Help Samsung Vibrant Bricked?

[sleepyhills]

Hey everyone,

I currently have an issue with my Bell Vibrant - gt-i9000m Galaxy S phone. I rooted it and tried applying the Bionix 1.3 ROM. However, now my phone goes into a constant loop of rebooting with this gray battery whenever I plug it into the computer via USB. I've tried factory reset/data wipe, recovering to a backup ROM and nothing is working out. I'd really appreciate any help and thank you so much.

 

[w_bovine]

Hey everyone,

I currently have an issue with my Bell Vibrant - gt-i9000m Galaxy S phone. I rooted it and tried applying the Bionix 1.3 ROM. However, now my phone goes into a constant loop of rebooting with this gray battery whenever I plug it into the computer via USB. I've tried factory reset/data wipe, recovering to a backup ROM and nothing is working out. I'd really appreciate any help and thank you so much.

I hadn't really noticed on the Bionix thread...is that ROM "approved" for use on a Bell Vibrant as opposed to a T-Mobile Vibrant? The only thing I can think of offhand is there's something about the Bell that's different from the T-Mobile and therefore there's a compatibility problem. Have you flashed back to Bell stock to see if everything works properly then?

 

[sleepyhills]

Haha yes... I am currently slamming my head against the wall at my stupidity. I'm tryingmy best to get back to its original condition though.

 

[sleepyhills]

It's back to the state where it displays a grey battery whenever I plug it into the computer with USB. Does anyone have any ideas for what I can do?

 

[w_bovine]

It's back to the state where it displays a grey battery whenever I plug it into the computer with USB. Does anyone have any ideas for what I can do?

So you have it back to stock form? Is it still looping the reboot? Kinda sounds like a possible USB problem. Have you rebooted the computer and then plugged it back in?

I've never seen the screen you describe so I don't know what it means.

 

[seven2099]

OMG I am living this exact same freakin thing right now... exactly as the OP has described.

I'm absolutely deseperate as, right now my phone is bricked pretty much. No way to charge the battery as of now... so soon i'll have no battery to even work with the phone..

The main reason there is an issue with this is the fact that our phone is NOT a vibrant.. at least from I have read, it is a i9000m which, on install of Bionix 1.3, the kernel breaks and thats it.. nothing more we can do.

Right now I'm trying to find out what the hell I can do to make my phone at least charge.......


Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[seven2099]

I'm actually testing a fix now... omg. If this works I will crap myself.

lets hope... my battery lasts long enough..

 

[w_bovine]

OMG I am living this exact same freakin thing right now... exactly as the OP has described.

I'm absolutely deseperate as, right now my phone is bricked pretty much. No way to charge the battery as of now... so soon i'll have no battery to even work with the phone..

The main reason there is an issue with this is the fact that our phone is NOT a vibrant.. at least from I have read, it is a i9000m which, on install of Bionix 1.3, the kernel breaks and thats it.. nothing more we can do.

Right now I'm trying to find out what the hell I can do to make my phone at least charge.......


Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Oh carp! That's a very hard way to learn that. Are you trying to charge it from the PC, or do you have an external charger? I assume it came with one, but now that I think of it, I don't remember if mine did. I'm so used to using the computer to charge...it's all I've ever done.

Uh...so, you can't even get ODIN to see it? Have you been over to xda for help? There's a lot of high level technical expertise over there.

Let us know what happens.

 

[seven2099]

FIXED!!!!!!!!

Ok, simple way to fix. Best part is you don't need to worry about USB connect problems.

So assuming you are still on Bionix1.3 Voodoo or W/E

These are the steps for the fix:
First you must download Odin
Odin3_v1.0.rar

Download this PIT file used to have odin communicate with your phone.
s1_odin_20100512.pit

Then go to this forum post:

[kernel][2.6.29](18th Sep) OC/UV kernel with user configurable UV apk -Voodoo support - xda-developers

and Download this file: oc120_voodoo_b4.2.tar

Extract this file to your desktop, which should create another Tar file with the same name. (yes this is correct...)

