KOBO Aura H2O completely frozen

throsu · 08-18-2015, 03:31 PM

Hello everyone!

Some strange thing happened...
I did a factory reset of my Kobo Aura H2O, after which I have updated the device to 3.15 (from the implicit 3.7 version) and then switched to 3.17. Everything was fine.

While updating the Pocket content following the factory reset, I have tried to set a different brightness level, at which moment, the device froze (picture attached).

No attempts at powering off the device or resetting it using the paperclip has been succesful. Trying to connect it to the PC has also proved unsuccessful. Weird...I have the device from almost a year and did not have any problems, until now. Any ideas how to go on from here?

Thank you all!

frostschutz · 08-18-2015, 03:42 PM

Something like this happened to me recently, although I assume it's because I'm doing too much modding on mine. My device was fully charged; power button and reset button did not work; I had to open it and disconnect the battery [which is what I assumed the reset button would do but apparently there is a difference].

You should explore all other options (not sure which ones your are, your battery indicator looks fully charged as well) before actually opening it though; doing so will destroy the water seal and it won't be quite like before (the device is glued shut and on mine the glue got "lumpy" when opening it). And you risk breakage of the display which just happened one thread over https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=264129

or you could lose touchscreen functionality if anything happens to the bezel.

You could let it run out of battery naturally but it might take years. Depending on whether it's stuck in an endless loop that's good at sucking the battery dry, or in a standby-esque ultra-low-power-consumption mode...

Is the light still on?

throsu · 08-18-2015, 03:51 PM

Thank you, frostschutz, for the quick reply!

The light is off, the battery is fully charged. I am not even considering opening the device, first of all because I don't know how and besides I am not a maverick at these kind of interventions...In addition, I (think) I still have the warranty (the device was bought via ebay from a different country, but from the same EU, so I guess I should be covered, right?).

frostschutz · 08-18-2015, 03:57 PM

Well, that leaves trying everything else again:

- Press the power button normally
- Press and hold the power button for up to a minute (normally it forces shutdown after ~15s or so)
- Press the reset button normally (make sure the paper clip is straight and not bent; the reset button gives a slight click feedback if you concentrate on it so you know you're pressing it correctly)
- Press and hold the reset button (not sure if that would ever do anything, but...)
- Touch the display everywhere (probably won't help but ...)
- Do all of that again (once with, once without USB cable connected)
- Wait for the next clear sky full moon and expose device to moonlight for 4+ hours

If nothing helps, sure, get a warranty replacement.

Oh: The WiFi indicator is turned on in the display, if your router can display WiFi clients you could try pinging the Kobo's IP. If it's online with WiFi and stays that way the battery could drain quickly after all. But if it was still alive this far it should also react to the buttons

The LED next to the power button shows no reaction either? If it blinks but the display stays unchanged, it would be a dead display for some reason

throsu · 08-18-2015, 04:10 PM

No success at hard resetting it using the paperclip or pushing the power button. The led indicator near the Power button stays off and it doesn't show the slightest sign of trying to blink.

I just can't believe that this is the way a Kobo cedes working (I mean just executing routine tasks on it). It was a device not abused by anything, not the least saturated by patches and other similar stuff. I've just loaded the 3.17 firmware on it...A little bit disappointed to see that the device just lasted less than a year.

koboy · 08-18-2015, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by throsu

No success at hard resetting it using the paperclip or pushing the power button. The led indicator near the Power button stays off and it doesn't show the slightest sign of trying to blink.

I just can't believe that this is the way a Kobo cedes working (I mean just executing routine tasks on it). It was a device not abused by anything, not the least saturated by patches and other similar stuff. I've just loaded the 3.17 firmware on it...A little bit disappointed to see that the device just lasted less than a year.

im sure someone on this forum will be able to point you in the right direction, good luck

best wishes koboy

throsu · 08-18-2015, 04:47 PM

Dear koboy,

Thank you for the suggestions. They are truly appreciated!

However, I have several unknowns regarding your previous message.
1. what do you mean by "sliding the Power button to the right"? The H2O only accepts pushes down (not slidings) of the Power button.
2. What do you mean by the "light button"? I have looked in the Kobo manual and it appears not to be a physical button. So, my question is: if I have to push this button to power on the device (that is,pushing it when the screen is off), how can I know its exact location on the screen (if, indeed, you are referring to the "brightness adjusting button")?

Thank you very much!

koboy · 08-18-2015, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by throsu

Dear koboy,

Thank you for the suggestions. They are truly appreciated!

However, I have several unknowns regarding your previous message.
1. what do you mean by "sliding the Power button to the right"? The H2O only accepts pushes down (not slidings) of the Power button.
2. What do you mean by the "light button"? I have looked in the Kobo manual and it appears not to be a physical button. So, my question is: if I have to push this button to power on the device (that is,pushing it when the screen is off), how can I know its exact location on the screen (if, indeed, you are referring to the "brightness adjusting button")?

