Lost all private settings after internet went down

[Batdog]

I have an AC1600 model C6250 and my internet recently went out. I was told it was due to service in the area by Xfinity. When service was restored, none of my devices connected. I went looking as to why and couldn't find my network. All of my private settings were gone and there was a device on my internet I don't recognize. I did a hard factory reset and am readying to reconnect my router/modem back to the internet. I have 3 questions. 1. Is there anything special I need to do after a hard reset or can I just set it up as I did out of the box new? 2. Why did I lose all of my private settings (I've lost internet before and this never happened)? 3. Is the fact that someone was using my internet while it was unprotected something I should notify the police about (there are a lot of nefarious weirdos out there nowadays)? Thank you in advance for any help offered!

[antinode]

> [...] 1. Is there anything special I need to do after a hard reset or
> can I just set it up as I did out of the box new? [...]

   Barring actual damage, it should behave like new after a setings
reset.

> [...] 2. Why did I lose all of my private settings [...]

   Some transient event might have disturbed/corrupted the stored
settings, and the firmware might have noticed it when it restarted.
Probably better to reset itself when corrupt settings are detected than
to use them as-is.

   If you want to save some time, should this ever recur, save your
settings elsewhere.

   Visit http://netgear.com/support , put in your model number, and look
for Documentation.  Get the User Manual (at least).  Read.  Look for
"Manage the Device Settings File of the Modem Router".

> [...] 3. Is the fact that someone was using my internet while it was
> unprotected [...]

   Who says that anyone was?  Leaving a vehicle or building unlocked for
a while does not guarantee theft.

> [...] something I should notify the police about [...]

   What, exactly, do you think that they could do?

[FURRYe38]

Any progress on this? 

Be sure to make a back up configuration to file for safe keeping. Helps save time if you see this again or have to factory reset the modem and setup from scratch. 

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@Batdog wrote:
I have an AC1600 model C6250 and my internet recently went out. I was told it was due to service in the area by Xfinity. When service was restored, none of my devices connected. I went looking as to why and couldn't find my network. All of my private settings were gone and there was a device on my internet I don't recognize. I did a hard factory reset and am readying to reconnect my router/modem back to the internet. I have 3 questions. 1. Is there anything special I need to do after a hard reset or can I just set it up as I did out of the box new? 2. Why did I lose all of my private settings (I've lost internet before and this never happened)? 3. Is the fact that someone was using my internet while it was unprotected something I should notify the police about (there are a lot of nefarious weirdos out there nowadays)? Thank you in advance for any help offered!

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