Sometimes in life, you just gotta go back to a fresh start… a clean slate… a new beginning… square one… tabula raza… you get the idea.  Being a Palm Pre owner since June 2009, I can tell you that this certainly applies to webOS devices. Those of you “in the know” are aware that you can do many cool things with webOS homebrew… Very cool stuff, but I noticed that after getting carried away with patches (I used upwards of 30!), my “Precious” was really starting to slow down.


Many of you have noted that your Palm Pre has slowed down dramatically since Palm’s infamous 1.3.1 update.  While this update provided us with cool things under the hood (laying the groundwork for Flash, video recording), on the surface many felt like they were robbed of some of the Pre’s snappiness and stability.  And we can’t have that!


Fear not friends, because TOTALLY PALMED is on the case!  More after the break…

Note:  this is a fix that’s recommended for people as at least a third resort… if you’re having any problems with your Palm Pre, there may be a simple solution you may not be aware of.  Hey, maybe one of those solutions can be found here!  You may also want to consider applying Palm’s WebOS Doctor tool to your Pre/Pixi, which essentially restores the Pre’s OS back to spec. Click here to read more about it.

That having been said, few things clear the Pre’s software of junk and give you that fresh start you were looking for than wiping the Pre’s memory.  You can do this one of three ways…

- Erase Apps & Data: temporarily erases:
- All apps and their associated data (high scores, login info, etc)
- All contacts and calendar appointments
- All bookmarks and memos
Doing this will NOT touch your USB memory partition, where you have all your music, photos, documents, and videos.

- Erase USB Drive: The exact opposite of “Erase Apps & Data.” Permanently wipes your USB partition, but everything else remains intact. This part is NOT restored unless you back it up on your computer beforehand.

- Full erase: The “Big Kahuna” of erases. Wipes EVERYTHING! Essentially brings your webOS device back to the way you bought it. (OS version won’t be affected, which is a good thing.)

“DUDE ARE YOU NUTS?!  I’M NOT GONNA DO THIS TO MY PRE,” you say.

… Stay with me, now!

ERASE APPS & DATA (FORMERLY “PARTIAL ERASE”)

… Another thing about passwords: any password or private info saved on apps such as Splash ID will be wiped and NOT restored. (This is a pain, but the developers have indicated they’re coming out with a backup solution.)
… You will need a good carrier connection to restore your profile. Doing this over 1x sucks. Make sure you have 3G or Ev speeds first. You cannot set up your wifi until later. (Trust me, I tried.)


Okay, I’m ready! Let’s do this!
1) Tap the “Backup” button in your launcher. Select “Backup Now“
2) Email important memos to yourself. Just in case…
3) If you use Google contacts, why not take this time to streamline them? My Pre’s Universal search has been much faster since I streamlined mine. Click on “Contacts” in the left column of Gmail. Then click the button that says “Find Duplicates” (see pic on right)4) Find “Device Info” in your launcher.  Scroll down to the bottom where it says “Reset Options.”
5) Find where it says “Erase Apps & Data.”
6) You’re done!  Let the Pre do its magic. Restoring your profile takes about 5-10 minutes with an EVDO connection. A 1x connection takes 10-15 minutes.

THE FULL ERASE:

Who should do it?
People with very unstable or slow Palm Pre or Pixi that has not responded well to conventional methods or to a partial erase. I did this once to speed up my Pre and it made worlds of difference.

Anything I should know before I start?
Everything I said in the partial erase applies here but in addition, it is very, very, very, very, very, very important that you back up your USB portion on your Pre!!!! (See below)

Okay, I’m ready! Let’s do this!

1) Plug your Pre into the computer in “USB Drive Mode.”
2) Make a folder named “Palm Pre USB Backup” on your computer.
3) Copy your most important USB files to your computer. If you want to be safe, just copy EVERYTHING into this folder and you can always sort it out later.  The point is, you don’t wanna LOSE this stuff.

… The remainder of the steps are exactly like a partial erase.  The only difference, of course, is you’re tapping where it says “FULL erase.” After this happens and your non-USB stuff is restored by Palm, copy back only the most important files to your Pre.  Why? Well, this is based on anecdotal evidence, but I’ve seen my Pre goes much faster when not filled with music, videos, and documents.

In any case, it’s always nice to know that you can easily go back to Square One when needed.