Anybody know about computers? - Off-topic

My pc randomly stopped working when I wasn't here. Apparently, according to my mother, it just went 'poof' and now it just restarts when its on the windows XP splash screen, it wont even go into safe mode. I've tried pressing f8 and selecting 'disable automatic restart on failure' and I dont even get a BSoD :/ I even took it completely apart and gave it a clean and put it back together, nothing :/ any ideas?
Thanks in advance
Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using XDA App

Reformat.
Also what kind of poof was it? Was there smoke involved?

"poof," on it's own, when you weren't there?"
It's a conspiracy.

The thing is, I really dont want to lose anything, I have lots of emotionally valuable stuff on there :/ there was no smoke, nothing is fried either, I completely disassembled it and it all looks tickety boo, I'm guessing poof is just my mothers way of saying it instantly went off
Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using XDA App

This will teach you to keep backups. Also take out the hard drive, connect it to a different PC and copy over your files, then reformat.

Indeed :/ Well I've blamed my father, he moved the pc, it was working when he moved it, and after, for a few hours, then this. So he's agreed to buying me a new one, ill buy an external copy over the files using the new pc, and keep the original hard drives as back ups, I just wanted to know if there was any other solutions, I feared a reformat from the start D:
Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using XDA App

Wardyboyo said:
Indeed :/ Well I've blamed my father, he moved the pc, it was working when he moved it, and after, for a few hours, then this. So he's agreed to buying me a new one, ill buy an external copy over the files using the new pc, and keep the original hard drives as back ups, I just wanted to know if there was any other solutions, I feared a reformat from the start D:
Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A reformat isn't that bad and actually helps your computer.

I just dont have a CD drive nor a windows disc... I removed the CD drive for another HDD
Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using XDA App

Windows cd and try repair(probably won't work but you can try)
It's surely a windows problem if it's not overheating or stuff like that
Edit:ups no cd then you can try putting windows on a usb-stick
Sent from my LG-P500 using XDA App

paul678 said:
Windows cd and try repair(probably won't work but you can try)
It's surely a windows problem if it's not overheating or stuff like that
Edit:ups no cd then you can try putting windows on a usb-stick
Sent from my LG-P500 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or an external CD drive

Or buya windows Cd, Which should be cheaper than a new PC
(And find CD Drive.. Unless you binned it? )

MacaronyMax said:
Or buya windows Cd, Which should be cheaper than a new PC
(And find CD Drive.. Unless you binned it? )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You dont even need to buy a disk. You can download it (which is perfectly legal) and if you have the sticker on the bottom of the lappy with the windows serial number use those numbers.

I have my CD drive, I can unplug a HDD, I have 3, I can put the CD drive back in and download a new XP disc, I have my serial numbers
Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using XDA App

It could be a few things. A corrupt boot file, a failing hard drive, or something as simple as resetting the bios. Start with the easiest fix, which would be to reset your bios. To reset the bios, unplug the computer, open the case, and remove the system battery. (the battery is the size of a quater). After that is done, press and hold the power button for 2 minutes (this will discharge the IC's). After that is done, replace the battery, close the case, plug the computer in, and press the power button. If the computer boots up normally, you should be all set.
If this doesn't fix the problem, chances are, the hard drive failed. Depending on which make and version bios you have, you can test the hard drive using the built in hard drive test utility. To enter the bios, you can tap the delete key. Some computers use the F2 key. When you turn on the computer, look at the bottom of your screen and it should tell you which key to press. Once in the bios, using the left and right arrow keys, look for "tools" and select that using the "enter" key. Look for "hard drive test". If you don't see that option, your bios doesn't support it.
When you tried turning the computer on, did you hear beeping? Beeps have different codes, which indicate hardware failure. They could be long beeps, short beeps, etc. I'll do my best to help you.
Sent from my Galaxy S II ( SGH-i777) using XDA Premium.

PeartFan40 said:
It could be a few things. A corrupt boot file, a failing hard drive, or something as simple as resetting the bios. Start with the easiest fix, which would be to reset your bios. To reset the bios, unplug the computer, open the case, and remove the system battery. (the battery is the size of a quater). After that is done, press and hold the power button for 2 minutes (this will discharge the IC's). After that is done, replace the battery, close the case, plug the computer in, and press the power button. If the computer boots up normally, you should be all set.
If this doesn't fix the problem, chances are, the hard drive failed. Depending on which make and version bios you have, you can test the hard drive using the built in hard drive test utility. To enter the bios, you can tap the delete key. Some computers use the F2 key. When you turn on the computer, look at the bottom of your screen and it should tell you which key to press. Once in the bios, using the left and right arrow keys, look for "tools" and select that using the "enter" key. Look for "hard drive test". If you don't see that option, your bios doesn't support it.
When you tried turning the computer on, did you hear beeping? Beeps have different codes, which indicate hardware failure. They could be long beeps, short beeps, etc. I'll do my best to help you.
Sent from my Galaxy S II ( SGH-i777) using XDA Premium.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The OP has a lappy. Not all laptops have removable cmos batteries. Also he gets the windows loading screen, so it less likely its an HD issue and more likely just a system issue. Also to reset cmos just pop the battery out for 30 seconds. That also helps remove static, which can cause problems.
Sent from my iPhone 6GS using Tapatalk.

