Windows Mobile Needs a "Safe Mode" Bootup Option [Archive]

View Full Version : Windows Mobile Needs a "Safe Mode" Bootup Option

Kris Kumar

11-12-2006, 03:10 PM

I was on my way to an appointment, I pulled out my Dash and noticed that the screen was frozen, no matter what I did the screen would not change. I turned it off and turned it back on, the home screen would not show up! I would get the screen as shown in the image below. Once I was done with my appointment, I wanted to make a call but the phone wouldn't let me. Behind the frozen screen, I knew that the phone was working. I could power off the phone and access the Communication Manager via the power button but no matter what I did, I could not get the phone to boot up properly. Couple of times during the bootup, I got the message indicating that the phone couldn't run an executable associated with one of my home screen plug-ins. Since I couldn't get to the home screen settings screen, I couldn't do anything about it. I ended up doing a hard reset after I got back home. :evil:

http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/kris-nov2006-safemode.jpg

I could have avoided the hard reset, if Windows Mobile had provided me with a "Safe Mode" bootup option during power on, something like the F8 - Safe Mode option on the desktop Windows. I could have booted into the safe mode with default/basic home screen, none of the executables in the startup folder would have been loaded. I would have been able to change the settings and reboot the Smartphone in the regular mode with the new settings, and get my work done. Instead I spent more than an hour and a half on the road fidgeting with the phone because I needed it to work desperately. What are your thoughts folks? Do you think the "Safe Mode" bootup option is a good one to have? Have you been in situations where you think it could have come in handy?

Pete Paxton

11-12-2006, 04:21 PM

A safe mode would be great but I don't think we'll see one anytime soon. I went through something similar on my sda. Luckily I had a sprite backup on my storage card. So I did a hard reset and then a restore and I was back in action. One of the first things I did after I got my dash the way I like it was a sprite backup. By the way, how do you hard reset the dash? Sorry to hear that about the dash. Hopefully it was just a freak thing.

Kris Kumar

11-12-2006, 04:33 PM

Sprite Backup definitely helps, but when you are away from home and don't know what the key strokes are for triggering hard reset during bootup, there has be some standard way to power on the phone get to the PIM information without triggering any applications or data connection.

Dash hard reset info is available here. (http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12792)

Jerry Raia

11-12-2006, 04:58 PM

You took the rant right out of my mouth Kris. It is crazy that we don't have a safe boot option. They give us no way to at least get the phone working. This is like the "X" in the corner and "Cut and Paste". They discussed it, you can read all of their wonderful blogs about it, but in the end they decided we didn't need it. Why make an OS that allows you to take some of the desktop with you and then leave out some of the most basic things? The subject of your rant being one of them! :?

Pete Paxton

11-12-2006, 05:14 PM

Just curious Kris, what version of Sprite Backup are you using? I am using 5.1 build 1468 but noticed at smartphone.net there is a 5.2. I can't for the life of me figure out how to upgrade to that version. When I go to spritesoftware.com they show version 5.1 but when I choose "version history" they show the latest being "Sprite Backup for Smartphone version 5.2 build 1511 now available and supporting MotoQ devices!" I wish I could figure out how to upgrade to that version. Any ideas? Thanks

Darius Wey

11-12-2006, 05:14 PM

Jerry Raia

11-12-2006, 05:22 PM

Pete Paxton

11-12-2006, 05:47 PM

I finally went to their forums page and found a link to 5.2. Very confusing from their homepage though. I'm backing up using 5.2 as we speak!

Jerry Raia

11-12-2006, 05:57 PM

Keep in mind 5.2 was out at least 2 months ago. I guess it's back to the usual Sprite Software behavior. :(

They had gotten really responsive for a brief moment in time.

Kris Kumar

11-12-2006, 06:13 PM

I have Safe Mode functionality (http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/pocketplus/screenshots/safemode.gif) on my Pocket PC, thanks to Spb Pocket Plus, and it's proven very useful. Now if only Spb continued to make Smartphone applications, eh? ;)

Yes. That is exactly what I want. I didnt know that Pocket PC users had that option thru third party application.

Pete Paxton

11-12-2006, 07:10 PM

I want that too. Their PPC backup program is great too. I'd like a smartphone version please. Spb are you listening?

