Nokia N95 firmware upgrade disaster!

andrewmw · 22-10-2008, 17:05

I recently attempted to upgrade the firmware using the nokia firmware updater software supplied with my Nokia 95 (original not 8 gig) and then the following - or extremely similar scenario happened (I found this on the website www.n95users.com/forum/its-broke/2124-i-killed-my-nokia-n95-t-mobile-firmware-upgrade.html)

Quote:

I did the right thing and waited for the T Mobile firmware update to become available rather than risk nailing my 95 with an unbranded firmware and it's all gone wrong.

Downloaded the Nokia Software Updater
Did my backup
Made sure battery was charged and plugged into a charger to be on the safe side anyway.
Software updater found phone OK
Told me I needed the update
Downloaded the update.
Started to apply it.
Part way through the phone screen changed to an unlit Nokia logo
Around 3/4 way through the phone seemed to switch off which I assumed was a reboot.
And then nothing....
Phone is lit up - screen is on but totally blank, black and backlit.
Updater says Connection to Phone is lost
Tells me to remove and reinstall battery and retry which I have done but this just waits a while before saying Connection to Phone is lost again.

Has this happened to many people before? Since I got my contract with T Mobile at Tesco's - I was told originally (now 3 weeks ago) to take it to them for repair. Today, I was told that they could not fix my phone as it was water damaged!???! And that I would have to find somewhere else to fix it when dead phone comes back at the end of the week. This is only about 4 months through an 18 month contract - so not very happy!

Needless to say, I have since sent a copy of the above to them to describe exactly what had happened - and told them that it was not dropped in a puddle / bucket etc.

If anyone can offer some advice I'll be very grateful.

Dinger · 22-10-2008, 17:48

you need to do a hard reset (cant remember the key sequence - google for it) a copy of the factory fresh firmware is saved in to the phone and the hard reset will restore it

Niranjaniz · 22-10-2008, 22:50

errrrr i think its "*" "3" and "green" keys hold them down while booting up until it boots up and it should do something, worth a shot.

Where exactly did you take your phone?, was it a Nokia service centre? or you just went into a T-Mobile shop or TESCO?

flagpole · 23-10-2008, 09:03

yep the three keys should fix it. unless it is water damaged.

if not take it to a nokia care point.

n

andrewmw · 23-10-2008, 17:05

I took in into the Tesco mobile shop (advice from T-Mobile as I bought it / took out the contract there) where it was sent off - and has been sent to somewhere else to be fixed (don't know where).

Obviously it is coming back as a brick - but I found the code mentioned above to Hard reset the phone and have emailed it to the guy I've been in contact with along with the exact scenario how it went wrong in the first place.

According to the head office - they claim my phone is water damaged (which I know is completely 100% incorrect .... I don't use my desktop PC in a bathroom!!). This is the last place it was working correctly when it was connected to my PC.

Anyway, the whole thing has now been "escalated" so I am hoping for some good news soon - if not then I've been advised to take it to a T Mobile shop for sending off again (if the reset doesn't work of course).

This isn't much fun!!

acoolwelshbloke · 23-10-2008, 17:08

The trouble is they may have put it in a bucket of water before returning it to you so they don't get found to be telling porkies!

andrewmw · 23-10-2008, 17:19

I would be very cheesed off indeed if that were the case. The guy in the store knows what condition my phone was in before it went off and commented on how well I kept it - ie. no scratches or anything like that.

I've got mobiles going back over 4 contracts and all of the others still work ok, maybe a bit on the slow side now - but even still! Arrrgghh!!!

BT@home · 23-10-2008, 19:28

Water damage is not just dropping in a bucket of water, it can quite easily be water damaged after sitting in a kitchen for a while. Moisture and steam can cause the detection stickers to also show water damage too.

Not saying that this is the same scenario as you have but simply pointing out the facts.

acoolwelshbloke · 23-10-2008, 19:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by BT@home

Water damage is not just dropping in a bucket of water, it can quite easily be water damaged after sitting in a kitchen for a while. Moisture and steam can cause the detection stickers to also show water damage too.

