Re: Factory reset - the what, why, and how for Gingerbread
Wildman
Legend

@buttonpusher

The menu has changed and you have to open contact info and then select left Menu and Options and you should see the option for the custom ringers for the contact.

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Re: Factory reset - the what, why, and how for Gingerbread
artj
Enthusiast - Level 3

Anyone use AppBrain? I wonder if that could be used to quickly or easily re-install apps after a factory reset.

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Re: Factory reset - the what, why, and how for Gingerbread
copyeditrix
Newbie

I can't tell whether my phone is on or off. It's just black. But neither reset option has done anything at all. It looks like it's off, but it was on and stopped at the graphics screen before this.

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Re: Factory reset - the what, why, and how for Gingerbread
Cody21
Master - Level 2

@artj - "Anyone use AppBrain? I wonder if that could be used to quickly or easily re-install apps after a factory reset."

 

Yes - I do ... it does NOT keep track of your free apps you have installed .. you need to make a "list" before the F.R. -- or use some other APP ($) that backs up everything...

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Re: Factory reset - the what, why, and how for Gingerbread
Wildman
Legend

copyeditrix wrote:

I can't tell whether my phone is on or off. It's just black. But neither reset option has done anything at all. It looks like it's off, but it was on and stopped at the graphics screen before this.


Check out this..

 

Android version 2.3 (Gingerbread)

  1. Power the device off.
    Note Press and hold the Power button then select Power off.
    Note If the device isn't responding to input, remove / replace the battery.
  2. Press and hold the Home key then power the device on.
    Note Press the Power button while holding Home.
    Home key
    Power button
  3. From the Android Recovery screen, press Volume Up / Down simultaneously.
    Volume
  4. Select wipe data / factory reset then press the Power button.
    wipe data / factory reset
  5. Select Yes -- delete all user data then press the Power button.
    Note Reset process to may take approximately 1 minute.
    Yes -- delete all user data
  6. Ensure reboot system now is selected then press the Power button.
    reboot system now

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Re: Factory reset - the what, why, and how for Gingerbread
danwat1234
Newbie


the Storage-->Erase SD card

or

privacy-->Factory data reset-->Erase SD card checkbox


Neither button wipes the SD card (The external memory card).

It doesn't take any more time for it to 'erase' a full 8GB SD card versus a nearly empty 1GB SD card.


I plug the 'erased' card into my computer, and it has done the equivalent of a format. The partition on the SD card is nearly empty except for a few default folders that the phone created.


I load up my recovery software called "Recover My Files" and do a full scan and it finds all the files that were on the card and I'm able to copy them off to a folder on my computer's hard drive.


Erase? Nope. Wipe? Nope. But perhaps the factory data reset does wipe the internal phone flash memory, though I'm guessing not since it does it in 1 minute or less. I'm sure it's not a DoD 5220.22 government level wipe at any rate.


So before you give away your SD cards, use "KilDisk" or similar to really wipe the card! Doing "Erase SD card" on the phone does nothing to destroy the data on the card.



And beware that the new owner of your phone might root it and then possibly use recovery software to recover some of the data that was on the phone when you owned it!


This is with a Google G2, Android 2.3.4. Perhaps Android 4.0/4.1 actually wipes, who knows.

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