Jerry Raia

11-12-2006, 07:35 PM

A lot of these PPC only software houses need to wake up. The asteroid has come! The species you have chosen will soon be extinct! :mrgreen:

xdalaw

11-13-2006, 01:04 AM

A lot of these PPC only software houses need to wake up. The asteroid has come! The species you have chosen will soon be extinct! :mrgreen:

SBSH has SafeMode built into iLauncher 3.x.

And, I don't think my PPC-Phone brethren (I have an amazing Treo 700Wx) are too worried about extinction. But, those still walking on all fours and using Axims, etcs--well, they'll have to learn to fend for themselves. 8O

Jerry Raia

11-13-2006, 01:09 AM

And, I don't think my PPC-Phone brethren (I have an amazing Treo 700Wx) are too worried about extinction.

I had a 700w for about 6 hours, I returned it the same day.

xdalaw

11-13-2006, 01:18 AM

I had a 700w for about 6 hours, I returned it the same day.

I wasn't going to buy a W, but I waited for a good SERO plan on Sprint and got the Wx, with double the RAM. That was the sweet-spot for converged-devices for me. I like to be able to use a lot of the PPC software I already had--especially my iGuidance GPS, without having to reinvest in Smartphone apps. :D

Kris Kumar

11-13-2006, 01:20 AM

Wow, I have been out of the Pocket PC world for such a long time that I didn't know safe mode utilities are a common thing. :oops:

Even though I would like third-parties to enable the functionality on the Smartphones. I would prefer if Microsoft provided it out of the box. I think it is more of an OS functionality, it has to be tackled at a low level or OS level for it to really do the job.

Microsoft hope you are listening. :)

Ed Hansberry

11-13-2006, 03:45 AM

The HP Jornada 560 series did have a safe mode boot. Press soft reset and shortly after the BIOS screen showed up, hold down the applicatoin button. It would disable all \Startup folder items, and I think Today plugins, but not positive on that.

Saved me after a bad software install. Without that feature, which allowed me to uninstall the new app, a hard reset would have been the only way out.

Kris Kumar

11-13-2006, 03:57 AM

Here is a tip that might work out when you are in a mess like I was yesterday:

Associate the Task Manager application or similar utility with a shortcut key. Like in case of Dash, the pink t-zones button can be used.

While I was desperately trying to figure out a way out of the mess, I noticed that when I pressed the t-zones button, it would launch IE, which is what I had configured for that button. If only I had associated Task Manager, I might have been saved. :cry: I am not going to make that mistake again. ;-)

Kris Kumar

11-13-2006, 03:59 AM

The HP Jornada 560 series did have a safe mode...

Why are you Pocket PC guys torturing us Smartphone folks. :cry:

Come on HTC, if Microsoft cannot do it, how about you help us out? :(

Mike Temporale

11-13-2006, 04:01 AM

I always put the task manager on Speed Dial #9. So I know where and how to get to it quickly. ;) Not sure how it would help if the device hangs before it finishes booting.

I like the idea of a safe boot on the Smartphone. It's a great way to make sure that you're device isn't going to require a hard reset just because you installed a poorly written application.

Jerry Raia

11-13-2006, 04:14 AM

That is a great idea with the task manager.

Darius Wey

11-13-2006, 11:11 AM

Why are you Pocket PC guys torturing us Smartphone folks. :cry:

Come on HTC, if Microsoft cannot do it, how about you help us out? :(

You know what this means, right? Time to switch to Pocket PCs. ;)

Mike Temporale

11-13-2006, 12:26 PM

You know what this means, right? Time to switch to Pocket PCs. ;)

:twak:

Jerry Raia

11-13-2006, 03:03 PM

Hey guys, give them a break. Extinction is a painful process. :lol:

dbob

11-13-2006, 10:56 PM

I just learned to use the task manager to minimize the number of active processes/programs I had running and learned to
open up the case and pull out and replace the battery. This always worked.

monocube

01-16-2007, 04:43 PM

After I released SafeMode 2 for Pocket PC, I started working on its Smartphone version. It's now in its final stages. If you have a Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone and you would like to test it, please drop me an e-mail at [email protected]. Selected beta-testers will receive a free copy.

Mike Temporale

01-17-2007, 03:59 AM

That's great news! Please keep us posted of it's status. You can ping us at News @ Smartphone Thoughts . com :D

Kris Kumar

01-17-2007, 02:42 PM

Thanks for developing this application. This is awesome news.