X50v Rom Update Error and Poor Dell Support - Page 3

02-02-05, 06:31 PM

Originally Posted by rooslix

I had the exact same prioblem yeesterday while updating my rom, I went ahead and installed xp service pack 2 because I couldn't think of anything better to try, and the rom update worked perfectly!

*grin* .. but hows your pc feel with the new xp sp2 installed .. sluggish?

Catkin · 02-03-05, 07:33 PM

I'm trying hard to pretend that the A02 ROM update was just a strange dream that I had.
However, the other rather bizarre aspect of update saga for me is the fact that the majority of the time I get through dialogue box (my numbering and order dependant upon which 'save' or 'backup' option was selected)
1/. 'Update ROM' &/or 'Backup/Restore ROM'; box 2/. 'The Program is about to save your device's current System ROM to an image file' 3/. 'Backup your data before proceeding'; 4/. 'You can only use this program to upgrade the Dell Axim model listed below'.

Then once in a blue moon, I get another dialogue box (5/.) which allows me to go one further stage ('The next procedure clears all the data in your Pocket PC. Do you want to continue? ....'

However, then even more rarely, without doing anything different to my usual hopeless repeat of backups etc., I get to what seems to be the final box (6/.) before the ROM update proceeds "Before you begin the update process, you must backup your current ROM. ...... Click (Save) to continue" (is this a standard message despite having saved the ROM previously or is the system not recognising a backup of ROM or PDA contents?).

So could someone who has succeeded with the update confirm the stages of the dialogues box messages that they saw?

Also, Windows XP Pro SP2 isn't the answer - no difference here! But hey, with all the various other postings re A02 update pros and cons, perhaps I'm better off accepting what I've got. A01 seem's fine so maybe Dell forgot to label the fact that really its A02

R4ph43l · 02-03-05, 08:10 PM

Well, I got the same problem, or at least nearly the same. When I try to update the ROM I actually get through all the Messageboxes on the PC (and yes, asking for Backup is standard if you don't uncheck the create Backup ROM option at the start) but then on my Axim the display changes to the "Handshaking with PC..." screen, the Active Sync connection brakes and Active Sync just closes completely without any message. Then I have to soft reset to get the Axim working again.

Here's my Informations:
- I have Windows XP Prof, no SP2
- I have no Antivir/firewall active in background (however, I set up my Windows to block the default out ports - might this be the cause? But then why should Active Sync normally work, and Backing up the ROM work?)
- My device is connected directly to PC USB Port (2.0) and the cradle is connected to AC power connector
- I tried with Active Sync 3.7.5 and with 3.8
- I shutdown all other applications (and my internet connection)
- I tried the update right from a hard reset
- I tried the "Maintain connection" option in Active Sync on device
- Well I tried near to everything, but formatting my PC (which won't occur ever for just getting that freaking ROM update to work!)

However I'm now giving it a last shot with playing around with the services, cause I have deactivated quite a lot of them (normally you really don't need most of that crap, it's just some resource-hogging freakshow I believe everytime I open the services panel) I will give information if anything will make it work. If not, I'm just dumping the A02 ROM update, also pretending it's not there and it's just a big wet dream...

mail2jps · 02-03-05, 08:59 PM

I too have had a bad Dell help experience today...
After more than 1 hour of BS round and round with "David" and "Tina" I give up! I am going to try to go BACK TO A01 and wait until A03...or 05. :rolling:

Ranma13 · 02-03-05, 09:03 PM

Something that people need to understand is that Dell is consisted of workers, and not all workers are the best representation of company policy.

If you were running a business and you hired someone who slacks off at work, tells his customers to f**k off, and generally is a pretty crappy worker, would you appreciate it if people were badmouthing your company thanks to one employee?

Just something to think about when calling up Dell. They have a lot of customer service representatives and not all of them are computer geeks and know exactly what you're talking about all the time.

R4ph43l · 02-03-05, 09:47 PM

I think I'll drop it for now, had nearly all services on, except the TCP/IP NETBios and DHCP services and didn't help (they won't startup any more... f**king win pisses me even more

)

If anyone could try if it is dependant on these services... It must be a services Problem, as the update is only available for Win2k/XP so what else should make the difference to Win98? It would really be helpful if there were any documentation from Dell to what is actually needed by the program.

