DR800 Wailing because I bricked my dr800

antistar · 10-26-2010, 11:35 AM

Not that I did anything peculiar...switching between a note and PDF or rebooting after a document closed after error but left a bogus tag on the sidebar didn't seem much of a big deal....or so I thought.
But now my DR800 stays on green light and the booting page without the little dots in the center circle running (if you know what I mean). I am not sure if this is a software problem or hardware one. I tried three SD cards, each formatted and with firmware copied. I pulled the battery in and out for I don't know how many times. I rebooted the device over and over again. Nothing works. All I got is that stupid green light and the horribly hollow circle under that reading guy.
It's almost half past 2 in the morning here but I can't go asleep. I love my DR800 and I read it every night until I fall asleep and it falls down my hands (doesn't take long, though.) How do I ever sleep again without my DR800! (just half a year old...still beats all the new machines I've heard of on the market. Can't think of anything I'd like for a replacement...well, if Sony made a 8" machine, that would be another story.)
Please please does someone have a clue what might help here? With Irex gone, you guys are my only hope. Please someone bring back my DR800 to me! Half a year is too soon to say goodbye!!

Franky · 10-26-2010, 01:06 PM

it's damned shame. I wish I would be able to help you out.
i'm afraid nobody from the old-IREX crew will read your problem and certainly not helping out. That's what happens when a company get busted. Unfortunately it is like it is. I'm still very glad to have the DR800SG and reading on it is a pleasure.

Qxr · 10-26-2010, 01:21 PM

Too bad, sorry to hear of your problem! I would try removing the battery and leaving the reader without it overnight (this works for some problems with Jinke readers). Also I hear that turning Jinke on with the charger connected to AC and no battery sometimes unbricks it. I do not think that such exercises can harm any other reader, so maybe they will work for you too? Good luck!

TGS · 10-26-2010, 01:26 PM

There are Mobileread members with far more technical knowledge and hopefully they will be along soon to offer advice. The only thing I can suggest is to try mounting (plugging it in) to your computer to see if it recognises it, then properly dismounting it to see of it shocks it into life.

Shaggy · 10-26-2010, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by antistar

Not that I did anything peculiar...switching between a note and PDF or rebooting after a document closed after error but left a bogus tag on the sidebar didn't seem much of a big deal....or so I thought.

Which firmware were you running?

Shaggy · 10-26-2010, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Franky

i'm afraid nobody from the old-IREX crew will read your problem and certainly not helping out.

As I mentioned in another thread, I'm not sure where you're getting that information from, but it's certainly not true.

Whether or not the "IREX crew" will respond to this individual post, I don't know. But they are definitely still around and participating. You are aware that there is a new company that has most of the "old" employees?

antistar · 10-26-2010, 09:02 PM

Thank you guys. I know this is where I should go to find people who understand how I feel. E-readers are just the one gadget that we can't do without.

To Qxr:
thank you for the suggestion. Unfortunately the AC-charger-no-battery approach didn't work. It does make sense though. I remember the first time I encountered this I left the device to dry up its battery and then mounted it to the computer. That solved the problem then but not this time. Does make one suspect something on the software side goes wrong during rebooting, though I can't say what. I'll try the overnight method later.

To TGS:
The computer didn't recognize it this time, for however long I plugged. It did bring about the orange light if I plugged in with the power off. Thanks for the tip though.

To Shaggy:
I am running dr800+, the one ported from dr1000 if I remember it right. But I've been running on this firmware since it came out. It crashes now and then, but never turned brick like this. Wondered if my frequent tab-switching recently has anything to do with this...?

antistar · 10-27-2010, 01:16 AM

Well...for some unknown reason and a bit help from a friend, the device came back to life miraculously just then. I am not sure which part of the action brought it back, but let's just record the steps here. I suspect the key is to disrupt the power as much as possible while it is at the initial coma of startup. Anyways, here's more or less what happened:

prepare a SD card fomatted in Fat 16 and loaded with 0408 beta firmware
usb cable (connected to the computer) and battery both on
SD card inserted
Reset->Screen flash->Nothing happened
Took off battery while green light still on
Reset again->light disappeared
plug in usb and battery->reboot
green light is still on ->reset
usb off, battery on->orange light
usb on->reboot device ->hola it works again!!

And thank you everyone for listening to my whining and offering help!

antistar · 10-31-2010, 08:04 AM

Last report:
the machine bricked a couple of times more afterwards. After struggling with it for the last few days, my conclusion is that this has nothing to do with firmware version or plugins (or so it seems to me). Just try rebooting the device again if it can't startup successfully (by telling whether there are little dots running inside the circle.) Keep rebooting until you are lucky enough to land on a successful one (in my case every bricking takes dozens of rebooting...it's a long and tedious process). Once booted the device seems to be running fine. You can then mount the device to the computer or load books. Don't install new plugin, don't flash the firmware, don't charge the device till the battery is full (not unless you are prepared to do all the rebooting. It took me three days to install rc3+chinese display+dr800 plus back). It seems as long as you don't trigger the green light you'll be fine. I wonder what the problem is...

