Samsung Epix - This is forced SLOG DUMP message?

[asnrugrat]

Hi,

I have a Samsung Epix and sometimes (I think it happened twice so far) I get a message that says "This is forced SLOG DUMP" out of the blue. The notification box is titled RIL Message. Does anyone know what this means?

Thanks,
Sandy

[I_has_a_phone]

I just got this message right now. I have no idea what it means, but my Epix sort of froze afterward. Maybe it deleted some system log info? I thought I was the only one, so I feel better now.

[wizzardfan]

I have gotten the same error twice now. The first time was the beginning of a slough of problems that lead to a hard reset to  make the phone work  for yahoo AIM and  such. I kept getting errors on applications and an internet protocol error before the reset> I hope some one figures out what is wrong  I love this phone but if I have to hard reset it and lose things  again I may ahve to switch phones.

[jcsmith_77]

I have had the Epix since the 2nd day of release and about a week in, i started getting this error.  So i exchanged it for a second one and the same thing occurrred.  When i get the error the phone doesn't appear locked up, but you can't make or receive phone calls until you reboot.  2 weeks ago i did a hard reset and didn't install anything or even setup email.  I just talked on the phone and text'd.  It took 3 days for the error to reappear.  I went ahead and setup email after that as it would seem that it isn't the culprit. 

Now i seem to get the error about once a day.  Anyone have any experience to share or any ideas on how to remedy this?

[croach01]

I received this error a couple of days ago.  At Microsoft's MSDN site, they say that RIL is the abstraction layer between the cell phone core logic and the radio stuff.  It seems like we need an update for the RIL library from Samsung ....

[Memnoch30]

I just got this error message yesterday while on the train. I had to power cycle the phone because it wouldn't connect to the Internet anymore.

[asnrugrat]

Has anyone found a solution? I'm starting to get the error message every other day. I called Samsung when I first started this thread and they were no help. After they put on hold for a long while to do research, all they came back with was that they never heard of this error message and if they find out anything, they'll give me a call. I guess I should call them again because at the time, I didn't realize it was causing the phone to freeze up the email and text message receiving.  Has anyone else tried calling?

[jcsmith_77]

I have found a workaround to the problem more so than a solution.  I have found that rebooting the device on a daily basis keeps the error from occurring.  So I found a freeware program that allows you to schedule a restart of the device at a particluar time of day. 

it can be found here: http://freewareppc.com/download/utilities/schedulereset.shtml

I have two theories on what may be causing this error but would like to hear from others experiences.  The first is that it has to do with the amount of text and data you process on the phone, i would say i text a moderate amount and have express mail setup for my work account, so up to 20-25 emails per day.  My second theory is that it has something to do with area of service.  I live in what could best be described as a fringe area, we have 3g but i go in and out of it multiple times per day, sometimes from edge to gprs and I have to wonder if this doesn't cause some issue and that whatever this log is, it becoming full in a short period of time is not being handled properly by the software.  I could be totally off base, but just my 2 cents.

[asnrugrat]

Thanks, I'll try that! Your theories could be correct. I text message a lot - receive/send about 1,000 a month. I recently started getting more emails too which could explain why I get the error every other day now. Before the email increase, I use to get it about once a week. I also go in and out of 3G a lot as well.

[acabtp]

I'm also getting this error intermittently.  It's come up probably three times since I got the phone the day after it launched.  I send/receive a couple dozen texts and a couple hundred emails per day, so I don't think it's text/data volume related, or I would expect to be seeing it a whole lot more since I put a lot of data through the phone.

Message Edited by acabtp on 12-24-2008 11:26:46 PM

[periclesoftyre]

I have been getting the "forced slog dump" message for about three months. Hard reset has not worked. Get it about once a day. Only difference I believe from above posts I believe is that I link through exchange server to download email, contacts, calendar, which means a vast amount of data transfer, like 100 emails a day. So there may yet be a data volume to error correlation.

However, has anyone tried to install the two patches/fixes posted to the Samsung SGH i907 website here?

http://www.samsung.com/us/support/download/supportDown.do?group=mobilephones&type=mobilephones&subty...

