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TUTORIAL: Create links to the programs in your Settings menu! A full explanation & never-before-published, full comparison list
An often-asked question concerns how you can set up direct links to the control panel applets (CPL's for short) in Start/Settings.
What's the point in all this, you may ask. Why not simply tap Start and, then, Settings and, finally, the icon you want to execute?
Yes, for a casual user, there's not much need in creating self-standing links to these files. There're, however, cases when this can prove really useful – for example, the case of including them in Today launcher plug-ins that, otherwise, don't let access to any of these applets otherwise. A well-known example of plug-ins like those is Resco File Explorer's excellent Today plug-in or in the free cLaunch. (Please see this (alternatives: iPAQ HQ, AximSite, PPC Magazine, FirstLoox, BrightHand) for more info on these excellent applications and the alternatives.)
Most of these settings are invoked from a central dialog file, \Windows\cplmain.cpl. Some additional, custom settings may have been put in a separate file, \Windows\mycpl.cpl. Finally, third-party applications that install their own settings dialogs create their own .cpl files inside the \Windows directory. For example, SOTi Pocket Controller (see this article on it) creates a file DeviceConfig.cpl, Mad Programmer's FileDialogChanger (see this article on it) uses a file named filedlgchg.cpl to offer the user the File Dialog Changer settings, Mad Programmer's Force Hi-resolution tool (see this article on it) puts a ForceHires.cpl file in there etc. The same stands for Spb Pocket Plus, MS Voice Command (please see this article for a full roundup of all voice controller apps) and XCPUScalar.
What should I do?
It's simple: create a .lnk file with the following contents:
33#ctlpnl.exe cplmain.cpl,X
OR
33#ctlpnl.exe mycpl.cpl,X
where X is a number that I'll promptly elaborate on.
As has already been pointed out, only one file, cplmain.cpl (or, with some device, mycpl.cpl in addition) contains most of the settings accessible in Start/Settings. One file containing many small applets also means that you need to choose a particular one in some way. That's why you must index the file; this numeric index (1, 2 etc.) tells cplmain.cpl which particular applet you'd like to access.
As far as the possible values of this are concerned, there're standardized ones. If you check out the "iPAQ 3660" column in the comparison chart available here (and disregard the 3 - Power record and everything starting with "MyCpl – 0"), you'll see what you can expect from any Pocket PC 2002+ Pocket PC.
Note that WM2003 added the standard 22-Manage Certificates and WM5 the standard 24-Error reporting and, with most WM5 Pocket PC devices, 25-GPS. Also, Pocket PC Phone Edition devices, regardless of their operating system version, also use the 20 - Phone Settings index. Finally, all Pocket PC's with the Microsoft BT stack use 23 – MS Bluetooth too. (Devices with the Widcomm BT stack use the separate \Windows\BTConfigCE.cpl CPL.)
It's also very important to point out that 3 – Power and 6 – Backlight is not necessarily available in all devices. For example, the iPAQ 2210 lacks both, the iPAQ 3660 lacks 6 – Backlight , while all the other listed devices have them all.
Also note the records starting with MyCpl are, as you may have already guessed, non-standard ones. It's there that the two iPAQ's have some essential applets (Backlight and, with the 2210, also Power) and some additional goodies.
Please note that lists compiled by others (for example the XDA-Developers one) are not generic enough and may contain several mistakes. Therefore, it's best not to rely on them at all. Also remember that you can freely test any indexes – you won't crash your Pocket PC if a particular index is unused.
You don't want to manually create .lnk files?
No problem, I've already done it for you! Just download this file and extract the link file(s) you'll need.
Note that the root directry of the ZIP file only contains CPL links that are guaranteed to work on all PPC2k2+ devices. I've put the additional ones in subdirectories – for example, links belonging to later operating systems (directories FromWM2003 and FromWM5), the 3 – Power and 6 – Backlight PCL's, the MS BT stack link and the PPC Phone Edition Phone Settings link.
Also, there's a separate subdirectory 'mycpl' for (unnamed – as you can also see in the comparison chart, indexes are wildly different between different devices) MyCpl link files.
Hope you'll find this information / my files useful. I really hope you'll like the new ability to include all this functionality in the Resco Today plug-in and/or cLaunch – or, for that matter, your operating system-level scripts!
Also a little bit more info on this subject + an icon extractor:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?p=223602#223602
V
When I put the link in my /windows/startmenu folder it's deleted after soft-reset of opening my start menu. What can I do about this and why is it happening?
What icon are you putting in there?
V
vijay555 said:
What icon are you putting in there?
V
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a file I called Running.lnk with the following line:
Code:
22#ctlpnl cplmain.cpl,4,0?shellres.dll,-13900
I noticed that after soft reset or clicking the start menu this file is moved to the /windows/startmenu/programs folder. And thus appears in my programs list. But what I want is this link in my Start Menu.
Very odd.
Try making the shortcut as you've done, put it in your normal start menu, and then make a lnk to the lnk. Put the lnk to the lnk in your startup, and see if that makes any difference.
You could try my program VJBrisk as well. I can't even think what it does now, but it might help.
V
I tryed making another link to the first one and putting it in the startup but it didn't make any difference.
After this i tryed putting the lnk in the startmenu folder and at the same time removing another lnk file. And voila , it workt. Seems that wm5 keeps track of the amount of lnk files that should be in the startmenu folder. Makes sense because there is a limit to how long your startmenu can be.
Thanks for your help
ps. I changed the line in the link file to the following. This way it has the memory icon.
Code:
22#ctlpnl cplmain.cpl,4,0?shellres.dll,-13900
You’ve installed a new application and, now, can’t boot in your Pocket PC? Ever wondered how you can boot into a Safe Mode similar to the desktop Windows Safe Mode to disable all third-party applications and services? Read this!
1. A quick (executive) summary
If you don’t want to read the article in its entirety (I DO recommend the latter – it contains a LOT of never-before-published tips and plain English explanations of what is happening behind the scenes!), here’s what you should do:
depending on your preferences, get either Spb Pocket Plus or iLauncher, install it
if you encounter boot-in problems (the device wouldn’t boot after installing a new application and resetting the device), make sure you quickly (in less than one minute after the first reset attempt) reset the device so that the Safe Mode boot message is triggered and displayed
when the above-mentioned message is displayed, tap the screen area; Spb Pocket Plus / iLauncher will boot in Safe Mode
now, simply go to Settings/System/Remove Programs and remove the application
finally, click the “Reset” button on Spb Pocket Plus / iLauncher. It’ll reboot in the standard (non-safe) mode – now, without the offending application.
1.1 Non-bootable Pocket PC’s?
However much the Windows Mobile operating system is much safer than many desktop operating systems, there may be cases when things just go wrong and you just won’t be able to boot in: after resetting the device, it will just hang at the boot splash screen.
This is particularly true of cases when you install new software. There are some well-known software products (or unlucky combinations of them) that are bound to cause sometimes severe, reset-time problems. Just two of the well known “dangerous” cases:
some old(er) ThinkOutside StowAway drivers (for example, version 4.3) installed on some specific Pocket PC models (for example, the Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket Loox 720): after the (self)-reset upon installation, the device, in general (particularly if you don’t enable Bluetooth before starting the install), most probably just hangs and not even subsequent resets help in most cases.
trying to install the two great Pocket Internet Explorer / Internet Explorer Mobile plug-ins MultiIE and PIEPlus on the same time (not all the time, mostly when it’s not a clean device). In these cases, if you’re unlucky enough, the device is rendered unbootable and you will need to do a hard reset if there are no other chances to make it work again. (Note that alone these plug-ins cause no problems at all. Also note that this is the case with all the versions I’ve tested – even the latest ones.)
In this article, I explain how, with which applications you can fight all these problems. First, I provide a generic overview of the booting sequence of the Windows Mobile operating system so that you know where things can go wrong. Note that you don’t need to understand it: if you don’t, it’s no problem, you will still understand the rest of this article. However, it casts light on a lot of issues discussed in the article and, therefore, is highly recommended.
2. The booting sequence
In this section, I explain the sequence the Windows Mobile operating system executes software during booting in. Software also means third-party software – that is, software like the above-mentioned MultiIE, PIEPlus or the StowAway unified driver. Note that I don’t explain how system software is booted in as it’s irrelevant in this case: I only pay attention to explaining how third-party software is executed. Again, it’s user-installed third-party software that causes unbootability problems.
2.1 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ init\
The first place Windows Mobile can run into user-installed software is the executable list stored in the Registry, under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ init key. (I’ll also refer to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE as HKLM.)
This list (to put it simply) contains values named LaunchX with the value of an EXE file contained in \Windows. The name, LaunchX, ends in a number (here, denoted by an X); in general, it’s between 1 and 80…90 and can take any value in between. The smaller the number, the more early the execution of the given application. For example, if, say, the systems executable gwes.exe is Launch30 and, say, the third-party executable SafeMode.exe is Launch49, then, you can be sure it’s gwes.exe that executes first and only after this follows the execution of SafeMode.exe.
2.1.1 HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID DLL’s
In this section, not only direct execution is possible: it’s also now that the (executable), in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID (I’ll also refer to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT as HKCR) section registered DLL files are (indirectly) executed. For example, both MultiIE and PIEPlus (as far as the current versions are concerned; older versions still used the “traditional” \Windows\ Startup directory to start them) are initialized this way.
This also means you can only avoid problems caused by DLL’s listed under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID if you use a Safe Mode application that is loaded before the latter DLL’s are loaded. Only Safe Mode applications that are loaded in the first stage (that is, from HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ init) are capable of this – in our case, Spb Pocket Plus only.
2.1.1.1 Third-party Software Input Panels
Third-party Software Input Panels (SIPs for short) may also cause lock-up problems. Therefore, it may also be advantageous for a Safe Mode application to disable all the non-standard SIP’s to allow for booting in the device. SIP’s are also stored under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID and are a special class of executables.
2.2 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Services
After the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ init executable files and the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID DLL’s have been loaded / initialized, the operating system loads the services listed in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Services, also in the Registry.
In addition to systems applications and services (for example, the OBEX driver), many Today plug-ins (for example, two of the reviewed Safe Mode applications, the non-Safe Mode related services of Spb Pocket Plus etc) and drivers (for example, the ThinkOutside drivers) register themselves in there. Therefore, it’s essential to have a Safe Mode application that is able to disable at least third-party applications in this section. Fortunately, all the available Safe Mode applications are capable of this, unlike with stopping the execution of the above-discussed executable third-party apps.
2.3 \Windows\ Startup
The most widely known place that contain autostart applications is the \Windows\ Startup directory in the file system. Not the Registry: it’s the only stage of loading third-party applications that they are directly stored in the file system. Many (much more than in the first three cases) applications are started from here (for example, the StowAway auto-starting configuration dialog after the install). Therefore, it’s essential for a Safe Mode application to disable all the applications that are stored or linked from \Windows\ Startup.
2.4 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Today
Finally, the Today plug-ins are loaded. Their list is stored in the Registry, under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Today key.
2.5 A quick note on the DB_notify_events database
Note that the “NOTIFICATION_EVENT_WAKEUP”, that is, the “The device woke up” event (which is sent via CeEventHasOccurred) is only sent when the device is powered up, NOT after a soft reset (there is no “callback after a soft reset” notification in WindowsCE as can also be seen in here).
This means Safe Mode applications need not disable any kind of events in DB_notify_events. (See Why ActiveSync- or Remove Programs-based uninstalling may not be sufficient? for more information on this database if interested. Note that as of version 2.0+ and 4.1+ (respectively), Skype and eWallet no longer register themselves in DB_notify_events.)
3. How do Safe Mode software products work?
3.1 Invocation, auto-timing
They are in common in that they ask the user whether he or she wants to boot into “safe mode”. To do this, the latter needs to either tap the screen (in a given region) or press a given hardware button (with one of the applications, mCube, this can be even configured; with the two other applications, only the Action button can be used for this.)
Two of the Safe Mode applications also offer a really decent feature: timing features. This mean they only present a “do you want to boot into safe mode” message if the last reset was less than one (with Spb Pocket Plus) or two (with iLauncher) minutes ago. Particularly with Spb Pocket Plus, where displaying the dialog may, on some (not all!) Pocket PC models, mean a six-seven-second long additional pause in the booting sequence, this is a big advantage over the “message is always displayed” case.
In most cases, using the timing feature will prove really useful. After all, if you have boot-time incompatibility problems, you are likely to reset your device quickly one after another. Even with the slowest-to-boot WM5 devices, this may mean consequent resets in under one minute. While Safe Mode apps operated in this mode won’t display the switch message (and won’t actively listen to the user input) during the first reset, they will do so upon encountering the second if it’s done really soon (as you would do when struggling with un-bootability problems).
3.2 Renaming / moving files and/or Registry keys/values
When the user instructs the given Safe Mode application to boot into Safe Mode, it, after doing some housekeeping (of which I’ll elaborate in this very section), it restarts (soft resets) the device again – now, already in Safe Mode.
