Blackberry 8830 Power Problems

[CLeonard]

Hi All,

I've been using an 8830 for a while and I just started having problems with it. The battery is fully charged, but the screen goes dark if the phone is not being charged. When plugged in, I can use the trackball to roll between the five basic icons (setup, messages, calendar, etc), but nothing happens when I click the trackball or keypad. I can't access any of the tools. After a few moments, even while plugged in, the screen goes dark. I then have to unplug it and then plug it in again to get get the screen to light up again.

Does anyone know a trick I can use so I can get access to the system? It is time for me to upgrade to a new phone, but I do have some data on the phone that I need to get.

Thanks!

[RickAgresta]

other than commiserating, don't really have anything to offer. if it was a PalmOS or Android, I'd suggest a soft reset, *but* I know nothing about BBs, so hesitate to suggest anything that might, even remotely, cause you to lose data.

in the PalmOS world, I'd suggest an in-cradle reset, which is just a soft reset while plugged into the wall charger, since something is wonky with what the phone thinks of the battery's charge (don't ya just love technical terms? ).

depending on your carrier, they may be able to help retrieve any data that isn't automagically backed up (for example, my Droid X, on VZW, backs up my address book in the middle of the night).

good luck, and there are highly knowledgeable folks here that use/have used Blackberries, so don't give up hope...well, not yet, anyway

[CLeonard]

I've tried pulling the battery out for a while then putting it back in. I also charged my backup battery and again nothing....

[r0k]

I've tried pulling the battery out for a while then putting it back in. I also charged my backup battery and again nothing....

I have a bb 8830 sitting in a drawer. I had to replace it with a slightly newer bb 8830 when it started getting hot and running itself down in only a few hours. I'd gotten used to walking around for days and never worrying if I forgot to charge and it was pretty obvious when it "capped out". When I replaced my slightly newer bb8830 with an iPhone, I sold the working one but the "bad" one is still sitting in my drawer. I can charge it. It will hold a charge and work for a good 45 minutes or so but I would only consider selling it for parts. I suggest you find a replacement on ebay and make sure it is 1) guaranteed to activate 2) includes a refund policy 3) doesn't include high cost shipping 4) is from a seller with 100% or close to 100% feedback and 5) ships from the US.

As for access to the data, are you seriously saying you don't have BB desktop installed on any of your computers and have never backed up your phone? If this is the case, you might already be too late to do anything but it is worth a try to download the latest copy of BB desktop from RIM and install it on your Mac or PC and back up your phone right away. The phone should remain powered by the usb cable long enough to do a backup. Don't accept any BB OS updates it offers or you might wind up losing access to your data. Once your data is backed up, you might also try doing a sync to get your contacts and calendar to show up on your desktop (Outlook on PC or Address and iCal on a Mac). If you have photos or other media on the phone, they are on the micro sd card and you can get to them by popping out the micro sd card (under the battery) and reading it with a usb microsd card reader.

[CLeonard]

Thanks rOk,

That worked! I was able to retrieve the data I needed. Now begins the research on getting another phone.

[r0k]

Glad to hear you got it working. Which iPhone are you going to buy?

[CLeonard]

Glad to hear you got it working. Which iPhone are you going to buy?

(kicking the dirt sheepishly) Yeah, probably an iPhone.