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HOW TO FORMAT SYMBIAN S60 PHONES?

NOKIA FORMATTING CODES

Not all Nokia phones can be formatted by the so called Formatting codes (Will not
work in S40 phones like Nokia 6300, 7210, 5130 etc and older Nokia Generic OS based
phones like Nokia 1600, 2600 etc). These phones can only be formatted through flashing
(Re-installing) their OS software (Firmware) via data cable and computer. Only Symbian S60
(And a few other) based mobiles have built-in support for the format codes. So format codes
will work in all Symbian^1 (S60 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th edition) phones like Nokia 3650, 3660,
6600, 6630, 6680, 6681, 3230, 7610, 6670, 3250, N70, N72, N73, N75, N76, N77, N78, N79,
N80, N81, N82, N83, N85, N86, N90, N91, N92, N93, N95, N96, N97, 5800, 500, C5-05 and
other touchscreen phones plus the newer Symbian^3 (or Anna, Belle) phones (Nokia N8, C7,
C6-01, E7, Nokia 603, 700, 701 etc).
Now there are two methods to format the phone, depending upon the situation:
A. When the phone is in working condition:
Just press any of the following two codes at standby screen
*#7780# or
*#7370#
Phone will ask for confirmation and security code (Default security code is 12345), enter it
and wait for the formatting to complete. Bingo! everything in phone memory will be erased
and phone will be back to factory settings.
B. Hard Reset (Applicable for S60 2nd and 3rd edition phones only) When the phone is not
starting-up (i.e. not working after white screen or Nokia Logo screen) then follow these
steps:
1. Switch-off the phone
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2. Press and hold following three keys simultaneously (Remember All the three keys
simultaneously):
Green Key (OK or Number Dialing key), Star key (*) and Three key (3 number key)
3. While still holding the above three keys, press the power on/off key to switch-on the
phone.
Still continue holding the three keys until phone boots up and the formatting screen
appears. Now you can release the keys, confirm if asked and then wait for the format to
complete. Now the phone will be restored to its original factory settings. The above format
will reset the phone but most probably will not clear the operators lock codes.
Read Here to know about hard reset method for Nokia N97, 5800, 5230, 5530 and other
touchscreen S60 5th edition phones.
FORMATTING COMMUNICATORS:
Follow the instructions below to format Nokia 9300/9500 (Communicators)
1. Restart the phone
2. Just when the NOKIA logo appears on screen, PRESS AND HOLD following three keys
simultaneously:
Shift (Up Arrow key) + Ctrl + F
3. KEEP HOLDING them until phone prompts you whether or not to proceed with format. If
however the format menu does not appear this way then remove and re-insert the battery
and try again. If the phone display remains black after inserting the battery, press power
button on the phone side while keeping the cover open and repeat the above procedure.
After formatting, phone will reboot. If the screen remains white after reboot, press power
button on the phone side while keeping the cover open.
NOTE: Before formatting the phone, make sure
1. That you backup all your phone data to either computer or memory card as formatting
will erase everything in phone memory.
2. That the phones battery is charged fully or is plugged in AC power because if
unfortunately, the phone runs out of battery during format, then the phone may get
permanently damaged and irreparable.
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3. If your phone is infected with a virus (Only applies to 1st and 2nd edition phones) then
also format the memory card and scan it with a good computer antivirus like Avast.