Database Users

8525 shuts itself off!

I have a 8525 that is 14 months old and has been working wonderfully all this time. A few days ago it started to shut itself off at no repeatable times. I pull it out and it is off! I try to load something and it shuts down instead. Today I did a total wipe and reinstalled from a back up. The same problem occurred. I wiped it again and installed a 2 month old backup and the same thing occurred. I have changed the battery. The memory is fine. The only thing that I have not tried is a wipe and a reinstall from scratch, but obviously would prefer not to do that.
WM 6.1 is running

Check to see if your battery connection isn't lose. If the power keeps shutting off for no reason in your pocket it could be that its not making proper connection. If you bought another battery that wasn't a HTC original then it may not be Quite the right size. I had this problem with an extended battery I bought. It was about 1/2mm less width than an original but that was enough to be a problem. A piece of paper between the battery and the casing fixed this.
Cheers...

not the problem
Thanks, but the battery is not the problem as the spare battery is one that I have been using for 6 months and the other one that I tried is the factory battery. Unfortunately, it is more serious than this.

I'm having similar problems with my Hermes...and I bought it ~14months ago too, refurbished, it's a Voda v1605, uk ebay seller.
Actually mine stays powered most of the time and it's not a SW problem: I'm trying various ROMs and I'm 100% sure the problem is HW-based.
Well it's much I have this prob and don't have any warranty, so I opened it and tried to "manually" solve this matter: I put a page between my qwerty and the motherboard, and this, together with some paper under the battery, solved the problem at most.
Now it switches off less frequently, but still not enough to safely bring it in my pocket and always find it switched on after taking it off
I tried to get it repaired but they told me they'd change the motherboard for +/- the price of a "as-new" 2nd hand one
I hope you solve, but if you don't....then I think we have to sell it "as-damaged" (or return it in warranty if you have)...I'm actually looking for a Diamond or TyTn II (see hard choice... thread ) and leave this dear mate

what i was afraid of
This is what I was afraid of. No warranty here so have been thinking of moving to the Tilt, but I am leaving town in a day and have no time to get and set it up.

Its also possible if you dropped your Hermes you may have cracked or bent the battery connectors.... May need to be fixed with soldering iron but is a pain if you can't solder really tiny joints...
Cheers...

ultramag69 said:
Its also possible if you dropped your Hermes you may have cracked or bent the battery connectors.... May need to be fixed with soldering iron but is a pain if you can't solder really tiny joints...
Cheers...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm ready to go, I want my Hermes back
Can you point me to some photos to understand where to solder the connectors better?
I mean, I've already seen them (so many times hehe), I also have that cool yellow gauge that could be useful to understand if they don't "touch" correctly, but I'm not sure I understood where are the soldering points
A photo with some arrow could be useful (or something similar lol).
Many thanks for your help mate!

The best idea would be to go Here - http://michael-channon.spaces.live.com/
Mikes site offers the best tutorials for the Hermes, and, if you need to you can pm him directly.
Cheers...

ultramag69 said:
The best idea would be to go Here - http://michael-channon.spaces.live.com/
Mikes site offers the best tutorials for the Hermes, and, if you need to you can pm him directly.
Cheers...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What a lovable guy! So available, so kind, cool!
Guys, just to let you all be near me...with my hearth that cries at every Hermes black screen...I've opened it again, did some tweaks - again - and did a complete photo-report and a short video too!
See here
http://s403.photobucket.com/albums/pp120/ErMejoo/My%20v1605%20opened/?albumview=slideshow and for the video choose "Main" on the top corner.
I'm looking forward to the next Mike answer (just sent him the link too) to see if he thinks detaching and soldering again the battery connectors can be the right next choice.
If someone has some ideas or if I have a great one (don't think so but the hope never fades away) or simply for kind words, let's write here.
Thanks to everyone giving support, I really appreciate.

ErMeglio said:
What a lovable guy! So available, so kind, cool!
Guys, just to let you all be near me...with my hearth that cries at every Hermes black screen...I've opened it again, did some tweaks - again - and did a complete photo-report and a short video too!
See here
http://s403.photobucket.com/albums/pp120/ErMejoo/My%20v1605%20opened/?albumview=slideshow and for the video choose "Main" on the top corner.
I'm looking forward to the next Mike answer (just sent him the link too) to see if he thinks detaching and soldering again the battery connectors can be the right next choice.
If someone has some ideas or if I have a great one (don't think so but the hope never fades away) or simply for kind words, let's write here.
Thanks to everyone giving support, I really appreciate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry was feeling a bit sick yesterday and didn't reply.
Having looked at the pics an video, I am begining to think one of two things:
1. There may be a crack in one of the battery connector soldered joints
Or
2. This has nothing to do with the battery connector and may have more to do with the general condition of the phone.
Number one could probably only be checked by re-soldering the contacts.
Number two is quite unspecific. You see when I look at the pics and see the gaps in the casing, and some damage to internal plastic, I get the feeling that the circuit boards etc are probably not be firmly held in place. In other words there is likely quite a bit of movement internally and between the two halves of the phone.
This in itself could cause the battery to move around. It could also cause the rigid flex cables to move at their connectors.
I think you need to check each and every connector is well inserted AND try to firm up all the looseness and movement internally and in the casing . I'm not sure that wlll be an easy job given some plastic parts appear broken.
I think it's going to be difficult to give further advice (not being able to see and feel the device directly.)
However, I'll have a look at my Hermes this weekend, and try to establish a link between pressing certain areas of the keyboard and a total shutdown.
Cheers
Mike

Thanks Mike, don't have to apologize, you're offering free help
Anyway, I have the WORST news for you....my Hermes has gone, completely.
After the mail I sent you the other day, don't know why really, perhaps for the spray, I don't know, it didn't switch on again.
When I connect the battery charger it comes red, and if I remember what I read somewhere here red means it doesn't feel the battery at all.
I tried to leave it outdoor these 2 days to see if magically that spray which left a film everywhere would have evaporated but this didn't help.
I'm having a very "rude" welder as I said, it has a cutting tip just to make you understand, anyway I've just toggled the battery conn with it (I had nothing to loose) and I have the 2 centered one which took away a dark "film", and on the motherboard I have the 2 silver connectors on each side, which touch 2-by-2, and the 2 centered one which are completely black...don't know if I damaged something that way...
I think tomorrow I could try to weld 4 wires (what are the centered one for?) and see what happens...what do you think?
I'd like to try everything to even explore the 0,01% possibilities to see it working again...
[EDIT 1]
Just updated my album on photobucket with the new photos...

