PRS-600 Completely Froze

[whiskey212]

First: it has happened with anywhere from a few dozen to several hundred books/items both on the device and/or on a flash card. Second: I have been all over Sony's site and manuals, etc. and there is no mention of any limit on the amount of material that can be loaded onto the device. Yes, there is a limit to the size of the cards it has been successfully tested with but no limits on material. If you are implying that there is too much "stuff" on there and this is causing the problem then that is a problem with either the hardware or more likely, the firmware and is an inherent fault with the product.

Originally Posted by elcreative

Just as a matter of interest, how many books on the memory card were you trying at one go?

[whiskey212]

I have had this happen innumerable times with all 3 units I have had and have decided that it has to be an issue with the device, so I am returning this latest one and looking for a different model from a different manufacturer. To your specific quote: mine has frozen so many times that I have literally lost count and the only solution is a reset. I have also been reading books to several hundred pages in only to come back the next day and get the lovely "file error" message and find the book inaccessible, forcing me into reading a different book, I now have 3 on the go because I cannot finish any of the previous ones I have started.

Originally Posted by Eliza511

This seems to me to be a not infrequent problem. It has happened to me about 4 times over the last 3 months since I received the PRS 600.
I eventually decided that a soft reset was the only solution. This is a nusaince as I read several books at once and lost all the pages that I was on.

I enjoy the technology of my laptops and iphone and feel that Sony has really poor software on these readers.

[whiskey212]

I have no problem blaming the product itself because there is NO issue with the card, this is evidenced from the fact that: A-I have used several different brands and sizes of cards (Kingston, PNY, SanDisk, HP and even Sony). B- all the cards in question work perfectly with other devices I own (cameras, computers, etc.). C- after having failed so totally at using storage cards for my reading material I fell back on using the internal memory which caused the exact same problems as the cards. Incidentally, another thing I haven't yet pointed out is that the device is even more frustrated when using both card slots together. So I will thank the poster to refrain from telling us that our faulty devices are clearly not faulty and thus implying that we are idiots for not knowing what we are talking about, either be helpful or go start your own damned thread!

Originally Posted by rmm200

It sounds to me like the freeze problems listed all related to an external card. Don't blame the device unless you have problems with no external card; just internal memory.

And use a quality brand name external card when you do. I have had very good success with Sandisk; I do know a marginal card can cause no end of problems.

Robert

[whiskey212]

I have tried both options. The wall plug does seem to give better results, maybe that's just my imagination, but it does not eliminate the issue. As for the connection itself being at fault, I cannot see much of a possibility there as I have used it on both my laptop and desktop AND on my parents desktop, as well as on both Vista and Win7.

Originally Posted by poshm

Whiskey212 are you charging via USB or by a wall plug?

Some problems can be resolved by using a wall plug which normally gives a better and more reliable charge.

The fact you're on your 3rd reader suggests to me there is some kind of problem between your PC and your reader - and the usual culprit is the USB connection.

Can you test it with another PC or USB hub?

[whiskey212]

This is my question. I would doubt that Sony is doing much towards fixing the problem or even acknowledging it as we cannot even get fanbois here to believe we are actually having problems.

Originally Posted by Eliza511

With so many problems, what is Sony doing about this? How should all these concerns be expressed to Sony?

[elcreative]

Frankly if you have to descend to insulting people who are trying to help (and I find the expression fanbois extremely insulting) then I guess you'd better give up on Sony and return to paper... people ask questions to try and figure out what is going on with your eReader to try and help... NOT as unquestioning support, it's extremely difficult to give assistance unless we have all information... especially if we haven't had identical problems... and yes, mine has frozen sometimes... and then I've worked at finding why which has resulted in coming down to one unexplained freeze in two years which I find livable with. Other freezes caused by: corrupt eBooks, faulty USB port, loose cable and a dud card...

Originally Posted by whiskey212

This is my question. I would doubt that Sony is doing much towards fixing the problem or even acknowledging it as we cannot even get fanbois here to believe we are actually having problems.

[whiskey212]

The people who are trying to help have my gratitude and deepest thanks, the people to whom I am referring are the ones who, should you care to read back, said that the problem was with me and not the device. Saying the there is nothing wrong with the device and discarding anything I have said, choosing to solve the problem by blaming "cheap" flash cards for the whole issue. The tone and implication of the entire post in question is one of blaming me for being too "stupid" to figure out that there is nothing wrong with the reader and should stop being so cheap and go get better cards. THAT is what I took issue with, not the attempts by the other, wonderful people here who have so kindly taken the time to try and assist me, and others, with the problems.
Also, I should point out that I finally got fed up with my Sony and returned it, again, this time for a refund. On a lark I picked up one of these cheapie units from Costco and I have got to tell you, after 2 days it stands head and shoulders above the Sony Touch. For those who don't know, it's called the Aluratek Libre Pro. People have complained that it doesn't render graphics as well as others, or video, or that it doesn't allow for annotation; they are right on all accounts. But you know what? I've got a laptop (2 actually), a desktop, a netbook, an iPod, a smartphone, a PSP and countless other products to do countless other things. What I wanted was a device to read books on! This reader doesn't do much more than that, but it does it very well. Response time a la page turns is very snappy, far superior to the Sony. Screen visibility is worlds above the Sony Touch, possibly due to the latter's touchscreen coating, and it has had absolutely no issues detecting or reading any of the cards I have tried thus far. For less than half the price the thing does exactly what I want, albeit nothing more, and does it perfectly. I would advise anyone else having problems with their devices to consider this one, so far I am very pleased!

[SalDarby]

Hi! This is my first time visiting this site and I am here because my new (Christmas gift) PRS 600 froze as well.
I was peacefully reading and when I attempted to turn the page nothing happened. I tried several times thinking that perhaps I wasn't doing it correctly. Then I tried the Power Switch, Options button and every other button. After consulting the little booklet, I located the reset button and pushed it several times to no avail. Just prior to reading, I had disconnected it from a 24hr + charge; so I knew it couldn't be a low battery.
I found this site and it seems to be not so rare.
I pushed the reset button in rapid succession, 3 times, after reading someone else had. Then I slid the power switch and it seemed to reset itself.
My EReader was probably frozen for about 30 minutes.
Much thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences. I was in panic mode.

[Tink83]

I am having a similar problem with my PRS-600. Yesterday I went to turn it on and the screen went directly to the USB page even though my device was not plugged into the USB port. Since then, it has been stuck on this page. Sometimes the light goes red, other times it blinks orange. I am not sure what is up with my reader. Every few hours it seems to try to reboot itself only to end up back on the USB page frozen. This is the first major problem that I have had with my device since I bought it. I have tried every reset combination and hard reset too, but the device will not respond to any of the resetting. It is almost as if the buttons completely stopped working in the midst of everything else. I have a warranty through Target where I bought it, and they are willing to take it back and give me a replacement. The problem is that the only replacement is the PRS-650 or the PRS-350. Has anyone heard of similar problems with either one of those models?

[elcreative]

If someone is offering you a 650 as a free replacement item then grab... snatch their arm off, do not return to go, get the 650. It is lighter, easier to use, afar clearer screen etc...