Trouble with Garmin edge 305, Stops recording on the route or puts a date on the record that is not correct.

I'm a new user of the Garmin Edge and have two or three issues that
have plagued my ride data
1.Edge 305 cuts rides apart. even if I dont start or stop the timer.
2. it only records portions of the route.
2a yesterday it recorded the middle not the first 9 miles and not the
last 15 miles. (perhaps because I rejoined the route to or from my
stating origin.
2b today it didn't get my the beginning 6 miles and ended recording
during the ride. (i dont remember if I came to a stop at a stop sign/
light) but the Edge 305 DID show data like MPH, heartrate, cadence,
even durring areas of no records for the ride. (it's like it stopped
recording) or an Error in the data that it did record is making it
unusable

3 Date on todays ride that was recorded but shows yesterday's date as
a start, but todays date as a finish (computer and GPS show same time)
started at 630AM and finished at 1130 AM so no reason to see an error
in the date. http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3638849 here
is what came in to MB system.
4. the Motion based system listed an error from the data pulled down
from the 305 but doesnt list any resolution or info on an error or
what it was. screen Shot here
http://picasaweb.google.com/marc66thomas/Untitled/photo#5097922541400825154

I had already updated the firmware to 3.20 by using the web updater.
I
What I'm doing: it's fully charged before use, I have let it get a
good fix on the satellites b4 leaving or beginning my ride. I have not
hit the start timer or stop timer during the ride, It's set to auto
pause. and appears to be recording or at least displaying the ride
data form the start.

Can anyone direct me to any sites or have ever experienced any of
these symptoms?

Are you pressing the Start button at the beginning of your ride after reset?

Well I did once yesterday, It record the ride before the start stop
and after, but inexplicably not most of the rest of the ride. (for
instance the posted route http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3638849
show th record from home, where I turned on the the GPS unit, I didn't
hit start or stop. I proceeded to the begining of the route. stoped
for coffee, at coffee I hit start and saw starting timer. then went
3miles where the data ends. I of course went 35 more miles and saw HR,
cadence, MPH and all the normal functions. but not recorded or brought
into Motion Based or into Garmin's training center.

Well I did once yesterday, It record the ride before the start stop
and after, but inexplicably not most of the rest of the ride. (for
instance the posted route http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3638849
show th record from home, where I turned on the the GPS unit, I didn't
hit start or stop. I proceeded to the beginning of the route. stopped
for coffee, at coffee I hit start and saw starting timer. then went
3miles where the data ends. I of course went 35 more miles and saw HR,
cadence, MPH and all the normal functions. but not recorded or brought
into Motion Based or into Garmin's training center.

Bingo

I didn't know the reset had to be hit or that start and stop were the
indicators for the recording period.

Is this in any documentation? Some may say it's intuitive, but I
missed that boat totally. Besides feeling like a dope, I'm here to
respond that that seems to be the issue.
SO to be clear "Reset" clears data or ends the recording?
Start stop does what?