Database Users

Installing O2 settings without the O2 interface, on UK XDA2

Got my new XDA2 today and have resolutely set about making it my own. With the various guides on this site and others, I've modified the Config.txt file in my Extended_ROM to remove the O2 Active interface from the machine when I do a hard reset. All looks good.
However, this means that the default O2 settings for SMS, GPRS and so on aren't installed either. There are two solutions:
- Either someone knows how to stop the O2Active interface running while preserving the installation of the O2 network settings at a hard reset, or;
- Someone knows what the settings should be for the O2 service in the UK, and wouldn't mind helping me set my machine up manually.
Thanks in advance to anyone who can help with either of these options!
PS. I got pass-through Internet connection working (when the XDA2 is docked) if the O2 settings weren't configured automatically, but never managed it with the thing O2-branded Another good reason to ditch the O2Active setup!

To stop active loading after powerup of soft reset simply remove its shortcut from the /windows/startup folder.

Perfect! Thanks, stryker. Didn't realise yet how all this works.
I took the opportunity to get rid of the Flashman apps from startup too, since nobody seems to need them, they eat into the precious 31 allowed processes, and I'll be synching all the time anyway. Anyone know of any other StartUp-folder items that can be safely removed? I'll be keeping the IA_Caller_ID for the moment, but what else could be stopped without causing a problem?
Any idea what USSD and stk are?
Cheers,

look in the comments at the bottom of this article.
stk = SIM Application Toolkit
BTIcon = BT icon in the Today screen
USSD.exe = unstructures supplementary service data (whatever that is)

Thanks to you too, tyfy. I've seen that article before in the last few days, but had forgotten it/ lost track of it, so cheers for reminding me.
I need to start building a list of all the tweaks I'm applying every time I do a hard reset. Things like removing these startup items, customising configuration etc. I've got a couple more days before my SIM is activated and I want to get it right before that happens. I need to get onto Handango too, and buy some of these power tools that people are raving about.
Got PocketQuake2 running last night, though It won't be staying - too slow, disk-hungry and difficult to control, but seriously cool!

**UPDATED - 2**: JasJar: Thoughts & issues after a week'

I've used my JJ for a week [+] now, and after being a pretty strong user on my Himalaya, I'm not convinced that the JJ has a lot to offer. Here's a summary of my experiences, and some questions ppl may b able to help with:
What it truly offers vs XDA
Look, it works. But is it worth the money. Here's what you truly get, make your own decision. I have loot, so I went for it. But if I was stretched, there's no way...
Pretty kewl internet surfing: Speed good in 3G areas, and screen size along with small fonts (hi res) makes page width manageable. I find many sites where the combo boxes do not populate, but it definitely works on many sites that my XDA did not. Can't wait for Opera, tho many others anxiously await NetFront.
Useable email writing due to good keyboard. But, even with WebIS Mail, there is no HTML mail - just plain text. U can receive HTML as text of course.
Battery life not much different to XDA: a well set up XDA that is. I'm only now trying with 3G turned off to see if that helps further [Actually, I think it's quite a bit better than the XDA afetr all]
Pretty: Yep, VGA is very pretty. [After some use, I'm finding it very nice for calendars, surfing, emails, and anythng else where screen estate was apremium]
Terminal Services client: (aka remote desktop) - STUNNING given hi res. I can now get into my remote eMule server and see how things are going in crystal clarity. Love it!
Issues I have not solved - any thoughts?
Not enough hardware buttons in good locations: I drove my XDA with ButtonMax and the easily located hardware buttons. The JJ has fewer, and rather discrete, buttons. This means that you can't always hit that "close app" button easily, and paging in MobiPocket is limited. I HAVE gotten buttonMax to work - but a workaround is required. [VIto ButtonMapper also works]
No 'New' button: This sux BIG time! I had my XDA customised to "New SMS" vs "New eMail", and now I have to go into mail (WebIS mail beta is sloooow), choose account (SMS vs eMail), then hit new. Sounds like I'm whining, but I churn out a lot of messages in a day... [Using pocketPlus, I;ve gotten a "new message" command mapped to a hard key. Works great: hit the button and I get a list of account options. So it goes button-click accounnt-type message]
No Pocket Informant: Oh this is BAD BAD BAD!! The internal calendar app is SO crap one cannot believe that devices actually sell with it! I wouldn't have ever changed to PPC if I hadn't known about PI in advance. ANyway, PI fails on the JJ, even with October-1 ROM, due to 'POOM' issues. They are workin on it, but I'll be watching Agenda Fusion's progress equally closely. The first across the finish line...
[UPDATE: I've got it working - read their forum covering v3 this beta release for more. It's AWESOME in VGA!]
Nope - it fails after a day, and PI dev/ceo dude says he thinks it's a JJ ROM issue and it not working on solving it. SO start watching for Agenda Fusion to solve this for us...
Titlebar date/time: the OBOpt hack works, but the damned date only shows in the today screen. Go into any app or programme folders, and it gets knocked off the title bar. I WANT the time visible at all times - not like a today plugin damit!! Any suggestions? [UPDATE: Answer below - I didn't know of this WM5 feature]
Speed dial and recent call access: Up/Down on joypad no longer take me to speed dial and recent calls list when in phone mode. Now I have to touch the screen to dial whilst driving. Voice dialing will help - bit I've not tried this yet. Will see if ButtonMax can solve l8r tonight. [No, there's no "recent calls" command to map BM to - will have to work on a reg hack at some stage for this]
If ur buying for the keyboard, be careful; it's not that accessible. I still use the SIP for a lot of input, and only unrevolve the whole things when I'm settling in to surf or message [But its a GREAT keyboard!]
No BT icon. Bit daft. [Will test out BT switch apps this w.end]Buss updated his BT icon app for the JJ - look elsewhere under my posts. It's great - but it showed me that the BT issue is actually a deeper problem covered elsewhere - BT disconnects and is unreliable at best!
[*]Duplicates: I can't f'ing believe that I STILL get duplicates in the notifications queue!!! M$ have absolutely no excuse for not sorting this widely known issue out once and for all. Havn't yet found a proggie that does nightly cleanup - any tested suggestions? [REMOVED: this must have been a rogue app cos after a hard reset and re-insatll, I no longer have dups. I'll try to figure out what caused it over the next few days]Npote - they are BACK! sddeamon dups, and despite several hard resents I have not managed to figure out if there's a specific app causing them. I do know that there's no software to automatically clean up every night that works for the JJ on this particular dup[/list:e4db347fb1]
Things that work well for me
I've got quite a few of my critical apps up and working. Here's what I rely on:
Uptime Meter: gr8 4 battery life watching
Phone Dashboard: to track monthly 'free' minutes. Charts and dialog boxes don't do well in VGA, but it works [No it doesn't - no minutes are tracked - sorry!]
PocketPlus: Now, some forums say this does NOT work - latest 3.0.0b3888 does (with October-1 ROM). Repeating alarms do not work tho so...[UPDATE: I have recently hard reset and am installing 1x1 over a few days to see what the bugger is - PocketPlus is a contender at this stage...]
apReminderPlus: ESSENTIAL repeating alarms (who the hell hears that wank "cheep" in the morning!?). Not the best app but it's free and works. WIll try others over time. Reason I'm not happy is that altho it repeats and ascends, it does not pause for 5 mins then repeat the process over until u finally get back to your phone and realise how many meetings you've missed. It tries - wants to auto-snooze, but this feature does not work in WM5
Terminal Services client is great
ButtonMax: Now ESSENTIAL given the lack of external buttons on JJ. Map the few buttons u have to click, double-click, click-n-hold. I can't record Macros yet despite remapping "button 4" and readin all the help. They just don't record. [Also de-installed for now]
Pocket Sudoku: Yeehaa!
Mobipocket reader: Works - but fonts are not great to read for long [Get beta 5 from their dev site - Google it - STUNNING in VGA res!]
1-Calc, total commander, and eWallet all work fine.
Bluetooth headset support: Does a damn good job of reconnecting with my headset when I'm in rangeNOPE - it's a load of sh*t. Read my posts elsewhere on this!
Voicel dialing: Works VERY well - 1 click of BT headset and I'm ready to go
Extra section: Why I had to hard reset
Things went tits-up when I tried to install an app, then half way thro the cab transfer from PC-PPC I cancelled the process. DOn't see why it's an issue....but thereafter:
Add/remove list was blank
Could not install any new apps
Registry restore via sunnysoft did nothing to help (sunnysoft say "not for WM5" in their email to me - so don't expect too much from this...!)
Pocket Informant had failed (blank calendar issue) on me earlier so I was happy to re-build and give it a second chance anyway
At one stage my BT device went spastic - would not work, and when I deleted it I could not re-pair it
What's important is that there doesn't seem to be a way to get back to a saved state. Sunnysoft is NOT reliable according to THEM, and a simple memory copy cannot be restored.

