Root [Virgin Mobile] GUIDE: How to fix your Samsung SPH-L300 when you've delete the OS or really screwed up,

[nsuchy2013]

NOTICE:
This guide may not be completely up to date as I post my guides all across the web, for the most recent version of the guide please view- http://www.nsuchy.net/my-android-guides/how-to-recover-your-samsung-galaxy-victory. If you'd still like to use this version then my guide is below;
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A Few Notes Before I Begin:
This also serves as a general fix your phone thread
I would like to apologize for saying it was prerooted. The ROM was not sorry y'all

My email address is:
me@nsuchy.net
If anyone ever needs help with that guide please email that address for the fastest response. I promise I'll respond within the week that way

Hey I'm Nathan. Last night at midnight I was bored so I did some tweaking and ended up messing up the boot stuff then I deleted system and none of the "stock" virgin mobile backups would work and no roms would fix my problem. I have a solution that fixes everything including sound and 3g/cdma. Anyways I've decided to share it with the forums. My instructions are below,

1. Download the 7z Archive from nsuchy.net.
2. Delete the TWRP folder from the external sd-card.
3. Create a backup of cache with TWRP (external storage).
4. Delete the backup of Cache with TWRP, Yes you really needed to make the backup then remove it.
5. Open your sdcard and open TWRP. You will see folder called backups. Now there will be a randomly named folder. Open it and keep opening the randomly named folders until you see no deeper. (Note: It needs to be TWRP/BACKUPS/my serial number/1969-etc/extra the files here)
6. Extract the file at this location.
7. Recover/DeBrick Your Smartphone Finally

Everything on this rom works including Sound, 3G/4G, and MMS. The 3 major issues when your restoring your phone. I can assure you that it will work I tested it and ssjChris tested it.
This is stock but but with swype added as a system app and other minor tweaks I think. I am not sure how the staging of creating this backup went.
If you do not have Windows this archive will open in 7zip perfectly you will just need to install 7zip and open the .exe file in 7zip as an archive. It works and was created as an SFX archive with ultra compression.
I would like to personally thank alexacuna for the attempted help and by doing so giving me the ideas which helped to get this thing working
I would also like to personally thank ssjChris for testing this and giving me feedback while I was in an area with no cellphone service
I would also like to tell you the file I found and got working in TWRP somehow.

Here's the unrooted virgin mobile stock backup in .rar format. It contains system,boot,and recovery.
If i'm missing something let me know.

http://db.tt/kxIjjICH

Edit: I've reached my public dropbox bandwidth. If you need this file PM me.

I did some modification to make a bootup straight away where it will just load as a factory reset Virgin Mobile Android but has DATA partation.
I've removed the MirrorUpload and Google Drive Links as I recently created nsuchy.net which is powered by Google Sites/Google Drive through my Google Apps Business Account. I figure it'll be a lot faster to put the big file in one easy to find place and Google Apps Business is a lot faster than 10 free file hosts. But if you honestly want to download through MirrorUpload then here is the link

If the above download links are failing (IE: The Google/Gmail Crash of 2014) then click here to download from my web server

 

[JerryScript]

Thanks, always good to have restore info up to date, just in case! I think you might want to add a few more steps/details. I assume you are placing that file on your sdcard, but you didn't mention that. When you say to extract the lowest level folder, I assume you mean to restore it?

And of course the final step should be, after booting up successfully you should boot back into recovery and make a backup, then put it on your computer!

 

[nsuchy2013]

I had to type this from a tablet everything since last night at midnight has been scary and exhausting. So tired. I will update this tomorrow after church. Will be around 2/3PM. The normal images already uploaded (not to be offensive) suck and tell you to figure it out.

 

[ssjChris]

Yeah, I was going through hell through most of last night and today. I give you kudos my friend for being able to track down my issue. In TWRP, the stupid restore files basically stay "hidden" until you make this dummy folder for restoring the cache. Doing this made the restore folder finally appear.

Thanks again, man.

 

[nsuchy2013]

I'll accept a thanks on the top post

 

[ssjChris]

I'll accept a thanks on the top post

Thanks and like... all the same thing, lol.

 

[nsuchy2013]

Hahaha OK thanks. Thank you for helping me help us. I was about to commit cellphone insurrence fraud and give up this whole tweaking thing

 

[JerryScript]

Brings back memories of helping people who thought they had bricked their Optimus V's. Lot's of long nites, remote desktopping in order to adb into their phones remotely, always scared we might not be able to bring the phone back to life, but we always found a way eventually (one case took three days/nights, not much sleep that week). That's what makes these forums great, people helping each other out!

 

[JerryScript]

I just tested the following steps, and can confirm that MMS and everything else works after following them:

1. Download the stock TWRP backup here: Vmobi Browser
2. Extract the file 00097d18 and place it in the TWRP/BACKUPS folder on your sdcard (make those folders if they aren't there). Should be at /extsdcard/TWRP/BACKUPS/00097d18/1969-12-31--18-44-08
3. Place your sdcard in your phone
4. Boot into recovery (power on holding volume-up+power till you see the "booting recovery..." message
5. Wipe system, cache, and dalvik cache
6. I did a factory reset, this deletes your data, you can try without and if it doesn't work follow these steps again and do a factory reset like I did
7. Restore, choosing external sdcard, and the 1969-12-31--18-44-08 file
8. Reboot

I did not have to re-activate, but I did successfully update the PRL and profile. I then did the following tests:

1. Sent a test sms (success)
2. Sent a test mms (success)
3. Connected to WiFi (success)
4. Browsed to some webpages (success)
5. Took a picture and a video (success)
6. Made a phone call (success)

Phone appears to be working fine, so I then booted back into recovery and made my own backup in TWRP. I then flashed the CWM recovery from here: Vmobi Browser I then immediately made a backup in CWM reocovery.

