HTC M8s won't start

[bill-lancaster]

Tried to turn it on this morning after recharging (battery had gone flat).

Can only get a sort of boot screen headed 'Software Status Modified'

There is a menu system with several options but I always come back to the boot screen.

Any help would be appreciated

[drey_p]

Hi there

Have you modified the software in any way / installed a custom ROM at some point?

[bill-lancaster]

No, Just tried to restart it.

[drey_p]

I assume that you are seeing a number of menu options with things like Fastboot and Factory reset?

[bill-lancaster]

Correct

[drey_p]

What I'd like you to try and do is hold down the power button and turn the device off completely.  Then charge it up completely.  Once you have done that and the battery is fully charged, turn it back on.

[bill-lancaster]

Thanks, I tried that earlier today.

There is a 'dump' option which produces a whole lot of info which means nothing to me except isee "E:missing bitmap oem_unlock_bg" and also "can't mount /sdcard"  (I don't have an SD card)

[drey_p]

Okay, so this is pretty severe.

There are ways you can download a stock ROM, put it on an SD card and try and reinstall it onto your device. However, I'd not recommend this option unless you are comfortable with flashing ROMs onto a device.  There is also a chance that doing this could mess up the phone further. 

You may wish to consider sending the phone off for repair.  You can drop it in at your nearest Vodafone Store or contact HTC directly.  I personally prefer to deal with the manufacturer.

[bill-lancaster]

OK, Factory Reset results in the HTC startup screen with a sort of progress device showing in the centre.  The phone then goes in to the boot screen again.

[Retired-Wayne]

@Bill-lancaster

It sounds like your phone may be faulty.  

To find out what you need to do in order to get this sorted, take a look at our Vodafone repairs thread.