After the mail I sent you the other day, don't know why really, perhaps for the spray, I don't know, it didn't switch on again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
!! What spray? Where did it come from?
When I connect the battery charger it comes red, and if I remember what I read somewhere here red means it doesn't feel the battery at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it means the battery is not charging - which suggests the connector is now disconnected even if it wasn't before.
I'm having a very "rude" welder as I said,.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now!, I think something has happened to the translation here!! Does this welder (let's call him Fred) swear at you and call you rude names? And when you say you have had him!!!
Sorry - I have a weird sense of humour.
Anyway. To be honest, given the general condition of the phone and it's various problems - I think you should start looking for a new phone - you will never be able to rely on the one you have there.
You could also consider making a small amount of money ny selling off parts from the one you have. Folk here are always looking for difficult to find parts.
Sorry to be defeatist about the phone, but I think you realise that it's condition is getting worse not better. Assuming money is no problem then it's time to get yourself a present
Mike

mikechannon said:
!! What spray? Where did it come from?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will do a photo in some minutes and upload to photobucket, think you understood I love doing photos with the daddy's (almost) new HD cam
mikechannon said:
Now!, I think something has happened to the translation here!! Does this welder (let's call him Fred) swear at you and call you rude names? And when you say you have had him!!!
Sorry - I have a weird sense of humour.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hahahahahahaha ops!! I Said I am an inventive Italian, didn't I?
I've just read some -better?- definition of the "noun" on dictionary.com (All rights reserved bla bla bla) and found:
–verb (used with object)
1.to unite or fuse (as pieces of metal) by hammering, compressing, or the like, esp. after rendering soft or pasty by heat, and sometimes with the addition of fusible material like or unlike the pieces to be united.
2.to bring into complete union, harmony, agreement, etc. –verb (used without object)
3.to undergo welding; be capable of being welded: a metal that welds easily.
–noun
4.a welded junction or joint.
5.the act of welding or the state of being welded.
And also:
Weld"er\, n. One(A PERSON??) who welds, or unites pieces of iron, etc., by welding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mmh I'm quite confused, don't think I understood, wtf does welder mean lol?!
There's also the verb part which seemed correct, isn't it?
Anyway, that's the google translation, knew it was stupid but didn't think that much
mikechannon said:
Sorry to be defeatist about the phone, but I think you realise that it's condition is getting worse not better. Assuming money is no problem then it's time to get yourself a present
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I will, as soon as I can...currently I can't, that's why yesterday my father wanted to help buying 50% (200€) of a Nokia N95 8gb to let me use it and wait better prices for the HTCs out there...and take the Nokia for himself when I decide (what a profiteer haha!!)...BUT of course the shop finished them ([OT]there's a long story for N95s here, everyone wants it but noone gets! In short, my sister got a new bricked one (DOA) and is waiting for a replacement for 2 months; my dad bought one on ebay and got cheated for 270€...now I damage my phone and want to buy at the shop with him and it ends two days after we had seen it there...if this was a film I'd call it "Nokia N95-8gb: the nightmare"! [/OT])!
Thanks for your help anyway, much appreciated!

ErMeglio said:
Will do a photo in some minutes and upload to photobucket, think you understood I love doing photos with the daddy's (almost) new HD cam
Hahahahahahaha ops!! I Said I am an inventive Italian, didn't I?
I've just read some -better?- definition of the "noun" on dictionary.com (All rights reserved bla bla bla) and found:
Mmh I'm quite confused, don't think I understood, wtf does welder mean lol?!
There's also the verb part which seemed correct, isn't it?
Anyway, that's the google translation, knew it was stupid but didn't think that much
Well I will, as soon as I can...currently I can't, that's why yesterday my father wanted to help buying 50% (200€) of a Nokia N95 8gb to let me use it and wait better prices for the HTCs out there...and take the Nokia for himself when I decide (what a profiteer haha!!)...BUT of course the shop finished them ([OT]there's a long story for N95s here, everyone wants it but noone gets! In short, my sister got a new bricked one (DOA) and is waiting for a replacement for 2 months; my dad bought one on ebay and got cheated for 270€...now I damage my phone and want to buy at the shop with him and it ends two days after we had seen it there...if this was a film I'd call it "Nokia N95-8gb: the nightmare"! [/OT])!
Thanks for your help anyway, much appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well you have nothing more to lose by continuing to try things out on the Hermes.
A couple of points regarding your pictures. You know you can upload the pictures to photobucket and then using the direct link that photbucket gives you below the picture you can then post the picture on XDA-Dev. You use the little "insert image" icon when writing a post. As shown here:
http://s403.photobucket.com/albums/pp120/ErMejoo/My v1605 opened/
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"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
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"lightbox_download": "Download",
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I'm not sure what that black film on the central connectors is. Perhaps it's melted plastic from the connector housing. In any case you should be able to melt it off. (Be careful though because excess heat may be transferred into the board and start loosening other connections. The Hermes has a multilayered m/board and some connections are "sandwiched" between the layers).
I see the picture of the spray - I assume it is a metal polish? It may or may not conduct electricity - if it does that could cause serious problems even after it's cleaned off.
Mike
PS
By the way a welder can be a person who welds or a machine that welds. But you said that it was a rude welder. A machine cannot be rude, so a "rude welder" as you stated, must be a person!!
NB Welding is a term used for joining large pieces of metal. When talking about circuit boards we normally say soldering not welding.
My Italian lessons (thanks to Chiara from Tomtom) are coming along nicely:
Alla fine della strada, girate a sinistra.
(But I don't care I could listen to Chiara's voice all day long)

mikechannon said:
I'm not sure what that black film on the central connectors is. Perhaps it's melted plastic from the connector housing. In any case you should be able to melt it off. (Be careful though because excess heat may be transferred into the board and start loosening other connections. The Hermes has a multilayered m/board and some connections are "sandwiched" between the layers).
I see the picture of the spray - I assume it is a metal polish? It may or may not conduct electricity - if it does that could cause serious problems even after it's cleaned off.
Mike
PS
By the way a welder can be a person who welds or a machine that welds. But you said that it was a rude welder. A machine cannot be rude, so a "rude welder" as you stated, must be a person!!
NB Welding is a term used for joining large pieces of metal. When talking about circuit boards we normally say soldering not welding.
My Italian lessons (thanks to Chiara from Tomtom) are coming along nicely:
Alla fine della strada, girate a sinistra.
(But I don't care I could listen to Chiara's voice all day long)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't try to add all them here because, you know, photobucket slideshow is so sexy
Thanks for the lesson I needed, much appreciated
I just realized the "rude" adjective refers to a person, I used it because in Italian saying something/someone is "rude" or "rudimentale" means it/he is simple, old, rudimentary or primitive...and here we use it for both things and people...think you'd say unkind if it was a person.
Speaking of the Hermes, those 2 black ""connectors"" you see on the board in that photo have not something "more" comparing to the others, but something LESS! It's sort of scaring after having read about the layers, because under the gold connectors, after having removed them, I could detach just a sort of LAYER (that's what I meant with film), which btw didn't seem conducting side-by-side
Will update when I have some time to try the cables ""solution""!
p.s. You'd LOVE Selen's sexy sensual voice for TomTom I think...she's (was) an Italian pornostar still well known...See Wiki!!

