I am wondering how many people are having problems with the rx1950?
I see several posts about the need to "soft reset" the device and power issues related to SD cards.
I have the same problem - there are times the rx1950 will not turn on (or not shut off) requiring a soft reset.
I have also experienced problems with the touch screen where the rx1950 stops responding completely. What happens is that the PDA will respond to the buttons but when the stylus is used on the screen it simply does not work.
This is my second rx1950 and I am concerned I picked a lemon.
The first rx1950 was returned due to the screen problem - which is intermittent - it stopped working and the next day when I returned it to the store (minus the SD card) the unit worked fine. Thankfully the store took my word that there was a problem and swapped the unit.
Today is my first day with rx1950 number two - it has worked with out issue except that I have yet to put in an SD card.
The other intermittent issue is ActiveSync - this seems to be a "hit or miss" issue. There have been a few times where I have had to reboot both my laptop and the rx1950 to get ActiveSync working.
Looking at the firmware version 1.01.00 hopefully there will soon be a patch to correct some of the issues?????
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I have the same problems.I am on my second rx1950 and still having the same problems. I found the thread below and it seems that some people have had similar problems.
There are 2 main theories i have seen. using SD cards (my favourite) and pressure on the buttons. I bought 3 1950's and the other 2 have not had SD cards in them and they work 100%, not a problem. Going to try not using mine without SD for a while and see if that helps.
Have also had trouble with battery discharge so there might be 2 problems.
No real trouble with active sinc except that i sometimes have to disconnect the usb and reconnect. This seems to fix my problem.
Hope they resolve this soon or i'm getting a refund. Whats the point if you can't use SD or put it in a case?
I have the same problem as well, it really annoying, as i have to reset the unit again....
I don't know whether HP aware of this matter or not, but i hope they do. Hopefully they won't come back to us that there is no solution or it is simply caused by third party software. I believe there is no major problem if this unit is stable and well designed.
my problem: after I had stopped my ipaq1950 windows mobile 5 rom 1.00.05 date 09/15/05 for a long time (> 10 mn), I need to do a soft reset. It's happen 1 to 3 time a day. I have no problem with the battery. I tried a lonh reset. It's the same.
I will try to put of the sd card to see if it's different.
i bought this ipaq rx1950 3 weeks back after successfully using ipaq 1930 for almost 2 years. but the new one is almost frustrating to even look at, it wont start up when left overnight without a reset. seldom screen is unresponsive, battery would drain for no apparent reason. returned my first unit back, got a second one, replaced it with a 3rd one, guess what, the same story all over. the retailer made couple of calls to the HP head off then informed me that it must be some firmware or ROM prob, probably the motherboard stuff and directed me to the HP service centre and guess what, they never heard of such problems here in KL,malaysia, so asked me to leave it with them so their engineer could look into it. i dont have much hopes though. it's a RM1188(malaysian ringit) waste. never expected this from HP, always been a religious customer..typing from my HP notebook. hopefully they better get serious with this issue, or loose regular customers like me for sure.
I've had ongoing problems with activesync, some of which were caused by our corporation installing SP2 on the work computers.
activesync seems to like you to use the same USB plug every time, and if you have other USB devices it can interfere with the operation of the synchronisation process.
At the moment my rx1950 wont talk at all to my desktop.
There definately appears to be some major issues with Windows Mobile 2005 and with the rx1950.
The question is now "who will provide a solution?".
Removing the SD card does seem to help in terms of stability but the whole idea of a storage card is exactly that - storage. Without the SD card usability is compromised.
I have the same issues plus huge power drain while the unit is off - something to do with the SD card.
As for the activesynch hit or miss issue, I have noticed that when my power says 100% it seems to work, when it is not 100% I have to attempt the synch multiple times, with varrying degrees of success.
My last communication with the help desk a few days ago said to wait for a patch but they did not have an ETA. :(
I've never had a problem it not responding to the touch screen, though I won't jinx myself. I got it in October and never saw that. I did see that sometimes it won't detect the device so I have to replug it a few times. A couple times I had to switch to a different USB port to trigger detection.
It has been several days now since I removed the SD card from my rx1950. The end result - no major problems other than some intermittent ActiveSync issues.
While I had to use a "soft reset" a few times to get ActiveSync going the device has never failed to turn on nor has there been any issue with battery draining to zero.
I have put the SD card in to read data stored there, but the card has been removed after each use and the application using the data closed.
This is not a solution - it is a kludge work around. The whole idea of a PDA is "instant on" and "instant access". Having to put the SD card in, remove when completed and then go to "setting ->memory" and kill the active application pretty much makes using the PDA a major chore as opposed to a functional transparent tool. My guess is that most people are like me and expect that a PDA be tool that helps increase productivity. Right now the rx1950 just doesn't fit this description.
Unfortunately, my problem with the rx1950 does not depend on whether I use a SD-card or not... But interestingly, it depends on the time since the rx1950 has been turned off... the longer the worse it is. (And I do not transport it in a special way.)
hello folks, i just found this solution posted by somebody called alan in another thread. it might work. as of me, my unit is still with the HP service centre. eager to get it back
Hey guys,
I was having a similar problem with the hx2495. When it was off for a few hours or more, it would not turn on, and the battery would be very low and had to soft reset. I found another thread that attributed the problem to ActiveSync w/ WM 5.0. You need to set Activesync on the Ipaq to manual schedule. You can do this by adding a fake exchange server connection -> ActiveSync -- Menu -- Add Server Source -- Enter an Ip address like "1.1.1.1" -- enter anything in the next 3 windows. After the fake exchange server is set, Menu/Schedule is available. Set both windows to Manual. Then, go back to connections and delete the fake exchange server. See the following link for the source of this trick:
Scroll down to Active Sync 4.0 turns on automatically.
Users who posted after the fix have reported no further problems. I have just done this today, so I cannot comment on my success.
Good Luck.
Just a further note, after you make this change, make sure to go into running programs and shut down Active Sync if it is running. It should only activate when you cradle it, or manually activate it. When you are thru Sync-ing, be sure to close the program on the ipaq.
Whether the end users see a direct response from HP or not keeping this topic active and current is important. It seems logical that HP does monitor these forums. While the HP moderators do not contribute directly in these forums it likely they do notice what topics are being discussed as well as problems/issues related to specific products.
As more end users post the issues and problems related to the rx1950 the greater the pressure there is for HP to find a solution. Not to defend HP or Microsoft, my suspicion is that the solution to the problems that have been identified with the rx1950 are partly related to the HP product and partly related to Windows Mobile 2005. Right now it would not be surprising if HP is pointing fingers at Microsoft saying it is a hardware problem and conversely Microsoft pointing fingers at HP (or Dell) saying it is a software problem. This is just the nature of the game.
Yes I am frustrated but it is likely that at some point end user pressure on both HP and Microsoft will produce a solution. As to when that solution will appear, however, is anyone's guess.
My belief is that end-users should be identifying and documenting their problems with the rx1950 in as many public forums as possible. Sitting quietly and waiting will not do anything in terms of creating pressure on both HP and Microsoft to work together to solve the problem(s).
If other rx1950 owners are looking for a place to document issues and problems, or simply looking for a place to vent, I would welcome any posts this thread.
What firmware version do you guys have by the way? Mine says 1.00.04 whenever I Soft Reset it. I looked at one in a store today and reset their example model and it said 1.01.00.
I'm asking to see if there is some pattern with the different problems people are having and what version they have...if there is a newer version that some have and others don't it would be good to know that as well.
I'm asking here because a lot of rx1950 users will see it - hopefully. And possibly one will reply?
I just returned 2 rx1955's for the same problems and actually blamed the store where I got it for carrying refurbished stuff. It's a darn shame that HP would put out a product that it still in the "beta" testing stage, charge in excess of $300.00 for it and have stupid problems like the one's all of you have and me as well. I demand HP fix this asap. Lately the quality of all HP products has been dissapointing to say the least. I will go for a good old RELIABLE Palm pilot once I bring THIS one back. This is rediculous.
I've never posted to a forum before, but I got the rx1950 as a holiday gift and haven't been able to use it "normally" a single day since. (I've used Palm products just fine for years.) The latest rx1950 symptom was the same "doesn't turn on/boot up", but I've experienced EVERYTHING else other people have posted except the ActiveSync issues (because I haven't yet installed it on my home computer -- too worried about it wrecking things now!). I thought somehow the battery drained overnight, but now that I try to charge it...well, it brings up the boot screen, then hangs at the end of the progress bar. Soft boot only does the same thing, no fix. The charging light never comes on, even though it's plugged in. I can't shut the unit off at the boot screen/unit, and it never moves past that screen either. I can only unplug it to make it go dead again. I'm theorizing that leaving it plugged in might help - somehow - but for now, I'm really upset that such an expensive gift is more than worthless, it's a giant inconvenience! Thank you, Robert, for giving me a place to say "me too" -- I wouldn't know where to start otherwise.
The rx195x units are certainly NOT living up to their full potential.
This really quite sad at this point. There are obviously issues with Windows Mobile 2005 and/or the rx195x.
Where will the finger of blame point? Is it up to HP to resolve the issue or is it a Microsoft problem? Maybe the truth is that it is a little of both.
The issue is clearly related to the SD card.
A couple of weeks ago I removed my SD card and there have been absolutely no problems, issues or battery discharge.
My rx1950 has been sitting beside my bed (mostly) turned off since last Thursday (December 22). It has been turned on a couple of times to look up phone numbers, etc. A few days fter Christmas it still was 89% charged. I recharged and sitting turned off - WITHOUT the SD card - it has not lost its charge.
What it boils down to is that if the SD card is removed and you use the rx1950 only for playing Solitaire it works not too bad. ActiveSync is a bit problematic but if you just play cards it is fine:^)
This is NOT a solution. The SD card is not an optional part of a PDA solution: there is a real need to have some sort of storage for large documents, and other files. The whole idea of a PDA is to have a way to access critical and often used data without dragging a laptop or waiting minutes for a computer to boot. What is the point of having an SD slot on the PDA if using it creates reliability issues??????
If this is a WM 2005 issue (as well it may be?) then Microsoft had best find a solution. One would also think that HP, Dell and others would be pressuring MS for a patch.
If this is an HP hardware issue then HP needs to find a solution. Defective hardware will come back to haunt the vendor. This issue will certainly cause me to change my purchasing decisions as well as influence the purchasing decisions of others.
Is it any wonder that the PDA market is shrinking??? My first PDA was a Palm III. I then bought a Toshiba 740 which had a battery life measured in hours: it was quickly returned to the vendor. Next was an Ipaq 3970 - very robust but hardly suitable to fit in a shirt pocket without a noticeable "nerd bulge". After that I tried an Acer C110 tablet PC - full PC power, very light but again no battery life and hardly an "instant on" solution.
