Updating BlackBerry 10 Software using Sachesi Application

In these parts of the world, Africa, things are a bit slow. Software push via mobile networks is no exception. It can take many calls, Facebook & Twittering to the network provider before they will push the software to devices, but kudos to Vodacom they always do it pronto while others can take up to 4 months to do it. Wi-fi is not readily available in these parts of the world and some of the updates are more than 500MB so the wi-fi can be limited which puts the device at risk of being rendered unusable again. So this option is very welcome & solves a lot of pain chasing clueless network providers whose Call Centre staff is people who cannot even do an OTA update on their own devices.

Obviously someone at CrackBerry did a guide on how to do the software update, problem is the person used a MAC and I am a Windows 7 user so it really had an effect & wasted time stuck thinking something is happening yet nothing at all, that’s how I wasted 4 hours in my day. So here goes:

 

What is Required?

1. A computer/Notebook, I was using Windows 7 64-bit

2. Data Bundles, the folder I downloaded for 10.2 OS is 1.02GB so you can budget 1.5GB in case you might need Google stuff when you run into problems.

3. BlackBerry Link (running), you must have it installed on your PC because the drivers it comes with are necessary to communicate with the phone.

4. Google Chrome browser.

5. Time and patience. If you are pressed for time rather wait until you have time.

6. Do a full back up using BlackBerry Link and remove your SIM card from the phone.

How to Do it?

First thing is to download the Sachesi program Click Here, make sure you choose the right one for your PC operating system. For some reason Mega and Internet Explorer is not good workmates this is why I had to use the Chrome Browser. Once you download Sachesi you will need to locate it on your computer, easiest way just go to Start, Search for Sachesi, open it and click Run. Note some anti-virus programs will refuse to Run the program so if it refuses to do anything you might need to check if it’s not your Norton or if you have administrator privilege on the computer.

The screen below will be displayed:

You will then need to put information in the white form fields. Now the country code is not the international dial code before you vex yourself punching it in. to get the right code click on the (?) mark, it will redirect to a Wikipedia page listing the country from there you need to note the following:

MCC number is the one to put on the Country field, MNC number is what you put on the Carrier field, choose your device model, under Variant if your phone is connected to the PC it should show “Connected:..” then your phone’s variant. Put that on the Variant field, alternatively swipe down on your phone to bring Settings, About then Model Number is your Variant. Now if you entered the details correctly you should see something like the screenshot below:

 Sometimes you can get the error “Server did not respond as expected [99]”. This is likely to happen if you are using company LAN (internet) and the firewall is blocking access. Just make alternative arrangements for download.

If you come right then a screen shot like below will pop up.

This time you need to click “Download All”.

The interesting bit is you will not be able to see where the download file is being saved; in my case it went to Downloads, Documents but don’t sweat, put the number appearing next to Update e.g. mine is showing 10.2.0.424 so I take this number and throw it into PC search you will see it right at the top of search results, pointing your mouse onto it will show the path to get the file like C:\Users\Your username\...Downloads\. Take note of the location!

The download will commence as on the screenshot below, wait for it to complete, depending on your connection speed it can take little or more time.

After the download is complete it’s now time to install the software. Mine took approximately 30 minutes to complete, this was a device I had wiped so if there is data it might take a bit longer.

On Sachesi navigate to “Install” and you should see something like below, the IP addresses might be different, don’t worry.

Now this is where I got stuck, Sachesi will show Installing Radios & Installing OS, don’t be fooled, NOTHING IS HAPPENING, I waited on this screen for 2 hours fearing to abort and brick my Berry. To start the installation process you need to go to the location where the OS folder got saved.

 

I did the screenshot above just to show how to drag and drop (drag the 10.2... folder to Sachesi), once you have the folder on Sachesi, drop it there and Voila! It will start loading the software on the phone. On the device screen it will show the progress of the installation. The reason to take out your smart card is so that no calls, notifications or network interface affect the updating process which can cause hiccups. when done it will show you that its completed as below:

So that’s it, I had to include as much detail as possible so that it becomes easier even for the novice. Wouldn’t want anyone to go through what I went through lol. When the updating is complete the phone might lag a bit or take time stuck on the BlackBerry 10 screen or showing BlackBerry logo, relax and let it complete. Like any update, the phone will do a lot of background restoration but it should get to work just fine within a few hours. If you faced major issues with this method throw in the comments, we would love to dig deep and find out.

NB: This is NOT for installing leaked or unreleased software but official once released to carriers. Thank you.