Sprite Backup 3.0 Released

[Ed Hansberry]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.spritesoftware.com/products/sprite_backup.html' target='_blank'>http://www.spritesoftware.com/produ...ite_backup.html</a><br /><br /></div>Sprite Software has released version 3.0 of their popular Sprite Backup software. New features include:<br /><br />• New Basic Mode Backup/Restore Page. <br />• French, Spanish and German localised retail builds (more to follow). <br />• Backup history report viewer. <br />• User configurable exclusion of processes from 'Stop Processes' function. <br />• Auto-backup to the PC on first ActiveSync dock of the day. <br />• Windows Mobile 2003 SE landscape support. <br />• Much more!<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.handango.com/brainstore//PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&productId=34628">basic version is $19.95</a>. <a href="http://www.handango.com/brainstore//PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&productId=65427">The premium version is $29.95</a>. The premium version adds desktop initiated backup/restores, network backups, PocketMon system monitor and Space Detective. The good news for all of you 2.x owners is <a href="http://www.spritesoftware.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=971">3.x is a free upgrade</a>. If you have the basic version already and want to upgrade to the premium version, <a href="http://www.handango.com/brainstore//PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&productId=64635">it is $10</a>.

[Techtoys]

Sprite software wrote the backup for the iPAQ 4150 - and probably a whole load of others. It is listed as iPAQ Backup 2.1.3 - does anyone know if we can upgrade to V3 easily (and cheaply of course!)

[Kevin Remhof]

Sprite software wrote the backup for the iPAQ 4150 - and probably a whole load of others. It is listed as iPAQ Backup 2.1.3 - does anyone know if we can upgrade to V3 easily (and cheaply of course!)

Yes, yes you can. Sprite has some great deals on upgrades (http://www.spritesoftware.com/upgrades/upgrade_ipaq.html) from iPAQ backup. $5 or $10 depending on the version.

[buckyg]

The upgrade itself is easy also. If you have v2 installed (in RAM), you have to uninstall it first.

I have an iPAQ 5555, which also has SPB as its built-in backup (in ROM). This does not cause a problem. When you install v3, you will want to tell the install to overwrite all of the existing files. Your backup will then use the v3 files in memory instead of the v2 files in ROM.

[WyattEarp]

Sprite Software's Upgrade (http://www.spritesoftware.com/upgrades/upgrade_ipaq.html) site still lists it as Version 2.1.4. Click on the download link and the next page will state Version 3.0.0.

[Kathy_Harris]

Sprite seems to suffer from poor support. I have emailed them twice in 2 months asking for help with the unlock key (and giving them the email receipt) and I have never received a response.

I'll never buy their products again.

Fortunately, my e805 comes with excellent backup software.

[Gerard]

Back when I did beta testing for Sprite towards the ROM version release in iPAQs, support levels were excellent. Sean and others there would respond by email, often within an hour of my sending messages (depending on time of day, as the offices were in New Zealand and I'm not). I saw in various forums that others also experienced excellent service.

But it seems fundamental changes have happened since then. Emails go unanswered, or get answered weeks late, and online presence seems minimal. Sean used to contribute to Brighthand forum threads, and I seem to recall his participating in discussions here too. No more. From my last message from Sprite, it almost seemed that support had been farmed out to an offshore support agency, but I could not be sure.

I now have a problem with this 3.0 release. I don't really need 3.0, as the last version works great on my iPAQ 3835 and Dell X5, and an early version for MIPS devices (no longer supported) still works great for my old Casio EG-800, now owned by my step-daughter. But given my experience with the software, having been so intimately involved in getting it ready for ROM release and general release as well, I feel a need to be up to speed with how the software works. Problem is, it won't install to my PC nor to my PPCs. I get the same error every time I try. I have uninstalled the old version from my PC, and even gone so far as to scrub the PC registry, deleting any and all references to Sprite Backup. Still the same error:

http://www.luthier.ca/other/forum/sprite_error.gif

Never saw that before this version. I tried with their preview release last week, and got the same error. I'm stumped. Temp files get unpacked, but no usable CAB files for the PPC. I've emailed them, but so far no answer.

