I have solved the (my) power on problem..
 

Sorry for the new thread but i think this could be important to alot of new users with non working N800's. The other threads seem to be getting swamped with off topic posts, So.....


Right here goes, i can now power on my N800 every time 100% repeatable every time.

What did i do, i started the tablet last night and had a good play around trying to get the battery as flat as i could, then locked the screen and keys and went to bed without putting the device on the charger.

In the morning i played around some more till i got the N800 to less than 1hr battery remaining.

Then i turned off the N800, usual it wont go back on, so i get a stopwatch (find one here http://www.online-stopwatch.com/ ) and try turning on at 1 min intervals after 10 mins nothing.

Next i try a 5 min interval without touching the power button this is where the Tablet suddenly turned on, great! So i turned it back off and hey presto wont go back on, dont touch any button this time for 4 mins N800 start again.

So i switch it off again this time i wait 3 mins before i press the power button N800 starts again.

Then i try 2min 30sec and it wont start so i try again at 3 min wont start.

I touch NO buttons for EXACTLY 3 mins (remember this is without removing the battery) and hey presto it starts again.

Next i remove the battery wait 1 min then put it back in, wont start,wont charge either.

So again you guessed it wait exactly 3 mins put the charger in and yup it charges :)

One important reminder, if you touch the power button before the 3 mins it resets back to a full 3 min wait before you try again!!

So could anyone with a iffy N800 N810 please try this and let me know what happens after exactly 3 mins.

Get the stopwatch here http://www.online-stopwatch.com/ ..

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

OMFG!!!! I pressed the power button and started the stop watch at the same time. I missed the first 3 minutes so I waited until it was exactly 6 minutes and it turned on. How the hell did you know that it would only turn on exactly every 3 minutes?!

When I try to turn it on any other time it doesn't! What is the logic behind this?........

Thank you since it actually worked! Now I don't have to return it. But still, having to time exactly 3 minutes any time I want to turn it on is a pain in the butt.

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

3 minute wait to turn on.... I can bootup my Samsung Q1P faster than that. I'm also having trouble turning on my N800, I was going to reflash back to OS 2007 but seems that it might be the unit. I ordered from CC the 26th and got it the 27th.

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

I may not be a linux master but iam pretty good with most things and i was not going to let this beat me ..... :-)

Its not every 3mins, as long as you wait the first 3 before touching it it will turn on anytime after that...

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

I've added a reference to this thread to bug #2673 which is tracking this problem.

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

Aha, so you're Neil. Good connection to make. :)

(shirt buddies :p)

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

Have you tried a complete reflash? Have you removed your SD cards (both of them?)

Sounds like something in your initfs is b0rked and/or [without knowing anything about the boot process] perhaps a fsck is being run and breaking on corrupt SD cards.

After reflashing and starting for the first time - does it continue the 3 minute power cycles?

I certainly wouldn't keep any hardware that only let me power on every 3 minutes :) [i.e. get it replaced!]

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

'Tis me, Ryan - and I'm looking forward to receiving my t-shirt*! ;) :D

*If anyone is wondering, one of the guys at Maemo has offered to send General Antilles and myself a Maemo t-shirt as a "thank you" for the "work" we've done filing and cleaning up bugs in maemo bugzilla, which I thought was quite a nice gesture! :)

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

How long are you holding down the power button? It won't turn on with just a quick press, you have to hold it for a few seconds, until the LED is on steady. I've never had a single problem turning mine on, perhaps a hundred times, by this method.

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

Simply removing and replacing the back seems to work for me.

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

If i could replace the battery cover and continue i would probably keep my N800, even tho i found a temp fix mine is being collected for exchange on 02/01/2008

Sorry but i cannot live with this 3 min issue when most other users are not affected.

Granted i may get another lemon but its a risk i shall take....

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

How did you get them to take it for exchange in February? Isn't that after the 30 day warranty?

Do you have to mail it to Nokia or Circuit City?

I really don't mind the 3 minute thing as long as this doesn't cause the battery or some other hardware to crap out. =(

After using the N800 for the past few days, and being active on these forums, I realize how little I understand about Linux. I downloaded some Pidgin buddy Icons and sounds, and when I went to apply the packs, it had me look for which folder they were saved in and I cannot find it...

In windows I can find everything in program files..I wish I knew the equivalent to Linux. I'm downloading applications and having no idea where they are located on the memory lol.

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

Iam using the UK date format iam used to ie day/month/year, its going back this wednesday.

