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I've got a problem with my XDA Mini S. It's been sitting in a box in my shed for about a year, before I got it out yesterday to have a play around with it, and possibly try some software I found on it.
I put my sim card in, plugged it in to charge, and turned it on. It worked absolutely fine.
I haven't done anything with it yet, but I've turned it on now, and the colours are messed up on the screen. For example there is a red hue over the today screen, and on certain screens (like in bootloader mode) the colours appear to be inverted (I will post pictures later if needed).
I've tried reformatting the device, but this has not fixed the problem. I thought I would try reflashing the rom on it. I used to have the original o2 rom on my old laptop, but lost that when I had to reload windows.
I downloaded the original rom from here, along with the Rom Update Utility, and attempted to reflash it. It gets as far as 'verifying the information on your PDA phone', then crashes with the error: Rom update utility MFC application has stopped working.
I'm running windows vista on my laptop, and read that the RUU won't work until the drivers are updated. Following the instructions on mrvanx.org, I have downloaded the driver for vista and installed it, but i'm still getting the problem when I try and reflash the device.
I've also tried running the RUU in compatibility mode for XP as it worked fine on my old laptop which was running xp, but it still crashes, every time.
I'm beginning to wonder if reflashing it will even work though, since the colours are messed up in bootloader mode as well, which leads me to think it may be a hardware problem.
I know next to nothing about repairing these though, and probably wouldn't bother if it's a hardware problem, but until I can reflash the firmware, I won't know whether this is a case.
I'll get the photo's of what the screen is like uploaded to my server later on, and post the links here, so you can see what the problem is.
Photo's now available
I've uploaded a couple of photo's to show what the screen is like:
http://csc2ya.co.uk/images/bootloader.jpg
http://csc2ya.co.uk/images/startup.jpg
Update
i've got my old laptop out, reloaded xp on that, and attempted the flash using that. However, I get the message 'rom update utility MFC has encountered an error and needs to close'
I just want to get it to reflash to see if it fixes the screen, but so far i'm having no luck at it.
I've sucessfully reflashed it in the past with the o2 rom using my old laptop, so I can't figure out why it isn't working now.
Update: I didn't have activesync installed on my laptop which was why the updater was crashing. I've installed activesync, but now i've got another problem that is preventing me from reflashing it. I start the updater, and click through the prompts. It gets to 'verifying the information on your pda phone', stays like that for about 30 seconds, then activesync disconnects, and I get the error: microsoft activesync cannot recognize this device for one of two reasons: then the other information that the dialog gives. I'm not going to bother typing it all out, as i'm sure nearly everyone has seen it at least once before.
Additional info: No idea if this is relevant or not, but the extended rom has been formatted using the service tool.
Another update: I have now managed to get the device to reflash, but it boots up afterwards as if I had just turned it off and back on again. I have tried a hard reset afterwards, but cannot seem to get any of the o2 stuff back. It appears that the screen problem is hardware related though, as it is still present even after reflashing.
I can also no longer get it to go into bootloader mode, but the phone will still boot normally.
csc2ya said:
It's been sitting in a box in my shed for about a year.
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Not to be flippant, but there's your problem right there. Two things: extreme temperature, and moisture. Both are the enemy of electronics. Chances are very good that you're screwed.
The first thing I'd do is buy (or even better, borrow) a new battery. Yours is probably done for.
If that doesn't fix the problem, I recommend disassembly and thorough cleaning with isopropyl alcohol, followed by at least 24 hours of strong, dry airflow between 50-80 Fahrenheit. Any floor or desk fan would do. Reassemble and pray. If that doesn't do it, you're going to have to find your fun elsewhere, I'm guessing.
Myrddin Wyllt said:
Not to be flippant, but there's your problem right there. Two things: extreme temperature, and moisture. Both are the enemy of electronics. Chances are very good that you're screwed.
The first thing I'd do is buy (or even better, borrow) a new battery. Yours is probably done for.
If that doesn't fix the problem, I recommend disassembly and thorough cleaning with isopropyl alcohol, followed by at least 24 hours of strong, dry airflow between 50-80 Fahrenheit. Any floor or desk fan would do. Reassemble and pray. If that doesn't do it, you're going to have to find your fun elsewhere, I'm guessing.