[Zack Mahdavi]

Sprite seems to suffer from poor support. I have emailed them twice in 2 months asking for help with the unlock key (and giving them the email receipt) and I have never received a response.

I'll never buy their products again.

From what I've read, it seems like they're now behind a spam firewall of some sort. If you send an email from a yahoo or hotmail address, they don't ever seem to receive it.

Try asking questions through their support desk (http://spritesoftware.crmdesk.com/mystuff.aspx?mode=ask). I've never used it before, as they always answer my emails quickly, but this may be a method to get around their email issues.

[Jerry Raia]

I now have a problem with this 3.0 release. I don't really need 3.0, as the last version works great on my iPAQ 3835 and Dell X5, and an early version for MIPS devices (no longer supported) still works great for my old Casio EG-800, now owned by my step-daughter. But given my experience with the software, having been so intimately involved in getting it ready for ROM release and general release as well, I feel a need to be up to speed with how the software works. Problem is, it won't install to my PC nor to my PPCs. I get the same error every time I try. I have uninstalled the old version from my PC, and even gone so far as to scrub the PC registry, deleting any and all references to Sprite Backup. Still the same error:

http://www.luthier.ca/other/forum/sprite_error.gif

Never saw that before this version. I tried with their preview release last week, and got the same error. I'm stumped. Temp files get unpacked, but no usable CAB files for the PPC. I've emailed them, but so far no answer.

I got this same error but uninstalling the old versions of everything seemed to fix it for me. I got rid of the monitor and space detective as well from my iPAQ and from active syncs list of programs.

[ikesler]

I now have a problem with this 3.0 release. I don't really need 3.0, as the last version works great on my iPAQ 3835 and Dell X5, and an early version for MIPS devices (no longer supported) still works great for my old Casio EG-800, now owned by my step-daughter. But given my experience with the software, having been so intimately involved in getting it ready for ROM release and general release as well, I feel a need to be up to speed with how the software works. Problem is, it won't install to my PC nor to my PPCs. I get the same error every time I try. I have uninstalled the old version from my PC, and even gone so far as to scrub the PC registry, deleting any and all references to Sprite Backup. Still the same error:

http://www.luthier.ca/other/forum/sprite_error.gif

Never saw that before this version. I tried with their preview release last week, and got the same error. I'm stumped. Temp files get unpacked, but no usable CAB files for the PPC. I've emailed them, but so far no answer.

I got this same error but uninstalling the old versions of everything seemed to fix it for me. I got rid of the monitor and space detective as well from my iPAQ and from active syncs list of programs.

yes you have to uninstal first, then it is fine

[miterb]

It appears you have to uninstall from Activesync to get the new one to initialize. Thanks for the tip.
Brad

[thanos255]

I just uninstalled the older version then just installed the newer one and everything was fine. I am just waiting for the update code. Hope I get it within 10 days before the trial expires :(

Anyway, the new version seems nice. Does the same good job. I really like the space detective.

Now there is a Basic and Advanced Mode :) ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Thanks
Thanos

[ahovis]

The important thing is to also un-install it from your desktop machine. Then the installer will work.

[mrkablooey]

I just uninstalled the older version then just installed the newer one and everything was fine. I am just waiting for the update code. Hope I get it within 10 days before the trial expires :(

I used my existing code and it worked fine. :)

[Gerard]

My email provider is Quik Internet. I communicate via a domain name I own, using POP3/SMTP. I doubt the luthier.ca domain is being blocked, but I guess I can try using @quik.com as my reply address and see what happens. My last communication from Sprite arrived about a week after I'd sent them a letter concerning exactly this email blocking problem, because some folks in forums were complaining... My letter using the @luthier.ca domain worked fine then.

And I have tried uninstalling Sprite from the PC both using the Control Panel | Add/Remove Programs applet, then again using the Activesync Add/Remove dialogue (why on earth are they not linked?!?), and still got the same error message. For some reason in my case this simply isn't working. I'll try sending another letter copy via a different domain, and try via their online support form...

