Advanced Help Screen - How To Get and Use It

**SCrid2000** · 08-11-2010, 01:04 PM

I got a request to give some info about this in a PM, so I'm gonna go ahead and write up a quick tutorial about the advanced help screen (also known as the Engineering Screen).

First, what is the advanced help screen? Basically, it's a way to dive deeper into your OS and see what's going on in there, and make a few tweaks. Some people have said that you can brick your BlackBerry by screwing around in here. I personally have played with many of the settings in here with absolutely no knowledge of what they are, and have seen no problems. That being said, it *could* happen, so be careful. And obviously, I will take no responsibility for any damage you do to your phone (or even feel sorry for you

)

My apologies if that doesn't explain very well what exactly the Advanced Help Screen is. Trust me, it'll make more sense as we go along.

First, how to get to the advanced help screen:

This was the part that took me the longest to figure out, from the first time I heard about it. I'll try to make it simple for you guys.
From pretty much anywhere, press and hold: alt, right-shift, h. That should bring up this screen:

This is the standard help screen. Informative? Yes. Useful? Eh, not so much. This screen has far more potential, and we're gonna use it. To get to the advanced help screen, we need a key.

It took me a while to find out how to get a key. I attached a key generator to this post, and you can figure out how to make one (in case this one disappears) here: http://forums.crackberry.com/f135/ad...3/index13.html

Update: now you can generate a code from your BlackBerry browser from here: eScreen Unlocker

Run the keygen in Internet Explorer, Mozilla, etc. You'll get a screen like this:

Now, we need to type ALL the required data from the locked help screen in here to make this work. Like this:

Make sure you type everything EXACTLY as you see it. Note the space in the build version before (311). Also, my 9650 shows my pin as lowercase letters, and I have to enter it as lowercase letters to make it work. Whatever the help screen says, do it.

Once you've got this code, enter it into the help screen. You'll get no confirmation, nothing to tell you you're entering it right.
DO NOT hold the shift key to input letters.
Hold the ALT key for numbers.

UNLOCKED
After you enter the code, your screen should magically transform into this:

Congrats

Go ahead and explore, be careful and all that. Here's some of my fav bits:

OS Engineering Screens -> Battery Engineering Screens -> Charging Screen
See how much power you're drawing, force a full discharge.

JVM Engineering Screens
See your memory Stats. Going into any one of these except Processes allows you to do force a Garbage Collection (GC), which frees up memory that's been leaked - this was invaluable on my 8330.
side Note: That's what a lot of PAID memory management apps do.

JVM Engineering Screens -> Processes
See all running processes on your BlackBerry, optionally shut them down.

There's more cool stuff you can do in there, but CrackBerry limited me to 10 pictures in a post, so that's all for now. I'm sure other people who know more about all this than me will be able to add more to this post.
If anyone has any questions, you can PM or PIN me.
Have fun guys.

EDIT: If you have a BlackBerry Playbook, you can generate a code for your eScreen with this app (which must be sideloaded): http://forums.crackberry.com/showthr...18#post6804618

**pkcable** · 08-11-2010, 02:16 PM

I want to make it extemely clear, that this CAN brick your phone and it IS for the advanced user ONLY!!!!! Novices GET OUT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

**SCrid2000** · 08-11-2010, 02:46 PM

/\ What he said.

**webmastir** · 08-16-2010, 12:17 PM

any ideas as to why it's not working for me?
i input proper info & TYPE THE KEY EXACTLY RIGHT. nothing happens

**SCrid2000** · 08-16-2010, 12:31 PM

Are you using zeros and not o's, and and holding alt while inputting the numbers?
Oh, don't hold shift to input letters, if you're doing that.
You can try your pin in capital letters if it keeps not working.
And by the way, there's no reason to not change that key duration to 30 days

**webmastir** · 08-16-2010, 12:32 PM

ya zeros. & ya i am typing the key it gives me with capital letters.. will try the last few possible ways & let you know, thanks

**SCrid2000** · 08-16-2010, 12:33 PM

K, do it without holding shift, you should be good.

**webmastir** · 08-16-2010, 12:46 PM

aww. that was it. dangit... FYI future onlookers, don't capitalize the letters in the key (like they are displayed) :P

**SCrid2000** · 08-16-2010, 12:55 PM

I edited the tutorial to say that

Thanks for discovering that before someone who wouldn't ask for help did lol.

**webmastir** · 08-16-2010, 01:08 PM

man this is pretty slick. i can't believe i'm just now hearing about this "hidden" menu. ya it takes common sense as to what tools to & not to use, but overall, it's pretty handy to have. thanks again!

**aapierre** · 08-20-2010, 10:43 AM

any clue as to how to do that on a touchscreen ?

**Briard** · 08-20-2010, 01:43 PM

Originally Posted by aapierre

any clue as to how to do that on a touchscreen ?

To get to the HELP ME screen on a storm: from the home screen, hold the "back" key and tap ( not click ) the top left, top right top left, top right corner of the screen ( 4 taps ) then release the back key, then proceed as explained in the original post.

I found that old post Advanced Users: BlackBerry Engineering Screen Unlock Code Generator | BerryReview.com

**SCrid2000** · 08-20-2010, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by Briard

To get to the HELP ME screen on a storm: from the home screen, hold the "back" key and tap ( not click ) the top left, top right top left, top right corner of the screen ( 4 taps ) then release the back key, then proceed as explained in the original post.

I found that old post Advanced Users: BlackBerry Engineering Screen Unlock Code Generator | BerryReview.com

Lol, you beat me to it.
There's also a post with the instructions here on CrackBerry. http://forums.crackberry.com/f135/ad...-storm-251693/
I'm pretty sure it has more info than my post, but you have to read pages of posts to get at it.

**noxified** · 08-23-2010, 06:44 AM

i can`t do it on my bb 8320,i get the key,but where is the help screen?how do i enter there?

**noxified** · 08-23-2010, 04:05 PM

Where is help screen?!?!

**BelowZero** · 08-24-2010, 02:03 AM

So in this screen you can change the UMTS Bands? Meaning you can make a T-mobile phone work on At&T 3G? and Vise Versa?

**BelowZero** · 08-24-2010, 02:32 AM

wow, you can overclock your app core. this is neat.

**pkcable** · 08-24-2010, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by BelowZero

wow, you can overclock your app core. this is neat.

This is one of the things that can brick your device, be VERY VERY careful!

Originally Posted by BelowZero

So in this screen you can change the UMTS Bands? Meaning you can make a T-mobile phone work on At&T 3G? and Vise Versa?

I highly doubt it, generally the radios are not present in the device, BUT even if they are, they are locked in such as way that only a RIM engineer can unlock them. But in most cases, the correct frequencies are not included in the devices.

**SCrid2000** · 08-24-2010, 07:59 PM

Originally Posted by BelowZero

So in this screen you can change the UMTS Bands? Meaning you can make a T-mobile phone work on At&T 3G? and Vise Versa?

I kind of doubt it, but if you find a way let me know

Same goes for your app core bit; I just mess with stuff, sounds like you know more about how all this stuff works than I do.

**SCrid2000** · 08-24-2010, 08:13 PM

Hey, these guys ripped off my post!
Advanced Help Screen – How To Get and Use It | Get Blackberry Info
Lol, I suppose I should take that as a compliment

**syb0rg** · 08-26-2010, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by noxified

Where is help screen?!?!

you need to back out of this thread right now... they said advanced users. If you don;t know where the Help screen is you are not advanced. and not barely past the novice stage.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

**webmastir** · 08-26-2010, 02:36 PM

ya. he's got a point man. although not hard to find, if you're struggling to get to that point, you probably don't need to be attempting this.

**SCrid2000** · 08-26-2010, 04:09 PM

Originally Posted by noxified

Where is help screen?!?!

alt right shift h.
But the last two posters are probably right, you might want to learn a little more about your berry before you try this.

**BelowZero** · 09-01-2010, 01:25 AM

Originally Posted by pkcable

This is one of the things that can brick your device, be VERY VERY careful!

I highly doubt it, generally the radios are not present in the device, BUT even if they are, they are locked in such as way that only a RIM engineer can unlock them. But in most cases, the correct frequencies are not included in the devices.

I dont have an att card, but i was able to change to band which then took me off the t-mobile 3g. just went into edge. I will get a att card from a friend and see if i can do this. i will repost with my results.

**ebarnichta** · 09-02-2010, 08:52 PM

Originally Posted by BelowZero

I dont have an att card, but i was able to change to band which then took me off the t-mobile 3g. just went into edge. I will get a att card from a friend and see if i can do this. i will repost with my results.

geez... if this works..... i don't knw what i'll do. I've had my 9700 3G-less for months now because the bands are not supported in the Orange network.

Oh.. and I just did the "Thorough GC", cleared out about 9MB of memory. Nice!