Hello

This thread is meant to be a warning message to all, but especially asian users of the Nokia 3230 who plan on having their firmware upgraded to a newer version.

AVOID, AT ALL COST, THE VERSION 4.05xx.2CH !!

This is based on an actual fact as happened with me last friday and saturday.

My 3230 was equipped with 3.0505.2, asian version (languages english, melayu, indonesia). It had a few bugs such as the "fat effect" with the camera, a very slow menu and some others.

On friday i came by chance to a Nokia shop and i asked if a new version was available, not believing it would be - after all, i had the phone just a week and when i bought it, there was no new version. To my surprise, i was told that "4.05" would be available, yet to have it flashed, i needed to go to Seacon Square. I was then closer to MBK, so i tought "If Nokia got it, the MBK guys must have it too".

So i went.

And there i was offered the version 4.05 as well, but a CHINESE version. I didn't mind - it contains english too, after all. So i had it flashed.

After getting it back, first i was stunned - when it started, it came with a startup-screen greeting me "Welcome to Nokia 6260". WTF? The techie told me:

"In chinese version, 3230 and 6260 use same firmware"

Which he confirmed by showing me a 6260 which indeed ran the same version!

Ok. Since my MMC seemed to work (all apps were there, altough in the main menu), i restored my backup. Seemed to go well, "Restoration complete, restart phone?" was shown and i confirmed.

BANG.

Upon reboot i was confronted with a chinese, obvious, error message. The phone didn't react to any keypress.

I asked the next chinese-looking guy wether he was really chinese (many people in Thailand are of chinese origin and look chinese, yet are 2nd or 3rd generation Thai) and lucky, he was - he told me "System error".

Rebooted again - same.

Took MMC out - same message upon reboot, but a second one too - enter PIN. Ok, i did, and the phone started. It was all chinese now, and with help of that guy i was able to get back to english language - upon restart, the phone kept rebooting on itself for several times before it stayed on.

My backup didn't work at all - no contacts, no apps, nothing - except my operator logo!

That was just the beginning of an odyssey which took me untill saturday afternoon.

I found that this version would not be compatible with anything. It neither creates readable backups nor reads old ones, upon any messing with the MMC (defrag, copy/paste files etc with the computer) it would go into "Phone startup failed, please contact the retailer".

Many apps were unable to install in english - offering me turkish and finnish instead.

The *#7370# which normally soft-resets the phone performs a HARD FORMAT in that version !!

The "3-Key Trick" to do a hard format DOES NOT WORK AT ALL in that version!

On saturday i had, after spending most of the night with that wretched phone, all apps back and running, all my contacts back (PC Suite.... thanksa god i backed them up with that before) and all settings back in the phone.

Only one thing to do. Defragment the memory card.

.......................................................................

"Phone startup failed. Please contact the retailer."

.......................................................................

After my boyfriend succeeded in stopping me screaming and threatening suicide, i took the phone, ran down 6 floors, got into my car, and off with screaming tires to Seacon Square. Arrived there, still loaded, into the NSC. The girl (and why the heck are they always female????) told me "Sorry, our technician no here, you come wednesday". Since i had spoken with that techie the day before and he told me that i can come on a saturday, the poor girl had just made the mistake of her day. To explain, a year ago the exact same happened with me when i brought the 6260 - same excuse "technician no here" while i could SEE the technician thru a door they forgot to close.

So i exploded and yelled at her "Cut the f***ing bullshit and get me the manager RIGHT NOW or i thrash the store!"

My voice was enough amd a guy emerged from the back room. "Can i help you, sir?"

I said: "Yes. I have got "Phone startup failed" on a brand new phone, i called yesterday and was told i can come today to have it flashed and i want it f***ing flashed right now!" I mentioned the "f" word but in a calm voice.

The guy then took my phone, printed a repair request, i signed that, and was told "one hour".

After one hour i was back, and was given my phone by that same guy. Now it runs almost perfectly on the new, regular asian version 4.0526.2 with no problem at all with the backups or any application.

Two bugs i found in this version so far:

The camera. When taking pictures under flourescent light, the image becomes "ghostly" - way too bright, "white-ish" and with very sharp contrasts.

And this version too is allergic to having the MMC modified by a computer - defragged, for example. On first startup after such action, the phone will hang at the Nokia screen. Pull the battery and re-insert, the 2nd and subsequent startups are flawless.

And that sweet little "beep" that came before a ringtone is now replaced by a much weaker double-beep that even comes with vibration I preferred the single, louder beep tough.......

I do not know if the FW i got first was dodgy, home-made hybrid (6260 + 3230???) or whatever. After all it had a lot of GPRS access points for Scandinavia yet none for China (???) preinstalled, and it came with a "Maximus" branding scheme (Wallpaper, web access icon, bookmarks) which also had nothing to do with China.

However to all of you out there, avoid that FW as you can! The new regular one is available even here in Thailand (and we are normally the last people on the planet to get an updated firmware) amd should become available everywhere else too.

Kind regards.......

your Thanh

(identical thread also on Symbian-Freak)