BlackBerry First Steps: Mass Storage Mode - Using your BlackBerry as a portable flash drive

Every day, thousands will pick up a new BlackBerry. For a good many of them, this will be their first BlackBerry; maybe even their first smartphone. We've all had that first day; poking and prodding a new BlackBerry, trying to figure out how it works. This series aims to make that process a bit easier. 

As BlackBerry users we're constantly on the go. Chances are you've probably used a flash drive to carry files for school, work, or play. Why not use your BlackBerry? Media cards have become a must-have accessory for mobile devices and offer more than just space for music and pictures. Transform your device into a USB drive and quickly drag and drop files directly to and from your microSD/microSDHD card using Windows Explorer.

It's all very quick and automated with help and reminder messages along the way.  With our own helpful messages, CrackBerry presents our guide to the mass storage mode on your BlackBerry. 

Turning on Mass Storage Mode 

First, connect your BlackBerry to your PC with the USB Cable. You'll be greeted with a popup box to enable mass storage mode; this box differs according to your operating system. If your BlackBerry is password protected you'll be prompted to enter it again.

Connecting and Transferring Data 

Congratulations, your BlackBerry is now your own personal memory card reader. At the AutoPlay prompt on your PC, click on open folder to view the files on your BlackBerry. Don't be shocked if it doesn't run. It's perfectly normal depending on your computers' Auto Run settings. So before you sit there plugging and unplugging your BlackBerry, remember there is another way. Go to My Computer and look for removable drives. Internal device memory shows up as BLACKBERRY1 while the media card appears as BLACKBERRY.

From here you can copy, delete, transfer, and browse files located on your SD card. No matter what the file type, simply copy and paste them into their respective folders in the BlackBerry directory. That's all there is to it. Best part is, add music, videos, and pictures without Desktop Manager.

Unplugging your device 

Before you remove the USB cable your device should be properly disconnected from your system to prevent data corruption. PC users can right mouse click on the safely remove hardware icon in the system tray while Mac users can drag the icon into the trash.

Troubleshooting 

If you're experiencing problems, a quick fix might be to see if mass storage mode and media card support is turned on. All you need to do is follow these directions.

OS 5 

From the home screen, click on Options and scroll down to Memory. Using the drop down list, make sure Mass Storage Mode Support and Media Card Support is On. To eliminate the prompts each time you plug in your device, just turn on Auto Enable.

OS 6

Search for Storage from the home screen using Universal Search. By selecting Options > Storage you can modify the media card settings and make sure Media Card Support is selected.

When turned on, your BlackBerry and PC can recognize and access the media card.

Mass storage mode is a fast and convenient way to transfer files to and from your device. No matter where you are or where you go, you're never more than a click away from your files. So whether you're editing a PowerPoint presentation or writing an article on the train home, this is just another way to feed your BlackBerry addiction. Plus, depending on your device and operating system, a BlackBerry can hold a microSD/microSDHD card up to 32GB.