jaszek said:
The OP has a lappy. Not all laptops have removable cmos batteries. Also he gets the windows loading screen, so it less likely its an HD issue and more likely just a system issue. Also to reset cmos just pop the battery out for 30 seconds. That also helps remove static, which can cause problems.
Sent from my iPhone 6GS using Tapatalk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is completely false, on every level.. A failing hard drive won't prevent the bootscreen from loading, that's the job of the bios. And a failing hard drive can get to several different stages in the boot process prior to looping. As I stated in my original post, it could be several things, INCLUDING a corrupt boot file. And you are incorrect about some laptops not having batteries. All computers, be it desktops or laptops have batteries. The cmos chip requires a battery to store the settings in bios. Only really old laptops have non removeable batteries. But we're talking about laptops that are far more than 10 years old. Let's keep this thread on topic. If you have additiinal support to offer, please do. Otherwise, let's keep all off topic conversation of his thread.
Sent from my Galaxy S II ( SGH-i777) using XDA Premium.

Well I guess I won't argue with you since I fix computer every day and have seen new laptops with permanent cmos batteries and a place where you can short the board to clear the cmos. But what do I know.
Sent from my iPhone 6GS using Tapatalk.

jaszek said:
Well I guess I won't argue with you since I fix computer every day and have seen new laptops with permanent cmos batteries and a place where you can short the board to clear the cmos. But what do I know.
Sent from my iPhone 6GS using Tapatalk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not going to hijack this member's thread with an ego fueled debate. I've been working on computers since the Apple IIe. I'm offering him basic solutions based on his level of experience. If basic troubleshooting methods don't remedy his problem, the appropriate suggestion is to take it to a shop. I don't think it's a good idea to start showing an inexperienced end user how to start messing with the jumpers. That could turn a simple problem into a very expensive lesson. Let's keep this thread clean.
Sent from my Galaxy S II ( SGH-i777) using XDA Premium.

Seeing as how nobody mentioned it, the OP should try booting with the bare minimum of hardware connected. Disconnect your optical drive, any HDD that isn't the primary drive, any RAM apart from one DIMM, (if you have two swap them out and try again), remove, sound/graphics cards, network cards...anything you don't need to boot, pull CMOS battery and replace. Then try to boot, and see how you get on.
That's the first thing that should have been done.
(BTW i'm not seeing anything here that suggests the PC in question is a laptop? Do many laptops have 3 HDD's as the OP mentioned he did?)

BTW, you don't have to worry about losing your files. You can buy an external hard drive enclosure kit and use your hard drive as an external usb drive.
Sent from my Galaxy S II ( SGH-i777) using XDA Premium.

Related

I dropped my phone in the toilet! help!

