yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Galaxy S III General] jwchips:
How to brick?

Right, I understand this will seem like a r*tarded question but: Can anyone tell me how to ensure I brick my device?

The scenario:

I have the buggy emmc firmware and I'm getting annoyed that whenever anything freezes I don't know if its the device or the ROM or a rogue app etc. I don't like the "fix" which causes 20-minute freezes whenever it feels like it. I also don't want the issue to rear its ugly head when I come to sell the phone on, or reach the end of my warranty. Therefore, it makes sense to me to resolve the issue by getting the PCB replaced while in warranty.

So I've put in for a repair with my carrier, and ideally would like to fully brick the device so they can't turn it on and say "it doesn't freeze, everythings fine" and just send it back (maybe with a software update). Anyone willing to shed some light on the most effective way to do this? Downgrade to ICS and just write data until it breaks??

Edit: Also, does the 'Check memory' option in the emmc brickbug check app actually work? It tells me the tests succeeded, but I get freezes if I fill the memory using dummy file generator =/
[Galaxy S III General] johan81:
Come on, read a bit and then flash EMC2 or later and you are done with your problems, VERY easy to do.
[Galaxy S III General] jwchips:
Would you mind clarifying what you mean by "read a bit"? I've followed this thread, and checked using oravov(?sp)'s kernel that I am indeed affected. As for flashing EMC2, what's special about that firmware? Does the kernel included in the tar have a different fix that stops the 20-minute freeze issue when the bug is triggered? Could you please give me a link to that discussion?

Just so we're clear: I'm running MIUI on an old 4.1.1 base using perseus kernel and twrp to be safe in ROM and recovery (still rocking the ICS bootloader), but I'm annoyed that samsung's "fix" causes freezing which will typically happen at the worst times and would like to ensure I get a new PCB that won't suffer from these problems while I am still in warranty. I don't understand how flashing EMC2+ will do anything?
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
Its all in post 1 of this thread.

...but yes, MC2 has v2 of the fix that doesn't do all the freezes
[Galaxy S III General] jwchips:
Okay either I'm being thick or not explaining myself correctly. Once you are 'safe', if the condition that previously caused sds is triggered, the device will freeze for 5-20 minutes and then return to normal. It is this freeze that I am unhappy with, and is why I would like to send my device for a warranty repair.

Am I talking rubbish?
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
I edited my post. Please re-read

...but it is all covered in post 1
[Galaxy S III General] jwchips:
Thanks - not sure how I missed the v1/v2 explanation! I now feel worthy of the way I was spoken to =). To avoid further idiocy on my part and because I don't know of perseus kernel employs the update 8 fix I think I'll update to the latest stock and try to reproduce the freezes.

Thanks once again!
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
I'm not sure exactly but AndreiLux might have implemented his own v2 fux rather than Samsungs.

I've no freezes on Devil (Perseus fork works on AOSP) or Siyah.
[Galaxy S III General] johan81:
EMC2 indeed does solve the freezing as rootSU told you, you need to flash a kernel for your ROM that includes the fix in it. If you send your phone for service they will not replace the mainboard because they can fix it with the newest ROM. That means, if you want to get rid of the freezes, flash the proper kernel, ask for this in the thread of the ROM maker.

EDIT:

I see you have come to understand what it all means and assume you are not sending it in, good for you! Otherwise you would have been without your phone for a while and that without a solution!
[Galaxy S III General] mutn10:
Right now I have CM10.1 Nightly 20130507 (newest) flashed with TWRP 2.5.0.0. Am I fully covered against sudden death issue? In the OP it states that TWRP 2.3.3.1 has the fix so I assume 2.5.0.0 also has it?
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
I see no reason why anyone would remove the fix. Only dev knows for sure though
[Galaxy S III General] omega_:
Update to the latest firmware, if you're able to generate the freezes with the dummy file generator, just send it back to the service center and tell them that you're able to replicable the problem and you suspect its the eMMC bug acting up

---------- Post added at 03:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:03 AM ----------

You should not get a "sudden death", but you might still get the occasional freezes
[Galaxy S III General] mutn10:
As soon as I have the freezes, I'll go back to stock and do triangle away for warranty.
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
Then you will be without your phone for 2 weeks and get it back with them doing NOTHING to it. What is the point in that? Just update to the latest ROM and you don't get the freezes. It's not Rocket Surgery
[Galaxy S III General] i2oLLCaGe:
Ok Im covered, good to know.
[Galaxy S III General] mutn10:
I ask because if I have a sudden death now with root and custom rom, I would have to pay everything myself...

So one last time, I'm protected against the sudden death issue? :p
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
Its all in post 1. We will not spoon feed you what is already there.
[Galaxy S III General] Mutley-BR:
I´m using NxtGen v12 and never freezes :) :)

Perseus 36.3 in ROM EMC3 based.

[]´s!
[Galaxy S III General] :
I have cm10.1 latest with the update 7 fix on the chip... and running cwm6 touch recovery... am i covered?
[Galaxy S III General] sherlock5545:
Why don't you update the kernel? Anyway, I'm not sure about the recovery, use Philz Recovery (Based on CWM) or TWRP.
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
The cwm recovery is compiled with the cm 10.1 kernel so it *should* be safe but since it can be compiled by "any man and his dog" rather than the original developer, its impossible to say for sure.

As Sherlock says, go Philz!
[Galaxy S III General] AudioComa:
Clarification

So just to clarify,

I'm running Omega Rom 4.1.2, apparently I have a "insane chip" type VTU00M

If I use one of the custom roms says Revolt JB for instance this should stop, or at least lessen, the freezing issue?

Do I need to get a seperate kernal too?

Thanks.
[Galaxy S III General] pickandwhammy:
Kernels are part of ROMs.
[Galaxy S III General] jeffnz:
Read the 1st post
[Galaxy S III General] omega_:
You're safe from a brick phone, not completely safe from potential freezing.
[Galaxy S III General] ponepo:
It isn't assumed that the last CM10.1 kernel brings the last update sources 10? At least in Temasek's Kernel, based on that, I have read that it does come with these sources.
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
Dunno. Some people report freezes using the CM10.1 kernel. i use devil kernel and have no issues as this uses AndreiLux's own v2 fix. i think Siyah uses the same too.

I tested Yank Kernel recently too. I had freezes but cannot say if that was MOVINAND or SWAP related.
[Galaxy S III General] ponepo:
Thanks. I'll give a try.
[Galaxy S III General] :
Freezing as in? ...so you mean to say it wont die all of sudden but may freeze,,, i dont get it.
[Galaxy S III General] sherlock5545:
You said you have the older fix, which means you are indeed safe, however, you might experience freezes as an after effect of that fix. Just flash another kernel with the latest fix.

Sent from I9300 - Paranoid Android
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
I recommend Devil Kernel for CM based ROMs. It's really good.
[Galaxy S III General] joancolmenares:
There is a post on that... The first version of the fix did solve the SDS problem, but it may cause heavy freezing (5 - 25 minutes) in some emmc chips... There is also a thread on the solution for that...
[Galaxy S III General] :
but i have not faced anything like that yet!! my phone is just 3 months old
[Galaxy S III General] joancolmenares:
It is very important to be aware of the SDS and Freezing... HAve you read the threads related to the issue?

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2133401 -- Unsual Freezing and its solution

Also, have you done all that was mentioned in post 1 of this thread? It has been mentioned that it doesnt matter how long you have had your phone (it can be a year or a day), if you have a faulty chip (use the tool to check) and you don't have the fix, it WILL happen at some point... From what I have read you seem covered, but it wouldnt hurt to be informed and double check everything...
[Galaxy S III General] JPsy Droid:
You've got an 32GB, not a 16................................... :highfive:
[Galaxy S III General] hypergamer1231:
???? so is that good or bad
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
Just check the affected chip in post 1. ALL you need is there
[Galaxy S III General] Force F:
Sorry for the noob question if i flash the philz recovery over my recent recovery im i going to loose my back up.:)

Edite: no it dosn't effected my back up
[Galaxy S III General] migz012788:
i want a full stock rom. so is it okay if i stick to the full stock ella rom? downloaded thru OTA. am i safe to the sds? like the ones that using the perseus kernel and PhilZ touch??
[Galaxy S III General] GrieverCBR:
According to post 1, you are unaffected and should fine.
[Galaxy S III General] Force F:
If u are on stock ELLA rom that mean u have stock ELLA kernel and u are safe if u have latest stock ella kernel
[Galaxy S III General] oXunknownXo:
Does anybody know if the latest stock rom (I9300XXELLC) has the fix as well?

