Having trouble knowing where to start with bricked HTC One M7

[yobdraY]

My son's HTC One M7 (sprint) was inadvertently shut off while the latest Android update was installing. Now it won't boot, this is what happens when you press the power button:

1. Vibration, white background htc android screen shows for half a minute or so
2. Screen goes black
3. Repeat 1
4. Screen goes black
5. Screen displays red triangle/warning image for recovery mode

It will stay like that for a while and then it will repeat the entire process on its own. The only way to power it down is to go into the fastboot screen and choose power down through the menus. I can get into the fast boot screen and I can get into the recover mode menu. I've tried wiping the cache, I've tried a factory reset, no change to above. I also tried "apply from cache" and "apply from phone storage" - no change. I've tried just about everything on the menus, no luck. I wanted to also wipe the Dalvik cache, but I do not see an option for that anywhere.

I do notice that the yellow-text messages from the recovery menu when I choose options like "apply from phone storage" include some sort of "CID check" error, but it goes by very quickly.

Took the phone to Sprint store, they told me there's nothing they can do, buy a new phone.

The phone was stock, had never been unlocked/s-off/rooted. I've been searching/reading forums about flashing a new ROM on the phone, and I'm technically savvy enough to do that sort of thing, but all the instructions I've seen require me to set the phone to development mode and since I can't get into the phone at all I can't do that, so I don't know what to do next. As much research as I've done, I'm just stuck at step one about what to do first, if anything at all.

I don't need step-by-step or hand-holding, but would appreciate any "point me in the right direction" advice. Thanks.

 

[yobdraY]

Additional note of info: when phone is plugged in to Windows 7 machine, I get the tone of recognition that something's been plugged in, but the phone never shows up as recognized in file explorer.

 

[Cing4me]

Check on the forums on xda-developers. I'm sure someone there can help you.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[shartydonny]

I had the same issue with my M7 and the Sprint Store/support channels were clueless and awful. Anyway, Here's what you need to do to fix it --

When you get the screen with the black background and the red triangle with the exclamation point. press the vol-UP+power button at the top at the same time. This will give you a small wipe menu that doesn't really do much for you (this is android's "recovery"). Since the Sprint Store techs are generally clueless, they should have seen this and understood how to do this next part to fix it, but they are more interested in selling you a new phone or extended contract or just wasting your time. Anyway, on we go -- what you need to do is select reboot from the recovery menu, but as soon as you do (with the power button on top), you need to hold the vol-DOWN button and it should then boot into a WHITE fastboot screen. From here you can flash the device with what is called an RUU file. You get the RUU, and the driver/utility to load it from the http www htc com/us/support/htc-one-sprint/news/ page (I dont have enough points to post URLs.. google "sprint m7 ruu"). You'll particularly want to read the section at the bottom labeled "Manual system update instructions".

Good luck, and screw Sprint for handling these botched updates/bricked M7s so terribly!

 

[innerurge1]

I have the same issue. I have tried the Manual System Update, but the process hangs at Sending (1/6). It stays there for hours, and will not move forward. I have gotten this far twice. After disconnecting the phone is still stuck in the HTC white screen/black screen with red triangle cycle. It seems to be charging ok.

Any advice for getting past the Hang when applying the RUU manual update?

 

[innerurge1]

Tried again today and it worked great! Didn't do anything differently really. So who knows. But the important thing is it works now.

 

[Brennan DeMoines]

i keep on getting a Error 155 Unknown Error

 

[krisknow]

There is one critical step for Windows 7 machines that was missing from the above comments that was needed for me to recover my phone. I was getting stuck at sending (1/6), and then getting error 155 after giving up and unplugging.
Then a member of the HTC "escalation team" gave me the solution for Windows 7:
Go to the RUU manual update file downloaded from HTC, then right click, go to properties, click on the compatibility tab. Under compatibility mode, turn on the check mark for "run this program in compatibility mode" and choose Windows XP (Service Pack 3).
He also suggested plugging the USB cable into the back of my PC, rather than a front connection, because that is a "hub." But I think it was the compatibility mode that made the difference.
Unfortunately, I did not hear from the escalation team for about 6 days, and had already purchased a new phone (and found a cheaper rate plan). Everything on my old phone was lost, and I wasted many hours on research and failed repair attempts. An AT&T rep said there were many people who had trouble with this update.

 

[neilman1]

Then a member of the HTC "escalation team" gave me the solution for Windows 7:
Go to the RUU manual update file downloaded from HTC, then right click, go to properties, click on the compatibility tab. Under compatibility mode, turn on the check mark for "run this program in compatibility mode" and choose Windows XP (Service Pack 3).

My HTC one M7 was having audio issues after a software update. HTC created another update with the fix but the installation would keep failing. After a few months of frustration I finally called HTC support and they suggested that I update to the latest version with an RUU. Unfortunately the RUU installation was getting stuck at step 1/6. After spending hours and days trying to research this problem and having talked to HTC support without any resolution, I was ready to pack my phone and send to HTC for repair. Luckily I found your post. I was using a windows 8 PC and this solution worked.

Thank you for posting krisknow!