Hey all.
1) New to this forums, looking around, found it, and decided to join. Hi
2) Just got a BB Pearl as a birthday present, used by a family member before me, on Rogers.
3) The problem.

It started yesterday, when I took the Blackberry Pearl out of my pocket, and the screen was white. Can't remember if anything was on the screen, but I believe it was plain white.
I tried to shut it off, and that failed.
Then I took out the battery and tried to turn it back on with no luck.
Now it is charging, with a yellow light flashing.
If I hold the power button, the screen stays black, and sometimes the yellow light goes away, and returns later.

Please help me.
I tried getting BB Desktop software to work (installed it only today) and it says it does not have the drivers for the connected device.
I have no idea what happened.
Is it low charge? Or is it dead?

Please Help.
Thanks

Welcome to BBF! If it's not a dead battery try these:

How do I wipe the BlackBerry using Jl Cmder? - BlackBerryFAQ

What to do next if Jl Cmder will not connect and wipe - BlackBerryFAQ

Welcome to the forums.
Sounds like your device has a very dead battery. How long have you been charging it? Also, pull the battery out and plug the device into the wall. does it give anything on the screen? (should show a battery with a line through it indicating you do not have one in the device)
With the battery out check the device for signs of liquid damage. Is the battery bulged in any way, or is it smooth/flat? the liquid indicator on the bottom of your battery, is it white with red Xs on it or do the Xs look smuged and the white field look pink? there is another indicator on the device under the battery. is it pure white or does it have any tint to it?

Welcome to the BBF!

Yellow light means low battery, plug her up to charge. Leave it off to charge!

After it charges well, a couple hours, remove the charger. Remove the battery and re-insert it THEN and see if it will reboot.

You need Desktop Manager on your PC:
BlackBerry Desktop Manager Downloads - BlackBerryFAQ

Yeah, the white screen is what concerns me. Could just be a low battery, though as suggested. Plug it in to a wall charger to be sure it's charging. If after you charge it for a few hours and it still doesn't work, you may have a bigger problem and need to follow the instructions I posted above.

Sorry.
Before I do anything else, I just realized something.
I pressed the side button (voice command) and the phone said "Say a command"!!!
Does this mean my screen is dead, or that I somehow turned it off?
Please suggest based on this.

And thanks for welcomes

If you pressed the button and it said that and your screen didn't light up I'd say you have a hardware problem. Bad screen, etc.

its *possible* its still OK. though what JC said is correct, its probably a hardware problem. Try what i suggested with the battery and let us know if it shows anything on the screen. if it lights up and shows nothing it might have to have the screen replaced. check the third link in my sig for that.

Plugged in w/o battery, no luck. Nothing on screen.

A hardware problem this early in its life? How much you think this will cost me?

How early in it's life? Could be under warranty.

Don't think that early...
A few months? Hmm 2 or 3 I believe.

It's covered by a one-year warranty so you can get it replaced if it's defective.

Alright. I hope it works.
Thanks for all the info.
I'm a little assured now, less tense

as long as they dont call it physical damage, liquid damage, or normal wear and tear

I've heard of those things that everyone hates- Is there any visible ones (like if I just open the battery thing?) If so, please point out. I'm trying to contact Rogers now, apparently they wont fix BB's at the store. :S