Database Users

phone app doesn't close???

I got my EXEC a few days ago and went ahead with the corporate install - never been a fan of O2 Active.
The first thing I wanted to do was to install a decent task manager. So after reading good things about it - I went ahead with Magic Button.
However, what I have found is that after launching the phone dialer - it refuses to close and remains resident in program memory. Everything else closes fine and with no problems but the phone app just wont close unless you soft reset the device.
At first I thought it was a problem with Magic Button but I then tried GSPocketMagic+. Again, I launched the phone app and then tried to close it using the GSPocketMagic-> Close All option but that didnt work either.
So it appears that once launched, the phone app cannot be closed. Has anyone else noticed this on their EXEC/MDA Pro?

I don't use magic button but most of the closer apps exclude the phone app - do you really want to close that

If you really must close it, check this task killer out
This is from the Microsoft SDK, just modded very slightly by me to allow you to close errant apps, especially useful when I was developing VJBigPhone.
Be careful, it can close pretty much any app, including system stuff like GWES. But if that's one you want, that's what'll 'appen.
VJTrayTaskList
If you press the "Ok" button it'll sit in your Today Tray for ease of use.
Click the checkbox to allow you to close stubborn apps.
V

Thanks guys.
Yes, I really would find it useful to be able to close the phone app - program memory on the Universal is precious to say the least and the phone app uses about 1.1MB (according to MemMaid)
@vijay555
I will definitely try out your app when i get home (dont have my EXEC with me) as it seems a much quicker way to kill the process instead of having to open memmaid - although it is a pretty useful app in itself.
Just a question from a fellow would-be developer - what dev software do you use to build your apps? I am looking to get into doing some dev work my self and was thinking about using .NET.
However, seeing as none of your apps require the .NET framework to be installed, I'm guessing you use the standard MS SDK?
I didnt see the above app on your website... is it still in BETA?

mzaslam: I didn't write TrayTask list, it's provided as example code in the SDK. From memory I enabled its ability to close stubborn tasks, possibly did some GUI work and possibly changed the icon. Was some time ago now, can't remember!
I wouldn't say it's beta, although what Microsoft code isn't!? But I can't really take any credit for it, so I don't distribute it as mine. I just put VJ on it so can distinguish it from the non modded version on my PC. It works well though: I've noticed it does have one issue, that it won't load properly when your system is undergoing some problem, eg an application has hung etc. Then it won't populate the task list at all. But it's a good indicator it's time to soft reset then!
It's the best task killer I've seen, particularly for my kind of development where you need to kill hidden tasks.
Dev software: I'm going to be starting my info/blog site shortly, which will address just this kind of stuff. I've got very little experience programming for the PPC; so far I don't consider myself able to program, just throw stuff around
But I program with Visual Studio 2005. You can get hold of the beta free online, and if you need a copy of Beta 2 and are in the UK, I can probably send you a copy (I've only got 1!) But note, Beta 2 has issues with the WM5 emulator, which stalled a lot of my programming. But it's a nice enough environment.
You can get EVC 4 for free completely, so that's still a good choice, but VS2005 is perfectly competent.
However:
I had the pleasure of meeting this guy
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from microsoft at a Modaco meeting in London a couple of month ago (the one where that guy stole the prize phone!)
Prior to this I had been fretting that the PPC was good, but not good enough for thumb friendly use. So I wanted to write a program or two. I considered EVB, but it's pretty useless for my low level stuff. I met David Goon, who was evangalising .net CF 2. I discussed with him about writing today plugins and he said that for that kinda work, C++ was still the best way to do it.
So, being a C++ virgin, and only about 20 years behind the times, I started learning c++ in september.
C++ is unforgiving, but very low level, and it makes increasing sense to me. I still only know about 0.5% of all there is to know about it, but it's doing what I want, most of the time. .net is beautiful to program with I guess, but right now, since I'm still awash with c++, I guess I'll start learning .net in about another 20 years! .net is great if you're not doing low level stuff, and I recommend it. For me, c++ is still like trying to create the universe to create the horse to create the ability to teach it to drink! It's a lot of work, but it gets there in the end!
V
PS I can hopefully make you guys an app to just close the phone if you want. Give me a mo...

Arrgh! Someone else obsessed with force-closing apps on Windows Mobile!
Let the OS do its job and handle memory management the way MS intended! I haven't force-closed any applications for a week. No resets or anything, and I have a list of running apps a mile long. (Just checked, and I have 26 apps open, including ListPro, TCPMP and this PIE window. I'm also running PocketZenPhone and VJBigPhone.) It works perfectly. If WM needs memory it will close apps for you in the background. Why worry about it?
Just my opinion.

