How To Use an Auto Loader

Warning!

Make sure to take the necessary steps to protect your data. Back up your device with BlackBerry Link or Sachesi. Be warned, databases may be shuffled around between some versions, so be prepared if the restore is unsuccessful. You will have to do some editing of the backup file with Darcy's Blackberry Tools in order to restore from a higher version to a lower version (e.g. 10.2.x.xxxx to 10.1.0.xxxx).

Backing up your personal files to a SD card and/or cloud storage is a good place to start. There also exist apps in BlackBerry World to back up contacts and SMS messages:

SMS Backup
Contact X
IntouchApp
Step I: The Autoloader

Most of the time a leak will be provided as an autoloader. Autoloaders delete most user data on the device, so they are refered to as destructive upgrades. However, using an autoloader has less of a chance of problems being caused by pre-existing files.

Keep in mind, autoloaders are Windows only. If you don't have a Windows PC, find someone who does. Mac and Linux users can boot into a Windows partition (Boot Camp for Macs, partition and bootloader editing for Linux) to install.

In the average leak thread, there will be autoloaders listed for various devices. Download the appropriate one for your device version.

If you have a STL100-4, you are perfectly fine using an STL100-2/3 autoloader, but if there is a specific STL100-4 version, then it is recommended to install that.

If you have a Q10/Q5, then your specific version does not matter. Any QWERTY BlackBerry 10 device is interchangeable. However, the radios for Q10/Q5 are different than Z10/Z30, so make sure to load the right file.

If you have a Z30, then your underlying OS will be the same as Qualcomm (i.e. not STL100-1) Z10s and Q10s/Q5s. Your radio will not, so don't load the wrong file.

If you don't know which version you have, then open Settings, then go to About. The Model Number field will tell you which version you have. Or, in a text field, type "myver" and hit space.

Most of the time the autoloader will be published to mega.co.nz, Google Drive or Bitcasa, but mirrors start to appear shortly after the initial post. If you are experiencing problems with mega.co.nz, we recommend you install the Chrome or Firefox extension. Mega.co.nz won't work with IE, so use a browser that does (Opera, Chrome, Firefox).

To save space, autoloaders are often packed inside .zip, .rar or .7z archives. The last two file formats require software to extract them. We recommend 7-zip.

Step II: Installing

Once your file is downloaded (and, if necessary, extracted), you should have a 1-2 GB .exe file. For verification purposes, open a command line (cmd.exe) window in the folder that has the autoloader file. Type "<name of autoloader>.exe fileinfo". This will return some information about the autoloader, so you can make sure it is the right one. For more details, see the relevant section of the cap page.

Once your device is backed up, plug in your device (if you have a BlackBerry PlayBook connected, unplug it, as cap.exe can't tell a PlayBook and a BB10 phone apart), close BlackBerry Link, take out your SD card (if present) and run the autoloader file. A command line window will appear saying "Connecting to Bootrom:". Your connected phone will restart after a moment, and the LED will turn green. DO NOT DISCONNECT THE PHONE. DO NOT PULL THE BATTERY. Doing so has the chance to softbrick your phone, and nobody wants that.

Once the LED is green, the command line will say "Uploading RAM Image" and will give details about the files contained within the autoloader. The file information given should be the same as the fileinfo command, although the fileinfo command doesn't require installing an OS to use. When the process is complete, the command line will close and your phone will reboot.

Step III: The Security Wipe

This step is optional, however if problems arise it becomes a necessary trouble shooting tool.

Your phone will boot to initial setup. Once the setup and tutorials are complete, do not restore anything. Immediately go to Settings, then Security and Privacy, then Security Wipe.

A security wipe deletes absolutely everything on the device, including settings that the autoloader did not delete. This is evident if one sets a device password before using an autoloader, as the device password still is set after the autoloader installs a new OS. After a security wipe, the device should be as empty as if it had just come out of the box, except with a newer OS on it.

To wipe the phone, enter "blackberry" (without the quotes) into the indicated field and tap Delete Data.

DO NOT PULL THE BATTERY. DO NOT PULL THE BATTERY. DO NOT PULL THE BATTERY. Did we mention not to pull the battery?

Security wipes may take upwards of half an hour, so be patient. Maybe read the thread that the leak was posted in for tips, tricks and helpful info. Or read a book. Books are good.

Once the security wipe has completed, proceed to Step IV.

Step IV: Final Setup

With the security wipe completed, your phone will be ready for setup again. Set up your BlackBerry ID, WiFi networks, location services and license agreement, as usual. After completing the tutorials, you can either restore from a backup or continue without a backup. The decision is up to you, although some restores have caused problems with the new OS. For example, restoring settings from 10.2.0.(less than 1725) prevented the new dark theme in the Contacts app from functioning. Issues such as these may be identified (and possibly dealt with) during pre-release or post-release testing.

There may exist problems with your restore, so make sure to search the forums. Everyone tends to have their own way of ensuring that restores work, so try it a few times. Variations on the presence of Airplane Mode, a SIM card, a SD card and/or installed apps are common.

Once everything is put back in its place, congratulations! You just installed a leak!