Hey guys, need some help here, I was takin a leak while texting and I dropped my phone in lol. Well I tried the soaking in rice trick, it helped, it turns on now but the touch screen and key board don't work. Its really slow and almost unresponsive. the menu talk home back and end buttons seem to barely work. So here's the deal, I need my contacts off the phone. I have some saved to the sim but most were saved to the phone. I can't get to the home screen because I have a lock pattern, and the touch screen doesn't work. I never did that google sync deal so I can't log in and get them from google. What can I do guys? Please help.
The Unknown 777 said:
What can I do guys? Please help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Buy a new phone
That's genius good thinking. I don't care about the phone I just need to get the contacts off, does anybody know a way?
If you can ADB into the phone, you may still be able to pull the files off. I don't know how useful they would be on anything but a rooted Android phone though (meaning I don't know how Android stores the contact info.)
Sorry man but what's adb? And its not rooted or modified in any way. I tried using mymobiler but that didn't work either
Install the latest SDK tools here: http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
and to install them' follow these directions: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=532719
Ok ill try that tonight when I get home, but am I gonna be able to install that on my phone the way it is? It will boot up to the lock pattern screen but I can't go any farther than that
You don't need to mount your phone or anything
just connect the phone via USB cable to the computer and install the drivers.
The instructions are also on the 2nd link I've given you.
Let it dry then turn on.
Put it in the sun and use a blow dryer to attempt and salvage it...
Sucks man, never had it happen to me but someone very wise told me the above.
pull apart
rinse with rubbing alcohol
let dry
place on aluminum foil
place in oven ~ 200 for 10-20 minutes
let cool
reassemble
power on and hope for the best
Or put in a baggy full of rice.
actually if put it in a bowl (a bag will trap moisture) of wheat or long grain rice (no uncle bens) and let it soak. Its happened to me before and the rice sucks out the moisture everytime. Take phone apart, battery, sdcard sim let it sit in rice for a few days.
Don't watch it though, its worse than watching water boil. Give up on it, and let it surprise you with a Dream.
-------------------------------------
Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App
AustinAce said:
Or put in a baggy full of rice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
water had minerals in it that conduct electricity.... and moisture in the air could cause it to conduct and kill the phone even more/all the way. rice will not remove the minerals. alcohol on the other had does, and evaporates. baking it removes the moisture
This worked for me before
It wasn't an android phone but I've dropped a window's mobile phone and it JUST SO HAPPENS to end up right in a cup of juice. Not only that, but I put it in a bowl of water to make sure the circuits didn't get messed up from dried up sugar per advice from someone on google and then took the battery, back sim card, etc out/apart and sat it in front of a fan for a few days. After about the 4th or 5th (I don't remember) it came back on. The screen wasn't "FULLY" functional until a couple of days after that, but you might at least be able to get it on enough to get your info. Hope that helps.....
I'm 99% sure you DID log into Google. If you're not rooted I'm 100% sure you logged into Google. After that contacts auto sync is pretty much automatic to your Google account unless you are a complete idiot and disabled it from settings.
Phones are too complicated for DIY stuff, hardware-wise at least.
When you drop a phone (or any electronic device) in water, the first thing you do is pull out the battery immediately, and all other power inputs, and don't even think about touching the power button, and then take it to a professional repair shop.
Phones contain BGA chips, which is complicated and hard to deal with, the slightest moisture under or in the chip (that's right, inside the chip, read about BGA Baking) might cause disasters, or at least instability, and only professionals trained in the BGA & Phones (not just any pro) field should handle it.
Source: Experience and field of work
And about the contacts problem, could you give us more info, like SPL version? totally Stock ROM? RC29?
If you get a recovery image on this phone, you can do a BART backup, and restore it on another one, and get your contacts, should work, but I never tried it.
Ok guys this is what I have so far. its been soaking in rice for a while now, but I was an idiot and powered it on right after I got it wet, I also powered it on several times periodically to check on it. I can still turn it on now but like I said keyboard and touch screen are f***ed. I'm using my new g1 so I don't feel like quoting everybody so ill just go like this,
To the guy that gave me the guide on installing the sdk, here's the issues I'm having. I'm unable to even get sdk setup to work. I downloaded the drivers, I put them in the android sdk folder which is on c:/. When I connect my phone even though I uninstalled the driver fot android with deviewer every time I would reconnect it, it automatically reinstalled the android driver as a mass storage device. So I went into the control panel and installed the adb driver manually. Now when I connect it, it pops up as android adb. However sdk setup still doesn't work. When I click setup it flashes a command prompt for a split second and does nothing else. Ill also say my pc is junk and and I can't open cmd or task manager for some reason(virus maybe?) So what am I missing here?
To whoever asked what version and stuff the phone is, I believe its the latest update and I haven't done any soft mods to it, not rooting or anything.
To whoever said something about doing a BART back up and transferring files to my new g1, how do I do that? that's what I really need to do.
ar2000jp said:
Phones are too complicated for DIY stuff, hardware-wise at least.
When you drop a phone (or any electronic device) in water, the first thing you do is pull out the battery immediately, and all other power inputs, and don't even think about touching the power button, and then take it to a professional repair shop.
Phones contain BGA chips, which is complicated and hard to deal with, the slightest moisture under or in the chip (that's right, inside the chip, read about BGA Baking) might cause disasters, or at least instability, and only professionals trained in the BGA & Phones (not just any pro) field should handle it.
Source: Experience and field of work
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
before moisture sensitive components (IC/BGA/FBGA/etc) are run through assembly those components are brought up to 125c (257f) for 4 hours to drive the moisture out. then they are place on the PBC with the pick and place after they get the solder mask. then placed into the soldering oven.
The Unknown 777 said:
Ok guys this is what I have so far. its been soaking in rice for a while now, but I was an idiot and powered it on right after I got it wet, I also powered it on several times periodically to check on it. I can still turn it on now but like I said keyboard and touch screen are f***ed. I'm using my new g1 so I don't feel like quoting everybody so ill just go like this,
To the guy that gave me the guide on installing the sdk, here's the issues I'm having. I'm unable to even get sdk setup to work. I downloaded the drivers, I put them in the android sdk folder which is on c:/. When I connect my phone even though I uninstalled the driver fot android with deviewer every time I would reconnect it, it automatically reinstalled the android driver as a mass storage device. So I went into the control panel and installed the adb driver manually. Now when I connect it, it pops up as android adb. However sdk setup still doesn't work. When I click setup it flashes a command prompt for a split second and does nothing else. Ill also say my pc is junk and and I can't open cmd or task manager for some reason(virus maybe?) So what am I missing here?
To whoever asked what version and stuff the phone is, I believe its the latest update and I haven't done any soft mods to it, not rooting or anything.
To whoever said something about doing a BART back up and transferring files to my new g1, how do I do that? that's what I really need to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
maybe its just the way you wrote it... but you know the rice should be dry.......
Stop powering it on. you will need to wait several days
Maybe I should try the alcohol thing? I did drop it in a toilet full of dank piss bowl cleaner. I just don't want to take a risk of frying it if something messes up before I get the files off

