BlackBerry® Bold™

[GregH1960]

I've got a blackberry and need to downgrade the OS so I can use a mission critical app, not supported by 7.1

[sdgardne]

Hello,

The simplest way is to, on a PC (you cannot do this on MAC):

1) Uninstall, from your PC, any BB OS packages

2) Make sure you have the BB Desktop Software already installed

• http://us.blackberry.com/apps-software/desktop/?lid=us:bboftwareesktopSoftware&lpos=us:bboftware

3) Download and install, to your PC, the BB OS package you desire:

• http://us.blackberry.com/support/downloads/download_sites.jsp

4) If that OS package is from a carrier other than the carrier for which your BB was originally manufactured, then delete, on your PC, all copies of VENDOR.XML...there will be at least one, and perhaps 2, and they will be located in or similarly to (it changes based on your Windows version) these folders:

• C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Research In Motion\AppLoader
• C:\Users\(your Windows UserName)\AppData\Roaming\Research In Motion\BlackBerry\Loader XML

5) Launch the Desktop Software and connect your BB...the software should offer you the OS package you installed to your PC. If, during the process, your BB presents a "507" error, simply unplug the USB cord from the BB and re-insert it...don't do anything else...this should allow the install to continue.

Don't forget to backup.

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If you are on MAC, you are limited to only your carriers sanctioned OS packages...but can still use any levels that they currently sanction. See this procedure:

• KB19915How to perform a clean reload of BlackBerry smartphone application software using BlackBerry Desktop Software

Good luck and let us know!

[GregH1960]

I'm not seeing where the OS are stored.

When I click on North America US, and select Verizon Wireless, our phone service provider, it takes me to the actual phones packages.  Not sure where I'm supposed to go.

[sdgardne]

VZW does not publish in the same way that others do. You have to continue into the VZW site (Selecting either Personal or Business on that first screen) and enter your mobile phone number (and maybe some other things) to finally get you to their OS package, which you can then download to your computer and use in the process. It's been a while since I've been on VZW, so I can't recall the specifics anymore, but I do recall that their system is different from other carriers.