Did you remove the traces? That's almost what the pics look like. By that I mean the gold under the solder.

I got scammed on Ebay over an Xperia Play

So guys, I got scammed on ebay this week.
I saw a listing for a Xperia play for 40 dollars and I've needed one ever since my phone got eaten by my dog.
I took a chance and spent the money on it.
The seller told me in the listing that the phone was fully functional.
Skip ahead today and I got the phone.
Right away I could tell it was going to have problems. The USB jack was totally screwed up.
I've never seen one this bad actually. Anyways I get home and sure enough the phone wont charge or anything.
I put a new battery in it, and the phone wont even boot up.
So at this point I'm getting pretty upset.
I contact the guy on Ebay and tell him, "Listen this device is broken. I want a refund. Not only is the USB jack broken., but the motherboard is also bricked". Mind you, this was after he listed it as fully functional.
So he tries to refund me 15$. I told him no way, I'm not paying that much for a busted Xperia.
I told him, I'll take a 25$ refund and leave good feedback if you do it.
So he refunds me the cash and I started taking this thing apart since I'm going to be keeping it now.
Right away I see we have a problem.
The WATER INDICATOR, is clearly been soaked and red.
So not only was the USB jack fried but also the phones been dropped in water and the motherboard is bricked.
The only part I could salvage out of the phone was the LCD screen and digitizer.
It would be ok, except my motherboard has a bad USB jack too. and I cant repair it because I don't have surface mount solder repair station at my house.
If I ask a company to surface mount a new USB port onto the phone, they will ask for 50$ or more, and I can't afford it.
So if any of you nice people have a broken phone with a good motherboard, let me know. I can pay up to 25$ for the motherboard.
Until then I might not be able to do any developing. I don't have USB access and that's a major problem.
Thanks for reading and let me know.

Just to let everyone know I'm serious about repairing this thing.
Here is a recent picture of all the parts I have around my house.
I actually have some more but their not in these pictures.
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It looks like a verizon one if thats there case I have a spare mobo I could send you. You are in the US right?
Sent from my R800i using Tapatalk 2

You definitely shouldn't have had to put up with that. If the listing was covered under eBay Buyer Protection, you should contact eBay. The dude clearly listed the phone incorrectly. What a jerk.

mp998 said:
It looks like a verizon one if thats there case I have a spare mobo I could send you. You are in the US right?
Sent from my R800i using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I am in the USA Mp. & Yeah they're all Verizon phones.
I'll PM you about it ok. so we dont get off topic in the thread.

Solar.Plexus said:
You definitely shouldn't have had to put up with that. If the listing was covered under eBay Buyer Protection, you should contact eBay. The dude clearly listed the phone incorrectly. What a jerk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah you're saying it nice.
He actually lied big time because the listing said it was fully functional.
Not only was it water damaged but the board is bricked.
I hooked the test points up to my computer and the motherboard is throwing up a brick code. one that I know isn't repairable by anyone on this board. (the BIOS is corrupted and now it's 100% locked)
He knew for a fact that this phone was garbage,. I don't know why he lied tho.
The guy has really decent feedbacks.
Like 500 sales and 99.8% score.
Anyways we settled outside of ebay with the refund thing.
I didn't want to totally pay nothing, since the screen was salvaged off the unit.
But yeah., It was a really scummy thing to do.

I have some better news to report.
I have a semi-decent motherboard now.
The USB pins are messed up but atleast its making a connection.
Alejandrissimo @XDA used his SETOOL program remotely and helped me recover the board that was stuck in zeus mode.
Long story short. I'll be able to update the rom after all.
I still need to get ahold of a better Mobo tho, so If anyone is selling a spare, let me know.

I can send you some parts just for the cost of shipping, but I don't know if you can do anything with it.
The motherboard work, but it can't detect sim card anymore. It still have an IMEI number. It has a strange behavior that if the battery is not drained yet and the phone is on, it can charge that battery. But if you leave the battery in the phone, whether the phone is on or off, overnight the battery will be drained completely. Then it is impossible to charge the battery even if you connect it to the charger, unless you put the battery into a different Play, or possibly buy an external charger. It can still connect to the PC for flashing and fastboot, etc. I also notice it have problem booting into stock firmware unless it is powered on by the charger. However, it boot fine into custom roms from battery power.
Other things that doesn't work: Digitizer, Start and Home button (both of these can be easily remapped in the keylayout file). The problem is to flash roms most CWM version require the Home button. There is one CWM version that use the Search button however. Also the main cable is kind of worn, but still working. R button a bit unresponsive, unless you don't screw it in at all then it clicks perfectly.
The only usable thing I can do it it right now is to charge the battery externally and use the gamepad to navigate and play games without touchscreen. I do not think the sim slot is damaged, it might need some kind of reprogram. Other things I confirm working: screen, camera, speakers.

eksasol said:
I can send you some parts just for the cost of shipping, but I don't know if you can do anything with it.
The motherboard work, but it can't detect sim card anymore and it has a strange behavior that if the battery is not drained yet and the phone is on, it can charge that battery. But if you leave the battery in the phone, whether the phone is on or off, overnight the battery will be drained completely. Then it is impossible to charge the battery even if you connect it to the charger, unless you put the battery into a different Play, or possibly buy an external charger. It can still connect to the PC for flashing and fastboot, etc. I also notice it have problem booting into stock firmware unless it is powered on by the charger. However, it boot fine into custom roms.
Other things that doesn't work: Digitizer, Start and Home button (both of these can be easily remapped in the keylayout file). The problem is to flash roms most CWM version require the Home button. There is one CWM version that use the Search button however. Also the main cable is kind of worn, but still working. R button a bit unresponsive unless you don't screw it in at all.
The only usable thing I can do it it right now is to charge the battery externally and use the gamepad to navigate and play games without touchscreen. I do not think the sim slot is damaged, it might need some kind of reprogram. Other things I confirm working: screen, camera, speakers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PM'd thanks for the info. lets talk about this. Sounds like it would work.

