Help Request: OTA GB Update broke my Droid X

jbreher

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I could really use some help here. You can consider me an android n00b.

I have a Droid X -- never rooted. I have always had issues with the HotSpot function causing the phone to spontaneously reboot. Some months back, I took the phone to the Verizon store with this complaint. They told me an OS update would be pushed out to me Real Soon Now, which would fix all my problems.

Yesterday (some months later), I had need to use the HotSpot. Phone rebooted after acting like a HotSpot for a couple minutes. I recalled that I should have gotten the update.

I returned to the Verizon store to ask why I did not receive the update that fixed all that was wrong with the world. The rep told me I was running Froyo, and initiated (without permission, BTW) an install (OK, a download) of what he told me was Gingerbread. He then sent me on my way, telling me to run the install when the download completed.

Later, after the download completed, against my better judgement, I initiated the install. This _seemed_ to run just fine. The phone rebooted, came up to the desktop, and was then utterly unresponsive.

Playing with it further, I find that I can reboot the phone by pulling the battery. After repowering, I have a matter of a few seconds from the time the desktop comes up to the time the phone seemingly locks up altogether.

After the lockup, the only thing to which the phone will respond is the power button - and it will only blank the display - I can not power the unit down by holding the button.

Upon relighting the display, the only portion of the display visible is the notification bar.

I took the unit back to Verizon, where the (different) rep was flustered, and finally started the process of 'resetting to factory'. I sussed out what she was setting up to do and was able to stop her before she did so.

>>>>> The issue that I have is that there is data on this phone in a third-party app that will cost me several thousand dollars if it is lost.

So with the above framing the discussion, here is the help that I am requesting. I am willing to do whatever necessary to restore the phone to functionality.

>>>>> However, I need to first exhaust any possibilities in first getting this data off of the phone.

The data is from the app 'gbaHours' (gbaHours). It is NOT in the SD, but rather in internal memory. gbaHours has an export option that would allow me to export to SD, if only the phone would stay functional for more than a few seconds before starting to ignore any and all user input.
 

ABQNM

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The first thing you may try is to clear cache in the stock recovery. This will not delete your user data and may resolve the issue. To do this:

Power off phone
Hold down Home key while powering up
When you see a triangle with an exclamation point, press both volume keys together
Now you should see a menu
Use the volume keys to scroll to wipe cache partition and press the power button
It will format the cache partition and return you to the menu
Highlight reboot system now and press power

From here it will reboot. It could take longer to boot up this time. This has a good chance of fixing your issue, as the device cache may be filled with files from froyo. If this does not help, you may have to do the factory reset.
 
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jbreher

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Thanks ABQNM. However, since my post, I have tried clearing cache through the procedure you mention. Unfortunately, the unit is still displaying the same symptoms.

I've installed the Android SDK, and am trying to find a 'back door' through that way. However, I have not yet been able to get adb to recognize the phone.

As an embedded developer (albeit not android), my past experience with embedded development tells me there must be some bootloader communications mechanism. Accordingly, I still hold out hope that I can find such, and employ it to retrieve files from the filesystem.

Anyone know how to do this?
 
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