it didn't care, it just factory flashed it to -9.
Some 50 things needed updating so connect it to wifi and update all.
Credit for this goes to @redwoodie - thanks!
Pay special attention to the instructions: from power-off, hold vol-dn while connecting USB to PC. (do NOT press power-on) You get a different line on the fastboot screen.
Can we relock the bootloader after using the rescue feature?
why would you want to relock your phone and render it worthless? just drop it in the wastebasket!
That reminds me - recently I happened to pick up a used G5 from ebay. It was locked but showed a bad fastboot footprint. It was very obvious that it had been unlocked, modified, and then relocked. Worthless. I of course returned it and got my money back. The seller lost big time - shipping both ways + phone + bad review. You can't cover your tracks. Locking means nothing.
Tl;Dr - my pixel 5a5g got the black screen of death a few months ago. Last night, I tried using the flash tool to try to flash it back to Android from GrapheneOS - so that Google would be willing to fix it maybe. Flashing seemed to fail. Unsure what to try or do next.
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My Pixel has had the black screen of death for a few months now. I'm assuming it is from falling a few feet to the ground. It had a custom ROM - GrapheneOS - on it. Unless I can reflash to stock Android, it sounds like Google/ubreakifix won't look at it, and thus - no chance of repairing it for free or a smaller charge.
The other night, I tried attaching an OTG keyboard to the phone to log in to it. Since the display is black, I'm not sure it worked. I also tried several times to press where I thought the numbers for logging in would be - on my completely black screen. Somehow, I was eventually able to get my PC and Google's flash tool to recognize the phone. However, I might have messed up on some steps - because I think it might be bricked now.
I think I forgot to remove the grapheneOS key via their Web installer before trying to flash android. I used minimal abd tools to unlock the bootloader (and it still says it is unlocked)... When I tried flashing back to stock android using the android web tool, it went through the motions, but then said something like it needs to detect the phone again after flashing. And it wouldn't detect the phone again. Even if I unplugged then replugged the phone. The directions said I shouldn't/wouldn't need to press any keys on the phone for this step, but it just wasn't progressing further... So, I ended up holding the power button and volume down button - and it went into fastboot(?) again - or whatever that does.
I can repeat the steps of going thru the motions of flashing the device now, but now it gives an error saying something like it can't lock the device.
Being that the 5a screen is completely black, I have no idea what is going on - or what to do from here. I've reached out to some local repair places, but honestly, if I can't flash it myself to stock so that Google/ubreakifix would look at it, then it probably isn't worth sinking money into.... There's decent condition used ones around $120 or something out there... And ubreakifix would probably charge between $160 and $200 for screen replacement + labor - and I'm assuming that's not including a motherboard replacement - if necessary.
Ubreakifix said that they would be willing to look at it, but they can't actually do any repairs to it if it isn't running stock Android. They'd charge for the labor, and they'd temporarily use a screen to look at what it is doing/not doing... But wouldn't actually do the screen repair. I'm assuming the phone never flashed completely, but I'm hoping they can tell me if their diagnostic tools work on it - since I imagine it should work -- IF stock Android is actually installed again on it.
I've also looked into doing something like getting a displaylink adapter + display link app so that I can see the screen on the computer... But even after my multiple attempts of logging in to the phone, I can't send app downloads to the phone. Google Play store shows that the phone was "last seen" months ago... And even if I could push the app download, GrapheneOS still requires manual approval from the user to accept/finalize install of the app... Which would be pretty hard to do without seeing the screen. And obviously since I've tried flashing the phone several times last night, i have no idea what the phone is looking like. Probably app downloads are out of the question now.
Apparently you can't normally do display out of any sort with Pixel phones. The rumor I've seen on here and/or reddit is that Google got rid of it years ago, maybe so that they can sell more Chromecasts...
Does anyone have any further suggestions? I could try using scrcpy or whatever it's called, but I probably should have tried to use that before attempting to flash the phone... It's sure hard to give up on something that I spent good money on. I'd like to think there's something I haven't tried yet that I can do to save it...
You could probably try these steps:
1. Open up Device Manager on PC
2. Connect your phone
3. Hold Power + Volume Down
If you have new device in Device Manager, you can do everything with your device like flashing or try "to remove the grapheneOS key".
Edit: I'm dumb and didn't notice that part where you tried this. You should just boot into fastboot and remove that custom AVB key with fastboot erase avb_custom_key, and then reflash the phone on flash.android.com. Hope that helps!