I've long been promising the second part of One on one: final versions of Spb Backup and Sprite Backup 5 - the Definitive Comparison - Part I. Here's what you (may) have been waiting for, completely enhanced and listing all the solutions, comparing and benchmarking all the current backup applications, with a lot of additional, real-world tests and, as usual, loads of never-before published hacks, tricks and tips.
Note that this article contains about 140 screenshots (most of them in the main comparison chart) showing examples of ALL the usage areas of the reviewed applications and a lot of usage tips. That is, you may want to spend some hours in reading the article and scrutinizing the comparison chart(s) to find out all the necessary information. It's certainly worth it - this article may contain a LOT of usage tips, tricks and secrets you may never have thought of. Make sure you click the screenshots - I've created them to be usable as mini-tutorials too.
If you don't want to spend that much time with scrutinizing the chart in finding out what features each backup application has and how they compare to each other, feature-wise, jump forward to section 4., the verdict, to find out which backup applications I recommend the most. However, to find out more about these applications, I do recommend spending some time in deciding what features you absolutely need in a backup application and what are the currently available backup apps that do provide these features. After all, it's all about spending your hard-earned dollars and defending yourself for paying extra for unneeded features, based on real comparisons - you don't possibly want to spend, say, 30 bucks on an application you may not fully use all its features of.
1. The need for backing up
What are backup applications needed for? you may ask. Isn’t plain ActiveSync synchronization sufficient?
Synchronizing with a desktop computer via ActiveSync (as long as you don't use ActiveSync backup) only protects some sorts of your data, not all of them. For example, if you have Microsoft Outlook on your desktop PC and you synchronize everything, then, "only" your Personal Information Manager (PIM) data (contacts, calendar, tasks, notes), (mobile) Internet Explorer favorites and files in the \My Documents directory will be safe and restorable in case of a fatal system failure: a hard reset made by the user to get rid of the probably completely messed up system or an accidental hard reset caused by a depleted battery on pre-Windows Mobile 5 (WM5) devices.
Other things won't be saved: programs you've installed on the device, (non-ActiveSync-synchronized (desktop Outlook)) E-mails, SMS, MMS messages you have on your device, all the data files not stored in \My Documents (this directory is automatically backed up by ActiveSync if you enable synchronizing "Files") etc.
This is because standard ActiveSync synchronization is really limited in what it can synchronize (back up): only a part of the file system (everything outside the \My Documents directory is left out), only part of the WindowsCE databases (only PIM databases are synchronized, mail, queue etc. and third-party databases aren't) and none of the Registry.
This means ActiveSync (or any of the above-mentioned plug-ins) is not capable of saving / restoring your
ALL third-party applications you've installed on your PDA (because they use the file system outside the only-synchronized \My Documents, sometimes heavily depend on the registry (they store settings / data in them) and sometimes (in very rare cases: see for example the case of some mobile phone handler apps) even on the WindowsCE databases)
System-level settings you've made (font size, ClearType, Today wallpaper, Today plug-ins, menu changes, input changes, button settings, owner information, sound & notification, backlight, power, audio, (if present) wireless settings) - they are almost exclusively stored in the Registry (I've elaborated on many of these in many of my articles) and, consequently, they aren't backed up either)
Messaging (in pre-WM2003SE parlance, Pocket Inbox) settings (mailboxes set up) and all messages (these are stored in the WinCE databases and in the \Windows\Messaging directory in the file system; these aren't backed up either)
MSN and other accounts
Third-party backup applications like MightySync, MobSync and Intellisync don't help much either. The first two only helps in synchronizing (including backing up) other directories (and storage cards) and not only \My Documents; Intellisync only helps in extended PIM synchronization. Also, you can use for example the desktop-based Jeyo Mobile Companion to back up (and, then, restore) your SMS and MMS messages - but nothing else.
This all means third-party backup programs (or the one built into ActiveSync) are really needed if you want to completely restore your system without having to reinstall all your apps from scratch, make your settings changes again and set up your mail and other connectivity accounts manually. With a decent backup application restoring these parts of the system is a breeze.
(A comparison for (ex-)Palm users: in this respect, the Windows Mobile operating system is a bit weaker than Palm OS. With the latter, everything is stored in systems database files automatically backed up by Hotsync every time you synchronize your device. (Of course, I'm not saying Windows Mobile sucks. I wouldn’t be a MS user if I thought that way ). The desktop PC-based ActiveSync can be made to do the same (which I'll explain soon), but it's not enabled by default and is no longer available with WM5 devices - one of the biggest problems with the WM5 platform.)
I've also elaborated on these question in my previous articles; please read One on one: final versions of Spb Backup and Sprite Backup 5 - the Definitive Comparison - Part I and the from there linked articles for a complete review. I also recommend the generic articles linked in the "Further information" section.
1.1 What backup applications are there? The three types of backup applications
Roughly, there are three kinds of backup applications:
third-party apps purchasable and installable separately (Sprite, Spb, Sunnysoft, ArtSSave, SKTools) - see Chapter 2
backup apps coming built into the Pocket PC (that is, in the ROM) - the subject of Chapter 3. Note that Microsoft itself doesn't ship any kind of a standard back-up utility with the Pocket PC / Windows Mobile operating system built into the ROM of the device, only the desktop-side (see group three) ActiveSync. This is why there is no standard (a backup utility that can be found on ALL Windows Mobile devices) backup utility on your Pocket PC, only a model-, series- or brand-specific one (if at all).
desktop-side backup applications without, in cases, (visible) Pocket PC-side components. That is, tools that require, for example, the Pocket PC being cradled and visible to ActiveSync (or, with more advanced tools like the desktop components of Sprite Backup, accessible through Internet, without the need for having an ActiveSync connection).
The advantages of the three groups are as follows:
the first, third-party group, offers a LOT of advanced functionality. They offer a LOT more than even the most advanced built-in tools or some desktop-based tools. Furthermore, the lack of being built-in into the ROM isn't really a problem with them: most of them are able to create self-restoring (.EXE) backups (the case with Sprite and Spb Backup) or, along with the non-EXE backup files, a separate, directly executable .EXE file on the card (the case with Sunnysoft Backup Manager and SKTools), which can be directly executed off a storage card after a hard reset. Only of of them, ArtSSave, doesn't offer this; you can, however, directly put its CAB installer file on the card and, along with CabInstl (it MUST be installed on a storage card), you can install it any time. The capability from being installed from a CAB file is true with all these applications should you prefer not using self-restoring backups.
The applications belonging to this group all allow for scheduled backups (you don't need to manually initiate the backup but can instruct the backup application to do an automatic backup say at night when the some-minute-long backup process doesn't disturb you) and a lot of other goodies. Of the other types of backups, scheduled backup capabilities are much rarer (except for iPAQ Backup).
the second group, that is, that of built-in applications, are always at hand, ready to restore your backups stored on, say, your storage cards - even after a hard reset. They, however, in general, except for iPAQ Backup, are far worse than most of third-party applications and, generally, are only shipped on pre-Windows Mobile 5 devices (with some exceptions: for example, the Dell Axim x50 WM5 upgrade and the x51 series has Data Backup built-in; so do Acer models. However, as far as other WM5 brands / models are concerned, Fujitsu-Siemens, HP Pocket PC's and HTC-manufactured Pocket PC Phone Edition devices don't have any kind of built-in backup applications.)
Note that another advantage of these two groups are the lack of need to run restore strictly on your desktop computer. When you use a backup application belonging to these two groups, the backup file will be created locally, which, then, can also be restored locally - that is, on the PDA, just starting either the produced self-installing EXE file or starting the built-in backup application and pointing it to the backup file.