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The battery appears to be fine. I charged it overnight, and it still seems to hold a decent charge.
I haven't really got the tools to dissasemble it fully, but I will give it a go sometime in the next few weeks (i've got a copy of the service manual on my computer, so that shouldn't be a problem).
I only really got it out to play around with it again, and possibly try some apps on. It still appears to work fine apart from the screen (and the o2 applications now missing due the extended rom format, but i'm not bothered about those). I've installed the my mobiler screen program on my laptop so I can at least view the screen properly using that.
Thanks for the suggestions anyway.
csc2ya said:
I've installed the my mobiler screen program on my laptop so I can at least view the screen properly using that.
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Well, this certainly changes things. You have a bad screen, or a bad connection to the screen. You can get replacement for around $100USD, or you can try to get a broken unit with a good screen for less (maybe). I'd still disassemble it first, though, in case it's just a weak connection.
The first thing I tried to do when getting my Vibrant 2 days ago was to try to install drivers, wasting hours and hours and getting nowhere (all I wanted to do was to copy the rooting zip to root the phone). Yesterday, I tried turning off my USB Debugging, and then mounted the SD Card(s), and they both worked as they should. Great, so I can get my computer (Windows 7 32bit, FYI) to recognize the drives and copy files (by then, I had already just copied the file I needed to via just taking the SD card out, phone has already been rooted, but now I was thinking about tethering).
So today, after having done a lot of searching the past 2 days, and having come across a post I found on another forum (sorry, I'll have to go do more searching to find it again) where someone suggested that one of the issues might be the USB plug on the computer not being a powered one (this was front USB port on a Gateway computer), I plugged the cord into a powered USB hub I have, turned USB Debugging back on, plugged the phone in, and the driver install went a bit further than it did before, at least recognizing the device, but not installing the drivers. I went into device manager on my computer, pointed the 2 unknown devices to where the Samsung Drivers I downloaded off of Samsung's website were and everything installed perfectly. Phone is now recognized when plugged in, and the SD Card(s) mount just fine.
Since that was a major reason to keep/return the phone, I'm happy to have discovered the solution to 2 days of research. I thought I'd share this in case anyone else might be having issues with installing drivers for the phone.
Now to see about the battery drain and some other potentially "minor" issues and see about it really becoming a keeper (coming from a MT3G, it is a major upgrade, so it's just getting used to the differences).
I had an issue with USB Debugging on too.... so I thought, then I realized I was using the Nexus One cable and not the Vibrant cable. I turned off USB debugging and used the proper cable and everything was automatic.
Interesting read, thanks for the post. Perhaps I need to tweak the sticky some.
edit: added this thread to the sticky. Thanks man.
Interesting note about the different cable options, I had read that some cables were "better than others" - I had to use the micro USB cable that came with the Vibrant, so I knew that wasn't an issue, figured I'd tried everything else, so what the heck (thought I swapped the USB plug last night, but turned out I swapped the wrong cable, lol).
I did order a bunch of generic micro USB cables from ebay (2 different sellers), but I just need those for charging (like for the car, for my travel back, etc), I'll stick to the Samsung cable for data needs and likely test the others in case I need a backup.
Your main thread was definitely helpful, and I just wanted to share a potential solution to an issue I had seen others post about without any resolution (actually, the person in the other thread had a slightly different problem than me, and never claimed solving it by changing to a powered USB plug).
I don't know if this has been brought up before (search didn't find anything), so I thought I'd share. Both my son and I have a Vibrant. I have flashed just about everything out there (can't help myself ), but he has yet to take the plunge. Anyway, I wanted to pull some video he had shot during the New Year's Celebration, and couldn't get his Vibrant to mount. It would do the usual business about asking to mount and all that, but my laptop wouldn't recognize it. It would recognize mine just fine. I asked if he had ever hooked his phone up to his PC, and he said that he had, but hadn't had any luck connecting lately. He also mentioned that he had recently bought a new charger for it. On a hunch, I looked at his charging port, and yep, you guessed it, one of the usb tabs on the phone was all jacked up. (it was pushed all the way to the back of the slot, like there was a bad fit on the new charger??) Anyway, with a little coersion, I put the tab where it was supposed to go, and VOILA!! Connection problem gone! I realize that this will probably only help a few folks, but I figured it can't hurt...And no, I didn't think about getting a pic of it prior to the repair, sorry....Oh and sorry for the long post
Cheers!
