WM5 and iPaQ File Store

markgill · 10-11-05, 10:39 AM

Hi,

I'm on the phone with HP tech support and they just told me that WM5 "no longer includes the iPaQ File Store". If thats true I completely missed the boat!

Ive got an hx2415 with 128MB of total memory. Now that WM5 is installed I have approx 55MB of memory available. I think this means that the 64MB that was allocated to the file store is now useless. True?

Would have been good information to have prior to the upgrade. Did I skim the docs too much? Or does everyone know this?

Mark

imported_Johnny_Canuck · 10-11-05, 11:31 AM

Originally Posted by markgill

Would have been good information to have prior to the upgrade. Did I skim the docs too much? Or does everyone know this?

I can't speak for everyone, but yes this was made pretty clear on the M$ WM5 blog posting when they described persistant storage as well as some of the other groups. Now that nothing gets lost all your memory is a file store if you want. That said a much smaller one, I ended with only 20Mb free to isntall my other programs. I never used the file store to begin with as I relied mostly on my SD and CF cards but I will admit that it can be a bit of a blow. After installing all my essential apps: Skype, Bizzdev netUse, vxUtil, TCPMP, WiFiFoFum, and Resco File Explorer 2005(trial); I soon realized that with only 5Mb free everything else had to be moved to the SD card: (Kingston Elite Pro)

This inluded:
Avantgo (no speed difference noticed)
Pocket Streets (no speed difference noticed)
Bejewelled 2 (Sluggish to start but mostly Ok once you you play)
Contact Photos Nearly 300 4K jpgs

I aslo found that you had to move the Pocket IE Cache to the SD card you didn't have to delete your cache every 15 minutes of a good surfing session, Menneisys wrote a great article about this and the thing is that if you have a decent speed SD card, you won't even see a diferrence in speed. I was blown away, when I tried this with WIN2003SE, the same card serioulsy underperformed.

I have been holding off downgrading my hx2410 back to the 2003SE as I really do like the new OS. Sure Real Player doens't work and that bitesm, butI have since tried Resco Radio Player and quite enjoy it, if they eventually slap in support for Real Audio, even better.
The soft button do royally suck though but it has made one handed navigation much easier. Especially for browsing, I can finally surf the web and drink coffee without forever having to the put the coffee down. It has taken some getting used to but I have enjoyed the longer battery life and have slept better knowing I won't lose my data if I forget my charger.

Sure there are some trade offs, there always will , I remember going from Win2K to XP and thinking the liquid GUI was just way too big and cumbersome but then I got a 19 inch monitor and haven't looked back. A fast SD card will be your 19inch monitor here, the sooner you set yourself to a good working standard the more you'll love your iPAQ.

TPadden · 10-11-05, 07:25 PM

Originally Posted by markgill

Hi,
Ive got an hx2415 with 128MB of total memory. Now that WM5 is installed I have approx 55MB of memory available. I think this means that the 64MB that was allocated to the file store is now useless. True?
Mark

Mark,

False - it's just being used differently. Your 128MB is really 64MB Ram and 64MB ROM. The memory is now being used the way your computer uses memory. From : http://www.mobiletechreview.com/edit...s-mobile-5.htm

Perhaps the most important feature that everyone will love- from PDA novices to hardcore PDA devotees, is persistent memory. Your data won't be lost if the battery runs completely dry-- a new concept for Pocket PCs. This memory architecture more closely resembles PCs: RAM is used for running programs and not for storage. Your data and all OS files are stored in Flash ROM which doesn't require power to preserve its contents.

Tom
Gainesville, Mo.

Raymond_Tengen · 10-14-05, 11:49 AM

TPadden,

Did you try out WM5? If so, can you talk about your experience with WM5 on your PDA? I have the hx2410 and am getting WM5 from HP soon as a promotion. I've seen tons of reviews about WM5 and they tend to be on the negative side...

TPadden · 10-15-05, 12:05 AM

Originally Posted by Raymond_Tengen

TPadden,

Did you try out WM5? If so, can you talk about your experience with WM5 on your PDA? I have the hx2410 and am getting WM5 from HP soon as a promotion. I've seen tons of reviews about WM5 and they tend to be on the negative side...

Yep - have the same Ipaq. For me the fact that persistant memory means the thing ACTUALLY shuts down when you power it off made it worth while for me. I use it on my motorcycle trips and really hated not even turning a fully charged IPAQ on for several days but when I needed a phone number or address turning it on and finding it DEAD. Now I can turn it off for 4-5 days and when I turn it on it has the same power left as when I turned it off. That alone for me makes it worthwhile.

Tom
Gainesville, Mo.

ctitanic · 10-15-05, 04:59 PM

With WM5 you don't need any more the iPaq File Store because the RAM is used only to run programs like in your PC and the ROM to storage file like you do in your PC HDD.

hterzian · 10-15-05, 07:58 PM

Please let us know about other goodies with WM5. Thanks

JohnMcD348 · 10-20-05, 12:53 AM

I wonder how the RAM upgrade offer from PPCTechs would effect the operation of a 2415. I have a 2415 and can't really say, I'm al that impressed with the upgrade. Ever since I upgraded, I have had trouble with the card not wanting to be recognized. Sometimes after a reboot, I get a messge stating that a card has been removed(it was never removed) and that the program I am trying to run (AvantGo) is shutting down until I reinstall the memory card. The only time I can get AvG to even update is when I go online with the PDA in the cradle, click on the avantgo program, wait forever for it to load onto the PDA and then use the tools menu and sync AvG from the PDA itself instead of AS4.