After the tablet PC experience I simply went back to dragging my laptop everywhere until the spring of 2005 when I tried a Tungsten T-5. Great solid little unit but it had some minor stability issue and more critically working with Microsoft Office documents was not as seamless as I had hoped. None the less as a calendar, notepad and phonebook it was a good solution. It fit inside a suite coat pocket, the battery never died and it was a usable solution.
In November 2005 when I saw the HP rx1950 I thought WOW!!! Windows Mobile 2005, WiFi, a very reasonable price and all in a small light unit no bigger than the Tungsten T-5. What's not to like???
Having had the Ipaq 3970 - which was big but reliable - I passed my Tungsten to a co-worker and moved over the rx1950.
And now here we are - hundreds of posts in various HP forums discussing ongoing problems posted over several months and still no solution (other than NOT using an SD card) in sight.
Just to blow the theory -- I haven't even removed the little plastic doo-hickey that came shipped in the SD slot. No SD card, nothing at all, just the dummy placeholder. And I still have had all the problems noted here. =( Happy new year -- I've decided to return my rx1950 for a refund.
i haven't had touch screen problems yet, and my 1950 seems to be doing OK. i'm chugging along setting up contacts files and bringing in pics and such, and i subscribed to T Mobile HotSpots pay-as-you-go plan which is a good cheap internet isp solution (Cost $6 per use but you can get the internet near any Starbucks or Kinkos or airports etc).
My problem is aol. I can't seem to sign in or get al mail messages. the thing says i need a better version of aol ezplorer, and default sends you to a microsoft page but the internet explorer service package they direct you to doesn't seem to solve the problem. It's too big, doesn't download right or something.
does one have to buy a separate aol pocket-pc software package for $19.99 to use aol on the ipaq 1950? thnx
After exchanging the first rx1955 for another(based on the "it must defective" comment from the HP Tech Support person), I feel like a fool for buying this device. I have never been able to connect using ActiveSync(which is another Microsoft joke).
I sold my Sony clie to a co-worker to switch to a Windows-based pda. SUCKER!!!!! Laptop: Toshiba Satellite P35-611
Windows XP SP2
HP iPAQ rx1955
ActiveSync 4.1
I brought the ipaq on Dec 16 and installed AS 4.0. The laptop would list the "Windows Mobile-based Device" in the Network connections but the little green "globe" just spins with the message "Connecting". It never connects.
Uninstalled 4.0 and installed 4.1...Activesync still doesn't connect.
Disabled both Mcafee viruscan and firewall.. Activesync still doesn't connect.
Performed numerous soft and hard resets... Activesync still doesn't connect.
Called HP tech service and he suggested using msconfig to run just the barebone services. Activesync still dosen't connect. HP Tech says the device is faulty.
Went back to Micro Center, exchange it for a new rx 1995. The new ipaq doesn't connect either.
Entered the netstat command on my laptop but I only saw my laptop's network connection.
It's connected directly to the usb port(no hubs). I've run out of ideas and patience with this device.
Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus. It is too bad that he can't fix the rx1950 and ActiveSync....
Based on what I have seen there is a major issue with ActiveSync and this HP model. I have very lucky however that with enough freaking around I can get my device to work.
What I know is that ActiveSync creates some sort of virtual network connection to connect the Ipaq to the host computer. Anything that could intercept the network connection could be the cause of the problem
This is a rough description of what I do:
As already mentioned the firewall that is included in Windows XP SP2 could be the issue as would any other firewall that you might have installed. Once you know that there is NOT a firewall issue then you can start identifying/solving the problem.
From what I have seen with my rx1950 identifying the problem is near impossible as I have yet to see a pattern related to when ActiveSync works and when ActiveSync does not work.
To get ActiveSync working this is the strategy that I use:
1. unplug the USB sync cable 2. do a soft reset on the rx1950 3. restart your computer (Windows XP I assume?) 4. once your computer has rebooted, open Outlook 5. disable any firewall you may have running 6. run ActiveSync from the START menu and leave it open so you can see if the device connects 7. connect the USB sync cable a. at this point if you see a new network connection in the System Tray (lower right corner) everything should be working 8. if there is still a problem you will likely see ActiveSync display a green rotating icon that shows the device as CONNECTING a. when ActiveSync does not work this is likely the cause - ActiveSync will know that a device has been plugged in, it will attempt to connect but it never completes the connection that is required to begin the synchronization
At this point if ActiveSync still is not working repeat steps 1-7 but try a different USB port on your computer. I have no reason why but I have noticed that when I have synchronization issues changing to a different USB port (on my laptop) sometimes resolves the issue.
One other thing have some limited success with is kill the wcescomm.exe process in Task Manager and then re-start ActiveSync from the START menu. Sometimes it takes more than few attempts (killing the process, resetting the Ipaq, etc.) to get it to synchronize with the host PC.
The real killer here is that the problem is intermittent and there is no discernable pattern of when it works and when it does not work.
Here is my guess as to why the problems with the Ipaq 1950 and 1955 are as of yet unresolved - HP points its finger at Microsoft and Microsoft is likely saying it is a hardware issue. Until the blame game stops anyone who owns an rx1950 or rx1955 will have to limp along with a lot of pain.
If it helps looking at other forums it appears that many of the devices (HP, Dell, etc.) that are using Windows Mobile 2005 are having issues. That however does not place the solution exclusively with Microsoft - the hardware vendors have some responsibility to test what they sell. Ultimately HP has far more influence with Microsoft than the average end user.
I have posted this before but I will add it again - Yes I am frustrated but it is likely that at some point end user pressure on both HP and Microsoft will produce a solution. As to when that solution will appear, however, is anyone's guess.
My belief is that end-users should be identifying and documenting their problems with the rx1950 in as many public forums as possible. Sitting quietly and waiting will not do anything in terms of creating pressure on both HP and Microsoft to work together to solve the problem(s).
That is about all the end user can do other than returning the unit to the vendor and hope for a refund.
Happy New Year!!! - two quotes to inspire: and they pretty much sum up the response from MS and HP on this matter.
Quote Number One The POP3 server service depends on the SMTP server service, which failed to start because of the following error: The operation completed successfully. -(Windows NT Server v3.51)
Quote Number Two Marge, don't discourage the boy! Weaseling out of things is important to learn. Its what separates us from the animals! Except the weasel -Homer Simpson
This all sounds like the same problems I had with my 1955. So I found this:
I was having a similar problem with the hx2495.
When it was off for a few hours or more, it would not turn on, and the battery would be very low and had to soft reset. I found another thread that attributed the problem to ActiveSync w/ WM 5.0. You need to set Activesync on the Ipaq to manual schedule. You can do this by adding a fake exchange server connection -> ActiveSync -- Menu -- Add Server Source -- Enter an Ip address like "1.1.1.1" -- enter anything in the next 3 windows. After the fake exchange server is set, Menu/Schedule is available. Set both windows to Manual. Then, go back to connections and delete the fake exchange server (Menu -- Options -- Highlight the fake connection and delee it.)
I hope it works for you like it did for me.
Sorry if this message is redundant. I just figure it be best to post this wherever I think it may be appropriate since it was frustrating for me.
Well I need to add my voice to the dinn. I've had the same issues with battery and resets, however the ActiveSync is working well. Does anyone think HP will address this, for real??? bob
I have an rx1950... I was having activesync recognition problems and it stayed on connecting... all the time. Then I realized, DISABLE THE DEFAULT WINDOWS FIREWALL!
Once I disabled the default windows firewall and reconnected the pocketpc, it actually worked.
This is great, because now I can start coding games for the pocketpc platform.
God bless you all and hopefully your problems will be fixed too... -Ramon
Robert, thanks for all the work you're going about this. But Iâve decide to stop fighting and give up. I sold my rx1955 to a co-worker and bought a Palm TX. Something I should have done from the beginning. Hotsync works right out of the box. Take notes Microsoftâ¦.and HP.
1. WiFi Use and Screen Interference. -5 to 30 minutes screen develops interference lines and wifi may stop moving data. -turning off wifi will stop interference instantly. unit may need to be soft resest to remove problem. -Wifi also may just stop moving data not creating the interference lines, will need resest. These faults happen whilst the wifi symbol is green showing an active connection.
2. WiFi Setting Reset -Unit will lose authentication key for some reason. The click button markedI belive it has something to do with active sync taking network connection rights. (unsure)
3. Unit turns on whilst charging. PC on. -Unit will just turn on when it wants to whilst connected to the PC.(Personal Computer)
4. Screen flashes whilst charging. PC off. -When charging with PC in off state screen will always flash a quick flash of white every 10 seconds exactly.VERY ANNOYING WHILST TRYING TO SLEEP. AND YES EVERY TEN SECONDS EXACTLY.
5. Trouble WiFi Streaming >96kbps ? -Have trouble streaming mp3 or video via wifi when codec is around 96kbps or larger.
6. Units stalls when connected to pc. -functions have a latency of up to 45 seconds when connected to PC. Example is touch START button and unit lags intially. Then things will be ok until unit is left alone for another say ten minutes.
I own an rx1950 and I am experiencing the same problem as you. Sometimes (very often!) I have to use the soft reset to power on because the rx1950 will not turn on or shut off!
I have sought the help of hp customer centre in singapore but they have yet to offer me a solution! They did not offer to swap a new set for me!They advised me to remove the SD card before power off.
For my set, sometimes the screen flickers on by itself when connected to the PC after use of Active Sync.
I am awaiting HP's response to my on this matter. In fact within the first week of purchase of the set, I started to face a problem with the power on, and on first diagnosis, the staff at HP singapore could not find a problem with the set! Very frustrating encounter .... and its my first HP pocket PC.
Thanks to everyone posting to this forum. At this point I am past the time of being able to return my rx1950 and go back to the Palm family - the Palm TX is an interesting choice.
When my first rx1950 had touch screen issues I return it to the store where it was purchased and I received a full refund.
Here is where it gets interesting - the rx1950 I return stopped working the night before it was returned. I removed the SD card, did a hard reset and still the touch screen would not respond to the stylus. When I took it back to the store it worked fine - the problem that was clear less than 12 hours earlier was gone. The store balked at the return (since they could not replicate the issue) but since it was within 7 days of the original purchase they provided a refund.
I wandered around the store where I made the original purchase - my thought was to move up a model to the 24xx (or is it 22xx ???) series. After receiving the refund, I thought if I went a model higher it might be more reliable. The upper model had Bluetooth support (on my desired list), CF card support (could care less), but it was bigger and bulkier (definitely not desired). As I waited for the sales people to stop ignoring me and show me the other model I became disgusted at the service and left.
