Is it possible to access files on a not booting device? UPDATE: Device won't boot anymore!
 

Hi all!
I'm having a problem here - my N900 won't boot, and this is not even the main issue :)
First, I just noticed that for some reason my device was in 'flight-mode', and when I tried to put it back on its normal mode, it began to behave weird so I decided to reboot it.
Since then, it won't boot anymore - when pressing the power key it vibrates but gets as far as the "Nokia" screen, then it stalls for ~30 secs, and then the display dims off slowly until its completely turned off.

Long before this odd thing occurred, I installed BackupMenu V2 and backed up my entire system successfully - but even if I try to power the device with the keyboard open, BackupMenu won't start.

Now, is it possible to access the device's file system in flashing mode? I can get there and I already reflashed my firmware but the device would still not boot (not eMMC yet). I also tried activating R&D mode, but the device is still acting the same way as before (going as far as the "Nokia" screen and then slowly dims off), only of course while having the R&D icon below the 'Nokia' logo...

I don't know if it has anything to do with it, but my device was overclocked (930Mhz + 500 dsp) for quite a long time before today...

Any help - as usual - is highly appreciated :)

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device?
 

It's a longshot, but since you're already re-flashing...
Pull the battery out (with it off) and wait at least 10 seconds.
Put the battery back in, then re-flash (not emmc) and wait for it to do what looks like an attempted reboot.
Pull the battery out again (and wait again).
Hopefully it'll power back up after this.

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device?
 

It didn't work, but thanks nonetheless :o

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device?
 

If you can flash to PR1.1, I think that also gives you USB mass storage mode. I'm not sure it will work for you considering you already put it into R&D mode, but I suppose it might be worth a try.

Is the battery charging properly? It might be worth charging it up in any old compatible Nokia you might have lying around.

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device?
 

Boot into rescue kernel and activate USB mode. details on booting the rescue kernel are in the wiki on the page about repartitioning the emmc. It is under the section on custom partition sizes.

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device?
 

IT WORKED! Thanks man! I got into USB mode and backed up my /MyDocs, but now for some reason I can't use the flasher to flash the eMMC - when I connect my device in flashing mode and start the flasher, the flasher recognizes the device and tries to boot it into flash mode, but then the device immediately 'disconnects', I don't know why.
I tried using the flasher to disable R&D mode by simply running "flasher-3.5 --disable-rd-mode" and the command was executed successfully, but still the device disconnects when the flasher tries to boot it into flash mode...
Thats odd, since I've flashed my device numerous times and this never happened... Maybe there is a need to flash a different kernel into it first, to replace the rescue kernel? :confused:

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device?
 

UPDATE: I've finally accomplished to successfully flash my eMMC and firmware. It appears that after leaving the device connected to the USB for a minute or so, after it looses the connection with the flasher while trying to boot the device into flash mode (as was described above), the device suddenly boots up again, going all the way to the maemo's "5 running dots" load screen, which freeze after a few seconds.
Flashing the eMMC is able to work when the dots freezes, so I successfully flashed my eMMC and then turned on to flash the device's firmware, which also went fine (it appears that the flasher won't 'lose' the connection with the device when flashing the firmware, as opposed to flashing the eMMC).
But yet, the device won't boot.
If I turn it on, it'll just do what I described in my first post on this thread (e.g going all the way to the screen with "Nokia" logo and white background, and then the screen fades out and the device is turned off).
If I connect it to the USB, it starts immediately as if I started it in flash mode (like I pressed 'u' when I connected it - which I didn't press), then quickly leaves flashing mode, stays lit for a few moments and then the screen fades out and the device is turned off - only now it does that in a loop, even if connected to the wall charger.

Any ideas anyone? Is my device finally dead? :(

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device?
 

I am not sure what you are doing but you need to flash emmc without -R (reboot)

1. Flash eMMC.
2. On success, take out the battery.
3. Setup flasher to flash kernel, leave at 'waiting for USB device prompt'
4. With usb plugged in, insert your battery and wait.
5. The flasher should find the n900 then flash.
6. Reboot.

