Everyday BlackBerry users come across problems. Most times they turn to Google (repeat troubleshooters head straight to CrackBerry.com!) to hunt down some quick answers. In hopes of making BlackBerry users more independent, this lesson should help you diagnose your own problems, and take some steps in attempt to resurrect your issues on your own. Problems ranges from the simple: not receiving email and a dead browser, to the more complex issues of losing call logs and texts or dreaded error codes and a "nuked" Berry. This 101 will cover a good deal (but certainly not all) of the most common errors BlackBerry users encounter. Let's get started.



The Battery Pull

The most common "cure all" to all devices is the battery pull. Like chicken soup is to the soul, the battery pull can solve many of the problems users encounter, such as application errors, theme problems, data problems and more. Before you do anything else - always do a battery pull.

* With the device powered on, remove the battery
* Leave the battery out for about 30 seconds
* Replace the battery and let the device reboot


This will solve a great deal of problems - always do a battery pull before you seek help elsewhere. You can also perform a soft reset on your device by holding down the ALT+Right SHIFT+DEL keys for about 2 seconds. There is also a double soft reset which some users believe is equivalent to a battery pull. To perform this, do the standard soft reset - the screen will go black. When the screen is no longer black, press the keys again (perform another soft reset). You should then see another
blank screen followed by an hour glass.


Memory Leak" - Losing Call Logs and Messages

Some devices have what is known as a "memory leak". This is what the BlackBerry community has dubbed the loss of memory from any BlackBerry Device. The device will begin to "eat" call logs and messages and they will mysteriously disappear. This is due to the memory of the device being low, causing it to automatically free up more space by deleting these items. The first steps to identifying this issue is to check the File Free on your device. You can do this one of two ways.

1. Options > Status
2. Hold ALT+SHIFT+H

File Free

Here you will see your File Free displayed in Bytes. Here I have 33087874 Bytes free (which is about 33mb) and is more than enough free memory. Its a safe bet to say that about 12 or 14mb is enough free memory, however some users will tell you more and some will say less. Older devices will have more of a problem being that they have less memory to being with. If you find yourself with low memory, check out these guides to freeing up memory but deleting pre-installed images, changing save times for messages, removing Voice Activated Dialing and more.


Along with the memory loss issues, some users commonly refer to their memory cards. Keep in mind the memory cards do not effect these issues. No matter if you have a 1gb or 8gb memory card - it will not add to the installed memory on your device. An external memory card may be used for storing photos, music, movies etc. but cannot help with these types of memory issues.



'm Not Receiving Email


A very common issue. The device is not receiving email at all. You can verify this by checking the inbox for your email accounts. If there are messages there that have not made it to the device, you may have an issue. First off, try a battery pull as described above (if it solves the issue you will know as your email will come flying in as soon as the device reboots). If that doesn't help, you may need to resend your service books.
BIS
Login to your carriers BIS site
BIS
Click the Service Books link
Service Books
Click Send Service Books

You should receive confirmation messages on your device if you were successful.

This is a common error as well for existing GSM BIS users who attempt to activate a new device. After putting in your SIM card, your browser icon shows immediately, however there is no email. You need to login to your BIS as above and enter the Change Device menu and activate the new device PIN. From here resend the service books and you're set.



My Browser Is Missing
A common issue that shows up more often than you would think. Commonly after activating a new device or upgrading the OS. There is a simple fix, but most users don't know where to start.

* Insure you have a BlackBerry data plan
* Make sure the icon is not hidden - press the Menu key and select Show All - see if the icon is on the screen at all
* Go to Options > Advanced Options > Host Routing Table. Press the Menu key and select Register Now.

HRT HRT

Wait about 30 seconds and the icon should appear. Sometimes it may take longer depending on your service etc. so be patient. If it doesn't show up after a while (10 minutes or so) try a battery pull. After the restart if it still doesn't appear, you may need to resend your service books as described above.




How To Separate SMS & Email Messages

No so much an error as a common question, but some users prefer to have separate inboxes for SMS/MMS messages & emails, while some prefer to have them all in one place. To change this option is simple - In your Message go to Options > General Options and change SMS and Email Inboxes to separate. This will give you individual folders for your SMS/MMS and Email messages. Keep in mind this setting can be affected by some custom themes.