Over at Future Shop they only had the ex1950 and Palm TX in stock. The TX looked pretty appealing. Integrated WiFi, Bluetooth - everything packed in to the same robust case as my old Tungsten. The Palm was certainly more robust when it came to being carried around. The Tungsten could be carried even in the back pocket of my blue jeans and even survived being sat on once or twice: I wouldn't dare try that with the rx1950.
It was a tough choice in one sense - known versus unknown. It came down to this - the planned switch over to a Windows Mobile device was based on the perception (is it real???) that an Ipaq would offer better integration with some large Word and Excel documents that I use. I had an Ipaq 3970 that was strong and reliable but it was just too big. The rx1950 was the right size, had the basic requirements and the price was very attractive.
A trip over to Staples revealed the same options - rx1950 or Palm TX. I bit my lip and chose the rx1950 but this time with the extended warranty.
It was been 3 or maybe 4 weeks - hard to tell time with the Holidays in between. This rx1950 has been fairly well behaved and certainly reliable BUT I have yet to use it with an SD card. Away from work it has seen very little active use. My plan is to put the SD card in today and see what happens.
Here is what I know so far about PDA devices I have seen - - The Dell line is very feature filled but they certainly are not slim and tiny
- The Palm Tungsten was built like a rock but it too had its reliability issues - The Palm would on occasion lock up and fail to the point where it needed a hard reset to recover - Documents ToGo was not 100 percent seamless - After rebuilding my laptop I was unable to get Hotsync to work with Outlook: here is where I should have spent some time resolving the issue before making a decision - The Palm TX added the one major feature that was lacking in the Tungsten: integrated WiFi
- The rx1950 was (is???) a very attractive unit when seen for the first time - The size of the rx1950 is right - The price of the rx1950 is right - The upper line Ipaqs are certainly more dollars and certainly larger - In terms of size the upper line Ipaqs are just bordering on being too big to fit in a suite coat or shirt pocket: they fit but not without weight or bulge
Now if the rx1950 can be reliable it will meet my needs. It is a bit on the fragile side (or at least it seems that way) but a bit of extra caution and it should be OK.
There seems to be good reason why the PDA market is shrinking. The functionality and reliability of the devices is not balanced.
Here is the catch 22 - my laptop is the perfect mobile device except that it is NOT an instant on technology and second I tend to have what I call "packratitis" - I carry one of everything in my backpack just in case I may need it at some point. Great in terms of function but bad in terms of dragging 40 pounds of technology from place to place.
This is where the PDA market is in my opinion. Create a device that provides shirt pocket access to e-mail, calendar information, contacts and critical documents in a device that fits in a pocket. The device needs to be instant on, have battery life that last 12-14 hours and most importantly have a screen that is visible in bright sunlight. On the nice to side "one hand operation" is desirable so you can lookup a phone number or address while driving erratically down the road.
That is it - just enough functionality to do the basics. Leave the laptop and backpack in my office or other nearby location. The PDA does the basics and if required the "big iron" is close at hand.
This is why I think size matters - certainly for me. I want a device that does not add much to the load. A big heavy PDA with a bunch of accessories is more pain than what it is worth. I already drag enough stuff around from home to work, meeting to meeting and hotel room to hotel room.
Question for everyone here - "what do you know about the Blackberry?". This device is interesting but I hear very conflicting opinions. Some say it is not a great cell phone but it does e-mail very well. It claims to have integration with Outlook but what about Word and Excel documents? Some think it is great and other opinions are less flattering?
Here is my description of the perfect solution - the same type of laptop I have right now (lots of power 1400x1050 screen, blah, blah, blah) in a 2 to 3 pound size with instant on functionality, 12-14 hours battery life, a bright enough screen I can see when I am in my car and full (anywhere) internet connectivity. I know I am dreaming but it is probably less than 5 years away????????
Thoughts, responses and other ideas are welcomed. Flames and trolls need not apply........
Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't. Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 - 1962)
Although I haven't experienced the ActiveSync or power button issues mentioned above on my rx1955, I do have an issue with the screen alignment continually going out. I have to perform the "Align Screen" function a couple times a day. The alignment goes goofy if I let it sit, powered on (and plugged in) for a couple hours.
It's a real pain to try and navigate the four or five clicks needed to get to the Align Screen function when your alignment is messed up -- I have to estimate where to click every time!
BTW, any news on a patch from HP to address the other issues?
I have not seen the "align screen" issue on my rx1950 but I have seen several posts.
This just adds to the unpredictable behaviour of this model. It seems very strange that a "fix" will work for one person but not for another. The same with the problems - there does not appear to be a clear pattern of how and when the problems occur.
Not to defend HP but intermittent problems are difficult to resolve. None the less there are problems and they need to fixed.
Same issue here... I wished I read the thread before I purchased my rx1950. I jsut purchased it last Dec. 29 and the unit has exactly the same problem as yours.
A. Active Sync It's like I am at the mercy of Active Sync. Sometimes it would work, sometimes it would not. I upgraded to Active Sync 4.1 and same thing. I have to restart my computer in order to sync.
B. Soft Reset This is driving me NUTS!!! After my machine becomes idle for a while, say when I wake up in the morning, it will not respond to anything! It's like it's been sleeping and that I have to give it a push or something. I never had to do this when I was using a Palm.
C. Disconnecting while software installation I think this is related to the active sync thing.
My firmware and active sync version is exactly like yours.
I hope that HP can come up with a new firmware that solves this problem.
4. Screen flashes whilst charging. PC off. -When charging with PC in off state screen will always flash a quick flash of white every 10 seconds exactly.VERY ANNOYING WHILST TRYING TO SLEEP. AND YES EVERY TEN SECONDS EXACTLY.
Just to reply to the specific bug, I thought I was alone. I had to do a Hard Reset to get this to stop. I found that if I left certain programs open, or moved the cursor selection to certain parts of the screen this wouldn't happen...but it was unpredictable. I knew if it went off instantly, with no flash to white then I was ok, but often it didn't. It got the point that almost every time I shut it off this would happen. So it was definately constant, and with no help anywhere I eventually just gave up and did the reset and now it works great. It was after 2 months of use that this issue really started up, and hopefully it won't happen again - I'm really hoping it was just some of the many pieces of software I tried out that told me it was designed for a previous Windows Mobile Version - Now all the software I need has been updated so that I don't get such a message (first got mine on October 26th).
Well you all have saved my rx from a flying death across the room.....I have had it since October and had pretty much all the issues in this thread.....yesterday my activesync won't let me connect again......but after reading these...I have decided it is not the lil rx's problem....so I will not fling it across the room.....but if I don't get it to work tonight the Govenor best call because I have just about had it!....anyway Happy New year .....and I bet we will be posting often with problems
All I can say so far is that it is really strange that there is no clear pattern to the problems.
The only thing that is clear is that everyone using the rx1950 or rx1955 is having problems of some sort or another. Normally every user would have the same (or similar) problem(s).
To get these issues resolved I urge everyone to keep posting and documenting the issues. My hope is that this thread will keep growing daily and that users keep posting as often as possible. My hope is that if this thread is growing and active HP will begin to take notice and move forward on finding a solution.
Ultimately we as end users need to keep pushing and making noise - if no one is complaining or not complaining loud and often the corporate response is to assume everything is OK. Keep posting, keep complaining, keep calling HP tech support asking for answers.
For my rx1950 the problem has to be SD card related....
Yesterday I put the SD card (512M Kodak) back in to my rx1950. The PDA was charged to 100%. When I went to bed I spent some time reading a PDF document that was stored on the card. When I turned the rx1950 off it showed the battery at 98%.
Now - maybe 14 or 16 hours later I tried turning on the PDA. Same issue as others have reported - the rx1950 would not turn on. I had to do a soft reset to turn on the device. Checking the battery level and it was down to 28%.
This is amazing - the rx1950 sat on my night stand for 5 maybe 6 days around Christmas. Every now and then I would turn it on with no problems and when I did recharge it (just to be sure) the battery still showed 2%.
Amazing from 100% down to 98% over a 5 or 6 day time span but no SD card. Put the SD card in and actually do something other than play Solitaire and the battery drops from 100% to 28% in a matter of less than 15 hours.
So what do I have? Yes the rx1950 can work with out the SD card as a basic electronic calendar and address book but if I need to open a Word, Excel or PDF file I might as well use my laptop??? For managing data/documents I simply can NOT trust that the rx1950 will work when it is needed.
Out of curiousity what type of SD card(s) are people using?? My guess is that when I call HP tech support they point the finger at the Kodak SD card and say that it is the cause of the problem.
Sooner or later HP or Microsoft or both will need to stop pointing fingers and solve the problem.
I do not experience the battery issue or may be I do experience battery issue without knowing it. After just using my PDA for sync (which does not work) for one day, the battery falls from 100% to 34%. I though it was just the lousy battery design but not realized that this must be some bugs.
As for the SD card, am using the 512MB Kingston SD card that is bundled as gift by HP. I would have assumed the card to be tested before they bundle it but it does not seem to be the case. Sad... :(
And I thought it was just me. I got my 1950 for Christmas and I have noticed a few of those problems. When I updated to ActiveSync 4.1 my recognition of the device got better. Now its not really a problem. What is a bother is the always turning on thing, lack of system memory for using more than a few programs, and programs not leaving memory without needing to manually click "stop".
My SD card is a SanDisk 512 Ultra II. I don't have problems in that department. While listening to music for 3-hours, the batter only dropped from 100% to 92%. Kinda nice. Now if I turn on the WiFi, good grief. Battery power gets consumed in under an hour.
This is not a device for reading web activities; at best get your email and get off. Most web sites don't format for the tiny screen so its a double loss.
Pros: Get size and weight. Price was kinda high for a non-bluetooth unit. Mic works well for voice notes. This feature I use alot while on the go and before before meetings.
Music Tip: Rhapsody works very very will with the 1950. Music is easy to swap out and the clarity is good. Just don't use those time earphones.
HP really does need to provide a firmware update to hotfix these little problems.
Size and price were the two deciding factors for me.....
I thought about getting 24xx (or is it 22xx - I can never remember which) but it was about ~$200 more. I really did not like the size of unit. I wanted something comparable to the Palm Tungsten T5 I was replacing.
When I saw the rx1950 my first thought was that while it was bit shy in terms of memory it was the RIGHT size and it looked like it would meet my needs. Bluetooth would have been nice but not having it was not a big issue for me. Size and WiFi were the top priorities.
When my first rx1950 was returned due to a hardware failure I received a full refund. I was tempted by the Palm TX but I decided to give the rx1950 a second chance.
Now I am far past the opportunity for a refund.......
I have bought my rx1950 (firmware 1.01.00 - European version?) just before christmas with a Dane-Elec 1GB SD-card.
My experiences:
While playing with it I occasionally drain he batteries, but I do not seem to loose battery-charge while the PDA is off.
