I had this happen before. The voicemail softkeys do not work. I have instructions on how to fix the problem, but I believe I am missing on step. Here's what I have:

- Remove plastic cover to voicemail unit
- Card insert all the way to my right has a small black on/off switch.
- Turn off and wait a minute or so.
- Remove card, reinsert it, then flip switch back on.
- Hard drive light should start flickering on the card.

Within 1 to 5 minutes voicemail should be working again. Test softkeys.

Do I need to switch off the entire voicemail unit before removing that card? Or are the cards swappable when it's on because I switch that card off first?

That is a shutdown switch & you do need to use it before removing the card. An upgrade to your CPU would fix this issue. That upgrade kit is getting pretty hard to find.

Thanks I got it. I just didn't need to know if I needed to power off the UNIT also (not just card).

It very rarely happens, so it's not much of an issue.

Is there a way to backup that hard drive in case of failure? Our phones don't even answer if that card goes bad.

There is a way to back it up. It requires a technician with a laptop and a null-modem cable.

If it's truly "mission-critical," it might be a good investment to replace the voicemail card and store the current one (in a safe, static-free location) as a hot-standby.

Your vendor will be happy to discuss these options with you.