Mini Kobo troubleshoot please - freezed, not starting and can't reset

Help_Needed · 12-16-2013, 09:13 PM

Hi, as in the title suggests, i can't reset, it doesn't startup and the screen is freezed. My kobo mini fell off my hands. It is still alive, but: when I try to start it up, the blue light lights up, but as it is supposed to do, the green one does not; instead, the blue one stays still for 13 seconds.

Anything to repair it or try to reset it...?

Ken Maltby · 12-16-2013, 10:47 PM

If it is not under warranty, you could open it up and see if anything has popped loose, the internal SD card, the ribbon cable to your screen, are possibilities. Your battery must be connected or you wouldn't see the lights.

Luck;
Ken

meeera · 12-16-2013, 11:01 PM

What's showing on the screen at the moment?

samhy · 12-17-2013, 05:04 AM

Have you tried to charge it (again) fully?

filmo · 12-17-2013, 05:44 AM

Screen image that never changes after dropping your reader is most likely caused by a damaged eink screen. Post a picture of your Kobo Mini screen. Then we can say it looks like a damaged screen or not.

New plastic eink screens can help prevent damaged eink screens. Lets hope new Kobo Mini will have unbreakable flexible plastic screen that is scratch resistant.

Help_Needed · 12-17-2013, 05:15 PM

Hi,

So far I haven't tried to fully charge it. I don't think it is the problem. What we see on the screen is the last thing I saw before dropping it. I popped my eReader open (dropping it will remove the warranty automatically BTW) and saw nothing popped out, the screen is well fixed, so it seems like internal circuits. Maybe the microSD card has been damaged, so I will try and see if I can see its contents. If I can't I will just put a brand new card in it and see what I can do.

Thanks for your help guys (and girls)!

[Edit] The ribbon cable is well fixed, I could read the microSD card (but didn't see its contents due to the fact that it is made to be read only by the Mini, so I needed to format it or else I can't access it so I just didn't format)

TechniSol · 12-17-2013, 07:50 PM

You might try the Developer's Forum and see if you can download an image file and try writing it to another SDHC card... But, chances are it may be something else if reseating the SDHC didn't solve the problem. Wish I could add something more constructive. Take the best advice so far and charge it just in case a low charge is contributing to the problem.

Help_Needed · 12-17-2013, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TechniSol

You might try the Developer's Forum and see if you can download an image file and try writing it to another SDHC card... But, chances are it may be something else if reseating the SDHC didn't solve the problem. Wish I could add something more constructive. Take the best advice so far and charge it just in case a low charge is contributing to the problem.

thanks but the SDHC is formatted under a Linux format so it wouldn't be used as a Hard Drive.

TechniSol · 12-17-2013, 08:19 PM

The entire system is on an internal SDHC, not the external slot on some devices, if your device has one. My Glo and my Touch both have internal SDHCs that provide internal storage and hold the operating firmware. Some devices have a soldered in EEPROM or similar memory chip. If the mini's don't have internal SDHCs I don't know what you're looking at. I thought they only had an internal SDHC, no external SDHC slot.

There are both Windows and Linux tools in the developer's forum to allow you to write a new image to an internal SDHC if your device has one.

PeterT · 12-17-2013, 08:20 PM

The images files are used to totally overwrite the SD card and can be used under any O/S.

TechniSol · 12-17-2013, 08:37 PM

I didn't know there were Mac, Sinclair, ACORN, Vax, RTOS, Commodore, Atari, CP/M and DOS versions available...(just to name a few -sorry just a friendly tweak!)

Ken Maltby · 12-17-2013, 09:34 PM

The internal SD card has three partitions and a "secure" partition. Two of the partitions are Linux system and system restore partitions the third partition is a FAT16 partition. Windows will see that partition as an external drive, but not as it normally reads an SD card. It normally looks to the first partition to establish whether it can read the file system on the media/card, the first two partitions are the Linux ones, which it normally won't read. Fortunately there are tools that run under windows that can read the card even if Windows can't. But, a dropped device that is not functioning, due to the fall, would not be fixed by a new image. Sorry.

Luck;
Ken

PeterT · 12-17-2013, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TechniSol

I didn't know there were Mac, Sinclair, ACORN, Vax, RTOS, Commodore, Atari, CP/M and DOS versions available...(just to name a few -sorry just a friendly tweak!)

Thank you very much for your insightful post. It added a great deal to my knowledge base. Please feel free to post more useful nuggets of information, however I will not be seeing them.

12-16-2013, 09:13 PM	#1
Help_Needed Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2013 Device: Kobo Mini	Kobo troubleshoot please - freezed, not starting and can't reset Hi, as in the title suggests, i can't reset, it doesn't startup and the screen is freezed. My kobo mini fell off my hands. It is still alive, but: when I try to start it up, the blue light lights up, but as it is supposed to do, the green one does not; instead, the blue one stays still for 13 seconds. Anything to repair it or try to reset it...?

