How does WM2003SE allocate RAM?

[jimski]

OK, here is the story. I just got my hx4700 back from PPC Techs, along with their 128MB RAM upgrade. I should point out here that this was my first experience with PPC Techs and they handled my upgrade in a very professional manner, keeping me informed every step of the way. They even installed one of the WriteShields that I ordered with my upgrade. It is something special to see, "126.27 MB" available Total main memory.

Back on topic. I decided to get this upgrade, because in the first two weeks with my new device I experienced several "out of available driver memory" errors requiring a soft reset, specifically when trying to turn on Bluetooth or occasionally WiFi. This is even though I loaded almost all apps in iPAQ File Store and allocated about 34 of the available 62MB to Program Memory. With things like Voice Commander loading on startup, there is not much Program memory left after a soft reset (about 16MB in use and 18MB available after reset)

On my upgraded 4700, I have allocated about 75MB of RAM to Program Memory and was surprised on the first day that Bluetooth would not start without a soft reset even though there were 51MB of available allocated RAM remaining. I did some testing with a non-upgraded 4700 and discovered that no matter how low I set Program Memory (set around 15MB) it jumps up to about 28MB when I launch Bluetooth or open a few programs.

So the question is, does the OS predetermine the assumed available RAM somewhere in the registry, so that regardless of what is available, things like the Bluetooth or WiFi radios will not look past, say 28MB of RAM? If so, how can i change it? With this 128MB upgrade I am approaching pure perfection, but this is certainly an obstacle. I am counting on your collective expertise to solve this one.

[Jason Dunn]

I have a sneaking suspicion this is a bug in the Bluetooth implementation - this very same issue happened with earlier units as well. Perhaps a call to HP? Don't mention you have had the unit upgraded though. ;-)

[jimski]

I am thinking it might be a Bluetooth bug, as the "insufficent memory" message only occurs when launching it. Although WiFi has a similar problem, there is no error message. Just the little wait icon for 20-30 seconds and then nothing. After a soft reset, WiFi is on and ready to go.

I may need to work up some energy to tackle a call to HP customer support (I get so frustrated with their "perform a hard reset" mentality), but I will continue to browse the forums for a solution, or at least a clear explanation.

[Greg606]

There is similar problem with viewing images. Can one lock RAM to the maximum possible, I wonder
P.S. It's my first post here! So, hello and greetings from Poland :D

[Jason Dunn]

Welcome to the site! :-)

There is similar problem with viewing images. Can one lock RAM to the maximum possible, I wonder
P.S. It's my first post here! So, hello and greetings from Poland :D

The problem is more one of the image viewer, but it also depends on the size of the image you're trying to open. Remember that Pocket PCs don't have "virtual RAM" in the form of a hard drive like your desktop PC does.

I'd recommend Imageer from Spb Software House - I helped create the app, so I'm biased, but I think it's the best one on the market. :-)