Hi, since I have my iPad (couple months), I had installed on it more than couple hundred of apps of which 99% is now removed as they were just rubbish and I never again plan to install them again. Problem is that when I restore it to factory settings and then reloaded my settings from the backup, there is couple GB of trash "other data" with it and I know for a fact that most of it are the settings from the apps I used to have installed, because when I install again any of this apps it is already configured as I had it with all my customizations. Deleting it from the pad doesn't remove it's configuration files.

Now is the question, is it even possible to clear all this clutter from my pad?

I know I could restore without loading my backup, which is not such a big deal but I can't at the moment because I was lucky to downgrade from IOS6 to 5.1.1 before apple disabled this option and I don't won't to have IOS6 until Google maps and possibly YouTube apps will be approved and available in app store (apple maps sucks big time, local maps where I am are only available in maybe zoom level 2 or 3)...

Back-up first, then restore. It will restore the current set-up and hopefully purge and hangers on.

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Originally Posted by dhewson777

Back-up first, then restore. It will restore the current set-up and hopefully purge and hangers on.

That is exactly what I have done. I have to find out if there is still a way to restore to 5.1.1 if there is I'll try again but without backup it seems it likes too keep everything

Unfortunately, you will have to stick with what you have - as long as you continue to use those old backups. As of right now, there is no way to re-restore to iOS 5.1.1 (though there are tools in the works to do so). And, once you go up to iOS 6, there is no way back down.

You are right, the only way to get rid of the old data from the deleted apps is to not use the backup after a restore. But, if you do restore, you're going to iOS 6.

So, my suggestion is to hang in there and watch the news (in the Hacking section) for the announcement of the tool(s) that will let you restore with 5.1.1. We don't know when they'll be ready and available, but we have been told they are in the works.

Marilyn

You are right to point out that apps normally leave their configuration plist etc. in place when they are removed, and I do appreciate the obsession some folks have with having a "clean" installation. But with the restrictions Apple put around IOS, that is not always possible...

Where I think you are slightly mistaken is the amount of space such files take up. Even installing and removing hundreds of apps, the config files should be very small indeed. There are typically only a few kilobytes each.

The misconception really stems from what "other" data is all about. As I have posted elsewhere, "other" is not to be feared. It is NOT worthless data for which you should be on a mission to remove. Typically, most of the "other" data is made up of supporting data required for your apps, but the primary "culprits" are normally Photos, Music, Videos, and other media intensive apps.
When, for example, you synchronise photos onto your device, the iPad will create thumbnails for the photos and organise the meta-data into database files. These generate significant amounts of "other" data. It is unavoidable, and as I say, not to be feared. Without it, the apps simply don't work properly. You may also get significant amounts of "other" from the data which apps download, such as magazines... I have several magazine subscriptions in Newsstand which have many GB of data.

I would be extremely surprised if the "other" data which is related to your uninstalled apps is any more than a few tens of megabytes in total size. Do you have any evidence that there is significant amounts of irrelevant data "stuck" in your backup? How large is your backup? Do you store it on iCloud or iTunes?

If the backup is on iTunes you can use something like iBackupBot to interrogate it on your PC (free trial available - google it).

If it is on iCloud, what do the statistics say in the Settings app, about the backup size and content?

As an example, my "other" is currently over 4GB in size, but my backup on iCloud is around 450MB.

Well, maybe it is a bit of an obsession. But I just have no idea what else this other data could be. I have no evidence that it is definitely the settings leftovers. I think that when I will be able again to restore (when 5.1.1 will be available by this hack) then I'll try not using backup to see how much other data I will have on clean system.this will be a test to se if I was right.

If you do a restore and install nothing, you will have no "other" data. But as I clearly pointed out in the post above, "other" gets created as you sync content onto your device and actually use your apps and download content. Don't fear it.
Show me any documentation anywhere which tells you that "other" is a problem, error, or other anomaly to be managed? All you will find is misinformed forum posts from people that do not understand it and think they should be trying to get rid of it.
You won't be able to find anything official or credible because it is not a problem. Trust me. If it was, Apple would explain to you how to manage it. They certainly would not put it on a graph slider in iTunes showing you how much of it there is and leave it at that!
"Other" is a natural part of the device. Don't obsess over it and don't waste time trying to get rid of it! Waste your time of something more fulfilling... That would be my advice

Originally Posted by f4780y

You are right to point out that apps normally leave their configuration plist etc. in place when they are removed, and I do appreciate the obsession some folks have with having a "clean" installation. But with the restrictions Apple put around IOS, that is not always possible...

Where I think you are slightly mistaken is the amount of space such files take up. Even installing and removing hundreds of apps, the config files should be very small indeed. There are typically only a few kilobytes each.

The misconception really stems from what "other" data is all about. As I have posted elsewhere, "other" is not to be feared. It is NOT worthless data for which you should be on a mission to remove. Typically, most of the "other" data is made up of supporting data required for your apps, but the primary "culprits" are normally Photos, Music, Videos, and other media intensive apps.
When, for example, you synchronise photos onto your device, the iPad will create thumbnails for the photos and organise the meta-data into database files. These generate significant amounts of "other" data. It is unavoidable, and as I say, not to be feared. Without it, the apps simply don't work properly. You may also get significant amounts of "other" from the data which apps download, such as magazines... I have several magazine subscriptions in Newsstand which have many GB of data.

I would be extremely surprised if the "other" data which is related to your uninstalled apps is any more than a few tens of megabytes in total size. Do you have any evidence that there is significant amounts of irrelevant data "stuck" in your backup? How large is your backup? Do you store it on iCloud or iTunes?

If the backup is on iTunes you can use something like iBackupBot to interrogate it on your PC (free trial available - google it).

If it is on iCloud, what do the statistics say in the Settings app, about the backup size and content?

As an example, my "other" is currently over 4GB in size, but my backup on iCloud is around 450MB.

You are so on the right track, for me it has always been movies, not removing them properly leaves junk or if you have used certain software to convert them to play on the ipad also creates junk left over in the folder of the app that converted them. Pictures have only been an issue if you have removed them from your Itune's sync but have not deleted the "temp" files on the PC or Mac

Originally Posted by tx00824

Well, maybe it is a bit of an obsession. But I just have no idea what else this other data could be. I have no evidence that it is definitely the settings leftovers. I think that when I will be able again to restore (when 5.1.1 will be available by this hack) then I'll try not using backup to see how much other data I will have on clean system.this will be a test to se if I was right.

Really, only a true clean reinstall gets rid of it, not from a back up but as "New" Photo's and movies leave this clutter, if you have deleted them from Itunes 1st and Ipad 2nd then the junk remains, if you don't want to do a clean install, then re-add the files (photo's, movies or music videos) to your Itune's then sync, after that has finished, go back to your list, and uncheck what it is you don't want on the Ipad and re-sync, then delete them from your Itunes, all should be good