For the older Mobilepros, Stylisource has a great replacement, the T10MG. But it is a little smaller in diameter than the 900 series stylus. So for that, you have a couple of options. Some people simply cut a thin slice of paper and stick in the stylus receiver to reduce the bore so that 780 stylus fits tightly in the 900. The stylus for the Mobilepro 7X0/8X0 HPCs works great with the 900 series if you make a simple fix... Just take a 1cm piece of common black plastic electrical tape and apply it to the end where the clip/stop protrusion is. It fits flatly along the barrel and makes the stylus fit perfectly within the 900.

What is skinning?

One thing that everyone loves to do is to customize their handhelds. And why not? After all it gives you a chance to make it unique and to reflect your particular tastes. Now and then you read about HPC skinning. What is it you ask? It is modifying your device to display the screen and icons and buttons to your specifications. The tutorial is meant to be a starting place to learn about skinning and just how easy it is. Thanks to the author: Geared 2003 for the info! You can download the tutorial HERE.

How do I rebuild my own batteries?

Simple to do. Follow the instructions HERE

How do the Mobilepros differ?

What do I need to know about the LCD?

You need to know that it is fragile...treat it gently. What you see is really two parts. The first part is a clear acryllic piece of plastic with electronic circuity etched into it. It is what senses your touches. Behind that is the actual lcd unit which makes the colors and text and pictures. The two work together. Because Mobilepros use a DSTN type screen, they are almost impossible to see in the direct sunlight, hence you Mobilepro is rarely useful outdoors. But this machine wasn't really designed for outdoors use. The trade-off is it uses far less power, hence the batteries last a really long time before recharge is needed. What is HVGA? That just refers to the size, Half VGA, which is 640 x 240 while VGA is 640 x 480. Why does my 770 state 4096K colors, yet it only shows 256 colors? The operating system of that device was designed to only show 256 colors. It speeds up processing. You can view more colors by using a picture viewing program however, but not for native use such as Pocket Internet Explorer or the Pocket Excel. Only with picture viewing software. The 780 is the same thing, except it will display 65K colors with the right viewer. The newer 900 series displays 65K colors all the time!

How should I clean my LCD screen?

A soft clean dry cloth is best. Soft circular rubbing. No solvents or cleaning solutions. Absolutely no abrasives. Forget using polishing compounds or whatever if you get a scratch. Learn to live with it. Polishing may render your touchscreen useless. You can clean it easily with Windex, just make sure it dries before turning it back on.

Can I use an USB flash drive on my Mobilepro?

Only the MP800 and MP880, and the MP900/900C have USB connectors.  On pre-CE.NET devices, mass storage devices, such as a USB flash driver were not natively supported.  However, with some 3rd party software, you can use USB flash drives on these machines.  Go to the 800/880 page and download information and software there you need to us an USB flash drive.  For the 900, go to the 900 page.  The 900C which uses CE.NET supports USB drives and more already.

You have two open slots for expansion. One is the PCMCIA slot, the other is your CF (Compact Flash) slot. The easies memory card to use is a CF memory card.  I've used CF memory cards from 2mb all the way up to 1 gb without any problems.  You can also use a CF memory card with an adapter in the PCMCIA slot.  I've also used SD, SM, microSD and CF memory cards in my PCMCIA slot and in the CF slot with an adapter. The first card inserted shows up as Storage Card on your device, and the second card inserted shows us as Storage Card 2 on your device. The PCMCIA slot also supports ATA flash memory cards without problems on all the Mobilepros.  On the 900C you can use a SDHC memory card with a compatible USB adapter that supports SDHC.

How do I make my 900C display full SVGA on an external monitor?

Thanks to Jackie B, the following was cut and pasted from a forum message on PocketpcMag.com: I've found how to make the 900C project to a full screen using Conduits Pocket Slides. On the Tools/Options/VGA Output screen, I've done this:

• - For VGA Device, choose "Generic VGA Driver."
• - Click the "Information" button.
• - By "DLL filename," enter: ddicrt.dll
• - By "Registry Key," enter nothing. Leave it blank.
• - Click "OK."
• - Then you can choose the resolution and output.

