Preparing for a Hard Reset

[JimDantin]

Knowing that I'm going to have to do a hard reset at some point to install an operating system upgrade, I've been thinking about how to prepare for that so I can get my Axim back to where I want it. The Backups don't appear to be able to be used to Restore after an upgrade (right?) so I'm facing reinstalling quite a few applications.

Here are the questions --

Have you developed a relatively painless way to reinstall multiple programs and their associated data? I try to keep data on my SD card, but some programs don't give you that option. I could have files spread around main memory, built-in memory, SD card, or CF card.

How do you back up your program data (not the PIM data) so you can easily restore it?

How do you keep track of all the installation files?

Have you tried to keep the .cab files on a memory card for easy reinstall?

Any other ideas or tricks?

[Ed Hansberry]

Just make sure you do a final sync. If you ahve some apps that are heavily customized, consider exporting the registry keys for those apps alone.

Do the ROM update, hard reset, and create a new partnership. All of your data will flow back to the Pocket PC. You will need to move the Pocket PC My Docs data on the PC to the new folder for the new partnership.

Now in ActiveSync, just do Tools|Add/Remove Programs, check all the apps you want and it will install all of them at once.

I wouldn't try to copy and save program files and/or dlls. They wouldn't get registred and associated with their files that way. Do the installs.

[PetiteFlower]

I keep all my install files for EVERYTHING in one folder on my PC. There's a subfolder in there for Pocket PC programs. Makes life easier.

[Jacob]

I keep all my install files for EVERYTHING in one folder on my PC. There's a subfolder in there for Pocket PC programs. Makes life easier.

You too? :D

[maximus]

I keep all my install files for EVERYTHING in one folder on my PC. There's a subfolder in there for Pocket PC programs. Makes life easier.

Oh gosh, I thought that I am the only one who has a folder named "My PPC" on My Document. Now I know that I am not the only one. Phew....

[Pony99CA]

I keep all my install files for EVERYTHING in one folder on my PC. There's a subfolder in there for Pocket PC programs. Makes life easier.
You too? :D
I keep all installation files in an Install directory on my 80 GB external hard drive. Under Install are subdirectories based on the program classifications I use -- for example, Communications, Editors, Games, Graphics, Multimedia, Utilities, etc.

There's also a Windows CE directory under Install, with the various devices that I have as another directory level. Under those are the program classification directories (so, Install\Windows CE\iPAQ\Games, for example).

Steve

[darrylb]

I'm much the same.

I have a rather large software library (40 Gigs or more) :oops: that is split at the low level into Windows, PocketPC, Linux, Drivers, etc. In the PocketPC folder I have a folder for each company I download software from, followed by another with the name of the product. However, at the company level, I also have a folder called _Essentials which is first in the list and contains a copy of all the stuff I must have installed. 8)

Then I use eWallet to store all the unlock codes (where appropriate).

So, it sounds complex, but works for me....

[cslaughtermd]

Back to the original question . . :wink:
I don't have any experience with 3rd party backup utilities, but have had to hard reset my device a few times (once was a horrendous crash while surfing the streaming video on MSN mobile! MS content crashing their own device!) and I've used the ipaq backup for reload settings and programs onto a new device. The CF backup works well - just plug it in and back up all 64mb of data/programs/settings to a cf card (it takes a while) and it restores your ipaq exactly how you left it! The activesync backup utility seemed more buggy, I got it to work once or twice but had palpitations when the error messages popped up a few times.
When using these backup utilities, when your PPC is restored, it still knows all of the paths to the programs installed on your favorite memory card, so shortcuts and programs should all work the same.
Good Luck! (I think I'm going to go back up my ipaq just in case - it's been a little too long!)

[JimDantin]

Like you, I do rely on the CF backup for life's everyday disasters. That backup will be useless, however, after upgrading the operating system.

I keep thinking there should be a way to write a backup program that will work similar to Pocket Backup, but instead of simply restoring things the way they were, actually produces a reinstallation file. It could work something like this:

1. Start the backup program
2. The program searches out all executable programs on the PocketPC, ignoring those that came from the ROM (maybe you run the program on a clean machine to identify these programs)
3. The program asks for the location of the install files, or looks for them on your desktop machine
4. The program stores a copy of the files into a single compressed, self-executing file that can be stored on a flash card
5. It also looks for or asks for data files and initialization files
5. To reinstall, do a hard reset and then execute the backed-up program from the flash card.

Possibly, the program would have to be installed on a clean machine and it would keep track of all installs as they happen, storing the cab files automatically.

[maximus]

Then I use eWallet to store all the unlock codes (where appropriate).


I am new to this ewallet area, I am assuming that it is an application to encrypted and store data. If it is, out of curiosity, what is the encryption strength of this ewallet ?

[Pony99CA]

I am new to this ewallet area, I am assuming that it is an application to encrypted and store data. If it is, out of curiosity, what is the encryption strength of this ewallet ?
As per the Ilium eWallet Web page (http://www.iliumsoft.com/site/ew/ewallet.htm), it's 128-bit RC4.

Steve

[Ed Hansberry]

I am new to this ewallet area, I am assuming that it is an application to encrypted and store data. If it is, out of curiosity, what is
the encryption strength of this ewallet ?
56bit on the shareware version. 128bit once you register. RC4 encryption used.

[tbsteph]

Pocket Back-up Plus. Slam dunk in less than 15 minutes.

[JimDantin]

According to their website, it won't work:

"g. Should I store a complete system backup before a ROM update, then restore afterwards?