This, however, doesn't mean you can't store your backup files on your desktop computer. You can copy them there any time - or, even automatically synchronize them to there so that you don't need to remember to manually copy them. If you make your backup application write your backup file(s) onto your memory cards (or built-in file store with pre-WM5 devices, if applicable), which is the preferable way of backing up your device (to avoid the consequences of a sudden RAM erase caused by battery depletion or a forced, manual hard reset caused by a misbehaving program, which may happen even under WM5), you can use the already-mentioned MobSync or MightySync to automatically keep these files synchronized on your desktop. One of the third-party backup applications, Sunnysoft Backup Manager, even has a desktop-side tool that does the automatic synchronization for you automatically, without your installing / configuring MobSync or MightySync .
Finally, applications (currently, there is only one application in this group: Sprite Backup) belonging to both the first and the third group, that is, applications that can make (initiate) backups on both the Pocket PC and the desktop, also allow for restoring the created backup file without using a desktop computer - that is, right on the PDA. That is, you can safely use their desktop-side tool to do the backup; you can be absolutely sure the backup file created on your Windows computer will be later restorable right on your PDA, without the need to access a desktop Windows.
This all means there is only one backup application that necessitates a Windows desktop computer for restoration: the built-in backup / restore module in ActiveSync. All the other solutions allow for restoring your backups right on your PDA.
The advantages of the latter are pretty clear: you can restore your backups anywhere, any time (for example, far away from any desktop computers). This is what ActiveSync backup lacks.
the third group let for (easily) store your backups on your desktop computer (or any other networked computer with even more advanced tools like the desktop backup agent or the share access features of Sprite Backup) without human interaction. (Note that you can do the same with automatic backup file synchronization with all the backup applications belonging to the first two categories if you, for example, use MobSync or MightySync to automatically transfer / synchronize these files to your desktop every time you cradle your device.)
1.2 What can we expect from backup applications?
Only the simplest backup applications offer manually-initiated-only backups (all the built-in backup applications except for iPAQ Backup). All the third-party applications support at least scheduling, the advantages of which have already been explained in section 1.1.
In Chapter 2 (third-party) applications, I'll elaborate more on the advanced features of these applications when I discuss the comparison chart. Please read that part to see what other, even more advanced features these applications have.
In the next chapter, I elaborate on the third-party applications available now; in the third, I review and compare applications coming with some (mostly older) Pocket PC models. Note that, as with most of my articles, most of the information and usage tips (as menu and fill-in example screenshots with short comments) are in the comparison chart. This is the only way of really reducing the size of the article. Without using a comparison chart-based approach, the article would be at least an order of magnitude larger and harder-to-read. Scrutinizing the comparison chart is essential - most of the information is in there.
Also, real comparisons and feature lists are done in the chart. In the following two chapters, I only elaborate on the most important information on each application that needs to be known and/or couldn't be included in the chart.
2. Current backup applications
What has changed since my previous two real articles & comparisons of Pocket PC backup solutions?
There have been a lot of changes in the last half a year, particularly when it comes to backing up Windows Mobile 5 (WM5) Pocket PC's, which has always been much more problematic than with previous operating systems when it comes to backing up Personal Information Manager (PIM) data, Messaging data (e-mails or, with Pocket PC Phone Edition devices, SMS and MMS messages) and generic WindowsCE system databases. (It's in these that WM5 has changed the most, compared to earlier operating systems.)
Spb Software House has released version 1.1.x and, then, shortly thereafter, 1.5.0 and 1.5.1 of (while I reviewed 1.0 in the first article) Spb Backup, their pretty good backup solution with welcome additions like HP ProtectTools compliance, customizable restoration, storage card backup and several bugfixes.
Sprite Software hasn't been lazy either: they have released version 5.1 of Sprite Backup 5, now, with HP ProtectTools compliance and, which is very important for anyone wanting to upgrade the ROM of his or her Pocket PC, the Device Upgrade mode, which was painfully missing from the first, 5.0 version.
Sunnysoft Backup Manager has also been updated and made fully WM5-compliant.
Last but not least, the, in my opinion, best all-in-one systems tool SKTools has also introduced a really decent backup/restore module, which has been fully WM5-compliant in the last, just-debuted 3.0 series.
2.1 Sunnysoft Backup Manager
(current, tested version: 3.767 build 09111 (internal file dates 09/19/2006))
It took quite a lot of time (as was, incidentally, the case with Sprite Software too) for Sunnysoft to come out with an, at last, WM5-compatible version of their Backup Manager available here.
As opposed to the version(s) tested in my previous roundups and tests, the new version(s) are now fully WM5-compliant; they didn't cause any problems in my thorough tests and proved to be fully reliable. (The same, of course, stands for pre-WM5 operating systems, which Sunnysoft Backup Manager has always been supporting without problems.)
The client itself is pretty capable - it is capable of everything, except for the device upgrade mode and password protected device backup, which only Sprite Backup is capable of (with the latter, without other hacks); also, HP iPAQ hx users should stay away from it if they have activated HP ProtectTools. Otherwise, it's pretty decent.
2.2 Spb Backup
(current, tested version: 1.5.1 build 2432)
Spb Software (apart from the much older Spb Clone), along with the S-K and opposed to Sprite Software and Sunnysoft folks, is a newcomer on the backup application scene. Fortunately, apart from the programs' not having as many extra capabilities as some of the other backup applications and has some major problems (see the next section), it has turned out to be comparatively good.
2.2.1 Quick tip: Backing up devices with system-level password set with Spb Backup
Unfortunately, Spb Backup is, in general, unable to backup devices that have a system-level password set. I've thoroughly tested this on all my Pocket PC's and found out the following: with an unofficial AKU3 pre-release ROM on my HTC Wizard, almost all scheduled backups were done even with enabled system-level protection. After flashing back the "official" 2.26 T-Mobile ROM to the Wizard, Spb Backup stopped making backups with the password active (this MAY mean it'll be, finally, compatible with all protected AKU3+ WM5 devices. For more information on what AKU's mean, please read this article). The situation was the same with all the other PDA's I've thoroughly tested this functionality on: the AKU2.3 HTC Universal, the A12 (AKU2.3) Dell Axim x51v and the WM2003SE Pocket Loox 720. It was unable to backup these devices most of the time (except probably two times the x51v).
However, there is a very simple and elegant solution to this problem (originally invented by AKAJohnDoe). All you have to do is setting up a notification to be "fired" just before the scheduled backup. For example, if you schedule your backup to be started at 12:30 in the night, also set up a recurring event to 12:30 (it may end at once - 12:30 - it doesn't need to take any time, even if letting more time wouldn't result in more notifications to be displayed either) as can be seen in here. (To do this, start Calendar and choose New (on pre-WM5 devices) or Menu / New Appointment (on WM5 devices) and fill in the fields as is shown above.) Also make sure that you choose one minute in the "Reminder" section so that, if you've kept a power timeout on the device at the default 2 minutes, it won't power off the Pocket PC before Spb Backup is fired off (which will be one minute after the notification is displayed - that is, while the PDA is still powered on).
To make this event fired up every day at the same time (not just once - in the above, I've only shown how an appointment should be created that is fired only once, at a given time minus one minute), click Occurs and select Edit pattern.... Click Next on the next dialog and, on the following, change "Weekly" to "Daily" by just clicking "Daily" in the top left corner. Then, just click Next and Finish on the next dialog. Now, the new appointment series will indeed be set up. A quick glance at the Today screen shows that the backup itself indeed starts one minute after the notification (again, the notification wakes up the device one minute BEFORE the set calendar event).
