# Attempting to resurrect a DX



## qwertymodo (Dec 24, 2011)

I'm attempting to help a friend resurrect a DX that was dropped into the sink (fully submerged) and now won't boot. It boots as far as the M logo and never goes any farther. I CAN get into the bootloader, and was even able to successfully sbf, both a Froyo sbf and a GB one, so the computer recognizes it and was able to communicate with it and successfully flash it, but it still freezes at the M logo. It isn't boot looping, it just sits there. I have been unable to enter recovery at all (she was on stock, unrooted, so stock recovery only, no CWR). The battery is fine, but since she was unable to boot past the bootloader, it never charged so her battery died (but I was able to charge it just fine in my own DX). Is there anything else I can do or is it really dead? I'd even be willing to disassemble both her DX and my own and swap parts to see if I can isolate a specific dead piece of hw, but I'd rather not if I don't have to... any thoughts?


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## Goose306 (Sep 12, 2011)

Sorry, I'm not sure what you may be able to do to help it out, but a couple suggestions:

Make sure the SBF file was good (check md5) could have been a bad download.

Was she on GB or Froyo prior to it being dropped in the sink? I'd assume GB as it was unmodded. If thats the case make sure you are flashing the same system version she was on. It was likely .605, which unfortunately there is no SBF for that, but I'd try the .602 (assuming the phone was all updated/etc.)

Make sure the phone is fully dry (put it in a bowl of rice or something similar). Could still be some moisture hanging around in there causing issues.

If unable to get help you may also try putting your post in the Panic Room forum, its a bit more designed for these type of situations.

Lastly, if you have a working ADB (since the computer is recognizing the phone) you may try running ADB to get into recovery.


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## t.crawford714 (Jan 14, 2012)

If your SBFs are successful but you can't get it through I'm thinking maybe it's a dead internal piece. I'm not sure but it seems like it's missing data.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


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## SkiBum1207 (Oct 12, 2011)

qwertymodo said:


> I'm attempting to help a friend resurrect a DX that was dropped into the sink (fully submerged) and now won't boot. It boots as far as the M logo and never goes any farther. I CAN get into the bootloader, and was even able to successfully sbf, both a Froyo sbf and a GB one, so the computer recognizes it and was able to communicate with it and successfully flash it, but it still freezes at the M logo. It isn't boot looping, it just sits there. I have been unable to enter recovery at all (she was on stock, unrooted, so stock recovery only, no CWR). The battery is fine, but since she was unable to boot past the bootloader, it never charged so her battery died (but I was able to charge it just fine in my own DX). Is there anything else I can do or is it really dead? I'd even be willing to disassemble both her DX and my own and swap parts to see if I can isolate a specific dead piece of hw, but I'd rather not if I don't have to... any thoughts?


You sure you got it 100% dry? phones have so many little nooks and crannies without any air circulation can be tough. Try letting it sit in a dessicant (uncooked rice is good) in a sealed bag. That should help. Also if you are desperate, you can douse it in xylene. We have used it to recover just about any PCB as long as it wasnt cooked by a short. The water attaches to the Xylene and is pulled out and since xylene has a low evap temp, it drys away quickly. Best of luck!

Hit Thanks if I have helped!


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## chiaroscuro (Jun 16, 2011)

I think you should try to get into stock recovery via adb if possible and wipe/do a factory reset after you do an sbf. If it still doesn't boot up then, I am out of ideas...

Sent from my DROIDX


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## qwertymodo (Dec 24, 2011)

I don't think the phone boots far enough to communicate with ADB, I just get device not found. I know the sbf files are good, I've used them both on my own DX. It has been left in a bag of rice for quite awhile too... Is there any way to do a data wipe from the bootloader, since I can't get into recovery??


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## johnomaz (Jul 18, 2011)

SkiBum1207 said:


> You sure you got it 100% dry? phones have so many little nooks and crannies without any air circulation can be tough. Try letting it sit in a dessicant (uncooked rice is good) in a sealed bag. That should help. Also if you are desperate, you can douse it in xylene. We have used it to recover just about any PCB as long as it wasnt cooked by a short. The water attaches to the Xylene and is pulled out and since xylene has a low evap temp, it drys away quickly. Best of luck!
> 
> Hit Thanks if I have helped!


This is what I'm thinking. A small bit of water is shorting it and it can't pass the M. Get an air compressor or something and try to blow it out or use the good ole rice in a bag trick and see if that works. Since it is basically dead now and out of warranty most likely, try taking it apart and seeing if there is any water you can see.


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## qwertymodo (Dec 24, 2011)

Took it apart and swapped it out piece by piece with my own. I don't know what all of the parts are, but when I swapped out the mainboard, with the camera attached into my phone, it booted fine. Same with the antenna. The screen seems to work fine, since I can see the display just fine. The only piece I couldn't get out was the small board in the upper-right (viewed from the back of the phone when it was opened and the power switch... :/ So all of the major pieces that I could test seem to work fine still, I just can't figure out what ISN'T working







I'll keep playing around with it, but can anybody point me to a teardown guide that tells me how to get that piece out? Most of the guides I've found are aimed at replacing the screen, so they ignore that piece...


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## qwertymodo (Dec 24, 2011)

I got it sorted, had corrosion on the keypad PCB causing short. Cleaned it up and it works like a charm (minus 2 of the key backlights, maybe I didn't quite clean it well enough...)


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## Jnehama (Jun 9, 2011)

Just for future reference : the correct approach after immersion is to immediately remove the battery and not try to boot it until completely dry. Trying to use it before its dry is what causes it to short out and can make it unsalvageable. Unless the liquid is pure water you may want to reimmerse it in pure alcohol- the highest percentage you can get. After that towel dry and allow it to air dry in a warm place. Indirect airflow is fine but avoid forced air like a hair dryer. Leave it for at least 48 hours. You can improve drying by placing it in silica granules (after first day) which can be purchased in bulk at craft stores (used to dry flowers) . Put the phone in a sock then in a container and cover with the granules. Then try to start but if any issue let dry for an additional day.

I learned all this when I dropped mine into the sink as well. I did alot of research and found this info. I followed it and my DX works without any problems. For those who are curious the alcohol is to remove any debris. It is debris not water which causes the damaging shorts.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


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