helping you stay protected in the digital age

Fasterfox not working after the upgrade to Firefox version 3.5? Uninstall Fasterfox and re-install FasterFox Lite as a workaround. Hopefully the makers of Fasterfox will get the full version compatible wire Firefox soon.

Firefox 3.5 – http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/upgrade.html

Fasterfox Lite – https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/9148

Update: I also found the current temps and temps threshold. Also in the Battery section, view Battery Monitoring Section for temps. Temp threshold is 0°c (32°f) – 45°c(113°f) I believe as the logs have a separate section for these two temps.

I’m still in the process of mapping out the OS engineering menus and came across the clock settings. Under Engineering Screen Contents –> OS Engineering Screens –> Battery –> Core Frequency Screen you can manually set the clock speed of the Applications, Radio, and DSP (nor sure what DSP stands for). As it stands everything is AUTOMATIC; dymanic clocking, but if for some reason you want to manually clock your very expensive and passively-cooled Bold you can (though you might end up with a paperweight in the process).

Before I go into my own debranding experience with my Blackberry Bold 9000 let me first give three important points:

1. First and foremost I do not approve of, or support, the cloning of a device’s IMEI, IMSI, PIN, SIM, or any other identifier in order to circumvent the security and privacy of another’s device or to circumvent the security of a wireless carrier. I do not support any illegal activity stemming from the use of engineering software on a Blackberry device and I feel strongly that any person using the engineering software on their Blackberry device for illegal means should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
2. Like all of my hardware and software modding posts, this is strcitly for fun. If you’ve read my previous posts on similar issues I only do this for fun and will only continue to do it for fun. Modding electronics (from routers, to computers, to smart phones, etc…) is a hobby for me and I enjoy the thrill and learning experience. If your intentions are ill or illegal then find another website or blog for your criminal mischief; don’t come here.
3. I am NOT responsible or liable for any damages to your property. There is a very likely chance that your smartphone will be turned into a paperweight. I am recommending that you do not change anything on your phone.

Alright, with that said, Monday of this week I stumbled across a website that spoke of debranding a Blackberry smart phone thus removing the carrier’s logo (AT&T, Rogers, etc…) and enabling an “engineering menu” I assume is used by Research In Motion’s engineers to, well, engineer the Blackberry.

I liked the idea of removing my carrier’s logo (AT&T) as I’m not a walking billboard for free advertisements. I decided to debrand my own Blackberry Bold 9000 and that the benefits (removing AT&T’s logo) outweight the risks (permenantly bricking my $300.00+ 4 month old phone). Oh, this will void the warranty too. Here are the steps I took (deviated from the steps commonly found through a web search for debranding your Blackberry smartphone).

Step 1: Backup your application data using the Blackberry Device Manager. BDM v4.7 can be found at your carrier’s download site. I used Singapore Telecom as they seem to have newer versions of Blackberry software.
http://na.blackberry.com/eng/support/downloads/download_sites.jsp

Step 2: Acquire the engineering software.
See: https://hookedontronyx.com/Blackberry/Unbranding/MML.zip
https://hookedontronyx.com/Blackberry/Unbranding/MMLSetup.msi

Step 3: Install the MML software onto your computer. This will install by default to C: root (C:\MML)

Step 4: Copy the extracted MML data files to C:\MML overwriting the original MML files.

Step 5: I’ve read that internet access should be disabled. I ignored this and just blocked the application in my firewall from accessing the local network and internet. So, block the application from accessing the tubes or turn off your connection.

Step 6: Enabled “Auto Start” and disable “Full Erase”

Step 7: Connect your Blackberry Bold (At this point if you haven’t made a backup, STOP, and make a full backup of your device). The application will go through a series of connecting, uploading, and erasing. IT IS CRITICAL THAT YOUR BLACKBERRY IS NOT UNPLUGGED AT ANY POINT DURING THIS PROCESS!

Step 8: Once you see “Fail” on the MFI installer and “No Application…” on your Blackberry, unplug your Blackberry from your computer, close and then re-open the MFI application this time disabling “Auto Start”

Step 9: Once the MFI application is opened and “Auto Start” unchecked, press CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+F12 to open a hidden drop-down menu. Once the menu is displayed reconnect your Blackberry Bold

Step 10: Select “Load VSM” from the drop-down menu and locate the .vsm file which should be in C:\MML. You will then see “VSM Loaded Successfully”

Step 11: Close the MFI application. Your Blackberry Bold will display “No Application Linked Factory OS”

Step 12: Download and install whatever OS software version you choose. This can be found in the carrier section of Blackberry’s website (http://na.blackberry.com/eng/support/downloads/download_sites.jsp ) OR do a Google or Yahoo search for finding beta and pre-release OS versions for the Bold

Step 13: (I use version 2.6.0.245 as it is the most stable for me). Once the OS is downloaded and installed, navigate to C:\program files\common files\research in motion\apploader (or wherever you have your program files folder installed to). Locate and delete the “Vendor.xml” file.

Step 14: With your Blackberry still connected, locate and execute loader.exe. This will start the Blackberry software loader. Follow the prompts until the software is installed on your Blackberry.

Step 15: Once the application software is reinstalled (and this took about an hour for me [multiple messages of scrubbing and erasing]) open the Blackberry Desktop Manager and restore your backup from earlier.

Once your restoration is completed you can now enjoy your debranded Blackberry with a plethra of extra options. The engineering screen is accessed by pressing (and holding) ALT+aA+H on your Bold.

The great screen caputring software came from TechMogul.com which I found at Hooked on Tronyx!. Hooked on Tronyx! has a lot of useful information and applications for your Blackberry device. Check out his site.
Some other useful links that went into this post:

Unlocking and Unbranding: What Do They Mean?
Engineering Screen on Bold
Accessing the Engineering Screen without Unbranding

And see related post: Mapping the Blackberry Engineering Menus

Updated 07 May 2009

On the heels of my last post about installing the RIM engineering software, I’m in the process of mapping the menus with hopes that readers, like yourself, can shed some light on what the menu options do.

Update: Here is a picture so you get a general idea of what I’m doing. I’ve included a link to an Adobe PDF file with what I’ve completed so far. It seems that I’ve only scratched the surface. I’ve locked the Adobe file from editing but once I’m completed with the mapping I’ll upload the final product with no security for public editing and distributing. The lock is only temporary.

http://www.johndball.com-a.googlepages.com/documents-Engrscrnmaplock.pdf

Hey folks, I’m still alive. Sorry for the lack of posts and guides, I’ve been moving into a new place and haven’t had time to sit down and play around with anything as of late. I’ll put together some helpful guides soon so keep an eye out!