Bricked (or Nuked) 9850...

**mangcool** · 11-21-2011, 07:26 PM

Hey guys...

Pretty sad day today, my Torch 9850 is bricked, or nuked however you say it, similar to this problem. Tried everything, 20 battery pulls, plugging it in the computer, nothing works. It's just a slow blinking red light over and over, I tried using the AppLoader, it recognizes the PIN, but the software installation fails in the middle of the process (something to do with JVM).

I did like what most people that are having the exact same problem did. It completely died, fully recharged it, and it wouldn't boot up. Called up Sprint, they can't do anything to it, I don't have insurance so they're basically leaving me hanging. Called up RIM to see if they can replace it free of charge since it's only 2 months old, no answer just yet.

Anyone got any suggestions? Maybe how they fixed it? Maybe got a replacement from Sprint/RIM? Any suggestions would be very helpful.

**freethisberrydotcom** · 11-21-2011, 07:39 PM

Try this:

*You will loose all info from the device

1.Take out the battery of the device
2. Open BB Desktop software and connect the device with the USB to your pc
3. Click on upgrade and click next
4. Let it download the latest OS and pop in the battery when it says "Waiting for initialization
5. Let the install process and the device should reboot (May take 5-8 mins for reboot)

You should be good to go. Let us know how it goes.

**mangcool** · 11-21-2011, 07:44 PM

Originally Posted by freethisberrydotcom

Try this:

*You will loose all info from the device

1.Take out the battery of the device
2. Open BB Desktop software and connect the device with the USB to your pc
3. Click on upgrade and click next
4. Let it download the latest OS and pop in the battery when it says "Waiting for initialization
5. Let the install process and the device should reboot (May take 5-8 mins for reboot)

You should be good to go. Let us know how it goes.

Thanks for the suggestions, I see one problem, though. I cannot click on upgrade since the OS installed on my PC is the latest one (.474, I believe). But I will try that and see how it goes. Thanks again!

**Frank2029** · 11-21-2011, 08:11 PM

Same thing happened to be but i got it recovered following this guide. Post back if it works so others who search at a later date can see a success or fail.

http://forums.crackberry.com/forum-f...ckberry-32322/

**mangcool** · 11-21-2011, 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by Frank2029

Same thing happened to be but i got it recovered following this guide. Post back if it works so others who search at a later date can see a success or fail.

http://forums.crackberry.com/forum-f...ckberry-32322/

I was thinking about doing the command line process but I haven't gotten a chance to use Windows since my I'm using Linux on my laptop. :P

But I will try that as soon as I get my hands into a Windows machine. Thanks!

**dictoresno** · 11-21-2011, 08:47 PM

and by the way, a bricked or nuked device should be covered under the one year warranty from RIM. Sprint should be willing to replace it with a refurb device. i would go to a Sprint corp store and speak with them.

**rkopsie** · 11-21-2011, 09:02 PM

Sprint has to replace it. No question about it. Its a one year warranty.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

**mangcool** · 11-23-2011, 11:45 AM

Sprint's warranty policy is a jacked up...

First, what I did was sent it to a Sprint store nearby and they do repairs. What they told me is they cannot fix the phone, they have to replace it but I need to pay $35. I told them a big fat "NO", LOL! I told them the phone is two months old and the issue my phone has is a known problem. I feel that they should fix/replace the phone free of charge. The store representatives told me that in order to get it replace or fixed for free, I need to call RIM (BlackBerry). So that what I exactly did, called RIM and talked to one of their agents, and he said that they are not responsible for this particular model's warranty since Sprint buys warranties with the phones. I talked to Sprint again through the phone, and they told me the same thing, the store should be replacing the phone (even if I have no Sprint Protection Plan). So, I thought, great, my phone will be getting replaced.

Thinking the phone is getting replaced without paying anything, I went to the Sprint store nearby. And they told me a big fat "NO". They are still asking for $35.

$35 might not be a lot for some of you guys, but it is for me. I feel that Sprint is responsible for replacing this phone, and I did not damage the phone whatsoever, it's having a known issue.

Ugh, I don't know why I'm still with Sprint.

**kbz1960** · 11-23-2011, 12:19 PM

They should just replace the dang thing free.

**mangcool** · 11-23-2011, 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by kbz1960

They should just replace the dang thing free.