I dont think you have broken your device. Imagine if you will a civillian in tattered combat fatigues; bloodied, broken, 117 days dying and not quite dead surrounded by the devastation of a thermonuclear wasteland. He is the last of his species,endlessly stabbing an N900 with a shard of glass oblivious to the blood pouring from his hand. All the while he is weeping in a tone that would curdle a heathen god "die n900 die, why can't you die?!"

A man of your punative strength alone cannot break an n900! You just need to get the magic flashing sequence right.

My first reflash took around 5 attempts!

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device?
 

Thanks vi_, but as I mentioned - I flashed my device numerous times before - including the eMMC - and I know I shouldn't use the '-R' option when flashing the eMMC so of course I didn't :o
The steps you mentioned, from 1 to 6 - thats EXACTLY what I did (since I've never had this problem I described in my first post here, I just wanted to make sure I'll take no chances this time) and everything worked great - and yet, the results are laying in front of you - my device won't boot :(

P.s, when you write "3. Setup flasher to flash kernel, leave at 'waiting for USB device prompt'", by "flash kernel" you mean flash the firmware, right?

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device?
 

Yes, at step 3 I meant firmware. All I was trying to imply was that flashing is a black art.

FOr example I never had to press and hold 'U' to get the flash to work, however I did have to take the battery out between eMMC and fiasco image flashing.

From your description of things , flashing at the screen with 5 dots(?) sounds totally nuts. I would try flashing again without said madness.

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device?
 

I'd REALLY like to try and flash my eMMC without doing it in the 5 dots screen (I mean those 5 horizontal dots which usually show when Maemo is booting up, right after the "Nokia" logo screen, yes?), but the problem is that its just impossible now.
You see, this is what happens if I run the flasher while the device is connected:
1. I execute:
2. CMD shows:
The immediately the device loses the connection, and the CMD shows:

If I wait for a minute or so:
1. The device suddenly starts up again - only showing the 5 running dots.
2. The device reconnects to the PC.
3. The running dots freezes.
4. The flasher is now able to recognize the device, if flasher is started. flashing succeeded:

Now, flashing the firmware works and completes just fine and I don't have to do any tricks to make it work (holding 'u', connecting the device to the USB - I have to hold 'u' btw) but as I said - in the end the device would still not start.
If it matters for any reason - I'm using Windows 7 64bit and flashing through the Windows XP mode. It used to work just fine (though now it isn't :()

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device?
 

am blaming windows 7 for this. get a linux live cd and use that instead

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device?
 

Then don't :)
I just tried reflashing via Kubuntu - still, got the exact same result.

I even tried disabling watchdog, but it didn't help either (yea, I know, it was a long shot :o)...

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device?
 

Have you ever dropped it off or sth like that ? :(
I broke my N900 too and it just appeared like what you described here. So if you want to have a try . That's here: Take your machine apart completely and put a piece of soft paper on the HDD. And also some helps in this url: talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=71089

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device?
 

Didn't drop it, well not as far as I remember... This problem just appeared by itself... A day before, the device was rebooted successfully when I had to replace its battery...

What? why? :confused:

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device?
 

in my issue, the HDD loose.....

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device? UPDATE: Device won't boot anymore!
 

Nope, nothing was loose in my device. I opened it and everything was intact...

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device? UPDATE: Device won't boot anymore!
 

Flash the COMBINED image without -R, then flash the eMMC image.

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device? UPDATE: Device won't boot anymore!
 

efekt I think you've missed a bit on the wiki about flashing the emmc. You need to remove the battery once the emmc has been flashed, presumably because the n900 is on at some level.

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device? UPDATE: Device won't boot anymore!
 

Apologies, I've misread what you've said, you've already done this.

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device? UPDATE: Device won't boot anymore!
 

Is it possible that the image you've downloaded is somehow corrupt. Did you check the MD5 hash, there's a link at the bottom for checking it in Windows.