Just wanted to let everyone know that with eksasol's Xperia, I was able to fix it and I'm developing COLA rom for unlocked GSM phones.

Hogwarts said:
Just wanted to let everyone know that with eksasol's Xperia, I was able to fix it and I'm developing COLA rom for unlocked GSM phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what about the cdma users?

AudioCreaper said:
what about the cdma users?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That ROM is already based in a CDMA ROM.
Sent from R800x

Leraeniesh said:
That ROM is already based in a CDMA ROM.
Sent from R800x
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean will they get anymore updates?

Ebay sucks when you don't get what you expected. I've been scammed like that too before. I feel your pain dude.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

AudioCreaper said:
I mean will they get anymore updates?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, the last version Verizon update the R800x to officially is 2.3.4. Otherwise you will have to install other custom roms.
I run the R800x with stock 2.3.4 rooted, I just use LBE Security Manager to freeze apps and disable them autostarting.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

eksasol said:
No, the last version Verizon update the R800x to officially is 2.3.4. Otherwise you will have to install other custom roms.
I run the R800x with stock 2.3.4 rooted, I just use LBE Security Manager to freeze apps and disable them autostarting.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think he meant to the rom....verizon is crap for its updates lol
Sent from my R800x using xda app-developers app

Hey, I was wondering where the seller was located? I recently sold an Xperia Play and when I sold it the buyer said that his son previously had one and jumped into a pool with it which is why he was buying mine... I'm very curious if this is the same person. The time of him buying a new one and you buying yours seem to match as well.

coreyon said:
Hey, I was wondering where the seller was located? I recently sold an Xperia Play and when I sold it the buyer said that his son previously had one and jumped into a pool with it which is why he was buying mine... I'm very curious if this is the same person. The time of him buying a new one and you buying yours seem to match as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He was in Florida.

Not sure you mean me or the scammer. I think I deal with scammers on a daily basis in Florida.

eksasol said:
Not sure you mean me or the scammer. I think I deal with scammers on a daily basis in Florida.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I meant the scammer. My buyer doesn't live in Florida so I guess idiots who jump in pools with phones are a daily occurrence.

How to get Samsung to fix the Blue Screen issue for your ATT SM-P907a

After sending my tablet (SM-P907AZKAATT) into Samsung repair 3 times they have finally fixed the issue of the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). The issue is caused by the motherboard as most of us know or suspect. They don't call it a motherboard though. They call it a PBA which means Printed Board Assembly. Typically the PBA would literally mean a blank circut board but in this case they are referring the the entire board; I seriously doubt they are moving all the components to a new board, LOL. As I said, this was the third time I sent the tablet to Samsung to be repaired but this time I uploaded a picture for them to reference and I told them not to send it back until they have replicated the screen. I also told them exactly what the issue was as I had the first two times; I understand that they can't take my word for it and just repair what I want repaired but it gives them a suspect, at least in their mind.
I have attached the picture I used. If you can't snap a pic before the blue screen is gone on your tablet just use mine.
I think that's about it but I will answer any questions you may have.
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Just an update. No blue screen since being repaired. This is the fix...
People are still looking for a fix... Consider making this sticky.

I support this. I used this method. I've not had a blue screen yet.

How do you get in contact with someone to make this sticky? I have PM'ed several moderators and no one has gotten back with me. I've been trying for weeks. The only reason I've been so persistent is that people are still looking around for a fix for this and this is the solution. I would appreciate if some could point me in the right direction. Thank you.

It has been 4 months since this repair. Still no BSOD. Once again I'm asking the administration to make this sticky because there are many people still looking for a solution. Can someone help me with this?

crossing fingers
jayhawkX said:
It has been 4 months since this repair. Still no BSOD. Once again I'm asking the administration to make this sticky because there are many people still looking for a solution. Can someone help me with this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just sent mine in, I just got frustrated. Hope they fix it.

If you did what I said above they will fix it. Several people have messaged me and said that this method worked for them. Thanks and good luck.

What do you mean by "replicated the screen" ?

bradleysmith said:
What do you mean by "replicated the screen" ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just meant for Samsung not to send the tablet back until they were able to see the BSOD for themselves.

That makes no sense. If they can see your tablet get the bsod that means it's still faulty. I must be missing something lol!
Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

bradleysmith said:
That makes no sense. If they can see your tablet get the bsod that means it's still faulty. I must be missing something lol!
Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I told them to keep it until they see it. They saw the BSOD and they repaired it.

Ah I see!
Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

Samsung fixed mine!
I'm adding my name as a successfully fixed case; bought a used AT&T Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 off of Amazon, and it was having the bluescreen issues. Unfortunately I noticed this after I had already rooted the device so I could take the resolution out of kindergarten mode; but, I took a picture of the bluescreen and wrote a quick note that I included with the device when I shipped it in for warranty service indicating that I'd read online a faulty PBA was the cause; received it back in a couple of weeks, and not a problem since. Re-rooted and good to go, thanks for the tip!

Ruger43 said:
I'm adding my name as a successfully fixed case; bought a used AT&T Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 off of Amazon, and it was having the bluescreen issues. Unfortunately I noticed this after I had already rooted the device so I could take the resolution out of kindergarten mode; but, I took a picture of the bluescreen and wrote a quick note that I included with the device when I shipped it in for warranty service indicating that I'd read online a faulty PBA was the cause; received it back in a couple of weeks, and not a problem since. Re-rooted and good to go, thanks for the tip!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's awesome to hear. You're welcome.

