Installing, Running and Uninstalling Software

Basics
The Axim X5 features an X-scale processor and will therefore run programs designed for X-scale processors. It will also run programs designed for ARM processors, which are the predecessors to X-scale. When downloading software, choose either X-scale or ARM but NOT MIPS or SH3 as these are older processors which are not compatible with the Axim. If given the choice, choose X-scale over ARM since X-scale processors are optimized for better software performance. Make sure you install the software to a location that you can easily find. Many people download directly to their desktop or create a folder called Downloads for easy access.

Installing Different Types of Software Files
Once you have downloaded the program file to your PC, you will come across several different types of install files:

1) .exe for PC: These are files that you install from your PC via ActiveSync.

In order to install:

a) Sync your Axim using ActiveSync.
b) Click on the .exe file (often named Setup.exe) to run the setup file.
c) Follow the prompts until you reach the Installing Applications window (see Figure 2.)

At this point, you will be asked if you want the application to be installed into the default application install directory (main memory). If you would like the program installed in the main memory, click Yes and skip step (d). If not, click No and you will be taken to a window called Select Destination Media (see Figure 3).

d) Click on the drop-down menu to select your installation location (see Determining Installation Location, below, for more information). Click OK and the program will install.

e) A window called Application Downloading Complete will then appear and ask you to check your mobile screen to see if additional steps are necessary to complete the installation.
f) Look on the screen of your Axim and you will notice a window with a bar indicating installation progress (see Figure 4). When the window disappears, your program will have finished installing.

For some applications, the window may notify you that a particular file already exists and ask if you would like to replace it. It is usually wise to tap on No to All. If that the program doesn’t run, you can then uninstall and then reinstall it saying Yes to All. (See Figure 5.)

Figure 5. Replacing files during installation

Note: When installing programs using a Setup.exe file, there may be files installed on BOTH your Axim as well as your desktop.

Determining Installation Location

There are three locations into which a program can be installed. Built-In Storage is where your ROM (Operating System) is located. Programs can be installed here because there is space leftover from the ROM installation. The advantage to storing items in Built-In Storage is that programs will not be deleted after a hard reset. However, programs stored in Built-In Storage cannot be accessed following a hard reset because all their registry settings would be deleted (unless the system is restored to its previous state). Anything stored in Built-In Storage will also be deleted following an ROM upgrade. In addition, since Built-In Storage can only be rewritten to about 100,000 times, it is not an ideal place to store items that need to be frequently modified or updated. Most users only use this area to store backups. Main Memory is the area where your Axim’s RAM resides. Main memory is divided into two parts: Storage memory, where programs can be installed, and Program Memory, which allows programs to run. The amount of memory allocated to Storage Memory and Program Memory is automatically determined depending on how much Program Memory is used and the demands of the running applications. It is possible to adjust the memory allocation temporarily but going to Start > Settings System > Memory and moving the slider. The third location into which you can install programs is your flash memory card. The Axim has an expansion slot for Compact Flash as well as Secure Digital cards. Compact Flash is considered the faster of the two.

It is generally recommended that all critical programs and Today Screen plug-ins be installed in Main Memory. That way, they will be accessible even if the memory cards are removed. As well, some programs specify that they not be installed onto memory cards. However, since Main Memory is also required to run programs, it is wise to leave as much space as possible to ensure that your programs run efficiently. Data files (WORD documents) and nonessential applications (e.g., games, ebooks, music) are best installed onto the memory cards.

2) .exe for PPC: These are files which you copy directly to your Axim to run from there. If you try to open these types of files on your PC, you will get the following error (see Figure 6):

Figure 6 . Error seen when trying to run .exe program for PPC from desktop

In order to install this type of .exe file, copy this file to an appropriate location (e.g., Program Files) in your Axim either by right clicking the file and selecting Send To >My Device OR by copying the file and then going to File > Explore > My Pocket PC on the desktop ActiveSync and then choosing a location. To run the program, tap on the .exe file directly from that location. No installation process is required as the .exe file contains the whole program.

