AT&T 9700 Became Brick after OS upgrade
 

1. Device: Brand new AT&T 9700
2. Original OS (Factory Setup): AT&T v5.0.0.405 (Platform 5.1.0.112)
3. Desktop: Windows XP Pro SP3 (Simplified Chinese), DM4.6, Originally installed with 8320EastAsia_PBr4.5.0_rel254_PL2.7.0.105_A4.5.0.16 1_SmarTone_Vodafone and never had problem upgrading OS for my old Curve 8320 from T-mobile, Now with Old 8320 OS uninstalled.
4. Intended New OS: 9700jEastAsia_PBr5.0.0_rel1254_PL5.1.0.165_A5.0.0. 743_Optus_Mobile_Pty_Limited
5. Initial Upgrade (Advanced User): DM not running, Removed vendor.xml, Started by running loader.exe, Detected new OS, Chose not to backup software, Upgrade finished step 1 of Load JVM and System Software, Trying step 2 to Wait for Device Initialization, Then failed in Reconnecting to JVM and asked me to retry retry retry which didn't work, Device left with blank screen with a Battery icon and thin transparent progress bar at bottom, Hanging for ever. Unplugged USB cable and reconnect, then device could never be recognized again. Didn't even ever get a 507 or any other JVM error code.
6. Second Try: Tried BlackBerry 101: How to Reload the Operating System on a Nuked BlackBerry | CrackBerry.com, and What_to_do_next_if_Jl_Cmder_will_not_connect_and_w ipe, could connect and started to reinstall, but still failed at step 2 to wait for device initialization same error when reconnecting to JVM.
7. Tried Second PC: Windows XP Pro SP3 (Simplified Chinese), w/ Freshly installed Blackberry DM 5.0.1 and AT&T OS 9700M_PBr5.0.0_rel1014_PL5.1.0.112_A5.0.0.602_AT_a mp_T, Seemed to install successfully, Didn't test if the phone can survive a battery pull or not.
8. Tried EastAsian OS on 2nd PC: 9700EastAsia_PBr5.0.0_rel645_PL5.1.0.112_A5.0.0.40 5_AT_amp_T. Failed again at "Reconnecting to JVM". Could succeed by uninstalling DM/OS and removing all Rim drivers from Windows/Cache. But then found that phone could not reboot after a battery pull, it failed to power up and stopped at a blank screen with a void battery icon, just like before.
9. Tried BBSAK: Once, when I happened to successfully install an OS (not pull battery yet) and had a live BB running, I imagined maybe I can try a BBSAK complete wipe to clean up everything to solve the battery pull issue, tried wiping-your-phone-bbsak-step-step, and it appeared to wipe device successfully (but it was flashing quick and I didn't see wiping progress bar), leaving my device with a favorable 507 error, but that didn't stay and soon it rebooted to a white screen w/ a battery icon, so 507 disappeared and it's a brick refusing any connection again.
10. Current Status: Completely a brick. Sometimes, OS can be installed and re-registered to Blackberry but cannot survive a battery pull, most of times it just refuses an OS reinstall, of course w/o OS it cannot be JL_cmd wiped.

AT&T Device's Problem?
9700 common issue?
Non-AT&T/EastAsian OS (mixed with uncleaned AT&T OS fragment) issue?
PC/Window's problem?

One quick question: not sure if it's this step I missed at first place, when my 9700 is alive and connect to PC for OS upgrade, should I choose Mass Storage Enablement Yes or No? I remembered in curve 8320, whenever we have to deal with Desktop/Device Manager, we were adviced to choose No to disable Mass Storage USB feature. Not sure if it's still the same procedure for 9700? Or 9700 is just a fragile baby, easy to brick?

Wirelessly posted (White and Nerdy)

Plug it into your wall charger and charge it. Then reconnect it to your compy

Thanks for trying to help. My battery is full, and occasionally when I happened to reinstall the OS successfully, the phone ran great, but once I started to add more application and some required a pull of battery to reboot, then the phone could not come up again. Even tried pull battery immediately after OS reinstallation and successful running, same thing. Just didn't allow me to pull battery, then it's a life-time threat as it means I cannot easily upgrade or add applications...

Is this the second 9700 you've had this problem with? I thought I saw a msg in another thread that you returned one.

No, not yet.
I returned my first one, just got my replacement new one.
I want to sort out the clues before burning my second one again.
If it's a typical 9700 issue for ATT users, I might just hold on my OS upgrade until there's a solution for it.
Or someone can point out what I missed in my failure cases and if the majority ATT 9700 users don't have my problem, then I may consider trying it again.

Some basic questions, now that I'm over concerned about OS upgrade:
1. when connected to USB, do I click Yes or No for mass storage enablement?
2. is it better to wipe device before trying a completely new OS?
3. do I select automatically back up / restore data when upgrade to a much newer OS?
I don't need anything original at all, if it's a choice, I would like a nuked machine, just give me freedom to install whatever version of OS as many times as I wish, that's good enough. But this piece of device seems so fragile... I liked my old curve 8320, upgraded many times, no issue at all.

