[lauren22]

Like computer ones?

[the-economist]

Wirelessly posted

Yes they can. There are currently no reports for malware that exists on the platform.

[lauren22]

ohh thank you. could that cause your blackberry to freeze? and how would you get rid of one?

[the-economist]

Wirelessly posted

You probably don't have a virus. You most likely have too many thing running. Pull your battery out for a minute and put it back. See if that helps the situation.

[lauren22]

Oh okay. Yeah thats what I thought. And i've tried that about 10 times now probably and it still doesnt work

[the-economist]

Wirelessly posted

Check Options -- Status. What's the value reported next to File Free?

[lauren22]

I can't check that as I can't get it past the start-up

[JSanders]

To date, there has not been a virus ever reported or launched for a BlackBerry. So you don't have a virus. Can it happen... we'll have to wait and see, so far no one has been clever enough to do so.

For your lagging and slowness:

You could have an application that is hanging on you.

To prevent freezing or lagging/slow response on any BlackBerry, the most important practice you can adopt is to be sure to CLOSE applications when you are finished using them.

If you just hit the red "end call" key to go back to the home screen the application actually stays open and running in the background. If you do this repeatedly you will have lots of apps open and consequently your memory will get used up. Lack of memory is the biggest reason your BlackBerry slows to a crawl or locks up. If you get into the habit of actually using the menu key to close the applications this will at least slow down this memory-clogging process. You still may have to do a battery pull or use the "Quickpull" app once in a while when things get slow.

To check what applications are running on your device in the background, press the Menu key then choose Switch Applications. You will see the icons of each application there.

So now, check your applications running in the background. There are commonly four or five applications that will always be running (Messages, Call Logs/Phone, BlackBerry Messenger, Homescreen, and the Browser; there are other third party applications such as BeeJive, and BlackBerry Alerts which will also run in the background which you cannot close if you want them to operate). Make certain that the browser is NOT on an active webpage (open the browser and choose Menu > Close). Close any other applications that do not need to be running (the camera or a game you were playing or Google Maps).

[NJBlackBerry]

Originally Posted by the-economist

Wirelessly posted

Yes they can. There are currently no reports for malware that exists on the platform.

They can get viruses?

[lauren22]

Originally Posted by JSanders

To date, there has not been a virus ever reported or launched for a BlackBerry. So you don't have a virus. Can it happen... we'll have to wait and see, so far no one has been clever enough to do so.

For your lagging and slowness:

You could have an application that is hanging on you.

To prevent freezing or lagging/slow response on any BlackBerry, the most important practice you can adopt is to be sure to CLOSE applications when you are finished using them.

If you just hit the red "end call" key to go back to the home screen the application actually stays open and running in the background. If you do this repeatedly you will have lots of apps open and consequently your memory will get used up. Lack of memory is the biggest reason your BlackBerry slows to a crawl or locks up. If you get into the habit of actually using the menu key to close the applications this will at least slow down this memory-clogging process. You still may have to do a battery pull or use the "Quickpull" app once in a while when things get slow.

To check what applications are running on your device in the background, press the Menu key then choose Switch Applications. You will see the icons of each application there.

So now, check your applications running in the background. There are commonly four or five applications that will always be running (Messages, Call Logs/Phone, BlackBerry Messenger, Homescreen, and the Browser; there are other third party applications such as BeeJive, and BlackBerry Alerts which will also run in the background which you cannot close if you want them to operate). Make certain that the browser is NOT on an active webpage (open the browser and choose Menu > Close). Close any other applications that do not need to be running (the camera or a game you were playing or Google Maps).

- Thanks, loads of info. I thought it was something to do with the apps, it's just I cant get the blackberry to turn on properly so that I can close them.

[NJBlackBerry]

If it won't even turn on properly, the best course of action may be to wipe the BB clean and reload the OS.

Do you have a data backup?

See BlackBerry FAQ - BlackBerryFAQ for details.

[lauren22]

no, but the only things that i really have on there is pictures and music. Most of the ones i want are saved on my computer. Okay, i'll try that. How do i do that sorry?

[the-economist]

Wirelessly posted

Originally Posted by NJBlackBerry

They can get viruses?

Any platform that can execute code can also execute malware code. Just because you don't currently have BB malware that doesn't mean its not round the corner. If you believe otherwise you may also believe there is no virii for Apple computers. And you might also enjoy koolaid

[NJBlackBerry]

Chill out.

The orignal poster asked if her BlackBerry had a virus.

The correct answer is no. Not your mumbo jumbo about the future.

I don't drink Koolaid. I just try to give accurate responses.

[the-economist]

Wirelessly posted

No, the correct answer is "currently nothing has been reported" which is TONS more accurate. For present or feature or even a million years from now. And I'm absolutely chilled, I'm zen, I even put a smiley there, you missed it? There have another one

[NJBlackBerry]

Suit yourself. Enjoy.
If you had said that in the first reply, all would have been well.

[the-economist]

Wirelessly posted

I'm glad we cleared that up. Maybe a non deterministic entry can go to the FAQ about it.

[JSanders]

It still remains, there is NO virus for BlackBerrys. So for this original posters discussion, the answer remains "no, you don't have a virus".

And that stands as the fact.

Tomorrow, we might have a virus. And, tomorrow, we might have tomato paste oozing out of the keyboard, but for now, no.

[the-economist]

You make me smile JSanders, you know that, don't you?

[TTsoldier]

Well actually, the OP was "Can blackberry get viruses?"

Not. "Does my blackberry has a virus?"

*runs*