[Galaxy Note 4 General] shonkin:
My Touch Screen DiED!!! (A Sad Story that Ends Happily)

I have flashed many a rom on my N910T Note 4. But yesterday I thought I'd update my TWRP install, and elected to use the new TWRP app to do so. Right TWRP file (double-checked). Fired up the app... and apparent success. On reboot, however, what looked to be

*DISASTER*

I touched my screen but nothing happened. Then I moved my finger and something elsewhere than under it opened up. In short, the sensors had become non-calibrated - they no longer properly detected where on the screen I was touching. The fact they did at all was better than nothing... but not much.

First, then, I did at least have some ability to still do things.

Second, better, I found that the s-pen's sensors worked just fine! Boy, was that helpful when it came to trying to type in my pin number / password.

Third, initial looks on the ol' google revealed people saying I'd have to buy a new sensor for the touch screen. Arrrgh!!

BUT THEN THE GOOD NEWS... I HOPED!

I discovered a number of folks suggesting what sounded almost James Bond-ish... a code, input into the phone touchpad, that when "called" could result in a calibration reset. Over and over again, there it was:

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"dial *#2663# and update the touch FW by pressing TSP FW update (General)"

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Okay, said I. Tried it from my new TWIZd rom. But no love. I got an error message. But then it occurred to me to read the many posts on this code more carefully... and sure enough, they did suggest that using the OFFICIAL rom provided by Samsung/my provider was necessary. Sigh... that meant navigating TWRP -- which by the way was also affected by the bad calibration. It was doable... just... by figuring out where my touches were actually activating the screen (it was less severely affected at the top but very severe near the bottom). Eventually got the phone wiped (Thank God I had just backed up my sweet TWIZd install to the ext sd card!). Luckily, I had a generic old copy of my phone's original rom on the ext sd, though it was one that had been debloated and rooted. I hoped it would work....

The flash hung. Forever. heading for 20 minutes. Finally I pulled the battery, not hopeful, and restarted the phone. *WHEW* it came up with the rom installed. Skipping both google and samsung installs, I went right to the Home screen and used my s-pen to type in the code then hit the call key.

Up came a screen of buttons, including a greyish TSP FW update (General) button. (See pics; neither is a Note 4 but both give accurate idea of what the screen looks like when the code given above is dialed in and works correctly.)

I tapped it with the s-pen.... and my screen was fixed!!

I made sure to use TWRP to backup that generic rom to my 128g external sd card - that way if this happens again I can "restore" it via TWRP and repair the phone quickly.

One thing is for certain... I sure appreciate this community of folks, which is where I found much of the info. And I will not be using that TWRP app (created by commercial interests anyway) again. Back to installing TWRP the old way, via either a *.tar TWRP file and ODIN via a PC or via flashing an *.img file w/ TWRP itself.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Hit thanks if you found this amusing / helpful / or just plain odd.