TomTom Hanging iPaq 4700?

[Quantum]

Been running TTN5.21 since last year, and it's a good nav package.

But every few days my iPaq hx4705 (WM2003SE) hangs up and doesn't respond. The back is really hot, and it often takes five resets to make it boot all the way. Each successive reset gets me a little further through the boot process.

My practice is to leave it in the (Brodit) cradle, and turn it on/off as needed. Sometimes when I turn it on it gives an error saying Bluetooth was unable to allocate memory, and I have to reset.

Are any other hx470x users seeing this? Any idea whether this is TT, or WM2003? Would WM5 fix this?

[mikealder]

Are you 100% sure the device is running TTN5,21? tap the sat strength bars and look at what version is actually displayed. The issue with the Bluetooth was apparant using TTN vs 5,0 (memory leak) - its not uncommon for users to think they have upgraded but the device is still using the earlier version.
The 4700 does run hot, too hot in my opinion - you might want to consider using an over-clocking application to slow the device down thereby reducing the heat build up, I know this sounds strange but it is possible to use these apps to underclock a processor.
As for WM2005, you know my view on it, if you have a few hours spare by all means load it, when you are converted you will roll back the unit to WM2003SE which works! - 2005 on this device is pathetic to say the very least - Mike

[Quantum]

Yep, tap sig strength and 5.21.

My 4700 usually runs only slightly warm, but when freaking out gets way too hot. I am sure it's in a runaway software loop. Underclocking only addresses the symptom, but thanks. Am I understanding that you use WM2003SE extensively, and see little instability?

I'd posted in another thread that HP has just come out with a patch which is supposed to fix the performance problems of WM5. It's here, and user feedback is very positive. WM5 is desirable because M$ finally got their head out their arse and put the registry in flash, like Opie has done all along. So lose battery, no more rebuild.

But WM has never been stable for me. Wish like Hell I could run Opie, but need TomTom.

[mikealder]

On the 4700 I only use 2003SE as this unit was designed to run this OS, other "upgrades" to WM2005 I have tried but gave up as the device became unstable, constantly locking up, crashing and had a very slow feeling about it - useless in my opinion.

The only time my 4700 gets very hot is with mp3 playing at the same time as a navigation package, under normal conditions its fine.

As for the losing all the data when the battery pops off its location, yes this has happened, I use Sprite back up to restore the unit when it decides to have an Off day, this is the grown up version of what HP supply with the device, and it is available at a discounted price to ipaq owners IIRC. As it creates a self executing back up file a simple tap in file explorer on the PDA is all that is required to re-install the whole lot.

I wonder if some other software is causing your problem? is anything else running when the unit goes wrong? - Mike

[Quantum]

I've been using it for TomTom 100% of the time, so unsure if this is the culprit, but the symptom always seems to relate to Bluetooth. It "can't allocate memory for Bluetooth". Soon I'll be using it for business, and I am concerned about this POS OS. Opie was so nice.

Some days I go out to the car and turn on the iPaq, and nothing. Dead. Hot on back. I reset and it boots a little then hangs. Reset again, and it gets a little further. Reset usually 6-10 more times, and it finally boots all the way. Gives me a heart-attack every time, because I'm new in this town and depend entirely on TomTom to get around. Don't even have a hardcopy map.

I am most suspicious of the Bluetooth stack. I've installed HP's Bluetooth update, but that only seems to add functionality for a headset, and it has not helped.

I have never understood the relation of TomTom's Bluetooth stack (Widcom?), and WM2003's (M$'s?). Maybe they're clashing. In Asset Viewer|Bluetooth it says:
Firmware version: 2.26
Hardware revision: 2.26
Driver version: 0.02.00
Software version: 1.5.0.4000

In TomTom|Settings|Show Version, GPS driver says:
v1.20.

[mikealder]

The Bluetooth stack loaded to the PPC is either Broadcom (as was Widcom), or Microsoft, this is part of the PDA's basic instalation, and whilst it can be messed around with it is not worth doing this on the device you have.
TomTom only receives data from a GPS device it doesn't care which Bluetooth stack is providing this data stream, it simply uses it.
My 4700 ocasionally gives the message "Can't allocate memory for Bluetooth" or "unable to allocate memory for Bluetooth radio" at which point I soft reset the device and things carry on as normal. Are you turning off the TomTom application using the "Exit" icon within the program? if not this could be part of the reason you are experiancing problems.
Also take a look in settings/ memory running programs and find out what is actually running when the device is getting hot/ un-responsive, something should offer a clue - Mike

[Quantum]

Right, I normally just leave TT running when I power down and back up. More often than not, it comes up fine.

I will try to see what's in memory next time it happens, thanks.

[mikealder]

If I were you I would turn off TomTom using the Exit button within the application before turning the PDA off, then see if the situation improves - Mike

[Quantum]

Understand. (But I probably won't; convenience)

Ya know, I found yesterday that there are two unneeded apps loading at startup. One was the (clunky in my experience) Airscanner ActiveGuard, and the other was some database util, which name I've forgotten.

Based on your more stable experience with WM2003, I've removed these and will see if it improves things. (in my example of psychological transference)

[Synth]

I just received my hx4700 after having a new motherboard fitted; it came back with WM2003 just like the day I bought it. Before the repair it was running very slow on WM2005.
I have installed WM2005 and the patch that was released by HP last week. I disabled error reporting and the navpad. It now runs much better.
You should exit Navigator before turning the hx4700 off. Only install WM2005 if you have the patch ready.

[Quantum]

Last week I got my new i.Trek M5 pod, which I bought because my Holux236 had such a problem with multipath. The Holux was nice everywhere except downtown, where it had TomTom skidding me all over the place, in the grass and running into buildings. The new Nemerix chipset is supposed to be much better with multipath, and also the M5 has WAAS enabled.

But the M5 is much less sensitive. Can't get a fix in the house anymore. My standard test is to power on the iPaq (with TT already running), and watch the time until it gets a fix. Whereas the Holux almost always took about 15 seconds for that, the M5 takes anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes, most of the time ~1:20.

I thought GPSGate might be the culprit, as I'd installed it with the M5, but removed it and although getting a connection is now more reliable, the TTFF is only slightly less.

Haven't been able to actually drive with it yet or test it downtown.

[mlevers]

I also run TTN5 on an Ipaq 4700, I had all the problems of frequent lock-ups needing a soft reset to get going again. I noticed that the battery was very hot , Ipaq wouldn't reset until it had cooled. the situation was worse during hot sunny weather. Upgrades up to and including V5.21 made no difference at all. I always used the 2d display view but during a recent holiday in Germany (During the July heatwave) after frequent lock-ups I changed to 3d view - Ipaq runs much cooler, no more lock-ups except once when the gps signal was lost for any length of time (Channel tunnel - within 5 minutes of driving onto the train) again the Ipaq was very hot.
Recently while detouring round an accident on my way home from work I switched to 2d view, the Ipaq locked up (very hot) within 30 minutes. I believe the display driver for the VGS display causes over heating - 3d view is not hi res.
I have since Upgraded to WM 2005 which was a disaster until HP released ROM update V2.01, my Ipaq now seems like a new machine with no trace of its previous unreliabilty.

[Quantum]

Interesting, thanks mlevers. I've always used 3D, but at times the iPaq does get very hot in back. (It's in a Brodit cradle in front of the tach, shaded) And I must reset it repeatedly when it hangs when hot, in order to get full reboot.

I am surprised to hear that 3D mode is not high-res. Often wish it showed town and river names I'm passing. I'll have to check out 2D, and WM5.

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