[RoGro]

First, kudos to twheeler who was the original author of this how-to thread three years ago!

The instructions needed a little updating, however with newer releases of device OS's, Desktop Manager and the advent of adding media cards to our beloved BlackBerrys! So here we go......

Traditional Upgrade/Installation Instructions

1. REMOVE THE MEDIA CARD!! - Many people have uneventfully and successfully upgraded their device OS with the media card installed, but just as many, if not more have experienced data corruption of their media by leaving the card in....corruption which leads to random reboots of your device, among other things. In case you forget this step, you'll probably need to reference this thread after your upgrade.

2. BACK UP YOUR DATA! - Everyone will tell you that this is an extremely important step to heed if you value any of the data or applications you've loaded on your device! I'm pretty sure that newer releases of Desktop Manager have this automatically built in to the upgrade process, but to be sure, make sure that box is checked in Desktop Manager and go ahead and do a back up beforehand anyway!

3. Verify that you are using the latest version of Desktop Manager. I've seen a lot of folks happy with version 4.7 of Desktop Manager, but for my purposes here, I'll suggest and recommend version 4.6 until a newer release of 4.7 comes out. To check your current version, open BlackBerry Desktop Manager. In the upper righthand corner is a dropdown entitled Help. Click on that and select About BlackBerry Desktop Manager. If you need to download a later version, click on this link. We recommend that you uninstall older versions of Desktop Manager before installing a more current version. Use this thread (courtesy of N8DBB) for instructions for a clean uninstall. Note: Make sure you do this prior to loading and installing your OS of choice because this process will most likely uninstall the OS as well!

4. Download and INSTALL on your PC/laptop the lastest Operating System for your device from this link, courtesy of jdellasalla. It does not matter from which carrier you get the OS, but it must be specific to your device. In other words, you cannot load the OS for an 8100 on your 8310. I emphasized install because downloading and installing are two different things. In most cases, however, the installing will occur automatically after the executable has been downloaded. Just in case, it's wise to make note of where these files are loading on your computer. Go to your Control Panel>Add or Remove Programs (Programs and Features on Vista) and look for anything that says BlackBerry Device Software 4.x. If you click on that, it should tell you at the bottom of the screen what the version number is. If it's the one you wanted, you're good to go, othewise you'll need to locate the files you downloaded and initiate the installation of the OS from there. Note: If there is more than one OS on your PC, you will need to either uninstall or relocate the other OS's so that DM can find the one you want to upgrade to.

5. If you are installing an OS from your carrier then you can skip this step, otherwise you must delete the "vendor.xml" file. Navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Research In Motion\AppLoader on your PC/laptop, highlight and delete this file. You can also search your computer's hard drive for the "vendor.xml" file and delete it that way.

6. Connect your device to the computer. If prompted, type your BlackBerry device password and click OK.

7. Open Desktop Manager. It should recognize that there is an upgrade for your device. If you are not prompted to upgrade, there are a few likely scenarios:

• You have not properly dowloaded and installed the device OS onto your PC/laptop.
• You have not deleted the vendor.xml file.
• You have another 4.x version of the OS on your computer that needs to be uninstalled through Control Panel>Add or Remove Programs (Programs and Features if you're running Vista).

8. When the Application Loader Wizard is finished examining the configuration on the BlackBerry device, the Device Application Selection screen appears listing the applications and OS version available for installation. The selected check boxes indicate applications that are already installed on the BlackBerry device. At this point you can select or unselect any applications you wish to install or leave off your device.

9. If you're not sure whether or not you have a current back up of your device, you ensure that this option is checked within Desktop Manager!

10. From here you will just follow the prompts and have your new OS installed in less than an hour! Desktop Manager will inform you of any errors along the way, as well as indicating that the upgrade operation was completed successfully.


Alternative Upgrade/Installation Instructions (Thanks to azstar for the reminder to add this method!)

1. REMOVE THE MEDIA CARD!! - Many people have uneventfully and successfully upgraded their device OS with the media card installed, but just as many, if not more have experienced data corruption of their media by leaving the card in....corruption which leads to random reboots of your device, among other things. In case you forget this step, you'll probably need to reference this thread after your upgrade.

2. BACK UP YOUR DATA! - Any time you are upgrading your OS, it is imperative that you back up any of the data or applications you've loaded on your device!

3. Download and INSTALL on your PC/laptop the lastest Operating System for your device from this link, courtesy of jdellasalla. It does not matter from which carrier you get the OS, but it must be specific to your device. In other words, you cannot load the OS for an 8100 on your 8310. I emphasized install because downloading and installing are two different things. In most cases, however, the installing will occur automatically after the executable has been downloaded. Just in case, it's wise to make note of where these files are loading on your computer. Go to your Control Panel>Add or Remove Programs (Programs and Features on Vista) and look for anything that says BlackBerry Device Software 4.x. If you click on that, it should tell you at the bottom of the screen what the version number is. If it's the one you wanted, you're good to go, othewise you'll need to locate the files you downloaded and initiate the installation of the OS from there. Note: If there is more than one OS on your PC, you will need to either uninstall or relocate the other OS's so that DM can find the one you want to upgrade to.