I have the spanish CSC but flashed XELLA with odin as son as the fix was discovered. However, i would like to recieve OTAs again so i prefer going back to that firmware. It looks like it is based on it but i'm not 100% sure:
[Galaxy S III General] migz012788:
okay. i reckon that this will be the latest because this update is OTA update. and released on january 2, 2013 :D and btw what should be the stock latest ELLA kernel? will that be the one that comes from the OTA update last january 2, 2013?
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
If the OTA takes you to ELLA, then yes.
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
I'm not sure to be honest. Its something we need to know for sure. We need to compare the Kernels. but I don't know how myself.
[Galaxy S III General] nfribeiro:
The build date is 2 weeks after ELLA, so I think it has the fix as well or Samsung is playing with us.
[Galaxy S III General] ludovicianul:
Maybe a stupid question, but If a have a custom kernel (void warranty) and the phone is hit by the Sudden Death, will I still be able to get it fixed/replaced by Samsung?
[Galaxy S III General] jfsyl:
Hello all,

i have flashed the kernel Perseus Alpha 31 for the sudden death

Now, i have the red line (exclamation Mark) in the left Wupper corner at Boot :'(

Can you tel me the best way to remove this exclamation Mark ?

thank you for your job
[Galaxy S III General] migz012788:
excellent!! because i want my s3 be stock as possible. and now, knowing that i am safe on full stock ELLA rom, i dont have to worry :)

because i was also thinking what would be the good custom rom :)
[Galaxy S III General] chismay:
i believe samsung are saying they will repair rooted,bootloaded, and custom romed phones free -o- charge :D
[Galaxy S III General] blyx21:
Yes and no. If your phone is totally dead they cant see wheter you are rooted/custom. But if it can boot thru download mode and if ever its written modified or custom you are busted. So better use triangle away right away, If your sboot is not ella
[Galaxy S III General] oXunknownXo:
Ok thank you guys :good:, let's see if someone can compare both kernels.
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
I'm not sure if they can tell. Other warranty issues (other than SDS) if the phone still partially boots, yes they can tell as you get an exclamation mark on the boot animation. I am not sure where the flash counter is stored. Whether its on the eMMC that fails or somewhere else

Personally, the first thing I did was flash an ICS sboot and then used triangle away to reset the counter permanently. The new sboot that came with my S3 when I got it back after being repaired, the counter went back to 1 every time I booted with a custom Kernel.

This is the post I followed to do that:

http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=32372085&postcount=18

I'm not suggesting this is the best thing to do. Just that this is what I did.

If you rooted once being on JB, the custom Flash counter goes to one on every boot and gives this symbol. See the above.
[Galaxy S III General] siavash_Skh:
Hi

The new official Samsung rom (XELLC) that is released after XELLA has the new bootloader inside it ?

If no it may be a reason for the idea that new bootloader dosent do anything with SDS.

If yes, the question will stay that the new bootloader has a fix for SDS or just a trick to avoid waranty.
[Galaxy S III General] pimp4lyphe:
I'm quite new to this scene but i've always done the mods that you recommend. So i was using Philz recovery with Paranoid Android 3.15 and Siyah Kernel. I tried flashing Devils kernel but when I go to "about phone" I see kernel version unavailable. Why do you think that is? I've since re-flashed Siyah kernel.
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
Because there's no information put there by the dev? Thats all. It's normal - at least on my phone.

It's a really nice Kernel for CM roms. Even though it's still a work in progress, it's my go-to kernel.
[Galaxy S III General] pimp4lyphe:
Well I'll take ur word for it, just trying my best to keep my phone from dying :good:
[Galaxy S III General] Soccout:
I have got the perseus41 kernel xxemd2 firmware and Archidroid as Rom. I also have got Phils Recovery 4.

I 4 times wrote the Dummy file and got no freeze!!!

But random reboots 5 times a day..

WTF??
[Galaxy S III General] kadopt:
Check voltage and abb settings in stweaks.
[Galaxy S III General] Soccout:
How should i set the values? They are all default.
[Galaxy S III General] kadopt:
Does it has a pattern for crashing? Like only during sleep?
[Galaxy S III General] Soccout:
I couldnt figure out one. I tried Dummy File Generator and wrot 4x 8GB of data and got no freeze no random reboot. Its probably not a writing error.

The undervoltage was my guess at another rom too, so i changed all values to full. Still got freezess. But I could try this one again.

