BlackBerry® Curve™

[karebeartg]

OK, I feel really dumb.  I have been messing around with my brand new BB, and I did something to make it so I can't get the menu that I had before to come back.  At this point, I don't even know how I managed to do this, but now when I turn on my phone, there are no icons on it whatsoever.  I have figured out that if I hit the Alt-Escape buttons, I can bring up a bar with just a few icons.  But not all of them.   If I hit the Menu button, nothing happens.  Anyone know how I can get it back to working?

At this point I'm so confused, I don't know what to do!! Normally, I'm pretty good with electronics, but I can't get to the options menu so I'm pretty stumped. 

Any help would be appreciated!

[JSanders Resident Expert]

First thing:

With the BlackBerry device powered ON, remove the battery a few seconds and then reinsert the battery to reboot. 

See if you Menu returns. If not , let us know.

[karebeartg]

Nope. No luck with that. (I tried it twice just to make sure)

[JSanders Resident Expert]

Did yoiu change the theme on the device?

Do you have any clue of what you did? Are you saying that on the homescreen.. the main screen, there are NO icons whatsoever?

Did you HIDE all of them somehow? On that homescreen, Press Menu > Show ALL.

[karebeartg]

I pretty much have no clue what I did. I didn't change themes. It happened right after I installed google talk. It was fine for a few minutes and then when I went back to the main screen, there were no icons and the menu button ceased to work.

In sum, there are NO icons at all on the screen. When I press the menu button on the home screen, nothing happens. If I hold down alt + the back button, I can pull up the switch icons screen, which of course doesn't have the options menu on it. If I'm in the browser or the email, I can pull up that program's menu. I can at least receive and make phone calls. 

It seems to me that I (somehow, frustratingly) disabled the menu button and simulataneous hid the icons. Of course, without the menu button, I can't pull up anything to check this theory. 

[JSanders Resident Expert]

Ok, so what IS on that homescreen... nothing at the top like your signal bars, battery indicator, any wallpaper picture in the background?

[karebeartg · Accepted solution]

No, those were all there. Just the icons. I ended up taking it to a Verizon Wireless store and they gave me a new one. They said they'd never seen anything like it before.

...apparently, I got a defective one. 

Thank you for the help!

[likeuhh]

I know this is two years after - but my son recently deleted all applications from his phone.  For some **bleep** reason there is apparently a button that, when held down long enough, will delete all applications.  Where this button is and why it is even an option in beyond me. I had pulled the phone out of my purse or pocket to find the notification that all would be deleted if I chose "yes" - without even needing a pin! This is the only fault I have found with the blackberry (and if this CAN have a pin - someone please post how to set!!)

Same problem here - menu button would not pull up menu, no buttons on the side would work, NOTHING! If I pushed a letter key the recent phone calls would pull up and I could reach contacts from there - nothing else would happen. 

Tried both soft and hard reboot - NOTHING

So it dawned on me at 6 this morning....on the desktop managaer, you can transfer data from one device to another!  So I hooked up his old blackberry and followed the directions on the desktop manager! Viola! His phone is back to normal!! EVERYTHING is still there, no pics deleted, no ringtones lost! All icons restored, all buttons work - even the menu button - properly!  The desktop manager does offer transferring from other devices to a blackberry! 

I hope this helps someone  - even if it is another two years later!

[JSanders Resident Expert]

---

likeuhh wrote:

I know this is two years after - but my son recently deleted all applications from his phone.  For some **bleep** reason there is apparently a button that, when held down long enough, will delete all applications.  Where this button is and why it is even an option in beyond me.

---

There is no such button.

[rzevin]

This suggestion worked with a few additions.  I created a backup with my (crippled) phone and another with my wife's.  Then I did a complete restore of the backup of her phone to my phone.  Then I did an almost complete (except for the themes) restore of all the data to my phone.  

The cause of the problem was that when attempting to delete a new application "folder" I inadvertently deleted the primary folder sending the application icons to lala land.   

All you need is a BFF with a working blackberry.