The Solution & The Problem of the Note Pro Bluescreen
----------------------------------------------------------------
THE TRUE ISSUE - THE TRUE ISSUE - THE TRUE ISSUE -
----------------------------------------------------------------
This is a language barrier / communications issue with the support staff. I did a live chat and I should have included a picture of the blue screen but instead I meticulously explained what the problem is and that probably failed still because when i checked the repair status they showed LCD display issues. So i called them up while they still had the tablet in their possession and before they looked at it and specified over the phone to correct the description of the problem they have annotated in their database. I explained all the same stuff about the issue and how it is a known defect in the AT&T variant of the 12.2" Galaxy Tab and that it has even garnered it's own name (borrowed from Windows): BSOD or Blue Screen Of Death online. When I sent it in they had the wrong issue labelled in their database: bad LCD/ Display issue.
----------------------------------------------------------------
- THE FIX - THE FIX - THE FIX - THE FIX - THE FIX -
----------------------------------------------------------------
Contact support and get your device replaced. It is a defect in the hardware and will be fixed free of charge. Include a picture of the BSOD so that they know what the issue is that they are fixing. I used live chat for the initial contact. Phone support is probably better. Also you could try hanging up or starting another live chat if you see you are dealing with an idiot or someone who has just recently learned English.
Note: They erased & updated my tablet to lollipop 5.1.1 probably in their troubleshooting process. I haven't been able to re-root my device since they updated it to 5.1.1.
----------------------------------------------------------------
- The details - The details - The details - The details -
(THE TRUE TECHNICAL ISSUE)
----------------------------------------------------------------
I will try to update this in a bit. For now here is what I know:
I got mine fixed right after I bought the Samsung Tab 12.2" SM-P907A off of eBay with an unadvertised BSOD issue . The issue is caused by something wrong with the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) or motherboard or as OP described the vernacular they use: PBA (Printed Board Assembly). Whatever you want to call it there is something wrong with the mainboard on the AT&T version of the 12.2" Tab S (SM-P907A). Someone (I want to say from Samsung but I cant remember for sure who it was) told me it was related to the battery, I believe it isn't wired to the motherboard well enough and when the system demands too much power and the battery cannon provide it properly through those leads then that is when it BSODs. This would make sense since it happens usually when you are heavily taxing the system, i.e.: playing a game. I installed some heavy 3D graphics games on mine when i first got it to see if I could insight a BSOD and sure enough it happened in no time. I noticed it normally wouldn't do it while sitting in stand by, but often would be insight into blue screening as soon as I started using it. I have shot some decent videos of both ways the BSOD manifests itself. I will edit this post when I locate the videos I took and take a moment to upload them. When I received my Tab back they noted that it was power related and included a new usb cable along with a letter saying to not use the old cord as the problem was power related and they fear that using the original cable may damage the tablet again. They only sent the cable, not the AC adapter and ironically my AC adapter although I never felt it get extremely hot (remember I got this slightly used off of eBay so it may happened before I had it) but the electrical prongs that plug into the wall are actually out of position and under closer inspection you will see they have moved because the plastic actually melted a bit where the prongs come out of the AC adapter. So now I am chatting with live chat again just to get a new adapter. ^ ^ ^ SEE THE TRUE ISSUE AT THE TOP OF THIS POST ^ ^ ^ Have fun with your chats with these ESOL ****tards they have manning the support desks. I will post a couple of mine as I cracked some good jokes...
---------- Post added at 02:02 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:51 AM ----------
bradleysmith said:
That makes no sense. If they can see your tablet get the bsod that means it's still faulty. I must be missing something lol!
Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See my last post in this thread it tries to clarify. The help desk staff suck at english and do not relay the problem properly to the technicians who actually fix it and they don't sit there playing with your tablet until an error manifests itself. See my post please.

Well I got screwed. Sent mine in for service, it was supposedly fixed. A few months later I get blue screen and flickers that lead to a restart. Now it's not under warranty and Samsung won't do squat. Biggest waste of money. This version has so many issues you can't even trade it in for value anywhere. All the carrier trade ins have it valued under $50. Best Buy doesn't even list it. Had a perfectly working wifi version and sold it for this and have had nothing but issues. And to add insult to injury, Samsung sent it back to me locked when I bought it unlocked. Never even had a chance to use it on tmobile.
Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

When i upgrade my P907a to lollipop, it never has BSD

Just an update... Not a single BSOD in almost a year.
Still want to make this sticky but I've long lost hope on that.

I bought a new motherboard, how to prevent the dreaded "EMMC Bug"?

I ordered online a motherboard for my dead N910G due to EMMC bug and I'm thinking on what I'm gonna do to prevent It from happening again on the new motherboard. I didn't yet receive the new motherboard and I'm assuming that it is currently on Android 5.0.
Do I need to stay in Lollipop and don't bother to upgrade it to Marshmallow? Or maybe, put a custom rom instead? Or how about putting another layer of material between the emmc and the thermal pad(though, I'm thinking to replace the thermal pad with something thicker instead, maybe 2.0mm)~I'm quite aware that this one is "fix" for Note 4s already experiencing emmc bug. Or is it something that's inevitable and probably die again within months or years?
Any suggestion is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

Did you read?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4/help/100-fix-galaxy-note-4-emmc-error-random-t3859448

Heros2002 said:
Did you read?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4/help/100-fix-galaxy-note-4-emmc-error-random-t3859448
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'm thinking of doing this too but this is more of a "fix" for note 4's that's already experiencing emmc errors instead of a prevention. But putting a fresh thermal pad can't really do harm so I might try to do this.

mikel023 said:
I ordered online a motherboard for my dead N910G due to EMMC bug and I'm thinking on what I'm gonna do to prevent It from happening again on the new motherboard. I didn't yet receive the new motherboard and I'm assuming that it is currently on Android 5.0.
Do I need to stay in Lollipop and don't bother to upgrade it to Marshmallow? Or maybe, put a custom rom instead? Or how about putting another layer of material between the emmc and the thermal pad(though, I'm thinking to replace the thermal pad with something thicker instead, maybe 2.0mm)~I'm quite aware that this one is "fix" for Note 4s already experiencing emmc bug. Or is it something that's inevitable and probably die again within months or years?
Any suggestion is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My understanding of the eMMC chip failure is following: it is due to the crack in the soldering. Have a vague memory of reading that Samsung even got sued for using bad materials. Anyway - Some temporarily fix the issue with cardbord (linked above), which then i believe works simply by pressing the components together and thus in best case re-establishing the electric contact within the circuit. Tried that myself, didn't work for me. Certain apps will perhaps help just a period of time by tweaking some settings, which i believe relieves the pressure off of the chip. To hold the phone in the freezer every now and then to get it to start is just not feasable. Did that too, works for a while, again, probably due to the material shrinking a bit in the cold thus making components connect again. What remains for me to try is actually having it in the oven for couple of minutes (yes, people have tried that too... ). I have a couple of old spare ones so it's not bigger shame if they break completelly.
But these are all my experiences with workarounds/temporary fixes when issue ALREADY is there.
I did replace a few motherboards. Those i orderered came with Marshmallow, which i was happy with. Don't know where you ordered yours from, I got mine from China but no issues anyway. If you got it from China, check the IMEI number tho. Specially the motherboards on older phones can suffer from bad IMEIs. Also use some app that can see in the system if it is the right chip you have, otherwise trying to flash custom roms might not end well…
My experience has so far been good. After replacement i played with both stock and custom roms and so far nothing broke again after more than half a year. As for your question of prevention - so far i haven't found anything that would lead me to believe that it might prevent it from happening again. So i got me a spare Note4. And a couple of spare motherboards in case they break. I don't really want to open those i use as daily drivers, since they never really feel as tight afterwards. And as far as i understand, there is no way to predict if your motherboard is going to break. So it's a gamble.
Edit:
And a friendly piece of advice regarding the replacement itself: take your time and preferably couple of valiums. I armed myself with lots of videos on youtube on how to do it so I started thinking i was a pro, which i clearly wasnt so i didn't take the time. So i took me a couple of broken screens before i mastered the art of … not breaking the screen. Not every time at least…
Use heat gun. Right tools. And did i mention to take your time?
Btw - the two connectors (you'll see which ones i mean in due time) are a pain to connect. THERE you can use some padding to sort of lift the connectors that are on the phone so that the connectors on the motherboard can click in them more easily.
Good luck!

