Question about Factory Reset

[Devils Advocate]

I have been hearing about this from everyone but so far I have had no problems, that being said I have been told that the only way to restore the full HTC Sense part of the Bolt is to do a factory reset. I have to ask what will I lose if I do so? Stupid question I know but I figure you people here have been an immense help to my use of this phone and the other Android devises my family now has so I will ask. Please forgive me if this has been covered in this forum.

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

First off, what exactly are you trying to do? Is something specific not working on your Thunderbolt?

A factory reset essentially uninstalls all user apps and deletes all user data. Essentially, you'll be left what you got the very first time you started your device out of the box.

It DOES NOT delete the contents of your SD card (photos, media, etc).

It DOES NOT revert you OS to an older version.

It DOES WIPE ALL YOUR INTERNAL APP DATA.

 

[robrecht]

You can force close Sense with the right task killer, or just turn the phone off and on again; not necessary to do a factory reset for that purpose. Factory resets are recommended much too frequently by tech support jockeys. Basically, it wipes all of your programs and data off your phone so you're starting over from scratch. OTA updates will still be there so it's not exctly going back all the way to the factory state. If there's a bad program or setting that is somehow messing up your use of the phone, you may be able to find it by starting over from scratch, but, in reality, most all of your programs from Market will now re-install right away anyway.

 

[yodatom10]

It does not sound like u need a factory reset. What issues are u having

 

[weasel123]

so if you do a factory reset, all your paid programs will re-install automatically?

 

[robrecht]

so if you do a factory reset, all your paid programs will re-install automatically?

Not only the paid ones but also most of the free ones but only the ones that you downloaded from Market. You'll have to go hunting again for a few of the free ones from Market. Amazon Appstore is different. It will remember which ones are yours but you can choose to install them again, one by one..

 

[Devils Advocate]

Somehow I removed sense or Facebook for sense amongst other things, there are some other minor issues like lag when typing.

 

[Mortiel]

You can force close Sense with the right task killer, or just turn the phone off and on again; not necessary to do a factory reset for that purpose. Factory resets are recommended much too frequently by tech support jockeys. Basically, it wipes all of your programs and data off your phone so you're starting over from scratch. OTA updates will still be there so it's not exctly going back all the way to the factory state. If there's a bad program or setting that is somehow messing up your use of the phone, you may be able to find it by starting over from scratch, but, in reality, most all of your programs from Market will now re-install right away anyway.

I believe there is no such thing as recommending factory resets too frequently.

You said you lost your job and have resort to a life of crime? Factory reset.
IRS auditing you because of the off shore bank accounts you use to launder money? Factory reset.
Being charged with first degree murder of your family, the cat included? Factory reset.
The cat you are charged with murdering actually got struck by lightening? Factory reset.