WP7's First Update Bricking Some Phones?

A recent update to the Windows Phone 7 OS updater has bricked Samsung phones.

Reports over the last two days have indicated that Microsoft has broken the built-in Windows Phone 7 (WP7) updater by applying a minor update so that future OS updates--including the long-awaited patch bringing copy/paste and other cool features--will perform correctly. Now it seems that Microsoft has bricked WP7-based Samsung smartphones thanks to the company's very first WP7 update.

As reported by Engadget, the actual update may not be completing. In some cases, users are receiving an error message and are unable to roll back or restore the previous firmware, leaving the device in an unusable "bricked" state.

After consumers began to flood Microsoft with complaints, the Redmond-based company said that affected users should return their smartphones to the retail outlet where they originally purchased the WP7 device. Microsoft then issued a statement saying that the company was "investigating reports related to the Windows Phone update process and will provide additional information and guidance as it becomes available."

Following the statement, Wired published a workaround that was provided straight from Microsoft. According to the instructions, users simply pull the battery, wait a moment before replacing the battery, and then turn the device back on. If that doesn't work, users are instructed to perform a hard reset. Microsoft also insisted that users not update the phone again unless instructed by the WP7 device.

On Wednesday Microsoft announced that it was pulling the update altogether. "We have identified a technical issue with the Windows Phone update process that impacts a small number of phones," the company said. "In response to this emerging issue, we have temporarily taken down the latest software update for Samsung phones in order to correct the issue."

But according to various sites like Mobile Tech World and wpcentral, Microsoft has yet to pull the plug on the bricking firmware patch. Those who still see the patch waiting in queue are instructed to ignore the download for now.

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