N900: Quick fix for new firmware error: "Install using NSU"
Hi guys, I have been sitting and waiting for my phone to say there is a new update and as some of you might know I finally got that message yesterday BUT then it said i cannot install, and I must do via NSU:
Error
I have been trying on NSU since yesterday (about 30 times) but still nothing so I had a look around and from what I gathered from some of the Maemo.org forum and Wiki is that it is not that the update is not available but because I’ve installed something the phone does not like and it’s conflicting, so i tried installing a bunch of stuff…but still nothing so NSU, re-install the same version and then try the update, and wooohooo it’s letting me update!!!:
Update: A lot of people have had issues with PC Suite so if you want to avoid using that, just backup then uninstall all the apps on your phone and it should work fine. and if you have already tried with NSU and failed or crashed your phone, use the Nokia Maemo flasher tool to recover it.
NSU - Re-install same version
Software Update (1)
Software Update (2)
Software Update (3)
Software Update (4)
Software Update (5)
Software Update (6)
I know that I now have to re-install everything, but this is a small price to pay for the update…I’d rather do this then keep waiting for an update that won’t come and also trying to do long winded steps which might not work!
Note: When I did the update, personal data was not deleted so I just had to restore the backup of the application list which downloads and installs most (not all) things back to the phone (just had to press “accept” a few times).
All is good now and if Jay does not beat me to the punch I’ll try make a quick review of the new features!
Category: Nokia
My NSU does not give me the option to re-install 1.2009.44.1
The phone arrived with 1.2009.42.11 and NSU told me that was the latest version.
I installed 1.2009.44.1 via the phone and NSU just says “No update needed.”
I did however pay attention to the application removal bit. Uninstalling alphabetically down to F seemed to free up enough space for the update to work via the phone.
where is your phone from? network or did you buy from Nokia or other sim-free shop? also what country are you in?
That’s weird..my update is 2.2009.51-1.002
Yours is 2.2009.51-1.203.2
Wondering why that is?
is it bc yours is UK?
and Mine’s US?
most likely yes…the one u have will be specific to you…the important part is that you have 2.2009.51.1
anything after that does not really matter…that’s region specific if your phone is unbranded or network specific if it’s branded (from what I can see anyway!)
I am in the UK, phone via vodafone. Once I had uninstalled a few Apps update worked fine via the phone and that would be my preferred option for updates anyway.
I am now on 2.2009.51-205.1
Apparently that version contains fixes to the update process making it need less free space so hopefully it should be mroe straightforward next time.
Problem – Mine still doens’t do BACKUPS via PC SUITE
This is (kinda) normal…mine stopped working after a update came out a while back, but you don’t really need to do this…just use the backup tool on the phone, it does sooo much more!
It will make a backup of everything on your phone and a list of the applications you had installed, and it will restore virtually everything and then at the end bring up a list of the applications you had, and allow you to either install them all or just pick the ones you want to keep! and if for any reason it fails on an application (mine did on 1 or 2) just run the restore again, and just select the application list, it will recognise what you already have, and just allow you to install the ones you aint! (just remember to de-select the ones that didn’t install and just do these again through app man manually!)
Hope that helps
[...] N900: Quick fix for new firmware error: “Install using NSU” January 15, 2010 [...]
Hi, nice article
I seem to have a problem with my update. I’m trying to update the N900 using NSU from a standard XP machine right now. It went through the stages normally, downloaded the data and then moved to a screen with a progress bar saying “Updating software, please wait…”, that progress bar hasn’t moved in over an hour now and I assume this can’t be right. The phone itself restarted and its showing a white screen with the Nokia logo. There’s also what looks like a green progress bar along the very bottom edge and it’s not moving either. Stuck at about the same position as the one of the computer.
I don’t want to unplug the thing and brick the phone obviously. Should it take hours to do this update though? I’m going to leave it plugged in a good while longer and see what happens, until I’m sure unplugging is the only option.
It’s a UK phone I presume but I can’t say exactly, it was sent to me directly by Nokia as a review unit. Has anyone else seen this behaviour and can offer any advice? It’s greatly appreciated. The phone might be fine if unplug it but I’m not keen to do that. Thanks!
Dan
it should not take hours…but I have seen people run into similar problems over at the Maemo.org forums (or as they call it, the “Talk” section!).