I Use Gmail and Receive A Copy Of My Emails

A common problem when using Gmail. To resolve it you must login to your Carrier's BIS site and simply add a filter to your current Gmail address. Take these steps:

* Login to BIS account
* Next to your Gmail address, click Edit
* Click Add Filter
* For Filter Name type "Sent"
* For Apply Filter When select "From"
* For Contains enter your Gmail address "Bleep@gmail.com"


Keeping Your Device Up To Date and the Handheld Wipe

Another good tip to prevent errors is to keep your Operating System (OS) up to date. This is especially good for users with older devices. Many bugs can be found over time, so RIM issues updates to the operating system to make things more stable. You should always have the latest official OS installed on your device
If your OS is up to date and you are still experiencing bugs or glitches and you can't figure out why, performing a Handheld Wipe will help reset your BlackBerry's operating system to the OS defaults (you have the option to leave 3rd party apps installed or remove them).

No software or connection to a computer is required to perform a HandHeld Wipe. On your BlackBerry, simply go to Options > Security Options > General Settings > hit the menu key > Wipe Handheld and follow the instructions on the display. It takes a few minutes, but the Handheld Wipe will conveniently take you back to the starting line and hopefully fix your problems. Keep in mind you'll have to re-add your PIM info and add back all your BlackBerry Messenger contacts and apps (if you chose to delete the apps).

Get to know those four keys along the Bottom

The Green Phone Key:
This is the easiest way to make your first few phone calls - it works just like other "Dumb" phone green keys - but you have more options.
With the Verizon Storm - you get the dial pad and three buttons at the top - the Call log button shows you all your incoming and outgoing calls stored in the Phone's memory and there is a button that can open your Contacts.



The MENU key (BlackBerry Button):
That key with the BlackBerry logo is really the doorway to all the possibilities of your device. In every application, pushing that button brings up a menu with all your possibilities. From the basic "Home Screen," pushing that button brings up all the other icons.

From a Contact - pushing the MENU key allows you to call, email, SMS or communicate in any way with that particular contact. Just try pushing it in every program you open to see the myriad of possibilities.

TIP - Hold the MENU key for two seconds and you will see all your open programs in a little bar across the screen. Now, you can just find the program you want to "Jump" to and click on it to "Switch" the application.



The Escape (or Back) Key:
This key does just what its name suggests - it goes back to where you were before. It also prompts you to "Save," "Delete" or "Discard" things you might be working on. If you do something wrong, or find yourself wanting to get back to where you were just a second ago - just press this key.



The Red Phone Key:
This is your "End" key with which you are no doubt familiar with from your old phone. You can "End" your calls, ignore calls and do other familiar actions with the Red Phone key.

You can also "Multi-Task" using the Red Phone key. Just press it (when not on a call) and you jump right to the Home Screen.

Say you are writing an email and needed to check the calendar or wanted to schedule a new event:

1. Press the Red Phone key to jump to the Home Screen.
2. Start the calendar to check your schedule.
3. Press the Red Phone key again to return to the Home Screen.
4. Click on the Messages icon to return exactly to where you left off composing your email message (you could also hold down on the menu key to launch the task switcher and jump directly).

TIP - Be careful about Multi-Tasking - it can use up your memory on your Device
Even though the new BlackBerry devices have more memory - you still want to try to remember to "Close" an application if you don't need it open. That's easy to do - just press the MENU key and scroll down to "Close" in virtually every application.
One of the things I do in my professional life is help people use their BlackBerry Smartphones. There are some of the "Basics" of setting up your device and working with your email found below. This is just a very small section of what you will find in our BlackBerry Made Simple Video Training and books - some of the tips and instructions below come right from the new BlackBerry Made Simple books that are about to be released for the Storm, the Pearl Flip and the Bold.



First Time Device Setup:
When you first turn on your BlackBerry, you will likely be presented with the Setup Wizard. If you "Ignored" or "Closed" it, you can get back to it by locating and clicking on the Setup Wizard Icon. From the Setup Wizard you can:

* Change the Date and Time
* Learn how to navigate and Type
* Setup your Email
* Set up Bluetooth
* Import contacts that might be on your SIM Card
* Change your Font
* Change the Language
* Learn about the Touch Screen
* Access the contextual help menu



Starting and Exiting Icons:
You use the SurePress touch screen, Menu Key and Escape Key to navigate around your BlackBerry, open folders and select icons. The Escape Key will get you back out one step at a time, the Red Phone key will jump you all the way back to your "Home Screen



Gestures:
The BlackBerry Storm is the first BlackBerry with a touch screen and RIM added some innovations. You can "gently touch" an icon - which will highlight it. You can also "Press" - which is touching and then "clicking" the screen to activate an icon, start a program or select an action. You can also "hover" - which is gently touching and keeping your finger connected to the screen - this reveals some "pop up" menus and icon names and even can help "Filter" email addresses when you "hover" over someone's email address.



