If you are like me, you may have received a BlackBerry Dev Alpha unit!  More importantly, you may have had to do a security wipe on it.

Well, unlike the PlayBook and all other devices, doing a Security Wipe on a Dev Alpha *will* brick your device.  But, you *can* unbrick it…

At the start, you will have failures saying USB Mass Storage Device errors.  I’m going to assume you are using Windows Vista/7 and have your Alpha plugged in.

Step 1:  Keep the alpha plugged in using the USB cable that came with it

Step 2:  Click on Start > Run > Device Manager

Step 3:  Expand USB

Step 4:  See if there is a yellow exclamation point beside a USB Mass Storage driver

Step 5:  If so, right click and select Uninstall

Step 6:  Unplug your alpha

Step 7:  Close desktop manager

You should now be at a clean state….

Step 8:  Install the driver package here:  http://www.bbdevgroup.nl/BB10%20Dev%20Alpha/Device%20Driver%20BB10%20dev%20Alpha.zip

Step 9:  Launch Desktop Manager

Step 10:  Wait for it to fully load

Step 11:  Connect your Alpha

It will start trying to install drivers.  It most likely will detect it as a phone and nothing else interesting will happen.

Step 12:  Hold the two volume buttons + power button down for about 10 seconds

Your Alpha should reboot

Step 13:  Watch Desktop Manager carefully.

You should soon as you see “Update/Retry/Cancel” right around when the BB10 alpha logo comes up

Step 14:  As soon as the options appear, press Update

Step 15:  Wait for the update to be recognized

Note:  If it detects no update, takes forever, and eventually your Alpha logs in – let it finish until it says no updates.  Your device will appear as Unknown.   Go back to Step 12.  Might take a few attempts

Step 16:  Eventually an update is detected, and you can start your update.

Voila!

 

You can read and troubleshoot with others at the source here:  http://208.74.204.192/t5/Testing-and-Deployment/BB10-Dev-Alpha-Device-Driver-or-how-to-restore-the-OS/td-p/1735097/highlight/false

~Ed.