prkfsz said:
I did replace a few motherboards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HI - did you replaced a MB from a Snapdragon variant with another MB from Exynos variant, please?
Like I have my son's 910F and I'd like to buy a replacement MB of 910C.
Any experience on this? I understood from other users that there are some issues with cameras. Probably no show stopper for me, but just to confirm if that's the case and if after replacing cameras all was ok.
Apologize to OP ( @mikel023 ) for intrusion.
Thanks.

w41ru5 said:
HI - did you replaced a MB from a Snapdragon variant with another MB from Exynos variant, please?
Like I have my son's 910F and I'd like to buy a replacement MB of 910C.
Any experience on this? I understood from other users that there are some issues with cameras. Probably no show stopper for me, but just to confirm if that's the case and if after replacing cameras all was ok.
Apologize to OP ( @mikel023 ) for intrusion.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I worked only with 910F, that meant replacing Snapdragon with same version of Snapdragon. So i can't say anything about that kind of issues.

prkfsz said:
I worked only with 910F, that meant replacing Snapdragon with same version of Snapdragon. So i can't say anything about that kind of issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks

prkfsz said:
My understanding of the eMMC chip failure is following: it is due to the crack in the soldering. Have a vague memory of reading that Samsung even got sued for using bad materials. Anyway - Some temporarily fix the issue with cardbord (linked above), which then i believe works simply by pressing the components together and thus in best case re-establishing the electric contact within the circuit. Tried that myself, didn't work for me. Certain apps will perhaps help just a period of time by tweaking some settings, which i believe relieves the pressure off of the chip. To hold the phone in the freezer every now and then to get it to start is just not feasable. Did that too, works for a while, again, probably due to the material shrinking a bit in the cold thus making components connect again. What remains for me to try is actually having it in the oven for couple of minutes (yes, people have tried that too... ). I have a couple of old spare ones so it's not bigger shame if they break completelly.
But these are all my experiences with workarounds/temporary fixes when issue ALREADY is there.
I did replace a few motherboards. Those i orderered came with Marshmallow, which i was happy with. Don't know where you ordered yours from, I got mine from China but no issues anyway. If you got it from China, check the IMEI number tho. Specially the motherboards on older phones can suffer from bad IMEIs. Also use some app that can see in the system if it is the right chip you have, otherwise trying to flash custom roms might not end well…
My experience has so far been good. After replacement i played with both stock and custom roms and so far nothing broke again after more than half a year. As for your question of prevention - so far i haven't found anything that would lead me to believe that it might prevent it from happening again. So i got me a spare Note4. And a couple of spare motherboards in case they break. I don't really want to open those i use as daily drivers, since they never really feel as tight afterwards. And as far as i understand, there is no way to predict if your motherboard is going to break. So it's a gamble.
Edit:
And a friendly piece of advice regarding the replacement itself: take your time and preferably couple of valiums. I armed myself with lots of videos on youtube on how to do it so I started thinking i was a pro, which i clearly wasnt so i didn't take the time. So i took me a couple of broken screens before i mastered the art of … not breaking the screen. Not every time at least…
Use heat gun. Right tools. And did i mention to take your time?
Btw - the two connectors (you'll see which ones i mean in due time) are a pain to connect. THERE you can use some padding to sort of lift the connectors that are on the phone so that the connectors on the motherboard can click in them more easily.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I expect to receive the new motherboard within this week and I already disassembled it in advance. I managed to almost separated the lcd screen to the motherboard tray because I didn't watch closely enough the tutorial that I'm following to and I wedged the prying tool parallel to the screen. Fortunately, nothing cracked and it seems the screen held up fine, (well.. hopefully.. still crossing my fingers 'til the motherboard arrives. lol)
By the way, I have a few questions regarding on reassembling it back. First, can I replace the thermal pads with thicker one? 1 or 2mm thick is what I can buy here locally. And second, can I use something like B7000 glue to reattach the screen to the frame? I'm gonna put it along the red line shown on the image below.
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I'm looking forward to "that connector". I hope it doesn't give me too much headache. lol
Thanks!

mikel023 said:
I expect to receive the new motherboard within this week and I already disassembled it in advance. I managed to almost separated the lcd screen to the motherboard tray because I didn't watch closely enough the tutorial that I'm following to and I wedged the prying tool parallel to the screen. Fortunately, nothing cracked and it seems the screen held up fine, (well.. hopefully.. still crossing my fingers 'til the motherboard arrives. lol)
By the way, I have a few questions regarding on reassembling it back. First, can I replace the thermal pads with thicker one? 1 or 2mm thick is what I can buy here locally. And second, can I use something like B7000 glue to reattach the screen to the frame? I'm gonna put it along the red line shown on the image below.
I'm looking forward to "that connector". I hope it doesn't give me too much headache. lol
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Regarding thermal pads i am reasoning this way: given the supposed cause of the issue, installing thermal pads would perhaps only delay the outbreak of the issue for a while, should it occure. Putting too much thermal pads would on the other hand perhaps put too much physical strain strain on the circuits, well, depending on how soft or hard they are. So if you're planning on scraping the old thermal pads, i'd go with 2mm ones, otherwise 1mm.
Please remember tho that i am not an expert even tho i did read up considerably about the issue. So i cannot guarantee one approach or the other is the right one.
As for the glue, i never used it. Used one of these instead:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/328...earchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_
Reason i never used the glue is that it's not unusual that after you assemble stuff, it turns out something is not working right so you have to disassemble. Then you make everything work, assemble it again, and then something won't work anyway. Especially so when you are still learning. So i never dared using glue because having to open it again after having used glue would make one glorious mess. I was learning and, well, playing. Besides, like i said, i never had to disassemble any of my daily drivers so it didn't matter that they perhaps don't seem to sit 100% tight.

