Problem Flashing Oz-opie On Sl6000

[rmesek]

I tried to flash OZ-OPIE to my sl6000, went through the procedure documented on this site with the maintainance menu, get the console messages that it is flashing the image files, reset, and then try to format it through the maintainance menu. At this point the screen goes blank and the power light goes off. I can do nothing or see nothing going on until I do a reset again. I tried restoring a fresh stock NAND on an SD card but the same thing happens. Don't tell me a made a brick please! What can I do?

[lardman]

So what do you have flashed now?

What happens when you try to reset, then switch on?

Do you get any kernel messages?


Si

P.S. I wouldn't worry too much about bricking it, it's not easy on the newer machines (anything other than a collie!) and certainly not by just flashing a flash image.

[rmesek]

So what do you have flashed now?

I'VE LOST TRACK. FIRST I FLASHED OPIE WHICH SEEMED TO WORK AS DESCRIBED BUT WOULD NOT FORMAT NOR BOOT. THEN I TRIED SHARP WITH THE SAME OUTCOME. THEN I TRIED RESTORING THE ORIGINAL SHARP NAND. EACH TIME I END UP AT THE FORMAT MAINTAINANCE SCREEN BUT IT WON'T FORMAT. WHAT SHOULD HAPPENED WHEN ITS FORMATTING? SHOULDN'T THERE BE SOMETHING, A PROGRESS BAR AT LEAST?

What happens when you try to reset, then switch on?

SOMETIMES THE MAINTAINANCE SCREEN COMES UP AND SOMETIMES NOT. BUT IT DOESN'T GO ANYWHERE FROM THERE.

Do you get any kernel messages?

NOTHING LIKE THE CONSOLE BOOT-UP MESSAGES. i DID GET MESSAGES WHEN I FLASHED AND THE 2 LIGHTS CAME ON WHEN RESTORING THE NAND. BUT USUALLY I DON'T GET ANYTHING.


Si

P.S. I wouldn't worry too much about bricking it, it's not easy on the newer machines (anything other than a collie!) and certainly not by just flashing a flash image.

THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW. THANKS.

[lardman]

I thought the format command formatted the whole of the internal flash?

I'd try a NAND restore again, sounds like something has got messed up during the flashing. You say you were using the maintenance menu to perform the flashing, is this the same one you should get by holding down the Okay key as you switch on?


Si

[rmesek]

I don't know if the format command worked since the screen went blank at this point. I've tried reflashing OZ again with the maintainance menu upgrade using the OK button and the power on. IF this works, I get as far as the format choice in the maintainance menu and the screen always goes blank. I've tried restoring NAND with pressing q and t while resetting, the the green and yellow lights go on for a few minutes, I reset, try formatting with the same result. Most times I cannot even access the maintainance menu or the restore NAND lights. Nothing happens.

I thought I saw somewhere a way to use a PC and the USB connection to the sl6000 to restore a NAND? Am I dreaming this? What else should I try?

[rmesek]

I don't know if the format command worked since the screen went blank at this point. I've tried reflashing OZ again with the maintainance menu upgrade using the OK button and the power on. IF this works, I get as far as the format choice in the maintainance menu and the screen always goes blank. I've tried restoring NAND with pressing q and t while resetting, the the green and yellow lights go on for a few minutes, I reset, try formatting with the same result. Most times I cannot even access the maintainance menu or the restore NAND lights. Nothing happens.

I thought I saw somewhere a way to use a PC and the USB connection to the sl6000 to restore a NAND? Am I dreaming this? What else should I try?

[rmesek]

I don't know if the format command worked since the screen went blank at this point. I've tried reflashing OZ again with the maintainance menu upgrade using the OK button and the power on. IF this works, I get as far as the format choice in the maintainance menu and the screen always goes blank. I've tried restoring NAND with pressing q and t while resetting, the the green and yellow lights go on for a few minutes, I reset, try formatting with the same result. Most times I cannot even access the maintainance menu or the restore NAND lights. Nothing happens.

I thought I saw somewhere a way to use a PC and the USB connection to the sl6000 to restore a NAND? Am I dreaming this? What else should I try?

[rmesek]

Basically everything works as normal until I get to the format command where the screen goes blank.

Sorry about the repeat messages above.

I don't know if the format command worked since the screen went blank at this point. I've tried reflashing OZ again with the maintainance menu upgrade using the OK button and the power on. IF this works, I get as far as the format choice in the maintainance menu and the screen always goes blank. I've tried restoring NAND with pressing q and t while resetting, the the green and yellow lights go on for a few minutes, I reset, try formatting with the same result. Most times I cannot even access the maintainance menu or the restore NAND lights. Nothing happens.

I thought I saw somewhere a way to use a PC and the USB connection to the sl6000 to restore a NAND? Am I dreaming this? What else should I try?
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[rmesek]

I finally found a work-around for my problem that worked in "Howto: Oz 3.5.2 On Sl-6000l, sharing my experiences to date..."in the OZ section of the ROM forum. Pressing d and P while resetting brings up an extensive system menu with 4 pages, the last of which offers to restore a NAND. After figuring out that it wasn't recognising the NAND file because it was named syst0006.dbk-us and it expected syst0006.dbk, I restored the original Sharp NAND.

A suggestion: Could someone who knows the sl6000 well, publish a chart with all the basic key combos that concern the ROM, along with the combos for the other Zaurii for comparison. This would avoid a lot of confusion for new users as the info is scatterred around these forums. I looked very carefully for a solution to this common problem and I've had experience with other Zaurii, linux, other PDAs, and PCs in general.

Thanks Lardman for the help.

[lardman]

No probs, glad you got it fixed in the end

Si