Well, all I can say is wow. You certainly accomplished alot in a short space of time.
Ive been in the IT sector for a good number of years now but my expertise lies primarily with VB... yes yes I know!! I have in my time developed in Oracle and a number of other languages but most just didnt provide a true RAD environment.
So C++ (and its many variants) was not one of my languages of choice, not that I havent done some dev in my time. Its just not for me. C++ is very powerful but you have to put alot more in to get the best out of it.
Of course, the benefits of C++ are evident in its speed of execution but those advantages are no more (or so MS would suggest) with the release of .NET. All the .NET languages are more closely integrated and coded in the same IDE. OK so the syntax is different but they are all based on the same FCL and CLS ad nsame runtime environment
Anyway, thanks for the app and if you do get a chance to knock up a 'simple' app that kills just the phone app then that would be great.
Cheers.

SiliconS said:
Arrgh! Someone else obsessed with force-closing apps on Windows Mobile!
Let the OS do its job and handle memory management the way MS intended! I haven't force-closed any applications for a week. No resets or anything, and I have a list of running apps a mile long. (Just checked, and I have 26 apps open, including ListPro, TCPMP and this PIE window. I'm also running PocketZenPhone and VJBigPhone.) It works perfectly. If WM needs memory it will close apps for you in the background. Why worry about it?
Just my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the phone app is possibly the exception to this rule... I could of course be wrong. With program memory being as limited as it is, I dont think there is any reason not to want to give the OS a helping hand in its memory mamangement.
Lets face it, if HTC (and I suppose MS) had gone about designing the HTC and WM5 the way most of us wanted then we (as in all EXEC/MDA Pro/JJ) users wouldnt have to spend the insane amount of time on this forum trying to fix the so-called "features" of our beloved PPC.
Dont get me wrong, I love my EXEC but with a bit more thought it could have been soo much better.
I'm sure before long we will see the PPC headed the same way as the desktop OS i.e. Service Packs, Security Patches etc. which isnt a bad thing really.
Sorry if I've gone on a bit...

SiliconS said:
Arrgh! Someone else obsessed with force-closing apps on Windows Mobile!
I'm also running PocketZenPhone and VJBigPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is PocketZenPhone on your EXEC? I read from other threads that they are having problems with it. Is it true? What is its main function?

mzaslam: Thanks for your comments!
Check out vjtaskkiller here. This is a generic task killer.
I'll try to write a phone toggle a little later, to quit or launch the phone approriately.
Re Programming: I'm happy with C++ for now. I'll learn .net at some point, but I think the hardware needs to catch up and have better integration of CF. Then we'll have no reason not to use it. But right now, I want to keep my overheads as low as possible, (what with SiliconS using VJBigphone in the background!)
SiliconS is exactly right, WM hibernation is supposed to take care of all memory management. However, I think especially as seen on the wizard, it's beneficial sometimes to give it a hand! Also, although for MS certification programs should be coded to be responsive to hibernation requests, not all are, particularly non certified code... so again, could be beneficial.
I have to say, WM5 is slightly laggy generally, so it's nice to keep it perky. But I would suggest most users don't need to use a taskkiller. However, I use smallmenu and never keep more than a couple of apps open, but then again, I've never had memory problems with or without intervention...
However, for development, certainly beneficial.
SiliconS: is VJBigPhone working ok?
V

Guys, new release
VJPhoneToggle
Just for you mzaslam!
V

cktlcmd said:
How is PocketZenPhone on your EXEC? I read from other threads that they are having problems with it. Is it true?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dunno. Seems to work perfectly for me, but I'm not convinced that the Outlook-based profile switches are working 100%. I haven't properly tested it though because it doesn't cause a problem.
cktlcmd said:
What is its main function?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://zendrui.free.fr/

vijay555 said:
SiliconS: is VJBigPhone working ok?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, seems to be. It's v0.8 so I haven't tried your latest yet, but I will when I get chance. The phone's working fine for me and is always scaled correctly.
OT: How long before v1.0 do you reckon? I must admit I miss having the Wireless Manager not fixed too, and IIRC you were going to try and work on that again? It's about time I bought you that (non-alcoholic) drink!