Whats wrong with my HD 7, is this normal?

Ohhkay, here is my issue. If my phone
1. Dies, when i put it on the charger weather it be the wall or the computer, and then turn it on it wont turn on completely. It shows a picture telling me to connect my phone to a computer.
or
2. If i turn my phone off manually by the lock screen button and then try to turn it on it does the same thing as if the phone died.
The fix is to pull the battery once its on, and then turn it on. Is this a common issue and just a part of one of the many bugs with this new OS? Thanks!
No problem here... better take it back and let em check it
tfn said:
No problem here... better take it back and let em check it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by take a look at it, what can a bunch of t-mobile reps do? (referencing the reps at the t-mobiles near me because they don't seem to know much about ANYTHING.)
Paul Nur said:
Ohhkay, here is my issue. If my phone
1. Dies, when i put it on the charger weather it be the wall or the computer, and then turn it on it wont turn on completely. It shows a picture telling me to connect my phone to a computer.
or
2. If i turn my phone off manually by the lock screen button and then try to turn it on it does the same thing as if the phone died.
The fix is to pull the battery once its on, and then turn it on. Is this a common issue and just a part of one of the many bugs with this new OS? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't consider your issue a bug at this point. You might want to take it to the store and have it swapped. If it happens on your replacement then its a bug; if someone else mentions it then its a bug.
Again, start with step one, take the phone back and have it swapped.
How long/complicated/tiresome/time consuming is backing up my ENTIRE phone to my computer, and then reloading EVERYTHING back to the replacement?
Paul Nur said:
How long/complicated/tiresome/time consuming is backing up my ENTIRE phone to my computer, and then reloading EVERYTHING back to the replacement?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure what you mean by backup as WP7 doesn't have any backup abilities. Are you referring to your music via Zune. All the apps you download are via marketplace which is in the cloud. likewise your e-mail which is also in the cloud.
You've got 25GB of skydrive for your documents that are also cloud based hence no backup. Again you may want to give more details by backup/restore.
Paul Nur said:
How long/complicated/tiresome/time consuming is backing up my ENTIRE phone to my computer, and then reloading EVERYTHING back to the replacement?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It isn't complicated. It's actually very simple. Sign into Live.com and that will sync most of your info. Connect to Zune and the rest will be loaded.
I had to do it 4 times. I'm on my fourth HD7. Stuff like placing tiles and the arrangement of you main page is manual, though.
MartyLK said:
It isn't complicated. It's actually very simple. Sign into Live.com and that will sync most of your info. Connect to Zune and the rest will be loaded.
I had to do it 4 times. I'm on my fourth HD7. Stuff like placing tiles and the arrangement of you main page is manual, though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tiles and settings is what it comes down to? Ok well even with this issue I don't really care if its there. My phone only died once, when I first got it, and there was only one case where I had to turn the phone off because of an app. As long as its not confirmed by Microsoft that it is a hardware issue, I could care less, it will get fixed if it is software related. So this thread made me come to this conclusion. "If its not a hardware issue confirmed by Microsoft then I dont care"
Sent from my HD7 using Board Express
Paul Nur said:
Tiles and settings is what it comes down to? Ok well even with this issue I don't really care if its there. My phone only died once, when I first got it, and there was only one case where I had to turn the phone off because of an app. As long as its not confirmed by Microsoft that it is a hardware issue, I could care less, it will get fixed if it is software related. So this thread made me come to this conclusion. "If its not a hardware issue confirmed by Microsoft then I dont care"
Sent from my HD7 using Board Express
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just remembered, you also need to manually install the apps you got from the Market. They don't install automatically yet...later in an update, hopefully.
MartyLK said:
I just remembered, you also need to manually install the apps you got from the Market. They don't install automatically yet...later in an update, hopefully.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I agree; having all your downloaded apps (on your phone) sync to ur computer visa versa (computer to phone) would be great. To take it one step further have them sync'ed to your live account! That would be cool. To just input your windows live id on ur new wp7 device and everything but the placement of your tiles and settings would be there. Ahhh, we can only dream, lol. (or hope)
and here is a picture of my screen when i plug in my phone after i get the "connect your wp7 device to a computer" screen.
Paul Nur said:
Yes, I agree; having all your downloaded apps (on your phone) sync to ur computer visa versa (computer to phone) would be great. To take it one step further have them sync'ed to your live account! That would be cool. To just input your windows live id on ur new wp7 device and everything but the placement of your tiles and settings would be there. Ahhh, we can only dream, lol. (or hope)
and here is a picture of my screen when i plug in my phone after i get the "connect your wp7 device to a computer" screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I was more referring to the way Android 2.2 does it. Sign in to Gmail or the Market and all your apps will be restored. But that would be great...a bit thefty...LOL...if the apps could backup to the PC.
My phone does it too. But only if I let my phone die completely. After the "Break In" for the batt. I don't let my phone die. Usually always have some form of a charger close by. Should I look into swapping it out? I mean it's not that big of a deal for me but if it's something that should be avoided I'll go swap tomorrow.
I have had the issue a couple time but I figured out that I was actually pushing the power and volume buttons at the same time. I have the phone in the case from T-Mobile the Speck. The case seems to make the buttons super sensitive. I paid attention to what I was doing when I plugged it in and realized I was holding it in a manner while plugging it into the charger and computer that was applying pressure (not much pressure either) to the power and volume buttons. I took off the case for the day and didn't have any trouble. So it's back in the case now and I just pay close attention to where I put my fingers when plugging it in.
/)4rk H4r8!n93r said:
I have had the issue a couple time but I figured out that I was actually pushing the power and volume buttons at the same time. I have the phone in the case from T-Mobile the Speck. The case seems to make the buttons super sensitive. I paid attention to what I was doing when I plugged it in and realized I was holding it in a manner while plugging it into the charger and computer that was applying pressure (not much pressure either) to the power and volume buttons. I took off the case for the day and didn't have any trouble. So it's back in the case now and I just pay close attention to where I put my fingers when plugging it in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, holding down JUST the power button, same goes for when it dies. Anyone have any news on what will be in the first update for wp7?
Sent from my HD7 using Board Express
Paul Nur said:
Nope, holding down JUST the power button, same goes for when it dies. Anyone have any news on what will be in the first update for wp7?
Sent from my HD7 using Board Express
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The same exact thing happened to my HD7 twice around four days ago right after charging (my phone is just 5 days old). I had to take out the battery for the phone to turn on again. Never happened again though. I must have pressed something.
If it's still showing the download screen even if you're not touching the volume button, then the phone is touching the volume button itself. Call 611 or 1-800-937-8997 to set up a warranty exchange. If you bought it second hand, you're stuck with it.