Thank you very much!

sorry my mistake, i thought you had the Aura HD which has a light button on the top next to the power button, as you know the H20 doesn't, try this though you might as well good luck

hold the power button down.
Tap both the bottom corners of the screen.
When the restoring message is displayed, let the power button go.

try this a few times.

best wishes koboy

throsu · 08-18-2015, 05:04 PM

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work.
I will keep trying, who knows...

JSWolf · 08-18-2015, 05:12 PM

Have you tried plugging the H2O into the USB of the computer? Sometimes that can wake up a stuck Reader.

koboy · 08-18-2015, 05:14 PM

keep trying if it doesn't work, hopefully someone on here will be able to help you out, if not and it's still under warranty you should be able to get a replacement

best wishes koboy

PeterT · 08-18-2015, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by throsu

[IMG]httx://i62.tinypic.com/10coisg.jpg[/IMG]

Please resize this image; see the forum guidelines. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/faq...ing_guidelines

Quote:

9. Avatars, Images and Signatures
...
Images included in posts must be no more than 600x600 pixels.
...

meeera · 08-18-2015, 11:52 PM

Don't assume that the battery indicator is accurate - after all, the screen is frozen. Charge for at least a couple of hours from a wall charger, then try the factory reset procedure again (repeating several times). If that fails, contact Kobo support - don't open an H20 when it's under warranty!

(You haven't left the device in your car recently, have you? Just checking...)

throsu · 08-19-2015, 01:28 AM

I have resized the picture. Hope it's OK now.

A few answers:
- meeera: NO, the device was used just indoor and not exposed to direct sunlight; the battery meter is OK, because I have fully charged it prior to mounting the 3.17 firmware. So, WYSIWYG :-(
- JSWolf: I have tried to plug to the computer, but to no avail. It simply is dead.

If you allow me, I have several clarification questions:

1. will I lose the warranty if the seller will find the 3.17 firmware on the device?
2. do the factory reset or the hard reset need a fully charged battery? Is this the reason you are suggesting to mount the device to the wall plug? Well, if the answer is affirmative, then, as mentioned previously, the battery was full last night, so I don't see any reason in following the suggestion of fully charging it again.
3. just to know all the implications, before eventually claiming the warranty, are you saying that if I leave the device to fully discharge, then there is hope of it going back to life?

Thanks again for all the help, I am eager to hear more ideas, if there are any left...

Best,
Tudor

meeera · 08-19-2015, 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by throsu

I have resized the picture. Hope it's OK now.

A few answers:
- meeera: NO, the device was used just indoor and not exposed to direct sunlight; the battery meter is OK, because I have fully charged it prior to mounting the 3.17 firmware. So, WYSIWYG :-([...]
2. do the factory reset or the hard reset need a fully charged battery? Is this the reason you are suggesting to mount the device to the wall plug? Well, if the answer is affirmative, then, as mentioned previously, the battery was full last night, so I don't see any reason in following the suggestion of fully charging it again.

To clarify further: I believe you that the battery was fully charged last night, and that the battery indicator was functional at the time the screen froze. However, you have no way of knowing what loops or other issues have been going on "behind the scenes" since the screen froze. The current battery indicator reading does not reflect a current measurement of the device's battery status.

Therefore, charging it fully before attempting the next factory reset is only sensible.

08-18-2015, 03:31 PM	#1
throsu Enthusiast Posts: 46 Karma: 37530 Join Date: Dec 2014 Device: kobo aura h2o	KOBO Aura H2O completely frozen Hello everyone! Some strange thing happened... I did a factory reset of my Kobo Aura H2O, after which I have updated the device to 3.15 (from the implicit 3.7 version) and then switched to 3.17. Everything was fine. While updating the Pocket content following the factory reset, I have tried to set a different brightness level, at which moment, the device froze (picture attached). No attempts at powering off the device or resetting it using the paperclip has been succesful. Trying to connect it to the PC has also proved unsuccessful. Weird...I have the device from almost a year and did not have any problems, until now. Any ideas how to go on from here? Thank you all! Last edited by throsu; 08-19-2015 at 01:17 AM.

08-18-2015, 03:57 PM	#4
frostschutz Linux User Posts: 2,282 Karma: 6123806 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Heidelberg, Germany Device: none	Well, that leaves trying everything else again: - Press the power button normally - Press and hold the power button for up to a minute (normally it forces shutdown after ~15s or so) - Press the reset button normally (make sure the paper clip is straight and not bent; the reset button gives a slight click feedback if you concentrate on it so you know you're pressing it correctly) - Press and hold the reset button (not sure if that would ever do anything, but...) - Touch the display everywhere (probably won't help but ...) - Do all of that again (once with, once without USB cable connected) - Wait for the next clear sky full moon and expose device to moonlight for 4+ hours If nothing helps, sure, get a warranty replacement. Oh: The WiFi indicator is turned on in the display, if your router can display WiFi clients you could try pinging the Kobo's IP. If it's online with WiFi and stays that way the battery could drain quickly after all. But if it was still alive this far it should also react to the buttons The LED next to the power button shows no reaction either? If it blinks but the display stays unchanged, it would be a dead display for some reason Last edited by frostschutz; 08-18-2015 at 04:01 PM.

