Research in Motion's Yahoo! Messenger client (located at http://www.blackberry.com/go/yahoo) requires a specific Y!M service book to be able to function on any given handset. Now, as I'm sure some of you are well-aware, AT&T sadly does and will not currently provision the Y!M service book ("BBFS2[YHO]") when downloading/installing Y!M. However, other service providers will, and I have taken the liberty of separating into a Backup/Restore file the service book for Y!M into a nice, easy Backup/Restore File, which can be loaded up right into the device via the Desktop Manager Backup/Restore (I'm sorry, no desktop solutions for Mac users yet, but stay tuned!). Just make sure that you remember that this is going to delete all your current service books, so you'll need to manually register via the Host Routing Table editor in Settings/Options > Advanced Options to get your books back. Also, you'll need to log into your BIS account and resend the service books from there, as well as regenerate any encryption keys if you're using the Desktop Redirector or are on a BES (don't forget to have your friendly neighborhood BES administrator create an IT policy enabling Y!M traffic, too).

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Now, another way this can be done involves inserting another GSM carrier SIM card (such as T-Mobile, for example) and downloading/installing Y!M from http://www.blackberry.com/go/yahoo from there. At that point, you should check your service books and make sure that you've got "BBFS2 [YHO]" listed, then switch back the SIM card to your AT&T SIM (your handset must be unlocked to proceed, though).

Basically, there are just a few steps to go through here:

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#1: Download the .ipd backup file for your appropriate handheld software version here (check Settings > Options > About if you're unsure):
OS 4.0.x: http://www.boomspeed.com/setzer/Blac...k_OS_4.0.x.ipd
OS 4.1.x and 4.2.x: http://www.boomspeed.com/setzer/Blac...nd_4.2.x.ip d
*Now, for Y!M 2.0! (Special thanks to the amazing Ophidian): BlackBerryForums.com : Your Number One BlackBerry Community

*Note: the .ipd file provided by Ophidian actually contains the service books for all of RIM's IM clients. However, it appears that only Y!M and Google Talk will work if you're using AT&T Mobility, but some of you folks on other wireless carriers may have better fortune.*

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#2: Restore the file to your handset using Desktop Manager (see https://cingular.atgnow.com/cng/tutorials/KB4717.html for instructions).

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#3: Manually register your handset with the RIM network via the HRT editor (see https://cingular.atgnow.com/cng/tutorials/KB49643.html for instructions).

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#4: Log into your BIS account and re-send BIS service books:
BIS 1.8 (from PC) - https://cingular.atgnow.com/cng/tutorials/KB2355.html
BIS 2.3 (from PC) - https://cingular.atgnow.com/cng/tutorials/KB64052.html
BIS 2.3 (from handset) - https://cingular.atgnow.com/cng/tutorials/KB64276.html

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#5: If applicable, regenerate encryption keys for Desktop Manager or BES. If you're on a BES, again, make sure your BES administrator can create a policy allowing Y!M traffic.

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#6: One more thing: if you find that the service does not work right from the install, try doing a hard reset (pulling/reinserting battery).

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I've noticed that some users are having issues restoring the service books to their handset, stating that they "cannot restore read-only databases." This issue has been researched and is addressed in the following article: BlackBerry Technical Knowledge Center Article: KB-04461. Check that out for further information.

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I know it's not very organized, but I hope you all find this useful. Good luck, and happy messaging. =)

Another possibility, btw ... I'm definitely thinking that this should work with any other carrier that Y!M will work with; in addition, when the AIM, MSN, etc. clients are available right from RIM's website, anyone who is able to achieve those service books should be able to get them to everyone else in the same manner when the time comes around

*UPDATE (11/3/07): It seems that, with AT&T Mobility, Y!M and Google Talk will be the only ones to work; however, I have heard reports that this will work with some other carriers using AIM/MSN/ICQ.

If I do the download thru the SIM card, do I have to complete the other steps?

No, but you'll just probably want to make sure that you delete the other unnecessary service books (T-Zones, etc.) from your handset after you switch the SIM card back. Just make sure to keep the BBFS2 [YHO] service book, and you should be good to go, my friend. =)

And by all means, please let me know how it turns out, if it works, how well it functions for you, etc.

I followed your instructions and it worked like a charm (after I removed my battery).

THANKS!!!!!!

No problem, Cody. =) Glad it worked for ya!

Just another confirmation that this worked for anyone reluctant to try it.

Thanks!

Great to hear, DiRN. =) Enjoy!

Works like a charm, Thanks Cuz

Good to know, and think nothing of it. Glad I can be of assistance! =)

Spencer You are the man. I followed your instructions and I got my sprint bb 8703e yahoo im working. Thank you very much!!

I assume if you do a full backup and this blows up, you can recover.

Hi Spencer, thanks a ton for the info.

I'm a complete noob (getting my 7130c in tomorrow!) and needless to say, I was rather disdraught when I heard I couldnt use YIM.

I have one question for you- at what step do you actually do the YIM install?

thanks!

-ilsie

ilsie: follow all of his instructions..then the last step, install YIM on ur blackberry. that's what i did and it work for me.

awesome, thanks. this is the first thing i'm gonna do when i get the bb tomorrow.

Great! It finally works. Thanks alot for the tips.

In Desktop Manager, I am unable to "restore" the Service Books from the downloaded .ipd file....button is grayed out. I'm assuming this is controlled by my corporate BES?