2.3 Sprite Backup
(current, tested version: 5.1.0 build 1447 and 3.1.4 Premium)
Sprite Backup has been the oldest and most widely known backup application for the Pocket PC. All non-WM5 iPAQ's, starting with later Pocket PC 2002 models (for example, the iPAQ 5450), had some kind of a "dumbed-down", but still pretty usable and reliable (as opposed to some other backup applications coming with non-iPAQ Pocket PC's, as we'll see in Chapter 3) Sprite backup-clone called iPAQ Backup.
Sprite Backup excels in almost every area, has unmatched capabilities (the device upgrade mode and desktop-side backup tools being the two most important ones). Furthermore, not counting in Spb Backup (which does need hacks to do this - see the above section), it's the only application to correctly backup / restore password-protected Pocket PC's.
Its only problem may be the higher price, the complete lack of any kind of trial versions and a slightly bigger archive size (slightly lower compression ratio) than with all the other alternate backup applications. It should, however, also be pointed out that it's the fastest application to both backup and restore a device; for example, it takes SKTools about two times the time to backup / restore the device. Spb Backup is also considerably slower. It won't be a problem with the latter two apps, however, if you make them back p your device in scheduled mode (for example, at night, when the time usage isn't important).
There are two main versions of Sprite Backup: the 3.x and the 5.x series. The former (current version: 3.1.4) is meant strictly for Pocket PC 2002, WM2003 and WM2003SE devices and the latter (current version: 5.1) for WM5 ones. The two versions are not compatible with each other - that is, you can't run version 5.1 on a, say, WM2003SE device and vice versa. You'll also need to purchase separate licenses for the two versions if you'd like to buy both; fortunately, the upgrade price is half the price of the regular price, which, taken into the overall quality and usability of the suite, is quite a bargain in my opinion.
2.3.1 Differences between the two current Sprite Backup versions (3.1.4 Premium and 5.1)
The WM5-specific version is a slightly dumbed-down version of the older, 3.x series. This means the 3.x series has some features the 5.x series no longer has:
the WM5 version doesn't have the (pretty bad!) PocketMon Today plug-in
the WM5 version doesn't have the Space Detective utility
Note that these two utilities (particularly PocketMon) aren't the best. That is, you don't miss much by not having them in the WM5 version.
The first, PocketMon, is a really basic (for example, it uses low-resolution icons on hi-res devices as can be seen in here) Today plug-in. It's much worse than, say, iLauncher, Spb Pocket Plus or the Today plug-in of Resco Explorer in that it's constantly consuming some CPU cycles; for example, between 0.4 and 2% (measured on a freshly hard reset PL720) through \Windows\mstli.exe on Pocket Loox 720's and some 2-5% through \Windows\shell32.exe on HP iPAQ 2210's. That is, it's the best to completely disable it if you use Sprite Backup on your pre-WM5 device!
The second, Space Detective, is a generic system meter tool, which also has a cleanup module, is far inferior to the solution offered by, say, SKTools, MemMaid and the other cleanup tools reviewed here (alternatives: MobilitySite, AximSite, PPC Magazine, FirstLoox, BrightHand)) because it only helps at deleting three different temporary directories and finding the largest files (as can be seen, it's not even compatible with landscape mode).
the 5.x series is no longer able to access network shares (to directly backup to there) as opposed to version 3.1.4 (example screenshots of the latter: 1 2) and
the 5.x series has no battery level triggering / monitoring features, unlike the 3.1.4 version (Incidentally, it's pretty similar to iPAQ Backup with the exception that you can select both backing up automatically and prompting). The lack of this utility (as opposed to the lack of network share support) isn't that important with WM5 - after all, we have persistent storage, which makes the need for battery level-triggered backing up pretty much meaningless
2.3.2 A quick tip: everything you need to know about the device upgrade mode
The unique and hugely useful upgrade mode of Sprite backup can seem a bit complicated at first: unlike what the application states, there are no online files but an .EXE file that locally creates a descriptor file, which, after the upgrade, must be provided to Sprite backup when it asks for it. The EXE file is a bit hard to find on the homepage as it's mentioned in the forum and the FAQ (WM5-specific; pre-WM5-specific), where it for example thoroughly elaborates on the POP3 problem also discussed here.
The direct downloads to the difference creator executables (again, please read the above links on how they should be used!) are here (WM5-specific) and here (pre-WM5-specific). Note that the latter download contains a PDF manual, the pre-made update files it links are no longer existing on the Sprite Web server.
IMPORTANT: while the device upgrade mode works great in most cases, you may run into severe problems if you only depend on it. This was the case of, for example, my trying to use it to restore between the Molski 2.26 and the bepe/KTamas AKU3.2 HTC Wizard ROM's (note that both of them are "custom" ROM's; in general, Sprite has no problems with restoring between "official" ROM's). No matter what direction (bepe to Molski or vice versa) I used or how many contacts / other apps I had on the original (restored) Pocket PC, after the restoration, Contacts would just exit right after starting. Needless to say, I had no POP3 mailboxes (deleted them all before backing up). That is, you should ALWAYS separately backup (synchronize to your desktop Outlook) your most important data / document files from \My Documents and PIM data (contacts etc) with ActiveSync just to be on the safe side; that is, to be absolutely sure you have something to restore if the update mode of Sprite Backup fails.
2.3.3 MOBILE BACKUP CARD by Filao
In addition to Compaq / HP (iPAQ Backup), some other IT companies have also licensed Sprite Backup; for example, Filao. They are known for am easy-to-use, fool-proof MMC (MultiMediaCard)-based solution, MOBILE BACKUP CARD. It’s able to backup both Palm OS and (Pocket PC 2002, WM2003 and WM2003SE; NOT compatible with WM5) Pocket PC devices. It’s unknown which version of Sprite Backup it contains. It’s highly improbable it contains the Premium (network-capable) version of Sprite as it’s strictly an SD / MMC-based, “local” solution.
It uses a 64 Mbyte MMC card, which means you can only create backup files up to 64 Mbytes. (This may also mean you can’t store more than one backup archives on the card, which is a big disadvantage compared to current, decent backup solutions, which all allow for storing any number of easily selectable backup files anywhere).
All in all, due to the high price, the lack of networking capabilities / WM5 compatibility and the low storage capacity (you'll most probably want to store more than one backup files to be able to revert to any of them) of this solution, I don't recommend it.
2.4 SKTools
(current, tested version: 3.0.62.0)
SKTools is a (comparatively) cheap, all-in-one, highly recommended systems manager application. Its backup module is the newest of the four and this, unfortunately, is clearly visible in, for example, the pretty bad selective restoration capabilities and the reduced protection compatibility (it's only able to back up pre-WM5 protected Pocket PC's, as I'll also elaborate on in the next section).
(A quick tip: Note that do NOT download the CAB versions of the tool from the homepage but get the install EXE instead. The CAB version is buggy on a lot of devices: it just won't start. The version installed by the desktop EXE installer doesn't do the same. Interestingly, the main executable file in the CAB files in the desktop EXE file are the same size as in the separately downloadable CAB file but their content is different.)
2.4.1 Scheduled backups on password-protected systems
Unfortunately, SKTools has problems with all password-protected WM5 devices in scheduled mode. The reason for this is that SKTools commits a reset before starting to back up WM5 devices, unlike with WM2003(SE). I haven't found a way to avoid resetting WM5 devices.
As far as WM2003(SE) devices are concerned, it has problems with the Dell Axim series (for example, the x30 and x50), while it works just great with some other series / models (for example, the HP iPAQ 2210 and the F-S Pocket Loox 720).
With the latter models, you can safely use its built-in scheduling capabilities; with the former series / models, you will need to turn to SKScheMa, a really great, unique scheduler application for the Pocket PC.
