RIM BlackBerry How To: Back Up and Restore Handheld Data

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.

By
Tue, July 15, 2008

CIO — Anyone who has ever 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 expert BlackBerry users 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.

Backup and Restore icon from RIM BlackBerry Desktop Manager

If you're not running Desktop Manager v4.5, visit RIM's site and download and install the latest version of the software.

FREE CIO BlackBerry Newsletter
Get better use out of your BlackBerry and keep up-to-date on the latest developments. Sign-up »

Continue Reading

Virtualization and cloud are driving new requirements for data center network performance, VM support, automation and simplified orchestration. This paper outlines Extreme Networks® open fabric approach to high speed, low latency networks for modern data centers.
The evolution of the network to provide the intelligence needed to address user, device and application mobility is underway. In this white paper, Extreme Networks® outlines the five phases required to bring mobility into the network.
Individuals and businesses alike are embracing the digital revolution. Social networks and digital devices are being used to engage government, businesses and civil society, as well as friends and family.
Whether you need to build a business case for a UC system, or are ready to select a new solution, this white paper offers a thorough, side-by-side comparison of ShoreTel and Avaya offerings to help you make informed decisions.
Compared with Cisco products, ShoreTel UC can offer numerous advantages, including streamlined deployment and management, easier scalability, and a significantly lower total cost of ownership (TCO).
This must-read publication features independent research from Gartner, providing a wealth of information around best in breed Unified Communication systems. 12 Unified Communications vendor ratings, along with their strengths and cautions, are provided.
Join us for this live web event where featured Forrester Research principal analyst, Art Schoeller and Interactive Intelligence senior vice president, Joe Staples will discuss these topics and help you be ready to take the best advantage of the upcoming year and the contribution your contact center can make to the success of your business.
Tune into this insightful webinar to see Riverbed Technology product marketing manager Joe Ghory present the facts on how you can ensure consistent performance wherever workers connect, get the most out of limited connectivity, and accomplish more by eliminating round trips and slow latency.
As greater numbers of datacenter servers transition from the physical to the virtual world, the components of virtualization success come to the fore. What scores of organizations have discovered is that success is derived from an optimal pairing of the right software platform with the right hardware platform.
Have you been looking to hear about customer's experiences with the new VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager product? View this webcast to learn about VMware customer, Navicure, and their experiences testing and evaluating the recovery manager, their progress in implementing it in their environment and their advice other customers considering using vCenter.
Many enterprises have discovered that the use of virtualization to support desktop workloads creates a range of significant benefits. These benefits include price efficiencies, improved IT management and greater agility and choice for end users.

This VMware sponsored webcast with IDC will provide both quantitative measurement of the business value -- defined as the expected ROI -- and qualitative analysis associated with the use of VMware View™. IDC will also provide an analysis of the View Composer and ThinApp™ features of VMware View, including the business value of these solutions and an overview of how they work.

Attend this webcast to learn about:
- Challenges and barriers that might impede the adoption of desktop virtualization
- Navigating roadblocks to facilitate a strategic implementation
- Optimizing qualitative and quantitative benefits to IT and your business
VMware recently announced VMware vFabric™ Data Director, a new database deployment and operations platform that enables enterprise IT organizations to offer database as a private cloud service. Built on top of VMware vSphere 5, vFabric Data Director enables IT organizations to ontrol database sprawl through automation and consistent policy enforcement and accelerate application development cycles with self-service database management. Attend this webcast to learn how vFabric Data Director can help you build database-as-a-service in your datacenter.
Newsletter Sign-Up »

Receive the latest news test, reviews and trends on your favorite technology topics

Choose a newsletter
  1. View all Newsletters | Privacy Policy
Resource Center