We have compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding the BlackBerry service. Please check to see if your question and answer is listed here. If not then you can contact OUCS Help Centre team for further advice. To see the answer to a question click on the question itself. Alternatively you can see all answers at one go by clicking the Open All button below.

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What is the Desktop Manager used for?

This is used to perform various tasks applicable to your BlackBerry device. It is shipped with the purchased device or can be downloaded from the BlackBerry Device provider’s website. The tasks that are most common when using this software are:

• Backup
• Restore
• Wipe
• Handheld Operating System Software upgrades
• Handheld Application Software upgrades

All of these tasks are undertaken either by the Device owner or, if agreed, by their local IT support. The Nexus service does not provide this level of device support. The above tasks are the ones that at certain times may be required and requested by Nexus, of the device owners.

What operating Systems can I install the BlackBerry Desktop Software on?

Mac and Windows are the platforms we are aware of. The software is available for download from http://www.blackberry.com

Why are a lot of items “greyed out” on the right hand side when I use Desktop Manager “Advanced Backup\restore”?

This is because these items are either not capable of being restored, or they are already wirelessly being backed up by the BlackBerry Service you are connected to. This wireless backup is only applicable however to the BlackBerry Server you are connected to, if you move to a different server (i.e. onto a different BlackBerry service, like Nexus), then the backup is required if you want to restore some of these. The backup does actually take a copy of all the greyed out items; it just won’t allow you to restore some of them if they are already provided by the BlackBerry Server connection.

How can I get hold of a BlackBerry?

Telecoms and purchasing have produced a guide to buying smartphones which can be viewed at: http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/telecom/mobile/

How do I get a BES Data plan so that I can connect to the Nexus BlackBerry Service ?

This is wholly a Mobile Service provider task. There are 2 clear types of Data plan which Mobile service providers offer you when you buy a BlackBerry Smartphone.

• The most basic one is called BIS (BlackBerry Internet Service). This plan WILL NOT allow a successful connection to the Nexus BlackBerry Service. This Is ALMOST ALWAYS the default data plan that a BlackBerry Smartphone has.
• You MUST purchase the BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Service) data plan via your mobile service provider otherwise a connection will not be possible (This is a technical requirement). This BES data plan is more expensive and you will almost NEVER have this as the default data plan when you buy a BlackBerry Smartphone. The University’s central Finance department do have arrangements with 02 and Vodafone so do ask them if they can help you get a favourable tariff for the BES data plan.

NB. WITHOUT THE BES DATA PLAN, YOU CANNOT CONNECT TO THE NEXUS BlackBerry SERVICE (BEFORE ASKING NEXUS TO CONNECT YOU, ENSURE YOU KNOW WHETHER YOU HAVE THE CORRECT DATA PLAN. THE NEXUS TEAM WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DETERMINE IF YOU DO OR DO NOT HAVE ONE , THE CONNECTION ATTEMPT WILL JUST FAIL).

How do I Wipe my handheld? (This is occasionally required if issues with the handheld are preventing a successful connection to the Nexus service).

You can either Use the Desktop Manager software which is provided with your device when purchased (Or can be downloaded from http://www.blackberry.com ) or use the Wipe command on your BlackBerry Smartphone (On Bold 9000 for instance):

• Go to [Options]
• [Security Options]
• [General Settings]
• Scroll down to the [desktop] option and select it
• Then select [wipe handheld].

We ALWAYS recommend you take a backup of the device, using the Desktop Manager software, BEFORE wiping it.

Why do items I delete within Outlook not delete from the BlackBerry handheld?

There is a problem with your email cache file. The BES looks at the Deleted items folder of your mailbox to determine what items to remove from it. If the deletion from your E-Mail client has not synchronised back to your “Live” mailbox then BES will not remove the item. Get your Local IT to assist with this stage.

If you are a heavy user of BlackBerry then it can take some time for the “Delete” reconciliation to occur. This is a low priority process for the BlackBerry Enterprise Server. If you are constantly active on the handheld then the 15 minute process window restarts until there is an idle time. If you select [reconcile now] within messages and the Deleted item is removed relatively quickly, then there is not a problem (Very heavy users can expect 60 minutes plus delays between deleting emails in their email client and it removing from BlackBerry. If it does not remove overnight then there may be an issue).

If you are able to delete an item from NEXUS Outlook Web Access (https://nexus.ox.ac.uk/owa) and this then removes from the BlackBerry, then concentrate on an email client resolution initially.

The BlackBerry Service does take into account that Shift-Deleted emails do not appear in the deleted Items folder. We have implemented a feature which deals with this. So, emails that are shift-Deleted from within your email client (OWA, Outlook, Thunderbird etc) are captured by the Deleted Items reconciliation process.

What is PIM data?

