Storing Apps in ROM

Alright, time to get into serious learnin mode here :)

I'm starting to fill my onboard RAM with apps and I've figured out which apps I have so far that deserve to be promoted to ROM storage.

I know I'll have to uninstall the apps, and then reinstall them and direct them to "Built-in Storage". My question is re: file management. Right now the Built-in Storage shows only an empty "My Documents" folder.

Do I have to create folders like "Program Files", etc with ROM?
Several progs I want to load into ROM are self-loaders. I can redirect them before installation, but I assume if they have components that normally reside in different RAM based folders then I would have to provide the same folders in "Built-in Storage"

C...

[Talador]

Do yourself a favor, and go and get a Secure Digital (SD) card. 128MB and Above SD cards are staring to get real cheap. This way you leave your ROM space open (especially if there is a OS upgrade on the horizon) and you have plenty of RAM space to mess around with.

--Talador

Originally posted by Talador
Do yourself a favor, and go and get a Secure Digital (SD) card. 128MB and Above SD cards are staring to get real cheap. This way you leave your ROM space open (especially if there is a OS upgrade on the horizon) and you have plenty of RAM space to mess around with.

--Talador

Thanx Talador. Yes, I realize that. I currently have a 128 CF card and plan on getting a 256 SD card soon. Still there are some apps I would prefer "on-board" (like Adobe Acrobat for PPC, for instance). I would like to put a few of these type of "System" apps in ROM.

There is 21 MB available and even a new OS isn't likely to take up more than 30 - 35 MB of the 48 MB available (at least not for a couple years...). No use letting it sit, especially for a big, somewhat slow loading prog like Adobe... :D

C...

[Mike C]

Before you store programs in Built-in Storage, there has been some reported trouble with memory not being found later ... as in built-in storage disappearing.
I have no idea if this is real or something else going on, but wait a while to see what happens.

Can anyone confirm or deny?

[JakeRich]

I would recommend you not put volatile files in ROM. ROM has a write lifecycle limit that is lower than RAM and volatile files could start to eat into that limit quickly. I put backup files on ROM so that if I ever have to restore, I have the backups with me through a hard reset, even if I don't have any of my CF/SD cards with me. I put the restore software there also. Other than that, I try to keep ROM empty.

[hyppo]

Im really confused. How can you store any apps in RAM??? Built-in storage is ROM, right? Where is the RAM, I looked everywhere, even behind the battery, and couldn't find it. Did mine fall out of the box during shipping, or did Dell forget to put it in. :(

If you install something like pocketMVP on a secure digital, is it slower playing movies, etc. Any downsides.
I have been putting most used programs in built-in storage, so that is is always there and faster(I thought).

I have both a SD and CF (which is removed all the time). I put batteypack, resco picviewer, MVP, and wisbar in Built-in storage. Then all other apps go on SD and videos and pictures go on CF. How are other people distributing their files?????????

Good Bye

[Mike C]

I have ALL my aftermarket apps stored in RAM ... referred to as "Storage Memory". This is part of the 64mb RAM you get with the 400. This memory is kept alive by the batteries, and will be erased during a hard reset or removal of both batteries.

By creating a backup in Active Sync, stored on the PC, this all will be restored during a restore if it becomes corrupted or lost due to whatever.

The ROM, 48mb worth, holds the pre-installed software that loads into RAM at startup (in Program Memory). The ROM is non-volatile, so it does not require battery power to keep intact.
Some of this ROM is extra space, not needed by the OS, and is made writable for you to use ... called "Built-in Storage"

[commoved]

My question is re: file management. Right now the Built-in Storage shows only an empty "My Documents" folder.

No. The OS will take care of this when you install your apps. I have two programs stored in ROM. Both are large apps that I want access to all the time. One is Lectionary, the other is TrueTerm (a language translater). This is an excellent use for ROM, IMHO.