Not saying that this is the same scenario as you have but simply pointing out the facts.

Read the thread, the fault is due to a failed software update!

There was no fault.

prking · 23-10-2008, 20:22

I thought the whole point was that the software update failed because connection was lost with the phone. This could be caused by any number of reasons , including "water damage".

acoolwelshbloke · 23-10-2008, 21:29

Nope it's common.

Niranjaniz · 23-10-2008, 21:34

i use my phone as a music player in the bathroom all the time as i have done with all my phones gets steamy too and even handle the phones wet even had 2 of my phone sent for repair and had no refusal to fix due to water damage which was not brought up as being the problem.

andrewmw · 23-10-2008, 23:24

Apparently, if it is the dreaded "Water damage" (still fingers crossed here) - then it may cost about £30-£40 as per Tesco phone guy to repair, because although it is still under the manufacturers warranty - they don't cover it. That would be to take it elsewhere to get it fixed, although I'm really counting that the hard reset will work!

Strangely enough though the little insurance booklet in the contract folder does include it. Unfortunately, I don't think I took out the insurance - wish I had now ...

sitalchauhan · 24-10-2008, 00:43

I took my faulty N95 to my local Care Point, a carphonewarehouse. I had bought my phone originally directly from T-mobile with my contract.
You can check your nearest care Point using this website:
http://www.nokia.co.uk/A4222229

They will repair your phone for free as long as it is within the 1 year warranty.

With my fault, they couldnt fix it on-site at the carphonewarehouse because it was more complicated and they didnt have the parts in stock. So they gave me a form to fill out and a freepost address to send it directly to Nokia. I posted it off to nokia and I got my phone back the next week fully fixed

I also use my phone to play music while im in the shower, and it gets condensation on it, but my water damage markers must still be fine because they fixed my phone for free. Dont think the water damage markers on the n95 can be very sensitive if mine were ok

If in the end nowhere is fixing it for free, just take it to one of those small dodgy phone shops and they will fix it for quite cheap since it just seems a software fault. I had a broken volume button on my phone. Carphonewarehouse said it would be £30 and would take a week. Nokia said it would be £25 but I had to post it to them, and it would take like 10 days. Took it to a small phone shop and they soldered on a new microswitch in 15mins while I waited and only charged £10

Aye Up · 24-10-2008, 01:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by sitalchauhan

They will repair your phone for free as long as it is within the 1 year warranty.

There is a 2 yr warranty with Nokia handsets.....even though mobile phone companies don't advertise this clearly.....

andrewmw · 24-10-2008, 10:22

Thanks - I've located the nearest Nokia care centre in Carphone Warehouse (Purley Way, Croydon) and will be in touch with them when I get it back.

I will ask at a T-Mobile store as well (just incase) to see what they are going to say, as the Tesco guy said the repairers have diagrams of what is "damaged" inside. I still don't understand how a firmware update could of caused a hardware damage though

I mean - it's like when the Top Up TV boxes receive new firmware over air - yet those don't suddenly stop working like my phone did!

flagpole · 24-10-2008, 10:29

it happens. i had a nokia that was rendered unrepairable by carphonewhorehouse during a software update.

a note of caution about the CPW. they are the lowest grade of nokia repair centers. so they will probably send your phone away.

acoolwelshbloke · 24-10-2008, 12:10

All the Nokia Repair Centers are rubbish in my opinion, all they can do is minor fixes, screens, ear and mouth pieces and software updates. They cannot even flash a dead phone most of the time!

Every phone i have taken to a Nokia Repair Center has had to be returned to Nokia for repair.

I have taken around 14 handsets in 10 years to a Nokia Repair center, some to CPW and others to independent authorised Repair Centers.

flagpole · 24-10-2008, 12:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by acoolwelshbloke

All the Nokia Repair Centers are rubbish in my opinion, all they can do is minor fixes, screens, ear and mouth pieces and software updates. They cannot even flash a dead phone most of the time!