Once you are done up to this point all you will do the following:

1.Open your phone, remove SIM and external SD. (make sure your phone is unplugged from USB)
2.Then take out the battery, put it back in.
3.Hold Home button + Vol Down button and then tap the power button: It will immediately go into Download mode (if you require further info for this just google on how to get to this point, pretty simple)

Once in Download mode.. (do it in THIS order.. or it will fail)

1. Open Odin
2. Hit the PIT button and Load up the file: "the s1_odin_20100512.pit"
3. Plug in your USB to your computer first, then to your phone.
3. One of the COM lights should turn on in Odin, it will turn yellow. This shows you Odin is detecting your phone.
4. Hit the PDA button and load up the file: "oc120_voodoo_b4.2.tar" (the extracted one)
5. All systems go, make sure the box re-partition is not checked and then hit

START!..

Then yellow box will turn blue, kernel will update.

And bam, your phone will automatically restart into Bionix 1.3.. with Voodoo now and a bunch of new features just for the i9000 series. USB will now work perfectly as will all the other slick features of Odix 1.3

Hope this was of help.

Cheers mate.

Seven

 

[w_bovine]

FIXED!!!!!!!!

Ok, simple way to fix. Best part is you don't need to worry about USB connect problems.

So assuming you are still on Bionix1.3 Voodoo or W/E

These are the steps for the fix:
First you must download Odin
Odin3_v1.0.rar

Download this PIT file used to have odin communicate with your phone.
s1_odin_20100512.pit

Then go to this forum post:

[kernel][2.6.29](18th Sep) OC/UV kernel with user configurable UV apk -Voodoo support - xda-developers

and Download this file: oc120_voodoo_b4.2.tar

Extract this file to your desktop, which should create another Tar file with the same name. (yes this is correct...)

Once you are done up to this point all you will do the following:

1.Open your phone, remove SIM and external SD. (make sure your phone is unplugged from USB)
2.Then take out the battery, put it back in.
3.Hold Home button + Vol Down button and then tap the power button: It will immediately go into Download mode (if you require further info for this just google on how to get to this point, pretty simple)

Once in Download mode.. (do it in THIS order.. or it will fail)

1. Open Odin
2. Hit the PIT button and Load up the file: "the s1_odin_20100512.pit"
3. Plug in your USB to your computer first, then to your phone.
3. One of the COM lights should turn on in Odin, it will turn yellow. This shows you Odin is detecting your phone.
4. Hit the PDA button and load up the file: "oc120_voodoo_b4.2.tar" (the extracted one)
5. All systems go, make sure the box re-partition is not checked and then hit

START!..

Then yellow box will turn blue, kernel will update.

And bam, your phone will automatically restart into Bionix 1.3.. with Voodoo now and a bunch of new features just for the i9000 series. USB will now work perfectly as will all the other slick features of Odix 1.3

Hope this was of help.

Cheers mate.

Seven

Glad to hear you resolved the problem. And just think about how much you learned! Albeit the hard way.

I'll keep a copy of your instructions for future use.

 

[ordinal]

I can fully appreciate the first line below.

seven2099, you just saved me, from exactly the same problem! Thanks ever so much.

FIXED!!!!!!!!

Ok, simple way to fix. Best part is you don't need to worry about USB connect problems.

So assuming you are still on Bionix1.3 Voodoo or W/E

These are the steps for the fix:
First you must download Odin
Odin3_v1.0.rar

Download this PIT file used to have odin communicate with your phone.
s1_odin_20100512.pit

Then go to this forum post:

[kernel][2.6.29](18th Sep) OC/UV kernel with user configurable UV apk -Voodoo support - xda-developers

and Download this file: oc120_voodoo_b4.2.tar

Extract this file to your desktop, which should create another Tar file with the same name. (yes this is correct...)