I've been trying the beta for Mobipocket Reader 5. It works (though a bit buggy sometimes) and looks better in VGA but you cannot access the ID of the device from within Mobipocket. So, you cannot read secured books. I take it you used the old 4.x version and you could see the device's Mobipocket ID?

Re: JasJar: Thoughts & issues after a week's use
Titlebar date/time: the OBOpt hack works, but the damned date only shows in the today screen. Go into any app or programme folders, and it gets knocked off the title bar. I WANT the time visible at all times - not like a today plugin damit!! Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try tapping the Date/Time display on the Today screen. On the "More" tab there's an option "Display the clock on the title bar in all programs".

Re: JasJar: Thoughts & issues after a week's use
no1 said:
Try tapping the Date/Time display on the Today screen. On the "More" tab there's an option "Display the clock on the title bar in all programs".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome no1! You just made my whole lengthy post worthwhile. Thanks a stack.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

DaleReeck said:
I've been trying the beta for Mobipocket Reader 5. It works (though a bit buggy sometimes) and looks better in VGA but you cannot access the ID of the device from within Mobipocket. So, you cannot read secured books. I take it you used the old 4.x version and you could see the device's Mobipocket ID?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice 1 Dale! Found it and I'm MUCH happier with fonts - it's so crisp n clean Happy to live with bugs (not that I've seen any yet).
For others, the beta is here:
http://www.mobipocket.com/dev/beta/windowsmobile.asp?ID=1

For those interested, I emailed the makers of pocket informant saying that I have a wm2005 device and they replied with a link to the latest beta that works very well on the JJ. I suggest any1 interested do the same.

bukwit said:
For those interested, I emailed the makers of pocket informant saying that I have a wm2005 device and they replied with a link to the latest beta that works very well on the JJ. I suggest any1 interested do the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hiya bukwit, can U confirm for me: Was the link like this: http://download.pocketinformant.com/FTF/PI_Public_Build/
If not, please post it here. If so, this is the beta3 build that I (and several others) tried. It worked gr8 for a day, then during the midnight cleanup run I hit the blank calendar POOM issue. Let us know if you get past tonight without hitting the same wall...

yes this is the correct link for the beta...the current version I have is Rev 3 build 434. Been running it since saturday with no issues so far...

date hack on the today screen
Hello
As in the title- could you guys please provide the link to the date hack on the today screen? I am really missing the date on the JasJar top bar

New Soft
One more thing -
There is nice new pocket plus 3.0.1 which for my taste takes less memory, For me PI beta3 works ok.

Lucasz: Thanx for 3.01 - got it. Date hack is here: http://www.phm.lu/PocketPC/RegTweaks/
ANyone know how to change format of date shown - I know I had it as dd-mmm in my XDA but I've no idea where I found the regkey
Bukwit: darn! what r u doing right that it works...? Think I'll do a full sunnysoft backup, then try PI alone and build up until I find whatever knocks it out. Will be worth it...

