Not so long ago, we reported about the Boot2 that comes with OS 3.0.1 installing a strong anti-downgrade protection on your TI-Nspire that couldn't be bypassed without extra hardware. Well... this was nothing. Now you got even more reasons to run your OS through TNOC before installing it on your calculator, because now there are at least 4 reports of calculators being bricked by unmodified OS 3.0.1 copies!

(Note that all reports are in French)
Report #1 on TI-BANK
2nd one on Univers-TI-Nspire
3rd report of the bug (same thread)
Yet another one

As explained in the TI-BANK news warning people about this discovered problem, when a TI-Nspire boots, it first goes through the Boot1, then launch Boot2 around 60% of the progress bar, to finally launch the OS at 100%:


However, for the the three people above, at 60%, their calculator hangs there:


Then after a while, it changes to this, before the calculator turns OFF:

(All images are from TI-BANK news)

In other words, it locks down on Boot2 launch, which, according to tests done by Critor in this topic means that something wrong happened to it, such as corruption or its complete deletion.

Without a Boot2, you may be able to continue using the calculator for a while, because OS 3.0 installs the new Boot image only after the first boot, but as soon as it will go back in hibernation mode due to extended non-use, you will not only never be able to use your calculator again, but also the USB port will no longer work!

This problem reminds a bit of what happened to some people calculators running version 2.0 of the OS, which prompted TI to quickly release 2.0.1. There was also a similar issue with OS 2.1, because 2.1 only booted with version 1.4 of Boot2. OS 3.0 fixed this by forcing people who have OS 1.3 or lower to upgrade to OS 1.7 prior upgrading to OS 3.0, but it seems like they once again messed up somewhere else, breaking something in the updated Boot2 code.

If this happened to you, the only possible way to fix your calculator would be through an external RS232 interface, something that is not necessarily available for everyone and that will scare away those who are not familiar with electronics:

(Image from TI-BANK news)

In other words, we recommend against installing OS 3.0.1 until this is fixed! If you absolutely need to use OS 3.0.1, for example to run Lua games or use 3D graphing, then make sure to get rid of its Boot2 image using TNOC software before installing the operating system on your calculator! Doing this will also remove the anti-downgrade protection reported on in a previous news.

TNOC Software download link

Epic fail from TI, so this has nothing to do with our hacks, it's pure TI bricking calculators. Any way to fix it so far?

Scout: yup, the way to fix the calculator is described in the first post
DJ, you can make that four people: same report in http://www.univers-ti-nspire.fr/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&p=2615#p2615 .

Wow, OS 3.0 has brought epic fail for TI.

-Downgrade protection "broken" with TNOC
-Free game development with Lua
-Broken CAS Engine
-Bricking Nspires with boot 2 3.0

I can only imagine what is next...

Unbelievable...

Quote from: Scout on April 20, 2011, 02:54:25 pm

Epic fail from TI, so this has nothing to do with our hacks, it's pure TI bricking calculators. Any way to fix it so far?

You need some sort of hardware mentionned in the news post to do so. To prevent this from happening you can also remove Boot2 3.0 from the OS using TNOC.

And thanks for the report Lionel, I'll add it.

Yeah, hardware! I saw it now.

Perhaps TI will warn clients on their website. If they don't, it's too bad.

I just wish the 86 had an ARM9 inside

Man.....they should just give up. Maybe release the OS keys

Quote from: Spyro543 on April 20, 2011, 03:04:02 pm

This is the 3rd reason for me to go with Casio. TI failed again. And everyone is like "OMG TI iz teh best company ever" on the Facebook page.

they delete negative posts and try to bann the person who wrote them...

So true...

I'm seriously waiting for this to turn into brown text.  Like seriously? This couldn't be more of a fail from TI if it's true.