There have been some issues however in setting up Active Sync (At home connecting to our commpany Exchange-server with VPN-client)
1: Setting up the AS-connection through USB. At first Wctive-sync did not establish a connection. Digging into it I discovered than the TCP/IP protocol wasn't enabled on the the virtual network-adapter added by the AS installation. Enabling it dit the job. I don't know the cause of this problem, but it might occur in other situations as well.
(While on the USB-sync cable the PDA gives wardings about not beeing able to renew it's DHCP-lease, but that does not seem to interfere with the sync-connection.)
2: Setting up the synchronisation with outlook/exchange. At first I tried to specify our exchange-server for synchronising. That did not work (presumably because this elledgedly requires Exchange 2003 or other recent things that we don't have). After discovering I should not specify any Exchange-servers but simply sync-ing through a working outlook client-profile everything started to work (slowly, but I am used to that using a VPN-connection to our companies network)
3: Connecting to my home-WLAN was simple and worked right after suppliing the requered WEP-key. Having the WLAN available made me choose for reading my email via IMAP (in stead of synchronising). With the exchange-server that works fine. Another mailbox however is on a Unix-system that stores my IMAP-folder-collection in folder mail/ relative to my home-directory. When I configure Pocket-Outlook to access this mailserver it tries to determin my IMAP foldercollection by reading my whole home-directory-tree (Which is huge, containing symlinks to other locations...) thus consuming the (sparse) available memory in the PDA and inevitably locking up.
My questions: A: Is there a way of expanding RAM-memory? After starting the PDA there is as little as 11 Mb left of the 32Mb that is fitted. A lot of it seems to be reserved as storage. Adding an SD-card enlarges storage-memory but not working memory. Is it possible to reconfig memory/ to tell WM 5.0 to place more stuff in my SD-card? (Off course I instruct the installer to install all extra's in \Storage Card. Same for Email-attachments etc.)
B: Is there a way tot tell Pocket Outlook to look in a specific folder foor IMAP-folder collections? The GUI does not support this, but there might be registry-keys serving this purpose.
Some people were really happy when the days of being able to partition parts of the memory for storage and parts for active memory ended with Win5 and the now full flash memory storage. I really wish though it could be done, even as a sort of Virtual Memory Swap file. I'm with you on that one wholeheartedly - 11 isn't enough - 20 would be perfect, more if possible.
The 300 mhz Samsung proc I hear is about 50% as fast as the 312 mhz Intel, which is sad. Supposedly Skype works fine on the 312, but not well on the 300 at all. They are adapting a new Low-CPU beta version, but its for the 312s as a minimum... : (. If anyone figures a way to get it to work without all the skipping on your rx1955 then please do tell - I'd really like to work with that.
Thanks to Waling Tiersma (see Jan 5, 10:51) I found out why ActiveSync 4.1 would not detect the rx1950 which was connected to the USB port of my IBM T40 notebook running Windows XP with SP2. When you connect the USB cable, a network adapter referred as "Windows Mobile-based Device #nr" appears in the Device Manager list. I then clicked on Network Connections, and saw that this device appeared as a new LAN connection. I clicked on properties and saw that the TCP/IP protocol wasn't enabled. Enabling it solved the problem.
Considering all that has been uncovered about the rx1950/rx1955 I am going to make a last ditch attempt to save what I have spent (both time and money) on this model.
I purchased the rx1950 I have now from Staples (my first unit was from Compusmart) and my plan is to go back - armed with print-outs from these forums and ask if they will take the rx1950 back in exchange for an hx2490. I know it is a bit of a long shot but Staples did help me out a few years past when I had an unpleasant experience with a Toshiba 740.
Does anyone have any knowledge or experiences with the hx2490?
Looking at the specs the hx2490h it has more memory, Bluetooth and has a faster processor. Unfortunately it is also bigger and thicker than the rx1950.
Does anyone have any info or experience with the hx2490? Any info would be appreciated before I make a decision would be appreciated.
Staples, ack. Good luck. At least in my area, I know I wouldn't stand a chance...the people there are so...stupid really.
Keep in mind also that they were selling the rx1950 last week at $299 CAD ($80 off) - while the hx2490 was still $499.
Still good luck, and let us know how it goes. Out of all the major retailers I've dealt with though, Staples, at least the near me at Parkway Plaza Toronto, has had the worst of all Customer Service I've ever had (and the phone support through the head office I recieved was pretty bad as well).
I hope this information will be of some use to others. I just got off the phone with tech at HP. According to them the driver updates will be released in approximately three weeks. The did suggest the following work around until the updates are released.
1. Remove the SD card 2. Soft reboot the unit 3. Tap Start and select Settings 4. In Settings select the System tab 5. Click on the Backlight icon 6. In the Battery Power tab check the "Turn off backlight......" and set to 3 min. Other check box does not matter 7. In the External Power tab check the "Turn off backlight......" and set to 3 min. Other check box does not matter 8. Hit OK to return to setting page. 9. Click on the Power icon 10. Click on the Advanced tab 11. For the On battery power and On external power check the boxes and set the time to 5 minutes for each. 12. Hit ok 13. Soft reboot the system 13. Put the SD card in and the system is now supposed to be stable.
I wanted to add my voice to those expressing their discontent with the rx1950. I just applied the suggested fix for the unresponsive power on/off button. I also find ActiveSync very confusing to use. I have been getting an error which prevents me from completing the synchronization process. I have not used outlook previous to owing my Ipaq and have no idea how to view my contacts on my PC. I am not even sure I was able to sync the contacts at all. I looked in the manual with my Ipaq and found no help. Also the help tab in Outlook was of no help. If anyone knows of a tutorial for Outlook I would appreciate hearing about it. Thanks to Robert for helping to get the word out on the issues with the rx1950. Rex
I was so excited to get my rx1950 as a gift for Christmas. Now I'm so disappointed. I too am having some of the same problems as others here. I do not have an SD card so it's interesting to me that I have some of the same issues.
It freezes for no apparent reason. I can't turn it off. If I can get it off when I turn it back on I get a blank white screen.
Sometimes it freezes while syncing with my computer at work but other times seem to be pretty random.
I also wish that I could figure out how to access AOL.
I am a firstime user. Somehow I thought it would be a much smoother transition.
It's frustrating to read that there are no real answers as of yet.
hello i'm french and for christmas my gift is a rx1950 and i have the "SD problem", but with a mini SD in an adapater i have no problem for the moment.
my conclusion is : the formatting of the SD is certainly the problem, in my opinion you must formating the SD with a PC before insert in the Ipaq.
a low level formating is the better solution for the moment, but my test is not finish, if find the solution i post here the solution.
@ Stephen Schorr does hp-support bring a new firmware to solve the whole problems mentioned here? any details about the information they gave to you?
search now for 4weeks for a nice pda for max. 250euro. should be very small, not heavy, thin, removable battery, high-res. color display,maybe w-lan,very long battery-life....5 hours ago i thought, i found my favorite one in the internet(rx1950... until i discovered this forum:-(
think i will wait until the firmware/driver update is out to read reviews if it worked fine...
Good luck to all of you that hp-tech-support will fix that teething problems.
Wow, HP's site is screwy, I was at the Canadian versiona nd to this day there is no such post. But there it is there...I will try it and let you guys know. I just had to do a hard reset a few days ago, so I don't mind doing it again never really setup much of anything since.
Interesting. When I spoke to them on the phone, two days before this was posted, I was asking for such an update. The thing is, the version # is 1.01. That's what I personally wanted because I was at 1.00.04. This is v. 1.01 - so I'm not sure if they just don't know how to name these, or if its version 1.01.01...or just the version all of you already have but that I was behind on.
About to start the ROM Update now, will see how it goes and let you guys know.
I did the update, and it installed fine on the comp, it took only about 3 minutes on my USB 2.0 laptop, and its all updated. Nothing seems to have changed since I last updated, but I'll see. It seems to update the Microsoft Adaptations Kit, maybe that helps. It's version 1.01.00 on the firmware, but the bootloader was updated to 1.06 from 1.05. That may be a fix for the not turning on issue, I'm not sure. I did though have an older version of the firmware from before, so it may be now that I have the same as all the rest of you...I'm not sure.
Will test it out more now and see what issues arise...
New patch ROM download is available on the HP.com website. Downloading it will take care of the SD card/power-on issue. You can leave the card in there all you want and it won't mess with your on/off function. It takes 10 min to download. Enjoy.
As mentioned in an earlyer post My PDA (purchased just before christmas) came with ROM version 1.01 (As reported during boot) so I guess installing the new software wouldn't apply in my case. My PDA is an EU version while the update seems to be an US version. I wonder how the version-numbering scheme works. If it is the same 1.01 as mine I wonder what took HP so long.
You can download the update, and just get the Verify Version stage of the update, and check if you also have the same BootLoader version as is in the update.
I haven't had the power off issue since I installed it yesterday. Though of course this can't be conclusive because of how the problem actually works - in the past it could take days before it would start and then it would happen 3 or 4 times within hours.
Other than that issue I haven't seen any real improvements with the firmware though...but you can definately try the update, though make sure to back up everything on your device first.
In all HP's comments on the issue they never mention the Power On Issue, or any other fixes besides it being a Microsoft Adapations Kit Upgrade.
Not related to the power-issue I presume but nontheless important. The PDA is very likely to turn itself on when you cary it with you (pocket, bag..) by pressing any button. Especialy the 'record=-button is likely to go off. Therefore is is imo. necessary to activate the option 'Disable all buttons exept power button' in Settings / Personal / Buttons Tab-> 'Lock'. Otherwise I find it 'On' every time I take it out of my pocket.
Well It seems that , we are not the only one. My week old 1950 is doing the same thing. Everything seems to be working fine than after few hours of not using my unit. (100% full charge) I can't turn it on. Like it is gone into a DEEP sleep. ( Press the on button or any other button, Nothing will do). To resume the functionability of my unit I have to remove the battery and replace it. ( Not very usufull ) than I checked the power status dropped 40% without having used the unit?? I have tried the soft and clean reset, The same problem comes back. Q. Where is that power going while the unit is off for only few hours?
I have not been watching the discussions for the past few days: it looks like there may be some progress but I am not sure of what to do next.
Tomorrow I may look at the firmware update but I am wondering if I should still try to get Staples to do an upgrade/exchange for the hx2490? There have been a few posts about this model and it too has its warts and blemishes.
I wish the rx1950 had just a bit more memory and a bit more reliability. As I have said before, other than being a bit on the fragile/flimsy side this would be a decent PDA. The rx1950 looks good and has the right size.
Has anyone else had any trouble downloading the BIOS update file. I have tried for a couple of days now. Perhaps it is because I am trying to download from New Zealand?? If so there should be a link from the New Zealand HP site.
