Root Clockwork MOD Data Wipe Freezing

try updating CWM from ROM manager, if it even recognizes your phone. If not a battery pull and retry should be done to see if you could recreate the issue. Post your results

Same issue, but I had not rooted yet. Able to flash CWM 2.5.1.8 no problem and did a nandroid immediately, with no issue. Then went start wiping data to flash playful mod (which has root embedded if I read right) and it's been stuck at formatting cache for 30+ minutes. Pulled the battery and tried again...stuck at formatting cache again.

Hi...you can flash a recovery without rooting, I've done it on several other phones but not the Ascend yet (this is the next phone I'm experimenting with rooting/ROM'ing). I followed the instructions on the sticky, which pushed it through ADB. Though now I'm having other issues. So it was stuck in the same spot you were, I pulled the battery, waited, tried again. Same thing. So, I thought I'd try just rebooting normally. Worked OK...back to the home screen to setup a brand new phone. So I went back into recovery to flash the nandroid backup I did right after installing the recovery. Went through relstoring all the system data then got to restoring cache and...stuck...just like when I was trying to wipe the phone! I'm letting it go longer this time since the nandroid backup took a long time to complete also, but it's been stuck at restoring cache for about 30 minutes now...

I'll mess around with it more and post what happens.

***EDIT***
After about an hour or more of trying to restore off the nandroid I made, I pulled the battery, reinstalled, then normal rebooted. Luckily, the nandroid took and the phone is like it was before I factory reset it...so far. I'll have to look a bit more about the CWM from ROM Manager because I thought I read that this phone won't like the most current version that you can flash from ROM Manager (hence using 2.5.1.8 provided in this forum). However, after rebooting, I went ahead and rooted with Gingerbreak 1.2 with no issues, so at least it's rooted.

Try flashing the 3.0.2.4 version of CWM from this thread:

http://androidforums.com/huawei-ascend/419028-handy-ascend-download-links.html

That one was done with the ability to also backup the SD-EXT partition if you have it, and I have had the best luck with it on my old Ascend, not a single problem, whereas I had issues with the 3.0.0.5 version.

Thanks Blast GT1! I'll give that a shot.

**UPDATE**
Easily flashed to 3.0.2.4 and went to make a nandroid backup. Everything was going fine until it hit the backing up cache portion. It's been stuck backing up cache for a bit now, at least longer than I remember backing up cache should take. Oie...

Well it finally finished backing up cache but said:
E: error in /cache/recovery/log (bad file number)
E: error in /cache/recovery/last_log
(no space left on device)

I thought it backed up to the SD card?

**UPDATE**

Found a fix buried in a forum for the HTC Desire. In CWM, data wipe/factory reset. Then wipe cache. Then wipe Dalvik Cache. Then reboot to recovery.

The missing step was reboot to recovery...previously after wiping I just tried flashing a nandroid or the ROM and it gave the errors. Rebooting to recovery (an option in CWM) after wiping everything seemed to fix it. Was then able to flash a nandroid backup then flash PlayfulModz ROM without problem.

Hopes this helps others.