[How to] Factory Restore (or Fix a Bricked Phone)

[Paul627g]

Paul and Ragnarokx, thank you so very much for your help, I will stay tuned.

Here ya go try this post.

 

[jubes]

Here ya go try this post.

Thanks Paul, I tried the SDK method, but the phone is not even being recognized by the computer... oddly the battery is getting warm while its connected to a power source... I think I have to take this into the sprint store for another :'( ... again thank you for trying to help resolve my problem.

 

[Paul627g]

Thanks Paul, I tried the SDK method, but the phone is not even being recognized by the computer... oddly the battery is getting warm while its connected to a power source... I think I have to take this into the sprint store for another :'( ... again thank you for trying to help resolve my problem.

Give it a few before you run down there, at least long enough for Ragnarokx to respond if he has any more suggestions. I maybe overlooking something.

 

[ragnarokx]

Pulling the plug early on Odin is the biggest no-no in flashing there is - if pulling the battery, trying that funky charge method and the SDK are getting you nowhere (and the phone is completely unresponsive), then you may have a legitimate brick on your hands. Sorry :'(

 

[jubes]

Pulling the plug early on Odin is the biggest no-no in flashing there is - if pulling the battery, trying that funky charge method and the SDK are getting you nowhere (and the phone is completely unresponsive), then you may have a legitimate brick on your hands. Sorry :'(

lol I figured I would be the one to do the biggest "no no" for flashing the epic.. but I do appreciate the help.

 

[ragnarokx]

I'm very sorry we couldn't help more. It's rare for this to happen but it does happen. I'll add a note to the first post to remind folks to not unplug from Odin early.

 

[jubes]

I'm very sorry we couldn't help more. It's rare for this to happen but it does happen. I'll add a note to the first post to remind folks to not unplug from Odin early.

LOL its all good.. the help is very much appreciated again.. I look at it like this, now I get a new toy to play with again LOL haha..

 

[aristarchus]

Thanks for the guide.

A minor thing. This might be obvious to tech-savvy folks, but I didn't know that in order to install the Samsung drivers I need to:

1. Download and install the driver
2. Plug in my Epic 4G while it is in "normal mode" to get windows to install the drivers.
3. THEN I can switch the phone to download mode and get Odin to recognize it.

 

[unifier]

- Try removing the battery and start over again.

- Try doing it without the .pit file

- Use a different USB cable/USB port

- Check you drivers, sometimes a different Samsung driver will make the difference.

- If you battery ends up dead try reading this post

Thanks tried all this and no go. Phone was really dead. Took it to a Sprint store and they confirmed the phone was completely nonresponsive.

For future reference, it appears that the one click root batch can produce this if it fails to update the recovery section. You appear to be left without a kernel/recovery console and can't do anything further. Be warned all.

 

[Colin Vermont]

Thanks tried all this and no go. Phone was really dead. Took it to a Sprint store and they confirmed the phone was completely nonresponsive.

For future reference, it appears that the one click root batch can produce this if it fails to update the recovery section. You appear to be left without a kernel/recovery console and can't do anything further. Be warned all.

Ragnarokx, is there anything we can learn from Unifier's experience? Some precaution we can take? Some tweak to make to the process? Or is this just something that could happen to anyone, at anytime, completely at random? <shudder>

Unifier, if you have a warranty, did they honor it? Because I would assume what you did would void the warranty. Or do they just have no way of telling what caused it? So sorry for your misfortune. :'(

 

[ragnarokx]

There is something to take from this - don't unplug your Epic while Odin is flashing. I've already added warnings to the first post.

 

[Officerpolabear]

could it be possible that i can do this on another computer? i remember i had a problem updating my samsung moment (before this) on my laptop but when i did it on the desktop, it worked perfectly. so i have been trying to do the update on my desktop so should i try doing it on my laptop? btw will my warranty cover my phone if i 'accidently' drop it and just say it gets stuck at the samsung screen?

 

[Paul627g]

could it be possible that i can do this on another computer? i remember i had a problem updating my samsung moment (before this) on my laptop but when i did it on the desktop, it worked perfectly. so i have been trying to do the update on my desktop so should i try doing it on my laptop? btw will my warranty cover my phone if i 'accidently' drop it and just say it gets stuck at the samsung screen?

Yes I would try it maybe it will work.

About the excuse to sprint on the stuck at samsung screen if this is because you have installed Froyo or rooted your phone and can't get Odin to work. I doubt it will work. If they do get the phone to boot up using their own methods, and see you did something outside of factory Eclair 2.1 then you will get caught, voided warranty.

 

[DroidXcon]

could it be possible that i can do this on another computer? i remember i had a problem updating my samsung moment (before this) on my laptop but when i did it on the desktop, it worked perfectly. so i have been trying to do the update on my desktop so should i try doing it on my laptop? btw will my warranty cover my phone if i 'accidently' drop it and just say it gets stuck at the samsung screen?

If you are able to see the samsung boot screen then you are not hopeless in this case i would def try a new computer.

 

[Officerpolabear]

Okay thanks

 

[Officerpolabear]

Wait is installing stock dk28 manually considered rooting? Cuz that's what I have on my epic 4g

 

[DroidXcon]

Wait is installing stock dk28 manually considered rooting? Cuz that's what I have on my epic 4g

No but its still altering OEM software so they will still consider it a void of warranty. It is actually much more of a reason to void your warranty than rooting.

 

[Officerpolabear]

i might want to try heimdall cuz odin seems to be too problematic

 

[spectator52]

I am somewhat new to rooting. I came from a Palm Pre where I was able to root that with webos quick install and pre-ware. Somethings here seem very similar but I am having difficulty with the first step.

I am on windows xp using the google chrome browser. When I download the 32 bit-driver, an install wizard automatically installs it thus I cannot find the "SPH-D700-DK28-8Gb-REL.tar.md5" file that I need to select in one of the first odin steps (when clicking on the PDA button).
Shouldn't I be able to download the "SPH-D700-DK28-8Gb-REL.tar.md5"file to a specific location so I can select it?
I did do a search for the file name and it only took me to the original zip file which again brings up the install wizard.
I would love to have this ROM. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Paul627g]

I am somewhat new to rooting. I came from a Palm Pre where I was able to root that with webos quick install and pre-ware. Somethings here seem very similar but I am having difficulty with the first step.

I am on windows xp using the google chrome browser. When I download the 32 bit-driver, an install wizard automatically installs it thus I cannot find the "SPH-D700-DK28-8Gb-REL.tar.md5" file that I need to select in one of the first odin steps (when clicking on the PDA button).
Shouldn't I be able to download the "SPH-D700-DK28-8Gb-REL.tar.md5"file to a specific location so I can select it?
I did do a search for the file name and it only took me to the original zip file which again brings up the install wizard.
I would love to have this ROM. Any help would be much appreciated.

First you should be able to open up your settings inside Google Chrome and uncheck the box making Google Chrome your default browser. Then either Internet Explorer/Firefox etc, whatever you have installed will take back over and you should be prompted with where you would like to save the file at, or it will be downloaded to your "Downloads" folder in your computer.

When you do get that issue worked out, make sure you change the filename for that "SPH-D700-DK28-8Gb-REL.tar.md5", to just "SPH-D700-DK28-8Gb-REL.tar". Remove the "md5". Then Odin will see it and you should be good to go.