[Q] (really) bricked g-tab. - G Tablet Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

My gtab starts up and displays the viewsonic logo but will not boot into the ROM and will not boot into recovery mode.
when it is powered on normally the viewsonic logo appears and a black bar shows at the bottom of the screen a few seconds later.
power & volume+ show "detect a recovery key pressed" and "booting recovery kernal image". nothing more happens, even with a recovery image loaded onto the sdcard.
I am quite sure that i need to repartition, but i am at a loss of how to do so.
things that i have tried:
1.http://viewsonic-gtablet-for-dummies.webs.com/
tried everything, even the 'nuke from orbit' option of FORMAT_nvflash. tried both 1.1 and 1.2 images, would not boot into any stock recovery rom. tried holding the volume+ key during flash, still would not boot into recovery.
2. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=12220001&postcount=1
same results as above.
3.http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1091304
same.
I'm down to the point where i'm going to open it up to see if there is a loose connector or something.
anybody have a better idea?

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mrchew1982 said:
My gtab starts up and displays the viewsonic logo but will not boot into the ROM and will not boot into recovery mode.
when it is powered on normally the viewsonic logo appears and a black bar shows at the bottom of the screen a few seconds later.
power & volume+ show "detect a recovery key pressed" and "booting recovery kernal image". nothing more happens, even with a recovery image loaded onto the sdcard.
I am quite sure that i need to repartition, but i am at a loss of how to do so.
things that i have tried:
1.http://viewsonic-gtablet-for-dummies.webs.com/
tried everything, even the 'nuke from orbit' option of FORMAT_nvflash. tried both 1.1 and 1.2 images, would not boot into any stock recovery rom. tried holding the volume+ key during flash, still would not boot into recovery.
2. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=12220001&postcount=1
same results as above.
3.http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1091304
same.
I'm down to the point where i'm going to open it up to see if there is a loose connector or something.
anybody have a better idea?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not bricked.
No need to open at this point.
The links you have looked at are very good starting point.
you may need to put your tablet in APX mode to NVflash a recovery.
APX is power off. Power on with VOLUME (-) (not vol+) and hold until a black screen pops up.
If you have the correct drivers, your PC should recognize the tablet.
You can run the nvflash.bat at this point

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I recommend using the method HERE. This is one of the ORIGINAL NVFlash posts for the GTab. I have also posted my own nvflash folder for windows users HERE there is both a 1.1 and 1.2 bootloader version up there.

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APX mode blues
Thanks for the quick replies.
I have re-flashed the tablet using APX mode about 20 times already. Both 1.1 and 1.2 branches. With and without cwm. Multiple tries with each image to make sure that there wasn't an error.
I have used the "FORMAT" flash as well, received the mismatch error. flashed all four versions of roms (1.1, 1.1cwm, 1.2, 1.2cwm) after redoing the "FORMAT".
Still nothing. It hangs on the boot image. If I attempt to enter recovery mode it hangs after displaying the text. Even if I hold volume+ during flashing so that it will go directly into recovery mode after the flash.
I know that it is taking the flash, one of the images that I tried has the Tegra logo instead of the Viewsonic as the boot screen. NVflash completes every time without error.
I am really at the end of my rope here as I haven't been able to find anyone that couldn't get into recovery after flashing.
Thanks for the help, any further suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
p.s. I tried once more tonight using Roebeet's instructions and the NVflash Pixelrider provided just to make sure that i didn't miss a step. Still hanging on the boot screen...

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Try this:
1. nvflash back to a stock ROM (1.1 or 1.2). I strongly recommend bekit's original 1.1 images.
2. power off before the gTab boots into the stock ROM you just nvflashed.
3. put gTab into APX mode and run this command:
Code:
C:\> [B].\nvflash --bl bootloader.bin --format_partition 7 --format_partition 12 --go[/B]
The tablet will try to boot into the stock ROM (for the first time).