This is generally not recommended, as many system settings and applications are changed during the process of updating the ROM. You will have to reinstall applications and reapply settings after the update. However, you CAN use Pocket Backup to restore items such as your 'My Documents' folder and your contacts database after a ROM update."

Pretty much defeats the whole purpose of what I'm trying to do -- I want an easy way to restore all my add-on programs and my data AFTER a ROM update or an upgrade to PocketPC 2003.

[R. DevilR]

I keep all the *.cab files on my CF (all zipped with Resco Explorer... but not the Resco Explorer .cab !), so, if I want to reinstall all applications, I just tap on each *.cab files... the much longer is the soft-reset that some apps needs !
Then, I read all the registry (with Resco Explorer) for personnal settings : Icbar settings, Owner information, tdmaunch settings, tagenda, taskplus, etc... ALL what I find in the registry that seems to be settings for an application... after hard-reset, I just have to import the registry settings (only when the application is re-installed !)... only one tap for each of them !
All my serials are in a *.txt file for each software, encrypted.
For PIM, I use the built-in app (on my Jornada 568) that backup PIM in the built-in file store.
For documents, just a copy of the "My Documents" folder on the CF or built-in file store just before the hard-reset.
Of course, PIM and Documents are synchronised with my computer, but, with the method, I can restore all my Pocket PC, without PC.

Of course, I forget some little things, so I have to manually re-install them, but, generally, all the process doesn't take so much time.

I just hope you'll understand what I do ! :?

[JimDantin]

Your approach is very similar to what I am thinking about. I'd appreciate a few details --

1. How do you save the registry data? I'm not familiar with Resco's application.
2. How do you handle applications that are distributed as an EXE? Do you search out the CAB files on your desktop computer after the install?
3. Using the CAB file on the PocketPC, how are you able to control the installation location -- if you are trying to install in a non-default location, do you have the flexibility to do that?
4. I thought CAB files were already compressed -- why do you ZIP?

Thanks
Jim

[Ed Hansberry]

Jim, with all due respect, you have spent far more time looking how to circumvent the system than you would have had you done the deed and reinstalled your apps. You can continue to look but here are things you risk missing that only installing will properly do:

• Make sure all DLLs are properly in place in the \Windows folder and get properly registered with the system. I don't know of the PPC equivalent to regsvr32.exe from the desktop. I think it is an API called from extracting .CAB files or it may be a simple registry entry.
• Make sure that those DLLs are not *older* than what is in ROM. If the ROM update includes newer files than what was there when you first installed those apps, you will have older app based DLLs there and may wrongly assume you need to put those back.
• Items that register themselves with the Start|Settings|Menus|New Menu section may or may not get reregistered.
• Today plugins may not get properly registered
• Associations in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT will have to be manually done, and there are dozens if not hundreds.
• I don't even want to get into HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CSLID. 8O
• Uninstall information kept in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, \Windows\AppMgr and the *.unload files will need to be kept.

This doesn't encompass settings in Connection Manager, non-ActiveSync inboxes and related databases, any MS Reader and/or Audible activations, button assignments, third party databases (CityTime, PocketInformant, FITALY, etc.

You are certainly welcome to try doing it. It would be a very good learning experience in finding out how the Pocket PC works, but trust me, unless you truely know what you are doing (and I wouldn't even consider attempting it) you won't be saving any time and will likely get to a point where you do a hard reset to start clean to prevent glitches/lockups.

If there are some particularly ornerous apps that have lots of config options, then yeah, export that apps registry key first. Install it, soft reset, then import that key.

Good luck.

[Pony99CA]

You can continue to look but here are things you risk missing that only installing will properly do:

• Make sure all DLLs are properly in place in the \Windows folder and get properly registered with the system. I don't know of the PPC equivalent to regsvr32.exe from the desktop. I think it is an API called from extracting .CAB files or it may be a simple registry entry.
• Make sure that those DLLs are not *older* than what is in ROM. If the ROM update includes newer files than what was there when you first installed those apps, you will have older app based DLLs there and may wrongly assume you need to put those back.
• Items that register themselves with the Start|Settings|Menus|New Menu section may or may not get reregistered.
• Today plugins may not get properly registered
• Associations in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT will have to be manually done, and there are dozens if not hundreds.
• I don't even want to get into HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CSLID. 8O
• Uninstall information kept in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, \Windows\AppMgr and the *.unload files will need to be kept.

This doesn't encompass settings in Connection Manager, non-ActiveSync inboxes and related databases, any MS Reader and/or Audible activations, button assignments, third party databases (CityTime, PocketInformant, FITALY, etc.
Those are all excellent points, but a tool like Jim suggested that would build a registry restore file would go a long way to properly handling this. It would monitor the registry and create an import file for any new, changed or deleted keys.

The other part would be the restore application. It would prompt for any DLL and registry key conflicts.

Another issue is what happens with applications that don't save their settings in the registry. Those files would get backed up and restored properly as part of the normal backup process, but I hope the Pocket PC OS will start doing things like Windows XP, where user settings (as opposed to user documents) are saved in a special location.

You even started the "App developers - Get together on using 'My Documents'" thread (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3836) about application settings, and Jason started the "Where Should Application Settings be Stored?" thread (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7055) about it, too.

I wasn't thrilled with your zSettings proposal (or any current scheme, for that matter). You'd think by now Microsoft could have fixed the Pocket PC OS to do things properly. Let's hope this is addressed in Pocket PC 2003 (but I won't be holding my breath). :mrgreen:

Steve