[mbay2002]

Just upgraded from an 8700c to an 8820 a couple of days ago. I fired up the Desktop Manager, and figured I would load up my calendars, tasks, addressbook, etc that I had backed up from my 8700.

Then, I saw the "Switch Device Wizard" and figured I would use it... BIG MISTAKE!!!! Fortunately, I got a clue late last night after downloading Stinsondog's 8800 model tips... p. 29 of his tips mentions some wireless issues related to using the "Switch Device Wizard".

I think we need a BIG sticky message at the top of this forum warning all 8800 users to not use the evil "Switch Device Wizard".

I should have known better... I'm pretty darn comfortable with Blackberrys, and even with this new 8820 I figured I could get things configured properly.

However, some of the things that were caused by "Switch Device Wizard" were fairly subtle and it took me a while to track down...

1. Immediately after using "SDW", I was unable to add or delete appointments from my calendar. Thought it was just a fluke, so I deleted the calender using "Backup and Restore" then reloaded my 8700c calendar and my appointments all looked okay, and I was able to add/delete [everything else that I imported using SDW looked fine].

2. OTA installs worked fine, EXCEPT for midpssh, which gave me a "907 Invalid COD" message. This threw me, because I installed several apps OTA, so I figured there must have been an incompatibility with midpssh.

3. After pairing my 8820 with my Parrot handsfree kit, they would not automatically connect upon coming into range.

4. The Desktop Manager Application Loader would not allow me to load any .alx files.

5. I was able to get WiFi configured and connected, but my WiFi icon would not light up, and I had a "yellow" light in the "Manage Connections" area.

After coming across p. 29 in Stinsondog's tips, item #5 above made it clear to me that I needed to wipe my device, and manually load a limited number of items from my 8700c. I did that, and now everything appears to be working flawlessly...

AVOID THE EVIL SWITCH DEVICE WIZARD!!!

[NJBlackBerry]

Interesting. We use it ALL the time. Works great. Interesting to see if anyone else shares your evil experience.

[TeritaM]

damn, I'm sorry that happened to you. I've been using it every other day for the past week and had zero problems. my business partner reported no problems as well using it the other day.

[ezrunner]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8800/4.2.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

I have yet to experience any problems

[BFEINZIMER]

my apps did not transfer when i used it

[rjansen3]

When I used it to switch from my Nextel 7100i to my Sprint 8830, it messed up ALOT of stuff, I had to wipe the whole thing and start fresh. I would imagine going from an iDEN to CDMA you can expect some issues. Oh well, my 8830 works great now!

[muck]

the first time i used the SDW i had similar problems on my berry.

i have found manually selecting things to restore is much safer also.

[MooseNYC]

I've used this a few times recently. Mainly I've had success. Where I got into problems was when I moves the applications over from the old device to the new one and the old device was on a much older OS, then I would see a problem.
What I did the last time (although I didnt need to use it) was to place each of the OTA links for the programs that I wanted to put on the new device on my handheld web browser's book marks. So Incase something wasnt working properly I could erase it and re-download it.

Regards,
Moose

[JSanders]

It is a known bug well documented here on this board AND on the FAQ site as to how to avoid the 8820/8320 WiFi issues when using the SDW.
Device switch without losing H@H capability - BlackBerryFAQ

I would recommend using it to anyone, except when moving to one of those two models.

I know one would not know to look for that FAQ without having some warning of the issue up front.

[John Clark]

Personally, I don't normally use it. My *thoughts* (theories, really) are that if you use it to go from one type of device to another (i.e. SureType device to Qwerty device or trackwheel device to trackball device) that the 3rd party apps may cause problems. Many of the 3rd party apps you download are model specific (some are, some aren't) so transferring them over from a different device isn't a good idea. That being said, I did use the SDW when I switched from the 7100 to the 8100 but did NOT use it when I went from the 8100 to the 8320.

[KOR]

Only problem I've run into is that the hot keys for Texas Hold 'Em 2 don't work... Seriously though, I've used it several times across several devices and have had no issues. User's haven't reported issues either, but we all know how that works...

[Fireproof]

Huh. Worked great for me.

[oBBsessed]

I had no problems using the SDW to go from an 8700g to an 8800. Also upgraded my wife's 8700 to a Curve with no trouble.

[greggebhardt]

I have used it on ten different devices and never had a problem.

Not evil!

[Helmdawg]

I used it recently from one 8320 to another with no problems except my 3rd party apps. didn't transfer which is not an issue since they are easy enough to install...