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still no luck!
Thank you very much for the reply. Something new to try! Unfortunately it still freezes up.
recap:
Downloaded the "bekit 1105" image (nvflash_windows_20100500.zip)from Roebeet's sticky and the windows version of nvflash. Unzipped both into a folder on my desktop. 30 files weighing in at 202MB. (ADX drivers for Windows7x64 were previously manually installed through Device Manager)
Started gtab with "volume-" button depressed. Screen flashed on with Viewsonic logo then flashed off. Attached usb cable. Heard connection sound from Windows.
Opened folder previously mentioned, double clicked nvflash_gtab.bat. Clicked "Run" on warning popup.
cmd.exe window pops up:
Code:
C:\Users\Desktop\Desktop\bekit1105>"nvflash.exe" --bct gtablet.bct --setbct --bl
bootloader.bin --configfile gtablet.cfg --create --go
Nvflash started
rcm version 0X20001
System Information:
chip name: t20
chip id: 0x20 major: 1 minor: 3
chip sku: 0x8
chip uid: 0x1714118842bf5057
macrovision: disabled
hdcp: enabled
sbk burned: false
dk burned: false
boot device: nand
operating mode: 3
device config strap: 0
device config fuse: 0
sdram config strap: 0
sending file: gtablet.bct
- 4080/4080 bytes sent
gtablet.bct sent successfully
downloading bootloader -- load address: 0x108000 entry point: 0x108000
sending file: bootloader.bin
| 928945/928945 bytes sent
bootloader.bin sent successfully
waiting for bootloader to initialize
bootloader downloaded successfully
setting device: 1 0
creating partition: BCT
creating partition: PT
creating partition: EBT
creating partition: MBT
creating partition: BLO
creating partition: MSC
creating partition: OGO
creating partition: SOS
creating partition: LNX
creating partition: APP
creating partition: CAC
Formatting partition 2 BCT please wait.. done!
Formatting partition 3 PT please wait.. done!
Formatting partition 4 EBT please wait.. done!
Formatting partition 5 MBT please wait.. done!
Formatting partition 6 BLO please wait.. done!
Formatting partition 7 MSC please wait.. done!
Formatting partition 8 OGO please wait.. done!
Formatting partition 9 SOS please wait.. done!
Formatting partition 10 LNX please wait.. done!
Formatting partition 11 APP please wait.. done!
Formatting partition 12 CAC please wait.. done!
done!
sending file: part4.img
/ 2097152/2097152 bytes sent
part4.img sent successfully
sending file: part5.img
\ 131072/131072 bytes sent
part5.img sent successfully
sending file: part6.img
/ 4194304/4194304 bytes sent
part6.img sent successfully
sending file: part7.img
/ 16777216/16777216 bytes sent
part7.img sent successfully
sending file: part8.img
/ 33554432/33554432 bytes sent
part8.img sent successfully
sending file: part9.img
/ 16777216/16777216 bytes sent
part9.img sent successfully
sending file: part10.img
/ 16777216/16777216 bytes sent
part10.img sent successfully
sending file: system.img
\ 117292032/117292032 bytes sent
system.img sent successfully
Press enter to continue:
(did not press key yet...)
turned gtab off using power button. Disconnected usb and pressed key to exit NvFlash_gtab.bat window.
Turned gtab on whilst pressing "Volume-". Screen flashes on then goes blank. Windows plays connect sound.
Ran command:
C:\Users\Desktop\Desktop\bekit1105>nvflash --bl bootloader.bin --format_partition 7 --format_partition 12 --go
Nvflash started
rcm version 0X20001
System Information:
chip name: t20
chip id: 0x20 major: 1 minor: 3
chip sku: 0x8
chip uid: 0x1714118842bf5057
macrovision: disabled
hdcp: enabled
sbk burned: false
dk burned: false
boot device: nand
operating mode: 3
device config strap: 0
device config fuse: 0
sdram config strap: 0
downloading bootloader -- load address: 0x108000 entry point: 0x108000
sending file: bootloader.bin
| 928945/928945 bytes sent
bootloader.bin sent successfully
waiting for bootloader to initialize
bootloader downloaded successfully
Formatting partition 7 please wait.. done!
Formatting partition 12 please wait.. done!
C:\Users\Desktop\Desktop\bekit1105>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tablet shows "Entering NvFlash recovery mode / Nv3p Server". Nothing else happens.
Waited 10 minutes. powered off using button, disconnected USB. Powered back on, Viewsonic logo appears, black bar flashes onto bottom of the screen, and...
Nothing else happens!
Waited another 10 minutes. Tried to get into recovery mode using "Volume+", still hangs, even with an image on the microsd card. Tried the whole thing over again, still nothing.
The fact that it never reboots after nvflash has me worried that there is something deeply wrong. Is there a way that I could repartition and totally wipe it via nvflash?
This thing is stubborn! Still hoping to find a solution...
Thank you again for the help!

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mrchew1982 said:
Tablet shows "Entering NvFlash recovery mode / Nv3p Server". Nothing else happens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The ``--go'' parameter to nvflash will cause the bootloader to try to boot into the ROM after the requested actions complete. Without a ``--go'' parameter, the bootloader will wait to further commands and you'll have to power off. If the gTab did not boot into the ROM with ``--go'' then something is wrong.
BTW, does adb work in recovery mode? Run this command:
Code:
C:\> [B]adb shell dmesg > dmesg.txt[/B]
and post that text file here if it was any output.
Right now it looks like I'll have to build a custom recovery for you to test things out. In the mean time, try the procedures in this post one by one. See if any of them help. And, stick to bekit's recovery until we resolve this.

