Sorry, noob question. With the new 2.3 ROMs, I've been seeing "factory reset" a lot. Could someone clarify exactly what gets wiped? I know when you flash a new ROM it wipes all the apps and stuff, but I don't want to lose my photos. Usually, that hasn't been the case. Will "factory reset" delete data such as photos? Thanks!
well you could transfer your photos to your pc .
sam-san said:
Sorry, noob question. With the new 2.3 ROMs, I've been seeing "factory reset" a lot. Could someone clarify exactly what gets wiped? I know when you flash a new ROM it wipes all the apps and stuff, but I don't want to lose my photos. Usually, that hasn't been the case. Will "factory reset" delete data such as photos? Thanks!
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No factory reset only deletes your apps and google account credentials, cache etc. Photos are not deleted. I'd recommend periodic backups though since you never know what may happen.
When you do a factory reset, all of your apps, data, settings, etc, will get wiped. The stuff on your internal and external storage stays intact. That means photos, music, documents, or anything you've stored on your sd cards.
If you're gonna be dealing with Gingerbread ROMs, I recommend you back up your storage anyway. There's still a chance that your internal storage gets wiped. It happened to me today after a bad flash with a GB ROM and a visit to doctor Odin, but I had my important files backed up on my PC. The external sd card should never have this problem, though.
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First, ....... Is factory reset the same as factory data reset. Second, in that same screen is ''automatic restore". What exactly does that do. I read the little sentence it says below it, but it's not clear to me. And lastly, if I do a factory reset, will I loose all my apps. I have a few costly ones. One in particular is slingplayer ( 30-35 bucks). thanks people.
I will answer your last question since I have sling player from the market too. No, the play store remembers your purchase. It is recorded against your logon credentials.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda app-developers app
Factory (data) reset means your phone will be wiped of all user data' and the internal sd card is formatted.
Apps, passwords, icons, ringtones, etc. will be replaced with whatever is stock for that rom version.
If you accidentally deleted a system app, factory reset can't repair it. You would have to flash the rom again.
rangercaptain said:
Factory (data) reset means your phone will be wiped of all user data' and the internal sd card is formatted.
Apps, passwords, icons, ringtones, etc. will be replaced with whatever is stock for that rom version.
If you accidentally deleted a system app, factory reset can't repair it. You would have to flash the rom again.
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What if I saved what ever I could to the sd card and then pulled the sd card out of the phone before I did the factory reset. Am I thinking logically??? do people do this???
The factory reset doesn't mess with the external sd card, so anything you move there is safe.
A friend of mine had her phone stolen, so I loaned her my old rooted Rezound. I had wiped, factory resetted a million times, both in recovery, and through the phone settings. There were no images, no pictures, no files at all on the phone. When she logged in and set it up, my pictures came up in her VZ Backup files. How did this happen?
tmettler5 said:
A friend of mine had her phone stolen, so I loaned her my old rooted Rezound. I had wiped, factory resetted a million times, both in recovery, and through the phone settings. There were no images, no pictures, no files at all on the phone. When she logged in and set it up, my pictures came up in her VZ Backup files. How did this happen?
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Did you wipe the internal SD Card also?
mjones73 said:
Did you wipe the internal SD Card also?
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tmettler5 said:
both in recovery, and through the phone settings. There were no images, no pictures, no files at all on the phone.
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Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda app-developers app
Factory resetting doesn't clear the internal storage nor the SD Card. Depending on how OP wiped the phone, it may have been missed also. You have to specifically format both of those. I was asking if the OP did just that.
mjones73 said:
Factory resetting doesn't clear the internal storage nor the SD Card. Depending on how OP wiped the phone, it may have been missed also. You have to specifically format both of those. I was asking if the OP did just that.
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I did not specifically do that, no.
tmettler5 said:
I did not specifically do that, no.
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oh well dude. you said no files were on the phone, if you had deleted the pictures from both sd cards and still did a factory reset than all pictures should be gone
when you said "There were no images, no pictures, no files at all on the phone." i thought you had either did a factory reset than cleared the sd cards in recovery or manually cleared the sd cards than factory reset
sorry for the confusion there @mjones73
bunchies said:
oh well dude. you said no files were on the phone, if you had deleted the pictures from both sd cards and still did a factory reset than all pictures should be gone
when you said "There were no images, no pictures, no files at all on the phone." i thought you had either did a factory reset than cleared the sd cards in recovery or manually cleared the sd cards than factory reset
sorry for the confusion there @mjones73
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I did do a complete factory reset, both from recovery and through settings several times. In fact, when I flash ROMs I wipe data and cache three times just to be sure. I went to gallery--no images. In file manager there were no files found. Since factory reset and wiping data says it will wipe ALL data, I didn't think I needed to specifically wipe internal SD storage. I assumed that was done on the factory reset and data wipe. I did not include an external sd card with the phone, either. They didn't pop up until she set up VZ Backup. Some of them were pictures I had taken, some were attachments from emails, I am just curious how my pictures showed up with her VZ Backup. It makes me wonder...
