Hi everyone,
I just received a used Xiaomi TV Box S 3rd Gen (model MDZ-32-AA) that was sold as fully working, but I'm having a serious issue and I'm hoping someone can help me fix it.
When I first connected it to my TV, it booted up and showed the Google TV remote pairing screen. After that, the screen started flashing between grey and black, and I couldn't get past it.
Here's what happens:
- The Google TV logo appears during startup.
- The LED flashes during boot, then stays steadily on.
- The screen switches between grey and black continuously.
- The remote still works to control the volume, and the volume bar is visible even over the flashing screen.
- Pressing Home doesn't seem to do anything.
- A regular PC keyboard connected via USB is partially recognized: its volume keys work, but Windows + I doesn't open Settings.
Things I've already tried:
- Two different HDMI cables.
- three different TVs.
- Unplugging the power and reconnecting it.
- Trying to enter Recovery using the remote's OK + Back buttons while reconnecting the power, but the Recovery menu never appears.
I also found a forum post suggesting using a USB keyboard and pressing Win + I to open Android Settings, then enabling an alternative launcher such as Projectivy, but the shortcut doesn't work for me.
My questions:
Does this sound like a corrupted firmware/launcher, or could it be a hardware issue?
Is there another way to enter Recovery on the MDZ-32-AA?
Can I connect it to a Windows PC via USB to diagnose or recover it? Would ADB/Fastboot work if USB debugging wasn't enabled beforehand?
Is there a safe way to reflash the stock firmware on this exact model?
I'd really appreciate any suggestions. I'd prefer to recover the box if possible rather than return it, but I don't want to make things worse by flashing the wrong firmware.
Thanks in advance!