After experimenting, this is what I like best: "Manually set resolution and output:" and 800x600x64k @60Hz. With nothing more than the 900C and a VGA out cable, I'm now able to deliver full-sized, fully-featured PowerPoint presentations!

How do I use my cellphone as a modem with my Mobilepro?

(Thanks to Mike aka Surrealmonk at HPC Factor) He writes: I was unable to tether my Motorola cell phone via IrDA. There appeared to be no built in IR modem driver. I searhced high and low... I downloaded the generic driver from here (HPC Factor) and it didn't seem to work. I set the IrDA speed to 115.2. If I use the Direct Link Infrared connection, I do see my phone light up for a moment, so I know the IR ports on both devices are working, but the phone doesn't respond at all, and I get an error that the port is not available or misconfigured. Looking in the registry, COM3 appeared to be the port it works on, so I'm wasn't sure what was wrong. I finally managed to figure out how to get IrDA tethering to work... Apparently, the MobilePro uses two COM ports for the infrared adapter - COM3 for direct connection, COM6 for IrCOMM. So I went into the registry and changed the port from COM3 to COM6, and voila! I'm typing this on my MP tethered to my cell right now... So there's a tip to post on HPCNEC.com... Super Mike...thanks for the tip! *NOTE: HPC FACTOR HAS RECOMPILED THE DRIVER TO NOW SUPPORT COM6 SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL THOSE HOOPS ANYMORE. DOWNLOAD IT HERE

How can I connect using wired or wireless ethernet?

There is one question that comes up time and time again, "How do I use my Mobilepro with ethernet?" or "What is the best wifi card to use?" With nearly all HPCs, you have a choice. Either wired or wireless. Then you have a second choice, either compact flash (CF) or pccard type. Well, let's tackle the second choice first. Most motels these days have wired room connections. Most universities have wired student connections in the study rooms. So obtaining a wired ethernet card is not a bad idea. I have both wired and wireless cards for use with my Mobilepros. There are many makes and models, and what will work for your device is up to you to determine. I've always preferred the Socket Low Power LP/E card for my wired needs because in every Mobilepro I own, the drivers are built into the operating system. But that doesn't mean that is the only card that works, far from it. There are many wired cards that work. For wireless connection, it becomes a little harder because these devices do not work with the current Cardbus (32 bit) architecture found in laptop cards of today. No 802.11G card will work with these Mobilepros in G mode. Only 16 bit cards work, and not all of them. Some 16 bit cards (pcmcia cards or pccards) will only work with Windows CE 3.0 and above, i.e. Xircom CWE1120, while others, i.e. Cisco 340 will work with Windows CE 2.0 and 2.11 only. Some cards will work with all of the Windows CE operating systems. Luckily you don't have to figure it all out. There are a couple sites that have some great resources. My first site is HPCFactor.com as they have a great Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) available. The HCL lists both wired and wireless cards that work with various CE versions. Pocketpcfaq.com is another site with some great info on compatible cards, including information on alternative drivers needed for certain operating systems with certain cards. It was where I first went to find out information and has been around a long time. Pick out your card based on your needs. If you are going to connect to a WEP enabled hotspot, make sure your card and device supports WEP. If you are using your card with your home network, you may have to turn off some of your security schemes to get the card to work. The best way to determine what you need if you are unsure is to visit the varous forums and read first...then ask questions. The answers are normally there. After you pick out a card, then you have to install it. This means installing the proper driver. Some cards install without any problem just by clicking on the installer program that comes with the card. Other drivers have to be downloaded from the internet, especially those cards purchased on eBay and other such places where no software comes with them. Sometimes those drivers must be downloaded from the manufacturers site directly. If the installer works, then all is well. If you get the infamous "no compatible device detected" type error, then often the driver will need to be installed manually. This is normally in the form of a cab file which has been copied to your hard drive and stored in your Activesync subfolder on your desktop machine. These normally need to be copied to your handheld manually. Tapping on them installs the drivers, sometimes with an alert that the software may not run because it wasn't designed for your machine, sometimes not. There are too many variables and factors to consider in this post, but I've given you a good place to get started from. As I said before, visit the forums for more info...it really is a treasure trove of info. Here are a few comments I've cut and paste from the forums. It is not an endorsement for a particular brand, nor verification that it is true, only what others have posted:

• For a bit more I got a new Linksys NP10T 10BaseT card that worked right off the bat with the built-in NE2000 driver. So if you need a NIC, I can attest to good results with the NP10T with a Mobilepro 770.
• I used a Socket LP/E on both my 770 and 780 for quite a few years and it worked great.
• Just picked up a 770 a from ebay a few days ago, and already love it. I already got my Orinoco gold PC card working with it
• First I purchased a Linksys PCMCIA wireless WiFi card model WPC11 Ver. 3.0 from Ebay for about 25 bucks. I got the WinCe 2.11 Driver from COMPAQ is called SP155885.exe it is a self-extracting file so just download it and follow the instructions. The card works great
• I got a cheap NIB 3Com AirConnect card on eBay and I am using it to surf and sync.
• I was able to successfully use the compaq WL100 driver for my netgear m401 wireless card on my NEC mobilpro 770. The key thing was downloading the NEC software patches found the NEC site
• I have successfully used an Ornioco Silver 11Mbs wireless card in my Mobilepro 780.
• I installed the Ambicon wlc1100-cf on my 780 - took some futzing to make it work but works well
• I got an 3com model number 3CRWE737A Rev. B card on e-bay for $10 that works on my MP780
• The Wireless card I use is an Compact Flash Card: AmbiCom WL1100C-CF
• My stepson just bought me an enterasys (Roamabout). The drivers were online. We downloaded it in the machine, and it worked from the "get-go"! It's very good!
• I used an Ambicom WL1100C-CF, wifi card, in a PCMCIA adapter, in my 780. The included drivers installed and the card was connected to my home wifi in about 5 min, and connected on the road to any open connection. However, when I updated my 780 rom to a 790, the Ambicom drivers would not work properly, so I switched to the WPC11 drivers.
• I'm using Pretec CompactWLAN wifi CF card on my MP790!
• The Proxim Silver PC card works great
• It's a WaveLan Turbo 11Mb Silver made by Lucent Technologies.
• Intel PRO/Wireless 2011" PCMCIA does in the MobilePro 780/WinCE 2.11. It is 802.11b only, and 16 bit.

That's all there is to it really. Some experimentation and some trial and error. Don't expect blazing Internet speed just because you are using an ethernet connection. These old HPCs can only process data so quickly. 30-45 seconds per page load is not unusual on some graphic intensive websites, but most are faster, and all are certainly faster than using the built in dial-up modem.

Can I connect with Yahoo mail?

As of today, July 12, 2006: I tried to connect wireless with Yahoo.com to check my email using my HPC Pro Mobilepros. It was no-go! The browser is just too old. I tried again using my 790 and 880 with a 790 rom chip in it. I was successful. When I logged on I got an alert that said "the current web page wasn't supported with my current version of IE, would I like to go to a web page my browser supports?" I said yes, and was taken to a page that worked. I could read and send email via Yahoo as long as I used HPC 2000 or newer. My MP900C was no problem and logged on without downgrading to an earlier web page.

How can I transfer files and programs to my Mobilepro?