To use SKScheMa, download and install it. Then, create a (non-Unicode!) .lnk file with the following contents:
1#:SKTOOLS #BACKUP(\CF Card\Backup1.asb)
where change \CF Card\ to the name of the target directory / card for the backup file to be stored and Backup1.asb to the backup filename you'd like to use. (I've uploaded it to here to that you can easily find it.) Copy the file to anywhere in the file system on your PDA. You can give it a try (so that you can be absolutely sure it's working OK) right away - just click the link to start the backup process. After it has finished, check out whether SKTools has really created a backup file at the given destination (in this example, under \CF Card\Backup1.asb). Note that cravaus has mentioned the backup file must already be present in order to be backup to be executed. This may be the case on Dell Axim devices; on my iPAQ and Pocket Loox (when I forced SKTools to make backups via SKScheMa), this wasn't the case.
Now, start SKScheMa and select New in the bottom left corner. Click Command in the list and, then, click the ... button in the top right. A context menu will come up; select 'File' from it. Now, navigate to the directory you've copied the link file to (for example, \Windows\Start Menu\Programs) and click the lnk file. Now, click OK.
Now that you're back on the SKScheMa list dialog, select Run at time and set the exact time in the upper part of the screen; in this example, I've set it to 00:30. Now, click days (of week) in the list, click ... and choose the weekdays you'd like the backup to be executed. In this example, I've set up backing up every day.
Now, click OK; in the main dialog screen of SKScheMa, it'll be listed, along with the (next) execution time. Check here whether everything's OK.
After this, you can safely close SKScheMa and/or reset your Pocket PC; it'll wake up the device and start the back-up project.
(Thanks for AximSite forum member cravaus' tip!)
Note that the SKScheMa hack does NOT help with WM5 devices (I've thoroughly tested this too).
2.5 ArtSSave
(Current, tested version: 1.7)
Unfortunately, this highly useful and innovative backup application doesn't run under WM5 at all (it doesn't even let the user create the initial database file). Also note that, while the homepage of the app doesn't list WM2003SE as a compatible operating system, it is as can be seen in for example here and here.
In addition to the complete lack of WM5 support, the other major annoyance with this application is the Handheld PC-optimized GUI. This means there is no minimize button; you must use external OS features or task managers to minimize / kill the app. Also, the lack of any kind of a Cancel button during backup / restore is also a big pain in the back.
The biggest advantage of this application is the incremental, disk space-saving backup also letting for restoring any state present in the backup file. Incremental backup means that you can store even hundreds of states of your Pocket PC, all restorable, with lot less disk space usage than with traditional backup solutions, which only make a full snapshot of the current state of your PDA.
It has other, really excellent features also related to the incremental backups: it lets the user browse the changes between two states in the Advanced Restore tab. There, after you click a state, the results will be presented in a tree as can be seen in here. Some branches opened, you can even see what has been changed. In this screenshot, you can for example see that a new record has been added to the WinCE database "DB_notify_event"; in this , a new Registry entry added and another changed in the Registry. Note that, in order to see this, you must enable Advanced Tree view in Options / Advanced Restore Mode. If you don't do this, you will not be able to traverse the tree this way as can be seen in this screenshot (the same state but, now, without the Advanced Tree functionality). Another example of the latter case is here.
It allows for commenting both data files and states can be commented with multi-line comments as can be seen in here (state) and here (file). State comments are highly useful; for example, you can add a comment to a state like "Application XY added", "Mail account Z set up" etc. You'll, using this, will easily find out the state you want to switch back to.
Some other screenshots: backup in progress; a report of not finding any difference between the previous and the current state. Here's the Backup tab and the Options tab (note that it supports auto backup / battery level-initiated triggering; it's worth pointing out that if you enable anything (of the two choices) in here, it registers itself in the event queue for six different events. Otherwise, naturally, it won't register itself in there).
You may want to check out this title if you want to take advantage of the incremental backup mode (you, say, prefer to store all your backups on your storage cards (where the size of the backup files may be a concern)), need the difference reports to see what has been changed between two states and don't plan to upgrade to a WM5 device. (Hope the app will be upgraded to WM5 some day; I'm still awaiting answer from the developers on this matter.)
2.6 ActiveSync
(current, tested version: 4.5 beta2)
ActiveSync contains excellent support for backing up to / restoring from a desktop PC. Note that it's generally considered be slow (see for example the linked, ActiveSync-related articles) by many; in my opinion, that's no longer the case with current, fast, WM2003 / WM2003SE devices.
This is available in all ActiveSync versions and works with all pre-WM5 devices. This means you can back up your, say, WM2003SE device with ActiveSync even if you have the latest, 4.5 beta2 version. That is, don't believe people that say the opposite (some will do).
A shot of the main ActiveSync backup dialog
Please read this tutorial on using its features. I also recommend Chris De Herrera's ActiveSync Backup and Restore Guide.
2.7 Comparison chart
It can be found here. I recommend opening it in a separate browser window so that you can easily read the explanation in the following section and, at the same time, see the chart. Don't forget to click the in-line linked images to see the screenshots demonstrating a given feature.
2.7.1 Explanation for the chart / the tests
Trial version available? Restrictions?: as can be seen, most apps (except for Sprite Backup) has a trial version with (varying) restrictions.
Easy mode vs. advanced mode distinction?: non-advanced users that don't want to fiddle with advanced features (which can be pretty overwhelming for a newbie) may want to prefer easy mode. In here, I've listed whether the given application has separate "easy" and "advanced" modes to make the life of non-expert users easier, while still allowing Pocket PC gurus make most of the application.
WM5 HTC Wizard time / size benchmark tests group: in here, I've listed some comparable benchmark results. The time / compressed backup size tests have been done on the HTC Wizard (that is, a WM5 Phone Edition) device having about 13.95 Mbytes of files, hundreds of contacts and appointments, some e-mails and SMS messages. After restoring (I made sure I've only restored to freshly hard reset Pocket PC to avoid complications because of the applications' NOT cleaning up the file system / registry and, in cases, the WinCE databases but insert the restored records in them), I've thoroughly tested whether the PIM data is accessible and works OK (it has always been the PIM data that caused major problems to backup apps under WM5; this also applies to the older Sunnysoft Backup Manager versions I've tested previously).
As can be seen, Sprite Backup is the fastest, while the compressed size of its backup files is the largest (it must be using some kind of a fast, run-length encoding) and SKTools is the slowest but produces the most compressed backup files.
Note that two of the six backup(-capable) apps (ActiveSync and ArtSSave) don't support WM5; this is why I haven't tested them in this respect. They are reliable and dependable as far as WM2003(SE) backup/restore is concerned.
Differential backup method? : Yes/No and If yes, is it possible to restore a given state?: does the app support the something like that of ArtSSave?
Scheduled backups, general group: in here, I've elaborated on the scheduled (automatic, non-manual) backup capabilities of the applications. As can be seen, they all support scheduling (except for the desktop-based ActiveSync) and have no major problems (for example, they all keep the Pocket PC alive while the backup is running, even if it's configured to automatically switch off after a while in the standard Power applet) - except for the case of password-protected cases, which will be elaborated on in the next section.
Scheduled backups; compatibility with security features / tools group: in here, I've scrutinized the apps' ability to back up password-protected devices in scheduled mode.
The problem with this is as follows: when, say, at night the device awakes so that the backup process can start, the password / PIN entry dialog will "kick in" at once. Some of the applications are able to run independent of this (Sprite Backup and, under pre-WM5 operating systems, ArtSSave and SKTools); some don't (Sunnysoft, SKTools under WM5). The latter only start when you actually enter the PIN code manually - for example, in the morning.
Spb Pocket Plus is a different animal: it will run on password-protected devices but it's in very few cases that it can wake it up (in all OS versions). That is, you must use the notification hack I've elaborated in the Spb Backup section if you plan to back up password-protected devices in scheduled mode.
