class="align-right" src="http://www.makeuseof.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/android-sd-card.jpg" alt="how to reset android" />Recently, I started a new job where I was offered a Blackberry Bold. Being a tech geek that loves playing with new gadgets, this was a pretty cool turn of events. However, it is also bittersweet, because I am absolutely in love with my Droid. In my opinion, no matter what other mobile phone I ever use, the Android will always be king. I love the ability to quickly multitask with different apps, click on an address or phone number from a website, instantly dial or navigate, and so many other features too numerous to mention.

With that said, my kids both want a smartphone, and by offering my Droid to my daughter, I can avoid having to purchase a new phone and add a new data plan. I realized that many families may be in similar situations – where phones may change hands but never actually leave the house.

In this article, I’m going to show you how to save your entire phone setup – including the OS settings, applications and data – to a storage area, and then how to completely reset the phone to factory settings and clear the SD card. In the future, if the phone is ever yours again, you can simply restore from backup and it’s like the phone was never gone.

Reset Your Android Like New Again

It is surprisingly easy to reset your Android phone. What you really have to worry about is making sure you don’t lose anything important that you might have saved on your phone at some point – and so that you always have the ability to reclaim the phone as your own again.

In the following case, I am running a Motorola Droid with the CyanogenMod ROM. The instructions below are nearly identical for your standard ROM.

Back Up Your Phone Settings & All Data

The first thing you’ll want to do is install href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.koushikdutta.rommanager&hl=en">ROM Manager off the Android Market and do a full backup of your current ROM.

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Once you click “Backup Current ROM“, it’ll reboot your phone and then take a full backup of your apps, settings and OS configuration to your SD card. It can take a while so make sure your phone is plugged in. When it’s done, the next thing you’ll want to do is move that backup file (along with all of your photos, music and other data) onto your computer or some other external storage device.

To do this, plug your phone into your computer, pull down the top menu and click the USB status. On the next screen, click on “Turn on USB Storage“. This will mount your phone as a drive in File Explorer.

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It’s as simple as highlighting all of the files in that drive, and copying them to a backup location on your computer or external hard drive.

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In my case, the entire backup was about 2.35 GB and took about 2 or 3 minutes. Just let the transfer do its thing, and when you’re done, your Android phone settings are now completely backed up and ready for use at some future date.

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Restoring Your Android To Factory Settings

Now that you’ve backed everything up, it’s time to wipe out everything and transform the phone back in time to the first day you bought it. Well, I guess in my case that actually means back to the first day I installed the CyanogenMod ROM, but you get my point.

The process to do this is ridiculously easy (which is why it’s so important to back up everything first). Go into the settings menu and click on “Privacy“.

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On the next screen, and click on “Factory data reset“.

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Read the warning screen carefully, because trust me, they are not kidding. Everything gets wiped. That’s Everything with a capital E.

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Upon reboot, you’ll need to go through the initial configuration steps that you did when you first bought your phone – including either logging into or creating a Google Account. Then the standard home screen will appear.

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Just to make sure everything is fresh and new on the SD card, it doesn’t hurt to go into settings and click on the SD card & phone storage settings menu. In here, unmount the SD card and then click on “Format SD card“.

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Now, you’ve completely and thoroughly wiped out everything on the phone and it is ready for the next user. It is currently using the same phone number and cellular account that I had previously. If you’re switching accounts, then you’ll want to take your SIM card out and insert the SIM card for the new user.

Have you ever traded your Android phone with family members or friends? How did you reset your Android? Did you use the same procedure as described here, or did you do anything different? Do you have any other preferences for taking a ROM backup? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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If you have an online home biz and your own domain it is highly likely that you make regular changes or add pages to your website. This can be a time consuming procedure at the best of times and if you have just got your own domain or are new to html it can be highly frustrating when you do not see the changes you have made and simply cannot figure out what has gone wrong.

It does not matter how many times you click the Refresh button, the same old web page still appears and you begin to wonder if you saved the changes before uploading your site. In fact you probably go to the trouble of downloading the site again and repeating the process to no avail.

What is cache?

Every time you visit a web page on the internet, your web browser will store a copy of that web page, including images and sounds in the Temporary Internet Files folder. This is often referred to as the cache. You may well notice how quickly a web page loads in your browser the second time you visit it, if you have not cleared your cache. Conversely, once you have cleared your cache, a site will take longer to load the first time round as it has no previous information to access from memory.

How to fix the problem:

The reason that you see your old web page is because your computer memory is still holding the old cache of your website. To overcome this problem in Internet Explorer open your online home biz website in your browser and hold down the Control key on your keyboard and at the same time click the Refresh button in your browser. This will force your browser to retrieve a copy of your website from the network server without comparing it to your cache. In other words it by-passes the cache in the memory of your computer and immediately your newly changed website should be visible.

How to clear your cache:

It is advisable to clear your cache regularly, not only to prevent your browser from loading out of date information about a site or image but, because cache takes up a lot of disk space and will eventually cause your computer to slow down.

To clear your cache in Internet Explorer 7, simply open a browser, click on Tools, then Internet Options, under Browsing History click Delete and there you will see the options to delete temporary internet files, cookies and history.

You can adjust your settings to automatically clear the cache whenever you close your browser. If you are using IE7, simply go to the Tools menu, and click Internet Options. Click the Advanced tab. In the Settings box, scroll down to the section labeled Security (look for the padlock icon), and click to check the box next to the Empty Temporary Internet Files Folder When Browser Is Closed option. Click OK to finish. This option will clear your cache of other files when you close your browser, but it does not delete cookies.

Clearing your cache may not cure this problem!

Another really frustrating and time consuming problem is that of opening a web site that you visit on a regular basis only to find that you cannot login? You keep getting sent back to the login page with no error messages coming up, like wrong username or password. If you are sure you have entered your correct details, make contact with the webmaster and usually he will be able to advise you of the problem. But, this can be caused when the DNS (Domain name system) provider of a web site is re-configured and using the method to clear cache may not work.

Apparently, some ISP (Internet Service Providers) are slower than others in updating the DNS records and sometimes a DNS change can take quite a while to be recognized by all ISPs. What you can do in this case is contact your ISP provider (Internet Provider) and ask them to put a bypass in to go around their cache engine. You may need to be persistent with this request, as the ISP can be reluctant to do the cache bypass.

Other benefits of clearing your cache:

Depending on how much time you spend on the internet on a daily basis, the temporary internet files or cache can take a few minutes to delete if done daily, but if you leave it and only delete them say once a month, you could be in for a long wait while your computer performs this task.

You may well find that your browser speed and performance increase too after clearing your cache.

When you are running an online home biz it is a great time saver if you clear your cache often, as this will help to keep your computer running smoothly and prevent it from getting bogged down with all the information on the web sites you have visited on the internet. It will also help get rid of unwanted gremlins that can creep into your computer via temporary internet files.

Click here: www.adwarebye.com Tolook at adware removals softwares Review… look at softawre to prevent Spyware, Adware, Trojans, Worms, Keyloggers, Toolbar Hijackers, and other harmful programs are all tracking programs that secretly install onto your computer. Once you’re infected with these malicious programs, your privacy and personal information are at risk! Spyware, as well as other malicious programs, can go from dangerous, stealing your passwords and credit card information, to simply annoying you with their excessive popups. These malicious programs can track your surfing habits, abuse your Internet connection by sending this data to a third party, profile your shopping preferences, hijack your browser, and alter important system files – all without your knowledge or permission. The security and privacy implications of these exploits should not be taken lightly. Immediate action must be taken to rid yourself of these computer infestations. Click here www.adwarebye.com

Real quick…Here are seven reasons to install energy efficient windows:

- Save energy

- Save money from using less heating or AC

- Add to appearance of the house

- Protect a home’s interior furnishings from fading

- Higher impact resistance

- Make outside noise less audible

- Insulate your home better, keeping it warm in the winter and cool in the summer

With reasons like those, it’s no wonder energy efficient windows are all the rage. If your windows need to be repaired or even replaced, consider installing energy efficient windows.

How exactly do I pick out energy efficient windows?

When picking out energy efficient windows, you want to look for windows that are Energy Star certified.

Energy Star was developed by the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. The government program’s purpose is to help individuals and organizations protect the environment through energy efficiency. The standard does not just apply to windows but to other products as well.

For the purpose of this article, we will be taking a look at windows that are Energy Star certified. What makes windows Energy Star certified? Any Energy Star product including windows must meet the following criteria:

- Have an NFRC (National Fenestration Rating Council) label. The NFRC tests the insulating quality of the entire window.

- Be 40% more efficient than the product usually requires under most building codes.

- Reduce energy bills by up to 15%.

Customers cannot just rely on the Energy Star label to pick out a good energy efficient window though. An important consideration for consumers is to select windows that are appropriate for the area of the country in which they live. Energy Star labels windows three ways:

- “N” for northern climates

- “S” for southern climates

- “C” for central climates

The three types of windows are designed to address the heating or cooling concerns in each climate: mostly heating for the Northern Zone, mostly cooling for the Southern Zone, and both heating and cooling for the Central North Zone and Central South Zone.

How Energy Efficient Windows Improve the House

Aside from saving energy, energy efficient windows are particularly fantastic in states that can get extremely cold. These windows work to make homes warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, which becomes particularly evident in states with very cold winters and states with extremely hot summers. With these windows insulating well, homeowners spend less on heating and air conditioning bills. Energy efficient windows also improve the house due to their attractive appearance, though not all energy efficient windows are the same. Homeowners have choices concerning main parts of the window, such as the frame, panes, and spacers.

Parts of the Window

- The frame

Look for windows that have fiberglass, wood composites, or vinyl because these materials are better at insulating. One negative aspect of using wood material for framing is that wood can be difficult to maintain, often needing painting after a few years. Thus, if you choose to frame your windows using wood material, it’s advised to get some exterior vinyl or aluminum cladding to cover the wood frame.

- Window Panes

If wondering whether having multiple window panes is preferred to having one window pane, remember the phrase ‘Two is Better than One’ or ‘The More the Merrier.’ Two panes of glass with space in between filled with air or krypton or argon insulates better than just one pane of glass does. Certain Energy Star windows have windows with three or more panes of glass, which do the best job of insulating and have greatest the impact resistance as well as improved energy efficiency. Another benefit of multiple panes is that they keep outside noise out better than a single glass pane does.

- Low-E glass coating

Low-E coating is a special coating on the window that is great to have. It reflects infrared light to keep heat outside in the summer and inside in the winter. It also reflects ultraviolet light to protect a home’s interior furnishings from fading.

- Warm Edge Spacers

Warm edge spacers are great for reducing heat flow and preventing condensation. Made of foam, steel, fiberglass, or vinyl, they keep a window’s glass panes the right distance apart.

There are many brands of energy efficient windows from which to choose. Manufacturers include those such as Accent Windows, Andersen, Cascade Windows, CertainTeed, Gorell, Marvin, Winstrom, and many more. Home improvement companies select which manufacturer brand they would like to make available to their customers. For example, Highland Windows, a Connecticut home improvement company based in Hartford is licensed to install Alside, another energy efficient window manufacturer, which has won The Energy Star Window of the Year Award three times.