Is there a complete reset back to out-of-the-box?

[WillyWonka]

First off, my apologies if this answer is elsewhere. I did a couple of searches of this forum but was unable to find the answer to my question.

My T/X is about 2 years old. A few months ago it started needing soft resets on a regular basis. Two weeks ago it went into the endless reset loop until the battery died. The last app I had added was Plucker but that was after the frequent soft resets started and at least a monthl before the reset loop started. I was able to get out of the endless loop and do a hard reset. Since this time though, operation has been really sketchy. I deleted Plucker and a few other infrequently used apps. Operation remains sketchy with the T/X doing soft and hard resets on itself while I'm using it in multiple different apps.

Here's the question. How do I take this thing completely back to ground zero, out of the box, reset and delete everything. A hard reset doesn't seem to do this. Do I delete all the apps then do a hard reset? What is the best path back to normal operation, o wise ones?

[Dick Tracy]

Follow this procedure (http://forum.brighthand.com/showthread.php?t=220374).

[WillyWonka]

Mr Tracy,
Thanks for the quick reply. Forgive me, but I need to clarify; what you guys are doing with your T/Xs is way past me, I mostly use it to extend my failing short term memory and get me to meetings on time.

I had never opened up my Palm\...\Backup folder before. It looks like this must be where all of my specific information is stored when I sync. Does this mean that when I do a hard reset, the device is completely cleared and then when I sync, whatever my conflict is is being reintroduced to the device from one or more of these backup files? If so, I understand your linked instructions except for one more thing. You stated "Whatever you do, never install any preferences files from your old device unless you are fond of reset loops and hard resets." How do I identify the preferences files? I don't see any files named "preferences" just [app name].prc and [app name].pdb files in my backup folder.

Thank you so much,
John

[cyberdude]

Mr Tracy,
Thanks for the quick reply. Forgive me, but I need to clarify; what you guys are doing with your T/Xs is way past me, I mostly use it to extend my failing short term memory and get me to meetings on time.

I had never opened up my Palm\...\Backup folder before. It looks like this must be where all of my specific information is stored when I sync. Does this mean that when I do a hard reset, the device is completely cleared and then when I sync, whatever my conflict is is being reintroduced to the device from one or more of these backup files? If so, I understand your linked instructions except for one more thing. You stated "Whatever you do, never install any preferences files from your old device unless you are fond of reset loops and hard resets." How do I identify the preferences files? I don't see any files named "preferences" just [app name].prc and [app name].pdb files in my backup folder.

Thank you so much,
John
I'm not sure what DT is talking about exactly, but as far as I know the 2 preferences files you have to look out for are saved preferences.prc and unsaved preferences.prc.

Once you do a hard reset you need to rename the backup and archive folders in your palm/<username> directory to backup_old and archive_old or something similar (personally I just delete everything in the archive folder). I'm sure this was discussed over at BH.

The other thing you need to be sure of is that you have a backup program. I use the free NVBackup on my TX and in myopinion it is the best backup application available for the TX (and I own everyone one of them out there except OnGuard Backup). NVB restores your device to the exact state it was in when the backup was done. I always keep a backup called STABLE on my device for just such emergencies. I update this backup as often as possible, keeping a copy of it that is at least 2 months old around as well. As many 1src dwellers could tell you I'm a little obsessive compulsive when it comes to backups. :)

[EBSkater]

@Cyberdude

I have a question about your backups...

I used to use TealBackup, as it backed everything up to my card, so when I was away from a computer I could do a backup if my Palm hard reset itself. It worked great, however, it eventually caused my WiFi to go away, along with the bluetooth (but I've fixed that) and every now and then it would cause a soft reset, and then it started causing hard resets.

Still, it was nice because I could backup directly to my SD card. However, the one thing it wouldn't reinstall, and that I'd have to wait for a computer for was my Documents ToGo Premium edition. It would not install that properly, so I'd have to reinstall it from the PC.

Do you happen to have the Premium DocsToGo, and if so, does your backup fully reinstall that? And does it allow you to backup and restore to and from your SD card?

Thanks. :-D

[Dick Tracy]

The Backup folder contains everything you have installed.