Jumpn Jack Flash · 11-01-2010, 08:15 AM

Anything rattling around inside it? Sounds like a loose component or bad internal memory ( not the sd card ) I believe one device has been reported here with corrupted memory.

Shaggy · 11-01-2010, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by antistar

After struggling with it for the last few days, my conclusion is that this has nothing to do with firmware version or plugins (or so it seems to me).

Have you tried putting the regular iRex firmware back on it, does it still have the same problem?

antistar · 11-01-2010, 07:11 PM

The oldest firmware I can find is the 0409 version. The machine acts in the same way regardless of whether it's 0409 or rc3 inside. Nothing is rattling, though I do suspect corrupted memory is the culprit. (One of my friends who's a programmer said something in the locked-up part of the machine firmware might be wrong). Sadly with iRex gone,that cannot be verified. Now I live in daily bliss (it's back again!) and trepidation (when will it be gone forever?) How I wish there are more 8" choices...

yacoob · 11-02-2010, 05:52 PM

Antistar, don't want to be a party breaker, but exactly the same thing happened to my device. One day it stopped booting - and subsequent reboots were a roulette. I *think* the cause of this were bad sectors in the MTD flash that's hosting kernel and initrd. After my DR800S died for good (read: didn't come back after 100 attempts to reboot or so), I've considered for a moment assaulting it with a set of tools, finding a hardware console line, and reconfiguring the bootlader to boot kernel/initrd from sdcard, if possible. I never got to that point of having enough free time and determination - and in the end I got rid of Irex reader and bought Sony PRS-650.

antistar · 11-03-2010, 02:45 AM

hi yacoob, thanks for the warning. Yes that's what I've more or less been expecting. My plan is that when my irex is gone for good and some retailer starts shipping sony prs-950 abroad I am going to get one. Or maybe I'll go and have a look at the Asus tz-900 with SiPix screen--one of the rare occasions when a new machine is first spotted in Taiwan XD.

10-26-2010, 11:35 AM	#1
antistar Connoisseur Posts: 84 Karma: 32758 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Taiwan Device: PRS-500, dr800sg, prs-950, MS SP3, Boox i86ML, Sony Z3TC, KV, Sony RP1	Wailing because I bricked my dr800 (Fixed) Not that I did anything peculiar...switching between a note and PDF or rebooting after a document closed after error but left a bogus tag on the sidebar didn't seem much of a big deal....or so I thought. But now my DR800 stays on green light and the booting page without the little dots in the center circle running (if you know what I mean). I am not sure if this is a software problem or hardware one. I tried three SD cards, each formatted and with firmware copied. I pulled the battery in and out for I don't know how many times. I rebooted the device over and over again. Nothing works. All I got is that stupid green light and the horribly hollow circle under that reading guy. It's almost half past 2 in the morning here but I can't go asleep. I love my DR800 and I read it every night until I fall asleep and it falls down my hands (doesn't take long, though.) How do I ever sleep again without my DR800! (just half a year old...still beats all the new machines I've heard of on the market. Can't think of anything I'd like for a replacement...well, if Sony made a 8" machine, that would be another story.) Please please does someone have a clue what might help here? With Irex gone, you guys are my only hope. Please someone bring back my DR800 to me! Half a year is too soon to say goodbye!! Last edited by antistar; 10-27-2010 at 03:27 AM.

11-01-2010, 07:11 PM	#12
antistar Connoisseur Posts: 84 Karma: 32758 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Taiwan Device: PRS-500, dr800sg, prs-950, MS SP3, Boox i86ML, Sony Z3TC, KV, Sony RP1	The oldest firmware I can find is the 0409 version. The machine acts in the same way regardless of whether it's 0409 or rc3 inside. Nothing is rattling, though I do suspect corrupted memory is the culprit. (One of my friends who's a programmer said something in the locked-up part of the machine firmware might be wrong). Sadly with iRex gone,that cannot be verified. Now I live in daily bliss (it's back again!) and trepidation (when will it be gone forever?) How I wish there are more 8" choices... Last edited by antistar; 11-01-2010 at 07:13 PM.

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10-26-2010, 01:06 PM	#2
Franky Nameless Being	it's damned shame. I wish I would be able to help you out. i'm afraid nobody from the old-IREX crew will read your problem and certainly not helping out. That's what happens when a company get busted. Unfortunately it is like it is. I'm still very glad to have the DR800SG and reading on it is a pleasure.

10-26-2010, 01:21 PM	#3
Qxr Enthusiast Posts: 43 Karma: 2188 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Kharkov, Ukraine Device: lbook V3, iRex DR800SG	Too bad, sorry to hear of your problem! I would try removing the battery and leaving the reader without it overnight (this works for some problems with Jinke readers). Also I hear that turning Jinke on with the charger connected to AC and no battery sometimes unbricks it. I do not think that such exercises can harm any other reader, so maybe they will work for you too? Good luck!

