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< Home < Support < Knowledge
Library

Article ID: 887

Resetting your device (Soft, System/Warm, Hard,
In-Cradle, Power Down, Battery Disconnect, Zero Out)

Soft
Reset

System
(Warm) Reset

Hard
Reset

"Special" resets for rare circumstances:

In-Cradle
(Treo 600, Visor Edge, Visor Pro only)

Power
Down (AAA battery devices only)

Battery
Disconnect (Treo 600 only)

Zero
Out (Tungsten T5; Treo 650 only)

Quick
Erase, Secure Erase (LifeDrive only)

Factory
Reset (for devices with flash memory)

Recovering
your data after a hard reset

Want to reformat your device
for increased privacy?
If you are parting with your
Palm device, you may wish to perform a Factory Reset to reduce
the chance of your private information getting into someone
else's hands. See Knowledge Library article 15574
to learn more.

Want to back up and restore your
data?
Be sure to perform regular HotSync operations
to back up items in your device's Program Memory. That way, if
you need to reset your device in a way that deletes all data,
you'll have a backup that you can use to restore your data
when you get back to your desktop PC.

Soft Reset
All devices

A soft reset is similar to restarting a desktop computer. It's
the most useful trick in your toolbox for fixing a variety of
issues.

Soft resets usually do not affect your personal data on your
device, unless your battery is low. If see battery warnings, change
or charge your batteries immediately even if there is an
error message onscreen. Also, it's a good practice to perform a
HotSync operation before any reset (assuming that synchronization is
not the problem you are trying to fix).

Smartphones:
700p | 680 | 650
| 755p | Centro

All other
devices
Tungsten | Zire | LifeDrive | all
others

Turn off wireless mode by pressing and holding the red
Power/End key .

Remove the battery cover on the back of your smartphone.

Take out the battery.

Put the battery back in.

Replace the battery door.

After a soft reset, a logo screen appears, followed
shortly by a Preferences screen asking you to set time and
date.

Use an unfolded paper clip, or the reset tool at the tip
of your stylus.

Gently press the RESET button inside the hole on
the back panel of your device (where's
the reset hole?).

All data on your device should be retained. If you do
lose data after a soft reset, you may have a more serious
issue with your hardware that requires a repair.

After a soft reset, a logo screen appears, followed
shortly by a Preferences screen asking you to set time and
date.

If a soft reset does not resolve your problem, you may need to
try one of the other resets below.

Top
of page

System (Warm)
Reset
All devices

What's a system
reset? A system reset tells your device to stop what
it's doing and start over again, bypassing any system
extensions. This can help you with "boot loop" errors,
allowing you to remove any recently installed third-party
applications that might be causing the problem.

Be sure to perform a soft reset at
the end: Certain features of your device, such as
HotSync and some wireless communications, will be disabled
after the system reset. You need to perform a soft
reset to enable these features again.

Press and hold the UP button on the front panel of your
device.

While holding the UP button, use an unfolded paper clip, or
the reset tool at the tip of your stylus, to gently press the
RESET button inside the hole on the back of your device (where's
the reset hole?).

Treo 680: There is no RESET button;
instead, remove the battery and replace it while holding the UP
button. It helps to remove the battery cover (but not the
battery) before starting a System Reset, so your hand is free to
hold the UP button throughout.

The Palm Computing Platform screen will appear. Release the UP
button when you see it. Depending on your device, this logo looks
like:

On some devices, you may see a
Palm or palmOne logo and a progress bar first. Do not
release the UP button until the second, circular Palm Powered logo
appears.

Keep holding the UP button
during this screen.

When you see this screen, you
can release the UP button.

- or -

Keep holding the UP button
during this screen.

When you see this screen, you
can release the UP button.

- or -

Keep holding the power button
during this screen.

When you see this screen, you
can release the power button.

Because this reset is a bit awkward to perform, sometimes it
doesn't actually happen when you think it does. Test to see if it
worked:

Open the Applications
launcher. Access the General preferences (on some devices, you may
need to access Power).

Tap on the pick list for Beam Receive. Choose "On." If it
still displays "Off," then your device was correctly
system reset.

Once you've tested that the system reset worked, perform a soft
reset. Otherwise, some functions will not work.

Sometimes a system reset fails to break out of a loop. These
extra steps may break the loop without having to perform a full hard
reset.

Perform the first part of a hard
reset but stop when you see the option to press UP to
erase all data.

Then perform a system reset as described above but make sure
to depress the RESET pin first and then the UP button; otherwise
you will complete the hard reset. Be careful! Don't
accidentally perform a hard reset, or you will lose all data on
your device.

Top
of page

Hard Reset
All
devices

Warning: A
hard reset will erase everything on your device. All
your data will be removed, and formats, preferences and other
settings are restored to their factory default settings. Don't
perform a hard reset unless you've backed up your data, or
you're willing to lose everything.

HotSync note:

LifeDrive users: Instead of following these steps, see our
info for r Quick
Erase and Secure Erase instead.

Hold down the power (on/off) button on your
device.
Note: Treo 600 smartphones have two power buttons.
Hold down the one on the top of the unit next to the
antenna.

While holding down the power button, turn over your device so
that you can see the back of it. Still holding the power button,
use an unfolded paper clip or a similar small object, to gently
press the RESET hole on the back (Where's
the reset hole?).

Treo 680: There is no RESET button;
instead, remove the battery and replace it while holding the
Power button. It helps to remove the battery cover (but not the
battery) before starting a System Reset, so your hand is free to
hold the Power button throughout.

When the Palm Computing Platform or Palm Powered logo appears,
release the power button. Depending on your device, this logo
looks like:

Note: On some
devices, you may see a palmOne logo and a progress bar first.
Do not release the power button until the second, circular
Palm Powered logo appears.

Keep holding the power button
during this screen.

When you see this screen, you
can release the power button.

- or -

Keep holding the power button
during this screen.

When you see this screen, you
can release the power button.

- or -

Keep holding the power button
during this screen.

When you see this screen, you
can release the power button.

A message will appear warning that you are about to erase all
the data stored on your handheld.

In response, do one of the following:

Press the UP button to complete the hard reset, erasing
everything on your device
or

Press LEFT or RIGHT to begin a soft reset, leaving your data
intact.

Your device will then take you through a series of screens to
calibrate the digitizer and verify the time and date.

Note: A hard reset does not delete the current date and
time. It does restore other settings to the factory default.

In-Cradle
Reset
Treo 600, Visor Edge, Visor Pro
only

An in-cradle reset will reset the charging circuitry in a
rechargeable device. This is helpful if your device turns off as
soon as you turn it on, or if it doesn't seem to be charging when
you connect it to a power source.

The charger can be any type of cradle or cable that charges your
device. The important bit is to make sure the power adapter is
plugged in and supplying power to your device during the reset.

Connect your device securely to its charging cradle or cable,
and connect the cradle/cable to a power source.

Use an unfolded paper clip, or the reset tool at the tip of
your stylus.

Gently press the RESET button inside the hole on the
back panel of your device (where's
the reset hole?).

All data on your device should be retained. If you do lose
data after a soft reset, you may have a more serious issue with
your hardware that requires a repair.

After a soft reset, a logo screen appears, followed shortly by
a Preferences screen asking you to set time and date.

Note for Visor Edge: it can be tricky to perform this
operation with a Visor Edge since the reset hole is below the back
of the cradle when your handheld is correctly seated. The trick is
to rotate the handheld very slightly clockwise (assuming you are
looking at the front face of your handheld) until you can see the
reset hole appear over the back of the cradle. If your charge light
is functioning (sometimes it won't be when the recharging circuitry
needs to be reset) you can use it as a guide: don't move it so far
that it is no longer lit. Then perform the soft reset.

Top
of page

Power Down
Reset
AAA battery devices only

A power down reset erases all the data on your device, including
a few settings (like date and time) which are untouched by a hard
reset. By removing your AAA batteries, you allow the capacitor
to drain, essentially returning your device to its "factory
state."

A power down reset is only for devices that use AAA alkaline
batteries (i.e. not a rechargeable handheld).

Warning: A
power down reset will erase everything on your device.
All your data will be removed, and formats, preferences and
other settings are restored to their factory default settings.
Don't perform a power down reset unless you've backed up your
data, or you're willing to lose everything.

HotSync note: Some third-party
applications change the way your device backs up data. Other
third-party applications do not back up data. If you have
third-party software on your device, please contact the
developer to learn what components are backed up during a
HotSync operation, and if HotSync conduits are altered. Any
data not backed up will be lost.

Remove the AAA batteries from the back of your handheld.

Leave the batteries out of the handheld for at least 30
minutes.

Perform five or more soft
resets in a row, even if the screen does not appear to turn
on.

Insert the batteries. If you have any doubts about how old
your batteries are, replace them with new AAA alkaline batteries,
preferably a good brand optimized for low-drain devices.

If your device doesn't automatically turn on when you insert
the batteries (or if, once it turns on, the date and time have not
been reset), you haven't successfully performed a power down
reset. Try the steps above again. Wait a little longer this time
before inserting the batteries, and perform a few more soft resets
while the batteries are out.

After a successful power down reset, follow our steps for recovering
from a hard reset to return your data and applications to your
device (a power down reset is a type of hard reset).

Top
of page

Battery Disconnect
Reset
Treo 600 only

A battery disconnect reset is a last resort step you can take to
cut battery power, wipe all data, and regress a Treo 600 to its
factory-fresh state. It only works on a Treo 600 smartphone.

Important:
A
battery disconnect reset will erase everything on your
smartphone, and also reset the wireless radio and disconnect the
internal battery. All your data will be removed, and your formats,
preferences and other settings are restored to their factory default
settings. Don't perform a battery disconnect reset unless you've
backed up your data, or you're willing to lose everything.

You won't be able to turn your Treo 600 back
on until you connect it to a power adapter, so do not perform
this type of reset without your Treo 600 charger and a power
source.

HotSync note: Some third-party applications change the way
your handheld backs up data. Other third-party applications do not
back up data. If you have third-party software on your device,
please contact the developer to learn what components are backed up
during a HotSync operation, and if HotSync conduits are altered. Any
data not backed up will be lost.

To perform a battery disconnect reset:

Disconnect your Treo 600 from the AC charger.

Hold down the K and Backspace keys
simultaneously.

While continuing to hold down the K and Backspace keys, press
the e RESET button inside the hole on the back panel of
your device (where's
the reset hole?).

Finding it hard to do? Good. We made this type of reset very
awkward to perform, so that it would not happen by accident when
your Treo 600 is jostling around in a pocket or bag. Sorry for the
inconvenience. You might want to ask a friend to lend a hand if
you find it too difficult to do by yourself.

Continue holding down K and Backspace. The screen will flash
white briefly, and then go black. Release K and Backspace after
this happens. Your Treo will appear to be "dead" and the screen
will not turn on. If you see any activity ― such as the screen
turning back on ― the reset was performed incorrectly; try again

To revive your Treo 600, connect it to the AC charger and plug
the charger into a socket. The screen will stay blank for several
seconds (as long as half a minute), then it will turn on. The LED
will glow solid red, indicating charging.

Finally, follow the steps for recovering
after a hard reset (a battery disconnect reset is an extended
type of hard reset).

Top
of page

Zero Out
Reset
Tungsten T5; Treo 650 only

A zero out reset will regress a device that has non-volatile
memory to its factory-fresh state. When done correctly, it
completely rewrites your device's internal memory with zeros and
ones, ensuring that any data is expunged. It should be used only if
you want all information completely obliterated (example: you're
selling your handheld, or you're sending it in for repair, and want
to protect your privacy).

Tungsten E2 note: a hard reset (above) produces the same
results as a zero out reset - completely rewrites data on internal
memory. No need to perform the steps below.

Warning: A
zero out reset will erase everything on your device.
All your data will be removed, and formats, preferences and
other settings are restored to their factory default settings.
Don't perform a zero out reset unless you want to eradicate
everyting.

HotSync note: Some third-party
applications change the way your device backs up data. Other
third-party applications do not back up data. If you have
third-party software on your device, please contact the
developer to learn what components are backed up during a
HotSync operation, and if HotSync conduits are altered. Any
data not backed up will be lost.

There are two ways to perform a zero out reset.

Method One (Tungsten T5 only)

This method works only with a Tungsten T5. It does not
work with a Treo 650; for Treo 650, use Method Two, below.

If you've set a password on your device, any hard reset will
automatically become a zero out reset. With this method, you'll
enter a password and then perform a hard reset. If the Password box says
"Unassigned," tap the box and create a password for your handheld.

With the password set, perform a hard reset:

Hold down the power (on/off) button on your device.

While holding down the power button, turn over your device
so that you can see the back of it. Still holding the power
button, use an unfolded paper clip or a similar small object, to
gently press the RESET hole (where?).
Keep holding the power button throughout.

While still holding the power button, the screen will show
the Palm logo and a progress bar will appear at the bottom. Then
the circular Palm Powered logo will appear. Release the power
button when you see the Palm Powered logo.

Keep holding the power
button during this screen.

When you see this screen,
you can release the power button.

A message will appear warning that you are about to erase
all the data stored on your handheld. Press UP.

You may see a screen that says "Reformatting in progress. This
may take several minutes." This screen will remain for several
minutes (up to 10 minutes). Don't do anything while this is
happening.

If you did this reset correctly, the screen of your device
will finally go blank after several minutes, and you will not be
able to turn on your handheld. The charging LED will not light up.
(any other activity ― such as the Palm OS logo and then the
Applications launcher appearing ― means the reset was performed
incorrectly; try again)

Your device will appear "dead." To wake up your handheld,
perform a soft
reset.

If you want your device to remain in factory state, stop here.
If you want to restore data to your device, follow the steps for
recovering
after a hard reset (a zero out reset is a special type of hard
reset).

Method Two (Tungsten T5; Treo
650)

Read through these instructions before attempting the reset.
We made this method of zero out reset extremely awkward to
perform, so that it would not happen by accident. You may need the
help of a dextrous friend if you find it too difficult to do by
yourself.

Connect your device to its HotSync cable or cradle. The
HotSync cable does not need to be connected to your PC, and it
does not need to be connected to power.

Press and hold the Power button and UP on the 5-way navigator.

While continuing to hold Power and UP, press and hold the
HotSync button on the HotSync cable or cradle. As you press
HotSync, make sure your other finger doesn't slide to LEFT or
RIGHT on the 5-way navigator; it needs to be exactly on UP during
the entire process. Although you are pressing the HotSync button,
a HotSync operation should not begin.

While continuing to hold Power, UP and HotSync, press and
release the RESET button on the back panel of your device
(where's
the reset hole?). This is very difficult to do with only one
person; you may wish to hold the stylus in your mouth and use your
hands to press Power, UP and HotSync.

Release Power, UP and HotSync.

If you did this reset correctly, the screen of your device
will go blank, and you will not be able to turn it on. The
charging LED will not light up, even if it's connected to power.
It will appear to be "dead." (any other activity ― such as
the Palm OS logo or a rainbow-colored Boot Log screen appearing ―
means the reset was performed incorrectly; try again)

Your device will appear "dead" for several minutes (up to 10
minutes). During this time, your device's internal memory is being
reformatted. If your device doesn't appear "dead" for several
minutes with the screen completely blank, the zero out reset was
performed incorrectly; try again.

After several minutes, your device will "wake up" and the Palm
and Palm Powered logos will appear as if you had performed a hard
reset. Eventually, you'll be taken to a series of screens to
calibrate the touchscreen and set date & time.

If you want your handheld to remain in factory state, stop
here. If you want to restore data to your device, follow the steps
for recovering
after a hard reset (a zero out reset is a special type of hard
reset).

Top
of page

Quick Erase, Secure
Erase
LifeDrive only

When you perform a hard reset on a LifeDrive mobile manager, you
will see two options on the reset screen: Quick Erase and Secure
Erase. Both of these are types of hard reset.

Quick Erase: Perform a Quick Erase
reset for a regular hard reset, to get your device to wake up
and respond again.

This eliminates user information on the drive in such a way
that there is no info available to anyone using the device. A
Quick Erase reset takes approximately 5 minutes.

Secure Erase: Perform a Secure
Erase reset if you are turning the device over to a new owner.
A Secure Erase helps prevent your files from being restored or
recompiled by a new owner who might remove the hard drive and
use a drive reader to access your information.

This completely deletes all user info on the drive. A
Secure Erase reset takes about 30 minutes.

Note: If you use a password to protect your device, you
must do a Secure Erase when you hard reset your device; the Quick
Erase option does not appear on the reset screen.

Slide the power switch to the right and hold it in that
position.

While holding the switch to the right, use the tip of the
stylus (or a similar object without a sharp tip) to gently press
and release the reset button on the bottom of your device.

Wait for the reset screen to appear (it will say
"Warning, Erase all data?"). Then release the power switch.

Choose your type of reset:

Press Up on the 5-way navigator to perform a Quick
Erase (5 minutes)

Press Down to perform a Secure Erase (30 minutes).

During the reset process, a status screen appears with the
words "Quick Erase" or "Secure Erase" and a progress bar, followed
by screens showing the Palm, Palm Powered and LifeDrive logos.

Then you will be prompted to tap the screen to align the
digitizer and select the language you want to use on your device.
A screen appears showing the Palm logo and a progress bar.

When the "Welcome: Setup your device" screen appears, the hard
reset is complete. Follow the onscreen instructions to set up your
device.

Article ID:
887

Article
Type:

Date Created:

Date Modified:

Relevant
products:

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