Every phone i have taken to a Nokia Repair Center has had to be returned to Nokia for repair.

I have taken around 14 handsets in 10 years to a Nokia Repair center, some to CPW and others to independent authorised Repair Centers.

i depends on the repair center. the CPW ones are the lowest grade.

intercity mobiles in birmingham say, is a top level repair center. quite likely your phone will end up there, so it's best to take it there yourself.

often, particularly with undiagnosed faults it's not economical to repair anyway.

sitalchauhan · 24-10-2008, 13:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by flagpole

i depends on the repair center. the CPW ones are the lowest grade.

intercity mobiles in birmingham say, is a top level repair center. quite likely your phone will end up there, so it's best to take it there yourself.

often, particularly with undiagnosed faults it's not economical to repair anyway.

Intercity are a top level repair center?! When I took my phone there, they were extremely un-professional and making excuses that they couldnt repair my phone. They tried to say some technical stuff to try and confuse me and hope that I wasnt very technical and I went away, but of course I stood my ground and explained to them that I fully understoof the fault with my phone. They then agreed to repair my phone after a while, but I decided to send it off directly to Nokia because I didnt trust them to do the repair properly!

flagpole · 24-10-2008, 13:27

yes well they are arses aren't they but they are nonetheless a top level repair center. they don't do much interaction with the public......

andysiddell · 24-10-2008, 17:00

I too am currently having a battle to get my phone sorted out! My phone (original N95) wouldn't boot up, so I took it to the Vodafone shop who advised me to update the software via the Nokia website, which I attempted to do. However during the process it came up with the error message "Can't Communicate With The Phone" After several attempts I gave up and took it to my local Nokia Repair Centre, who were also unable to resolve the problem.

They suggested I return to to Nokia as it was still under warranty. I did this and after 9 days it was returned with a letter saying they refused to repair the phone as it had the wrong software version on it.

How is this my fault and what can I do to get this matter resolved. I tried emailing Nokia Customer Services, no reply, I tried calling and after the call was answered they said they had to pass my call onto another department. I was on hold forever and gave up in the end.

Can anyone help / advise me what to do next?

Thanks

flagpole · 24-10-2008, 17:03

3-keys????

Niranjaniz · 25-10-2008, 00:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by andysiddell

I too am currently having a battle to get my phone sorted out! My phone (original N95) wouldn't boot up, so I took it to the Vodafone shop who advised me to update the software via the Nokia website, which I attempted to do. However during the process it came up with the error message "Can't Communicate With The Phone" After several attempts I gave up and took it to my local Nokia Repair Centre, who were also unable to resolve the problem.

They suggested I return to to Nokia as it was still under warranty. I did this and after 9 days it was returned with a letter saying they refused to repair the phone as it had the wrong software version on it.

How is this my fault and what can I do to get this matter resolved. I tried emailing Nokia Customer Services, no reply, I tried calling and after the call was answered they said they had to pass my call onto another department. I was on hold forever and gave up in the end.

Can anyone help / advise me what to do next?

Thanks

try

"*" "3" and "green" keys hold them down while booting up until it boots up

if not you need to be on the phone and get through and explain your situation as you have posted, also print off the situation and send it along when you send your phone in, do not give up so easily!

andysiddell · 25-10-2008, 12:17

Thanks for the advice. I've tried the 3 keys and that didn't work!

I have now managed to get through to customer services and have been told someone will call me back regarding my complaint before midday on Monday. I'm not convinced they will, but will give them the benefit of the doubt!

