how to get "out of box" state

[samo50g]

Hi all,
I installed third party software onto my brand new 50g and now I just want to get rid off it. How can I get my calculator into "out of the box" state? is it possible at all or I must ask for help nearest HP representative office? Thanks.

[cdmackay]

My HP 50g is in the post to me, so I won't say for sure, but googling "hp 50g reset" gives lots of answers. It may even be in the manual, too

[ijabbott]

(10-01-2018 04:55 PM)samo50g Wrote:  Hi all,
I installed third party software onto my brand new 50g and now I just want to get rid off it. How can I get my calculator into "out of the box" state? is it possible at all or I must ask for help nearest HP representative office? Thanks.

Do you mean a custom ROM image (such as NewRPL) or just regular programs?

[samo50g]

Thanks for your replies. Manuals etc. only say about "soft" reset. I am not an expert for calculators and other computer stuff, so it is better not to talk too much . I installed this third party software:

http://www.software49g.gmxhome.de/index.html

It made a chaos in my calculator, for instance after using CLEAR function the display became almost black, etc. So i do not want to hear any more about anything which is not a part of out of the box state.

I think I managed problem. so I downloaded and installed ROM 2.15 according to instructions in zip file:

https://www.hpcalc.org/details/7097

To the best of my knowledge the old and I guess corrupted (infected with third party software) ROM (same version, so 2.15) was replaced by the fresh installation of ROM. I also purged content of :0: in Library "directory" and I removed all third party libraries from :2: Library "directory".

it seems all is fine now, I would like to hear your comment if I must do anything else and if my explanation holds water or I made some (terminological) mistakes. thanks.

[BartDB]

Hi,

After RESET, in port "2: FLASH" delete everything EXCEPT L226, L227 & L229 - these form the Equation Library and Periodic Table that is normally factory installed.

If you do accidentally delete them, I have attached them here. Just re-install them (use an SD card to copy back to port 2).


Regards.

[BartDB]

(10-02-2018 02:35 AM)cdmackay Wrote:  My HP 50g is in the post to me, so I won't say for sure, but googling "hp 50g reset" gives lots of answers. It may even be in the manual, too

Not always the complete answer - many search returns only tell you about the reset that clears the RAM but not the Flash. Even less often do they tell you which libraries are factory default.

[samo50g]

BartDB, thanks so much. according to your answer I assume I am done. So, yes, I have deleted everything except the three libraries.

I understand your answer as I did right with installing ROM 2.15 over "old" ROM 2.15 which was (I guess) "infected" with third party software. As you can see I have difficulties with understanding software architecture of these calculators. that's why I desperately ask for the confirmation of my logic.

BTW, I did reset (On, F3, F6) and in additon I also removed ALL batteries for 20 minutes and did not recover the memory, just to be completely clear.
Thanks.

[BartDB]

(10-02-2018 09:33 AM)samo50g Wrote:  As you can see I have difficulties with understanding software architecture of these calculators.

It took me a lot of trial and error too

I'm sure you'll soon be an expert. Just remember to keep backup copies of your own programs and data

Regards.

[samo50g]

Thanks for your support. I had 28S in my student days. I handled it really well. Later i did not use it much. Lately my son broke it and i purchased 50g which is very similar to 28S ... but I forgot more or less everything.

[franz.b]

I do not remember with certainty and I do not have my 50g in my hand right now, but is there a "hard reset" micro hole on the back?

a simple help is already present on the second page of the tool menu.

[samo50g]

yes there is hard reset hole but it did not do for me what i wanted.


aaaaaah .... second page in TOOL. thanks so much. i will study it more deeply. So this is only HELP in 50g?

[John Keith]

(10-02-2018 10:35 AM)samo50g Wrote:  So this is only HELP in 50g?

You might want to install HLP49. It gives you a full on-calculator help system. Most of the library goes on the SD card so it takes very little space in calculator RAM.

[John Keith]

(10-02-2018 10:32 AM)samo50g Wrote:  I had 28S in my student days. I handled it really well. Later i did not use it much. Lately my son broke it and i purchased 50g which is very similar to 28S ... but I forgot more or less everything.

The 50g uses the same programming language as the 28s but has much greater capabilities. If you don't have them already, get the Advanced User's Reference Manual and the User's Guide. A lot of reading to be sure, but you will be amazed at what's in that little box!

[cdmackay]

(10-02-2018 09:27 AM)BartDB Wrote:  

(10-02-2018 02:35 AM)cdmackay Wrote:  My HP 50g is in the post to me, so I won't say for sure, but googling "hp 50g reset" gives lots of answers. It may even be in the manual, too

Not always the complete answer - many search returns only tell you about the reset that clears the RAM but not the Flash. Even less often do they tell you which libraries are factory default.

understood, thanks!

[Claudio L.]

(10-02-2018 07:54 AM)samo50g Wrote:  Thanks for your replies. Manuals etc. only say about "soft" reset. I am not an expert for calculators and other computer stuff, so it is better not to talk too much . I installed this third party software:

http://www.software49g.gmxhome.de/index.html

It made a chaos in my calculator, for instance after using CLEAR function the display became almost black, etc. So i do not want to hear any more about anything which is not a part of out of the box state.

