Windows Mobile Device Center and Vista: Did You Go Back to XP?
I've seen something mentioned over and over in our forums here and at Smartphone Thoughts: some people are having so many problems with Windows Mobile Device Center (WMDC) that they're actually leaving Windows Vista and and going back to Windows XP...and the shockingly less-problematic-than-WMDC embrace of ActiveSync. So, quick survey time...and comments/explanations are definitely welcome because I realize there are many possible variables to your answer.
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I'm sticking with WMDC and Vista for now, although I admit that I can't help but wonder what MS was thinking with the WMDC. I wonder if the WMDC was designed more for the Zune and Windows Mobile was thrown in as an afterthought before release.
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Current devices: iPhone 3G. Previous devices: Samsung Epix and 1st gen 32GB iPod Touch BlackJack II, iPaq 6945, iPaq hx4705, Dell Axim x30 high, iPaq 3765.
I am hanging in with WMDC even though it is not a functional replacement for active sync and it definitly in its current state is not an improvement. I have a Dell AXIM and an HP hx6925 both worked fine with XP an now with VISTA on the same machine with the same USB cable I only get a connection about 1 in 5 tries and I can never get both devices connected at the same time. I could not get Microsoft Streets and Trips to load Pocket Streets with WMDC. The loader kept insisting that I need to load activesync first. I started a ROM update of the Axim and it went throught the erase and failed leaving me with just the Parrot boot loaded. I was able to turn it back from a brick into a usable device but it was a real pain and I had to do it on XP.
I watch a lot of Microsoft Webcasts and they are so ashamed of WMDC that it has never been mentioned and wheni ask a question in the Q&A panel the speaker skips the questions saying they don't use WMDC.
I won't go to the outdated XP anyway, but WMDC leaves much to be improved.
My worst grudge against it is that flashing ROMs into Windows Mobile devices is simply not possible; you just brick the device. I've been through this once, bricked a Universal. People on xda-developers.com have found a way to replace Vista's modem drivers with XP ones, but this solution is Frankenstein's and I don't want to screw up my Vista; easier to just use a laptop with XP & ActiveSync for this purpose. I managed to restore the Uni to it's proper ROM...
Diagnostic is bad, too many things to click between, navigation tree is unclear.
I personally think it needs to be reworked from scratch. WMDC sucks as it is. And shame it drives more people to abandon Vista for outdated, overstayed its welcome, XP. Shame, shame.
I haven't switched back to XP yet, but WMDC is close to pushing me over the edge.
Right now I am not syncing at all. I manually copy stuff between my SD card and device, then between the SD card and my laptop. As a result, I have some files hopelessly out of sync. Fortunately all my PIM data is in Exchange, otherwise, I would have gone back to XP.
I haven't switched back to XP yet, but WMDC is close to pushing me over the edge.
Right now I am not syncing at all. I manually copy stuff between my SD card and device, then between the SD card and my laptop. As a result, I have some files hopelessly out of sync. Fortunately all my PIM data is in Exchange, otherwise, I would have gone back to XP.
Pathetic. :evil:
Same here, only I haven't been able to sync for the past 3 months and unfortunately I don't use Exchange. Going back to XP is not an option for me. Wanting to move from MS all together at this point.
I switched to Vista and came back to XP. Nothing to do with WMDC to be honest, I just had too many other driver/software issues to make it worth while. I came back to Windows XP MCE and now I'm struggling for reasons to risk upgrading again.
What about an option for those of us that use and Exchange Server and Data Plan to sync our PIM data and a storage card to transfer installers (.cab) and data to/from the device?
I don't have to worry about ActiveSync nor whatever Vista uses... just the device and my data plan and my Exchange Server... life is happy.
Windows Mobile Device Center and Vista: Did You Go Back to XP?
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