Initial Setup Advice Request (950)

[mggm100]

I have not yet gotten ahold of a Lumia 950 but plan to do so in the fairly near future. I've been reading this forum and find various comments about whether or not to restore from a WM 8.1 backup. My current phone is a Lumia 1020 running Denim.

My question is for those who have recommended a fresh install rather than a restore from backup. Are you referring only to the "Apps and Settings" backup and not the "text messages" backup?

Any and all advice welcomed.

Mike

 

[Zeem Frostmaw]

Pretty positive they're referring to apps and settings. You probably won't want your phone to immediately start restoring apps and any associated data that happens to be in the cloud.

Can't imagine a text message backup causing problems but ultimately the less it has to fetch, the cleaner your OS will be.

 

[Dewg]

Text messages should sync with your Microsoft Account, so even if you don't restore (start fresh), your text messages will come back (depending on your setting - I think it's default to past 30 days).

I've read that you should:

1) Make sure your SIM card is installed BEFORE you turn on the 950 for the first time
2) Setup the phone, but skip the Microsoft Account login
3) Once at the Start Screen, power the phone off and perform a Hard Reset (Hold down Volume-Down and power the phone on. When you see the ! on the screen, let go of Volume-Down. Then press: Volume-Up, Volume-Down, Power, Volume-Down
4) Setup the phone as normal - but do not restore your backup when prompted - start fresh

That should give you the best experience. Make sure you go into the Store and check for updates - let it download all the App updates. Once done, you can go into "My Library" and download the apps you want to install.

 

[TexasLabRat]

Dewg has a great procedure to minimize the chances of having avoidable issues. It's a little laborious and time consuming at a time when you are dying to play with your new toy, but well worth it IMHO. I do the same for all my new phone setups in the insider program (we often had to downgrade to 8.1 first for new builds).

Having the SIM inserted is important to make sure it auto-provisions your APN stuff correctly.

 

[Joel Earnest]

When I started Lumia Offers (after I'd brought in an import from my 1020) there were no offers. After I soft reset, I had the offer for the display dock. Not sure if the soft reset brought the offer in or if it would have come by itself with time.
Also, be sure to update your apps. I was surprised to see that most required updates.

 

[JasonKruys]

When I started Lumia Offers (after I'd brought in an import from my 1020) there were no offers. After I soft reset, I had the offer for the display dock. Not sure if the soft reset brought the offer in or if it would have come by itself with time.
Also, be sure to update your apps. I was surprised to see that most required updates.

It was an app update that brought it in.

 

[mggm100]

Thanks, everyone. It's nice to have this information all in one place rather than scattered among lots of threads.

 

[EMitchell]

1) Make sure your SIM card is installed BEFORE you turn on the 950 for the first time
2) Setup the phone, but skip the Microsoft Account login
3) Once at the Start Screen, power the phone off and perform a Hard Reset (Hold down Volume-Down and power the phone on. When you see the ! on the screen, let go of Volume-Down. Then press: Volume-Up, Volume-Down, Power, Volume-Down
4) Setup the phone as normal - but do not restore your backup when prompted - start fresh

Funny, I wish I would have read this prior to setting up my 950.
I 1) turned on my 950 without the SIM card, running over wifi instead; 2) setup my MS account immediately when prompted; and 3) downloaded a backup from my 925. I've got it all set up at this point, things seem to be running well, but I've likely got some bloat from the backup. For example, I found Preview for Developers installed, a remnant from the 925. Makes me wonder what else carried over that I haven't found. The battery life could be better, it's pretty much all used up by the end of the day. But everything else seems pretty good.