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Factory Reset

Most people never need this page. The Art Computer looks after itself: it updates overnight, restarts cleanly, and recovers from most problems on its own. A factory reset is the last resort — for a device that no longer responds to the app, or one you are handing to someone else.

A factory reset erases everything on the device: Wi-Fi settings, the pairing with your account, and all downloaded artwork. The Art Computer returns to its factory software, then updates itself and walks you through setup again. Your collection is safe — it lives with your account, not on the device — but artworks will re-download after setup.

From the app (the normal way)

If the Art Computer still responds to the app, reset it from there: the app sends the reset command to the device (over the cloud, or directly on the local network). The screen shows a factory-reset notice, the device stops taking commands, and it restarts into its factory software. Use this path whenever it works — it needs no physical access beyond the screen. If the device comes back up still paired and playing your art, the reset did not take (the factory boot is a one-shot that falls back to the running system if it fails) — simply run it again.

With the power cord (when nothing else works)

If the screen is stuck or black and the app cannot reach the device, there is a reset path that needs nothing but the power cord. It is deliberately awkward — five precise power cuts in a row — so it cannot happen by accident.

  1. Unplug the Art Computer's power.
  2. Plug it back in and let it boot. Once the device has reached the system (the startup screen has come and gone) — or, if you are not sure, simply wait about 15 seconds — unplug again. Pulling the power too early, before the system is up, does not count.
  3. Repeat until you have cut the power 5 times. Keep the rhythm going — at least 15 seconds powered each time, and a pause of more than about 2 minutes between cycles resets the count.
  4. Plug in once more and leave it. The Art Computer restarts itself into a boot menu with FF1 - Factory Reset selected and a 60-second countdown on screen.
  5. Choose:
    • Let the countdown finish → the factory reset runs.
    • Unplug during the countdown → the reset is cancelled. Nothing is remembered; the next start is a completely normal one.

Once the reset starts, leave the power alone

Cancelling is only safe during the countdown. After it reaches zero the device is rewriting its system — keep it powered until the setup screen appears, usually within a few minutes.

Rules the counter follows

  • Only power-cord cuts count. Restarts from the app, overnight update restarts, and normal power-offs never add to the count — the sequence has to be you, at the device, unplugging it on purpose.
  • The timing must be deliberate. Let the device reach the system (about 15 seconds after plugging in) before cutting the power, and keep each cycle under about 2 minutes. A cut that comes too early is not counted, and slow or scattered power cuts — a storm, a flaky power strip — do not accumulate.
  • Nothing appears? Just wait. If the countdown screen does not show up, the device simply boots normally. Unplug and try again, giving the device at least 15 seconds after each plug-in before cutting the power.

With a keyboard (F2 into the boot menu)

If you have a USB keyboard handy, you can reach the same boot menu directly:

  1. Unplug the power and connect a USB keyboard to the Art Computer.
  2. Plug the power back in and immediately tap F2 rapidly on the keyboard, and keep tapping until the boot menu appears.
  3. The window for this is brief and varies between units — it may take a few attempts. If the device boots normally instead, unplug and try again.
  4. Use the arrow keys to select FF1 - Factory Reset and press Enter. The reset starts right away — there is no countdown on this path, since you confirm it yourself. Keep the device powered until the setup screen appears.

After the reset

The Art Computer boots its factory software and shows the Wi-Fi setup screen (or, on Ethernet, goes straight to the pairing screen). From there it is a first-time setup: join Wi-Fi from your phone, let the device update itself to the current FF OS — it will not show the pairing screen until it has — then pair with the app and it returns to your art. Artworks re-download in the background; how long that takes depends on the size of your library and your connection.

Very old factory software

A device that has sat on a shelf for a long time may carry factory software too old to update itself over the air. It will stop before the pairing screen. The fix is a USB reinstall of the current release image, after which setup proceeds normally.

A reset device is an unclaimed device

After a factory reset, the Art Computer belongs to whoever pairs with it next. That is what makes it right for handing the device on — and worth knowing if the device is somewhere strangers can reach its power cord for several deliberate minutes.