MobileViews Blog

Category: Q&A

Responses to questions emailed to me

  • Q&A: Ubuntu Linux & Parallels Desktop for Mac

    A friend had a question about installing Ubuntu Linux on a Mac running Parallels Desktop for Mac since reviewed it earlier this year. I thought it might be of general interest. So, I’m posting a response here. He asked…

    I picked up a MacBook Core 2 Duo with 120 GB Hard Drive and 2 GB of RAM. Its wonderful so far. I also downloaded the trial version of Parallel (Build 1970 dated 1 November 2006). I have with me the Ubuntu Edgy (6.10 ) Live CD that I used successfully to install on a standard PC … but am not at all having any luck booting fully from the live CD under Parallels so that I can install it in a virtual environment. I wonder if I should try the Beta version of Parallels instead?You mentioned in your report a few weeks ago that you were not having any problems installing Ubuntu with your version of Parallels. Do you have any general suggestions?

    First, woo! Nice MacBook configuration.

    I’m running the latest public Parallels Desktop for Mac beta and it seems pretty stable to me so far. Two suggestions regarding the issue you are seeing.

    • Trying downloading the current ISO and install it using the ISO file instead of a physical CD disc. There might be some small drive tolerance issue that allowed to install fine on the standard PC you used but not the MacBook.
    • You might want to try Ubuntu 6.06 LTS instead 6.10. I seem to recall reading that some people were having problems with 6.10. I installed 6.06 LTS last summer when I was testing an earlier version of Parallels Desktop for Mac.

  • ActiveSync Info for an Old Pocket PC

    Reader Phil Smith (in a comment to a previous blog item) asks: My wife has an HP IPAQ 1910 PDA, running the older version of ActiveSync that allows backups and restores. The battery died and it lost everything. Can you tell me what is the latest version of ActiveSync that includes backups and restores. Also, what is the extension on the backups. I have to hook up an old hard drive to find the backup and don’t know what to look for.

    I thought the response to this might be of enough general interest to merit its own blog item. So, here are my responses.

    • The most current production ActiveSync 4.2 actually provides Backup/Restore functions for pre-Windows Mobile 5 devices. It does not provide it for current generation Windows Mobile 5 devices though.
    • The extension for backup files created using ActiveSync’s Backup/Restore feature is .stg. In fact, unless you chose something different the default backup filename is backup.stg.
    • Click -> ActiveSync 4.2 web page for the current version. Veresion 3.8 seems to have disappeared from Microsoft’s site. So, if 4.2 doesn’t work for you, you can find version 3.6 here -> ActiveSync 3.6.

  • Q&A: Excel Mobile Unsupported Content & Formatting

    Reader P.L. asks: I just purchased a Treo 700W from Verizon. Excel Mobile will not let me save updates to most of the Excel files that I have synced to the handheld. It gives me a window that says unsupported content and formatting will be lost if I save the workbook and then it will not let me save it. I’m forced into a ‘Save As’ function. I cannot figure out what is unsupported and cannot find any documentation on the subject. Can you help?

    I’m guessing a few details are missing from this story and will assume the following additional details…

    • The problem spreadsheets were created using a full version of Excel on a desktop or notebook.
    • This spreadsheet was copied to the Pocket PC Phone Edition (Treo 700w)
    • The spreadsheet was modified (new data and/or change existing data in cells)

    If this is the case, then this is, believe it or not, normal (though undesirable). Word Mobile and Excel Mobile only provide small subsets of the features available in the full version for Windows XP. And, despite years of pleading from many users (including me), neither Mobile application provides what is called non-destructive round-tripping. So, if you use, for example, unsupported features like macros or unsupported statistical functions on the original version created using the full version of Excel 2003, these features will not be preserved if the spreadsheet is modified on the Pocket PC and then saved back to the same file.

