Help - Fatal Error during firmware upgrade-but working a little - maybe a save here?

I've read a ton of threads about this but can't find one like mine. Bottom line is; I was upgrading from 3.7 to the newest firmware version; 4.2 or 4.5 - whichever... I'm with Sprint. Yes, I back up to my PC weekly, but I have a brand new PC as of 4 days ago. The other had crashed (hard drive gone-dead-5 years old), so I had not backed up my BB yet (yes, kicking myself). Downloaded the DM on my new PC, did NOT back up my BB (yes, should have - I know), and started the firmware upgrade.

I just got home from a trip and was unpacking and walking around my bedroom alot (this new laptop is for use in bed at night - my office desktop has no BB DM even installed as it's for work). I tripped over the friekin' cord, it unplugged and red message - Fatal Error...blah blah blah. The phone screen was black w/ the light on in solid red. I took out the battery and put it back in and it came on after a solid 10 minutes of the hourglass on a white screen. It works, however, everything is in black and white (the desktop), icons about 1/4 of the size they were and all info is gone (apps, addresses, notes, etc.). I HAVE HOPE THOUGH. When I go into the "Status" it shows I have a TOTAL of 21 million bytes. Total. I checked the status right before this crash happened and my total bytes was 80million (?) and I had 21 million FREE. So, it's almost as if I'm on "the other side ("21 million free bytes side") of my BB. I can place and receive calls and access the internet and text and email. But the calculator states not installed, Sprint Software Store won't load, etc.

I've tried to reinstall the 4.2 (or newest, whatever it is) twice and it just says already installed. I know I can wipe it, but as many of you can understand, MY LIFE is on this BB, complete calendar, birthdays, notes on everything, and over 150 address book entries w/ #'s and addresses.

Anyone have good news for me on this? Do I uninstall 4.2 and reinstall the old or will that wipe it clean? I want to save my info on it if I can.

Thanks fellow BB peeps! :)

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

While it's good practice to make a backup before you upgrade an OS, the fact is, the loader itself makes a backup automatically. Look for a file named LoaderBackup-(yyyy-mm-dd).ipd where the date is the date the loader made the backup. Normally that's the same date as the crash. If you can find that, you may be able to recover everything.

You rock JEFF! It created an automatic backup. So, I loaded the app and the upgrade stayed put. I had been at 3.2 and now am at version 4.5. In my DM, my "Notepad" or "Notes" was listed at one point and I saw 58 entries. Exactly right. However, my phone is full color and almost everything restored, except:

#1: The trackball moves to everything smoothly but doesn't work when clicked at all. It was 100% fine before, so I'm sure it's a software thing, not hardware.

#2: Memos are gone from the handset and I don't seem able to recover it from my Desktop Manager. I now have "Voice Recorder" which I didn't have at 3.2. I don't mind not having the Memos to use consistently, but I DO need to access the info from the 58 memos I had created when on Version 3.2. Can I now downgrade back to 3.2 maybe, since all info is restored on my phone?

And maybe I need to reload something to fix the trackball issue...

So, please help here if you can. Thanks so much!

MemoPad is a module that's loaded with the OS. Run the App Loader and make sure MemoPad is checked.

I'm not sure what could be the trackball issue.

You were running OS 3.2? How long have you had your BlackBerry?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Thanks, I'll try reloading the OS for the Memo to come back. Weird thing is I've only had this 8830 since June 2009. It was a replacement for my other which had been lost and seemed completely brand new when I received it. I was never getting any prompts to upgrade. It wasn't until I called Sprint to discuss the lack of memory remaining on the handset and the Sprint rep had me do the firmware upgrade. Very strange that DM didn't prompt me to upgrade since JUne on this new handset.

There's no need to reload the whole OS. Assuming you have the OS installed on your PC, just run the App Loader and check the box for Memopad.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

I saw the Memopad listed within the restore file on 12/17/09 file (the back up date/firmware uprade/crash date) but it's not listed now (in app loader).

I just assumed MemoPad was deleted from 4.5, replaced by the voice memo feature I now have with 4.5. Is that incorrect?

No, voice memos are a different function. You still should have MemoPad. Do you have your BlackBerry OS installed as an app on your PC?

No, I don't think so. Looked and don't see it. Only DM is in my app list. Do you mind telling me how to install the OS as an app? That would be great. Thanks Jeff. Even refer me to a thread that has the instructions if that's easier.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Download your OS from either RIM or your carrier's site. The OS download is an exe file. You simply double-click the exe and it installs.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Jeff, I've been researching within my .ipd files this morning from crash day (12/17) and when I'm in DM, there's an advanced button. Then it lists (on the left) what is available in that .ipd file and then on the right what is on your device. The following are gray on the left side: Attachment (and Att. Options), MemoPad, and Password Keeper (not on my handheld, completely didn't realize it). In between the two lists are arrows to move items from the device to the PC. When I click on the grey itmes (including MemoPad, the arrows grey out).

Note at the bottom states unavailable (grey) are for wireless synchronization? Can I get to these files at all? They all have entries that are correct to what I had before.

Thanks Jeff, In the meantime; I'm going to go download the OS and install it. Thanks again for your help on this!

Ellie

Also Jeff, I'm in love with the 8830, and know little of the Tour. Do you like the Tour? Sprint doesn't even offer the 8830 anymore, so I'm thinking of upgrading, but even thought of waiting until next year to see if Sprint gets the IPhone (been w/ Sprint for 10 years and really like them. I have 3 lines including the new 4G connection for my laptop - phenomenal(!), so I have no plans to leave Sprint at all - great service wherever I am. But before I decide to upgrade to the Tour, MANY of my friends and family (10+) swear by the IPhone; including several former crackberries. :) - Would like your opinion on the Tour you currently use. Huge difference between Tour and 8830?

Thanks.

To answer your second question first (because it's easier), yes, there is a huge difference between the Tour and the 8830. The 9630 has a higher resolution display, an auto-focusing 3.2 megapixel camera, and more memory. It can run OS 5.0 while the 8830 can't because of insufficient memory. The GSM side can be used with N. American GSM carriers, which won't matter to you if you are sticking with Sprint. On the negative side, more memory and more display resolution means significantly less battery life. A spare battery and a quick charger is almost mandatory.

I like my Tour very much. I had a Verizon 8830 previously. For Verizon users, it also gives a working GPS, which was blocked on the Verizon 8830.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Great feedback on the Tour Jeff. Thanks! I may look into getting it soon, if I can't get this darn 8830 to work like it did before 12/17. :)

About the "greyed out" items including my MemoPad? What do you think?

I'm sorry for the slow response. I was traveling yesterday and the BIS outage disconnected me. Then today my home DSL modem died in a completely unrelated failure. Unfortunately I can't reproduce what you are seeing. I'm a BES user and most of my databases are synced OTA and greyed out. Have you ever been a BES user?