How do I Recover a Dead BlackBerry?

[Reed McLay]

When your device fails to start, it show one of these symptoms:

1. Totally dead.

2. Trying to restart, LED activity only.

3. Failed to start, a white screen with an error message.

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1. Physical damage, water is the worst enemy of delicate electronic device. Try drying it with a desiccant and replacing the battery. If there is no activity, you can still try the last ditch technique, nothing to loose anyway.

2. Your device is not able to start, something has gone wrong and the OS is corrupt.

Failed Upgrade suggestions.
Link failed, Post #384 of this thread.

3. Geeks call this an "Uncaught exception error". That is a polite way of saying, the last thread has terminated, the OS has halted because it is corrupt.

In many cases, the Application Loader can be used from Desktop Manager or Windows, see Ref #1 for the CrackBerry 101 discussion.

If that fails to connect, there is one final solution. Go Old Skool ...

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The good news, starting from scratch, you will be back in service in a couple of hours.

Note: Windows 7 beta is not compatible with these instructions.

1. ...

2. You need to install a BlackBerry OS file that is specific to your device. The original version, as supplied by the carrier, is the safe choice, but you can use any model specific version. This is not supplied on your BlackBerry CD, Ref: 3 links to BlackBerry's download pages.

3. Once the OS has been installed, you have to prepare it for the device.

Select Start / Computer and select the Drive C: Icon.

Open Program Files / Common Files / Research in Motion / AppLoader.

Navigate to the bottom and delete the file Vendor.XML file.

4. You are now ready to restore your device. Verify that BlackBerry Desktop Manager is NOT running. Plug the device directly into the computer's USB port.

We are about to venture into the bowls of the beast. Windows is not suitable for this job, we are going to invoke the Command line interface with an option switch. This was the way all 'puters worked prior to Mcintosh and Windows.

Windows XP: Start / Run... / Command

Windows Vista: Start / Command (type this into 'start search')



You will see a black window similar to this. I have used UPPERCASE to highlight the typed commands.

Windows Vista

CD \
CD PROGRAM FILES
CD COMMON FILES
CD RESEARCH IN MOTION
CD APPLOADER
LOADER /NOJVM

Windows XP

CD \
CD PROGRA~1
CD COMMON~1
CD RESEAR~1
CD APPLOA~1
LOADER /NOJVM

When using Vista 64 bit operating systems the command should look like this...

CD \
CD PROGRAM FILES (x86)
CD COMMON FILES
CD RESEARCH IN MOTION
CD APPLOADER
LOADER /NOJVM

When you hit enter at the last command a forced rebuild will start. No data or setting will be saved, however, they can be recovered from a previous backup.

5. Wait for it to finish.Thirty minutes is typical, do not interrupt it.

Once it has recovered, you can use Desktop Manager's Application Loader to customize it and restore from your backup files, if you have saved them previously.

Update: Members have reported success after numerous failures with the following technique:

Remove the Battery, then run the Loader program. It works.

Ref:
BlackBerry 101: How to Reload the Operating System on a Nuked BlackBerry | CrackBerry.com
BlackBerry Desk Top Manager
BlackBerry OS Source list

Version 1.1 Corrected EXE file name.
Version 1.2 Expanded troubleshooting and installation instructions.
Version 1.3 Detail command line instructions.
Version 1.4 XP specific command line.
Version 1.5 Vista 64 command line.
Version 1.6 Remove battery prior to running loader.

Thanks to acnst @ BlackBerry Forums
Credit to cmedeir for the XP command line.
Credit to Afterfreeze for the Vista 64 command line.
Credit to jamesyouwish for the no battery technique.

[nikeman_23ph]

can you help me step by step to do the process....i have window XP and i have the curve. can you give command by command



thanks

[Reed McLay]

The fact is, there are many individual steps in setting up for a restore.

I have a parallel thread where I detail the more challenging steps, exactly the same procedure.

How to Increase BlackBerry's File free memory

You want to follow the instructions for steps 1 & 2. Then return to this thread for the final instruction, the actual file commands.

[SOUJAH345]

this is awesome thanks for taking the time to put this together. I have an 8700 that was dropped in water and when I turn the screen on its all scrambled green and red and it looks like a tv with horrible reception i thought i needed a new motherboard, what do you think?

[Reed McLay]

With water, you can try to dry it out and hope for the best.

The best advise I have seen, use dry rice in a sealed container with the device. The rice will act as a dissicant, extracting the last traces of moisture.

A couple days in a warm place, one last hope.

[SOUJAH345]

this happened months ago my bro in law got it working for a little while but it konked out again

i dont think there is water in it anymore

[TampaDude]

With water, you can try to dry it out and hope for the best.

The best advise I have seen, use dry rice in a sealed container with the device. The rice will act as a dissicant, extracting the last traces of moisture.

A couple days in a warm place, one last hope.

If you got the insides wet, the water may leave mineral or dirt deposits inside the unit when it evaporates, and those deposits can mess up the electronics. Better to rinse the BB with DISTILLED water and then let it dry for at least 72 hours at room temperature.

[cmedeir]

For some folks, the DOS window will not recognize the full name of the directories. I don't know why Windoze is like that, but you may have to abbreviate. For instance "program files" might need to be typed "progra~1". That's 6 characters plus the abbreviated suffix. I found this out the hard way after pulling the last of my hair out.

Cheers.

[Reed McLay]

Good point, DOS was built around an 8.3 naming convention. When it encounters long file/directory names, it contacts them and appends ~1, ~2, etc.

DOS is found on much older computers. This does not present an issue to Windows XP or Windows Vista.

[cmedeir]

I was as surprised as the next person, but both my XP Home machine and my XP Pro machine refused to accept the commands without the abbreviations.

[Reed McLay]

I have just tested XP Command ... 8.3 file names.

Many thank for the feedback, I will update the page with the correct abbreviation directory path.

[smitt_uk]

this guide has just fixed my BB,thanks for posting a step by step guide so even i could follow it!

[Reed McLay]

Thank you very much, I knew it would come in handy after I went through all the other procedures, to find a simple Command line switch does the trick.

[kennylive]

My Pearl makes no attemps at rebooting, all I get is the alternating 3 then 2 red LED flashes, and nothing I've tried will make my PC recognize it. I've 'Google'd this to death, I can find others with the same problem, but I can't find ANYONE who's been able to do ANYTHING with it! I don't have a speck of warranty left, and AT&T hates me anyway; I've been using a GO Phone prepaid sim, and there's no BB support of any kind.

Please, if anyone knows how to fix it, please post back!!!

[VoltaicShock]

The loader can't find my device and I can't click on the "Detect Communication Port"