I little anoyance I have noted with the Jasjar that you'd may like to confirm:
The volume slider is not functional when the Jasjar clam is shut, screen towards the keyboard. It is OK with screen facing up! I discovered this playing mp3s as I do of a morning with device in protective pouch. I often like to bump volume up and down for various tunes. I found to have control, I have to slip the Jasjar in its case screen facing up - not good. :evil:

@fonxnolds,
Thats the reason they gave a wired headset which has a volumer slider on it

universaldoc said:
@fonxnolds,
Thats the reason they gave a wired headset which has a volume slider on it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never opened them! I use Etymotic Research ER-4P earphones / earplugs, exclusively for listening to music. Retail approx US$330 a pair. >30db Noise reduction passively, brilliant Bass... :wink:
Anything that comes with a device is suitable for phone dialog only, not Music in my opinion. Sound leaks, annoying other people etc.
I may consider snipping the earplugs off the supplied cable and wiring up a 3.5mm Stereo socket for my ER-4Ps if that is the only solution. Better still check out the accessory market and grab a spare that I can alter with petty cash.

$330?!?! Amzing! I guess you really do like your music!

I'll update this post reguarly using colour to distinguish between edits. So, If u post fixes, be assured that they'll get into the main post, but please don't be offended if that don't pass credit - readers will see who suggested it further down.
The second update is shown in RED

bukwit said:
yes this is the correct link for the beta...the current version I have is Rev 3 build 434. Been running it since saturday with no issues so far...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Build 444 has been uploaded. It works fine

I still get loads of duplicates in the notification queue as well - all from sddaemon.exe? What's more this is a 'wakeup' event and so the duplicates were making my jasjar take foorreeevveerr to turn on from suspend. I removed them with scareybear check notification and it's much quicker to resume from suspend (like half a second as opposed to three to four seconds).
Does anyone know what sddaemon.exe is?

tintoy said:
I still get loads of duplicates in the notification queue as well - all from sddaemon.exe? What's more this is a 'wakeup' event and so the duplicates were making my jasjar take foorreeevveerr to turn on from suspend. I removed them with scareybear check notification and it's much quicker to resume from suspend (like half a second as opposed to three to four seconds).
Does anyone know what sddaemon.exe is?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found that after removing PI completely, these notification dups stopped. I had exactly the same issue before. Not saying it is definitely PI, but that's the ONLY thing I changed and I've been OK for a whole 8hrs now.
PS: Scareybear did not remove dups for me - just ID's then then I had to remove manually! Anton Amov's Pocket mechanic removed them - any idea of a utility that does it every midnight like we had in 2003SE?