It seems to be working still, but it's still only been just over a day. I'd upgrade mine if I could, definately.
About the White Screen Issue - I started to have it again today. But just after installing 'PocketTTY' - which it says right there may not display properly on Win5. I figured it was this program when I uninstalled stuff till it stopped happening, then reinstalled it and it started up again.
So this is 'PocketTTY' by DejaVu Software which I believe is causing the problem of the white screen on off and it coming back on every 10 secs or so. It may be something about this software that also happens to others of this kind though, I'm not sure. It's really sad though since this was the SSH program that seemed to work so well and it wasn't cheap : (.
Just an additional comment on that last part. It may also be Adobe Acrobat 2.0 or both of them that is causing this issue.
With one or the other alone it still seemed to happen.
Right now I uninstalled and reinstalled everything, and this time installed Adobe Acrobat 1.0. The whitescreen issue hasn't occured to me again yet, though it still could.
The turn off issue hasn't happened either. It seems stable, this firmware is no worse than the previous one. But it may be no better...time will tell.
Rom upgrade downloaded fine for me, but it did not fix the problem of needing to soft reset to turn on with the SD card installed. Don't know why I bothered really, my machine was working fine after I used the asetting up manual exchange server workaround
The solution to the 80070490 error was to delete all calendar - in Outlook - items 2 weeks prior to today and all future calendar items.
Once the rx1950 synchronized I then manually added the calendar items back in to Outlook.
I have lost all faith in HP and Windows Mobile 2005. A sore back carrying my laptop and everything else from meeting to meeting is less painful than continuing with the rx1950.
Did anyone get positive results from the updated boot loader?
I had no problems with the Not Turning on until I was in a hurry, late for class and just wanted to turn the screen on to see where it was....and then it did this to me. So the firmware update doesn't fix anything and may cause you more problems. It was put up there for me and others like me with pre-1.01.00 versions. If you already have 1.01.00 don't upgrade unless you use the Microsoft Adaptations Kit (you'll know if you do, it lets Sys Admins setup multiple handhelds at once to the same settings). For anyone with pre 1.01.00 versions there doesn't seem to be any fixes anyway... and the flickering white screen when off issue has returned for me as well so all the update did for me was waste a few hours of my life.
Last night I decided to give the fake Exchange Server work around a try. The new bootloader didn't work, the rx1950 was operational and synching with Outlook so I figured there was little risk in trying.
I put my SD card in, used the kludge and left the rx1950 on my desk for the night.
It was surprising this morning to see the rx1950 turn on and show 100% battery.
Now the bad news - before I turned off the rx1950 I stopped all running programs. Was the reason the PDA turned on and showed no battery loss because of the kludge or because I killed the ActiveSync process?
Time will tell - I will leave the SD card in and do nothing out of the usual when I turn off the unit tonight.
I installed the update, and (apart from losing some shortcuts to apps installed on my SD card), I haven't suffered any ill effects. Nothing positive either, but at least it hasn't gotten worse. (I had 1.01.00 already.)
One thing I noticed, but I'm not sure if it was the same before the update or not: After installing the update, I ran my battery down to about 60% before plugging it back in. When I did plug it in, the Today screen instantly said 99% for as long as it took to charge the battery to full, then it went to 100%. Is that how it always worked, or is that a by-product of the update?
It doesn't cause any harm, but it does seem kind of weird ...
SOLUTION CONFIRMATION Hello. I am a new user and have been following this forum for some time now. I didn't want to add until I could contribute a solution or a confirmation of a solution. One of the problems that I have been having is that of the battery draining RAPIDLY. Since I don't have an SD card yet, this has been my main problem. I tried the workaround suggested by Arun Shekar on Dec 9, 2005 17:27:26 GMT. This completely fixed my battery problem in the conditions I have tested it in. Now, it stays at 100% for a long while when I am using it, and drains only very slowly. I had originally tested this with IPAQ Wireless turned off (flight mode). Now I am trying it with IPAQ Wireless turned on and it seems to be working just the same. I will write again if I find any differently. It has been good to isolate this battery problem to that particular thing, so now I know that the HP website "fix" would not help me in that area. As we are able to isolate problems and their particular solutions we should continue to share this with each other. If this solution fixes any other specific problems, please do post that. Also, since there are so many posts and most of us are looking only for the ones with SOLUTIONs, SOLUTION SUGGESTIONs or SOLUTION CONFIRMATIONs, it may be a good idea to put whether it is one of those things or simply PROBLEM in the header.
Here is the workaround in case you can't find it: "I was having a similar problem with the hx2495. When it was off for a few hours or more, it would not turn on, and the battery would be very low and had to soft reset. I found another thread that attributed the problem to ActiveSync w/ WM 5.0. You need to set Activesync on the Ipaq to manual schedule. You can do this by adding a fake exchange server connection -> ActiveSync -- Menu -- Add Server Source -- Enter an Ip address like "1.1.1.1" -- enter anything in the next 3 windows. After the fake exchange server is set, Menu/Schedule is available. Set both windows to Manual. Then, go back to connections and delete the fake exchange server. See the following link for the source of this trick: http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showthread.php?t=104366&highlight=wm5+tips Scroll down to Active Sync 4.0 turns on automatically. Users who posted after the fix have reported no further problems. I have just done this today, so I cannot comment on my success. Good Luck. Just a further note, after you make this change, make sure to go into running programs and shut down Active Sync if it is running. It should only activate when you cradle it, or manually activate it. When you are thru Sync-ing, be sure to close the program on the ipaq. "
Just a comment to Jennifer Kliewer. You posted this in both the 'Can't turn on' forum and here - but it really only belongs there. Here we're past that and onto many other issues and problems with the rx1950...and there are many. Though I understand, but that is 'A Solution' unfortunately, and not 'The Solution.'
As to my previous posts on the White Screen flickering, since uninstalling those programs its done this differently. I haven't been able to track down the exact source of the issue yet. Uninstalling those programs would fix it for a time, but then it would happen once again, but not constantly. Just as if by some fluke it would occur once when I shut down, then not again, even if I just turned it on and shut it down again right away. With Adobe and PocketTTY (both designed for Windows Mobile 2003 or before) it would happen almost every single time I shut down - using 1.0 or 2.0 of Adobe had no effect. I'm quite suprised they don't have a Windows Mobile 5 version out yet, after all these months.
Peter, Thanks for your comments. I would like to clarify a few things. I was not saying that I had THE solution confirmation, just A solution confirmation. I explained at the end that I think it would be helpful if we use headers like "PROBLEM" "SOLUTION SUGGESTION" "SOLUTION CONFIRMATION" etc. It is helpful for me to quickly find solution postings within all the problem postings. Also, I don't think that you should negate my input by saying "here we're past that". I think that the battery issue is still a major issue for some people even if it is not the one that you are currently struggling with. It has not been fully solved or confirmed yet in any case. Robert tried this solution and is still testing it in various situations as am I, and I think people will be interested in that. Furthermore, this solution may be related to the turning off issue, and I think that is important. Once I put an SD card in I will report if I have the same problem that everyone else does in that area or if this has solved that. And for that reason, I think this is okay to post in the other area, since people have listed all sorts of problems there as well. In any case, I hope that I have not misinterpreted your tone, but it felt like a bit of an attack when I am trying to help. There are many issues on this thread, and I think that you should not try to control the way that people are trying to address them, even if it is not your current issue that is being addressed or if someone addresses something in a way that you do not like. Thanks, and I do always appreciate reading your posts, in facts I look for them each time. Jennifer
No, it wasn't an attack - just a comment as I said. I'm sorry if you felt it was of that tone. Mostly it was because that solution for the power off was already re-posted in the 'Can't turn rx1950 back on' thread, in addition to the original post concerning it. I'm not trying to negate anything, and I agree about marking our messages the way you mentioned. I was trying to say that this thing isn't solving any of the problems we are now having, since everyone has pretty much done it already. + I found it a bit odd that you attributed a different name and date to the posting, but I saw now that you posted here first then copied it into the other forum - here it was a quote of Alan from the other and - well - Its just 5 times in these two forums it's been posted over and over. I'm not blaming you or anything, and its good at you posted it with a title on it - I'm just hoping no one else posts it again, these posts are long enough as it is : ).
As to the battery difficulties, I've never had them. and wasn't really aware that this fixed them - I misread your post in that regard (one reason I shouldn't be online here 5 minutes after I wake up - I will try not to do that again : )). Of course, I had been using 1.00.04 as my version, so it may be something to do with that and now that I'm at 1.01.00 with everyone else I may run into it same as you, but I've applied that fix so hopefully it'll help there.
Peter, Received, and thank you for your gracious response. I apologize if I was quick to react. Everyone else, sorry for getting off track. Back to the issues : ) Jennifer
So far the following kludge has worked to resolve the power on issue as well as battery drain issue related to the rx1950.
<< kludge details >> Here is the workaround in case you can't find it: "I was having a similar problem with the hx2495. When it was off for a few hours or more, it would not turn on, and the battery would be very low and had to soft reset. I found another thread that attributed the problem to ActiveSync w/ WM 5.0. You need to set Activesync on the Ipaq to manual schedule. You can do this by adding a fake exchange server connection -> ActiveSync -- Menu -- Add Server Source -- Enter an Ip address like "1.1.1.1" -- enter anything in the next 3 windows. After the fake exchange server is set, Menu/Schedule is available. Set both windows to Manual. Then, go back to connections and delete the fake exchange server. See the following link for the source of this trick: http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showthread.php?t=104366&highlight=wm5+tips Scroll down to Active Sync 4.0 turns on automatically. << end >>
So far my rx1950 has been OK. If it turns on tomorrow morning without issue this will have proven effective for my device.
Please NOTE - I mention the kludge being effective for my device. I suggest that this be seen as a possible work around but not a fix. Given what people have posted in the forums I would be reluctant to say that this will work for all rx1950 users. This particular device is just not predicable in how it behaves.
My suspicion is - based on the kludge - is that ActiveSync attemps to run in the background to poll for incoming e-mail. This makes sense in that WM 2005 was designed with Mobile Phones in mind so that so called SmartPhones could compete directly with Blackberry. If the device/software was designed to (by deafult) poll an Exchange server this does make sense.
What does not fit this theory however why - for my rx1950 - the issues only appeared when I had an SD card in the device. ActiveSync should behave the same regardless of whether there is an SD card or not...............
Second day after using kludge - the rx1950 is doing fairly well. The unit was off all night with an SD card in its slot. Over night it lost 1% of its charge dropping from 100% to 99%.
After installing the HP update - which did a hard reset of the device - I have now re-installed all of my various WM apps.
With the kludge in place the rx1950 has been quite stable - no lockups or other issues.
The only remaining issue is the inconsistent behaviour of ActiveSync - generally speaking it works but it still sometimes fails to connect requiring either a reboot of the PDA, a reboot of the computer or both.
