Reset without affecting files...yeah right!

[wallimiyama]

I'm having issues with my Surface and multiple type covers. Laggy and takes 2-3 seconds for a keystroke to show up...and the mouse pad is laggy to the point of uselessness.

An on-line MS Tech asked me to clean the contacts...so I did. No resolution. The next step, reset without affecting files. I let them know that I'd spend a dozen hours downloading, and another dozen hours getting 'er set up...so I'd like to try a different solution. Nope...this is the next step. You won't lose your files.

WRONG!!

So much for not affecting files...the list of things removed contained over 25 apps/software.

Of course the reset didn't work.

So now I'm brining 'er back to factory.

I'm not happy.

 

[Arizona Willie]

Yeah I made that mistake with Windows 8 in the developers edition. Never never never do that reset thing unless you want to start from scratch all over again.
But, I have my backup program, Acronis set to backup every night at 7 pm while I'm not using the computer.

 

[J515OP]

There are two types of restore. Refresh which will leave your personal files and settings and Reset which will wipe everything and restore to an out of the box condition. Sorry to hear you may have misunderstood the specifics and it appears to not have corrected the problem. Since it sounds like you did a reset and wiped everything anyway you might want to try it again to see if it works the second time. If not it is possible you got a lemon. It happens.

 

[bosamar]

If your Contacts were sync with a Windows Live account they should still be there. Just login on the web and take a looksee...

 

[wallimiyama]

NO...
There was no misunderstanding. I followed the tech's instructions letter for letter. I was told "You won't lose your files".

The full on reset didn't work either.

So now I have two completely crappy solutions offered by Microsoft. Standard return...takes about 15 days (15 days that they have my money without my having a working unit). Or advance return...where they put a $1200 hold on my credit card and ship me a new unit in 3 to 5 days...

Good grief.

 

[dlacaba]

I went through this and it actually fixed my problem. Did you lose your files or your apps? I did a refresh and all my files were fine, but I had to reinstall all my desktop apps. Is that what happened with yours?

 

[wallimiyama]

It dumped apps and many of the things I downloaded from steam over the weekend.

It dumped i-tunes. It dumped SkyDrive. It took a dump on my invested time.

grrrr

 

[J515OP]

Well it depends on what you did. If you started with Refresh it wouldn't have removed your files. If that didn't work and you moved on to Reset it would delete everything. That sounds like where there may have been a misunderstanding. It sucks but it happens. If your device was a lemon it really didn't hurt anything anyway since you wouldn't be able to use a laggy device. Your time is a sunk cost.

As far as the return options those are totally standard. You may not be happy with them but they are completely reasonable.

 

[ArnoldC]

It won't affect files but not applications, a fresh Windows 8 installed will have no recollection of other applications. Therefore the reinstall.
Sent from my Windows Phone 8S by HTC using Board Express

 

[wallimiyama]

Sorry, but several of you gents are mistaken.
On the Surface Pro, if you run the Microsoft titled "reset without affecting personal files", plan on losing everything that you've installed to the desktop along with any apps you've installed from the store. Heck, it even trashed my Office 365 apps.

It didn't do away with a couple of my pictures and music files...but it toasted everything else.

 

[dlacaba]

Sorry, but several of you gents are mistaken.
On the Surface Pro, if you run the Microsoft titled "reset without affecting personal files", plan on losing everything that you've installed to the desktop along with any apps you've installed from the store. Heck, it even trashed my Office 365 apps.

It didn't do away with a couple of my pictures and music files...but it toasted everything else.

Umm... yup, that's pretty much what everyone else said.

 

[jnjroach]

It did exactly what it is intended to do, not affect your files (i.e. those items that are in your profile (Libraries, Downloads, Desktop) but it removes everything else, it is the equivalent of Hard Linking when doing an enterprise deployment you backup personal files into a protected segment of the disk, wipe the rest of the disk and then install the OS. After the installation the profiles are restored. It clearly states what happens when you do the refresh.