Bricked In Less Than A Day :(

[nelz]

I got my GP2X yesterday, from Play-Asia.com. A flashed it to 1.4.0 and added theoddbot's cramfs for fast booting. Earlier today I downloaded an alternative cramfs image, with a different skin, from http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,52,1348. I ran the flash_cramfs.gpu script, with fresh batteries and restarted the GP2X. All I get now is a white screen with lots of vertical coloured lines that fade in over a period of around 20 seconds..

Is this totally bricked or can I fix it? If it's dead, would I be able to return it to Play-Asia?

 

[Aimless_E]

I got my GP2X yesterday, from Play-Asia.com. A flashed it to 1.4.0 and added theoddbot's cramfs for fast booting. Earlier today I downloaded an alternative cramfs image, with a different skin, from http://archive.gp2x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,52,1348. I ran the flash_cramfs.gpu script, with fresh batteries and restarted the GP2X. All I get now is a white screen with lots of vertical coloured lines that fade in over a period of around 20 seconds..

Is this totally bricked or can I fix it? If it's dead, would I be able to return it to Play-Asia?

​

It acctualy sounds like a battery problem. As far as I know the 1.4 and cramfs firmwares don't mess around with the boot loader so you shouldn't be able to brick it completely I know this because I have damaged the kernel and filesystems at least 4 times since I have upgraded to 1.4 and cramfs I have yet to have it give me the dreded colored lines.

 

[nelz]

That's what I thought, but I was using fully charged batteries when I did it and have tried two other sets since, including some brand new 2600mAhs that arrived this morning specifically for the GP2X.

I also tried removing the batteries for half an hour but it made no difference.

 

[___]

Read through the forums... there is a link to a faq somewhere that will tell you how to unbrick it. Check if you did all the stuff described in the faq and then panic if it doesn't help ;-)

 

[nelz]

I'd already done that. The FAQ only helps if you can get to the bootloader screen.

 

[Quiest]

If you can`t get to the bootloader scren, it`s bricked. Return it. Simple as that.

 

[___]

Well that sucks then... I cannot see how you managed to brick it in the first place though since cramfs doesn`t let you ruin your bootloader! weird!!!

 

[virusx]

An advice that have been made several times : don't flash your firmware with batteries. It's really risky ! Try to do it with power supply instead.

@Nelz : the "white screen with lots of vertical coloured lines that fade in over a period of around 20 seconds.." looks more like a battery problem.

 

[nelz]

I wasn't flashing the firmware, the cramfs install script just writes to the spare partition on the NAND. I didn't touch u-boot or the kernel.

The batteries are fine.

I'm beginning to wish I'd bought from gp2x.co.uk now. Returning to Hong Kong will more than wipe out any saving I made

 

[virusx]

Yep, understand... I feel sorry for you nelz. I ordered my Gp2X at Lik-Sang and I pray for that kind of thing never happen to me. h34r:

 

[Squidge]

Is bricking a Gp2X by installing a non-standard and unsupported kernel and file system actually covered under warranty? I would have thought they would only cover gph official upgrades.

 

[craigix]

Yes! Playasia - I don't have to sort this one out

 

[nelz]

Is bricking a Gp2X by installing a non-standard and unsupported kernel and file system actually covered under warranty? I would have thought they would only cover gph official upgrades.

I'm not sure copying a filesystem to the spare partition on the NAND could have caused this. Even if I screwed the partition, the kernel would still have loaded.

 

[Waninkoko]

mmmmmm... maybe when using cramfs kernel /dev/mtdblock/4 is uboot partition :S

When flashing cramfs image it's better to reflash official kernel because I think it's not good to reflash the partition that is use.

 

[Emu&Co]

Try it with a PSU. Batteries are always a bit tricky. Be sure to have the right polarisation. Additionally you can ask EvilDragon or Craig if they fix it for you. AFAIK they fix it for little money.

 

[k3nn]

Have you tried reflashing an earlier firmware? I think 1.0.1 installs the bootloader so you may be able to start from that and work forward again (or I may have just made that up..)

 

[nelz]

I hadn't tried earlier firmware, but it doesn't help. I still get nothing but coloured lines. I guess that if I can't get to the bootloader, it can't run the firmware updater.

 

[deadlychicken22]

wow, i thought that this bricking business was finally coming to an end.....
I was planning on installing that fasterboot fw but after reading this, i'm not sure :unsure:

 

[Squidge]

Is bricking a Gp2X by installing a non-standard and unsupported kernel and file system actually covered under warranty? I would have thought they would only cover gph official upgrades.

I'm not sure copying a filesystem to the spare partition on the NAND could have caused this. Even if I screwed the partition, the kernel would still have loaded.

​

You have to overwrite the kernel to use cramfs, and then when you go to update cramfs, you have to flash the kernel back to gph default before flashing the extended partition, and then flash it back to the cramfs kernel. That's a lot of kernel flashing, and since the kernel is right next to uboot...

When you reflashed cramfs, you did flash back to the gph firmware first didn't you?

 

[pcklee123]

That's what I thought, but I was using fully charged batteries when I did it and have tried two other sets since, including some brand new 2600mAhs that arrived this morning specifically for the GP2X.

I also tried removing the batteries for half an hour but it made no difference.

​

did you charge the new batteries before use?