Is Your Z "dead" After Trying To Install Pdaxrom?, Dead as in software-wise, NOT hardware Options

[Capn_Fish]

Issue: Installing uBoot fails (got flashing lights). Charge light doesn't come on.

Solution: The three Rs: Reformat the card (FAT16, under Linux, mkfs.vfat -F 16 /dev/CARDDEVICE), redownload the uBoot files, and retry the process.

Issue: pdaXrom won't find the install files when trying to install the ROM.

Solution: Boot into the emergency system and check to see that the card is mounted (type 'df' to see. If /dev/hdx1 or /dev/mmcblk0p1 is listed, it's mounted). Then, cd to the directory with the install files, for CF installs:

CODE

cd /mnt/cf

For SD:

CODE

cd /mnt/card

Then execute this:

CODE

sh autoboot.sh ./

The install should run fine.

Issue: My Z won't boot after trying to install pdaXrom. I want to go back to ROM xyz.

Solution: Do a NAND restore. Download the correct file from here (select your Z model on the right):

http://www.trisoft.de/en_downloads.htm

and put the SYSTCXXX.DBK file on an SD/CF card (FAT16 formatted). remove all power from the Z (battery and AC), then hold Fn+D+M and insert the adapter. YOu should get a diagnostics menu. Go to the third page and select NAND restore. Note that you should only have one card (either SD or CF in the Z at this point).

If it doesn't see the file, 1, make sure the name is in all caps, and 2, see below.

You can then install ROM xyz normally.

Issue: After formatting a card, I can't get a NAND restore/other FAT16-sensitive action to work.

Solution: Make sure the system ID is set correctly. fdisk your card:

for SD:

CODE

fdisk /dev/SDDEVICE

for CF:

CODE

fdisk /dev/CFDEVICE

Then set the partition's ID to 6 by typing 't' for type, then the patition's number (1), then '6' for FAT16. Reformat your card:

CODE

mkfs.vfat -F 16 /dev/CARDDEVICE

then put the necessary files on the card and retry the action.

Issue: My card isn't found when trying to do a NAND restore or I get the "SYSxxx.DBK: file not exist" error when I try to restore my Z.

Solution: Make sure you have the DBK file on the root of the card, and that the card is FAT16-formatted and the System ID is set correctly (see above). For SD, make sure there isn't a CF card in the CF slot as well.

I feel like I'm missing other common issues, if so, please post them.

If this thread could be stickied, that would be great.

[ghostshadow]

Question :

If it's dead, how do you get it to come back to life. I just tried mine and it's completely dead now.

[Capn_Fish]

What did you do/try to do?

EDIT: This only covers software "bricking." If it's a hardware issue, these probably won't help .

[ghostshadow]

Phew Awesome! it worked, A mod can delete my posts id they would like, to conserve the threads integrity. Thanks allot.

[pelrun]

If you format the card device instead of the partition device (i.e. /dev/mmcda instead of /dev/mmcda1) you don't have to worry about setting the partition types correctly, since there aren't any. Windows/cameras/etc tend to format removable media like that anyway; so compatibility isn't a problem. Heck, a partitioned card is the unusual case!

The diag menu is quite happy with such a formatted card.

[Capn_Fish]

Thanks for pointing that out. I was under the impression that having no partitions made it not work, but maybe that's for automounting (with a default fstab).

[gromituk]

Thank you very much for this thread - I thought I'd bricked my 860 when I installed u-boot and it didn't re-boot.

One thing to report: I couldn't get the emergency system to see anything on my CF card (i.e. the nandlogical commands in the install guide) until I mounted it manually with

mount /dev/hda1 /mnt/cf

It may have been because the card was in when I applied power. Hope that helps someone.

[dominate]

I'm confused... I tried to install u-boot... now my Z doesn't have a charge light, i can't get into any of the menu's to try any of these recoveries... what do i do?

k

[Capn_Fish]

I'm confused... I tried to install u-boot... now my Z doesn't have a charge light, i can't get into any of the menu's to try any of these recoveries... what do i do?

k

You can always get into the Fn+D+M menu.

Remove the battery and AC from your Z, hold down Fn, D, and M, then insert the power cable.

[dominate]

I'm confused... I tried to install u-boot... now my Z doesn't have a charge light, i can't get into any of the menu's to try any of these recoveries... what do i do?

k

You can always get into the Fn+D+M menu.

Remove the battery and AC from your Z, hold down Fn, D, and M, then insert the power cable.

cool, thx. I thought it was just D+M, not Func+D+M.

k

[nauj27]

You can always get into the Fn+D+M menu.

Remove the battery and AC from your Z, hold down Fn, D, and M, then insert the power cable.

Great! I only found until now D+M but not Fn. I'll try later and hope it works

Thank you for the information!

[adf]

I tried to install U-Boot. It seemed to work- I got to a prompt. I simply left my Z sitting there like that while I downloaded a newer debian tarball. The Z went black. I can get into func D+M ok, but I cant reboot or anything of that kind. Is the only option when U-Boot does this to do a Nand restore, install U-Boot again and....what don't let the Z sit? Install a new OS in less than 5 minutes or else?
Well--off to a nand restore.

[ZDevil]

To boot into the uboot emergency mode, you need to press [OK] when booting starts.

But to install debian, I recommend having the whole rootfs ready before installing uboot and the kernel, because uboot cannot handle ext3 and will freeze when accessing the internal drive or CF.

[adf]

To boot into the uboot emergency mode, you need to press [OK] when booting starts.

But to install debian, I recommend having the whole rootfs ready before installing uboot and the kernel, because uboot cannot handle ext3 and will freeze when accessing the internal drive or CF.

I kinda got the last part-But I had preessed ok--it scrolled a bunch o stff then came to a prompt. isn't that what iti is supposed to do?

Anyway, If i can mke uboot do anything but cause to restore my Nand (3x this morning and counting) I was planning to install the taraball to a 1 G CF, then see about doing someinthing with my internal drive

[adf]

To boot into the uboot emergency mode, you need to press [OK] when booting starts.

But to install debian, I recommend having the whole rootfs ready before installing uboot and the kernel, because uboot cannot handle ext3 and will freeze when accessing the internal drive or CF.

I kinda got the last part-But I had preessed ok--it scrolled a bunch o stff then came to a prompt. isn't that what iti is supposed to do?

Anyway, If i can mke uboot do anything but cause to restore my Nand (3x this morning and counting) I was planning to install the taraball to a 1 G CF, then see about doing someinthing with my internal drive

Am I supposed to include a kernel or something on the card I install Uboot from?