HP iPAQ User Tips
A collection of tips and tricks most apply to the majority of iPAQ models however some are model specific. They are listed in no particular order but I hope that you may find the information useful.
Q. How can I format an SD / CF storage card for use in my iPAQ?If you have used the SD / CF storage card in another device, you may need to reformat the card for use in the iPAQ even though the iPAQ formats new cards upon insertion I have experienced problems where the card's size is incorrectly reported by the Pocket PC operating system after being used in another device. Currently one of the best storage card management suites available is 'StorageTools Pocket PC' by Softwinter this software allows you to format, scan and defragment all standard types of storage card including MMC / SD and compact flash. A fully functional trial version can be downloaded from the website.
Q. How do I hard reset the iPAQ 5450, 5550, 5555?Just hold down the calendar and today buttons, these are the two outer buttons on the lower left and lower right, then using a stylus press and hold for at least ten seconds the soft reset button this is located on the lower right edge of the unit. The screen should reset and the iPAQ will boot up again..
Q. How do I hard reset the iPAQ 1910, 1915, 1930, 1935, 1940, 1945?
Just hold down the power on button and push the stylus tip in to the reset hole located on the left hand edge of the unit. The display image will fade and your unit will now be restored to the original factory settings. Also any data you may have in the iPAQ File Store is not lost.
Q. How do I hard reset the iPAQ 3830, 3835, 3850, 3855, 3870, 3875?
Just hold down the calendar and today buttons, these are the two outer buttons on the lower left and lower right, then using a stylus press and hold for at least five seconds the soft reset button this is located on the lower right edge of the unit. The screen should reset you will now need to press the soft reset button again to power on the unit as the power button will not do this.
Q. How do I hard reset the iPAQ 3950, 3955, 3970, 3975?Just hold down the calendar and today buttons, these are the two outer buttons on the lower left and lower right, then using a stylus press and hold for at least five seconds the soft reset button this is located on the lower right edge of the unit. The screen should reset you will now need to press the soft reset button again to power on the unit as the power button will not do this.
Q. My iPAQ stops responding or slows down how can I fix this?If your iPAQ responds slowly, stops responding as expected or freezes, try resetting it. A reset causes the iPAQ to restart and adjust current memory allocation. Similar in nature to rebooting your PC, just use the stylus to press and hold the reset button for about four seconds. The iPAQ will now reboot, and your applications should run as expected.
Q. My 54xx / 55xx does not syncronise correctly?The 54xx and 55xx iPAQ's units including the h5450 and h5455 all support USB charging via the supplied cradle. Charging directly from the cradle and a PC with a USB socket, this feature can cause problems with the iPAQ not being recognised by ActiveSync or synchronising correctly, If you disable this feature your synchronisation problems should stop. Another possible cause of the problem is that your computer is unable to supply enough power via the USB socket.
Q. How can I increase the battery life of my iPAQ?
Simple tips to increase the iPAQ's battery life include adjusting your back light settings to the most conservative settings. Disable the 'Receive all incoming beams' option located under the Settings ---> Connections ---> Beam screen just remove the check in the tick box to turn it off. Try to keep Bluetooth and WiFi connection lengths to a minimum do not leave either service connected when you are not actually using them. NOTE: Battery life does vary based on the configuration of the iPAQ and the software and hardware usage pattern of the individual user.
Q. How frequently can you recharge the battery?
Due to the nature of the batteries used in all iPAQ models you can recharge as often and for as long as you like. Your battery will not be damaged by this practice nor can it be overcharged, constant charging of the iPAQ's battery will actually improve the battery's life span.
Q. Simple back light control to conserve the batteries power?
When outside, in bright daylight/sunshine, press and hold the on/off switch for about 2 seconds. This turns off the back light and you can still read the display and save more power. Press and hold again to switch back light back on, or switch iPAQ off then back on with re-establish back light. (Submitted by Dale Wilkins).
Q. How to correct iPAQ 5450, 5455, 5550, 5555 battery charging problems / dead unit syndrome?
The iPAQ 54xx or 55xx will not power on if the batteries charge is lower than 3.2 Volts, if your battery charge falls below the 3.2 volts level your unit will not turn on, you need to plug the iPAQ into a cradle or AC charge adaptor. Note the charging light on the iPAQ will not flash at all (normally flashes orange) until the battery charge has reached a minimum charge level of 3.2 volts. You then need to perform a normal reset, then the unit should switch on normally.
HP Procedure is as follows:
To charge and reset the iPAQ Pocket PC h5400:
i) Connect the iPAQ Pocket PC h5400 to an A/C power supply.
ii) Charge the battery to the minimum level of 3.2 Volts. This will take 5 to 30 minutes depending on the current charge level.
iii) Perform a normal reset.
iv) Power on the iPAQ Pocket PC h5400
It is recommended that you keep the iPAQ Pocket PC connected to the Universal Cradle or Cable when it is not in use.
Many popular WiFi connectivity tools do not work with the integrated WiFi on the H5450, H5455, H5550, H5555 models, probably the best WiFi sniffing software available for use with the integrated WiFi is pocketWiNc this is available for Windows Mobile 2003 and Pocket PC 2002, and is compatible with the 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g standards. MiniStumbler 0.4 also now works on the 5400 and 5500 range of iPAQ's the full readme for this updated WiFi sniffer is here. Thanks to Neville Mooney for the updated information.Q. Which wireless connectivity tools work on the integrated WiFi on the 54xx or 55xx range of iPAQS?
Tap the ‘Start’ button, then choose the ‘Settings’ menu option, then select the bottom ‘System’ tab finally tap the ‘About’ icon. The screen will now display information about the Pocket PC; next to the processor information line will be the type of CPU inside your iPAQ.Q. How can I tell if a H1910 iPAQ is an Intel PXA250 or an Intel PXA255 CPU based unit?
Q. How do I hard reset the iPAQ 2210, 2215?
Just hold down the Calendar button, and the iTask button located on the front of the unit, these are the two outer buttons. Then at the same time, use the stylus to press the Reset button located on the back of your iPAQ Pocket PC. Hold all buttons down until the image on the screen fades out, the unit has now been hard reset, and the battery is also deactivated during a hard reset.If you have successfully performed a hard reset pressing the power button will NOT switch the unit on. To re-activate the battery connect the iPAQ to the AC power supply and then using the stylus press the Reset button on the rear of the unit. The unit will now reboot with factory default settings.
Q. Is the SD Slot on the iPAQ 1910 Pocket PC an SDIO Slot?
No the SD slot on the H1910 iPAQ only supports memory cards, however the H1930, H1935, H1940, H1945 iPAQ's all do support SDIO devices.
The iPAQ h5000 (5450, 5455, 5550, and 5555) series was developed with expanded functionality in mind, potentially using it for a WWAN device at some future date. Therefore some models may have a SIM slot located under the removable battery so that this platform may potentially be leveraged for integration of future technologies. The SIM slot is not functional in the iPAQ h5400 (5450, 5455) series, and cannot be use for phone capabilities.Q. On the iPAQ 5xxx range what is the SIM slot for that is on the device under the battery?
The first step is to verify your ROM's version. Simply reset the device and watchout for version number on bootup screen. If you have version 1.00 then you can upgrade the ROM to ver. 1.10. It is like a BIOS flashing on a PC. The upgrade fixes quite some bugs of the earlier version. To upgrade the ROM, download the ROM update at http://www.hp.com/sbso/bussupport.html and follow the the instructions. Note The upgrade destroys ALL data on the iPAQ, including the contents of iPAQ file store; and restores it to factory-fresh state. (Submitted by Maxx)Q. Can I upgrade the ROM of my iPAQ 1900/2200/4100 series?
The new HP iPAQ rx3715 Mobile Media Companion, as well as the hx4700, are operated by Windows Mobile 2003 SE. It is the latest release of the Operating System. However, most software you find runs fine on this version of Windows CE, just don't care of this alert after installing a program. Notice that some customization interfaces, or launchers, such as Wis Bar Advance, will NOT run on these units and may cause your device to lockup or reset. In this case just do not use them. It is also known that some WiFi sniffers used on earlier WiFi devices do not operate too. Microsoft is preparing a release to solve these problems. (Submitted by Maxx)Q. When I install software on my iPAQ rz1715, rx3715, hx4700, it tells me it may not be compatible, why?
Here's a tip for iPAQs supporting an SD card. You can also insert an MMC memory card into the SD slot and your iPAQ will read it as well. Some MMC cards come standard in Nokia mobile phones, so If you have a small MMC card spare from your phone - like a 32mb card it can be useful to store an iPAQ backup file, or other useful data. You can even keep it in your phone until you need to restore your IPAQ! (Submitted by Dons)Q. Tip for Nokia MMC cards?