How to put a full-blown Windows Desktop Environment on your BlackBerry

All recent BlackBerry models feature a MicroSD Card Slot which appears as a normal “USB Mass Storage Device” when connected to a desktop computer via USB. Most people use this only for some MP3 files and nothing else. But there are a lot more useful options! I will show you how to use it to have a customized full-blown Windows Desktop Environment in your pocket. Secure and free!

I first recommenced to create an encrypted container on your BlackBerry MicroSD card. Using the free software TrueCrypt you can create a secure container which can be used as a standard drive on windows (and other OS’s) which even the CIA can’t hack. The BlackBerry already features SD-Card encryption but there are several advantages using TryeCrypt anyway:

• An additional layer of security
• Fast and easy backup - as you only have to copy the encrypted container (which is one file) to make a backup instead of copying individual files
• You can choose the drive-letter of your encrypted volume via TrueCrypt - while the assigned driveletter of your BlackBerry might vary on different machines.

With the availability of 8GB MicroSD cards and 16GB cards to come you get a lot of storage space on your BlackBerry. The free Windows application MojoPac features a fast and easy user/application-based virtualization solution for Windows XP (a Vista version is on the way). You can now install MojoPac on your virtual encrypted volume. It will generate a virtual windows user-environment for you without changing anything on your original windows installation. All applications / customization you do within this virtual environment can be used on any other Windows system. So you can install applications like Mircosoft Office etc. on it. Instead of having to carry your Notebook everywhere, you just have to plug-in your BlackBerry to any computer, mount your encrypted volume, start MojoPac and you can use your personalized computing environment. Even if you do not use this permanently it is a good way to have an emergency computing environment at hand.

Step by Step Guide:

1. Get a big MicroSD card if you do not have on already.
2. Connect your BlackBerry to your Desktop Computer via USB (enable mass-storage mode).
3. Download and install TrueCrypt
4. Create a TrueCrypt Volume on your MiroSD Card:

   

   Select a file location and name on your MicroSD Card.
   

   We recommence to use the default AES encryption. You can however adapt it to your needs - see TrueCrypt doc for details.
   

   If you plan to install big applications like MS Office on your virtual environment I would recommence to make the virtual container as big as possible. E.g. 6GB if you have a 8GB card - then there is still 2GB for MP3 files and other stuff.
   

   Choose a good and long password as the best encryption cant help you if somebody (or a computer) can guess your password.
   

   I would recommence to change the default Filesystem from FAT to NTFS.
   

   After you have created your secured container you can now “mount” it and assign any free drive letter for the virtual drive.

5. Download MojoPac and install it on the new virtual drive.
6. Configure your “Mojo” as you like. That’s it - you have now your own personal Windows Environment secure on your BlackBerry!