Hi, this is quiet an endless list of problems with the rx1950 - and here is another one: the laptop reboots immediately after connecting with the USB cable. If you are cute, you're just in time to have a glance of a Microsoft blue screen, saying something about "protection fault". Maybe i'm able to read the text, because it happens every time, when i start synchronizing. By the way, i'm somewhat surprised, that HP sells rather ambitious products, with interesting features (to upper range rates) and then says: Hey guys, it looks cool, and you can do a lot of things with it, like it is advertised on our shiny website, but - it doesn't work. That is now your problem. Go on and search for it in the internet. Okay, who can help?
I have alse been testing what Robert refers to as the "kludge" (Alan Rosenblum's soln of Dec. 8) for a couple of days now. Since my last post I have been testing WITH an SD card in (when it had not been before). The solution has, thus far, continued to solve my battery drainage problem completely. Now, I also find that, with the SD card installed for two days , I have not yet experienced the turning off problem once. I also want to note that I HAVE left ActiveSync running in the background since it seems to turn itself on anyway (I have also left some other programs running, like Pocket Informant and File Explorer) so it is good news that I do not have to constantly worry about making sure those things are off to get the good results that I have. I think it is just important that even though the ActiveSync Program is RUNNING it is not trying to actually SYNC. Now, I have NOT tested actually putting files or programs on and taking them off the SD card - that is the next step. I figure if I do it one step at a time then I can figure out where the problem actually is if there still is one. P.S. Martin, I have not had your problem and don't really have any idea, sorry.
Since I installed the ROM update, I have discovered a new problem with my rx1955: Program Memory drain! Each time I open a new app, close it, and then remove it from Running Programs, I lose a little more Program Memory. In the example below, "Stop" means I fully remove it from the Running Programs list (not just close the app).
Real world example:
After Soft Reset: 11.34MB
Open ActiveSync: 9.02MB Stop ActiveSync: 9.65MB (Running Programs is empty) Open Weather Info 2005: 7.01MB Stop Weather Info 2005: 8.84MB (Running Programs is empty) Open Internet Explorer, browse a little: 4.19MB Stop Internet Explorer: 7.32MB (Running Programs is empty)
So in just opening and stopping three programs, I have gone from 11.34MB to 7.32MB of available Program memory. This continues until it gets below 5 or 6MB, and I have to soft reset again to recover enough available Program Memory to run basic apps.
Does this happen with everyone? It's as annoying as the "unable to turn on" problem, because it means I still have to soft reset my rx1955 as often as a couple times a day.
Hey Will, out of curiousity are you using any sort of Windows Management program like vBar? It makes it so that closing a program really does exit it, and lets you flip between multiple open programs easily. I really like it and its extremely small and free.
I also used to use MemMaid to clean up the memory before I did my last Hard Reset. It was useful in keeping everything clean w/temp file scans/cache cleanups, and getting rid of programs from active memory and some other things. I wouldn't buy it though, unless they have a Windows Mobile 5 version out - some of it wasn't quite compatible and it still had the Active vs. Storage Memory Bar.
Just a couple of suggestions/things to try. It doesn't solve your problem completely but they were quite useful, at least to me, for improving my PDA experience 10 fold.
I've got the same problem as described, with an SD card in the 1955 the battery runs down in a few hours. I am using a Kingston 512 MB SD card. I contacted HP tech support a few days after Christmas and they told me it was a "know issue" that they were working on it and I should sign up for driver and support alerts so I'd know when they found a fix. Personally I think thats a "blow off", a social acceptable equivilent to "tough"; especially after reading this tread it appears that its fallen off HP's radar and we are just stuck. . . All I know is I paid near $300 (us) for a product, it was advertised to function in a certain way . . . it doesn't they need to do something to make me (and the rest of you happy)fix it, give us a huge refund, what ever. Maybe we all need to find an attorney whose also gotten stuck and who'd be will to take on a class action pro bono!
As of last night a couple of apps along with some data (Word and PDF files) was put on the SD card. Along with using the apps, data was also accessed using Mobile Word and Acrobat Reader. I spent about 30 minutes running on battery to ensure that I could see the battery level drop to 95%. Turned the unit on this morning with no problems what so ever and the battery level still remained at 95%.
Million dollar question (OK maybe $300 tops) is why does the kludge work and why does WM 2005 act so differently when an SD card is used???
That being said I wasted four or five hours on Monday with the update I tried. I am not planning to waste my time with this update: my plan is to sit back and wait to see how others make out with upgrade.
What I have now - the kludge - is like a band-aid but it is still hanging on. For now I have my rx1950 in an operational state with the SD card installed so I don't see any immediate benefit of trying the update.
Who knows - maybe next week they will have a 1.0.3.1 that solves all of the issues :^)
The Adaptations kit 1.0.1 and 1.0.2 update - that is the original, there is no new ROM update in the past few days just the one from January 4th. There is only one ROM update so far, though a new patch to fix the issue is supposedly coming out soon. The adaptations kit fix is something unrelated really to how most of us use our iPaqs - the patch though may be useful.
Hi I'm new to this forum but have been monitoring it since I received my 1950 in Nov05. I have suffered from most of the problems listed above.
I have tried the BIOS update which only changes the bootloader from 1.05 to 1.06. My PPc WM5 was already at version 1.01.00. I haven't seen any chages yet to the way the device works but after the update I could no longer sync my calander entries with outlook on my PC (I am using activesync 4.1). Error shown was 'Synchronization could not be completed. Try again later. Support code 0x80070490.
After a google search I found an answer on PocketPC forum.
What worked for me was the following and it is not good as you loose everything that has not been backed up.
On your PC run activesync without the ipaq connected. Select File/Delete mobile device and select yes to the warning. Restart your PC to ensure changes have taken effect.
On the ipaq run activesync without connecting to the PC. Select menu/options. click and hold on Windows PC (or whatever your Partnership name is called for connecting to your PC). Menu appears select delete and yes to any warning.
Repeat for exchange server (the fake one 1.1.1.1 created for work around).
Now hard reset the ipaq. When completed and ipaq screen is back at the desktop do a second hard reset (may not be necessary but that was what was needed for the person on the PocketPC forum).
When back at the desktop run activesync and re-create the fake server 1.1.1.1 as mentioned in other replies to principally set the syncing to manual.
On PC run activesync, switch on ipaq and connect to cradle/USB lead and follow the prompts to set up the partnership and what should be synced. Calander should now be able to sync.
Some other points:-
The pain I have gone through to link it to my PC . At first I could not get the PC to see the ipaq on the USB. I re-installed windows XP on my PC with SP2 and all updates. Made sure the firewall was off and still the PC could not see the ipaq. I then tried another USB port and it suddenly worked. I believe this maybe due to the PC seeing USB ports as 1, 2, 3 etc. This is not obvious to the user and is not mentioned anywhere but I think it makes sense if you think about the older serial 'COM' ports. The software probably expects the ipaq to only be on USB1 instead of polling all available ports.
The server 1.1.1.1 cured the power drain, switch on/off lock ups for me too. Also important to stop the Activesync program from running on the ipaq after syncing to a PC has been completed.
I guess it was just wishfull thinking that HP would have a solution so quickly.
Given that similar issues happen on other Windows Mobile 2005 units I still think that it will take some input and effor from Microsoft as well as the hardware OEM.
Just an FYI - as I'm not an (active) HP Ipaq user (Although my ex wife has one.)
I have a dell Axim x51 and we have all the same problems described here. Go to www.aximsite.com forums, substitute "HP iPAQ xxx" for "Dell Axim x50/51" and these forums read the same.
Based on much reading of forums and experimentation, I think the main culprit appears to be Microsoft ActiveSync 4. 4.1 is marginally better than 4.0. I think Windows Mobile 5 is not fully ready for prime time as well.
I don't think the HP hardware nor the Dell hardware is the problem. WM5 w/ AS4 is the problem.
I have a coworker who had a rock stable dell x50 with Windows Mobile 2003. Upgraded to WM 5, now has all the problems. Problem isn't the hardware.
Today there actually is a new update. And, of course, HP decided to be accurate and post that it was posted on January 12 - a week ago. But it just came up in the last 12 hours:
Interestingly enough, it says it is version 1.00 and that it is a Firmware Upgrade for the rx1900 series...where-as the old upgrade from a couple weeks ago was a ROM Upgrade for the rx1950/rx1955.
But the good news: "Restores the ability to Power On the handheld after it becomes locked in Standby mode with an SD Card inserted in the handheld. When the handheld is in this locked state, it does not Power On with the Power button and the battery may become discharged."
Is specifically stated in the purpose of the update. So this is probably our fix people.
It doesn't say anything about wiping the PDA - it's a very different type of update from the one we had last week, but I don't personally have the time currently to risk losing any of my data and have to reinstall everything again, so I'll leave this until at least this weekend. Plus, everything is working fine now - so why risk breaking it right?
Good luck though to anyone who does give it a try now, and please let us know if it works for you.
After using the kludge for a bit more than a week now and NOT having any issues I am bit reluctant to try the update as most likely it will do a hard reset.
I am so tired of tinkering with the rx19xx that I think I will just sit back and see how others make out.
In a few weeks after I clear out the backlog of work that accumulated over the holidays I may have some time to try the update but for now I will stick with the kludge.
"Restores the ability to Power On the handheld after it becomes locked in Standby mode with an SD Card inserted in the handheld. When the handheld is in this locked state, it does not Power On with the Power button and the battery may become discharged."
I went home at lunch and applied the update.
It does NOT wipe out your data or your connection with ActiveSynce.
It does NOT require a hard reset.
Whether it works or not remains to be seen. I'll try it and report back to the forum.
Hmmmm.... I wonder if the update just adds the kludge entries to the WM 2005 registry???
When I do the upgrade - not for a while - I will do a before and after compare.
Reason why??? - If I were a support or software engineer I would be reading the forum, deciding what works and then implementing it as the fix. If it were an actual update (like the earlier one) I would expect it to require a hard reset as it re-wrote the ROM. Since this newest fix does not cause any loss of data it is either a really smart upgrade or just a registry tweak.
I have previously this problem with turn-on power and I used Alan's method and it solved the problem. I have just read the new firmware update, but have yet to try it since the problem isn't there now.
But of late, I have this problem with active sync of the 1950 with my PC. It synchronises and checks for updates, but when it comes to Avantgo update (I think, not clear), ActiveSync suddenly disconnects to the PC, and is 'greyed' and indicated not connected. I have to reset 1950 to resync again, but sometimes it works (ie, it is able to connect back to PC), but most times it doesn't and stayed not connected and I can't do any file transfer.
Anyone has similar problem and knows the solution or can direct me to one. Appreciated, thanks.