[Q] USB charges but will not connect to any PC

I've gone thru I think 4 different Captivates, this one has been the best so far, no random shutdown, no phantom home key, has 3 button recovery...
However, after several months it quit being recognized by ANY pc I plug it into. Nothing happens, nothing on the phone, nothing on the PC other than starting to charge.
I've gone between Supernova, Apex, etc and so I don't think it's a software thing. Any ideas?
Did u try changing the cable n trying?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
diablo009 said:
Did u try changing the cable n trying?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, cables work fine with other Captivates and a Fascinate too.
I found my usb connection fix. Might be yours too
pkley said:
I've gone thru I think 4 different Captivates, this one has been the best so far, no random shutdown, no phantom home key, has 3 button recovery...
However, after several months it quit being recognized by ANY pc I plug it into. Nothing happens, nothing on the phone, nothing on the PC other than starting to charge.
I've gone between Supernova, Apex, etc and so I don't think it's a software thing. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok so check it out. I've owned 4 captivates now and had this issue on two of them. I lost my first one. My second one I took back before my 30 days was up. Third one ran over by my car at the gas station...and now my fourth one was having the same problem. I tried cleaning it with alcohol and a twisted end of a q-tip, which was definitly nasty due to being left open all the time but the cleaning didnt fix my issue. So I decided that i would take a guitar pick and push or bend forward a little, the inside piece of the captivates micro usb. The piece in side that i bent is now almost in the middle of the charger slot. I was careful to insert the usb cord into it and could tell that it was much tighter. Then I noticed that it connected but only made it half way though the driver install. I picked up my captivate and set it on my keyboard so there is a slight pressure for the usb to push together and now my phone connects anytime. Now I know this isnt the proper way to fix your problem but it worked for me and has for two weeks now, every time. Give it a try but use something firm but soft. Nothing metal. Hope this is the fix u need. LMK if it works for anyone else who reads this Oh and I realize you got rid of your Captivate but this is the post I found when I searched! And yeah Cognition 5 v2 for me. I love it!