When I try to "restore" via Desktop Manager it bombs out and says "Cannot restore read-only database(s) on device." Is there a work-around for this? Cingular 8700c.
-c

Guys:
When I attempt to restore the service book -- Device Manager returns "Cannot restore read-only database(s) on device". What does this mean? Is this an IT policy problem? I already have yahoo client installed.
-c

Does it matter what BlackberryOS is running? I have 4.0.2.93 running on my 7290. (I had loaded 4.1.0.314, but reverted back to 4.0.2 due to the inability to dial by name in phone mode). When I try to restore the service book I get the following error message:

"Cannot backup or restore the following database: service book. The data was not recognized by the device."

Any thoughts here? Do I have to go back to 4.1?

Thanks!
J

I would recommend trying to do so as such; however, I would conjecture that this should work if you can achieve another carrier's handset with OS 4.0.x - might be the best bet. If someone can get me those service books, I'll post a link to those as well. My handset (and most handsets that have been tested on my end) have been at least 4.1.x, so you should try with another one ... wish I had more than just a 4.1.x OS to work with. Sorry, guys!

If you're on a BES, then yes, you need to have your BES admin create an IT policy to enable Y!M traffic over the network.

Yes, yes, that should work fine. Doesn't actually matter, from what I can tell; as long as the service book gets on there one way or another, you should be just fine. The Y!M installation should NOT delete the service book for it, even if your cellular service provider does not provision it. As for me, I installed it first, then loaded the service book, and it worked fine, but hey, whatever's easiest for y'all. =)

Most likely; with the appropriate knowledge, a BES administrator can disable/enable almost ANY available services with a BlackBerry handset via the right IT policies. Check with your BES admin for further information, not just to allow Y!M services, but to also have all of Desktop Manager's functions made available to you. In fact, as for the BES permissions for actual Yahoo! Messenger traffic, I believe that there's a preset policy rule on the BES end for allowing it to pass to/from the handset. Check with your IT admin for more details.

Yeah, there shouldn't be a problem with that; in fact, for all intensive purposes, I don't see why Y!M would cause such a huge issue, but hey, software is software, I can certainly appreciate that.

In addition, never forget, if it ever fails completely, you can always reload the handheld OS, though again, as I said above, I see no specific reason that simply loading Y!M onto the handset should cause an OS crash (of course, I've seen stranger happen).

Thanks for all the information and downloads, Spencer. I'd get you that service book if I could!

I can't stomach the tradeoff between Y! IM and not being able to easily dial by name with 4.1.x. I think I'll have to suffer without Y! IM until you can get your hands on a 4.0.x service book or unless you know of a dialing workaround. I can't believe they pulled that functionality with an OS upgrade. Renders the address book sort of useless - I almost never dial an actual number...

I absolutely hear ya on that one, my friend. My handset is essentially a data-only device (no voice features set up on my line), so I have no worry or fret of anything voice as far as device functions are concerned, but I can certainly appreciate your point of view on this. I'll do my best to get the 4.0.x OS device as soon as I can, ...and while we're on the subject, if someone were motivated enough to get me the service book from a 4.2.x device (hint, hint), that would certainly be snazzy. =)

Ignore the above message, I've got a 4.0.x OS service book for ya! =) Check out the first post. I would love for someone to give it a shot and let me know if it works.

So if you do a backup/restore does this service book stay with it?

I followed all of the instructions, verified that the service book (BBFS2) is installed, re-registered, resent service books, and rebooted. Everything seemed to work great, except that there is no Yahoo Messenger icon on my phone. Now that I'm provisioned for it, do I need to download the app?

I've tried to download it from both Yahoo and Blackberry with no luck... it says it's available for my phone on Yahoo Mobile, but there's no download option.

Thanks.

UPDATE: Okay, finally managed to download the app using my BB browser from RIM. IE7 kept having a javascript error and Firefox wasn't allowed by RIM. Everything is working perfectly now. Many thanks!

Depends on what you're restoring. I recommend doing a backup/restore on everything first, just in case; however, restoring from the file before the Y!M service book is placed onto the device will overwrite all service books, so I would recommend manually retrieving the service books via the HRT Editor and BIS account/Desktop Manager (for BES books). Instructions are in the first post.

I am a newb and I apologize if I ask a question that has already been addressed, but I couldn't find an answer to this error message I get.

I have BB 8700c with v 4.10.194 using Cingular as a provider, and I have tried doing a restore of the 4.1.x.isd file and I keep getting a "cannot restore readonly database on device." error, I am at a loss at what to do. What do I need to do to get around this?

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

-K-

K, are you on a BES by any chance? If so, your BES administrator may have implemented an IT policy that disallows the alteration of service books.

I am on a BES and I'm the IT administrator, I don't recall seeing a policy that would disallow the service books from being altered. I will check again on our BES, would you know what policy to look for?

Thanks

-K-

I don't see any policy on our BES that says to deny access to Service Books, I'm looking at our IT policy's in the Blackberry Manager. I created a special policy for just me and enabled alot of things, but I don't see any for Service books.



-K-

BlackBerry Technical Knowledge Center Article: KB-04461

According to this article here, there are a couple of things that can cause this; specifically, the possible causes are as follows:

Check out that article for more information, and let me know how that turns out! =)

Awesome that worked thanks Spencer_CDS you rox, I followed the steps on deleting the service book from the link you posted.




-K-

That's awesome, K! Glad I could help you out!

Worked for me as well, using a Sprint BlackBerry 8703e Thanx Guys