BlackBerry® Torch™

[magellan]

Good day,

I am currently using a Torch 9800 on my old Dell computer using Microsoft Outlook 2003.  I just bought a new Dell computer and have installed Microsoft Office 2010 with Outlook.  I would like to transfer all my data from my BlackBerry Torch / Outlook to my new computer.

Do I install BlackBerry desktop on my new computer and just perform a sync with my Torch or should I do a back-up on my old computer and restore the back-up file on my new computer?

Thanks. 

[John_Clark · Accepted solution]

It depends on what all you want moved. You can google for information on how to transfer all your Outlook settings including mail and all your PIM data.

If it's just the calendar, tasks, and address book data you want then if your BB has everything you want on it then you can install BDS on the new computer and set up a one way sync from your BB device to Outlook to transfer everything into the new Outlook. Then once it's on both devices change the settings to two way sync.

I would make a backup of your BB before doing any sync to a new computer just in case you screw up the sync and it deletes the PIM data from the BB.

[magellan]

Thanks John_Clark.  I'm only looking to transfer calendar, tasks, notes, and address data and not Outlook settings.

[John_Clark]

Then I would just make a backup of the BB before doing anything. I've accidentally wiped data from my calendar before when syncing and the backup has saved me and allowed me to "try again."

Once your backup is made, set up a sync on the new machine to sync only from device to Outlook and set it to "refresh" the data. That will put everything that is in your BB into Outlook. Then once it's on both the device and Outlook then change the settings to two say sync between device and Outlook.

That's how I've done it in the past.

[magellan]

It worked fine.  One problem I have is that almost every time I open Outlook I see a reminder for events that occurred a long time ago, such as 60 to 99 weeks old.  Do you know why it does this?  When I first do a sync with my new computer I got over 200 reminders.  That I understand because it was the first time my new Outlook was showing those events but I don't understand why it's happening now.

[John_Clark]

They should go away after a bit. Make sure that you set the sync to not sync notifications for old events. There is a setting in there for that, if I recall.

[magellan]

I didn't find this setting.  I decided to sync only future events.  That may fix the problem. 

Another problem I finding is that there are event conflicts where I have an event that is already on my Outlook and device.  I go back and change, say, the time on only my device but I get a conflict.  This should be a conflict because I only changed the event on the device.  I can understand there being a conflict if I changed the time on the device and computer to different times.

Thanks for your comments.

[John_Clark]

I find conflict issues after the first few syncs too. Just choose the one you think is up to date, the BB in this case, and let it sync. It should be fine after that.

[magellan]

Thanks.  I've been getting fewer conflicting messages lately.

[larrycalrsen]

My advice to use to take your balckberry back to where you got it and get ride of it and trade it in for a Galaxy.

The synch process to Outlook is pathetic.  It doesn't let you choose a different Contact List, and even then it doesn't load all the contacts correctly.

I just got an IPAD and it's miles ahead.  I don't know what kind of people they have in their development department, but it seeam as if they have totally lost the concept of providing an a friendly inteface.

I can;t wait until my contract expires.

Sorry RIM, but you've lost it.