SiliconS said:
cktlcmd said:
How is PocketZenPhone on your EXEC? I read from other threads that they are having problems with it. Is it true?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dunno. Seems to work perfectly for me, but I'm not convinced that the Outlook-based profile switches are working 100%. I haven't properly tested it though because it doesn't cause a problem.
cktlcmd said:
What is its main function?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://zendrui.free.fr/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks SiliconS!

mzaslam said:
SiliconS said:
Arrgh! Someone else obsessed with force-closing apps on Windows Mobile!
Let the OS do its job and handle memory management the way MS intended! I haven't force-closed any applications for a week. No resets or anything, and I have a list of running apps a mile long. (Just checked, and I have 26 apps open, including ListPro, TCPMP and this PIE window. I'm also running PocketZenPhone and VJBigPhone.) It works perfectly. If WM needs memory it will close apps for you in the background. Why worry about it?
Just my opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the phone app is possibly the exception to this rule... I could of course be wrong. With program memory being as limited as it is, I dont think there is any reason not to want to give the OS a helping hand in its memory mamangement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you didn't take my comments the wrong way. Re-reading them again this morning they could be taken as offensive, and that wasn't my intention, hence the .
Well, I dunno. People complain a lot in this forum that it takes ages for the Exec to ring when someone calls them, and people keep missing calls, so anything that delays the phone app (e.g. closing it down manually) would IMHO be a V.Bad Thing. I've never had a problem just letting the OS handle it. When I was looking at my task list last night, though, (with 26 tasks running) I had 14MB program memory free, so I'm a long way from running out.
Leaving applications open makes the Universal more responsive and perky, since I don't have to wait for the OS to initialise them every time I want them.
Anyway, your phone, your choice of course. I'm just offering an alternative viewpoint since the desire to close apps seems to be just a peace-of-mind thing for the enthusiasts on this forum rather than being driven by any tangible need.

vijay555 said:
Guys, new release
VJPhoneToggle
Just for you mzaslam!
V
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WOW that was fast!! I woke up this morning and this is the last thing I expected
I really do feel honoured 8) Best not let it go to my head though!! You also wrote a general cmd line Task Killer, even better I reckon. How long did it take you to knock those up then?
Today is my last day at work, I'm on leave for 3 weeks so will have plenty of time to check out all your smart apps and of course play with my little black beauty
SiliconS said:
Glad you didn't take my comments the wrong way. Re-reading them again this morning they could be taken as offensive, and that wasn't my intention, hence the .
Well, I dunno. People complain a lot in this forum that it takes ages for the Exec to ring when someone calls them, and people keep missing calls, so anything that delays the phone app (e.g. closing it down manually) would IMHO be a V.Bad Thing. I've never had a problem just letting the OS handle it. When I was looking at my task list last night, though, (with 26 tasks running) I had 14MB program memory free, so I'm a long way from running out.
Leaving applications open makes the Universal more responsive and perky, since I don't have to wait for the OS to initialise them every time I want them.
Anyway, your phone, your choice of course. I'm just offering an alternative viewpoint since the desire to close apps seems to be just a peace-of-mind thing for the enthusiasts on this forum rather than being driven by any tangible need.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worries
I didnt take offence and you made a perfectly legitimate case for leaving the phone app running in the background. I think I will see how long it takes for the phone to respond with the phone app running and without.
It is still VERY useful (using vijay555's apps) to be able to kill tasks as and when you need - because there will come a time when you run low on prog memory. I think especially if you run something like TTN or CP!!
I am surprised that you have 26 apps running comfortably on your EXEC with no performance degradation. Are you sure you havent been slipped a limited edition EXEC with more memory than the rest of us poor souls

Just my humble observations, but when I first got my Exec I kept wanting to force close the Phone app, but every time I did it would refuse to reload. A soft reset resulted in the splash screen saying no GSM, so I had to wait for it to reboot, use the phone and then soft reset again to get it working properly. Anyone else found this?
Great tool by the way!
Fin

Hey, thanks for all your comments guys. Hope it was useful! Visit my site often for more releases (although not today, or at least so far!)
mzaslam: how long did it take? Um, basic code is used in VJBigPhone to find and modify the phone. Then writing the close code was relatively straightforward. However, debugging, testing and preparing the icon, screenshots, cabs, uploading and preparing webpage all took an hour or two. Got a good telling off from my better half for it! I really need to sleep more...
Findus: I've never had that problem, sorry!
SiliconS: VJBigPhone. I'm quite prepared to step to v1.0 if I can, if there are no issues. No one's mentioned anything bad I think, so I think the core code is safe to stick with. I'm intending to add a phone close option on the tray icon (just in case anyone wants it!) and hopefully one other minor but useful function. Beyond there, hopefully that's v1.0. If I can, I will try to enlarge the caller's photo as requested elsewhere, and if so I will incorporate it as a menu option. (that might be >v1.0)
Finally, I intend to re-address the wireless manager fix, and if it works, I'll reincorporate it as an option on the menu, and also perhaps as a standalone for those who don't need VJBigPhone! Sound ok? Any other ideas for incorporating in? :wink:
How are you guys finding this tool? There's one or two tricks you can pull off with VJTaskKiller, but I shouldn't let you in on how because you could cause some difficulties :wink:
V

