Help with T-Mobile Pulse

[Guest SLo5]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum and to Android phones in general. So the story is, I got a T-Mobile Pulse free as an upgrade this year and since I use an iPhone, I decided to sell it on eBay after unlocking it to any network. The problem started 2 weeks in when the person who bought it from me said it was taking longer and longer to start up but never contacted me (multiple new apps were most likely involved); she then contacted me after 3 weeks to say it wouldn't boot at all and just reboots after the t-mobile logo comes up forever.

She initially wanted her money back, but as it turns out it was a present for her son who had thrown the box away along with the paperwork, gaurentee etc. As she was stuck with a non working phone, I agreed to try and sort it out for her if she sent it back to me, so here we are today. I now have the phone back and it is stuck in a reboot loop after the t-mobile logo and is also quite badly scratched and the USB port looks like it may have been forced in backwards at some point although it works fine.

Anyway, I have spent a few hours looking through posts/stickies on here and this is what I have tried so far.

The battery was dead, so I first charged that to 40% to see if it was low power causing the reboots.

It wasn't, so I then followed this page http://android.modaco.com/content/t-mobile...e-owners-guide/ and first tried to restore the December update (1.5) which is what it was on when I sold it (not sure if the new owner tried and failed with a firmware update). It all seemed to go correcty, it unpacked and then updated but stuck on restarting for over 10 minutes, so I removed the battery, put it back in and we have the same problem with it rebooting forever just after the T-Mobile logo. (how long should you wait when it says restarting before pulling the battery?) I left it an hour as it did say it might reboot a few times.

Next up I tried the official 2.1 update; again it said it did it but same reboot loop.

Next up I tried to go back to official 1.5 using the 2 steps, restore to 1.5 then December update; said it did it, same reboot loop.

I didn't try any non official ones.

I then found this page; http://android.modaco.com/content/t-mobile...id-boot-screen/ I followed Keplar's post as the others didn't seem to make sense to me (I am totally new to Android) and it all went well; ran the command at command prompt, phone says booting linux for maybe 3 seconds and then reboots into same reboot loop!

I don't know what else to try; the firmware is updating if fastboot is anything to go by as the date keeps changing when I try a different version but whatever I try ends up in the same reboot loop, right after the t-mobile logo disappears and it never says ANDROID.

Could anybody help me out here? I would really appreciate it. I doubt t-mobile will take the phone back considering all the scratches to the screen yet alone not having the box etc, plus I paid to unlock it which I (or customer) would have to do again with a new handset. I am not obligued to refund/replace considering the state of the phone after only 3 weeks, but I would like to sort it out for my customer if possible.

Sorry for the long first post, but I am at a loss as to what to try next.

EDIT- Now I have read more posts, I think my problem (or one of them!) is that I can't get into restore mode; I installed the recovery mod through fastboot but pressing menu + end (red key) does nothing no matter how many times I try; is this because it reboots after about 5 seconds or so while still on or just after the t-mobile logo? I also tried running it from fastboot and it says booting linux but then reboots into the t-mobile loop. Neither method works. Restoring works as in it says it has done it from the DLoad method onto the micro-sd card but on reboot it is still in a loop.

I even tried the new swedish 2.1 rom on here and it changed the boot logo from t-mobile to Huawe but still loops forever!

As before, any help would be very much appreciated.

Edited July 8, 2010 by SLo5

[Guest Dancingman]

Hey,

I read this and I know your problem. Two weeks ago I had this problem, too. And I had read so much topics etc. and didn't find an answer. So I tried something and found an answer.

Now, tell me, do you speak german? This will make the communication very easier for the moment. I will tell the answer a little bit later in english, too. I think, SLo5 need fast help.

Edited July 8, 2010 by Dancingman

[Guest SLo5]

Hi, unfortunately I don't speak any German, but would be really grateful for any help you could provide.

[Guest Dancingman]

Okay, I'll make you a tutorial tomorrow. Sorry, now it's late in the evening and I want to go sleep.

[Guest Azurren]

I have never, ever heard of this before :)

You have followed and tried everything I would normally suggest so all I can do is pluck at straws.

If the device has been abused it maybe a hardware fault. Try removing the battery all together, power it via USB and re-flash the official 2.1 update. Unplug when the "restarting" message appears, wait a while then plug it back in and pray.

I'm hoping that the battery / connection has been damaged. Good for you but K.O. for your customer :D

Other than that, leave the battery to charge overnight and try again in the morning. Some people have reported that it worked after this.

Sorry :P

[Guest Azurren]

One more thing to try that actually maybe the cause would be to remove the SD card. (He may have been messing with SWAP / EXT partitions)

[Guest SLo5]

Thank you Dancingman, I will look forward to your tutorial.

Thanks Azurren; I had read up a little before I told my customer to return the phone thinking it was going to be easy to sort! While I am totally new to Android, I have quite a bit of experience messing around with iPhone firmware and phones in general.

I don't know what he has done to the handset; I am speaking to his mother who is not getting the whole story either I feel. The screen is scratched quite badly, the USB connector isn't as square as it should be so who knows what else he did to it. The water indicator is still white so at least it hasn't been submerged!

