A Warning to All G300 Owners! Please Read! [Hynix Flash Memory Problem]

[Guest george109]

I am sure that everybody who has at least read the forum in the past few weeks has noticed a lot of G300s dying, and the (probable) cause for this is bad Hynix Flash Memory!

 

:huh: What is Flash or Flash Memory? Why is it so important? :unsure:

Flash memory, is  the phones main storage device. Everything is stored on here, including key things like the bootloader. If this gets corrupted, then the phone will not start at all! Nothing will happen when you hold the power button! it will just be bricked, and you will need a special JTAG recovery. You will probably lose all of your data too.

 

 

Some credit goes to tcpaulh, for his post here, posting the command on the forum!

Some credit also goes to Dazzozo, for actually posting the command on the IRC! ;)
A bit of extra credit goes to Dalyer, and the CyanogenMod wiki, for posting how to find the date of the eMMC chips.

 

By the way, you will need root for this.

To find out which memory you have, you should download this terminal emulator app from the play store.

Open it, and turn any sort of text prediction off, as this can cause really strange results (Touchpal, I am looking at you here!  :P)

Now type:

su

and press enter. A Superuser request should pop up. Accept it. 

 

Now, you will need to type

 cat /sys/class/block/mmcblk0/device/name

There will be 2 different outputs here:

 

The first is:

 SJS00M

If you have this output, phew! Your flash memory is safe.  :D  :D  This means you have Samsung flash, and you are at the end of the tutorial, and your G300 is safe. Please answer the poll. :) I would like to see how big the problem is! (Remember though, your G300 is not bulletproof because of this!)

 

 

 

 

The other output is:

 xinyh

If you have this output, you have Hynix memory your G300 is at risk!! :(  :(  

Now, please type this command:

cat /sys/class/block/mmcblk0/device/date

This command lets you see the date of manufacture of the chip. 

Please answer the poll, so I can see that you are one of the affected people. Also, press the end button on your keyboard, (it saves scrolling!) and reply in, with something like:

I have Hynix memory.

Date: (command output goes here)

Purchased in: (Your Country)

.

Now, Seriously! Back up EVERYTHING NOW!! DO NOT TURN OFF THE PHONE!

Get a micro external SD card, and download GOBackup from the play store.

Grant root.

Back up everything to the External SD card! (This means checking in settings, to make sure the backup directory is the SD Card).

When it is done, reboot, and try to get into CWM/TWRP and make a backup, again to the external SD card.

Then I would go into advanced or mounts and storage > mount USB storage, and copy everything from the internal SD card, if you use it. 

If you have Hynix memory, keep backing up! It could die at any time.  :huh:

There is no way to work out when it will die. The only thing that you can really do is be ready for it. It could happen in the next week, or in the next 10 years. :unsure:

On the up side. If you do have Hynix memory, it might not necessarily die. It could just be a bad batch of G300s or Memory.

 

If you still have warranty. (this is 2 years in the UK) you do not have to worry if it does die, as it should be free. Just send it off for service, users have reported that it does not matter if you are rooted or on a custom ROM.

 

If it has died, call Huawei on:

0844 800 6800

in the UK.

They are open from 9AM to 6PM, from Monday to Friday.

Make sure you have a note of the IMEI and the Serial Number before you call. This can be found under the battery.

Edited January 2, 2014 by george109

[Guest tcpaulh]

Yay, credit for me. (Nobody will know I copied Daz's instructions from irc)

EDIT: I guess this is a good place to say we might benefit from a tester who has hynix memory. One with a kamikaze attitude to their G300 would be best :o

Might not be any more nightly builds till we get a tester

Edited October 23, 2013 by tcpaulh

[Guest george109]

Yay, credit for me. (Nobody will know I copied Daz's instructions from irc)

I Really need to read the IRC logs! *facepalm*

Anyway, I will add Dazzozo in too :)

[Guest george109]

I have added a poll, this is to see how large the problem is.

Edited October 22, 2013 by george109

[Guest kyan31]

Thanks George for posting this, luckily enough I have SJS00M flash memory so i should be alright. Thanks again.

[Guest drama20050202]

My G300 died last month , and guess why:( now i got another G300:d and thnx God i have the Samsung memory:d thnx for this:)

[Guest OmnioPT]

Samsung here!

- Vodafone Portugal

- Battery date: 11-04-2012

- Chip date: 04/2012

 

Thanks!