Note that you can enable / configure / disable the standard system lock / password tool test in Start / Settings / Personal / Password (in pre-WM5 and pre-AKU2 WM5) or Start / Settings / Personal / Lock (in AKU 2+ WM5). (Note that the "Password" applet has been renamed to "Lock" in the latest (AKU 2+) WM5 versions!) There is also an article on this, Password Protect Your Device, here.
I've made these tests on the WM5 Dell Axim x51v, the HTC Wizard (both the AKU2.3-based 2.26 and an unofficial AKU3.2 ROM), the WM2003SE Pocket Loox 720 and the WM2003 HP iPAQ 2210 to spot problems as surely as possible.
In addition to the standard system Lock / Password tool, I've also tested the compatibility with the HP ProtectTools. Compatibility with this tool (also known as Credant) has always caused a lot of problems (with, for example, the earliest Sprite Backup 5.x and Spb Backup versions / builds). I used the WM5-upgraded HP iPAQ hx4700 for this (it contains this tool built-in; paralel with the standard Password / Lock tool). Now, only Spb and Sprite Backup support it. In these tests, I've also thoroughly tested whether the tested backup application really backs up the device with HP ProtectTools enabled in scheduled mode (all the backup apps support scheduled mode) and whether the backup is restorable without the (protected) files being encrypted. Sunnysoft Backup Manager and SKTools are useless with HP ProtectTools being active: they just wouldn't start without human interaction (that is, logging in). It's worth noticing that Spb Backup has no problems with scheduled backups of HP devices protected with this tool, unlike with the standard Password applet. That is, if you have a HP hx series device and would like to use Spb Backup to back it up in scheduled mode, use HP ProtectTools instead of the standard Password to protect the device.
Desktop and networking support group: in here, I've elaborated on advanced features like auto-synchronization of (local, PDA-based) backups to the desktop (in this, the Sunnysoft application is the best) and desktop-based direct backup tools (in here, ActiveSync and Sprite Backup are the best).
I've also elaborated on questions like whether there are desktop-based backup file browser tool capable of selective restoring to both the PDA and the desktop (to extract files if there's no (suitable/compatible) PDA connected), similar to that of STGViewer and HPC Vault. Please read my ActiveSync backup article on using and the advantages of these.
Cross-restoration / device upgrade mode group: the device upgrade mode has always been probably the best, unique feature of Sprite Backup. It makes it possible to restore your backup made on a different ROM version of your device (or, in cases, even different device). As I've pointed out in my older articles, you can do the same manually too without explicit support, but it requires a Pocket PC guru to publish manually created ROM version difference scripts. There were very few of these script or people that are able to create scripts like these: I don't know of any of them except for my Pocket Loox 720 and iPAQ hx4700 upgrade restore scripts.
Other backup-related extra features / functionality group: here, I've elaborated on some other, miscellaneous features like file exclusion (you, for example, not necessarily want to back up lengthy MP3 or AVI files on your, say, storage cards), the ability to back up storage cards (which is also an often asked-for feature, even when it can be done very easily by hand as backing up a storage card is just a file system copy and doesn't involve backing up the "invisible" Registry / WinCE database) and backing up to the built-in memory (instead of cards). The latter can be very useful when you don't have a memory card around and want to just create an easy-to-restore snapshot of your device, which, then, you transfer to your desktop computer at once. Then, if your Pocket PC is hard reset, you can still transfer it back to your PDA and restore it in there.
Battery level triggered backup deserves special attention in here.
Battery level depletion, in most cases, is a long process and happens when a Pocket PC is not used for weeks. Backup applications that do check the battery level and, if it's sufficiently low, initiate an immediate backup, therefore, don't use constant battery level monitoring (with, say, a resident, always-running service) but instruct the operating system to invoke the battery level checker executable code every, say, hour (the case with Sprite and iPAQ Backup; with the Sunnysoft application, the battery level checking interval can be freely set between 30 and 180 minutes). These checks will happen all the time even when the device is switched off (suspended). As can be seen, it does provide sufficient protection against slow battery depletion (that is, when you forget to recharge your PDA for weeks).
With WM5, this (and only this!) is unnecessary as everything is stored in ROM and there is no point in making backups of it - a battery depletion won't erase ROM.
Odyssey Client compatibility: many have reported problems with the Odyssey wireless client shipped with the Dell Axim x50/x51 devices. In here, I've checked whether the given applications correctly back up/ restore my x51v and whether the Odyssey client is fully usable after the restoration. Fortunately, all WM5-compliant backup apps fared well in this respect.
Selections: Separate backup group: in here, I've elaborated on whether the given application is able to do separate backups in a given category. For example, within the PIM category, is it able to separately backup, say, the Appointments database only, or, will it only backup all PIM data (contacts, tasks, appointments) only as one entity. The other categories are the same: in the E-mails? category, I've checked whether it's able to backup separate e-mails, one by one (as is, for example, Sunnysoft Backup Manager) etc.
Finally, in Selection save/load / revert, I've scrutinized whether the applications are able to save / load or, at least, revert to the latest selection (that is, undo the latest changes as far as user selection is concerned). Only the Sunnysoft app has (limited) support for this (reverting to the latest one).
The Separate restore group elaborates on whether you have the same freedom at restore time as with the backup time in selecting the files, databases etc. For example, early Spb Backup versions didn't give the same freedom to users as later ones or competing products. Now, basically, you can select anything to restore.
NOTE that the article continues below, in a separate post (the forum engine cuts the messages at 64 kbytes; this is why I'm not able to post it in its entirety in just one post.)
3. Old, "legacy" backup (or otherwise not recommended) apps
In this chapter, I also introduce and explain built-in backup applications coming with Pocket PC's. Note that the list doesn't contain HTC's xBackup and the backup application used on Acer devices (I don't have access to them.) Based on this, you may have the choice to decide whether the built-in backup tool (if any) is sufficient for your purposes (except for iPAQ Backup, they're all very poor) or you'd prefer purchasing a third-party tool / begin using ActiveSync's backup features.
3.1 (Casio) Card Backup
(Reviewed version: the one coming on the Casio Cassiopeia E-125)
This is a very-very simple application without any advanced functionality (for example, there is no scheduling), which is pretty understandable if you take its age (over six years!) into account.
This is the main dialog and the main menu. This is the backup dialog. A screenshot of a backup in progress (there is not even a progress bar!)
According to Pocket PC Thoughts forum member Cybrid, earlier versions of this tool were unreliable. Some others (for example, PPCT forum member Barak), however, reported it (or at least versions running on later, ARM-based Casio Pocket PC’s like the E-200) to be fully reliable and dependable. That is, the problems Cybrid has mentioned may only affect old(er), MIPS-based Casios.
3.2 CF Backup/Restore
(Reviewed version: the one coming with the Compaq iPAQ 3660 ROM version 2.20.02)
This really simple and incapable (it doesn't support scheduling, passwords, exclusions, selections or anything like that) application was the default backup utility on earlier Pocket PC 2002 iPAQ's (including the Pocket PC 2002 upgrade for the 31xx/36xx series iPAQ's). Later, with the 39xx series, Compaq has switched to an ealy version of Sprite (then: Pocket) Backup.
Pocket PC Thoughts forum member Cybrid has mentioned there was a RAM upgrade for this tool, making it much more reliable. I couldn’t find a track of a downloadable version any more.
This is a screenshot of the main dialog.