Good observation I had the same thing happen on the other side My laptop's internal usb connection had a piece break off, and it took of investigating to figure out what actually happened
hiya guys i recently bought a second hand hd2 after reading some reviews on how good it was so obviously i just had to start messing with it and coming from a htc wildfire was expecting things to be just as simple as root and install a rom wich after reading up went sweet as a nut took bot 30 mins total ......so heres the problem i was really impressed showed my phone off to every1 including my dad who was also impressed so bought 1 aswell (second hand so cant get a replacement as the phone is technically not broken) now for the last 4 or 5 days ive been trying to duplicate what ive done on my phone on his but cant get the damn thing recognized and before anyone says it lol ive tried everything i can fiind on the net about the issue ive tried diffrent usb ports on my pc wich is running win7 ive tried his pc also running win7 ....my laptop with winxp all usb ports from fresh install and another laptop running vista all with the appropriate programs wmdc and activesync for xp ......i have 7 usb cables diffrent makes but 3 are official htc including the original cable for hd2 (wich i used to flash my phone) and ive tried 2 of his including his original for hd2 ....reinstalled win6.5 using sd card method and still nothing apart from the fact it charges on every cable ive tried wich to me says that the usb port on the phone is fine it doesnt bring up the menu asking how i want to use the connection i.e charge activesync or mass storage (and ive got the option ticked to ask me....and ive tried deselcting fast connect) it just doesnt recognise the connection and windows doesnt respond at all to the phone being connected even in bootloader mode it stays on serial and doesnt change to usb..... everything radio, rom is the same now as when i did mine same cable but no connection ......i think that covers everything ive tried does any1 know off anything ive missed or know if theres a fix for this issue lmao sorry bout the essay just wanted to get accross that i think ive tried EVERYTHING thanks for taking the time to read
My guess,,, bent /broken/ missing pin in the phones USB socket, or connection fault in the associated wiring to the USB port, so data connection isn't being triggered but charging works because those two pins are fine.
Can try cleaning the USB port, a soft DRY toothbrush perhaps, give the port a close examination.
thanks for quick reply i did examine the port everything looked fine couldnt see anything bent in there a clean might help but looks ok to me thats the odd thing the phone looks new no damage to the port or phone and ive read about other people having the same issue but ive tried everything that has helped others with no success just wondering wether the phones a scrapper win6.5 definatly not a keeper lol
Lol ill take it off your hands before you "scrap" it. ...
Sent From My Fingers To Your Face.....
lol ive bin messing with it for days now feel like throwing it at a wall!! if i do ill let you know lmao
richlee007 said:
lol ive bin messing with it for days now feel like throwing it at a wall!! if i do ill let you know lmao
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If the USB is the only issue you would probably still get a reasonable price for it on ebay.
Sent From My Fingers To Your Face.....
i think that the phone in general probably gets bought for the multiple o.s .....i know thats why i got mine yea the phone has some impressive upsides but i should have read the downsides this phone seems to be a accident waiting to happen dodgy usb, dead touchscreens, dodgy or sticky power buttons and getting bricked through normal usuage .... the list seems endless from what ive read in last few days ....my hd2 seems to have gone fine but just wondering how long its gonna last im scared to use it now lmao
I wouldn't worry about that. People are always gonna post their horror stories but not many come here to say ,
"Everything's fine, touchscreen hasn't died yet..."
If it reassures you at all, I've had mine since launch, its been dropped, flashed numerous times, got soaked in the rain, smashed into a fridge and the only thing wrong with her is a small dent on the bezel by the screen. I'd say it's a pretty resiliant device for what is essentially a 4" piece of glass....
Sent From My Fingers To Your Face.....
lol yea that sounds like some hardcore usage ......and yea i suppose as im looking for an actual problem or rather an answer to a problem with the phone only natural im gunna find other peoples problems
I beleive like Sam said your data transfer pins are not working. Especialy sense you said it does not ask if you want ActiveSync or Disk drive.
And without working data tranfer pins you will not be able to flash Android. You can flas MAGLDR and cLK via SD card, but you can not flash CWM or use fastboot commands without a USB connection. Sorry friend, best thing to do is flash a good custom Windows Mobile ROM to your dad's HD2 or get the USB fixed.