First of all, don't get discouraged about third party software. One of the things that makes the 50g stand out is the huge amount of software available at hpcalc.org. There's a stage in which you'll try a lot of programs (look for the ones with the "get it" logo) and yes, you may mess up your calc every now and then, but once you select the software you want to keep, you'll have everything you need and it will be stable. Don't miss out on all the great software just because you crashed the calc on the first week. It's almost impossible to brick it so don't be afraid to test, but make sure you make backups on an SD card before you try anything.

(10-02-2018 07:54 AM)samo50g Wrote:  I think I managed problem. so I downloaded and installed ROM 2.15 according to instructions in zip file:

https://www.hpcalc.org/details/7097

To the best of my knowledge the old and I guess corrupted (infected with third party software) ROM (same version, so 2.15) was replaced by the fresh installation of ROM. I also purged content of :0: in Library "directory" and I removed all third party libraries from :2: Library "directory".

it seems all is fine now, I would like to hear your comment if I must do anything else and if my explanation holds water or I made some (terminological) mistakes. thanks.

If you followed the instructions in the "2MB FIX.zip" file then you shouldn't need to clear Port 2. That ROM will leave your flash in factory clean state. Then you need to clean your RAM. There's a couple of ways, the one I like is Press On-A-F, you get the boot loader with some tests, press On to reboot, then On-A-F again will show the "Try to recover the memory?" message, simply choose "No". That's all that's needed, really, it takes only a couple of minutes to have a blank calculator.
But before you try that, you need to try less destructive options, in this order (Stop as soon as one of these fixes the issue, if not fixed try the next):

a) Warmstart (On-C) to restart the calc OS preserving everything but the stack.
b) Reset (pinhole, or On-A-F then choose On=REBOOT). Same as Warmstart but also reinitializes the hardware.
c) Warmstart (or Reset) but holding Backspace during the restart: This will prevent attaching any libraries, so it gives you the opportunity to remove from Port2 the offending library.
d) Recover your RAM: Do the same process as cleaning your RAM, but answer "Yes" to the recovery attempt. The recovery process might cleanup some bad objects and fix the issue.
e) Clear your RAM as explained above (On-A-F, then On, then On-A-F, then "No"), this will completely wipe out your RAM.
f) Reflash 2MB rom: This wipes out the entire Port 2 memory as well, together with the step before this is a total factory reset.

Keep in mind, 99.9% of the issues are resolved using up to c). Option d) is very rare, Options e) and f) are completely destructive, hardly ever needed.

[Claudio L.]

(10-02-2018 11:43 AM)John Keith Wrote:  

(10-02-2018 10:35 AM)samo50g Wrote:  So this is only HELP in 50g?

You might want to install HLP49. It gives you a full on-calculator help system. Most of the library goes on the SD card so it takes very little space in calculator RAM.

I like HLP49 a lot, it's a must-have. Like I said before: don't get discouraged, there's a lot of great software out there, you just need to find out what works for you.
And since you seem to be a fan of keeping your flash tidy, you might want to take a look at FlashTools. For key assignments look at Keyman. I also replaced the default filer with Filer6. If you are planning to use the SD card a lot, also take a look at SDFiler.

[samo50g]

Claudio, thanks.
you are right, I had to clean Port 0, not 2.

Ok for not losing trust into third party software. It is good to hear that some programs will work. I was extremely frustrated when I noticed that my calculator crashes and I was not sure if will I be able to fix the issue (I am a total amateur in this world).

Your instructions are precious and you enlightened me much. I made a file with such instructions. Thanks again !!!

[samo50g]

Quote:I like HLP49 a lot, it's a must-have. Like I said before: don't get discouraged, there's a lot of great software out there, you just need to find out what works for you.
And since you seem to be a fan of keeping your flash tidy, you might want to take a look at FlashTools. For key assignments look at Keyman. I also replaced the default filer with Filer6. If you are planning to use the SD card a lot, also take a look at SDFiler.

i have already installed it (help) and it seems it covers a big majority of commands ...
For the rest I will take time. I am not so advanced user but I definitely like the toy. It replaced my broken S28.

[DavidM]

(10-02-2018 01:55 PM)Claudio L. Wrote:  ...

Claudio's response covers things nicely.

I would simply add a suggestion that one of the first concepts you may want to focus on should be understanding the backup methods that are available to you with the "out of box" configuration. Look up the ARCHIVE and RESTORE commands, in particular noting what they do and don't do. After that, becoming familiar with "the filer" (left-shift APPS) is a good idea.

Combining these utilities with the storage available on an SD card provides the foundation for safely exploring both built-in and third-party tools. Knowing that you can always get back to a known-good state has great value.

Enjoy your new calculator! It will provide a wealth of opportunities for you.

[Simone Cerica]

you will find this discussion very useful:

advice on what programs to install on a new HP 50g
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/...discussion




ciao