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Thank you!
Thank you!
I will setup adb later tonight and give it a try. I was reading up on it elsewhere. It will be interesting to see if it responds.
Would hitting the reset button on the motherboard do any good? I have opened the case before to re-solder the power connector...
Thank you, can't say that enough!

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mrchew1982 said:
Would hitting the reset button on the motherboard do any good?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try it.
I have opened the case before to re-solder the power connector...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm. Now this can't be coincidence, can it? User raywaldo on this board is reporting the same problem after he soldered wires to fix his loose connector. See this thread where I mention this.
Ordinarily, based on the symptoms, I would've said that this was a bootloader incompatibility problem. But, both of you have done a full nvflash, so that's out. I'm leaning towards a HW fault right now, but, we'll need more data to make a definitive determination.
As I said, try out the other procedures first (and don't have a micro SD card with the CWM update file in it while you're doing those procedures--the stock recovery will try to install update.zip files if it finds them; CWM will not). If none of them work, then I'll send you a custom recovery image which will let us know if the bootloader did actually load and run the recovery/std kernel.

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no adb. reset didn't change anything.
Thank you for sticking with me rajeevvp.
I installed the android sdk (and JDK) per the instructions:
http://www.androidtablets.net/forum/viewsonic-gtablet-technical/5377-adb-g-tab-step-step.html
I used SDK manager to download the platform tools and the google usb driver. Followed the instructions to uninstall the NvFlash driver and installed it as a composite ADB per the instructions. When i started the tablet normally it loads the usb storage device drive and assigns it drive letter E: (which never shows up in "My Computer" and says "Device not ready" from cmd prompt).
It would only connect as an ADB device when i put it into APX mode, which i don't think is right...
It showed up under USB deview, but said that the driver was winusb.sys, which doesn't sound right to me either...
used the echo command, ran "adb kill-server" and "adb devices". it didn't show anything connected.
next i tried the command that you posted and it said "access is denied".
so i went the other route and popped the case back open. tried all four methods for hardware reset (unplugging battery, shorting capacitors, reset button and shorting the four solder pads), no change in behavior...
The link from wroark is interesting. I am leaning towards hardware damage as well because i have never gotten a complete boot out of it since the repair. Maybe i bungled something up, and only made it worse with the flashing...
I am looking for damage on the PCB but haven't found any yet. I will desolder the power connector later tonight and give it a bath in some PCB cleaning spray.
Thanks for your help once again!

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mrchew1982 said:
so i went the other route and popped the case back open. tried all four methods for hardware reset (unplugging battery, shorting capacitors, reset button and shorting the four solder pads), no change in behavior...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try that adb command on Linux; Windows is too much pain--don't want to troubleshoot an "ADB is not working" problem too.
The link from wroark is interesting. I am leaning towards hardware damage as well because i have never gotten a complete boot out of it since the repair. Maybe i bungled something up, and only made it worse with the flashing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go through this thread as well.
OK. Now for some troubleshooting.
1. Remove any external microSD cards, as always.
2. Put gTab into APX mode and run this command:
Code:
C:\SOME\PATH> [B].\nvflash --bl bootloader.bin --format_partition 7 --format_partition 8 --format_partition 9 --format_partition 10 --format_partition 12 --download 9 recovery.img --download 10 recovery.img --go[/B]
This will format all the problemmatic partitions and then upload CWM-2.5.1.1-bekit-0.8 with a different kernel onto both the "recovery" and "boot" partitions. The kernel has been modified to print boot-up messages as it does on standard Linux. If the bootloader loads and runs either kernel ("boot" or "recovery") then you should see, first, the 2 penguins logo (one for each processor), and then, the kernel messages below that. After the kernel finishes, /init will run, clear the screen, and print "ANDROID" in small caps, and then CWM should start.
3. Use the bootloader.bin--which is from 1.1-3588, the last VS 1.1 update--and the recovery.img in the zip attachment.