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device? UPDATE: Device won't boot anymore!
 

And then, after flashing the eMMC, reboot?
Well, I tried that now... It didn't help either :(
I'm starting to think this is a lost case... Maybe I should start to browse around for a 2nd-hand N900... Too bad, I REALLY loved mine :(

No harm was done, thanks for trying to help nonetheless :o

I didn't try that, but I can't see why would the images suddenly be corrupted after I've successfully used it for so many times? I'll check that nonetheless, I'm willing to try anything by now...

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device? UPDATE: Device won't boot anymore!
 

good luck !!!!!

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device? UPDATE: Device won't boot anymore!
 

Have you tried running the flasher while the phone is disconnected, per the wiki?


Windows:
flasher-3.5.exe -F RX-51_2009SE_10.2010.13-2.VANILLA_PR_EMMC_MR0_ARM.bin -f


Text similar to the following will be displayed on the computer:
flasher v2.5.2 (Oct 21 2009)

Image 'mmc', size 255947 kB
Version RX-51_2009SE_10.2010.13-2.VANILLA
Suitable USB device not found, waiting.

Plug in the powered down N900 while holding 'u' key

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device? UPDATE: Device won't boot anymore!
 

I had emmc flashing errors once, too but found out that crossflashing the kernel helped me fixing it. See here: http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php...592#post975592 Maybe it'll help.
Basically it's flashing Firmware 1.3, then flashing --only kernel from PR1.2, flashing EMMC from PR1.3 and finally flashing kernel from PR1.3 back (or reflash the whole PR1.3 from 1st step will do it too)

Greetz,

..::J4ZZ::..

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device? UPDATE: Device won't boot anymore!
 

Of course I tried :)
I think now I've tried just about anything written in the wiki...

Thanks man, but it didn't work either - thanks for trying to help! :o
Btw, in your post on phase 2 ("Flash only Kernel of PR1.2") you have 2 errors - the first one is that the firmware in your example is not PR 1.2, but PR 1.1.1 (this confused me a bit :)), and the second one is in the flasher command - you forgot to add "-f" after "--flash-only=kernel". If you don't add the "-f", flasher will say "there was nothing to do" and will quit :)

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device? UPDATE: Device won't boot anymore!
 

Thanks for pointing me to the errors... I thought the firmware on my harddrive was PR1.2 and not older, but it shouldn't matter anyway. It's basically all about flashing a different kernel. Same for the forgotten flash switch... I always thought -f would be the same as --flash and so I thought --flash-kernel should be enough...;)

Greetz,

..::J4ZZ::..

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device? UPDATE: Device won't boot anymore!
 

Well, I tried running chkdsk on the device while its on USB storage mode, gained with the rescue kernel, but chkdsk did not find anything wrong, so I'm more or less on a dead end here :(
Any more ideas? and why does my device - when connected to USB - go into USB mode on startup (as if I was holding 'u') for a second - with the USB icon on the top right corner of the device's screen and all, and then leaves USB mode? It didn't do it before I had this problem (described on my first post on this thread)... Could it be a symptom of something?

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device? UPDATE: Device won't boot anymore!
 

So, your n900 is properly flashed with combined and emmc firmware right?
R+D mode is disabled too, right, well then you should have a working phone mate...
Did you try to take out the battery for at least some minutes (and holding the power button for a while when battery is out?)... The phone sometimes really acts weird and memorizes a lot of stuff even when the battery was out for some seconds.

Try it... ;)

:cheers:

..::J4ZZ::..

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device? UPDATE: Device won't boot anymore!
 

mine did that, it would not flash at all i took the battery out and left it whilst i calmed down, tried it again about 10mins later and it did it, sigh of relief :)

Re: Is it possible to access files on a not booting device? UPDATE: Device won't boot anymore!
 

That was the first thing I tried, long before the happy flashing session :)
And between yesterday and the day before - and even today - the device was without the battery for more than an hour, sometimes for all the night...