3.3 iPAQ Backup
(Reviewed version 1.1.0.6 coming with the HP iPAQ 2210 with ROM version 1.10)
This application delivered with later (h39xx / h5450) Pocket PC 2002 iPAQ's and all the WM2003(SE) iPAQ's has always been the best backup application coming pre-installed on pre-WM5 Pocket PC's. As can be seen in this (generic backup options), this (scheduling options) and this (file / PIM database / other database / Registry selector tree), it has always supported separate (!) PIM database, separate WinCE database, separate files and, of course, selectable Registry backup. It also supports compression, encryption, (also recurring: daily/weekly) scheduling, battery level-triggered backup with settable threshold backup. Its (selective) restoring capabilities are pretty good too. Also, it has no problems with backing up protected (locked) Pocket PC's in scheduled mode.
As can clearly be seen, it's only slightly worse than the "real" Sprite Backup. Fortunately, it’s even upgradeable to the current, 3.1.4 version (NOT for the WM5-compliant Series 5!) of the pre-WM5 Sprite Backup for $15 (that is, half the retail price). It, however, seems the license is iPAQ only, unlike other Sprite licenses, which can be used on any Pocket PC models as it requires iPAQ Backup (or a previous, pre-3.x version of Sprite Backup) on the device you install it to.
3.4 FSC (Fujitsu-Siemens Computers) Backup
(Reviewed version 2.53 coming with the updated F-S Pocket Loox 720)
A screenshot of the main dialog.
This, compared to any third-party commercial application (or to even iPAQ Backup), is pretty rudimentary app comes with pre-WM5 Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket Loox devices. It supports passwords and pretty rudimentary (group-based (but not file-level)) selection. Upon restoring (main dialog here), you can't even selectively choose the data to be restored: that is, if you untick "Entire system", the "Available data" chooser button won't be activated. The latter will only be activated when you don't do a full backup; then, you'll be able to decide what to restore. This, however, won't backup your entire Pocket PC; only when you directly supply the root directory upon backing up as can be seen in here.
Note that this application is so simple that it doesn't let for having multiple backups on a given storage card (or in the LOOXstore - that is, the built-in Flash storage of Pocket Loox computers). To lift this restriction (if you want to store more than one backup files on your PDA), you can safely move the created \FSCBackupDir\ FSCBackup.fsb file to anywhere else on the file system and, before restoration, just copy the needed backup file back to the \FSCBackupDir directory on your given storage card you'd like to restore the backup file from. The situation is the same with other built-in backup apps suffering from the same restriction (for example, the Casio back-up app): just move the backup file into another directory somewhere in the file system and only copy it back when it's the version that you'd like to restore.
Needless to say, third-party, commercial backup solutions let for storing any number of backups on any medium without the need for manual hacks like this.
3.5 Data Backup (Dell Axim devices)
(Reviewed version 3.10 b 21796 coming with the Dell Axim x51v ROM version A12)
Main screenshot here
This doesn't support anything fancy either: no scheduling, no exclusions, no real selections, no passwords etc. Upon restoration, your only choice is either choosing the last (default) or any other file. An in-backup example is here.
Note that it's only lately that its bugs have all been fixed; this means it (at last) works flawlessly as of ROM version A12 of the Dell Axim x51v (I've thoroughly checked this); older versions, on the other hand, may have problems, particularly PIM restoration-wise. If you have an earlier version of this utility (for example, you're using a Dell Axim x50 series PDA with WM5), you may want to prefer another tool or do what some Axim users recommend: that is, backup both "all" and "PIM" separately and, then, restore all, and, then, PIM.
3.6 A comparison chart of built-in backup applications
Note that the chart is much smaller than the comparison chart showing current, commercial, third-party backup solutions. The reason for this is very simple: these applications (except for iPAQ Backup) are really incapable and, therefore, there'd be no point in trying to include all of the test cases (the answer would be negative with the missing ones).
The chart can be found here.
As can clearly be seen, except for iPAQ Backup, all these legacy / bundled backup applications are definitely less capable and worse than current third-party backup apps because, in general, they lack even basic functionality like password protection or scheduling and some of them (may) have severe bugs.
4. Verdict
Choosing the right third-party solution all depends on your needs (do you need to backup in scheduled mode? password-protected devices? do you need to do selective restores? do you need restoration capabilities over ROM upgrades?) and the operating system version of your PDA.
If you have a WM5 device: now that all the four major backup applications are fully compatible with WM5 and don't fail at restoring even the most intricate data, it's much harder to choose from between them.
Of the applications, I tend to recommend SKTools (a cheap, all-in-one solution with, compared to Sprite Backup's capabilities, not very advanced features, but still reliable) and Sprite Backup (expensive, but, as far as the Device Upgrade mode, its speed and desktop tools are concerned, really unique application). I particularly recommend the latter for people that upgrade / reflash their ROM on a daily basis (there are quite a few people like these on XDA-Developers - one of them being me ). They will love the Device Upgrade mode (if it does work, that is - see my bepe/KTamas vs. Molski remarks in the Sprite section).
This doesn't mean the other applications are worse or useless - they are also very good. You may definitely want to give a try to them too if you don't need for example the Device Upgrade mode or, with the Sunnysoft app, the need for backing up password-protected devices (Spb Backup is able to do the latter with the notification hack).
If you have a pre-WM5 device, you may also want to have a look at both ActiveSync and ArtSSave (in addition to the four above-listed, (also) WM5-compliant applications). Furthermore, if you're a pre-WM5 iPAQ user, you will find the features / reliability of the built-in iPAQ Backup pretty good.
5. Further information
There are several (mostly pretty old) articles & reviews on these applications. Also, there are a lot of threads on them. Some of these:
Spb Backup review page (Note that none of these are comparative reviews. That is, these articles are more of just an introduction of what the app is capable of. As they are targeted at novice users wanting to read verbose explanations of what features a decent backup application has, I heartily recommend these to all novice users.)
Sprite Backup - Best Practise
Sprite or SPB Backup?
Backup Solutions for your Pocket PC - a very old (over four years) article; if, however, you're interested what was current as of July 2002, give it a read. Pocket PC Thoughts has also started an interesting (now more of historical interest), related thread here.
Pocket Backup Plus 2.0: The Best Backup Program Available: also an old (2003) article, discusses Pocket Backup (which was the original name of Sprite Backup)
Backup & Restore FAQ - it's even older (back to the WinCE 2.1 days, in 1999) and, now, pretty useless. I only list it for "history freaks".
AKAJohnDoe's My Backup Strategy - an excellent article. It's in a Palm OS-related thread but also lists Pocket PC-related info.
Note that my previous backup-related articles also contain some other links.
Discussions of this article: AximSite, FirstLoox, BrightHand.
UPDATE (09/26/2006): Just Another Mobile Monday frontpage, AKAJohnDoe link-in, akheron's mentioning he would add it to the AximSite e-books.
UPDATE (09/27/2006): PPCT frontpage; added some additional remarks / details, mainly based on the remarks of Cybrid and freemans. Also added some additional Axim Data Backup, Sprite Backup and Spb Backup-related remarks.
I cant seem to find the SPB Backup notification hack. Where is it??
freeyayo50 said:
I cant seem to find the SPB Backup notification hack. Where is it??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In section "2.2.1 Quick tip: Backing up devices with system-level password set with Spb Backup "
Thanx. So let me get this str8. SPB Backup cannot run on a device thats password protected in stand-by mode? So the notification wakes the device up so SPB can run. Am i correct?
freeyayo50 said:
Thanx. So let me get this str8. SPB Backup cannot run on a device thats password protected in stand-by mode? So the notification wakes the device up so SPB can run. Am i correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. Except for if you have a Wizard with the AKU3.2 ROM (it might be the same with the Universal / MDA III with the AKU3.2 ROM though - someone could give it a try) - then, Spb Backup works without any hacks.