++++ We are solving Universal's memory leak problem... ++++

Bigface title to a not sure method, but with hoping success for the object.
I think everybody is fighting with this nerve-racking memory bug in wm5+vga+universal thing.
Me too.
Very very hard.
I'm very angry with this statement.
I bought the newest, most professional PDA with the oldest, most amateur speed.
It is not new for anybody, I'm sure.
I've opened this topic to solve this *******, because I think ROMupgrade is coming very slow.
I tried hundreds of different things to keep my RAM's free memory and get my Jasjar/MDApro/Exec more speed.
I'd like to share my experience to you and I'd like you to share your experience to us, to understand why does it happen.
OK....so.....
1) My first and biggest remark in this theme:
gwes.exe (this is a system process, which is runnig continously with the system to let us using functions of our device)
It is runnig with the following modules: (on my device, it is not sure all on yours too, but I think almost)
lrgwesex.dll
touch.dll
commctrl.dll.0409.mui
commctrl.dll
aygshell.dll
keybddr.dll
ddi.dll
toolhelp.dll
gwes.exe.0409.mui
toolhelp.dll
ceddk.dll
coredll.dll.0409.mui
ossvcs.dll
ole32.dll
coredll.dll
So...this gwes.exe starts with the system after a soft reset taking about 6MB RAM memory.
If you are watching carefully, when your RAM is getting less this gwes.exe is getting bigger.
In one of my examples after a soft reset I had 24MB free memory, and when I had just something like 4MB I checked the running services.
And you know what???
gwes.exe was using by then 19.5MB from the memory!!!!!!!!!!!
So I think when you start an application, system files are using more memory with applications, but when you close the application you have just more with the memory using by this application but less with the memory using by the system with this application.
I'm not sure with this, but i'm sure there is a big problem with this gwes.exe service.
I found more processes (device.exe, filesys.exe, cprog.exe, shell32.exe, repllog.exe) which are doing something the same but not that much than gwes.exe.
So if somebody has some reflections about this write it down to us!
2) A lot of people say there is a hack in the registry / storage manager cache keys which we increase, system will operate with higher speed.
I'm not sure now.
I tried a lot with different keys, and my suggestion is totally the opposite than that: when I set different cache keys (glyphcache, storage cahes...) to zero the system eats less memory and something the same with the speed.
Interesting.
I don't have exact results in these points, but thinking about somewhere here the answers.
Please help us to find the solution together to solve this irritating bug!
Sorry for my english, I'm hungarian.
THX
Tuningszöcske (It is in english something like Tuning-Grasshoper)

Here are my results ...
After Reset
=======
gwes 6.49 MB
filesys 1.86 MB
shell32 1.95 MB
cprog 2.12 MB
device 1.46 MB
services 215 KB
connmgr 91 KB
After Bloating
=========
gwes 12.7 MB
filesys 2.7 MB
shell32 2.39 MB
cprog 2.12 MB
device 2.3 MB
repllog 555 KB
services 407 KB
connmgr 111 KB
GWES really does bloat up a lot over time. Did a search on the net and it appears to be graphics related ...

It's good to see other's same results.
I'm searching for the answers countinously too...

I never have a memory issue with my dopod900, even after a week of usage with various games and application, the memory still remain around 22++M. Will try to check up the result and post it here.

I also want to know why........
After the reset, my machine has around 20M left and after a while, only 11M left and that's last for quite a long time. I have no experience that the memory is only around 4M....
Cheers,

chtan said:
I never have a memory issue with my dopod900, even after a week of usage with various games and application, the memory still remain around 22++M. Will try to check up the result and post it here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you using the stock machine without all the tweaks ? I mean have you applied optimizations like cache settings, etc ?
I'm just wondering if it might have something to do with some of the changes we made to improve performance :?