Updated again in blue

EXEC SUMMARY: TIPS n TRICKS to make your JasJar run well

There are way too many posts on this board from ppl who r saying "Piece of crap, I'm gonna take it back and stick it up my provider's...". This post is for you!
I'm no expert (just a disciple of ppl like buzz, vj, etc), BUT I am not afraid of a hard reset or 30, and as a result I've tested everything below, and most of the stuff throughout this forum. I've also followed everything on every forum since being the 10th person in my country to get a JasJar. I welcome critisism, corrections and additions. Please post replies by refering to the step you would change, or insert after. Let's try to stick to proven alternatives and additions though, so that this thread can become somewhat of a 1-stop point for new users (and existing users who do not have the time to learn this alone - and let's face it anyone who has a Universal already, is probably pretty hard working, and already spending an awful amount of time justifying their acquisition in front of their BlackBerry collegues...)
This is written with a single thought in mind; what the hell would my wife do if she got one of these. No-one could blame her for tossing it inside of a week, but with a few changes it's perfectly functional - in fact with a few more changes (also listed below) it's quite desirable.
By the end of this process, your Universal should have a reasonable suite of apps, perfect functionality around all issues solved to date (I've not covered networking tho), a screen flip speed of 0.5s or less, and free program memory of over 20Mb
So here goes, a step-by-step process to get your Universal 100% functional, proven and tested on the HTC Universal iMate JasJar, but should all work on any MDA:
ROM Upgrade: First thing's first. Upgrade to the September-30 ROM (JASJAR_WWE_11353_137_10301.zip). It's available somewhere on xda-developers, or on clubimate for imate users. This is a no-brainer - no posts on this board or any others indicate it's a waste of time. Many posts cover O2 users flashing to this ROM, with great benefits. There are ways to re-install the O2 graphics and apps - if you want ;-) If you have ANY issues with your Universal, bite the bullet and do this; you'll see that the following setup process is not as brutal as you'd expect (I can run thro it in about half an hour - but I've done it many times and have all the apps lined up and ready).
Optional soft reset: Some pppl like to soft reset BEFORE the device installs the default apps. On this ROM, there's no performance improvement, no memory imporvement that can't be covered later (backgammon etc), and potentially some important losses that I didn't hang around long enough to discover.
Sync: Now sync with your PC to get your contacts, calendar and tasks. This is only here to get you up and running asap.
Pocket Mechanic: Download (www.antontomov.com) and install this essential app. You have a few days on trial, and it's necessary for the next steps
Notification Queue: This can be done later, but it's nice to get familiar with this process whilst your queue is small. Using PM, open the notification queue. You may already (yes!) find some duplicate (yellow icon) sddeamon entries. These seem to replicate during an activesync. You can/must delete all duplicates from time to time. You will also, in future, find some "\.\\Notification.....SCRIPT..." entries. Keep an eye out for these. Most mature within minutes of you finding them, so let them expire. Many are future-dated and tightly back-to-back. These can nearly always (I've never had a regret) be deleted without repercussions. If you don't manage these, they tend to breed, and anyone with XDA experience knows what happens when your queue fills up (failed alarms etc). I'm unclear as to where these come from - undoutedly an app that is not behaving elegantly (regular registration checks etc), and if you follow the steps on this post you should NOT find any - ie the apps here do not seem to be culprits. But, keep an eye open...
Registry cleanup: Again, this can be done later, however you'll soon see the beenfit of doing it now. Using PM, run registry cleaner. You'll get around 6 entries, all of which can safely be deleted. If you did not follow step 1, you may have to examine eahc entry to see if the O2 ROM is messier. The beauty of this step is that from now on, you can safely clean everything that PM finds in the knowledge that it's a leave-behind from an app you installed, and now you can install, de-install, and provided you clean up the directories (easy) you KNOW for sure that you've completely gotten rid of the failed app. Winner!
Task closer: Now it's time for your task manager. There's a lot of coverage on this, and any of the following seem to do the trick, ranked in order of simplicity thro to possibly problematic:[list:333ba237cf]
Magic Button (free, includes battery line on top of screen)
GSPocketMagic++ (free, includes cascading menu. Some MDA Exec users claim that it closes something awful that O2 installs, and solves a 7 second flip issue. SEVEN SECONDS!!! If you implemented step 1, you should not have this problem to solve anyway)
spbPocketPlus (not free, and do not allow it to show any storage meters. There are some bad posts on spb, but I've found it just as good as the above, altho it takes up slightly more memory)
WisbarAdvance2 (not free, HUGE footprint, definite performance issues BUT it skins your Universal SO beautifully, that I've gone with this and WAD - desktop plugin)
[*]Basic apps: Now there are a few no-brainer apps to install, that no-one disputes and that are all free. NO BRAINERS:
Total commander (free, replacement for file explorer - way way better)
TCPMP (free, replaces media player, more formats, full screen, way way better)
Batti (free, battry bar on top of screen like spbPocketPlus, small footprint, but if u r using MagicButton you already get this)
TRE (free, registry editor, necessary to run .reg files covered later)
IIWPO (free, AWESOME concept; If your owner info is changed, it SMS's the number you've set with new SIM number and new 'owner' details. Great if someone steals your Universal. Don't bother if u r not happy with a little installation effort)
BT icon (free, on this board somewhere, gives u an icon on your today tray that shows BT status and allows u to jumps to settings>connections>BT)
BT switch (free, on this board somewhere, several apps that turn BT on, off, or toggle)
Battery Uptime (Optional: free, today plugin that tells u the battery status BUT it's way more useful: you get to see actual running time vs uptime, and remaining running time. This gives u a good feel for your battery consumption rate under different scenarios and helps overcome a LOT of concerns around thinking you are draining faster when actually you are just using the device more)
apReminderPlus (free, AWESOME repeating alarms. Beauty of this is that is seems to be independent of WM5, in that it keeps an eye open for any alarms, and pops up to do its thing if it sees one. WAY beter than built in repeat system, and makes me feel good that I have alarms covered off in case the old wm2003 bugs start to appear again)
VJSMS (free, on this board, gives u 1-click to send an SMS. Note that .lnk file should read as follows INCLUDING inverted commas:
\Storage Card\Program Files\VJApps\vjsms.exe" "123
Change path and number of course. Number can also be a name.
Sad to report that VJDailer doesn't work on the universal. This would be awesome
[*]Settings: Time to do your basic settings:
speed dials
power and backlight
voice dials
Owner info
ringtones and notifications
DO NOT set regional settings if u r using PI (below)
[*]PIM: OK, time to replace the CRAP calendar built into WM5. CRAP CRAP CRAP! Disgracefully, embarassingly CRAP. Hell, symbian ship better default apps with the OLD Psion S3 and S5 than this! Now, I use PocketInformant. Latest release works well on JJ with 2 livable issues: Landscape flip screws up Monday/Tuesday in week view, and you MUST NOT set any regional settings what-so-ever, else you get the blank calendar view bug. AgendaFusion is due for a WM5 release any day now. Other than that, I don't think there is much that works on the Universal - correct?? :?:
[*]Reg fixes: Now there are a few no-brainer registry hacks that you should run. You can find these as cab files on this board, as registry keys under the wiki page, else as .reg files on one of my earlier posts (fastest method):
Buzz's BT headset (prevents BT from turning off over night - no brainer! Thanks buzz!!)
"Always on GPRS" (search this board - keeps GPRS/UMTS turned on - awesome!)
Date & time in title bar (why not)
Menu and popup fonts 700 vs 900 (it's cosmetic, but on our nice VGA screens, it seems daft to have a look n feel that's SO QVGA)
PIE homepage (prevent 'e' button from going to clubimate page)
Terminal services cache (increased cache uses memory during terminal services, but it's WELL worth it to eliminate black blocking issues)
Turn IR off (unless you have a good reason for keeping it on)
[*]Extra apps: There are several very useful apps, that work reliably and do not have an adverse impact on your Universal.
eWallet (not free, desktop sync does not work, but rest is very useful)
Pocket sudoku (not free, but it's SO much fun!)
Mobipocket reader (skinny version is free, for mobipocket ebooks - ebooks fully being 25% of your devices functionality along with PIM, phone and internet access. Google beta 5 version with full VGA support)
uBook (more eBook formats. Not free but usable. VGA support)
1-calc (cos built in calculator is SO crap)
GPRS traffic monitor: We need a GPRS/3G monitor. spbGPRS monitor does NOT track the usage of yoru device as a 3G modem - which is where u chew up traffic costs. IP Dashboard has similar issues.
[*]Memory:Now, I'm the first to say that I don;t fully get this yet. There are a few things that the posts suggest should reduce program or storage memory - but don't really seem to do so. Try them and let me know results with more scientific before and after checking please:
Remove backgammon & skype, and re-install to SD card
Remove the 1Mb .tsk themes from the \Windows directory. You cannot delete them, you have to create new files that are smaller and copy them into \Windows and overrwite the larger files. Search this board for some sample small files provided. I didn't find that I got any memory back...???
Ditto for .cab files in \Windows
Do not use these big theme files - by using smaller themes you should get more program memory.
A couple of dudes have started threads on getting more memory and clearing out \windows files - but there are no good responses yet...
[/list:333ba237cf]
Right, that's it! As I said above, I welcome input and feedback - but let's keep it hi quality so that this post perhaps gets stickied and we can get less of the "Buy my JasJar before I post it on eBay posts". Of course there are a load more apps you can add, but most give issues (eg TomTom) and posts on this board cover working around them for ppl who have to have these apps. This was a good, strong, basic config.
Hope this is helpful to some.