prkfsz said:
Regarding thermal pads i am reasoning this way: given the supposed cause of the issue, installing thermal pads would perhaps only delay the outbreak of the issue for a while, should it occure. Putting too much thermal pads would on the other hand perhaps put too much physical strain strain on the circuits, well, depending on how soft or hard they are. So if you're planning on scraping the old thermal pads, i'd go with 2mm ones, otherwise 1mm.
Please remember tho that i am not an expert even tho i did read up considerably about the issue. So i cannot guarantee one approach or the other is the right one.
As for the glue, i never used it. Used one of these instead:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/328...earchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_
Reason i never used the glue is that it's not unusual that after you assemble stuff, it turns out something is not working right so you have to disassemble. Then you make everything work, assemble it again, and then something won't work anyway. Especially so when you are still learning. So i never dared using glue because having to open it again after having used glue would make one glorious mess. I was learning and, well, playing. Besides, like i said, i never had to disassemble any of my daily drivers so it didn't matter that they perhaps don't seem to sit 100% tight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just for update, the motherboard finally arrived today and mounted it temporarily yet just to test it. I'm still waiting for the adhesive and the thermal pad before I can seal everything shut. I tried to connect it to charger and the vibrator motor "bleeps" for few millisecond but the screen didn't turned on. Does this just mean that I didn't connected the connectors at the back properly? I only tried it once and I didn't put a padding like what you've said on the connectors yet.

mikel023 said:
Just for update, the motherboard finally arrived today and mounted it temporarily yet just to test it. I'm still waiting for the adhesive and the thermal pad before I can seal everything shut. I tried to connect it to charger and the vibrator motor "bleeps" for few millisecond but the screen didn't turned on. Does this just mean that I didn't connected the connectors at the back properly? I only tried it once and I didn't put a padding like what you've said on the connectors yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean the battery indicator doesn't come on on the screen when you connect the device to charger? Can't really say, i think it should come on, yes. To check that - when charging, try and press the start button shortly, that usually wakes it up and it will show the battery indicator on the screen if you connected the MB properly. But why don't you try and start it up if you got the new MB connected? Then you can see if it works and if it's connected properly.
Usually if you get the connectors right, you will hear a 'click' when they connect.

prkfsz said:
You mean the battery indicator doesn't come on on the screen when you connect the device to charger? Can't really say, i think it should come on, yes. To check that - when charging, try and press the start button shortly, that usually wakes it up and it will show the battery indicator on the screen if you connected the MB properly. But why don't you try and start it up if you got the new MB connected? Then you can see if it works and if it's connected properly.
Usually if you get the connectors right, you will hear a 'click' when they connect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another update, I took my time connecting the new MB but still, the screen won't turn on just like the first time I connected it just to test. The LED lights up red indicating that it's charging and I connected it to my PC and it shows up on the device manager. When I press the power button, it vibrates indicating that it is indeed turning on. Also tried entering to recovery and download mode with no avail.
it's really just the screen is refusing to connect or something. I already shoved a piece of cardboard to the connectors and I hear a satisfying click when pushing the MB in place. Should I just keep trying on reconnecting the mb?
P.S: I'm starting to think that I might just killed the screen accidentally.

mikel023 said:
Another update, I took my time connecting the new MB but still, the screen won't turn on just like the first time I connected it just to test. The LED lights up red indicating that it's charging and I connected it to my PC and it shows up on the device manager. When I press the power button, it vibrates indicating that it is indeed turning on. Also tried entering to recovery and download mode with no avail.
it's really just the screen is refusing to connect or something. I already shoved a piece of cardboard to the connectors and I hear a satisfying click when pushing the MB in place. Should I just keep trying on reconnecting the mb?
P.S: I'm starting to think that I might just killed the screen accidentally.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check thoroughly up close the integrity of the LCD directly under the glass. If it's broken, then there will sometimes be very tiny cracks in it.
But of course try and re-connect everything again. Don't forget the Little black screw on the left hand side of the MB when you're reconnecting it. Sometimes it won't work without that screw in place. Try also and remove the extra thermal pads you said you would install.
PS. There are LCDs for N4 on aliexpress that nowadays don't go for much. Tried several sorts and they usually work good.
If it's any consolation, the N4 is apparently one of the trickiest devices to work with…

I can confirm that, to some degree, snapdragon and exynos motherboards are compatible.
I had a N910A with a defective mobo and a N910U with a cracked screen. So I placed the N910U mobo in the N910A body. I used 910U modems and everything works fine, with the exception of s pen silo detection, which could be a result of this.

I managed to kill my 9 yr old Alienware while performing a GPU upgrade.

I am the original owner of a 2013 Alienware 17 R1 I bought myself as a treat a long time ago. I opted for the 770M to save money, and it's served me well over the years. It's survived my military career, a nasty divorce, a car crash, and moving halfway across the country. It's never once let me down.
I decided to upgrade the GPU to try to lend it a couple more years. Since I wanted a plug and play solution, I ordered an 880M from Amazon; that arrived yesterday. I already had the 3 pipe heat sink ready, with some adhesive thermal pads and thermal compound.
So, after applying thermal pads to both the heat sink as well as the GPU, I went forward with the install. It's pretty straightforward in this laptop - remove the bottom cover (2 screws), remove the GPU fan (3 screws), remove the GPU heat sink (4 screws) and finally remove the GPU (2 screws).
It had been running beautifully before the upgrade. As they say, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it..."
I installed the new GPU and the new heat sink, then put it back together and pressed the power button. Nothing - no lights, no beeps, absolutely no response at all.
So, I removed the GPU and put the old one back in. Same result.
I removed the GPU entirely. No dice.
Feeling desperate, I removed the drives and the palmrest, and inspected/reseated the ribbon cables connecting the power button/light board to the card reader board, and the card reader board to the mainboard. I also checked the power connector too, even though it's on the opposite side of the laptop from the GPU side. Nothing worked. I tried a power drain - unplug battery, leave AC adapter unplugged, hold down power for 30 seconds. No good.
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At this point, I suspect that this "tested and functional" 880M from China is shorted out and damaged my mainboard when I applied power. I have a replacement main board on the way; if any of you are familiar with these laptops, I'm all open to ideas.
This is my main PC. I really don't want it to die. Sure, my wife has her HP all in one and Asus laptop, but they're both slow as snot, barely sufficient for web browsing.
If I'm unable to resurrect this thing, I'll probably be building a PC. To that end, here's the parts list for suggestions/critiques.

