Google Nexus 7 (2013).
Downloaded the new OS, Lollipop 5.0.2, and lost WiFi capability.
With Google Support, and after a second and torturous 1.15 hours, I restored to factory defaults.
Since it reloads the same badly flawed OS, WiFi is still inaccessible.

Even with a cable to my laptop, I cannot get beyond the connect to WiFi page.
I'm not very familiar w/this device, but as far as I know, I can't access anything.

We (Google Support) assume that Google will decide to send me a new tablet.
Even though I can't see or access anything, I assume somebody else can.

(Backed up before restoring, for whatever good that does.)
Can I access my data (Google Cloud?). Do I want or need it?
How do I remove my personal data?

Logically, if I can't connect via my laptop, I don't see how I can do anything.
What I really want is assurance that my private data is or can be wiped - or somebody's going to incinerate my N7.

I obviously have a lot to learn about tablets, but not now.
Jay - how was your Lollipop experience?

Thank you.

I have no experience with the Nexus tablet or the Google OS, but if you restored to factory default, there is no personal data on the device. Google Cloud is your data on the Google servers, accessed by logging in with your Google account. It may sync to the device, but if the device has been restored to factory and you cannot access the Internet, then you cannot access your data from the device. You should be able to access your data from any device: https://drive.google.com/#my-drive
I also don't see how connecting via a cable between your laptop and the tablet (what kind of cable? A USB cable, I assume) has anything to do with WiFi. WiFi is wireless networking and is a completely different interface. Assuming you connect to the laptop with a USB cable, this would provide power to charge the Nexus battery at the very least and may allow you to view the file system from the laptop.
-steve

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stephen boots
Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020
"Life's always an adventure with computers!"

I have had no 'Lollipop' experience. My 8 inch Android runs Jellybean and my 10 inch runs Kit Kat.

I have had no issues in either case but then I have not tried to 'root' either system to another version of Android... if I'm using the word 'root' correctly... If something is working I don't mess with it just like I don't update device drivers on my PC's unless the update addresses an issue that I experience.

Like I've said MANY times... Don't fix what isn't broken.

<edit>
A note to Steve... I can't say that the following is 100% correct but then I haven't tried to modify, just used as intended.

It is not totally true that a return to factory on an Android tablet removes ALL data. A return to factory, or reset, just removes account info and later installed apps.

If running only from the internal storage a reset MAY remove data but if using an added micro SD card I do not believe this to be true. Any data stored on the added SD card would still be intact. After resetting the tablet you would then need to erase the added SD card.

Even if only using internal storage you MAY still have to erase the internal SD card. On both of my Androids it appears that storage, whether internal or an added card, is considered to be SD. To get rid of ALL data it is likely that an erase of the internal memory would also be needed.

In this case, even though I believe that warranty conditions may have been broken, it would seem that a new tablet is going to be issued. If there was critical private data on the thing I'd use the hammer approach to erase. If there is not critical info I'd just trash the thing.

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Jay,

I didn't make any modifications.
When I got the notice to update, I figured there were security and improvement reasons to update. I thought I did what a responsible device owner does. After the crash, I learned about the rollout of the new OS.

Stephen,

I thought factory default was the skeleton without the meat on it.
It seems I don't even have a skeleton.

Considering that this was my first tablet, and I didn't know where the power button was or that it had a front-facing camera, I thought maybe there are ways to bring up information on the device that isn't accessed by opening an app, like setup instructions.

I have a gmail account by virtue of owning and using a Google device, but wanted to know if my old settings (backed up) in the Cloud would be of any value to the new tablet not yet in my possession.

I asked Google Support if I could use NFC or a (USB) cable to transfer my book files to the tablet.
Since he had directed my return to factory default, he knew the state of my tablet when he told me that I could.
I have ADE and Overdrive on laptop, which I thought should make the transfer easy.

I'm glad the tablet is empty, but as I said in the beginning, I thought the programs were on it, without personalization.

Thank you.

Jay,

I like your interpretation of factory default, as it's mine.
Why can't I access anything on the device itself, then, other than a WiFi page, which isn't going to connect no matter what I do? I can't move forward or back from that page.

My personal stuff on the N7 stuff isn't critical, just personal. I don't mind the hammer approach, as long as it's my hammer. I would probably keep the screen and battery, no?
I thought I would have to send it back.