To understand what happens during this is actually very easy and logical, particularly if you look at what two (mCube, iLauncher) of the three Safe Mode applications do. That is, they just move away the links/ executables from \Windows\ Startup to another directory in the file system and modify the Registry (SIP’s, Today plug-ins and HKLM\ Services) so that the system won’t be able to access these. Then, they just reboot the PC and let it just boot in as if it booted normally – now, without additional SIP’s, Today plug-ins, \Windows\ Startup applications and HKLM\ Services; that is, the potentional harmdoers. This means it’s only with very few cases that the device remains unbootable (again, the MultiIE + PIEPlus (HKCR/CLSID) case, where only Spb Pocket Plus is usable).
As soon as you’ve finished fixing the problems (for example, with the StowAway drivers, just manually starting the Bluetooth unit of your Pocket PC and, then, manually starting the StowAway application – this will fix everything), you just instruct these applications (by clicking their Reset buttons or other, designated screen areas) to move back all the links and executables to \Windows\ Startup in the file system and restore all the original registry values / keys from the backup (which you may already have modified) and just restart the machine.
Note that if you don’t use the Reset facility of the Safe Mode applications but directly reset the PDA (you shouldn’t do this, but, as is explained here, it won’t cause problems), they will notice (during the next reboot) this and will restore them. Notice that, in this case, you may end up having to re-reset the device again. (I’ve also thoroughly tested and elaborated in the comparison chart on this.)
Using a backup copy of these settings also means you should NEVER uninstall iLauncher or mCube while it’s in Safe mode; it’ll never restore your “unsafe” SIP / \Windows\ Startup files/ Today / HKLM\ Services settings and you’ll end up having to restore them yourself by hand, which isn’t easy for a newbie.
Note that Spb Pocket Plus, as opposed to the two other applications, does not rename / move files / registry values around. It uses much more sophisticated techniques to avoid loading unneeded, third-party boot-time stuff. This also means you don’t need to know how it modifies these values in order to be able to manually clean them up.
3.3 Cleaning up the device
Now that we know where the most “problematic” references are stored, let us have a look at whether these applications have built-in support to access these areas or you’ll need an external registry editor and a file explorer to make the cleanup.
One of the applications, mCube, contains a GUI that lists all these areas (except for HKLM\ init and non-SIP HKCR\CLSID stuff). That is, with it, you can use its (excellent) GUI to review all the potentially dangerous links or registry entries and can even delete them by hand.
Of course, the Settings/System/Remove Programs is the best way to do this, particularly with Registry entries. Note that, however, as mCube and iLauncer will copy back a saved file system/registry snapshot when you instruct them to reboot, some dead links may remain if you use Remove Programs. In this respect, Spb Pocket Plus’ backup-less solution is the best: Remove Programs will directly remove all the associated links / references and, consequently, you won’t run into ‘dangling link’ problems after a reboot.
The two other applications don’t offer any GUI like that of mCube. However, as most problems can (and, because of the high number of inter-related files and Registry entries, should) be fixed by simply using Settings/System/Remove Programs, this isn’t a problem.
4. Safe Mode software
4.1 Spb Pocket Plus
(tested, current version: 3.1.2)
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"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
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As far as Safe Mode functionality is concerned, this application is definitely the best. It’s better than the mCube app in that it’s also WM5-compatible. It’s also excellent in that it’s able to avoid loading HKCR\ CLSID classes (unlike the other two alternates): for example, this is why it’s the only application that offers MultiIE + PIEPlus clash-resolving capabilities.
Note that it doesn’t have full HKLM\ init filtering capabilities (I’ve tested this pretty thoroughly): if a misbehaving third-party program registers itself in HKLM\ init, not even Spb Pocket Plus will be able to boot in. Fortunately, very few applications register themselves in there and their number is constantly decreasing, particularly because of my article published a year ago on the matter (alternates: MobilitySite, AximSite, PPC Magazine, FirstLoox, BrightHand). For example, the latest version(2.98 and 1.65, respectively) of neither XCPUScalar nor Mad Programmer’s ForceHiRes register themselves in this section any more (but in the “traditional” \Windows\ Startup instead). (Note that, consequently, I needed to use version 1.51 of ForceHiRes, which still does this, in my current tests to find out more about real HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ init protection.)
This application has some disadvantages too. The most important is, as opposed to the two other apps, is the slightly increased boot time on some (not all!) Pocket PC models. On the WM2003SE F-S Pocket Loox 720, for example, the boot-in time is extended by six to seven seconds with always-on Safe Mode boot-time prompt; that is, if it is configured to actively ask the user whether the latter wants to switch to safe mode. By default (if you use the timer-dependent, default mode), there will be no additional waiting – that is, it’s highly preferable to use Spb Pocket Plus’ default Safe Mode setting, which only offers the (and, therefore, incurs the 6-7-second penalty) user the possibility of rebooting into Safe Mode if the last soft reset was less than a minute ago.
Note that there are no delay problems on some other devices; for example, the Dell Axim x51v . With ROM version A12, it boots in about 32 seconds, with both Safe Mode prompt disabled and enabled. That is, you will want to measure the boot time of the application on your particular PPC model to see whether you want to enable the always-on prompt or leave it at the default, timer-only mode to speed up the booting process.
It has no GUI to edit the contents of \Window\Startup or the Registry. However, this isn’t a big problem as in most cases you’ll just uninstall the misbehaving program, where the backup-less architecture of Spb Pocket Plus will really pay off in having no further problems of dangling, “dead” links.
4.2 iLauncher
(tested, current version: 3.0)
The brand new version of SBSH’s excellent Today launcher iLauncher also has support for Safe Mode.
Its Safe Mode capabilities are pretty good but, unfortunately, not as good as that of Spb Pocket Plus (read: there is no HKCR\ CLSID protection). However, it's still a good choice, particularly if you, generally, prefer it as a complete Today launcher and task manager solution to Spb Pocket Plus. I'll publish a complete comparison of the two applications in this respect later.
4.3 mCube's SafeMode
(tested, current version: 1.02. Note that mCube’s site is down for maintenance; it’s available here)
This free and, unfortunately, WM2003(SE)-only application was the first on the Pocket PC to deliver real Safe Mode.
In some respects, it’s certainly better than the two alternates (most importantly, the price (free), the GUI, the ability to assign any hardware button to it etc). It, however, is clearly worse than Spb Pocket Plus as far as HKCR\CLSID DLL file loading is concerned (and, of course, it isn’t WM5-compliant).
Therefore, while its price can’t be beaten, I recommend both Spb Pocket Plus and iLauncher over it – particularly for WM5 users.
5. The comparison chart is HERE (click the link to see the chart!)
5.1 Explanation for the chart
There isn’t much to explain here as the contents of this chart should already be clear if you understand Chapter 2 of the article.
6. Verdict
If you want to have the absolutely best solution, go for Spb’s Safe Mode. It, being loaded on the first real occasion, offers far better protection against bad-behaving programs than the other solutions.
If you don't want / need protection against misbehaving, HKCR \ CLSID-registered applications and/or would prefer iLauncher's capabilities over those of Spb Pocket Plus, go for the former - it's a very good application too and, as has already been pointed out, there are very few HKCR \ CLSID-based, "problematic" applications.
Hi Menneisyys,
Thanks for the great in-depth report. Your comments are always very valuable and useful to me in improving the software.
Although clearly there is plenty of room for improvement with iLauncher's safe mode, I'd like to point out two factual errors:
1) iLauncher safe mode can be engaged when tapping on the Action button (center of the D-Pad) when the prompt is displayed.
2) iLauncher safe mode does disable services. However, it will allow services to run that were installed prior to installing iLauncher.
Again, thank you for your great analysis. As always I take this as a challenge to improve.
-Jason-
Thanks for the comments!
JasonLP said:
1) iLauncher safe mode can be engaged when tapping on the Action button (center of the D-Pad) when the prompt is displayed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, fixed this in the chart.
JasonLP said:
2) iLauncher safe mode does disable services. However, it will allow services to run that were installed prior to installing iLauncher.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, you're right. I've tested services' disabling with the Battery bar previously installed; this is why I've missed this (wouldn't have thought it only disables services installed only later). Will fix this mistake ASAP and accordingly rewrite the article.
Article greatly updated, thanks to JasonLP.
Thanks for the review Also, I'd like to mention my website is back up - SafeMode is also available there.
Cheers,
monocube
Great news!
Perfect!
Congratulations...
4/5 imo.
nothin new.
Hi,
I just dont really understand.
You said about "un-bootable" PPC, what does it means?
For example: I installed BADAPP.EXE and after that I did a soft-reset (boot?). Then the PPC is not started (unbootable).
Is this the situation?
If it is not started anymore, how can I fix the problem by using those 3 apps (mcube, pp+, ilauncher) ?
Or I guess I understood incorrectly?
gogol said:
Hi,
I just dont really understand.
You said about "un-bootable" PPC, what does it means?
For example: I installed BADAPP.EXE and after that I did a soft-reset (boot?). Then the PPC is not started (unbootable).
Is this the situation?
If it is not started anymore, how can I fix the problem by using those 3 apps (mcube, pp+, ilauncher) ?
Or I guess I understood incorrectly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After bad installation Windows can hang on after the second splashscreen (experienced that several times). Safe mode can help in such cases (tried iLauncher safe mode) though I prefer regular backups and conservative approach to installation of unknown applications.
nothin said:
4/5 imo.
nothin new.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And what about safe mode 2? Somebody has tested it?
I like that it¡s a standalone app for this purpose.
http://www.monocube.com/content/view/20/36
nothin said:
4/5 imo.
nothin new.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, I don't have the time to keep all my Bibles updated with links pointing to my newer articles / roundups.
I've also reviewed the Safe Mode apps / additions released since the release (and also posted here at the General forum) - it's just that I ddidn'thave the time to post a UPDATE post in this thread.
rodalfa said:
And what about safe mode 2? Somebody has tested it?
I like that it¡s a standalone app for this purpose.
http://www.monocube.com/content/view/20/36
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, tested and reviewed in a newer article; liked it.
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.
Many of you may have already heard of Texas Instruments’ excellent calculators; most importantly, the (currently) top-of-the line TI-89/92 and, for high school students, the most recommended TI-84 series.
These calculators can be much more powerful than native Windows Mobile calculators
They are free (as opposed to some commercial Windows Mobile calculators), assuming, of course, you have the original device
while there are some excellent unit conversion apps for Windows Mobile (for example, Burr Oak Software's Conversions In Hand, Fann Software's ConverterCE Pro or TranCreative's MxConverter Comprehensive Edition for Pocket PC), the built-in unit conversion capabilities of these calculators are excellent (example screenshot HERE (accessible after pressing 2nd + 3 on a TI-89) and HERE)
may already be well-known to you if you’ve actively been using them in real life (no need to learn the interface of a new calculator software – you can just go on with your already well-known one)
have GREAT third-party software add-on support (as far as the newer models, manufactured in the last 14-15 years, are concerned)
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This means it might be far more advantageous to check them out instead of trying to find a native Windows Mobile implementation. In this review, I scrutinize all the available solutions, going back in time. That is, at first, I review the most up-to-date emulators and, then, go back in time to discuss emulators of other (less powerful / capable) calculators. This means the first part of the review will be of interest to anyone wanting to get some decent calculator software or just doesn’t want to keep her or his calculator around when the Windows Mobile handheld is capable of doing (almost) the same. Latter chapters of this roundup will mostly please people like me – that is, classic for example LED calculators, which have long been dwarfed with more recent models.
Please also consult the linked-in Wiki pages on the original calculators themselves. Here, I will only elaborate on stuff directly connected to Windows Mobile-based emulation and the like – that is, stuff completely missing from the original Wiki articles. You may also want to follow ticalc.org’s calculator pages.
Before embarking on listing the available (with special emphasis on current) models, let me point out that higher model / series number doesn’t correspond to being newer. That is, for example, the TI-84 series, while considerably newer than the TI-89 series, have a lower number. Also worth mentioning is the fact that TI has several (graphing) models, all targeted to different market segment. For example, a high school student doesn’t necessarily need derivation / integration capabilities (dunno if high schools in the States do teach these subjects for regular high school students – here in Europe, these are only taught in specialized high schools) – it’d be an overkill for her or him to pay extra for a calculator that offers these advanced capabilities. That is, instead of the most advanced (and expensive) TI-89/92/V200 series, a high school student will most probably want to get a cheaper TI-84 Plus (SE) (or, if she or he is cost conscious, their direct, compatible predecessor, the TI-83 (Plus)).
Let me also mention that this tutorial is
the first in the row of my forthcoming series on Windows Mobile calculators. In the following installment, I’ll discuss the emulators existing for HP’s calculators and, then, the native calculator programs
as usual, widely needed. The official manual of the best desktop Windows emulator, VTI, is very hard for a beginner to understand, and the same stands for the official TI-89 manual. In addition, the Windows Mobile version has absolutely no documentation / tips / descriptions of in what way it’s different from the desktop version. That is, this tutorial is undoubtedly the best tutorial available for TI-89 newbies wanting to get up to speed as soon as possible without having to read hundreds of TI-89 manual pages.