Ouch. Sorry to hear that.
There may be a fuse* somewhere on the mobo around the power section. Try pulling power and see if it resets will original hardware. A schematic or any internal diagrams be helpful for you.
Bear in mind that you should follow ESD safe practices when handling the mobo and chipsets out of circuit. It takes very little static electricity to damage them. At least raise room humidity to 50%, wear all cotton and work on a bare wood surface. A earth grounded ESD mat and wrist strap are best.
*or a fusable link, resistor, etc. Maybe a surface mount.

blackhawk said:
Ouch. Sorry to hear that.
There may be a fuse* somewhere on the mobo around the power section. Try pulling power and see if it resets will original hardware. A schematic or any internal diagrams be helpful for you.
Bear in mind that you should follow ESD safe practices when handling the mobo and chipsets out of circuit. It takes very little static electricity to damage them. At least raise room humidity to 50%, wear all cotton and work on a bare wood surface. A earth grounded ESD mat and wrist strap are best.
*or a fusable link, resistor, etc. Maybe a surface mount.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not terribly likely in a laptop but I'll check anyway.
I've been in the electronics industry for 16 years, but you can never be too careful.
I forgot I had the same problem a couple years ago after messing with BIOS settings. I didn't in this case, but I'm going to try resetting the CMOS like I did then. If that doesn't work, new motherboard arrives tomorrow. And on the plus side, I found someone selling his 980m for $150 2 states away, $100 less than I'd be paying for something of questionable origins from China.

V0latyle said:
Not terribly likely in a laptop but I'll check anyway.
I've been in the electronics industry for 16 years, but you can never be too careful.
I forgot I had the same problem a couple years ago after messing with BIOS settings. I didn't in this case, but I'm going to try resetting the CMOS like I did then. If that doesn't work, new motherboard arrives tomorrow. And on the plus side, I found someone selling his 980m for $150 2 states away, $100 less than I'd be paying for something of questionable origins from China.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bios configuration... think you hit it.

blackhawk said:
Bios configuration... think you hit it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. Well, again, I didn't change anything before I shut it down for the upgrade. I checked to make sure it was in UEFI a few days ago but I didn't change anything, and rebooted several times between then and now. I don't know how swapping the GPU would mess up the BIOS, and to make matters worse, there's no clear way to reset the CMOS; removing the hold up battery requires removing the main board. Stupid Dell. Going to tear into it today, and if that doesn't work, new main board gets delivered tomorrow.

V0latyle said:
Yeah. Well, again, I didn't change anything before I shut it down for the upgrade. I checked to make sure it was in UEFI a few days ago but I didn't change anything, and rebooted several times between then and now. I don't know how swapping the GPU would mess up the BIOS, and to make matters worse, there's no clear way to reset the CMOS; removing the hold up battery requires removing the main board. Stupid Dell. Going to tear into it today, and if that doesn't work, new main board gets delivered tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes well... read this.
You may need to flash a different bios version.
This site may be more useful to you, maybe someone that has done this before will reply.
Copy your current bios settings down.
Make sure the new mobo bios version is correct... it's always easy until you do it

blackhawk said:
Yes well... read this.
You may need to flash a different bios version.
Click to expand...
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VBIOS. My Alienware already has A17, the latest BIOS version
blackhawk said:
This site may be more useful to you, maybe someone that has done this before will reply.
Copy your current bios settings down.
Make sure the new mobo bios version is correct... it's always easy until you do it
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I'm talking to some guys in the Alien Resurrection discord, the only thing I should have to do is modify the driver INF, and even then, NVidia started shipping universal driver packages in 2014, so it may be plug and play.
Regardless, none of this should have killed my computer. At the very most, I should have got a POST code, but even then, it's most likely that it would have booted into Windows and been unable to recognize the GPU. It has both integrated graphics and discrete (NVidia Optimus).
I tore into it yesterday, took the mainboard out, and removed the CMOS battery. Carefully inspected the board and cables, nothing seemed amiss. Followed a recommended guide from the Discord guys on a NVRAM reset, didn't work.
New mainboard should get delivered today. GPU seller has apparently accepted the return but has not yet sent me a shipping label, and there is no way in hell I'm paying to ship this back to China.

V0latyle said:
VBIOS. My Alienware already has A17, the latest BIOS version
I'm talking to some guys in the Alien Resurrection discord, the only thing I should have to do is modify the driver INF, and even then, NVidia started shipping universal driver packages in 2014, so it may be plug and play.
Regardless, none of this should have killed my computer. At the very most, I should have got a POST code, but even then, it's most likely that it would have booted into Windows and been unable to recognize the GPU. It has both integrated graphics and discrete (NVidia Optimus).
I tore into it yesterday, took the mainboard out, and removed the CMOS battery. Carefully inspected the board and cables, nothing seemed amiss. Followed a recommended guide from the Discord guys on a NVRAM reset, didn't work.
New mainboard should get delivered today. GPU seller has apparently accepted the return but has not yet sent me a shipping label, and there is no way in hell I'm paying to ship this back to China.
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Click to collapse
It's hard to say especially when it's stone cold dead. A fuse of some type mounted on the pcb or elsewhere. A tech that's work a lot with this series be more knowledgeable.
It could be a solder fracture that resulted over time and flexing the pcb just a bit opened it up.
BGA's are real suspectable to board flexing.
If made with no lead solder it was born to die... no lead solder is awful.

blackhawk said:
It's hard to say especially when it's stone cold dead. A fuse of some type mounted on the pcb or elsewhere. A tech that's work a lot with this series be more knowledgeable.
It could be a solder fracture that resulted over time and flexing the pcb just a bit opened it up.
BGA's are real suspectable to board flexing.
If made with no lead solder it was born to die... no lead solder is awful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I got the new mainboard, swapped the CPU and RAM over. Booted right up. Reassembled laptop, everything is running beautifully. The only issue now is that all the AlienFX colors are pink so I have to download the software that controls that....
Seller of the bad GPU still hasn't sent me a return label, and I wonder how much success I'd have going after them for the cost of the mainboard