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Help Desire reboots and then hangs whenever it feels like!

S

sushd

Lurker
BRAVO PVT3 SHIP S-ON
HBOOT 0.93.0001
MICROP 051d
TOUCHPANEL SYNT0101
RADIO 5.11.05.27
AUG. 10 2010, 17:52:18

Android Version: 2.2.2

Carrier: T-Mobile (UK)
Contract expired in August 2012.


Soon after the 2 year warranty expired, the phone has been giving problems (reboots and hanging). In the beginning, it started rebooting only when I wished to use Google Maps / Navigation. Over time, it then started rebooting while browsing the net and the frequency (of reboots) increased. So much so that pressing the browser icon is now like effectively choosing to switch the phone off!! Off late, it has started rebooting even when I am on a call, though this is (as yet) rare.

Another issue is that, more often than not, it doesn't come back on upon rebooting ... but gets hung (in the beginning when the circular red ring come on). At times, even if it comes back on, at times it reboots again as soon as it comes back on. The only way to get the phone to work then is to take out the battery and leave it for 15-20 minutes.

Thought it was a perhaps the overheating problem that the early Desires are known to suffer from, but neither the battery nor the SIM feel hot when I touch them. Battery - not at all, SIM - just warm, with no discomfort to finger when touched.

I have done a factory reset ... and it has not helped.

Other than Whatsapp, Viber (that I hardly use), 2 basic games (sudoku and solitaire) and about 50 odd photographs, there is / was nothing else on the phone to eat up its resources.

Ideally, I would like to:
1. Solve the problem.
2. Unlock the phone, so that I can use local SIMs when I travel abroad.

I am not too techno savvy, so please bear with me if I ask question(s) that someone else / experts may find "stupid".

Thanks in advance for any assistance and guidance.


sushd
 
Hi sushd, and welcome to AF :)

Question 2 is the easy one. There is an unlocking tool here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=943726. Don't pay anyone to unlock a Desire, as it can be done for free.

Question 1 is tricky. The way this problem has developed sounds a lot like the overheating issue, though that's unusual in PVT-3 devices. Trouble is, doing a factory reset should have cleared any user software problem. You could try a ROM Update Utility (official HTC software update), but that will only help if it's a ROM/radio problem, and the way this has developed doesn't sound like that to me. If it is a hardware problem an RUU won't help, and if the phone is as unstable as it sounds it could fail part way through the update and leave you in a much worse state.

Trouble is, if it is the overheating thing, the only real fix is a new motherboard - not financially worth it if you are no longer under warranty. There is one last resort here, but very, very much at your own risk - I think I'd only try that if I'd already got all data off it and was otherwise going to throw it in the bin.
 
Thanks Hadron,

Followed the instructions in the topic you had provided the link for and have successfully unlocked the SIM.

I would like to add though that when the phone rebooted after the SIM unlock (not sure if it does so because of program instructions or because my phone loves to do that when it feels like) it vibrated 7 times and (as expected) hung. When I touched the SIM, it felt heated ... it was still connected to the PC on USB ... so I guess you are right in suspecting that the issue may well be due to the motherboard overheating.

I would love to try the ROM update but I am skeptical about doing it - if the phone reboots & hangs during the process I am afraid I might brick it!! Am I right?

I am not sure how much it will cost here in UK to replace the motherboard (out of warranty) but I called up HTC authorised service center in India and they told me that the motherboard costs about 100 quids to replace ... but .... that HTC Desire motherboards are not available anymore there (or will be hard to find / take long to get one from HTC). I was hoping to get it replaced there when I travel there for 3 weeks but, given the response from the vendor, looks like that may not be an option for me.

Haven't been able to find contact details of a HTC service provider / repair center in UK so not sure of the cost of replacing a motherboard here and therefore whether it makes a financial sense or not.
 
Took the battery out .. left it out for 10-15 minutes. It's back on ... for now, until decides to reboot itself again :(
 
7 vibrates usually means death! That's why I asked whether it was working at all.

But it's certainly a hardware problem. Sounds like overheating, in which case a ROM which used less power *might* help *a little*, but probably not much if at all.
 
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