Having it to support existing signout flows
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I recently spoke with two Microsoft mobile product managers about some of the ActiveSync problems I've written about during the past couple of months. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Pocket PC 2002 devices support infrared (IR) technology--in addition to USB and serial-port synchronization--for the initial synchronization with a desktop PC. Earlier Windows CE devices required a wired connection for the initial synchronization. This capability provides a valuable option for notebook users, and it might be useful to other users (and systems administrators) who need to work around a USB or serial-port synchronization problem: Try using the IR port instead
Like most users of Pocket PCs and other mobile devices that run Windows CE, I have a love-hate relationship with Microsoft ActiveSync—the program you use to install software on these devices and synchronize them with a desktop PC. When ActiveSync works, it's unobtrusive to the point of being almost invisible. When it doesn't work, it makes life miserable. For example, if ActiveSync can't communicate with your mobile device, you might have to soft-reset the device or completely reboot the desktop PC. In extreme cases, ActiveSync can refuse to work altogether. In my personal experience, such problems are rare. However, I learned that other Windows & .NET Magazine authors were having ActiveSync problems on a regular basis. I asked for reader input in the Mobile & Wireless UPDATE email newsletter. Dozens of readers wrote to describe problems that, in a few cases, made their Pocket PCs completely unusable. Fortunately, I also discovered that you can fix most ActiveSync bugs. ActiveSync's Origins Many of ActiveSync's most intractable problems relate to the connection between the host PC and the mobile device. H/PC Explorer used a serial port to establish the connection, which limited its functionality. Windows CE Services switched to using RAS, which is more flexible but complicated—RAS configuration problems accounted for half of all Windows CE 2.0 support calls. When Microsoft introduced ActiveSync 3.0, the company automated the process of setting up Windows CE communications. ActiveSync 3.5 ActiveSync 3.5 is compatible with Windows XP, Win2K, Windows NT 4.0 (Service Pack 6—SP6—or later), Windows Me, and Windows 98, and requires Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) 4.1 or later and 12MB to 65MB of hard disk space, depending on the user's system configuration. The software is available for free at http://www.microsoft.com/mobile/pocketpc/downloads/activesync35.asp. The download consists of a 3.8MB self-extracting package (msasync.exe) that you can distribute to users by using any standard software-delivery tool. To determine what version you have installed, double-click the ActiveSync icon in the system tray and select Help, About Microsoft ActiveSync to display the About Microsoft ActiveSync dialog box, which Figure 1 shows. The latest English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Portuguese (Brazilian) build is 12007, and the latest Japanese build is 12111. Pocket PC ROMs You can find iPAQ downloads (including ROM upgrades) at http://www.compaq.com/support/files/handhelds/us. In addition to the ROM fix, you might want to download a patch for first-time serial connection to Win2K or NT desktops, Bluetooth support, or a driver for various network cards (wired and wireless). Unfortunately, no central Pocket PC ROM upgrade location exists—if your organization uses devices by vendors other than Compaq, you'll need to check with the vendor to determine where to obtain the latest ROM version. Rebooting ActiveSync The wcescomm.exe process is likely the culprit when ActiveSync refuses to connect to a mobile device. So if you encounter this problem, before you reboot the host PC, disconnect the mobile device, close the ActiveSync window, use asreboot.exe or Task Manager to terminate wcescomm.exe (a soft reset on the mobile device might also help), restart ActiveSync, then try connecting the device again. Other ActiveSync Bugs
Microsoft Responds Although ActiveSync offers options for synchronizing devices, you can use these connections only after establishing a partnership by using a serial port, USB, or IR connection (Windows CE 3.5 only). I asked Lee whether Microsoft might relax this requirement in future versions. "You can establish a partnership using IR on Pocket PC 2002 devices with ActiveSync 3.5," he said. "We are considering a lot of different 'first sync' connectivity options moving forward, but have not committed to any specific plans .... We continue to invest heavily in improving support for all sorts of wireless scenarios." My special thanks to reader Renee Osberg, who first alerted me to the benefits of combining ActiveSync 3.5 with a ROM update on the iPAQ. Thanks Renee! |