This 9700, really reminds me sth in the old days, when you buy an old USB camera, you cannot connect it before install drivers, you have to do exactly as the manual says, install driver first, then connect USB, then it can be used. Otherwise, you screwed it up, no camera, even after you regretted not following instruction and removing the device and reinstalling drivers won't help. Have to clean drivers completely even from cache or reinstall windows to start all over again... this sounds like that... fragile... not robust, not bullet proof reliable...

I was planning to upgrade my at&t bold 9700 too. Man I am glad seeing this thread. I suppose to use the the phone with original OS for testing.
Does anybody succeed upgrading an at&t bold 9700?

Yes. More than once.

I'd bet it's a PC issue. Have you tried using another PC/USB cable yet?

As I mentioned in my post, I tried two PCs:
1. Dell Vostro Core2 Quad 3GB RAM WinXP Pro SP3, tried both front and rear USB, and different USB cables, no luck. But the first time it's screwed up was when the PC already had many USB device drivers installed including an old curve 8320 and DM/OS was not a clean/fresh installation, not sure if it's because so many USB driver and old OS residues failed my first upgraded, then it's permanently messed up.
2. Dell P4 2GB RAM WinXP Pro SP3, this is the PC w/ clean BB DM/OS installation and the first time I tried it w/ ATT OS, it worked (too bad I didn't try pulling battery to test at that time). But then I started to risk with other non-ATT EastAsia as well as ATT EastAsia OS and noticed the battery pull problem. After that, the failure to reinstall OS and/or to pull battery keeps failing one way or another.

First let me assure you that the 9700 using AT&T upgrades easily. I have only used an AT&T specific upgrade one time, otherwise it's always been whatever is posted at the top of this forum. Not sure why you're having difficulties. Are you connecting to the DM ok? Not that you would use that to do the OS upgrade, but I'm wondering if it's your connection, computer, etc? To answer your questions:

I only keep mass storage turned on when I need to use the phone for copying over files. But I don't think that should give you a problem with the OS upgrade. You might want to try with it off to be safe.

I have never wiped the device before upgrading. I'm not saying it's wrong, just that I've never done it and never had a problem.

I backup my phone data all the time. It may ask you at time of OS upgrade, I don't remember. Always a good idea. Good luck and keep us informed.

It was my initial upgrade that failed and messed up my device, I think.
I did test USB connection w/ DM, and even successfully transferred backup data from my old curve 8320 to my new 9700 via the DM.
I was trying the latest EastAsian OS from Asia (not AT&T) as I need Chinese display AND input. Once the initial upgrade failed middle way (w/o 507 error but a raw connection failure), the rest experience is purely more mess even though I know how to load OS to nuked device and figured out how to completely clean up Rim USB drivers from windows & cache...

btw, when it failed at step 2 "Wait for device initialization" w/ error in "Reconnecting to JVM", I noticed some race condition between initialization (a blackberry logo w/ loading progress bar) and the windows USB driver detection/auto installation (indicated in Windows system tray). Everytime it succeeded, I noticed the windows USB device detection/auto installation (after the reinitialization reboot) completed in time before the Rim blackberry loading progress bar hit some critical stage; everytime it failed, I can sense the windows USB device detection/auto installation lagged behind, and it showed USB device detected/installed/ready to use too late and only after the Rim progress bar already failed and turned into a blank screen w/ a battery icon. That's why it reminds me the old USB web camera story... very stupidly similar...

Your 1st and second pc are running same OS. Can you find a pc with different OS? I am going to flash my 9700 soon. I can post the result here. My pc is running windows 7 ultimate 64bit.

Thanks!
When I only use my 9000, I tried every beta 5.0 OS was out. I don't recall any problems at all.
9700 isn't that different at all.

There is a way to start up your phone via safe mode, by pressing the reverse error after a battery pull. Also, I bricked my phone when I install the ATT application that suppose to keep track of your data/minute usage. For whatever reason I suspect that application caused problems if you did a reinstall that include to install with all the applications.

Good Luck.

P.S. The safe mode should be able to let your phone start up...

I am going to just put this out there but it might be the OS if both PC's are running XP sp3 since I ran into the same issue with my T-Mobile 9700. It would do the same racing of the load progress bar and error. I could not get the OS to reinstall on my XP machine. I did how ever have luch with my Windows 7 64bit machine. Personally I would suggest trying a computer with a different OS. I have a feeling something in XP how it has been updated over time does not like the newwer RIM software loaders.

It works like a charm for me.



Did you remove the vendor.xml file?

can you try with microsd card removed?

did you use DTM or loader.exe?

What version DTM?

my att 9700 came with os 205 on it i have upgraded 4 times now no problem .i have not used a single att os to upgrade. all my upgrades were done with non att os.but i used different programs to upgrade the os.i never use desktop manager .i have used loader.exe ,bb sak ,and shrink an os .i liked bbsak because i can backup my 3rd party apps.i do the upgrade and the the 3rd party apps.