The issue is partially duie to Microsoft, but also partially due to 3rd party developers. I know for a fact that a lot of developers do not bother to have their applications issue defragment or compact instructions to the operating system after closing. They take up place and resources in the memory heap but do not "give them back" after they close.
You can blame the Universal as much as you want, but in my opinion it's one hell of a machine that had the misfortune to be the first officially released WM5 machine out there. Microsoft is indeed working on speed, stability and other issues form their end (the latest O2 Exec rom is by far the fastest and most stable ROM there is), but the developers need to do their bit as well and start working on their program's behaviour.
"If a kid does not tidy up his room, it's likely it will start losing things"

Wiz said:
The issue is partially duie to Microsoft, but also partially due to 3rd party developers. I know for a fact that a lot of developers do not bother to have their applications issue defragment or compact instructions to the operating system after closing. They take up place and resources in the memory heap but do not "give them back" after they close.
You can blame the Universal as much as you want, but in my opinion it's one hell of a machine that had the misfortune to be the first officially released WM5 machine out there. Microsoft is indeed working on speed, stability and other issues form their end (the latest O2 Exec rom is by far the fastest and most stable ROM there is), but the developers need to do their bit as well and start working on their program's behaviour.
"If a kid does not tidy up his room, it's likely it will start losing things"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm, you would think that Microsoft would be smart enough to put in some checks to automatically release the memory used by a an application after it closes :?
I don't blame the universal, the hardware is fine and I'm quite happy with it. I do however blame Microsoft. WM5 is just soooo slow. If I didn't do all the performance tweaks that's been discussed here, I don't think I can live with this device. You have to understand that I come from using 3 generations of Palm devices previously, and even though they are using much slower processors, they are waaay more responsive than WM5.
The last Palm I used was the Sony Clie NX70. I used it for 2 years without having to do ROM upgrades, etc. and it worked just fine. One would think that given the number of years that Microsoft had to improve WM, that they would be able to do a better job. As it is now, I'm finding all kinds of weird bugs all over.
Well, I'm just frustrated, sorry for ranting :lol:

christan said:
The last Palm I used was the Sony Clie NX70. I used it for 2 years without having to do ROM upgrades, etc. and it worked just fine. One would think that given the number of years that Microsoft had to improve WM, that they would be able to do a better job. As it is now, I'm finding all kinds of weird bugs all over.
Well, I'm just frustrated, sorry for ranting :lol:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been making the same point - M$ should know better and memory management is not bleeding egde tech. My Symbian devices have rock solid memory management, they just keep running for weeks and months without the need for a reset. For a US$1000 we should expect better quality all round. Lets hope in te next 6 months we finally get what we paid for.

jah said:
christan said:
The last Palm I used was the Sony Clie NX70. I used it for 2 years without having to do ROM upgrades, etc. and it worked just fine. One would think that given the number of years that Microsoft had to improve WM, that they would be able to do a better job. As it is now, I'm finding all kinds of weird bugs all over.
Well, I'm just frustrated, sorry for ranting :lol:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been making the same point - M$ should know better and memory management is not bleeding egde tech. My Symbian devices have rock solid memory management, they just keep running for weeks and months without the need for a reset. For a US$1000 we should expect better quality all round. Lets hope in te next 6 months we finally get what we paid for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sure hope someone here can figure out a hack to fix this soon, cause as it is now, I'm having to soft reset at least once a day, quite often more.
Can any users here who are NOT experiencing the memory leak issues come forward ? I think we would all like to know what we're doing differently that might be causing the memory leaks ...

chtan said:
I never have a memory issue with my dopod900, even after a week of usage with various games and application, the memory still remain around 22++M. Will try to check up the result and post it here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi chtan!
Is it possible to ask you to backup your registry to a file and upload here?
Just to see what is different in your system than ours.
And which is your ROM and ExtendedROM version?
THX

Hint
Hi Guys,
The above phenomenon is due to the reason that now we all have data in the flash memory.I was using earlier Nokia Symbian phones, viz 6600,9500...in all these the same used to happen and I had to restart the device...but there are 3rd party softwares, which compress the RAM if the above thing happens and we are at the initital full RAM memory w/o restarting the device...like Stacker, Switcher etc...similarly we also have "Place Maker" for Smart Phones...to do the same...someone can try this app...or someone can make an app to do the same...I hope this gives some light to solve this problem..

