TomTom 930T full factory reset?

[Krellan]

Hi. Is it possible to do a full factory reset of the TomTom 930T? My unit has been misbehaving, and I'd love to restore it. Ideally, I'd wipe everything back to the way it started, including all software updates, and so on.

The software has just suffered rot over time:

1) Bluetooth connections lock up the unit, and trigger the TomTom watchdog, rebooting it.

2) Updates from TomTom HOME no longer work (it thinks it's already applied all updates, but it hasn't).

3) Traffic cable died on me, not sure if it's hardware or software problem.

TomTom's "tech support" blew me off, claiming my unit was out of warranty, and claiming they don't sell replacement traffic cables. Sigh.

 

[dhn]

You can restore to Factory Defaults and you'll lose all custom settings in doing so, though.

 

[Krellan]

You can restore to Factory Defaults and you'll lose all custom settings in doing so, though.

Does that just reset the settings? I would like to reset all the software versions as well, not just the settings. I'm looking for a way to pretty much image the thing with the factory software load that it came with.

 

[dhn]

You can roll back an application, but that isn't going to accomplish much for you.

Sometimes, making an Explorer, not Home, backup, then formatting the unit (don't use quickformat) and restoring the backup resolves some issues.

You can try that.

 

[Andy_P]

The only easy way to do a "full reset" back to the way it was when you bought it, is to make a backup of it STRAIGHT AWAY as soon as you take it out of the box.
That's why we always suggest that on these forums.
Making more backups just before you do a significant update, makes for a trouble-free existence!

If you think about it, there's no way a simple press of a button could revert EVERYTHING back to original. Where would all those software versions and old maps be stored on the device? There's barely enough room for the latest maps!

If you didn't make a back-up, it can be a long job finding all the old versions of stuff scattered on your PC, or , or finding ways to re-download them from the TomTom servers.

Back up! And often!

 

[Krellan]

The only easy way to do a "full reset" back to the way it was when you bought it, is to make a backup of it STRAIGHT AWAY as soon as you take it out of the box.
That's why we always suggest that on these forums.
Making more backups just before you do a significant update, makes for a trouble-free existence!

Thanks for the advice. Wish I had known that when first buying the GPS.

Most computerized consumer devices these days have a "restore", or "factory default", option that puts it back to the full factory state. Even my TV has this! It's unfortunate that TomTom doesn't provide this feature. It's very useful when having problems, or just wanting to wipe the device clean for resale.

Is there an image available for download somewhere, that can provide a full backup of a never-used TomTom 930T, that I could restore onto my device?

 

[Andy_P]

Most computerized consumer devices these days have a "restore", or "factory default", option that puts it back to the full factory state. Even my TV has this!

I'll bet it only restores your TV's settings though.
Different situation, there's no large chunks of memory-hungry data like maps to store on a TV.

The fact remains, there's simply not enough storage space on ANY satnav to keep backups of every old map and software version on the device itself.

That's what your PC is there for, and to be fair it usually tells you on page one or thereabouts of the manual that you need to make a backup (I bet the 930 manual doesn't though!)

Is there an image available for download somewhere, that can provide a full backup of a never-used TomTom 930T, that I could restore onto my device?

Afraid not, because of the map piracy that would cause.

As I said above, you can always re-download old software versions, and if you downloaded a map via Home, you can re-download it for up to a year after purchase.

 

[canderson]

The only easy way to do a "full reset" back to the way it was when you bought it, is to make a backup of it STRAIGHT AWAY as soon as you take it out of the box.

Unfortunately, even that isn't a guarantee. The bootloader code, if updated at some point, doesn't get reversed by tossing a lesser version at the unit. So it's essentially a one-way "upgrade only" path there. Providing a user never tries to back down the firmware to a point where the more recent bootloader doesn't play with it, it usually isn't a problem.

The advice on the full original backup is spot on, though. Best insurance there is.

 

[Krellan]

Thanks for the advice. As it is now, I'll probably reset my TomTom into the trashcan and buy a Garmin.

 

[canderson]

If you actually do decide to chuck it, please don't. Always looking for spare parts here.