Adding my two cents here. Tbh, I've dealt with so many of these HTC One S units back in the day and they can be real stubborn once they start looping. The reliability of those physical switches after 3 years is usually the main issue. - **Hardware Wear**: The actual components behind the plastic covers tend to sink. I mean... if the contact isn't perfect, the bootloader menu won't trigger. I once had to use a thin tool just to get a solid click on the internal board because the external plastic wasn't reaching. - **Thermal issues**: If the device is getting hot while looping, it'll often skip the diagnostic menu as a safety precaution. Let it cool down completely—wait no, like put it in front of a fan for 10 mins before trying again. - **USB Connection**: Sometimes, plugging it into a PC while trying the hardware combo helps stabilize the power draw. Well actually, if the PC recognizes it as 'QHSUSB_DLOAD', it basically means the internal storage has reached its end-of-life. Honestly, if ur looking to save data, it's a tough spot. From my experience, once the stock OS starts looping like this, the file system is usually too corrupted to mount without a full wipe. Reliability-wise, these older eMMC chips just eventually give out.

To hard reset an HTC One S, follow these steps:

1. Power off your phone completely
2. Press and hold the Volume Down button, then press and hold the Power button
3. When the phone vibrates, release the Power button but continue holding Volume Down
4. In the bootloader screen, use Volume Down to navigate to "FACTORY RESET" or "Clear storage"
5. Press Power button to select it
6. Select "Yes" to confirm the reset
7. The phone will reset and restart automatically

Note that a hard reset will erase all data on your phone, including apps, messages, contacts, and photos that aren't backed up.

A hard reset usually wipes data. Try holding power+volume down for 15-20 seconds. If that fails, XDA Forums might have specific HTC ONE S unbricking guides for data recovery, though it\'s tricky with a locked bootloader. Good luck!