BlackBerry® Bold™

[Nikkers77]

My phone is a BB Bold 9790 and I'm with Telus. My phone has been harassing me to do this update to OS 7.1 I believe so I decided to do it. It's been stuck on Backing up Data for 8 hours and at 13% on Social Feeds. I have tried to connect it to my BB Desktop Software but the phone won't connect. I've tried removing the battery, then connecting it and hitting Update but then it says it will restore the factory settings on the phone which is not an option for me.

Is there anyway to either 1) complete the update without losing any valuable data on the phone or 2) ignore the update and go back to being happy with my phone before I chuck it and get an iphone?

[sdgardne]

(Credit JSanders)

There are two methods of recovery for you to try:

One:

• Open Blackberry Desktop Software & Connect your device with PC using USB cable, without inserting battery.
• You will get three option Retry, Update Or Cancel, then click on update.
• Once it is to the stage of the update "initializing handheld", then insert battery.
• If this does not work, and you remain stuck on the backing up the Social Feeds database, go to the second method below.

Secondly:

• Start your BlackBerry in Safe mode.  Article ID: KB17877 How to start a BlackBerry smartphone in Safe Modehttp://www.blackberry.com/btsc/KB17877
• Connect to the BlackBerry Desktop Software and allow your handheld to connect. If you are prompted to upgrade, cancel the upgrade for later.
• IF you cannot connect or your Desktop Software does not recognize your device while in Safe Mode, please follow the directions here to force the detect:  Article ID: KB10144 How to force the detection of the BlackBerry smartphone using Application Loader
• Go to Device > delete > SELECT DATA > select to delete both the Social Feeds and Smart Card databases, and follow the remaining prompts to complete it. 
• Now, you can return and click to upgrade the device through the Desktop Manager, or reboot the BlackBerry in normal mode and continue the over the air upgrade.

[Nikkers77]

Tried the first option. When I click Update, its asking me to Confirm Device Repair which will restore the factory settings and delete all of my information.

Tried the second option and it doesn't go past the white boot screen with Telus on it. And now it's gone to Restoring Data???

[sdgardne]

See if you can boot into Safe Mode:

• KB17877 How to start a BlackBerry smartphone in Safe Mode

It may take you multiple attempts to get the ESC key sequence (press/release/hold) correct, so be patient. When successfully into Safe Mode, take a manual backup to your computer.

• KB12487 How to back up BlackBerry smartphone data using BlackBerry Desktop Software for Windows

FYI...the OTA update carries, IMHO, the highest risk level. During that process, an on-device backup of your data is taken, which is then used to restore after the update completes. But, if anything goes wrong during the process, that backup file is lost forever. When one updates using their computer, the backups that are taken are stored to the computer, and are forever available as the source or restore, even after catastrophic failure.

Hopefully you can get yours recovered...but do also keep trying those processes...sometimes it's just a matter of timing as to when you connect, boot up, etc. the device.

If things do go catastrophic, then that repair option might be your only hope. That or perhaps these articles:

KB27956 How to recover a BlackBerry smartphone from any state

• http://crackberry.com/blackberry-101-lecture-12-how-reload-operating-system-nuked-blackberry

Good luck and let us know!

[Nikkers77]

Was able to get the phone connected to Desktop Manager in Safe mode, but can't complete the updae b/c Desktop Software is doing a Backup. Everytime I've done a backup on Desktop Manager before, it would never complete after leaving it for hours on end. Should I Cancel the Backup and try the upgrade?

[sdgardne]

No. Since you have succeed at Safe Mode, you should now do what the 4th bullet of section 2 of Post 2 above says. You really really really really (did I say that enough times?) need a successful backup BEFORE you proceed with any update...otherwise, you risk losing your data, and I'm pretty sure that would not be a good thing.

[Nikkers77]

every time I've tried to do a backup before, it would never complete.. I left it for HOURS.. like 5-6 hours and it would never complete.. Is that my BB Bold issue or a Desktop Mamager issue or a user issue (aka not enough patience)

[sdgardne]

That situation is EXACTLY what bullet item 4 in the second section of post 2 above is intended to help...have you read and attempted any of that yet?

[Nikkers77]

Yes, I was able to delete the Social Feeds and the Smart Card Databases from the list and saved it but then it automatically went into the Backup. Nothing else came up as an option. So I'm still waiting for the backup to be completed so that I can compete the download of the new software,

[sdgardne]

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Nikkers77 wrote:

but then it automatically went into the Backup

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The ONLY conditions that I have seen the Desktop Software do that is if you start (or allow) the update process, which as I've said, you don't want to do until AFTER you obtain a manual backup to your computer. Hence, given what you have said, I've really no idea what is going on. If I could see your computer and see what you are doing, I might have a better idea, but from what you are telling me, I'm lost...because what you say just cannot happen in the way you have said it.

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Nikkers77 wrote:

So I'm still waiting for the backup to be completed

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If it won't complete, you might consider a non-wholesale backup, where you specific exactly the databases to back up. It is possible, I suppose, for a different database to also be an issue...but knowing which that is would be rather challenging. But, if you do a custom backup, you can specify the exact databases you wish to back up.

• KB03974 BlackBerry smartphone database list