SureType Keyboard:
The BlackBerry Storm has two types of keyboards available to you: SureType and a normal "Landscape" QWERTY keyboard.

SureType is a 20-key keyboard laid out with the traditional keyboard "QWERTY" style but with two letters per key to minimize the size. The BlackBerry SureType typing technology actually learns as your type and predicts the word for you. It even scans your Address Book to help predict hard-to-guess words like people's names and street names - simply amazing! Many BlackBerry users who are experienced with SureType are just as fast as those on full QWERTY keyboards. Learn SureType!

TIP - Try using the SureType keyboard for shorter messages, IM's, SMS - things like that. When you want to type something longer (like an email) or more complicated (email address, website URL) just turn the Storm sideways and a full landscape Keyboard pops up. In the QWERTY keyboard layout - try just using your thumbs to type - you will get the hang of it!



Multitap Typing:
This is the more standard cell phone typing technology, where you press the key once for the first letter on the key and twice for the second letter. For example, with the "ER" key, you would press it once for "E" and twice to get the "R" in Multitap mode. TIP: You will see the letters "ABC" in the upper right corner whenever you are in Multitap mode.

NOTE - The BlackBerry always switches to Multitap mode when you are in a password field. When typing with SureType you will see the pop-up window below (or above) what you are typing. The highlighted word is the one currently being "guessed."



Switching between typing modes:
Switch between SureType and Multitap modes by pressing the MENU Key and select "Enable Multitap" or "Enable SureType" in any application where you are typing in "Portrait" mode- such as "Messaging," "Memos," "Email" and tasks.



Changing Your Font Size and Type:
You can fine-tune the font size and type on your BlackBerry to fit your individual needs.

Do you need to see more on the screen and don't mind small fonts? Then go all the way down to a micro-size 7-point font.

Do you need to see bigger fonts for easy readability? Adjust the fonts to a large 14-point font and make it BlackBerry.

Here's how to adjust your font size and type:
Click on the Options icon. You may need to press the Menu key and scroll up or down to find it.

Scroll and find the "Options icon" and "Press" the screen - then scroll and click on "Screen/Keyboard" to get to the screen to change your fonts.



Press & Hold for Automatic Capitalization:
One of the easiest tips is to capitalize letters as your typing them.
To do this: just press and hold the letter to capitalize it.



Automatic Period & Cap at End of Sentence:
At the end of a sentence, just press the SPACE key twice to see an
automatic "." (period) and the next letter you type will be
automatically capitalized.



Changing Your Convenience Keys:
The two keys on the middle of the sides of your BlackBerry are actually programmable keys called "convenience" keys. This is because each of the two keys can be set to ‘conveniently' open any icon on your BlackBerry, even new Third Party icons that you add to your BlackBerry.

Click on the "Options" icon (press the Menu key if you don't see it listed.) jump down to the "Screen/Keyboard" item and click on it. Scroll down the screen until you see "Right Side Convenience Key Opens:" and "Left Side Convenience Key Opens:" To change the icon / application these keys open, just click on the item to see the entire list. Then scroll and click on the program you want to assign to that key. Then press the Menu key and select "Save" to save your changes. Now give you newly set convenience keys a try - they work from anywhere, not just the Home Screen.

TIP for Storm Owners - Set the Left Convenience key to bring up the virtual keyboard - I am finding this very useful when I want to type on the Storm.



Understanding that Blinking Red Light ("Repeat Notification":
One of the features that BlackBerry users love is the little LED that blinks in the upper right hand corner. It is possible to have this light blink different colors:

* Red when you receive an incoming message (MMS, SMS or Email) or calendar alarm rings,
* Blue when connected to a Bluetooth Device,
* Green when you have wireless coverage, and,
* Amber if you need to charge your BlackBerry or it is charging.



Understanding Profiles:
Your BlackBerry is highly customizable - everything from Ringtones to vibrations to LED notifications can be adjusted. Traveling on an airplane but sill want to use your calendar or play a game without disturbing others? No problem. In a meeting and don't want the phone to ring - but you do want some sort of notification when an email comes in? No problem.

Virtually any scenario you can imagine can be dealt with preemptively by adjusting the profile settings.



Basic Profile Settings:
By default, the BlackBerry is set to a "Normal" profile - meaning that when a call comes in, the phone rings and when a message comes in, the phone plays a tune.



