In 3 separate cases last week, with both a storm and a pearl, I had this problem.  We are running the LATEST BES OS (v4.7) which was realased in the last few days, and even after I wiped the phones, it would NOT do the enterprise activation.   Again it gave me a “contact system administrator” error on the blackberry.

Finally I installed the blackberry messenger software on the clients computer.  Just by installing the software and connecting the phone, the enterprise activation worked.

For verizon customers you can get the software here:

http://vzw.smithmicro.com/blackberry/download.aspx?ct=corporate

For Sprint customers: (Pearl selected in this case)

http://www.nextel.com/en/software_downloads/pda_smartphone/blackberry_8130.shtml

download the “BlackBerry Desktop Manager Version 4.7”

Setting up Blackberry Professional Software for your Exchange environment may seem daunting- you get your arms into SQL, Exchange permissions, MAPI profiles… but the task is actually very simple, and with these four video guides from Blackberry the task couldn’t be simpler.

One strong recommendation we would make is to install SQL 2008 Express BEFORE installing BPS; it makes the install go much easier than if you use the SQL 2005 Express packaged with BPS.

http://www.blackberry.com/select/professional/installation_toolkit/module_1/

http://www.blackberry.com/select/professional/installation_toolkit/module_2/

http://www.blackberry.com/select/professional/installation_toolkit/module_3/

http://www.blackberry.com/select/professional/installation_toolkit/module_4/

I recently had to set up a Blackberry on a BES server on a new network we were supporting.  Despite repeated efforts, the Blackberry consistently made contact with the BES Server, and then failed on the IT Policy.

The issue was this: even if your bringing a blackberry from a domain (domain.com) in Site A into a same-named domain (domain.com) in Site B, you must break the connection that the Blackberry’s PIN has over the Blackberry network.  Until then, the Enterprise Activation will not work.  This type of situation would come up when you change your MX record, for example.

You basically have two options here:

1. Contact the old BES host in the old site and ask them to remove the PIN; or
2. Go to the Blackberry Device / Options /Advanced / Service Book, and blow away the value “”Desktop [CMIME]”.

Once that happens, the Blackberry brings you through the mail setup routine as if it were brand new out of the box, and will sync fine with your BES server in the new environment.