Phone will not restart without USB

[Richie_FTA]

Hey All,

I have a small problem with my HTC Touch (Bell Vogue)... every time I do a soft reset or hard reset (or even use ShutXP to restart the phone) it will not power back up UNTIL I plug it into a powered USB source (e.g., by charging it). So neither the power button nor the reset button works after it shuts down. The oddest thing is that once the USB is plugged in (just for a second), the phone boots up fine and behaves completely normal.

I've tried a few different ROMS, a couple of batteries, and have had no luck. I am pretty sure this is a hardware issue (unless I have completely overlooked something obvious ) But I'm just so curious to figure out why the reset button works for soft resets/hard resets/bootloader mode - but yet the phone will not come back to life afterwards?

If anyone has any ideas, they would be much appreciated!
Richie

[horndoctor]

Well, I hate to disagree but if the button/switch works when plugged into the usb then I would say that this is a software problem.
If it was hardware it would never work or would work intermitently when plugged into the usb. I'm thinking that something has been corrupted or deleted.

[GreeNova]

I had a laptop like this once. I used to joke around about it and say it had a weak battery like in a car, and the power cord was like jump-starting it. Once it was powered on, it would work fine. I could restart it without the AC cord, but it would not start-up from being off. I too tried multiple batteries and every BIOS option and even a BIOS update. I even went as far as replacing the power button circuit board. I just kinda got used to never being able to power off or hibernate when I was not around an outlet.

An idea you should try as a work-around. Grab yourself an external battery like this.

Or actually, just a random idea that just came to me. Try to just plug in something to the mini-USB port. Like maybe some headphones, or even just a cable that is not attached to anything. I wonder if there may be a short in the port or maybe it is just loose causing the board to ground out or something.

FYI, you should check out http://www.dealextreme.com for a battery like the one I linked above. The site was down or something when I tried searching while posting this, but they have ridiculously low prices. Only drawback is they literally ship slow-boat from China. Good luck, and in case I don't follow-up on this thread, PM me if one of my ideas worked for you. Or even to let me know if you figure it out.

Good Luck!

[Richie_FTA]

Originally Posted by horndoctor

Well, I hate to disagree but if the button/switch works when plugged into the usb then I would say that this is a software problem.
If it was hardware it would never work or would work intermitently when plugged into the usb. I'm thinking that something has been corrupted or deleted.

Hey horndoctor, that was my thinking too... but you think a hard reset or a ROM change would have done the trick. Not sure if the problem has persisted through different radio versions, but I can always play around a little more and see. Thanks for the reply!

Originally Posted by GreeNova

I had a laptop like this once. I used to joke around about it and say it had a weak battery like in a car, and the power cord was like jump-starting it. Once it was powered on, it would work fine. I could restart it without the AC cord, but it would not start-up from being off. I too tried multiple batteries and every BIOS option and even a BIOS update. I even went as far as replacing the power button circuit board. I just kinda got used to never being able to power off or hibernate when I was not around an outlet.

An idea you should try as a work-around. Grab yourself an external battery like this.

Or actually, just a random idea that just came to me. Try to just plug in something to the mini-USB port. Like maybe some headphones, or even just a cable that is not attached to anything. I wonder if there may be a short in the port or maybe it is just loose causing the board to ground out or something.

FYI, you should check out http://www.dealextreme.com for a battery like the one I linked above. The site was down or something when I tried searching while posting this, but they have ridiculously low prices. Only drawback is they literally ship slow-boat from China. Good luck, and in case I don't follow-up on this thread, PM me if one of my ideas worked for you. Or even to let me know if you figure it out.

Good Luck!

Hahaha... I feel the exact same way (have learned not to make any setting changes or install anything that will require a soft reset unless around a usb cable). Sometimes, no matter how much logic you throw at something it just feels like the device has a will of its own. :P Anywho, I tried using a non-powered mini-usb to see if there might be a short... but no luck (good idea tho!). I know dealextreme well... funnily enough I just received a shipment of 'gadgets' from them the day before yesterday (and the shipment was about 1 week - the speediest I have ever experienced from them!) I will check into the external battery, and update if I stumble upon something.

Thanks for the advice GreeNova!
Richie

[GreeNova]

Originally Posted by Richie_FTA

Hey horndoctor, that was my thinking too... but you think a hard reset or a ROM change would have done the trick. Not sure if the problem has persisted through different radio versions, but I can always play around a little more and see. Thanks for the reply!



Hahaha... I feel the exact same way (have learned not to make any setting changes or install anything that will require a soft reset unless around a usb cable). Sometimes, no matter how much logic you throw at something it just feels like the device has a will of its own. :P Anywho, I tried using a non-powered mini-usb to see if there might be a short... but no luck (good idea tho!). I know dealextreme well... funnily enough I just received a shipment of 'gadgets' from them the day before yesterday (and the shipment was about 1 week - the speediest I have ever experienced from them!) I will check into the external battery, and update if I stumble upon something.

Thanks for the advice GreeNova!
Richie

I guess for the price, it is worth a try. http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.22026

Wow! 1 week from them is amazing. I had a green laser sit at customs in San Francisco for over a month. They finally let it through. Then when a coworker of mine decided he wanted one, he only got an empty box with a note from customs.

Good luck, don't give up. I bet the external battery will do the trick.