My N900 start acting weird and I just requested an exchange.
While the new unit is on its way I've done some research here and in the web of how I can completely format my old N900, in order to send it back.

It is sooo lame that a format option is not available in the menu right out of the box.

The only acceptable solution I found here at Maemo.org forums and in the web is this long process.

My question is, is this the only way to format and clean up your N900?? Isn't there any other simpler way? And finally why Nokia excluded such an important function from the N900, if I remember correctly it was available on a pre-release N900 firmware .

sorry but thats the way its done. there is a program called nokia software updater on their site but i think it will only update and probably not reflash "fresh". the process you are referring to is what i've used many many times when i install too many development packages. just did it yesterday and my phone is fast as hell loaded with mostly stable apps and most of the gaming software.

Not bad....just did my first hard reset/flash.

Full format tools, with remote support should be added in the OS with upcoming firmware update. This is completely unacceptable.

The N900 has built-in OS updates, but I don't know off hand of an OS on any device that will let you completely wipe it and reinstall a fresh copy over top.. how would that even be possible while it's 'live'?


In any case.. the original question has me wondering about something that perhaps someone could clarify for me once and for all:

1 - in order to completely return the N900 to out-of-the-box status, it's my understanding that one must both flash the firmware as well as the EMMC. Is that correct?

2 - assuming that's correct, my understanding is that you do it in that order: first flash the firmware, second flash the EMMC. Is that correct?

3 - assuming that's correct, the EMMC file doesn't appear to have been updated since the N900 was released, so I'm guessing that it's perfectly fine to flash the very latest firmware, and then flash this 'vanilla' EMMC file on top of it?


Any details or insight about that process would be greatly appreciated.

@Bingle Joe:
yes, you are right, you'll have to flash both the eMMC and firmware to get into the out-of-box state. Flashing with the "vanilla" then the latest firmware (or any) is fine as well. However, you'll need to flash the eMMC first before flashing the firmware, as stated on the wiki (last bullet under flashing eMMC - http://wiki.maemo.org/Updating_the_tablet_firmware).

the hard reset forum i looked at here had the directions with emmc listed first so thats how ive always done it.

i reflashed 2 days ago and i did the vanilla emmc first, then the original firmware fresh install, then 2 updates to 2.2009-51.1. i havent tried downloading the newest firmware for reflashes yet.

both emmc and firmware seem safe to flash at any time in any combo.

My point is that even-thought the above solutions is doing the job, while from many of us is not that big of a deal to follow such a complicated approach but for most of the people this method is extremely difficult and time consuming. A simple format option/button for a complete clean up should be under "settings" like it is in the most major Operating Systems.

Such situations are the main examples that proves how powerful Maemo is for the hardcore users and at the same time how immature it is for the retail market.

You mean most Phone Operating Systems. This is beacuse most phones are so tightly locked down that the user is prevented from changing anything in the system itself, making a reset just a case of wiping out the user settings and data. The N900 is a far more open phone and, similarly to Linux, OS X, or Windows, doesn't have a way to reset the user's modifications without a reinstall.

I agree and this is what I meant. A reformat (in our case re-installing Maemo and clean up everything) all with a simple click. Again, I repeat this function was available under tab in "Settings" menu in a pre-release firmware and is a mystery of why Nokia didn't included it, in the final release.