PIM is an acronym for “Personal Information Management” data. In the context of a connection to a Microsoft Exchange email environment using the BlackBerry Enterprise Service provided by Nexus, this includes wireless synchronisation of the following data:

• Emails
• Calendar Data
• Contacts
• Notes
• Tasks

Can I disable the above wireless PIM synchronisation when troubleshooting on the BlackBerry Device?

Yes. You can either disable the wireless PIM synchronisation individually for those data parts via the device (Go to the [options] available on the device) , or you can turn off wireless PIM synchronisation for the entire device. To turn off wireless synchronisation for the entire device do the following:

• Go to [options]
• [Advanced Options]
• [Enterprise Activation]
• Hold down the <alt> key and at the same time press [cnfg]. This will take you to a list of configuration settings. Go to the [wireless sync] setting, set it to no and then save the option).

REMEMBER, all of these settings are as they appear on a BOLD 9000 device. Whereas many BlackBerry devices will work in a very similar manner, there may be others that do not, such as the touch screen BlackBerry devices. In which case refer to a manufacturers guide or use other online resources for advice,

How do I set an Out-of-Office message using my BlackBerry?

Please see the Out-Of-Office instructions for details.

I have multiple Calendars on my BlackBerry (Nexus one and then 1 or more private BIS connections). How do I set my default one?

When a successful connection is made to the Nexus BES environment, the default calendar (called Desktop within the calendar [options]) is taken and set for wireless synchronisation. If you want to view other non-Nexus calendars then you would need to get them configured on the device and then you can select which one to view from within the [Calendar Context] menu. In this menu you will see the [Show Calendar] option. By default, when you have more than one calendar, the view will be of all calendar entries across the calendars. You then can manually select the one you want to see (This view setting is not retained however as far as we can see). Only the Nexus calendar falls under the support remit of the Nexus Service.

I have multiple calendars on my BlackBerry, I only want the Nexus one and do not want to perform a handheld wipe (Other calendars are for Private BIS accounts)?

There are a few things you can try for this, though this is only advice and at the users own risk. The Nexus BES service does not provide Handheld support.

• Use the rset command when you are viewing calendar [options], choose the appropriate calendar to clear when it prompts you. This will clear the calendar and may then remove the database for it from your handheld
• Use Desktop Manager to clear the Calendar ALL Databases. In order to do this you will likely need to have turned off the Device synchronisation from within the Enterprise Activation screen (See xxx for this step). Once you have done so, re-enable Device synchronisation and your Nexus calendar should re-synchronise to your device. If your Local IT department provide device support then ask them to assist with this if you need help.

Why won't my BlackBerry Pre-populate after I require a re- activation ( Having already been connected to the Nexus BES).

This is default behaviour; it prevents duplicates from being pushed onto a device for instance. The BES does not necessarily know when you wipe your device so would not know that you need the emails again. You can use the Desktop Manager tool to populate emails from your Mailbox to your Device if you really need to have old emails on your BlackBerry (We suggest being very careful not to sync all your emails onto your BlackBerry). Use the Desktop Manager tool and the Synchronisation feature and create a filter for the emails to add to the BlackBerry. Like many things your device has storage and resource limits. The Remote Search tool is available for all BlackBerry devices that are at Application Software version 4.5 and above. This allows you to add emails from any part of your Nexus mailbox.

• Go to Messages folder and open the [Context] menu
• Select [Search]
• In the Search Type field change it from local to Remote
• Select the filter information that you want to search on and then activate the search
• When the search results appear, select the [Context] Menu again and then there will be an option to [Add] or [Add All].

This then allows you to add emails that were not put on the device by the pre-population process.

What should the default values be for Email Reconciliation when I am connected to the BES?

We suggest that for Delete On you set it as Mailbox and handheld. For the On Conflicts setting we suggest you set it to Mailbox Wins

I have lost my device; can you clear it for me?

If within range we can attempt to perform a remote device wipe. We do politely request that you lock the handheld and set a password to add to the security of your Messaging Data.

What are the ServiceBooks ?

These are effectively the Databases that are setup on the device to provide the structure for emails, Calendar data etc. If you are connected to a BlackBerry Enterprise Service, like Nexus, then the desktop servicebooks are those that refer to your BES connection. All the other service books will either be device specific ones or relevant to your Mobile Service Provider.

Servicebooks can get corrupted from time to time so on occasion Nexus may ask that you delete one or other of them, or we will remotely resend these Databases to the device.

If you have been connected to another BES service prior to Nexus, then a Device WIPE is essential. If you are unsure as to whether you have been connected to another BES service, just check to see if you have any servicebooks prefixed by Desktop. If present, this would indicate that you have previously been connected.

I don’t want to lose my third Party Application when I upgrade my Device to a new Operating System version (Using the BlackBerry Desktop Manager Software) ?

There are methods that can be found on certain BlackBerry Forum websites that explain how you can backup third party applications (See http://www.blackberryforums.com ) and then attempt restore. None of these are endorsed so are at the owners own risk.