potter
01-19-2006, 12:55 PM
Do not know how common this is; I know I read this once before but cannot find it now; but I though I would share this as a possible warning to others.
Yesterday, with my LifeDrive turned on, I was putting it onto its cradle when I heard a pop of a static discharge; the device started to reset. At the point I did not panic, for I have seen this happen before with other devices; a static discharge near the Hotsync connector causes the device to reset, after the reset is done no harm was done. So I simply set the LifeDrive back into the cradle and went on to do something on my desktop computer. After a few minutes I glanced back at the LifeDrive. It was still displaying the PalmOne splash screen. Now normally the PalmOne splash screen is displayed for maybe a second or two, then it switched over to the circle Palm splash screen, where it stays for about two minutes. So I picked up the LifeDrive and performed a normal soft-reset. The PalmOne screen appeared, but never the circle Palm screen. So, I performed a hard-reset (I had Hotsynced recently, so I was no worried). I was presented the reset choice screen with the choices of soft-reset or secure-erase (I have a password set, so the quick-erase option is not given). The secure-erase claims to take about 20 minutes. I selected the secure-erase. The screen changes, indicating that it is performing the secure-erase. Forty minutes latter, the device is still, "working". So I perform a soft-reset. The screen changes, indicating that it is performing a quick-erase; odd. Twenty minutes later, still "working". Soft-reset or Hard-reset, no difference, it goes straight to indicating that it is performing a quick-erase. Have to go, slipped the LifeDrive into my pocket. About four hours latter, the battery finally dies. Plugging the device back in, less then a minute latter the screen comes on indicating that the device it still performing a quick-erase.
The LifeDrive is toast.
Additional information: When one performs a soft-reset, for the next few seconds, if I hold the device up to my ear I can heard a faint grindy clicking sound. Presumable the sound of the hard drive trying to seek, but given up after a few tries.
So, I have since called Palm and now have a Repair Service Order, and so we wait. In the mean time I have pulled out my old Tungsten|T out of retirement, and have Hotsynced my PIM information, and a few other programs, to keep me going until the LifeDrive returns.
As I said earlier, I read about this kind of thing happing to some other LifeDrive owner. Therefore, during these (for those in the northern hemisphere) winter months, others with LifeDrives might wish to take a little extra precaution with static discharges.
Yesterday, with my LifeDrive turned on, I was putting it onto its cradle when I heard a pop of a static discharge; the device started to reset. At the point I did not panic, for I have seen this happen before with other devices; a static discharge near the Hotsync connector causes the device to reset, after the reset is done no harm was done. So I simply set the LifeDrive back into the cradle and went on to do something on my desktop computer. After a few minutes I glanced back at the LifeDrive. It was still displaying the PalmOne splash screen. Now normally the PalmOne splash screen is displayed for maybe a second or two, then it switched over to the circle Palm splash screen, where it stays for about two minutes. So I picked up the LifeDrive and performed a normal soft-reset. The PalmOne screen appeared, but never the circle Palm screen. So, I performed a hard-reset (I had Hotsynced recently, so I was no worried). I was presented the reset choice screen with the choices of soft-reset or secure-erase (I have a password set, so the quick-erase option is not given). The secure-erase claims to take about 20 minutes. I selected the secure-erase. The screen changes, indicating that it is performing the secure-erase. Forty minutes latter, the device is still, "working". So I perform a soft-reset. The screen changes, indicating that it is performing a quick-erase; odd. Twenty minutes later, still "working". Soft-reset or Hard-reset, no difference, it goes straight to indicating that it is performing a quick-erase. Have to go, slipped the LifeDrive into my pocket. About four hours latter, the battery finally dies. Plugging the device back in, less then a minute latter the screen comes on indicating that the device it still performing a quick-erase.
The LifeDrive is toast.
Additional information: When one performs a soft-reset, for the next few seconds, if I hold the device up to my ear I can heard a faint grindy clicking sound. Presumable the sound of the hard drive trying to seek, but given up after a few tries.
So, I have since called Palm and now have a Repair Service Order, and so we wait. In the mean time I have pulled out my old Tungsten|T out of retirement, and have Hotsynced my PIM information, and a few other programs, to keep me going until the LifeDrive returns.
As I said earlier, I read about this kind of thing happing to some other LifeDrive owner. Therefore, during these (for those in the northern hemisphere) winter months, others with LifeDrives might wish to take a little extra precaution with static discharges.