So, the current (and future) TI calculator models are as follows. (Note that the Comparison & Feature Chart also has a quick summary of these devices, along with a lot of information.) Also note that, in general, TI uses the “Plus” to refer to the second edition of a given model (except for the TI-84 Plus, which doesn’t have a non-Plus device). “Silver Edition” (abbreviated as SE; not to be mistaken for “Second Edition”!) and “Titanium” generally refers to the third (and, therefore, most advanced) model in a given series. That is, always try to get a SE / Titanium model if possible.
1.1 TI-Nspire
This model hasn’t been released yet; therefore, no emulators exist (let alone Windows Mobile ones).
1.2 TI-84 Plus (Silver Edition)
These two, pretty new (released in 2004) and, according to the poll HERE, most popular TI series high school calculator (in the poll, the TI-89 was placed second; don't forget, though, that the TI-84 series is aimed at high school students, while the TI-89's are aimed at more serious university students or graduated folks) models (the enhanced versions of the TI-83 Plus (Silver Edition)) are still not emulated under WM (or, for that matter, the desktop Windows) either. Not that it’d be a problem – after all, these models don’t have any advanced functionality compared to their predecessor (the TI-83 Plus), “only” a faster CP and more RAM / ROM.
1.3 Voyage 200 (also V200 and Voyage 200 PLT)
No emulators exist for WM.
1.4 TI-89 and TI-92 series
These are, after the TI-84 series, the most widely sold TI calculators. Again, don't forget that this series is the way to go (and NOT the more widely sold TI-84 series!) if you want something above the high school level. Do read the related Wiki / ticalc pages.
1.5 TI-86
This calculator (released in 1997) is partially compatible with the TI-85 (which it replaced) and is also supported by VirtualTI-89Pocket.
1.6 TI-83, Plus and Plus Silver Edition
Two of these calculators, the TI-83 and the TI-83 Plus (released in 1996 and 1999, respectively) are supported under WM; the latest (2001) model, Plus Silver Edition (which has nine times the available Flash ROM and over twice the processing speed of the Plus), isn’t.
The changes between TI-83 and the TI-83 Plus were pretty big; for example, the latter already allowed for ROM updates.
1.8 TI-85 (and THIS)
This model has been replaced by TI-86.
2.1 Getting calculator ROM’s
Both the desktop and the Windows Mobile-based emulators require the original ROM of your calculator(s) to be present. It’s easily extractable using the desktop-based ROM extraction tools (it’s also built-in into VTI, the most important desktop-based emulator). However, if you DO have the original device, you may want to choose downloading the original ROM’s right from the homepage of TI itself.
You will most probably need the TI-89 ROM download (currently, it’s “TI-89 Operating System v2.09”; click the Download icon on the center right). It’s also linked from HERE. Just put the resulting os.89u file in the home directory of your desktop / Windows Mobile version. That is, with the desktop version, just copy it into the directory you’ve uncompressed the emulator to; with the Windows Mobile version, you’ll need to copy it to <storage card name>\Program Files\VTI Pocket Emulator.
You can access the majority of the other, compatible ROM’s on TI’s other pages (see the related row in the Comparison Chart) if you really need compliance with those older and/or less capable models (if not, just stick with the 89 – it’s the best, still supported model). If you need one of the TI-82, 83 and 86 ROM’s, you can also get them from other pages; for example TheOldComputer.com’s ROM download page. Note that you will NOT want to use the TI-85 ROM in there – it won’t work (not that it would be a problem: the TI-85 is superseded by the supported & compatible TI-86). M.E.S.S., another desktop emulator for (along with several other models) the TI-81, 85 and 86 isn’t able to use this ROM either. Also note that the TI-99 also listed in the TI section is NOT a calculator ROM but that of a very old home computer, the TI-99/4A.
All ROM files must be copied to the home directory of the emulator; with both the desktop-based and the mobile one. With the TheOldComputer.com package, you’ll, naturally, need to decompress them first.
Note that you won’t need for example the TI-84 Plus ROM (also linked from the ticalc.org TI-84 Plus page) because not even the desktop VTI support the new 84 (Plus). The same stands for the latest 89-series model, the TI-89 Titanium: its ROM doesn’t work under any emulators either (it’s identified as TI-92+ by both the desktop and the WM emulator and is refused to be loaded). Finally, other current models aren’t supported either.
2.2 Emulation on Desktop Windows
You MUST learn how the emulator must be used under the desktop Windows operating system if you will ever want to import any third-party application into your Windows Mobile-based emulator or want to export your own programs typed (tapped) directly into the emulator in easily maintainable, direct exports.
The best emulator available for the desktop is Rusty Wagner’s free Virtual TI v2.5 beta 5 (linked from the main page HERE; alternate download HERE), which is compatible with TI-82, 83, 83 Plus, 85, 86 and 89.
(Note that you won’t want to download the Virtual TI-89/92(+) Emulator v1.01 Beta (it doesn't find the ROM image in the same directory) or the Virtual TI v3.0 Alpha, unless you want a TI-73 / TI-83 Plus emulator only.)
Just download the ZIP file and, after copying one (or more) ROM files in the same directory (if you don’t want to use the app to extract a ROM image from your connected calculator), start vti.exe.
A calculator image will come up (showing the face of a TI emulator, depending on the available ROM images in the home directory). If it’s the wrong emulator (you’d like to emulate another calculator by changing the ROM image) either press F12 or right-click the image and select Set calculator / ROM version as can be seen in this screenshot.
A dialog box will be shown, showing what ROM versions are available. Just select the one you’d like to use (for example, in this screenshot, I’ve selected the TI-89) and click OK.
After changing the ROM, the skin will immediately change and the calculator boot in as can be seen in here. You will want to raise the (virtual) contrast by repeatedly clicking the
("diamond") button and, then, clicking the + button. To make this faster, use the Ctrl key (it’s a shortcut for the diamond key) on your desktop keyboard while depressing + (or -, if you want to decrease the contrast) on your keyboard. BTW, the diamond key will always result in invoking the functionality printed in green on top of most buttons. The yellow 2nd button,
, (also in the top left) will do the same, but with the yellow labels (second functionality) printed on top of most buttons (note that the desktop PC keyboard uses the Alt shortcut for the 2nd button).
Now, you can start to do some serious work. If you already know how to operate a TI-89 (from now on, I only show how it can be operated; other models are, fortunately, pretty similar in operation), then, you will only need information on how files / programs can be transferred between the operating system and the emulator itself. If you’re a newbie, on the other hand, you may want to download the official TI-89/92 manual / guidebook from HERE. It’s certainly a good read, but may be a little too much for a newbie, particularly because it discusses two series at once. Therefore, for basic tasks like program transfer and starting, you may want to prefer my tutorial below, particularly because, of course, it doesn’t discuss emulation-related questions at all. (Needless to say, the documentation coming with VTI is pretty useless for a newbie. The Windows Mobile port is even worse: it has absolutely no Windows Mobile-related documentation. That is, you won’t be able to learn anywhere – except for my current article – how you can import third-party / external programs to it.)
First, let’s see how file transfer is done from the desktop PC to the emulator.
2.2.1 Desktop PC -> emulator file transfer
First, let’s get some for example games so that we can indeed try to operate the emulator! (Note that getting and deploying productivity apps – for example, math functions – is done exactly the same way. In here, I’ve chosen games to show you how excellent gaming platform these calculators are with the right coding.)
For example, download Earth Mission HERE. It’s a really nice, very fast action platformer game. After downloading, decompress earth89.zip. It’ll contain two files of interest, earth.89y and earth.89z (in addition to the French language readme file, lisez-moi.txt). Highlight them in either Windows Explorer or, for example, Total Commander and drag-and-drop them on the calculator image (make sure the virtual TI-89 is switched on - you can't transfer anything to switched-off emulator images).
During this, you shouldn’t be presented a Transfer error dialog box; if you are (most importantly because you’re run out of the, when nothing is installed in the RAM, 192 kbytes of RAM), just click Cancel and read on to find out how you can check the free RAM memory of your emulated calculator and how it can be increased.
Now, press 2nd (again, on the PC keyboard, the Alt shortcut key) and - buttons (that is, invoke VAR-LINK). You’ll see the following:
http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007TICalculators/varlink1.png
Now, let’s create a so-called “folder” (they’re just like a directory in the file system) in order to separate the game from other apps / games you’ll later upload to avoid name clashes / much better separation.
2.2.2 Creating / using folders
Using folders is particularly useful because most third-party apps, particularly games, contain several executable and/or data files, which makes browsing them REALLY hard. When correctly separated into folders, managing / browsing them becomes far easier – as with directories in a file system. (Note that only top-level directories are allowed – not nested ones! That is, you can’t, for example, create a Games main folder and, for example, an Asteroids subfolder inside it.)
To do this, still in this, VAR-LINK mode, click the F1 button (or, of course, on the keyboard) and select 5: Create Folder.
http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007TICalculators/varlinkCrFolder.png
Enter some meaningful name for the new folder; for example, earthmis:
http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007TICalculators/varlinkCrFolder2.png
Press (click – it’s at the bottom right) Enter two times. The new folder will be created as can be seen in here.
Now, select the new files you want to move to the new folder. To do this, press (click at the top, under the screen or press the hardware key on your keyboard) F5 (All) to bring up the selection menu. Here, just select 1:Select all. All the files will be marked in the non-collapsed folders. The results will be the following:
http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007TICalculators/varlinkCrFolder5.png
Now, press F1 (Manage) and select Move. You’ll need to decide which folder to move the selected files to; as you have only one folder (in addition to MAIN), you can just choose the default (earthmis). (If you will have more than one potential target folders, you’ll be able to select them right here.)
Now, you’ll be taken back to the file list view:
http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007TICalculators/varlinkCrFolder7.png
As can be seen, the two files have been copied to the new folder.
When copied into separate folders, you must use the folder name as the prefix when starting a given program in these folders as in foldername\appname(). This will be auto-generated for you when, after doing the above tests (but NOT making the new folder the default one – this will be explained later), you press Enter on the executable file of the two (earth.ASM):
http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007TICalculators/varlinkCrFolder8.png
In this screenshot, as can be seen, the name of the executable program (earth) has been prefixed by earthmis, using the backslash character to separate the two names. To try to run the game, you can just supply the closing parenthesis and pressing Enter. Then, you’ll be presented the “earthpgm not found” error message as can be seen in here.
This is because the main executable, earth, is trying to find the related resource files in the MAIN folder (in here, there is the executable ASM file (earth.89z – note the z at the end! Z, in most cases, states for assembly programs) and one data file (earth.89y – note the y, which, mostly, states for data files). This will be a problem with ALL third-party applications / games depending on other resource files.
To combat the problem, you will need to use the setFold (folderName) command (cd (Change Directory) under MS-DOS / Windows), where folderName, as you may have already guessed, will be earthmis in our case:
http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007TICalculators/varlinkCrFolder10.png
Press Enter two times; the result of this will be changing to the new folder:
http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007TICalculators/varlinkCrFolder11.png
Now, you can reissue the earthmis\earth() command above (you can even leave the foldername and just use earth()) and the game will now start. (Note that you’ll need to start the game and control jumping with the 2nd button in the game; not, say, Enter. This is pretty understandable if you take into account that this button is pretty much in the same line as the D-pad, unlike Enter.).
There is another very important thing you MUST master: copying the files off the RAM to the flash ROM.
2.2.3 Using the built-in flash ROM to store programs / data
As with all mobile platforms, dynamic memory (RAM) is very scarce and really precious. There is only 192 kbytes of RAM in the TI-89, which fills in REALLY fast, particularly if you (try to) run games. (If you encounter problems when you try to run something, it will most likely be caused by the shortage of RAM). Therefore, you MUST master backing up your files to the built-in flash ROM of your device. There is much more flash ROM than RAM.
To do this, go back to the already-known VAR-LINK mode, select the files in RAM to be moved to flash (in the F5: All menu), press F1:Manage and select 8:Archive variable:
http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007TICalculators/desktopVITArchiveVriable1.png
The filenames will, now, be prefixed with the http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007TICalculators/desktopVITArchiveVriable3.png icon, which means the files are no longer in RAM:
http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007TICalculators/desktopVITArchiveVriable2.png
You can easily check whether the transfer to the flash ROM has indeed succeeded. To do this, you’ll need to use the memory applet – another very important applet you need to master with all programmable calculators so that you can see how much dynamic (program) / static (flash ROM storage) memory you still have.
2.2.4 Checking the available RAM / flash ROM size
To do this, just press 2nd + 6 (MEM). In there, look for the two numbers at the bottom right (the cursor is just below them):
http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007TICalculators/desktopVTImemsize.png
The “RAM free 195852” means you have the full (factory) available RAM at your disposal; the “Flash ROM free 631482” means some 20k of files are already in the flash ROM of the device (that is, in this case, the emulator).