22-10-2008, 17:05	#1
andrewmw Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Mitcham, Surrey (Crystal Palac Posts: 418	Nokia N95 firmware upgrade disaster! I recently attempted to upgrade the firmware using the nokia firmware updater software supplied with my Nokia 95 (original not 8 gig) and then the following - or extremely similar scenario happened (I found this on the website www.n95users.com/forum/its-broke/2124-i-killed-my-nokia-n95-t-mobile-firmware-upgrade.html) Quote: I did the right thing and waited for the T Mobile firmware update to become available rather than risk nailing my 95 with an unbranded firmware and it's all gone wrong. Downloaded the Nokia Software Updater Did my backup Made sure battery was charged and plugged into a charger to be on the safe side anyway. Software updater found phone OK Told me I needed the update Downloaded the update. Started to apply it. Part way through the phone screen changed to an unlit Nokia logo Around 3/4 way through the phone seemed to switch off which I assumed was a reboot. And then nothing.... Phone is lit up - screen is on but totally blank, black and backlit. Updater says Connection to Phone is lost Tells me to remove and reinstall battery and retry which I have done but this just waits a while before saying Connection to Phone is lost again. Has this happened to many people before? Since I got my contract with T Mobile at Tesco's - I was told originally (now 3 weeks ago) to take it to them for repair. Today, I was told that they could not fix my phone as it was water damaged!???! And that I would have to find somewhere else to fix it when dead phone comes back at the end of the week. This is only about 4 months through an 18 month contract - so not very happy! Needless to say, I have since sent a copy of the above to them to describe exactly what had happened - and told them that it was not dropped in a puddle / bucket etc. If anyone can offer some advice I'll be very grateful.

22-10-2008, 17:48	#2
Dinger Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 1,768	you need to do a hard reset (cant remember the key sequence - google for it) a copy of the factory fresh firmware is saved in to the phone and the hard reset will restore it

22-10-2008, 22:50	#3
Niranjaniz Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: UK, Nottingham Posts: 624	errrrr i think its "*" "3" and "green" keys hold them down while booting up until it boots up and it should do something, worth a shot. Where exactly did you take your phone?, was it a Nokia service centre? or you just went into a T-Mobile shop or TESCO?

23-10-2008, 09:03	#4
flagpole Inactive Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 43,524	yep the three keys should fix it. unless it is water damaged. if not take it to a nokia care point. n

23-10-2008, 17:05	#5
andrewmw Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Mitcham, Surrey (Crystal Palac Posts: 418	I took in into the Tesco mobile shop (advice from T-Mobile as I bought it / took out the contract there) where it was sent off - and has been sent to somewhere else to be fixed (don't know where). Obviously it is coming back as a brick - but I found the code mentioned above to Hard reset the phone and have emailed it to the guy I've been in contact with along with the exact scenario how it went wrong in the first place. According to the head office - they claim my phone is water damaged (which I know is completely 100% incorrect .... I don't use my desktop PC in a bathroom!!). This is the last place it was working correctly when it was connected to my PC. Anyway, the whole thing has now been "escalated" so I am hoping for some good news soon - if not then I've been advised to take it to a T Mobile shop for sending off again (if the reset doesn't work of course). This isn't much fun!!

23-10-2008, 17:08	#6
acoolwelshbloke Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Swansea, UK. Posts: 2,469	The trouble is they may have put it in a bucket of water before returning it to you so they don't get found to be telling porkies!

23-10-2008, 17:19	#7
andrewmw Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Mitcham, Surrey (Crystal Palac Posts: 418	I would be very cheesed off indeed if that were the case. The guy in the store knows what condition my phone was in before it went off and commented on how well I kept it - ie. no scratches or anything like that. I've got mobiles going back over 4 contracts and all of the others still work ok, maybe a bit on the slow side now - but even still! Arrrgghh!!!

23-10-2008, 19:28	#8
BT@home Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 1,911	Water damage is not just dropping in a bucket of water, it can quite easily be water damaged after sitting in a kitchen for a while. Moisture and steam can cause the detection stickers to also show water damage too. Not saying that this is the same scenario as you have but simply pointing out the facts.

23-10-2008, 19:46	#9
acoolwelshbloke Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Swansea, UK. Posts: 2,469	Quote: Originally Posted by BT@home Water damage is not just dropping in a bucket of water, it can quite easily be water damaged after sitting in a kitchen for a while. Moisture and steam can cause the detection stickers to also show water damage too. Not saying that this is the same scenario as you have but simply pointing out the facts. Read the thread, the fault is due to a failed software update! There was no fault.