12-17-2013, 05:15 PM	#6
Help_Needed Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2013 Device: Kobo Mini	Hi, So far I haven't tried to fully charge it. I don't think it is the problem. What we see on the screen is the last thing I saw before dropping it. I popped my eReader open (dropping it will remove the warranty automatically BTW) and saw nothing popped out, the screen is well fixed, so it seems like internal circuits. Maybe the microSD card has been damaged, so I will try and see if I can see its contents. If I can't I will just put a brand new card in it and see what I can do. Thanks for your help guys (and girls)! [Edit] The ribbon cable is well fixed, I could read the microSD card (but didn't see its contents due to the fact that it is made to be read only by the Mini, so I needed to format it or else I can't access it so I just didn't format) Last edited by Help_Needed; 12-17-2013 at 05:32 PM.

12-17-2013, 07:50 PM	#7
TechniSol GranPohbah-Fezzes r cool! Posts: 1,056 Karma: 3151024 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Nook STRs, Kobo Touch, Kobo Glo	You might try the Developer's Forum and see if you can download an image file and try writing it to another SDHC card... But, chances are it may be something else if reseating the SDHC didn't solve the problem. Wish I could add something more constructive. Take the best advice so far and charge it just in case a low charge is contributing to the problem. Last edited by TechniSol; 12-17-2013 at 07:54 PM.

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12-16-2013, 10:47 PM	#2
Ken Maltby Wizard Posts: 4,465 Karma: 6900052 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: The Heart of Texas Device: Boox Note2, AuraHD, PDA,	If it is not under warranty, you could open it up and see if anything has popped loose, the internal SD card, the ribbon cable to your screen, are possibilities. Your battery must be connected or you wouldn't see the lights. Luck; Ken

12-16-2013, 11:01 PM	#3
meeera Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,659 Karma: 66420972 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Libra 2, iPadMini4, iPad4, MBP; support other Kobo/Kindles	What's showing on the screen at the moment?

12-17-2013, 05:04 AM	#4
samhy Wizard Posts: 1,820 Karma: 9503859 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: France Device: (Sony (J) PRS 650), Kobo Mini, Kobo Glo HD	Have you tried to charge it (again) fully?

12-17-2013, 05:44 AM	#5
filmo Wizard Posts: 1,326 Karma: 1077205 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: Kobo Touch, Sony T1, Kobo Mini	Screen image that never changes after dropping your reader is most likely caused by a damaged eink screen. Post a picture of your Kobo Mini screen. Then we can say it looks like a damaged screen or not. New plastic eink screens can help prevent damaged eink screens. Lets hope new Kobo Mini will have unbreakable flexible plastic screen that is scratch resistant.

12-17-2013, 08:19 PM	#9
TechniSol GranPohbah-Fezzes r cool! Posts: 1,056 Karma: 3151024 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Nook STRs, Kobo Touch, Kobo Glo	The entire system is on an internal SDHC, not the external slot on some devices, if your device has one. My Glo and my Touch both have internal SDHCs that provide internal storage and hold the operating firmware. Some devices have a soldered in EEPROM or similar memory chip. If the mini's don't have internal SDHCs I don't know what you're looking at. I thought they only had an internal SDHC, no external SDHC slot. There are both Windows and Linux tools in the developer's forum to allow you to write a new image to an internal SDHC if your device has one.

12-17-2013, 08:20 PM	#10
PeterT Grand Sorcerer Posts: 12,170 Karma: 73448616 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Toronto Device: Nexus 7, Clara, Touch, Tolino EPOS	The images files are used to totally overwrite the SD card and can be used under any O/S.

12-17-2013, 08:37 PM	#11
TechniSol GranPohbah-Fezzes r cool! Posts: 1,056 Karma: 3151024 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Nook STRs, Kobo Touch, Kobo Glo	I didn't know there were Mac, Sinclair, ACORN, Vax, RTOS, Commodore, Atari, CP/M and DOS versions available...(just to name a few -sorry just a friendly tweak!)

12-17-2013, 09:34 PM	#12
Ken Maltby Wizard Posts: 4,465 Karma: 6900052 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: The Heart of Texas Device: Boox Note2, AuraHD, PDA,	The internal SD card has three partitions and a "secure" partition. Two of the partitions are Linux system and system restore partitions the third partition is a FAT16 partition. Windows will see that partition as an external drive, but not as it normally reads an SD card. It normally looks to the first partition to establish whether it can read the file system on the media/card, the first two partitions are the Linux ones, which it normally won't read. Fortunately there are tools that run under windows that can read the card even if Windows can't. But, a dropped device that is not functioning, due to the fall, would not be fixed by a new image. Sorry. Luck; Ken

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