Samsung Galaxy S3 — My phone won't turn on or hard reset

Nikki Wallace

I tried a hard reset by holding vol UP+menu+power
It is currently stuck on this screen with no saving it no matter how many times I retry the hard reset. HELP!!

when you press Vol up + menu key + power button
you will go to recovery mode not the download mode

solution

go to recovery and clear cache then wipe data / factory reset
if it doesn't help, go to download mode by pressing Vol down + menu key + power button
it will show "Downloading. Do not turn off target!!"
now download the latest firmware and flash it with odin.. download mode is used to flash a stock rom .

or try emergency firmware recovery with kies

— modified on Aug 1, 2014, 11:24:51 AM

Nikki Wallace

Thank you for your reply but neither of those things worked.

REcovery mode doesn't work - it just stays on the samsung screen
Download mode deosn't work it just freezes on the android "downloading do not turn off" screen

Kies emergency firmware recovery does nothing. There is no option to press the phone

I don't know what else to do.

It was working fine this morning. I didn't even make any changes or downlaod anything

can you post a screen shot of the download mode?

The only way I could get the factory reset to work was to press the volume down key when it was supposed to be the volume up. I have no idea why this worked but I spent a while on in a chat with Samsung and they did not suggest that but I did it out of desperation and it went right into the reset menu. It took all of 5 minutes once I was there.

Your question was a couple of months ago but I wanted to respond so that if other people have this same problem, perhaps the solution that worked for me can help.

I was looking for a new phone, popped my SIM card to test it out, decided not to get it. Put the SIM card back into the old phone with no problem. Having a battery charge issue so I turned my phone off. When I turned it back on I got the "Downloading. Do not turn off target!!" message and it stayed that way for what seemed like forever. When I tried to restart it, same message. Took battery out, popped it back in. Same message.

Then, I tried this:

Took out the SIM card. Started up the phone, let it load up and then it showed in the notifications bar up top that the SIM card was missing. Put the SIM card in while the phone was still on. Phone doesn't recognize that the SIM card is in, so I pressed the restart button and that's what it did and voilá. no more annoying message!!

Hope it works for whoever else may come across this problem.

If anyone can help me out my LGMS323 wit metro pcs vibrated for a min then just shut off on me and it never turn on when I pusht power button tried to charge still didn't come on I tried hard reset doesn't work either help someone get answers please

Ira Horowitz

The only way I could get the factory reset to work was to press the volume down key when it was supposed to be the volume up. I have no idea why this worked but I spent a while on in a chat with Samsung and they did not suggest that but I did it out of desperation and it went right into the reset menu. It took all of 5 minutes once I was there.

I heart you so much right now! I have been on this for two days, solid, and following this, I'm back. Bless you!

Sanjai Joseph

Nikki Wallace

I tried a hard reset by holding vol UP+menu+power
It is currently stuck on this screen with no saving it no matter how many times I retry the hard reset. HELP!!

when you press Vol up + menu key + power button
you will go to recovery mode not the download mode

solution

go to recovery and clear cache then wipe data / factory reset
if it doesn't help, go to download mode by pressing Vol down + menu key + power button
it will show "Downloading. Do not turn off target!!"
now download the latest firmware and flash it with odin.. download mode is used to flash a stock rom .

or try emergency firmware recovery with kies

How do u flash it with odin?

Hello Nikki,

I know its a Late answer but it may help somebody else

I had the Same problem... Used the wrong button left and ended up in the download screen
Which says "dont turn off ... "

I took the Risk, removed the Cover and the Battery, and plugged it in again.
Then i Used the following procedure:

Press button left top and middle bottom simultaneous, then press power (right)
And release all Buttons... You end up in a menu containing the point "clear Cache" ...
(If instead it says "Download ... " -> see above!
You select the Function "clear cache" and confirm with power (right)
Then You select "reboot" the same way ....

Voila ... Now it works and all contact and communications are still there!

The only way I could get the factory reset to work was to press the volume down key when it was supposed to be the volume up. I have no idea why this worked but I spent a while on in a chat with Samsung and they did not suggest that but I did it out of desperation and it went right into the reset menu. It took all of 5 minutes once I was there.

The phone just said no command

Wei-Jing:

I signed on just to thank you. This worked for my s3.

Thank you

holy shit man you're a lifesaver!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

although after wards, what did you do?

hi there i have been reading this topic on the samsung galaxy s3 locked on the startup screen and i have to say i have the same problem but i can get to the option for the recovery mode like (wipe cache partition) (wipe data/factory reset).

i have done these 2 option and the phone scrolls down with red writing and stays on the same screen so what i have done is rebooted the phone and it boots to the startup again and stays there .

also please note that when im putting the phone in recovery mode the little green android guy in lying down with the door open and blue cubes and a red triangle with explanation symbol.

i am at a loss and dont know what else to do as i cant even link the phone up to the computer via usb. any help would be appreciated many thanks stuart.

via Website
hi there i have been reading this topic on the samsung galaxy s3 locked on the startup screen and i have to say i have the same problem but i can get to the option for the recovery mode like (wipe cache partition) (wipe data/factory reset).
i have done these 2 option and the phone scrolls down with red writing and stays on the same screen so what i have done is rebooted the phone and it boots to the startup again and stays there .
also please note that when im putting the phone in recovery mode the little green android guy in lying down with the door open and blue cubes and a red triangle with explanation symbol.
i am at a loss and dont know what else to do as i cant even link the phone up to the computer via usb. any help would be appreciated many thanks stuart.

your install is probably corrupted ty and download Samsung kies and use emergency phone repair or something like that

— modified on Mar 22, 2018, 6:31:36 PM

YES!!!!!!!! This is the solution! Thank you

Seems that your phone has been bricked. Try putting stock firmware back, it should work.