ProBackup on an iPAQ 3970

Oldie · Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2004 5:36 pm Post subject: ProBackup on an iPAQ 3970

Does anyone have the Proporta ProBackup system working on an iPAQ 3970 (Pocket PC 2002, ROM 2.00.00 ENG). I have just tried it and the iPAQ does not see the MMC card at all. My SD card works fine, but I have never tried a MMC card of any type before.

Proporta are sending me a new card, but I wondered if the problem is with my iPAQ 3970. Are there any tests that I can do?

Richard

DavidW · Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2004 6:51 pm Post subject:

I've got an old 16MB Sandisk MMC, which worked fine in my 3970 with the 2.00 ROM (not that it was really large enough to be much use). It might be that the contacts in your SD card slot are not making proper contact with the thinner MMC card.

By the way - even if you want to stick with Pocket PC 2002 and not pay for an upgrade, it is worth upgrading to the 2.10 ROM and installing the SD driver fix. You will have to hard reset and reinstall after the upgrade, though.

Like many here, I use Sprite Backup Premium Edition on my iPAQ 3970 (now on ROM 4.00.08, which is the Pocket PC 2003 ROM). As a result, I've got no experience with the Proporta product.

Sprite Backup Premium Edition is only US$10 (plus VAT) because you have a cut down version built in to the ROM as iPAQ Backup (indeed, one advantage of the 2.10 ROM is that iPAQ Backup supports timed backups).

Click here for Sprite Backup purchase details.

David

Oldie · Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2004 7:04 pm Post subject:

David,

Thank you for the information. I will have a look at Sprite just in case the next ProBackup MMC card does not work.

Also I will consider doing the ROM and SD driver upgrades on the iPAQ before moving to TTN3.

Richard

Tim Buxton · Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2004 7:11 pm Post subject:

David,

I had a few double takes on this, seeing your 3970 ROM as 4.xx.xx until I noticed the WM2003 bit. How are you finding it? I haven't taken the plunge yet, and remain with ROM 2.10. I totally agree re: Sprite Backup, by the way. It's dug me out of a few holes. I must say that I didn't notice the VAT. When did they change the rules on software downloads?
_________________
Tim

DavidW · Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2004 9:43 pm Post subject:

The VAT is because Handango, who Sprite and many other Pocket PC software developers use to handle their sales, have signed up to the new EU VAT directive that covers software sales online. The change happened on July 1 last year.

Pocket PC 2003 - my impression is that the machine is much better with the new OS. It's slightly faster, more robust, and it has the new Bluetooth stack (5450 style). However, there's an argument that the gains are not enough to justify the hefty price tag in the UK. In the US, the upgrade is a mere US$25 - in the UK it's something like GBP40.

You also want to be pretty sure that all your hardware is compatible before upgrading - some expansions (particularly network cards and expansion packs) are not compatible with Pocket PC 2003. If you happen to have a Compaq WL110 wireless LAN card, HP haven't issued drivers, but I can point you to some Agere drivers that work perfectly.

I don't regret the upgrade - but wish that the price was nearer that charged in the US!

David

Oldie · Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2004 3:52 pm Post subject:

I could not get my iPAQ 3970 to recognize either of the two ProBackup MM cards that Proporta sent to me. I could not see the cards in File Explorer either, so I am getting a refund.

In the end I purchased the Sprite backup software for just £6.78 as Compaq had bundled an earlier version with the iPAQ. Thanks for the tip David.

Richard

Tim Buxton · Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2004 4:08 pm Post subject:

David,

Tim Buxton · Posted: Wed May 19, 2004 4:50 am Post subject:

DavidW · Posted: Wed May 19, 2004 12:21 pm Post subject:

I was aware of version 3, as I do tend to keep up with what's happening at Sprite.

Sprite Backup 3 has been a long time in the coming, and was originally going to be version 2.3, but during final testing, they decided there were so many changes that it was renumbered version 3. They decided not to charge for the upgrade, not least as it's a required bug fix for some version 2 users (in particular, version 2 can malfunction on Pocket PC 2003 Phone Edition devices, like the XDA II). This is unlike the situation for upgrades from what was then called Pocket Backup 1 to Pocket Backup 2, which was chargeable, but not that expensive (US$10 to go from Pocket Backup 1 to what's now Sprite Backup Premium Edition).

I've had version 3.0.0 on my Pocket PC 2003 iPAQ 3970 for a few days now, and it seems happy enough. I'll only know, though, whether it works for real when I've probably got to hard reset to lend my system to someone else later this week - I was going to wait until after then to post here about Sprite Backup 3. Fortunately I have a recent enough 2.1.4 backup file that I know restores - just in case!

I would recommend people upgrade to 3.0.0 (do follow the instructions - you have to uninstall version 2 completely), but do be a little cautious and keep watching for further minor upgrades. There hasn't been a new version of Sprite Backup for some time other than various version 2.3 and 3.0 pre-releases, and it's quite possible that there'll be some new bugs to shake out.

David

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