A500 refurb unit, running factory ICS software (non-rooted) that is frozen at the ACER logo

harringtonb

I have an A500 refurb unit, running factory ICS software (non-rooted) that is frozen at the ACER logo boot screen.  

 

Unfortunately, I have not had any luck recovering it, and mine is apparently out of warranty.

 

The issue arose, when I was trying to back out of a game that my son had started, and, once at the home screen, I started getting repeated program crash errors (i.e. Laucher has stopped working, wait/close, Agent Dash has stopped working, wait/close, etc).  I tried clicking "close" or "ok" (can't remember exactly what the question was), and it ended up running through a list of apps that had been opened at some point or another, while continuing to comeback to the Launcher has stopped working error.

 

I tried powering down, then powering back up, and the Acer logo screen is as far as it will go.

 

I have tried the hardward reset, and it apparently succeeds in Erasing User Data and Cache, showing the messages on-screen, but then freezes on the ACER logo.  

 

If I try to boot into recovery an load the update.zip from the SD Card.  It looks as if it is trying to update (upright Android bot with polygonal prism rotating in open chest, and blue update line below), then the screen flashes to a "dead Android bot" with a red exclamation point above his chest.

 

It looks like USB bootloader mode works, but I don't have anything on my PC to try and utilize that.  Or, at least I'm not aware that I do.

 

My hope is that, if anyone has had similar experience, then possibly, there is an issue with Acer's OS update (possibly due to poor memory management) that is causing corruption in the OS-- maybe calling an erase memory sub-routine erroneously, and it is affecting the flash with the OS.  (Long shot, I know.)  If so, maybe they would be willing to reflash the out-of-warranty units for free, or, at least, for the cost of shipping.

 

If there are methods that anyone has tried successfully to remedy this, I'd appreciate any advice.  If there are files available to load onto the SD Card or for use with the USB bootloader mode, I'd appreciate being pointed in that direction.