Thanks for the tips; sadly none have worked and it is still stuck in this infernal loop! I left the battery on charge overnight although I am unsure of it's current state of charge as I am unable to turn the handset off now to get the battery indicator to come up. As soon as I connect the power it boots into it's loop. It has some charge and will do a failed update etc though.

It tried updating without the battery in at all with the same outcome too; it is like the phone can't access the Android partition from the boot loader as I never see ANDROID on the screen. Is there are way to check partitions from fastboot? It shows 5 partitions with the 2.1 firmware.

I have also tried removing the SD card after it has done a firmware update before the first boot with the same results; as I can't access the recovery via home+end or through fastboot, I don't think I can eliminate it completely unless there is a way to flash directly from fastboot? The SD card is otherwise empty and a single 2GB partition.

Thanks for the help and I am not giving up on it just yet, so if anybody else has any ideas I would be very grateful.

[Guest SLo5]

Oops, double post!

Edited July 9, 2010 by SLo5

[Guest Azurren]

Oops, double post!

Try throwing the phone against the wall.. Oh wait, that would help you (But not your customer)

Well.. Just to completely get things strait you installed the "Time Machine" and then upladed the December update then installed that. It is normal for it to boot loop Once after this. (I'm really hoping you saw it boot loop and tried something else)

Again plucking at straws. Would be best to leave it with the December update before sending it back anyway. I know nothing about business and customer relations but I think it may benefit you to "make up" a reason why the phone is not working and blame it on the abuse the phone has received. That way the mother will most likely blame her son (Like she should rightfully do)

Saying "I don't know why it isn't working" isn't exactly good for business (and lets face it, no one succeeds in business as an honest man)

It's not exactly a lie. You don't know what is wrong with it, we don't know what is wrong with it. I have never heard of a case like this and therefore as far as I am concerned it is a hardware fault, probably caused by the abuse.

I've been trailing on for ages here dancing around the same point. :)

[Guest SLo5]

Thanks Azurren; throwing it at the wall is highly tempting right now! lol.

Yes, I installed time machine first and then the December update and also again after I tried the 2.1 then going back to 1.5; the first time I left it for over an hour rebooting as it did say it might do it once. After a flash it will stay on the T-Mobile screen longer; about 30 seconds as opposed to 5 normally but it never ever reaches the ANDROID screen. after the t-mobile sceen goes blank, the computer detects a USB connection, then after a further 3-4 seconds it drops it and it reboots. The updates do appear to be flashing correctly as it always says successful and the date changes in fastboot along with extra info showing with 2.1 and in 2.1 the commands send through fastboot do not register on the phones screen like they do in 1.5.

If I don't have any joy getting it working over the weekend, I will call t-mobile on Monday and see if there is any chance of getting it repaired/replaced. It is barely a month old but I don't know what the chances are without the box and with the scratches etc. I have never had a (genuinely) faulty phone before so I don't know how they work; has anybody had to return one? I know with vodaphone they send out a new phone and have the courier switch the phone from the new box (according to a work collegue) but have no idea how T-Mobile do it. I have been with them for 13 years so I am hoping they will try to help if needs be (my SIM card still says One2One lol).

Thanks again for the help Azurren :)

EDIT: After speaking to another collegue today, he suggested I try flashing the recovery image from XP as he had problems updating his Omnia using Windows 7; long and short of it is it said it had done it successfully, but on booting the phone, it was stuck in a reboot loop (it is a Windows phone I know). Anyway, it was worth a try and have tried with both XP and from terminal in Mac OS 10.6.4 with no joy and still can't get into recovery either by pressing menu+end or booting it from fastboot. I also tried copying the DLoad folder using XP and Mac OS just in case although that was always highly unlikely to be a problem as the phone wouldn't have read the firmware update from the SD card if it was corrupt due to a USB driver issue I wouldn't have thought.

Edited July 9, 2010 by SLo5

[Guest Nigel Morris]

SLo5, I have exactly the same problem, although mine started after my Pulse took a tumble onto a tiled floor. It looks in perfect condition, no cracks, scratches etc, but when powered on, it constantly reboots at the T-Mobile logo, without getting to the Android logo.

I had upgraded to the T-Mobile Hungarian 2.1 version which had been working fine for several weeks. Have reloaded 1.5, and then December update, from SD/dload and screens show unpacking/installing/restarting, but rebooting goes back to the T-Mobile logo loop.

Can enter fastboot on the Pulse, and the blue screen reflects the changes according the the UPDATA version loaded. Running install-recovery-windows.bat version 1.5.2 from the Windows 7 command line suggests that it's transfered and loaded ok, but still the same constant reboot problem.

You're the only person who I've found with the same problem after 2 days of internet searching, so would appreciate any feedback from anyone, even if the answer is that the Pulse has died following it's fall!

First post, so apologies if I've not followed correct etiquette.

Thanks in advance.

[Guest Azurren]

SLo5, I have exactly the same problem, although mine started after my Pulse took a tumble onto a tiled floor. It looks in perfect condition, no cracks, scratches etc, but when powered on, it constantly reboots at the T-Mobile logo, without getting to the Android logo.