Re: Hint
hdubli said:
Hi Guys,
The above phenomenon is due to the reason that now we all have data in the flash memory.I was using earlier Nokia Symbian phones, viz 6600,9500...in all these the same used to happen and I had to restart the device...but there are 3rd party softwares, which compress the RAM if the above thing happens and we are at the initital full RAM memory w/o restarting the device...like Stacker, Switcher etc...similarly we also have "Place Maker" for Smart Phones...to do the same...someone can try this app...or someone can make an app to do the same...I hope this gives some light to solve this problem..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you are right.
This is a secondary option to solve this problem.
But I don't know any application for pocket pc which does RAM-compression.
Do you know one?

Re: Hint
Tuningszocske said:
hdubli said:
Hi Guys,
The above phenomenon is due to the reason that now we all have data in the flash memory.I was using earlier Nokia Symbian phones, viz 6600,9500...in all these the same used to happen and I had to restart the device...but there are 3rd party softwares, which compress the RAM if the above thing happens and we are at the initital full RAM memory w/o restarting the device...like Stacker, Switcher etc...similarly we also have "Place Maker" for Smart Phones...to do the same...someone can try this app...or someone can make an app to do the same...I hope this gives some light to solve this problem..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you are right.
This is a secondary option to solve this problem.
But I don't know any application for pocket pc which does RAM-compression.
Do you know one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By RAM compression, do you mean an active app that runs in the background to automatically compress stuff in RAM then decompress stuff in the RAM on-the-fly when used ?
If it is what I think it is, I don't think RAM compression is the way to go unless there is absolutely no other solution, cause compression-decompression will have a significant performance impact.
I think it's more important to get to the root of the problem

NO.
There are many applications for PC which make the RAM free from unused services, applications, files...
Using this method, you don't need to restart your machine.
It worth it for me to push a button or a shortcut to free the memory without a softreset.

Tuningszocske said:
NO.
There are many applications for PC which make the RAM free from unused services, applications, files...
Using this method, you don't need to restart your machine.
It worth it for me to push a button or a shortcut to free the memory without a softreset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Opps, I misunderstood the use of the term "Compression" there ...
Yes, if someone can come up with an app that can "clean" up the RAM, that would be good too

Wiz said:
The issue is partially duie to Microsoft, but also partially due to 3rd party developers. I know for a fact that a lot of developers do not bother to have their applications issue defragment or compact instructions to the operating system after closing. They take up place and resources in the memory heap but do not "give them back" after they close.
You can blame the Universal as much as you want, but in my opinion it's one hell of a machine that had the misfortune to be the first officially released WM5 machine out there. Microsoft is indeed working on speed, stability and other issues form their end (the latest O2 Exec rom is by far the fastest and most stable ROM there is), but the developers need to do their bit as well and start working on their program's behaviour.
"If a kid does not tidy up his room, it's likely it will start losing things"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No hack or tweak applied, everything in stock condition. This confirmed my suspicious that Exec and I-mate only having this problem and this is due to their highly customized rom set.

That is strange.. I also have Dopod 900 and suffer from the same problem of memory leaks. The first time I got my Dopod 900 with factory default settings and applications, I played with it for 2 days and noticed that the memory went down to 15++ M.
So I would assume that without any 3rd party applications installed, memory leaks problem is there..

Chtan!
Then you could be a magician, because - i think - we all use the ROM with factory settings after a hard reset, and then - same as you -, when we install a lot of different applications and games, we have the memory leak.
So, what about this registry backup for us?
Or can you write it here the apps and games you use?

I have not performed a soft reset for 5 days. I am performing a test on how long my EXEC can last without having to perform a soft reset. I use mine regularly everyday, about an hour on phone calls, 2 hours on browsing using PIE, the usual opening and closing of applications, and I leave it at night charging while playing a DVD on a continuous loop for non-stop movie playback. I do admit the only time I notice slow downs (4 seconds to open an application) is if I leave about 10 open applications at the same time running in the background. That is why I make sure I close all open applications after use using Handy Menu's option to close all. As of now here is my memory allocations:
Storage
Total: 43.72 MB
In use: 14.52 MB
Free: 29.19 MB
Program
Total: 49.93 MB
In use: 30.94 MB
Free : 18.99 MB (with active sync open and running attached to my computer) If I unplugged my EXEC and close active sync, it goes back to 20.19 MB
These are all my open applications and memory usage without any slow downs:
gwes.exe: 7.48 MB
filesys.exe: 2.72 MB
device.exe: 2.43 MB
cprog.exe: 2.33 MB
shell32.exe: 1.43 MB
repllog.exe: 499.69 KB
services.exe: 227.76 KB
tmail.exe: 163.62 KB
connmgr.exe: 131.81 KB
HandyMenu.exe: 123.81 KB
rapiclnt: 115.90 KB
poutlook.exe: 47.90 KB
SDDaemon.exe: 47.90 KB
MemMaid.exe: 23.90 KB
shfind.exe: 19.90 KB
srvtrust.exe: 7.90 KB
NK.EXE: 0 Bytes
Even with these applications open. My EXEC runs fine with no slow downs.
I am happy with my EXEC. Even after 12 hours of continuous Movie playback at night, I don't feel my EXEC over heating. This thing is amazing!