Finally, let me elaborate on how you can export files from the desktop emulator to the file system of your desktop computer. If you, for example, write a program in the emulator (see Chapter 17: Programming in the official manual on how programs need to be entered in the emulator) and save it as, say, omaapp2 (as can be seen in here), you’ll need to select F3:Link and, then, 1: Send. The desktop Windows OS will present a file save dialog, where you can rename the file before saving and also select its target directory):
http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007TICalculators/desktopVTISaveProgs3.png
(Note the ‘p’ in the .89p extension. As opposed to assembly programs, which end up in z, BASIC programs created using the built-in program editor end in p. Also note that the different file extensions are also listed HERE and HERE.)
2.2.5 Other apps / games to try
As far as games are concerned, you can also give a try to Aspirin v3.0 (a small but pretty nice and indeed addictive game), CalcRogue (an interesting RPG; remember to transfer ONLY the contents of the binTI89 to the calculator, without the contents of the Titanium subdirectory), Calcwars (also see Advance Wars for the Game Boy Advance; must be started with ttstart("cwdata")) etc. There are TONS of other games in the Games subcategories of the TI-89 archive of ticalc.org (for example, here’re the assembly language (meaning fast) ones and here’re the BASIC ones (slower).
The same stands for applications / math libraries. There’re virtually thousands of such apps for example here (assembly math) and here (BASIC math). If you have the time, I REALLY recommend looking around in all the subfolders of the ticalc.org TI-89 library - it’s really worth it! There’re even (simple) Java Virtual Machines for the calculators - let alone goodies like Telnet apps or (Lynx-like) Web browsers.
In addition, you’ll want to take a look at CalcG.org. Much as, in general, it has fewer titles, it has some really interesting goodies (and an online forum – ticalc.org’s mail list archives are currently down); for example, this StarCraft article (unfortunately, without any downloads).
Finally, there are some (very few) official Flash programs on TI’s pages themselves.
Now that you know how to use the desktop version, let’s move on to the mobile port.
2.3 The Windows Mobile port
2.3.1 Getting and installing the mobile version
The mobile version, VTI Pocket Emulator v2.4, which, more or less, is a direct port of Rusty Wagner’s original on the desktop, is ported by Daniel Galano (see his personal page HERE) to Windows Mobile and is accessible HERE.
Installing it is pretty straightforward: decompress the ZIP archive and start the only EXE file inside. It’ll install the emulator through ActiveSync. As with the desktop version, you’ll need to copy the ROM(s) of the calculator(s) you’d like to use to the home directory of the emulator.
Having a dedicated installer, you can start the emulator right from the Programs, by clicking the VTI Pocket Emulator icon.
Note that you won’t want to use it in Landscape (there wouldn’t be much point in doing so as, for example, you can’t use slide-out / clamshell key/thumboards anyway) because of the major GUI bitmap problems (tested on ALL my test device, VGA and QVGA, old and new - behaved the same).
Swapping ROM’s can be done in File / Select ROM as can be seen in here. Upon swapping a ROM, the corresponding skin will also be auto-loaded as can be seen in here. (Note that skins except for that of the TI-89 are all pretty blurred.)
2.3.2 Differences between the desktop and the mobile version; problems with the latter; tips
There are some major differences between the original and the ported version. They are as follows:
The mobile version can’t load external files and can’t save programs you enter yourself / variables you’d like to be saved. This means the only way to transfer programs / data in either direction is using the <romname>.sav files (for example, with the official TI-89 upgrade ROM, os.sav) it automatically saves its state to upon exiting and restoring the state upon restarting / reloading a given ROM BIOS. That is, you WILL need to use the desktop version to transfer external apps to state saves.
Because the aspect ratio of the original calculator might be around 10:3 as opposed to the 4:3 aspect ratio of (most) Windows Mobile devices, the original button layout isn’t preserved – the uppermost three row buttons are relocated to the right of the screen, which can be pretty annoying if you’re got used to the original button layout.
It’s FAR slower than the desktop emulator, even on very fast WM devices. That is, it’s completely useless for gaming. For “traditional” uses, however, it may be OK (albeit, for example, graphing functions are REALLY slow – even the most simple ones. Just try entering graph sin(x) on a mobile device and see how slow graphing is – it’s decidedly faster on desktop devices).
Unfortunately, Windows Mobile hardware buttons can’t be used to speed up input (see the way the Alt / Ctrl keys are used on the desktop emulator to dramatically speed up invoking second/third functionality). However, built-in keyboards / the D-pad work on most devices. An exception is the HTC Universal, where attempts to use external / internal keyboards resulted in an almost immediate address error / privilege violation error. With the HTC Wizard (which also has a built-in thumbboard), I’ve encountered no similar problems. As far as the D-pad support is concerned, it’s only with the Dell Axim x51v (A12 ROM) that the D-pad didn’t work and trying to use it resulted in an immediate crash. With most (all?) of my other test devices, D-pad worked OK.
In addition to the problems outlined above, you MUST refrain from entering any data at a fast pace on the native GUI of the emulator, especially on (comparatively) slower devices. If you enter data too fast, the last entered button will be endlessly repeated upon subsequent key presses as if the last key were stuck. This (and the fact that you will need to slow down the pace you enter your data) can be pretty annoying.
2.3.3 Transferring files from / to the desktop version
As has already been pointed out, unlike on the desktop, it’s not possible to directly import an external program (data file) into the emulator, and you can’t export anything either. For example, if you select F3 / 1:Send in VAR-LINK (the way of directly exporting files / data to the file system in the target desktop), the mobile version just hangs. However, this isn’t really a problem if you do have the desktop version of the emulator on your desktop computer.
Then, all you need to do is making sure you do save the internal state of the calculator when exiting (that is, after right-clicking the skin, select the Exit and save internal state when exiting the emulator) and, then, just copy the newly created .sav state file to the Windows Mobile handheld. It’ll make use of it without any problems.
The same states for file transfers in the opposite direction. While the WM version doesn’t support selecting between exiting with and without state saving, when you exit the program, it does save the state. That is, if you need to export a program you’ve written / dataset you’ve created on your WM-based emulator, just copy over the .sav state file from the home directory of the emulator to your desktop emulator, and use the latter to export the file / data to the local file system as a non-sav, self-standing file.
All in all, if you need to import any kind of file into the mobile version, you must do this in the dekstop version and just pass on the state save (os.sav with the official TI-89 ROM) file to the mobile version.
2.4 The feature / comparison chart
As usual, I’ve created a feature / comparison chart so that you’ll have an easier time checking whether a given model is emulated under the desktop / mobile Windows, what hardware features (most importantly, screen and RAM/ROM size) it has, whether it supports CAS, where its ROM BIOS can be downloaded from etc. It’s available HERE. Don’t forget to check it out!
Note that the chart doesn’t include discontinued / superseded models: the TI-92 (1995; replaced by the TI-92 Plus (and later the Voyage 200), TI-80 (1995; replaced the much superior TI-73 and is, due to its proprietary CPU, is NOT emulated by any emulators), TI-85 (1992; replaced the superior and backwards compatible (!) TI-86), TI-81 (1990; replaced by all newer models; few additional apps because the programs needed to be entered by hand – this calculator had no linking capabilities).
Also note that TI’s official comparison chart only lists the four most current models (TI-83 Plus, TI-84 Plus, TI-84 Plus Silver Edition, TI-89 Titanium), unlike my chart.
3. What other TI emulators are available?
Not many: only the old TI-59 is emulated, which will be only of interest to retro freaks. Yeah, I loved the TI-59 back in the early 1980’s (before getting the Sharp PC-1500, which did blow out everything out of water) but, now, it’s really-really worse than any of the current TI graphing calculators.
The Windows Mobile emulator is available HERE. It, as with Daniel Galano / Rusty Wagner’s TI-8x emulator, uses a desktop installer. Note that the installer puts the direct link to the executable (when installed to the main storage, \Program Files\alainza\ TI59ce\ TI59ce.exe) to the Games folder of the traditional Programs.
Note that, much as Michu’s excellent Emupage lists MBA-Calc by Odyssey Computing, Inc. as a TI BAII PLUS emulator, it isn’t one. Odyssey Computing has two business (non-graphing) calculator titles for the desktop and handheld Windows; the newer and much more recommended BizCalc and the older MBA-Calc. These are NOT emulators.
Finally, still speaking of Michu’s Emupage, it lists another Windows Mobile version, “PocketPC v2.5 (with SkinEditor)”. It’s nothing else than the desktop VTI – that is, don’t run to download it.
4. Other links of interest
Long VTI Pocket Emulator v2.4-related comments thread at ticalc.org
FreewarePPC’s and PocketPCFreewares’ comments. Note that you will want to take PocketPCFreewares’ original comments with a HUGE pile of salt as they refer to a very old version, v2.4Beta, released early 2004. Also, some of the user comments at FreewarePPC are pretty misleading – do NOT necessarily believe what you read there!
TI-89, TI-89 Titanium, TI-92+ and Voyage 200 FAQ ("Can I run this game on my calculator even though it was written for a different calculator? What is AMS (Advanced Mathematical Software)? Can I play TI-89 games on my TI-89 Titanium?")
Poll: Favorite Calculator (1st: TI-84+ (SE); 2nd: TI-89 (Ti))
All the desktop emulator software
Great write up and I will try some of the others later, for now I must admit to being that "retro freak" you mention - I miss my TI-59 since the battery pack died and the home made one fried the main board, shame as it was a great device, I will have some fun trying this out later, I still have the original program listings I created when at collage 20+ years ago - thanks for the heads up - Mike
Wow, another excellent article. I popped my cherry on a TI-82. Still have my beautiful black beast somewhere in a draw
V
Buttons Misaligned-Fixed
After some farting around, I finally got this to run on my Rhodium (Tilt2), but the buttons were not aligned properly. I correctly assumed that it was a problem with the way that my phone scaled the bitmaps that it uses to skin the emulator. I am attaching the resized the skins, but I only have a ROM for the TI89 so I have not tested the others. I suspect that the resized skins would work on all WVGA (800x480) devices. I have no idea how to create a cab file, but it should be very easy for anyone to install these. All you need to do is replace the skins on your device with the ones below. The skins should be located in \Program Files\TI Pocket Emulator\Skins. Note: If you have installed the application on a storage card, you will find the "Program Files" folder on the card.
GUIDES [WM]: How to Increase Battery Charge Life (On Android - Pre"Android Guides")
DO NOT POST IN THIS THREAD BEFORE READING THE WHOLE POST
PLEASE ADD GUIDES TO COMMON ISSUES YOURSELVES
I decided to open this thread as i saw a lot of people having the same problems. this might help with the "search" issue.
I will try to be as precise as possible while writing the guides so that when you search for something you will find it.
I will dedicate 1 post per guide as to keep everything as neat as possible (if you have comments about any of the guides.. or want to add something, please pm me).
the thread will not be closed but i urge you to post only if you have a guide to post.
also, if you decide to post a guide, please keep the guide as neat as possible, with a title containing the common searched words so that people who look for it can find it easily. (if you can, use the same color (dark orange) and same size (4) and Bold.. for the main title.. tho that's not a must )
I volunteer in a community which helps deserted/hurt animals.
i ask you to open your hearts and donate if you find any of these guides useful. I will work hard on these guides and supply as many as i can to draw as many donations as i can. whoever donates will be listed in this very post.
all donations go to that service.. as my paypal is shared with them. THANK YOU
this donation link will be presented with each guide for your convenience:
If you found this guide useful please Donate.. (all donations go to TZABACH Wounded Animal Service)
Hope this helps a lot of you.
cheers
post #2. Restoring Data/Recovering Data from Devices and Storage Cards (even pcs)
post #3. Automatically Syncing Through Bluetooth (ActiveSync) [UPDATED 8.6.09]
post #4. A Definitive Guide to Bluetooth Services + Bluetooth Stacks
post #5. Setting Specific File Associations
post #6. Drive Mapping or "how the hell can i see my PC drives on my PDA?"
post #7. Storage card as a Removable Device instead of ActiveSyncing or "USBtoPC"
post #8. "How to backup your contacts/messages/email/notes/data/system...etc."
post #9. "How to Toggle Bluetooth/Wifi using Hardware buttons"
post #10. "How to control my PC through my PDA?" or "Remote Controls" (Media and more) [UPDATED 8.6.09]
post #11. "How to show Network Info/Network Info using a Today Plug-in
post #12. "How to control my PDA through my PC?"
post #13. "How to make the grey lines between the today screen plugins disppear?"
post #14. "How to stop activesync from turning itself on all the time?"
post #15. "Which shell is the best shell?"
post #16. "Which shell is the best shell?" - continued
post #17. "How to enhance Messaging?" or SMS Applications
post #18. "How to install M2D and change M2D skins?"
post #19. "How to remap hardware buttons?"
