I have found a way to "de-brick" a device that does not require reflashing.

If your device is booting up and hung with the second dot lit, like:

* (*) * * *

this may solve your problem.

1) Get the proprietary (gah!) Nokia firmware flashing program.

2) Power off your phone.

3) Hold down "u" on your fone and plug the USB cable into your phone and your GNU/Linux laptop. This will put it in the same mode as you need when you are flashing it.

4) Run this command as root (or preface with "sudo"). It will only take a second or two.

5) Unplug cables and your system will reboot (or poweroff).

6) Boot up your system, it is now in R&D mode. :) It will (possibly?) prompt you to enter time/data again.

7) Now that everything is fine, power off the system normally again. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR SYSTEM IN R&D MODE, as it eats babies.

8) With your phone powered off hold down "u" on the phone, and plug in the USB cables to the phone and your GNU/Linux laptop.

9) Run this command as root (or preface with "sudo"). It will only take a second or two.

10) Unplug cables and your system will reboot (or poweroff).

11) Boot up your system, it is now recovered and NO DATA LOSS! Yippeee.


More info
-----------
Photos of what the hang looks like using a kernel that has the framebuffer console enabled:
http://www.freemoe.org/users/jebba/MALF/


Some bugs, maybe related:
https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=5450
https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6350


If you found this post helpful, please vote for this bug:
https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=7019


My collection of N900 notes:
http://wiki.maemo.org/User:Jebba


-Jeff

this should be sticky

Any ideas how to do this on Windows XP?

Use virtual machine to install linux?

virtualbox is free.

install flasher for windows and get your command prompt to flasher directory and write:

When I do that it keeps saying Suitable USB device not found, waiting

I had this problem too when trying to flash the eMMC tried using every single different usb port on the computer too.

Weird I got it to work, there was the little logo with the wrench and then green text would appear, and it would attempt to startup, then it would make the power off sound, and then restart that process again.

This is what my screen is saying in green letters...it is cycling a reboot process it appears in R&D mode

Kernel Version:
2.6.39-omap1
#1 PREEMPT Wed OCT 28 15:32 55 EET 2009

no initfs \o/

Component versions
product RX-51
hw-build 2101
nolo 1.4.13
boot-mode normal

ok got it to work, it started up, I set the date and time, and I powered it off, when I powered it off it never shut completely off, it just did the reboot cycle where the nokia logo shows, then the balloons, then the nokia logo again. During one of these reboots, I held down U put it back in production mode, and it still cycled over and over, the only way to turn off the device is to remove the battery, the second I put the battery back in, it starts the reboot process all over again...at least I got to see the homescreen again... :-/

In R&D mode you have to enter the new time and date and locale information, then finish the boot up. Then you should have your regular desktop. THEN power off, via normal powerbutton, etc.