    The workaround is to adopt a workflow model that takes this into account. For example, let’s say we have an Excel 2003 spreadsheet file named FOO.XLS. Instead of copying it directly to the Pocket PC, we make a copy named FOO-MOBILE.XLS on the desktop first. This renamed copy is copied over to the Pocket PC where it is worked on. When saving the modified spreadsheet back to the Pocket PC, you can ignore the warning and save it. This modified FOO-MOBILE.XLS is then copied back to the desktop PC where the data can either be manually or automatically (using additional macros or VBA scripts) merged back into the original version.

    I am not pleased with this situation either. A number of people including me have been telling Microsoft’s Windows Mobile product management group that it is critical to have non-destructive round-tripping for Excel Mobile and Word Mobile. However, we have always been told that major customers have not identified this as a high priority issue. If this is an issue for you (as it is for me), you should definitely let Microsoft know through your Microsoft account executives, at conferences, or the Microsoft wish request.

  • Q&A: Windows Mobile 5 Printer Support?

    Reader OdL asks:

    As a simple programmer of our laboratory, i’ve made a handy PDA application for our fieldworkers so they can: 
    • retrieve projectinformation from our database
    • walk through a wizzerd to fill in information
    • make a CAD-drawing, saved as WMF
    • print report including the drawing “on the spot” (HP Deskjet 450, IRDa)
    • transmit information & drawings, so the server can generate certificates for authoriation
    This all works as a charm, except for the printing part.
    We were using “HP Mobile Printing” software, which is now discontinued.
    Now comes the time we have to purchase new printers that are not supported by “HP Mobile Printer” software, and so we’re looking for a new solution as well.
     
    The current reports we use for mobile printing, are basically generated HTML-templates with jpg’s, printed from InternetExplorer.
     
    What I wanted to ask from a PDA-expert, what can be the best mobile print solutions for our situation?
     
    I was thinking about using PIEprint from fieldsoftware.com, but the quality kind’a sucks.
    Hmm. I haven’t looked at that issue in a long time (since Windows Mobile 5 came out, basically). Here’s what I found after a quick look-see this evening though.
    Please let me know if either of this work (or not) for you. I think other people will be interested to learn your findings.

  • Q&A: Windows Mobile Pocket PC Web Database Interaction

    Reader R.L. asks: came across your Blog and similarly O’Reilly articles. Wonder if you
    could help please. Looking for a PDA Application (Mobile Windows) that
    has the potential to push and pull data to and from a Web Server based
    Database. Effectively allowing such aspects as ‘Search’ (via some nice
    GUI tools) that then checks Server (assuming WIFI and/or GPRS enabled)
    and brings relevant data about that ‘Object’ to the PDA App screen.
    Hope you can help; much appreciated.

    You are going to have to build it yourself. Here are a couple of Windows Mobile database tools that might do the trick for you.

    Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Mobile Edition

    Syware’s suite of mobile development products

    db40

  • Microsoft ActiveSync Troubleshooting

    Guy Williams posted the following question on my O’Reilly Windows DevCenter blog. My response includes a bunch of llinks which might be a bit much for the blog response box there. So, I’m posting a reply here.

    I just bought a Treo 700wx from Sprint. I cannot get ActiveSync to recognize the phone (when the phone is connected via USB cable).

    The error says “Active Sync cannot connect to the Windows Mobile powered device. To troubleshoot the problem, click ok.”

    I spent about 8 hours yesterday along with many (10+) calls to Sprint to get the phone working with the Activesync software that came standard with it. I went through levels 1,2 and 3 of Sprint support. I was connected this morning to Sprint’s special “TREO Activesync” department. No one could get the software running so that I could sync with the Treo 700wx.

    At this point, I am at a total loss regarding what to do. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

    The first thing you should check is whether you have a software firewall (e.g., Zone Alarm) running. If so, check out my blog item:

    ActiveSync 4.1 for Microsoft Windows Mobile 5 devices released

    If that is not the case, check out the following ActiveSync troubleshooting guides.

    Microsoft.com: What Does the Troubleshooter for ActiveSync Do?

    PocketPCFAQ.com: ActiveSync 4.x Troubleshooting Guide – General

    There’s also an item specifically focused on the Treo 700w (one generation older than the 700wx) at:

    Microsoft.com: ActiveSync Troubleshooter – More Options