Once you are done up to this point all you will do the following:

1.Open your phone, remove SIM and external SD. (make sure your phone is unplugged from USB)
2.Then take out the battery, put it back in.
3.Hold Home button + Vol Down button and then tap the power button: It will immediately go into Download mode (if you require further info for this just google on how to get to this point, pretty simple)

Once in Download mode.. (do it in THIS order.. or it will fail)

1. Open Odin
2. Hit the PIT button and Load up the file: "the s1_odin_20100512.pit"
3. Plug in your USB to your computer first, then to your phone.
3. One of the COM lights should turn on in Odin, it will turn yellow. This shows you Odin is detecting your phone.
4. Hit the PDA button and load up the file: "oc120_voodoo_b4.2.tar" (the extracted one)
5. All systems go, make sure the box re-partition is not checked and then hit

START!..

Then yellow box will turn blue, kernel will update.

And bam, your phone will automatically restart into Bionix 1.3.. with Voodoo now and a bunch of new features just for the i9000 series. USB will now work perfectly as will all the other slick features of Odix 1.3

Hope this was of help.

Cheers mate.

Seven

 

[SnowHydra]

Hello, I tried seven2099's method, but that gives me an OS that repeatedly asks me to force close everything. I tried flashing JAC's kernel, but that leaves me with a black screen after the boot sequence. Anybody help?

 

[seven2099]

Hey Ordinal! Glad it helped!

 

[seven2099]

As for you Snow Hydra: who is stuck in a crappy kernel that crashes everything, i found out the hard way that Bionix is simply not designed for our phones so we lose a lot of functionality (front facing camera support..etc) and there is tremendous strain on our batteries when using bionix because it is not designed for our phone. As for other kernels, designed for our phone its a different story.. but these days, when Voodoo4 gives a boost to performance on the i9000 at the cost of degrading your SD lifespan... not worth it. Just use One Click Lag Fix 2.0 (from the Android market) and be happy.

Having said that, the final solution was to restore back to factory stock firmware and just play it safe untill Froyo comes out officially for the GT-i9000m.

The way to do this (stock firmware restore) is to head over to:

Samfirmware - i9000 Stock Firmwares

To access this page you need to make an account, then you need to log in and go to this page. It will guide you to a repository of all the stock samsung firmwares for the GT-i9000 series.

Make sure you know EXACTLY which GT-i9000 series phone you have.. I'll give you an example.

If you are in canada and you want to restore your GT-i9000m then you'll need

I9000UGJH2 # - Firmware Link

This information can be quickly found out by doing a quick google search on the exact model of your phone.

On the page Samfirmware.com you'll see that it even tells you which PIT file each firmware requires and it provides a link for that PIT file for Odin.

Once you have both your stock firmware and the Odin pit file:

1.Open your phone, remove SIM and external SD. (make sure your phone is unplugged from USB)
2.Then take out the battery, put it back in.
3.Hold Home button + Vol Down button and then tap the power button: It will immediately go into Download mode (if you require further info for this just google on how to get to this point, pretty simple)

Once in Download mode.. (do it in THIS order.. or it will fail)

1. Open Odin
2. Hit the PIT button and Load up the file: "*which ever pit file your stock firmware requires*"
3. Plug in your USB to your computer first, then to your phone.
3. One of the COM lights should turn on in Odin, it will turn yellow. This shows you Odin is detecting your phone.
4. Hit the PDA button and load up the STOCK firmware (it might require that you extract it into a folder on your desktop)
5. All systems go, make sure the box re-partition IS CHECKED and then hit

START!..

Then yellow box will turn blue, firmware will update and Odin will notify you once it has flashed if it has been successful. It will tell you "CHECK : OK" and turn green. Do not unplug it untill you get that. *might take a few minutes*

And there you go..

*NOTE* When you download a firmware from Samfirmware.com it will ask you for a password. Just check the table in that same page where you downloaded the firmware and it will show you which password to use.

