Sprint FrankenPre2? Hold onto that Pre- in case you need to re-activate.

ashi · 08/26/2011, 02:05 AM

Sometimes I forget just what a Frankenbeast my Sprint Pre 2 is.

Yesterday I went through a box of old phones from my Pre / Pre Plus hacking and discovered two Sprint Pre Plusses I hadn't gotten around to doing anything with. I need some money now, and I figured I'd sell some stuff. One Sprint Pre Plus I hadn't even activated to test and make sure it worked.

I activated it and learned that the 6-digit code to program the phone (using ##786#) they send now is just the one-time code (already used at least once), and I had to chat up someone at Sprint to get the secondary code (the good one). I tested it out, and it was fine.

Then I decided to switch back to my Pre 2. I used "activate a new phone" using the MEID DEC matching the com board.

This always worked fine in the past with other phones, though it sometimes took a while for data to come back. Well, I waited hours and tried toggling airplane mode, shutting down and pulling the battery for a while... nothing.

Finally I remembered I had initially activated the Sprint Pre- and had then switched the com board over to the Pre 2. Well, re-activating the Pre 2 also requires the com board to be activated in a Pre-!

I scrambled for the right tools, shut down, and swapped the com board back to its original donor Sprint Pre-. It still wouldn't give me data. I did a ##786# reset, and it came back up with a data connection! I tried to log into a test Palm Profile, but I got an error retrieving my data. I figured it would probably work now, and shut down and swapped the com board back.

It worked, and I didn't have to reset the data or anything on my Pre 2. I will not take "activate a new phone" lightly any more.

grndslm · 08/26/2011, 09:58 PM

This is why I was avoiding a FrankenPre2 for the longest time.

But with prices near $130 on ebay for a Pre 2, I figured I had to bite, no matter how bad activating can be.

I'd like to understand this concept more, tho....

If I send my Pre- & Pre2 to webOS World... then I'll still have this problem?? They knock $20 off the cost if I let them keep my Pre-, so that seems to not be very beneficial at all if I'll need it to activate the Pre2 in the future!!

ashi · 08/26/2011, 11:41 PM

I would hold onto your Pre-. How much are they charging to set it up for you?

I love my FrankenPre2, and I appreciate the tedious trial and error webOS Internals went through to get it working so well.

I already use Ubuntu Linux as my main OS, so it was pretty easy to do. I made a Youtube video on doing the Pre Plus swap, which is very similar, though you'll want to swap the whole antenna/back piece and not just the com board, if you decide to do it yourself.

Todd

ashi · 08/30/2011, 12:58 AM

Aww drat, app catalog is broken for me. I'll have to work more magic when I feel motivated to. Bet my profile version got messed up.

08/26/2011, 02:05 AM	#1 (permalink)
ashi Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: San Jose Bay Area Posts: 188 Likes Received: 1 Thanks: 392 Thanked 140 Times in 119 Posts	Sprint FrankenPre2? Hold onto that Pre- in case you need to re-activate. Sometimes I forget just what a Frankenbeast my Sprint Pre 2 is. Yesterday I went through a box of old phones from my Pre / Pre Plus hacking and discovered two Sprint Pre Plusses I hadn't gotten around to doing anything with. I need some money now, and I figured I'd sell some stuff. One Sprint Pre Plus I hadn't even activated to test and make sure it worked. I activated it and learned that the 6-digit code to program the phone (using ##786#) they send now is just the one-time code (already used at least once), and I had to chat up someone at Sprint to get the secondary code (the good one). I tested it out, and it was fine. Then I decided to switch back to my Pre 2. I used "activate a new phone" using the MEID DEC matching the com board. This always worked fine in the past with other phones, though it sometimes took a while for data to come back. Well, I waited hours and tried toggling airplane mode, shutting down and pulling the battery for a while... nothing. Finally I remembered I had initially activated the Sprint Pre- and had then switched the com board over to the Pre 2. Well, re-activating the Pre 2 also requires the com board to be activated in a Pre-! I scrambled for the right tools, shut down, and swapped the com board back to its original donor Sprint Pre-. It still wouldn't give me data. I did a ##786# reset, and it came back up with a data connection! I tried to log into a test Palm Profile, but I got an error retrieving my data. I figured it would probably work now, and shut down and swapped the com board back. It worked, and I didn't have to reset the data or anything on my Pre 2. I will not take "activate a new phone" lightly any more.
	Liked by

08/26/2011, 09:58 PM	#2 (permalink)
grndslm Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 2,874 Likes Received: 4 Thanks: 162 Thanked 217 Times in 143 Posts	This is why I was avoiding a FrankenPre2 for the longest time. But with prices near $130 on ebay for a Pre 2, I figured I had to bite, no matter how bad activating can be. I'd like to understand this concept more, tho.... If I send my Pre- & Pre2 to webOS World... then I'll still have this problem?? They knock $20 off the cost if I let them keep my Pre-, so that seems to not be very beneficial at all if I'll need it to activate the Pre2 in the future!! __________________ ✩✩✩ Get Homebrew Apps, Tweaks, & Patches Working In Less Than 5 Minutes ✩✩✩ Cross-Platform Meta-Doctor Guide -- Bypass carrier-specific activation & MORE!
	Liked by

08/26/2011, 11:41 PM	#3 (permalink)
ashi Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: San Jose Bay Area Posts: 188 Likes Received: 1 Thanks: 392 Thanked 140 Times in 119 Posts	I would hold onto your Pre-. How much are they charging to set it up for you? I love my FrankenPre2, and I appreciate the tedious trial and error webOS Internals went through to get it working so well. I already use Ubuntu Linux as my main OS, so it was pretty easy to do. I made a Youtube video on doing the Pre Plus swap, which is very similar, though you'll want to swap the whole antenna/back piece and not just the com board, if you decide to do it yourself. Todd
	Liked by

08/30/2011, 12:58 AM	#4 (permalink)
ashi Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: San Jose Bay Area Posts: 188 Likes Received: 1 Thanks: 392 Thanked 140 Times in 119 Posts	Aww drat, app catalog is broken for me. I'll have to work more magic when I feel motivated to. Bet my profile version got messed up.
	Liked by

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode