Call me old fashion but after spending few weeks with android devices like Sony Xperia x10 and Sony xperia x10 mini pro, one thing I get to know is about the possibility of screw up like forgetting the Google account password or your lock code or simply mess up the settings !!!
With older Symbian OS based phones being mainstream, its easy to find both online and off line help to hard reset the device to its original factory delivered state. However with android devices like Sony Xperia x10 / x10 mini pro, hard resetting is not that simple.
Why would someone need to hard reset / format or flush the firmware of the device phone ?
- Forgot the Password of Google account ?
- Forgot the password / lock code of your phone it self
- Virus infection (yeah, beware of those malware in android market place)
- Messed up settings or need of cleaning junk.
- User switch (you need to sell it off or give to it to friend of family)
Hard reset or format cleans all data and installed apps, wipes out all the password or lock codes and brings the phone to its original factory settings.
How to format / hard reset / flush the ROM of Sony Xperia x10 / x10 mini pro to restore it back to original factory settings of Android OS ?
Its a state of the art modern smart phone and unlike older smart phones of Symbian platform (like nokia and such), where pressing few buttons together would have restored the factory settings, here one needs to follow a pretty complicated process and needs to have access to a PC with live broadband internet connection.
Step 1
Step one would be obtaining the flushing software from sony website.
Download -> Sony PC Suite (18mb)
The Sony PC Suite System requirement,
* Windows XP SP3 / Windows Vista / Windows 7
* USB port running PC
Install the software
Step 2
This software is not designed to work with Sony xperia x10 or x10 mini pro, but this software comes with an option which allows deployment of the Android OS to a phone listed with it.
Click Window and the phone repair.
Once you start searching for updating options, it may take a while unless you have a fast or broadband internet connection. The software will search sony servers for the available phone firmware and updated OS for the respective device.
Once it complete the process, please scroll down to select your device from the given list.
Step 3
After you select your device from the available list, it would ask you to connect your phone.
- First switch off your phone.
- Wait for 30 seconds
- Hold down the back key while you connect the phone with PC using USB cable.
Step 4
The update process is pretty much unattended, your PC will display a dialog box with confirming the update process drivers are getting installed.
However the software may take hours to download the data from sony server for the update process. Once done, you may safely disconnect the USB cable and start your device.
Sony X10 / x10 mini pro should now reboot as a new device with factory settings restored.
Do you know a better way ?
If you know any other easier method of hard reset or format of the device, please do let us know by leaving a comment here.
its great tutorial thanks buddy!
I Guess Sony Ericsson also found out this possibility and now if you find the Sony PC Suite to Download, they will update to PC companion which does not allow to do this process.
Works perfectly, major kudoz to you.
I was given my hubbys x10 and have been trying to get my contact list properly synced, meaning i’ve been switching the SIM between my old phone and the x10 a few times. Now the x10 won’t switch on when the SIM is inserted. It comes on without it, but with it in it just vibrated a bit when the on button is pressed and nothing more happens.
THANKS IT WORKED. i have been finding a solution nights after nights. pc suites worked but the pc companion… not really. i had downloaded the pc suite from google as the links which is given was broken. THANKS I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR HELP!!!!!
Hello,
Can you please mention what was the alternate link from which you have found the PC suite.
Thank you,
I appreciate you tutorial, but i think there is any ather way to reset factory settings instead of this one. Thanks a lot.
i used pc companion and and when i try to repair it it says that i already have the last software, what can i do please help me!
i tried this way, but it wouldn’t let me download the repair. so i did some research and found this.http://forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/archive/t-1303579.html
it’s basically the same thing, although it’s its own program. you basically do the same thing in here, but if that didn’t work for anyone like me, then you could try this :3
Thnx for mentioning !!!
I am truely impressed by your way of updating X10i mini, Thank you.
It worked for me.
Or you could use the “Setings – Privacy – Factory data reset”
Thanks a lot!