[JC6]

So, as we know, BlackBerry Desktop Manager (BBDM) has an annoying habit of searching for device firmware updates when you connect your BB. It just happens the first time you connect for each session of BBDM - if you disconnect and reconnect during the same session of BBDM then it will not perform the update process again, thankfully.

I have searched high and low for a solution to this issue and could not find one. The process listed at:

blackberryforums.com/general-blackberry-discussion/159789-why-wont-my-os-update-i-deleted-vendor-xml-file.html
(sorry I can't post this as a link - apparently I need to have 10 posts on the forum before I can embed links)

: did not work for me with Desktop Manager 5.0.1 and I gather did not work for many others.

There is a promising-looking registry entry at:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Research In Motion\BlackBerry Auto Update\Disabled Applications\BlackBerry Desktop Manager

: but BBDM changes it back to 0 as soon as it is run and I suspect it might be for update of BBDM itself, rather than the BB firmware.

Clicking "Cancel" in the first "Task in Progress" window does not work well for me - the process seems to hang and there is a lengthy delay before it aborts and allows you to use BBDM.

If you watch Windows Task Manager during the process of connecting your BB to BBDM for the first time in that session, the update check spawns a process called loader.exe - this process then disappears when you click "Cancel" on the "Application Updates Available" window and you are then able to use BBDM and sync your device etc.

I tried a sneaky trick from my Windows Mobile days - replacing the loader.exe file with a "fake" loader.exe file which immediately exited, but BBDM hung.

So, finally, I came up with what is a rather unelegant solution, but one which works for me - an AutoHotKeys Script. If you use this script (or a shortcut to it) to run BBDM, then it will immediately kill the loader.exe update process and allow you to use BBDM pretty much as soon as you have loaded it.

I am not a programmer or anything - if somebody can come up with a better solution then I would humbly and glady accept it. But as far as I can see there has been no other solution provided for this issue.

So:

1. This works for me using Windows XP, BlackBerry Desktop Manager 5.0.1 and my Bold 9700. I don't use Vista or Win 7 - hopefully it works ok with those, I can't see why not.

2. Download and install AutoHotKeys from:

autohotkey.com (the forum won't even let me type http or www)

You can install it as a portable version if you don't want to make any changes to your system.

3. Open a new blank text document and copy / paste the following "code" into it:

#NoEnv ; Recommended for performance and compatibility with future AutoHotkey releases.
SendMode Input ; Recommended for new scripts due to its superior speed and reliability.
SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir% ; Ensures a consistent starting directory.

SetTitleMatchMode 2
SetTitleMatchMode Slow

IfWinExist, Connected - BlackBerry Desktop Manager
{
WinActivate
Exit
}
IfWinExist, Disconnected - BlackBerry Desktop Manager
{
WinActivate
Exit
}

Else
{
Run "C:\Program Files\Research In Motion\BlackBerry\DesktopMgr.exe"
Process, wait, loader.exe
Process, close, loader.exe
Exit
}

4. Save the text document as BBDM.ahk

(.ahk is the suffix for an AutoHotKeys script)

5. This script will:

A. Bring the BBDM window to the front if it's already running (connected or disconnected) then exit the script.

Or

B. Open BBDM if it is not already running, wait for the update/loader.exe process to launch then immediately kill it, then exit the script - allowing you to get on with using BBDM more or less immediately.

6. Make a shortcut to BBDM.ahk and put it on your desktop or Quick Launch bar, wherever is convenient to you.

7. If you now always use this shortcut to open BBDM, rather than the direct shortcut to BBDM you were using before, you should (tentatively...!), never be presented with the automatic firmware update check. If you deliberately want to upgrade your firmware, simply use the original shortcut to BBDM which was created when you installed the software. For me the BBDM.ahk script simply allows me to connect my device and quickly be able to sync with Outlook - if it causes any issues with other BBDM activities then use the orginal application shortcut.

And that's it. Not very elegant but it works for me. I would have attached the completed .ahk file along with this post but I can't attach files until I have 10 posts (I think I would feel a bit wary of just downloading a script from somebody anyway).

Let me know if you have any luck with it.

Cheers.

[dc/dc]

Um, this can be disabled when you install the program, so you're basically going around your elbow to get to your ass. Thanks for the effort though.

[JC6]

Originally Posted by dc/dc

Um, this can be disabled when you install the program, so you're basically going around your elbow to get to your ass. Thanks for the effort though.

Hahah, believe me I really wish you were right but the option you are referring to during the install does not stop BBDM 5.01 searching for device firmware updates the first time you connect per session. I did mention this:

Originally Posted by JC6

The process listed at:

blackberryforums.com/general-blackberry-discussion/159789-why-wont-my-os-update-i-deleted-vendor-xml-file.html
(sorry I can't post this as a link - apparently I need to have 10 posts on the forum before I can embed links)

: did not work for me with Desktop Manager 5.0.1 and I gather did not work for many others.

The link posted above contains the option you are referring to - I deselected the option for "BlackBerry Automatic Update" on a clean install of BBDM and it still tried to check for device firmware updates. Many others around the various BB fora have complained of the same issue. Perhaps deselecting that option prevents BBDM from trying to update the BBDM program itself; it doesn't seem to have any effect on device firmware update checking, unfortunately. Maybe it did with an earlier version of BBDM, I don't know.

I've been using my script above for a wee while now and it seems to be pretty solid. Cheers.

[Kamau]

Wirelessly posted

It was very annoying for awhile.
Now, I just take a couple more sips of coffee, and get over it.
Thanks for the input.