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

Glad some of you are having success with the 3 minute trick.

I can tell you thought that it's not a universal solution. I waited *hours* between power-on attempts and it didn't consistently work (and yes, I was holding down the power button).

I never did figure out a consistent fix so I've sent it back to Nokia.

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

There is certain circumstances where you must remove the battery for 3 mins then reinsert the battery press the power button then wait 3 mins to turn on.

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

I just realized that what I'm doing is not holding the power button until the LED is lit, but holding it until the white splash screen comes on.

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

I noted problems if for example you booted up the N800 then inserted the charger, charged a while, then removed the charger (while still on) played around for a while then powerd off, in this instance i would have to pull the battery for 3 mins ( no matter how long it sat idle) then hold/press the power button and from then on the 3 min countdown started...

Still a major pain in th butt, i aint putting up with that. Mine is now away for replacment. So for now back the the trusty 770....

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

The same works for me. Does anyone know if the N800 has a sensor to check if the back cover is closed?

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

Yes, N800s use a magnetic switch to check for the cover.

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

Thanks for the prompt reply!
Is it possible that this specific problem is caused by an intermittently faulty switch?
The N800 thinks the cover is open and it does not power on. The action of removing and reinstalling the cover temporarily fixes the switch and the N800 powers on again… until the switch get stuck again.
This, of course, applies only to the people who the action of removing and reinstalling the cover fixes the problem.

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

Sorry, but it doesn't look like that's the problem. My N800 has never had any power on problems, so I just ran a test for you. I shut my N800 down, removed the rear cover, and powered it up. It booted up just fine. My internal card was simply unavailable until I put the rear cover in place.

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

Are you using OS 2008 (rev. 50-2)? That's what I have running on my N800 (bought just one week ago).

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

The purpose of the magnetic switch is to let the N800 know that you might be removing the internal SD card. It has to know that in order to shut it down to prevent data loss or corruption. AFAIK that's the only reason for the switch. If the magnet comes loose from its location, the internal card won't be recognized, so keep an eye on it. A fair number of people have reported that theirs came out, apparently due to poor quality glue. I put about a half-drop of cyanoacrylate glue there, just to make sure it stays.

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

Hi,

I also have a faulty n810 with the same problem. The 3 minutes trick does not work even with removing the battery (and waitong for thee more minutes). Mine was OK for the first switch on. It booted up at the first tuch of the power button (no need to hold it down). Then I think I didn't switch it off for a few days. Then it accidentally went off. It was charging it (without turning it off) and then when the led showed that it was full I removed the charger and then it switched off and couldn't be turned on normally anymore.

Tomorrow I'll meet some of my ex-colleagues and then I'll have a chance to test it with other original Nokia batteries. (A few of them have e90's and those run on the same BP-4L's as the n810.)

Yesterday I mailed the Nokia customer support here in Hungary and asked them if they new about this problem, but haven't got any feedback yet. I think I'll also try the US guys. It's very strange (or should I say sad?) that basically there is no official information about this bug despite that quite a few of us have deffective devices. The first mention of the problem I found here is from July. It's been almost half a year since then...

Can anybody tell me that approximately how much time does it take to get a replacement including all the shiipping and handling? I ordered it from buy.com. A friend of mine is travelling back to the US this week and then she'll come back in almost three weeks and if they are not fast enough handling this then I'll probably have to wait until April to get it back.

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

Yes, I am.

Get it replaced folks......
 

Got my replacment N800 yesterday, and it has NO power on/charge trouble, so anyone with the problem should get a replacment. remember this may be discounted now, but it was a very expensive device not so long ago that should not have tis problem.

I noticed straight away that there was changes in both the internal Memory card lock And the external memory card door.

The 3 min trick worked for me fine, but no way was i putting up with that nonsense.

So long story short, get it replaced.

Glad i did.....

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

Not everyone can replace their unit, as many of you have suggested. I would *like* to replace mine, but I purchased it from Buy.com and their 14-days-from-when-it-leaves-the-warehouse return policy is preventing me.
I sent my unit to Nokia's repair facility and it returned (a week later) with the same problem. I'm waiting to see if there is a firmware fix from Nokia so I can turn it on without using the wall charger.

Re: I have sloved the (my) power on problem..
 

It seems that it can be corrected with software, at least some developer left a comment in the bug tracker. https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2673#c17 I'm glad I did _not_ send it back :) because that would have meant at least 4 weeks without the device. Actually there was some guy on the forum who got a replacement unit that also had the bug.