HelpI don't know what to do.

So my laptop crashed, gave me a blue screen and now it won't boot. It's an old dell inspiron 1525 that I've been using with a desktop monitor since the screen doesn't work. I could try fixing the problem but as I said the screen doesn't work and all that command line interface doesn't show on the desktop monitor. How would I fix this? Please help?
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
If you arent skilled enough the answer is simple. Go to service, but i recommend you to buy something newer, if you have a chance.
Try unplugging the laptop LCD, and plug in the external and check if then you can see the stuff. Also, if the screen is not cracked, then to fix your LCD issue it's probably a dead inverter, and its a pretty cheap and easy fix.
use linux
manoah said:
use linux
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That wouldn't solve his problem of not seeing the BIOS settings and command line.

Bricked Captivate Assistance

Hi team. I've searched the forums for answers and even though I've read a thousand excellent posts, none (of course) fit my situation specifically. I'll try to be as brief as I can.
My AT&T-branded, Chinese imported Captivate was only three weeks old when I first soft-bricked it trying to do an update using Kies (thanks Samsung!) and then because it would only go into download mode, I tried using Odin to reflash back to where I was. The flash didn't take and I was left with nothing; no charging icon, no computer recognition (Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit using the generic Samsung Android phone drivers downloaded from somewhere on XDA) and no boot/download mode; in other words, hard-bricked and nothing working.
I bought myself a riffbox and spent a long time reading various forum posts about using it; I own a computer repair company and have flashed a million motherboard, modem, router and other firmwares over the past 15 years and have even done a Samsung S2 and a Galaxy Pad in the last week so am reasonably comfortable with the process, even though I'm not hugely experiences yet with the riffbox.
Anyway, I imported and soldered the recommended panasonic socket to the JTAG point and made myself some PCB adapters to fit and break out the Riffbox cables. That's all done and dusted and today I used the Riffbox on my Captivate for the first time, apparently detecting the 'dead body' and flashing the ROM successfully (the box and software would soon tell me if something wasn't right). While I hoped it would, I didn't expect my phone to boot straight away, but did expect it to go into download mode, as suggested in the JTAG literature with the Riffbox. This is where it all gets bent out of shape.
I always get into download mode with my Captivate by dropping the battery and then replugging with the Vol + and - buttons held. I have tried all methodfs I can find on XDA but all either don't work or do the same thing, that is, my phone enters download mode for about ten seconds, then drops out again. During that time, all USB devices 'hang' while the computer tries to fathom what the hell is connected there and Andy just holds his shovel and laughs at me before disappearing once again into the inky blackness of a dead screen. The device manager shows an unknown device detected before letting it go again and mouse and keyboard control resumes. Weird. I thought it might be a flat battery but I've charged that so it has plenty of juice. When plugged via USB, there is 4 volts at the battery terminals (measured with the battery out) so it would charge when plugged in (wall wart or USB cable) even though no icon shows.
Like any good tech I went back and reflashed using both the recommended ROM and 'last resort' option in the Riffbox (Clone Gremlin Zone flash) and the phone still does the same thing; enters download mode then off. I made up a USB dongle/jig using exactly 301 kilohms of resistance (measured digitally) across pins 4 and 5 and followed the various videos/explanations to get into download mode that way but this does not work on my phone, leading me to think something else is broken.
Bottom line is that it seems the phone doesn't have to be connected via USB to enter download mode but if Windows cannot load the phone, then I cannot use Odin or Heimdall to reflash it. I don't think it is drivers because it worked OK before the brick (well, not perfectly but it did connect and I had USB drive support etc.) and besides, I have tried reinstalling drivers to no avail. Can anyone suggest anything I can try (shipping it to some guy in the USA is not the answer I'm going for here so please don't waste your time or mine). As far as I can see, I have done everything the people here suggest and the JTAG/Riffbox instructions to the letter but it just does not want to happen. I'd rather not lose the phone and since I eventually want to offer this sort of service in my business, I want to get it to work on my own phone for my own pride and knowledge.
Cheers from Christchurch New Zealand.
Follow up.
davenz said:
Hi team. I've searched the forums for answers and even though I've read a thousand excellent posts, none (of course) fit my situation specifically. I'll try to be as brief as I can.
My AT&T-branded, Chinese imported Captivate was only three weeks old when I first soft-bricked it trying to do an update using Kies (thanks Samsung!) and then because it would only go into download mode, I tried using Odin to reflash back to where I was. The flash didn't take and I was left with nothing; no charging icon, no computer recognition (Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit using the generic Samsung Android phone drivers downloaded from somewhere on XDA) and no boot/download mode; in other words, hard-bricked and nothing working.
