[1978malibu]

Will DBBT backup Blackberry Remember Notes?

[Martin Green]

I notice that unlike Link, DBBT doesn't correctly record the OS version into the bbb backup files. DBBT seems to always insert 10.0.0 into the backup, regardless of the actual OS version on the device. Other than that, your tool seems to work perfectly with Link backup files.

[Martin Green]

Will DBBT backup Blackberry Remember Notes?

I haven't fully tested the backup feature in DBBT, but I can confirm that DBBT Restore correctly reads Remember notes and tasks from a Link-produced backup.

[Martin Green]

Darcy, thank you for the great program.

I was able to unzip the program, and I used it to backup my original Classic before I wiped it clean and returned it to Verizon. My new replacement Classic is fully operable and greatly appreciated. Since Blackberry Link apparently does not work on Windows 10, I am thankful for this backup alternative.

It is not just Windows 10, although BlackBerry does officially say Link is unsupported on Win10, but Link seems to have trouble on any version of Windows if your device is running BB10.3.3. I was unable to back up with Link on Win10 so tried it on a Win8.1 machine but had the same problem. DBBT is my backup/restore tool of choice for my Z10 now.

[Martin Green]

Darcy, I just noticed that last week when I used the DBBT to backup my damaged Classic and "restore" my new replacement Classic, I was not able to restore my Notes. Does the DBBT backup the Notes? Can I still restore them from the backup? Would i need to wipe the new Classic and startover with the DBBT backup file? Unfortunately, I already returned the damaged Classic to Verizon. Thank you for your help.

I did a complete OS reload on my Z10 yesterday, and by tenacious persistence I managed to make a single Link backup before discovering DBBT. After the device wipe and OS reload I used DBBT to restore the bbb file I made with Link, and the Remember notes and tasks were restored perfectly. If you are having trouble with this DBBT is probably not backing up notes properly as you suggest. As I commented in another post, DBBT is not inserting the correct OS version into the backup file, so I wouldn't be overly surprised if some other stuff wasn't being backed up properly either. While I found DBBT to work well restoring Link-produced backups, I can't completely vouch for DBBT backups.

[ThaRockTDC]

Hi all, I've been trying for weeks to backup my Q10 via Link and still have not been able to. Tried on Windows 10, Windows 7 and Windows XP. I came across this thread and am trying to give DBBT a try. I simpyl want to create a new .bbb file for myself. I downloaded DBBT and connected my phone which DBBT properly detected. However, when i click "create backup from phone", it comes up with "Nothing to Backup". I just want to create a backup file...more importantly for my contacts and texts, which I assume would be included in any .bbb file created. WHy am i getting this error?

[conite]

Hi all, I've been trying for weeks to backup my Q10 via Link and still have not been able to. Tried on Windows 10, Windows 7 and Windows XP. I came across this thread and am trying to give DBBT a try. I simpyl want to create a new .bbb file for myself. I downloaded DBBT and connected my phone which DBBT properly detected. However, when i click "create backup from phone", it comes up with "Nothing to Backup". I just want to create a backup file...more importantly for my contacts and texts, which I assume would be included in any .bbb file created. WHy am i getting this error?

Just use Ultimate Backup from BBW.

[ThaRockTDC]

Just use Ultimate Backup from BBW.

I heard about that also. However, will it generate a .BBB file? How would I implement it if i wanted to restore ? I just thought doing a compete backup via DDBT would be easier?

[thurask]

I heard about that also. However, will it generate a .BBB file? How would I implement it if i wanted to restore ? I just thought doing a compete backup via DDBT would be easier?

No, it doesn't generate BBB files, it generates files usable by any platform (csv, vcf, etc). It can also import from said files, I believe. BBB files are only usable by Link, and if Link is giving you such a hard time making one, using one wouldn't be a walk in the park either.

[ThaRockTDC]

Is there any reason when I am trying to back up via DBBT that it won't work? It detects my phone but when i click "create backup from phone", it gives me the message "nothing to back up".

[thurask]

Is there any reason when I am trying to back up via DBBT that it won't work? It detects my phone but when i click "create backup from phone", it gives me the message "nothing to back up".

It's the same protocol under the hood as Link. I'm guessing you're on 10.3.3?

[ThaRockTDC]

It's the same protocol under the hood as Link. I'm guessing you're on 10.3.3?