I had upgraded to the T-Mobile Hungarian 2.1 version which had been working fine for several weeks. Have reloaded 1.5, and then December update, from SD/dload and screens show unpacking/installing/restarting, but rebooting goes back to the T-Mobile logo loop.

Can enter fastboot on the Pulse, and the blue screen reflects the changes according the the UPDATA version loaded. Running install-recovery-windows.bat version 1.5.2 from the Windows 7 command line suggests that it's transfered and loaded ok, but still the same constant reboot problem.

You're the only person who I've found with the same problem after 2 days of internet searching, so would appreciate any feedback from anyone, even if the answer is that the Pulse has died following it's fall!

First post, so apologies if I've not followed correct etiquette.

Thanks in advance.

If you can send it back to Tmobile :)

It's the only solution if it's a hardware fault :D

[Guest SLo5]

SLo5, I have exactly the same problem, although mine started after my Pulse took a tumble onto a tiled floor. It looks in perfect condition, no cracks, scratches etc, but when powered on, it constantly reboots at the T-Mobile logo, without getting to the Android logo.

I had upgraded to the T-Mobile Hungarian 2.1 version which had been working fine for several weeks. Have reloaded 1.5, and then December update, from SD/dload and screens show unpacking/installing/restarting, but rebooting goes back to the T-Mobile logo loop.

Can enter fastboot on the Pulse, and the blue screen reflects the changes according the the UPDATA version loaded. Running install-recovery-windows.bat version 1.5.2 from the Windows 7 command line suggests that it's transfered and loaded ok, but still the same constant reboot problem.

You're the only person who I've found with the same problem after 2 days of internet searching, so would appreciate any feedback from anyone, even if the answer is that the Pulse has died following it's fall!

First post, so apologies if I've not followed correct etiquette.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Nigel,

I ended up sending mine back to T-Mobile; I have been checking the SBE tracking system and it appears it has been repaired today. Since the phone has the same serial number but a different IMEI number, I am assuming the main board has been replaced due to a hardware fault they couldn't fix either. The only downside is I will have to get another unlock code due to the IMEI change.

Hope that helps.

[Guest SLo5]

Final update; I just got my Pulse back from T-Mobile; it appears it was a genuine hardware fault and the main board has been replaced as suspected. So if your Pulse reboots immediately after the first T-Mobile screen and never shows/gets to the ANDROID logo and also will not enter recovery mode via any method and SD card updates appear to complete but the problem remains, it is most likely the same hardware fault.

Full marks to T-Mobile (SBE Repair Centre) as the repair took exactly a week from me sending it off to recieving it back which is much better than their 3-4 week estimate!

[Guest Koo-san]

Final update; I just got my Pulse back from T-Mobile; it appears it was a genuine hardware fault and the main board has been replaced as suspected. So if your Pulse reboots immediately after the first T-Mobile screen and never shows/gets to the ANDROID logo and also will not enter recovery mode via any method and SD card updates appear to complete but the problem remains, it is most likely the same hardware fault.

Full marks to T-Mobile (SBE Repair Centre) as the repair took exactly a week from me sending it off to recieving it back which is much better than their 3-4 week estimate!

Thanks for the feedback and updates SLo5. I think your case is the extreme example of what happens to failing hardware on the Pulse - as many users here have reported continual reboot problems (who can boot into Android but would not run long enough to use the phone to do anything!).

...dunno if it's because of the big Pulse forum, but seems that a lot did suffer (reports from Germany too - so not only UK). However, in fairness also saw reports of Nexus One and Moto Milestones also having the same problem. So could be that Android is very specific (or maybe picky) on what can fail and there are no failsafe systems built in the OS to enable you to use the device in any useful way!!!

Dunno what to do with my "dead" Pulse (boots into the OS, but as soon as you do anything within the forst 3mins it will just reboot!)...as currently not due back in UK and no one will repair it out here - even if I offer cash (apparently too niche)!!! :(

[Guest Nigel Morris]

Thanks for the feedback. I think I'll try the same route of returning to T-Mobile. Appreciate you taking the trouble to update us.

Hi Nigel,

I ended up sending mine back to T-Mobile; I have been checking the SBE tracking system and it appears it has been repaired today. Since the phone has the same serial number but a different IMEI number, I am assuming the main board has been replaced due to a hardware fault they couldn't fix either. The only downside is I will have to get another unlock code due to the IMEI change.

Hope that helps.

[Guest BigBearMDC]

The phone reboots during the T-Mobile screen because the kernel is loaded while this screen is displayed. If ther is any hardware faults the kernel will crash and call a special routine that handles this. It will also spit out an error message but you wouldn't be able to see it as there is no output in the screen. One possibiluty to get the output would be to open up the Pulse and try to get the serial interface. It should be initialized abd kernel messegaes should be printed over it (just in case somebody wants to try it).

So in this cases it seems like you'll really have to get it repaured by T-Mo, just in case that hapoens agian to other Pulse owners.

Best regards,

BB