 

[seven2099]

I will warn you guys though, and do take this very seriously.

These phones that run on internal SD cards are not meant to be repartitioned often therefore every time you flash you ARE shortening the life span of your internal SD. Once your internal SD dies or becomes corrupt you are left with a none-functioning phone.

Sometimes an SD unit can only take 2-3 repartitions before it breaks, sometimes it can take more.. 10-20.. its a gamble. So choose carefully and its better to play it safe than to lose your phone..

 

[Franz9236]

FIXED!!!!!!!!

Ok, simple way to fix. Best part is you don't need to worry about USB connect problems.

So assuming you are still on Bionix1.3 Voodoo or W/E

These are the steps for the fix:
First you must download Odin
Odin3_v1.0.rar

Download this PIT file used to have odin communicate with your phone.
s1_odin_20100512.pit

Then go to this forum post:

[kernel][2.6.29](18th Sep) OC/UV kernel with user configurable UV apk -Voodoo support - xda-developers

and Download this file: oc120_voodoo_b4.2.tar

Extract this file to your desktop, which should create another Tar file with the same name. (yes this is correct...)

Once you are done up to this point all you will do the following:

1.Open your phone, remove SIM and external SD. (make sure your phone is unplugged from USB)
2.Then take out the battery, put it back in.
3.Hold Home button + Vol Down button and then tap the power button: It will immediately go into Download mode (if you require further info for this just google on how to get to this point, pretty simple)

Once in Download mode.. (do it in THIS order.. or it will fail)

1. Open Odin
2. Hit the PIT button and Load up the file: "the s1_odin_20100512.pit"
3. Plug in your USB to your computer first, then to your phone.
3. One of the COM lights should turn on in Odin, it will turn yellow. This shows you Odin is detecting your phone.
4. Hit the PDA button and load up the file: "oc120_voodoo_b4.2.tar" (the extracted one)
5. All systems go, make sure the box re-partition is not checked and then hit

START!..

Then yellow box will turn blue, kernel will update.

And bam, your phone will automatically restart into Bionix 1.3.. with Voodoo now and a bunch of new features just for the i9000 series. USB will now work perfectly as will all the other slick features of Odix 1.3

Hope this was of help.

Cheers mate.

Seven

I LLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!


YOU ARE A LIFE SAVER!!!

1. I FIRST USED YOUR WAY TO UNBRICK MY PHONE

2. After doing this my phone was a little weird. volume was reverse so I did an odin flash but instead of using the vodoo I used the T959ujvfd file

3. Reflashed and boom everything is back to normal!!! I tried to use odin using the T959one about 10 times didn't work till I stumble onto your post! You are a life saver thank you!

 

[seven2099]

Thanks mate! Glad it was of help!

 

[FionaC]

Hi. I thought other Bell customers would like to know:
I'm on Bell and was still on 2.1 when my phone started exhibiting these same symptoms. I tried all of the recommendations for resetting, but never got past square one. (No 3-button reset or other method would get me to download mode.)

So, I gave in and went in to the Bell store (which I hate doing since the wait is always sooo long.) They said to call their technical solutions line: 1-877-328-2123. Surprisingly, I got the very fast answer that they would replace my phone. No questions asked. In fact, they gave me a $100 credit and even offered a loaner phone for the 3-5 business days I'll have to wait for my replacement. (No thanks. I can hold out over the holidays.)

This doesn't fully redeem Bell in my eyes, but it seems they have acknowledged that this is a "known issue" and are treating it as such.

Oh, and they called back to say I don't even have to return the defunct phone, so if I do magically get it working again, I guess I'll have an extra wifi-only phone to play with!

Fingers crossed that the new phone will behave.

 

[irishjoeyo]

This fix isn't working for me. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but after I hit the "Start" button in Odin, the first square in Odin turns blue and says "RESET!", then my phone reboots and nothing changes. Same problem I originally had with the galaxy stars moving around with the music, then the screen goes black. Anyone have any suggestions?