The Red, White, Green, and Blue Screen of Death or How I resurrected my Palm 700p Treo

Just over a week ago my Treo 700p started acting up. It kept randomly trying to HotSync. This was not too big of a problem at first, but a few hours later I could not even use the phone because it was stuck in a never ending Hot Sync loop, so I tried to reset the phone. However, instead of turning back on normally, it would just immediately show the screen you above. A quick Google search told me that this screen was the Bootloader screen and if a Treo gets wet in the wrong place it gets stuck here and can’t be fixed. They were wrong. You enter the Bootloader mode by having the Treo hooked up to the Sync cable and holding the HotSync button while putting the battery in. Moisture (and grime), can cause a short on the contacts of the bottom of the phone to make the phone think that you are holding down the HotSync button. Continue Reading to find out how to fix it.

First, dry out your phone. Take the stylus and battery out and put it in a sealed bag of uncooked rice. The rice should observe all the moisture. Do this for at least 24 hours. I let mine dry out for a whole week, but that was mostly due to not knowing how to fix it. Next, wet a cloth or paper towel with Isopropyl Alcohol (can be purchase at your local drugstore). Push this up against the bottom of your phone (where you plug the Sync cable in). While the bottom of your phone is covered in alcohol, use a toothpick to clean all of the metal contacts. Let the phone dry for a little while. Put the battery back in and start the phone. If it still doesn’t work just repeat the process.