23-10-2008, 20:22	#10
prking Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Weston-super-Mare Posts: 9,167	I thought the whole point was that the software update failed because connection was lost with the phone. This could be caused by any number of reasons , including "water damage".

23-10-2008, 21:29	#11
acoolwelshbloke Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Swansea, UK. Posts: 2,469	Nope it's common.

23-10-2008, 21:34	#12
Niranjaniz Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: UK, Nottingham Posts: 624	i use my phone as a music player in the bathroom all the time as i have done with all my phones gets steamy too and even handle the phones wet even had 2 of my phone sent for repair and had no refusal to fix due to water damage which was not brought up as being the problem.

23-10-2008, 23:24	#13
andrewmw Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Mitcham, Surrey (Crystal Palac Posts: 418	Apparently, if it is the dreaded "Water damage" (still fingers crossed here) - then it may cost about £30-£40 as per Tesco phone guy to repair, because although it is still under the manufacturers warranty - they don't cover it. That would be to take it elsewhere to get it fixed, although I'm really counting that the hard reset will work! Strangely enough though the little insurance booklet in the contract folder does include it. Unfortunately, I don't think I took out the insurance - wish I had now ...

24-10-2008, 00:43	#14
sitalchauhan Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Birmingham, UK Posts: 146	I took my faulty N95 to my local Care Point, a carphonewarehouse. I had bought my phone originally directly from T-mobile with my contract. You can check your nearest care Point using this website: http://www.nokia.co.uk/A4222229 They will repair your phone for free as long as it is within the 1 year warranty. With my fault, they couldnt fix it on-site at the carphonewarehouse because it was more complicated and they didnt have the parts in stock. So they gave me a form to fill out and a freepost address to send it directly to Nokia. I posted it off to nokia and I got my phone back the next week fully fixed I also use my phone to play music while im in the shower, and it gets condensation on it, but my water damage markers must still be fine because they fixed my phone for free. Dont think the water damage markers on the n95 can be very sensitive if mine were ok If in the end nowhere is fixing it for free, just take it to one of those small dodgy phone shops and they will fix it for quite cheap since it just seems a software fault. I had a broken volume button on my phone. Carphonewarehouse said it would be £30 and would take a week. Nokia said it would be £25 but I had to post it to them, and it would take like 10 days. Took it to a small phone shop and they soldered on a new microswitch in 15mins while I waited and only charged £10

24-10-2008, 01:03	#15
Aye Up Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: North West Posts: 4,885	Quote: Originally Posted by sitalchauhan They will repair your phone for free as long as it is within the 1 year warranty. There is a 2 yr warranty with Nokia handsets.....even though mobile phone companies don't advertise this clearly.....

24-10-2008, 10:22	#16
andrewmw Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Mitcham, Surrey (Crystal Palac Posts: 418	Thanks - I've located the nearest Nokia care centre in Carphone Warehouse (Purley Way, Croydon) and will be in touch with them when I get it back. I will ask at a T-Mobile store as well (just incase) to see what they are going to say, as the Tesco guy said the repairers have diagrams of what is "damaged" inside. I still don't understand how a firmware update could of caused a hardware damage though I mean - it's like when the Top Up TV boxes receive new firmware over air - yet those don't suddenly stop working like my phone did!

24-10-2008, 10:29	#17
flagpole Inactive Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 43,524	it happens. i had a nokia that was rendered unrepairable by carphonewhorehouse during a software update. a note of caution about the CPW. they are the lowest grade of nokia repair centers. so they will probably send your phone away.

24-10-2008, 12:10	#18
acoolwelshbloke Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Swansea, UK. Posts: 2,469	All the Nokia Repair Centers are rubbish in my opinion, all they can do is minor fixes, screens, ear and mouth pieces and software updates. They cannot even flash a dead phone most of the time! Every phone i have taken to a Nokia Repair Center has had to be returned to Nokia for repair. I have taken around 14 handsets in 10 years to a Nokia Repair center, some to CPW and others to independent authorised Repair Centers.