Close programs??

is there a registry hack that will close a program instead of minimising it?

Here you go! http://www.trancreative.com/mb.aspx and the best part is that it's free!!!

There are many programs that will do this, some of them have many other functions that you will find useful.
My favourite program, WisBar Advance does this as part of a massive set of functions, and adds the ability to completely skin your device.
The trade is that it uses heaps of valuable RAM and isn't free.
ViJay555 has a piece of software that will also perform this function, VJOKButt.
This is something that many people ask about, we all find our own solution.

cheers guys i'll try them out. does anyone know why microsoft did this?

bobbyb said:
cheers guys i'll try them out. does anyone know why microsoft did this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So that applications will "seem" to start faster after the first initial load.

The way MS sees us using the device often has little to do with the reality of using a PDA.
The default tools loaded by WM5 or the carriers (the ExtROM contents) are what they assume we will use and they do try to provide the things that most people want. Word, Phone, Calendar etc will all run quite happily in the memory that we have been (grieviously under)allocated on the device. However, when you start putting lots of third party apps in there you find that 64MB isn't enough. Skinning, Today plugins, TomTom, alternative BT stacks and voice diallers, better PIMs and the like all take up more space than MS had planned and we have to close them to save space.
If you ran it the way it was intended then minimising without closing would be acceptable.
Reminds me of Monty Python:
You're all individuals!
I'm not ...
One day I'll find a way to upgrade this baby to 512MB of DDR and drop a 2GHz CPU in it ... Then I'll be a happy camper =)

One problem I ran into, well, really not a problem just didnt think. As mentioned there are several programs that work great and I run SPB Pocket plus and all was great until my Exec started running slower & slower and eventually crashed. What I realized was that I was closing programs with the "ok" button on the keypad. This will only minimize not close so my programs were still running and stacking up in memory. This is a big "DUH". As long as you use the "x" in the top coner then the programs mentioned can close your program (as designed) but if you use the keypad "ok" the programs will continue to run in the background. Just a heads up.

Unless you use PQz! This program has an option that lets the "ok" button on the keyboard actually close apps.
have I mentioned I'm a fan of PQz? ;-)

Thanks, I will check it out.

closing programs ?

As a relative newbie I've searched but can't find an answer, so sorry if this is really obvious. When you close a program it stays running in the memory. How do you close it properly so it isnt in the background?
Thanks
Landy
Orange SPV M3100 (locked)

You need a 3rd party application. Magic Button, Small menu, AE Button Plus, SPB Pocket Plus, or something similar will enable you to actually close programs rather thsn minimizing them.

actually, you can hit CTRL-Q with the soft keyboard and it will close most programs. not as easy as some of the 3rd party applications, but works nonetheless.

I learn something everyday. Thanks

ive allways used battery pack ( pro ) with pdas, works well on my vario 1, hope to use it when i upgrade!

I'm a devout Switch user.

I use Magic Button 2 for closing apps, it is tiny and very well integrated with the taskbar.
Recently I read this article on the Windows Mobile Team Blog which has a very good explanation on why the “X” button doesn’t close apps, really worth reading

Thanks for the heads up pof! Interesting, but down to personal preferance based on type of useage. Try streaming radio through wi-fi whilst surfing the web and making notes in Word simultaneously! It'll work, but you will noice a slow down, that u really would rather not. Until they pack a much more powerful CPU into these devices that can truly handle multi-tasking (regardless of type of application), the user will always have need of the choice, hence the need for intuitive 3rd party apps. Personally, I use Wisbar Advance as it can easily be set up to reflect the 'minimise' and 'Exit' functions I have become accustomed to in the Windows PC O/S. I additionally use AE Button closer for guaranteed button control over closing apps and I find this combination absolutely essential. Something I believe Microsoft should have included into the WM platform by default.
Let's not forget how precious memory is to pda users who don't have the ability to upgrade memory like in our PCs, which removes the need to worry about memory management for most situtions except CPU intensive applications and the fact that these mobile devices still suffer from memory leakages.
Just my 2 cents worth.
P.S. With the above mentiones setup, I have no memory issues at all. I always have between 28 and 25 megs of available memory. Just right for running any application (CPU intensive or not) at any given time and enables muti-tasking comfortably providing they are not all CPU heavy apps!

i use and recommend SmartSKey. it's tiny, but powerful in terms of real closing apps

Do any of these apps make the "ok" key close apps insted of minmising?