[thanos255]

Posted: Tue May 18, 2004 3:33 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

thanos255 wrote:
I just uninstalled the older version then just installed the newer one and everything was fine. I am just waiting for the update code. Hope I get it within 10 days before the trial expires



I used my existing code and it worked fine.


Well look at that......mine worked also :)

Thanks for the Tip

Thanos

[uhoo]

v2.x users have to pay $10 (I've got the premium version) to upgrade to v3. The link in the article doesn't work, and in any case it's (supposedly) linked to a pre-release version. I don't think I'll get the upgrade since it doesn't really add much. As it is, I already regret upgrading to the v2 premium version...

[buckyg]

I did not have to pay to upgrade Premium v2 to Premium v3, my v2 code worked just fine.

Here's a working link to v3: http://www.spritesoftware.com/products/sprite_backup.html

[CESkins]

This link to Sprite Backup v3 download page (http://www.spritesoftware.com/products/download_backup.html) should be what you need. You have to enter an e-mail address before you will be allowed to download v3.

[mrkablooey]

v2.x users have to pay $10 (I've got the premium version) to upgrade to v3. The link in the article doesn't work, and in any case it's (supposedly) linked to a pre-release version. I don't think I'll get the upgrade since it doesn't really add much. As it is, I already regret upgrading to the v2 premium version...

Not true.

The $10 is if you want to go from regular to Premium.

v2 regular to v3 regular is FREE, as would v2 Premium to v3 Premium.

I originally purchased through Handango so went to my member page there and re-downloaded it through the "My Purchases" link. The new version was downloaded.

[uhoo]

Sorry about that to the Sprite developers. I'll try out the links now. And thanks y'all for posting the links!

[Gerard]

Okay, someone from Sprite is talking with me via their web form finally. He says that they will no longer respond to any email support requests, period, insisting on using the web form. That's cool, as there's automated email notification with the latest input from them via email anyway, containing a link direct to the 'thread' on one's issues. He's so far walking me through what I've already done, so I have to keep insisting that yes, I have uninstalled thoroughly... and yes, on the PPC and on the PC... and yes, I do have a slight clue. Oh well, maybe it'll come to some solution eventually........

[Jon Westfall]

Does anyone know if 3.0 fixes the "scheduled backup causes device to turn on randomly" bug? I didn't think this was fixed in any of the 2.x upgrades, and I really want this functionality back (without sacrificing my battery life!)

Jon.

[mrkablooey]

Does anyone know if 3.0 fixes the "scheduled backup causes device to turn on randomly" bug? I didn't think this was fixed in any of the 2.x upgrades, and I really want this functionality back (without sacrificing my battery life!)

I don't recall seeing this happen yet on my 2215 with v 3.0 but I do remember it with the last version.

[redraiduzz]

Anyone know if the .exe can be copied to the device to reinstall?
A la like a cab file?

I got stuck without the program itself on my device and had to hunt for it to reinstall and sync it.

Just curious!

Thanks.

[Gerard]

Why not use a copy of the CAB file? I keep folders full of CABs, mostly in ZIP archives (except for the Resco Explorer's CAB file, for obvious reasons) on an SD and also an old CF card, 'just in case.' They've come in handy a lot of times, as my PC isn't exactly reliable. Sprite 3.14's CAB is 1.6MB, but compresses to half that. If you use CABInstl or another alternative install method you can choose to direct much of that to a card or file store.

[redraiduzz]

ok, that's what I'd like to do, but tell me how I get the CAB file.

I re-downloaded the .exe from Handango, but don't have a separate installable CAB file for the PDA device.

How do I get it?

I have version 3.1.3, build 2142

[Gerard]

Okay... I'll just have a peek into my PC via Resco's network thingy... After installing Sprite once, you should find the CAB file(s) in C:/Program Files/Sprite Software/Sprite Backup. If it's not in there, pm me your email address. You'll need your key, of course, so no harm sharing the CAB.

[redraiduzz]

thanks, Gerard...got it! :lol: