Low Battery Shutdown, Installation, Full Screen, etc...

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Guest

I have completed my custom .net framework application. It has some
fullscreen code that works 99% of the time which includes code that starts
the application on wakeup and puts the unit in sleep mode on application
close(It's the Pocket PC OS). I've ran into a problem that I cannot solve.
The first is that our users let the units (2) run completely dead (draining
the backup battery as well). After changing batteries & powering up the unit
our program & data structure was gone. We had to re-install our software on
the unit. So, Is there any way to prevent the unit from being used until it
loses its entire configuration...or is there any way to ensure that the unit
will always have our program and data structure even if it goes completely
dead. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
 
What I do for this situation is to put an AutoExec, all necessary
installation cab files and any SQLCE databases on an SD card. If all
batteries are drained, when they are recharged and the PDA restarted the
application is reinstalled automatically and all the original data is still
on the SD card. Don't know if this will work for you but it works well in
my situation.
 
While this may be a solution, I would be much happier finding a way to inform
the user to change the battery and shutting down the device or ensuring that
my program is always loaded onto the unit. I'm sure this has to be possible
otherwise the units wouldn't come up with the OS when the battery goes
completely dead.
 
I understand that there is a difference between the unit being off and
sleeping. I guess ultimately what my question should be is:

Is there a way to:
1.) Keep the unit from going completely dead losing my program
installation, directories, & data structure(without using 3rd party storage)?
OR
2.) Install my program in such a location or way that it will be a
mainstay of the unit regardless of the current power level in the unit?

Thanks!!
 
1) No, probably not. All batteries will eventually go dead.

2) There's no defined place for *all* devices which is always persistent
through total power loss. The next generation of devices will have most of
their filesystems non-volatile and SmartPhone devices have been that way
since the beginning. Some PPC devices have segments of their filesystem
which are non-volatile and some don't.

Paul T.
 
So is the best route to use an SD card?

Paul G. Tobey said:
1) No, probably not. All batteries will eventually go dead.

2) There's no defined place for *all* devices which is always persistent
through total power loss. The next generation of devices will have most of
their filesystems non-volatile and SmartPhone devices have been that way
since the beginning. Some PPC devices have segments of their filesystem
which are non-volatile and some don't.

Paul T.
Click to expand...
 
You'll have to look at what devices you are targeting. Choose a storage
technology which exists on all of those devices.

Many devices have a sort of AutoPlay scheme where you can put some files in
a certain location on a removable storage device and, when it's plugged in,
they are executed. You may be able to use this to cause a reinstall after
the application is lost because of power failure. If you are also storing
data on the device, you should store that data on such a storage device, to
protect it from loss of battery power.

Paul T.
 
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