Instinct (1st generation) unresponsive and frozen on startup

I've had my Instinct (first generation, Solar Tactical version) since September 2020 or so and been using it up until recently, when it proceeded to begin having extreme connection issues with my (at the time, Android) phone. I stopped using it for a couple months or so while switching phones/carriers and then found that it completely freezes on the Garmin logo boot screen with no response to any inputs (save the holding of CTRL/Light/Power for ~20-30 s). At first I thought this was due to extreme battery depletion, thinking I had run it deader than dead, but multiple charge attempts disprove that theory.

In the past day or so, I have found that it will slowly "boot up" (over the course of 8-12 hours), but remain frozen at all steps in the process:

Garmin logo screen, backlight OFF
100% charging screen, backlight ON
Default time screen, "1544 Zulu", frozen, backlight ON
Same screen as #3, backlight OFF

No matter what level of "progress" I've been on, it is entirely unresponsive and turning it off via CTRL/Light means I now restart the process from square one. I've left it connected to one of the root ports on my PC for multiple days and can confirm it does not progress past #4 in the list no matter how long the timescales involved are.

I've tried almost everything I can find online about hard resets of this device. Both the main and the secondary master reset routes refuse to do anything - the watch will power down, but CTRL/Light fails to turn it on. Connecting it to the computer allows it to charge, but once it boots, it identifies as an "unknown or malfunctioning USB device" so there's no possibility of forcing a software update from the PC side. Changing the charger has no impact, as I've tried both PC ports and wall chargers. As far as device condition, aside from the sparing freshwater swim and occasional sweaty hike, the watch is pristine.

Have found a few reports of similar issues with Instincts on the r/Garmin subreddit - here's one where the user successfully debugged the issue using a complicated reset method given to them by support, but I have no idea what such a method would be. I tried emailing Garmin support on the issue, but it's been 4-5 days and they still have not given me any sort of response. Has anyone had a similar issue with their Instinct, or could help me find out additional methods to try?

0 trux over 2 years ago

There several different ways to make the reset. Have a look for example at the following links for some tips:

0 7937830 over 2 years ago in reply to trux

Thanks, but a) neither of those are specific to the Instinct, and b) as mentioned in the original post already, I have already tried the Primary Master Reset and Secondary Master Reset methods (as published by Garmin support) to no avail.

Nonetheless, I tried both methods. The watch does not respond to either.

0 trux over 2 years ago in reply to 7937830

Try starting the watch in the diagnostic mode (also called Test Mode), power it on while holding the ABC button, and see whether it shows anything. If not, then the watch is probably bricked, or dead, and you'll need to contact the Support for further assistance or exchange. Calling them or chatting may get you a quicker answer than the email.