I bought myself a riffbox and spent a long time reading various forum posts about using it; I own a computer repair company and have flashed a million motherboard, modem, router and other firmwares over the past 15 years and have even done a Samsung S2 and a Galaxy Pad in the last week so am reasonably comfortable with the process, even though I'm not hugely experiences yet with the riffbox.
Anyway, I imported and soldered the recommended panasonic socket to the JTAG point and made myself some PCB adapters to fit and break out the Riffbox cables. That's all done and dusted and today I used the Riffbox on my Captivate for the first time, apparently detecting the 'dead body' and flashing the ROM successfully (the box and software would soon tell me if something wasn't right). While I hoped it would, I didn't expect my phone to boot straight away, but did expect it to go into download mode, as suggested in the JTAG literature with the Riffbox. This is where it all gets bent out of shape.
I always get into download mode with my Captivate by dropping the battery and then replugging with the Vol + and - buttons held. I have tried all methodfs I can find on XDA but all either don't work or do the same thing, that is, my phone enters download mode for about ten seconds, then drops out again. During that time, all USB devices 'hang' while the computer tries to fathom what the hell is connected there and Andy just holds his shovel and laughs at me before disappearing once again into the inky blackness of a dead screen. The device manager shows an unknown device detected before letting it go again and mouse and keyboard control resumes. Weird. I thought it might be a flat battery but I've charged that so it has plenty of juice. When plugged via USB, there is 4 volts at the battery terminals (measured with the battery out) so it would charge when plugged in (wall wart or USB cable) even though no icon shows.
Like any good tech I went back and reflashed using both the recommended ROM and 'last resort' option in the Riffbox (Clone Gremlin Zone flash) and the phone still does the same thing; enters download mode then off. I made up a USB dongle/jig using exactly 301 kilohms of resistance (measured digitally) across pins 4 and 5 and followed the various videos/explanations to get into download mode that way but this does not work on my phone, leading me to think something else is broken.
Bottom line is that it seems the phone doesn't have to be connected via USB to enter download mode but if Windows cannot load the phone, then I cannot use Odin or Heimdall to reflash it. I don't think it is drivers because it worked OK before the brick (well, not perfectly but it did connect and I had USB drive support etc.) and besides, I have tried reinstalling drivers to no avail. Can anyone suggest anything I can try (shipping it to some guy in the USA is not the answer I'm going for here so please don't waste your time or mine). As far as I can see, I have done everything the people here suggest and the JTAG/Riffbox instructions to the letter but it just does not want to happen. I'd rather not lose the phone and since I eventually want to offer this sort of service in my business, I want to get it to work on my own phone for my own pride and knowledge.
Cheers from Christchurch New Zealand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since none of the gurus here bothered to respond I'll do it myself in case someone else finds the same issue.
Turns out the battery was faulty; I replaced it and succeeded in getting the phone into download mode with both the jig and the usual methods. Then the computer would not recognize the phone, the dreaded 'unknown device' in the device manager. I was using the factory cable that came with the phone but tried a third-party one I had for a Chicom HTC copy I had lying around and this allowed the phone to be recognized by Windows (go figure). I used Odin to unbrick/reflash and it is all go now, interestingly both cables now work for the phone within Windows so it is always worth trying something even though it makes no real sense to do so.
Darn, that is exactly what I was going to say to do!
Next time, try a rotating disc nebulizer, which you can redesign with respect to the principle parameters that determine its analytical performance. The flow pattern of the aerosols you will attain can be optimized by altering the shape of the inner chamber for optimum aerodynamic characteristics. Furthermore, the optimum angle of impact needs to be established using particle size distribution and mass transport efficiency as criteria. Any analytical characteristics you determine will be through monitoring the emission signal from an aqueous standard. The accuracy has to be assessed by using reference steel and iridium samples.
It is easy to construct, and the fundamental component is a rotating disc onto which a liquid sample is introduced. It should require no additional spray chamber and be easy to operate effectively. Once in operation it should produce aerosols with mean droplet diameters of approximately 0.50 µm.
You may then utilize inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry to determine the defect.:good:
^
ROFLMAO !!!!
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda premium
Rotating Disc Nebulizer
-SGA- said:
Darn, that is exactly what I was going to say to do!
Next time, try a rotating disc nebulizer, which you can redesign with respect to the principle parameters that determine its analytical performance. The flow pattern of the aerosols you will attain can be optimized by altering the shape of the inner chamber for optimum aerodynamic characteristics. Furthermore, the optimum angle of impact needs to be established using particle size distribution and mass transport efficiency as criteria. Any analytical characteristics you determine will be through monitoring the emission signal from an aqueous standard. The accuracy has to be assessed by using reference steel and iridium samples.