Post #20. "How to upgrade my device?" or "How to flash a rom?" (Referances)
Post #21. "How to 'safely' remove applications?" or "Remove Programs"
Post #22. "How to remove unwanted SIP's (Input Methods/Virtual Keyboards)?"
Post #23. "How to retrieve CAB Files from PC Installation Files" or "Retrieve CABs"
Post #25. "Registry Tweaks for Volume" by Aegishua
Post #26. "Flashing ROMS from SD card/Internal Storage/Bootloader"
Post #27. an addition to "Setting URL Associations" by selyb
Post #28. an addition to "How to retrieve CAB Files from PC Installation Files" or "Retrieve CABs" by Farmer Ted
Post #29. "How to add your City to both manila 2d and 3d" by timmymarsh
Posts #30-33. "How to: Edit the registry" by wg5566
Restoring Data/Recovering Data from Devices and Storage Cards (even pcs)
A lot of people have had this problem lately.. where they were losing important information to defects and malfunctions.
Restoring from Storage Card:
1. first and most important thing is, after losing your data DO NOT COPY ANYTHING to your storage card or it will overwrite the current data (yes, the data still exists but the pointers were deleted)
2. download Active Recovery: http://www.file-recovery.net/
3. use a card reader to read the card through your computer. DO NOT FORMAT IT!
4. use active recovery to recover from Removable Device
Recovering from My Storage (internal storage)
1. first and most important thing is, after losing your data DO NOT COPY ANYTHING to your device or it will overwrite the current data (yes, the data still exists but the pointers were deleted)
2. download Active Recovery: http://www.file-recovery.net/
3. download nueMassStorage (or any other USBtoPC app. you can find a guide for it in this thread so you can choose the most compatible software for you if nueMassStorage doesn't work): http://www.nuerom.com/BlogEngine/page/nueMassStorage.aspx
4. go to start/settings/connections/USB to PC and mark Mass Storage (USB Drive) instead of Activesync
5. Soft Reset
6. connect your device to your comp. the device will be read as a storage card.
7. use active recovery to recover from Removable Disk
If you found this guide useful please Donate.. (all donations go to TZABACH Wounded Animal Service)
Automatically Syncing Through Bluetooth (ActiveSync)
I've noticed that many people are looking for a solution to automatically sync their devices using ActiveSync bluetooth sync.
Setting up automated Bluetooth ActiveSync
[Update 6.8.09]
Solved! This new tools provides you with the ability to autosync to a specific computer through bluetooth, allowing you to set intervals, enable or disable the autosync and select which computer you'd like to connect to.
Auto Activesync via BT (when in range) by user dmkpoznan
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=530327
THIS IS FREEWARE
[/Update]
for this... you will need 2 tools and one script
1. MortScript - http://www.sto-helit.de/downloads/mortscript/MortScript-4.1.zip
2. BlueStarter - http://smartmobiletools.freehostia.com/drupal2/system/files/BlueStarterCab.CAB
3. BTSync script (written by le_cactus) - included in this post (downstairs)
these are the steps you need to follow:
1. install mortscript
2. install bluestarter
3. put the script file in a dir of your choice
4. launch bluestarter
5. set the bluetooth device you want to sync with (all should appear in a dropbox)
6. write the path of the script file (e.g. \\storage card\\BTSync.mscr)
7. go to menu/interval config and choose the way you want to sync..
8. (DONT FORGET THIS STEP) open the script file and change all NIR36-PC to the name of your bluetooth connection, that is to your comp's name.
A few clarifications.
- if you set the interval to "On Power Button Pressed" a BTSync connection will occur EVERY time you wake your device up
- if you set the interval to "Time Interval" it will sync every set amount of time.. and even if you're sleeping and your comp is on it will sync and stay synced.. so it may drain your battery.
- in any case, if your comp is off, it will try to sync but nothing will happen.
if you're looking for a normal BTSync without an interval you can just set one of the hardware buttons to run the .mscr
cheers
If you found this guide helpful please Donate.. (all donations go to TZABACH Wounded Animal Service)
BTSync File
A Definitive Guide to Bluetooth Services + Bluetooth Stacks
This is an old guide i wrote about 10 months ago. might help you out.
After a lot of strugle with using Wireless Headsets, Serial Ports, Activesync over BT and Sideshow... i managed to have them all work.. on VISTA and XP.
So i decided to write a fully detailed tutorial for whoever needs it.
Bluetooth Services Guide (including repairing commom bluetooth sync problem)
1. Know your Stack.
if your stack is the toshiba one, when you right click on the bt trayicon you should see OPTIONS..
if your stack is the microsoft one, ... well.. you will not see OPTIONS
2. before starting to deal with services i suggest you download one of the stacks below, according to your demand, and install them. also install Windows Mobile Device Center (from now on WMDC).
This is WMDC6.1 x86...
http://rapidshare.com/files/120340376/MobileDeviceCenter6.1-x86.exe.html
These are both the LATEST versions of both stacks: (up until the day of posting this message of course )
TOSHIBA STACK:
http://rapidshare.com/files/120186967/TOSHIBA_BTSTACK.zip
MS STACK:
http://rapidshare.com/files/120187911/MS_BTSTACK.exe
i strongly suggest you keep both files on your comp as a cover for any services one might provide while the other doesn't.
to save you the trouble. (after a correction from Jadel):
MS Stack works with both Activesync AND sideshow.
TOSHIBA Stack is problematic although more userfriendly AND provides some different options which might come handy. i had to go thru a ****load of trouble to sync it with Vista... and syncing it with XP isn't a teaparty either.
3. after finding out which one you have we can begin.
AS - ActiveSync.
this will probably be the most problematic service to have working since a lot of times it DOESNT APPEAR AS A SERVICE. when you try to sync with the comp it tells you you have to pair it.. even tho the device is already paired with the comp.
XP might be more flexible with this but the solution is for both XP and VISTA.
To Async using TOSHIBA Stack do the following:
a. open Control Panel and open the BT Ports editor..
b. add a port and choose it as a Server.. (usually it rounds up to ports 6 or 7 but you may have to try others..)
c. go to WMDC/Connection Settings and mark "Allow connections to one of the following.." and choose the port you created.
d. on your device go to Bluetooth Settings and add a new device... put the desired passkey... and you should see a list of the services the computer provides the PDA.
e. now this is a bit tricky to deal with. sometimes ActiveSync might not appear there. if it doesn't, go to COM Ports (in bluetooth settings on your device) and add the COM port you added on your comp..
go back to Devices and choose your comp and click Refresh. if ActiveSync appears there, mark it. if it doesn't, you should delete your comp from your device and this time add the port BEFORE finding your comp. it that doesn't work, you should follow the links i will provide soon.
f. on your device, open ActiveSync and under Menu choose Connect Via Bluetooth.
To Async using MICROSOFT Stack do the following:
a. open Control Panel and open Bluetooth Devices
b. click Add and add your device. go to Options and mark "Allow Bluetooth devices to find this computer" and "Allow Bluetooth Devices to connec to this computer". you can also mark other options as desired.
c. go to COM ports and add an INCOMING port. it will choose a port for you automatically.
d. go to WMDC/Connection Settings and mark "Allow connections to one of the following.." and choose the port you created.
e. go back to Devices and choose your PDA. choose Properties and go to Services. there you should see all services your PDA provides. one of them should be Active Sync Bluetooth Service. mark it and click OK. your comp and PDA should connect and disconnect a few secs later.
f. on your device, open ActiveSync and under Menu choose Connect Via Bluetooth.
(if these methods don't work you should follow the reference links in the below post).
SP - Serial Port.
some services demand a serial port. for instance, if you're using the Desktop iGO8 and would like to connect a BT GPS receiver to your comp the serial port service must be enabled. i found TOSHIBA's stack to be much more flexible concerning port usage. in Control panel you have a BT Ports icon somewhere.. if you double click on it.. it will let you play with the ports and change them to help you adjust various devices as well as use the ports as Clients or as Servers. this is important for ActiveSync as well (depending on the device).
An example:
Ipaq's Desktop iGO8 supports a Bluetooth GPS receiver. to use it, you have to define a COM port (just as we did for activesync, depending on your stack)...
you will have to define a port for the receiver and make sure the Serial Port service is marked or the program will not identify the PDA. some programs might NOT need this service at all.
(of course, this is only for people who want to use their PDA's GPS receiver. people who have a seperate GPS receiver might get the port number automatically when pairing it with the computer or have to find the correct port themselves (in older receivers).
also, to use the Networking feature you have to use the Serial port service. (i will post links for this as well).
WH - I would prefer leaving this for later as i play with it a little further.
SS - Sideshow. (Vista Users)
i tried using sideshow on 3 different devices. Wizard, Polaris and Titan.
all 3 came out with nothing when i used the TOSHIBA stack. the devices didn't discover the SideShow service even tho it was installed on my comp and my device was paired with the comp.
now if you're using the MICROSOFT stack.. it's a whole different area.
Alright. so a little batch of detailed insturctions about using this:
(during the process make sure your device is DISCOVERABLE)
IMPORTANT! you should make sure the Sideshow software is active on your device while doing this. i tried syncing the service once with it on and once off and it sorta confused me. so we'll just agree on having it ON.
To use sideshow using TOSHIBA Stack do the following:
a. on your device, go to Bluetooth Settings
b. add your device.
c. look for the Sideshow service in the list. if it's there, Mark it, (on your comp) go to control panel, go to sideshow, and you should be able to mark V on the gadgets you'd like to use.
d. if it's not there, you should add a port on both your device and your computer. the ports should match.
e. go back to devices and refresh the Services list.
f. to my knowledge, if it doesn't work up to this point, give it up
To use sideshow using MICROSOFT Stack do the following:
a. open Control Panel and open Bluetooth Devices
b. click Add and add your device. go to Options and mark "Allow Bluetooth devices to find this computer" and "Allow Bluetooth Devices to connect to this computer". you can also mark other options as desired.
c. go to COM ports and add an INCOMING port. it will choose a port for you automatically.
d. go to Devices and choose your PDA. choose Properties and go to Services. there you should see all services your PDA provides. one of them should be Windows Sideshow. mark it and click OK. your comp and PDA should connect and disconnect a few secs later.
e. go to control panel, go to sideshow, and you should be able to mark V on the gadgets you'd like to use.
after syncing the service and choosing the gadgets you'd like to use from Control Panel/Windows Sideshow you can go back to your device and go back to the sideshow software and click Connect....... ................. ........
TP - Technical Port (this concerns only people who use ASUS's GXP Factory PDA so if you're not, just ignore this).
for the GXP to control Wireless devices such as ELTO's waterpipe controller and Applied Materials' connectors you HAVE to have a Technical port enabled as a service. other than Serial port this is the only service the GXP provides, so you won't have much trouble enabling it as it's part of the software.. it will always appear. MAKE SURE you DO NOT create another bluetooth port as it will use it instead of the default one and you will not be able to control ANY of the wireless devices around you.
If you found this guide helpful please Donate.. (all donations go to TZABACH Wounded Animal Service)
Setting Specific File Associations
there were a few queries about setting file/url associations.
Setting Specific File Associations
1. download Schaps' Advanced Configuration Tool from http://www.touchxperience.com/
1a. thank Schaps for creating this unbelievable tool.
2. install it and soft reset
3. open the config tool from start/prorams/advanced config
4. click menu/more settings/file associations
5. a list will load containing all file association information on your device.
6. you can choose a specific file type from the list and assign a direct path or choose the Select Program... option to assign an app to run the file. REMEMBER to click SAVE after EVERY association.
7. click close and soft reset.
Setting URL associations
This issue doesn't contain much info.
Every browser (at least to my knowledge), contains the option to choose it as the device's default browser.
when chosen, every URL ran will be loaded using that browser.
for instance, if you are using UltimateLaunch and you set an icon to run http://www.xda-developers.com, it wil be loaded using the default browser.
If you found this guide useful please Donate.. (all donations go to TZABACH Wounded Animal Service)
Drive Mapping or "how the hell can i see my PC drives on my PDA?"
Before i managed to map a drive to my ppc i lost my mind.
eventually, thanks to a user named feanor512 i managed to have it work.
This guide will provide what you need to
Map a PC drive for access through your PDA
in this guide we will use JUVS HTC Network plug-in (attached below)
1. Install the "JUVS HTC Network Plug-in" cab
(if you're having problems you can try Schap's version.. also provided below)
2. Soft Reset
3. share a drive on your comp and setup the permissions. (this is done by right clicking on the drive, going to the Sharing tab, applying a sharing name and adding permissions. you should also (if applicable) go to the Security tab and add permissions there).
(usually this is done by right clicking a folder on your comp, clicking "Share..."" choosing the user.. and approving the share.
(in vista you have to remember to go to start/control panel/network and sharing center" and "enable Network Discovery and File Sharing" and disable "Password protected sharing").
4. on your device, go to "start/settings/connection/network plugin".
5. mark "enable network folder" and click "New..."