That's what I was saying! But oh well, I can fix it anyway, I just want a replacement because I'm afraid this one will brick itself again. And I'm afraid this problem was caused by a hardware problem, I'm hoping it's software faulty.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

**mangcool** · 11-24-2011, 12:29 PM

Oh, wow, I didn't know it is not that easy to fix this problem.

Tried both of these methods:

Originally Posted by freethisberrydotcom

Try this:

*You will loose all info from the device

1.Take out the battery of the device
2. Open BB Desktop software and connect the device with the USB to your pc
3. Click on upgrade and click next
4. Let it download the latest OS and pop in the battery when it says "Waiting for initialization
5. Let the install process and the device should reboot (May take 5-8 mins for reboot)

You should be good to go. Let us know how it goes.

Originally Posted by Frank2029

Same thing happened to be but i got it recovered following this guide. Post back if it works so others who search at a later date can see a success or fail.

http://forums.crackberry.com/forum-f...ckberry-32322/

Both methods did not work. It got to "Reconnecting to JVM", but then it would fail. It says that it cannot connect to JVM, press Retry to try again, so I press Retry, but it still doesn't work.

So I searched around the web, saw some people say that leaving the battery out until the Device Initialization/Reconnecting JVM will do the trick. Unfortunately, not for me. So I tried using a different computer, and now it would not even get to Reconnecting to JVM, it gets stuck on Waiting for device initialization, and I would hear the unplug and plug noise because of the boot cycle.

Any help would be appreciated.

**bladesman** · 11-24-2011, 12:44 PM

It sounds exactly the same problem I had, stuck at the JVM stage. Sorry to say I tried everything but without success. Phone sent back today.

**Moonbase0ne** · 11-24-2011, 12:59 PM

Not too hijack the thread but I am curious, how often are the new BB's being nuked and needed replacement?

War Is All We Know

**mangcool** · 11-24-2011, 01:22 PM

Originally Posted by Moonbaseone

Not too hijack the thread but I am curious, how often are the new BB's being nuked and needed replacement?

War Is All We Know

It's actually not a question of how "often", question is how many defectives phones are out there.

I have two 9850's, with the same amount usage and pretty much the same apps installed, and the other one got nuked. The other one is working like a charm with no problems whatsoever. I bought the second one (which is the one that's working) a couple of weeks after I got the first one (nuked).

And I just talked to Sprint, and they're replacing it for $35, I believe this is a hardware problem. I'm just gonna pay Sprint to get this over with.

**Moonbase0ne** · 11-24-2011, 01:27 PM

Originally Posted by mangcool

It's actually not a question of how "often", question is how many defectives phones are out there.

I have two 9850's, with the same amount usage and pretty much the same apps installed, and the other one got nuked. The other one is working like a charm with no problems whatsoever. I bought the second one (which is the one that's working) a couple of weeks after I got the first one (nuked).

And I just talked to Sprint, and they're replacing it for $35, I believe this is a hardware problem. I'm just gonna pay Sprint to get this over with.

Well that sucks. Is it not covered under warranty? I would be pissed off I bought a phone that was nuked/bricked because it was defective to begin with and I had to pay to get it replaced

War Is All We Know

**mangcool** · 11-24-2011, 06:43 PM

Originally Posted by Moonbaseone

Well that sucks. Is it not covered under warranty? I would be pissed off I bought a phone that was nuked/bricked because it was defective to begin with and I had to pay to get it replaced

War Is All We Know

It is, but in order to get it fixed or replaced free of charge, you have to have a Sprint Protection plan. If you don't, you have to pay them $35 every time you experience problems with your Sprint phone.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

**D0minic** · 11-24-2011, 06:47 PM

Include my torch in the "nuked" list. Unfortunately, this will be my last Blackberry after owning several including 3 curves, 1 Bold, and 2 torches. The reviews were dead on, this is a terrible device. i Phone here I come.

**Kamika007z** · 11-24-2011, 07:29 PM

This magical phone of mine just reboot itself when browsing youtube's site.

Gotta love Blackberry...

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

**mangcool** · 11-24-2011, 07:53 PM

Originally Posted by Kamika007z

This magical phone of mine just reboot itself when browsing youtube's site.

Gotta love Blackberry...

