RE: how much slack in "Factory Reset"

["Combs, Richard" <richard -dot- combs -at- Polycom -dot- com>]

McLauchlan, Kevin wrote:
 
> FIRST QUESTION
> If a command for a piece of electronic/computer equipment says:
> "Factory Reset", do you assume that it clears some stuff and
> revokes some stuff and puts the equipment in a condition that's
> suitable for a new user, starting "fresh" to configure and begin
> using?
> 
> OR, do you assume that it wipes out literally anything that was
> not "as shipped from factory", including rolling back firmware,
> removing any capability updates (that you might have purchased
> for good money...), and generally leaves no trace that the
> item has had a life of any sort since it first left the factory...??

I wouldn't assume anything on a matter of such import. Instead, I'd expect to find a brief explanation -- similar to the ones you stated above, and preferably in the UI so that I don't have to search the online help or dig out a manual. 
 
> SECOND QUESTION
> For the first scenario (first paragraph, above) what might be
> a better term than "Factory Reset".

"Restore Default Configuration" -- with that brief explanation below. 

IMHO, of course. :-) 

Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-903-6372
------






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