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Help Can't erase and restore Lenovo Tab4 10

C

ChasSquirrel

Lurker
I purchased this tablet from Amazon last week and they didn't factory reset it so it ask for the original Google account info. I contacted the seller and they just sent me link of a YouTube video showing how to boot it up to the 'whatever' menu so I can erase all data and reset it to factory settings. Easy enough right? Nope... It comes up to a foreign language, I'm guessing Chinese and it's not even the regular menu the video shows. I'm now trying to just find out how to connect it to my PC with a usb cable and restore the software. The Lenovo support site is terrible. I can't find the instructions on how to do it.

I did connect the tablet to my PC and it recognizes it as a Lenovo Tab 4 10 and shows files, like Lenovo_Suite.exe, MagicPlus_setup.exe, SetupConfig.txt, etc but I don't know what to do with them.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Chassquirrel
 

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ChasSquirrel said:
I purchased this tablet from Amazon last week and they didn't factory reset it so it ask for the original Google account info. I contacted the seller and they just sent me link of a YouTube video showing how to boot it up to the 'whatever' menu so I can erase all data and reset it to factory settings. Easy enough right? Nope... It comes up to a foreign language, I'm guessing Chinese and it's not even the regular menu the video shows. I'm now trying to just find out how to connect it to my PC with a usb cable and restore the software. The Lenovo support site is terrible. I can't find the instructions on how to do it.

I did connect the tablet to my PC and it recognizes it as a Lenovo Tab 4 10 and shows files, like Lenovo_Suite.exe, MagicPlus_setup.exe, SetupConfig.txt, etc but I don't know what to do with them.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Chassquirrel
Click to expand...

FYI the Chinese, is all the various factory test modes, like for testing buttons, touch-screen, camera, etc. There's nothing really useful to you. Suggest you return it for replacement or refund. It could be the firmware is corrupted, and it needs re-flashing. How you do that on a Lenovo device, no idea
 
I was able to get to the right recovery mode menu (English) using the Volume + button instead of Volume - button. I erased the content to reset to factory settings. However it didn't remove the original Google account info.
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Is there any way to get it to remove that info? I called Lenovo and all they said was call Google. I know Google is not going to give me the original Google account info. I asked them how to reinstall the software with connecting the tablet to my computer. They just said over and over again to call Google. I know I can return it but I am just curious if there are steps out how to connect it my PC and completing reinstall the software I found on the Lenovo website.
 
The problem is that your seller didn't know what they were doing. All devices released in the last 5-6 years have something called "factory reset protection": if you reset the device you need the previous Google login details to get back in.

The correct procedure is to remove the account from the device before resetting. The fact that the vendor said to just reset it suggests that they didn't know that.

So right now you have 2 choices: get the seller to give you the Google login details, or return the device for a refund. You could tell the seller that it's their choice and see whether they will give you the information you need to use the device, or you could just return it as it was not sold to you in a usable state.
 
Yes, I agree. The seller does not know what they are doing when selling 'refurbished' devices. What's more aggravating is that it has a sticker specifying it's been refurbished. I would think if it's been really refurbished by an authorized company they would have removed the google account before resetting it to factory settings. I think the 'seller' just slapped that sticker on it. It didn't come from overseas either because I did get it 2 days. I'm just going to return it. Thanks for everyone's help.
 
ocnbrze said:
i second that....amazon is great at returning things. this is why i never buy refurbished items over the internet.
Click to expand...
This is the first time I've had an issue with a refurbished device. In my experience refurbished devices are just new items that were returned very soon after purchase due to buyer's remorse and there is nothing wrong with the device itself. The company can't resell it for the full price since it's been used so it has to go a company that can certify that it meets the original specifications so it can be resold at a lower price. I also buy refurbished PCs from Walmart.com because I know from job I had that the PCs were leased and just sat in an office for 2 years with minimal use. When the lease is up, the offices turns them back into the leasing company which in turn sends them back to the manufacturer. in my case Dell. Dell refurbishes them 'properly' and sells them to Walmart.

I can't say what the situation is with this tablet. It looks brand new but the original owner could have had it in a case. I jumped on the sale price only because I bought the same exact model for a family member for Christmas 2 years ago. I set it up for her because she is not tech savvy and really loved it. She still uses her's everyday. It's an awesome tablet for my needs.
 
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