6. ENABLE WIFI
7. write the remote path: \\IP\sharedfoldername or \\COMPNAME\\sharedfoldername (i.e. \\10.0.0.1\apps) and write the name you'd like to assign to it in Local Name.
MAKE SURE YOU WRITE THE EXACT NAME OF THE SHARED FOLDER
8. click Map Drive. a message approving the mapping should pop up.
now you should be able to access the shared folder through you PPC. it should appear in /root/Network/sharedfoldername (you can see it in your File Explorer)
TROUBLESHOOTING:
my problem.. and apparently, not only mine, was that an authentication progress was flawed and i always got a message saying i can't map the drive.
so here's a solution to this problem. (both in Vista and in XP)
written by feanor512:
1.Start.
2. Run.
3. Type "mmc".
4. Ok.
5. File.
6. Add/Remove Snap-in.
7. Group Policy Object Editor.
8. Add.
9. Finish.
10. Ok.
11. Local computer policy.
12. Computer configuration.
13. Windows settings.
14. Security settings
15. Local policies.
16. Security options.
17. Right click on "Network security: LAN Manager authentication level".
18. Choose "Properties".
19. From the drop-down box, choose one of the first three options (you'll have to experiment). (i chose the 2nd one and it works)
20. Ok.
You're invited to pm me with questions.. if something isn't clear or if you're having problems.
If you found this guide useful please Donate.. (all donations go to TZABACH Wounded Animal Service)
"storage card as a Removable Device instead of ActiveSyncing" or "USBtoPC"
USBtoPC let's you choose whether you'd like to connect your device using USB in ActiveSync mode (a slow connection but let's you sync with your PC) or Removable Device mode (a fast connection which doesn't allow syncing but allows you to see your storage card as a removable device on your PC).
there are a few solutions our there.. but not all work on all devices.
I will try to address as many devices as i can.
SOFTWARE for USBtoPC or MassStorage (and WM5torage)
1. Softick Card Export
http://www.softick.com/cardexport2/
To my knowledge, this software works on all HTC PDAs but isn't free.
It's very easy to use once installed... all you do is enable it and once connected to your PC you will see your storage card as a removable device.
2. WM5torage (current version is 1.8)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=349143
This is a freeware.. very easy to use as well. It doesn't work on all devices... for instance, on my Polaris. it shows as a removable device but doesn't allow me to open it.
3. Tweaked WM5torage
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=2031817
this is a version tweaked by "lover" for Polaris and Kaiser.
4. nueMassStorage
http://www.nuerom.com/BlogEngine/page/nueMassStorage.aspx
This is a freeware...an app created by "nue2chem". it supports Titan and Vogue.
all you have to do is install it and go to start/settings/connections/USB to PC.. and check the desired option. if i'm not mistaken, no soft reset is required.
5. HTC USBtoPC (from diamond)
http://rapidshare.com/files/122045574/HTC_Diamond_USB2PC_1.0.18143432.1.cab
this acts exactly like nue2chem's app... and honestly, i don't exactly know which devices are supported... you'll have to experiment.
If you found this guide useful please Donate.. (all donations go to TZABACH Wounded Animal Service)
Backup your contacts/messages/email/notes/data/system...etc.
another common question presented in the early days of the Q&A section and is presented still is "how do i back my stuff up?"
well...
How do I backup my Contacts/Messages/Email and/or my System?
Personally, and at work, I use 3 tools to back everything up.
I will review all 3.
1. PIMBackup 2.8 - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=299705 - the tool was created by dotfred
PIMBackup IS FREEWARE
PIMBackup is used to backup information only. that is:
- appointments
- call logs
- contacts
- messages (SMS, Mails, ...)
- speed dials
- tasks
No installation required.
To backup your info:
a. Load pimbackup
b. choose Backup from the dropbox
c. choose the info you'd like to backup, click next
d. click browse and choose where you'd like the backup file to be stored
e. you can choose other options from the list according to your preference, click next
f. a backup file will be created in the dir you chose.
To restore your info:
a. Load pimbackup
b. choose restore from the dropbox
c. click browse and look for your backup file.
d. choose the info you'd like to restore...
e. the rest is pretty clear.
2. SPB Backup - http://beta.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/backup/
SPB Backup IS NOT FREEWARE
SPBBackup is used to backup all info and data. it can also create an image of your system. The image is DOES NOT act like a regular PC image but an image of multiple files sitting separately in one file. It DOES NOT contain your ROM data... but if you need to restore to a previous state it works great. it can also backup network storage and storage cards.
To backup your info/data:
a. choose custom backup
b. choose the info/data you'd like to backup
c. click Menu/options and choose whether you'd like to create a stand-alone restorer or not. (the stand-alone restorer creates an EXE file while you can run from your file manager. If you don't choose a stand-alone restorer you will have to load SPBBackup and choose Restore Backup and choose the backup file).
d. write the file name and location where you'd like to save your backup file, click next
e. choose whether you'd like to have the info/data compressed... and encrypted.. and maybe add a comment.. (i usually write to which rom the backup fits)
f. the rest is pretty clear...
You can also backup the entire storage card using SPBBackup..
You can also choose to create a full backup which skips some of the above steps.
You can create a scheduled backup as well.. very useful.
3. SPB Clone - http://beta.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/clone/
SPB Clone IS NOT FREEWARE (putting it mildly)
UIwise, SPB Clone pretty much resembles SPB Backup in every aspect. it's straight forward and doesn't require instructions.
SPB Clone is more of an industrial tool. I use it at work to clone images of PPC's and restore them on different devices.
it seems that the differences between SPB Clone and SPB Backup are minor.. but there are a few relevant ones.
You can also backup the entire storage card using SPBClone..
-SPB Clone can be personalized to specific PPC IP's and owner names.
-SPB Backup doesn't depend on anything but the ROM and it less sensitive different rom versions.
-SPB Clone costs 299$
-SPB Backup costs 25$
-SPB Clone doesn't backup sync info meaning you can't backup your sync profile. this is usually how it's done in enterprises. This means that if you used SPB Backup you would be copying all sync info to another person in your company. something you probably wouldn't want to happen.
and the most important one.
-SPB Clone's restore period is MUCH faster. SPB Backup restores files individually while SPB Clone restores a complete image of the device.
I will probably update this guide with more backup tools in the future.
If you found this guide useful please Donate.. (all donations go to TZABACH Wounded Animal Service)
Toggling Bluetooth/Wifi using Hardware buttons
apparently, it is a very common question.
How do i toggle Bluetooth/Wifi using Hardware Buttons only?
well... i'll present the 3 solutions and add some flavors to spice it up.
Toggling Wifi
1. Extract Wifi_ON_OFF.exe to your windows directory. (file attached below)
2. Extract Wifi_ON_OFF.lnk to your windows/start menu/programs dir.
3. go to Start/Settings/Buttons
4. choose the hardware key you'd like to assign Wifi_ON_OFF to.
5. from the dropbox below, choose Wifi_ON_OFF (as shown in the screenshot below)
Toggling Bluetooth
1. Extract Bluetooth_ON_OFF.exe to your windows directory. (file attached below)
2. Extract Bluetooth_ON_OFF.lnk to your windows/start menu/programs dir.
3. go to Start/Settings/Buttons
4. choose the hardware key you'd like to assign BT_ON_OFF to.
5. from the dropbox below, choose Bluetooth_ON_OFF (same as in Wifi)
While you are at it, i would recommend using HButton as a keymapping software. It already has the options of wifi-toggling and bt-toggling built in, and many more options. you can also map more than one app to each button.
You can download HButton from here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=306794
To map using HButton
1. go to Start/Programs/HButton
2. load HBSetup
3. Choose the delay between app switching (this is the delay which will be set between each app mapped to the same button)
4. choose whether you'd like to vibrate when an app is loaded
5. choose whether you'd like to beep when an app is loaded
6. choose whether you'd like to display the name of the app loaded.
7. choose the button you'd like to setup (there is no difference between HButton1 to HButton7... or 5.. or any other.
8. if you choose "cycle" keeping the hardware button pressed will endlessly cycle between the same apps mapped to the same button
9. if you choose not to cycle, pressing the hardware button will show the first app, and if you keep it pressed during the previous set delay, it will move to the 2nd app and load it directly.
10. from the dropbox below, choose the option/app you'd like to map and click add. you can do this to as many app as you'd like. you can also browse for any file/app desired.
11. up/down will set the loading sequence.
12. click ok.
that's it, you're set to go.
the below files were NOT made by me.
If you found this guide useful please Donate.. (all donations go to TZABACH Wounded Animal Service)
"how do i control my PC through my PDA?" or "Remote Controls" (Media and more)
"how do i control my PC through my PDA?" or "Remote Controls" (Media and more)
there are many applications created to control your PC using your PPC.
some contain features to control multimedia applications, some contain keyboard control, mouse control, system control.. volume and so forth.
[Update 8.6.09]
A new tool is presented in the following thread, allowing you to control an app or two and add normal keyboard and mouse support to your PDA which requires NO SERVERSIDE CLIENT!
MobileSrc MobileRemote
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=504730
THIS IS NOT FREEWARE
[/Update]
let's present a few solutions.
1. Salling Clicker
http://www.salling.com/clicker/windows/
SALLING CLICKER IS NOT FREEWARE
Salling clicker is what I currently use. There's one reason for that and one only. Salling clicker let's you use scripts to control your PC. you can write them or download them. you can shut your screen off or turn it on, manage volume and system state, control your mouse, control Winamp, Windows Media Player, BSPlayer, M2VPlayer..powerpoint.. i can go on and on. the list is long.
Salling Clicker isn't as finger friendly and good looking like Gremote, but it does let you control your comp using both Bluetooth and Wifi and it also has the coolest feature between all remote controls - one of the scripts is an OSD which shows you callerid and stops any media player currently playing when you receive a call. this is very useful for me as I listen to Trance all day long and can't hear my phone ringing pretty often.
To use Salling Clicker
a. go to the website mentioned above and download salling clicker.
b. install the client both on your PC and PPC
c. go to http://www.salling.com/forums/ and find the scripts you would like to use.
d. copy the scripts to your PC to My Documents/My Clicker Scripts
e. load Salling Clicker on your PPC
f. Turn WIFI/Bluetooth on depending on which connection type you'd like to use
g. click Menu and connect using that same connection type. (if you choose wifi you will have to put in the right IP address, if you choose bluetooth you will have to choose the computer to connect to from the list of bluetooth devices)
h. after connecting you can start playing with the scripts. you will need to experiment in order to gain full potential out of this magnificent piece of software.
2. GRemote
http://gbmsoftware.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=10|http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=427097
GREMOTE IS FREEWARE
Gremote was created (and is still being updated) by GBM software (user named marbalon in xda-devs). The GUI is unbelievably cool and besides the fact that it makes the whole experience much nicer than in Salling Clicker it also is VERY finger friendly.
You can control your keyboard, media player, mouse, use some system controls AND, if you have a Gsensor, you can use it to control your mouse like, and i quote, "Logitech MX Air (not the same)".
Gremote is certainly the way to go if it meets all your demands and if you want something as user friendly as it can get.
The PC client doesn't require installation, you can just run it, which is nice, but you'll have to install a client on your PPC.
The major setback in GRemote is that it only supports Wifi thus making it necessary to have a router around or to connect using Ad-Hoc.
To use GRemote
a. download from the link above.
b. Install the client according to your device's resolution.
c. Run the PC client.
d. Activate your Wifi (You have to activate it BEFORE running the ppc client)
e. run Salling Clicker on your PPC and go to Profiles
f. You can create a profile manually or choose Find to find a comp running the PC Client.
g. after configuring the profile click Add. from now on, this profile will be saved on your PPC and you can run it every time you run GRemote by default.
h. Click Save
i. Click Go !!!
j. now you can start having fun with it.
You can also check out the PC client for other options like enabling/disabling vibrate on soft click... and so forth.
A new feature has been added recently letting you use your PPC as a Joystick.. or whatever you call it nowadays
3. Jerome Leban's Bluetooth Remote Control
http://www.jaylee.org/remotecontrol/
Jerome Leban's Bluetooth Remote Control IS FREEWARE
This application is the first remote control i've used on my PDA. It is somewhat old and doesn't have all the features of the other 2 apps presented above.
You can control your mouse, Mediaplayer, Winamp.. your screen... control your keyboard and even change bindings so that you can fit any key to whatever command you wish to execute. you can control powerpoint, itunes, PowerDVD.. and a few more regularly used applications.
This tool uses Bluetooth ONLY.
The mouse is not as responsive as you'd like it to be, making this app less useful and it is certainly NOT fingerfriendly.
I will not specify how to use it. you can download it and give it a shot. it requires both a PC and PPC clients to be installed.
If you need a remote for something specific, you will find it either in Salling Clicker or in GRemote, making this app obsolete.
You're welcome to try it tho and see if it fits you.