With backups for both TWRP and CWM, I then installed Victorious-0.1.2 and then wiped cache and dalvik cache again. I then rebooted, and tested as above again, and everything is working fine!

 

[nsuchy2013]

Brings back memories of helping people who thought they had bricked their Optimus V's. Lot's of long nites, remote desktopping in order to adb into their phones remotely, always scared we might not be able to bring the phone back to life, but we always found a way eventually (one case took three days/nights, not much sleep that week). That's what makes these forums great, people helping each other out!

Yup I love the forums...

 

[nsuchy2013]

I just tested the following steps, and can confirm that MMS and everything else works after following them:

1. Download the stock TWRP backup here: Vmobi Browser
2. Extract the file 00097d18 and place it in the TWRP/BACKUPS folder on your sdcard (make those folders if they aren't there). Should be at /extsdcard/TWRP/BACKUPS/00097d18/1969-12-31--18-48-08
3. Place your sdcard in your phone
4. Boot into recovery (power on holding volume-up+power till you see the "booting recovery..." message
5. Wipe system, cache, and dalvik cache
6. I did a factory reset, this deletes your data, you can try without and if it doesn't work follow these steps again and do a factory reset like I did
7. Restore, choosing external sdcard, and the 1969-12-31--18-48-08 file
8. Reboot

I did not have to re-activate, but I did successfully update the PRL and profile. I then did the following tests:

1. Sent a test sms (success)
2. Sent a test mms (success)
3. Connected to WiFi (success)
4. Browsed to some webpages (success)
5. Took a picture and a video (success)
6. Made a phone call (success)

Phone appears to be working fine, so I then booted back into recovery and made my own backup in TWRP. I then flashed the CWM recovery from here: Vmobi Browser I then immediately made a backup in CWM reocovery.

With backups for both TWRP and CWM, I then installed Victorious-0.1.2 and then wiped cache and dalvik cache again. I then rebooted, and tested as above again, and everything is working fine!

Lots of steps but no instructions (or very little) and does not work for some people. Glad the it works for you but does not work for all people this method does and is simpler

 

[kwknott]

Brings back memories of helping people who thought they had bricked their Optimus V's. Lot's of long nites, remote desktopping in order to adb into their phones remotely, always scared we might not be able to bring the phone back to life, but we always found a way eventually (one case took three days/nights, not much sleep that week). That's what makes these forums great, people helping each other out!

Yep I remember my Optimus V days. It was my first Android phone and boy I sure put it thru some heck. There were times I was sure it was toast but there was always someone in the forums willing to help you out. I had that phone up until a month ago when I gave it to someone who is still using it and still running BACKside. That was a great little phone.

Of all the VM phones I've had I've always found the forums helpful and people willing to help.

 

[nsuchy2013]

By the way I have done some further clarification on the guide. I hope you find it easier to use.

 

[Aniro]

Tried both steps for you and JerryScript's instructions, both times ended up bootlooping the dang phone. I really borked this phone bad and I hate that I did, so I'm kinda desperate for help here.

 

[nsuchy2013]

Are you saying restoring the backup did not work? Try just restoring recovery then restoring the entire thing.

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk 2

 

[Aniro]

Are you saying restoring the backup did not work? Try just restoring recovery then restoring the entire thing.

Restoring the backup led to me bootlooping, so yeah, it didn't work. TWRP won't let me restore recovery for some reason. It only lets me restore system, boot, data, and cache. I'm using TWRP 2.4.3.0.

 

[nsuchy2013]

That's weird would you like to text chat?

 

[nsuchy2013]

There is one more thing we could try before that. Trying using every wipe option on TWRP (yes all of them one by one) then try and restore my backup. If that does not work we will take a look at your phone and see what is wrong with it.

 

[Aniro]

Just tried all of the wipe options, all I have to show for it is more bootlooping.

 

[nsuchy2013]

Did you carefully wipe each and every one? The system, cache and dalvik, internal and external, the encryption reset? If so let me know this is a rather interesting case...

Wipe system, cache, and dalvik cache
I did a factory reset, this deletes your data, you can try without and if it doesn't work follow these steps again and do a factory reset like I did

This section of instructions is from JerryScript

 

[Aniro]

Everything up to the external because the backup is actually on that, but other than that, yes. I've also tried backing up each individual partition, and everything works up until I restore the system partition.

 

[Aniro]

I hate to hijack the OP here, but does this solution involve anything with the modem? That and the sound were my original issues to begin with before the bootlooping issues. I can get the rooted stock rom working again as well as Victorious, but both times I'm missing 3G/4G and sound.

 

[nsuchy2013]

I hate to hijack the OP here, but does this solution involve anything with the modem? That and the sound were my original issues to begin with before the bootlooping issues. I can get the rooted stock rom working again as well as Victorious, but both times I'm missing 3G/4G and sound.

I had the same issues. Do a factory reset (from your ROM) then restore everything except for data. That might help.

 

[Aniro]

TWRP keeps asking to reroot the phone before I restart it. Do I allow it to reinstall SuperSU or just leave it be?

 

[nsuchy2013]

When I was restoring mine I let it install and the only problem was I had to update the app to use root but no biggie.