thank you Ira,
i'm just doing a security wipe. i'll get back with the results. i have tried to reinstall the OS via the desktop manager but i get an error and cannot do so.
Is there any other way to install the OS without going through the desktop manager. i have downloaded the latest OS file from the BB site - its about 280MB but don't know the steps to install it. I read through a lot of sites but wasn't clear on the process. Any links would really help