[linusrocks]

I know this has been done to death but I have tried everything suggested (I think) and still have not found a solution to my problem. My 8900 is BB unlocked and used on vodafone uk network on a BB data contract. I have had it since April and am still getting used to it, I have very few additional apps running on it. Four days ago it switched itself off and when I switched it back on the screen was frozen. I have tried to reset by removing the battery, when I do this I leave the battery out for 2 hours or more, I get a red light (message light) in the top right hand corner and the screen goes white with a small timer in the middle, after about 3 mins the home page comes up, the screen remains frozen and it fades to a black screen within 2 mins. I cannot do the ctrl, alt, delete reset as the keyboard is not responsive. If I plug in the charger the clock appears but I can't get the home menu to come up. If I leave it alone the phone switches itself on and off with no prompting. Sometimes I can move the tracker ball but not open the full menu, the contacts page will then open without being selected and the screen will fill with hlhlhlhlhl, without any keys being touched! Then the voice activated dailing command will start without any prompting or the phone being touched. I am starting to become really frustrated with it. I should just return it to the place I bought it from, however the seller is being a bit of an idiot about it and says they won't replace it. I have checked with trading standards in the uk and they legally have to, but I know they could just mess me around if I sent it back so am trying to get them to agree to change it before sending it back to them. It was bought on eBay, brand new and sealed from a registered uk business seller. Hope I haven't missed out anything important or given too much info, thanks in advance

[linusrocks]

Ok with 114 views and no replys I am guessing it's not going rto be fixable

Time to work on the seller again!

[devnull]

Parts of your description above sound like moisture damage. Did you get it wet or have it in a humid environment?
Got Your BlackBerry Wet? - BlackBerryFAQ

Normally I would say contact the seller if you recieved it in this condition. However, you said you've had the device since April. Lot's of things could have happened since April.

[linusrocks]

Meant to say, after reading posts about frozen BBs I checked the little markers to see if there had been any water exposure (it deffinatly hasn't been dropped in water or left on a surface in contact with water), they haven't changed. It has been in my bag when I have been out and it has been raining, however it has never been noticably damp, could there still be damage even if the sensor things (sorry not being very technical) are not showing that the handset has got wet?

Thanks

[ndub33]

You might try re-loading or updating the OS. Instructions to do this are here:

How do I upgrade the OS on my BlackBerry? - BlackBerryFAQ

[linusrocks]

Re loaded the OS but it's still frozen!

Thanks for the idea though, hadn't thought to try that

[devnull]

Moisture indicators don't always show the potential damage. And just because you can't see or feel the moisture doesn't mean it's safe. Humid conditions such as gym locker room or bathroom while taking a shower have been known to cause this type of damage.

[linusrocks]

Originally Posted by devnull

Moisture indicators don't always show the potential damage. And just because you can't see or feel the moisture doesn't mean it's safe. Humid conditions such as gym locker room or bathroom while taking a shower have been known to cause this type of damage.

So in this case should I just follow the "dry out" instructions? Do people normally take their phone apart to dry it or just leave it near a heat source intact?

This issue could potentially lead to me falling out of love with my BB as I am frequently on call 3 weeks out of every 4 so take my phone everywhere with me.

[devnull]

Originally Posted by linusrocks

So in this case should I just follow the "dry out" instructions?

Electronics and water don't coexist well and the longer left together, the more likely something bad will happen. The "dry out" instructions are more for immediately after contact.

You could also take/send the device to a reputable repair center and have them check it out. Maybe the problem is caused by something else entirely.

Originally Posted by linusrocks

Do people normally take their phone apart to dry it or just leave it near a heat source intact?

That depends on your comfort level of dismantling the phone. At the very least, take the back cover off. Take the battery, sim, and media cards out and let it dry for days before even attempting to reassemble. NOTE: as said above this should have been done immediately after known moisture influence.

Originally Posted by linusrocks

This issue could potentially lead to me falling out of love with my BB as I am frequently on call 3 weeks out of every 4 so take my phone everywhere with me.

Why blame it on the device? It's not the BB's fault.

And it isn't just BB's that are sensitive. I had a cheapo nokia in my pocket while mowing the lawn. When i took it out of my sweaty jeans pocket it was doing all sorts of wonky things, like taking pictures on its own and buttons not working.

Having said all this, at this moment you really don't know what is causing the problem. What is spoke of above is but a single possiblity and easy to remedy yourself.

Good Luck

[linusrocks]

Originally Posted by devnull

Why blame it on the device? It's not the BB's fault.

And it isn't just BB's that are sensitive. I had a cheapo nokia in my pocket while mowing the lawn. When i took it out of my sweaty jeans pocket it was doing all sorts of wonky things, like taking pictures on its own and buttons not working.

I haven't used it or had it anywhere that I haven't had any other phone over the last 15 years, so if BBs are no more suseptable to moisture damage than other phones then I don't think it could really be that.

I was being "down" on the BB as there seems to be a lot of posts about moisture damage, something I have never come across with other handsets.

I could take it to be repaired, however I am reluctant to pay for thsi when I am pretty sure I haven't misused the handset. The seller has a legal responsibility to replace the handset in the UK if the fault appears within the first six months (and this has occured within the first three months), however he is messing me around a bit and not replying to my emails etc so I may have to get a court order to enforce this.

Thanks for your well wishes and advice, I will start to visit the forum more often as I have picked up loads of great information here