10-26-2010, 01:26 PM	#4
TGS Country Member Posts: 9,058 Karma: 7676767 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Denmark Device: Liseuse: Irex DR800. PRS 505 in the house, and the missus has an iPad.	There are Mobileread members with far more technical knowledge and hopefully they will be along soon to offer advice. The only thing I can suggest is to try mounting (plugging it in) to your computer to see if it recognises it, then properly dismounting it to see of it shocks it into life.

10-26-2010, 09:02 PM	#7
antistar Connoisseur Posts: 84 Karma: 32758 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Taiwan Device: PRS-500, dr800sg, prs-950, MS SP3, Boox i86ML, Sony Z3TC, KV, Sony RP1	Thank you guys. I know this is where I should go to find people who understand how I feel. E-readers are just the one gadget that we can't do without. To Qxr: thank you for the suggestion. Unfortunately the AC-charger-no-battery approach didn't work. It does make sense though. I remember the first time I encountered this I left the device to dry up its battery and then mounted it to the computer. That solved the problem then but not this time. Does make one suspect something on the software side goes wrong during rebooting, though I can't say what. I'll try the overnight method later. To TGS: The computer didn't recognize it this time, for however long I plugged. It did bring about the orange light if I plugged in with the power off. Thanks for the tip though. To Shaggy: I am running dr800+, the one ported from dr1000 if I remember it right. But I've been running on this firmware since it came out. It crashes now and then, but never turned brick like this. Wondered if my frequent tab-switching recently has anything to do with this...?

10-27-2010, 01:16 AM	#8
antistar Connoisseur Posts: 84 Karma: 32758 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Taiwan Device: PRS-500, dr800sg, prs-950, MS SP3, Boox i86ML, Sony Z3TC, KV, Sony RP1	Well...for some unknown reason and a bit help from a friend, the device came back to life miraculously just then. I am not sure which part of the action brought it back, but let's just record the steps here. I suspect the key is to disrupt the power as much as possible while it is at the initial coma of startup. Anyways, here's more or less what happened: prepare a SD card fomatted in Fat 16 and loaded with 0408 beta firmware usb cable (connected to the computer) and battery both on SD card inserted Reset->Screen flash->Nothing happened Took off battery while green light still on Reset again->light disappeared plug in usb and battery->reboot green light is still on ->reset usb off, battery on->orange light usb on->reboot device ->hola it works again!! And thank you everyone for listening to my whining and offering help!

10-31-2010, 08:04 AM	#9
antistar Connoisseur Posts: 84 Karma: 32758 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Taiwan Device: PRS-500, dr800sg, prs-950, MS SP3, Boox i86ML, Sony Z3TC, KV, Sony RP1	Last report: the machine bricked a couple of times more afterwards. After struggling with it for the last few days, my conclusion is that this has nothing to do with firmware version or plugins (or so it seems to me). Just try rebooting the device again if it can't startup successfully (by telling whether there are little dots running inside the circle.) Keep rebooting until you are lucky enough to land on a successful one (in my case every bricking takes dozens of rebooting...it's a long and tedious process). Once booted the device seems to be running fine. You can then mount the device to the computer or load books. Don't install new plugin, don't flash the firmware, don't charge the device till the battery is full (not unless you are prepared to do all the rebooting. It took me three days to install rc3+chinese display+dr800 plus back). It seems as long as you don't trigger the green light you'll be fine. I wonder what the problem is...

11-01-2010, 08:15 AM	#10
Jumpn Jack Flash Lazy Git Posts: 124 Karma: 1266 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: The soggy Emerald Isle Device: iRex DR800S	Anything rattling around inside it? Sounds like a loose component or bad internal memory ( not the sd card ) I believe one device has been reported here with corrupted memory.

11-02-2010, 05:52 PM	#13
yacoob Zealot Posts: 120 Karma: 1326 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: none	Antistar, don't want to be a party breaker, but exactly the same thing happened to my device. One day it stopped booting - and subsequent reboots were a roulette. I think the cause of this were bad sectors in the MTD flash that's hosting kernel and initrd. After my DR800S died for good (read: didn't come back after 100 attempts to reboot or so), I've considered for a moment assaulting it with a set of tools, finding a hardware console line, and reconfiguring the bootlader to boot kernel/initrd from sdcard, if possible. I never got to that point of having enough free time and determination - and in the end I got rid of Irex reader and bought Sony PRS-650.

11-03-2010, 02:45 AM	#14
antistar Connoisseur Posts: 84 Karma: 32758 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Taiwan Device: PRS-500, dr800sg, prs-950, MS SP3, Boox i86ML, Sony Z3TC, KV, Sony RP1	hi yacoob, thanks for the warning. Yes that's what I've more or less been expecting. My plan is that when my irex is gone for good and some retailer starts shipping sony prs-950 abroad I am going to get one. Or maybe I'll go and have a look at the Asus tz-900 with SiPix screen--one of the rare occasions when a new machine is first spotted in Taiwan XD.

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