01-07-2008, 11:00 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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How Long Does It Take You To Set Up A New Device?
Having just received my HTC TyTN II via UPS, I had mixed emotions. Sure, the device flat smokes my old Wizard, but my Wizard is set up just so, and I knew I had hours of installations and configurations to do to get my TyTN usable. Of course most of your data comes over on that first sync to Outlook or Exchange, and even if you can just check off a few boxes in the ActiveSync/WMDC application manager to install your apps on your device, you still may have tweaked each app. In fact, I don't think I have a single third party app on my device that I haven't changed the default settings on.
So, am I in the minority, or do you have hours or even days of tweaking before the device is considered usable - not perfect mind you as that is an ongoing process - but usable?
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01-07-2008, 11:08 PM
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Contributing Editor
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 182
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I'm like that with every kind of device I own. I just got a new dumb phone through work and the first thing I have to do is go out and buy the USB cable so I can delve in and find all the things I can tweak. Not to mention porting over my ringtones, wallpapers, pictures, music, etc. I got a new laptop about a month or so ago and it took me a couple weeks to get it all set up.
This is one of the reasons I hate to do a hard reset/total wipe of any device (desktop, laptop, PPC, etc). The prospect of spending days setting everything up again is daunting to say the least.
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01-07-2008, 11:30 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 211
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And lest we forget - firmware upgrades for existing devices. I've flashed the firmware several times on my Wizard, mostly to try out a new ROM from the cooks at the site which shall not be named (here at least)  . I imagine I'll do the same before too long, but each time requires re-installing, re-entering keys that aren't saved by ActiveSync, re-configuring settings, trying out different ringtones, etc. Then I'll finally get it all set and often forget a backup right before I need to hard-reset the device or some similar thing. 
You're not alone in the time it takes to set up a device. It would be a lot more convenient if settings were stored with the app rather than in the registry, just because you can't take a registry backup with you across firmware differences or worse, a complete OS upgrade (for the more fortunate users out there). Anyone have any thoughts on what makes the registry so desirable for settings over local files that can be saved across versions?
-Pete
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01-07-2008, 11:42 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 357
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I made a CAB file that automatically installs my custom Media Player skins, ring-tone/message WAV files, and registry tweaks. At one point I had it in the Ext-ROM on some older devices so even a hard reset would automatically put it back to the way I want it. I even edited some of my program CAB files to automatically enter my registration/serial number information so that I wouldn't have to.
'Cause that's how I roll. ;)
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01-08-2008, 12:16 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 634
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I received a TyTN II for Christmas and couldn't wait for all the company to leave so that I could go to work and spend pretty much a full workday getting all my software installed, settings tweaked, etc. I am a very happy camper now!
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01-08-2008, 12:45 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 318
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I do this with every device i own too. Today I've been installing Windows on a computer that I am giving to a friend. It's taken me a good 2 hours and I haven't even started installing Windows yet. Everything has to be just so.
My computers, my Axim, and my dumbphone all got lots of attention when I first got them. Several days to set up my Axim sounds about right.
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01-08-2008, 12:50 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 174
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Me too...
Are we all just Type "A"s here???
Ron...
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01-08-2008, 04:43 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 323
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I completely agree that it takes hours, but when my MDA vario came in 2006, the joy of setting it up was not realized, and it shifted my mental paradigm about which future devices I would buy.
I was a new dad for the third time, my career was taking off in a near out of control fashion and I had decided my lifestyle was terrible and needed a change, or else. (exercise, better diet, plastic surgery... well, ok not plastic surgery).
So, after only being able to spend an hour or two here or there with my vario, and having so much trouble with what I consider to be the worst Mac software in existence (that I own), Missing Sync for Windows Mobile, it took me a couple months to have my vario where I wanted it. And it continued to be a major PITA to use, in my opinion. From a purely phone and messenging device it functioned quite well. Anything else was a chore. I did over time become happy with how I had the calendar set up; I never got used to the random way it changed displaying calendar category colors in PI, or the WM2005 alarm handling. Made no sense, and it was a deal breaker. WindowsMobile and I were divorced in October. My new love is an iPhone, and while it is certainly not the answer for a good number of power users here, it is absolutely everything I ever wanted in a device, except for tasks and cut&paste. Everything else works perfectly. And yes, I did still spend a couple hours setting things up for that.
Okay, back to topic, as this is not an iPhone ad.... Here is my one sentence theme statement to this post: It is disappointing that this is a question that is worth asking as I believe it takes far too long to get this job done, and I believe that it is inexcusable for this to take as long as it does, and I would not doubt if it is the single reason that stops WM users from using their device to its potential.
There... it is said. I also get why people still get these devices. The TyTN II is a sweet device.
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01-08-2008, 05:30 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 718
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I'm surprised at the number of "a few days" users there are. I thought *I* was the only loser who had so much configuring to do on a new PPC 
But I also like a clean PPC, so in addition to the pain of basic installing, I also have to make sure all the program icons are set just right and that all junk or duplicate files are deleted too. Plus, there's the apps that require serial numbers tied to the device, which requires you to contact the software maker and go through all that too. It definitely takes a while to get a new device up and running for me.
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01-08-2008, 05:33 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 242
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The answer for me is it all depends (speaking only of device changes). If everything goes well, I can use Sprite Backup and be up and running 95 to 98 percent exactly the way I want it inside of ten minutes. If things don't go well, whole other story most likely days. Usually though, it's something like 80% - 85% functionality from Sprite within 10 min. An hour or so of tinkering with the important things than minor adjustments as I get it 'just so' over a few days.
Like others here, it's totally OCD. I have a PPC clean install checklist spreadsheet, how crazy is that? Crazy like a fox! All my apps & keys in one place in logical order, brilliant. (But very, very geeky)
Of course this assumes that there is such think as a perfectly configured PPC. I don't think I'd know what to do with myself.
db
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'It has been my experience that the more extreme the opinion, the less likely it is to be based on or altered by fact.'*- db
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