LeoPheonix said:
Do any of these apps make the "ok" key close apps insted of minmising?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AE Button Plus does this. through key remapping. Others may as well.

Interest in a task automater / macro recorder and playback utility?

I wrote a program for Windows 2000/XP called Do It Again ( http://www.spacetornado.com/DoItAgain/ ) that does simple task automation (also called macro recording and playback).
You click "Create a New Task" and it then records all of your keystrokes and mouse clicks in any program until you hit a certain hot key (Scroll Lock by default). You can then run the task back in a number of different ways and it will recreate your keystrokes and mouse clicks... either with the same pauses in between, or it can speed them up. And there are some other options available as well (repeating tasks, manually extending pauses between actions, etc).
I thought something like this might be useful for Windows Mobile devices. I wrote Do It Again in C# using .NET Framework 2.0, so I'm guessing it should be fairly easy to port to .NET Compact Framework 2.0.
But I only want to start porting this to Windows Mobile if there is any interest in it, and if people think they might get some use out of it. I know for me personally there are several things I do on my WinMo device that get repetitive and monotonous... starting and minimizing GPS Test to activate the GPS adapter, dismissing old Notifications, marking all email as Read, etc.

This sounds like a perfect application which can be used for pretty much anything.
Personally, i'm very interested in this, and would be glad to have it ported.
There are a lot of people who're looking to do things the easy way around here, for instance, settings up accounts, changing settings.. and so forth, without having to go 8 clicks...

nir36 said:
This sounds like a perfect application which can be used for pretty much anything.
Personally, i'm very interested in this, and would be glad to have it ported.
There are a lot of people who're looking to do things the easy way around here, for instance, settings up accounts, changing settings.. and so forth, without having to go 8 clicks...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would find this very useful for using both Google Maps and Tom Tom Nav.. Say you want to go somewhere new.. Use google maps to find the address and then activate the script, prime the GPS, load Tom Tom, then copy paste the address info into Tom Tom. One cycle activated by a hot key would be nice.

norkoastal said:
I would find this very useful for using both Google Maps and Tom Tom Nav.. Say you want to go somewhere new.. Use google maps to find the address and then activate the script, prime the GPS, load Tom Tom, then copy paste the address info into Tom Tom. One cycle activated by a hot key would be nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that would be a perfect example of how you could use it. And that would be a lot safer to have a task automation app perform those steps for you instead of having to do it yourself while driving.
I'll start working on this in a week or so (as soon as I can get Scrobble finished up and to a point where people stop requesting more features! ) and see if can be ported over.
It should be easy; there are just a couple Win32 library calls it makes that I'm not sure are available in WinMo 6.1:
Code:
// imports mouse_event function from user32.dll
[SRI.DllImport("user32.dll", CharSet = SRI.CharSet.Auto, CallingConvention = SRI.CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern void mouse_event(int dwFlags, int dx, int dy, uint cButtons, uint dwExtraInfo);
// imports keybd_event function from user32.dll
[SRI.DllImport("user32.dll", CharSet = SRI.CharSet.Auto, CallingConvention = SRI.CallingConvention.StdCall)]
public static extern void keybd_event(byte bVk, byte bScan, uint dwFlags, uint dwExtraInfo);
These two functions mouse_event() and keybd_event() poll for all mouse and keyboard events (clicks, movement, keypresses, etc.) globally... in any window, program, and so on.
Does anyone know off the top of their head if user32.dll is also available in Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional?

I am *VERY* interested in this application. How is the porting coming? I can't wait!!!

Man. That would be a revolution for us ppccusumizenerds! Holy ****! ..that would actually be Holy ****!

There is a version of AutoHotKey for Pocket PCs / WinCE, still in development, but a lot of it working, see here http://www.autohotkey.com/forum/topic27146.html&highlight=wince.

I'm very interested. In fact, I was looking for such an application but gave up finding.
Looking forward.
Thanks.

Hi,
if it's getting as good as Scrobble, then I vote for it . This would be a very handy feature, moreover very clever.
I would test it with pleasure.
Greets.

It will be a very useful app!
Looking forward to it, in the meanwhile I'll play with XP version!!