4. If you are installing an OS from your carrier then you can skip this step, otherwise you must delete the "vendor.xml" file. Navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Research In Motion\AppLoader on your PC/laptop, highlight and delete this file. You can also search your computer's hard drive for the "vendor.xml" file and delete it that way.

5. Connect your device to the computer.

6. Navigate once again to the C:\Program Files\Common Files\Research In Motion\AppLoader on your PC/laptop. In that folder you'll see an executable icon called Loader. Double click that icon, then click Next. The following screen should be Communication Port Selection and your PIN should show up in the box. Click Next again. Loader will then read the device and your computer for the OS. As in the traditional installation method, the selected check boxes indicate applications that are already installed on the BlackBerry device. Again, from here you can select or unselect any applications you wish to install or leave off your device.

7. Continue to follow the prompts as in the traditional method and your new OS will proceed to be installed. With this method you will still be informed of any errors along the way, as well as indicating that the upgrade operation was completed successfully.



Be Patient! Device upgrades can take as long as an hour and sometimes even longer! Whatever you do, let the Desktop Manager do its thing! Don't be tempted to unplug the cable or stop the upgrade no matter how long it's taking! Device initialization is probably the most painfully slow portion of the upgrade process, so just be patient!

Remember: You do this at your own risk and neither PinStack nor the authors of this post assume any responsbility. Having said that, also know that you have a world of support available to you here on PinStack, so you can feel confident that in the event something goes wrong, which while entirely possible is very unlikely, it will be addressed and resolved quickly!

Good Luck and Happy Upgrading!

[rashard]

Dont forget if your the type that likes to wait for your carrier or the official release for your phone, you can browse to the blackberry website, and in their device update section, you can install the plugin that will automatically detect and install the new OS.

And the same applies as This very NICE write up, remove media card, back up and make sure you give it plenty of time.

[RoGro]

Thanks Rashard! Great tip!

Roger

[moderncowboy]

Thanks Roger for the updated How To. This will be very useful. ~via BB (wap.pinstack.com)~

[ascoman]

~via BB (wap.pinstack.com)~
I just upgraded to OS .124 on my 8100 using the 4.7 desktop software, and i noticed that it didnt upgrade without the vendor file. I left the vendor file that came with the upgrade (the one without real vendor data) and it worked just fine.

Any coments on this?

[Lavagirl]

Thanks for the updated Guide RoGro!

[RoGro]

Originally Posted by ascoman

i noticed that it didnt upgrade without the vendor file. I left the vendor file that came with the upgrade (the one without real vendor data) and it worked just fine.

Ya lost me there, ascoman.

[ramyash19]

thankss pal usefull thanks

[GaryF]

Thanks RoGro...

Added this updated version to my blog!

[ashdub01]

I wanted to downgrade my software to 4.5.0.52 because I was having severe issues with .107.
I freshly installed DM and deleted the vendor file, same as I always do but its not automatically detecting the upgrade. As of right now I am backing up my files so I can TRY to do it manually. However my OS is saved on my desktop and when I browse so I can apply my OS it doesn't show up, I have opened the OS and everything so it should be ready to go. ANY tips?

[RoGro]

ashdub,

First, let's clarify.....are you wanting to DOWNGRADE or UPGRADE? Your post is kind of confusing that way.

Second, no matter what you are trying to accomplish, you need to make sure that the only OS on your PC is the one you want to upgrade/downgrade to.

Let us know!
Roger

[ashdub01]

I want to DOWNGRADE. sorry guys.
I just reformatted my computer and kept only pictures, everything else I dl'd was wiped but I will triple check for a different OS right now.

[RoGro]

Okay, if you find only the one OS that you're wanting to install, let's just try doing it without the Desktop Manager.

On your PC, go to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Research in Motion\AppLoader. You should see an executable called Loader. Connect your device, then double click on the Loader executable and see what happens.

[Luis998]

Sweet write-up! Thank you for it, RoGro! Seeing how I am busy with two jobs nowadays, I'm printing this bad boy up...at work ironically since I never get to a computer any other time it seems.

[ashdub01]

OK guys....I'm still having probs...now I have upgraded many phones before I've just never downgraded.
I downloaded a whole new OS through East Asia it's version 4.5.0.52.
I removed my Desktop Manager from my laptop and freshly installed it, I noticed 4 errors while I was installing it on my laptop. I installed the new East Asia OS and tried to put it on my phone. DM doesn't recognize any programs for my phone AT ALL, anywhere. After I install the OS on my laptop is another icon supposed to pop up? or where would I find the OS after installation? Sorry if I'm confusing I have been trying to fix this for a couple days.