HP 720 Jordana

Hi, I want to use an HP 720 Jordana handheld PC in conjunction with a tabletop PC. My tabletop PC operates Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit, which I know is not compatible with the Jordana.

I could get myself a good quality refurbished 'old' laptop with an RS-232 socket and XP SP2 OS which are the key requirements that will enable both devices to communicate with each other easily and seamlessly.

On the other hand I think I know that if I used Windows 7 Pro (instead of Home Premium) as the OS in my current PC I could download Windows XP within Windows 7 which would then enable communication with the Jordana - I think! I would also have to fit my PC with an RS-232, I think!

How could a non tech like me get a modern computer to connect with a device such as the HP 720 Jordana? I have a local computer technician who could help modify my current PC if necessary, but I would need to know for sure that what you may propose will work!

I thank you in advance and look forward to your suggestions.

There are lots of ways to accomplish what you want.

First of all, you don't need a serial port as the Jornada will support USB synchronization via Activesync. Some of the older Jornada cradles supported only serial, but the newer ones supported both serial and USB.

Anothr thing you might consider is simply getting a USB hard drive and installing XP on it. Then when you boot your desktop, redirect the boot from the normal Win7 internal drive to the XP USB drive and load XP instead.

Or you might consider using something like BartPE and boot a modified XP image right off a DVD drive that includes Activesync and Outlook.

I'm sure others have ideas as well.

Many thanks for your response H/PC Guru - it's food for thought.

I'll make sure that when I purchase the Jordana it has USB connectivity.

You've opened my eyes regarding the second USB drive which is something I can discuss with my computer technician.

I look forward to more suggestions. Thanks.

Rich's suggestions, as usual, are spot-on. As new OSs distance themselves from legacy hardware, some folks use a low-rent XP machine for Activesync/Outlook only.

From there, I use Google calendar/contacts as the conduit b/w the XP machine and other more current machines. So I sync Outlook on XP to Google and Google back-and-forth to Win7/Outlook/Linux. Several good google sync programs are available, including the free, but now-unsupported "Google Calendar Sync 0.9.4.1" which is still out there on the 'net and plays nicely with XP and Outlook. Thunderbird for Windows and Linux will do both Google Cal and Contacts with the appropriate extensions.

Having a second machine can be a hassle, but that's where we are with 199* hardware.

Jake

Hi all,

I've decided to get myself a refurbished IBM/Lenovo T42 laptop as a backup pc, with XP SP2 and Active Synch 4.5 installed. The laptop will be principally for writing (great keyboard) using Word 2010 and I want the Jornada 720 to be its partner, again for writing. In conjunction with the writing I want to surf the web for information, using Google Chrome .

That's all I want this setup for, but WILL IT WORK? (I will of course use the laptop for other things when necessary.)

I need XP SP2 because HP states that the Jornada 720 will synch using ActiveSynch 4.5 in XP SP2. And I need XP SP2 because Word 2010 won't work with any earlier Windows OS.

I see that Active Synch 3.5 is suggested by some, but when I Google a download I get referred to Allin1Convert ASK toolbar and WiseConvert_1.5 toolbar - nothing else. Do these work exactly as ActiveSynch 3.5? In fact DO I NEED 3.5? It's all a bit confusing for a non tech like me.

So my question is - if I buy any HP 720 Jornada will it synch via serial/usb cable with an IBM/Lenova T42 laptop with XP SP2 and ActiveSynch 4.5 installed?

Sorry for my ignorance in IT matters.

Edited by BruceWeir 2013-09-07 8:34 AM

ActiveSync 3.8, not 3.5 is recommended and you can download it from this site without any spyware.

The setup will work.

Thanks for the ActiveSync 3.8 info.

Another doubt has arisen - which Windows XP OS is compatible with the Jordana? Windows XP SP2 or Windows XP SP3?

If Windows XP SP2 is compatible, then Word 2010 isn't, and I want to continue using Word 2010. There is however a simple way, or so it seems, of making a change to the registry which will allow Word 2010 to install on XP SP2.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Windows - click on Windows and then on CDSVersion and change the value of 200 shown to 300, and then restart and install Word 2010. Then after it has installed go back and change the registry value back to 200.

Is it safe to say that this back and forth change in the registry will not affect the Jornada compatibility?

All this assumes that the Jordana is not compatible with XP SP3.

I used to use XP with SP3 with my Jornada 728 and ActiveSync just fine...

If you're going with XP, I would lose Activesync 4.5 altogether--you can't wirelessly sync Contacts, etc. past version 3.8. Believe me, wireless syncing is the clean way to go. Other than using it for an initial AS partnership, your docking station can be stowed away.

Check out the tutorials, C:Amie has fine instructions about how to uninstall 4.5 completely so that a 3.8 installation works without complaint.

You're going to have fun with that laptop, might as well enjoy it to the fullest.

Jake

I sync using ActiveSync 3.8 with a PC running XP SP2 without any problems. More details are available here:

http://www.hpcfactor.com/support/syncsoft/

Jake makes an important point...removing 4.5 and installing 3.8 requires you to manually remove rapi.dll I believe...read the CESD...I'm only going from memory.

Glad I installed XP on a separate partition to my Win7...nice to have dual boot and use whichever I want...

Rich, how do you sync your Outlook in Windows 7? Do you copy over your *.pst from the XP drive? Or do you not sync Windows 7?

Jake

Rich is talking about this tutorial:

http://www.hpcfactor.com/support/cesd/s/0093.asp

It also applies to uninstalling ActiveSync 4.5.

Jake, doesn't WMDC sync with Outlook 2007?

Hi Guys,

Sorry to be such a worrier but can you clarify something for me?

The HP 720 Jordana handbook says that the Jordana will sync with PCs operating on Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT 4.0. This was written presumably when ActiveSync version 3.0 only was available.

On Ebay and Amazon the specs for HP 720 Jornadas for sale say the same thing - up to NT 4.0.

But the Jordana review on this website says that Windows 95, 98, Millennium, NT4, 2000 and XP (using ActiveSync 3.1 or higher) are OK.

Does the ActiveSync version (3.0, 3.1 etc) determine which Windows OS will work with the Jordana?

My nose is pointing me towards XP SP2 and ActiveSync 3.8.

NB - I have an unused PC operating XP Pro so I might experiment with different versions of ActiveSync - or would I be wasting my time?

Edited by BruceWeir 2013-09-08 2:50 PM

The Jornada will work with most all versions of Activesync. But the newer ones after 3.8 started changing as CE5 became the norm for handhelds. AS 3.8 is virtually bug free and will run with XP, any SP1-SP3 just fine.

So when others say use 3.8...there is a reason...unless you have a WM6 handheld which will not work with 3.8, and in that case you might need a newer version of AS, such as 4.5.