3) .cab: (See also this tutorial. ) These are files which you copy to your Axim to install from there. They resemble a two-drawer filing cabinet and their name typically includes the type of processor for which it was designed.

Figure 7. Example of .cab file for ARM processors

To install this type of file, copy it into an easily accessible location in your Axim (see instructions for copying files in [2] .exe for PPC, above) and then tap on it to install it. After installation, the installation files will be deleted and you will need to search for the program file in order to run it (see Running Installed Programs, below). Cab files are not designed so that you can specify the location it uses for installation. However, a freeware application called cabinstall allows you to pick the installation location.

4) zip: (See also this tutorial.) In order to install .zip files:

a) Click on the folder to open it.
b) Inside you will see a number of different types of files. You may be able to choose between Setup.exe files or .cab files. Make sure you choose the one specified for the ARM processor. If you choose the .cab file, follow the instructions above for .cab (3) and then your installation will be complete (i.e., it is not necessary to follow the steps in 4(c). If you choose the Setup.exe file, it will allow you to extract the files into a separate folder. You can create a new folder into which to unzip.
c) Follow the prompts until you reach the contents of the new folder. Click the .exe file to install the program onto your Axim. Follow the instructions above for .exe for PC (1). If you get an error message indicating that the .exe file is not a valid WIN32 application (Figure 6.), follow the instructions above for .exe for PPC (2).

Figure 8. Example of .zip folder

TIP: When given choice of .cab or self install .exe files to download, it may be easier to choose the self installing file since it is designed to install automatically. As well, you have more control over its installation location.

Running Installed Programs

In order to run your newly installed program, it is necessary to find its location. There are several possibilities:

1) Start-up Folder: Tap on Start to see a cascading list. Tap on program name to run.

Figure 9. Start-Up Folder

2) Programs Folder: Tap on Start > Programs to see program icons. Tap on program icon to run.

Figure 10. Programs Folder

3) SD/CF Card: Using File Explorer (or any other Explorer program), search for your program on your SD or CF card. Usually this will be the name of the program with an .exe or .app extension. Tap on program file to run.

If you cannot find the program, make sure it has been installed by checking the list in Remove Programs (see Uninstalling Programs, below) or by searching for the name in File Explorer (or any other Explorer program).

In some circumstances, a program has been installed but cannot run. An error message such as the following may occur (see Figure 11):

Figure 11. Error seen when a .dll file necessary to run a program is missing.

(For more about these errors see http://www.devbuzz.com/content/vbregfix_pg1.asp.) These errors usually occur when another program using the file has been uninstalled. To remedy this, reinstall the offending program and then try running the program again. A program called VBRegFix may also help correct .dll errors. For more information on this program, see http://www.pc-counselor.8m.com/How_to/regfixdoc.htm.

Closing Programs

When you wish to close your program, merely tapping on the X at the top right corner may not do the job. By default, the X merely minimizes the program. In order to properly close the program, there are a few options:

1) Switcher Bar: Tap Start > Settings > Switcher Bar. This will show an icon on the top of your screen. When you wish to close an application, tap on this icon to close selected programs (see Figure 12).

Figure 12. Switcher Bar

2) Other Applications: There are a number of freeware applications such as Icbar, Wisbar and Magic Button which allow you to close programs more efficiently.

Making Programs Easier to Access

For commonly used programs, it is possible to move their shortcuts to more accessible locations:

1) Shortcuts to Today Screen: tdLauncher, Seligman’s Launcher and Handyshortcuts are a few programs which allow you to create shortcuts to your Today Screen.

2) Shortcuts to Start Menu: Tap on Start > Settings > Personal > Menus then check the programs for which you wish to create shortcuts to the Start Menu (see Figure 13).

Figure 13. Shortcuts to Start Menu

3) Shortcuts to Program Menu: Using File Explorer (or any other Explorer application), locate the program file. Copy the shortcut by tapping the program name and holding until a menu appears. Select Copy (see Figure 14.) then change the directory to WindowsStart menuPrograms. Tap and hold on a blank spot and then select Paste Shortcut (see Figure 15.). It is also possible to create a folder in this location and paste the shortcut into the folder using the same steps.