Im not quite sure, but heavy shaking COULD be a pattern
[Galaxy S III General] kadopt:
You fully wiped your device when changed roms? You have those super wipe scripts. Also shaking should only affect a device that was dropped alot of times and the pcb became damaged....
[Galaxy S III General] Soccout:
Of course i have fully wiped it. Got a reboot now 2 times without shaking. It happens directy after waking up the device. And is always resulting in a bootloop. I can't even go into recovery without removing battery
[Galaxy S III General] kadopt:
The only thing I can recommend is to install a fully stock rom (like xxemb5 or xxemc2, can't say for sure as I use cm10.1) without any custom stuff and see if it still crashes. If is still dodgy use triangle away and send it for warranty.
[Galaxy S III General] Soccout:
Yes should do this. What it the right room and kernel to install? ( I have international version)
[Galaxy S III General] kadopt:
Get xxemc2 (http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=25922341), it's a UK unbranded rom and don't install any kernel because you are checking if the issue is from the device or any modifications you did to the rom like kernels, etc.
[Galaxy S III General] Soccout:
Ok im from germany, but i think its no problem.

I have got xxemc2 firmware and stock kernel now. Also PhilZ recovery. I still use the basic Rom. Afaik the Rom cant cause these reboots.

If its not working Ill buy galaxy s4 lol
[Galaxy S III General] kadopt:
Nice, report later on if it got fixed or not.
[Galaxy S III General] Soccout:
Haha ok so stock kernel/firmware didn't work.

Got a reboot while using.

I ll now flash firmware.

Am i right that i have everything stock then? So Recovery, Rom, Kernel and Firmware?
[Galaxy S III General] kadopt:
Yes try to have everything stock.
[Galaxy S III General] Soccout:
After flashing the firmware with odin everything is stock?
[Galaxy S III General] kadopt:
Yes.
[Galaxy S III General] Soccout:
Im currently downloading the firmware.

Just one hint. The bootloop continues after I put out the akku and put it in again. I have to wait to reboot again. So I think i can be pretty sure its an overheating/voltage problem. I ordered a new akku will try this one before changing it to S4.

Maybe there is a workaround F.e not going over 1000 mhz?
[Galaxy S III General] Soccout:
I removed SD card. No Reboots for 3 hours now

Any known issues with defect SD Cards?
[Galaxy S III General] kadopt:
Corrupt files or file system may generate issues, reformat the sd card in a pc to fat32. Also some cards may be incompatible.
[Galaxy S III General] Soccout:
It was the one i got before. Cant i format it with Philz Recovery?, since i havent a micro sd Card reader. Ok i tryed to format it, while it was in my galaxy s3. But computer couldnt
[Galaxy S III General] kadopt:
No harm in trying.
[Galaxy S III General] jeffnz:
Does this discussion need to be in this thread
[Galaxy S III General] AudioComa:
Still freezing

So i flashed my phone with Cyanongenmod from the list. after messing around with the gapps and trying unsuccesfully to restore backups I got it working.

Still freezing though, Can't see any pattern. Turn data on it might be ok it might freeze. I'll try to turn it on from standby most time it works and once or twice it has froze.

After power button hold reset its fine. Just really annoying.

Also get a wierd noise/notification sound everynow and then can't figure out what it is. thought it might be a wake up sound but don't think so.
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
Use siyah or devil kernel. Freezes are related to v1 fix
[Galaxy S III General] effepas:
Sorry to say that Siyah Kernel didn't fix the freezes issue on my I9300... Those continuos freezes are driving me crazy.

It has to something other than the fix type, regarding the problem and the fix.

Thank you very much for your patience, RootSu, I'm sorry to bother you with this problem.

P.S.

The assistance said me that they could only update my phone to the latest stock rom as fix for freezes...
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
Dunno. I get freezes on cm and Yank but not siyah or devil.

I only assume siyah has AndreiLux fix because they share a lot. Devil definitely has AndreiFix. Try that. If you get freezes still, unlikely sds us cause
[Galaxy S III General] effepas:
Many thanks.

I'll try soon the devil kernel.

If that and DFG method will not definitely work, I'll be forced to go back on a stock rom.
[Galaxy S III General] idiotechnick:
What i had is weird SD issue. Sometime in a week 3 freeze happen, what my suggest some program are stuck when lauching! Facebook are my biggest issue i had with my phone. And other chatting app

I hope my warranty still cover so i can replace the insane chip. :D
[Galaxy S III General] Messi10:
if i buy s3 today can it have this problem?
[Galaxy S III General] sherlock5545:
Depends, if it's from the newer batch, it shouldn't be affected.

Sent from I9300 - Paranoid Android
[Galaxy S III General] Stevemann:
Over recent weeks I too have had frequent freezes, mainly on any Internet accessing app - Facebook, Chrome particular. These freezes are happening much more frequently and is now affecting SMS receiving so I am thinking of getting it fully back to Stock and requesting another replacement S3...

