Loading a new OS? Security wipe your Blackberry first!
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I am quite sure this has been covered in some of the other forums previously. However, before a mod goes moving this thread, please hear me out.
I find that doing a security wipe prior to loading a new OS and then doing a selective restore makes a huge difference for me in terms of performance and battery discharge. Why is that relevant to post here? Well hybrid users are reloading their OS so frequently and tracking their statistics so closely that I thought this would be the PERFECT forum to post this in.
You can manually carry out a security wipe in the security options of your device; you will have to type "blackberry". NOTE: Before you do this, you NEED to back up your data because this will erase ALL of it (You can leave apps on if you wish). The security wipe itself can take up to 30 minutes, sometimes longer. What this is doing is actually erasing all the information databases on your phone. Once the security wipe is complete, feel free to do a regular wipe (via BBSAK) and then load the new OS.
Once the new OS is loaded, do a selective restore. This means restore the things that are important to you like your calendar, contacts, profiles, sounds, messages, etc. You can do this selective restore through Desktop Manager.
So why is this important and why does it work?
When you constantly load OS's over and over each other and do complete restores, your databases become full of things that you may not even use anymore! (See: Purged messages, content store, caches, handheld agent) Just look through the list and see how much stuff you're actually carrying over. Sometimes it's best to just scrap them and start fresh.
Not only will this free up more space on your device, but I also notice performance improvements! Improved boot up time, lower battery discharge, running cooler, I kid you not. How is this possible? Sometimes one of your databases can become corrupt through all the back up and restore processes and when this corrupt database is on your phone it will continue to cause errors which in turn get logged, sometimes dozens of times a second. No wonder why your battery is draining so quickly!
So before you load your next OS, consider a Security Wipe prior to loading and then a selective restore afterwards. I think you will be surprised at the results. Have you done it before? Noticed any differences yourself? Have any other insights into the Security Wipe? Let's hear it!10-26-10 08:46 AMLike 6 -
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pcgizmo#IMCrackBerry Ph.D.Security wipe: Yes, No.
I never do a complete restore anyway. Contacts and calendar only, the rest is junk.Last edited by plkcable; 10-26-10 at 08:57 AM.
10-26-10 08:55 AMLike 0 -
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If you always do Security Wipes and selective restores, then I wouldn't expect you to notice any differences since you already carry out the best practice. This thread was more directed at the individuals who never have and should consider doing so. Thanks for your feedback though!10-26-10 08:59 AMLike 0 -
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pcgizmo#IMCrackBerry Ph.D.I guess I should have paraphrased better: Have you done a a Security Wipe prior to loading? YES Noticed any differences yourself? NOIf you always do Security Wipes and selective restores, then I wouldn't expect you to notice any differences since you already carry out the best practice. This thread was more directed at the individuals who never have and should consider doing so. Thanks for your feedback though!
I don't do a security wipe, it's not really necessary. The OS is wiped by loader/bbsak.
I always do selective restores.10-26-10 09:03 AMLike 0 -
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Indeed, selective restores solve most of the possible woes. However, keep in mind that the security wipe can clear out things that loader or a traditional bbsak wipe do not such as IT policy's, passwords, etc. These wipes address different portions of the OS and databases, hence why I recommended it.
Once again, I appreciate your constructive comments though. It cannot be understated how valuable a security wipe/selective restore can be to a user.10-26-10 09:14 AMLike 0 -
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pcgizmo#IMCrackBerry Ph.D.Question then: if a device doesn't have an IT policy or passwords why security wipe? Again, it's not always necessary.Indeed, selective restores solve most of the possible woes. However, keep in mind that the security wipe can clear out things that loader or a traditional bbsak wipe do not such as IT policy's, passwords, etc. These wipes address different portions of the OS and databases, hence why I recommended it.
Once again, I appreciate your constructive comments though. It cannot be understated how valuable a security wipe/selective restore can be to a user.10-26-10 09:18 AMLike 0 -
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You are correct, it is not always necessary. If you are wiping your Blackberry and reloading the OS, you don't necessarily have to Security Wipe as long as you know what you're doing with a selective restore. One time it may be convenient to security wipe was if you wanted to clean out your databases and do a selective restore without reloading your OS. I apologize, I should have been more definitive in my original post and presented it as less of a necessity when loading a new OS. Thank you for pointing this out.
I also want to thank you for agreeing with me on the importance of keeping your databases clean. While you may have been enjoying excellent performance from your Blackberry for all this time due to selective restores after every load, others may not have, and I hope this thread sheds some light on the topic for newer users who are not familiar with the process.
Any other feedback is welcome!10-26-10 09:53 AMLike 0 -
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I don't always do a security wipe, but will sometimes do a full wipe with BBSAK so there is no OS or other accumulated c**p loaded on the phone and then re load OS/Hybrid then my apps.
I don't bother doing a backup as I use Google Contact and Calendar sync in BIS.
