Help Can't do factory reset

[Fox Mulder]

I'm trying to help a friend with their ZTE, it's been crashing and doing strange stuff so it would seem a full reset is in order. However I've tried to do it both from the system settings with the phone running, and the power-on recovery menu, and neither one actually resets the phone. When I use the recovery menu and select factory reset it says it's formatted and wiped, but when the phone restarts (with great difficulty) it's not restored. Everything is still there.
I think this phone has serious problems on a basic hardware level, but thought I'd post here in case someone has any helpful suggestions.
The phone is stock and not rooted.

 

[sdrawkcab25]

I'm trying to help a friend with their ZTE, it's been crashing and doing strange stuff so it would seem a full reset is in order. However I've tried to do it both from the system settings with the phone running, and the power-on recovery menu, and neither one actually resets the phone. When I use the recovery menu and select factory reset it says it's formatted and wiped, but when the phone restarts (with great difficulty) it's not restored. Everything is still there.
I think this phone has serious problems on a basic hardware level, but thought I'd post here in case someone has any helpful suggestions.
The phone is stock and not rooted.

Is the phone rooted or modified in any way that you know of?

Usually when a phone doesn't factory reset, it means that some partitions are messed up.

 

[Fox Mulder]

Is the phone rooted or modified in any way that you know of?

Usually when a phone doesn't factory reset, it means that some partitions are messed up.

My last sentence tells the story, it's fully stock. I'm pretty certain that nobody has messed with it.

 

[SelfElevated2]

Well to be honest stock phones have the most issues. The warps stock software is garbage and buggy. Stock recovery is pretty much useless. You have 2 options.

1. Call boost, tell them your phone is acting up and you'd like to do a factory reset. They have a few ways of doing it.

2. Root your phone. You would have clock work mod recovery which will let you flash a custom rom or a stock rom. For this option see the all things root section - root after b08c. Stock roms can be found in the FAQ

- so called messing with the phone is the only way to improve it. If you choose to take the root option. Follow the directions and don't be afraid to make a new thread in all things root letting us know you need help. There are plenty of members that can help

 

[Fox Mulder]

The owner did take it into the Boost store where they got it, the guy supposedly did the reset but it didn't work. So it doesn't look like Boost is going to be much help.
Probably related is the fact that we aren't able to uninstall any apps from the phone. The app will appear to be uninstalled, but the next time the phone is restarted it's back like it was never removed. Seems like the whole phone is read-only?
If it were my phone I'd have no problem rooting it, I've rooted two of my own phones. But it belongs to someone else and I'm just trying to help them out. The factory restore is about as far as I want to go with it.

 

[SelfElevated2]

Right. Understood. But maybe you should tell that person the options. Sounds to me like the phone is exactly how it is unless you can rewrite the entire system. Which you Will only do with custom recovery.

Zte does have a 1 year warranty. There's the 3rd and final option I can think of.

 

[justtom]

Exactly have it sent back for replacement.And wash your hands of this.

 

[StarScream2109]

i second jusstom best bet here is just to get a replacment

 

[Fox Mulder]

Yeah that's pretty much what I've told them.
How does Boost handle it, do they give you a replacement phone or are you without it while it gets sent back? The owner can't be without a phone so they are reluctant to bring it in unless they can get another one.