I’d give it a while, if nothing still, you may have to do it using the Maemo Flasher tool, (instructions in link below), and before you get scared and say,…no no this will void the warranty, it won’t, as one of the Mod’s on the Nokia Discussions forum clarified that as you are using a tool provided by Nokia (which is free for anyone to download), in the way it is supposed to be used, you will not void the warranty, so as long as you don’t try flashing a modded firmware, you are all good….and only use Nokia’s official flasher!
See here for instructions:
https://wiki.maemo.org/Updating_the_tablet_firmware
Enjoy, and let us know how you get on!
Great, thanks for the information. It eventually said “update failed” on the NSU display but the phone display itself was just left hanging where it had been. I had to unplug the phone which I was loath to do, and now it doesn’t do anything when I try and boot it up. I’ve been told by a few people the flasher will likely fix it. Some people have had similar problems. I just hope this is true.
It’s something to do with what repositories you have enabled, as you describe in your article. If you are using development repos it can’t update and it crashes out.
Thanks for the help!! I’m off not to try and resurrect the phone.
Dan
Well good luck, the flasher works without switching the phone on so should work hopefully! – let us know how you do.
forget about NSU and just flash the N900 instead with the firmware image, quicker and easier. do a backup before flashing and once flashed just restore the backup. checkout my blog for maemo flasher links
Had some trouble downloading the Flasher and image because the website is down this weekend. I was told it’s a server move or something and it was planned. A friend sent me the .deb for the flasher and the image. I’m pleased to report it brought the N900 back to life and it boots now. I’m very relieved. It worked great in Linux Mint, my main desktop.
Another theory on my update breakage is the repository servers being offline right now. If they went off while I was updating it would obviously prevent the tool from completing and leave the phone in a mess. I won’t be using NSU again I don’t think. I’ll stick to flashing the device with a new firmware from now on.
Thanks for the help
Dan
glad to hear that m8, the repositories going down during the update should not effect anything except it failing to download…once download, everything is done on u’r PC.
it’s just how it is unfortunately…some times things just go wrong, and that’s why there is a flasher tool!
After reading things i was not going to use the NSU anyway due to the whole hassle of having to restore everything.
The software on the phone works great for updating the firmware, in less time and by all accounts with less hassle.
If it tells you you have to use the NSU then it just means you have too many non optified (yeah, was a new word for me too) applications installed.
Initially I just uninstalled everything down to the letter F but now I would take a closer look at what was from the extras-testing (I don’t go near devel) or do a search.
After the current firmware update it should get easier to do it via the phone since A couple of the updates have been about optimising the firmware update process and keeping space clear for it.
hi i seem to have had the exact same problem as dan lol. my hub is trying the flasher now my laptop is on linux love it some things aint the same but hay.
anyway if this flasher dont work does anyone else have any ideas. half way through upgrading my phone with nokia pc suite my phone went to the whight screen sating nokia then went blank finaly it told me that the upgrade failed then my phne wouldnt switch on it says nokis on the screen and vibrates when i press the on button and the light goes orange but nothing else dont think its booting.
with the flasher when my hub puts in the cammand “%ProgramFiles%\maemo\flasher-3.5 it keeps coming back that it can not find path this is annoying only had the phone 3 days
I don’t know about others but I am taking from this thread the advice to avoid PC suite for firmware updates, at least for now. If the phone tells you you need to use PC suite then uninstalling some apps generally does the trick.
As I said I just went through alphabetically but I bet a search on un-optified apps would be a better bet.
[...] (using fMMS) 21/01/2010 – News: Nokia Ovi “Big Announcement” Today! 15/01/2010 – N900: Quick fix for new firmware error: “Install using NSU” 13/01/2010 – Software: NSU (Beta) – Now with Windows 7 support 12/01/2010 – X6: App [...]
Hey my phone was disconnected halfway through software upgrade and now won’t do anything literally dead, anyone know of a fix?
hi, the way I would recommend for most people (the easy way) is to take it to your local Nokia Repair Centre and they should be able to sort it within about 20-30 minutes, if that!
I take it you are in Australia, you can find your local repair centre’s here:
http://www.nokia.com.au/support/repair-and-recycle/nokia-care-point-locator
they should not charge you for doing this, and if they do, make sure you state that Nokia told you it’s a free service (They might ask for proof of purchase so take that along with you).
The other way would be to do yourself with Nokia’s flasher tools but can take a while and can cause more issues if you don’t do correctly!