Dell Venue Pro crashing

I've talked to one of the main customer service people at Dell via email a few times, and he's insured me that the developers are aware of the problem and there's a software update coming which will fix the Venue Pro issues. He says they have not released any public statements because they don't have an ETA yet. Personally, if I worked in customer service, I would at least want to publicly acknowledge the problem and let everyone know that a solution was being worked on. Otherwise, everyone feels helpless.

I still have my original Venue Pro and I've resorted to only using Wifi sparingly. I have never experienced a crash with Wifi off. Then sometimes within seconds of turning wifi on, it will freeze up.

Having faced the same symptoms of a freezing DVP with WiFi usage, I've started gathering info from other people inflicted with the same issue. Putting it all together led me to think the root cause is a faulty micro SD card used by Dell.

To test my theory I've replace my SD card, this solved the freezing problem immediately. I've tried two different cards (one was an 8GB card, and the one I'm using now is a Sandisk class 2 32GB card), and they both solved the problem.

Note: Replacing the micro SD card in a WP7 device is not supported by Microsoft or Dell and will void the warranty of your Venue Pro (on the other hand seeing as the only thing the warranty is good for is replacing your faulty device for yet another faulty device, it might not be such a big deal).

Follow these steps to replace your micro SD card:

1. Fully sync your phone with Zune, replacing the card requires hard-resetting the device (essentialy formatting it).
2. Go to "Settings->about->reset your phone", click "Yes" for both questions, then just as the screen goes dark (as the phone is going for a restart) remove the battery.
3. Replace the micro SD card. The card slot is located next to the SIM card slot and covered by a black warranty sticker, you'll need a tool like a very small flat head screwdriver or a safety pin to remove the card as it's not spring loaded (again, since it wasn't designed to be user serviceable). You can see the location of the card slot here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weOg1dzPmU0 (if you don't want to watch the whole thing skip to 3:00 to see how to remove the card)
4. Reinsert the battery and power up the device. You'll be presented with the welcome screen guiding you through the initial device setup and you're done.

Note that while the problem seems to be caused by a faulty SD card, not every off the shelf micro SD card will work for you. e.g. the off the shelf class 4 16GB Sandisk card did not work for me (it proved more stable than the original Dell supplied card, which incidently is also a Sandisk class 4 16GB, but still presented the occasional freeze).

The card I'm using now is a class 2 32GB Sandisk card (Sandisk part number SDSDQM-032G-B35) which seems to be stable (plus you get 32GB :) )

Good luck.

Thanks for the tip- it might be worth a try at some point. But I remember when it was first revealed that the memory card was accessible, Dell came out and said that it should not be removed because it will void the warranty, but also because the Windows Phone OS is stored on the original card, so the phone would not work without it. Was this a lie then if you were able to successfully swap our your card?

I would not say it's a lie. WP7 uses a specially formated file system that spans both the built in memory and the SD card for use by both the OS and data. The OS is fully contained within the internal memory and isn't using any part of the card when you turn it on for the first time. As you use the phone, the OS will be using the card as a seamless extension of the internal RAM and so if you remove the card without hard-resetting you're left with a basic WP7 OS (no apps, media, settings, or much usability).

You can most definitely replace the card as part of a hard-reset, this is when the OS formats the card and creates the unified filesystem which extends the internal RAM. Myself and others have swapped SD cards many times on various WP7 models, the process is safe and by design, however it wasn't intended to be performed by the end user, and since not all micro SD cards work with WP7 Microsoft and (most) of the phone OEMs advice against a customer replacing his card. And so, while you're doing it at your own risk, for me it was a no-brainer seeing as the alternative was a severely crippled if not useless phone (yeah, I consider a modern smart-phone sans WiFi almost useless)

So those of us being told that a firmware fix is coming, are being blown more smoke? Because a firmware is not going to fix an uncapadable SD card. And this goes back to me asking why they are not issuing a mass recall? That or issue a statement of which SD cards they are certifying and let the user change them. Will be a lot cheaper than having to RECALL EVERY SINGLE PHONE. This has become completely insane.

They want to void my warranty if I switch the SD card, but if I don't switch the SD card the phone is useless. I can send the phone back 50 times and it comes back with the same issue. This is the biggest catch 22 ever.

