Help!! Arnova 8 G2 bricked - can't even start-up

[JCR1987]

I'm hoping someone can help. I got the Arnova 8 G2 last week and promptly changed the firmware from the stock version supplied to the EZ custom firmware (from the Arctablet website). All seemed fine initially except for a couple of minor glitches, but most things worked fine.

I left the tablet on charge overnight yesterday as i'd been having issues with the battery life since changing the firmware, but after i turned it on this morning it wouldn't load up to the home screen, merely cutting out and resetting itself, and going through this procedure again and again until i disconnected the charger. I managed to do the reset and + procedure to get into the setup files, but after i failed to reset it to factory settings, i tried to do a system recovery. Now that has completely screwed the tablet!!

When i plug the tablet in with the charger it starts with the Arnova screen, then goes to a message saying:
Recovery System v1.3.37
===Recovery===
Checking firmware…

After this the screen flashes and it resets itself, looping through this procedure over and over. I only got further than this first line once, at which point it said "Error on Line 12" then "reboot to attempt recovery again" and then reset itself.
I can't even see the tablet via usb to reinstall the original firmware.

Any help welcomed.
JR

[lohtse]

try flashing with sowas rom if its an 8gig ANG8G2... or Morkas over on arctablet...


your tabs not bricked just stuck in recovery...

[JCR1987]

Thanks lohtse. The problem I have is that I don't know how to 'flash' the tablet. The tablet is dead until I plug in the power lead, at which point it starts on this loop of trying to go into recovery, only to get to the first line and then restarting. I don't know how to get to a screen where I could load up a recovery/flashing program.

Any suggestions?

[lohtse]

flash this one http://www.arctablet.com/blog/forum/...page-18/#p6282


quite straight forward press and hold reset button for a few seconds and start the arctablettools app and plug tab in then flash ...should work...

[JCR1987]

So is this the correct procedure:

1. Plug Tablet via USB cable into my laptop
2. Plug other end of USB cable into my tablet
3. Download and start the arctablet flashing tool (via your link)
4. Press and hold reset button on tablet

I'm assuming the flashing tool will then kick in?

[lohtse]

So is this the correct procedure:

1. Plug Tablet via USB cable into my laptop
2. Plug other end of USB cable into my tablet
3. Download and start the arctablet flashing tool (via your link)
4. Press and hold reset button on tablet

I'm assuming the flashing tool will then kick in?

3. Download and start the arctablet flashing tool (via your link)
4. Press and hold reset button on tablet
1. Plug Tablet via USB cable into my laptop
2. Plug other end of USB cable into my tablet

[JCR1987]

I can't even get my pc to recognise the usb so can't see the tablet

Any other suggestions?

[lohtse]

I can't even get my pc to recognise the usb so can't see the tablet

Any other suggestions?

try deleting and reinstalling the usb drivers

[JCR1987]

try deleting and reinstalling the usb drivers

Nope, nothing doing. Looks like i've got myself a new square frizbee.

[lohtse]

The fact the tablet is booting up in some way says NO.... if bricked it would do nothing.... Try plugin in to laptop, press and hold reset whilst pressing volume + do it for about 10secs or till you here a tone of some sort on laptop (this triggered a full reset and format on my arnova 8 g2 didn't intend it).... if nothing then do change volume to power

[JCR1987]

Thanks for your patience lohtse. I just can't seem to get it to come off this Recovery procedure it keeps attempting. Sometimes it will get to the 1st line of the procedure, then reboot, sometimes it gets to the end, then says recovery has failed and... reboots. Annoyingly though, I can't get off the recovery procedure, as soon as I plug the usb in or reset it goes again. No button presses manage to exit from it, the only thing that stops it is to unplug the usb, which kills the tablet.

I'm sure i've tried all the button sequences possible, but I'll give it another go to see what I get.

[Finless]

Bottom line if your getting into the recovery screen then your not putting it into flash mode properly. This is also why your PC is not seeing the device on USB.

I assume when you used the Kasty ROM you just copied update.img over to SD Card and let it update? In other words you have never used before any of the flash tools like RKBatch tool or RKAndroid tool? If not then you also probably do not have the drivers installed to begin with. Update.img on SD Card does not use the PC or any flash tools.

First thing. Remove your SD Card so that it does not see update.img on the SD Card. This could be keeping you from getting into flash mode.

Bob

[JCR1987]

Bottom line if your getting into the recovery screen then your not putting it into flash mode properly. This is also why your PC is not seeing the device on USB.

I assume when you used the Kasty ROM you just copied update.img over to SD Card and let it update? In other words you have never used before any of the flash tools like RKBatch tool or RKAndroid tool? If not then you also probably do not have the drivers installed to begin with. Update.img on SD Card does not use the PC or any flash tools.

First thing. Remove your SD Card so that it does not see update.img on the SD Card. This could be keeping you from getting into flash mode.

Bob

Thanks for the reply Bob. I'm out and about at the minute so will have another look at this tonight and let you know how i get on.

[JCR1987]

It just WILL NOT FLASH. Every time i plug in the pc via usb or via the mains, it goes through the recovery procedure to the point where it tells me it hasn't worked. It does this if i have the sd card in or sd card out.

Here's the process:
1. Tablet is connected to laptop via usb – however the laptop can't see the tablet, but it still powers it
2. System Recovery begins – dialogue is as follows:

Recovery system v1.3.37
===RECOVER===
Checking firmware…
Please KEEP your USB cable or DC-in connected
Writing SYSTEM…
Checking SYSTEM…
Formatting CACHE….
Formatting DATA…
Formatting PAGECACHE….
E: Can't format PAGECACHE:
E: Failure at line 12:
format PAGECACHE:
Recover failed, please reboot and recover again

After the above procedure has run the blue list of options appear at the top of the screen – As follows:

Android system recovery utility v1.3.37
Reboot system now
Factory reset
Update from SDCARD
Update from uDisk
Factory test

When these options appear the screen is frozen on the first option – Reboot system now. I can't move up or down the menu with the + or – buttons. The only button that does anything is the one with 4 lines, which is the ok button and the tablet promptly reboots, only to go through the entire procedure again.

Any ideas anyone?

[Finless]

It just WILL NOT FLASH. Every time i plug in the pc via usb or via the mains, it goes through the recovery procedure to the point where it tells me it hasn't worked. It does this if i have the sd card in or sd card out.

OK wait... your still not getting it. YES when you plug in the Arnova power or USB it will boot up. And because it is in this condition it will go into recovery! DONT sit around and watch it do that. STOP it by forcing it into flash mode recovery!

Once you plug it in let it start BUT now using the procedure in the README to get into flash mode, put it in flash mode!

1) Plug in the power
2) Plug in the USB
3) Forget what the heck it is doing!
4) Use the power switch / reset and force it into flash mode.
5) You PC should DONG for hardware.

Bob