Lesson is when you reset a phone to loan to someone, give away, sell, or donate, probably a good idea to make sure it is squeaky clean...
tmettler5 said:
I did do a complete factory reset, both from recovery and through settings several times. In fact, when I flash ROMs I wipe data and cache three times just to be sure. I went to gallery--no images. In file manager there were no files found. Since factory reset and wiping data says it will wipe ALL data, I didn't think I needed to specifically wipe internal SD storage. I assumed that was done on the factory reset and data wipe. I did not include an external sd card with the phone, either. They didn't pop up until she set up VZ Backup. Some of them were pictures I had taken, some were attachments from emails, I am just curious how my pictures showed up with her VZ Backup. It makes me wonder...
Lesson is when you reset a phone to loan to someone, give away, sell, or donate, probably a good idea to make sure it is squeaky clean...
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the photos are probably from the internal sd or vz backup backed up some without you realizing it.
Sorry if this is quite a noobish question, but I'm a bit confused after not doing this for a while. On my Note, I used to wipe and flash new roms all the time. I haven't yet done that with my M8 so it's been quite a while. I remember when I used to factory reset, I'd always still have my pictures and music (all I really care about). Now I'm reading up on it and it's telling me everything gets wiped, unless on my SD card.
Well, I didn't use to keep everything on my SD card. I know I have pictures and music stored on both. Will my media on my phone's storage get wiped?
Factory reset just wipes /data partition. Internal storage should be left intact. There might be some variation based on where you do your wipes: recovery, within OS, or hboot (wipe from hboot not recommended on modded phones). But I believe for the most part, its as I mentioned (/data gets wiped, probably cache as well, internal storage is left untouched). In TWRP, it specially states that factory reset wipes /data, cache, and Dalvik (which resides on the /data partition anyways); and that "most of the time this is the only wipe that you need."
Default save locations for TWRP and Titanium Backup are internal storage (although you can change it to the removable SD). So it would be self-defeating if a factory reset then wiped those backups from internal storage.
But you should always back your personal data anyway (especially memories like pics and videos you took). Lots of ways to do so, from automated clouds solutions; or just plug your phone to your computer, then drag and drop. Its not unheard of that internal storage gets corrupted when wiping or flashing a ROM, or just from day to day use for that matter. Back it up, and avoid regret.
redpoint73 said:
Factory reset just wipes /data partition. Internal storage should be left intact. There might be some variation based on where you do your wipes: recovery, within OS, or hboot (wipe from hboot not recommended on modded phones). But I believe for the most part, its as I mentioned (/data gets wiped, probably cache as well, internal storage is left untouched). In TWRP, it specially states that factory reset wipes /data, cache, and Dalvik (which resides on the /data partition anyways); and that "most of the time this is the only wipe that you need."
Default save locations for TWRP and Titanium Backup are internal storage (although you can change it to the removable SD). So it would be self-defeating if a factory reset then wiped those backups from internal storage.
But you should always back your personal data anyway (especially memories like pics and videos you took). Lots of ways to do so, from automated clouds solutions; or just plug your phone to your computer, then drag and drop. Its not unheard of that internal storage gets corrupted when wiping or flashing a ROM, or just from day to day use for that matter. Back it up, and avoid regret.
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That's what I thought. And I'd always used TWRP or CWM before, and this always left my SD card and internal storage intact. Now, however, I'm fully stock and would be doing this through the OS, so I wasn't sure if this operated differently. I see many articles stating it wipes everything. So I just want to verify that the OS factory reset functions just the same as the TWRP reset and will leave my media intact. I will of course back everything up, but I'd rather install TWRP and reset that way if the OS reset would wipe everything completely. (If I remember correctly on my Note, there is a separate 'format drive' button used to actually wipe internal and external media).
If anyone could just confirm once again before I proceed. BTW, thanks a lot redpoint, you're always a huge help on here.
