If you can't upgrade, you should try this simple trick

Apr 18, 2015 06:16 GMT  ·  By
Some devices are not recognized but you should continue the reflashing anyway, Microsoft says
   Some devices are not recognized but you should continue the reflashing anyway, Microsoft says

Some of the devices that are running Windows 10 for phones preview build 10051 cannot be downgraded back to Windows Phone 8.1 because of what appears to be an issue with the way handsets are accepting the recovery image data being flashed.

To make sure that no other devices are getting bricked, Microsoft has pulled the Windows 10 update for those models that might be prone to the bug and has issued a new version of the Windows Phone Recovery Tool to attempt to repair the issues.

The company has also provided some guidance for those whose devices are stuck with a red Nokia logo or with a black screen, so here's what you need to do to at least try to fix the problems.

How to fix it

First and foremost, download the new Windows Phone Recovery Tool that Microsoft has released today. This new version is absolutely mandatory if you're trying to downgrade a bricked device, so make sure you get it. The new version number is 1.2.4, so unless you're running this one, downgrading might not be successful.

Connect the phone to your computer with a USB cable and make sure it's recharging. If the device doesn't show anything on the screen, make sure you plug it into a working USB port that can transfer data and recharge at the same time.

Launch the new Windows Phone Recovery Tool version on your PC with the phone plugged into the USB port and attempt the reflash process. It could take a while until the process comes to an end, but do not interrupt it until it completes or returns you an error.

Microsoft says that it is possible that the device will not be recognized, so in this case, you need to click the “My phone was not detected button” and continue the recovery process anyway.

This trick is supposed to work for those who are seeing a red Nokia logo, and while there's no guarantee that it can save unresponsive devices, it's worth a try too.

We're also getting reports from some people who claim that this guide doesn't work the first time, but it does fix a bricked device when performed for the second or third time.