Pretty much all data and programs apparently gone all of a sudden!

[rodrigo_braz]

Hi,

Today I had been using my Axim x51v running WM 2005 as usual. Then I wanted to launch a game but found the 'Games' folder empty. I thought it was some weird glitch and soft-reset the device.

After that, it booted in a most peculiar state. All but basic configuration data is gone, but not only that, also all the items in the Start menu, including the Programs and Settings folder (therefore I cannot launch any programs).

The Start menu shows only Today, and two other items: calupd and coldinit, which do nothing.

I can launch Calendar and Contacts because they show at the bottom of the Today page, but the data is gone.

The wallpaper image I had before does not show anymore.

The wireless connections's little icon does not show at the bottom of the Today page anymore. If I try activating wifi from the side button, I get an error message: "Error opening the shortcut or locating the target filename". Same for pressing the button associated with the recorder as well.

The Today page shows the clock, user info and calendar appointment, which were the items I had selected it to show. Owner info is also still there, as well as alarms and their messages. So basic configuration data seems to have survived.

The PDA had fallen from a short height yesterday but it seemed to operate normally afterwards. I had even saved and synched files today without problems.

Any idea of what might be going on? I am not too excited about the idea of a hard reset and reconfiguring everything again (assuming that would work).

Thanks in advance.

Rodrigo

[Sheena]

Sounds like you had a spontaneous hard reset. Just run your last backup file & it should easily go back to normal. In recent years most PPC's have a bit of ROM set aside for user data & you don't lose *everything* on a hard reset, but since the space so small, it's usually reserved for basic settings like the clock, maybe contacts, itsy bitsy things like that.

It's always possible that something broke on the fall, but since everything else seems to be ok, let's pray that's not the case.

I have an older iPaq that has never (so far) needed a hard reset, but once did one on its own when the battery was low. I got the standard warning, plugged it in less than 2 minutes later, but got the welcome screen anyway. My latest backup file was about 3 days old so I lost some appointments & have been making daily backups since.

Good luck.

Rosie

[rodrigo_braz]

Thanks for the hints.

You mention restoring a backup, but I don't really have one. I have my synched files on my laptop, but the software I will have to reinstall.

Were you referring to some particular backup solution?

Rodrigo

[Sheena]

Certainly backup, and I mean all the time. PPC's are even more prone to total failures than regular computers, and I sure hope you backup your desktop/laptop hard drive regularly. Turst me, it's electronics, they *will* fail. It's just a matter of time.

Any backup will restore your PPC to the same status you had it the day it's run. All your programs & settings too. You may have to set your password again, but everything else will be just as you left it. They can also be used to move from one PPC to another, but that's tricky.

Beware that no backup is 100% guaranteed & sometimes things may not work right. I've had to run mine a couple of times, once it didn't recover the appointments, another time it duplicated them all. It's not a substitute for a sync (& viceversa)

Solutions for the PPC:

There's a basic backup included with ActiveSync, but it tends to be slow & only saves to the PC. Still, if you got nothing else, do that one. Ditto in case you lose your PPC & have to buy another one.

HP handhelds also come with their own local version for backups. Look under your programs, see if you don't have something built-in already.

I use Sprite Backup on my iPaq. It's not the only solution, but it works ok & it's not too expensive, has a few extra goodies included. I can save the backup file to a flash card & run it if the iPaq fails away from home. It also comes with a PC version & you can save those backups at home. All backups can be scheduled & as I mentioned before, I went from doing just one weekly to daily. It's safer. Always do keep more than one backup.

There's other brands of course, pick a favorite, but certainly pick one. There's too much information stored in your PPC to have to set it up all over again each time. Having data sync'd is not enough. BTW, don't forget to backup your flash cards!!! They may not be reset with the PPC, but they can also go bad (think of them as floppy discs) or get lost.

Rosie

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Any backup will restore your PPC to the same status you had it the day it's run. All your programs & settings too.

Not necessarily - that depends on your backup settings and the location of your programs. I almost never backup programs or files installed to my cards, as that would make the backup process too long, due to the number and size of the files.

There's a basic backup included with ActiveSync...

Activesync backup was removed from version 4 onwards.

HP handhelds also come with their own local version for backups. Look under your programs, see if you don't have something built-in already.

iPaq Backup is actually a licensed, feature-limited version of Sprite Backup - the full program is worth investing in, as Sheena mentions. Others you might want to look at are Sunnysoft, SPB, and SK Tools - SK Tools would also be worth investigating as it also includes a whole bunch of very useful utilities.

BTW, don't forget to backup your flash cards!!! They may not be reset with the PPC, but they can also go bad (think of them as floppy discs) or get lost.

This is especially true of SD cards, but much less of a problem with CF cards.

[Sheena]

Not necessarily
I guess I forgot to specify that you'll recover what was lost on a hard reset. Since the cards are left intact, you don't have to recover them. Keep in mind though that most backup programs will allow you to select removable storage & back them up along with the main memory. As Nurhisham mentions, this is not usually necessary. Do back up these cards once in a while, especially after you install or delete a program. If you keep own your files in them, back them up *all* the time, but do it to the desktop or you'll end up with a loop when the backup includes the backup, etc.

Activesync backup was removed from version 4 onwards.
First I hear, goes to show you how long since I've used that feature!

One more thing I forgot to mention: If you're working on Vista, there's no ActiveSync anymore, it's all handled through Windows Mobile Sync Center. It works about the same, but I find it has less features than the old XP version. Wonder who thought it was a good idea to remove the view of what was being sync'd, among other things!

On Vista you can still get backups, *BUT* only for old PPC's. I believe for WM2003 or earlier. My old iPaq is 2003 & the feature *is* there. I've never used it though, can't say if it's worth the trouble.