Is it possible using any of these to upgrade the HP iPAQ 6510 or 6515 using a back up from a HP iPAQ 6915?
This would be invaluable as they are all basically the same device but there is no WM5.0 upgrade for the 6510 or 6515 which currenly using WM2003. Based on the readings the only thing that might have a chance is Sprite Backup but I dont think it supports cross OS backups? (seeing as you have to buy different version for different OS's) Perhaps this is possible and I am misunderstanding?
If there is a known way to do this please point me in the right direction.
orko said:
Is it possible using any of these to upgrade the HP iPAQ 6510 or 6515 using a back up from a HP iPAQ 6915?
This would be invaluable as they are all basically the same device but there is no WM5.0 upgrade for the 6510 or 6515 which currenly using WM2003. Based on the readings the only thing that might have a chance is Sprite Backup but I dont think it supports cross OS backups? (seeing as you have to buy different version for different OS's) Perhaps this is possible and I am misunderstanding?
If there is a known way to do this please point me in the right direction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Generally, the Sprite folks don't recommend cross-main version (WM5 vs WM2003SE, for example) restoration. It may work to a certain degree (file system & 3rd party application-specific registry); PIM stuff will be needed to be restored via plain ActiveSync synchronization.
That is, you can give it a try but don't expect much - WM2003(SE) and WM5 are radically different on the engine level (particularly as far as the WinCE databases are concerned), unlike, say, WM2003 and WM2003SE. I think the same will happen as with, say, my trying to cross-restore stuff from different WM5 AKU versions - that is, some functionality will just don't work and they must be left out from the restoration process.
Menneisyys said:
Generally, the Sprite folks don't recommend cross-main version (WM5 vs WM2003SE, for example) restoration. It may work to a certain degree (file system & 3rd party application-specific registry); PIM stuff will be needed to be restored via plain ActiveSync synchronization.
That is, you can give it a try but don't expect much - WM2003(SE) and WM5 are radically different on the engine level (particularly as far as the WinCE databases are concerned), unlike, say, WM2003 and WM2003SE. I think the same will happen as with, say, my trying to cross-restore stuff from different WM5 AKU versions - that is, some functionality will just don't work and they must be left out from the restoration process.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Darn I was really hoping it would backup the complete OS and stick it on there
It was worth a shot anyways.
Thanks for your response and all of this useful information.
UPDATE (01/11/2007):
1. Some very good news: Sprite Software will release a desktop-based backup file explorer tool very soon. In here, I explain how it compares to the alternative Spb / ActiveSync backup file explorers. This also means it’ll no longer lack a desktop backup file explorer / extractor tool.
2. Sunnysoft has released a brand new, 4.0 version of their backup suite. Expect a full review & comparison soon.
Excellent information! I personally (for what its worth from a n00b) use Spb Backup. It gets the job done, and quickly too, thats all I needed it to do. I liked the fact that it can store it on your memory card too. Great program.
UPDATE (09/12/2007):
The Sprite folks have just published an Spb vs. Sprite Backup chart, mostly based on mine, updated to cover both WM6 and their last, recently-released Sprite Backup version 6. It also has some new, WM6 screenshots, might be worth giving it a thorough read as, in thenear future, I probably won't have the time to update the Bible to cover Sprite Backup 6.
Should you "only" need to backup / restore / transfer your PIM, mail and phone data (everythign except MMS messages), you will seriously want to consider the free (!) PIM Backup, which does all this. See THIS tutorial for a complete tutorial.
Awsome article Menneisyys! Was very helpful in making my decision on which backup program to buy, if only I didn't flash custom ROM's so much.
Sprite Explorer
Hi there,
has anyone run into trouble like me yet with Sprite Explorer failing to extract data from their devices' backup?
Well I get the following error when I attempt to extract data from the backup files to my device: "unable to extract to device". Extracting to a folder does not work either.
Please help!
YOSEFE.
This is some nice info. Should be a sticky.
JCreations said:
This is some nice info. Should be a sticky.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks... no place for being sticky, however. If we stickied all my guides / Bibles like this one, then, there would be no space left for regular posts
However, all these Bibles are also available in the Wiki.
Now that I’ve published my quick tutorial on mass-deleting / marking (un)read mail items in all mobile operating systems I’ve just been asked by my blog reader natestera on how the same can be done under WM5+ to PIM ("Personal Information Manager") data like calendar (appointment) info, contacts and tasks.
I’ve already elaborated on this subject in some forum posts and articles some two or three years ago. As, in the meantime,
WM5 has changed the way contacts can be mass-deleted in its built-in Contacts client (read: it no longer offers mass-selection/deletion capabilities; note that it didn’t change the way tasks and appointments are handled, though. That is, it didn’t introduce mass-selection / deletion capabilities to appointments and it didn’t take away the mass (incl. Ctl + A) /block selection capabilities of Tasks);
SKTools, the, in my opinion, best all-in-one system tool, received mass deletion capabilities; so did the brand new and, what is more, free PIM Backup;
some third-party PIM handler applications also received (some) mass-deletion capabilities and
my previous tutorials didn’t elaborate on the touchscreen-less MS Smartphone platform, only Pocket PC’s,
I found it necessary to publish a brand new, all-in-one tutorial on all these questions.
Note that this tutorial both elaborates on Pocket PC’s (with a touchscreen) and touchscreen-less MS Smartphones. Section 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 all apply to both operating systems. It’s only Chapter 2 (see Section 2.1 and 2.2) that separately discusses third-party PIM replacement applications for the two platforms.
1.1 Built-in Windows Mobile PIM apps
First, let's take a look at how the built-in Windows Mobile applications show PIM data and whether they allow for mass selection:
1.1.1 Pocket PC’s
Appointments:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
(Tools / Options doesn’t have anything like this either: 1 2)
Contacts:
As can clearly be seen, starting with WM5, the contact list is not a simple, textual list any more; this may be one of the reasons why, for example, Ctl+A (on the on-screen keyboard or with external apps like AEButtonPlus capable of generating "Select all" events) or traditional block-selection keyboard shortcuts (usable from external keyboards or built-in thumbboards) don’t work any more – unlike with apps (still) based on the usual list view (like, for example, File Explorer Mobile.)
(No mass-deletion in the contact options either.)
On the touchscreen-based Pocket PC’s (but NOT on Smartphones – with the latter, not even hacks like that of AEButtonPlus work), it’s only with Tasks that mass selection (with either the stylus or Ctl-A on the on-screen keyboard) is possible:
Of course, answer Yes to the question:
1.1.2 MS Smartphones
As far as the MS Smartphone platform is concerned, the situation is equally bad with Contacts and Calendar:
and definitely worse with Tasks: unlike with Pocket PC’s, you can’t mass-delete your tasks in there. Yes, not even with "Select all" button hacks like AEButtonPlus.
1.2 Third-party tools for mass-deletion
If you do need mass deletion capabilities and you don’t want to go for a complete, PIM deletion-capable PIM replacement (or, desktop-based deletion), your best choice will be either the very capable and nice, but commercial SKTools and/or the free, but still very capable and useful PIM Backup.
Also note that, for example, MemMaid (another, excellent generic maintenance utility) also offers PIM database emptying features. As I consider MemMaid less featureful than SKTools and generally prefer the latter to the former, I don’t elaborate on it in this tutorial – I only stick to SKTools and the free PIM Backup.
1.2.1 SKTools
S-K-Tools is an all-in-one system cleaner application with quick PIM deletion capabilities. It’s available for both Pocket PC (equipped with a touchscreen) and touchscreen-less MS Smartphones. Note that it’s a commercial application; if you "only" need PIM data deletion and you are absolutely sure you won’t ever need the other (excellent) features of SKTools, you will want to prefer PIM Backup (see section 1.2.2) instead. Not that SKTools would be that expensive: actually, it’s very cheap, well worth the money.