Some well-thought out words there, craigiecraigie4. However, I'm a firm believer that it's a bad move to install anything that I REALLY don't need. So far, my MDA Pro has a default installation. None of these "essential apps" are necessary. Indeed, half of them seem to only exist so that you can add other "essential apps" :wink:
If/when a better browser comes along, I'll investigate. Other than that, I find the messaging client perfect (works nicely against Exchange server); Terminal Services could be better - just giving me true full-screen support would be enough. And I'd like better Wifi support - I want, for example, to be able to name my SSID. IMHO, with desktop PCs as much as with PDAs, every time you install a piece of software, it ultimately makes the system *worse*. ie the result is a damned site less than the sum of the parts.
so, taking each point with my (possibly unique, certainly cynical) POV
1. ROM Upgrade
Didn't bother. It adds nothing that I'd use apart from MSN and that would just suck up time that should be spent on worthwhile things :lol:
2. Optional soft reset
Yeah, I may do this but, TBH, T Mobile install very little stuff and it seems to work, so I ain't fixin' it.
3. N/A
4. Pocket Mechanic
I can't see that I need this.
5. Not quite sure what the problem here is. I've been using XDAs since day 1 and never encountered the problem. YMMV
6. Registry cleanup
Never assume that some badly-written software doesn't depend on some default or illogical registry setting. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
7. Task closer
OK, not a "two-click" operation, but in Settings/Memory, I can close running applications. No new software needed.
8. Basic apps
Total commander - erm, yeah, it's nice and everything and does a better job than the standard affair. However, 99.99% of the time, error: +/- 0.01%, I find I don't actually need any of that extra fluff.
TCPMP - granted, I only use MP to listen to WMAs I record off the radio to listen to later.
Batti - On my Today screen, there's a little icon I tap and it shows me my battery state. I can also see this using Settings/Power (or whatever it is)
TRE - See previous warning about effing about with your registry
IIWPO - nice idea :lol: but no substitute for insurance or taking care
BT icon, BT switch - I've never used Bluetooth in my life. YMMV
Battery Uptime - See prior comment about battery state indicator
etc
I'm sure that more people will find your advice usefull than mine, but just like to point out that, out of the box, these devices (at least MDA Pro) seem not to be too wide of the mark. For me, at least.

This is very helpful...thanx!
You mentioned that the soft reset before installation of imate stuff may lead to some problems in the long run. As I have opted for this strategy and have only installed two cab files (btpatch and a file that brings up the smart dialing), I would appreciate it if you could tell us what kind of problems we might confront. Also, is it too late to add these cab files after the fact (that is given we have synched contacts and added other programs)?
Cheers, apap

craigiecraigie4 - very useful advice, I think for everyone with a PPC. I don't have a universal, but good tips either way.
I didn't realise VJDialer doesn't work on WM5. I'll look into updating it when I get a new version of Visual Studio (or a WM5 device!).
Good work man!
V

Hi VJ - yeah, I'm afraid that there are a couple of posts on your primary thread about the "no command line specified" - no matter what combinations we try in the .lnk file. Saw your comment that another crowd charges for such an app. I'd happily contribute for the benefit of quick-dials - would be awesome along with WAD. You might want to mention your app on the WAD (lakeridgesoftware) forums - many 2003 users there who would LOVE this. With WAD u can have popup boxes on your skin, so with vjdialer one can popup and view of quickdials. awesome.

craigiecraigie4 said:
[*]Buzz's BT headset (prevents BT from turning off over night - no brainer! Thanks buzz!!)
[*]Menu and popup fonts 700 vs 900 (it's cosmetic, but on our nice VGA screens, it seems daft to have a look n feel that's SO QVGA{)
/quote]
where can i get the 2 things above...looked but cant find
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

vijay555 said:
craigiecraigie4 - very useful advice, I think for everyone with a PPC. I don't have a universal, but good tips either way.
I didn't realise VJDialer doesn't work on WM5. I'll look into updating it when I get a new version of Visual Studio (or a WM5 device!).
Good work man!
V
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi vijay!
I'm running on wm5 on my xda2....and am using vjdialer and vjsms extensively!
I dont think there are any problems with VJDialer's compatibility with wm5....
S

spbPocketPlus (not free, and do not allow it to show any storage meters. There are some bad posts on spb, but I've found it just as good as the above, altho it takes up slightly more memory)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have this running on my Exec and have storage indicators for memory and SD card on today screen, or are you talking about something else?
Btw, I found that my Exec runs faster with pocket plus than it did with magic button and pocketmagic++
Cheers
J

craigiecraigie4
Thank you VERY much for your extensive effort - this really does helps a lot :!:

That's an awesome post craigiecraigie4, some hard work went into that one dude.
Now my post below is not intended to be better than the original, merely another option. craigiecraigie4's use of the device is obviously a lot different to mine, as I work in an office, and am out of connectivity for maybe 3 hours of travel a day max, and never at weekends unless I go out. I'm on a scooter or a tube train so no connectivity is possible during travel for me.
What we are describing is our comfortable loadsets or configurations of our little systems, and that's what the stuff down here is, the Bongo configuration if you will. :lol:
I have made my comments against craigiecraigie4's original titles, and added a few apps of my own that I have.
[*]Weirdness for Hallowe'en :shock: After a hard reset, then sometimes the crosshair pointer setup would be real slow, and others it would be fast. Just in case, I did it until I had a fast one and proceeded from there. Don't know what/if any difference it makes, but that's what I do.
[*]ROM Upgrade: As there aren't any upgrade ROM's out there execept for the iMate one, I wouldn't until the new carrier ROM's are posted. I agree with CraigieCraigie though. Sooo, why not then? Warranty is the answer. Although I think in reality they wouldn't wash their hands of you just because you dared to use someone else's ROM, the carrier techies are generally not allowed to instruct you in the art of repairing your device with anyone else's ROM except their own, and so you would need to wait until your carrier released an upgrade and they could tell you how to do it.
[*]Optional soft reset: Definitely. And be selective about the manual .cab installs (installing total commander or the like first to see the Ext ROM). There's generally something in there that forces the device to behave in a way you don't like. An example is the internet button taking me to the t-mobile home page all the time. I hate that so I didn't install the relevant .cab.
[*]Sync: Now sync with your PC to get your contacts, calendar and tasks. This is only here to get you up and running asap. <-yeah man
[*]Pocket Mechanic: Download (www.antontomov.com) I bought this. It's good meaty tools you would get in a full Windows OS that M$ didn't put in WM5 yet.
[*]Notification Queue: Did it once, didn't do it after my last hard reset and TBH, haven't felt a need. I probably would do if I installed it and saw a gazillion notifications spamming my inners up. :lol:
[*]Registry cleanup: Haven't done it, but a careful look and selective delete may be of some use. Can't be arsed is the honest answer
[*]Task closer: Haven't bothered this time to minimise my number of concurrently running programs (absurd logic eh :wink: ). I only use a certain few apps, and as they're few don't notice a big slowdown from having them minimised if they don't close fully
[*]Basic apps: Here are Craigie's apps with my comment, and my loadset apps
Total commander - yeah man, schmokin
TCPMP - I only use mp3's so no point for me. Perhaps if I need to watch videos I will reinstall it.
Batti - I use Spb GPRS Monitor, v2.3.0, b525, and it has a battery icon, and I have the icon on my today screen, and I can guess it most of the time.
TRE - I use BitsInside Regedit. Also free and I like the Win 98 feel to it.
IIWPO - Great idea, I didn't know it worked on Universals. I will do this cos you never know if it might lead you to a thief. They'd have to be non-savvy theives of course else they'd hard reset it before using the new SIM
BT icon - I use the FN + -> combination to get there or the connectivity icon on the status bar.
BT switch - as above
Battery Uptime - If you want to learn then great
apReminderPlus - I don't use the alarm function
VJSMS - Inbuilt in WM5 is fine so far for my needs
Agile messenger - very thrifty use of bandwidth, like <10% of MSN (really) and free at the moment, but will pay for itself in bandwidth charges very quickly for most people. Suck it and see
GPS Viewer - because I have a Holux GPS and want to verify connectivity sometimes
Pocket Hack Master - because I like to crank it up to delightfully unstable 624MHz sometimes, but haven't need to with my installation as described here oddly enough. It's fast enough for me so far.
Pocket MSN because I want the Hotmail to appear in my messages application. I use Agile to IM people as above
TomTom Navigator 5.1 because it's awesome
[*]Settings: Time to do your basic settings:
speed dials
power and backlight
voice dials
Owner info
ringtones and notifications
DO NOT set regional settings if u r using PI (below)
[*]PIM: OK, time to replace the CRAP calendar built into WM5 - I agree it's crap, but I don't need a decent one. I am a simple soul.
[*]Reg fixes: - If you want to
Buzz's BT headset - haven't noticed this issue yet, bet I will tomorrow morning now though
"Always on GPRS" No good for me - 40megs/month tariff limit
Date & time in title bar (why not) - cos I know the date and time.
Menu and popup fonts 700 vs 900 - haven't done it yet. I like the size
PIE homepage - is done for me through my selective Ext ROM install
Terminal services cache - I don't use it yet
Turn IR off - yeah agreed waste of space most of the time.
[*]Extra apps:
eWallet - I don't keep details like that on my phones.
Pocket sudoku - I read books, so insert MS Reader for me there
Mobipocket reader - doesn't support .lit (MS format), and I read .lits and .docs so far. Wait until I run out of books though... :lol:
uBook - haven't needed it ....yet
1-calc - but the inbuilt calc does +, -, * and / so it's cool for me. I'm not a physicist
GPRS traffic monitor - spb is fine for me as I don't use it as a modem due to bandwidth limitations and being surrounded by connectivity in London.
[*]Memory:Haven't done these, but they look sensible if you can be arsed
Remove backgammon & skype, and re-install to SD card - I don't have them or use them anyway. How do you play backgammon? I went to a comprehensive school
Remove the 1Mb .tsk themes from the \Windows directory. I only have 3 default ones and use the standard blue theme. Functionality and not form is my motto :wink:
Do not use these big theme files - Good advice bro' (or sis)
Hope this is helpful to some other people :lol:

hi
Does ROM update invalidates the manufacture warranty?
Jatt

Menu and popup fonts
can anyone explain how to change the Menu and popup fonts from 700 to 900. Is it a registry hack?

jatt said:
hi
Does ROM update invalidates the manufacture warranty?
Jatt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You would need to ring them up and enquire. With t-mobile, the tech dude just said they wouldn't be able to help me if I bricked my MDA until t-mobile released a ROM that I could download and use to revive the MDA. So, not invalidated for me, just much reduced support. Until a new ROM si out, all they can do with misbehaving devices is offer a replacement at the moment.
Illwil - the font size is a registry hack - search as it's here on this site somewhere.

joebongo: nice perspective. now users can see 2 extremes; O2 with much office usage, vs HTC with much out-n-about usage. Thanx 4 the effort.
illwil : search for my post on reg tweaks and run the .ren file 2 got 700->900 or rather 900->700
codiac: agree. I fiund spbPP 2 b perfectly well behaved, but there is so much bad press on it in this forum. perhas it's an O2 rom issue - pretty sad 4 them actually
xiasma: there truly do see 2 b an awful lot of ppl who think their universal is junk. this is intended 2 help them get up n running. some ppl got lucky (htc rom or just happy with functionality that actually works well) and they probably should not fix what aint broke. But one day they may want 2 push the envelope a little...

craigiecraigie4 said:
codiac: agree. I fiund spbPP 2 b perfectly well behaved, but there is so much bad press on it in this forum. perhas it's an O2 rom issue - pretty sad 4 them actually
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PocketPlus is working OK for me on my O2 Exec...