One was released just two weeks ago. I would like to know if they solve this problem before I go to the trouble...

[rbobo]

Yeah, I installed the notification patch the day it came out and has worked like a charm but the other fix I have not installed. Personally I have not experienced the problems everyone else has. The EPIX has froze on me twice since the realease of the notification patch which never happened prior to the installation and I have never received one of the SLOG DUMP messages neither. I guess I am forutnate.

[dmills59]

My wife and I each own an Epix, and this error has happened to both of our phones now.  AT&T customer service was unhelpful and only told me that it was probably due to passing between 3G and Edge areas (our home in Dallas has poor reception and we constantly move between 3G and Edge in the house).  AT&T told me that I should expect to have to reboot my phone from time to time when I leave 3G areas - this is an unacceptable answer.

I just called Samsung and was passed up all the way past Tier-2 to a Tier-3 support person. 

The Tier-3 Tech I spoke to at Samsung in Dallas was very helpful. He told me that this was the first time they Samsung ever heard of this error and that neither any customer nor AT&T had contacted them before regarding this error.  I directed him to this Forum so he is aware that this is affecting more than a few people. 

The Samsung Tier-3 Tech said he would contact AT&T about this immediately and work with them to diagnose and resolve ASAP.  He said he was not sure whether the problem is with the phone or with the AT&T network, but either way he expects to have resolution soon.  He told me that he would email me as soon as a resolution is available, and I will be happy to post the resolution to this Forum as soon as that happens.

[guandalf ACE - Wizard]

I bought the Epix about a week ago and got the forced dump message on day 2 and then on day 4. I thgouth something was wrong with the phone and went back and exchanged it for a new one. The slog dump creates a log file under my device/ temp. Within a few hours my new one gave me the same issue. This is a major deal breaker and such a disappointment. I love the phone but cant live with such a major bug. I cant believe someoen at AT&T and Samsung just dont know what the problem is. In fact, based on my experience, and those of others, I am willing to bet that every Epix out there is experiencing this issue but people are just not complaining.

I tried to read through the log file ti creates but there is not clear cut answer as to what is causing it.  Unfortunately, I will have to return my second Epix and get a Fuze until such time that a more reliable front facing WM Pro is released/// maybe the Treo Pro. AT&T and Sumsang..... this has been a major overlook on your part. I just do not believe this issue didnt show up during testing!

Does anyone here know, what causes it? what it means? or if there is a solution in the pipe line?

[asnrugrat]

dmills59,

Thanks so much for offering to post the resolution!

[guandalf ACE - Wizard]

---

asnrugrat wrote:

dmills59,

Thanks so much for offering to post the resolution!

---

I wish it would be that simple. If you look at the log file the slog dump creates under My Device/ Temp folder, you will see that there is no way a soltuon can be reached on our end. Samsung would need to release a major patch to resolve this. The problem is with the radio part of the phone which is creating it. In fact, every slog dump log that i have seen says "fatal error". I doubt this is something simple. I am still so disappointed that Samsung and AT&T have allowed such a potentially good phone to be released like this. What bothers me the most is that they dont acknoledge the problem. Based on the log file the slog dump creates, EVERY single Epix out there is experiencing this problem

[guandalf ACE - Wizard]

I just emailed my attorney to see if this issue classifies for Class Action law suit against Samsung and AT&T as it affects every Epix outthere and there is totaly denial on the part of AT&T and Samsung. I will keep you guys posted once I get an answer.

[dscisci]

You can add me to the list of frustrated users of this phone.  I need to get rid of it.  Yesterday, I missed several important work calls.  No notification, no nothing.  I was in NYC, full service everywhere.  The slew of problems is ridiculous.  It's inexcusable that a device should be released with this many bugs and problems.  All for the almighty dollar, I guess.  It really taints my opinion of ATT and Samsung.

[segar123]

Add me to the list.  I asked an ATT corp store to exchange last week for the Bold and I would pay the difference at full price. They refused to exchange it was 5 days past the 30 days. The ring volume and slog dump are both big problems.  I bought the bold outright and hopefully att will do something about it later.