There have been reported problems with ROM disapearing. It seems that if something goes wrong when storing or deleting from ROM, the space is not always recovered. So make sure you know what you want in ROM, have a fully charged battery, make sure not appointments are about to come due, close all other applications, and do your install.

BTW, JakeRich is right. I haven't looked up the specs for the Intel flash used in the Ax, but flash is typically limited to 10,000 write cycles. It sounds like a lot, but if you're putting files in ROM that will be changed several times a day, it can be an issue.

Finally, remember that Agenda Fusion, Pocket Informant, and other applications desiged to turn the Ax on should not be stored in ROM.

BTW, JakeRich is right. I haven't looked up the specs for the Intel flash used in the Ax, but flash is typically limited to 10,000 write cycles. It sounds like a lot, but if you're putting files in ROM that will be changed several times a day, it can be an issue.

I was planning on putting Adobe Acrobat for PPC 1.0 and Macromedia flash into ROM. Adobe is 5+ MB. Since both are "System" type programs like PWord or PExcel they should not be being "written-to" and should put no extra load on the write-cycle...right?

Chris...

[sid311]

Stupid question: How do you know if you've saved files in the ROM? Is it automatically saved in ROM when you save a program to the built in memory onboard the unit? I've got SimCity 2000 saved along with Pocket TV and a couple of ebooks on my Ax.


-sid311

Originally posted by sid311
Stupid question: How do you know if you've saved files in the ROM? Is it automatically saved in ROM when you save a program to the built in memory onboard the unit? I've got SimCity 2000 saved along with Pocket TV and a couple of ebooks on my Ax.

No. It defaults to RAM. Unless you specifically tell the app to load into "Built-in Storage" (ROM), it will go into RAM.

Chris...

[pmoto]

I was a bit confused about the whole ROM vs RAM thing as well. After much research it appears that, basically, there are 3 types of internal memory/storage on the Axim.

The X5 400 comes with 64 MB of RAM and 48 MB of ROM.

The ROM is reserved for operating system related "stuff". However, a portion of ROM is made available for us to use (this is what is referred to as Built-in Storage on the Axim. This area is not lost when performing a Hard Reset. Some use this to store critical files such as backups, etc.

The 64 MB of RAM is split between Program Memory and Storage Memory. Users have the ability to allocate the amount devoted to each of these.

Program Memory is "similar" to what PC users traditionally think of as RAM. That area that an application needs to startup and run.

Storage Memory is the remainder of the 64 MB. It is preserved as long as you do not remove both batteries. A hard reset will clear everything in this area.

As mentioned above we can allocate how much of the 64 MB goes toward Program Memory and how much toward Storage Memory. These changes are made under Start-Settings-System Tab-Memory. The slider bar shows your current allocation.

[Sequitur]

Good explanation. This may be addressed in another post, but I'll ask anyway. When allocating RAM, what is deemed the optimal? It would seem one should allocate a significant portion of RAM to Program Memory, and instead of using Storage Ram, utilize SD or CF memory cards.

A trickier question concerns the interplay between Program Memory and SD memory. Say Agenda Fusion and all the PIM information stored on an SD card. User starts Fusion and access stored contacts. By running the executable, is the program (Fusion) and the data (PIM info) now being run/accessed from Program Memory?

In addition, any hints on when to allocate to Storage Ram, and what should be stored there, is appreciated. (We're most likely talking about incremental performance gains, but if a couple of clicks will marginally improve performance, I see no reason to not take advantage of said improvements.)

In addition, any hints on when to allocate to Storage Ram, and what should be stored there, is appreciated. (We're most likely talking about incremental performance gains, but if a couple of clicks will marginally improve performance, I see no reason to not take advantage of said improvements.)

The OS will automatically adjust the Program/Storage levels as it sees fit. If the OS needs more Program Memory than is currently available, it will take it from excess Storage Memory if there is any.

Chris...

[commoved]

Chris is right. The OS will allocate memory whether you try to change it or not. In other words, you can change the allocation between storage and program, but the OS will change it back to what it thinks best. The slide bar is only useful for temporary changes.