SOMEONE FROM DELL ISSUE A STATEMENT AS TO HOW I CAN GET A WORKING PHONE -- WETHER IT BE BY YOUR DOING OR MY DOING, BUT DO SOMETHING ALREADY. IT IS GOING ON 2 MONTHS AND WE STILL HAVE USELESS, BROKEN PHONES. INSTEAD OF SKIMMING THROUGH HERE LOOKING FOR POSTS TO DELETE, TELL US A SOLUTION ALREADY.

How do they not see that this is a major problem? They have sold us lemons... and before you delete this, by defention that is what these phones are. The don't want us to use terms like 'criminal' and other legal words.... well what else would you call selling people lemons and then hiding in your mom's basement from the heat, instead of addressing the issue?

Well... what I mentioned a week ago has begun... they have brought this on themselves.

All we asked for was a public confirmation. I hope this was worth it Dell

Hey ZeevDVP, let us know after a couple more days if it stays stable?

Now, with the latest phone call, the woman I talked to says that Dell is seeking Microsoft's help in fixing these issues. So these things are such a mess that they are essentially outsourcing finding a solution to this debacle? Oh Lord...

With the complaints I am seeing here, it must be a manufacturing issue with a batch of bad phones. I bought mine 3 days ago from a Microsoft Store in the mall. The phone  rep told me that there was a bad batch and that the ones they had were updated. So far, he must have been right because my 8GB phone runs great with none of the issues described here. My gripes are all software bugs and Marketplace crashing.

I really like this phone a lot but it's going back if the MS update does not come before my 30 days is up. I like to OS but the bugs are keeping me from getting things done that my Android phone did in its sleep.

Reporting back one week after replacing my micro SDHC card with a 32GB Class 2 Sandisk card (see my post above), the phone is rock solid, absolutely no freezes/hangs.

So I get a replacement, and I am using both for a few days to see which one crashes less (turns out they both are lemons and crash non-stop). I have been trying to get someone to call or respond to my problems, from Dell, for a month and a half. And they will not acknowledge me.

So what do I get today? A phone call asking why I haven't returned my defective phone yet. Let me get this straight... I paid $500 for a phone that is BROKEN. I still have not gotten what I paid for 90 days ago. You for 90 days have ducked me and won't answer my questions. But now you think I have a $500 phone of yours and you are sending pitbulls after me, asking where YOUR phone is? WHERE THE HECK IS MY PHONE?!?!?!? And I am not talking about this plastic thing that can't run more than five seconds. I am talking a fully working unit.

Now we have someone that is reporting that your SD cards are garbage and that is the problem. No firmware is going to fix that. GIVE US THE GREEN LIGHT TO FIX THESE THINGS ON OUR OWN ALREADY. DO SOMETHING. YOU ARE COLLECTING PAY CHECKS AND DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

You want to know where they are? I am contemplating selling them on Craiglist for $250 each, and considering the money as a refund check (since everyone that has returned their phones has still not gotten their money back) and then using that to buy an HD7. That is where you other phone may be going if you don't figure this out pretty quickly or give us the green light to fix these things on our own.

I'd buy a Venue Pro off you for a bit more than $250 :) Can you post photos of it?

Well, I've decided to finally give up on Dell since they haven't bothered to say anything useful to us - I've said it before and I'll say it again, I can live with the not working well but only if they are communicating what is going on in a way that makes impacted customers feel reassured that solution is coming at some point.

Since I love the form factor of my phone, I'm going to void my warranty and try replacing the SD card and see if it is any better. I thought about waiting for the update from MS but I'm convinced this isn't a Microsoft problem and I'm tired of battery pulling a half dozen times a day. Also, with Nokia on board and HTC phones getting better all the time, I figure if this doesn't fix it, at some point in the near or mid term I'll just throw this thing in the recycle bin and buy a new, non-Dell phone.

I will also not be replacing my Dell XPS dekstop with a new Alienware rig as I had been planning nor buying the M15x laptop I was going to get later this month. (Yes, friends always told me I was overpaying for a brand but so what?). I just can't in good conscience give Dell anymore of my money given this experience.

Thanks for the update!  Now DELL, I also was leaning towards a new XPS 17 laptop... but this experience is souring me... Say something!  Give us new phones or a new SD card!