Edited October 23, 2013 by OmnioPT

[Guest DFMM]

got 4x g300's here all samsung flash
All UK from Vodafone store.
3 purchased around time phone released. 
1 purchased 11 months later (ICS already installed)

[Guest smweb]

Mine shows xinyh !!! Need to start the habit of backing up daily :(

Could those with the xinyh memory also post where and when they bought the phones, there could be a pattern here

When: Dec, 2012

Where: Huawei experience store, India

Edited October 23, 2013 by smweb

[Guest WELLIES5]

xinyh.    That's two of us then. Still running smoothly on10.2 20131018 experimental and keeping my fingers crossed.Thanks.

[Guest Thit Than]

mine is xinyh too :(

[Guest dalyer]

I wonder if there's any pattern to the Hynix devices - e.g. specific region or specific timeframe when they were bought?

[Guest Garnt]

Could those with the xinyh memory also post where and when they bought the phones, there could be a pattern here

[Guest Titas]

XINYH here - been on a different ROM recently;  was just about to try the latest.  Phew!  

 

Bought from Very UK 20/7/2012 

Edited October 23, 2013 by Titas

[Guest Pyntux]

I got my phone from VIP Serbia mobile provider, and have xinyh flash, but some other people got g300 from VIP too, but they have samsung flash... :(

[Guest dalyer]

I don't know if it helps but in addition to

 

cat /sys/class/block/mmcblk0/device/name

 

giving the name/type of device

 

cat /sys/class/block/mmcblk0/device/date

 

gives the date of manufacture (Edit: of the eMCP/eMMC device!).

 

http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/EMMC_Bugs#How_do_I_check_my_device.27s_eMMC_details.3F

Edited October 23, 2013 by dalyer

[Guest Thit Than]

Could those with the xinyh memory also post where and when they bought the phones, there could be a pattern here

well, i'm from thailand and i bought it at 27/07/2013. and seem it's the last one they sold.

 

I don't know if it helps but in addition to

 

cat /sys/class/block/mmcblk0/device/name

 

giving the name/type of device

 

cat /sys/class/block/mmcblk0/device/date

 

gives the date of manufacture.

 

http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/EMMC_Bugs#How_do_I_check_my_device.27s_eMMC_details.3F

that's return 05/2012.

 

PS. sorry for my bad english :P

[Guest Wellus]

sad face :/ if my device will die then i am without phone at all, nor do i have money... i guess if this one will die, then i am going to ignore huawei...

so device from Tele2 Lithuania
bought year ago

i was with stock, then switch over to some of dazzoz jb cm versions, switched over to lightning and now i want slim ics(i have some random nonsense thats why i need to switch and want to see how slim spins, i heard it's good one)

 

memory: xinyh

date: 08/2012

 

i hope that bad memory was just for specific month release

[Guest KaterM]

memory: SJS00M

date: 04/2012

 

U8815 bought in July 2012 from Yoigo - Spain

[Guest cryptoncore]

Both mine and my dads Ascend G300's are SJS00M.

Date bought: 15/08/2012

Both phones were bought at Sainsbury's.

 

For one of them (mine) the date of manufacture is 05/2012

Edited October 23, 2013 by cryptoncore

[Guest phyllocrania]

I guess Huawei manufactured all G300s in 05/2012. Mine is 05/2012 too. LOL. :p

[Guest alearbo]

SJS00M here. Manifactured 10/2012, bought in Jan 2013 from Vodafone Italy.

[Guest dalyer]

That date is almost certainly the date of manufacture of the eMMC/eMCP chip - not necessarily the handset itself.

For what it's worth (probably nothing!) the battery has a date of manufacture printed on it.

Nothing obvious under the battery for date of manufacture of the handset and I doubt that there's a software way to get it.

[Guest george109]

Thanks George for posting this, luckily enough I have SJS00M flash memory so i should be alright. Thanks again.

 

 

My G300 died last month , and guess why:( now i got another G300:d and thnx God i have the Samsung memory:d thnx for this:)

 

 

Samsung here! (Vodafone Portugal)

Thanks!

 

 

got 4x g300's here all samsung flash

All UK from Vodafone store.

3 purchased around time phone released. 

1 purchased 11 months later (ICS already installed)

 

 

memory: SJS00M

date: 04/2012

 

U8815 bought in July 2012 from Yoigo - Spain

Thats good. I have Samsung Too by the way. I'll tell you about the date in a few mins :)

[Guest george109]

I don't know if it helps but in addition to

 

cat /sys/class/block/mmcblk0/device/name

 

giving the name/type of device

 

cat /sys/class/block/mmcblk0/device/date

 

gives the date of manufacture (Edit: of the eMCP/eMMC device!).

 

http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/EMMC_Bugs#How_do_I_check_my_device.27s_eMMC_details.3F

Thanks for this :) I have added it to the OP.