Or in the end it's really just a faging little bug in the update program with specific systems? Ahhh... hell, gone to sleep

AximNX · 02-04-05, 11:17 AM

damn dell, I'm sure not buying a moniter from them..
They sent me a refurbished axim.. Not that I am saying it is bad that they tried to help but sending me a refurbished model to fix a problem I have spent a few weeks dealing with is a bit much.. Not only is it refurbished it still will not use the rom update, same problem as before, so something must be wrong with my usb connection magicly through the rom update utility. And in regards to some customer support being techies or not, it should not be allowable that a support person argues that you have the x50 instead of x50v, or argues that there is not a rom update released. It should have been updated on the system that it was released, that directly goes to dell and their view on customer support-sorry but this entire transactions was awful. Not saying it is like this in all situations since they try to keep up to date with other systems.. oh well just going to send this refurb back and keep my functioning a01 x50v

makuu · 02-05-05, 08:53 PM

For those who were able to backup the old rom and failed to update with the new one. You might want to use this trick (that I read today in this forum.

Copy the new rom on a Fat32 formatted SD card, put it in your device. Press PowerOn and Wireless button than click once in reset button, you will access a menu to upgrade from the SD. It might work for you, I didn't try because I was successfull to upgrade via activsync.

Also, if you want to check your device, press PowerOn and Record button than click oncce in reset button, you will access to your axim diagnostic tools utility.

Don't forget to backup first because you will end up with a hard reset. :approve:

zerograviti · 02-05-05, 11:40 PM

Originally Posted by makuu

For those who were able to backup the old rom and failed to update with the new one. You might want to use this trick (that I read today in this forum.

Copy the new rom on a Fat32 formatted SD card, put it in your device. Press PowerOn and Wireless button than click once in reset button, you will access a menu to upgrade from the SD. It might work for you, I didn't try because I was successfull to upgrade via activsync.

Also, if you want to check your device, press PowerOn and Record button than click oncce in reset button, you will access to your axim diagnostic tools utility.

Don't forget to backup first because you will end up with a hard reset. :approve:

That would explain the diagnostic screen that came up when I was doing a hard reset, I must have been holding the record button too.

R4ph43l · 02-06-05, 02:53 AM

Wow, didn't know that and it's nowhere mentioned in the manual! Now I just have to buy a new SD card :/

Munk · 02-06-05, 06:20 AM

Makuu,

Using the special button combo The image flasher process still failed on my x50v. Everything was going as it should have with special two button (power + WIFI) plus reset method. I got the screen that said:

"SD Image Update A00", followed by
"Update only supports Fat32"

So, I formatted the SD card with Fat32, copied the "AximX50v_A02EN.img" file over to the SD card and tried it again. This time, I got:

"SD Image Update A00", followed by
"No valid image files were found" - or something like that.
"Update Failed"
"Image update failed ed. Please try it again!"

I've now tried this process three times with no success. I also tried renaming the file to "A02EN.img" with no luck. Is there a directory or specific file name that it is looking for? Any other thoughts? Is it that my unit is one of the first x50v's out there and is a different design or something?

Oh yeah, I also visited that site that it came from but couldn't make a thing out.

-Munk

makuu · 02-06-05, 07:35 AM

Munk,

I cannot help you much, as I didn't try to perform the update this way. However, I could see that similar trick was available for x30, (see here ).
Perhaps you could check with people that did it with x30, but could be that it's not possible for x50v.

insomniac8400 · 02-06-05, 10:23 AM

Has anyone with the upgrade problems tried a different pc to do the upgrade? My guess is that the problems are probably pc related when a replacement from dell still fails to upgrade.

R4ph43l · 02-06-05, 12:18 PM

Well, it definetely IS PC related, since some get it working (some only after trying on another PC) others not. But fact however is that this upgrade program should be more compatible with pc hardware configs than to only let little more then 50% of the users actually do the upgrade, since not everyone has 5 PCs standing around in the corner, that's just ridiculous.

insomniac8400 · 02-06-05, 12:26 PM

Originally Posted by R4ph43l

Well, it definetely IS PC related, since some get it working (some only after trying on another PC) others not. But fact however is that this upgrade program should be more compatible with pc hardware configs than to only let little more then 50% of the users actually do the upgrade, since not everyone has 5 PCs standing around in the corner, that's just ridiculous.

How is it dells fault if someone's computer isn't working with it? Have you tried doing the update in safe mode?