[guandalf ACE - Wizard]

Once I confrim we have a class action case. Do any people in this thread still have copies of their SLOG DUMPS? It can be found in the my device/temp folder. Please keep those files as we may have to use them. thanks

[sokhaty]

dmills59 got lucky to speak with a Tier-3 tech.

I just got off the phone with Samsung support. Tier-1 person on the other end pretend that they know nothing of the issue.

The only recommendation given was to hard reset the device, do not install any apps on it and call again if the issue reappears.

I offered them to send in RIL* log files, but they apparently a) not interested, and b) don't have a ability to collect any diagnostic info from a troubled phone device.

[dmills59]

I just sent follow-up email to Tier 3, which had told me earlier they would get back to me quickly but have not yet.  Let's see if he gets back to me soon, and maybe we'll have an answer.  Otherwise, I'm so frustrated at this point I'll happily join the class action.

[asnrugrat]

guandalf,  

FYI, I saved the RIL messages from the folder that you mentioned after reading your post.

[guandalf ACE - Wizard]

For those of you who do a hard reset. Please save the SLOG DUMP file first , found in the My device/temp folder. Actually, there is no need to a hard reset like Samsung suggested in one of the above of posts. Not installing any apps will not help either. The problem is with the ROM. This is clear from the log file.

[guandalf ACE - Wizard]

I had another SLOG DUMP today. I am speaking to a few attornies. I am hoping by mid next week to have an answer from one of them and see what (and if) we can do about the SLOG DUMP issue, as well as, other recurring bugs. Please spread the word around among Epix users and encourage them to get on this forum and share their experience regarding this issue.

[megatron_epix]

I have experienced this four times since I got my phone (11/14, 11/26, 12/09, 1/22).  I have tried to remember to turn my phone off and then back on every couple of days or so based on advice in this thread, but obviously I have forgotten a couple of times and it is sad that one would have to do this in the first place.

I have all four log files and is it just coincidence that they are all exactly 311.3 Kb?  Is it a problem with some buffer getting full or file size limit???  Or does the forced dump always create files of the same size?

[guandalf ACE - Wizard]

It is hard to say what the real problem is as the file that is being generated is a memory dump and not a log file. If you read the file.. towards the end you can see however that it says a fatal error has occured. I promise to update this thread next week when I get some responses from attorneys i contacted. I wonder if there are Epix owners out there who have never experienced a SLOG DUMP

[asnrugrat]

guandalf,

Someone posted on this thread that they don't have this problem. The post is on page 2 by rbobo.

[guandalf ACE - Wizard]

yeah i saw that. It was 5 months ago. I dont know if he turns his phone off and on frequently. I myself went through 2 Epix's and both had them Others on this thread who went through more than one have it too. I am going to try to pm him to see if he experienced it. I still believe all Epix are experiencing this, and if not all, most definitely do.

[dmills59]

FYI I called my local AT&T store, from which I bought two Epix (mine and my wife's), both of which have had this problem.  The assistant manager told me they would be willing to swap for a different model for the difference in price.  So I plan to work with him next week to pick out another suitable model that meets my needs.  If there isn't one, my expectation would be that AT&T would make it right by excusing me from my service commitment so I can buy a device I like from another provider.

Having said the above, I'll reply again next week to this thread to confirm whether or not AT&T has made it right for me. Apart from the inconvenience of dealing with this matter, and perhaps a few lost calls, at this point I will consider myself happy and my problems resolved if and when AT&T resolves the matter to my satisfaction. 

It's a shame that neither AT&T nor Samsung Technical Support has done anything to help us, let alone even give us a status for this.  No electronic device or software is perfect, but if this one continues to be this buggy and unsupported then it deserves to be pulled off the market until it's fixed.  Too bad, because this was my favoriute "form factor" of all the phones I researched (due to size, keyboard and layout).

If AT&T resolves my problem this week by refunding and doing whetever else it takes to avoid further disruption to my life, then I suppose that my participation in the Class Action would be moot.  But if they fail to come through, then count me in. 

On a personal note, being of non-litigeous nature, I hope that AT&T does the right thing and we can avoid a suit.  But if not, then there is no other choice.