Changing your Profile:
Depending you your selected Theme and BlackBerry carrier (Phone Company), how you get to your profiles icon will be slightly different.

If you don't see this speaker icon on your screen, press the Menu key to see the entire list of icons, then scroll to the "Profiles" icon and click on it.

Seven basic ‘preset' settings are available from which you can choose: Normal, Loud, Medium, vibrate, Silent, Phone only and Off. Next to one of those options the word "Active" will be displayed. For most users, "Normal" will be the active profile which rings during phone calls and either vibrates or plays a tone when a message arrives. "Loud" increases the volume for all notifications. "Vibrate" enables a short vibration for meetings, movies or other places where cell phone rings are discouraged. "Silent" will display notifications on the display and via the LED. "Phone Only" will turn off all email and SMS notifications. "Off" will turn off all notifications.



Email Setup:
Your BlackBerry is designed to retrieve your email from up to 10 different email accounts and, if you are connected to a BlackBerry Enterprise Server, one corporate email account. When your BlackBerry receives your email, all your messages will be displayed in your Messages inbox.

You can setup your basic email right from your BlackBerry, but for things like your automated email signature "Sent from my (carrier name) BlackBerry", you will need to login to your carrier's website.

Click on "Add an Email Account" (Will be listed under any existing email accounts you have already setup to go to your BlackBerry)

Now type your Email account name and Password, then click "Next" to attempt the login. If everything is correct, then you will see a screen that says:

"You have successfully configured access to: (your email address here)
OK"



Trouble Getting Email Setup?
Sometimes email will not get setup right away. This could be as simple as a wrong character in your email address or password. Always try retyping them a few times before doing anything else. One other common problem is that your Email server is not setup for POP3 access, or you need to go into the "Advanced Settings" to enter some specific information. Please contact your email provider and verify that you can use your email to "integrate to a BlackBerry using POP3 service". The technical support personnel at your email provider should be able to help you. Worst case: Contact your wireless carrier technical support.



Setting Up Your Corporate Email ("Enterprise Activation":
This process is also known as "Enterprise Activation". If your Help Desk or Information Technology department does not do this for you, all you need is your activation password and you can set this up on your own - right from the BlackBerry.

IMPORTANT - If you have not received your "Activation Password", then you need to ask your Help Desk or Technology Support department for that password before you may complete this process.

Start your "Setup Wizard" icon and select "Email Setup", then choose "I want to use a work email account with a BlackBerry Enterprise Server" from the menu.

Verify that you have your Enterprise Activation Password. Type in the email address along with the activation password you received from your Help Desk or System Administrator. Press the MENU key and select "Activate."

Then you should see a series of messages that talk about Security, Establishing Connection, Verifying Connection, Loading Contacts, Calendar, etc. Once completed, and this could take 5 minutes or more, you should see a confirmation screen.

The best way to test is to try to send yourself or your colleague a test email message from your newly connected BlackBerry. Make sure it arrives and you can reply to a new message you have received on your BlackBerry.



Overview of BlackBerry Desktop Manager:
One of the great things about your BlackBerry is the amount of information, entertainment and fun that you can carry in your pocket at all times. But, what would happen if you lost your BlackBerry or lost some of your information? How would you get it back? What if you wanted to put music from your computer on your BlackBerry? Fortunately, your BlackBerry comes with a program called BlackBerry Desktop Manager which can back up, synchronize, add media and load new applications on your BlackBerry.

To get started, go ahead and click on the Desktop Manager icon on our computer - or go to Programs -> Blackberry -> Desktop Manager and click.
Make sure your BlackBerry is plugged into the USB cable provided and attached to the computer.

The Application Loader for installing new BlackBerry application on your handheld, the Backup and Restore icon for making a full backup and then restoring it at a later time (if need be) the Device Switch Wizard (which is very handy if you want to move your data to a new BlackBerry)

Along the second row, we see Media Manager for managing songs, videos, pictures and ring tones and the Synchronize icon - which controls the settings for synchronizing your data - your address book, calendar, tasks, memos and more to keep you computer and your BlackBerry up to date with one another. For a Detailed explanation of how to Synchronize your Data - just go to our website - and we have made all the desktop manager videos FREE for you to watch.



Conclusion

I hope that by the end of this article, you might be feeling a little more comfortable with your new BlackBerry, especially all of you new Storm owners out there. If you are a first time user (as many Storm users are) realize that this just scratches the surface.