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surgery done...
I wasn't happy with the solder joints that I laid on last time, it looked like I might have bridged two of the pads... so I removed the power connector completely only to find that the housing was split down the middle. Found a new connector (perfect match here: http://www.dcpowerjacks.net/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15&products_id=202), got it today. Cleaned the pads and carefully connected the new one. sprayed everything clean, it looked great afterwords, but no change in behavior... I didn't see anything loose or missing either when I went over it with the magnifying glass.
Ok, reflashed per your instructions. here is the output:
Code:
C:\Users\Desktop\Desktop\bekit1105>nvflash --bl bootloader.bin --format_partition 7 --format_partition 8 --format_partition 9 --format_partition 10 --format_partition 12 --download 9 recovery.img --download 10 recovery.img --go
Nvflash started
rcm version 0X20001
System Information:
chip name: t20
chip id: 0x20 major: 1 minor: 3
chip sku: 0x8
chip uid: 0x1714118842bf5057
macrovision: disabled
hdcp: enabled
sbk burned: false
dk burned: false
boot device: nand
operating mode: 3
device config strap: 0
device config fuse: 0
sdram config strap: 0
downloading bootloader -- load address: 0x108000 entry point: 0x108000
sending file: bootloader.bin
| 928940/928940 bytes sent
bootloader.bin sent successfully
waiting for bootloader to initialize
bootloader downloaded successfully
Formatting partition 7 please wait.. done!
Formatting partition 8 please wait.. done!
Formatting partition 9 please wait.. done!
Formatting partition 10 please wait.. done!
Formatting partition 12 please wait.. done!
sending file: recovery.img
| 3598336/3598336 bytes sent
recovery.img sent successfully
sending file: recovery.img
| 3598336/3598336 bytes sent
recovery.img sent successfully
C:\Users\Desktop\Desktop\bekit1105>
It rebooted into the screen that you described but stopped short of going into clockwork. for a long time the last lines were:
Code:
19.213803 so340010_kbd: probe of so340010_kbd failed with error -1
19.217161
19.217164 I2C Slave is *New*
19.820563 NvOdmMouseDeviceOpen failed
20.019509 android_usb Gadget: high speed config #1: android
I then heard the USB connection sound and windows notified me that a USB storage device had been installed (no drive shows up in "My Computer").
Then it started reprinting an error message about every 5 minutes:
Code:
257.010389 INFO: task cpufreq-dvfsd:286 blocked for more than 120 seconds.
257.013674 "echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernal/hung_task_timeout_secs" disables this message.
257.016995 cpufreq-dvfsd D c050ac38 0 286 2 0x00000000
{continued from reboot}
246.807349 Backtrace:
246.810534 (<c050a11c>) (schedule+0x0/0xc18) from (<c00e1680>) (kthread+0x70/0x90)
246.813892 (<c00e1610>) (kthread+oxo/0x90) from (<c00c8498>) (do_exit+0x0/0x73c)
246.817285 r7:00000000 r6:00000000 r5:0000000 r4:0000000
366.817615 INFO: {then it repeats verbatim}
After repeating 3-4times then it goes to a page with just a bunch of numbers inside of parenthesis on the left hand side (counter overran the buffer?) and no text on the right.
When I rebooted it without the USB attached the last message shown is "NvOdmMouseDeviceOpen failed" before it went into the "INFO" error messages.
Still think its a hardware problem?
I will get a linux boot CD setup to try ADB mode again, but i'm hoping that the messages above will be enough to figure this out.
Thank you, once again, for your time and help.

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pictures...
Just in case I missed something, I attached some screenshots.
they are in chronological order, 989 is before the "INFO:" error messages pop up, 990 shows those error messages, and 991 is the final screen with no messages.

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Thanks for the screenshots. Judging from the visible kernel messages, this looks very much like a hardware fault. The "so340010_kbd" is the driver for the soft keys to the right of the display. The error messages indicate a failure to communicate with the controller for those soft-keys.
I suggest that you start at those soft-key pads and trace the lines back to their controller chip then scrutinize the circuit traces from this chip all the way back to the CPU. See if everything looks OK.
Try ADB on Linux, but, I don't hold out much hope for getting anything out of it: The kernel looks like it is having serious problems with the hardware--I don't think it has even got around to starting up the user-land processes. And, don't worry about the INFO messages relating to cpufreq-dvfsd. You can disregard them for the moment.
EDIT: A thought just struck me. It's winter-time over there, right. Did you take the proper precautions while handling the board? It's very easy to fry a chip silently this time of the year over there using ESD: walk on the carpet, pick up a load of static electricity, then toast something with a simple touch. I borked a board like that one time I was there.

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bricked
i have been having same problems with my g-tab, i tried the modified recovery and was able to get to clockwork. i tried updating to few roms, i have NVflashed 100 times. Everytime i NVflash, it shows the tapNtap boot screen, it cycles through this for 4 to 5 times, then just shuts off. Then i try to start again, get nothing, can only go into APX mode which i can only do NVflash and just does same thing. So i tried the modified recovery, goes to clockwork and tried installing other roms, installs without problem, but when restart system will not boot at all. Just black screen and can only do APX mode... also tried opening case unplugging battery, pressing reset button on motherboard... i think the internal SD needs to be completely wiped and no matter what tool i have used, there is still data there.

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theterminator69 said:
i have been having same problems with my g-tab,...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can boot into CWM and install ROMs, then you don't have the same problem. And, that modified CWM was meant to be a diagnostic aid--it was not intended to be a cure for gTab illnesses.
i think the internal SD needs to be completely wiped and no matter what tool i have used, there is still data there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the data still there after you "Partition SD card" in CWM? Make sure you remove any external microSD cards from the tablet first.