First, go to View / PIM:
(note that I only show you MS Smartphone screenshots in here; in general, you need to do the same on touschscreen-enabled Pocket PC’s.)
Go to "Delete PIM information":
Check the PIM category you want to clean up; in the following screenshot, it’s Appointments:
Select Action/ Delete:
Answer Yes to the question coming up:
And, then, No (!!!) to the next one (NOT Yes!):
Note that you can delete more categories at once:
1. If you want to delete everything, just select Action / Delete All
2. If you want to delete the contents of several categories at once (but not all of them), tick their checkbox like in here:
3. and select Action/ Delete Marked.
1.2.2 PIM Backup
I’ve elaborated on PIM Backup’s cross-device PIM transfer capabilities HERE, along with those of SKTools. Fortunately, (as of version 2.8), it already supports emptying these databases too. As PIM Backup is free, it’s an excellent choice for mass deletion operations like this.
After downloading the app, transferring the single EXE file to your handset, running it and it firing up (the latter can take a while), you’ll be presented all the PIM databases. Go to Options / Delete All:
and select the category you’d like to empty. Answer Yes to the question:
After the deletion has successfully completed, you’ll be presented a success message:
PIM Backup, of course, also works on the MS Smartphone platform as well; an example result of the above Appointments deletion is as follows:
1.2.3 What about Pocket dbExplorer 3.0 ?
Pocket dbExplorer was one of my favorite system hacker tools back in the pre-WM5 days. Let’s take a look at the brand new, 3.0 version, which is already compatible with WM5+.
Unfortunately, it still isn’t able to empty databases, "only" view / modify / export / backup / delete these databases. However, as you may need the latter functionality (it can prove pretty useful in other cases), I still elaborate on it. (AGAIN, you can NOT use it for deleting PIM info – "only" manipulating / exporting / transferring it! This section is only for hackers and geeks!)
First, in order to be able to access these system databases, you must click the "Object Store" drop-down list in the upper left corner and select "Open External Volume...":
Now, double-tap pim.vol:
You’ll be taken to its internal database list:
Unfortunately, you can, NOT empty them:
Deletion gets rid of it completely as can also be seen in THIS screenshot.
Note that you don’t need to check in the "Show system databases" checkbox in Tools / Options.
1.3 Mass-deleting PIM info on the desktop
You can also delete your PIM data on the desktop – if you do synchronize your PIM stuff to your, say, Outlook on your desktop, you can easily mass delete your stuff in there. Fortunately, Outlook allows for mass PIM deletion – also including appointments.
After you delete your useless PIM info on the desktop, the next ActiveSync / (on Windows Vista,) Mobile Device Center synchronization will make sure these records will also be deleted on your handset.
2. Mass deletion capabilities of third-party PIM applications
Several Windows Mobile users use third-party PIM applications like Pocket Informant / Agenda Fusion on the Pocket PC and Pocket Informant / Agenda One / Papyrus on the MS Smartphone, let’s take a look at how these apps handle mass deletion. Note that you will NOT want to use these, in most cases, pretty bloated (albeit VERY useful and capable) apps if you "only" want to delete your PIM stuff – SKTools or, even better, PIM Backup is far better suited for "simple" PIM data cleanup.
2.1 Pocket PC
2.1.1 Pocket Informant 8.02
Contacts (and tasks - but, again, you can do the same in the default Tasks application of Windows Mobile Pocket PC!) can be easily mass-deleted after selecting them all (or a block of them) with the stylus:
While, in the default calendar view, it can’t delete more than one appointment at a time, you can easily do this in the powerful Search View. (Also see page 54 (Search View (SV)) in the PDF manual HERE). It’s really powerful and customizable; note that you can search for an empty string (or, an asterisk (*)) if you want to list everything:
Note that the above screenshot shows all kinds of PIM data, not only Calendar. Should you want to stick to Calendar data only, make sure you untick the Tasks etc. icons in the upper toolbar before (re-)running the wildcard search; then, only the Calendar items will be listed, ready for mass-selection with the stylus (or, if you want to quickly select everything, Ctl-A on the on-screen keyboard):
2.1.2 Agenda Fusion 8.60
In Agenda Fusion, you can mass-select Contacts and delete them in one step:
You can’t, however, do the same to appointments or tasks; they need to be deleted one-by-one:
(Of course, as the operating system supports mass-deleting Tasks, the latter isn't really a problem - always use the built-in Tasks in Windows Mobile to delete these tasks.)
2.2 MS Smartphone
Unfortunately, the situation (compared to that of the Pocket PC) is much worse with the MS Smartphone platform: the three leading PIM suites, Pocket Informant, Agenda One and Papyrus, don’t offer mass selection / deletion capabilities at all or don’t really support mass-selection using built-in dialpads / keyboards. The "Select All" hack of AEBPlus, explained in my previous, mail deletion article doesn’t work with any of them, either.
2.2.1 Pocket Informant 8.02
As with the PPC version, you’ll need to go to the Search View so that you can mass-select any kind of PIM info:
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a way on my HTC Vox (s710) to highlight more than one element in the list when only using the built-in dialpad or the QWERTY thumbboard (again, Shift did not work as expected – this, however, doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t work with Motorola / Samsung Smartphones, though). However, with an external keyboard (tested with Pocket Controller; should also work with BT keyboards like the iGo StowAway one), it does work as can be seen in here:
(in here, I’ve mass-selected four items)
Unfortunately, my (multiple – deleting both tasks and appointments) deletion attempts resulted in a crash:
I'm pretty sure the developer will fix the latter bug and adds mass selection capabilities using the numeric dialpad - together with, say, #, as is the case with Symbian S60 smart phones without a dedicated Pencil key.
2.2.2 Agenda One 8309
The (pretty extensive) Options doesn’t offer this either:
(The situation is the same with the Tasks / Calendar view.)
Shift + cursor doesn’t work with external keyboards, unlike in Pocket Informant.
2.2.3 Papyrus 1.3.17
I didn’t find a way to mass-delete appointments or tasks (the app doesn’t handle contacts at all). You can only delete them one by one by selecting it and, then, selecting Delete. Shift + cursor mass selection doesn’t work (unlike in Pocket Informant) with an external keyboard either.
UPDATE (later the same day): there’s another, brand new utility to clean up the PIM data on WM5+ devices, PocketOutlook Eraser. As of current, 1.1 version, it requires Compact Framework 2 (CF2) to run. CF2 is integrated into WM6 devices – but not into WM5 ones. You’ll find the CF2 installer CAB file HERE. Also note that, as opposed to the initial version, it already creates a link to the main executable.
(WM6 Smartphone screenshot)
(WM6 VGA PPC screenshot)
(Thanks to my blog reader John for the heads-up!)
Note that DotFred's PPCContactsMgr (see http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/get-ppccontactsmgr-v1-6.html for download and http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=283413 for more info and the original thread) also allows for (mass) contact deletion.
i also have this
http://oldsap.blogspot.com/2008/06/os-clean-calendar.html
although it's only for Tasks and Appointments sir
very good post! thanks for taking the time to write such a thorough text.
oldsap said:
i also have this
http://oldsap.blogspot.com/2008/06/os-clean-calendar.html
although it's only for Tasks and Appointments sir
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Thanks, will also mention this in the following update.
thanks for the info...
btw those are some mighty big screenshots
absorber786 said:
btw those are some mighty big screenshots
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Yup, generally I take large, nice VGA screenshots
Menneisyys said:
Yup, generally I take large, nice VGA screenshots
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Just wait until the Touch HD screen shots start popping up, now those will be big
Dave