I've today installed PR1.2 (I understand it's not the official final release and not even called PR1.2 but it's best known as PR1.2 at the moment) and it's installed fine but a lot of my memory is still taken, my conversations are still saved and my contacts are still there. But now all the icons for the installed applications are missing. I don't mind this but I want to completely format the phones memory (removing everything from the device) and then re-install PR1.2

How is this possible?

You'll need to reflash the eMMC as well. See the instructions here - make sure you reflash the firmware first, then the eMMC (without rebooting between).

I have already re-booted since I installed "PR1.2". Would I need to re-install "PR1.2" before flashing the eMMC?

Stephen,

Also, the link you posted contains this quote:

"N900 users don't need to reflash the eMMC of their device"

:S

Yes, you'll need to re-flash the PR1.2 firmware (without rebooting afterwards), then flash the eMMC, then reboot.

That was someone being over-optimistic. In normal use, you shouldn't need to reflash the eMMC. If you want to do a full reset (wiping all apps and configuration) then you currently need to though (there is a new reset option in the Settings menu with PR1.2 but I don't know exactly what that does). There's also a number of errors which require the eMMC to be flashed to fix.

I'm going to do this now as multiple things are going wrong with my phone

1) Desktop icons randomly work
2) Alarm randomly doesn't play the alarm sound (I've been late a few days to work because of this)
3) Battery gets drained within a few hours
4) I randomly get no indication of SMS. No blue LED, no SMS alert tone and the launcher button on the top left of the screen doesn't change

I'm quite savvy with Linux and anything electronic but I'm wondering how dangerous flashing the eMMC is? Is it possible to brick the phone? If anything goes wrong at any point is it possible to run the firmware updater and get the phone back to a working state?

I also have another question, as I don't want to have any doubt in the process of the flash.

It says I need to flash the rootfs firstly, I assume this means flash the firmware and re-install. But it also says DO NOT boot up Maemo inbetween flashing the rootfs and the eMMC. How is this possible? I was under the impression from previous rootfs flashing that the phone automatically reboots once the firmware is updated?

u need to remove the "-R" from the first command, and only add the "-R" in the second comand (where you're flashing the eMMC with vanilla.

Another IMPORTANT thing that i want to add, is that i would advise people to NOT REFLASH the eMMC with VANILLA. Don't reflash the eMMC unless u've got serious problems.
I've reflashed mine, and i deeply regret it! The fact that the phone is gonna be like new from the factory is FALSE!
Sure, the information/files will be gone, but the eMMC partition WILL NOT BE THE SAME after u flashed it with Vanilla!

???

I have reflashed the emmc at least 5 times since I got my n900. No problems.

No, you won't brick your phone. It's pretty much impossible to brick an n900.

1) download the latest global pr 1.2, and the latest vaniilla emmc

2) flash pr 1.2 (don't use the -R flag)

3) immediately after flash the latest emmc (this time use the -R)

4) done