Anyone's N7 bricked from OTA update?

[Chip Sylverne]

My N7 2013, totally unmessed with as far as the OS, was working perfectly and now after an OTA update to 5.1.1 the thing has bricked. I tried restoring to factory settings, wiping the cache...but the screen will not swipe to unlock it. If I try fast boot, I get a little green droid with an exclamation point that says "no start instruction". It's like the flash memory has been corrupted. Sometimes if I just leave it sit for twenty or so minutes, it'll unlock, work for a half an hour, then lock again.

A Google search show this has happened to a lot of folks, and that Google and ASUS are simply ignoring that their update frucked up a lot of machines. Doesn't make me fool too warm and fuzzy about flying with another one, if this one is well and truly buggered.

Any of you tech geniuses have a solution?

 

[RotorDude]

My N7 2013, totally unmessed with as far as the OS, was working perfectly and now after an OTA update to 5.1.1 the thing has bricked. I tried restoring to factory settings, wiping the cache...but the screen will not swipe to unlock it. If I try fast boot, I get a little green droid with an exclamation point that says "no start instruction". It's like the flash memory has been corrupted. Sometimes if I just leave it sit for twenty or so minutes, it'll unlock, work for a half an hour, then lock again.

A Google search show this has happened to a lot of folks, and that Google and ASUS are simply ignoring that their update frucked up a lot of machines. Doesn't make me fool too warm and fuzzy about flying with another one, if this one is well and truly buggered.

Any of you tech geniuses have a solution?

Have you tried this?

Hard Reset via Hardware

If your device is completely unresponsive, you still have one additional option.

1. Press the power button and both volume keys for several seconds. The computer screen will eventually blink off. Continue to hold until you see the Android recovery logo and the large Start selection at the top of the screen.

2. Move the volume keys up and down to see the menu selections. If you don’t want to factory reset, you can try to Power down or to Restart bootloader from these selections. The power key will select the option.

3. If you are forced or desire to factory reset and wipe the device, select Recovery Mode. Your device will reboot. This reboot will be much slower than normal.

4. When you see the Android with red triangle, hold the power button down and press the volume up key until the wipe data/factory reset option appears. Press the power button to select it. Remember that this will erase all the data on your device.

5. With the volume keys select Yes – erase all user data and again press the power button to select this option.

BTW, I have two N7 2013's, both got updated to 5.1.1 LMY48T OTA (with a few days delay between them), and both seem fine.

 

[Chip Sylverne]

Yeah, did hardware reset. Still have the problem. Mine worked ok after the update for a few days, but seemed to reboot on it's own more often, and "optimize apps". Then during a scrabble game the thing locked up and hasn't worked properly since.

 

[Matthew]

When did you get the update? I just looked at my N7 and I have 5.1.1 in it. I can't remember when it updated, but it might have been 3-4 weeks ago? No problems.

 

[Jay Honeck]

Yeah, did hardware reset. Still have the problem. Mine worked ok after the update for a few days, but seemed to reboot on it's own more often, and "optimize apps". Then during a scrabble game the thing locked up and hasn't worked properly since.

My N7 bricked in a similar way. Went through flaming hoops to get an RA number from Asus. Long story short, they wanted $200 to repair a <1 year old tablet.

Bought a Samsung (with the amazingly bright Amoled screen) and never looked back.

 

[Chip Sylverne]

When did you get the update? I just looked at my N7 and I have 5.1.1 in it. I can't remember when it updated, but it might have been 3-4 weeks ago? No problems.

Don't remember exactly, but the 3-4 week time frame sounds about right. I do remember the upper left rear cover getting real warm while the update was installing..No idea if it's a factor.

May be a Samsung in my future.

 

[RotorDude]

When did you get the update? I just looked at my N7 and I have 5.1.1 in it. I can't remember when it updated, but it might have been 3-4 weeks ago? No problems.

As I mentioned above, I have two of them, and both got updated OTA over the last week or so, a few days apart. Both are working fine (before and after).
The new revision they updated to is 5.1.1 LMY 48T (from 5.1.1 LMY 48M).
Googling about the change I understand that it's related to an imminent upgrade to Android version 6.

 

[Matthew]

I have build LMY48M.

Great, I can hardly wait.

 

[Ghery]

Yeah, did hardware reset. Still have the problem. Mine worked ok after the update for a few days, but seemed to reboot on it's own more often, and "optimize apps". Then during a scrabble game the thing locked up and hasn't worked properly since.

