hard resetting the device ... texts

[kyle4269]

SPB backup will also save all your messages..But unlike PIM backup SPB Backup costs $$.

[Geekcop]

True,,,but PIM Backup will back up ONLY your PIM data, not your entire device, as will SPB

[z28marols1]

SPB by default will back up everything, but you can go in the options and limit it to just your PIM data. I use both (as its more important to me to back up my contacts often than my device). Both do the job wonderfully. But if texts are the main thing youre after, PIM backup is the way to go.

People already listed PIM backup...
and SPB

Don't forget about PowerSMS

Even Microsoft's new MyPhone service

I used PowerSMS to backup my texts, and relied on outlook to hold everything else, which worked just fine for me. Now, I've got everything synced to MyPhone.

Uploading texts to it seems to take a VERY long time, my 4700 texts or so took about 7 hours (not including connection failures due to the slowness)... in the other direction though, all of them downloaded in just a couple of minutes. It will sync your calendar, contacts, and other things you would never figure you'd want to back up (storage card? You can have it back up all your .cab files too, I guess, if you keep them on the card. 200 MB limit on MyPhone). Still, it is also an early beta, but I like it thusfar, especially because it's free.

A note of warning, there's some strangeness in the EULA, regarding Microsoft's ability to read everything that you upload to the service, or something along those lines. It's no worse than Google taking complete ownership of everything you post through Chrome, though (so, Google owns this post now, even though I have created it...). It's nothing for the average person to be concerned about, but I'd just be wary of what actually gets uploaded to the service... you know, like that copy of CorePlayer which a friend "sold" to you.

Since the service's site seems to be down right now, I'll attach a .cab. It's not the most recent version, but it will prompt you to update it when you use it, anyway.

[Nimdock]

Originally Posted by ShadowDrake

A note of warning, there's some strangeness in the EULA, regarding Microsoft's ability to read everything that you upload to the service, or something along those lines.

I was getting excited up until that point, that's why I don't use google products.

Originally Posted by Nimdock

I was getting excited up until that point, that's why I don't use google products.

The EULA's are way too restrictive, and companies are getting away with putting outrageous statements in them... consumers aren't doing anything about it, so who is going to make them stop? It would have to be a boycott and it's just too hard to inform most people. Until a big suit is made out of one of them, it will go unnoticed.

It's easy enough to find examples where the EULA's are impossible to enforce anyway, like how, before last year at about this time... simply installing a copy of Safari for Windows... on a Windows machine violated the EULA because it stated you were only allowed to install it on a Mac-branded computer. This is a bit off subject though.

My point is you really shouldn't have to worry about it, unless you're abusing the service, or there is compromising information contained within. And if you have information in your text inbox that is that sensitive and poses that big of a security risk, it would have had to be sent or recieved through a text anyway, and the cell carriers DO retain a log of all of them.

I can't find much on the EULA right now, it does provide a link to it when you install the application, but I don't feel like removing it, reinstalling it, and potentially having to make it re-sync everything, uploading those contacts takes forever. From the EULA listed online right now, this is the only "in question" part that is stated, and it's pretty normal.

10. Privacy.
In order to operate and provide the service, we collect certain information about you. We use and protect that information as described in the http://privacy.microsoft.com. In particular, we may access or disclose information about you, including the content of your communications, in order to: (a) comply with the law or respond to lawful requests or legal process; (b) protect the rights or property of Microsoft or our customers, including the enforcement of our agreements or policies governing your use of the service; or (c) act on a good faith belief that such access or disclosure is necessary to protect the personal safety of Microsoft employees, customers or the public.

But again, they clearly say what it is potentially used for, and you'll find a statement like that in all sorts of EULA's. Just try MyPhone, you may end up liking it. All of your sync'ed information is available online too, and you can manage and clean up duplicate contacts, calendar entries, texts, etc etc. I like this service so far.

[Darkjedi]

PIM backup can restore your texts into threaded mode if you restore them in a certain way. I've used PIM Backup since my XV6700 and carried over several thousand texts between like 6 devices. With the new WM6.1 you have to disable threaded texts right before you restore your texts with PIM Backup. On the TP theres an option to do that in your Settings tab. Once you've backed up, switch threaded texts back on again and give it a couple minutes to process and sort through the texts. After a little while if you look in your texts you'll see your threads start populating with texts in conversation mode.

[CozBoogie]

Since there are already numerous threads on the various backup applications/software available, I'm gonna close this one down.

late,
Coz