Outlook and Notes on the SD card...

[witness]

I have some problems while synchronizing my Pda: I saved some (long) Notes on the SD card, but there's NO WAY :evil: to read (and modify) them with Outlook, while the Pda in in the cradle. It seems that OL shows only the Notes saved in the main memory... Any hint for visualizing them even if they are on the SD card? Any of you with the same problem?
Alex

[Wiggster]

No need to double post (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=32411&highlight=).

[Jeff Rutledge]

I deleted the duplicate post (there weren't any responses). You can continue the conversation in this thread.

[Sven Johannsen]

OK, little confused about what you are trying to do. Let me ramble a bit and it might help.

1) The notes app on the PPC writes .pwi files (inkwriter). If you sync Notes, the ones in main memory will show up in Outlook Notes. The ones on a storage card won't sync anywhere.

2) If you don't sync Notes, but do sync Files, the notes stored in main memory will show up in your sync'd file folder. They will still be .pwi files (by default). When I doubleclick them Word does open them.

3) If you open AS and navigate to your SD card and to that note you moved to it, you can drag it to your desktop. It will most likely copy as a .pwi. In my case, Word will open that.

If word does not open the .pwi for you then you can change what .pwi's are translated to in Active Sync. Under Options, there is a rules tab, on which is a Conversion Settings button. That takes you a screen that has tabs for Device to Desktop and Desktop to Device. If you choose Device to Desktop and scroll down to Inkwriter/Note Taker/Notes Document it will tell you how the conversion is set and you can Edit it, changing the resultant file type on the PC.

So, without some third party software, files on the SD card, Notes or otherwise, aren't going to sync, or be accesible on your PC without you dragging them to it. When you drag them, what they convert to, is based on rules in Active Sync. If you leave a Note as a .pwi, on my machine Word opens it (it converts it first). You can't open it with Outlook because Outlook doesn't open .pwi's on the desktop

[witness]

1) ..."The ones on a storage card won't sync anywhere".

That means I won't have any copy of them on my desktop, even though Outlook doesn't show them? No "hidden" backup-copy, then?

2) If you don't sync Notes, but do sync Files, the notes stored in main memory will show up in your sync'd file folder. They will still be .pwi files (by default). When I doubleclick them Word does open them.

How can I sync Files? My Word opens .pwi files properly, anyhow, no problem...

3) Navigating AS, and copying Notes from the SD card to the desktop, I can modify them with Word: but I hoped there were another way to do it, without all that messing up...

You write:
"without some third party software, files on the SD card, Notes or otherwise, aren't going to sync..."
Which third party software would help, in order to have files (Notes) on the SD card properly sync'd and shown, so that I can modify them through Outlook? I'm using "Sentry 2020" to create a crypted volume, which appears as "another SD card", and I have the same annoying problem: can't read Notes stored in that volume with Outlook...

Thanks so much for your help.
Alex

[witness]

I almost forgot: sorry, folks, for the double post, I am a newbie and didn't know in which Forum I could ask for your help...
Alex

[Sven Johannsen]

1) ..."The ones on a storage card won't sync anywhere".

That means I won't have any copy of them on my desktop, even though Outlook doesn't show them? No "hidden" backup-copy, then?

Active Sync only syncs stuff in Main RAM. Some of that is PIM stuff, but it can also do Word files Pictures, etc. Intellisync provides some enhancements to what Active Sync does, but I don't believe it extends to flash cards. MightySync is a product that allows you to establish syncing between anywhere on your PPC and anywhere on your PC.

How can I sync Files? My Word opens .pwi files properly, anyhow, no problem...

In ActiveSync on the PC, in options, is the list of things that can be sync'd. One is Files. If you click that it creates a special folder in your My Documents directory, and puts a shortcut on your desktop. Any files in My Documents in Main RAM on the PPC are sync'd to that folder. Any files you drop into that folder are sync'd to the PPC.

Which third party software would help, in order to have files (Notes) on the SD card properly sync'd and shown, so that I can modify them through Outlook? I'm using "Sentry 2020" to create a crypted volume, which appears as "another SD card", and I have the same annoying problem: can't read Notes stored in that volume with Outlook...

None. If you are talking about Outlook Notes. Outlook Notes on th PC are going to wind up in Notes on the PPC. Notes on the PPC can wind up in Outlook as Outlook notes, or some other place as Inkwriter files, or whatever you set AS to translate them to. I don't believe there is any way to take a Note on the PPC that is not in Main Memory and push it into Outlook on the desktop.

Encryption is a whole 'nuther problem. If the OS sees the secure folder as another SD card, then it is subject to the issues above. Files you put into that directory are apparently encrypted on the fly, and decrypted on the fly when you open them. I would presume MightySync would let you sync them, but it would either have to decrypt them first, or you would need the ability to decrypt them on the desktop.

When you open Explore from AS, and click the My Pocket PC icon at the top, do you see that virtual SD card that Sentry 2020 creates?

[witness]

"When you open Explore from AS, and click the My Pocket PC icon at the top, do you see that virtual SD card that Sentry 2020 creates?"

Yes, that virtual SD card (a "volume", actually, saved on the SD card), when the volume is "mounted" and accessible, is seen right exactly like a normal SD card, with all the folders and files visible and in order...
Thanx for your reply, I'm going to try MightySync.

By the way, which is, in your very personal opinion, the most practical (and fairly secure, too) file-encryption piece of software to be used on a Pocket Pc Pda?

Last question: as I saw, my (Asus A716) backup utility (for PIM or other files) doesn't have any password option: that means, I suppose, that you protect sensible data in some folders, than "lose" your Pda... and for the thief it'll be enough to restore data to bypass your encryption effort! Isn't that insane???
Alex

[Sven Johannsen]

By the way, which is, in your very personal opinion, the most practical (and fairly secure, too) file-encryption piece of software to be used on a Pocket Pc Pda?

Mine's in my hand or my Pocket (hence the name ;) ) I don't use any encryption other than for those programs that have it built in like E-Wallet, so couldn't really comment or advise.