Roland10-26-10 11:14 AMLike 0 -
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The security wipe can take up to 30 minutes or even longer. I don't have time for that. Instead of doing this method, I just do a regular wipe via BBSAK and then load the new OS without any 3rd party apps. After loading the new OS, I simply do the security wipe from here. it only takes about 5 minutes and then wipe again via BBSAK and walla.... Once you have done everything, you can load your 3rd party apps and then restore all of your data.
In my opinion, A security wipe just like formatting your device memory. It is a common practice when you install a new OS for your computer. I hope this will clear some confusion on this thread. Anyway, Thank you Willyboy...Last edited by sgesang; 10-28-10 at 09:31 AM.
10-28-10 06:24 AMLike 0 -
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Another negative about the security wipe is when you're on BES. Either Security wipe or device wipe from BBSAK will require you to ask permission from the BES admin for activation in my case. Whereas just loading a new OS over the older one straight without wiping auto activates itself back to the BES server. If you are on BIS, I agree with your method completely! Good info! Thanks!
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com10-28-10 07:18 AMLike 0 -
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Just a reminder, as plkcable pointed about above, the most important part of this process is doing a selective restore. After reloading the new OS, this is vital! It helps get rid of corrupt databases and your Blackberry will run so much more efficiently is you've never done one before!
Glad you all found this helpful!10-29-10 09:14 AMLike 0 -
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Do you mean this? (Check the arrow from the attachment. )Just a reminder, as plkcable pointed about above, the most important part of this process is doing a selective restore. After reloading the new OS, this is vital! It helps get rid of corrupt databases and your Blackberry will run so much more efficiently is you've never done one before!
Glad you all found this helpful!
Which options don't you click? I almost check everything....10-29-10 10:15 AMLike 0 -
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@Scrid, the loader does a wipe similar to bbsak (meaning the OS). Note if you wipe your BB, it will not remove a password. There a things a loader/BBSAK do not wipe. With that being said, a selective restore is likely enough to avoid any problem databases that may remain behind.
The choice is up to you. Depends on how much time you have I suppose.
Regarding what should be selected in a selective restore, some users recommend only doing contacts and calendar. Others with custom profiles should restore them as well. Things that I don't find useful to restore: Application permissions can always be reset, but if you have a lot of custom ones I'd avoid. Old alarms are useless. Code Modules, Content Store, Entry Point settings, Handheld agent, Handheld key store, purged messages, time zones, and trusted key stores are all things that can be unchecked.
The point of this selective restore is that things keep getting backed up and restored even though they are not being used anymore. When people constantly load hybrids or new OS's with full restores it gives more and more opportunities for a database to be corrupt or other complications to occur. Selective restores allow you to minimize these opportunities. A security wipe is just a part of this cleansing process that some prefer to carry out.11-01-10 09:04 PMLike 4 -
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Well.. I am loading new leaks and Hybrids for quite a time now. I was always doing my upgrades without any wipes BBSAK or Secure wipes... just loaded new OS hybrid and restore device. Never had loading issues - some hybrids were better, some worse and i.e WB7.3 had good memory management (low leaks) but battery was going down very fast. After upgrading to v8 Battery life was much improved - I would say best ever and memory leaks were quite good. I was quite happy with v8.
Then, After reading this post I decided to follow the advice for BBSAK and secure wipe...hoping to make it right and better.. Result? Complete Disaster! took me 2 days to restore that whole thing and make it to work. First after wiping/secure wiping BBSAK would connect but wouldn't load WB v8 OS - would just quit in the middle of loading with error message. So I went to RIM Loader trying to load WB v8 - same - error.... I went and wiped everything back and tried to load ATT original 4.6 OS Nope - my device became brick. Had no choice but to go to the local ATT service center and they have loaded their OS. Once this was done I did what I was doing all along - loaded WB v8 on top and did selective Application restore using latest DM (luckily I had few days old backup). After that, there was Memo Application missing.. It was showing on backup list and I tried to load it - said it was loaded but it wouldn't show. So I went to Java folder and using BBSAK loaded memo application ( .cod module) and it worked this time. After that Of course I had to have IT involved 2x to do my Enterprise Activation which they did not like it...
And now I am back in operation but my memory leaks faster than ever.. Battery also seems to be draining faster than couple days ago. After rebooting, losing 12 Mb in 4 hours or so w/o much using the device and keeps going down.
Will reboot few times and see if it improves.
Lesson learned: If it works ....don't @#$% with it.11-02-10 04:34 PMLike 0 -
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Just a follow up to my previous post and have always wonder about you guys that are on BES. Is there a way around the fact that when you do a security wipe and device wipe you need to bug the BES administrator to allow you to reactivate again? Is there a trick to simulating the "auto-activation" when you skip the wiping and just in upgrade the OS straight?Another negative about the security wipe is when you're on BES. Either Security wipe or device wipe from BBSAK will require you to ask permission from the BES admin for activation in my case. Whereas just loading a new OS over the older one straight without wiping auto activates itself back to the BES server. If you are on BIS, I agree with your method completely! Good info! Thanks!
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com11-07-10 12:42 AMLike 0
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Loading a new OS? Security wipe your Blackberry first!
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