Format/partition big CF card for older IPAQ? (3600)

[medved]

Hello

I own IPAQ 3600 with CF card sleeve. As i understand, my IPAQ can accept max. 250Mb CF cards.
As i tryed to format one 500Mb card, it didnt recognize it.

I would like to know, is it possible to format big CF cards (500Mb and more) in such way, that IPAQ would read them as MANY small 250Mb cards(like Fdisk command in DOS partitions one big disk in many smaller "virtual" disks).
Is it possible to do?
Would i need updated operating sistem?

thanks for help

[Janak Parekh]

I own IPAQ 3600 with CF card sleeve. As i understand, my IPAQ can accept max. 250Mb CF cards. As i tryed to format one 500Mb card, it didnt recognize it.
That's definitely not the case. I used a 1GB Microdrive with my 3650, both on Pocket PC 2000 and Pocket PC 2002, with only one partition. How did you format the 512MB card?

--janak

[medved]

My IPAQ is the oldest model, plain 3600.
I Tryed to format 500Mb CF card both on PC card reader(it worked, but then IPAQ culdnt see it) and to format it on IPAQ itself, using freeware(didnt recognize it). It reads 125Mb CF card without problem.

Maybe my operating system might be a cause. Although i made upgrade form CE to Pocket PC2002, i still read "O.S. version 3.0" in Asset Viewer.

As i remember, i saw documentation on net, saying IPAQ 3600 only supports 250MB Cf card max.

Or can it be, that i have wrong SLEEVE? -though it is Compaq original sleeve.


Anyway- is it possible to partition Cf card and use it as multiple cards, or can system only read two sources:"My device" and (ONE)"Storage card" (so i will fail to read many cards)?

thanks fot help

[Janak Parekh]

My IPAQ is the oldest model, plain 3600.
Yes, that's the same thing as the 3630 and 3650. Compaq had a habit of giving the same product multiple names. I managed to get that iPAQ by sheer luck in June of 2000 when it was next to impossible to get. I also had the original CF and PC sleeves. I also bought a Silver Slider CF sleeve which was the original one cut down. I then bought a 3870 and a CF+ sleeve. So... I've definitely been around the old Compaq iPAQs. ;) In fact, mine is sitting at home in its original box gathering dust (the screen is dusty and the battery is worn out).

I Tryed to format 500Mb CF card both on PC card reader(it worked, but then IPAQ culdnt see it) and to format it on IPAQ itself, using freeware(didnt recognize it). It reads 125Mb CF card without problem.
Strange. 8O

Maybe my operating system might be a cause. Although i made upgrade form CE to Pocket PC2002, i still read "O.S. version 3.0" in Asset Viewer.
No, that's correct. Both Pocket PC 2000 and 2002 were based on Windows CE v3.0, and that's what the About box would say.

As i remember, i saw documentation on net, saying IPAQ 3600 only supports 250MB Cf card max.
That's definitely not true. Like I said, I was using my 1GB Microdrive heavily with my original iPAQ. The battery life was awful with the unit, but I certainly was playing music out of the original WMP (and then the upgraded WMP via the 2002 upgrade CD).

Or can it be, that i have wrong SLEEVE? -though it is Compaq original sleeve.
No, I don't think so. I think it's much more likely an incompatibility with the 512MB card you have and the iPAQ. It's possible another 512MB card would work perfectly. Do you have any friends who can lend you a 512MB CF card? (Make sure to have them, or yourself, back it up first, just to be sure. ;))

Anyway- is it possible to partition Cf card and use it as multiple cards, or can system only read two sources:"My device" and (ONE)"Storage card" (so i will fail to read many cards)?
It should be possible to partition the card on the desktop, but I don't know what Pocket PC's behavior is with partitioned CF cards. If I guess correctly, your iPAQ is having issues with the card and wouldn't show any of the partitions.

--janak

[Cybrid]

Anyway- is it possible to partition Cf card and use it as multiple cards, or can system only read two sources:"My device" and (ONE)"Storage card" (so i will fail to read many cards)?
It should be possible to partition the card on the desktop, but I don't know what Pocket PC's behavior is with partitioned CF cards. If I guess correctly, your iPAQ is having issues with the card and wouldn't show any of the partitions.

--janakGerard did mention using a partitioned card in a BH thread. In even a PPC 2000 Casio.

Please confirm what format the card has been formatted to? FAT16? FAT32? NTFS?

[Menneisyys]

Anyway- is it possible to partition Cf card and use it as multiple cards, or can system only read two sources:"My device" and (ONE)"Storage card" (so i will fail to read many cards)?

1. It is possible (please read http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=40288 for a complete tutorial)
2. It won't be able
3. Have you read http://pocketpcmag.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17921 ?

[medved]

If i remember correctly, i formated card into FAT16. What is the proper format for IPAQ?
The brand of my card is "Transcend 80x 512 Mb CF card".(80x - is card too fast fot IPAQ?)

Janak, have you also tryed to use real FLASH card and not just microdrive, maybe IPAQ accepts microdirve but not FLASH ?
Can you recommend me some CF brands that are compatible with 3600 for sure? Is there a list of them somewhere?
What is then the bigest CF card that IPAQ3600 accepts?

[Menneisyys]

If i remember correctly, i formated card into FAT16. What is the proper format for IPAQ?

Both FAT16 and 32. (And even FAT12 with really small (<32M) cards.)


(80x - is card too fast fot IPAQ?)

Definitely not.

BTW, I had similar problems with a noname 512 CF card in my PCMCIA sleeve - my iPAQ 3660 wouldn't recognize it, while newer, also PPC2k2 iPAQ's with exactly the same card and sleeve did recognize it.

This means the 36xx series is indeed incompatible with some 512 CF cards - dunno why.

[Janak Parekh]

Janak, have you also tryed to use real FLASH card and not just microdrive, maybe IPAQ accepts microdirve but not FLASH ?
Can you recommend me some CF brands that are compatible with 3600 for sure? Is there a list of them somewhere?
I did use a flash card, but I can't remember which or its capacity, it's been a long time since I used the device.

I hate to say this, but the 3600 is a really really old device; I would avoid investing much more money on it. I'd suggest you consider a new Pocket PC with integrated CF, like the Dell Axims; they're smaller and at this point should have better battery life, a better screen, etc. If you want to go cheaper, you could look for something like an iPAQ 2215 on eBay; that unit had both SD and CF slots and I know for a fact my officemate was using 1GB CF flash in it. Is there a particular reason you're sticking with a 3600?

--janak

[medved]

Is there a particular reason you're sticking with a 3600?

--janak

Well, this is the only pda i have, and it serves me well, but i needed bigger CF to store maps for gps.