Hi thurask, I just checked and I am on OS version 10.3.3.1463

Does this mean I am unable to generate a backup file with Link and/or DBBT?

[thurask]

Hi thurask, I just checked and I am on OS version 10.3.3.1463

Does this mean I am unable to generate a backup file with Link and/or DBBT?

I've heard that 10.3.3 and Link don't cooperate that well.

Using Ultimate Backup, as suggested a few posts ago, is better than Link regardless which OS version you're on.

[ThaRockTDC]

I've heard that 10.3.3 and Link don't cooperate that well.

Using Ultimate Backup, as suggested a few posts ago, is better than Link regardless which OS version you're on.

Yes, I heard the same about Link but i thought DBBT would work as an alternative. This is why I haven't done anything through Ultimate Backup yet. I will now try and do it that way. All i really care about is my contacts and text messages. I can figure the rest out on my own. Using Ultimate Backup, is it easy to backup SMS + contacts and also put them onto a new device? I want to switch from my Q10 to Z30 temporarily!

Thanks for your help

[thurask]

Yes, I heard the same about Link but i thought DBBT would work as an alternative. This is why I haven't done anything through Ultimate Backup yet. I will now try and do it that way. All i really care about is my contacts and text messages. I can figure the rest out on my own. Using Ultimate Backup, is it easy to backup SMS + contacts and also put them onto a new device? I want to switch from my Q10 to Z30 temporarily!

Thanks for your help

Once you're on the second device, install Ultimate Backup and restore from the SMS/contacts backups you made on the first device (which you saved to a SD card, cloud, whatever).

[ThaRockTDC]

Once you're on the second device, install Ultimate Backup and restore from the SMS/contacts backups you made on the first device (which you saved to a SD card, cloud, whatever).

Excellent, thank you very much thurask!

[Linlithgow0]

I am trying to use Darcy's tools to restore a Verizon Z30 that was stuck in a loop after trying to update to the latest build.

I used Thurask's doc to download the OS, created the exe and ran it. I waited until the command prompt disappeared, the green light on the phone changed to blinking red, and I waited, expecting it to boot. It didn't so I tried to boot it - doesn't boot. Tried reset unplugged from USB, doesn't work.

Plugged it back in, and tried to rerun the autoloader. It prompts me for a pin, I enter it, the dialogue box disappears. I took a screenshot, and it displays the message 'ABORTED' before closing.

It is blinking two red lights now, regardless of whether I am plugged into USB or not.

I was worried it was stuck in Debug, so I held the power button for 10 seconds. At about the 11 second mark, the flashing two lights change to one long one, before going back to two blinking lights.

Suggestions?

[Linlithgow0]

I am trying to use Darcy's tools to restore a Verizon Z30 that was stuck in a loop after trying to update to the latest build.

I used Thurask's doc to download the OS, created the exe and ran it. I waited until the command prompt disappeared, the green light on the phone changed to blinking red, and I waited, expecting it to boot. It didn't so I tried to boot it - doesn't boot. Tried reset unplugged from USB, doesn't work.

Plugged it back in, and tried to rerun the autoloader. It prompts me for a pin, I enter it, the dialogue box disappears. I took a screenshot, and it displays the message 'ABORTED' before closing.

It is blinking two red lights now, regardless of whether I am plugged into USB or not.

I was worried it was stuck in Debug, so I held the power button for 10 seconds. At about the 11 second mark, the flashing two lights change to one long one, before going back to two blinking lights.

Suggestions?

This is what I see when I try to update:


It doesn't progress, the dialog box closes after a minute and the light goes back to green. The moment I try to boot, I get the two blinking red lights.

[Martin Green]

I'm having trouble restoring DBBT device backups even though real BlackBerry Link backups restore fine in DDBT. The problem is that when I select a backup (bbb) file to be restored by DDBT, if the backup was made by Link then the details of the backup are displayed and the "Start Restore" button appears. However, if the backup was made from DBBT then when the bbb file is chosen DBBT just closes the file selection dialog and goes back to the main backup manager page without displaying the backup details or the start button. I was thrilled a few weeks ago to discover that DBBT can restore the backup files I made with BB Link before Link stopped being able to connect to my device, but now it seems pretty much useless to me if DBBT can't restore its own backups.

UPDATE: I have since tried at least half a dozen times to get DBBT to make a backup it can also restore, but without success, but I found that Sachesi can restore them fine. I can't test if BB Link could restore them since I haven't been able to get Link to connect to my Z10 since early last year. I prefer the DBBT restore dialog to the Sachesi one, so I tried making a Sachesi backup and restoring it with DBBT, which worked fine. As it stands right now DBBT 3.1.0.1 backups can be restored by Sachesi, and MAYBE by Link, but can not be restored by itself. DBBT 3.1.0.1 CAN restore Sachesi and BB Link backups.

For now my working solution is to backup with Sachesi and restore with DBBT, but I hope this is resolved in DBBT soon so I can use a single tool for backup and restore.

[Martin Green]

BBB Files are usable by Link AND by Sachesi. I use Ultimate Backup, and it is quite good, but I don't consider it a viable disaster recovery tool since you need to reload your OS yourself, configure a few things, and then install Ultimate Backup on it before you can restore your previous apps and settings. If you can't get DBBT to do a backup you can try using Sachesi to make bbb backups instead since they should be interchangeable between Link, DBBT, and Sachesi. Note that unlike Link and DBBT, Sachesi doesn't default the backup file name to "Devicename (MM-DD-YYYY)" so you will need to do this yourself if you want this name format. I'm running BB10.3.3 on my Z10 and haven't been able to get Link to connect to it since early last year, but both DBBT and Sachesi connect with no problem.

IMPORTANT: See my earlier post about my own experience with DBBT 3.1.0.1 backups not being readable by DBBT itself (although they can be restored with Sachesi). My current workflow is to backup with Sachesi, which produces a bbb file, and restoring those backups with DBBT since I prefer the DBBT restore dialog to the Sachesi one.

I believe. BBB files are only usable by Link

[thurask]

*snip*

It's still the same underlying protocol shared between Link, DBBTool and Sachesi. I recommend Ultimate Backup because the produced backup files are unencrypted and platform-agnostic, so it doesn't rely on some flaky desktop app that hasn't been updated in years. If whichever BB10 backup app one uses chokes one is left with an amorphous blob backup file, while any platform can read .csv or .vcf files. A .bbb file only works if one is going from a BB10 device to a BB10 device, and if one is lucky/outmoded enough to have a computer that works with Link.

[Martin Green]

Fair enough, but of the three backup tools which handle the bbb format (Link, DBBT, and Sachesi) ONLY BB Link has trouble talking to any of the BB10 devices on any version of Windows, so I'm not at all concerned about being able to restore a bbb file at a later date. As for Ultimate Backup, I've been a paid user for a couple of years, and I do like it, but I haven't used it for a while and now every time I attempt a full backup it seems to run ok for most of the backup but then it will freeze on some random backup item (a different one each try). Since I started using UB again a few days ago I've been completely unable to finish a backup. It's possible it's because I'm backing up to my SD card rather than the cloud and I have a 200GB Sandisk Ultra, which is not an officially supported capacity on my Z10, but everything else works fine with this huge card so it should be usable with Ultimate Backup too. I'm going to try backing up to the cloud, but for now UB just isn't working for me.

Oh, and another major reason I prefer a bbb backup solution is that Ultimate Backup does NOT back up your Password Keeper entries since there is no public BB10 API for this, whereas Link, DBBT, Sachesi DOES back up and restore your saved passwords.

It's still the same underlying protocol shared between Link, DBBTool and Sachesi. I recommend Ultimate Backup because the produced backup files are unencrypted and platform-agnostic, so it doesn't rely on some flaky desktop app that hasn't been updated in years. If whichever BB10 backup app one uses chokes one is left with an amorphous blob backup file, while any platform can read .csv or .vcf files. A .bbb file only works if one is going from a BB10 device to a BB10 device, and if one is lucky/outmoded enough to have a computer that works with Link.

[iron head]

Hello guys. Please excuse me for this noob question. Can this tool be used to change the variant of my Blackberry Classic. I have SQC100-2 and want to change it to SQC100-1. Is it possible?

[conite]

Hello guys. Please excuse me for this noob question. Can this tool be used to change the variant of my Blackberry Classic. I have SQC100-2 and want to change it to SQC100-1. Is it possible?

No. That's hardware, not software.

[iron head]

No. That's hardware, not software.

Sorry to say I do not believe that the hardware always varies between 2 variants. For most androids, a difference in the supported radio bands does not result in any hardware difference but only the firmware.

Such modification may not have been explored for the BlackBerry's but that's another thing and not different hardware.