I had a replacement S3 due to the original dying with full SDS. The replacement had the vulnerable chip in it. I am running stock kernel XXEMC2 and Omega 43.2 ROM.
[Galaxy S III General] Sunrock23:
Freeze issue

Hey,

I'm using the latest Perseus kernel, which obviously has Andrei's fix, but I still get freezes...

My phone was all good but one fine day it started freezing on an older version of Perseus kernel which had the V1 fix, so reading up I found there was a new V2 fix that stopped the freezing. It did minimize the freezing, but I still get freezes, reboots and random shutdowns. Its pretty annoying, any suggestions?
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
I can't suggest. No freezes for me since using. Ask Andrei for advice?
[Galaxy S III General] mrm43:
Hi, you mean to say that ever since updating to version 2 fixes you haven't had a single freeze? That's nice to know coz I am hoping that it would happen to my s3 also after updating to firmware with version 2 fixes (from MC2 to MD2) . Been almost 6 days now without a freeze. Hoping it will stay that way. Thanks.
[Galaxy S III General] pickandwhammy:
I have the insane chip and have never had a single freeze/crash/reboot. Lucky eh?
[Galaxy S III General] mrm43:
Thanks. My wife's s3 and mine were bought at the same time, Nov 2012. Mine started freezing last month (firmware MA2). Her s3 has not, been fine to this day. But last week when I updated to MD2, updated hers also just in case . Some are lucky indeed.

Thanks.
[Galaxy S III General] stevendeb25:
Bought an s3 today its got insane chip after checking with app.

I already rooted and installed custom ROM.

Firmware was xxemc2 march am I safe?
[Galaxy S III General] jeffnz:
First post has all your answers
[Galaxy S III General] wutdupuk:
Hi, quick question. Having CWM recovery isn't safe? If so, what's a good substitute for nandroid backups?
[Galaxy S III General] pickandwhammy:
CWM-based recoveries fully support NANDroid backups too, e.g. PhilZ.
[Galaxy S III General] AudioComa:
Still have freezing and a weird ripple type sound usually on unlock and lock but sometimes its random.

Running Cyanogenmod and have uploaded devil kernal and it freezes 2-3 times a day.
[Galaxy S III General] Libyan Man:
hey ,

well , am an VTU00M 0XF1 owner i've checked that out and confirmed. :(

i've been flashed Spanish official ROM XXEMC2 , rooted , custom recovery CWM , and am jumping between many custom ROM's

now am running xperianze0.9.9 xxemc3 custom rom with 3.0.31 kernel version 4.1.2 , so am safe ?:confused:
[Galaxy S III General] kadopt:
Read this! http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=41507641
[Galaxy S III General] Libyan Man:
thanx for ur replay , but do u think that i didnt read what has been written at the thread ?!

thread says these firmwares are safe

XXELKC

XXELL1

XXELL4

XXELL5

XXELL6

XXELLA

XXELLB

XXELLC

simply mine is not one of them and its XXEMC2 April V , AM I SAFE !?
[Galaxy S III General] jeffnz:
Well given yours is later firmware it stands to reason its safe as stated in first post
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
Oh my god. That is NOT what it says.

Read it again. It says:

As It appears all 4.1.2 kernels have the fixes, there is no longer a need to test them all. See below for a list of tested kernels that have the fix. All kernels subsequent to these will also be regarded as safe.

XXELKC

XXELL1

XXELL4

XXELL5

XXELL6

XXELLA

XXELLB

XXELLC
[Galaxy S III General] Libyan Man:
thanx for ur replay , man u r saying See below for a list of tested kernels well it means these kernels were confirmed!

im just wondering if my kernel has been tested , that's it thanx again.:)
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
I have already answered this.
[Galaxy S III General] iancarvalho:
Just posting to get through the 10 posts to post in the dev thread. :silly:
[Galaxy S III General] kadopt:
Lately it have been the same question over and over again. Everybody wants to be spoonfed. Jeez...
[Galaxy S III General] jeffnz:
Aye the thread has got to that stage now.
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
I'd get it locked but then the info would get lost. Maybe I need to simplify it?
[Galaxy S III General] jeffnz:
Don't think it would matter some are just too lazy to do anything for themselves
[Galaxy S III General] CuteP0ison:
I have the insane chip version S3. Its on 4.1.2 with root. But I also have CWM installed from chainfire's thread link here

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1695238

Am I safe with this recovery?
[Galaxy S III General] kadopt:
Most likely no, flash PhilZ recovery, here (http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=34379030)
[Galaxy S III General] danarama:
From post 1: