[sachin hegde]

most of us here will bump into this problem sooner or later. i have installed wp8.1 and enjoying it so far, i have most of my apps, games installed in SDcard. due to some problems i have to do a hard reset off my mobile..
i wanted to know what is the effect of hard reset on those apps which are installed on my SDcard. do i need to reinstall them or they can be used without any problems and along with there app data.

[SwimSwim]

Due to how WP8.1 handles SD cards, and only lets SD cards be used on one phone, it will likely require you to format the SD card after a hard reset, effectively loosing everything.

[DavidinCT]

I would think otherwise one of these options but, cant say for sure (If your going to hard reset, try it to see what happens)
1. As above, might have to format card, or WP would remove the folder when you tried to install a new app after hardreseting it
2. The apps might stay but, you would have to reinstall them...
3. They might be there but, be dead, just like if you Reinstalled Windows on your PC but, all your apps were on another drive, you woudl need to reinstall them to the same folder to get them working again or create shortcuts (you cant do that in WP)...

[sachin hegde]

Due to how WP8.1 handles SD cards, and only lets SD cards be used on one phone, it will likely require you to format the SD card after a hard reset, effectively loosing everything.

i don't think it will format whole SDcard as there are other data along with the app which are installed. and i will use same mobile+ SDcard combination so not sure how wp 8.1 deal with that, it may recognize it's own app on SDcard or it may not, these are the two basic possibilities.

[sachin hegde]

I would think otherwise one of these options but, cant say for sure (If your going to hard reset, try it to see what happens)
1. As above, might have to format card, or WP would remove the folder when you tried to install a new app after hardreseting it
2. The apps might stay but, you would have to reinstall them...
3. They might be there but, be dead, just like if you Reinstalled Windows on your PC but, all your apps were on another drive, you woudl need to reinstall them to the same folder to get them working again or create shortcuts (you cant do that in WP)...

along with these there is one more likely possibility that WP8.1 will delete(or prompt user to delete) all the app already installed in the SDcard before installing a new one

[rubenwidjaja]

I did hard reset after I installed wp 8.1
all apps installed in SD won't delete but you can't use it either, so it will still there until you ask wp 8.1 to install app in your SDcard. WP 8.1 will confirm you that there are apps in your SDcard and if you want install new apps you need to delete it.
Of course wp 8.1 will delete it automatically and you can install new apps in your SDcard. So your apps before hard reset will deleted and you must reinstall your apps.

[DavidinCT]

I did hard reset after I installed wp 8.1
all apps installed in SD won't delete but you can't use it either, so it will still there until you ask wp 8.1 to install app in your SDcard. WP 8.1 will confirm you that there are apps in your SDcard and if you want install new apps you need to delete it.
Of course wp 8.1 will delete it automatically and you can install new apps in your SDcard. So your apps before hard reset will deleted and you must reinstall your apps.

If you reinstall, does it keep your game saves ?

[DBZo07]

Interesting, I was planning to create a query thread but search option saved my time.
Op I request to share the whatever you did, it will help me or people like me.
Thanks

[Nimdock]

The more I think about this the more I am convinced that if i ever get a phone with SD card support (L920 right now) I would definitely only use the SD card for music, pictures, documents, things of that nature.

[aximtreo]

Would it be possible to copy the SD Card contents to your PC and then move it back once you do the hard reset. I suspect you will be forced to format the SD card as part of the hard reset. Whether the material will show once you move it back to the SD card is another question.

Someone that is forced to do a hard reset might give this a try and see what happens. Better we know from one or a small few if it works as opposed to learning from many that it doesn't work.

[sachin hegde]

Would it be possible to copy the SD Card contents to your PC and then move it back once you do the hard reset. I suspect you will be forced to format the SD card as part of the hard reset. Whether the material will show once you move it back to the SD card is another question.

Someone that is forced to do a hard reset might give this a try and see what happens. Better we know from one or a small few if it works as opposed to learning from many that it doesn't work.

formatting SDcard is optional in hard reset. all the data including app data will be there in SDcard but as you reset the mobile the application certification will be removed hence the apps cannot be used

[Nimdock]

formatting SDcard is optional in hard reset. all the data including app data will be there in SDcard but as you reset the mobile the application certification will be removed hence the apps cannot be used

How about non-app data? Will Music/pics.docs/etc. be available normally?

[sachin hegde]

If you reinstall, does it keep your game saves ?

no app/game data can be reused. at least not now

[sachin hegde]

How about non-app data? Will Music/pics.docs/etc. be available normally?

every data is preserved. make sure to uncheck ' format SDcard' option in hard reset option when prompted

[Nimdock]

every data is preserved. make sure to uncheck ' format SDcard' option in hard reset option when prompted

Nice, that's the way I expected it to work and I am glad that it does.

[DBZo07]

So the apps/games data are intact?

[lsmachado]

So, if I have to hard reset, is it best NOT to remove the SD card first? Should I just leave it in the phone during the hard reset?

[sachin hegde]

So the apps/games data are intact?

intact but of no use as far as i know.

[sachin hegde]

So, if I have to hard reset, is it best NOT to remove the SD card first? Should I just leave it in the phone during the hard reset?

doesn't make a difference. do as you feel. whatever floats your boat.

[DBZo07]

intact but of no use as far as i know.

Acha, how? Are they unusable?

[Sameer Beri]

If u select yes while resting ur phone "do you want to reset added too" so select no..and ur SD card will not format

[sachin hegde]

Acha, how? Are they unusable?

yes they are unusable. they will be over written when you install new app

[sachin hegde]

Acha, how? Are they unusable?

If u select yes while resting ur phone "do you want to reset added too" so select no..and ur SD card will not format

i don't get what you are saying but there will be a prompt before you reset asking you to confirm if you want to format SDcard' along with the phone. that's all there is to it and when you 1st try to install any app the wp would like to remove all the app installed previously in the SDcard

[Sameer Beri]

Yes u are right 👉

[SwimSwim]

Makes sense. Microsoft promised that using SD cards would be secure, and we already knew that apps installed to an SD card would be usable on one device. Hence when you reset, even if you don't format the SD card: the game save data will remain, but the OS will treat the SD card as belonging to another device, and therefore not permit its use.

As such, unless you've got some advanced decryption methods available: loosing app + game data is a given when performing a hard reset. That is, at least, until OneDrive app + game backup starts becoming more widespread.