How to do a backup and factory reset

[jimmarako]

HI,
My wife's 4G has got the "shut down a few times a day" bug after the OTA update to gingerbread. I haven't seen and good fixes for this yet so I'm leaning towards doing a factory reset.

I don't want to try and root her phone (thats for my 4G) so I need to know what is a good back up app that I can save all her apps (maybe 30-40) and hopefully the settings/data for them that does not require root access. I use Titanum on my phone but that needs root (and to be honest I've never done a restore with it yet so I'm not sure even how good it is).

The second question is how do I do a factory reset? I'm sure its some key press combo. What will I need to do after the reset? That is will the phone be useless after that? Will I need to enter my sprintID or account number to get it going again? Or will the phone boot up as her phone just with no apps/data?

Thanks for the advice.

Jim M.

 

[Paul627g]

HI,
My wife's 4G has got the "shut down a few times a day" bug after the OTA update to gingerbread. I haven't seen and good fixes for this yet so I'm leaning towards doing a factory reset.

I don't want to try and root her phone (thats for my 4G) so I need to know what is a good back up app that I can save all her apps (maybe 30-40) and hopefully the settings/data for them that does not require root access. I use Titanum on my phone but that needs root (and to be honest I've never done a restore with it yet so I'm not sure even how good it is).

The second question is how do I do a factory reset? I'm sure its some key press combo. What will I need to do after the reset? That is will the phone be useless after that? Will I need to enter my sprintID or account number to get it going again? Or will the phone boot up as her phone just with no apps/data?

Thanks for the advice.

Jim M.

Really there is no real true backup program for a stock non rooted device. I know Titanium and My Backup Root offer Pro versions from the Market and I think you can do some backups but I'm not sure if its a full backup like we have for rooted devices.

Some other options are...

SMS Backup & Restore from the Market (Free). It will backup all her txt's to sdcard for later retrieval. Does a nice job, I've used it many times.

Also hook up the device to AppBrain. Google it.. This will allow you to do a batch restore off all the apps back to the phone and keep track of them. Just makes things simpler..

You can also export your contacts list to sdcard or other means.... Go through your contacts and go into the settings/option and look for the export contacts list option. This file then can be imported back after the reset or opened up in Excel.

Factory Reset can be done in one of two ways...

Go to Settings/Privacy/Factory Reset

or

Boot into stock recovery, phone shut completely off. Then press and hold Volume Down+Camera+Power button for a few seconds until you boot into stock recovery. You will see the option to perform a Factory Reset/Wipe User Data.
(Also you navigate stock recovery via Vol Up/Down and make selection with HOME key)

Thats about it... Hope this helps...


FYI, all your phone numbers/contacts/calendar should be synced to your Gmail account associated with the device and will automatically restore when logged back in after the reset.

 

[RUSH]

Hi Jim. I'm not sure if a "full reset" will completely fixed the reboot issue. But if you think its worth a shot, then you should install "App brain" from the market. Sign into your Google account and sync all your applications. After resetting the device _ open market and install app brain, sign onto your Google account and reinstall all your paid and free applications. One way of resetting the device is to Tap on menu - settings - SD and phone storage, then scroll down to factory data reset. (keep in mind that all data will be lost - so, you would have to sign back into all your accounts. After a reset, the phone will then automatically connect back to your phone carrier.

Best of luck.

 

[jimmarako]

Thanks for the quick response and suggestions. I admit to being a little lazy and not hunting this down myself, but I had a date with the front end of my car during the limited daylight hours.

I will definitely look into this App Brain App and see what its about.

Whether the factory reset helps or not I don't know. I went through the 15 pages of the "official Gingerbread bugs" post and thats the best I could come up with. What is strange is that my rooted froyo 4g which had problems pre ginger bread is working fine now that I'm on a stock Gingerbread build. My wifes stock froyo 4g which was fine before the update now has a problem. The fact that my phone got wiped and I haven't put anything back on it yet makes me think there might be something too this reset theory.

IF I get time I'll try tonight.

Can't wait to do this all again in a few months when ICS is out (at least the mod ROMs).

Jim M.

 

[androidmaster1]

hi jim.. there is one app that will let you backup your data and apps i believe on your pc. it's call "kies air" i use it and i really like it. you can even control your phone from your pc. if your familiar with dropbox, or 4shared.. you can also use that to backup her apps. a factory reset just wipes the data on the "internal memory" of the phone. "not the sdcard". what kinds of bugs are you noticing? for titanium backup - the phone has to be "rooted". for "mybackup" the phone has to be rooted. sms backup, sends a log of all text messages sent and recieved to the email address associated on the phone. sms backup/restore app is also good for restoring the text messages. I personally use both apps.

NOTE: you must be using wifi on her phone in your home, in order to use "kies air"

 

[hybrid85]

Let me know how that works for you. I'm having the same issue on my phone. Just updated to GB on 11/09 and the phone was working fine. Then on 11/20, it started bugging out and restarting every 5 mins.
Curious if the factory reset fixes this issue?