I couldn't say with any certainty how the reset in OS settings works. Especially since it doesn't even say "factory reset" anymore (which was always a bit of a misnomer, anyway) but now says Reset phone Reset all data on phone. I have to say, it does sound a bit ominous!
After owning 6 Android devices, I've done a factory/data reset in OS a total of none times.
I think this explains it pretty well, looks like it gives you the option to erase sd card after you start: http://www.htc.com/us/support/htc-one-m8/howto/465049.html
Sorry guys, guess if I tried it I could've answered my own question. The HTC version actually specifically tells you what it's going to erase and then gives you the option for wiping internal storage and SD card.
cgibsong002 said:
Sorry guys, guess if I tried it I could've answered my own question. The HTC version actually specifically tells you what it's going to erase and then gives you the option for wiping internal storage and SD card.
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Good to know, as I believe this has changed over time. On some previous HTC devices, I believe factory reset in settings just wiped user data, and didn't give the mentioned options to wipe internal storage and removable MicroSD. So it seems they made it work the way it should work.
Well, I thought everything went smoothly. Thought I backed up everything I needed. Turns out I can't find any of my contacts from the past year or so. Any ideas?? I know I had basically everything syncing before. I reloaded my google account, my HTC account (sync is greyed out), ATT Address book. There's a million things used to back up, I don't understand how my contacts could disappear.
cgibsong002 said:
Well, I thought everything went smoothly. Thought I backed up everything I needed. Turns out I can't find any of my contacts from the past year or so. Any ideas?? I know I had basically everything syncing before. I reloaded my google account, my HTC account (sync is greyed out), ATT Address book. There's a million things used to back up, I don't understand how my contacts could disappear.
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Did you have all your contacts backed up to Gmail?
redpoint73 said:
Did you have all your contacts backed up to Gmail?
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I was under the impression I did, but they're not there. What about the HTC backup? I thought that's why I signed up for an HTC account. And then the ATT Address book. I can't find anything
cgibsong002 said:
I was under the impression I did, but they're not there. What about the HTC backup? I thought that's why I signed up for an HTC account. And then the ATT Address book. I can't find anything
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I've only ever used Gmail for backing up contacts, so sorry I can't really help as far as the HTC Backup or ATT Address Book.
So I just updated to 5.0 and I need to do a factory reset.. some things are a bit buggy. However, it appears the reset options have changed. It now specifically states it will erase all media including photos and music from your internal storage. Before proceeding, it gives another warming that all media will be erased. Can anyone confirm pictures and music are actually deleted? I don't think I've ever done a factory reset that erased my stuff like that.
Edit: so yeah Lollipop does a full wipe. New thread to figure out best way around this.
I generally just wipe the data, cache and dalvik then flash the ROM. I have seen in a few threads to also wipe internal and SD. My question is what is getting wiped if I did do internal and SD. I've never done this before and wanted to ask before I did something I might regret later lol. Thanks.
Edde3d said:
I generally just wipe the data, cache and dalvik then flash the ROM. I have seen in a few threads to also wipe internal and SD. My question is what is getting wiped if I did do internal and SD. I've never done this before and wanted to ask before I did something I might regret later lol. Thanks.
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Anything you keep on your internal SD card...like pictures/music/documents. I would recommend not doing this at all. If you keep a ROM or other flashable zips in these locations and wipe them before you flash them, they'll disappear. It is kind of like formatting.
RMarkwald said:
Anything you keep on your internal SD card...like pictures/music/documents. I would recommend not doing this at all. If you keep a ROM or other flashable zips in these locations and wipe them before you flash them, they'll disappear. It is kind of like formatting.
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wiping internal clears out everything. meaning you wont be able to reboot into the OS from recovery unless you have a rom on your external SDS to flash before rebooting. I would recommend it unless you know what you are doing and want to start fresh.
08BajaBoy said:
wiping internal clears out everything. meaning you wont be able to reboot into the OS from recovery unless you have a rom on your external SDS to flash before rebooting. I would recommend it unless you know what you are doing and want to start fresh.
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Wiping internal is wiping the internal sd card . . . so as the first person said, you'd lose all the pictures/movies/etc. one may have in their sd card...
Edde3d said:
I generally just wipe the data, cache and dalvik then flash the ROM. I have seen in a few threads to also wipe internal and SD. My question is what is getting wiped if I did do internal and SD. I've never done this before and wanted to ask before I did something I might regret later lol. Thanks.