24-10-2008, 12:48	#19
flagpole Inactive Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 43,524	Quote: Originally Posted by acoolwelshbloke All the Nokia Repair Centers are rubbish in my opinion, all they can do is minor fixes, screens, ear and mouth pieces and software updates. They cannot even flash a dead phone most of the time! Every phone i have taken to a Nokia Repair Center has had to be returned to Nokia for repair. I have taken around 14 handsets in 10 years to a Nokia Repair center, some to CPW and others to independent authorised Repair Centers. i depends on the repair center. the CPW ones are the lowest grade. intercity mobiles in birmingham say, is a top level repair center. quite likely your phone will end up there, so it's best to take it there yourself. often, particularly with undiagnosed faults it's not economical to repair anyway.

24-10-2008, 13:22	#20
sitalchauhan Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Birmingham, UK Posts: 146	Quote: Originally Posted by flagpole i depends on the repair center. the CPW ones are the lowest grade. intercity mobiles in birmingham say, is a top level repair center. quite likely your phone will end up there, so it's best to take it there yourself. often, particularly with undiagnosed faults it's not economical to repair anyway. Intercity are a top level repair center?! When I took my phone there, they were extremely un-professional and making excuses that they couldnt repair my phone. They tried to say some technical stuff to try and confuse me and hope that I wasnt very technical and I went away, but of course I stood my ground and explained to them that I fully understoof the fault with my phone. They then agreed to repair my phone after a while, but I decided to send it off directly to Nokia because I didnt trust them to do the repair properly!

24-10-2008, 13:27	#21
flagpole Inactive Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 43,524	yes well they are arses aren't they but they are nonetheless a top level repair center. they don't do much interaction with the public......

DS Forums

Nokia N95 firmware upgrade disaster!

24-10-2008, 17:00	#22
andysiddell Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 160	I too am currently having a battle to get my phone sorted out! My phone (original N95) wouldn't boot up, so I took it to the Vodafone shop who advised me to update the software via the Nokia website, which I attempted to do. However during the process it came up with the error message "Can't Communicate With The Phone" After several attempts I gave up and took it to my local Nokia Repair Centre, who were also unable to resolve the problem. They suggested I return to to Nokia as it was still under warranty. I did this and after 9 days it was returned with a letter saying they refused to repair the phone as it had the wrong software version on it. How is this my fault and what can I do to get this matter resolved. I tried emailing Nokia Customer Services, no reply, I tried calling and after the call was answered they said they had to pass my call onto another department. I was on hold forever and gave up in the end. Can anyone help / advise me what to do next? Thanks

24-10-2008, 17:03	#23
flagpole Inactive Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 43,524	3-keys????

25-10-2008, 00:00	#24
Niranjaniz Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: UK, Nottingham Posts: 624	Quote: Originally Posted by andysiddell I too am currently having a battle to get my phone sorted out! My phone (original N95) wouldn't boot up, so I took it to the Vodafone shop who advised me to update the software via the Nokia website, which I attempted to do. However during the process it came up with the error message "Can't Communicate With The Phone" After several attempts I gave up and took it to my local Nokia Repair Centre, who were also unable to resolve the problem. They suggested I return to to Nokia as it was still under warranty. I did this and after 9 days it was returned with a letter saying they refused to repair the phone as it had the wrong software version on it. How is this my fault and what can I do to get this matter resolved. I tried emailing Nokia Customer Services, no reply, I tried calling and after the call was answered they said they had to pass my call onto another department. I was on hold forever and gave up in the end. Can anyone help / advise me what to do next? Thanks try "*" "3" and "green" keys hold them down while booting up until it boots up if not you need to be on the phone and get through and explain your situation as you have posted, also print off the situation and send it along when you send your phone in, do not give up so easily!

25-10-2008, 12:17	#25
andysiddell Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 160	Thanks for the advice. I've tried the 3 keys and that didn't work! I have now managed to get through to customer services and have been told someone will call me back regarding my complaint before midday on Monday. I'm not convinced they will, but will give them the benefit of the doubt!