Honestly, its a bit disappointing to see another m100 acting up like this. I have been using Palm OS devices since the Pilot 5000 days and unfortunately, the m100 series always felt a bit more prone to these sudden deaths than the higher-end models. Based on my technical analysis of similar hardware failures, if a soft reset results in a blank screen, the logic board might be failing or the internal capacitor for the memory is shot. I had a similar issue where even a hard reset wouldnt revive the screen because the internal components were just too far gone. Since you mentioned important contacts, I have to ask: when was the last time you successfully performed a HotSync to a desktop? Also, are you using fresh alkaline batteries or rechargeable ones, as the voltage drop on rechargeables can sometimes cause the OS to hang during a boot cycle?

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To hard reset a Palm m100, follow these steps:

1. Turn off the device
2. Press and hold the power button
3. While holding the power button, use a paperclip or stylus to press the reset button on the back of the device
4. Continue holding both for about 10 seconds
5. Release the reset button first, then the power button
6. The device should restart

Note that this will delete all data on the device, so make sure you've synchronized any important information before performing a hard reset.