I have been having intermittent synchronizations problems similar to those posted here. Disconnecting and reconnecting and/or unplugging the device sometimes does the trick, but not always. It's very frustrating, and I am tempted to just return the device, which is still on warranty and trade it in for another device.
Regarding ActiveSync problems: I had intermittent problems as other people have described. Would work once, and then stop. Reboots might get it working again, but most of the time would not. Went to HP after a week of problems, very irate. HP Service Center gave me a copy of "ActiveSync 4.0 USB Connection Troubleshooting Guide", and article from Microsoft Windows Mobile site, Help and How To. The basic problem is that Windows Mobile 5.0 uses the TCP/IP stack for Activesync. (older WM versions do not)I went to our IS group, who checked what IPs our CyberArmour Firewall was blocking, by opening it, and clicking the show details, and watching what IPs were being blocked when plugging the rx1950 into USB. Put the IP into the friends list, and Sync now works. The only problem left is that I might have to unplug and replug once or twice sometimes for the PC to recognize the 1950, but that is a monor annoyance, compared to the previous Activesync problems. Bottom line is that you need to either allow the IP address in your Firewall, or to allow the Activesync applications in the Firewall. These are Wcesmgr.exe, Wcescomm.exe, Rapimgr.exe, and Ceappmgr.exe, according to the Microsoft article.
Currently, everything is working, including the patch for the SD card/power problem, so the 1950 is finally working as it should.
Not happy with the experience, and lack of information/advice from HP to all the people who bought a defective device, and then suffered with the problems for months. No information on the web site. I think all the users will tell them that not making the problems visible, and helping to resolve them, has caused many people to re-evaluate their opinion. If this is an example, then HP is no longer in touch with their users.
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PS: This post has been edited to adhere to the Forum guidelines - Forum Moderator.
I am also on my 2nd HP 1955 - I think I have a solution.
If I pop out the SD card before trying to turn on the IPAQ after a long time (several hours)it has worked every time. Don't need to physically remove it, just pop it from the contacts, turn it on, and click the card back in.
It's too bad the extra step is needed, but the problem has disappeared.
Must be close to three weeks now - the kludge is still working.
Interesting that the two threads discussing this issue have been very quiet as of late. Either the patch works or everyone is doing ok with the kludge.
I want to share something with you: The three little sentences that will get you through life. Number 1: Cover for me. Number 2: Oh, good idea, Boss! Number 3: It was like that when I got here. (Homer Simpson)
Hi! Since this is a thread to discuss abt rx1950, I would like to check with any of u (in Malaysia) the manufacturer of yr rx1950's standard battery (original comes with box). Yesterday I sent to the authorized HP dealer to put on the screen protector. The guy took my iPAQ to the workshop at the back. I suspected the battery has been exchanged with another one coz this morning I took out the battery, it is not the same. Called the HP Service Ctr & Technical Support to get the answer but they can't answer me.
Pls reply as yr rx1950 battery (Malaysia stocks) is made from where. Either in Taiwan or other places.
Am so frustrated. I was suppose to update the ROM and the firmware but my device won't even connect via active synch.
I've tried reading the fake server work around but I can't seem to understand how it can be done. Does anyone happen to have a step by step dummy proof procedure on setting that?
I don't know about the rest of the people who are having this problem, but I am really ticked at HP for not acknowledging this problem and, apparently, not doing anything visible to resolve it. If it weren't for the good people participating in this chain I would never have discovered the patch which appears to correct the problems with SD cards draining the battery, etc. even though I signed up with HP to be notified when patches were released. If anyone in a position of authority from HP's (non)support is monitoring this site I hope you recognize ignoring a problem is NOT a valid response to or resolution of a problem and such in-action as we've experienced is reason for consumer to reconsider the source of future purchases. I might add that I speak with more than a minimal level of experience in this field (client support) as I have performed Plant level client support for a major computer/computer services manufacturer/provider for 10 of my 20 year career as a software engineer. For my fellow sufferers, thank you for your assistance in resolving these problems . . .HP should look to incorporate your level of experise and dedication in their support efforts.
My girlfriend just bought an rx1950 a couple of days back and couldn't get activesync to connect to the device. She got the same "Windows Mobile Device" detected and installed as another network connection on windows.
After speaking to the HP online help agent for a painfully long time, the only solution he could come up with was for me to run a patch for outlook 2003 as he said that they do not support Microsoft Software issues and this seems like a Microsoft issue. This is after I told him that I tried it on two different laptops and succesfully synced my H6365 on both while the rx1950 was detected as a windows mobile device.
Tonight, I'll try removing all firewalls and running it again, but what if I want the firewall on and to be able to sync as well? Does anyone out there have any solutions to this?
I have been having a problem with my rx1950 that I do not see mentioned here anywhere - that is, having the notifications for appointments not always display. I have not had the power problems (not using SD slot). I was having activesync problems, but they seemed to be resolved once I changed some settings in my firewall. But I have been having this notifications problem since I got the IPAQ (in December). The biggest issue is that I have not been able to figure out the pattern as to when they don't set. For example, today I had an appointment that I entered yesterday on the IPAQ (no sync done after entering the appointment). It had a reminder set - I did not get notified. But then I had a meeting a little later that was synced from my work calendar - that one set. Then I entered another 'test' appointment on the IPAQ - I did not get a reminder. I then entered a second test appointment on the IPAQ and did a sync with my PC - that reminder set on the IPAQ. So, I thought that maybe they would only set if I had done a sync. I then entered a 3rd test appointment on the IPAQ and that reminder set (even though I had not done another sync) - so that shot my theory! Maybe it has to do with the amount of time since the last sync but that just seems very weird. Has anyone else had this problem, and if so, what have you done about it? I have had several ActiveChat sessions with HP about it, and they have no clue!
*** Problem with the New ROM Update posted on HP site on Jan 04, 2006 and the firmware update to fix the problem of inserted SD card lock up IPAQ. ****
I already flashed my IPAQ rx1950 with the ROM update. Only the bootloader changed from 1.05 ot 1.06 not ROM program change but bring up the following problems.
1. Activesync cause error 80070490 (not able to sync the calendar) which already have a solution posted in this thread by other fans. I don't want to repeat.
2. Running software installed on the SD card always CAUSE gwes.exe error (gwes stand for Graphic, Window, Events Subsystem). It is not happened in the pre-load ROM. It also cause window EXCEPTION and KILL the program you are running on the SD card after a POWER CYCLE(i.e. while running the program, turn off the power and then resume later on). After power back on, just a while after you continue the program, it is killed for NO REASON. i.e. disappear suddenly.
3. It will cause problem on GPS software such as Ostia and Mapopolis while accessing map or updating data on the SD card if they are installed on the SD card. The problem in 2 above will happen on those software. Frustrated!!!
** Good news Firmware fixed SD and power lock problems ***
HP posted a firmware fixed on Jan 12 2006 under the same link above. The fix is to fix the power on problem while a SD card is inserted. Did anyone try that firmware fixed? I did and found the following fixes and problems.
4. Fix: After installed the firmware fix (name 'hp sdunload'), it fixed the problem in 3. I can now run the GPS software without any problem and no longer seeing any gwes.exe execution error. BUT please don't unplug the SD card while the program is running no matter your IPAQ is power on or off! It will cause file access problem like you unplug a device from the PC USB port without stopping it. The program may be corrupted and killed or not responding.
5. Problem: While you unplug the SD card with the IPAQ power off. It turn on the IPAQ! You have to turn it off after unplug the card, hassle!
6. Caustion: The 'hp sdunload' is installed as an add on program in the flash ROM. That means, it can easily be removed by the 'Remove program' feature on the IPAQ or Activesync. BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL. On the other hand, as this is an add on program and not part of the original flash ROM update, a HARD RESET will clean it out. You have to re-install the firmware fix after a HARD RESET. Another hassle!
7. FIX: I don't see any IPAQ lock up problem and the battery is no longer drain fast in power off mode. I think the SD/power lockup problem has been fixed.
Just want to share this upgrade experience with you all!
*** Problem with the New ROM Update posted on HP site on Jan 04, 2006 and the firmware update to fix the problem of inserted SD card lock up IPAQ. ****
Woke up this morning after I upgraded the firmware to patch the SD card and power lock up issue. I tried to turn on the IPAQ rx1950 and see if the software I ran last night before I power off the IPAQ running running fine.
The application (Mapopolis GPS software) is running extremely slow. (note the application I am running was installed on the SD card). I then ran another application from the SD card (Ostia - another GPS software), it got the same problem. I then ran program on the main memory e.g. Internet Explorer. It ran ok at a moderate slower speed.
I then suspected the firware patch fixed the power lock up with SD card inserted problem BUT it brings up another problem after long power shut down. It SLOWS DOWN all the access to the SD card including program installed on the SD card or any file access. I tried File Explorer to access files on the SD card, it is slowed down to unacceptable long (5 to 10 seconds to have the file list come up). However, accessing the folder in the main memory is a bit faster but still slowed down.
I won't be able to get it work until I do a soft reboot.
Conclusion, after a long power off (more than two hours) and turn on the IPAQ again with the firmware fix installed, it slows down all the processes involving access to the SD card. There must be some routines running in the 'hp sdunload' causing that problem and
HP TECHNICAL SUPPORT TEAM (if you are monitoring this forum) SHOULD LOOK INTO IT and RELEASE ANOTHER FIRMWARE UPGRADE.
Its nice to know that I'm not alone in my 1950 problems - unable to sync or connect to my pc at all and needing frequent soft resets. I think its going to be back to paper diaries for me - you can lose them but they don't break. Does anyone if its possible to communicate between pc and pda by passing an expansion card between them? cheers Ralph
If I knew that it would slow my access to sd, I would have would not have updated. My fake exchange was working perfectly. Does anyone know if I can get back to my original settings? Does a hard reset do anything?
*** Problem with the New ROM Update posted on HP site on Jan 04, 2006 and the firmware update to fix the problem of inserted SD card lock up IPAQ. ****
Following my previous two posts on Mar 2, 2006. I struggled with HP support for a resolution to resolve the problem of slow SD card access after the ROM update and Firmware upgrade.
No luck to get any help. All they recommendation are useless and end up recommending me to send in the Pocket PC for repair!
I could not go back to my factory ROM image and I have no choice but reflash the ROM update once again(Please note that a CLEAN RESET won't delete the firware upgrade. i.e. the slow SD access problem will not go away after a CLEAN RESET). However, this time I didn't perform the firmware upgrade that suppose fixing the power lock up problem when the SD card inserted.