What makes you say warranty conditions are broken?
What is it that you think I've been doing? I use the thing as a glorified eReader.

Thank you.

I would think that attempting to load a different OS would violate the warranty. Of course I can't be sure of that.

I would guess that you are stuck on the one page due to the OS not being properly or fully installed. Think of it like a Windows PC with only the log on screen loaded and the rest of Windows is missing. You might possibly get to the log on screen but you are not going anywhere.

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I wanted to revert to KitKat. (I am not an outlaw.)

I updated it Friday and only used it to read. I read again on Saturday.
On Sunday, I thought I would find out what happened.
I checked settings to learn what OS I had after I got online, which was before I called Google and reset to factory.
Would the settings have shown I was operating 5.0.2 if it hadn't downloaded properly?

The N7 only shows the WiFi page since it was reset to factory.
Prior to that, I was getting connection errors on Firefox and Orweb. I got onto Chrome at whatever was the last page I was on, but I didn't do any online activity.

Lollipop 5.0 rolled out in mid-October. Some people had been complaining about losing access and somebody attributed it to WEP security. Tech said 5.0.2 just released. No word from GOO since mid-October.

Thank you.

LOL! I know that you are not an outlaw.

I guess that I missed something. I thought that it had been down since upgrading the OS. If you were able to use it for a while I have doubt that the OS upgrade is the cause.

I don't know that you could revert back to Kit Kat with success. I know that you could not do it in Windows without wiping the drive. Remember that I am also rather new to the world of mobile. Unless there is another 'return to factory' that I have not found I think that it is really more of an OS reset and would just take you back to Lollipop with nothing extra installed and all passwords and history gone. I could be wrong on this. I ran in to an issue on my 8" tablet where I lost Google Play, it would not work. I finally got it by re-setting the system and then re-installing Google Play but found very little on searches involving returning to factory condition.

Am I correct that the wireless page is the ONLY available page, you can not navigate to anything else? What happens if you select a connection? If you can at least get to other settings you could go to the storage settings and choose to erase the SD. That along with a system reset SHOULD pretty well get rid of your personal data.

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Support said I cannot downgrade to an earlier OS. Jay, the only thing I accessed was the book I had already downloaded. You don't have to be connected if you have the book on the OverDrive app. Too coincidental that I lost functionality - and Nexus forum is full of people who lost use of tablet.

Yes, it should be now (in my opinion) that factory reset would bring me back to a wiped 5.0.2, but the only thing that I can access is the wireless page. When I press connect - or forget - or enter, enter, enter, I get the same errors I got before the reset, which is authenticating, saved, authentication problems. I also lost Play (common complaint) but I think I updated KitKat to get it back.

There is something accomplished by holding power/volume, but I don't know what.

You are correct in that I wrote two or three times that the ONLY PAGE visible on the tablet is WiFi. Welcome - Select WiFi. Can't connect, can't proceed.

That is the official line from Google but it is possible, why else would Google offer up Factory Images of previous builds for download
https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images

Other than saying the steps taken to roll-back to an earlier Android release is overly cumbersome in the link above, it still isn't for the faint-hearted when done with third-party software.

BE AWARE! I can't stress enough that if you get it wrong, you WILL lose any warranty you might have!!

I won't offer up any advice on to how to roll-back to an earlier version on a Google Nexus 7 2013 because i've only done it once myself due to the OS being corrupt straight from the factory... i didn't want to wait while a replacement was sent out so i did it myself.

After lots of reading and research, it was a pretty easy process... however the software i used back then has moved on a lot and i no longer know if it's the best option so i won't mention it here.

It is possible though.

You might have better luck finding the instructions you need in a dedicated Android forum.

Good luck.

I was on that forum and I saw the downloads to which you are referring, but images of old builds is like giving me an architects rendering and telling me to fix my master bath.

I asked Google Support for a more experienced tech after he told me he'd only been working for a few months. I have very little experience w/these devices. I work on my office laptop, which is mostly trouble free and I really wanted to stop troubleshooting - especially on a weekend.

It's not under warranty, as far as I know, but after downloading their OS and Support knowing when and where I bought my device, and telling me they will replace it, it seems to be the way to go. Especially since it's Wednesday already.

Thanks for reminding me to write back Support - now.
We shall see. Thank you.