MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - PRS-505 PRS-505 fails to boot up

DogWithAnEReader · Today, 01:35 PM

Hello!

I've been trying my best to resolve my issue with the help of threads already posted on the forum, but now I'm stuck and I'd appreciate some input.

I have an old, european Sony PRS-505 that hasn't been used in a long time and won't boot up. It charges, and holds a charge well, especially given how old it is.

It starts to boot up, reaches the "starting up..." screen, and occasionally even shows me the menu with a spinny icon - then stops doing anything, with the light blinking yellow for a few seconds. The screen usually stays frozen at that point. Sometimes the screen would show the reverse colors from what it should (black lines would show white and so on), or show other graphical anomalies, especially after I had tried to turn it on a few times on a single charge.

I tried pressing the reset button once and turning it on, I tried pressing it 10 or 12 times and then turning it on, I tried pressing the reset button for 30 seconds at a time and turning it on - no difference in behavior.

Eventually I found a thread that said to try reflashing the reader with the Sony firmware, which was taken offline a couple years ago. I found someone on these forums though who shared a special updater, the exe of which is called "PRS-505 Updater 1.1.00.18040 Special.exe", which is supposed to work no matter which firmware is currently installed on the device - though unfortunately I can't find the thread anymore where I downloaded it from, so I can't answer any specific questions about it unfortunately.

I tried using this special updater, and after following the instructions here (https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/PRS...vering_a_brick) I managed to get the reader to be recognized by my computer and the program. The firmware "upgrade" worked without a hitch. In case it's relevant, it shows up to a Windows 10 laptop as a "USB Device" and doesn't seem to contain any data.

Now, the reader seems to more correctly recognize when it is or isn't connected to a computer - but it still won't boot. It will turn on, and the display shows everything cleanly every time, and it still stops on the "starting up..." screen, with the indicator light blinking yellow and the display frozen on the "starting up..." screen. It hasn't reached the menu since I reflashed it. The biggest difference is, now it won't even try to boot (no yellow light) anymore until I press the reset button first. I tried the firmware upgrade again, and the behaviour is the same.

I don't know what to do. I would love to get this reader up and running again, since I love button controls on ereaders and already have this one. Does anyone have any idea what else I could try to do? I also have access to Mac and Linux computers, in case that's in any way helpful, and I am willing to tinker with it. Thank you!

Today, 01:35 PM	#1
DogWithAnEReader Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2026 Device: PRS-505	PRS-505 fails to boot up Hello! I've been trying my best to resolve my issue with the help of threads already posted on the forum, but now I'm stuck and I'd appreciate some input. I have an old, european Sony PRS-505 that hasn't been used in a long time and won't boot up. It charges, and holds a charge well, especially given how old it is. It starts to boot up, reaches the "starting up..." screen, and occasionally even shows me the menu with a spinny icon - then stops doing anything, with the light blinking yellow for a few seconds. The screen usually stays frozen at that point. Sometimes the screen would show the reverse colors from what it should (black lines would show white and so on), or show other graphical anomalies, especially after I had tried to turn it on a few times on a single charge. I tried pressing the reset button once and turning it on, I tried pressing it 10 or 12 times and then turning it on, I tried pressing the reset button for 30 seconds at a time and turning it on - no difference in behavior. Eventually I found a thread that said to try reflashing the reader with the Sony firmware, which was taken offline a couple years ago. I found someone on these forums though who shared a special updater, the exe of which is called "PRS-505 Updater 1.1.00.18040 Special.exe", which is supposed to work no matter which firmware is currently installed on the device - though unfortunately I can't find the thread anymore where I downloaded it from, so I can't answer any specific questions about it unfortunately. I tried using this special updater, and after following the instructions here (https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/PRS...vering_a_brick) I managed to get the reader to be recognized by my computer and the program. The firmware "upgrade" worked without a hitch. In case it's relevant, it shows up to a Windows 10 laptop as a "USB Device" and doesn't seem to contain any data. Now, the reader seems to more correctly recognize when it is or isn't connected to a computer - but it still won't boot. It will turn on, and the display shows everything cleanly every time, and it still stops on the "starting up..." screen, with the indicator light blinking yellow and the display frozen on the "starting up..." screen. It hasn't reached the menu since I reflashed it. The biggest difference is, now it won't even try to boot (no yellow light) anymore until I press the reset button first. I tried the firmware upgrade again, and the behaviour is the same. I don't know what to do. I would love to get this reader up and running again, since I love button controls on ereaders and already have this one. Does anyone have any idea what else I could try to do? I also have access to Mac and Linux computers, in case that's in any way helpful, and I am willing to tinker with it. Thank you!