Here is the procedure: (note: please back up all your valueable data from your main memory and de-install all the programs installed since your last ROM update before proceed with the following procedure. On the other hand, I won't responsible for any data loss or system hand up by following the following steps)
1. Back up all data files from main memory to your PC. 2. De-install all programs installed since last ROM update and firmware upgrade. 3. Power off the Pocket PC and unseat the SD card. (It will power on your Pocket PC!!) 4. Hook up your Pocket PC with your PC with ActiveSync as per HP ROM update recommendation. (hook up to direct USB port not a hub). 5. Let the Pocket PC sync up. 6. Run the ROM Update program as downloaded from the above link. 7. While ROM update, move the mouse pointer to the residual icon of ActiveSync in the lower right corner to dismiss the ActiveSync icon (this is an know bug that the ROM update doesn't dismiss the Activesync clean and this is the workaround as per HP). This will avoid the Sync error code 80070490 come up when your Pocket PC sync with your PC later. The ActiveSync will start again once the ROM update completed. 7. After ROM update, set up you Pocket PC and ActiveSync to resync your contacts, e-mail, favorites, calendar, etc. (Make sure the Microsoft Outlook on your PC is opened before the ROM update completed, otherwise you will encounter Sync error again). 8. PLEASE DON'T DO the FIRMWARE UPGRADE afterward and your Pocket PC will performed as it was before the firmware upgrade. i.e. no problem on slow SD card access overnight but still having the risk of power lock up. 9. Prove that the 'HP SD unload' firmware upgrade is gone by power off the Pocket PC and unplug the SD card. It won't power on the Pocket PC this time by unplugging or inserting the SD card. This mean the 'hp sdunload' sucking firmware is not in you Pocket PC.
Note: I didn't see any power lock up since I reflashed the ROM update two days ago. However, the consistently slow SD access problem was gone. I would take the risk of power lock up that will only happen occassionally (I only encountered three times since I got my Pocket PC in Feb 2006).
Worse to worse, I charge my Pocket PC everyday and do a soft reset in case the power lock up happened. It still better than that I have to reseat the SD card every time I power on my Pocket PC.
Hope this help everyone having problem after updating the ROM and the buggy firmware upgrade.
I also had the power on and SD Card problem. Had to soft reset it every time, which is very frustrating since it's a brand new set. Finally call HP support center (can you believe that they said they've never heard of such problem with ipaq 1950 before?). Brought my set to the service center, picked it up after 4 days, said that they changed the motherboard. Now it's been working well for a week, no need for soft reset, but the battery performance is not as good as it used to be. Maybe you can try to ask for the motherboard change if you have the power on button, coz it works for mine.
I ahve the ongoing intermittent activesync problems, but no battery problems in my 1950. I've emailed HP to see if we can't get someone to get this sorted out as activesync should happen totally transparently and not get in the way of enjoying the bit of equipment. HP are normally pretty good in replying to those channels (had a phone call from california to where I am in Austraila when i complained about the layout of one of their new calculators), so we'll see how it goes.
I also ahve to soft reset a few times a day. To me, a soft reset should be almost a last resort, not something which happens on a daily basis.
One thing i have which i have not heard others mention is that I have the little green notification light blink for no good reason for hours on end. I have set up the notifications so that it should never blink, but it does none the less. No idea why, and it is small fish compared to the activesync issues
I bought the ipaq as i love HP calculators as they are legendarily well built, but i have to say that this ipaq has been a disappointment to me. The days of rock solid HP equipment seem to have passed.
Did you test the SD card access speed after power off your IPAQ 1950 over night? Try to copy a file of 3 MB and larger see if there will be any difference. I suspect that they didn't replace your IPAQ's mother board but do the firware upgrade that really fixed the power lock up problem but slow down the SD card access over time.
For your reference, normal speed of transferring a 3MB file is 16 seconds from SD to main memory. When it is in slow down mode, it will be 96 seconds! With that speed, you won't be able to run program from storage card or even worse access data instantly and end up window kill your program without patient with the waiting time!
Check it out and let us know.
If the speed problem is not that, I will really consider sending my IPAQ back for a motherboard replacement!
1) I have an iPaq rx1950 and I have not yet SD card. I HAVE NOT YET SD CARD and I suddenly, have power on problems One day I had with me rx1950 (which had about 60% battery) and after 3 hours I wanted to use it. Then I realized I couldn't power on or reset it. When I returned in my home I plugged the charger and it become possible to reset it. Yesterday, I had plugged rx1950 on charger and when I waked up today I realized that again I could not open rx1950. Then I plugged it again on the charger and I managed to power it on. My rx1950 is new ( I bought 2 weeks before).
I have a theory: I noticed yesterday that it happened something like swap bettween Storage and Program memmory. Before 2 dayw I had about 14 MB free storage memory and about 8 MB free Program memory. Now I have 7.86MB free Storage and 11.06 free Program. Yesterday I installed Paragon PenReader form IPAQchoice. There must be a function of WM5 in respect memory.
I have installed all the patches of HP (ROM upgrade and firmware update)
2) one morning I saw that my rx1950 (which has not SD Card) was flashing periodically while it was plugged in the charger
My girlfriend got an rx1950 about a month ago and only came across these problems after using at SD Card. I'm surprised that HP realised the problem (after much complaints from people) and posted an update on Jan 4th without informing anyone or making it a priority update.
Thanks to all who reported this problem and got it sorted out. The HP support should be more knowledgable about their own fixes.
- The ROM Update is fine with a more stable wireless access. - The firware upgrade is not recommended although it fixes the power lock up problem but it introduces the slow SD card access over time. Again useless.
To address the power lock up. After ROM update perform the workaround as posted by Robert Gusnowski earlier in this thread or you can visit my thread that I rewritten the workaround in a step by step mode. It works great.
To address the ActiveSync problem. No luck that the most effective way to fix it is to do a "Clean Reset - that is you will lose all your data and programs" and then start your e-mail program on you laptop before you hook up the Pocket PC.
Start your PC active sync first and delete all the associations with your previous Pocket PC.
Then connect your Pocket PC. Your laptop will detect it and start a new association again.
You should then be able to sync up again without any problem.
The reason for intermitant sync is because your Pocket PC have some old corrupted sync data (such as calendar, contacts) that cause sync problem.
I have similar problem before and I took the ROM update opportunity to clean it up (after ROM update, it is same as a clean reset has been done).
Be careful that during the ROM update, while the ROM in flashing, the old active sync connection will be terminated but the icons still in the task bar. Please move your mouse pointer onto the icon to dismiss it (HP recommendation). Otherwise, after your ROM update complete, your PC will not start a new clean ActiveSync connection, instead it will use this old connect to resync your Pocket PC and end up in error and you won't be able to sync up your Pocket PC without a clean reset.
I didn't find this thread until I had set up my own and in the two helpful replies was directed here. If I had seen this in January I would not have bought the rx1950.
But I did and my problems are solved, thanks in great part to the information gleaned from this thread.
Below is, for what its worth, my experience, solutions and reflections.
With many thanks
Peter
********************* Two HP-rx1950 problems and "solutions" â and some reflections
Background: rx1950 bought in January in Singapore and used extensively to back up photos from SD cards, without problems. After return home, used ActiveSync to synchronise for the first time and then experienced problems.
***Problem 1. rx 1950 frequently requires soft reset to start After posing my own query I was directed to this thread full of these problems and possible solutions. The problem is now solved with a work around.
***Problem 2. Error 85010014 occurs on synchronisation with MS Outlook. Via Google and the error number I found that this was a problem for many people and a lot of helpful answers were suggested by "Abdul".
a. On the PC, Activesync/options to remove all check marks so that nothing is to be synchronised. b. Disconnect rx1950. c. In Activesync (on the PC) remove the device. d. If you have a lot of data in Outlook, back it up! e. Set up a new Outlook Profile via Control Panel/mail. (Be careful â it is possible to lose all the data in Outlook WITHOUT warning if you remove the existing profile first) f. Reconnect and set up synchronisation again. f. On the PC, Activesync/options restore check marks against things that need synchronising (being pessimistic I did this one at a time). g. The error should have disappeared. **Likely cause: MS Outlook appears to require a new profile, the first time a new device is encountered. **Discussion threads used: http://thinkabdul.com/2006/02/14/activesync-encountered-a-problem-on-the-desktop-support-code-85010014/
***Other problems. *SD Card. I have had no troubles with SD cards (used extensively for two months before first synchronisation problem appeared). *Battery run down. There were certainly some sharp falls overnight before problem 1 was sorted out, which seem now to be reduced. Generally disappointed with battery performance in comparison with my earlier PDA.
*** Reflections
a. The lack of response by HP to many people on the threads is disappointing, particularly after work arounds were found in the threads. If these were simply tested and then given out, it would suffice until HP/MS has sorted the problem out. b. I have just changed from an eight year old PDA (Psion 5) and it is sad to see that some software features are still inferior to that. For example: i weekly diary view in the Calendar (have bought software for this) ii. a once only alarm for waking up (have bought software for this) iii. A world map which allowed one to set up time zones with the stylus (nothing equivalent) iv. A scientific calculator as well as a simple one ( can buy software for this) v. An internal programming language (nothing equivalent)
Perhaps PDA developers should try the real world to see how users use their devices instead of simply trying to guess!
Finally I am actually looking forward to using it since it seems a nice little thing.
This is probably stupid question, but are any of the new rx19xx models shipping with the upgraded firmware and/or ROM installed already? I just ordered one online and when it arrives, how do you verify the ROM and firmware version that is installed? I assume the first thing to do, if it is not, is to establish an activsync connection and perform the upgrade, right? I have an old iPaq now. Should I remove it from the activesync directory before trying to connect the new one to perform the upgrade?
regarding the recent post asking if newly purchased rx1950's have the firmware update already installed..apparently they do. i purchased mine last week, and an attempted firmware update gave me a message on the ipaq saying it could not install because it was already installed. i have had none of the issues regarding pwering off, sd cards, etc., so fingers crossed, maybe i just got the rare non-lemon. i AM however, having a problem with the unit locking up when i retrieve my hotmail messages. anyone else have the problem?
also, this is unrelated to this string, but does anyone know how to turn off the popup blocker in the ipaq version of ie explorer? several websites i regularly surf (including web-based yahoo messenger) give me popup blocker messages, but i see no option for turning it off.
the date of the last post may indicate, that people have given up. But there is hope!
My brand new rx1950 was not recognised by ActiveSync4.1 on Win XP Pro, XP Home, Win2000. Testing with the new ActiveSync4.2beta produced several crashes, I removed it. After many hours of testing anything I read, it suddenly worked. But why? After careful dissection it turned out that you must have both of the following services running on the dekstop: 1. DHCP-Client 2. DNS-Client DHCP-Client e.g. was running on none of the PCs as we use static IPs. What a shame that neither Microsoft nor HP gives any hint on this.
The nature of the solution suggests that that is not rx1950-specific but applies to all WM5 / ActiveSync4 connections.
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