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

This occurred on me once after visiting a webpage. I'm guessing some ads, or maybe pop-ups, force the OS to halt and restart. I remember visiting a website with known viruses on my brother's iTouch and the iTouch restarted. I don't know if that's connected/related.

**mangcool** · 11-24-2011, 07:55 PM

Originally Posted by D0minic

Include my torch in the "nuked" list. Unfortunately, this will be my last Blackberry after owning several including 3 curves, 1 Bold, and 2 torches. The reviews were dead on, this is a terrible device. i Phone here I come.

Sorry to hear that, and have fun with your iPhone!

To me, personally, this is not enough for me to stop using a BlackBerry. I will only stop using a BlackBerry when they go out of business. :P

But, nonetheless, have fun with your iPhone (I'm assuming 4S

)!

**oboegary** · 11-26-2011, 01:16 PM

Joining the ranks of the Bricked!

While traveling in SC, my battery got used up and the device shut itself off. After charging overnight, it only had the "red blinking light" and would not boot up. Up to this point this has been an excellent phone.

I added the insurance on this and my spouse's Torch. This way I get overnight shipping and no extra charges. This against my usual practice. I anticipate that there will be troubles in the future for this phone, so this is just peace of mind at this point.

Whether I stay with BB in the future depends on the next generation QNX phones. for me an important feature is the desktop sync with Outlook and to be able to replace the battery without sending the phone back. So, although iPhone is the only one that has fairly easy Outlook sync through iTunes, the Android phones don't have this functionality.

**burnrubber** · 11-26-2011, 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by mangcool

Hey guys...

Pretty sad day today, my Torch 9850 is bricked, or nuked however you say it, similar to this problem. Tried everything, 20 battery pulls, plugging it in the computer, nothing works. It's just a slow blinking red light over and over, I tried using the AppLoader, it recognizes the PIN, but the software installation fails in the middle of the process (something to do with JVM).

I did like what most people that are having the exact same problem did. It completely died, fully recharged it, and it wouldn't boot up. Called up Sprint, they can't do anything to it, I don't have insurance so they're basically leaving me hanging. Called up RIM to see if they can replace it free of charge since it's only 2 months old, no answer just yet.

Anyone got any suggestions? Maybe how they fixed it? Maybe got a replacement from Sprint/RIM? Any suggestions would be very helpful.

I think I found the issue. Today I went to the sprint store to check out the torch 9850 again. when I picked it up it was completely dead with a red blinking light. I told the manager that I wanted to test out this phone but it would not power up. He went over to it and did a battery pull, nothing. Then he said "not again" and went into the back room. He came out with a brand new battery and put in in the phone and it powered up and worked fine. I asked him what did you mean "not again" he stated another battery went bad. So could it be the battery and not the phone? Thats what it was on this one and it had the same issue of red blinking light but would not power up.

**oboegary** · 11-26-2011, 04:18 PM

Well, I have to identical Torch 9850 phones purchased at the same time from Verizon. Mine, as reported above, turned into a brick overnight. I took the battery out of the functioning phone and put it in the bricked phone. No change! I took the battery from the bricked phone and put it in the working phone. Voila! That phone still works.

While it could be a battery issue, this non-scientific test seems to me to point to a hardware/phone issue.

**Frank2029** · 11-27-2011, 10:12 AM

Anybody have experience of having the red blinking lights happen twice? It happened once but i fixed it. Im hoping this is not a reoccurring issue after reading some of the stories here...

**offi** · 11-27-2011, 02:45 PM

This is my 3'd time i bricked my unlocked 9860. and had to flash my phone by using Loader.exe with no battery in to stop it from rebooting os looping, when when installing os, to put battery back in, which fix's it from a curupterd os from a flat battery

with exsperimenting on bricking my phone on flat bat on perpuers.

The 4'th and 5'th time after battery been flat it din't seem to brick on a constant rebooting after i uninstalled some apps. I narrowed it down to odd apps that seem to do this on my phone, and its mosty ones that customize my LED lights on apps and battery indicator apps. after uninstalling them, i had no probs. seems some rooting apps in to os , Seem to get damaged on a flat battery and no longer load up right on os boot up. making it loop

. RIM needs to make some safe mode to stop all apps from loading with os on start as a option.