4. z2Remote2PC
http://www.z2software.com/Remote2PC.htm
z2Remote2PC IS NOT FREEWARE
It is pointless to start detailing the features of z2Remote2PC. this software is one piece of krazieass cement breaker. you can do pretty much anything you want using it. It isn't as finger friendly as GRemote, but i'll stop/start here and tell you that it differs from the other 3 since it's supposed to be a "far-away" remote control. you should use it to control your comp from outside your home.. you can see your PPC's screen on your PPC and do pretty much everything you can do using your PPC. it support Vista and even supports hard graphics (that doesn't mean you'll be able to play Crysis on your PPC.. )
You should download this and experiment as configuration is endless. you will need to install both a PC and PPC clients for this to work.
notice you will have to open a specific port in your router and/or windows firewall for this to work. notice it supports Wifi/Cellular connections.
z2Remote2PC has a LO-HOT to offer and you can spend a day just going thru all the options/features.. both client and server side.
If you found this guide useful please Donate.. (all donations go to TZABACH Wounded Animal Service)
Showing Network Info/Network Info Today Plug-in
i've been asked about the possibility to show network information several times already
Showing Network Info/Network Info Today Plug-in
This is very straightforward. a today plugin called Connstate can show you details on ALL current connections.
You can see the Router's/Access Point's name, your IP Address, Type of connection (ActiveSync/Wifi/Cellular) and which network you are connected to.
Connstate was created by a user called dpduser and can be downloaded from this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=322058
all you have to do is install it and connect somewhere. you will see something like this:
If you found this guide useful please Donate.. (all donations go to TZABACH Wounded Animal Service)
"how do i control my PDA though my PC?"
"how do i control my PDA through my PC?"
to take screenshots, create video tutorials, or just control your PDA from your PC just because it's faster... you can control your PDA from your PC using a few applications.
Generally, they are all the same. i will review 2 common ones.. the rest are pretty much the same.
1. SOTI Pocket Controller PRO - http://www.soti.net/
SOTI Pocket Controller PRO is NOT FREEWARE
This is what I'm currently using... it is nice and useful.. the GUI is cool and very easy to deal with.
As you can see in the screenshot below, there are many nice and useful features and you can even use a skin to see the screen inside an image of your device.
You can explore your device's storage card and app storage, copy and delete files.. get system information, see the tasks running, registry, sync your device... you can rotate the screen, draw on it... and create screenshots or videos of your device... and much more.
connection is done by either ActiveSync or Wifi and you will have to set properties for it to work properly using Wifi.
to use SOTI Pocket Controller Pro
a. download the application from the above link and install it. it will also install a client on your PDA
b. run the app on your PC
c. click the Play button on the upper left side of the app and create a new connection profile and choose activesync
d. connect your device to the PC USING ACTIVESYNC and you will be able to connect.
to use it using wifi you will have to
a. go and click the upper left round icon WHILE THE DEVICE IS CONNECTED in activesync and go to settings
b. click settings
c. create a new profile and choose TCP/IP and leave the IP field blank
d. click ok
e. in Security choose Configure and choose to accept inbound TCP/IP connections.
that's it. when you click the play button you will be given the choice of either connecting using ActiveSync or using Wi-fi. if you choose wifi you will have to write the correct IP of your device. (you can use the previous guide in this thread to see your IP).
there are many many many many other features and options which you should play with.. give it a shot.
2. MyMobiler - http://www.mtux.com/
MyMobiler IS FREEWARE
MyMobiler is much lighter and consists of basic features. a full guide to mymobiler is supplied by Menneisyys
in this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=318425
there have been a few updates since he wrote the guide but it's generally the same.
you can download it and experiment. if you don't need much, mymobiler is the way to go as it's light and doesn't require a serverside NOR clientside installation. Mymobiler supports ONLY activesync connection.
If you found this guide useful please Donate.. (all donations go to TZABACH Wounded Animal Service)
"how to make the grey lines between the today screen plugins disppear?"
saw a lot of users pissed of by the annoying grey lines in the today screen separating the today plugins.
a user named "nothin" created a cab to annihilate those annoying lines...
so
"how THE HELL do i make those annoying lines between the today screen plugins disappear?"
this is what "nothing" wrote:
Code:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Today]
"HidePluginSeparators"=dword:1
it works on
21014
20954
20764
20757
19972
19965
19608
19588
and more..
question is, if it works on lower/other ones...
damn, it is so useful.
----
reg found in 6.5.
----
of course, soft reset is needed after reg import to see if it works...
btw, tweak has NO effect for HS++ dividers, so hs++ dividers may be still used between hs++ tabs, if needed.
upd: cab in attachment, need info, if it's properly made.
you need to make manual soft reset after installation.
Code:
attachment:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=150025&d=1232892977
I'd add a donation link for nothin but... he doesn't have one
If you found this guide useful please Donate.. (all donations go to TZABACH Wounded Animal Service)
"How to stop activesync from turning itself on all the time?"
"How to stop activesync from turning itself on all the time?"
This is a guide created by "markqld"...
(I've rewritten this for the HTC HD and I works Brilliantly well).
Active Sync can start again by itself via various scheduling routines. There is a way to prevent this known as the "Fake Server Trick":
This 'server trick' was discovered by an Aximsite forum member known as Invid
This post originally created by IamNotMe fourpages.co.uk (Adapted by me for HD)
"1. Turn on your Device
2. Go to Start > Programs > Activesync. This will open the Activesync program.
3. Tap Menu at the bottom right hand corner of the screen. This will bring up the Options Menu. Notice the option Schedule... is greyed out? This is the all-critical option we need to get access to. But as it's disabled we can't change Activesync's default synchronisation schedule.
Ok, so how do we enable the Schedule option? Easy!!! Fool Activesync into thinking there is an Exchange Server to sync with:
1. From Activesync's Menu tap on Add Server Source.
Enter any email and untick box then click next.
2. In the following screens you can enter any old garbage. It does not matter, but just in case your unsure, just type the following in the indicated boxes:
Server Address: fake
Leave box ticked and Tap Next
User name: fake
Password: fake
Domain: fake
Leave box ticked and Tap Next
Untick all of the 'Data you want to synchronise' options
Tap Finish
3. Ok, we're done creating the server. You should now see in Activesync's main screen your normal Activesync connection(s), and a new connection called Exchange Server.
4. Go back into the Menu, and lo and behold the Schedule option is now enabled! Go ahead and tap it!
5. You will see that both options in the Schedule screen may be set to Every 5 Minutes
6. Using the drop downs, change both the Peak times and Off-peak times boxes to Manually.
7. Press the OK button at the top right of the screen.
Congratulations! Activesync is now gagged from opening on it's own and ruining your life! Your work is not done just yet though – time to clean up and get rid of the now unwanted fake Exchange Server.
1. Go back into Activesync's Menu, then Tap Options.
2. Highlight Microsoft Exchange, then tap Delete. A warning message will appear about removing files etc, but as you have no files associated with the fake Microsoft Exchange, it's nothing to worry about – just tap Ok.
3. The list will now only show your remaining PC Sync connection(s). Obviously do not delete these!"
Note: some users say it works better if you leave the fake server there (undeleted). Not the case for me, however, it does no harm to leave it undeleted as it is totally inactive and has no effect.
PS. If you connect your HD to your PC with USB cable, ActiveSync will start automatically and everything will sync up as usual (I tried it). But after you disconnect, click the Task Manager button at top right corner of HD Flo home screen and tap the X next to ActiveSync to close active sync.
My Results: Processor & working memory usage is significantly decreased, battery lasts longer and ActiveSync is not trying to sync all the time.
another solution by bradipo.xda
I found that many of the latest ROM cooks of WM6.1 have the annoying issue of Activesync always starting itself every minute... i searched a lot and found the best common solution is the fake account with manual settings...
After playing around with the registry i managed to find a better way.
Just open your favourite registry editor and set the value:
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\ActiveSync\KeepAlive
to 0
"which shell is the best shell?"
people tend to ask a lot of questions about different WM shells while the most popular one is "which is the best shell?"
honestly, it is very hard to answer this question if not impossible. customizing your today screen depends solely on your individual preference.
of course, there's the issue of usability. some shells are heavy on weak devices... some shells are more into the looks rather than being as usable as one wishes.. and so forth.
so in favor of redepmtion...ing you from this constant dilemma, let's elaborate on this issue.
I obviously forgot about a few shells.. i will edit this guide until I get the majority of them
"Which shell is the best shell?" (this is written mainly for search purposes)
I will specify the most popular shells, some created by users from xda-devs..
downstairs you will find a link to a file containing some photos of the shells.. just so you can get a feel of them.
1. Ultimate Launch AKA UL
xda-devs thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=389019
official website: http://www.ultimatelaunch.de/
UL IS NOT FREEWARE
resolution support: not resolution depedent
The reason for which i'm starting this list with Ultimate Launch is single and pure. Ultimate Launch is a "naked" and endlessly configurable shell. People who want to be 100% specific about their today screen looks, should use it.
Ultimate Launch consists of different tabs (or one only, if needed) while each tab can contain either icons, separators, or - yes, OTHER TODAY PLUGINS in it. This makes ultimate launch immensly usable as you can pretty much put whatever you want in any of the tabs.
You can move between tabs either by sliding the screen or by clicking the tab icons - that is, if you want to save screen space, you can have the tab icons at invisible and switch tabs only by sliding - this simulates a regular today screen .. doubled.. tripled.. quadrupled.... you get the drift.
To create a fitting today screen you will have to do some work, that's where my advice comes: if you want something work-ready, don't use UL.
In the picture below you will see only 3 tabs of the tabs in my UL setup.. just as a demonstration. The first tab contains FEWidgets, the 2nd contains contains contact icons, the 3rd tab contains app shortcut icons..
2. SPB Mobile Shell AKA SPBMS
xda-devs thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=389106
official website: http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/mobileshell/
SPBMS IS NOT FREEWARE
resolution support: theme dependent
SPB Mobile shell is definately one of the most popular shells as it is nicely customizable, fast, responsive and very nice looking.
Unlike UltimateLaunch, SPB Mobile shell is not directly customizable. you can change some of the options directly, but to completely customize the today screen you will have to download and install a skin (a lot of themes can be found in the xda-devs thread URL above). SPBMS works differently than UL. It doesn't allow different plugins and icons. SPBMS is independent and although it provides tabs for different information, it doesn't allow the same customizing power UL does.
What SPBMS does tho, is allow you to have an extremely sleek, fast and easy to use today screen, and since it is so popular, you will find endless amounts of skins for it.
3. rlToday
xda-devs thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=1601960
official website: http://rotlaus-software.de/projects/rltoday/
rlToday IS FREEWARE
resolution support: theme dependent
rlToday is much simpler than the previous shells. It consists of one screen, no tabs. Thing is, that rlToday is good for different purposes as well. the skin files are read from an XML file, which makes things megaeasy. you can write an XML file to view images, read registry data.. pretty much do everything you can do in an XML file.
Think of it this way, you can put rlToday as a today plugin inside UltimateLaunch if you want a tab to read information from a specific xml file.
4. FEWidgets AKA FEW - by nicodega
xda-devs app thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=430190
xda-devs widgets thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=450668
FEWidgets IS FREEWARE
resolution support: QVGA/VGA/WVGA/WQVGA/WWVGA/WWPGAPGA.. lol.. you get the point
FEWidgets is wonderful. I'm sorry that i can't hide my personal opinion of it.. but FEWidgets is... wonderful It uses flash widgets (just like the omnia.. and better) which can be moved across the today screen. you can create your own widgets using FECommands in flash (instructions supplied in a doc file in the app thread).. AND, AGAIN, you can integrate it into Ultimate Launch if you want it to be contained in one of your tabs (that's what i did).
currently the built in widgets are.. a flipping diamond clock (looks even better than the TF3D one.. and is good for people who want to get the feeling of TF3D's digital clock without actually having TF3D).. there are shortcut buttons, analog clock, weather check, tasks widget, appointments widget, calendar widget, wallpaper changer, automatic SMS popup, unread messages and calls indicator, battery and signal indicator... and many many more. You need to have flash 7 installed for it..
here is the cab for flash 7 for mobile:
http://download.macromedia.com/pub/flash/devices/pocket_pc/installers/fp7_ppc_en.cab
5. ThrottleLauncher AKA TL - by APBilbo
xda-devs thread: not needed
official website: http://www.throttlelauncher.com/portal/
TL IS FREEWARE
resolution support: theme dependent
Throttle Launcher is the closest shell you can use to get the TF3D feel.. without actually having TF3D. That's if you use the TF3D pack. there are other packs as well. you can remove tabs, use a flash clock instead of a regular one, use flash widgets (a bit less customizable than FEWidgets.. and slower), use Rumball's weather pack (you can find it here) to get the exact feeling of TF3D's animated weather effects and more, you can use different contact interfaces, like the TF3D's contact swaper.. you've got a music tab, pictures tab, a new stocks tab (created by Rumball as well), a settings tab.. and more. You even have the scrolling feature in the home tab just like in TF3D. Even if you end up using something else, I suggest you at least try TL. it's definately worth the 15 minutes it'll take you to install and look thru.. and you might not want to let it go.