Hello Everyone.
I proudly received my Exec this morning, only to find that it ran like a bag of S**t.
I removed the connections.exe, and the active files from my windows/start up folder and things improved dramatically.
However I am having a problem with the activesync.
I have set up the partnership with my laptop running activesync 4 and when it communcates it does it without any problems, however as soon as I connect my usb cable between my Exec and my laptop it takes a few minutes for the charging LED to come on on my Exec, and a while longer before Activsync on my pc recoginses it.
Does anyone else suffer from this problem?
Cheers

You removed connections.exe and now u have a connection problem...
Try removing things 1 at a time.
I definitely don't have this problem.
FYI, on my HTC all I have under startup is:
sddeamon.lnk
batti (i installed)
apreminderplus (me)
iiwpo (me)
O2 is definitely adding stuff that does not seem 2 b required by htc.

The only shortcut I have in my Windows\Startup folder is 'Services' and I have no problem with ActiveSync, voice dialling (with the built-in dialler) or anything else. I have no idea what the sddaemon one does but mine runs fine without it.
fatspark, your problem might lie with your laptop rather than the Exec? As a test though, are you able to try ActiveSyncing over Bluetooth? See if it's any quicker. If so then maybe it's a USB problem. Dunno.

IIWPO
Can someone explain how to install the IIWPO in the extended ROM on the JASJAR ?
I think it is different than the EXEC, where can I find instructions ? I am willing to handle the hassle

Cheers SiliconS
The problem is a driver issue on one of my laptops, I installed activsync 4 onto another one and all is ok.
Cheers.
Fatzzz

SPV M5000, (imateJAsJAR) problems...anyone help ?

hi guys,
just got my M5000, however i got 2 questions, its driving me mad and losing faith with my new purchase fast
I am a new owner so be gentle
1. Programs are still running, when i close them if i look in settings-->system--->memory, running programs still has programs running! do these stay forever? and i have to close them in here EVERYTIME?
2. do you guys have to reset the machine every so often? seems bizarre coming from a nokia phone. Is it normal to reset the phone?

1. The programs will stay running, they are designed to. Windows Mobile (5 in this case) will manage the memory, and when more is required, it will close down programs automatically.
There really is no need to keep closing them usually, unless you are about to do something where you specifically need a large amount of memory, and want to be sure...
2. What particular problems are you having that are requiring you to reset the device? I havent reset mine in weeks, maybe we can help? Define 'every so often'. Remeber, this is basically a mini PC running windows you have here, and as such will need to be restarted at times, just like your home pc.

thanks for the reply
1. ok a bit flawed wn5 design but i see why MS did it :twisted:
any cheap utility i can use thats reliable and safe?
2. i say 1 a day, but i play with it a lot as i only got it on friday evening

mstar said:
thanks for the reply
1. ok a bit flawed wn5 design but i see why MS did it :twisted:
any cheap utility i can use thats reliable and safe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Spb Pocket Plus is my favourite for this kind of stuff. It gives you shortcut buttons on the Today screen, as well as a Close button that really closes the programs, Safe Mode booting, etc.
They charge USD 24.95. Check it out here: http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/pocketplus/?en

mstar said:
thanks for the reply
1. ok a bit flawed wn5 design but i see why MS did it :twisted:
any cheap utility i can use thats reliable and safe?
2. i say 1 a day, but i play with it a lot as i only got it on friday evening
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Only had mine about 4 weeks - however have been using PPCs for about 8 years.
I have always been a loyal fan of pocket plus - but find it just too slow on the M5000. I have replaced all of that functionality with magic button(free), small menu(free-there is a plus version for a fee) and apreminder+(free)-all take much less space than ppc+!
Magic button allows you either close the app or minimise and even if you choose to close apps you can build an exception list just in case you want to leave any open!
At first I had to soft reset my device at least six times a day when i was messing around installing apps etc - now i would say its about 1 a day maybe every other day - it is quite stable, and with wm5 you never have to worry about loosing data if the battery gets disconnected or run down.
When I switched from Nokia - 2 things hit me battery life and soft reseting.
Matt

yer matt you notice these things when u move from a establised phone maker like Nokia.
However what is magic button? sorry me a newbie M500 owner

mstar said:
yer matt you notice these things when u move from a establised phone maker like Nokia.
However what is magic button? sorry me a newbie M500 owner
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.trancreative.com/mb.aspx
There you go - also has an option to soft reset your device so you dont have to keep prodding that hole - mind looks damaged already!
BTW :
apreminder+ is a repeating alarms utility (You'll notice that clock alarms repeat ok, but alarms for tasks or calender appts - do not repeat even if the option is checked!! - Its a long standing fault of wm2003SE and has reoccured in wm5) The only problems (but its free) with apreminder+ is dont change options whilst in landscape view - (switch first) and for some reason it repeats the reminder sound during the clock alarm.
small menu - this basically replaces the start menu and with alot of playing around you can basically customise it so all favourite apps are a click away!
others might have different views on better apps but these suit my needs.
Matt

You might want to check out Wisbar Lite (really cheap if not free ... cant remember) here... its a great application manager (so you can close apps if you want to) and it features a really cool battery manager (just uses the top 2 rows of pixels at the top of the screen).
They do a Wisbar Pro (or something like that) that is said to provide really nice skins for the device.... never tried it though.

matt1971 said:
I have always been a loyal fan of pocket plus - but find it just too slow on the M5000.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now that you've mentioned it, I do agree with you about Pocket Plus' performance on the Universal, especially the close button - if I have 2 or 3 programs running in the background, the close button menu can take up to 5 seconds to open up!
But I do like its Safe Mode feature... Any recommendations for this one?
Thanks for the list of freebies too.