When it is renamed a new, empty Backup folder will be created. When you next sync the only data that returns to the handheld are PIMs.

You can then reinstall compatible third-party applications and their associated data from the renamed Backup folder.

If you do not rename the Backup folder you will reinstall everything exactly as it was and will continue to have problems; same result if you restore from a backup application. Unless you know which application or interaction of third-party applications is causing your problem, you MUST rename the Backup folder before syncing after a Hard Reset.

[Gregte]

If I want to do a hard reset to diagnose a problem for instance, I just do a NVBackup of my entire TX to an SD card. Then I do the hard reset. Period. No need to do anything with a backup folder.

Now that I have done the hard reset I check to see if the TX works correctly and as I expect it to. If it does, I can then Selectively Restore all the applications and data back to the TX, one by one or ten by ten, whatever I feel like. This is of course using the Selective Restore function of NVBackup.

At some point, if you have an errant app or database, you will restore it and it will again cause your TX to misbehave. Then, you know which app or db is the bad guy.

[WillyWonka]

The hard reset doesn't solve the problem. Do I have a brick on my hands?

Here's what I did
1. I renamed and moved the backup and archive folders
2. I did a hard reset (note that I did this reset this weekend and the T/X continued to do seemingly random soft resets on itself, so it doesn't appear to me that the hard reset cleared the issue)
3. I hotsynced - selecting my user name

Here's what happened
1. The hotsync hung on updating calendar (Outlook), note that it made it through syncing my contacts with no problems.
2. After waiting for an hour I cancelled the hotsync
3. It continues to soft and hard reset itself and
4. It won't hotsync at all (won't start the process when sync button pushed)

I'm convinced that my problem is still present after a hard reset. Is there anything I can do at this point?

At this point my hope is almost gone. Please help me if you can.
John

[cyberdude]

@Cyberdude

I have a question about your backups...

I used to use TealBackup, as it backed everything up to my card, so when I was away from a computer I could do a backup if my Palm hard reset itself. It worked great, however, it eventually caused my WiFi to go away, along with the bluetooth (but I've fixed that) and every now and then it would cause a soft reset, and then it started causing hard resets.

Still, it was nice because I could backup directly to my SD card. However, the one thing it wouldn't reinstall, and that I'd have to wait for a computer for was my Documents ToGo Premium edition. It would not install that properly, so I'd have to reinstall it from the PC.

Do you happen to have the Premium DocsToGo, and if so, does your backup fully reinstall that? And does it allow you to backup and restore to and from your SD card?

Thanks. :-D
I should have known that TealPoint had a backup app, so that is now 2 backup apps I don't own. :rolleyes: Anyway back to the question at hand. BackupMan, RescoBackup Pro, and NVBackup (free) all restore docs2go 10 premium. As a matter of fact NVB restores your device to the exact state it was when the backup set was created. NVB has saved me more times than I can count. I use NVB more than the others, so can attest more to it's abilities. The one thing that even NVB doesn't do is after a hard reset the TX restores D2G 7.x from its ROM image and since I keep the D2G apps on the card, when I restore, the documents app is the correct version, but the other apps are incorrect version, so I just start D2G and tell it to move the apps from the card to RAM and it writes over the ROM versions. I then move the apps back to the card.

[cyberdude]

The hard reset doesn't solve the problem. Do I have a brick on my hands?

Here's what I did
1. I renamed and moved the backup and archive folders
2. I did a hard reset (note that I did this reset this weekend and the T/X continued to do seemingly random soft resets on itself, so it doesn't appear to me that the hard reset cleared the issue)
3. I hotsynced - selecting my user name

Here's what happened
1. The hotsync hung on updating calendar (Outlook), note that it made it through syncing my contacts with no problems.
2. After waiting for an hour I cancelled the hotsync
3. It continues to soft and hard reset itself and
4. It won't hotsync at all (won't start the process when sync button pushed)

I'm convinced that my problem is still present after a hard reset. Is there anything I can do at this point?

At this point my hope is almost gone. Please help me if you can.
John
This sounds more than serious. Have you tried hard resetting while your device is plugged into either a cradle or the power cord? If that doesn't get rid of soft resets before you do anything else to it - then you have a lemon. :eek: :(