Figure 14. Copying shortcut

Figure 15. Pasting shortcut

Moving Installed Programs

In order to move the location of a program (e.g., from main memory to SD card), remove it first (see Uninstalling Programs, below) and then reinstall it to the desired location. In some instances, it may be possible to manually cut and paste program files from one location to another and change shortcut links; however, this procedure is risky and may render your program unusable and mess up registry entries. Note that some programs are best installed in main memory (e.g., Today Screen plug-ins) and may specify this during installation.

Uninstalling Programs

There are three ways in which programs can be removed from your Axim:

1) Built-In Uninstaller: The easiest way to uninstall a program is by using the built-in uninstaller. Go to Start > Settings > System > Remove Program to find it (see Figure 16). Tap on it to open.

Figure 16. Built-in Program Remover

You will then see a list of programs that are currently installed. Look for the name of the program you wish to install, highlight it and then click on Remove (see Figure 17).

Figure 17. Selecting program to be uninstalled

2) ActiveSync: Another way to uninstall programs is through the Remove Programs option in ActiveSync. Connect your Axim to your PC and sync. On the PC’s Activesync, click on Tools > Add/Remove Programs (see Figure 18).

Figure 18. Add/Remove Programs in ActiveSync

You will then see a window that contains a listing of your installed programs. Uncheck the program you wish to uninstall and then tap OK (see Figure 19).

Figure 19. Uninstalling programs via ActiveSync

3) Other Applications: The freeware program Remover works in a similar way to the built-in uninstaller but adds a few more features such as the ability to remove broken shortcuts.

Note: When you choose to uninstall programs directly from the Axim, you may be leaving behind program files that were installed on your desktop PC during the installation process. To completely remove the program from your system, you must delete them from your PC.

IMPORTANT: Regardless of how you uninstall a program, perform a soft reset afterwards.

Uninstalling Programs Troubleshooting

Unfortunately, not all software uninstalls without leaving something behind. To remove broken shortcuts, use an explorer program to go to Windows Shortcuts and manually delete the .lnk entry (.lnk is the file extension for shortcuts) (see Figure 19).

Figure 19. Deleting shortcuts.

Some programs just never seem to go away. In this case, it may be necessary to try reinstalling the program and then uninstalling it again.

Some programs cannot be removed because some of its files are still in use. This problem is particularly common in Today Screen plug-ins. Make sure you close ALL running programs, perform a soft reset and then try to uninstall again. To close Today plugins, tap Start Settings Today Items then uncheck the items you do not want running.

If closing programs still doesn’t work, try the following instructions regarding Today plugins, taken from Stellarmetrics Support Page:

• 1. Switch off the component from the Start/Settings/Today dialog.
• 2. Use the desktop PC to browse to the Windows directory on the Pocket PC, and find the file called todaystheday.dll. (To do this, sync up as usual, and then right-click on the ActiveSync icon and select Explore. You will need to open My Pocket PC to find the Windows directory, and then alter the folder options to view all files, so that the .dll is visible - use Tools/Folder/Options/ click the view tab, select Show Hidden Files and Folders). (If you are looking for StickyCalc, look for the StickyCalc.dll file, and so on.)
• 3. Rename the file to something different, such as plop.dll
• 4. Perform a warm reset (i.e. poke the button on the back)
• 5.Again, connect up the Pocket PC to your desktop, and find the file in the explorer window.
• 6. Rename the file back to todaystheday.dll (or whatever it was originally).
• 7. Go to Start/Settings/ and find Remove Programs
• 8. Select TodaysTheDay and it will be uninstalled

In the worst case scenario, it may be necessary to delete folders and entries in the Registry. Altering registry settings is NOT recommended unless you have previous experience with tweaking and editing registries!!! BEFORE DOING SO, MAKE A BACK UP!!! Using an explorer program, look for files and folders with the name of your program. Delete these. Using a registry editor (e.g., PHM Registry Editor), find the entries for your program and then delete them.

This tutorial was written by Gigi, Aximsite Writer.

Special thanks to silentknight and wannahave for their input and support.