richardlai said:
matt1971 said:
But I do like its Safe Mode feature... Any recommendations for this one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point....The safe mode saved me from hard resets at least twice on my M2000. My device had locked up due to messed up today plugins - which I think is the main reason for a safe mode!!
Catch22 really:
Keep PPC+ but suffer performance (that 5 secs nonsense to open running programs really got to me) but be safe in the knowledge that if your today plugins screw up you have a way out.
OR
Dont bother about the safe mode and always remember to backup before installing today apps.
Personally, I have sprite backup, takes about 5mins to backup and restores prefectly when needed and dont forget M5000 has persistant storage so not likely to lose data if you have a device lockup.
Matt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I have always been a fan of spb, in fact have installed PP, diary, backup, gprs, weather.
howwever in the end, I have decommissioned all of them as the total drain on performance was frustrating.
I turn them on again when iget bored and want a change.
SPB PP runs much faster as a today plugin without the extras enabled.
the reason I mention it now is that without all the extra features, plug ins etc, I can just leave all the running programs as it will only zap my memory from 30mb to 20mb, thus leaving plenty of breathing space. however with all the plugins loaded I would start at 20 dropping to below 10 thus taking quite a memory hit.
my resets are also reduced using the basic device to once per week compared to once per day.
but as I said, I am a sucker for plugins and new stuff so I use them, then get frustrated and go back to the basic device.
my 2 bobs worth...

Slow Changing of Input Method?

Guys, I have a question.
I used to have an iPaq 6300 running WiMo 2003, when selecting input methods there is an arrow beside the input method you click on to bring up the menu that lets you choose between Keyboard, Block Recognizer, Transcriber or Letter Recognizer. This was instantaneous! The moment you press the arrow, the menu pops up and you can switch input methods instantly.
On my new Atom Exec though this is not the case. You have to press the input method icon first, which brings up the arrow, then click on the arrow, then wait like a minute before the menu pops up. What gives? Is this really how all WiMo5 devices work? Is this a problem with WiMo5 or with the Atom Exec in particular?
It is annoying because it makes it harder to switch between input methods. Could someone tell me the score on this?
Thanks,

My bad, I fiddled around with the Atom a bit more and fixed the problem by doing a Hard Reset. Now I set the PPC back up to how I like it and it's working flawlessly.

Hmm after some time the problem seems to be back. It looks like the phone bogs down with stuff after a while, causing this problem. I don't feel like reformatting, does anyone have a fix, or a program that cleans up and optimizes your PPC?

this is an issue of WM5.

It also happens to WM6. The more applications you installed, the slower it will get (not sure what kind of application though). Well, Atom Life has 1GB of ROM. Of course people will start installing a lot of applications.
Anyway, I read somewhere in the forum stating that if you have more than 10 today plugin installed, the SIP will take a some time to appear. The plugins don't necessary be active. I mean, the ones not active are also counted. I have not confirmed this yet though.

I have more than 40 programs installed in my atom. It didn't slow down that much (only 5 to 10%) but what I usually do is to backup everything first before I install anything. At the first sign of speed reduction or bugs, I just do a restore. I have more than 15 today plug-ins both active and inactive. However, one thing I noticed is that it is better if you install your non-essentials to your sd card. It doesn't matter if you do a hard reset, they will still be there and if you use a tray launcher or clauncher, you can configure the icons to reappear even if you do not re-install them. This way, you reduce the clutter in your main memory and at the same time save you the trouble of re-installing. The reconfiguration of the executable icon will take some time but it is still faster than re-installing 30+ programs. It is important though to maintain a storage of no less than 17MB. Once you go below this, you will really see the reduction in speed and will be pissed off with your PPC. By the way, do not use Opera or any modified IE (tab browsing and downloading. by the way, Opera is good with downloading but sucks in handling your PPC's memory) while doing something else with your PPC. It will really really slow down your PPC.

i posted this same thread sometime ago, but there was no solution. At last i discover the culprit. I see the difference in speed when i install Embedded Windows VB Runtimes. regardless whether i install it in the memory card or the main memory.

Got this info from another site, it really works.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
make WM5 SIP faster (加快輸入法) (not a joke)
X51V ENG A12 + Ce-Star 2.8R2A + Monster SIP + MS IME for JAP works well.
But I am not very sure "every WM5 PPC" works well, too.
After installing a lot of softwares, WM5 SIP becomes slow.
You can make it fast again.
1. install resco explorer 5.42 and resco registry at \Device
2. use resco registry to export the registry of
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID
to a file (like CLSID.reg) at PPC, or SD, or CF
donnot edit or modify CLSID.reg
3. use resco registry to delete CLSID
4. use resco explorer to execute CLSID.reg to import the registry CLSID back
5. turn off PPC, soft reset
It is amazing like magic.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Weird... it really works. Everything back to normal. Menu is displayed instantly after tapping on the list button.
I'm using Atom Life WM6, so this mean that it also works for WM6.

Urk Double Post

Aha! O2's proprietary software is a bunch of Today plugins! That may be the culprit. I noticed the a while later though after the O2 software was installed.
I have no perceptible slowdown on the Exec other than the input method switching. I just need to fix that!
My main memory is about 85% free (83.6MB) and yes I do install all the non-essentials to the SD card.
MightyOx I'll try your method hopefully this fixes this issue. While "upgrading" to WM5 I thought it would be a completely better experience, but I'm finding WM5 has issues and that quite a few things were done better in WM2K3 (like the SIP switching speed) or how about creating a new SMS message in WM2K3 you only needed 2 taps here in WM5 you need 3. *roll eyes* sometimes I wonder what developers are thinking when they take steps backwards like this.
On the other hand I love being able to rotate the screen, and Voice Command 1.6 was totally worth it.

Mochan said:
Aha! O2's proprietary software is a bunch of Today plugins! That may be the culprit. I noticed the a while later though after the O2 software was installed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not O2's software. It just happen to be the next software you've installed before the problem show itself. It can be any software. As I said in my previous post, it will happen after you've installed a certain number of software. I think it is WM5 and WM6 related.
Anyway, the workaround is already posted. So, I have no more complain about this problem.

Yeah, looks like it's not. I tried Mightyox's method, THANK YOU SIR my Atom is running fine again. It's like once you pile over some registry entries over the CLSID directory, it takes time to get it. So the solution is to delete the registry key and "re-enter" it so it goes back on top. Very strange but if it works then more power.

Tried it on my flame...Wow...works like a charm