Luckily for Mobilepro 900/900C users, a lost sync cable isn't a big deal as it can easily be replaced with a easily obtain mini-usb cable. However, the older Mobilepros use a serial cable which isn't common and can be a little pricey, even on eBay. Moving files to and from your Mobilepro can be done several ways. The obvious and most common method is to simply use Microsoft's Activesync to interface with your handheld unit and install the program using the Mobilepro serial cable. This is by far the easiest method, and allows for easy sychronization of your desktop Outlook as well. If you have the serial cable, NEC part number S1424-12S, then you are all set...that is if you have a serial port on your desktop. If you have only USB ports on your desktop or your laptop, then you can still use the S1424-12S serial cable if you use an USB to serial adapter. I think I only paid somewhere around $15 for it. If you don't have a serial connector, then you might consider using an infrared device. I have also used a Jet Eye ESI-9680 IRD. It is found easily on eBay and other places for about $10. Works fine, but doesn't have the transfer speed of the serial port, and you have to physically align the Mobilepro to the Jet Eye emitter. Plus range is limited to about 6 inches away from each other. A lot of other people choose not to synch at all, but just use a simple compact flash card reader. Now all they do is copy their files to a CF card and then install the card into their Mobilepro and copy the file from the card onto the device. Most programs written for Windows CE will copy a special type of compressed file called a CAB file to your desktop's hard drive if the handheld is not connected. It does this so the program can be installed the next time the handheld is connected. If you go to your C:\Program Files\Microsoft Activesync folder on your desktop you can normally see these programs awaiting installation. Normally there will be different versions of the same program for the handheld's processor. The Mobilepro 7X0 series uses a MIPS cpu. The 900/900C uses the ARM cpu. Other handhelds use SH3 or SH4 processors. To install a CAB file is really easy. Just copy the MIPS version of the CAB file to the CF card and then insert it into the Mobilepro. Tap on the icon of the program on the Mobilepro and the program will install, and then after installation, the CAB file deletes itself usually. It is that simple. If you have specific conflict issues, strongly recommend asking for help on the HPC forums.

Which should I know about Microsoft Activesync?

You can read the Official description of Microsoft ActiveSync by going to the Microsoft website.  But in my own words, Activesync is a program that runs on your desktop computer that allows you to transfer files from your desktop computer to your mobile device.  Those files may be programs for installation, they may be pictueres, or they may be components of other programs such as your email addresses or task list from Outlook.

In order for Activesync to work, there has to be a counterpart program on the handheld device.  The really old HPCs under CE1.0 and CE2.0 didn't have this, so you cannot use Activesync with them.

The newest version of Activesync is 4.5, but it works only for the 900 and 900C Mobilepro handhelds.  The last version that worked well with serial connections was version 3.8.  You can download this version from various spots on the web.  All of the Mobilepros, prior to the 900, used a serial cable with Activesync.  The Mobilepro 900 was the first to use USB for synchronization.  With the 900, in order to use Activesync, you must also install a driver file on your desktop so that the Mobilepro will be recognized when you connect it to your desktop computer.  If you don't, you will not be able to sync your data with Activesync.

If the only HPC you are using is the 900 or 900C, then you should use a newer version of Activesync.  The current release is version 4.5 and this works fine with the Mobilepro 900.  Many smartphones and pocketpcs require a newer version than 3.8, so if you have multiple devices, you may choose to go this route.

For the older Mobilepros, for instance, a MP770, you simply install Activesync 3.8.  Be sure that you have the serial option checked under connection settings in Activesync.  Then plug in your sync cable to your desktop serial port and your handheld and turn it on.  The Activesync program will prompt you to establish a new connection.

If you don't have a serial port on your desktop machine, you can use a PL-2303 compatible USB to serial adapter cable along with the Mobilepro serial sync cable to do the same thing.  Be sure you have the USB option checked in the Activesync connection settings.  Here is an example of the cable I use that works well.

For the Mobilepro 900 and 900C, you must first install Activesync and then you must install the proper USB driver.  NEC made two of them.  One for Windows 2K, and one for Windows XP.  Download the USB driver for your operating system and run it.  It will extract all the files to your C: hard drive into a folder named NEC.  Inside the NEC folder will be another folder titled either WinXP USB Driver or Win2K USB driver.  Go into that folder and then right click on the file "WCEUSBSH.INF" and select install.   This will finalize the driver installation.

Now plug in your Mobilepro 900 and turn it on.

If you've tried everything and still cannot get your 900C to synch with my desktop:

• Try another USB port
• Try the main computer port without going through a USB hub.
• Try another USB cable.  They are standard USB on one end and Min-B connectors on the other end, easy to find.
• Pages 1-23, 1-24, 1-25, 1-26 of the Mobilepro 900C Users Guide
• For more information on syching, go HERE.

How do I print from my Mobilepro?

• I select my printer as "PCL Inkjet".
• I select my port as "Network".
• In the Net Path: window I enter \\hawley\6940.