Help Problems abound!

[pocketcmptr]

Nothing like joining a new forum and coming in with a cache of a thousand problems (been lurking and saving them up! )

I've had my Incredible (not rooted) since Nov and mostly I just love it to death but there's always SOMETHING going on with it that's baffling me and I think I'm ready for a factory reset...I recently woke up to all my text messages gone, my SD card s#%^ the bed this week, and the ongoing annoyance: my phone will NOT and has not EVER synced with my gmail (yes, I've tried in settings 11ty million times "sync will be back shortly blablasomething") It's never synced with my facebook either which actually seems like a blessing Sooooooo, it kind of seems like as good a time as any for a factory reset to see if I can solve that gmail sync problem (verizon's only suggestion on the matter.)

What do you think? How much of a pain is it REALLY, do you think there's a chance on earth it will solve the (gmail) problem? It really sounds like a pain in the butt...advice?

THANKS!!!

 

[iowabowtech]

Sounds like a disaster to me, I'd definitely do a reset. If that fails to fix the problems, reload the OS entirely. We can cross that bridge if the factory reset doesn't give you the results you want.

 

[pocketcmptr]

Anyone want to help me with an "idiot's guide" to factory resets? I am somewhat computer savvy but I've never wiped my prize piece of electronics clean before so I kind of want a hand to hold.

I HAVE searched it (here and everywhere) but basically all I can find in the way of a "guide" is: make sure you back it up (blabla, like this, blaablaa, like that, etc), tell it to reset, and then you're done! Yeaaaaaa, no.

I have my apps and phone contacts backed up (just lost everything else in the great SD crash, I'll go through my settings and screens and redo them--I'm not all that attached)

So when I go to SD and phone storage in my settings menu and scroll down I see "factory data reset" If I hit it I get some info and two options "reset phone" or "reset phone and internal storage" Which one!?

Now someone tell me what is gonna happen when I turn it back on!!!!! Do I dial *228? How will I make it MINE again?! Will all the HTC Sense business still exist? It's just gonna ask me about my google account info or I'll go digging around to add that stuff? All the menus will be essentially the same etc? Backup should know my contact info, eh? It stores it remotely? I used AppMonster to back up my apps, I assume I'll just redownload that app and take it from there--it stored some stuff on my (new) SD card. Anything else important before I dive off this cliff?

Am I really the only one who wants this level of hand-holding? It's a bit scary!

 

[iowabowtech]

If you have apps backed up, that's the biggest hurdle. You'll have to enter your google account credentials when it boots back up. If you have your contacts set up currently as Google contacts, they'll sync back after that. Same with all your Gmail of course. If you have any "phone" contacts, you'll lose them so either convert them to Google contacts (best long term option) or use an app to back them up to the interweb. If you have any other email accounts (pop, etc) you'll have to set those back up again with port info, login credentials, etc. If you save your pics, vids to the SD card, no problem. If you save any to internal phone storage, you'll lose them so if that's a problem, transfer them to the PC ahead of time. Either hook up via USB cable and move them over or use Dropbox or similar to get them in a safe spot.

That's really the long and short of it. All the menus will be the same. Cover the few bases you've pretty much already mentioned and hit it.

 

[euph_22]

If you have apps backed up, that's the biggest hurdle. You'll have to enter your google account credentials when it boots back up. If you have your contacts set up currently as Google contacts, they'll sync back after that. Same with all your Gmail of course. If you have any "phone" contacts, you'll lose them so either convert them to Google contacts (best long term option) or use an app to back them up to the interweb. If you have any other email accounts (pop, etc) you'll have to set those back up again with port info, login credentials, etc. If you save your pics, vids to the SD card, no problem. If you save any to internal phone storage, you'll lose them so if that's a problem, transfer them to the PC ahead of time. Either hook up via USB cable and move them over or use Dropbox or similar to get them in a safe spot.

That's really the long and short of it. All the menus will be the same. Cover the few bases you've pretty much already mentioned and hit it.

Or just erase the system data and not the internal storage (I forget what the option is called, and I'm running CM7 so I can't check. But in the menu were you select the factory reset you can choose to erase it or not). There is absolutely no reason to erase the internal storage (the big 6.5gb one for music/photos/etc). Android doesn't use it, apps don't use it, there is nothing on there that needs to get erased.

 

[euph_22]

So when I go to SD and phone storage in my settings menu and scroll down I see "factory data reset" If I hit it I get some info and two options "reset phone" or "reset phone and internal storage" Which one!?

You want "reset phone". The "reset phone and internal storage" will also erase the 6.5gb internal storage drive that's there for photos/music/etc. No system data is stored there, apps don't use it for data. You gain nothing by erasing it.

Now someone tell me what is gonna happen when I turn it back on!!!!! Do I dial *228? How will I make it MINE again?! Will all the HTC Sense business still exist? It's just gonna ask me about my google account info or I'll go digging around to add that stuff? All the menus will be essentially the same etc? Backup should know my contact info, eh? It stores it remotely? I used AppMonster to back up my apps, I assume I'll just redownload that app and take it from there--it stored some stuff on my (new) SD card. Anything else important before I dive off this cliff?

Am I really the only one who wants this level of hand-holding? It's a bit scary!

What Iowa said...it will boot itself up. You sign into your google account and the phone works (hopefully ). Then just set up all the other accounts, apps, etc.

 

[pocketcmptr]

Yay! Thanks so much! It worked I now have my gmail contacts synced to my phone for the first time ever! App Monster worked, Backup took care of my phone contacts, I have a bit of work to do putting everything back in order and THEN organizing all my contacts which are now kinda wonkified (but in a good way cause finally all my information is actually THERE.)

It was easy peasy, it sounded WAY scarier than it actually was (which is probably why there isn't much in the way of instruction BUT I do still think it would be nice to have a total walk through for the uninitiated. Maybe I'll make one sometime. )

Awesome, thanks so much!!!!!