Backing up the information on
your BlackBerry regularly can
be the difference between
a minor headache--temporarily
missing contacts--and
a full-blown catastrophe
--permanently
deleted personal data.
Follow these four simple
steps and avoid
the later scenario.
experienced the pain of losing
all the data on a PC or
handheld intimately knows
the value of backing up
personal information, whether
it's an iTunes music collection,
digital photo album
or address book.
This can be easier said
than done, but BlackBerry users
are in luck: The handheld data backup
and restore process for
Research In Motion (RIM)
smartphones couldn't be simpler
when you use the BlackBerry
Desktop Manager software,
which ships with every
new RIM device.
Our previous BlackBerry tips
of week included list of our
favorite BlackBerry downloads--
free, open source and otherwise--
keyboard shortcuts for both novice
and battery life advice, as well as
tips and tricks to help you
understand and optimize--even
expand--your RIM
smartphone's memory.
This week we'll demonstrate how
you can protect the valuable data
on your BlackBerry by backing it
up on your PC's hard drive--we'll
even show you how to
automatically backup your device
data in preset intervals.
To get started, all you'll need is
your BlackBerry device, the latest
version of RIM's BlackBerry
Desktop Manager, a Microsoft
Windows PC--the desktop
software's not currently available
to Mac users--and a USB cable
to link your mobile phone
and computer.
1) Download the Latest Version
of RIM's BlackBerry Desktop Manager
First, you'll want to download
the latest version of RIM's BlackBerry
Desktop Manager software, which
at the time of this article's time
of publication is v4.5.
To determine which version
of Desktop Manager you're
currently running, launch
the program via Windows
Start Menu by clicking
All Programs, BlackBerry and
Desktop Manager.
When the program's open, hit
the Help tab on the main screen
and then choose About BlackBerry
Desktop Manager.
The software version will be listed
on the General tab.
If you're not running Desktop
Manager v4.5, visit RIM's site
and download and install
the latest version of the software.
2) Launch Desktop Manager,
Connect Your BlackBerry and PC
Next, launch the desktop manager
software if you haven't already
done so. Follow the procedure
detailed above to open the program
if you didn't choose to create
a desktop shortcut upon installation.
When the program is running,
connect your BlackBerry device
to the PC via USB cord.
Close any dialogue boxes that
may appear when your BlackBerry
is connected, including
the desktop manager box that
informs you it's searching
for application updates.
Your BlackBerry should now
be connected to the software
and the word "Connected" should
appear in both the top and
bottom left corners of
the desktop manager screen.
If you're still not connected,
try unplugging the device
and inserting it into
another USB port.
3) Backup All or Some
of the Data on Your BlackBerry
Click on the Backup and Restore
icon in the top right corner of
the desktop manager
home screen. The following screen
should offer three
separate options: Backup, Restore
and Advanced.
To save all the personal data
stored in your BlackBerry's internal
memory, hit the Back up tab,
choose a name and location
for the file and hit Save.
The backup process should
take about a minute, and your
BlackBerry screen will display
a graphic of a connected handheld
and PC while it's in progress.
You can also set your BlackBerry
Desktop Manager to automatically
backup device data in
preset intervals (5 days, 7 days,
14 days, etc.) whenever you launch
the program and connect
your smartphone and PC.
To do so, click the Options tab
beneath the Backup icon,
and on the following screen
fill in the box next to
Back up my device data
automatically every XX days.
Then choose the specific data
you want backed up.
For instance, you can opt
to back up all of
your device data, or all data
except messages and/or
data that's synced with
an organizer app.
When you've selected
the information you want
to copy, hit OK and then click
the Back up tab on
the main screen.
To further customizethe specific information you
wish to back up, click
the Advanced tab on
the main Backup and
Restore screen.
You'll quickly see
a dialogue box that displays
the application's progress
scanning your device database,
and then a screen with
two columns appears: one column
on the left named Computer
Databases and another on
the right titled Device Databases.
In the right column, select
the specific device data you
wish to backup and then
hit the left-facing arrow between
the columns to copy
the information from
the Device Databases side
to the Computer Databases.
Once you've transferred all
the data you wish to copy,
open the File dropdown
menu--located directly above
the Computer Databases
column--choose a name
for your backup file and
save it to your hard drive.
4) Restore Data to Your
BlackBerry Using
Desktop Manager Files
Restoring BlackBerry device data
using the desktop manager
software and backup files
created using the application
isn't difficult at all.
First, you'll want to locate
your backup files so they're
easy to find when you try
to restore data.
Next, launch the BlackBerry
Desktop Manager, click
the Backup and Restore icon
in the top right corner and
on the next screen,
and choose Restore.
Browse to the appropriate
backup file on your hard drive
and click Open.
You'll then be asked
to confirm that you wish
to replace all the existing data
on your device with
the information in
the backup file.
Hit Yes, and the desktop manager
starts restoring your data.
This can take several minutes
depending on the amount
of information in the file.
Restoring only specific device data,
such as address book contacts
or custom AutoText entries,
is similar to the above-mentioned
process, but instead of hitting
Restore on the main Backup
and Restore screen,
click Advanced.
Then open the File dropdown
menu on the left--directly
above the Computer Databases
column--and open an existing
back up file.
Choose the specific data
you'd like to restore from
that file and click
the right-facing arrow
between the Computer
Databases and Device
Databases columns.
When the progress box
disappears, your data has
been restored and
you're good to go.
Link here--
J-L K
Sent from Kigali, Rwanda
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