Hey guys thanks for the advice looks like he's getting custom windows rom lol anything for speed and useability improvements any suggeations for a good custom rom to try as I'm new tink the hd2 and a fan of android not too sure on the windows side of things
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So I just got a dell venue pro a few weeks ago from a friend, it was basically new, and i finally got it carrier unlocked, but i CANNOT get it to update from 7.0.7403.0
everything seems to work fine, i downloaded the most recent zune software, i connect the phone and it has me rename it, everything works fine at this point (sync and connection are OK), the software recognizes there is an update, so i hit "update now" and it begins to update.
from this point it will stop at random spots, usually at step 6/10 "resetting phone" is where it quits most, usually getting stuck on the dell logo, but sometimes at 15% or 20%...either way it will freeze the zune software or freeze the DVP itself and i'll have to remove the battery to get it to work again...
anyway, if anyone knows how to fix whatever is wrong with it, i really want to get it updated.
I've heard of weird problems like this. People having to try the update multiple times before it will be successful. One person said he had to try using a Windows Vista PC before it worked. If you have another machine, even if it's also Windows 7, try that next. Also make sure you are using a high quality USB cable of appropriate length.
I just tried a few different USB cables, the furthest point i get to now is step 6 of 9 "restarting your phone" and the phone freezes at DELL logo. Has done that 3 times now...
this is a pretty poor first experience with Windows phone
yessssssss victory.
for anyone having any similar problems i tried like 3 USB cables since i dont have the original Dell cable (dont know if that has anything to do with it really) and 3 different computers too, finally got an XP machine to do it.
my phone froze during my first attempt, so i pulled battery and did it again. phone was backing up and "resetting"
but it never reset, it just went to dell logo and froze.
i was pissed so i just pulled battery and made it update the exact same setup again
for some reason this time it did the entire update until the final 9/10 reset, which it froze at too.
however this time when i disconnected the phone to pull the battery the zune software didnt throw an error or even look like it knew the phone was disconnected.
so i pulled battery and held down Pwr Vol Camera to put it in that software mode and plugged it back in, it acted as if it had successfully reset and finished the update...Finally, this was way more trouble than its worth IMO.
hopefully anyone that has the same issue will get some satisfaction from knowing it can be overcome.
+ im still getting random resets when using Wifi and the market, so im going to swap my 8 gig card for a 32 and see if that can be cleared up too.
+lol, 32 gig card swap is a breeze and ive had no issues yet. sweet.
Make sure to get all of the WP and firmware updates so you won't have the wifi bug. I think the larger SD card isn't a permanent fix but it's fixed with a later update. This update is worth the trouble
If you feel adventurous, you can force an update to 8107 too
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1497142
xellion said:
yessssssss victory.
for anyone having any similar problems i tried like 3 USB cables since i dont have the original Dell cable (dont know if that has anything to do with it really) and 3 different computers too, finally got an XP machine to do it.
my phone froze during my first attempt, so i pulled battery and did it again. phone was backing up and "resetting"
but it never reset, it just went to dell logo and froze.
i was pissed so i just pulled battery and made it update the exact same setup again
for some reason this time it did the entire update until the final 9/10 reset, which it froze at too.
however this time when i disconnected the phone to pull the battery the zune software didnt throw an error or even look like it knew the phone was disconnected.
so i pulled battery and held down Pwr Vol Camera to put it in that software mode and plugged it back in, it acted as if it had successfully reset and finished the update...Finally, this was way more trouble than its worth IMO.
hopefully anyone that has the same issue will get some satisfaction from knowing it can be overcome.
+ im still getting random resets when using Wifi and the market, so im going to swap my 8 gig card for a 32 and see if that can be cleared up too.
+lol, 32 gig card swap is a breeze and ive had no issues yet. sweet.
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You know I see this phone such a fine piece of hardware and when I read about problems people have or get into with this phone... it really disappoints me. I thank god my DVP works perfectly fine since day one. The phone is also updated to the latest and I got tmobile service on it. Everything works fine. I hope I don't ever run into any problems. You guys know whats up in making the custom roms? Man I want to post some info in the other developer thread but I am not allowed yet until I get 10 posts. I am helping currently a reseller on ebay with some DVP he has to fix and probably can provide technical information if needed.