Help for a Win CE newbie - Brainium WiBook

I've just gotten a Brainium WiBook with Win CE .NET v4.20 and am looking for help in getting it to do what I want - i.e. just be a simple email, surfing and text editor at home so I don't have to lug my laptop to and from work every day.

Is there a good online reference somewhere for Win CE .NET v4.20, or for the WiBook, for non-programmers who just want to use it and not fiddle with registers, etc.

My WiBook very erratically recognizes (or doesn't) my USB mouse. I've tried several types of USB mouse, from straight ball types to the newer optical types. If I reset the computer, it then finds it, but I have to retype all my accounts and bookmarks into the INBOX and EXPLORER options. Can anyone tell me where Win CE stores this data so I can save it and replace it after a hard reset?

I have a WiFi service at home and a Thomson Speedtouch 120c USB modem. I don't have a USB driver that allows the WiBook to recognize and use the WiFi modem however. I've written BSquare, but they haven't responded. In the meantime, I can get a connection by cable from the broadband modem to the ethernet card on the WiBook.

I have several 16 mB Lexar CF cards that the WiBook recognizes if they're put in the external card slot but not if they're put in the internal slot, or if they're used in conjunction with other brands of cards. Any thoughts on this? Is it the cards (they don't work with my Handspring CF backup module either), or is it a quirk of the WiBook or Win CE?

It seems to run very slowly- slower than my Sony Clie which sports a 200 mHz processor. I've seen references to it being underclocked? Where can I get software that can set it to its nominal 400 mHz speed? Internet links seem very slow as well, but I don't know if this is a WiBook or ISP problem.

Any tips, references, URLs and/or other forms of encouragement welcome.

Gratefully yours

Bob Thomson
Paris, France

congrats on getting a wibook i have one too. hope you didn't pay too much, mine was 65$

as for the usb mouse, why are you doing a full reset, why not a plain soft reset? then your account data wouldn't be deleted. btw bookmarks are stored in a folder, check out \Windows, should be there.

why did you write to bsquare, they don't have anything to do with this device.

it is indeed underclocked to 200 mhz, get this overclocker: http://izemize.fw.hu/bsquareoc.zip
you can use 472 Mhz quite safely

I've been trying to "map" the directories and save what looks like account, bookmark, etc. files on a CF card. However, I really mean it when I say I'm a newbie - I don't know how and haven't been able to find out how to do a soft reset. Holding down the on/off button sometimes turns the WiBook off, but not consistently.

Bob

To do a soft reset, Hold the power button wile on for about 5 seconds
Most USB drivers are allready in the OS of the Wibook....

well the wibook is a little strange, the reset button is just a soft reset button on other devices. it is hard reset on the wibook. 3-5 secs of holding down power button = soft reset.

mouse? doesn't your wibook have a touch screen?

anyway don't think that CE is this unreliable please, the wibook isn't so well constructed as it was meant for just poor students or whatever i guess. but it is an amazing piece of hpc for 65$!

That doesn't work for me. I've tried holding it down for anywhere from 2 to 20 seconds and it doesn't shut off.

I solved the USB mouse problems with <softreset10.zip> from http://www.tucows.com/start_dl/221462_92364_9980/dlp/ Now I can get the mouse going without losing all my settings with a hard reset. I'm not sure why holding down the power button not only won't reset it but won't turn it off either - although that has worked in the past. A little flaky I guess but much more functional now with the mouse. I also used the over clocking programme recommended and it certainly does speed it up.

Hmmm...

Ive noticed most people ive talked to that got a Wibook got somthing flaky with thiers, seem's that one other person and i as i recall didnt get any defects with ours....i relly havent had one problem out of mine..... even after a 4 ft drop test...

"Test"?

yeah. the screen is OK now on mine but some keys died on the keyboard. so yes, they are flaky. what do you expect for less than 100$

Maybe thats what these people selliong them on ebay are getting a slu of defective units...

Cant see the education Boards paying ther full $500 for somthing that has this many defects...Then again mayb ethats what put Brainium outta buissness...Who Knows