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i wipe internal storage on every clean flash. if you get in the habit of using auto backup apps like g+ for pics, and move anything useful from downloads to the sd card as you get it, its really no haste to wipe it. i also have titanium do full backups every night while im sleeping, for system and app data.
im sure some people wil say they havent wiped it in 10 years and never have an issue. i can tell you, i dont have a fraction of the random issues most people have that arent known bugs.
08BajaBoy said:
wiping internal clears out everything. meaning you wont be able to reboot into the OS from recovery unless you have a rom on your external SDS to flash before rebooting. I would recommend it unless you know what you are doing and want to start fresh.
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i have never tried it, but im pretty sure thats not accurate.
wiping internal storage should be nothing more than an advanced data wipe. instead of only deleting user data, you are deleting system data too. but you arent wiping any system files, so the system data should rebuild on boot.
bweN diorD said:
i wipe internal storage on every clean flash. if you get in the habit of using auto backup apps like g+ for pics, and move anything useful from downloads to the sd card as you get it, its really no haste to wipe it. i also have titanium do full backups every night while im sleeping, for system and app data.
im sure some people wil say they havent wiped it in 10 years and never have an issue. i can tell you, i dont have a fraction of the random issues most people have that arent known bugs.
i have never tried it, but im pretty sure thats not accurate.
wiping internal storage should be nothing more than an advanced data wipe. instead of only deleting user data, you are deleting system data too. but you arent wiping any system files, so the system data should rebuild on boot.
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you probably are correct. I only replied because I recent had an experience with it. I passed my G2 on to a friend. I offered to load up what ever ROM he wanted and he chose CM12. I got it all loaded up and working fine. Then I decided to go back into recovery to erase any data I had on the device. I selected Internal Storage in TWRP, rebooted and it wouldn't go beyond the lg screen.
If I am correct, you would never notice it since you wipe then flash.
08BajaBoy said:
you probably are correct. I only replied because I recent had an experience with it. I passed my G2 on to a friend. I offered to load up what ever ROM he wanted and he chose CM12. I got it all loaded up and working fine. Then I decided to go back into recovery to erase any data I had on the device. I selected Internal Storage in TWRP, rebooted and it wouldn't go beyond the lg screen.
If I am correct, you would never notice it since you wipe then flash.
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weird, maybe you are right. ill try it next time i clean flash and see what happens.
none of the rom code should be stored there, so it should rebuild.
if you accidentally wiped system, it defiantly wouldnt boot then.
I NEVER wipe Internal or External sd. I wipe cache, data & dalvik from time to time. I'll wipe system as well if I'm flashing a new rom. I tend to keep all of my media and app backups on my External sd just in case something ever happens. For example, if you have to revert back to stock, your Internal sd is completely wiped.
Hey, I got a problem with my Galaxy S2. When i want to start it, it lags on Samsung logo. I think, that only way out is wipe data/factory reset (wipe cache didn´t work) but I have some photos and sound records that I haven´t in PC. Do you know any ROM (that I can download and flash with Odin), which doesn´t erase my data if I do wipe? Thanks and sorry for my English
Factory reset clears the system partition. It doesn't formats the storage partition. I've done a lot of factory reset (with CWM, TWRP, and CM recovery), and my data were always left in place.
As I've read you should be able to flash any rom which only has 1 part (pda) without deleting your flash memory.
Besides that, as MbMax already mentioned, factory reset won't touch your media.
Thank you very much.
So If I do factory reset through Recovery menu, my photos and documents will be still in the phone but messages, contacts etc. will be erased.. or not? But I´m not talking about SD card, i have those photos right in the phone storage. Android 4.0.3.
MbMax said:
Factory reset clears the system partition. It doesn't formats the storage partition. I've done a lot of factory reset (with CWM, TWRP, and CM recovery), and my data were always left in place.
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Or more accurately, it wipes the partition that contains all app data, settings data, messages, contacts and etc (data partition, not system). Therefore you will still have your personal files on your internal storage.
---------- Post added at 06:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:53 AM ----------
Grassik said:
Thank you very much.
So If I do factory reset through Recovery menu, my photos and documents will be still in the phone but messages, contacts etc. will be erased.. or not? But I´m not talking about SD card, i have those photos right in the phone storage. Android 4.0.3.
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Look above. To backup contacts, I use Google to restore them, or you can backup on sim card. For messages, you can back them up onto your sim card in the messages app, however you can't back up mms.