BlackBerry Curve 8520 Troubleshooting

No matter what you do, you can't get your BlackBerry to turn on.

The 8520 is turned on by holding the Red Power/End Call button below the screen and to the right.

The 8520 may not be turning on because the battery is drained or defective. Plug the device into the respective charger for a few minutes, then try to turn it on.

It is possible that it appears nothing is happening because the display is bad. Try dialing out and making a call. (see repair guide here).

The phone will not appropriately charge to its full potential.

The phone’s inability to charge may be a sign of a worn battery. This means that the battery has reached its maximum lifespan and needs to be replaced. One method of determining if your battery needs replacement is by testing it on a fully functioning phone that uses the same battery. If the same charging issues are exhibited by the trial phone, then replace the battery (see repair guide here).

The phone’s inability to charge may also be attributed to a broken charger. A simple method to verify this issue is by testing the charger on a functioning compatible phone. If the trial phone does not charge, then replace the charger.

If neither the battery and charger are identified as the problem, there may be an issue with the Micro-USB Port that connects the charger to the phone. If this is the case, the phone’s motherboard must be replaced(see repair guide here).

The device is functional but has no audio output.

The speaker may be faulty and needs to be replaced.

Connect your device to a computer with BlackBerry desktop software. Restore your device software and install the latest update if available.

Phone becomes suddenly unresponsive after previous activity

Turn the device off by pressing and holding the Red Power/End Call button until the phone turns off. Then press the same button to turn the phone back on. This will allow the phone to reboot if it was overwhelmed with the amount of applications running.

Note: This can alleviate the problem momentarily but if it continues to happen regularly then a more serious issue may be the cause.

The problem may be due to a bug in the software or an application being incompatible with the Operating System the phone is running. Update the software by connecting the phone with the computer and downloading the latest version from BlackBerry.

Note: This will reset the phone to its original factory settings and wipe all internal memory not stored on the SIM card. Perform a system backup before attempting this option.

Steps:

1. Go to the Home screen and press the Menu key
2. Select Settings
3. Select Options
4. Select Security Options
5. Select General Settings
6. Press the Menu key
7. Select Wipe Handheld
8. Select Continue
9. Type in the word blackberry
10. Press the touchpad=== Bad Motherboard ===

If all previous options have been exhausted and the phone continues to periodically freeze than the motherboard may be the issue. (see repair guide here).

The screen will not light up, but the phone still has other capabilities (receiving calls, connecting to computer, etc.

This will perform a reset which will restore various settings to their original factory levels (including backlighting) and could alleviate the problem. The tutorial on removing and replacing the battery can be seen (here).

Note: This will cause the phone to lose unsaved data

The screen may have lost functionality due to a physical defect, for instance a crack. Check for visible signs of wear or fracture. If a physical defect is shown then the screen may need to be replaced (see guide here).

If there are no visible signs of damage to the screen and the problem has not occurred before then it may be a software issue that involves a bad motherboard. If this is the case then the motherboard must be replaced following the tutorial seen (here).

The Trackpad does not respond on command.

If the Trackpad button appears stiff, damaged, or missing, it needs to be replaced.

If the Trackpad has no history of faultiness and shows no signs of damage, the motherboard may be broken; in this case, replace the motherboard (see guide here).