6. Manila2D AKA M2D AKA TouchFLO2D - ported from HTC by herg and others.
xda-devs app thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=398173
xda-devs VGA thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=429224
xda-devs skins thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=451702
M2D IS FREEWARE
resolution support: QVGA/VGA(partially)
Manila2D was created by HTC for the latest set of touch phones like the HTC Touch 3G and the HTC Touch. it consists of a specific number of tabs (now changable by a customizer created by mpenguin14 (found here), it has a Home tab with a clock, alarm status, missed calls status and next appointment status, a speed dialer tab, sms tab, email tab, internet tab, photos tab where you can slide thru your photos, music tab where you can play music and view album covers and an app shortcuts tab. In the last version, there's a Footprints tab. Footprints lets you take a picture of a place, and save it with its GPS position, a video, phone number, googlemaps shortcut.. and more.
M2D fits most HTC's devices today thanks to our lovely forum members who ported it. tabs can be removed and change a bit using the customizer.
7. TouchFLO3D AKA TF3D - ported by Chainfire
xda-devs app thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=2758694&postcount=240
customization thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=437777
TF3D IS FREEWARE
resolution support: QVGA/VGA
TF3D is different than all other shells as it requires a good gfx engine to run properly. most devices can't run TF3D.. so unless you have.. a Kaiser and up (Polaris, Touch3G, Diamond, Raphael...) don't try it. I won't give anymore details. whoever wants to use TF3D will have to dig in deeper into the forum and read about it.
Currently, the new Touch HD TF3D is being ported to fit HTC devices other than the Touch HD.
8. iFonz - by ssj5trunks
xda-devs thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=436656
official website: http://thedogcorner.blogspot.com/
iFonz IS FREEWARE
resolution support: QVGA/VGA
iFonz is the best way to turn your device into an iPhone.. as much as possible.
nuf said
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHELL PHOTOS:
http://rapidshare.com/files/192258550/Shell_Previews.zip.html\
If you found this guide useful please Donate.. (all donations go to TZABACH Wounded Animal Service)
"which shells is the best shell?" - continued
9. HTC Home AKA HHC - thank you SaltyDawg for reminding me
xda-devs thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=319308
official website: http://www.pocketemu.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewforum.php?16
HHC IS FREEWARE
resolution support: QVGA
HTC Home is setup for work. It is a tab adjustable plugin. when you install it.. no adjustments will have to be made in order for you to use it.. it's very straight forward.
of course, you will have to choose speed-dial contacts and apps.. but that's it.
you can use 6 tabs. Home,Apps,Speed-dial,Weather,Sound profiles and Media
the home tab has a clock and sms/mail/missed calls indicators
the apps tab has 9 buttons for 9 apps
the speed-dial tab has 9 speed-dial buttons
the whether button.. well..
the sound profiles button lets you choose different profile settings.. such as vibrate, mute and so forth
the media button controls either Media Player or Audio Manager.
you can also use the HTC Home Customizer (link provided above) to change some of the options and replace skins (you can also remove tabs).
HTC Home will take about half of your screen and leave the rest for other plugins. you can, of course, use it with ultimate launch for maximized usage.
10. Touch Commander - by mchapman007
xda-devs thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=395150
official website: http://www.touch-commander.com/
Touch Commander IS NOT FREEWARE
resolution support: QVGA only (I think)
Key Components
•Touch Control - you can scroll list, open and minimize applications by finger sweeps
•Today Plugin shows clock, weather, launcher and more
•Cube-like Multipage Launcher starts applications and makes quick calls
•Touch Task-manager allows to close or activate running applications
•Finger-friendly Start Menu is a menu with big icons
•Touch Menu is finger-friendly popup menus
•Titlebar Battery Indicator
you can find screenshots of the shell in the official website.
generally, Touch Commander is sort of an HTC Home but more configurable and changes many other GUI elements as mentioned above.
If you found this guide useful please Donate.. (all donations go to TZABACH Wounded Animal Service)
SMS Applications or "How do i enhance messaging?"
well, the new threaded messaging feature introduced in WM6.1 was certainly a refreshing idea..
personally, i like it. it's simple, doesn't require much attention, and it compresses a long long list of messages i have from the age of 7 (?) to a nicely sorted list which i can work with so here is
SMS Applications or "How do i enhance messaging?"
then there's a but. that new threaded messaging feature is nice, but not nice enough..
so in my eyes, there are 2 options.
one is called:
1.SmileySMS - created by "roozbeh"
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=328363
SMILEYSMS IS FREEWARE
There's a reason for why smileySMS is brought here first. the reason is, that i can't see why anyone would need more than what smileysms has to offer.
after installing it, you suddenly see your threads become alive, containing smilies (duh), speedclouds like on the iphone (yes, the quality depends on your screen, but it's really nice), every thread displays the photo of the person you're chatting with (assuming you have it of course), your sms notifications contain the photo as well and are a bit more interactive..
SmileySMS also supports skinning, animated smilies, disabling of the application, sounds, zoom, different sound notifications, vibration, disabling of the threaded sms option (which some people are looking for), links inside the messages (you can also click the senders name to see other options) and more.
now the catch is, that there is no catch. what's so great about SmileySMS.. and probably its best feature, is that it intergrates with poutlook. you go thru the regular sms routine for reading and writing.. no additional software.
moreover, SmileySMS is free, which makes it extrasupercool.
please make sure to thank roozbeh after downloading this cool piece of .. plugin?
the other is called:
2.VitoSMS
http://vitotechnology.com/
VITOSMS IS NOT FREEWARE
VitoSMS is nice. I used to use it once when i needed to send tons of SMS at work. VitoSMS is an application. Unlike smileysms, it has to load.. and if you have a massive amount of SMS it will take a few seconds for it to sync.
Thing is, that VitoSMS reads from poutlook.. so the database stays synchronized all the time.
VitoSMS is nice (did i say that before?). it looks better than smileySMS (at least in my opinion), it supports all sorts of links, you can send multiple SMS, see different options for the sender including deletion, addition and more.
go ahead. try both and see what you like best.
If you found this guide useful please Donate.. (all donations go to TZABACH Wounded Animal Service)
"How to install M2D and replace M2D skins?"
It seems that people are having a hard time installing Manila2D skins.
So i'll just start from the beginning.
"How to install M2D and replace M2D skins?"
1. Download M2D's latest edition from (thanks herg):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=398173
2. Download M2DC's latest edition from (thanks mpenguin):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=427392
3. Install M2D (you can also install any fixes you see fit from the package).
4. Install M2DC
5. By now, M2D is supposed to be running on your device (that is, any other today plugin, after the M2D installation, should be disabled and only TouchFLO2D (M2D) enabled.
6. either search for skins or go to (thanks albert and twolf):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=451702
7. download your favorite skin.
8. If the skin is in zip format:
a. launch M2DC.
b. click Add
c. search for your theme's zip file.
d. after adding it, click on it and choose apply theme.
e. after a while you will be asked if you want to switch weather icons and/or tab icons. choose whatever you want...
f.. that's it. you can also browse thru M2DC's tabs.. .it's full of options.
If the skin is in cab format:
a. install the cab
b. soft reset your device.
Thankfully, M2DC doesn't require soft resets.
There are loads on loads on loads of themes for M2D.. you can also change backgrounds, clock tabs, weather icons... and more.. depending on what you're downloading.
IMPORTANT (somewhat): if you want to combine different themes, you can apply one, and then only change the clock... and apply one and choose to NOT switch tabs.. and change backgrounds seperately..
If you found this guide useful please Donate.. (all donations go to TZABACH Wounded Animal Service)
How to remap hardware buttons?
Saw a few threads regarding this issue... so here we are
"How to remap hardware buttons?"
There are several applications for this purpose, and the default WM app (which is completely useless).
1. WM Builtin App
1. go to start/settings/buttons
2. You will see a list of your hardware buttons (some may not appear.. as not all are considered as remapable.
3. Choose the button you'd like to map
4. Assign a program to it from the dropdown menu below
This is as basic as it gets.
now for the real stuff.
2. HButton
Official Website - http://hbutton.dyndns.org/
HButton IS FREEWARE
HButton allows you to map all KNOWN MAPABLE hardware buttons on your device to run different applications or perform different event based actions.
One of the best features of HButton is that you can map an endless amount of actions for each buttonl. You can also set the delay between each action (that is, if you use a hardware button to "run iContact" and then "Close Active Application" you can set the delay until it moves from one to the other).
You can also have it cycle between the actions so that it's an endless loop.. or have it run only one cycle, you can have it beep, vibrate, display the action performed when performed..
to use HButton.
1. Download HButton
2. Install
3. go to start/programs/hbutton/
4. click on the setup icon (there are several icons there..)
5. choose your preferences
6. choose a button (i.e HButton 3)
7. from the dropdown menu, choose the action you'd like to perform
8. click add
9. choose the next option (if required)
10. setup the running order (you can move actions up and down on the list)
11. choose th button you'd like to map to using the upper arrow
12. click ok
13. move on the the next HW button
You can see that in the default WM App the mapping of the desired HW button will appear as "mapped to HButton #X"..
No reset needed.
3. AE Button Plus
Official Website - http://ae.inc.ru/aebplus.php
AE Button Plus IS NOT FREEWARE (altho there's an older version which IS freeware)
AE Button Plus will do more than map hardware buttons and the mapping option will map more than only the KNOWN MAPABLE hardware buttons. You can map the Red/Green buttons and the volume buttons as well.
AEB allows you to change the delay as well, change power off levels, screen orientation, backlight settings.. and lots more.
Of course, the main issue here is the mapping. You can map a hardware button for Single Click, Double Click, Triple Click and Long Press. You can also choose the "Unbind Only" option which will unbind a hardware button from it's existing action.
I will not go over all mapping options because it's korazie.. but i'll just let you know what you need to do to map a button and you can play with it (you SHOULD play with it).
To map an HW button using AEBP
1. Download AEBP
2. Install
3. Run AEBP
4. Choose a hardware key from the menu
5. Click the below screen (where it says "Do not touch button")
6. From the dropdown menu, choose "Handle by AEBPlus"
7. Choose your desired key press sequence
8. You can choose between many many, many... MANY.. many options. the first one is to run an application. you can also "press enter", "press esc", simulate the dpad buttons, activate wifi, bluetooth, phone, cut, paste, Alt-Tab... and much more.
9. Click File/Save and Exit
10. Soft reset (not always a must.. but recommended)
4. Dredsensor - created by Dredger97
XDA-Thread - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=472280
Dredsensor IS FREEWARE
Dredsensor is meant for the Diamond and Touch Pro devices as it's purpose is mainly to let you remap the annoying Home and Arrow HW buttons which are COMPLETELY useless if not mapped.
You can use it to also map the Green/Red buttons.
Mapping options are not as broad as in AEBP but good enough.
You can choose which screen the mapping will be applied to (i.e if you want to map a hardware button to perform a specific action while the screen shows a specific application, that's what you should use). You can also create a general mapping profile to use the hardware buttons similarily in all windows.
You can map to Double Tab, Click and Long Click.
the default option is to vibrate when an HW is pressed. you can disable that option. You can also block the scrolling wheel's option.
There are many options here.. like running applications, events, simulating HW or Soft keys... and more.
to use Dredsensor
1. download and install
2. run dredsensorcfg
3. will continue later.. gotta go.
"How do I upgrade my device?" or "How to flash a rom?"
"How do I upgrade my device?" or "How to flash a rom?"
As this is an EXTREMELY long subject, I will post links to major threads/sections concerning this issue and leave it at that. You will need to dig in a bit to find exactly what you're looking for.. and read a bit, that is, to understand the risks and the necessary steps. There is no point in asking questions like "how do I flash a ROM?" in the Q&A thread as we will just return a link pointing to the Wiki.. or something of that sort.
You can also go to the XDA-Wiki and look for information (there is ****LOAD of information there about ROMs..)
To save you the trouble i will first tell you that flashing a rom consists of a few stages.
1. CID Unlocking
2. Hard/Soft SPLing
3. Flashing
This is very general. some devices need different things.. you will have to dig it out.
Wallaby - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=268
Blue Angel - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=386
Himalaya - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=428469
Alpine - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=287
Magician - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=231410
Wizard - http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Wizard Windows Mobile 6 for newbies
Universal - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=357
Prophet - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=377545
Atom - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=388
Charmer - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=363882
Hermes - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=299462
Trinity - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=359
Artemis - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=362
Herald - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=361
Athena - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=429013
Kaiser - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=433835
Elf - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=406721
Vogue - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=391
Nike - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=367370
Diamond - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=416211
Opal - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=444
Blackstone - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=453
Polaris - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=399
Titan - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=384
Gene - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=472169
Pharos - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=398726
Juno - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=426
Sedna - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=434
Shift - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=395
Raphael - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=448008
Rose - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=459
Jade - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=463
X1 - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=446070