It is easy to construct, and the fundamental component is a rotating disc onto which a liquid sample is introduced. It should require no additional spray chamber and be easy to operate effectively. Once in operation it should produce aerosols with mean droplet diameters of approximately 0.50 µm.
You may then utilize inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry to determine the defect.:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is excellent advice and ordinarily I would agree 110%, however I have found that the later model Rotating Disc Nebulisers have an inherent fault in the flange valve regulator, which in turn affects the lead mercury ratio and results in even harder bricking of susceptible devices. If, however, you feather an older nebulizer with the updated underhead/overhang mod then even the nastiest conflibulator inversion is easily bypassed. Just for information's sake...
davenz said:
This is excellent advice and ordinarily I would agree 110%, however I have found that the later model Rotating Disc Nebulisers have an inherent fault in the flange valve regulator, which in turn affects the lead mercury ratio and results in even harder bricking of susceptible devices. If, however, you feather an older nebulizer with the updated underhead/overhang mod then even the nastiest conflibulator inversion is easily bypassed. Just for information's sake...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG, that was some seriously original stuff! Anyone try Googling "conflibulator inversion"? This is the only result, lol!
Glad to hear your flashing worked out, I think the process you followed is a lot more in depth than many of us would ever undertake...
-SGA- said:
OMG, that was some seriously original stuff! Anyone try Googling "conflibulator inversion"? This is the only result, lol!
Glad to hear your flashing worked out, I think the process you followed is a lot more in depth than many of us would ever undertake...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I wasn't about to throw away 350 bucks (our money, which is worth about three chickens and a bag of salt in anyone else's currency) and since I pride myself in being able to fix anything, the challenge was set in motion when I discovered (via this excellent resource) that the Captivate was a) hard to brick (I found it pretty easy to be honest) and b) the hardest to unbrick.One poster claimed that if you can unbrick a Captivate you can unbrick anything, so I had to give it a go. After all, what did I have to lose?
As I mentioned, I intend to diversify my computer repair business into mobile gadget repairs anyway and I can think of nothing more noble than unbricking phones. I learned an incredible amount on the way through the whole process and while just having the tools doesn't make me an expert, I'm happy to work my way toward that goal and if I help others on the way, well, it's a win/win.
Thanks for the entertaining posts and cheers from Christchurch, New Zealand.
I sure hope you tried locating the flux capacitor before going through all that work. Could have saved you from having to go through the whole "Seismic Declan Brown Eyed Goose" process.
Glad to hear you are de-worse-ifying your biz.
You should add the left-handed skyhook-bipolar-transmogifier-probe to your tools. I am told its use dramatically improves GPS performance, and provides immediate position locks to some position, however distant from where you thought you were.
-written whilst sipping high temperature psychoactive botanical filtrate in my ceramic gravitational containment vessel with plalangeal bracket (aka coffee in my mug).
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using xda app-developers app
Thanks
wwcjr91 said:
I sure hope you tried locating the flux capacitor before going through all that work. Could have saved you from having to go through the whole "Seismic Declan Brown Eyed Goose" process.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now you tell me! The entire Seismic Declan Brown Eyed Goose scenario had me stumped there for a while but after referencing 'Nocturnal Urinary Releases and other Stories', the famous Declan-decoding text by I. P. Nightly, a liberal application of lubricating gel in all the right places had the whole thing well in hand...
And as for the left-handed skyhook-bipolar-transmogifier-probe, that's again where I went wrong with a newbie mistake. Sadly I ordered the right-handed skyhook-bipolar-transmogifier-probe and of course it didn't moglify the selindicular quadronizer at all. In fact, it broke it off at the chalisticator and left me up the paddle without a creek, so to speak. Nevertheless, a little old-fashioned luck and a tap with the old thorificating polookanizer soon had things back on track.
Now all I need is another Speckled Jim for the halitosinifer (do you REALLY want to know?) and all will be well in my world (which is not like other worlds if posts on XDA are anything to go by...)
Thanks all for your excellent input, it has been a journey through the looking glass!
well i really liked the "brilliantly" thought of posts about the legendary tools mentioned... hehe
i was really looking forward to more comments to lighten up the mood
pls keep posting
3 cheers
btw i am also stuck at dead hard brick on my cappy
regards
alot of youtube videos provide help on unbricking
...'last resort' option in the Riffbox (Clone Gremlin Zone flash)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please.
Someone know what Gremlin Zone exactly is?
Location in OneNAND ? Or somewhere else?
Maybe adresses or dump of Gremlin Zone would be nice.
Thanx in advance.
Best Regards
adfree said:
Please.
Someone know what Gremlin Zone exactly is?
Location in OneNAND ? Or somewhere else?
Maybe adresses or dump of Gremlin Zone would be nice.
Thanx in advance.
Best Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the person to ask would be AdamOutler. You're asking for some deep knowledge in general

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