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08-18-2015, 03:42 PM	#2
frostschutz Linux User Posts: 2,282 Karma: 6123806 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Heidelberg, Germany Device: none	Something like this happened to me recently, although I assume it's because I'm doing too much modding on mine. My device was fully charged; power button and reset button did not work; I had to open it and disconnect the battery [which is what I assumed the reset button would do but apparently there is a difference]. You should explore all other options (not sure which ones your are, your battery indicator looks fully charged as well) before actually opening it though; doing so will destroy the water seal and it won't be quite like before (the device is glued shut and on mine the glue got "lumpy" when opening it). And you risk breakage of the display which just happened one thread over https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=264129 or you could lose touchscreen functionality if anything happens to the bezel. You could let it run out of battery naturally but it might take years. Depending on whether it's stuck in an endless loop that's good at sucking the battery dry, or in a standby-esque ultra-low-power-consumption mode... Is the light still on?

08-18-2015, 03:51 PM	#3
throsu Enthusiast Posts: 46 Karma: 37530 Join Date: Dec 2014 Device: kobo aura h2o	Thank you, frostschutz, for the quick reply! The light is off, the battery is fully charged. I am not even considering opening the device, first of all because I don't know how and besides I am not a maverick at these kind of interventions...In addition, I (think) I still have the warranty (the device was bought via ebay from a different country, but from the same EU, so I guess I should be covered, right?).

08-18-2015, 04:10 PM	#5
throsu Enthusiast Posts: 46 Karma: 37530 Join Date: Dec 2014 Device: kobo aura h2o	No success at hard resetting it using the paperclip or pushing the power button. The led indicator near the Power button stays off and it doesn't show the slightest sign of trying to blink. I just can't believe that this is the way a Kobo cedes working (I mean just executing routine tasks on it). It was a device not abused by anything, not the least saturated by patches and other similar stuff. I've just loaded the 3.17 firmware on it...A little bit disappointed to see that the device just lasted less than a year.

08-18-2015, 04:47 PM	#7
throsu Enthusiast Posts: 46 Karma: 37530 Join Date: Dec 2014 Device: kobo aura h2o	Dear koboy, Thank you for the suggestions. They are truly appreciated! However, I have several unknowns regarding your previous message. 1. what do you mean by "sliding the Power button to the right"? The H2O only accepts pushes down (not slidings) of the Power button. 2. What do you mean by the "light button"? I have looked in the Kobo manual and it appears not to be a physical button. So, my question is: if I have to push this button to power on the device (that is,pushing it when the screen is off), how can I know its exact location on the screen (if, indeed, you are referring to the "brightness adjusting button")? Thank you very much!

08-18-2015, 05:04 PM	#9
throsu Enthusiast Posts: 46 Karma: 37530 Join Date: Dec 2014 Device: kobo aura h2o	Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work. I will keep trying, who knows...

08-18-2015, 05:12 PM	#10
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,792 Karma: 146391129 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Have you tried plugging the H2O into the USB of the computer? Sometimes that can wake up a stuck Reader.

08-18-2015, 05:14 PM	#11
koboy Wizard Posts: 1,198 Karma: 4027538 Join Date: May 2014 Device: Kobo Aura, Mini, Touch, Amazon Kindle.	keep trying if it doesn't work, hopefully someone on here will be able to help you out, if not and it's still under warranty you should be able to get a replacement best wishes koboy

08-18-2015, 11:52 PM	#13
meeera Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,818 Karma: 68407974 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Libra 2, iPadMini4, iPad4, MBP; support other Kobo/Kindles	Don't assume that the battery indicator is accurate - after all, the screen is frozen. Charge for at least a couple of hours from a wall charger, then try the factory reset procedure again (repeating several times). If that fails, contact Kobo support - don't open an H20 when it's under warranty! (You haven't left the device in your car recently, have you? Just checking...)

08-19-2015, 01:28 AM	#14
throsu Enthusiast Posts: 46 Karma: 37530 Join Date: Dec 2014 Device: kobo aura h2o	I have resized the picture. Hope it's OK now. A few answers: - meeera: NO, the device was used just indoor and not exposed to direct sunlight; the battery meter is OK, because I have fully charged it prior to mounting the 3.17 firmware. So, WYSIWYG :-( - JSWolf: I have tried to plug to the computer, but to no avail. It simply is dead. If you allow me, I have several clarification questions: 1. will I lose the warranty if the seller will find the 3.17 firmware on the device? 2. do the factory reset or the hard reset need a fully charged battery? Is this the reason you are suggesting to mount the device to the wall plug? Well, if the answer is affirmative, then, as mentioned previously, the battery was full last night, so I don't see any reason in following the suggestion of fully charging it again. 3. just to know all the implications, before eventually claiming the warranty, are you saying that if I leave the device to fully discharge, then there is hope of it going back to life? Thanks again for all the help, I am eager to hear more ideas, if there are any left... Best, Tudor