Samsung S4 keeps rebooting and installing new firmware?

TerminallyChill

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Hi guys, just need some help an issue i've been having this evening. My phone was working perfectly, until I decided to install some firmware that i've been putting off downloading for a few days. So my phone turns off, comes up with the green android avatar and says "Installing system update", it gets to 100%, my phone reboots, but it gets to the "samsung s4" screen (with blue writing in the top left hand corner saying "Recovery Booting"; I don't know if this means anything) and then it installs the update again! This loop has probably occured 20 times now, my phone ran out of battery, I charged it up and it still carries on!
Does anyone have any ideas of why this might be happening and how I can fix it? Thanks in advance!
 

94lt1

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Wow.. Sounds like it got hung in bootloop. I'm no help here. But perhaps another person can be..

Did you take the update ota or another way? Might have to reflash the device.
 
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TerminallyChill

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I just did it through the device, there was no connection to my computer. I tried to boot it into recovery mode using Samsung Kies but it keeps coming up with error messages about Kies not being able to connect to the device, even though its plugged in.

Is there any other way I can 'reflash' the device? I'm hopelessly lost about what I should do, and I feel hopefully lost without my smartphone!
 

Ollie

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While it is rebooting you can hold the volume up and home button and it should boot you into recovery.

Or Alternatively you can press and hold volume down, home, and the power button to boot into download mode. Kies should recognize your phone then.
 
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TerminallyChill

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Hi Ollie, I dropped my phone a couple weeks back and the volume up control doesn't work anymore! The volume down still does, and I tried pressing the buttons in that order while it is plugged into my computer and Kies is on screen, but my phone just goes black (from the little green android man install screen) and then vibrates once every 30 seconds or so... Still not connecting to Kies. Any other ideas, or should I just give up hope? Thank you for your help though, I appreciate it.
 

Ollie

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We just fought this problem with another user very recently. I will see if I can find out what fixed it. If I remember correctly it was Safe Mode.
 
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TerminallyChill

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Okay brilliant, let me know what you find. I'm not sleeping tonight until I fix this!
 

Ollie

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Do you have A microsdcard in the phone? If so remove it. Do a battery pull, wait 30 seconds, stick the battery back in and hold volume up, home button, and power button.

I'm not sure how much you can do if the volume keys aren't working properly.
 
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TerminallyChill

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No microsdcard. I think I tried this earlier this evening, but because the volume up doesn't work it won't do anything. Do you think there might be a program that could boot it to Safe Mode?
 

Ollie

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If you had USB Debugging enabled you may be able to use ADB to boot.
 
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TerminallyChill

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Sorry, can you walk me through that? I'm not entirely sure what that means.
 

94lt1

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If you took an ota and it messed up your device.. I'd definitely hit up my provider first..
 

KaosMaster

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Ok. Here is a simple way...

Pull the battery out. .. wait 30 seconds.
Plug charger into phone. Wait till it is 100%. Do not try and turn on the phone.
Then hold the home key and volume down. Press and release power key. Screen will warn about custom OS. Press volume up.
Plug into computer. . Kies will see the device now!
 
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