Former Palm user needs HELP with Bold

I am new to Blackberry and really need someone to convince me I made the right choice. So far I have been totally frustrated with learning to love the Bold! I thought I was finally getting the hang of it and during the night I think my battery died and now the whole appearance of the phone has changed, I cannot launch my camera, can't find the camera or pictures I have taken and my email folders have disappeared! I have never been able to synchronize from and to my laptop. As you can see I need HELP>

Is this a new Bold you purchased, or is this a used or refurbished one?

When the device starts acting up, one of the first remedies out there is to remove the back cover and pull the battery out for about a minute or so. In many cases, this should "reset" the device (as much as it's like rebooting a PC).

Have you installed any apps on it? Also, what operating system is it using?

As for synchronization with your laptop, is your laptop a PC or Mac? What OS is running on the laptop?

Originally Posted by GapBoyPCS

Is this a new Bold you purchased, or is this a used or refurbished one?

When the device starts acting up, one of the first remedies out there is to remove the back cover and pull the battery out for about a minute or so. In many cases, this should "reset" the device (as much as it's like rebooting a PC).

Have you installed any apps on it? Also, what operating system is it using?

As for synchronization with your laptop, is your laptop a PC or Mac? What OS is running on the laptop?

Yes it is a new Bold, and I did what you suggested and it did solve the problem with camera etc. I don't believe I have installed any apps? As for the OS I can't seem to find that info in my phone. I have a laptop with Windows XP for home version 5.1.2600.
As for synchronizing I haven't attempted it again since I first got the phone. Can't quite figure it out, since I was used to the Palm where I could easily access files from the phone on my Palm desktop. I was unable to transfer contacts from Palm desktop to Blackberry, so had to manually add them, a definite pain in my neck!
So far, in the first month of use, I have been a bit disappointed with the Bold.

A visual of what the screen looks like would help us greatly in helping you......

You didn't change your theme did you? Is the layout of the icons and wallpaper the same as it was?

Originally Posted by branden3112

A visual of what the screen looks like would help us greatly in helping you......

Not sure what you mean or how to do that.

Originally Posted by liv4Him

Not sure what you mean or how to do that.

I think he means a screenshot (picture of the screen).

Sounds like your phone re-booted in safe mode. If you had any 3rd party apps installed on your phone those wouldn't have showed up either. If you have OS .167 still on the phone, I recommend upgrading that puppy to a better and more reliable OS.

Go to options>about and the third line will reveal what OS you're running.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

A newer OS will be sticked in the Bold section of the forums, it will contain directions and support.

Blackberry doesn't have its own desktop software. There are a few that will sync. I am not sure of all the options, but the most popular and easiest is Outlook.

Originally Posted by liv4Him

Yes it is a new Bold, and I did what you suggested and it did solve the problem with camera etc. I don't believe I have installed any apps? As for the OS I can't seem to find that info in my phone. I have a laptop with Windows XP for home version 5.1.2600.
As for synchronizing I haven't attempted it again since I first got the phone. Can't quite figure it out, since I was used to the Palm where I could easily access files from the phone on my Palm desktop. I was unable to transfer contacts from Palm desktop to Blackberry, so had to manually add them, a definite pain in my neck!
So far, in the first month of use, I have been a bit disappointed with the Bold.

At least you got the camera portion solved.

Synchronization works by installing the Desktop Manager software (it should be a CD in your box, or you can download it from Smartphones, Cell Phones & Smart Phones at BlackBerry.com). It uses specific programs (most common is MS Outlook), and synchronizes the calendar and contacts. By installing the Desktop Manager software, you can also perform backups of your device, switch to another BlackBerry, and add/remove applications.

There are two versions of Desktop Manager you can install: One is with a Media Manager; the other does not. I highly recommend you don't install the Media Manager because of the Roxio software component. Once you install the Desktop Manager, whenever you plug in your Bold, it will act as a flash drive.

I seem to recall in the past people have had problems going from their Palm software to transfer contacts and such to their BlackBerry. I think some have gotten around that by importing their Palm contacts into MS Outlook, and then synchronizing their BlackBerry with MS Outlook.