Mine (a 2012 model) randomly reboots, as well. And the reboots don't finish. The light dots just keep circling. I hold down the power button until "Google" appears on the screen. Then it reboots "correctly". I noticed last night when it did that it then went into the "optimize apps" routine. Boy, I chewed up a bunch of battery capacity last night and accomplished NOTHING. Also, for some time now the Facebook app may or may not start up properly. That's been going on for some months. I'm tempted to do a hardware reset and reload everything. That should take a day or so.

 

[Chip Sylverne]

Mine (a 2012 model) randomly reboots, as well. And the reboots don't finish. The light dots just keep circling. I hold down the power button until "Google" appears on the screen. Then it reboots "correctly". I noticed last night when it did that it then went into the "optimize apps" routine. Boy, I chewed up a bunch of battery capacity last night and accomplished NOTHING. Also, for some time now the Facebook app may or may not start up properly. That's been going on for some months. I'm tempted to do a hardware reset and reload everything. That should take a day or so.

You might try it.

I did another factory reset last night, and just loaded back the minimum number of apps I need for the thing to be useful. Seems to have stabilized. It loaded Android 5.1.1 LMY48T. Kind of a pain because now I can't seem to get the gmail app to get email from my earthlink accounts, but at least it's booting and unlocking. So far so good, but I did break out the old iPad1 for backup charts and plates in the plane.

 

[JoeSelch]

Mine (a 2012 model) randomly reboots, as well. And the reboots don't finish. The light dots just keep circling. I hold down the power button until "Google" appears on the screen. Then it reboots "correctly". I noticed last night when it did that it then went into the "optimize apps" routine. Boy, I chewed up a bunch of battery capacity last night and accomplished NOTHING. Also, for some time now the Facebook app may or may not start up properly. That's been going on for some months. I'm tempted to do a hardware reset and reload everything. That should take a day or so.

I took my N7 2012 back to KitKat 4.4.4 and rooted it when Lollipop tanked it. (After trying all the non-fixes.)

 

[Matthew]

My v1 N7 bricked last year, but I'm pretty sure it was hardware related. I tried all the inner sanctum tricks on that one, but I think it had some internal failures. Symptoms were random re-boots, eventually wouldn't reboot properly at all. I downloaded some utilities and found other ways to get into the OS for some diagnostics. The failure messages indicated hardware, not s/w.

My v2 N7 hasn't glitched yet. I'm sitting on 5.1.1 build LMY48M right now.

I wonder if they started rolling out LMY48T, heard the reviews, and stopped?

 

[Chip Sylverne]

I took my N7 2012 back to KitKat 4.4.4 and rooted it when Lollipop tanked it. (After trying all the non-fixes.)

This is probably he best solution. My wife has this in her Hisense Pro and it has been rock-solid. No problems of any kind.

 

[Matthew]

I just got the popup, about 5 seconds ago, that a system update just downloaded. I think I'll install it later next week.

 

[weirdjim]

Went through flaming hoops to get an RA number from Asus. Long story short, they wanted $200 to repair a <1 year old tablet..

I'll never buy another Asus product as long as I live. Somehow my Asus motherboard got a password put on it. I suspect a former resident of the house, but that's another story. Long story short is that Asus "Customer Service" answer was to buy another motherboard.

Never again Asus.

Jim

 

[Matthew]

As I mentioned above, I have two of them, and both got updated OTA over the last week or so, a few days apart. Both are working fine (before and after).
The new revision they updated to is 5.1.1 LMY 48T (from 5.1.1 LMY 48M).
Googling about the change I understand that it's related to an imminent upgrade to Android version 6.

I'm going to upgrade now and take my chances. Will report back if able.

 

[Matthew]

Finally rebooted and hasn't bricked yet.

 

[RotorDude]

Finally rebooted and hasn't bricked yet.

Android 5.1.1 LMY48T has been running fine for over a week now on my two N7 2013's, and I've done a couple of short VFR hops on the latest GP Android 4.3.5 (which came out OTA a few days ago) without any issues.

 

[Matthew]

No problems here since the update the other day.

I got the GP update, too. Installed that first. Haven't used it in flight yet.

 

[CT4ME]

N7 2013 here, with updates... no problems. Same for several guys in the office. I always reboot and kill un-needed progs before doing any update. The 'ol N7 is getting a bit long in the tooth, though, might be time to move on.